Author Note: This is the final (short and sweet) chapter, though an epilogue will go up sometime next week. I owe the biggest debt of gratitude to my dream team: JaspersDestiny, JointGifts, and McGee42. You wouldn't believe the rubbish you might be reading if it weren't for those three. Thank you all so much for taking this journey with me; I have been blown away and overjoyed by your response. An extra note of appreciation goes to those who have been with "Leaves of Grass" since the beginning and the ladies of the forum who have always been so supportive (and downright hilarious!).

Make sure you have me on author alert to know about the posting of "In Midnight Sleep"-the Jasper POV companion piece to "Leaves of Grass." I will try to have a sneak-peek available to epilogue reviewers.

I would love to hear what you thought about the chapter and the story as a whole.

Without further ado . . .


Chapter 29

Graduation was an emotionally difficult day. It wasn't because I was nervous or nostalgic about leaving high school. There was a constant weight on my shoulders because I would soon be—in essence—graduating from humanity, and it kept me from being in a celebratory mood.

My "early-enrollment college program" was starting the following week, and I insisted graduation day be as normal as it could be. No fuss. No party. I was worried too much fanfare would actually be depressing, as it would only serve to remind me that I was leaving for good.

As much as I loved Alice, I didn't want her flitting around me while I got ready for the ceremony either. I wanted to go through the actions of preparing for graduation at a human pace, and if my hair wasn't perfect or my mortarboard was skewed, so be it.

Alice didn't give me the fight I had expected. Instead, she simply said, "It's not like it'll be your last high school graduation anyway."

That was another argument for another day.

Charlie had actually added a bit of pomp and circumstance to the day. We were walking out the front door when I noticed a "Congratulations, Graduate!" balloon tethered to the mailbox.

"They had them at the grocery store," Charlie shyly offered as an explanation when we sat in the cruiser. I cocked my head to the side and smiled at him in appreciation as he drove the short distance. He looked nice in his shirt and tie but inexplicably nervous.

"Dad, I promise I won't fall, if that's what you're worried about. I mean, at least I'll try not to."

He chuckled as he pulled into the parking lot. "You'll do fine. You always do. Your old man's just feeling particularly old today, but I'm really proud of you."

We got out of the car, and he came over and looked down at the cap in my hands, giving my tassel a light tug. "You said Esme is filming this for your mom tonight, right?"

"Yep. It should be all set."

We did an awkward, shuffling half-hug before we parted ways so I could line up with the rest of my class for the processional.

I knew Jasper and the Cullens were in the audience, but I purposefully didn't look for them once I entered the gym. Alice was a few rows ahead of me with the "Cs," and when we first sat down, she turned around and smiled brightly at me. The family was here to cheer for me as well as to play their parts in celebrating Alice's graduation, but we had decided that tonight would be a night just for Charlie and me.

As I took my place in the line leading up to the stage, I found my dad in the crowd, and he was beaming. I smiled and quickly looked forward before I did something foolish like miss my name being called.

At the beginning of the ceremony, the principal had requested applause be held until all the names were called. However, when Mr. Greene announced, "Isabella Marie Swan," a definite "whoop" came from somewhere in the crowd.

My head shot up, and I instantly thought I'd find Emmett to blame, but instead I saw Charlie standing and clapping in the middle of a seated audience. I blushed and gave a small wave as he quickly sat down. He also looked a little red-faced, as it wasn't every day the chief of police flouted authority.

When all the diplomas were conferred and every cap tossed, it took a while to make it out of the packed gym. Jasper and his family made their way through the throngs of bodies to come hug me briefly, shake Charlie's hand, and snap some photos. Jasper kissed my cheek and whispered that he'd see me later in the evening.

After assuring Charlie she had everything on video, Esme told him they were taking Alice to dinner in Port Angeles. Charlie asked if I wanted to join them, but I declined, saying I wanted a night where it was just the two of us.

We had eaten something light before heading to the school, and Charlie said he wanted to forego the traditional dinner at The Lodge and head home. He had apparently picked up something special for us at the grocery store. If the balloon had been a surprise, Charlie meal planning was an even bigger one.

We hadn't been in the house more than thirty seconds before Charlie rushed to the kitchen to proclaim, "I've got spoons!"

I rounded the corner to see him pulling out bowls from the cabinet to set next to a quart of chocolate ice cream. He directed me to the fridge and started to scoop while I grabbed the whipped cream.

I couldn't remember the last time we had had chocolate ice cream and whipped cream together, but it was the first thing we had always eaten to celebrate my arrival in Forks every summer. It seemed like we had come full circle to herald the fact that I was leaving.

"This is perfect, Dad."

"I may not be the hippest, but I can still show you a good time," he joked. "Let me make it a little more festive."

He set the bowls on the kitchen table and walked back over to the counter to turn on the radio. The room was filled with the happy sounds of the Oldies, thanks to one of the only clear stations you could find in Forks.

"I couldn't believe you didn't want to go out with your friends tonight or have a party," he said, sitting down next to me and digging into his ice cream.

"I'll have—" forever "—plenty of opportunities to hang out with other people, but I'm leaving, and I wanted to spend tonight with you."

I hoped my voice hadn't betrayed how emotionally loaded that statement was. He grinned, and I knew he was glad it was just the two of us, too.

We continued to eat our ice cream, occasionally kidding each other about whipped cream mustaches, when one of Charlie's old favorites came on the radio.

I've got sunshine on a cloudy day. When it's cold outside, I've got the month of May.

I could remember one summer when we were loading up the freezer with fish, and my dad had stopped what he was doing when "My Girl" came on the radio. "Have a dance for your dad?" he had asked before twirling me around the kitchen.

The memory made me smile, and I dropped my spoon into my empty bowl before standing up from the table.

"Think you have one more in you?" I asked, holding out my hand to him.

He pushed his chair back. "I'm surprised you remember that," he said as he came to clasp my hand and put one hand on my waist.

We weren't the smoothest dancers, but as I put my head on his shoulder, those details didn't matter. I tried to burn the memory into my mind so I would never forget it.

My dad smelled like his cedar closet, a hint of bottled pine, and the deep, earthy smell that pervaded most of the Olympic Peninsula. I pushed myself a little closer to him, and he squeezed my hand before putting his chin on my head. It was as if we were both desperately clinging to what was for a few moments longer.

When the song ended, Charlie broke away first and turned to grab the bowls.

"Dad, I'll get those." I tried to stop him.

He coughed and kept his back to me. "No, I can take care of a couple dishes. I need to get back into the habit of doing it myself anyway." His voice sounded a little rough, and I was glad he wasn't facing me. I wouldn't have been able to handle seeing tears in his eyes.

He turned on the water, and I started for the stairs. "Thanks for the dance, Bells."

"Sure thing. Good night." I could have said so many other things.

Thank you for letting me live with you, for giving me the chance to know you.

I turned around and walked back up to him, hugging him around the waist from behind. "I love you, Dad." His eyes were glued to the already clean bowl in the sink.

He nodded. "You, too, kiddo," he said in a tight voice and turned his face toward me enough that I could kiss his cheek.

I slipped quietly upstairs and shut my door before lying down. After a while, I heard Charlie come up, go through his nightly bathroom routine, and retire to bed. At the first sound of his snoring, I finally broke down.

I'll miss you. I'll miss this.

Grieving for my human life and for the family I would never see again would be an ongoing process, but I wanted to get as much of it out of my system as I could. When I left to face my life with Jasper, I wanted to do it with only joy in my heart. I wanted him to know I thought this was our "happily ever after."

Soon, I felt the cool traces of a finger on the back of my neck followed by a kiss. Jasper didn't say anything or attempt to alter my mood; he simply stayed with me as I cried.

After I had long-since wiped my eyes, I rolled over to look at him. His face was lit by the moon, and he looked just as in love with me as he had the first time I had seen him in that light.

I blinked as he switched on my lamp, and for the first time since he arrived, he spoke. "I came by the house earlier tonight, but I left because I didn't want to intrude."

I softly kissed his chin in response.

"When I came up to the house, I saw you dancing with your dad. He was so happy and proud of you. It really meant a lot to him," Jasper said, brushing my hair with his fingers.

"It meant a lot to me, too."

"I'm glad you had that opportunity, and I'm sorry that when we have a wedding, you won't get the chance to dance with him then."

I raised my head up, confused. "I don't want another wedding. The one we had just the two of us was good enough for me. It was perfect," I insisted.

"It was," he said, leaning down to kiss my lips. "I thought you might want to have one with the family at some point."

"No." I shook my head. "I just wish my grass ring had survived the time travel," I said wistfully.

He was quiet for a moment, and we listened to the sounds of the night around us.

"I have something for you," he said, breaking the silence.

"I thought we agreed on no graduation presents."

Jasper laughed. "It is a gift, but it has nothing to do with graduation."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, black box. I hesitantly took it out of his hand. I was a little worried about what might be inside, but Jasper knew I didn't like extravagances. I opened it to find a delicate metal band crafted to look like braided blades of grass.

For a moment, I swear my heart stopped. I could only stare at it. It was beautiful and perfect.

"Where did you . . .?" I trailed off.

"I had it commissioned."

I beamed at him, and he reached over to take it from the box.

"I knew you missed having a ring, and I wanted you to have one that would always remind you of your first. This one is certainly more durable."

I chuckled and leaned up to kiss him. "I love you."

I moved to put on the ring, but he stilled my hand. "Let me." He slid the ring onto my finger. "I celebrate myself, and what I assume, you shall assume, for every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you," he quoted from Whitman and our original vows before kissing my finger.

I grabbed his hand and placed it over my heart, repeating the same words before kissing his lips, once again completing our promise to each other.

As I held my face near his, I knew I was ready to face our tomorrow and every other day that would follow.