I am so appreciative to everyone that read my story and for the awesome feedback I received. I worried in the beginning, I might give up and not finish, but seriously when the reviews started coming in; the story felt like it wrote itself. I cannot begin to thank you enough for all the support and encouragement you gave me. I planned to only write this one, but of course, I have my other two going right now because I am a little hooked on writing right now. If you like my writing style, please continue with me as I work on those. Here is my take on what has happened five years into the future.
Copyright disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight and all recognizable characters.
Epilogue
5 years later
Jacob was standing on the pier waiting for his son to go fishing. Edge went to school now on the reservation. His actual age was almost 6 years, but he appeared to be an average 12 year old. Of course, there was nothing average about Edge. He managed to mingle in at school, because he followed Carlisle's advice and toned it down. He could have easily taken college courses, but he preferred the 7th grade and being with kids his own age.
Jacob had a little time to reflect on all that had happened over the past few years. He and Bella were extremely happy. The threat of vampires had been erased from their lives, so the two of them only encountered day to day struggles. They were a pretty typical young couple: still passionate, but often over worked and exhausted. Jacob juggled the pack, and his job. He still managed to take classes. He had finally decided getting into a physician's assistant program was the best fit for him. He had just been excepted into a program. Once he was done, he would be qualified to treat patients, but he would supervised by a physician. He already had been promised a clinic was going to be established on the reservation and he would be in charge of it as soon as he completed school. This job made more sense to him than attempting full blown medical school. He had the know how, and determination but he and Bella had their hands full with the children and he wasn't willing to leave them as much as medical school would require.
Bella had just given birth to their first daughter almost six weeks ago. Ella Grace, was the apple of her Daddy's eye. He was extremely proud and anxious about being the father of a girl. The boys were all easy. Sure, the twins were a little rough and rambunctious, especially Landon; but Jacob knew what to expect from his sons. He pitied any boy that ever dared to come near the Black residence in regards to his daughter. Needless to say, with addition of Paul and Rachel's son three years ago, the Black house was bursting at the seems with activity. Paul had decided to build another house on the property once Rachel told him she was expecting again. They were due to have their second son in two months. Paul blamed Bella, because when she was pregnant with Ella, Rachel had asked her if she and Jacob were done and she hesitated, "Well...I'm not certain."
"Oh hell no, this house is already full of kids. That's it... me and Rach are getting our on place," he announced. Jacob had never heard better news in his life, and anyway they were building only a few feet away from the main house. He knew Paul would still be over all the time. The pack had increased in size with the addition of three new wolves. Jacob hoped it was the last of it, since no new kids had phased in over two years. They still brought down a stray nomad from time to time, but this year had only seen one vamp in the region. Jacob hoped that word got around and they knew to stay away from the area. The pack, all in all was doing quite well.
Sam and Emily had two daughters and Jared and Kim had just welcomed their first child last year. Brady, Collin and Chance enjoyed their eligible bachelor status and were all three ladies' men. Jacob had to get after them from time to time for their antics. Quil had recently announced he was engaged to his long time girlfriend, Megan, who happened to be quite a few years older than him. It was a shock when he first met her. She was way too classy and mature for Quil, but for some reason, the two of them clicked. Leah and Embry lived in California now. Leah worked in the fashion industry and Embry worked for an architectural firm. True to Jacob's word, Leah was the first to quit phasing, and Embry soon followed. However, Jacob was in on a little secret. When Embry visited La Push, he always gave in to the wolf and phased when he was there. He said the sights and smells called to him and he couldn't resist. Jacob thought it was fascinating that he could go for months at a time without it and then let the urge take over when he was on the reservation. He thought ahead to the future when he would quit, maybe they would always have the ability to go back if it became necessary.
Billy was doing great. He loved chasing his grandsons around. Bella and Rachel took excellent care of him and kept him on a healthy diet. His doctor told him a few years ago the changes he had made had added years to his life. Charlie rented out the house in town, because he was now married to Sue. The two of them eloped to Vegas about six months after Jacob and Bella's wedding. She was a little perturbed at him at first because she missed it, but Charlie said he and Sue wanted to do something out of the ordinary and spontaneous. They loved spending time with all the grandchildren as well.
The only other member of the pack that had imprinted was Seth. He completely freaked out when it happened. Bella had been a witness, since it was to a girl named Madison that they had hired to assist with the catering business. She was the one that calmed him down. He had recently been talking to another girl at school that he really liked. The imprint completely caught him off guard. Bella advised him to take things slow, and try and get to know Madison. She was really a sweet girl and it turned out she and Seth had a lot of things in common. She loved nature and photography, and before they knew it, they were spending all their free time together. Seth held onto his secret for a good six months before revealing the whole truth to Madison. She actually took the news quite well, since she already suspected something strange was going on. She had worked with the girls for a while and had come in contact with all the pack over those months. She knew they were more than they seemed to be on the surface. She and Seth had been together over three years. They both were determined to finish college first before they thought about marriage. Seth was getting a media degree and Madison was getting a degree in history with a minor in Native American studies. She and Seth worked on a joint project restoring and documenting the archives of the tribe. They were going to get credit towards their degrees as well as helping the tribe secure vital information about the history of the Quileutes that would be passed on to future generations.
Jacob saw Edge heading towards him, "Sorry I'm late. I was helping Mrs. Robbins with a math problem."
"You're tutoring the teachers now?" Edge spent a lot of his spare time helping other students. He had the reputation of being the smartest kid in the school, but even that title was an understatement.
"Not exactly, she was stumped with a problem and I merely showed her where she had gone astray. Plus, I stopped by the house to change. Mom wants us to come back. She packed us some food."
"Why didn't you bring it with you?" he asked.
"Uh, I guess she wanted to see you."
"Um...well she is probably wanting a kiss and you know I never turn down a chance to kiss your mother," he joked.
"Ah, come on Dad, I don't want to hear about that stuff," Edge covered his ears.
"Sure, sure...I get it. Anything else happen today?"
"I got a letter from Edward."
"What did he have to say?" Letters came every few months.
"Same old stuff. Aro is busy with other projects. He hasn't asked about us in a long while."
"That's always good to hear," Jacob was relieved to hear things like that.
"He wants to know if I would consider visiting next time he goes to Alaska."
"What did your Mom say about that?"
"She would rather I wait til I'm grown and then make an informed decision."
"I agree, but what do you want to do?" Jacob wished Edge would never see Edward again, but if he needed closure he would allow it under certain conditions.
"I...I'm not sure. Part of me would like to see him once more, but there's still that part that hates him for what he almost did to Mom. At least he keeps us advised on Aro."
"Don't get started on that, I've told you there is nothing to worry about. The pack is strong. We are four times larger than any previous packs and we operate like a well-oiled machine. We're up for any challenges that arise."
"You know I'd want to help if it came down to that," Edge sounded so mature to Jacob when he talked about protecting his mother.
"And you know as well as I that it would devastate you to hurt an animal. You don't have to change for any reason," he advised him. They had gone over this many times before.
"I could be stronger and you know it. I'd do anything to protect Mom...my brothers and sister."
"I know you would, but your Mom and I are completely content with how things are. I thought you were too."
"I am, but I want you to know we have other options."
Jacob ruffled his son's hair and thought it best to change the subject. "How's Claire?"
"She's good, busy with her girlfriends; she's still at the age where she doesn't like to broadcast her best friend is a boy. Next year we will be in the same school, but now that I've matured a little more, it seems strange to outsiders if we hang out too much."
"Well, it's obvious you two have a special bond. Just be patient Edge, according to your charts, soon enough she should catch up to you and the two of you will be at the same maturity level. It's fine for you to still remain friends. Who knows what the future holds. I can tell you from experience there's nothing better than falling in love with your best friend. Now let's head back to pick up that food your Mom made us, so I can get my kiss to tide me over."
Edge shook his head and Jacob threw his arm around his son, while they made the short walk back home. Jacob walked in the door to see Bella sitting on the couch nursing Ella. He made his way over to them and put his face down close to Ella's like he was in competition with her, "Nom nom nom, can I have some?"
Bella laughed and slapped the back of his head, "Jake, the boys are all in here. Stop that." Edge rolled his eyes and headed into the kitchen. "I'm glad you're here. You need to talk to Landon."
"Ugh, what did he do now?"
"He brought a snake in the house again, Jake. A snake...it scared me have to death when I found it in their bathtub."
"What? It wasn't poisonous was it?"
"I doubt it, but still. I can't be worrying about all sorts of creatures running around. We have a baby in the house."
Landon was sitting off to the side waiting for his Dad's reprimand. "Hey boy, did you bring a snake indoors?"
"Yes, sir," he admitted.
"Why did you do that, you know you're Mom hates snakes."
"I...I wanted to keep it and outside, he kept tryin to run away."
"Well, I let you boys have a dog and that is the only animal your mom is going to let in the house, so no more reptiles. Do you understand me?"
"Well your a wolf Daddy, and Momma lets you in the house, even upstairs in the bedroom." Jacob could always count on Landon to have a challenge formulated in his mind.
"Hey, that 's not true, I never come inside as a wolf, so your argument if invalid. Now, give your Mom a hug and tell her you're sorry."
Landon climbed up close to his Mom, "Sorry Momma, I won't do it again."
Bella gave her son a hug with her free arm and kissed him on the cheek. "Hey, if you and Liam clean your room and get your baths done, I have chocolate cake tonight for dessert. Both boys whooped and hollered and ran upstairs to get busy with their assigned tasks.
Jacob had few minutes to himself with Bella. She passed him his daughter to do the honors of burping her. He had a knack for always getting one out of her. As he was gently patting her back he had a question for his wife, "Hey Bells, you got any special treats for me tonight when I come home?"
She eyed him curiously, knowing what he meant and it wasn't cake. This was the first time Bella had needed the full six weeks recovery time from childbirth. "Well...I'm feeling pretty good today, so if you promise not to come in late and you clean the kitchen for me, I might have a little reward for you."
Jacob handed her the baby back and gave his little one a kiss on the top of her soft head. He gave Bella a lingering kiss on the lips. He had missed her more than she had realized. His body had a desperate craving for her, but she had been exhausted taking care of the kids and the house as well as working again already. "I promise, honey...whatever you want, I'll get it done."
"Love you...you and Edge have a good time. Don't forget, Ella goes down at ten and then your window of time is very small before I go unconscious."
"I'm not worried, I've got ways of resuscitating you," he winked.
"You're pretty sure of yourself, Jake."
"Yep, that little bundle there is living proof. I seem to remember we conceived her one night when you tried to convince me you had a headache, " he reminded her.
"Go on, Edge is waiting on you." she threw the burp rag at him. He headed out the door, but he turned around one last time to blow a kiss to the love of his life and he walked outside to meet his son feeling happy and on top of the world.
~The End~