Damn you, ever-nagging plot bunnies … I just can't get this one out of my head. I am focusing on one story, but I wanted to get a foundation on this new one. So, here we go … This will be similar to Buying Love, Friends with Benefits, Mafia Princess and The One That Got Away, with shorter chapters and weekly updates: I'm planning on keeping the update schedule with this one … Sunday updates, Wednesday teasers.

One more real chapter … the memorial for the lost fae and plans for the magic school will begin to take shape, plus a date for Edward and Bella.

Chapter Thirty-Four

EPOV

After a few more days 'recuperating' at her mother's home in Forks, we locked up the house and blinked back to the castle in Seattle. When we got back, Bella began working with Carmen, Charlotte and Marcus' mother, Kathryn, to plan for the memorial of our fallen comrades – Maggie, Marcus and Tanya. I knew their remains had been brought to Seattle and cremated, as according to the fae customs. We just needed to have a memorial and honor their bravery, their strength and their loss.

The castle, which had been buzzing with creatures from all over North America, was empty, save for my sister, her mate, Peter, Charlotte, Emmett and Rosalie. The rest of the creatures were staying with Eleazar and Carmen in their home, just next door to the castle. They were providing us the necessary space for our healing but were close by in case we needed their support.

I was much better, almost to full strength, but I knew that Rosalie was dealing with horrific flashbacks, night terrors and extreme anxiety. Bella spent a great deal with time with her, trying to help Rosalie with her emotions since she'd lived it. I'd felt Bella's overwhelming shame for what Jacob had done to her. She still felt dirty and unworthy of me or the happiness she now had. Through our connection, I heard Rosalie describe the awful things that Jacob did to her and she'd need a great deal of help before Rosalie could truly heal.

"Lord Edward?" came the gruff voice of Peter. I looked up from my seat in my office. I was working on the preliminary plans for a magic school, to teach the next generation of creatures. He glided inside and sat down, dwarfed by the fae-sized chairs. We'd been in our human forms, getting used to our human bodies again. "I've put in my papers at my hospital, resigning my position. Charlotte has done the same. We're looking for permanent residence here in Seattle."

"Hold off on that," I said. "I think that … with the magic school … we may need to relocate. Some place remote. I've been looking at real estate in Montana and Wyoming. We could …"

"Both locations are beautiful," Peter said. "It would be nice to have a secured location, far off the beaten path, but near a larger city for those of us who need jobs. Granted, with long lives and smart investments, Charlotte and I don't have to work." He blinked to me, smirking. "You, on the other hand, are set for the rest of your immortal life."

"Why do you say that?" I asked, sitting back and closing the computer.

Peter handed me a large envelope, addressed to me via the legal aid office. I opened the envelope, pulling out a thick packet of paper from my old law firm. I scanned the paper, my eyes widened. "Carmen filed an unlawful termination suit against my old firm."

"She was pissed off that they'd fired you when you were on FMLA. I provided testimony that what they did was unfair and illegal, backing up her claim. Rather than be dragged into the courts, and into a huge legal battle with the powerful son of disgraced congressional candidate, Carlisle Cullen – who was brought down by his own children. They saw you as a man without scruples and they offered you a significant monetary settlement," Peter said.

I flipped the pages, finding an eight-figure settlement on the next page. That, coupled with my released trust and inheritance from my biological father, I would be set for my immortal life. "When did she do this?"

"She started it when I came to Seattle," he answered. "She used my connections as a doctor to further along this process." He sat forward, arching a brow. "Carmen also found an inheritance for Bella, too. Renee had left her a decent trust. We'd found the paperwork in the home in Forks."

"A lot has happened while I was recuperating," I mused.

"Indeed, but mostly good things," Peter nodded. "We do need to finalize the memorial. When are you planning on having it?"

"I'm waiting for Tanya's mate to arrive. Nahuel was on a business trip to Brazil. We'd just gotten ahold of him. He should be up here by tomorrow," I answered.

"I didn't know that Tanya had bonded with another," Peter murmured.

"It was not a full bond. They hadn't had a glienne ceremony. He loved her, he said, but they weren't as connected as Bella and I are, or you and Charlotte," I replied. "I'm thinking that the memorial will happen this weekend and then, we'll go from there with the plan for the magic school and relocating, possibly, to Montana or Wyoming. I'm leaning toward to Montana. There's some beautiful land out there."

"We'll have to come up with some sort of magical curriculum," Peter said. "Marcus would have been the perfect for that task …"

"Bella has become an amazing student and an expert on incantations and the ancient tomes left to me by my father," I said. "Carmen and Eleazar could prove to be invaluable, too."

He smiled, nodding slowly. "Whatever you decide, my lord, I have no doubt it will be successful." He stood up and smoothed his sweater, shivering. "I will never get used to the wet cold of Seattle. I'm partial to the oppressive heat of Phoenix."

"You may hate Montana or Wyoming even more," I snickered. "More snow than rain." Peter's nose wrinkled, shaking his head in distaste. He left, and I continue looking up information about purchasing land in Montana and Wyoming. I'd worked in the office until Bella came into the office, her eyes red and her lips curled downward into a frown. "Sihrena?"

"Sorry," she said, walking toward me and curling up on my lap. Her arms slid around my neck, burying her head into my chest. She cried quietly. I held her tight as she opened her mind to me. She showed me a difficult session with Charlotte and Rosalie. It was bad for both Rosalie and Bella, coming to grips with what Jacob's cruel and brutal attacks. Bella was better off since she'd had some time to heal, physically and emotionally, but Rose was a mess. It would take a great deal of time for her to get over the damage Jacob had done.

"Don't apologize, Bella. It's not your fault," I whispered, kissing her temple. She tightened her arms around me, nuzzling my neck.

"I'm disturbing you," she choked out.

"You could never disturb me, Bella," I argued. "I'd rather welcome your type of disturbance. I love you." She smiled against my shirt and I tightened my arms around her warm, slender body. I closed the computer, cupping her chin. "I know that we're all upset, saddened by the loss of good people and of what Jacob did to Rose, but I think I owe you a date. I want to forget all of this and just go out with my, um, wife." I ran my finger over her ring that lay on her left finger. "Nothing too fancy. Maybe dinner and a movie? Something normal."

"Normal sounds good," she said. "It'll be nice to be out and about without protection or fear of being killed by dark creatures."

"Agreed, sihrena," I smiled, kissing her tenderly. "You pick the movie while I make reservations for dinner."

xx TMW xx

Our date was exactly what we needed. It felt nice to drive my own car, holding Bella's hand and sharing a meal with her. After dinner, we went to see a movie, but spent more time making out in the back of the theater like teenagers. When we got back to the castle, we took our sexual tension and made love all night.

The next day, Nahuel, Tanya's boyfriend came to the castle. We made finalized the memorial ceremony for Maggie, Tanya and Marcus. Eleazar and some of the male creatures had created a place to remember our fallen friends and family. It was a beautiful memorial, representing the lost creatures and honoring their sacrifice during the battle. The day following, we had the service at dawn. Bella and I wore our regalia, befitting our stations as the leaders of the fae. However, instead of wearing purple, the color of royalty, we wore all white, which was the color of mourning. My sister sang a beautiful, but heart-wrenching song for those who were lost.

After the memorial service, Nahuel left along with Marcus' parents, Kathryn and an arch mage and Eleazar's brother, Elijah. They needed time to grieve on their own. Liam and Siobhan, who had been the closest to Maggie, bringing them into their family when Maggie was in college, decided that they would stay with us. Liam was a professor who'd taught Maggie, who had no living family. Liam was as old as Peter, remembering the time when my father was alive, as was his mate, Siobhan. Maggie was born to, as far we'd known, to human parents. Or at least, human parents who did not know they had magical powers. They'd died before the magic was released. However, with Maggie's powers as a shapeshifter, they were fae, and powerful shapeshifters.

A week after the memorial service, Bella and I were headlong in research in creating a magic school. Liam, an experienced educator, helped with the development of curriculum. We also decided to go to Montana, finding land a couple of hours outside of Bozeman. Using my inheritance from my family, I purchased the land and we decided that in the spring, we'd break ground on the magic school after we hid the land with wards, enchantments and protective spells. Ten miles away, Bella and I would build a home for ourselves. I looked at possibly passing the Bar Exam in Montana, opening up my own law firm. Bella looked into going to school at Montana State University in Bozeman, getting her degree in education and teaching at the magic school.

"Edward?"

I blinked up and saw Emmett. His eyes were haunted and sad. "What's up, Em?"

"Well, the sky," he quipped. "The ceiling. You, when you're a bird."

"Emmett?" I frowned. "Talk to me."

"Rose is pushing me away. I don't blame her, really. Her body had been violated, but there's a wall between us," he shrugged. He blew out a breath, looking at me. "With the darkness gone …"

"Not gone, but lessened," I explained. "I told this to Eleazar and Bella; I can still sense a kernel of darkness."

He furrowed his brow. "I don't like that …" he whispered.

"What do you need, Emmett? Anything," I said, leaning forward.

"I was wondering if I could take Rosalie and go to …" he trailed off, biting his lip. I arched a brow, urging him to continue. "That island where you and Bella celebrated your honeymoon, it's secluded, right?"

"Yes. It's safe and secluded," I answered. "Why do you want to go?"

"I think getting Rosie away from all of this, she'll open up to me," Emmett said, scrubbing his hands in his hair. "I'm just confused and a bit out of my depth. I've dealt with rape victims in my job, but that was only very limited, taking their statements and such. I never had to deal with the aftermath." He looked at me, his eyes big and shimmering with tears. "How did you get Bella to trust you?"

"We had a level of trust since I was her lawyer, but I always felt protective of her. I also made sure that she was in charge, making the decisions in regard to our physical relationship," I said. "Charlotte also helped, too."

"Rosie doesn't like Charlotte. She's pushing her too fast, too hard," Emmett growled. "Rosie would fall into a depression every time she met with Charlotte."

"It takes time to find someone to mesh with. When I was in the psych hospital, I went through three shrinks before I found one I trusted. Even then, I didn't really open since I have trust issues. I still do," I snorted. I got up and sat next to him, putting my hand on his bicep. "You do what you need to do with Rosalie."

"I don't know how to get there. Marcus flew you and Bella to the island," Emmett murmured.

"Eleazar has a pilot's license. I can ask him, if you'd like," I replied. He nodded, giving me a sad smile. "Was there something else, Em?"

"Oh, there's a boy here. A teenager. He was wandering near the gates, adamant on speaking to you," Emmett said. "I was shocked that he was there. This castle is magically protected. But he was able to see it. I couldn't sense any sort of magic within him, but there was something … he's waiting in the library."

"A human?" I pressed.

"Yes," Emmett nodded.

I stood up, making my way to the library. Bella met with me, wearing a pretty dress and her hair curled over her shoulder. I threaded my fingers with hers, walking into the library. Inside the library, there was a teenaged boy, with bronze-colored hair, pale skin and almost neon green eyes. He shuffled on his feet, balancing his bag on his shoulder and I noticed his clothes were not in the best condition and his bag was nearly falling apart. "Hello?"

The boy turned, and he smiled. "Are you Lord Edward Cullen?" he asked, his voice deep and resonant. I nodded slowly, shocked to hear my title from a human's lips. But, there was some spark of magic within him. "My name is Masen Anthony." He held out his hand and I shook it, memories filled my mind and I gasped. Masen smirked when I pulled my hand back. "You felt that, didn't you, my lord?"

"Memories?" I asked. He nodded. "You're not fully human, are you?"

"I am only human, but I have your father's memories. Or rather, I'm a reincarnation of your father," Masen explained. His eyes held an ancient sadness. "I've missed you, son." I arched a brow. "I can imagine that sounds odd from a boy who is eighteen years old."

"You have all of my father's memories?" I whispered.

"As much as my human mind can retain," Masen smiled. "Which is a lot. The human brain is capable of so much." He looked at me, reaching for my cheek and caressing my jaw. "You look so much like your mother, but with my strong jawline."

"I have so many questions," I breathed. "About what happened with Aro, the darkness in the world and my role as the leader of the fae … I don't want to mess up."

"You can't. You're doing so well, Edward," he said, squeezing my hand. He blinked to Bella. "And you're his mate?"

"Yes, I'm Isabella Cullen," Bella replied. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Masen. But, I must reiterate Edward's concerns about messing up as the leader of the fae. We know nothing of our history, of our powers. How can we prevent what occurred with Aro from happening again? I've read some of our history, but we went into this whole situation blind. We … we barely made it out by the skin of our teeth. Edward nearly died."

Masen looked at my scarred neck, his brows furrowed. "I'm sorry … I should have been more sensitive," he muttered. "I should have given you more than that letter." He leaned forward. "My time here is limited. It was a gift from … it's my final gift to you, Edward. I wanted to know you, get to know you, as an adult. I've missed so much. I know a few hours doesn't make up for a lifetime. But, it's better than nothing."

"You're right," I said, gesturing to the chairs.

We sat down, talking about everything, nothing and anything in between. Masen told me about the history of magic and how to grow our powers. We told him about our plans to open a magic school, to provide the newly formed fae, elves and mages history about our powers, how to cultivate them and make magic a more accepted concept. Masen gave us his thoughts and agreed with our plans of having Liam act as the headmaster of the magic school. Hours went by and conversation flowed amongst us. However, Masen stared at us, stopping midsentence. "Masen?" His eyes closed, and he breathed deeply. I could feel more magic from within the boy. When his eyes opened, they were a crystalline blue, flecked with gold. "Masen?"

He jumped, looking at me and shuddered. "Who are you? How did I get here?" he asked. He eyed me warily.

"My name is Edward, and this is my wife, Bella," I said gesturing to my mate. "What was the last thing you remembered, Masen?"

"I just turned eighteen," Masen muttered. "I was a foster kid and I aged out of the system." He made a face. "My former foster parents let me have my clothes, money I'd saved from my part-time job and sent me on my way."

"Where did you live? Before coming here?" Bella asked, taking his hand and rubbing his arm.

"Portland," he answered. "But, I felt … I needed to come to Seattle. I don't know why." He scowled, his nose wrinkled. "I don't know what I'm going to do. I'm homeless …"

"No, you're not," I said. "The foster care system is bullshit. I know you don't me from Adam, but I feel … you need someone. You need a place to stay. You can stay here, with me and my wife, for as long as you want." Masen eyed my dubiously and I felt his power within grow stronger. I raised my hand, allowing the iridescent powder to emerge from my palm. I blew it over him and he shuddered. "Do you feel that?"

"What is it?" he asked.

"Magic," I smiled.

"Magic doesn't exist," he scoffed.

"Yes, it does," Bella chuckled, showing him a swirling ball of fire. He looked at it, his eyes wide. "You have magic within you. Just like me and Edward. Would you like to learn?"

It was shocking that the boy who was sitting before, who had given us suggestions about teaching magical theory, knew nothing and couldn't recall the information. However, he was a powerful mage, almost as strong as Marcus. Probably even stronger … "Masen?" I asked.

"I want to learn. You're right, I don't know you, but I feel like I can trust you," Masen said. "I'd like to be able to learn and master the magic within."

"We have our first student for magic school," Bella said, a bright smile on her face. "Let's get you settled, Masen. Classes won't start for a few months. For now, we want you to get comfortable in our home." I watched as she led the boy who held my father's reincarnated soul. I felt at peace and had numerous questions answered. There were also questions left unanswered, but we had nothing but time. Masen put it perfectly … we were all going to learn about the magic within.

A/N: This was the final real chapter. We will have an epilogue, finding out about Rose, Emmett, Carlisle, Esme and how Masen is faring in Bella and Edward's care. Plus, we'll get a few glimpses into the future with their new lives in Bozeman, Montana. Leave me some loving. Thank you for reading!