A/N for 2021-04-26: Special thanks to Chayasara and Eeyorefan12 for all their work on this story.

I hope you enjoy this final chapter, folks. The next story will feature Mafia man Edward Cullen - fun stuff.

- Erin

Bella put the last foil-covered cracker tray on the Cullens' large dining table. All the places were set, and the windows in the room were opened slightly to let the cold, fresh air in. In the corner of the living room, the Christmas tree was tidily decorated. Too tidily decorated, Bella thought. Part of her longed to move some of the decorations so that they weren't so evenly distributed.

Esme was plugging in three electric blankets, setting them at various places around the table.

"Isn't that a bit of overkill?" Emmett asked, watching his mother.

"Hardly. Some of our guests will be quite sensitive to the colder temperatures." After a brief hesitation,
Esme eyed Emmett narrowly and pointed a warning finger in his direction. "Be nice to the ones who aren't."

"I'll be on my best behavior," Emmett said, holding his hand over his heart and looking innocently skyward. "Honest."

Bella snickered and rolled her eyes. Best behaviour, her butt. Much to everyone's amusement, except Rosalie's, Emmett and Jacob had been working to best each other on the practical joke front for months.

Esme seemed to be thinking the same thing as she walked back toward the kitchen, shaking her head.

"Barring the one incident in Brazil, it seems to be running well. Marcus reports that they've been called on four times already." Carlisle's voice was muted slightly by distance, but Bella could hear his conversation with Tanya well enough.

She continued to listen, idly nudging a fork slightly off kilter. She supposed Esme would nudge it back into place later. Sometimes she wondered how long it would be before she, too, stopped seeing things with human sensibilities, when flaws and imperfections were no longer tolerable, and things like overly symmetrical Christmas trees and perfectly placed table settings became the norm.

"Dial-a-vamp, how can I help you?" Emmett mumbled.

Despite herself, Bella giggled at Emmett's joke.

"Don't encourage him." Edward's eye roll was practically audible as he walked towards her. He'd mostly given up trying to dissuade Emmett from applying his levity to this particular new development in the vampire world.

Dial-a-vamp. That was new. So far her brother had mostly stuck with calling it Fang-one-one or The Lonely Vampire Heart's Club. How times had changed, Bella mused, and so quickly.

She looked around the Cullen home, so beautifully decorated for Christmas. Months earlier she'd never have imagined this being realizable, but now faint possibilities were becoming a reality. To have Christmas with her family—all of her family? Sometimes the thought was so overwhelming that if she still had the ability, she might have cried.

Word of the Volturi's destruction had spread quickly amongst their kind, with the reactions being decidedly mixed. Fortunately, most vampires had seen the wisdom in the new leadership model, and the few who had not were in the minority. Many had already availed themselves of the new leadership's services. Even though there wasn't consensus on how they should all be governed, there was agreement, at least, on their need to remain invisible to human eyes.

Marcus's gift had become increasingly useful in that regard. Much like Bella's, Marcus's power was defensive— applicable both to himself and to others. His gift was also the means by which he and Chelsea had kept the secret of their relationship from the Volturi. Marcus had the ability to deflect others' interest and attention, although he had always been careful to deploy it as sparingly as possible. Now he used his talent to protect his brethren in Volterra and those of their kind who required assistance. Emmett's joking description wasn't so far off. These days, rather than sending emissaries of destruction, Marcus and his helpers went wherever fellow vampires required assistance. It wasn't the kind of assistance Bella liked to think about, but if it kept them all safe from being detected by the world around them, well . . .

"Five minutes," Edward murmured, sliding his arm around her waist.

"I think everything's ready," Bella said softly, turning to kiss him. He returned the kiss, prolonging it.

"I'll say." It was Emmett's turn to roll his eyes. "Can't you two turn it off for five seconds?"

"Leave them alone. You and Rose were just as bad, Emmett," Esme told him, coming back from the kitchen. She smiled at Bella and Edward. "Everything is definitely ready."

Bella heard the sound of first one car and then another crunching onto the gravel drive. She smiled in anticipation. It was a pretty big deal, having everyone all together for the first time.

As planned, most of the Cullens disappeared to other parts of the house, leaving Edward and Bella to answer the door. Given who was arriving, it wouldn't do to overwhelm them with so many vampires all at once.

Charlie and Sue appeared first, her father pausing to hug Bella and shake Edward's hand. Sue nodded in Bella's direction but didn't move to embrace her.

That they were here at all was a minor miracle, Bella reminded herself. That she got to have her father in her life was even more miraculous.

Thank you for that, Jacob, she thought, watching him wheel Billy down the concrete path. At the tail end of the procession came Leah, and then Seth and—

"Let's stop crowding the entrance," Edward said softly, tilting his head towards the kitchen.

Bella nodded, following his lead. He'd know better than anyone how well their last guest would react to their presence.

Another miracle, Bella thought again.

Not unexpectedly, Gianna approached the house with a great deal of trepidation. As in all things now, Seth was her anchor. From her vantage point in the kitchen, Bella listened to him murmur gently and reassuringly to her.

Of all the unexpected things to come out of their intervention in Volturi matters, this development had been one of the most surprising.

Gianna walked into the house, her body nearly vibrating with nerves. Even though Bella couldn't see her, she could sense the woman's fear. In the months that had passed since her arrival in Forks, Gianna had calmed greatly, but being near vampires was still incredibly difficult for her.

To say Edward had no patience for Gianna would be a gross understatement. His disgust for the woman had been beyond apparent in Volterra. Though Bella didn't recall what Gianna had done in the throne room all those months ago, Edward certainly did; he'd reminded Bella of the terror he'd endured watching Gianna make his mate bleed in front of the guard. In the flurry of activity after the battle, Bella had almost forgotten about Gianna's presence, but when she'd recalled it and told Edward the woman was still in the dungeon, he'd coldly suggested leaving her there. It hadn't sounded like he was joking. Marcus had then pointed out that Gianna might not react well to a vampire presence, rescuing or otherwise, and the Quileutes had volunteered to release and tend to her.

And while Edward had no respect for Gianna, he had a great deal of it for Seth—and for this reason, could overlook his own distaste for the object of Seth's affections. That Seth had imprinted on Gianna had shocked the wolves and the vampires in Volterra. Gianna had been understandably resistant to the attentions paid to her by the very young man, werewolf or otherwise, but his devotion had slowly won her over. It didn't hurt that he was the natural enemy of the creatures she'd so come to fear.

When Seth had returned home with Gianna, his mother had been beside herself—and not in a good way. Bella thought her reaction somewhat excessive. Yes, there was an age difference, but at least Seth hadn't come home with a vampire imprint.

Still, Bella thought, a lot of people had been beside themselves, Charlie included.

Oh, Jake, she mused, watching her friend walk into the kitchen. You took care of that, didn't you?

"Hey, you two." Jake was grinning as usual. "Off on your own again, huh?"

"Hi, Jake," Bella said, accepting his hug and speaking softly, "Do you think Gianna's ready to see us?"

"Honestly, no," he whispered, "but if you're waiting for that to happen, you're gonna be waiting a really long time."

"True." Edward must have smirked in Jacob's direction, because Bella caught him smoothing his expression when she glanced his way. He would behave around Gianna, she knew, but that didn't mean he wouldn't enjoy listening to the woman squirm a little.

Jacob looked back towards the entranceway. "She seems to be adjusting okay. Sam said she and Emily are getting on pretty well."

That was good, Bella thought, given that Gianna was staying with the young couple. Strange roommates, indeed.

"What're you three doing hiding in here?" Charlie asked, bringing in a case of beer. He frowned as Jacob pulled two bottles from the box but didn't object otherwise.

"Just giving Seth and Gianna a chance to get settled," Bella said softly. She smiled at Esme, who had deemed it safe to reappear in the kitchen.

"Hey, Esme," Charlie said, turning and giving her a hug.

Soon, the rest of the Cullen household and a few more guests began rotating in and out of the kitchen, greeting each other and exchanging news.

With his arm around her, Edward reached into his pocket, pulling out his phone. He chuckled.

"What's up?" she asked, watching Charlie, Sue, and Esme confer over the turkey. Esme was observing as Sue nudged one of the legs, discussing how to test for doneness without a meat thermometer.

Who would've thought? she mused again.

"Look," Edward said. He held out his phone for Bella to take.

She laughed, seeing the picture. It had snowed in Volterra, obviously enough so that Alice could make a snowman. Erastus was in the picture, too, a broad grin on his face and Dominic at his side. Edward flipped to the next photo, this one of the throne room entirely transformed. The chairs on the dais were gone, and in their place was a giant Christmas tree decorated in what appeared to be paper chains and small carvings.

"Wow," she said, focusing on the next picture. It was of Erastus and Jasper carving together.

"Jasper says he's doing really well," Edward said.

It heartened Bella to hear it. She'd worried, leaving Erastus, despite Marcus's assurances that he would be well cared for. Clearly, he was, and by Alice and Jasper, too. "It looks it," she said. "Did Alice and Jasper have anything new to say?"

"More of the same." He shook his head, chuckling. "I believe Alice is enjoying her new role immensely."

Bella laughed. Alice had taken up Bella's work in teaching the remaining members of the former Lower Order how to interact with the outside world, including ensuring they were stylishly attired when doing so. Jasper was training them in self-defense, should it be required.

"But she assures me they'll be home soon enough," Edward said, grinning. He reached for her hand, holding it up between them so he could look at the ring he had placed there a few weeks before. "And then the real fun begins."

Oh, he was enjoying himself way too much. "Don't remind me," Bella said petulantly. Just because she was no longer human didn't mean she was any more eager to be the center of attention—something that was practically assured once Alice was in charge of her upcoming wedding. Then Bella remembered the eager and hopeful expression on Edward's face when he'd presented her with his mother's ring and made the most romantic proposal speech she could have imagined. She looked up at him, noticing the little wrinkle between his brows that told her he was concerned about her tepid response just now, and she felt guilty. There were certainly a million things worse than becoming Edward's wife. Letting him think she didn't want him to be hers in every way possible was number one on the list. She reached up and ran one finger down his cheek. "Are you sure we can't elope?"

His relieved smile was all she wanted to see. "You know I'll do whatever you want"— he pressed a kiss to the top of her head—"but you'll be the one telling Alice and Esme."

She groaned aloud. "Maybe I'll just convince Alice and Jasper to stay a bit longer."

But of course the schedule and the plans had already been set. There would be a rotation of vampires from various covens who would stay in Volterra to serve in leadership. At the moment, Eleazar, Carmen, Alice and Jasper were supporting those who'd elected to serve on a semi-permanent basis. Carlisle's Irish friends were scheduled to take up their posts in a few more months. The regular rotation would keep power from being concentrated in too few hands. At least, Bella hoped this was the case. There had been so much ugliness in Volterra, so much grasping for power. She and Edward had asked to be excused from the roster for now, and given what they'd had to endure to get to this point, no one had challenged their request. Edward was especially concerned that his talent was too similar to Aro's; the thought of being viewed with the same revulsion and fear that he'd heard in the minds of those who'd interacted with the former leader was abhorrent to him.

Bella looked back at the picture of Erastus and Jasper again, sighing. The castle was a much transformed place now. These pictures were just the latest of the many that they'd received documenting such changes. Now that the former members of the Lower Order were free to pursue their own interests, they did so with gusto, many of them taking up the work with textiles that had once been required of them. Alice had complained about the noise that came from the clacking looms, but Bella knew it was good-natured grousing.

Though there had been some initial worry about meeting the dietary requirements of the Lower Order, Marcus had quickly solved the issue. The Institute, as the local people knew it, was now a busy and charitable crematorium.

Bella tried not to think about that work, briefly rubbing her throat. Marcus and the remaining members were slowly coming to grips with their new freedoms. He and Chelsea were obviously happy together. Though the last picture Alice sent showed no change in Marcus's eye color, it did in Chelsea's. Clearly, Jasper and Alice had been influential with regard to more than one philosophy.

So many changes.

At the dinner table, the Quileute and human guests ate while Emmett led everyone else in a mashed potato sculpture contest. Edward won with his rendition of a reindeer, using a few onion straws from the green bean casserole for antlers.

"Show-off," Bella said, chuckling, nudging him with her elbow.

"Yeah, man, stop making your brother look bad." Jacob pretended to shake his head in disapproval.

"At least he keeps his clothes on," Charlie said, looking at Jacob darkly.

Emmett guffawed, and if Bella had a drink, she surely would have snorted it out her nose.

"Oh ye of little faith," Jacob quipped. "I mean, you could have just believed me."

Charlie harrumphed. After Jacob had quite literally demonstrated that the world wasn't all that he thought it was, Charlie had showed up at the Cullens' house, politely asking that no one disrobe to explain what they were.

Emmett had been in stitches for weeks afterwards. As it was, he was grinning widely now. "You still haven't let us show you what we can do," he said.

"And I'm good with that, thanks," Charlie said. Across from him, Sue grinned.

Slipping her hand into Edward's, Bella looked around the large table, studying the faces of the people that she loved. That she was alive felt like miracle enough. That she got to be with Edward, even more so. And that they were able to have all their family on top of that—it was almost overwhelming.

"What're you thinking?" Edward whispered.

"How lucky we are," she whispered back.

He hummed in reply, pulling her closer, pressing his face into her hair.

"There they go again," Emmett muttered.

Bella ignored him, closing her eyes, absorbing the bliss that was her mate's touch, letting her mind take in the joy of her family so gathered. This moment had not been bought cheaply, and along with the sweet victories, she recalled the ugly defeats that had littered their way.

But as she turned to catch sight of Edward's loving gaze, she thought of the many promises, deals, and bargains that she'd made to come to this point. One had been misguided, a few devious, and some good. But this one, this commitment to forever with the man she loved, this bargain was the best.

DISCLAIMER: S. Meyer owns Twilight. No copyright infringement intended.