Life After

Prologue

I knew this day would come. Death is always inevitable and always expected. It happens when you least expect it and sometimes precisely when you do. It is the means to an end, always a conclusion to someone's story. Unfortunately these rules do not apply to me. Yet here I was, perched on a branch in a large willow tree, hidden by the heavy moss, watching the coffin of the only person who I held so dear to my heart being lowered into the ground. He was the one who had made me what I am today…immortal. I felt a twinge of envy run through my veins. I was jealous of how easy death was for everyone else. How I wished I could just jump off of a building or shoot myself in the head. I longed for death. I fantasized about it.

It was a particularly sunny day today. I could feel the sun's warmth on my back as I sat on the branch. I leaned my side against the tree, resting my head alongside the trunk. It always seemed to me that the bad events in my life always had perfect weather in the background while the days I truly cherished the weather was always unpleasant. It was the sound of a loud thunder crashing that stirred me awake on that momentous day when I first laid eyes on him. It was my most favorite memory of them all.

I look through the heavy shrubs and far into the distance. My eyesight being powerful enough to see even the delicate weave of the pastor's suit if I chose to look that deep, I kept my distance. Esme would be the only one who would know who I was among those attendees to this funeral. I didn't want my presence to upset her, especially today.

There were many people who came to say their last goodbyes to Carlisle Cullen, more than I had expected. I didn't know he had become so popular over the years. A small smile formed on my lips. Of course he was, I thought. Everyone loved him. I gazed upon Esme, now an older woman, with hair pulled into a bun and her sullen face as she stared into the distance with a blank face. I had thought she was perfect, the first time I saw her. She still very much was. She had aged beautifully, only lovely crinkles on the side of her eyes that showed how much she had loved and lived. Her dark hair was still shiny, with no sign of gray. She had the life I had wanted. A family that loved her, a history she could remember and the ability to give Carlisle more than I ever could. She was what made it easier for me to leave all those years ago. She was what he deserved, a life with someone normal. I was disappointed to find it was now ex-wife as he had told me the last time we spoke, a week ago. They hadn't spoken to each other for over 20 years. I wondered if she was struggling with this loss. Could she mourn the loss of a man who never mourned the loss of her? I watched the tears drop heavily down her eyes. I guess you can.

A little boy lean against Charles Cullen, Carlisle's eldest and only son, caught my eye. Carlisle had shown me pictures of his family that day I had visited. Charles had grown up to be a handsome man. He had Esme's dark hair and brown eyes. Those eyes were now cold and emotionless. I was a little taken aback, wondering what Charles was thinking at his father's funeral.

I climbed to a closer branch wanting to get a better view of the little boy. It had to be his grandson. Though it seemed he had no characteristics of his father, he was a spitting image of his grandfather. He looked so much like the young man I had fallen in love with those many years ago. Only this boy had darker hair...a wonderful shade of bronze, which fell lazily in his eyes, just like Carlisle's blonde hair use to. Their features were the same, the shape of his nose and how his eyes set on his face. Though this boy still had a round face, I could see the sharp jaw his grandfather once had make its way through. I watched him as he brushed his hair out of his eyes, shifted his weight to another foot and the way his fingers would lightly twitch when he didn't know what to do with his hands. All of his mannerisms were exactly the same as his grandfathers.

And those eyes…those exceptionally stunning eyes were exactly the same. Those one and the same indecisive eyes I fell in love with long ago that could never stick with a color, changing frequently by the mood he was in. They could be as green as emeralds one minute and then next they would be hazel, a beautiful shade of gold. Today this young man's eyes were gold. When I left Carlisle, his eyes were gold.

A/N: So here is the beginning of my new Edward/Bella story. Hope this intro gets you interested in the rest of the story. Please review and let me know what you think so far. I am also looking for a beta for this story as well. Thank you so much for everyone who contacted me for The War. If your interested in beta-ing this story as well please shoot me an e-mail (e-mail address is found on my profile). Thanks again!!! You guys are awesome!!