The Journals

By Everleigh Allen

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Epilogue

-One Year Later-

The theater is huge with a cloth draped giant chandelier that looks old. The stage has ratted curtains that struggle to billow on their rods. But what gets Bella is that there is an air of excitement as well dressed men and women come in and wander around trying to find their seats.

Edward easily leads Bella to her seat and is greeted kindly by Carlisle and Esme. The rest of the row is lined with the other Cullen's and it is yet another wonderful surprise.

Clutching her hand in Edward's, Bella can see the lights of the chandelier flicker and the audience quickly moves into their seats. The chandelier starts to sway back and forth ominously over the theater full of people making everyone, including Bella, gasp.

"You would make an amazing Phantom, Edward."

Edward smirks cocking his head to the side so he can whisper in Bella's ear. "One would think you would be Team Phantom rather than Team Edward."

"Oh, absolutely," Bella giggled. Her voice was in a higher lilt now that she had successful changed into her vampire form and through the dreaded bloodlust filled first year. Edward and Bella married in the forest with family present. It was quiet and beautiful. Ribbons hung from tree branches, as logs lined the forest floor for the few guests they had. They wrote their own vows and Bella teared up as they both promised their heart, mind, body, and soul to each other for the rest of their eternity.

Once they made their vows and had their reception, the newlywed's left for their flight to South America before they took a boat to the Cullen's private island, Isle Esme. It was a perfect place to facilitate Bella's change and where and when she wanted to do it. They managed to curb a lot of the bloodlust and fully adapt Bella into an animal only diet like the rest of their coven.

There's actors on stage speaking of the theater which looks unkempt with greying linens over most of the items. In an instant, as the actors leave the scene, the chandelier overhead swings and lifts up alight in all it's stunning glory. As the audience watches the chandelier, the scene on stage goes back in time as Christine comes on stage.

Bella watches, totally enamored, as Edward watches his wife. Her wonderment is his joy and giving her this surprise has been amazing. The actors sing, dance, and captivate their audience with their talents.

The music is enchanting and if Bella could cry, she would have as the curtain soon falls and the show is over much too quickly.

"I still would've chosen Phantom," Bella sighs, remaining in her seat. "He never had a chance to love and feel love. He went through his life feeling as if he wasn't worthy."

"I know the feeling," Edward mused before he quoted: "You will be the happiest of women. And we will sing, all by ourselves, till we swoon away with delight. You are crying! You are afraid of me! And yet I am not really wicked. Love me and you shall see! All I wanted was to be loved for myself."

"HA!" Bella laughed. "You know I love you, wicked man. But actually, although I do see similarities between you and your favorite villain, I know you have known so much love before me and from me- but also from your mother who beseeched Carlisle to save you and love of and from your family. You took that love further. You loved my mother, Gran, and my Great-grandmother in such a way that it has changed all of their lives irrevocably."

"I suppose I can see that."

"Not only that, but the rapists and murderers- you ended their reigns of terror so countless of others could go on in their own lives unknowing of the harsh brutalities that would've come unto them. Even the woman you saved who was taken in the theater all those years ago… you may not realize her gratitude, but it is there. Not just from her but from her family who exists because of all those who survive because of you."

"Thank you," Edward says softly thinking of his mates words. He began to worry since there would be no others who would exist though Bella's family line- also because of him.

"And you saved me many times." Bella laughs, nudging Edward in his side and sidetracking him from his thoughts. He's gracious enough to move with the slight prod keeping up with their human-like characteristics. "With a little help from Alice."

"Yes," Edward nodded, eyeing his sister several seats over. She turned to them with a grin and winked. "I also have so much gratitude for Alice and our whole family, actually."

"Me too," Bella sighs even though she doesn't have to at all.

"Do you miss not having children?" Edward asks watching Bella intently, finally asking what was on his mind.

Bella shrugs with indifference. "It's not something that I personally really thought of much being single and in school. It's also not something I miss since I am not a mother. Perhaps if I was much older and feeling more maternal it would be different, but it wasn't something I usually think about. The biological clock is not clicking." Bella points to her heart which is no longer beating as if to prove her point.

Edward chuckles. "I just don't want you to miss out."

"If it is eventually important, we could adopt like Carlisle and Esme did."

"Adopting grown adults? No. We just kind of stayed with them-" Rosalie

"Because we're awesome and they couldn't bear to get rid of us," Emmett laughed from a few seats down.

"It's more like a Stockholm syndrome situation sometimes," Rosalie quipped.

"And together we make life interesting. Being alone is also great, but it gets boring." Jasper piped in. Being the oldest vampire next to Carlisle, he definitely had his fair share of loneliness waiting for his mate to come along. "There are only so many books to read, movies to watch, games to play. Eternity is infinitely and tediously boring."

"We didn't actually adopt them." Esme rolls her eyes but the thought Bella had made them think about whether it could be an option for a vampire to adopt a human child. She eyed Rosalie and could see her thoughts were in the same wavelength.

"It all worked out just the same." Bella gives Edward a kiss on his cheek. "So, what's next? Are we going to sit in this theater until they kick us out?"

Edward grinned, shaking his head. Most people had left but there were some, like his family, that were lingering and waiting for the rush out and the rush out of the parking lot were gone. But he knew it was more like the sun was shining and they were waiting the weather out.

"Well, we could go back to high school somewhere… or we could go to college somewhere… or we could just honeymoon for the next ten years like Rose and Emmett did, I don't care as long as I'm with you."

Bella's face twisted in disgust. "I don't want to go to high school or college again so soon."

"So another honeymoon?"

"How about Italy? I've always wanted to go!"

Edward twisted and looked at Alice who just shrugged in her seat. It wasn't a definite answer of yes or no and that made him uncomfortable. "We'll see." He placated. "There is plenty of time to go to Italy. Maybe not so close to the Volturi, though."

"Oh, yes. I definitely want to avoid them for as long as possible."

Nodding, Edward couldn't help but agree. When they had been hunting in the Amazon during their honeymoon they came across some vampires that resided and hunted there. One was born of a vampire and human and the human mother died in childbirth, unfortunately. The aunt took the baby but was also bitten by him, and thus changed into a vampire. Before that meeting, Edward didn't know such a thing was possible, but it was already too late to make a vampire baby as he had changed Bella so it was a moot point.

Not to mention the fact that the mother didn't survive.

Edward shivered.

He couldn't imagine losing his mate.

Shaking those thoughts away, he remembered that they soon introduced to two Amazon women, their friends. One of them was able to project psychically what they wished upon people making the person often incapacitated or distracted enough for them to flee if needed. The psychic projection worked on Edward but it didn't work on Bella, which they pointed out.

Curious if Bella had a viable psychic gift, they went to their friends in Denali, Alaska. Eleazer could sense vampiric gifts and sometimes in humans. Eleazer could see Bella had a powerful psychic shield that she could eventually project outward to stave off other psychic attacks for those around her.

It would come in handy if they were ever in danger, but it also made them a target by the Volturi who would undoubtedly and selfishly want to keep her talent as well as the other Cullen talents within their guard.

"You ready to go?" Edward gestured around them as most people had already vacated the venue.

"Yeah," Bella grinned, grabbing his hand and placing a kiss on his knuckles. "Thank you for the day and for bringing our family here, too. I have missed everyone.

"We missed you!" Alice grinned. "I told Edward you'd only need a couple months to assimilate but he wanted you all to himself. Now he has no choice to share you now that you're back."

"Two months, eh?" Bella arched her brow with a knowing smirk.

"I was making up for lost time." Edward stood up and grabbed Bella's hand to help her up- not that she needed it.

The other Cullen's followed suit, making their way out of the theater. The cloud cover hid their iridescent, shimmery skin well enough to make it into their respective cars and back to the main house.

Once back into their Chicago city house, everyone corralled in the vast library and sat in the large leather chairs in front of the oversized fireplace.

Edward grabbed the quilt and draped it over Bella, not that she was cold, but as an added comfort. Bella lifted it to her face and took a deep breathe in, grateful for the women in her life and that they ignored their self-preservation and befriended a very special group of vampires, especially one, who would be the love of her life, her mate Edward.

"Thank you," Bella thought, smiling to the Heavens above, knowing they also had a hand in her fate- in her eternal happiness with an amazing, generous, and kind family.

Bella then looked to Edward and opened her mind, thinking about how much she loved him and how grateful she was to be his partner in this divine life.

She watched Edward's eyes dart to hers, seeing everything she's giving him of her mind. He was too touched to talk, eyes brimming but tears would never fall. He mouthed his thanks and his love. Bella nodded and went back to her book, content in her place in their home, in their life, and their future.

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The End.

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A/N:

*So no vampire babies in this one. It ended well, I hope, with most threads laced together well enough.

Thank you for going on this journey with me. I hope it was as much fun reading it as it was writing it. I enjoyed them so much, especially how it fell together.

I would've chosen Phantom, especially Gerard Butler who (and I may have said this before) I share a birthday. He's a freebie, lol. I have seen Phantom the play and I loved every second of it and recommend it. The theater we saw it in was specially designed for this show so other shows may not be as described above.

I am still healing. I am out of the wheelchair for about a month now but I am still in a brace and use the crutch (just one and sometimes with my brace on- none.) They don't want me in my boot any longer because I have had issues with Soleus and Achilles being too atrophied. They also are discussing another surgery to cut, stretch, and reattach the Achilles which I'm trying to avoid. I am still waiting for a bone stimulator and should get it sometime in March. Don't break your leg. It's terrible. (LOL) My 6th month anniversary since breaking is a little over a week away and the tibia is still very broken and non-union hence the bone stimulator. It was going well enough but the past month showed no signs of new healing. Sigh. The Fibula shows the cocoon of healing which will reabsorb making the bone stronger.

I'm still painting… still working at my store. Still writing. I have an Anthology book coming out in July-ish if you would like to read it. I am on FB and Instagram with this same name. There, you will see when the book is live for a copy.

I plan to finish the other stories on my plate so no worries there.

Again, thanks for reading, reviews, and being amazing friends.