A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe but you guys already knew that.

So here we are guys, the end. It is absolutely killing me to type those words. I have loved every second of this experience. But it would never have been even close to as fulfilling if it weren't for you guys. Your reviews and PMs and comments took what would have been a rewarding undertaking and made it into an extraordinary experience. I cannot thank each and every one of you enough.

One last time, let me hear what you guys thought. I love you and will see you soon.

Epilogue- Part 2

13 Years After London

Seattle, Washington

Chip POV

"I'm not sure I can do this," I said for at least the tenth time in the last hour. I looked into the mirror and straightened the bowtie that had been so expertly tied.

"Of course you can, Queenie." Marcus' smooth hand slid comfortingly over my shoulder and squeezed gently. I looked at the reflection of the beautiful man behind me. His dark hair was still as shiny and full of body as it always had been. His piercing blue eyes were ringed with laugh lines that told the story of our life together and his once trim body was rounder and softer than it had been in his youth. But as he smiled lovingly at me, I realized that I loved him more now than I had more than thirty years ago when we'd met. "There's no one else that could do this better than you. And it would be a shame for that Armani suit and the dashing man in it not to be seen by the world."

With a small kiss on my cheek and a reassuring smile, he turned and walked toward the door to the seating room beyond. I watched for a moment, marveling at the fact that after all these years, he still had one of the best asses in the world.

I looked back at my reflection again. The gray hair that I'd kept so short for all those years had disappeared more than a decade ago. Marcus had always been the beautiful one in our relationship. Baby girl had always described my figure as being that of a penguin and the years had done nothing to dispel that image.

Baby girl.

"God Almighty, I wish she was here for this," I whispered to my reflection.

I knew that wish was impossibility but it didn't stop the thought from slithering into my head as I listened to the polite applause from the other side of the stage. It had been more than a year since I'd seen my girl. For our thirtieth anniversary, Alice and Bella had flown Marcus and me to the Cullen's island for a month long getaway. It was perfect timing, as usual with that doll-like pixie, because the band had just wrapped up their latest tour. We'd been there a little over a week and were lying on the beach when a brilliant blue speed boat came roaring toward the shoreline. It had been breathtaking to see Bella and Alice perched on the front of the boat, both throwing prisms of light in every direction, with Edward and Jasper in the rear smiling as if they hadn't a care in the world. They had stayed two nights with us before disappearing into the horizon at sunset.

"Chip? Five minutes," an extremely young man with a set of giant headphones around his neck said from behind me. I nodded my head in acknowledgement and watched as he turned and walked away.

The thick red curtain to my left was heavy in my hand as I pulled it back just enough to peek out into the audience. Sitting there in the front row was my family. At least most of them. JP and Heidi were in the very center of the front row. They looked magnificent. Rock and roll's reining couple. I laughed to myself as I looked at Paul, the fourteen year old reincarnation of JP, sitting beside his dad and obviously ogling some up and coming ingénue that was a few seats down from him. On his right was Isabella, my eleven year old protégé and the most beautiful little girl I'd ever seen. She was the perfect mix of her parents with JP's strong jaw line and Heidi's eyes. She was like her namesake in her demeanor though. Quiet, studious and introspective but with a sense of style that rivaled the most seasoned veteran. I smiled as I saw the pendant tied loosely around her neck. Tonight was the first time that I'd seen the EC pendant in a long time. I had known that Heidi was going to offer it to her to wear tonight. The symmetry of the gesture seemed too fitting for any of us to pass up. And perched in the lap of Heidi's vintage Vallentino dress was four year old Jared. I couldn't help but laugh at the sight of the little man in his black leather jacket that matched his dad's down to the intricate stitching. He was the livewire of the bunch, hence his captivity in his mother's arms. There was a string of hotel rooms with broken lamps and mirrors that wove a pattern of his boundless energy throughout the US and Europe.

Dimitri was on Heidi's left, his long dark hair pulled back in the ponytail he'd worn for years now. He was talking quietly to Chelsea, his wife of six years. Chelsea had been good for Dimitri in every possible way. I felt the stirrings of "Nana", as all the spawn of the EverClear members called me, as I watched him gently rub her stomach. She wasn't far enough along yet to show that she was pregnant and the band had not made an announcement but the intent of the action was clear. By this time tomorrow, it would be all over the internet and tabloids that EverClear was going to have another little head banger touring with them soon. They were the quietest of all the couples, opting out of the limelight as much as possible. But as I looked at them sitting side by side and holding hands, I knew that I didn't have to worry about the lanky guitarist anymore. He'd found his soul mate.

And then there was Felix, Jane and their hockey team. He was still massive, the nightly workouts on his drums keeping him in the kind of shape that should be impossible for a man in his mid forties. But then again, in his off time, he chased around the five little hellions that were his sons. I loved every one of them dearly but when you got them all together, it was inevitable that something was going to get destroyed. It had shocked us all when he and Jane had turned up married. They were the most unconventional couple I'd ever known. It was well documented, both publicly and privately, that Jane had an affinity for women. I had always assumed that she was a lesbian, although I'd never come right out and asked. We had always known that she and Felix were closer with each other than with any of the other band members but we'd had no idea that they had been "together" for years until they returned from Vegas married. They were amazing parents and devoted to each other, much to the surprise of us all. I smiled as I watched their three year old attempt to climb over the seat and into the lap of a rapper that looked like he was being attacked by a grizzly as the sticky toddler lunged at him.

I dropped the thick velvet curtain and looked back toward the stage. In the very front and center was the podium I would be stepping up to in just a few minutes. Three very large video screens were hung around the middle of the stage, the history of the band ready to play out on the giant screens in just a few minutes. And behind the screens, the instruments. The band was not scheduled to play but the arrangement was there just in case. I felt the moisture in the corner of my eye as I looked at the statuesque grand piano in the center.

"Sixty seconds," the young man's voice said quietly. I watched as the stage lights came up and the audience began to settle back into their seats. I looked into the mirror one last time and tugged at the bowtie again. I turned to face the stage and stopped. In a split second, my body felt tingly from head to toe. I stared hard into the blackness of the audience trying to confirm what I thought I had seen. Jet black hair and pale skin. Alice. I could have sworn I had seen Alice on the very edge of the room. And if Alice was here, then…

"Ten seconds."

"Ladies and gentleman, please welcome Mr. Chip Hinkle," the disembodied voice of the announcer called out, cuing me that the moment we'd all been preparing for had arrived. I walked out into the blindingly hot lights and made my way to the podium. As I placed the cards from my pocket on the polished top, I adjusted my glasses and tried to squint enough to see out into the audience. It was a pointless effort however, as the lights blasting toward me blinded me from everything that wasn't closer than five feet away. The polite applause of the crowd diminished slightly as I looked into the crowd and smiled.

"Thank you ladies and gentlemen. For more than twenty-five years, it has been my privilege to work with the most extraordinary group of musicians the world has ever known. EverClear…"

The roar of the crowd and thundering applause brought the speech to a dead standstill. I swelled with pride at the reception the name alone could evoke from the crowd. On and on the clapping and screaming went until finally, after what felt like five full minutes, the lights flashed in an unspoken signal to the crowd. I couldn't recall a time in my life that I'd ever been prouder of the men and women that had been my universe for so long.

"EverClear was born on a rainy night in Seattle," again, the applause broke out but I continued on, "more than a quarter of a century ago. They have had a long and distinguished road here to the Music Hall of Fame, filled with memories that we will all cherish for a lifetime. I'd met my upstairs neighbor several times but it wasn't until a single fateful night that I realized how much that neighbor would influence my life and the lives of millions of people all over the world."

Another interruption from the crowd broke out as the first image appeared on the screens behind me. I glanced over my shoulder to see a picture of JP, those god awful dreadlocks he used to wear, flying wildly behind him. It was obviously a still shot from a performance, as the look on his face was intense and his guitar was pulled up at the neck toward his shoulder.

"EverClear's journey has seen the highest of highs. From the many number one singles and albums, stadiums packed with hundreds of thousands of fans to more Grammy and American Music Awards than any other artists in history. They have brought their unique style and passionate emotions to every performance and into the hearts of every one of their fans."

I turned to my right and watched a montage of pictures scroll through the screens. There were scenes from performances all over the world, of fans with their hands in the air, of the band away from the stage and in their everyday lives and there were images of them on stage accepting some of the countless awards that donned the office that now resided in the same building we'd lived in so long ago. It was an entire career of memories and a lifetime of love and laughter that played across the gigantic screens.

"EverClear, like any other family, has also weathered the lows." I had to stop for a moment as an image of Bella and Edward running toward the plane in Seattle assaulted my mind. That last image of them looking so happy together was what I'd clung to for support after they'd disappeared. I took a deep breath and then looked back into the sea of faces. "By far the most tragic event that EverClear has endured was the loss of two of its members. Bella Swan and Edward Cullen…"

The screaming that cut me off was tumultuous. The sounds echoed from every corner of the large room in a cacophony of appreciations. I squinted again and saw that the band was on their feet leading the masses in their appreciation of our lost family. Everyone, spouses and kids alike, were yelling with abandon as the first picture of the two of them filled the screen. It was a shot of them as they had entered the charity ball. Both of them dressed in their formal attire and staring at each other as it there was no one else on the planet. They were every bit as beautiful in the photograph as I remembered them from that night.

"Bella and Edward were the building blocks upon which EverClear was made. Years before he joined the band in the performance that is still to this day sighted as EverClear's most emotional, Edward was a presence in the music. He was the center of the extraordinary lyrics and ground breaking melodies that poured from Bella. It was Bella, though, that breathed life into the band that is now being honored here tonight. A cold rainy night in Seattle, Bella and JP met over a beat up piano and shared love of words. Their vision, dedication and conviction made the band what it is. The loss of them nearly devastated us all. It was with heavy hearts and her words ringing in the ears of the band that they persevered and grew into the most successful act since the Beatles. "

"It is in their honor that I ask you to join me in watching a brief history of our honorees tonight. I give you EverClear."

The entire room went blank as the screens high above me glowed. The flickering image of that night so long ago when the frail teenaged Bella had sung her first lyrics filled the screen. It was a fitting beginning to the history that would play out for the next three minutes. It was agreed by all that that particular night, EverClear had been born. I walked to the side of the stage and turned to watch, as captivated by the film playing as everyone else in the room.

So much of my life was wrapped up in the band. All of my best and most painful memories were centered on the amazing people that I'd loved with, fought with, laughed with and lived with for a quarter century. None of us had known just how wild a ride it would be when we'd set out on that first tour, the band playing every tiny hole in the wall club in the country. Money and fame were never what the band had been about, even though those things had followed their meteoric ascent after the plane crash.

It was the music. Always the music. Each one of them, in their own way, lived for the music. They poured all their emotions into each song and into every performance. It had all started with JP and Bella. Their mutual pain and sense of loss had been the cornerstone but had not in any way been all that the band had been about. Out of their emotions, each had come to terms with and then found the needed strength to be happy. It was all I'd ever wanted for any of them but especially for my Baby Girl.

I looked back toward the screen as the grainy images if that life altering Atlanta performance filled the screen. She slowly walked up the stairs toward the waiting figure of Adonis, singing for all she was worth. It still gave me goose bumps to watch as first he then she dropped to their knees during the bridge of the song. So much raw adoration projected from them as they had stared into each other's eyes. The commentator on the video was saying something about the two of them finding each other but the words held none of the power that the memory did. I'd watched in awe that night as my girl had reclaimed her heart. The image switched to her shocked expression as she flung herself around on the stage to see Edward sitting at the piano playing and singing in JP's place. It was comical how stunned she looked and how smug he looked as he gauged her reaction. The rest of the song played out for the audience and they all clapped and applauded like it was a live performance.

As the opening bars of "My Immortal" played on the screen, the lights on the stage dimmed to a deep blue. Her beautiful voice rang out with the song that EverClear had not played since the two of them had left. I watched the screen as she walked gracefully across the piano and knelt in front of him at the bench. It was such a moving sight, even on video. But the collective gasp from the audience behind me pulled my attention away from the film.

On the large grand piano on the stage, two figures had appeared out of the darkness. One was seated at the bench, playing the song while the other was kneeling atop the polished lid in front of him. The voice that filled the air was not a recording. It was not a track.

It was them.

My eyes filled with tears as I watched Bella and Edward recreated down to the very last detail that extraordinary performance from almost two decades ago. Her voice held every bit the same majesty that it always had. The light never came up fully, leaving them silhouetted against the other instruments on stage but there was no doubt in my mind, or anyone else in the band's judging from their reaction, that we were actually seeing the two of them.

As she begun the second verse, I noticed movement from the front row of the audience. The band was on its feet. With a smile that felt like it would shatter my jaw if it got any wider, I watched as JP, Dimitri, Felix and Jane filed up the stairs and all but ran across the stage. Not one of them said a word and Bella never missed a note as she continued the song. But each one of them took their place at the instruments and readied themselves to play the song that had been absent from their lineup for so long.

I tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone

But though you're still with me

I've been alone all along

At that precise moment, the stage was flooded with light as the band joined in the celebration, only the center piano remaining in shadow. The audience behind me went absolutely hysterical in their applause. I had no idea how the hell this was going to be explained but I simply didn't care as I watched them all. There was a spark, an energy to the song that could only be realized with Bella on the stage. JP and Dimitri looked as if they both had tears in their eyes as they played and watched her relentlessly. It was like something out of a dream.

They played the song with more emotion than I could ever remember hearing from them before, no small feat given the incredible shows I'd seen. It was as if all was right in the world for those couple of minutes. Never once did the lights clearly illuminate either one of them, allowing for the plausible explanation that it was simply look-alikes that had taken the stage with the band. But it didn't matter. When the song closed, the audience went absolutely ballistic in their applause. Screams and yells, whistles and cheering encased every inch of the room. The lights dimmed on the stage, leaving it in darkness once again, even as the applause raged on.

After just a couple of seconds, the full lights came back up. Only Bella and Edward were no where to be seen. The young man from earlier thrust a mic into my hand as I stood at the edge of the stage, gaping at the sudden disappearance.

"Man, do the inductions," he whispered loudly.

My prepared speech was forgotten in the wake of the phantom members. But the words I needed to say flowed into my head as easily as if they had been scripted.

"Ladies and gentleman, please help me welcome EverClear into the ranks of those legendary performers of the Music Hall of Fame. As we've all witnessed, even though our members are not all present with us tonight, they are never far away from our hearts."

I watched the band step forward, a noticeable gap where Bella and Edward should have been standing, and take their bows as they were each presented with the gleaming statue that would forever solidify them as music legends. For all the trials and tribulations, they were whole again for the briefest of moments. EverClear had started as an outlet for two lonely souls. But through the years, they had become the symbol of peciverence and honest emotions. I had never been prouder of them than I was at that moment.

And I had never loved them more.

Chapter Notes: Set me on Author Alert if you haven't already done so. I have another story outlined that should begin soon. I'm gonna take a little time to rest before starting. In the meantime, don't forget to check out English Rose.

Thank you again to every one of you.

Kelly