A/N: Hey, guys! Hope you all had a great weekend. I live in Canada, so it was a long weekend for us. Just got back from a good few days of camping, feeling refreshed and excited to share this next chapter with you all! Enjoy :)

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My heart felt light with carefree liberation, and the anticipation of being back with my family again as a newly married woman. Beau and I walked hand-in-hand down the Hartsfield-Jackson concourse, happy to walk along in silence.

I noted that my husband was much more alert on our return trip, as our flight out of Rio had taken place early in the morning, after a full night's rest. We were making our connection now, in Atlanta, and so far, everything had gone along very smoothly.

Off to the side, a father was berating his teenage daughter for running off at the last minute.

Didn't know where she was… Could have been snatched right out of thin air… Carol would have had a stroke… We have enough animosity as is, with the court date looming… She'd probably blame me for kidnapping or some other ludicrous idea…

The teenage girl had her arms folded over her chest, rolling her eyes huffily. It was clear she had no comprehension of her father's worry, and was only eager to plug back into her iPod and shut her father's jabber out during the flight.

Why do I have to come and see him every summer? she complained silently to herself. Yet another month of being holed up in his stupid modern beach castle while he goes off and works till all hours of the night… Out partying with his buddies… Didn't even spend any time with me. No wonder Mom had an affair… And now he has to escort me back to Mom like I'm eight years old or something? C'mon…

Behind us, a screaming toddler struggled in his mother's arms.

Oh, I hope that Benadryl kicks in soon… If he would just give in, he'd nap through the entire flight… Hope nobody's in the seat beside us. I just know I'll be getting death glares the entire time if he keeps this up… Don't they know I'm just as embarrassed as they are annoyed…? Oh—wait. Did he just fill his diaper? No, Lord, not know! We're just about to board!

Ahead of us, a group of girls were ushered through the aircraft doors, giggling a little too loudly. The vague, discombobulating tenor of their thoughts elicited the suspicion they'd had just a few too many pre-flight cocktails.

As always, the mind closest to me was entirely silent—and so, when I glanced over to find him watching me, it took me entirely by surprise. Beau, with his eyes shining with a peace and tranquility that made my heart soar, smiled down at me.

"What is it?" I asked, made suddenly self-conscious by his unexpected undivided attention.

He smoothed his thumb over the back of my hand. "Just admiring," he assured me.

I felt the bashful smile pull the corners of my lips up as I appraised his expression—void entirely of tension or concern. His skin glowed healthily, his thick hair gleamed lustrously. I'd never seen him look any better, or anymore free of worry. This vacation had benefited him enormously, and for once, it was easy to discern what he must be thinking.

The flight attendant greeted us at the door, and Beau sighed in satisfaction as we settled into our plush, leather seats in first class.

As the cabin filled around us and the attendants readied the aircraft for takeoff, I took a moment to admire the man sitting beside me.

To think, merely two years ago I had cursed his existence—that I had hated him, never to suspect what would have become of the two of us, never able to imagine what was waiting in the wings… For so long I'd lived my life in a sort of self-imposed exile, believing all along that I was cursed, banished to an eternal life of half-existence, of purgatory.

Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined this. Finding Beau, after all my years of isolation, had tilted my world on its axis. All along I'd believed I'd been seeing my life through the perfect, unmarred vision of my supernatural senses, and all along I'd been blind. Blind to the pleasures that awaited me. Blind to the monumental shift in emotion and essential makeup I'd always possessed. For decades I'd believed I'd never change again, that I would be the me I always had been and nothing more…

But on a dreary winter night, Beau had spoken my name in his sleep… And while at first I'd believed him to be having a nightmare, the suspicion had been undeniably quashed in the face of his next uttered words… Don't go. Stay…

In his sleep, he'd asked me not to leave, and as much as I'd already been struggling to convince myself to do just that, aware that I was entirely too fascinated by the innately good human boy with the bright blue eyes, the decision had been made for me in that very moment.

Whatever he asked of me, I'd do it. Whatever he needed of me, I'd give it. Wherever he wanted me, I'd be there.

What had unfolded in the next eighteen months had been a series of unimaginable events—some traumatizing and heart wrenching, and others entirely astonishing.

Never in a million years would I have entertained the idea that I would be where I was today… Next to my human husband, as happy as a forever-seventeen girl could possibly be, on our way home to prepare for college—dreaming of career options and life ventures I'd never before allowed myself to contemplate.

Not only had Beau brought me undeniable purpose, immeasurable happiness, and unmatched peace… But he'd given me bravery, courage and ambition as well. I'd limited myself for so long, for fear of the unknown, for fear of not being strong enough. But Beau had helped me prove that I was strong enough, that I could do the things I had always thought I would never be able to.

And what better person to spend the remainder of existence with, than one who not only loved you deeply, irrevocably and irreconcilably, but a person who also nudged you out of the, if not comfortable, then at least familiar box you'd lived in all your life, and helped you realize a whole new world of possibilities… I could think of no better person to spend forever with than Beau Swan. Young, selfless, good, insightful Beau Swan…

To think I'd once thought of him as plain and uninteresting… How very wrong I had been!

Now, I turned my attention back to the beautiful human man sitting beside me as he leaned forward to pull the complementary magazine from the seat pocket in front of him. I sat curled in my seat, content to watch him thumb through the pages idly, the tracking pattern of his eyes telling me he wasn't really reading, just looking.

How new everything seemed to me now, though I'd seen most of it before—if not through experience, then second-hand through the thoughts and memories of so many others… A simple fight from Atlanta, Georgia to Seattle, Washington for example… How mundane, you would think. But not with Beau at my side. Not with so much time to simply sit and admire his flawless countenance, his angelic smiles, and the searing expression in his vibrant cobalt eyes.

A long wait in a line for Customs, you would also assume mundane and tiresome. But not with the warmth of Beau's palm against mine, not with the rhythm of his heart and lungs between us, not with the potential of life before us.

Part of me wondered now, how it could be: Beginning a life at, for all intents and purposes, a-hundred-and-five years old? One could speculate, or perhaps, recoil, at the insinuation behind it all. The depravity, the disturbing impossible reality of it all. Or, like me, one could marvel at the miracle behind it. That one boy had changed everything for me.

The instant I'd realized I was in love with Beau, every facet in my perception of the world changed. From the way I saw the big things, to the way I viewed the seemingly little things, none of it was the same—none of it was how it had been. And I supposed I had to wonder, with my liberal discerning faculties, why I hadn't realized any of this until now… Except that, hadn't none of it been guaranteed? Hadn't we only just overcome the final hurdle to our forever together? Hadn't we faced trial after trial, threat after threat, for too many months on end now? Whether that was due to my own foolish exploits, or the murderous intentions of others, we had always existed in a flurry of adrenaline and instinct.

Only now were we finally settling into the life we truly deserved…

"What are you thinking?"

Beau's voice, standing out from the quiet din in the queue behind and in front of us, interrupted my profound introspection.

I turned toward him, smiling softly with amusement. "I was under the impression that was my line."

Beau chuckled. "You just looked so deep in thought." He reached up to touch the edge of my face, his eyes lingering on mine. "I wanted to know what had you so caught up."

The entirety of his hand fanned to cradle my face, and as always, the gesture flooded me through with incomparable warmth and bliss. I sighed contentedly. "I suppose I was just realizing that this is how life should be. Before now, the trial and tribulation has all but dictated our steps for us… This is the first time I feel we're truly…" I struggled for the words, but couldn't find an adequate enough term.

But Beau was nodding, not needing the further explanation it seemed. "I get it… Like we're finally safe to just… Be."

"Yes," I agreed, "Though you know the minute we get to baggage claim, Archie will be his usual overbearing self, getting us ready for Dartmouth."

Beau laughed. "You know he'll use his new title as my brother to play whichever card he needs to."

"Undoubtedly," I agreed, laughing too. "In fact, I'm surprised my cell phone isn't already being inundated with calls and texts."

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Eleanor's face was the first I saw in the crowd waiting for us at baggage claim.

Her thoughts were blaringly loud, even intermixed with the constant thrum of the crowds around us.

Wow... Look at her—it's like she's a whole new person! I can't believe she actually pulled it off! … Okay, maybe 'pulled it off' is the wrong choice of words… But still!

"Welcome home!" Archie crowed as we neared my family. Our reunion was filled with hugs, smiles and laughter, and I was overcome with speechless joy in the face of my parents' and siblings' excitement to have us back.

"I hear we have some preparations to take care of," Jessamine said as, once we were in possession of our luggage, we headed toward the doors together. My sister looped her arm through mine as we made our way toward short-term parking.

I arched an eyebrow at her. We? I wondered.

And then I saw the plans in my favorite brother's head.

I was too shocked to say anything, so at first I didn't. But his plans seemed to only grow more elaborate in the face of our return.

… And since when have we actually gone off to college together? he was trying to rationalize now, when he caught my taken-aback stare. C'mon, it'll be fun! Beau's the perfect excuse—

"Excuse?!" I hissed quietly under my breath.

Okay, wrong choice of word… Perfect reason to go all out this time! We'll already have the house, so why not get involved? The graduation party and wedding reception went so well… I think I found my niche, really. Think I can get a degree in party planning? What would that be—Business or Fine Arts…?

I sighed in exasperation, knowing there was no stopping Archie when he got an idea in his head. As if I needed any more confirmation than that, he showed me the visions he'd seen, popping up in his head in the last week, once Beau had made the decision to attend post-secondary. Most of them involved some spectacle or another, interspersed with quiet afternoons spent on the grassy court in front of the Arts building.

I knew, though it would annoy both Beau and myself, that Archie had never really experienced the human world in this way. With a human as a best friend and now brother-in-law, many more avenues had been opened to him, and it was impossible to deny the freshness of perspective my brother possessed now, much like my own.

For Archie, a big part of his life was an enormous black hole—nothing before, nothing between. I knew, as much as his optimistic attitude helped him along, he felt he'd missed some things, especially the human things. Knowing what we did now of his past, I just couldn't bring myself to deny him his simple pleasures. Archie had always elicited a sort of soft spot inside me, whether that was due to our shared alienation, even in the supernatural world, due to our unique talents, or if it was due to the unfair instance of our very young 'deaths'…

I didn't know if it was a combination of these factors, or in spite of them, that all of us seemed to give him so much lenience, but either way, Archie somehow always found a way to get what he wanted.

C'mon, he goaded me now, It's never gonna be like this again…

He showed me a vision, made indistinct by unmade decisions and the distance of its timing, of our family all grouped together, this time with Beau as one of us.

I sighed, knowing this was one battle I would not win. Archie grinned, entirely too happy about this fact, and threw his arm over Jessamine's shoulders on my other side, beginning to whistle happily to himself.

The next series of days were filled with packing, preparations for the house waiting for us in New Hampshire, arranging flights and shipping details for our cars and other essentials. Though Archie and Jessamine would be the only siblings to accompany us to school—Royal was perfectly comfortable with the role he and Eleanor had taken on as a newly married couple, again—my parents had decided that now was a good time to make the long overdue move themselves.

We'd lived in many different places over the years, but our options were constantly hindered by the necessity of sufficient cloud cover. We kept semi-permanent residences in a variety of cities; I still owned my biological parents' house in Chicago, but had been renting it out for years under a pseudo name. Earnest and Carine owned a second house in Westchester, New York, as well as a third residence in Ohio, where Earnest had been born. We'd bought and sold houses as obligation had required over the years, but invariably, some homes had captured our hearts, and we hadn't been able to bring ourselves to relinquish them.

Now, Earnest and Carine were planning to move into my family home in Chicago. The style of house my birth parents had purchased in the late 1890's was referred to as what many regarded as Chicago's version of the New York brownstone. Most houses of my childhood era had been built from limestone—a distinct sort of façade harvested mostly from quarries surrounding Bedford, Indiana.

The Classical Revival had been unsurprisingly nestled in with a variety of houses boasting the same ornamentation—all of them with cozy and tight-fitting quarters. But their greystone exteriors gave the illusion of a grander, more spacious living space.

The only reason we were able to return to the house in Chicago now, was because our numbers, though larger than they had ever been, were diminished in this particular instance. With Archie, Jessamine, Beau and me away at Dartmouth, and Eleanor and Royal off in Canada with Tanvir and his brothers, my parents were able to blend in a little more seamlessly with the humans, being on their own.

Invariably, our housing situation would need to change once Beau decided he was ready to become immortal, but because I had no way of knowing, now, exactly when that would be, my parents felt comfortable remaining in Chicago in the meantime.

"It could be weeks, or it could be years," I admitted to my mother later the night of our return, while Beau slept in the golden-swathed bed on the third floor. "I have no way of knowing when he'll be ready."

"And we want him to be ready," Carine reminded me, appraising my face closely. She looks more liberated than ever before, and yet… There's something in her tone…

I sighed in response to her quiet musings. I could never hide my true feelings from my mother.

"What is it, Edythe?" she asked gently.

"It's duplicitous of me," I said quietly, "Isn't it?"

"What is?"

"For so long I pushed and pushed for this—for Beau to stay human… But now I'm finding myself… Almost upset over his decision. I suppose I've allowed myself to bolster my hopes a little too much…"

Carine laid a hand on my back. "It's reasonable to want a future with your husband, Edythe. No one looks down on you for that."

"I know, but it's just… It seems silly, doesn't it, to have fought the inevitable for so long, and then, when it finally seems as if my desires are coming true—I suddenly make an abrupt turn and change my mind completely."

"Not silly," Carine disagreed. "And I hardly doubt you've changed your mind completely. It's not as if you're upstairs arguing with him this very moment, are you?"

I shrugged.

"Want to know what I think?" Archie spoke up from across the room. He and Jessamine had just been playing chess, but apparently, he couldn't pass up the opportunity to meddle in my affairs, yet again.

"When are you going to learn to let be?" I inquired of him.

Archie grinned cheekily at me. "Um… Let me think… Never. Anyway—I think you have a tendency to severely overreact about things. Beau never told you he didn't want to be a vampire anymore."

I narrowed my eyes at him suspiciously. Just how close an eye had he been keeping on us?

"He said he just wanted to be mortal for a little longer… You'll see. Once his raging desire cools off a bit—you know, the novelty of something new and all—he'll be ready." He said the words with such confidence, with his arms folded across his chest, shoulder against the doorframe, and a smug smile on his lips, that I would have liked to cuff him on the head.

But I knew he was right. I did tend to overreact.

"Fine," I admitted, "I overreact sometimes. Sue me."

"No one's suing you," he argued, still grinning, "You just sometimes need some reminding that you're a little bit… Manic… Obsessive… Controlling…"

"Okay, okay," I interrupted, "That's enough. Thank you very much. You can be off now."

Archie laughed, and disappeared through the archway, back into the living room.

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"Hey, kid!"

We had hardly mounted Charlie Swan's porch steps before the door had swung wide to reveal Beau's father, grinning and easygoing. Obviously surprising Beau, Charlie pulled his son into a gruffish sort of embrace, slapping him on the back.

"You got some sun!"

"Uh… Yeah."

"Did you two have a nice time?" he inquired as he ushered us through the door, and into the living room.

"It was lovely," I said as we settled into the loveseat, and Charlie flopped into the nearby armchair. As always, the television was tuned to ESPN, last night's highlights playing on a looping reel.

"So obviously you went somewhere sunny."

Beau flushed a little, seeming embarrassed by this, of all things. It just didn't make sense to me.

"Yes. I thought Beau was long overdue for a tropical vacation."

"So where'd you two wind up?"

"Southern Brazil," I told him. This seemed to surprise him, but not as much as my next words, "My parents own a small private island south of Rio, and they offered to let Beau and I borrow it for the honeymoon."

I flashed a grin at my husband, who looked mortified.

Charlie's eyebrows lifted on his forehead. "Private island… Wow, that's sure something…"

Beau cleared his throat and suddenly sat forward. "So, what have you been up to, Dad?" He was obviously eager to change the subject.

"Oh, you know. Same old, same old. Work's been keeping me busy. Went fishing over the weekend. Bonnie's been by a couple times, cooking me dinner and such."

As foggy as Charlie's thoughts usually were, he was very clearly remembering the meals she'd made him, and the evenings they'd been spending together. I felt the smile playing around my lips, genuinely happy for the two.

They'd waited so long for this opportunity—Bonnie especially—and I was glad they were finally together.

"That's nice of her," Beau was saying now. "Wouldn't want you starving to death."

The two chuckled together. It was no secret that Charlie had been living the epitome of the single man's life before Beau had arrived in Forks and taken over his kitchen. Beau had always been a natural cook, and from the sounds of it, the trait had bloomed from practically nothing. Though Renee's cooking had always been experimental at best, she was by no means a tungsten chef, and I knew for a fact that before a couple of years ago, Charlie had subsisted mainly off of fried eggs, Holly Clearwater's fish fry, and canned chili.

We spent the next couple of hours talking with Charlie, and though there wasn't much to catch up on, the conversation seemed to flow freely between Beau and his father. Now that the plans to attend Dartmouth had been set in motion, Beau seemed to feel liberated to speak more deeply of his plans.

I was very glad to know he no longer viewed Dartmouth as a cover story, and that he was finally allowing himself to feel excitement over the prospect.

Charlie's pride and excitement for his son's college ambition was palpable in the air. He had never had the same opportunity as his son, and it was obvious he was eager to hear of Beau's college experiences and stories.

Beau was planning to major in English studies, which would provide him with a fine foundation for any future endeavors. I approved of his choices immediately, knowing that whatever he chose to do in the future, that his opportunity to study human connection and artistic expression through literature would apply to virtually any career choice he might eventually find interest in. He'd spoken of teaching, however none of us knew how long it would be before he'd honed the self-restraint required to take on such an occupation.

"What about you, Edythe? What are you planning on taking?" Charlie asked, turning toward me.

I was once again stunned by his undeserved change in heart toward me. Though he still thought my breakup with Beau had been rather harsh, he'd been able to find it in his heart to forgive me for my deplorable actions last Fall, and he'd accepted that Beau seemed to have chosen to spend the rest of his life with me. Charlie didn't see much point in holding animosity toward the only daughter-in-law he'd ever get, and had decided to try and keep things as civil and pleasant as possible.

I smiled at him, grateful for his efforts. "I'll be going into Pre-medicine."

"I'm sure your mother is very proud."

"She is… I'm lucky to have such an amazing woman to set such an dedicatory example."

We spoke a little of what Archie's plans were, and then the conversation circled back around to immediate family and friends.

"… and, I guess I forgot to tell you that Julie's home now," Charlie was saying now, his tone enthusiastic.

Beau's face fell, just for a fraction of a second before he forced composure, and for the first time since our return, I felt my stomach turn sickeningly. Would the reoccurrence of Julie's presence sour Beau's tranquil mood?

"That's… That's great!" he said now.

A beat of awkward silence passed through the room, crowding up the air with stifling heat.

"How-how's she doing?" Beau finally inquired, and I didn't think it was just me who detected the forced note in Beau's tone.

"Well, Bonnie's sure happy to have her home," Charlie said. "I think she's still acting a bit distant, but at least she's back where she belongs."

Beau nodded distractedly.

I held myself very still, not knowing what to say. Whether Beau wanted to see her again or not was up to him completely. At this point, I didn't know whether this would benefit him or not. Sometimes it was best to leave the past in the past, and move on with the future, in my opinion, but Beau could think differently, of course.

A sudden flash of indignation lit through me. Hadn't Julie Black caused enough trouble for us, for once and for all? I had to hand it to her, however, at least she wasn't being her usually overbearing self.

"She's been asking about you," Charlie added now, and my former leniency was immediately quashed.

"Asking about me?" Beau repeated.

"Just… Whether you're home yet, what your plans are for the fall… You know."

"Yeah…"

"It certainly wouldn't hurt to give her a call," I said now. It occurred to me that the pack would be reasonably concerned for Beau's status. They didn't know whether the change had been incited yet—and I knew they were only doing their job, looking out for their village.

They didn't know we'd already surmounted the most difficult of stepping stones. We'd be far gone by the time Beau became immortal, but of course, they weren't aware of that. After all, we'd promised that no human would be bitten within the treaty boundaries ever again. As much as Beau's sudden change of heart to remain human had surprised me, I knew it would surprise Julie Black and her sisters even more.

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A/N: So there's the next chapter! They're home now, ready to head off to college… And everything seems as it should be… I wonder what'll happen next?! Let me know what you think. As always, thank you so much for the love and support. I'll see you all next time! xo