Hi Everyone...Hippo-griff-Tamer has written a side shot to this story...some lovely moments between Elizabeth and Edward...when he wrote the music for her. Take the spaces out of this link and have a look... http:// www. fanfiction. net/s/5629126/1/#
…Epilogue 7.0…
…Jasper…
I watched Alice as she flitted around our bedroom. The emotions coming from her were amazing. She was happy and excited and I basked in the joy that was pouring from her. Her niece, Vanessa, was coming for another visit.
When we discovered the details of Alice's past, a weight had lifted from her. From the moment I met her all those years ago, that subtle layer of sadness had been a part of her. Now that she knew that her mother and sister had loved her, had grieved her loss, had never forgotten her…that sadness was gone. There was now peace at the bedrock of her emotions. She was happier than I had ever seen her.
Her first meeting with Vanessa, or Vee as she liked to be called, at the beginning of January had been a success. It was like they had known each other forever. The fashion design talk had gone on for hours at that initial meeting. They met several times over the next couple of weeks, sometimes at the house in Seattle, and then Alice had invited her to the house in Forks for a couple of overnight visits.
Bella and Edward had gone on extended camping trips for those first visits. First because he didn't have control of his bloodlust at that time and second because they were still supposed to be on their honeymoon.
We had all enjoyed having Vee come for visits. Emmett and Esme always cooked huge meals. The wolves, wearing clothes for a change, would come and eat with us. Vee had been impressed with the amount of food they put away. Her attention was mostly on them so that the rest of us didn't need to eat very much.
There was always lots of laughter when she visited us.
~~!~!~!~~
Edward's quest to overcome his bloodlust had been an interesting journey for us all. He had such strength of will to not harm a human. Carlisle's regimen had worked wonders for him. After my small taste of the tainted blood, I was incredibly impressed at his determination to see the regimen through to the end.
I had fought my own blood demons for years. Living now in what I considered to be my third life, my life with Alice, made me appreciate what Edward was going through to a huge degree. I loved teaching history to students and that helped me to hold my blood lust in hand. But seeing how Edward reacted to the smell of humans after tasting the polluted blood made me think that I'd like to undergo a bit of that myself. It certainly couldn't hurt to have that kind of boundary to lean on. I asked Carlisle, privately, if he would give me a course. He had grasped me by the shoulder and told me that he would do so. The pride that I always felt from him swelled to even greater proportions. First I would have to get passed the memory of how Edward felt while undergoing the lessons. I shuddered even thinking about how he felt during those times.
~~!~!~!~~
Alice had been right about Edward being in a crowd of humans at St. Patrick's Day. Port Angeles had a party for those of Irish descent and those who just wanted to be Irish for the day. Alice had outdone herself in coming up with disguises for Edward and Bella and we had attended the party. Several of the pups came with us. There was free food, lots of corned beef and cabbage, and green beer. We wouldn't allow them to drink the beer, but they certainly ate a table full of food.
Edward mingled well in the crowd and I heard him laugh, often, at the wolves' antics. It was a good outing and gave him confidence, which boded well for his future control.
The wolves had needed that outing too. They had been terrified when both Sam and Paul had imprinted. They had hung around Esme, sleeping on the floor of the living room, for several days. Then Jared and Quil had imprinted, seeing their joy had eased them to some small extent.
This outing had brought a peace to the rest of them. They had mingled with strangers and none had imprinted. They really were funny, so afraid of something that was good for them. The four that had imprinted were so happy, basically awestruck over the females in their lives. I enjoyed immersing myself in their emotions.
I think they were getting a little excited to think about it happening to them. At least they weren't dreading it anymore.
~~!~!~!~~
Spring had come to Forks and I had a week off from teaching classes. There were a few sunny days in the forecast and Alice was thrumming with excitement. Every time I asked her what was going on, she would just laugh and tell me that it wasn't time yet.
Everyone would look at her when she would shriek throughout the week, apparently overcome with giddiness. She would just shake her head and say, "not yet" when asked about the visions.
I saw Edward focusing his attention on her, trying to read her mind. We had actually gotten pretty good at keeping secrets hidden from him. The easiest way to keep him out was to ask Bella to shield him, but thinking of private moments with our mates made him leave immediately.
Wednesday dawned clear and sunny. Alice squealed, "It's time!" We all came running into the living room, anticipating hearing what it was finally time for.
Alice grasped one of Edward's and Bella's hands in her own. "Remember when you two initially met? I called Bella one of the first nights when she was guarding you, Edward. Jasper told me not to call, but I had to tell Bella about a vision that I had."
We all nodded. I remembered cautioning her to not tell, but she hadn't listened to me and had called Bella anyway.
"I saw you and Edward in the middle of a meadow, the meadow that's just north of here. The spring flowers were in bloom, the sun was shining…and Edward's eyes were golden." She shook Edward's hand lightly. "If you hunt on the way to the meadow, your eyes will be gold by the time you get there."
I heard Bella gasp as she looked up into Edward's face, searching his eyes. "There is only the smallest amount of amber left…I think that Alice is right!"
A smile spread over Edward's face and the outpouring of joy from him hit me and I shot it back out to everyone in the room. Smiles abounded.
"Well, get out there and find you a snack!" Emmett's voice rang through the room. "We'll meet you at the meadow to see the results."
With a laugh, Edward and Bella ran hand in hand from the room.
Esme came and enfolded Alice in her loving arms. "I do love it when your visions bring us such happiness. Thank you, darling girl." We all headed out to the meadow, taking time to enjoy the sunshine on the way. I loved watching the play of light on Alice's skin. I decided that we'd be taking the long way home. When she saw my decision, she laughed and hugged me hard, nodding her approval.
When we stepped out of the trees at the meadow, Bella and Edward were in the middle of the colorful expanse. The flowers appeared to be enjoying the rare Forks' sunshine too, their faces raised to the light, bobbing in the gentle breeze.
As we watched, Edward picked Bella up and swung her around in a tight circle. Their laughter rang through the air and their joy filled my heart.
When Bella caught sight of us, her voice chimed out, "GOLD, he's definitely a Cullen now!"
~~!~!~!~~
Vanessa was coming this morning to spend a couple of days with us before the school break was over. Edward and Bella were going to meet her for the first time. He'd be wearing tinted glasses to obscure his no-longer-green eyes. We were all sure that his control would hold for a visit of this length. He was doing so well.
Alice leaped to her feet when we heard Vee's car approaching up the driveway. She stopped abruptly, swaying on her feet, and I rushed to her side.
"What do you see?" I asked as I took her into my arms, supporting her slight weight against me.
"I see Vee, but then I don't. Her future has always been cloudy to me, but this is different." The vision passed and Alice stood away from me and headed towards the door. Vanessa's car had stopped at the front of the house.
A wave of emotion flowed over me: confusion, amazement, awe…
I heard Edward gasp as he raced down the stairs passed us, followed by Bella. "Jacob…" he said as he reached the door and stepped outside.
"Jacob?" I asked as I joined him on the porch. I glanced around the yard. Carlisle and Jacob were just emerging from the tree line. Although several of the wolves had been here during Vee's visits, Jacob never had. He was here today to discuss a nomad that Alice had seen in a couple of visions. The nomad hadn't decided exactly where he was going yet and we were all keeping an eye on the situation.
That out flowing of emotion was coming from him. Jacob was standing at the edge of the yard, still as a statue, his face set, a look of wonder covering it. Vanessa hadn't even noticed him. She was busy getting her bag out of the back of her VW Rabbit. Her emotions were excited. She and Alice were going to be working on her final project for one of her fashion design classes and she had been looking forward to it, as had Alice.
"Carlisle, come here, please…" Edward called too quietly for Vee to hear. Carlisle, after a glance at Jacob and Vee, sped to stand with us on the porch. Neither one of them noticed him. Everyone else had joined us. Alice leaned back against me and I wrapped my arms around her body.
"What's going on?" Emmett asked, for once without rattling the walls with his loudness.
Edward had a soft look on his face. "Jacob has just imprinted on Vanessa. I was listening to Vee's thoughts as she approached and heard Carlisle and Jacob too. Jacob saw her profile and his attention was caught. When he saw her face full on when she got out of the car…that was it." He paused and wrapped his arm around Bella's shoulders, tucking her close to his side.
"It was like his entire world shattered, and then reformed, with her at the center." A sense of wonder came through Edward's words. "He had been so focused on the nomad, and now his entire being is focused on Vanessa, focused on keeping her safe from the nomad and anything else that could hurt her. He knows we are listening now, which is why I feel okay sharing this with you all. He's worried about how to tell her his secrets, and right now, it's all about keeping her comfortable and happy. That's all he wants, what's best for her. He's thinking that she'll have to know our secret as well."
We watched as Jacob slowly approached Vee where she was tugging with both hands at a box in the back of her car. I heard her muttering, "I love this sewing machine, but it's so gosh darn heavy. Not sure how I'm going to get it out of here. It's stuck…almost killed me getting it in here. Maybe Alice could get one of the guys to get it for me…"
I heard her gasp as Jacob reached around her and with gentle hands set her aside. He easily lifted the sewing machine from the car. "Please, let me help you…" Shyness now overlay his wonder and amazement as he set the box down on the ground and turned towards her.
Vee had stepped back and away when Jacob touched her, a small spike of unease filling her and then swiftly fading away. Now she was looking up, way up, into his face. She was only about 5'3" and he towered well over 6' tall. "Thank you, I don't think I've met you yet? I'm Vanessa, Alice's cousin." Her voice was quiet, but we heard each word as she held her hand out to shake his. She was such a brave person, confident in herself, even standing beside a shirtless warrior who towered over her.
Jacob looked at her small hand and finally took it into his own. Hers disappeared into his giant palm.
He took a deep breath and finally looked fully into her face and as she looked back at him…I felt it. A connection was made. Her heart began to beat harder, but not in fear…I felt anticipation grow in her.
"Hello, I'm Jacob Black. Some of my friends have spoken of you. They're here all the time." Their eyes were locked on each other now and the sentiments flowing from and between them filled me with a myriad of joyful emotions. I pushed it out to the family, knowing that Carlisle had been intensely interested in how imprinting worked.
Experiencing it now felt like the moment I knew that Alice was my mate; that joy and intensity slamming into my heart and changing the very foundations of my life, changing me in the best way possible.
That's what Jacob was feeling right now. And Vanessa was being drawn in by the imprint. On some level she knew that this was a life altering moment for her too. The only way to sum it up was love at first sight.
Vee laughed as she shook his hand. "Then you know that if you call me Nessie, I will flip out. I am NOT a lake monster…" Her voice was filled with humor and Jacob chuckled at the comment, as did we.
They both looked over at us on the porch. Eight vampires watching a werewolf imprint. A soft blush covered both of their cheeks. Jacob cleared his throat before releasing her hand so that he could pick up both the sewing machine and her overnight case.
Alice left my arms and went down the steps to Vee's side, hugging her tightly. "I'm so glad you could make it."
Vee glanced up at the man walking beside her, "I'm glad I could be here too."
Jacob looked quickly at Edward, a question on his face.
Softly enough that Vanessa couldn't hear, Edward responded. "Yes, Jacob, we'll help you tell her. Why don't you take her for a walk now…and fill her in on your secret. We'll be waiting when you get back."
Jacob nodded and set the luggage down on the porch while Alice introduced Edward and Bella to Vee. She got a little flustered at meeting Edward. She told him that she had all of his CD's. Turning to Bella, Vanessa said that she loved the pictures of the wedding, that her dress was lovely. Bella told her that Alice had found it for her.
Before the three of them could get into a fashion conversation, Jacob asked Vanessa if she'd like to go for a walk. I could tell that he was holding his breath waiting for her answer. There was another spike of anticipation from Vee before she nodded to him. She reached out and took his hand in hers, which made him start just a bit. The only word for his emotions at that moment would have to be loving. It was a beautiful feeling. He smiled down at Vee, then up at the rest of us and led her off into the woods, towards the river.
Vanessa smiled back over her shoulder at Alice and mouthed the words, "He's HOT…" before looking back up at Jacob and following where he led.
"Well, I guess now I know why I couldn't see her future before." Alice was slightly put out, and then she brightened. "At least now she can really know us. We'll be able to have so much more fun!"
That was my wife, always looking at the bright side of things and filling me with light. Life was good and only getting better. I was glad that I had a nearly endless amount of years to experience it, with her, and with our ever growing family.
Yes, life is good.
~~!~!~!~~
A/N…Jasper is sitting here with me. He's just come back from riding Cathair (from DRAGON STONES) down to the river for a bath. I told him that he shouldn't have worn his leather riding clothes, that the dragon was going to splash him, but he just laughed at me, took his shirt off, leaving the leather vest and pants on. Sure enough…he got splashed! The water is dripping down his arms…and his chest. That boy really should have used a towel when he got back.
He narrated this while I typed it out for him. Told me it was about time! Bossy guy…but then he unbuttoned another button on his vest and I typed faster. Bossy, but cute…
He also told me to ask you if you'd like to hear Jacob's thoughts on imprinting with Vanessa. Told me that Jacob was interested in sharing his POV. Let me know, otherwise I'll be moving on to Edward and Bella's last epilogue…
Can you believe it? I'll actually be typing the words: THE END soon…wow…LJ doesn't think it can be done…LOL
Thanks for reading. Leave a review if you feel so moved. Thanks!
Kathie
