Fall (A Twilight FanFiction)

"Dying was something that should have never happened to you Edward... You should be here with your wife and daughter, but life just wasn't kind to you in the end."

She left the living room, walked into the kitchen, and plopped down at the kitchen table. It wasn't often that Esme ever showed any other emotion besides happiness, but the minute she sat down at that table was the minute that her happiness broke and she cried for the first time in a long time. The tears stung her eyes as they flowed down her porcelain cheeks, but she didn't do anything to stop them. When one of the people closest to you, especially one that you are proud to call your child, dies, what do you do as the parent?

Bella, who had just woken up from her half-hour nap, walked into the kitchen and wrapped her arms around Esme's shaking shoulders. Esme turned in her chair and wrapped her arms around Bella, burying her face in the younger girl's shirt. Bella gently stroked her caramel colored hair and soothingly rubbed her back as the tears started to calm; eventually stopping. Esme looked away from Bella's face as she wiped her eyes, making sure that, other than her red eyes, there were no other signs that she had been crying. It was times like this when Esme was happy that Bella was around; she knew how to handle most emotions better than Esme herself did. Now she knew why Edward had loved and protected her so much, if not for her physical looks than defiantly for her caring nature. The girl was such a good person, and just her presence made a room light up in her beautiful glow. Esme stood from the chair, squeezed Bella's hand, and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead before leaving the kitchen and going upstairs.

As her mother figure, Bella could see the sincerity in Esme's actions, and she was happy that Esme could show her emotions to her, even if they weren't the greatest of feelings. It was just nice to have someone that could understand what she was going through emotionally, even if it was just a fraction, or more, of how she felt. Bella loved the entire Cullen family, and she would die before she let anyone hurt them in any way. Bella slowly made her way up to her room, where Renesmee was sleeping soundlessly on her queen sized bed. The poor girl would never get to know her father, but Bella knew that she needed to be strong for her baby; she wasn't the only one that would be hurting when she had to explain to her daughter that daddy would never get to see her ever again and why. She gently kissed Renesmee's forehead before taking a spot next to her under the covers. She looked everything like her father; the same honey colored eyes, the gentle golden blond hair, the soft facial expressions... She was everything Edward, the one physical piece of Edward that Bella still had.

The sun finally set behind the horizon, and its gentle orange and red hues still covered Bella as she dreamt calmly in her bed with her baby lying next to her. In her dreams they were a family, all of them together in the early evening hours just before a group hunt. Renesmee was sitting on Edward's shoulders with her arms wrapped around his neck, a broad smile stretched from ear to ear as the happiness of just being with her dad touched her childish heart. Esme, Rose, and Alice were standing with Bella in the open grove watching Renesmee play with Edward. Carlisle, Emmet, and Jasper had all dragged the fresh hunts back from the surrounding woods; their hard facial expressions melted away when they were basked in the radiance of Renesmee's happy face.

It was dreams like this where Bella wished she didn't need to wake up again, but when she did, she was exuberant that she had decided to.

"Edward..." She breathed as she looked to her golden haired, honey eyed husband.

The tears fell from her eyes because of how she thought she had lost him. But here he was, in the flesh and fangs, sitting on the edge of their bed beside her. She touched his cheek and neck and arm before she was absolutely sure that he was there, and then she jumped into his chest and sobbed tears of happiness.

Esme came into the room moments later and stopped dead when she saw Edward sitting on Bella's bed. The tears that she thought were gone now came spilling out again and she walked over and wrapped her arms around her son. She kissed the side of his head as he leaned into her shoulder.

With such a happy moment, it was hard to believe that any of them were really depressed earlier that day. Who knew that what had happened only knocked Edward into unconsciousness for a few days? The only one with an answer was the sleeping Carlisle, and he was going to be bombarded with questions in the morning from both women.

For now, it was a time to sleep before celebrating. Edward climbed into bed beside Bella and quickly drifted off with his arm over her side and his hand gripping Renesmee's. Bella sighed happily as she, too, drifted off into a deep sleep. A moment like this couldn't be broken even if you tried excessively hard to destroy it. Being with family is what mattered most to all of them, even if they weren't all blood related family members; it was the thought that counted. Esme smiled as she laid back down next to Carlisle, her happy expression glued onto her face as she slowly drifted back into her own deep sleep.

It was about time that something turned around in the right direction again.