Good Morning, Loves! I can't believe we're here already! I'm so... I'm emotional! But I'll get to that later, for now, let's dive in!

Thank you to Frannie and Dani!

Day 293: December 31, 2020

Bella

23:55 PDT

Los Angeles, California

It has been the craziest fucking year.

I look around our living room at the five people who have come to mean so much to me, and I suddenly can't remember what life was even like without them.

Alice and Jasper are slow dancing by the TV, her left hand and his right wrapped together as he gently touches her engagement ring. They've both been radiant since Thanksgiving, and I couldn't be happier for them.

Rose and Emmett are curled up on the sofa, limbs tangled together, peaceful smiles on their faces. I've never seen Rose so calm or happy. Emmett has saved her from living the life set out by her parents. Saved her from becoming them, just as she has saved him from settling for small, simple dreams. Emmett is ambitious, and it's all Rose's influence.

Edward's arms are around me, holding me gently, and the weight of the love I have for him is so heavy and so real that for a moment, I can't breathe.

I knew love existed, I wasn't the complete cynic Rose was, but I didn't honestly think it was out there for me to find. I'm a difficult person, and no one in their right mind would want to put up with that.

I've never been happier to be proven wrong. Edward sees me; he sees my crazy, my unpredictable, my unforgivable, and he offers me constant love, support, and patience. He is everything I didn't think I deserved in this world, and it's hard to fathom that a global pandemic of all things is what brought us together.

His arms tighten around me a little, and I look up at him. "I love you," he whispers, pressing a kiss to the side of my head. It makes my soul shudder, and I turn to kiss him back.

"It's nearly time," Alice calls, getting our attention. She hands out cups of champagne, and I turn to Edward, thinking about all this year had taken and given in return. It's been a long, difficult year, but it's also been a wonderful one, filled with moments I would never have gotten under normal circumstances. I have so much to be grateful for.

"One minute!" Alice calls, turning on the TV. I look around at my friends, my loved ones, and I smile.

I don't know what the future holds. I don't know when this lockdown will lift if it will be in a few days or a few years. It felt like we had to put our lives on hold when this first started, but now I realize that wasn't quite true. Life goes on, and what's coming will come. All we can do is hold on to our loved ones and find a way to have some fun.

Okay... I don't even know where to start other than thank you. Thank you for reading this, for taking this journey with me. Thank you for your loyalty and patience, for your amazing words of support and encouragement, all of it!

When I set out to write this story, I needed an escape. I had no concept of where it would go, how it would develop, or how it would end. How could I, when we ourselves were still in the midst of these events? All I knew, was that I needed something to make me smile, to remind me that good shit was still happening, and that life keeps going on and we have to find ways to keep moving with it.

My loves, this has been a labor of love and sacrifice, but it has also been a saving grace for me. I didn't know I needed these kids until they were here for me, and I'm endlessly grateful for all those of you who reached out to me, telling me how much they meant to you too. I'm humbled by the stories you've all shared with me, and I adore each and every one of you. I hope Lockdown has brought you even a fraction of the joy it has brought me.

Thankfully, this story isn't fully over. Knocked Up, which is the sequel focusing on Bella and Edward, will go live on Monday, just two days away!

I want to take a moment to thank Frannie, who was an amazing beta to work with through this story. Thank you to Dani and Jill who I constantly bounced feelings and ideas off of (and who in turn provided me with many of their own ideas that have just made this fic soar). Finally, Thank you to all of you. This fic has surpassed all expectations one thousand times over, and I'm so, so grateful to you all!

This one is for Dani, who made sure I never stopped laughing, even at my lowest.