Crash Into Me: Epilogue

If someone would have told him six months ago that today he would be sitting alongside Charlie Swan watching his daughter take the stage to give her valedictorian speech at her graduation. Edward would have laughed in their face – yet that was indeed where he was at that very moment.

He looked on as Bella came to stand behind the podium. She looked spectacular in her white cap and gown. He still was unable to fathom at times what he had done to truly deserve an angel like her. The last four months had brought about healing and growth for the both of them. Edward was turning eighteen in a few days and would finally be free of Caius' wrath and torment at his hands – to think now that he was free – well Edward just couldn't believe it.

It amazed him how he was becoming the Edward he remembered being when his parents were alive. Carlisle brought out the best in him and suddenly became the father figure he had been missing for so many years. Edward had forgiven him completely for what had taken place with Bella all those months before. It was as though Bella's love and acceptance showed him the path to love that had once been covered with thorns.

He heard her clear her throat before she began speaking. He smiled broadly at her as their eyes met. His loving gaze gave Bella the much needed strength to go forward with her speech, a speech that was about to be anything but typical.

"Good afternoon," she started, "I want to say what an honor and a privilege it is to stand before you all this afternoon. I would like to begin with a quote that has come to mean a great deal to me in the last months. 'God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.' I hope that each of my graduating class along with those in the audience takes heed to those words. Life is full of twists, turns and roads not taken and if we let our preconceived notions and prejudices guide our direction we as a people and as individuals are lost."

Bella gently reached up and took Edward's gold charm that hung around her neck in her fingers. "I realize that things we don't know or understand can be frightening, frightening so much so that rather than making an attempt to learn and grow we throw up walls in the hope that what scares us cannot gain entry into our lives," Bella's eyes met her fathers. "Yet in doing that you only serve to make your own prison – a prison that controls you and by no means protects. I have learned that control is an illusion we as a people choose to create in an effort to feel safe and when that control is ripped or contorted in such a way that it is no longer in our grasp we have the ability to transform into a person that is no longer recognizable to others not only ourselves. My hope for this graduating class is that we can see past what it is we know, what makes us comfortable and grow into a society that sees us as one people rather than segmented groups. Until such time that we can do this we all will lose. Thank you and I wish the very best for each member of my class in the path they choose for their life."

Bella returned to their seat. It wasn't hard to feel the many pairs of eyes staring at her from behind. This was by far not the speech that the members of her class or the audience had expected to hear but in conscious she couldn't say anything but what she had. What they had expected to hear was some power speech, not one filled with thought provoking ideas – ideas that Bella was sure had fallen on deaf ears. The serenity prayer had come to mean a great deal to her. She had finally come to terms with her mother's death and the events that followed it as things that she couldn't change.

She used her therapy with Carlisle as the courage to move forward in the life that she had longed for – a life that would be filled with many more tests and leaps of faith. She had already felt that she had taken the biggest leap of all. She had fallen in love with Edward Masen and despite all the odds they had come out on top.

The wisdom in knowing the difference was something that Bella was still working on. There were times yet that she found herself slipping back into old ways of dealing with her father, yet it had been Charlie and his persistence at having a better relationship with his daughter that grounded Bella in the reality of the way things were now rather than what they once were. For that she was grateful.

"Bella," she heard Edward's voice as her eyes searched the sea of faces for Riley Biers. It had been two weeks since they had given their depositions and she hadn't seen hide nor hair of him since. "You were great up there you know that?" he kissed her softly.

"I don't know about that," she offered.

"Nonsense," Maria added, "Your speech was wonderful. Exactly what should have been said."

"You ready to head to the country club for your celebratory dinner?" her father asked.

"Bella," Rosalie joined them, "I just want to tell you one thing," the tone to her former friend's voice was caustic. "You think that you are some role model for the members of this class?" she quipped, "Well you can just forget that. If you think slumming makes you s much than I say you can have your hood of a boyfriend – Riley is more of a man than this creep will ever be!"

"Rose, that's not true," the voice from behind them belonged to Riley.

"You are kidding right?" Rosalie countered in disbelief, "After all that this asshole," she pointed to Edward, "has done to you – you are defending him – why?"

"He didn't do anything except protect Bella – love her and treat her the way she deserved t be treated. I was the creep Rosalie, not Edward. Mr. Swan," he turned to Charlie, "I want to apologize to you for what my father is doing. I never wanted any of this to go to trial. I have put Bella through so much already. I just wanted to take my punishment and be done with it." Each could hear the anguish in Riley's voice.

"It's not your fault son. I have known Howard for many many years. He's doing this to save what he thinks is face. Hell not so long ago I may have been doing the exact same thing he is, but not anymore. I have lost far too much in my life already to lose anything else. We will let this play out Riley. I know that you stood up and did the right thing son. That's what's really important here. It is my sincere hope that you get some real help for your troubles. I know that what you have been taught will take a great deal of undoing but it will be well worth it."

"Detective Speaks put me in contact with a good counselor and I plan on working on making a better life for myself and eventually for the person I bring into it."

"Good for you son." Charlie easily dropped his arm over Riley's shoulder.

"Bella," Riley cleared his throat, "I know no amount of apologies will fix this for us. I would never expect you to forgive me. I just want you to know that I am sorry – that I did love you."

Edward felt his body tense at those words still so unsure of the chameleon in front of him.

"I know," Bella said, "I know. Make a good life for yourself, okay?" she questioned.

"I'm going to try," he answered knowing he had taken up enough of their time.

"So you are telling me all those rumors I heard – they were true?" Rosalie asked dumbfounded.

"Rosalie," Bella began, "I don't know what you heard and frankly right now none of it makes a difference any longer. You haven't known me in a very long time and that's okay. I have come to accept the person that you are and even if you can't do the same for me that's fine. Because when I look in the mirror I like who I see. I wish you could say the same." Bella linked arms with Edward and followed her dad and Maria to the car leaving Rosalie Hale standing with her mouth hung open.

"I thought we were here to have dinner?" Edward asked as Bella led him down a darkened hallway. "Where's your dad?"

"He went to check on something. I just wanted to steal some time away with you in private," she smiled slyly as the bright lights of the room they now stood came up.

"SURPRISE!" a chorus of voices sang.

Edward turned around to see his friends standing before him. "What? What is this? I thought we were here for your graduation dinner?" he asked trying to catch his breath.

"Nope," Bella smiled broadly. "We are her for you Edward. You didn't think that I would let your eighteenth birthday go by unnoticed did you?"

"I can't believe this!"

"Believe it," Jasper said coming forward.

"You were in on this too?" he gasped.

"You bet I was!"

"Thanks," Edward said shaking his long time friend's hand.

"You deserve every minute of happiness you can get your hands on," Jasper offered.

"My happiness is right here!" Edward said drawing Bella closer to him.

"Come on lets go check out your presents," Bella said playfully.

"Presents?" he questioned.

"Just one really."

Bella nodded and Charlie joined them. Charlie handed a large manila envelope to Edward. "What is this?" Edward asked staring at it oddly.

"Open it," Charlie said.

Edward tore at the seal on the envelope. The folded papers inside made little sense to him. "I don't think I understand."

"That's your juvenile record. It's been sealed. Between Carlisle and me we thought that you deserved a fresh start. So from this point forward Edward Masen can be anything he chooses."

"How – how can I ever thank you?" Edward questioned. The idea that all those things he had done in his past weren't haunt him – wouldn't be mistakes that he would have to continually try to explain away was surreal to him.

"Thanks aren't necessary. It is I who should be thanking you Edward. You gave me my daughter back. You gave her love and the hope for a good life. This is just my way of saying thank you."

"I don't know what to say sir."

"You don't need to say anything. Just make a good life for yourself and my daughter – that's all that really matters to me."

"I will sir."

Charlie watched as the pair walked towards the dance floor hand in hand. "Renee would be very proud of you Mr. Swan," Maria said coming to stand next to him. "What you did for him, for both of them was a nice thing."

"It was long overdue," Charlie returned. "Maria, may I have this dance?"

"Yes, I would like that."