I guess a few of you were a bit perturbed with the way I left off last chapter, so I am trying to absolve myself by grinding out another chapter. BTW, this is the end, it sneaked up on me with zero warning, so I'm just as surprised as you. Either way, I hope I don't disappoint!

Still no ownage on my behalf.

I make a point to sneer at the nurse as Charlie pushes my wheelchair towards the exit. "I still don't understand why I have to be ferried around in a wheelchair when I could have used the crutches to get to the car."

You'd think that being sprung from the hospital after spending over a week in there I would be much happier than I am, but when you know that your family, having missed the opportunity to throw a party on the actual day of my birthday, are no doubt rushing around at this second in their attempts to put the finishing touches on their nefarious plan of having a birthday slash welcome home party.

"Nice kitty," Dad chuckles, impervious to my crabby mood, "It's hospital policy to be discharged with a wheelchair escort so the patient doesn't fall on their way out and sue the hell out of the place."

"Like I need the money," I deadpan and prepare to heave myself up onto my new enemy, a set of shiny new aluminum crutches, as Rosalie's scarlet Skyline rolls to a stop with Jasper at the wheel.

I get to my feet as my scarred angel leaps from the vehicle and darts to my side, "Ready to blow this popsicle stand sweetheart?"

"That depends," his grin is infectious and I find my lips curling into an involuntary smile, "Are you going to save me from the ostentatious party that my family has planned?"

He waits until we are safely in the car and following my father's SUV down the road before answering, "Well, where would you like to go, if not a party that everyone has spent a week putting together because they love you?"

"Maybe we could escape and go rent a cabin for a week or two," I reply, beaming brighter than a lighthouse as he intertwines his fingers with mine and brushes his lips across my knuckles.

"What about Gavin?" Of course he would bring up our child while I'm trying to devise away to get out of the scariest form of cruel and unusual punishment. Our son...

"Fine, you run in and get him, I'll wait in the car. We can buy whatever we need on our way," I explain even as I know that this is a losing battle.

One dark eyebrow lifts above the rim of his sunglasses, "And deprive our boy of seeing his mother's face when she sees how hard he and the rest of the family worked to put this shindig together? How could you be so heartless darlin'?"

"Urgh, no fair Jasper, using our child against me!" I groan in defeat and drop my head back against the headrest.

"I never promised to fight fair angel," my fiance snickers before rolling down the window and lighting a cigarette, "I know that you don't like parties Bella, but after everything that's happened, I believe that our friends and family deserve something happy to remind them that not all is doom and gloom in the world. Please, if not for yourself, do this for them. You have no idea how everybody has thrown themselves into setting this up for you."

"How am I going to get around this party then? I'm dangerous on my own two feet as it is and now I have two extra weapons to maim people with," I am grasping at any argument now, no matter how feeble, "They can't seriously be expecting me to sit in a chair like the Queen of England and have everyone come to me."

"Of course not," Jasper hastily assures while giving my hand a comforting squeeze, "Emmett may or may not have made mention of an electric scooter to get you around. The party is going to be mostly outside so I don't see where it would hurt. Did I mention that the guys who own the restaurant that I took you to on our date are catering the party?"

"Maybe we can stick around for a little while before sneaking off to hide," I acquiesce, shaking my head at my own weak will.

It doesn't take long to get home and I am thoroughly shocked at the lengths my family has gone to. Thousands of clear christmas lights wind around the massive oak trees flanking the drive with their trunks also sporting wide bands of blue, silver, or black ribbons and topped with matching bows that have to be at least two feet tall. Every fifty yards or so, it seems, are large bunches of balloons kept in place by color-coordinated weighted bags, all of them proudly stating 'Happy Birthday!' across their faces.

When the trees give way to perfectly manicured lawn, I literally do a double take when I spot the sheer amount of people gathered. Some are playing horseshoes, others are taking turns on the circus sized trampoline, complete with a swing and tightrope strung over it, and yet still more are closer to the lake, taking advantage of the eighty plus degree sunny day and taking turns swimming, paddle boating or being pulled around by a few boats on their inflatables. Amongst the madness, I can see Jake and Edward standing with Nessie as a group of children take turns petting her big head.

"Who the hell are all of these people?" I gasp, all plans of sticking around fleeing my distressed mind.

"Someone forgot to censor Alice and she invited most of the school, their families, and pretty much everyone that her parents, your parents, and Billy are acquainted with," Jasper confesses in a subdued tone, "It won't be that bad darlin', I'll be at your side the entire time." He must know that I'm less than thrilled about the mob that seems to all be here for my benefit if he's using that platitude already.

"You knew, that's why you kept using Gavin against me," I accuse and can scarcely contain a furious snarl when he gives a timid nod in response, "Fucking traitor. You know that I'm not good with people, especially crowds, and yet here you are, throwing me to the wolves."

"It's not like that Bella," he tries to defend himself as he parks the car.

I don't give him time to finish, throwing the car door open and grabbing my crutches as panic transforms into fury over being deceived, "Whatever Jasper. Tell my parents that I'm going to my room and taking my meds before I have a full blown panic attack. Someone can come and get me when the mob disperses."

I start hobbling away before he can get over to help me, then pointedly ignore him and the rest of my family who happen to cross my path in their attempts to assist in my trek to the house. For the first time, I use the small elevator to travel to the top level instead of fighting the stairs.

Needless to say, I'm not surprised in the least when I reach the top and see Leah waiting for me, her expression as black as her onyx eyes. "So Bitchella, care to explain why you just busted your boyfriend's balls over something he ultimately had no control over and stormed off like a petulant child?"

"What do want me to say Lee-Lee?" I spit and try to move around her, "He knows that I abhor crowds and all the shit that comes with being the center of attention, the least he could have done was warn me."

Her hand shoots out and clamps down on my upper arm, halting my movements instantly, "B, he didn't tell you because the party was supposed to be a surprise, you know, one of those things that come out of nowhere because you have no clue that they're happening? Jasper didn't deserve you going off on him because we told him to keep his trap shut about what we were planning."

I glare up at my sibling, "Everyone who has ever gotten to know me ought to realize by now that I loathe these kind of things. I may have been wrong about bitching at him, but what did you guys expect? For me to be all happy and shit over having a party filled with a few hundred people I won't see or speak to ever again after today? If it had just been you guys, it would have been different, but it's not."

She releases my arms and applauds me mockingly, "Congratulations, you have just single handely proved that there really is a bigger, more selfish bitch on this planet besides me. Are you really going to stand there and tell me that you're pissed off over the fact that people who love you and would do anything to make you happy decided to throw you a party? What's gotten into you?"

"You mean more than being in so much pain that I want to curl into a ball and scream? Well for starter's, I just got released from the hospital after being shot," I retaliate without hesitation,"That's after killing the man who nearly destroyed me and finding out that my incubator was killed by someone in my family, in case you don't remember. I can't sleep more than a few hours at a time without waking up screaming bloody murder, oh, and the fun time I have cringing every time someone I don't trust with my entire being gets within five feet of me, and I still have a child to take care of and school to finish if I plan on doing anything more than be a welfare queen. What the hell do you think got into me, you ask? Those fuckers are still managing to hurt me and my family and they are dead Leah, so I'm sorry if I would rather have a quiet afternoon in my own home with my family and friends rather than be in the middle of some useless social function that I didn't want in the first place."

If I wasn't so angry that I'd begun to cry, I would laugh at the expression on my sister's face. Her eyes are as big as coasters and her mouth is gaping like a fish. The air around us is electric as she regains her composure and sighs. "Fine, you want to know why Alice invited half the town? Here you go. Jasper told her that he planned on asking for your hand properly at your party today and she went hog wild with the guest list knowing that you'd never be able to turn that man down and break his heart."

It's my turn to look like an idiot now and I stammer a few times before managing to choke out, "He was going to propose?"

Leah puts a hand up to stop me from asking anything else, "Don't worry about it B. Everyone in the yard was privy to your little tantrum and started finding excuses to leave so you don't have to be subjected to a shitload of people who came to wish you a happy birthday and offer their congratulations on you finally getting your happy ending."

She lithely traipses towards the stairwell but pauses and turns back just before she vanishes from my line of sight, "Just so you know, Jazz is sitting on the front porch right now, clutching a ring box for dear life and wondering if you are ever actually going to stop running long enough to give him a chance to prove himself worthy of you and Gavin. I hope your happy now that you got what you wanted and ruined everything for him."

I'm frozen in place for a few minutes after she leaves, my mind racing a million miles an hour as it rehashes her declaration. Jasper didn't give away anything on the way home that would have clued me into the fact that he had such a grand proposal planned.

Dammit.

Even if part of me wholeheartedly believes that there is no way that such a godlike creature would ever want to shackle themselves to me for an eternity, I have to try and fix this with him before...

"Bella?" I glance up at my name to see Jasper hesitating at the top of the stairs, looking every bit the insecure nineteen year old boy he really is, "Can we talk?"

I wordlessly nod my consent and he glides across the floor to take my arm. He stays quiet while helping me over to the love seat, then allowing me to get situated before kneeling down beside me. "I'm sorry Bella, I wasn't thinking when I told Alice about what I was planning," he qualifies in a melancholy tone, "I just got so caught up in wanting the world to know how much I love you and so desperately want to be your husband and Gavin's dad-I lost myself in my fantasies of how this day would go-and forgot something so much more important than a stupid party..."

As his words trail off, I reach out and rest my hand on his cheek only to find that his skin is wet. My beautiful boy is crying and it's all my fault. "Oh Jasper, please don't cry," I beg as I pull him onto the seat beside me despite the angry protest of my injured limb, "I can't bear to see your tears, knowing it's my fault they've appeared in the first place."

"I forgot what all of this would do to you," he mumbles into my hair after I sink into his arms and rest my head on his chest, "What kind of idiot forgets that the love of his life hates crowds while planning his proposal? If that is any indication of who I am, maybe you should take Gavin and get far away from me before I can do irreparable damage to either of you."

"I'm not taking our son anywhere without you," I declare through my own weeping, "Wherever you are, we belong as well. I don't need public gestures to know that."

"Bella, you have to know that I want you and Gavin forever, no matter how much the notion scares me," Jasper admits with such fervency that their genuineness cannot be discounted, "Tell me how to fix this please."

I raise up from my resting place and brush the errant locks of hair from his eyes to peer in them, "Do you truly want this? To marry a broken girl like me and be a real father to her child?"

He bobs his head so emphatically that I briefly wonder if he might be related to Alice in some way, "I want you and I want Gavin. I want us to be a real family."

"Then ask me Jasper. Ask me to marry you here and now, when the moment will be ours alone forever."

Before I have a chance to take another breath, my warrior angel is on his knees before me. I force out a shaky sigh as he dips his hand into his pocket and produces a simple silver toned ring that has a has a small heart shaped black diamond highlighted with a triangle of clear diamonds on either side of it.

"Isabella Christine Swan, I have tried time and again to find the appropriate words to express my love for you," he shakes his head sadly, never breaking his gaze from my face, "But they don't exist. So instead, I hope that despite my inability to speak as eloquently as you deserve, you give this man, kneeling and humbled before the most beautiful soul he has ever seen, the honor of being my wife?"

I reflexively grab his shirt and pull him to me. "Of course I will, you silly boy," I whisper and, after he slides the band onto my finger, I kiss him with every ounce of love I am able.

Time falls away as our mouths dance and soon I find myself reclining against the arm of the loveseat, my soul mate hovering over my prone body, murmuring words of love and devotion between reverent kisses. Finally unafraid, I let my hands slip under the hem of his shirt and explore the muscled planes of his back as we continue to kiss. He lets out a rumble of pleasure at the feeling and repays it by gingerly caressing my body wherever his hands can make contact. For the first time since I was a bumbling fourteen year old girl discovering the true differences between men and women, I revel in the contact rather than panicking and shrinking away from our intimate position.

Both of us have completely forgotten the party going on outside until the world reminds us of its presence in the form of Emmett's loud cough. "Yeah, um, everybody wants to know if the party is still on or if Bella came to her senses and rejected the idea of marrying your scrawny ass."

"You don't have to do this if you're not up to it," Jasper whispers too low for my elder sibling to hear, "We can just send him back with the news that you said yes and hide up here until the masses are partied out, if that's what you want."

I shake my head no as he draws back, "No. We will tell them in person. They've come here for us and they deserve that much."

"As you wish," his eyes flare with excitement while helping me to my feet. Emmett escorts us to the elevator, no doubt happy to avoid me bouncing down the stairs and making a return trip to the ER just hours after being set free.

By the time the three of us reach the patio doors, I'm almost positive that Jasper is going to explode if he doesn't get a chance to tell everyone about my acceptance withing the next few minutes. It's really too cute for words, watching my husband to be grinning like a Cheshire cat and bouncing like Alice after she's imbibed way too much caffeine.

I pause to put my shoes on, shooing the boys away because I have to prove to them that I can do this myself if I have any chance of taking care of my son while healing. It takes a few minutes of growing at the stubborn things and cursing whoever invented shoelaces, but I manage to get both shoes on without killing myself. Jasper's halo of flaxen waves are my central focus as I hobble through the kitchen, but I'm diverted by the phone suddenly ringing as I pass it.

"Great timing," I snark under my breath and grudgingly lift the receiver, "Hello?"

"Bella, just the girl I wanted to talk to," Bree's voice comes over the line, "I never got a chance to thank you for disposing of James and Victoria for me. They had outlived their usefulness and I was worried that I was going to have to ask my daddy to take care of them, but you and your family came along at the perfect time and did such a wonderful job that I just had to call and say thanks."

"Your dad set this up?" I inquire, disbelieving the mousy gentleman I'd met could be able to arrange something like this.

"Not that idiot you met," the young woman scoffs, "I meant Joham, my real daddy. You see he had to do it because my mommy was a selfish bitch and took me away from him. But she's dead now, so we don't have to worry about her interfering with daddy's plans for me and my sisters anymore. We're going to be the mothers of a new master race and you might be playing a big role in that yourself you know."

"What are you talking about?" Did James and Victoria manage to drive this girl insane while they had her?

"It doesn't matter right now Bella. Go and enjoy your little party, I'm sure we'll talk again soon." The call disconnects before I can reply and I'm left shifting my gaze from the phone, to my fiance, and back.

Jasper and the rest of my family come and collect me, misreading my confusion and horror over Bree's proclamation as nervousness. With new eyes I look at the throng of people around us and my stomach nearly revolts when the truth of the matter hits me. Even if she is crazy, she might be telling the truth. If she is telling the truth, that means I've traded James for someone who wants to use me to create a "new master race".

My nightmare isn't over.

FIN?