Chapter 12:
The Sun Also Rises

There's a breeze.

The curtains on the balcony whisk in the air and the smell of fresh soil flew in like a child sending dandelion seeds out for a wish. The sun is hiding on this day. The signature grey clouds cover the sky and not a pocket of blue shined through.

It had to have been noon already. Although the clock on the bedside table read two o'clock, she couldn't help but feel it was still early. The way the air felt and the way the warm linen sheets covered her bare skin, it felt like a Sunday morning.

With a long exhale, she could tell her brain was still adjusting. She had woken up from a much needed sleep but she doesn't really remember falling asleep. There are still traces of memories, turning in nonsensical ways, begging to remain.

But all she could remember is blood and wolves. She doesn't remember coming back in the guest room either. Someone must've found her in the woods and carried her back.

Pushing herself into a sitting position hurt more than it should've. Her arm wriggled in pain and she hissed. There was a fresh scar, right down the middle of her tattoo. It looked like a crack in a wall, an imperfection.

Then she started to remember everything of the previous day. Bella died, but she could hear a faint pulse growing stronger which only meant one thing; the venom had worked.

Without another thought, she climbed out of the bed and escaped into the hallway. She could hear distant chatter coming from the living room, smell a scented soap, and feel the anxiety that swam generously around the Cullen home.

Her bare feet padded against the soft hardwood floors the sound nearly mimicking her hard pulse. Describing the way she felt would be similar to the way it feels on the first drop of a roller coaster, except she wasn't feeling a rush of thrill, adrenaline, or excitement. It was all about fear.

"Hunter." Edward whispered. His hands come in contact with her forearms and she shivered. It wasn't even as cold as she thought but the contact scared her. She felt like a traumatized child, cowering away from any and everything.

Her eyes drift beyond his shimmering ones and she finds Bella layed out on a table. Her body was covered in a blue dress, scars evident on her skin, and her face still pale and dull. Hunter couldn't fathom how many times she had to endure the sight of her loved ones like that. Each time seemed to be worse than the last.

Edward noticed her lost state and he took a step in front of her, blocking her view from Bella. Her eyes had already began to water with overwhelming emotions. She sniffled and met his gaze once more, "Hi."

"Can we talk?" He asked, holding his hand out to the balcony beside them. Hunter sighed heavily and nodded. Suddenly, her legs felt like they weighed a thousand pounds, each step harder than the last. But she managed to hold herself up.

Dull would be a good word to describe her now.

Edward shut the doors behind them and she made her way over to the railing. The inhale of fresh air was much needed. She could feel her mind sway at ease along with the patterns of the breeze.

   "Carlisle says the venom worked." Edward prefaced as he joined her side at the rail. His own eyes glazed over, entranced by the scenery that surrounded his home. "She'll be awake soon."

Hunter nodded. Her face seemed void of emotions and her body was stiff. She already knew the affects of the venom had taken course in Bella's body, and she was relieved. She didn't mind a vampire Bella anymore, as long as she still had her best friend.

Edward noticed her quietness and he turned to face her, guilt and conflict rising onto his features. Her expression alone put fear in his heart. He couldn't tell if she hated him or not. The one thing that scared him the most was that she'd say she's leaving again.

Her leaving back to her childhood hometown would tear him apart, more than before. It'd mean that he lost his chance with her for good, and he couldn't handle that.

After Alice helped Rosalie clean Bella up, she pulled her brother aside and talked to him about his feelings for Hunter. She told him to be brave and confident in his decision, to trust his heart and gut, and to find what's really in front of him.

Truth is, he's always known. It just took a little while for him to realize.

   "I'm sorry." He started, finally gaining her gaze. "All of this is my fault. If I had just told Bella before like you told me to, none of this would've happened."

Hunter stood there, unphased. It almost seemed like she didn't care for what he had to say. But he continued nonetheless. "It was wrong of me, to not only put Bella in danger, but to put you in the position of having to prepare for another loss."

Edward's hands lay at is his sides. He didn't know what else he could do. She didn't look like she wanted anything from him. It hurt to see her like this, distant and emotionless.

This heartbreak was cold, like the winter that passed and the ocean that roared. It felt like concrete drying in his chest and stopping air from entering his lungs. Could this be it? Had he lost his chance? He should've realized that the minute she drove away to Ocean Shores.

This heartbreak was unexpected, as they always were. Much like the revelation of his love for her. He wasn't expecting any of this. But with her standing in front of him with her ruby red eyes staring into his cold gold ones, it didn't matter if he didn't see it coming. She knocked him off his feet and it felt right.

But it didn't matter anymore. She hasn't said a word yet and he was growing anxious. "I'm sorry." He muttered before walking away from her.

Reaching the door felt slower than usual. He could hear his undead heart beating hard and fast, screaming at him to stop walking away. Everytime they leave each other, it's another opportunity failed.

But this time it felt more than failed, it felt terminated. Hunter seemed to want nothing to do with him and he would have to accept that. Except, he didn't want to.

His hands grip the doorknob tightly, so tight that it'd break off if he didn't let go. Hunter was the one he wanted. Even with Bella laying inside, squirming back to life, he still wanted Hunter.

All the time he spent with Bella was nonetheless, magical and pure, but he should've been with Hunter.

   "No." He whispered, releasing the doorknob. Hunter, who had been watching him walk away with watery eyes, stood there in fear. The way her heart thumped so loudly in her ears scared her, the way her stomach was filled with butterflies terrified her.

Ever since only she could see Edward, there was something between them that excited her but she fought it. Not just because she was with Winston or because he with Bella, but because she was afraid of the truth.

She didn't want to accept his love for her, she didn't want to explore that foreign feeling in her gut, and she didn't want to realize that she felt the exact same way for him.

She loved him. She was in love with him. Edward Cullen was the one she wanted. Maybe if she came to terms with that before, Winston would still be alive. But what's done is done and she needed to move forward. She needed to get out of this circle of misery that she's been in for so long.

It was time for her to be happy again.

Edward turned around, his face hard with determination. "I'm not sorry." He told her, slowly closing the space between them. "When we first met, I hated you. Not because you were a werewolf, but because you were the most beautiful girl I've ever seen in my life. I hated that I found someone other than Bella, attractive."

Hunter breathed heavily, listening to his words and ignoring the tears that softly slid down her cheeks. "I'm not sorry for falling in love with you, Hunter, because you are the one I see everything with. You make me understand myself."

   "What about Bella?" She questioned, her hands gripping the rail behind her. He was standing in arms reach, towering over her like a sky scraper. She knew he could hear how nervous she was and she hated that. She couldn't control her emotions anymore.

Edward gently brushed her hair behind her ear before softly pulling her face up, her tear filled eyes making him weak. "I'll tell her everything. For real this time."

Her knees felt weak under his touch but she wasn't afraid to fall anymore. She knew enough that he'd catch her again and again. "I love you, Hunter Reed." He whispered.

His thumb lightly rubbed against her cheek and she finally smiled. He knew then that this was it, he made it. No more tears of sadness and watching one another walk away, he got her and she got him.

In their life, falling in love seemed like the worst of crimes. They exchanged only glances, the lightest of touches, jokes and warmth - no more. Yet now, it was a different life. A place were they could be lovers instead of friends.

This was not what she expected when he wanted to talk, and it was something she didn't know she wanted. Being in his embrace was a different kind of happiness, it was soft and safe, loving and dream-like.

   "I love you too, Edward." She whispered back. His own smile sparked up, his grin twisting to show off his shiny teeth. The gap between them closed slowly, his forehead just barely touching her's.

This was it. This was what he tried to do twice but failed, something he's wanted to do for months on end. The kiss of their dreams and the kiss to end their torment.

He stayed hovering above her, afraid to move forward. He was only relishing in this moment, taking in her touch and close proximity. He was afraid that this was just a dream, or even a nightmare.

But it was real and Hunter was growing anxious. She pressed onto the tips of her toes and she closed the gap between them. The kiss obliterated everything around them. It was warm and innocent, heart stopping and breathtaking.

Hunter could feel herself melting into him, more tears slipping from her shut eyes and her hands finding his arms. The worries of yesterday dissolved like water on a hot summer day.

Edward had no intentions of letting this moment end. Drunk on the euphoria he gained, he pulled her closer to him and deepened the kiss of love. His only desire was to touch her, to know that this was real life and she loved him too.

So, it was real life. They stand on the balcony, intertwined in each other's embrace, not wishing to go away anytime soon.

She was his and he was her's.

___

"She shouldn't be this still." Hunter whispered to Carlisle. They all stand in the living room, awaiting Bella's re-awakening. Ever since she returned from her talk with Edward, she has received knowing glances from the rest of the Cullen's.

Of course they overheard the entirety of the conversation, it was impossible not to. But Hunter couldn't help but feel wrong for it. The timing was terrible and she played a part in that.

"It's the morphine." Carlisle replied. Hunter nodded at that. Bella was numb to the agonizing affects of vampire venom and that was a good thing. Bella didn't deserve to suffer from any pain after the birth.

Edward shuffled uncomfortably beside Hunter, his thumb meeting his lip anxiously. "Maybe I was too late." He had reason to be afraid.

Carlisle shook his head and turned to his son, "No, Edward. Listen to her heart." The two remain silent as they stared. Bella laid motionless, clothed in a blue dress with her hair neatly brushed as it always was.

Just beneath her chest, there was a steady pulse and before their eyes, her skin began to gain it's color and the dark circles disappeared. Her cuts, scars, and bite marks healed away and she was back to her normal self.

The silence lingered for a few more moments, everyone pausing their activities to bare witness to the moment they've been waiting for. For those few moments, Hunter could see everything. Every moment she had with Bella Swan from childhood till now, she could see it. Clear as day, she saw how important Bella is to her.

Then it happened.

The End