This is really the end, this is where I ultimately saw this story ending. I hope that everyone enjoyed it. I am taking a break from writing fanfiction for the next few months. I have some story ideas and have been jotting them down, but nothing will be published until April 2013. I am in my final three classes and really need to concentrate on them.
Thank you to Lila, fuzzyltlwingthg, for her patience and kindness over the past year. She is a fantastic beta and when I'm ready to come back, I hope that she's able and willing to help me.
"Mom," I could hear it. It was far away—right on the brink of my consciousness. I was trying to ignore it.
"Mom," I heard it again. I scooted farther under the covers and squished my eyes tighter together.
"MOMMY!" I had a set of lips about a millimeter from my ear lobe.
"I'M UP!" I reply. I look around and realize that I'm in a tent.
If someone had told me ten years ago that I would be in the woods, camping with my family and a pack of Cub Scouts, I would've smacked them silly.
But here I am. Camping. In a tent. In the woods. Outside.
"Mornin' Honey," Edward says, popping his head into the tent.
"Hmmpf," I say, not really awake and trying to shake the eardrum rattling scream out of my head.
"Breakfast is ready," he pulls his head out and ushers the boys, our three overly exuberant sons, out of the tent. Why did I volunteer to do this again instead of going to the spa with Alice, Esme and Renee, my ten year old daughter? Oh yes, I remember—Edward said I wouldn't be able to do it. And I wanted to prove him wrong.
I pull my unruly mop of hair into a ponytail and slip myself out of my sleeping bag. Slipping some pants and a t-shirt on I unzip the tent door and greet the male portion of my family.
"Here," Edward says, handing me a steaming cup of what I'm hoping is coffee.
"Hmmm," I say as the hot liqud goes down my throat.
"Good morning, honey," Edward says, giving me a kiss. "Sleep well?"
"Sure," I reply, rolling my eyes at him.
Edward and I had been married for ten years. In that time, we had three more children, for a total of five. Four boys and one girl, Renee. She'd hoped for a sister each time. What she got stuck with were four rowdy, sports loving, dirt slinging brothers. They looked at my prim, make-up obsessed daughter as an alien. They couldn't understand why she didn't like Star Wars and dirt. And didn't want to come camping. She liked princesses and books.
"Mom," I turned my head to look at our oldest, Charlie, walking towards me with an open pen knife.
"Charlie," I yelled. "Remember your safety circle. I don't want to fix any of your brothers."
"Look what I whittled." He hands me something that resembles a tree.
"That's great. Did you get that out of your book?"
"Yeah," he replied. Edward thought it was a great idea to give the kids pen knives. I was not a fan. But they all wanted to earn their 'whittling' patch and as they all looked up at me, their pouty faces in full effect, it was impossible to say no.
"Boys, we need to break camp," I heard Edward yell.
Did I mention he was the Scout Master? Yeah. You know what that makes me?
The Scout Masters wife. Mrs-I-can-do-anything-and-live-outside-for-days. I have the oath and laws memorized. I can quote the Cub Scout handbook forward and backwards. And I've sewn on more patches than anyone else. Yes, that would be me, scout mom extraordinaire.
How did this happen?
One minute we were married with two children and living happily in the city.
Then it happened. Edward longed for wide open spaces. He had graduated from law school and needed a firm to practice with.
And he found them. In the country. And that's how we ended up in the small, farming town of Beaverdam, Virginia. We decided to have one more child. And ended up with another set of twins.
Brock and Bryce were born via C-Section three years after we got married. They were seven now.
I convinced Edward to try one more time. At this point, we had four children, having one more wouldn't make that much of a difference and Renee was begging for a sister. We tried two years later—and that's where Ben came from. He was five now. And that's how I, Isabella Swan Cullen, the woman who wanted no children what-so-ever, ended up with five children.
And that's how I landed at camp.
I still work—occasionally. I took a job as a district coroner. I'm 'on-call' everyday, but only end up working a couple days a month. It's a good life. And admittedly, I love it. I didn't think that I would. But I do.
Alice and Jasper ended up having a little boy—and then another little boy. Annaliese couldn't be happier having two younger brothers to torment. Her and my daughter, Renee, are close friends.
Rosalie did eventually meet someone. She got remarried last year. He's a fantastic man—and treats my nephews like his own. Rose is happy, and that's really all the matters.
Esme came to stay with us after suffering a stroke. She enjoys spending time with her grandchildren and has joined the local gardening club. She never did date again. But she seems content with the life that she has—and the kids love her.
Zach, the young man who was assigned to help Edward after his accident, moved to Richmond. He bought our house from us. He ended up going to medical school. He's married now and raising his kids in the house we sold him. He seems very happy.
And Edward and I are happy. Content with the life that I didn't think I wanted. I'm proud of my children. I'm happy with my job and I'm proud of my husband.
He's my hero.
My lover.
My savior.
I didn't know what I was missing—until I looked in to the eyes of my babies—and then up at my husband. And then I was complete—not for now, but for the rest of my life.
