It's finally here! The last chapter for Love Like Crazy. It's been a wild ride, and I'm so glad you all joined me for it! This is an extra thousand words long, as a thank you. Read on!

Katie's POV

I sat at the kitchen table, scrolling through my mother's fancy cell phone, forming my plan of action.

Seth and the rest of my boys were out in the woods, risking their lives for me while I just sat here and waited for them to come home. I was sick of letting other people suffer to protect me.

My jaw dropped when I saw how many messages "Tony D" had left on my mother's phone. And they all said pretty much the exact same thing: I love you. When are going to move in with me? I know it's only been a year, but I really love you! When can I see you next? Let's go on a date tonight! I love you!

The first thing that registered in my mind was that Tony texted in perfect grammar. I thought I was the only one who did that.

The second thing that registered was that my mom was cheating on my dad. She had been for a year. I felt sick to my stomach. How was I going to tell Daddy? Who was going to tell this Tony? A part of me hated him for tearing my family apart, but the majority of me recognized that Tony had no idea either me or my father existed. He thought my mom was single. This wasn't his fault. It was my mother's.

This was why she didn't want to move to Forks. I continued scrolling through their conversations. It looked like Tony started a new construction business recently. My mother wanted to make sure he continued to be successful before she left me and my dad.

When did my mother become so heartless and shallow? She used to be so wonderful when I was younger…

Then… then my brother died. I wasn't the one who went crazy. She was. When he died, she would talk to anyone that would listen to her, fishing for sympathy and support. When that attention started to dwindle, she had me committed. And no one could ignore the distraught mother with a murdered son and psychotic daughter.

I had heard of a mental disease like that, where the parent would hurt their child in order to get attention. What had Dr. Carvay called it? Munchausen syndrome by proxy? Yeah, something like that.

My mother was hurting me so she could get attention?

Rage filled me until something inside of me broke. Broke, and reformed in a new way.

I wasn't going to let my fear rule my life anymore. I was sick of letting my father or Seth or Dr. Carvay protect me. I was going to fix this mess, on my terms.

I dialed Tony's cell number. After ringing twice, a deep male voice answered.

"Hey baby! Where are you? You were supposed to be here an hour ago, I was really starting to worry –" Tony said frantically.

"Um, sorry to disappoint you, but I just found this phone," I lied sweetly. "Your number was the most frequent this phone called, so I thought you might be able to tell me who's phone this is so I can return it."

"Oh, I'm sorry!" he exclaimed. "This is my fiancée Trisha Carter's phone. Where is it? When she gets here, we'll both come to pick it up."

"I found it in a coffee shop in Forks," I told him shakily. I was still reeling from the 'fiancée' bit. "It's a tiny town on the peninsula."

"But Trisha lives in Seattle!" Tony gasped, shocked. "Forks is over three hours away! What would she be doing there?"

"I don't know," I said sadly. After all those years tricking the doctors in the mental hospital, I was a very convincing liar.

"Wait, she's here. I'll call you back, and you can tell me where to pick it up," he said and hung up.

I smiled a little, and called Dr. Carvay. I have his cell number memorized.

"Hello, Doctor, this is Katie Carter," I greeted him.

"Well, hello, Katie! What can I do for you this evening?" Dr. Carvay answered.

"I… well, I want to tell you what happened to me last night, and I want you to tell me if… if I'm jumping to conclusions or if I'm actually guessing right," I said hesitantly. If I was right, Dr. Carvay was the first person I wanted to know.

"Go ahead, Katie. Tell me everything," he said.

"Well, my mom got home from some errands yesterday afternoon, and she was really happy about something. She said she got some new fruit juice one of our neighbors recommended. She made me try some, and I got really dizzy really fast and blacked out. When I woke up, I was in the middle of the woods and my wrists had been sliced open."

"What?" Dr. Carvay interrupted. "Katie, are you alright?"

"Oh, yes! Yes, I'm fine. Some hikers found me, and took me to see Doctor Cullen, one of the best doctors in town," I reassured him. I let my voice grow hesitant. "Do you… do you think… my mom… might have done this? Dr. Cullen said I couldn't have done this to myself."

"Katie, I think this is a conversation that would be better to carry out in person. Will your parents be home in four hours?" he asked in that careful psychologist voice.

I quickly calculated the time in my head. "Yes, they will. I'll even make dinner for everyone! See you then, doctor!"

"See you then, Katie. Be safe," he answered anxiously, then hung up.

I silently rejoiced. Dr. Carvay believed me. I could hear it in his voice.

My mother's phone buzzed with a text from Tony.

I've told Trisha that I have a surprise for her. What's the address? it read.

So he's starting to get suspicious, too. I don't blame him.

I've got a surprise for her, too, I thought. I texted him my home address, saying someone would be here with the phone for them. He replied a few minutes later, saying he would be here in three to three and a half hours. Perfect timing.

Knowing I had ensnared my cheating, psychotic mother was a victory, but it wasn't enough. That vampire had been torturing me for a decade. I didn't just want him dead; I wanted closure. And I knew who would most likely help me.

I dialed the Clearwater family's home phone, praying the right person would answer. And she did.

"Clearwater residence," Leah's bored, annoyed voice answered.

"Leah, I need your help," I said quickly, not bothering to sugarcoat what I had to say.

"Katie? Seth already asked me to come over to your house to protect you. I was just about to leave," Leah said, her annoyance replaced with surprise.

"I don't want your protection, I want closure," I said desperately. "This vampire has been after me for a decade! I need to be there. I need to see his face, I need to know why me! Please, Leah, try to understand. I need to know."

Leah was quiet for a moment. I anxiously waited for her answer.

"Fine," she said quietly. "It's not like the pack can hate me anymore than they already do."

I don't know why she agreed to help me. I probably never will. But I'm not complaining.

"Thank you, Leah," I said sincerely. "And the guys don't hate you. They just don't understand how it feels to have your whole life and your whole future torn away from you in one random act. I just… I need to know why my life was torn apart."

"Don't we all," Leah replied sadly, and hung up. I got the feeling she wasn't talking about me and the vampire anymore.

But just being there, like I asked Leah for, wasn't enough. I wanted to show that vampire that I wasn't a weak little girl anymore. He couldn't control me anymore. I was the master of my own destiny, and no one could take that away from me, not even an indestructible vampire.

Then the idea bloomed in my head like a spring blossom. Why would a vampire care about a little human girl anyways? Why would he stalk me like this for a decade? There was only one answer, and I was going to use it to finally end this dance.

I was riding on Leah's back, heading towards the battlefield. Riding on a wolf's back was easily my favorite thing to do now. Would Seth let me ride on his back? It would be so much fun. Hell, it would be the best date ever.

It was pouring rain, but I didn't really mind. I should be freezing since I was wearing the cute sweater and jean outfit Alice had given to me. I had planned on returning it to her soon, but the way the clothes fit me was too… wonderful. They made me feel strong. I felt liberated, like I was no longer hiding in my giant T-shirts. I felt beautiful.

I was also wearing one of my mother's favorite trench coats. I had no purpose for taking it except it hid my secret weapon perfectly. It looked pretty good on me, too.

Leah slowed to a walk when we arrived at our destination. I jumped off her back, wanting to do this on my own. The clearing was innocuous, one no one would ever look twice at – on any other day. Today, it was full of werewolves and vampires.

When I saw the vampire, I froze. He was exactly the same. But then, vampires never changed. They could never move forward. They were frozen. And like that, my sudden fear slowly melted away, and I was brave again.

The vampire had one wolf trapped by its throat under the vampire's foot. For some odd reason, I instantly knew it was Seth. I was drawn to that wolf like we were two magnets. I was his imprint, and he was my wolf. It was that simple.

The other wolves were slowly circling the two, searching for a way to get the vampire without hurting my Seth.

Edward, Alice, Emmett and Jasper Cullen were watching carefully. From their positions, they had been helping, but had stopped when I arrived. It was like they knew what I was planning. Hell, for all I know, one of them is a mind reader. Or a psychic.

I faced my vampire-stalker again, planting my feet. I wasn't backing down.

"Get your foot off my boyfriend's neck now!" I shouted. The vampire glanced at me, then turned back to Seth. Wrong move.

I had a feeling this vampire was going to be very uncooperative. That's why I brought insurance.

I pulled off the trench coat, and pulled the pistol out of the inside pocket. It was my daddy's Smith and Wesson, his pride and joy. He never lets it leave the safe, but he needs to think of better combinations. My birthday is not very hard to guess.

I shot the vampire, hitting his left shoulder. Not bad. It wasn't a very hard shot to hit from one hundred feet away, I guess. It helps that daddy used to take me to the shooting range with him and taught me how to use this gun specifically.

The vampire's glare shot up to me, staring in complete shock. He recovered quickly (for a human, at least. For a vampire, it was pitifully slow).

"Katherine," he growled. His voice was lovely, the typical velvet voice of a vampire. I couldn't really bring myself to care.

"Guns don't work on vampires," he growled slowly.

I rolled my eyes. "What the hell made you think this was for you?" I asked incredulously, then put the barrel of the gun to my temple. Every wolf flinched, and the vampire screamed. The Cullens didn't move.

"Let Seth up now," I said angrily, "or I shoot myself. I don't think vampire venom can repair a splattered brain."

The vampire slowly lifted his foot, his eyes never leaving mine. Seth darted away.

"I started thinking earlier," I began calmly. The tortured look on the vampire's face was priceless. "Why on Earth would a beautiful, immortal vampire care about some pathetic little human girl? It made no sense. Then I realized…"

I trailed off for dramatic effect. "You love me."

Seth snarled, but I kept eye contact with the vampire. "I don't know why, and I don't really care. I want to know why you tortured me like this. Why would you hurt someone you loved?"

"Katherine –" the vampire began, but I cut him off.

"My name is Katie," I said harshly.

"Katherine is a beautiful name," the vampire argued, then jumped back to the previous topic of conversation.

"The night we met, I was going to kill you. After killing your brother, I looked at your face. Really looked at you. And I fell in love," he said dreamily. "You were everything I ever wanted in this world. I started following you. I found what a wonderful person you are, and I couldn't leave you alone. I waited until you were older, old enough to understand what you were going to become –"

"I'm not 'becoming' anything," I snapped. "I don't want to be a vampire. I never will. I want to stay human and let my body change with the seasons. I want kids. And I want to live my life with someone who will go through those changes and that life with me."

"Katherine, you don't know what you're saying. Once you see –" he tried to argue, but I cut him off again.

"I do see," I said simply. "You may know me and love me, but I don't even know you. And I couldn't love someone who hid from me like this. I love someone else."

"NO!" the vampire broke out screaming. "NO! You belong with me! You're mine! No one else can have you! NOOOOOOO!"

I looked to the wolves, my new family, and calmly asked, "Can you kill him now? I need to get home."

The wolves tore him to pieces. I tossed the gun on top of the trench coat on the ground. I waited patiently while Edward helped the wolves burn the remains. Alice walked up to me.

"I'm proud of you, Katie," she said simply. "And you're coming over soon to go shopping and get a makeover."

I smiled. "That sounds great."

Then, like two celestial bodies in orbit, I turned to see Seth walking towards me. I didn't bother waiting for him. I ran right up to him, and tackled him in a hug. We kissed, and the rest of the world melted away.

"I know I've asked this before," Seth began.

"Multiple times," I added. Seth rolled his eyes. We were walking back to my house slowly, talking about the things we needed to discuss. I knew Brady, Collin, and Beast weren't far behind. Leah was walking right behind us, not bothering to give us the illusion of privacy.

"I know. But why did you put yourself in danger like that? We were about to finish him off when you arrived," he said.

"Because I needed to be there," I answered simply. "It's hard to explain, but I needed that closure so I could move on with my life."

"Alright, I guess I can understand that," Seth agreed reluctantly. Then he asked, "Why did you call me your boyfriend?"

"I'm your imprint, aren't I?" I asked, and he nodded. "That means you are whatever I want you to be. And right now, I want you to be my boyfriend."

Seth grinned. "You also said you loved someone else to the vampire."

I rolled my eyes. "Duh. Obviously, I'm in love with my wolf-man. I thought that was clear when I tackled you and kissed you."

"I'm making sure," Seth defended himself. "And so we're clear, I love you, too."

"Good," I said happily, and I pulled him down to my height for a quick kiss.

"Now," I started, "I was a little busy while you were out fighting vampires. So I need to go home, and I would appreciate it if you were there with me."

"Whatever you want," Seth said sincerely.

"Good, because this is going to be hilarious in a very sad way. And promise me you'll keep your temper in check," I added.

"I will," Seth promised. He took my hand in his, and we finished the walk home in comfortable silence.

Seth and I were the first ones home. I immediately went to my dad's gun safe and put the Smith and Wesson back where it belonged. I then threw my mother's trench coat on the coat rack to dry. Both Seth and I were soaked from the rain, but I didn't really mind. Seth didn't seem to either, so we just sat at the kitchen table and waited for my parents to get home.

In retrospect, I probably should have told Seth what was about to happen. But it was a lot more fun this way.

My father got home ten minutes before my mother. He saw me and Seth holding hands at the table, but he didn't say a word.

"Hi, Daddy," I greeted him while he hung up his gun belt.

"Hi sweetheart, hi Seth. What are you two up to?" he asked.

"Waiting for you and Mom to get home," I answered simply. My father just looked at me. He knew when I was up to something.

Ten minutes later, I heard a car pull into the driveway. The doorbell rang, and I jumped up to get it. My heart was pounding. I looked over to make sure both my dad and Seth could see who was at the door.

When I opened the door, I gave both my mother (who was looking VERY nervous) and Tony a big smile and said, "Hello, you must be Tony. Hi, Mom!"

Tony stared at me in shock. My mother looked murderous. Seth and my father were silent.

"I'm really sorry, Tony. You seem like a nice guy. But my mother has been lying to you," I explained quickly. "I'm her daughter, and this man behind me is my father and her husband of twenty years."

"Tony, I can explain," my mother said quickly, desperately grabbing onto his hand.

"Don't," Tony said, shaking her off. "I… I… just… don't."

He ran back to his car and floored it. I couldn't really blame him for wanting to get the hell out of here.

"Trisha," my father said quietly. I jumped. I didn't know he was right behind me.

"John, I can –" she started, but my father cut her off.

"Why would you cheat on me, Trisha? I loved you. We had a good life, a happy one. Why would you tear our family apart like this?" my father begged, tears welling in his eyes.

I ran to my father and hugged him tightly. He held onto me like I was the only thing left he cared about.

"Because she doesn't care, Daddy," I whispered. I knew my mother and Seth could still hear me, though. I pulled up the sleeves of my sweater and showed my father the bandages.

"She drugged me and did this to me, Daddy. Dr. Carvay should be here anytime now and he'll help us sort this all out," I promised him.

"I don't need a doctor! You're the crazy one! You're the messed up little girl no one wants around!" my mother began shrieking.

Seth came up, wrapped one arm around me and one arm around my father, and hissed, "Shut up right now. If you insult Katie one more time, I can't be held responsible for what I'll do to you."

Dr. Carvay chose that moment to walk in through the already-open front door. "I have a feeling I just walked into an explosive situation," he said carefully.

"Yes, you did," my father said sadly.

"Well then, let's get started. Katie, you are the one who called me. Why don't you begin?"

After telling Dr. Carvay everything that my mother had done (with her denying everything the whole time), he gave her a possible Munchausen syndrome by proxy diagnosis. He called some people, and they came to take her away to the psychiatric hospital for further study. Dr. Carvay immediately apologized to me for not seeing that I wasn't insane from the beginning, and that he should have known it was my mother all along.

I then formally introduced Seth to Dr. Carvay and my father as my boyfriend. Both of them were ecstatic. I guess they wanted some good news out of the horrible day.

The next day, I went to school while Daddy filed for divorce. It felt weird, being in such a normal place after that crazy weekend. But Seth was holding my hand, and the rest of my boys were beside me.

After school, Seth and I took a walk on First Beach.

"Do you regret any of it?" I asked Seth shyly, snuggled against his side for warmth from the chilly ocean breeze.

"Regret what? I got you in the end, didn't I? That's all that matters to me," he said simply.

I smiled and kissed him. And that's how we started the rest of our lives together.

I know, the ending was a little cheesy. I couldn't help it! Thank you all again for reading this story, and thank you to everyone who alerted, favorited, and/or reviewed! Especially to the people that reviewed!

My next story is already posted, called Dark Light. It has some mature themes (no lemons!), especially violence and language. Please, go check it out! Thank you all again!