Disclaimer: S.M. owns all things Twilight, and I'm so very thankful that she allows us to mess up her pretty, pretty little world.

Epilogue: The Aftermath

Jasper's POV

The days that followed flew by as time tends to do when one's immortal, but at the same time, they seemed to hold an eternity all their own within their hours. Hours washed with tears and mourning. Hours teeming with life and relief. Relief only tainted by loss.

The first thing I was aware of Bella sayin' after I found her in that cabin of death beneath the gore was 'Take me home, Jasper'. She had her eyes squeezed shut and it was nothing but a prayer breathed, but I scooped her up and ran. I would have run with her until we were back safe in our home, but Peter intercepted me after I crossed the Washington state line. He said he got a tip from no-one important. His less-than-grateful emotions gave the name he didn't: Alice. But, Peter had his truck idling not two miles off, and with one glance at my mate shiverin' in my arms, I less than graciously accepted the ride. The fucker was still on my shit list.

Gaps - well actually, huge fuckin' holes - popped up whenever I thought back to the end of the battle. Once I realized Jacob was gone, I was too. I vaguely remember flyin' wolves and cutting a path through the trees. And I remember Peter…and Garrett too, the no-good, cock-suckin', pirate-lovin' fuckers. Tryin' to stop me from getting' to my mate. I roll my eyes thinkin' about it now, but then…it was a different story. If Eleazar hadn't interceded and talked some sense into their dumbasses, it could've been bad. Real fuckin' bad. Ashes-to-fuckin-ashes, fuckers-to-fuckin- dust bad. And, frankly, they should've known better.

Peter caught me up on the post-skirmish talks, quietly, on the long drive home. I had little interest in anything that wasn't Bella at the time, but I am glad he did it now. I didn't have to wonder what had happened in the aftermath, and I didn't have to leave my mate to find the answers she needed.

What little that remained of Jacob's remains were returned to his father, the chief of their tribe, for burial. The surviving wolves submitted to Leah as their alpha; a mantle she begrudgingly accepted. Peter was confident, should a need ever arise, that they would prove themselves valuable allies. I reluctantly agreed.

The biggest shock came from hearing that my sister, the Rosalie Hale, had walked right up to the somber and very nude she-wolf in human form and hugged her before taking off with Emmett. Peter cackled remembering the looks on both of their faces – and everyone else's – but I could feel everything he was, and humor was not his main emotion. The day that had been smeared with blood had also forged incredible bonds that would not be easily broken in the future. We were all shell-shocked. There's no other way to put it.

Layin' in our soft, warm bed with Bella's head on my chest, it's hard to think back to that day – back to the cabin. The blood. The death. The scent of fear…and so much more. The vision of her lying crumpled and bloodied on the floor… or worse, the visions I conjured up while tryin' to reach her. Those images - it was impossible to forget, no matter who was at the wheel when they crossed my path. They struck true, pure terror straight to my heart. I'm a vampire and a man, damn it, but I'm not ashamed to say that I've never been more terrified in my long, gods-forsaken life.

I don't know how she survived. Once I made sure the blood coating her wasn't hers, I have to admit I was disappointed about Jacob's demise being so utterly complete, but my lightning strike of petty broodin' was brief. If anyone deserved to hack another being into kibbles'n'bits, it was Bella. I couldn't have been prouder of my mate.

When we got home, I showered her, toweled her off, and carried her to our bed and that's where she stayed – where we stayed. She made a couple of trips to the bathroom to have her 'human moments' but other than that, she laid quietly curled in my side. I just held her, followin' her lead. When she spoke on the third day, her voice was hoarse and had that eighty-year-old, chain-smoker rasp, and I put my foot down. I had no problem with her dealin' with things on her own terms and in her own time as long as she didn't push me away and she took care of herself. The latter was what she'd been neglecting and I was her man, not her mother. I'll take care of her when needed, but I wasn't gonna nag her. After this time.

A few weak protests later, she nibbled some crackers and guzzled a quart of water. It wasn't much on the food end of things, but it was something. She was safe, and she would heal. Of that, I was certain. Surrounded by her coven and wrapped in my love, she'll heal as time marches by. The few days have already lessened the sting, and we have nothin' if not time.

It's the one thing on our side. Invisible but still a force to be reckoned with. I mean, even gravity has it out for Bella, but time…for now, it was our BFF and shit.

The cabin seemed to have descended into a cone of silence where even white noise was absent. It was as if every floorboard and hinge understood what she needed. The forest was nothing but scenery ignored out of our small window. It could have been a painting for all it made itself known.

Once in a great while, she would whisper a question or just a stray thought to me. Never breaking the eerie, but somehow peaceful, atmosphere.

I asked how she made it back to me, because there was a time when I wasn't sure she would. She just said, 'One step at a time,' and since she was in my arms, I didn't pester her further. After a quiet pause, she asked me the same. It took me a moment to try to find the words and whittle down an explanation that could take hours – hours that I'd much rather spend with her in much more pleasurable venues – I realized that I didn't have to go into every detail. The truth was simple. "When you conquered your demons and came back to me, it was easy for me to muster the strength to do the same."

I'd said it before and I would keep on sayin' it from now 'til our forever drew to a close: she is, was and always will be all I need. Simple.

When she slept, it was fitful at its best. Fuckin' heart-wrenchin' to anyone within hearing distance at its worst. I'd offered my assistance – aw, fuck, I'd begged her to take my help – but she refused. She felt it was something she needed to do on her own. I was once again blown away by her strength. Her every cringe and her every cry was my seventh circle of hell. I soothed her in the only way she'd accept: I held her to me tightly. She wore shadows of my hands and imprints of my fingers on her back and along her arms, but my hold calmed her. My grip on her tethered her to this reality, she said, and her in my arms kept me from going berserk while she suffered.

I'd even taken to singin' lowly to her once her emotions started to go back to that place. She said it helped. I said it wasn't enough. Every time her eyes, shining with tears and bright with fear, would meet mine when she awoke, I'd just tell her that he was gone.

And she'd let those tears fall.

I was…angry, at first. Empath or not, I didn't understand - or I chose not to try to understand - how she could waste more thoughts and even ache for the deplorable mutt that had wronged her, that had scarred her so deeply. Then it occurred to me that she'd lost her father as well. True, he wasn't exactly an active participant in her life, but it still hurt. And then, it also occurred to me that she'd taken the life of her former best friend. Did I really want her as callous and as hardened to death as I was? If I was honest with myself, the answer was a resounding yes. Yes, I did. Not only would it make her burden now that much lighter, but it would help when she slipped in the future. If she even planned on tryin' the 'alternative' life-style of the Cullens.

The Denali coven, minus Kate, went home to mourn for Irina after everyone regrouped. There was little love between Irina and me, but I felt for the ones she left behind. Tanya, Kate and Irina had been connected by venom and raised in their vampire lives by their sire in a family manner. It would be equivalent to me losing Rose. I wouldn't die, but it'd sure hurt a hell of a lot. Kate stayed with Garrett. A choice would have to be made soon, and I wasn't sure which way they were leanin'.

Emmett and Rosalie headed back to the Cullens a few days after Bella started talkin' again. Rose joined me on my first hunt since before the battle while Bella showered. Emmett wrestled me from the room with my lovin' mate cheerin' him on from the doorway of the bathroom. I told her I wouldn't be gone long, and went foragin' for whatever the forest had to offer in the dead of winter. It wasn't much but going all the way to town or even deeper into the mountains was unacceptable right now. Just being away from her caused my chest to ache something awful.

Rose lagged behind silently until I had a drained a pair of foxes and a bear I'd tracked to its den. It wasn't very sportin' of me to drain a sleepin' animal, but he didn't stand a chance awake either, and I was in no mood to toy with it.

As I collected the carcasses of the foxes and laid them in the den with the bear, she spoke. I could feel her trepidation and her determination, and I locked my jaw. I was really not in the mood. The last time I'd left my mate…

"Jasper, I – look, I know you want to get back but there are five vampires guarding Bella. She will be safe. Relax." I growled lowly. If this was all she had to say, we could go. She held up her hands, rolled her eyes, and began again. "We're going home after you and I get back, but I'm sure we'll be back soon enough. I doubt Emmett can stay away too long."

I chuckled. He was pretty attached to Bella, but Rose didn't fool me. She was just as attached. I could tell this was not easy for them either. I nodded and she moved on.

"What about Edward and Alice?" She blurted out.

"What about them?"

"Don't give me that. Are you going to tell them about Bella before you change her?"

"No."

"Don't you think -" I held up my hand and she stopped.

"Rose, I love her and she loves me. None of this has ever been about either of them. I'm sure we'll all cross paths eventually and when we do, we will deal with it – Bella and I. Until then," I just shrugged. "Neither of them have a bearing on our choices or our future. That time has long passed."

Rose sighed, and we took off back to the cabin. She was a softy at heart and I think she wanted us to go back with them. But the Brady Bunch we were not. When it happened, that was one reunion that was going to be a bit thorny.

I thought about the few calls from Alice, and even Peter's 'tip' days ago. It seemed Alice knew more than she let on last time we spoke. I smirked though my irritation. That was typical Alice and we shouldn't have expected anything less. I'd give her hell next time I saw her.

"Rose?" She turned toward me, confused, as we entered the clearing in front of the cabin. "Do you think she's ready?" I don't know why I asked, but it had been weighin' on me. I knew that I couldn't live without Bella, but could I live with her hatin' me or resenting me for changin' her? I wasn't sure.

"She's not me, Jazz. She'll be fabulous; she'll be fierce. She'll be everything you deserve in a mate and more." Rosalie spoke with pride. The confidence in her words was so solid that I couldn't help but believe her. I smiled at my sister, and we went in the cabin for her to say her goodbyes.

My talk with Rose started me thinkin'. I wondered if Bella would be gifted. Eleazar's unsubtle side glances and piqued curiosity when they bid their farewell had spurred my own, but honestly, I hoped to anyone that would listen that she wouldn't be. I'm not against women's rights to be super or some such shit. The truth is that her unique brand of crazy was challenging enough in human form. I shuddered to think of it combined with newborn strength and a formidable gift, but she had always been amazing and difficult, and I wouldn't have her any other way. Thinking back to my dating history, I was beginning to think my tastes bent a mite toward the 'eccentric' females. Maybe it had to do with Maria's 'one flew' venom runnin' through my veins. Something akin to genetic insanity perhaps…

When Bella was curled against my side that night, we began discussin' the details of her change for the first time. The dynamics of every little thing: her diet, where we would live, what she would feel, what she would miss and what she would and would not be able to do. The only thing left undecided was the date. When there was nothin' else to say, we laid quietly, each getting' lost in our own thoughts.

Peter poked his head into our room later that week to let me know they were goin' huntin'. Mischievousness and excitement was damn near shootin' out of his ass. I just stared at the door, wonderin' what was goin' on and listenin' to the hustle and bustle of the four of them preparin' for their impromptu hunt.

It was the first time Bella and I had been truly alone since before Forks. As Bella threw her leg over both of mine and sat up, straddlin' me, I almost wept with joy. I know blabberin' like a pussy always gets chicks in the mood, but I'd missed her. I'd missed my cold against her warmth: bare. I hoped she was thinkin' the same thing I was.

"Bite me." Okay. So she wasn't thinkin' the exact same thing as I was. I sighed.

"Don't you want to wait until things..." I hesitated as I searched for the right word, "Settle down a bit." It was an understatement of huge fuckin' proportions, but it worked well enough. She rocked her hips forward and I groaned, grippin' her thighs in an effort to keep her still. It'd been too damn long. I didn't want to cream my pants over a little bit of delicious friction. Didn't want to, but might…

"I'm ready, Jasper," she whispered, leanin' down. Her warm breath blew across my ear. I shivered. I felt her glee hit me through the lust and determination. Oh, I knew she had all the power here, and I knew that she knew she had all the power here. And she was lovin' it.

Her teeth grazed the shell of my ear and then she nipped it before her lips made their way down my neck. Her hands were at the hemline of my shirt, pushing it up at an agonizingly slow rate.

"I'm ready," she said again in between kisses and breaths. I inhaled to try to find my calm, but her scent drove me further. She was indeed ready.

I stayed quiet. I stayed still, aside from an involuntary buck of my hips when her teeth skimmed across my nipple. I growled. I searched her emotions, layer after layer, for anything that would lead me to believe she wasn't ready or as ready as she thought she was.

I found nothing.

She was calm. She was determined. She was at peace – the most I'd ever felt from her – and she was full of lust. I released my hold on her hips. Instead of continuin' her rhythm, she moved back and sat on the top of my thighs.

My jaw clenched as she sat there starin' at me with those big brown eyes and a smile playin' around the corners of her mouth. My erection was near painful. She ran her hands along the seam of my jeans, and asked coyly, "Bite me?"

I closed my eyes and stopped breathin', for fuck's sake, and thought about everything we had ever discussed. I told her I would change her. I'd told her that she was always the one to say 'when'. Now that she'd said it I wondered if she understood… No, she didn't fully. But, she knew more than any other goin' into their change and this was her decision. I was just here to support her; to love her. That's my role in all this.

Well, that and a nip here and there.

I opened my eyes to find hers right where they were seconds ago. Her hands had worked my belt and my pants open. I was glad I was otherwise occupied for that part. This woman was drivin' me toward the edge of madness.

I sat up, surprising her with my speed, and pulled her closer to me, shreddin' her clothes and mine as I went. She gasped and tried to stop gigglin' as she pushed my shoulders back down. I smirked at her, but laid back, enjoyin' my unobstructed view of my glorious mate. She was bare: the way it was meant to be.

I felt her trepidation as she stared at me waitin' for her to make her move, and I felt the shift as her insecurities morphed into confidence. With a smirk of her own, she slid down my shaft and my eyes rolled back a bit.

I gripped her firm little apple ass and guided her, helpin' her set a pace. The room was thick with heat and desire and her. I sat up, against the headboard, bringin' her with me, watchin' myself disappear into her time and time again and then I met her eyes.

I pulled her chest to chest and whispered my love as we reached our climax. As she stiffened and silent screams of ecstasy left her mouth between panted breathes, I bit down on her jugular. We stayed connected a mere second longer before the screamin' and my penance for fallin' in love with such a beautiful creature began.

I took her life, and she gave me one worth livin' in return.

The End

A/N: Wow. I can't believe it's done.

Moving on… I'd like to say thank you (again) to my beta, stitchcat, my pre-reader and BBBF, HammerHips, my many new friends who encouraged me along the way, and all of you that stuck with this story for the last 36 chapters. Thank you!

And to the pizza delivery man who has become a vital and intricate part of our lives 'round here, thank you, my friend. My children couldn't survive my fanfic habit without you.

Also, I'm thinking about doing a sequel, BUT if nothing else, I will eventually write a one-shot for those of you that feel gypped because we never got to see the reunion of Edward and Bella. And within the next month, there may be a little somethin', somethin' in your box for those of you who take your time to review.

Thanks again! *pushes the damn complete button and does a Rocky-like victory dance*