Touch in the Worlds - Return to the Beyond

6: So Much To Catch Up

He leaned in to kiss the top of my head. "Climb on, my little phoenix," he said, offering me a hand. I gave him a 'are you serious?' look to which he just smiled but let him clamp me onto him like a bear trap before he began running back.

While he ran, Edward thought. Of course, he didn't really think about running anymore, it had become second nature to him. His mind was free to ponder upon different, more important matters. Like, the matter of Tulika being back and alive and healthy, was one such thought.

He remembered how it felt; being back in Seattle holding her broken body as she breathed her last. The rage, the agony, the despair...even now, having her back, those emotions were still too fresh, as fresh as the six months they had relentlessly haunted him, tormented him. It made his grip on her tighten; he wondered if she could tell. She was so perceptive, and very good at seeming like a total goof while surprising you with just how knowledgeable she was.

It was one of the things that had captivated him the first months he had known her.

Now, it was a completely different scenario. He knew who she was, really, although he hadn't broached the topic of there being books about his relationship with Bella. He shuddered at the thought. Although, she was never jealous, he could tell it did bother her...at times.

He had been a fool to think she wasn't real. It hadn't been his fault. It wasn't like he didn't dream constantly of her, didn't conjure her up to spend time with all those hours he spent alone. Even in Denmark, he had thought about just how awed she'd be to see the place, even if he'd seen it ten times already.

However, when she'd yelled at him; that had struck him odd. His conscious had always created her to be soft, always a consoling figure. He must've forgotten just how fierce, how sharp she could be when he was out of line.

She was real, and no one could stop the deep, resonating joy blooming in his chest, for the first time, fighting the ghosts of his devastation.

He had gravitated towards her, the immediate need to be back with her taking over in the clearing. It was always like this. They could have the distance of the Sun and Moon between them and yet they would be one, drawn back to each other with the invisible connection they called love but was so much more than just that four letter word.

He stopped when he reached the back door, taking care to put her down gently.

She wobbled back, her eyes blinking and watery. "Ok, we need to put more practice in that." She said. The first time, he'd run with her she'd tried to ward him off, still wary of letting him see her vulnerable. Now though, she leaned in and placed her head against his chest, taking in deep, steadying breaths.

His hands went to her hair, untangling the knots he'd caused. "Well, now, you need a comb too."

He could feel her smile. "Don't get coy, Cullen."

His exuberance at having her back made his laugh just a tab bit loud to be completely human and she pulled back, stretching their hands between them before turning away, walking inside.

The Sun and The Moon, he thought again wryly. She was warm, scorching bright, the source of light in his bleak life. She was everything the sun stood for, and he was the moon, the colder, darker, paler version of her vitality. And just like the sun kept everything drawn to it, he followed her into the house.

The first thing I saw was the smiles. Literally, everyone had a smile on their face. Even Stephen...although he looked more relieved to see me again than Edward, as he came to me first, "You ok?" he asked. "Yeah," I nodded, squeezing his hand as Edward came to my shoulder.

He rolled his eyes at the look Emmett and Jasper gave him. "Yeah, yeah," he muttered.

"Edward, it's nice to see you again, man." Stephen said, stretching out his hand.

He nodded. "Nice to see you too, Stephen." He said then looked at me. "I think you should tell me what happened," he said, now completely serious. In return, Stephen and I looked at each other and began showing him everything that had happened in the past six months.

Our time in the hospital, not wanting to feel insane, the depressing thought of never seeing them again and the hopelessness of trying to catch up to our old lives – I showed it all.

He was silent for a bit, eyes flickering between Stephen and me. "Looks like we weren't the only ones who had it hard," he sighed, rubbing his neck.

I'm sorry, I thought to him and his eyes lifted, catching mine and holding.

Esme was first to stand. "Let's give them some time, people. No listening in," she said sternly and Emmett grinned at Stephen. "Come on, man, we got the TV room to ourselves." He said.

"Oh joy," Steph said sarcastically but followed anyway, glancing at me once, leaving me alone with Edward.

"You don't have to be sorry." He said striding forwards to sit on the piano stool. "It's not like you had a say in it."

"That's just it," I walked to lean on the side of the huge instrument. "I feel like I did. I feel like I chose wrong." I said. "You died. You had no choice. You're back now and I'll be damned if I let you slip again...unless, you want to go home." He gave me a piercing look. I smiled back softly. "Going back seems kind of pointless, doesn't it? I don't think I can go back without dying and I'm not a fan of doing that." I said.

He gave a short nod then brushed his fingers along the ivory keys.

"I haven't played since..." he trailed off, looking lost in thought.

I stayed silent, not wanting to break whatever train of thought he was boarding.

Finally, after a few long moments, his fingers moved, hesitant and gingerly, making out the notes to the song he'd written for me. The mellow of it made me lean forward, placing my face on my palm as his tempo became firmer, more determined.

This was as much life as I could hope to have in him.

***

I hope this makes up for the last chapter.

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