A/N: This is the final chapter! I hope you like it. I thought I'd have the first part of the chapter in third person, for a bit of a change. I'd like to thank everyone who has supported this fic from the beginning. I love you all!

For Megan, as always.

Chapter Nineteen

FIFTEEN YEARS LATER

If he had possessed a beating heart, it would have lurched against his ribcage at that very moment, as the Cullen house finally emerged from behind a mass of oak trees. Nothing had changed, he found, as he drew closer. Every window was left unscathed, the lawn trim and tidy, and the roof was as rain-dappled as ever. Everything was the same. Except for one thing.

He could not hear a heartbeat.

Now he knew why he could not hear any one of his family's thoughts. They were keeping the news from him, the news that would surely break his heart. Did they think so lowly of him – that he would not be able to tell as soon as he pulled onto the driveway? Bella had gone. Bella, despite all her promises, had moved on with her life, just as he had urged her.

He had been a fool.

Head held low, Edward manoeuvred the car to a gloomy standstill on the driveway, and sighed. Even the air smelled different without Bella there. There was a scent around him that he could not place.

Perhaps it was the scent of sadness.

His footsteps were slow and heavy as he plodded towards the front door. He did not even have the urge to force a smile for his family's benefit. He knew they would be happy to have him back, and that he should be happy to be back after fifteen years, but he couldn't help it. He drowned in the depression like a human would drown in water.

"Edward."

It was funny, he thought, as his foots carried him automatically forward, but it was almost like his mind was replaying Bella's voice, just to taunt him. He smiled mirthlessly at the thought. He had been right, that day he had spoken to Bella. He was masochistic. But a lion? No. A lion would be braver than he at that moment.

"Edward."

He released a low rumble of torment at this, clasping his hands to his head and sinking to his knees. "Stop it, stop it, stop it…" he urged himself, and his body began convulsing. Some times, like these, he missed being able to cry.

"Edward? What are you doing?"

This, finally, gave him to cause to lift his head from where it had been since he had pulled onto the driveway. And that was the moment that had Edward convinced he had been slaughtered on his way home and had against the odds made it into heaven.

"Bella?"

She stood there before him, more angelic than ever. Her dark hair sprung like a painted halo around her head, curls teasing over her shoulder and down her back. Her eyes – her eyes! – shone like liquid gold, the closest Edward had seen to sun for fifteen years. And her skin, once so very often pink with embarrassment, was pearly white, smooth and flawless.

She was a vampire.

He moved to get off his knees, but she was there faster.

"Ssh," she soothed, running her cool fingers through his hair affectionately. "You're tired after your long journey. Even vampires get tired, you know." She laughed, a gentle tinkling that sounded like music to his ears. "Not that I have yet. Carlisle says newborn vampires have unlimited energy." Bella laughed again. "It seems like the effects are lasting a little longer than useful, but. Emmett's determined to beat me at arm wrestling at least once."

He stared up at her as she said this, his eyes fixated on her soft lips forming each word. She was a whole new person with her transformation, yet his Bella in so many more ways. The way she gripped his hand like she was convinced she was going to lose him at any second had not changed one bit.

She gazed down at him, mid-thought and smiled. "Why are you staring?" she asked. "I would have thought you'd have seen much more beautiful women in Volterra."

He finally found his words, and lifted himself up onto his elbows. "Never," he growled, and in one fluid motion finally sealed their reunion with a kiss.

"You know," I hissed, as Carlisle read aloud the vows. "I said you could have rested first. I could have waited a couple more hours to get married."

"It could not wait," Edward murmured, keeping one eye on Carlisle as he addressed the rest of the family. "I want you to be mine starting this instant, Bella."

After our kiss on the driveway, the rest of the Cullens had poured out onto the road and greeted Edward in turn. But he kept ahold of my hand. I wasn't going to let him out of my sight every again.

He had been shocked at my transformation, I knew that much. But it had been my choice, and there was nothing he could have done about it. It had happened fifteen years ago, the day he had left, before I could think too hard about the consequences. But everything turned out fine – Charlie retired a year later to Boca Raton, somewhere he knew I wouldn't even like as human, considering the hot and sweaty weather. He had no reason now to know that I was a vampire.

"But-" I interrupted, but Carlisle abruptly stopped the service and frowned at us.

"Bella, Edward," he said, patiently. "I refuse to perform this ceremony unless the two of you are concentrating." I rolled my eyes.

"I think I could repeat it off by heart," I announced, with a meaningful look at Rosalie and Emmett. "Seeing as somebody insisted on getting married every month during Edward's absence." Emmett shrugged, and kissed his wife gently on the lips. Carlisle remained silent, and I eventually gave in. "Fine."

"If anybody has a reason as to why these two should not be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace." Alice met my eyes, and smiled. "Then I shall now pronounce you man and wife. Congratulations, Edward, Bella."

Edward stepped forward and kissed me, just once, but it was enough to remind me of the sweet kisses we had shared, and the many yet to come. I loved him more than anything in this eternity, and now I had him forever. We had enough money – even after I decided to stay anonymous as an author, the millions kept rolling in from my bestseller – to go places we'd never been, do things we'd never done. We could be anything – but most importantly, we'd be together.

"Congrats," said Alice, bounding up to peck Edward on the cheek. "You can have your happy ending."

"Happy ever after," Emmett corrected her, and he winked at me. "Isn't that what they say at the end of fairytales?" He guffawed. "I think Ed would be the fairy in this tale. He just has the hair, doesn't he?"

Edward mock-punched his brother, and grinned. Esme kissed her adoptive son, and then me, and put her arms around the two of us. "Enjoy," she said, in her musical voice. "You can now officially start your afterlives together."

And that was exactly what we did.