A/N: Time to close the door on this baby.

Special thanks to hmonster4, my beta twin. And a shout to Melissa228 for a perspective read on this one.

No claims on these characters.

Epilogue

EPOV

When I looked at the number on the clock and saw 5:00 am, I almost groaned. That was early, even for me. I knew I'd wake up before the sun today though, and I was grateful I hadn't yet aged out of my ability to function on less sleep than the average person. I rolled away from the clock to watch Bella sleeping beside me. Her mouth was parted slightly. One hand hung over her eyes, and the other lay across her stomach.

For the past seven years, this had been a moment of peace for me each day. A meditation of sorts. I nearly always awoke before she did, and it gave me an opportunity to see her in a defenseless state. She had come so far with her self esteem that it was usually only in her sleep that I saw the insecure girl who first drew me in.

Back in Chicago, there were times when I wondered if the pull had only been about her weakness. In the months we were apart, I'd realized what drew me too her romantically wasn't the weakness at all, but her strength. So, the more she gained, the more I loved her.

But in these moments, when I could see her vulnerability, I was reminded how fragile we all are as human beings and how much care we need to take with each other's hearts.

I slid out of bed and went out to the kitchen to make coffee. I found some blueberry muffin mix in the pantry and I dug through the cabinets until I found a muffin tin. I wanted to surprise Bella, but I didn't want to wake her just yet. It was going to be a long day.

I went over to the window. It was the same one I looked out the first night I moved to Seattle. Bella moved in here 4 years ago when Emmett and Rosalie finally got married and bought a house. Of course, that was just the official move in; we'd been practically living in each other's apartments since the beginning. We considered looking for a new place, but in the end, we were both creatures of habit. We both loved the windows in the living room, and it was close to campus for her. Our lease would be up in a few months, and this time we wouldn't be renewing. It was a season of change.

No matter what happened in life, I would always love this city. Looking out this window to pay homage to the city that brought us together twice was my second daily meditation.

My phone rang, bringing me back to reality.

"Good morning, dear."

"Hi mom."

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm good. I'm really good."

"Do you need anything?"

"No, I think we're all set."

"So, I'll just see you there around noon correct?"

"Yeah, I think that's perfect."

"I'm so happy for you, Edward."

"Thanks, mom."

The phone must have woken Bella because she suddenly came walking zombie like into the kitchen rubbing her eyes.

"Coffee?" she asked.

"It's ready. Would you like me to get it?"

"Please. Someone kept me up too late last night."

"I don't recall you complaining." I winked. "You don't need to be up yet. It's only 6:30. You can rest a while longer if you like."

"No, I can't. Alice called yesterday. She's coming over in about an hour. I need to prepare myself for that." I handed her a mug.

"Crap."

"Just ignore her when she gets here."

"Is Rosalie coming too?" She nodded before burying her face in the mug.

"Who was on the phone?" She asked when she came up for air.

"My mom."

Bella smiled. "She must be so excited."

"She contained herself well." I walked over to where she was standing, and I kissed the top of her head. "I'm going to go shower. Will you take the muffins out of the oven when the timer goes off?"

"That's what I've been smelling. You're too good to me."

"I hope you always feel that way," I whispered into her hair. "Are you sure about this? About today?"

"Definitely."

"It's not too late to make changes."

"I wouldn't change a thing. I promise."

I tried to get out the door before Alice got there. I was in too good a mood for pixie wrath. But Bella and I got into a pillow fight while making the bed, and we had some last minute packing to do as well. So, it was 7:28 before I was rushing out the door yelling to Bella that I would see her later."

I was about 20 seconds from a clean getaway. "Edward Cullen, what in the world are you doing here? You promised you'd spend the night at Emmett's or your parents!"

"Sorry?" I tried with a shrug.

"Not a chance. Don't you know it's bad luck to see the bride on your wedding day?"

Bella chimed in. "Alice, you know I don't believe in luck."

"Yeah right, then what's that hanging around your neck?" Bella had been inadvertently playing with the pendant. It was a habit she'd started from the day I gave it to her on the one year anniversary of our first date. The little clover pendant never came off.

"This is not about luck, Alice," she said holding up the pendant. Then she looked at me and winked.

Defying Alice, I walked over to give Bella a quick kiss.

"You two! You might as well be breaking a mirror or walking under a ladder. You are just asking for bad luck."

"Should I watch out for black cats today too?" I teased. "I'm going now. And Alice, I promise no peaking when she's in the dress."

She huffed. "Well I guess that's something. Now, go. We have work to do."

I stopped off for more coffee on the way to the center. I had more time than I needed. I was enjoying the quiet start to the morning. Emmett's wedding had been so chaotic. So much stress. We didn't want any of that. Emmett called when I was getting back in my car with my coffee

"Nervous, little bro?"

"No, not at all."

"Bastard. I was a nervous wreck when I got married."

I laughed at him. "What time are you coming over?"

"I'll be there around noon with everyone else. Jasper and I have the kids while Rose and Alice help Bella get ready. I guess you have to do your own make up today." He thought he was pretty funny and chuckled hard. It was contagious.

"Where are Mom and Dad?" I asked surprised they missed out on a babysitting opportunity.

"Probably out buying your gift last minute. You know them. No forethought whatsoever." He was so proud of himself as he laughed again. "Shit, I hear the toilet flushing, and Jasper's on the couch. I hope Hale's not trying to flush his stuffed Nemo again. Got to go."

Everyone else had fallen into family life years ago. Bella and I took our time getting to this point. In part, it had to do with meeting other goals first. Withher in graduate school and me in med school, the idea of "settling down" didn't seem realistic. We both wanted to reach a degree of permanency first. Plus, emotionally, we were still growing. Realizaitons that other people probably hit in their teens, we only came to within the last five years.

I knew I loved her, but I feared that at some point one of us would grow in a different direction. That never happened. We simply grew more entwined.

We still spent time with Emmet, Rosalie, Jasper, and Alice over the years, but not like it had been. In the earlier years. The between wedding years. In the space between Alice and Jasper getting married and then Rosalie and Emmett, we all went out quite bit. We were a group. We still were, but the introduction of mortgages and kids left Bella and I feeling like outsiders to the club. We were students for so much longer, and even in the past year as I was entrenched in residency and Bella began teaching full time after finishing her doctorate, we didn't quite fit in. Or maybe we chose not to join, but I had a feeling now that our marriage certificate was going to be our membership card in the rejuvenated club. .

I didn't expect anyone to be at the center when I got there. It was so early.

"Hey Dr. C!" Seth called out. He was sitting just inside the entrance with paper spread across the floor and paint all around him.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Just about everyone's here.""Why?"

"We're adding some decorations. It's sort of a wedding present."

I shook my head. Not really understanding what he meant.

I entered into the main room and witnessed a bustle of activity. About fifteen teenagers were working on various projects throughout the room. There were several adults in the mix too.

The large all purpose room had literally come to life. Art projects were splattered on every wall and even hung from the ceilings. I stopped to look at an easel. There was a poem in the middle, and several pictures were displayed in collage from all around it. I never expected any of this. We'd decided to have our wedding here for many reasons, not the least of which was because the place meant so much to both of us. We'd also never wanted the kinds of weddings the others had. They were beautiful, but they weren't us. We preferred to spend our money and energy on the honeymoon, which is why we decided on a spring wedding to coincide with Bella's break.I let my eyes wander the room again.

"They've worked very hard, Edward."

I turned as my dad put his arm around my shoulder. "You should be very proud."

"I am. I can't believe they did all this."

This place had been my passion for so long. About my second year of med school I started making decisions that would change the course of my life—I was connecting the dots, so to speak. It had not been easy to get this place off the ground while still in my residency. I couldn't have done it without Bella and my parents. My mom and Bella were two of the first teachers, and they still volunteered many hours here.

A center for troubled youth emphasizing creative disciplines of art, music, and writing for emotional expression began with a simple idea. When I was depressed, my art gave me peace. Bella began writing when she had bouts of insecurity. My dad had been a tremendous source of support when I started moving my medical interest into psychiatry, and he helped me make connections with people who could make this a reality. Soon I would house my practice in child psychiatry here. Currently, there were a couple of psychologists on staff who primarily ran group sessions. Most of the creative classes were run by volunteers, but we tried to pay them small stipends.

When I left yesterday, the place was nearly bare. Some of the student art work had been on display. Now, the place was filled with words and colors and chords. The family was supposed to be coming at noon to set up chairs and to throw up a few streamers. We were going for simple and small. I couldn't believe they managed to keep it a secret. This was not big and fancy but something completely different. Something right.

I walked through the room inspired by the work the students were doing. So many of them had real potential. For others, it was about catharsis. I heard someone playing the piano, and I turned toward the sound. A picture on display next to it caught my attention. I waved at people when they greeted me, but I was on a mission.

I recognized it instantly. It called to me.

When I was within feet of it, I let my mind remember the night I created it. The hotel room. We were still so uncertain, so full of fear. But that night led us here.

I always wondered what Bella thought of my art.. This one, "Eye on You" was the one people always commented on. It caused a double take because the gaze was never what they expected. They anticipated disturbing but found it comforting, warm. I never tried to explain it—I told them it was abstract. Bella's expression when she observed it always made me believe she understood it. But it wasn't until this exact moment that I knew for certain.

There was a placard next to where it was displayed.

EAC

We saved each other.

My breath caught. I felt a hand slip in mine.

"Bella? She squeezed my hand in response. "You knew huh?"

"Of course, Edward. It was part of what brought me to the conclusion I did. What scared me shouldn't have. It was always meant to cause me comfort. Just like this piece."

"Did you have a hand in all of this?" I asked looking around the room.

She leaned her head against my shoulder. "Not really. They wanted to do this for you. I just gave a few ideas."

"What are you doing here?" I'd almost forgotten that she was supposed to be at home getting ready.

"You didn't really think I needed 4 hours to get ready did you? We're here to help."

She turned me around, and they were all there. My family and friends. The kids. My co-workers. Setting up chairs, bringing in flowers, finalizing displays. Bella pointed to the right, and I saw Charlie talking with Carlisle.

"You're really okay with this as your wedding location? You don't want something fancier? I feel bad that you did all this work."

"Edward, I couldn't imagine anything more perfect."

The rest of the morning flew by. It was fun, and I'd never heard anyone use that word in regards to wedding planning. Some of the center kids were jamming, and laughter rang throughout the room. It was as if the reception came first. It almost made me want to skip the ceremony altogether and just sign the papers. Almost.

For us, this was not about a wedding day, but the beginning of a marriage. We'd actually considered eloping, but we knew it would disappoint too many people. The full realization of that fact didn't hit me until I was standing at the front of the room with Emmett and Jasper by my side.

Bella was huddled into Charlie as they walked toward us, probably to keep her from tripping. We would have skipped the traditional aisle thing, but Bella knew Charlie would be hurt, though he'd never say anything. What daddy didn't dream of walking his daughter down the aisle?

Emotions slammed into me as I considered everything that led to this day, this moment. My mind flashed with memories of what nearly kept us apart. The move. The shooting. My mistakes. Our fear. All those memories were alive and breathing in us today. As were the other ones. The ones that brought us together. The brown mess in the auditorium. Friendship. Prom. Couches.

Bella stumbled into me when Charlie let go. I caught her. Stifled giggles echoed through the room. But there would be no falls today.

Bella wrote her vows, and I read a Shakespearean sonnet. My mom smiled through her tears.

As our lips met in the kiss that would officially join us forever, I wondered how I ever got to be so lucky.

E/N: Fade to black.

Thanks again for reading. I'll be concentrating on finishing up Breakfast at Tiffany's with hmonster4 for now. Btw, if you don't have her on author alert, you should. Something special will be coming soon. And I get to wear my beta hat again.

There are always ideas floating in my noggin so you never know what's to come.

I would love one final LC review if you have it in you. So there was no lucky charm decoupage mobile hanging over a crib, but tell me what you think of how he used his art. What good he could do in a center like that!