2 weeks later

Once upon a time, a lost, lonely teenager struggling to find herself moved to live with her father in a small town. She dreaded it, and was sure she would hate living there. But she met someone who turned her whole world upside down.

He was a vampire, who cared about her very much. He had his faults, of course; everyone did. But he had a good soul. The girl and the vampire fell in love. A year later, their relationship was stronger than ever. They'd encountered few difficulties, but easily resolved the ones they did come across, building and strengthening their love for each other. Soon the vampire proposed.

The girl said yes, and they got married several months later. She carried the vampire's child, and they welcomed someone new into the family. The girl had to become a vampire in the process, and could no longer see her human friends or family, but it was worth it to spend a blissful eternity with the one she loved more than anyone else.

Years later, the girl and the vampire are still deeply in love. Their family regularly move locations, so they don't arouse suspicion. Nobody questions what they are, and nobody tries to harm them. They lived happily ever after.

So rare such a happy ending is. What a miracle it was, that two people found each other, and made each other whole. If only those happy endings weren't just in children's books. If only they happened in real life, to real people searching for their own happy ending.


In a small, hollowed out hole in the wall, Bella sat alone, thinking. She needed to speak to Jasper. She needed his help, and he needed hers. But neither were in a suitable mental state to be helping the other.

So she was trying to work through her issues alone, but her tendency to overthink and repeat thoughts over and over in her head, as though that would do anything, was preventing her from actually understanding her issues.

Thanks to Jasper, she'd finally accepted that she had a lacking in self-worth and confidence, as well as abandonment issues. How to help herself deal with them was… difficult.

Frustrated, she gave up ruminating and glanced out of her little hole towards Jasper. The light in his eyes had been extinguished as soon as he'd realised he had fed from humans, and no matter what anyone did, or said to him, there was no sign of it returning.

She was suddenly filled with a hopeless desperation. She so badly wanted everything to turn out alright. Her issues with Edward could be resolved. Jasper could forgive himself. The humans would stop hunting them, and they could continue living their lives.

But it was all just wishful thinking. Happy endings don't come around easily; you have to work for them. You need to fight to make your story have a happy ending. But Bella didn't know how to fight anymore.

Bella curled up tighter into her little hole, drawing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. Then she stared into the ice, letting wave after wave of despair wash over her.


One night, many years ago, a brave young soldier, incredibly intelligent and charismatic, had his life cut short. A beautiful vampire turned him, sensing potential, wanting to use him for her army. But when the soldier awoke, he saw right through the web of lies she had spun, and knew not to trust her. The vampire tried to attack him, but his instincts took over and he defeated her easily.

He ran away, without any idea what he was, and what his life was now. Several years later, he was joined by two vampires who had also been turned by the creator of the vampire army. They lived in isolation for a time, but the soldier began feeling like he was missing something in his life. So he left his friends and went searching for it.

Two years later, he walked into a diner in Philadelphia. His eyes were instantly drawn to a small, pixie-like vampire sat at one of the stools. Every time he came across a vampire, his first instinct had been to defend himself, and attack the vampire. But not this time. Not with her.

She had hopped down from the stool and skipped over towards him, her smile lighting his world. The soldier couldn't help but smile back. Finally, he had found what he was missing. Hand in hand, already loving the other so intensely, they left the diner and when to seek out a life for themselves.

It's strange how quickly the pair fell so in love. Strange how they knew nothing about the other, but were drawn together. It was so undeniably innocent, so pure. But you would think, wouldn't you, that they must have faced some difficulties. For no relationship is without those, right? No relationship is so easy, is it?


It's not my fault, it's not my fault, it's not my fault, Jasper chanted in his head, over and over again. Bella's right. I can feel everyone's bloodlust. It wasn't just mine. It's not my fault.

But no matter how many times he repeated it, he couldn't shake the overwhelming guilt that was slowly consuming him. Alice had tried desperately to encourage him to forgive himself, as everyone else had already forgiven him- but he just couldn't.

Because even if it wasn't his fault, nothing could change the fact that he'd brutally slaughtered an innocent human. Because even if he felt everyone's bloodlust, he'd been fighting it for so long, even being surrounded by newborns, all craving fresh blood, that he should have been able to control himself, even if he hadn't fed properly for weeks.

He was a monster, and no matter what anybody said, he would never change his mind.

Twice in his vampire life had he felt this same anguish and shame. Once when he had been with Peter and Charlotte, soon after escaping Maria's army. Then again, after Bella's fateful eighteenth birthday party, in which he had attacked her, causing Edward to insist the whole family relocate. In both cases, it had taken him a long time to reach even a semblance of inner peace, and begin to forgive himself for the terrible things he'd done. Even now, after all those years, they still plagued him.

But he'd managed to pull himself out of the depression, with the help of his friends and mate. This time, however, he didn't think he'd be able to. He had caused chaos, fear, pain and panic one too many times.

Jasper pressed himself against the wall, trying to make himself as small as possible, looking down, away from the concerned faces of his family. The weight of his remorse was pulling him down deeper every second, and he wasn't sure he would ever escape it's clutches.


A goody-two shoes. A teacher's pet. A scaredy cat. He had been called all of them, and many more. But the student would choose being bullied at school over being a reckless, bullying idiot any day.

He walked through the corridors to his English class, rolling his eyes at the few students who shoved him aside as they pushed past him. He'd been looking forward to the class the entire day. Becoming a journalist had been his lifelong dream, and each lesson, he sought to prove himself.

The years wore on, and the teenage boy, once given hell for being a good, sensible student, achieved his dream. He'd become a journalist, and now owned his own paper. He sat in his office, approving articles, writing his own every now and then.

His phone rang, and he picked it up. On the other end was a police officer he knew quite well. She was a vindictive, cruel woman, and he regretted instantly answering the call.

The officer had news for him. Why she'd trusted him with it, was beyond him, but he was glad she had. He outright refused her request, ended the call and slammed the phone down on the desk.

She had wanted him to write and publish an article, about a coven of vampires who had massacred a group of people in Alaska. The journalist glanced at the phone, worriedly, wondering if he should call the hospital about the officer. For the idea that vampires existed was ludicrous. And he'd seen the news. He'd seen the so called coven of vampires faced with accusations. They looked much like they were just trying to live there lives, and the journalist, even if he were the slightest bit inclined to believe the police officer, did not want to destroy them. No, he would stay out of that business.

It's amazing, really, how the people you befriend have such a huge impact on your life, and choices. It's incredible to think that if that teenager, who always aspired to be a journalist, had got involved with the wrong group, would have made countless decisions he would always regret. He would have destroyed lives, and torn apart families. He was lucky.

If only he'd been as lucky in reality.


Sigmund sighed, pacing around his office. He'd just got off the phone with Fernsby, and was exhausted. She was still searching desperately, scouring the area the Cullens were last seen, in the hopes that they would be found. So far, she'd had no luck.

It was unbelievable to him how much he regretted his decision to tell Fernsby about the true nature of the Cullens. He knew it was bound to cause chaos, but he never realised that it would cause deaths. And yet, he still couldn't blame the Cullens for their actions. It was an accident, he was sure.

But Sigmund couldn't stop thinking about the endless what ifs. What if, when he was still at school, he hadn't got involved with Dunstan and Alistair, and their group. Then Dunstan would never have come to him to help battle the Cullens. He never would have been dragged into the mess. He never would have has possession of the tape including all the evidence against the family of vampires.

He looked down at his desk, pausing for a moment. Lying there, atop of a stack of files, was the tape. He picked it up, and looked at it thoughtfully. Sigmund slid the disc out, holding it carefully in his hands.

Then he snapped it.

The evidence was gone. Fernsby had been outraged when she realised the Cullens had erased all the tapes that had been sent out over the internet. The only physical evidence they'd had was held in Sigmund's hands, now broken.

Sigmund dropped the disc into the bin. Then he walked back over to the chair, sat himself down, and continued working, forcing all thoughts of vampires out of his mind.


After nine months of anticipation, a happily married couple welcomed their first- and only- child into the world: a little baby boy. He grew up very ambitious, and longed to join the army and fight in the war when he was old enough. But he never got the chance to.

When he was a teenager, almost a legal adult, his family was struck by the Spanish Influenza, and he fell ill. He was on the verge of death when a doctor saved him, by biting him and turning him into a vampire. In a normal world, his mind would have frozen, and he would remain forever with the maturity of a teenager. But in the world of happily ever afters, this was not the case. He continued his development, gaining wisdom as he became more experienced in life.

Unfortunately, he grew lonely. The vampire who turned him had created an entire coven, and they were all mated. Except for him. But a few years later, he got lucky. He was drawn to a teenager who had joined the school in a small town. Her blood, though, tested his restrain. By then, he was mature enough to know she was his mate, so while he longed to run, to disappear, so save himself from the pain he felt whenever she was near, he stayed, unwilling to throw away his only chance at eternal happiness.

If only people could be so mature, as he was. If only they understood it was better to face your problems, than to be a coward, running whenever things got tough. If only people realised that you have to work for happiness.


Two weeks previously, Edward had ripped away iron bars to a cell, knocked two prison guards unconscious, and become a fugitive. He'd had to escape; what other choice did he have? He knew it would cause all sorts of implications on his family, but he wasn't aware of the extent of those implications. Looking back, it was obviously just wishful thinking that him family would be free from accusations.

Accusations that, in a way, were true.

With no idea where to go, and unable to contact his family, Edward headed for Alaska, planning on finding the Denalis. Their house was isolated enough that it wouldn't occur to anyone to look for him there. At least, that's what Edward hoped.

He travelled slowly, avoiding all contact with humans. By the time he reached Alaska, two weeks had passed, and he was wondering what had happened to his family. He hoped that they had denied having any part in the massacre, and above all, had stayed safe- especially Bella and Renesmee.

When he arrived at the Denalis' house, Eleazar was waiting outside for him, eying him suspiciously. Edward's heart sank, as he realised Eleazar must have been questioning whether what was in the news was true or not.

"Edward," he greeted, coolly.

"Eleazar," Edward nodded.

"I trust you have come here to escape from the crowds searching for you and your family."

Edward froze. "What do you mean?"

"You don't know?" Eleazar asked, surprised. "You've all been exposed as vampires, and the rest of your family fled. I assume they're somewhere in Antarctica, considering that's where they were last reported to have been seen, but they could have moved elsewhere by now." He paused. "Care to explain what I've been seeing on the news?"

"I assure you, Eleazar, neither me nor my family massacred a group of people purely for the sake of it."

Eleazar listened, wide eyed, as Edward explain what had happened.

"Well," he said, after Edward had finished recounting the events of the past few months. "You are welcome to stay here. I hope we stay undetected."

Edward nodded. "Thank you, Eleazar. I appreciate it. Now, would you tell me what's been happening to my family? Why are they in Antarctica?"

"I don't know for sure. They fled and must have escaped there, and are now in hiding. But they're struggling. It was reported that one human was killed, and another was admitted to the mental ward, after a vampire attack.. People were searching the area, of course, but they haven't found anything yet."

Edward breathed a sigh of relief, knowing his family were safe. Now, he could only hope they stayed that way.