A/N: And now I give you the conclusion of Only Little Girls…

Bella at 17

The days faded into weeks, the weeks formed into months. Not a thing would lift Bella from her state of agony. Bella could not control the sobs that built in her chest. They attached themselves to her throat as she struggled to take in every breath. The pain ebbed and flowed like a wave, the seasickness of her grief carrying her. It manifested in her house's knick-knacks, walls and even the blanket she had wrapped herself in. If she had but one more day with her parents, Bella would tell them how much she loved them.

All motivation ceased to exist in our young Bella. She did not attend University in the fall. Instead, she remained in her house and wallowed. Her Aunt Cheryl stayed with her as a plan had not yet been decided upon.

What was Bella to do with her life? Everything around her had lost all meaning and measure. She sat by and watched as everything and everyone around her moved at their continued steady pace. Was she but a burden? Surely these people, her aunt, the constant stream of neighbors expressing their condolences, would move on eventually. But how would Bella move past it herself?

"I lost my parents at a similar age, Bella." Annabelle sought to comfort. Annabelle thought that she must at least accept that from her. "My mother grew terribly sick a few short years after I lost my…" She stopped herself short, choosing her words carefully. "…Soon after that, my father could not bear to go on without my mother. He committed suicide not far long after her passing. Death surrounded me and took over my body, Bella. It would not let up and I persevered as best I could. You must continue to do so yourself. Your parents would want you to. They wouldn't want you to hole up in here forever."

"I feel there is nothing left here for me." Bella could not remove herself from the confines of her bed.

Annabelle, hearing these words of desperation, would not allow them to leach onto Bella. "Bella, you can not harm yourself. You mustn't! You have to get up! Take a walk, feel the Earth beneath your feet. Do not do anything rash!"

Bella, confused as all ever, turned aghast at Annabelle's outburst. "Please, Annabelle! Whatever do you think of me that I would even consider such an option?"

Annabelle lowered her voice to a soft whisper. "My dear, Bella. I'm sorry that I frightened you. I am nothing if not concerned for your well being. I must protect you from many things. Especially since the Creature is not a prominent feature in your life at this moment."

Oh the Creature.

She stared beyond the billowing curtains and into the depths of the forest. She had not returned there in quite some time. There had been so much lost. She had lost love in every which way she had possessed before.

Her heart ached with each thump against her ribcage whenever he was brought up in conversation. She missed him so. The times when there was not a worry in the world. The way he was intent on hearing her every word. Bella felt she had lost not only her parents that day, but her innocent infatuation with the Creature.

It was odd how Annabelle had become her prime supporter through this difficult of times. Not even her Aunt Cheryl was of a huge comfort; it was hard to deny that Cheryl was not aware of the numerous typical happenings in Bella's life. Annabelle tended to her every night, lending an ear when Bella so desperately needed one. Aunt Cheryl was incapable of truly understanding Bella's loss. She had not known the full extent of it. She could never know.

As she continued to exist, there was only one thing that was a shining beacon in Bella's life. Annabelle continued to tell of the story of the boy and girl. Bella found that these stories were a tremendous comfort. There were tales of happiness and picnics on the hills. Afternoon meetings that left Annabelle and Bella's cheeks blushing red. Then there were the quiet moments that the boy and girl cherished the most of all.

Bella had found that oh so many stories of this boy and girl were entirely relatable to her own gatherings with the Creature. This realization tugged at her heart, recognizing the missed opportunities she would not see with him now.

"You will have those again, Bella. Your life is but still young and I promise an utmost of happy endings. Time heals all kinds of wounds, even if it seems so far out of reach. When you think all hope has been lost, it returns to you in spades."

Bella noticed that Annabelle's desperation gradually dissipated into the background. Instead, it was replaced with candor and guidance. There would be no more drastic moves or frightening emotional outbursts.

This continued on into the summer before Bella would reach the age of seventeen.

At the end of August, it had been decided that Bella would move with her aunt to the opposite coast. The house would be sold at a point, but it was important to Bella to leave behind the loss, pain and hurt. There would be a new place for her to continue future memories.

"And you are absolutely sure that this is what you desire?"

Bella cast a glance to Annabelle. So much had yet to be seen, Bella thought, how can I desire what I have not seen yet?

"Blindness is not something to be feared, Bella. It is to be embraced. I know you have found it hard over the years with the Creature blinding you in his presence, but he has done it to protect you. Not only is the inability to see done to help you, but to allow the Creature and you more time."

Oh the Creature and the despicable time conundrum! "Annabelle, if you'll forgive me, I do not want to embark on this territory just yet. I do see what you are trying to enlighten me with, but I wish to not hear it. I am still concerned with finishing my familial duties now, before I must set off to the East."

Annabelle watched our fair Bella remove herself gradually from any sort of future with the Creature. The memories that Bella had cherished slowly faded from her mind. The times in the forest were now thought about less and even dissected brutally; Bella had even delved for clues into how the Creature really truly treated her.

This was what she wanted. This was what Bella wanted for herself.

/.../

"What a fantastic way to turn a new page in my life than with a new haircut?" Bella lay on her bed, flipping through a magazine. There were so many choices among the glossy pages. Bella was not sure what possessed her to think of such a thing, but the thought refreshed her.

"I think it is a marvelous idea. You have such a transformative face; you could be someone new in a second." Annabelle stood next to Bella's bed, twirling the ends of her own hair.

Bella had gone through a total of five publications, but none struck her appeal. With a hard smack to the floor, she dropped them beside her bed.

She eyed Annabelle, who had found her way to the warbler in the corner. It had grown terribly ill lately and Bella knew that she could not take her feathered companion with her. She must let it go in the forest, let it live out its last days among its natural habitat. Yet another thing from my life disappearing, Bella thought. There seemed to be no constants anymore, making her feel unsettled.

There was but one thing that hardly ever left her though.

They've had their troubles, but Annabelle was ever present and willingly so. She had not seen her so much as sneeze or portray sickness. Annabelle seemed to defy time as well, not aging a wink over seventeen. Even her clothes and hair remained the same.

Bella had never taken notice of these appearances before and yet, they should've been noted. Did Annabelle not have other garments or someone to trim her hair? The hairstyle she sported was not a horrible one by any means, but certainly Annabelle would love a brand new blouse or dress.

"Annabelle, pray tell me why you only suit yourself in one article of clothing? And have you considered styling your hair in a different fashion?"

Annabelle ran her hands along her dress, fixing it just right. "Dear Bella, I only care to wear one thing. This dress is very sentimental and I wish to never wear anything else for as long as I exist."

"Ah, I see. I'm sorry, I was merely curious."

"It's quite alright. Actually, this dress belonged to the girl in those stories I've told you about. Do you remember them? The ones with the girl and the boy?"

The story had never left Bella's mind. "Yes, I do."

"Well, that girl was a dear, dear friend of mine. She could not bear to rid of it, but did not want it around to remind her of what she had lost. Instead, she gave it to me. I've kept it close ever since then."

Bella looked over Annabelle's dress. It danced between the line of off-white and white. The sleeves of it were bare, but they were innocently so. The skirt was tiered with numerous long layers and floated like air around Annabelle's body. A soft flower knot accented the back delicately.

"I must say that it is a beautiful piece."

"I think so too."

"And what of your hair?"

"I can't comment too much on my haircut. I haven't seen it in years. What do you think of it?"

Annabelle's hair fell in a similar manner to Bella's, with the exception that uniform bangs framed her face. She could've looked child-like but somehow, it was more ethereal.

"I think it's gorgeous." Bella secretly wondered if it would look just the same on her.

"Where's your mirror?" Annabelle asked.

"The vanity is just over there. Why?"

"Let's see if you can't pull it off." Bella guided Annabelle.

"Oh Annabelle, how do you know what's on my mind?"

"Because. I'm in your head, silly."

Bella fixed her skirt underneath, before sitting in front of the mirror.

"Now, I can only guide you from memory on how to attempt to cut it like so. But, I trust that you could judge when something doesn't feel right."

"Yes, I can."

Annabelle smiled, enjoying where this was headed. "Okay, do you have a pair of shears?"

In no time at all, Bella's new hairstyle resembled that of her imaginary counterpart.

"It's positively marvelous. I had never thought of myself as a bangs person, but this is downright perfect." Bella fawned over the brand new 'her'. For the first time in who knows how long, she was ecstatic.

"I'm sure it suits you splendidly."

"It may be my favorite haircut I'd ever had."

Annabelle stood, hands folded in front of her, by the open window. The wind blew against her gently, a smile forming. It was a smile of accomplishment, one of undeniable joy of what is to come from a task well done.

/.../

A week before Bella was due to leave her home, she spent time in the attic going through her parent's belongings. There were boxes upon boxes that could not be taken with her. Many of them were old garbs which would be too much to carry across the country.

Bella would have gone through it all sooner, but her heart was too battered and broken to think about it. Aunt Cheryl had offered to help, and did so for a short period of time, but Bella knew that this had to be done on her own. It did not feel right to have someone on the outside lending a hand to this cause.

Her mother had a plethora of boxes. Most of them were pertaining to Bella herself or the days when Renee danced. She scanned through the numerous headlines from her hometown paper, portraying the gifted Renee Dwyer. Bella had felt proud that she had been published like her mother; Renee's long legs stretched across the frame of the photo, it reminded Bella of the pictures she took of birds in mid-flight.

Bella finally reached her father's keepsakes. It contained all of Charlie's fishing materials. Her father's fishing poles and tackle box were donated to his best friend, Billy. Billy graciously accepted them, promising to use them in his honor. Charlie did not have many clothes to begin with, but Bella kept a few of his flannel shirts. Nothing smelled like home more than the scent of the woods on his clothes.

At this very thought, Bella's eyes welled with crocodile tears.

Why must the world be so cruel to me, thought Bella. Oh the unkind world! Bella could not have foreseen this tragedy. There were no warnings or underlying foreshadows. Were there really truly undiscovered signs out there that could've saved her parents?

She quickly affirmed that there was no sense in picking apart the past. Bella shook off her brief moment of grief and concentrated on the more immediate things at hand.

Hours later, the attic had fully been turned upside down and right side up. Every box and bin gone through; every memory glanced at and pondered.

All but except one.

Renee was not a well organized woman. Every piece of storage was scattered around with no definitive order. All similar items were in the same containers, but not in the same area.

This was how Bella came upon the final bin of clothing of Renee Dwyer's. It was labeled 'Fanciful and wise'. Bella shook her head, never the typical for Mother. She unsnapped the lid and feasted her eyes at the gorgeous sight in front of her.

It was a dazzling array of elegant dresses. They varied in style and sophistication. My, a girl would have had a field day trying all of these on!

"Bella, you are awfully quiet. Whatever are you doing?" Annabelle appeared a not so far distant away.

"I'm sorry; I've been enjoying something."

"What is it?"

"I've happened upon old dresses of my mother's."

"Oh how wonderful! Are they of a suitable nature?"

"Yes, they are in perfect condition."

Bella held one of the dresses in her hands. The ruby red silkiness glided between her fingers. Peeking inside the bin, every piece of clothing looked to be begging to be tried on. To be lived in a little bit. There was no harm in trying these on.

What girl doesn't love to dress up even if she had no particular place to go?

For the next hour, Bella popped in and out of a dozen dresses. She twirled around, watching the material below her waist balloon out, the wind picking it up and tickling her legs. She swung the skirt in her hands, even pretending to tap dance.

Bella pulled out the last few items, lying at the bottom of the bin. "Oh Annabelle, are you positive you don't want-."

Before she could finish her train of thought, the very last dress stopped her in her tracks.

"What is it, Bella?"

She wrapped her fingers around the material, the dress hanging longer and longer as it ascended from the bin.

"It's…"

"What?"

"It's….your dress. Only its not. It's a tad shorter, possibly a shade brighter, but it's…your dress."

Annabelle was quick to dispel. "Your mother obviously has wonderful taste."

"I guess so…"

"Are you bothered at this discovery?"

"Not quite. It must be a coincidence, unless you somehow knew this dress existed." There had to be nothing else. What other option would there be?

"No, I only know what you know. It's obvious you were unaware what your mother owned."

Dwelling on such a silly concept other than coincidence only provided headaches and time wasted. "It is a rather pretty dress."

"Really? You like it?"

"Yes. It has an air of subtle beauty that one may not notice until they see it up close."

Annabelle stepped closer to Bella, taking her own steps in her head at a slightly slower pace. "It fits wonderfully too. All clothing should be made like such."

Oh if only Renee could see her now, looking lovely as ever in a dress of her own.

/.../

Two days before Bella was set to depart, she made the decision to set the warbler free. Although its true home was miles away, it fit appropriately to let it find its way back to where it belonged.

The tiny bird stood on her finger, staring into the eyes of the face it knew so well. It had cared for it through bouts of sickness and the confines of a cage. The warbler was aware of some of the trepidations and secrets Bella had manifested out loud.

Tiptoeing to the end of Bella's finger, its wings fluttered and launched a couple of feet above her head. Bella watched as the bird remained suspended in the air, seemingly unsure about how to proceed.

"It's okay, little bird. I'm setting you free." She coaxed it forward, shooing it into the trees. "You will move back in with your family and friends. I'm positive they are waiting for your return."

The warbler insisted on floating in air, disobeying its owner.

"Are you afraid? I understand. It is not easy returning to what you once knew. Or experiencing a whole new predicament."

The bird chirped, tilting its head slightly toward the opening to the forest in her backyard. The same path Bella had ventured down many a time ago.

"Silly, bird. I can not go with you. I am ill-equipped for such a trip." She gestured to Annabelle's dress she had tried on in the attic.

"Bella, why are you to deny a true friend the help it so desperately needs?" Annabelle stood next to the bird.

"I am not denying, I'm…not dressed properly."

"There is never a time to be properly anything. You've journeyed into the woods with fancier clothes before."

Bella knew this to be true, but it was the memory of this fateful path that left her hesitant. There were so many reasons to help the little bird but there were also other obstacles that stood in her way. But what of the bird? Was it not as frightened and unsure as she was? She knew this trail as if it were carved on the back of her hand. A little extra guidance for as long as she could handle was not out of line for her, was it?

"Okay, little warbler. I will stick with you through some of the journey, but there is only so far I can go. Is that understandable?"

The warbler, as if knowing what she was speaking, gave a slight nod.

"I'll be right behind you. You may flutter forwards and upwards."

The bird took its first flaps ever so gently, essentially feeling out the area it knew only through the tiny glimpses it had through Bella's window every now and then.

Bella followed suit as a significant swell built in her chest. Oh how she will miss this greenery dearly. The smell of the wood as she stood mere inches from some of the grandest of trees in all of Earth. The bugs that scurried about on the muddy floor. The animals that greeted her whenever she passed them by.

There was no way for her to turn back. There was nowhere else for her to go but away from here.

She truly wished to be like the warbler she was guiding.

/.../

Soon, the sun was beginning to set. The bird and Bella were getting quite close to the one area that would bring about unbridled emotions.

"Warbler, I'm feeling a tad ill. Are you at ease to continue on without me?"

Unexpectedly, the warbler sped up.

"Wait, I wanted to say goodbye!" Bella lifted the skirt of her dress as her feet struggled to keep pace with the freely flying bird.

And then, it was out of her sight. But, something else entirely encompassed her vision.

The circular area was still the same. The rock they shared many an afternoon on was still intact. It was a natural mausoleum of the moments they once had.

Bella stepped lightly to the rock, running her fingers along the uneven edges. "This is all I have left. A simple piece of Earth that does not know of anything it had been cherished with."

"I would not say so, Isabella." The Creature's voice spoke from an unknown place.

Bella was frozen in place, unsure how to proceed. She wanted to say so much, but nothing would come up.

"I am terribly sorry that you are leaving. I have had fond times with you that were truly unforgettable."

The best way to go about this was silence, as Bella remained still. Her eyes blurred once again.

"This whole…blindness through the years must've been disconcerting for you."

Bella nodded.

"I can only imagine spending time with someone you know so well and not having the chance to know who they are physically."

Bella nodded once again.

"Which is why, I will be granting you your wish. It is my gift to you before you leave this forest. I will allow you to see me."

Bella gasped her breathing unsteady. It had been her one true desire for oh so long. Looking into the eyes of the Creature to see what he had been feeling. To catch even a glimpse of his face would fulfill many life long destines. "Oh, that would be the most wonderful thing to happen."

"I must warn you. I will not be what you have always expected. I can only wish that you still care for me after all these years."

"Do you think I am vain? If it is one thing I have learned, image is nothing. You must have feelings and soul."

"This is of utmost joy for me to hear. Now please, stand over here." The Creature gently held Bella's hand, placing her a couple of feet from their rock. "I will reveal myself now."

Slowly, her vision became clearer and clearer. She had always wondered the source of the cloudiness; was it a special magic the Creature bestowed upon her in his presence or a natural reaction to ones of her kind?

Right in front of Bella, the Creature's skin was…glittering. But, it was dissipating slowly, as if he were letting down his shield. The bright light coming off of the Creature's skin was the harshest sun glare she had ever experienced. Her eyes wanted to look elsewhere, but they were intoxicated by the tiny fragments that danced before her.

In a matter of seconds, Bella fell to her knees. A pierce tugging and pulling was tearing her mind apart. She groaned and struggled under the pressure that had hit her like a wrecking ball. Worst of all, her eyes. The retina felt like it was being burned and torn apart and her eyes would fall on the ground among the leaves and bugs.

She screamed as her eyes continued to throb and torture her. If she could've torn out her eyes at that point and the relief would go away, she wouldn't have minded staying blind forever.

"My love?" The Creature kneeled down beside her; his cold hand rest against her shoulder. In a brief moment between the pain, she wondered why he had called her 'love'. There was not a time before where he had called her this.

"Please, it hurts." Tears were falling freely from her eyes. "It won't stop."

The Creature sat quietly, doing nothing to ease the pain.

Behind Bella's eyelids, she saw all of her moments she had spent with the Creature. This time though, they were as clear as day.

He was beautiful. A gorgeous smile when he first appeared to her. Glowing golden eyes when she showed up in her favorite yellow dress. The look of utter want when he moved the strap back up her shoulder. The pain on his face when she wailed and cried for her dead mother and father.

Cried because he wouldn't let her see him.

The sensation was like that of a vacuum. In an instant, or a century, she saw her life flash before her eyes. Her memories pulled from her body and floated out into the day. But, that was not the end of it. There were other memories, other habits being embedded into her being.

From her toes, she felt them get longer. Her legs stretched, her hips widening, her waist cinching. Her whole body's makeup was being rearranged.

Her heart, the beats ticked to a different rhythm.

Bella looked into the eyes of the Creature and she saw it. The deception that she had hoped wasn't there, but it was. Oh how it was.

Finally, her mind. The memories of her life were being erased. They crumbled into grains of sand until they were so small, no one would know the difference.

And then she was down on the ground. Her limp body not hers anymore.

The Creature was at the body's side, lifting her shoulders off the ground. He waited.

The searing pain had subsided, allowing the eyes to blink and regain vision. She stared at the ground for a few moments, giving her eyes a breather. A hand came into her sight, one that seemed familiar to her at a time long ago. Traveling from the hand, up his arm and all the way past his shoulder, neck and face.

His face. She had seen it before. Not over the past eight years, but longer. So long ago.

The Creatures face transformed in that instant, his eyes coating with recognition and joy.

"It's you." He cupped her face with his hands, staring at her like she was the most beautiful girl in the world. "Annabelle." He shakily whispered.

Her mind clicked on like a family turning on the lights to their brand new house. She realized who she was staring at. Who she had always loved to stare at.

"Edward!" Annabelle flung her arms around her Edward.

They held each other like a couple hugging for the first time after a husband's long tour of duty overseas.

"I have waited for you for so long." Edward smiled into her hair, his hand fisting the delicate strands. "Only seeing you through her every day hurt the most."

"I had hoped I would see you again. Every day I wished for you until she came along." She stepped back to take in her love from long ago. His hair, still that color she couldn't miss from miles away. His face, still boyishly handsome with sharp cheekbones she loved to trace just before they kiss. But, his eyes. Why were his eyes an amber color and not that of pine? "Edward, you are the same man I knew, but there is a difference I can't put my finger on. Would you like to enlighten me?"

"My love, I am the same but I am different." Edward unwound his arms from around her and stood up. "I have lived through decades and decades. I have seen many that I should not have seen. It may be hard to comprehend, but I hope you still accept me for what I have become."

Annabelle knew that there was nothing that would make her love him any less. If he had doubts, they were ill advised. "What have you become?"

"That night before our wedding, I was transformed into one who seeks out blood to live." Edward gazed into Annabelle's eyes, reaching for her hand, but stopped short and held her finger tips instead.

"I had always wondered what happened to you all these years."

"I care not to share the details with you at the moment, but I'm afraid this life I am a part of now is for forever. Nothing will change and I will live on for all eternity."

"That is wonderful because I would never dream of giving you up."

Edward frowned, bowing his head to the ground. "It is not a life that you are capable of or equipped for at the moment."

"What are you telling me, Edward? Am I not desired in your new life?"

"No." Edward quickly took Annabelle's face, rubbing her cheeks with his thumbs. "That is not what I am saying or what I wish."

"Then pray tell what it is you are conveying?"

"I would have to turn you into what I am."

Annabelle considered this. What would she become to be with Edward? Anything and everything. "I've waited so long for you, my love. I need to know that this is real and that you are not only in my imagination."

Edward kissed Annabelle's lips, savoring it once again and for the last time. "I'm as real as you want me to be."

Annabelle and Edward joined hands, spending a few precious moments together before Edward transformed his fair Annabelle.

And so, the boy and the girl were reunited for all eternity.

And let this be a lesson. Only little girls shall get lost in an imaginary world, but when it teeters into the real, they must let it go. If they do not find their way back, they might end up being lost to their own minds.

Or pulled into devious minds that will lead them astray.

The End

A/N: I hope all of you enjoyed this weird sort of fairytale. I honestly don't know where the hell it came from. Sometimes your mind takes you to strange places.

Thanks again to my friend and beta, Bublichka.

I never expected anyone to give a T-rated story like this a chance, so thanks again to everyone that has read, reviewed and recommended this story.

Until next time…