Welcome to the epilogue. This will serve as the first chapter to the sequel when I get around to posting it. I'm still working out the details so it may be a while. Thanks for the continued support!

5 years later

Bella POV

"Bella, let's go," Laurent shouted. The shouting was unnecessary. I could hear him from my room. He was simply excited for school to start. Despite his months of grumbling beforehand.

After five years of fine tuning my control I was finally able to attend college. As happy as I was to spend eternity with my mate, the first year of being a vampire was not great. All that mattered was sex and blood, and in most cases, blood won out. Jasper assured me it was completely normal but I had hoped it would be easier for me since I wanted it.

Still, with the help of my family I was able to go through my newborn phase without ever hurting a human. Not that there weren't a few close calls. I owed everything to my siblings: Alice, Jasper, Kate, Laurent and Irina. But most of all I owed my life to Tanya.

Tanya.

My mate. She had changed me after I laid dying from an attack by Victoria. Her second-in-command, Riley, had bitten me. I was going to change anyway but Tanya had made sure it was her venom that coursed through my veins.

A joint effort between Tanya and Jasper had kept me almost comfortable through the change. I never understood why Jasper did it, until a conversation with Alice a few weeks after my change.

"He still feels guilty Bella," Alice told me.

"Guilty?" I asked confused. "Why would Jasper feel guilty?"

"Your birthday party," Alice said softly. I stiffened. My new muscles locked together and I was like stone. "Whether he's to blame or not, he feels if he didn't snap, we wouldn't have left and Victoria would have been taken care of before all this happened."

"It's not his fault," I said firmly. I would continue to tell both of them that for the rest of eternity if needed.

"I know Bella," Alice said patting my hand. "That's just how Jasper is. He won't let it go."

I was grateful to Jasper for what he did, even if I did deem it unnecessary. Once I turned Jasper and I had gotten even closer than before. No longer was there a fear of slipping. Not that I believed he would slip again. The only thing stronger than his bloodlust was his love of family.

That was why, after a year of begging, Jasper agreed to attend college with me and Laurent. It was, in part, a way for the two to keep an eye on me and make sure I didn't accidently kill someone or expose us. But also, Jasper wanted to go to college was too afraid to be on his own. We all signed up for the same general classes to support each other.

"We just unpacked," Tanya said gliding into the room. "I would rather Laurent not destroy our brand-new house.

With some help from Alice and Tanya I was accepted into Dartmouth. After the acceptance we packed up and moved to New Hampshire from our home in Alaska.

"Laurent could learn some patience," I teased. Tanya raised an eyebrow at me. "Are we sure this is a good idea?"

Tanya moved over to my side. Unlike the past when I was human, I could see her movements. They mesmerized me now, just as they did then. "You have spent the past four years begging me to go to college. What changed?"

I shrugged. I stuffed the textbooks into my new backpack. "Now that it's actually happening I'm concerned," I admitted. Pens and pencils were stuck into the front pocket. Carmen went a little overboard shopping for school supplies.

"Miláčik," Tanya said softly. She pulled me into her arms. "We wouldn't let you go if we didn't think you were ready." She kissed me. "I promise you will be fine. You have Laurent and Jasper after all. And if Alice seems anything I will call you straight away."

I took an unnecessary breath. Despite not needing to breath, I found I rather liked it. "Okay," I agreed, leaning against Tanya's warm body. Now that I was a vampire she felt warm to me. It was strange getting used to that after experiencing her cold body.

"Do you want to stay home?" Tanya asked. One of the many things I loved about her was that she would never force me to do anything I didn't want to do. No matter how big, or small, it was.

"No," I said shaking my head. I zipped up my bag and threw it on. I hoped it held with the textbooks inside. "You're right. I have been looking forward to this and so have the guys."

Tanya kissed me again. "I'll meet you at the coffee shop after your second class," she promised.

"Bella," Laurent shouted again impatiently.

I rolled my eyes before leaving our shared bedroom to meet Laurent. "No need to shout," I told my brother. "I can hear you."

"I wasn't too sure," Laurent grumbled. "Where's Jasper?"

Jasper chose that moment to step through the open slider. "I'm here," he said. His eyes were a bright gold which meant he was hunting while waiting for me. "Are we ready?" He eyed me, probably trying to see if I was okay.

"Yeah we are," I said.

Tanya appeared to kiss me goodbye while Alice and Irina said goodbye to their own mates. "Don't feel bad if you need to leave early," Tanya muttered in my ear. "There's no shame to admitting you're not ready. I love you."

"I love you too," I told her. I reluctantly pulled away so I could grab my keys.

Today we were taking my car, a 2014 Ford Mustang. It wasn't as fancy as the others but I loved it. Jasper and Laurent followed me to my car. Jasper sat in the front while Laurent pouted. I ignored my brothers and focused on driving to campus.

The parking permit was dangling from my rearview mirror. Since the Denali's were just as wealthy as the Cullen's, if not more so, we didn't care about the parking fees. Of course, walking didn't matter to us either.

"Is there anything we need to do before class?" I asked.

"No," Jasper answered. "We're clear to start classes."

I got out of the car. Jasper and Laurent stood on either side of me. "This isn't needed you know," I told them.

Jasper shrugged. "I know you're nervous. This is the closest you've ever been to humans. It doesn't hurt to be a little cautious." Jasper put a hand on my arm. "I trust you'll do fine."

I followed my brothers to our first class of the day, History 101. Jasper and I were excited about the class. Laurent, not so much. His argument was he didn't need to learn about history when he lived it. He insisted he could teach the class better than any professor. Jasper was the opposite. Though he had lived through a lot he was still eager to learn everything he could.

We walked into the classroom. There were a few humans there and waiting. Most sat quietly but there was couple chatting with friends. I could hear every conversation. Over the last couple years, I learned to tune out the things I didn't want to hear. It was one of the first thing I learned. Otherwise I would be stuck listening to my siblings go at it like rabbits. Soundproofing only did so much.

"How are you feeling?" Laurent asked me as we took seats in the back of the classroom. It allowed us an easy escape if needed.

I took a deep breath, allowing the human scents to fill me. My mouth watered with venom but it was manageable. I glanced at Jasper. His eyes darkened slightly but he looked just as relaxed as me.

"I'm good," I told Laurent. I glanced at him. "I'm good. I promise."

Class started a few minutes later. I settled into my seat with a notebook and a pen to take notes. The notebook wasn't needed. Vampires had near perfect recollection. We only used them to appear more human.

After history we made our way to our math class. Per Alice we had to move quick because the sun would be coming out. The sun would be gone again by the time this class was over.

The three of us rushed to our next class, moving a little too quickly for humans. Luckily, no one was actually paying attention to us. Everyone was too focused on what they were doing. When we got inside the building we slowed down.

"What did you think about the history class?" I asked Jasper. We slid into the desks at the back of the room. This classroom was much smaller. I wasn't sure if that was a good thing, because there were less humans, or a bad thing because everything was so close together.

Jasper shrugged. "The syllabus looks rather straight forward. I doubt I'll learn anything new but it should be interesting regardless."

"It was a bore," Laurent insisted. "I wish I could sleep through it."

"Why do you want to go to school?" I asked him.

Laurent leaned forward. "I'm interested in learning. Just not history. Now science on the other hand…" He grinned and I had no doubt he planned on doing something that would get him in trouble.

The best solution was to pretend I knew nothing. That way when Tanya inevitably caught on and yelled at him I wouldn't be included. There were perks to being the coven leader's mate. Although being caught up in Laurent's shenanigans was never good for me.

"You're meeting Tanya after class right?" Jasper questioned.

"Yeah, at the Starbucks in the student union," I told him. Even though we didn't eat or drink we did like to order coffee to warm up our hands. It was something the Denali's started a long time ago. "I'm sure she just wants to make sure I didn't murder anyone."

Laurent laughed. "In the last five years the two of you haven't spent more than an hour or two apart," he said shaking his head. "I believe she just misses you."

I shrugged. He was probably right. We spent a lot of time together over the last five years, including a tour of where Tanya grew up. Slovakia had changed over the many centuries but Tanya seemed to enjoy seeing those changes.

"You know after five years I thought you two would be married by now," Laurent commented. He leaned back in his seat, feet up on the table.

"We're in no rush," I stated. Laurent and Irina had gotten married three years ago. Kate had been pestering us about marriage but Tanya was firm that it would happen when it happened.

I had gone to Alice about it but her response wasn't much better. "You'll know when it's the right time," she had said. What good was it to have a future seeing sister when she wouldn't tell me anything?

Jasper chuckled at my growing irritation toward his mate. "You know how Alice is," he muttered. He sent me a small dose of calm and I glared at him.

We were so caught up in our own conversation that we didn't notice the human approach us and tap the table beside Laurent. "Feet off the table Mr…"

"Denali," Laurent replied removing his feet from the desk.

"Mr. Denali, I would appreciate it if you didn't have your feet on the desk in my classroom," the woman said. This must have been Professor Taylor. She seemed to be around fifty, with her hair up in a bun. She was so close I could smell the blood pumping in her veins. Jasper put a hand on my thigh to hold me in place but I had no desire to attack her.

Jasper and I snickered and she turned to us. "And who might you two be?" she asked. She didn't seem angry, more curious.

"Jasper Hale ma'am," Jasper greeted with the tilt of his head.

"Bella Denali," I replied. I watched as she glanced between me and Laurent, obviously confused as to how we were related.

"Well Mr. Hale, Ms. Denali, I would hope you won't be causing any trouble in my class," Professor Taylor said.

"No ma'am," Jasper replied. I watched as he subtly manipulated her emotions to be more accepting. It was a lot more fun to watch when he wasn't doing it to me.

She walked away and started her class.

I had never been happier to be outside. Math was never my strong suit. I had almost gotten through calculus before I died. In fact, I technically never finished high school although the fake diploma said otherwise. This was a simple math class but it seemed so much more complicated.

I rubbed my head as we left the classroom. Though it was impossible for us to get headaches I still had too many memories of being human. I knew I was supposed to have a headache after math.

"You okay Bella?" Laurent questioned.

"I hate math," I grumbled as we walked to the Starbucks. My brothers laughed.

It took everything in my power to not sprint toward the coffee shop once I caught sight of my mate. I felt my brothers slowly leave my side. Now that I was with Tanya again there was no need for them to play guard. I wouldn't be surprised if they went off to find their own mates.

Tanya looked up as soon as she smelled me and grinned. She was seated at a table with an umbrella so if the sun came up we would be protected. I threw my arms around her, breathing in her scent. I didn't realize how much I missed her until she was in my arms again.

I kissed her softly, not wanting to risk much more in a public setting. We were already getting a few looks from those around us. "I missed you," Tanya muttered.

We sat down and she pushed a cup of coffee toward me. I grabbed the warm beverage and pretended to sip it. "I missed you too," I told her. "I didn't realize how much until now."

"How have your classes been?" Tanya questioned. Though she had no desire to return to school, having done college once about fifty years ago, she was supportive of my decision to go. She knew it was one of the 'human experiences' I wanted. She still felt guilty for taking that away from me.

"Math gives me a headache," I said.

She snorted. "You cannot get a headache Miláčik," she reminded me.

I shrugged. "Math will be the death of me," I declared. I ignored her growl. "Jasper's excited about history. Laurent doesn't care about history but seemed to like math. I'm still… adjusting I think."

"It's to be expected." She lowered her voice so only I could hear her. "This is the closest you've ever been to humans. It's natural to feel wary. How is the bloodlust? Do we need a quick hunting trip?"

I shook my head. "I'm fine," I promised her. "Maybe next semester I won't need the bodyguards."

Tanya grabbed my hand. "That's not what they are," she insisted. I felt her hand turn to stone on top of mine. Something was going on.

It took me only seconds to figure out what as someone had approached our table. My eyes locked on the familiar gold. But it wasn't one of my family. It was the face of someone I didn't expect to see again.

"Bella?" Emmett Cullen whispered in shock.