Disclaimer I do not own Twilight. All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement intended.

Summary: Sequel to Love At First Sight. Like the books, they met and fell in love. Unlike the books, he proposed on prom night, and she accepted. They had a beautiful, romantic wedding, and a fabulous honeymoon on Isle Esme. They attended Dartmouth with their siblings, but Bella got pregnant during freshman year and had quadruplets. In their effort to keep the children a secret from the Volturi, they moved to Isle Esme. Will that be far enough to escape the watchful eyes of Aro and the guards? Join them as they embark on the next phase of their lives. As Edward said, "Happily Ever After is just another beginning."

Preface

"Forever and forever and forever," he had murmured and I had believed because I wanted him forever.

That was what he promised. I could hear his voice in my head saying, "the fairy tale is not over yet Princess Bella. Happily ever after is just another beginning." I believed him. I believed in fairy tales and happily ever after because he swept me off my feet and whisked me into a storybook world where I lived in bliss until recently. Forever. Was that too much to ask for? Was it unreasonable to want to spend my eternity with the man of my dreams? Didn't we deserve to be happy? After all the trials we had to overcome, and all the suffering we had endured, I wanted an eternity to show him how much I loved him, but the fates had other things in store for us.

Forever, happily ever after, and eternity; every time he said those words, it was like a balm to my soul; knowing that I had the rest of time to show him how much I loved him. I never thought that our forever would end today. Poor stupid, gullible me, I thought I had it all, and like the fool I was, I thought it would last until the end of time. Well, the end of time is today, but I wasn't ready for the fairy tale to end. There were so many things I wanted to do with him.

I couldn't be angry at Edward. He had always been there for me – through the happy times and the sad, through the tears and the laughter. He meant every word he had said and every promise he had made to me and our children. I couldn't be angry with myself because the only crime I committed was falling in love with a mystical creature, which was against everything anyone had ever encountered or heard of, but there was no denying our love.

Now, this was the end of the road – the end of the fairy tale – the end of us. I wanted to scream, uproot trees, make this forest into a desolate wasteland, to match the way I felt inside, but that would not solve our problem. I had to be strong. I couldn't let him see how much this was tearing me apart, because I knew he was going through the same emotional upheaval, and any crack in my armor would make him feel worse. We were a team. It had been this way from the beginning when we realized that we were meant to be together, to today, so even in the midst of the carnage Alice saw coming, I would remain by his side. I could not live without him, so if I would have to give up my life for him, then that was what I would do.

If I believed in reincarnation, then I would have taken comfort in the notion that we may find each other again to continue our relationship. I ached in every fiber of my being. I grieved for what could have been. I wanted forever and ever and ever with my husband and our children. I wanted to see the kids grow up, get married and live long happy lives with their mates. I had planned to tell my grandchildren our fairy tale but instead, we were preparing for a fight with the Volturi. This was out of our control. It was not what I wanted, or what he wanted. It was the only option we had. Alice said that no matter how far we ran, Aro would keep searching, and pick us off one at a time until he got what he wanted. Therefore, it was for the greater good. We had to do what was best for our children. I once heard a saying, hope for the best, but prepare for the worse. I had always thought that was an extremely negative way of looking at life, but now I saw that saying in a new light. Hope for the best. The best outcome would be for Aro to be content with our decision to remain a family with Carlisle instead of accepting his offer of Alice, Edward and I joining his guards. The worse would be a fight to the finish; a fight that would end the existence of not only Edward and me, but also Carlisle, Esme, Alice, Rosalie, Jasper and Emmett.

I tried to tell myself that this was a dream, a horrible nightmare I would wake up from soon, but I knew better. Our lives had been the dream – a beautiful dream I wished could last. I had let the joy we shared seduce me, making me content, taking away that little fear that our lives were too perfect. Nobody could be that happy for as long as we have without paying for that happiness. Now here we were getting ready to defend ourselves against the Volturi, but before we started that fight, I wanted to tell him how much I loved him one last time. I did something he said was sexier that seeing me in a corset. I lifted my shield so he could see how I felt from the time we first met until today. After that little peek into my mind, although it was unnecessary, I said the words.

"Edward, no matter what happens today, I want you to know, that this had been the most incredible time of my life. I never knew what life was until I found you."

"Sweetheart, I have told you before, I only existed until I walked into the lunchroom and saw your beautiful face and got a whiff of your mouth watering blood."

"I leaned into him, kissing him lightly on his lips, "I love you more than life itself."

"As I love you."

Yes, I had some excellent years with the man of my dreams. We made a family of our own, which we incorporated into both our families, but all good things must end. This is what they don't tell you in the fairytale. I wanted to scream THERE IS NO FOREVER at the top of my lungs, but I have to put up a brave front. I would do anything for Edward, for our children and for our family, and right now, being brave was paramount. I held his hand tighter and focused on the task at hand – protecting my family.

Anxiously I inspected my shield; it felt just as impenetrable as before. I flexed it now into a low wide dome that arced over our company. I felt my forehead crease as I pulled the elastic armor very carefully closer. Carlisle was the farthest forward; I sucked the shield back inch by inch, trying to wrap it as exactly to his body as I could. My shield seemed to want to cooperate. It hugged his shape.

I was determined to keep him safe because in, Alice's vision, he was one of the first to die. If that happened, no one in the family would allow Aro or any of his guards to leave this forest in one piece. We would all be willing to die in our effort to destroy every one of them. Hope for the best but prepare for the worse.

A/N:

"Forever and forever and forever" & "Anxiously I inspected my shield; it felt just as impenetrable as before. I flexed it now into a low wide dome that arced over our company. I felt my forehead crease as I pulled the elastic armor very carefully closer. Carlisle was the farthest forward; I sucked the shield back inch by inch, trying to wrap it as exactly to his body as I could. My shield seemed to want to cooperate. It hugged his shape." – Are direct quotes from Twilgiht - Breaking Dawn Chpater 37. CONTRIVANCES, by Stephanie Meyer.

Hope for the best but prepare for the worse – (www.) (quotationspage.) com