A/N: Who's up for the final chapter of this story? Who's up for the sequel after that! Here it is; Chapter 22, the finale of 'Burns'!

My mind was reeling with all of the possibilities it wouldn't let me ponder.

"He called me?" I sounded too shocked to be speaking and this puzzled Charlie.

"Yeah, are you two not on speaking terms?" He asked seeming genuinely confused by my reaction.

"I'd thought not" I murmured and he shrugged, picking his pizza back up and shovelling another bite into his mouth.

I stared at him with an unfathomable expression and he studiously ignored me. Once I was certain that my appetite wouldn't return I excused myself and went to my room to work around the rule my mind had made about thinking about why he would have called. I sat on my bed and stared curiously at the telephone which sat in the corner of my room. I had never noticed its marvel before now but I was suddenly captivated by its power to attach one heart to another through a voice connection. Suddenly the object rang a sound that resounded badly in my ears. I couldn't bring myself to answer it and breathed a sigh of relief when it stopped ringing. I heard Charlie mumbling on the downstairs phone and my heart picked up in pace when he called up the stairs that the phone call was in fact for me.

I gingerly made my way over to the phone and when I put it to my ear; I had to prepare myself for the conversation ahead.

"Hello?" I intended my voice to sound casual and nonchalant but it came out as a hopeful, yearning sound and I cringed as I awaited the response.

"Bella?" he asked and I rolled my eyes; who else?

"Yeah" I mumbled in response, not wanting to allow myself to feel anything about the fact that he was calling me.

"How are you?" he asked sounding overly polite.

"Fine and dandy, yourself?" I responded with a hint of venom in my voice.

"I'm alright" he said and I was done with the pleasantries.

"Why are you calling me?" I asked him abruptly, my voice cold and distant.

"I don't know" he admitted and I scoffed.

"You said you didn't want to be friends anymore" I reminded him.

"I know, and then you ran off for two weeks" he grumbled and I laughed in disbelief.

"As if you care that I was gone. Life was peachy wasn't it? I bet you had the time of your life while I was away" I hissed, not wanting to tell him where I'd been.

"You're wrong" I heard his soft voice come from the other end of the line and I was stunned into silence at the velvet texture of it.

"Well, I'm not going to wait around for your phone calls. You said you didn't want to be friends, and I'm granting you your wish. Goodbye Edward" I said sadly and hung up the phone. My breath caught up to be seconds later and I was curled up on the ground in a hyperventilating heap. Eventually I calmed down enough to crawl back to my bed and sit upright, and then it took only a small while for me to feel up to getting ready for bed. Life went on, I knew that.

My shower seemed to be over far too quickly and I made my way to my bed again to lay down this time. As I entered my room again I was shocked to see a very familiar scene.

"What are you doing here?" I scrambled desperately as he sat perfectly still on my bed.

"You hung up on me" he stated simply and I felt hot anger boil to my cheeks.

"You left me" I responded, flustered and his eyes twitched sadly.

"I did" he granted and then we stared at each other for a few immeasurable moments; a grimace gracing his disfigured face.

"Out" I finally managed to say.

"I beg your pardon?" he asked and my blush became deeper.

"I said get out. I don't want you here; it hurts too much" I coughed and he flinched. I wasn't sure how he kept getting into my room but I knew I would find out and then make sure he could never do it again.

He stood up rigidly and walked passed me and right out the door. As soon as he was gone I was shocked at myself and proud for being so strong. He was without a doubt the person I loved most in the world, and I was able to stand up again him. I shook my head in a daze and finally got into my bed after turning off the lights and closing the door. I closed my eyes and begged for unconsciousness yet again but my eyelids betrayed me by flickering with images of Edward and his burns, and the pictures ended with a shattered heart.

I awoke the next morning after a broken sleep and my eyes felt as bloodshot as I knew they would look. I groggily got dressed and made my way downstairs to enjoy the last day of my weekend. I didn't know how I would enjoy this mildly sunny Sunday because I seemed to have no friends in Forks anymore, but I decided I wouldn't let the rejection I was used to take me over. You never know how strong you are until your strength is all you have.

I decided to go outside today so I packed a backpack with snacks, a blanket and a few books to entertain me through the day. I dumped the bag in my truck and began to drive. I didn't exactly know where I was driving to, but when I saw the place, I knew I had been going there all along. I arrived at a lookout that displayed the beauty that Forks had to offer if you were into nature and the logistics of forestry.

I sat there for the longest time before I even opened the bag I had packed, and it was only when my stomach began to rumble at about midday that I realized I was hungry. I ate in perfect silence until I heard gravel crunching behind me. I thought I was being joined by a fellow bored patron of this dull town and when I turned around my heart lurched as I was almost too correct. Edward was walking towards me and I had no way to escape him.

"Why are you doing this? Haven't you done enough?" I hissed and all the pain and anger I felt was evident in my voice.

"I realize you don't want to see me, but I didn't think it would drive you all the way to Arizona" he shook his head and I gasped.

"How did you know I was in Arizona?" I blanched and he grimaced.

"Alice called me the night you got there and told me you were upset with me" he mumbled, a scowl on his face.

"I was upset with you. I still am" I confirmed and he nodded.

"Good" he said.

"How is that good? We used to be such great friends and then I fell in love with you so you chickened out and now I have no one" I said, beginning to yell.

"I didn't chicken out" he defended and that enraged me further.

"Yes you did! You said it went too far for you so we couldn't be friends. I poured my heart out to you Edward, I don't usually tell people how I feel but I tried to put every bit of love I felt for you into words and you couldn't even hear me" I yelled and he stood very calm and still.

"I did hear you" he said and I became even angrier.

"Oh great so now I know exactly why everything happened" I hissed and he raised his marred brow.

"And why is that?" he said and I was becoming very frustrated that he seemed to be the epitome of calm.

"You think I'm disgusting" I whispered and his jaw dropped.

"What did you just say?" he said sounding extremely shocked and I was glad to finally get a reaction from him so I raised my voice again.

"I can't help what happened to me. I know I'm ugly and completely and entirely unappealing Edward. I'm not an idiot; I see myself in the mirror, I know what my burns look like. I can't even stand to touch them so I know that nobody else ever will. Yours don't bother me at all but it's absolutely clear that you can't bring yourself to look past mine. I'm really sorry for being this broken Edward, really, but I'm not sorry for trying not to be" I yelled and then he became livid.

"What the hell did you just say to me? You think I think you're ugly? Bella, from the very first moment I saw you I knew that you were the most beautiful creature on the planet. Why would your burns bother me? Do you really think I am that damn shallow that I wouldn't look past that and see everything in your heart? Do you really think I would see you as anything other than perfect? I know you're broken Bella but I love you enough not to care" he yelled and then snapped his jaw shut as my eyes began to water.

"What?" I whispered; my heart pounding. Tears began to fall from my eyes and my hands began to tremble.

"You heard me" he said.

"If it were true," I started, "you would have said it back to me before and not let me think those things".

"I needed you to think those things Bella. When you told me you loved me it took everything I had not to sweep you off your feet and profess my undying love for you but I couldn't. You deserve so much better than someone who looks like me, someone who jumps between emotions. You deserve sunshine, perfection and stability and I can't be any of those things. I didn't say it back because I want what is best for you" he rambled and my heavy heart began to feel lighter.

As all of this was happening, it began to rain. I was standing across from Edward at the lookout and the rain was glistening off our skin.

"I've done irreparable damage. I'm so sorry" he whispered and began to turn away and walk back to his car so I picked up a rock from my feet and threw it at him.

"Don't walk away from me" I yelled at him and then took long strides towards him. "I know what's best for me" I said and then leant in and hugged him. His arms wrapped themselves around me securely and my heart hammered as I actually realized that he loved me too.

After the incredibly long hug, I leaned back and stood on my tip toes to kiss Edward on the cheek. My lips roamed his face and I kissed his right cheek at least a dozen times and I kissed his right eye while it was closed in the moment. Finally though, my mouth found his and I kissed him with a fire from the heart which burnt neither of us, but left our hearts irreversibly marked.

A/N: So, that's the end of Burns! I'll have the first chapter of the sequel up within a few days but like I said in chapter 21, I'm in the middle of uni assignments so my life is incredibly hectic right now. Have a great night! xo