Quirk of Fate

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to Stephanie Meyer.

A/N-thank you for the lovely reviews and for following this story! Nikki

Epilogue

Jake trailed his fingers down the curve of Bella's back. She was fast asleep after another round of energetic lovemaking. She needed rest but Jake certainly didn't. It amused him how she would fall asleep quickly, take a short nap, and then be ready for round two, three or whatever as she called it. Jake marvelled at the feel of Bella's soft skin, he loved touching her, feeling the warmth exuding from her body and the gentle rhythm of her breathing. It was a sound he never thought he would get to hear ever again. The miracle of her return was still fresh in his mind, and he knew it would take a long time for the painful memory of losing her to fade. He never wanted to feel that way again.

His mind wandered back to the day of the call. He had fainted, yes fainted, he was a six foot something, muscle bound werewolf and he had collapsed on the floor when his father had delivered the stunning news of his wife's recovery. It was odd how Shannon had already known, the little girl had tried to tell him in her own sweet way, but he had refused to listen. He wouldn't make that mistake again. Paul had witnessed his fall and had much fun afterward replaying the incident in his head for all of the pack to witness, Jake laughed along with them when he saw his huge body hit the ground, he could afford to laugh now, he had everything he ever wanted. He had Bella, a sweet stepdaughter, and was surrounded by loving family and friends.

Bella rolled onto her back as she began to stir from her nap. Her beautiful brown eyes fluttered open and she smiled lazily as Jake continued to caress her, already igniting the passion lying just below the surface. She stretched, giving him an eyeful of her voluptuous breasts. She saw his eyes zero in on them and she laughed, quickly sitting up and straddling him before he had a chance to think. She rested her hands on his broad shoulders as he slipped easily inside her. She adored the way he filled her and met his heated kiss as he began to move below her, first achingly slowly, building up the tension, then faster, finding a rhythm that stirred up the aching need within Bella, the need for release. Her nails dug into his skin as she pressed her body against his, his strong arms wound around her, holding her in place, the tendrils of her hair tickling his skin as they moved against each other. Bella could feel the electricity between them, could feel the tension increasing inside her, and she moaned softly as she pushed harder against him, trying to obtain that pinnacle of release. Jake murmured her name over and over as their passion climbed higher and higher, and then with practised ease they both reached orgasm at the same time. Jake held her tightly in his arms as she sighed softly and rested her head on his shoulder. "I love you." She whispered.

"And I love you, so much, Bells." Jake felt himself getting overly emotional. He hugged her tighter to his hard body, hating the fact that he had to slip out of her; he already missed their unique connection. His ache to be near her constantly consumed him, and at times he worried that this would make him too controlling, but Bella seemed to understand his need to have her with him. He had nearly lost her and she knew it hurt him if she was out of his sight for too long. So in subtle ways she made sure that she was always within contact, whether by phone if she had popped out shopping, or just by talking to him if she was occupied in another room. It eased his anxiety, and she hoped that as more time passed, allowing them both to relax then Jake's worry would fade. She just wanted to make the transition easier.

"It was nice of Dee to loan us this cabin for a few days." Bella glanced around the palatial lodge; it had every modern convenience imaginable. It was owned by Dee's parents, but she sneakily loaned them the key so they could have a belated honeymoon of sorts. It was only for a weekend, and already their time was up. It had been hard leaving Shannon behind with Charlie. Bella trusted her father of course, but it didn't mean she stopped worrying. Rachel and Paul had promised to keep a discreet eye from a distance, and that eased Bella's anxiety. Even though she had loved this private time with Jake, she was looking forward to going home, and she could sense so was he.

Jake rolled out of the bed and yawned. "Race you to the shower?" He challenged her. Bella's eyes roved his buff body and she licked her lips involuntarily. Without warning she quickly darted past him, trying to reach the en-suite before him, but he was too fast for her. Jake laughed as he scooped her up in his arms and carried her into the bathroom.

Bella looked out at the scenery as they drove home to La Push. She loved seeing the open plains suddenly give way to dense forest. After living all her young life in dry, dusty places like Phoenix, she had come to appreciate the lushness of Washington State, and the cool weather kissed her skin as she leaned her arm out of the window of Jake's truck.

"I wonder how Dee's family took her elopement with Embry?" Jake's husky voice broke through Bella's introspection. Their friends had decided to bite the bullet and head to Las Vegas to get married. Deanna's family had been angry when they learned that Jake wasn't their daughter's beau, but Embry, someone they considered to be not worthy of their daughter because of his mother's reputation on the reservation. There had been a big blow up between Dee and her parents after she finally revealed the truth, and after witnessing their rage, she had left the family home and moved in with Embry instead. While Jake and Bella had been holidaying in secret in the cabin, their two friends were getting hitched.

"I expect they were pissed." Bella shrugged. She opened her cell and smiled at the pictures that Dee had sent of her and Embry getting married by an Elvis impersonator. They looked so happy and in love. "But I hardly think Dee cares."

"I doubt it." Jake grinned at her, reaching across to take her hand in his own. "Things are sure changing, honey. There's Dee and Em, and Sam and Leah of course. Now he's ended his association with Emily, things are looking up for them."

"His injury certainly hasn't affected him as we all thought." Bella mused. "Sam seems accepting, well actually I think it has been a relief to him that he can no longer phase. The heavy responsibility has gone."

"Yeah, he was only thrust into the role because he was the eldest and the first to change. When he imprinted his life was thrown into further chaos." Jake paused as he thought about his former Alpha. "I have a feeling that Lee will tell me she will stop phasing too."

"How do you feel about that?" Bella squeezed his hand.

"I've been expecting it. Leah has always been unhappy being the only female. I think it will be for the best, for both of them to start with a clean slate." Jake had to let go of Bella's hand to change gear. La Push was drawing nearer and both of them could feel the excitement build up in them the closer they got to home.

Jake parked up outside, got out and pulled their meagre luggage out of the truck. The front door opened and Shannon burst out, followed by Joey. Shannon threw herself at her mother, and Bella laughed in delight as she picked her daughter up in her arms. Shannon's pretty face was glowing. Her shiny, silvery blonde hair was done up in a long braid, and she had a white comb in her hair with white tulle stuck to it with sticky tape. It was like a bridal veil, and when Bella looked closer she noticed that Shannon was wearing a white silky dress and white pumps. She then turned her attention to Joey; he was dressed in a smart pair of trousers and white shirt. He had a scowl on his face as he poked at a red flower stuck to his lapel with a pin, it seemed that it had pricked his skin and he wasn't happy about it.

"What's going on here?" Bella asked, although she could already guess. The outfits kind of gave it away.

"Joey and I got married." Shannon babbled. "We wanted a honeymoon too."

Bella stifled a giggle as she tried to keep a serious expression on her face. She heard Jake choke behind her. Joey was looking at them all suspiciously. He wasn't happy about being forced to wear his smart clothes and pretend to say silly vow things with yucky words like love and forever and ever. Ugh! He had only gone through with it for Shannon's sake because she had told him they had to do this to get to the honeymoon where they could do lots of fun things like her mommy and daddy were doing on theirs. When Joey asked her what fun things, Shannon hadn't been sure. She had waited until her parents came back so she could ask them.

"Mommy." Shannon wheedled, her blue eyes wide and innocent. "What fun games did you play on your honeymoon?"

Jake choked his laughter down again as he slipped past Bella carrying the bags. "This one is all yours." He said with a grin.

Bella rolled her eyes as she felt Joey and Shannon's eyes locked on her. "Um…games huh? Well we played scrabble."

"Scrabble?" Joey kicked at a stone on the ground. He shoved his hands in his pockets. "Boring!"

"Um… we made cakes." Bella felt her face redden. Suddenly her normally vibrant imagination was deserting her as images of what she and Jake had really done filled her head.

"Cakes?" Shannon looked crestfallen. This honeymoon wasn't as exciting as she thought. "What else?"

"We watched television." Bella continued as she walked inside still carrying a bemused Shannon. Joey trailed behind, yanking the flower off his shirt and chucking it in the mud. "Lots and lots of television…."

The End.

A/N-thank you for following me on this journey, hugs! Nikki