A/N: A quick thank you to everyone who added this story in their alerts and/or added it to their favorite list. It truly means a lot to me.
Chapter 32- Every story has its end
Seven years later-
Bella's POV-
"Then what happen, mama?"
I smiled at the curiosity that shone bright in my five-year old's eyes, a soft sigh leaving my lips as I thought back to those days of my life. I didn't remember it very often; life had thankfully only gone uphill from then on, but moments as such brought it back in full clarity.
"I told you how I had jumped into the water, right?"
"To save yourself from the bad guys." she nodded her head in earnestness, so innocent and trusting at that young age of hers.
"Your daddy saved me, of course." I smiled to myself. "I had been in that ice- cold water for close to five minutes, when I was suddenly pulled out. I didn't realize it then; I was too out of it, but it was your daddy who had saved my life, once again. They had rushed me to the hospital. It took days of recovery. Grandpa Charlie and Daddy were by my side throughout it all, waiting for me to recover."
"Did it hurt?" she winced, her experience of hospitals not too kind. The last time she had visited, it had been to remove that slimy piece of glass she had accidently stepped on. My poor baby had to get stiches! I don't think she was about to forgive that kind-only doing his job- doctor anytime soon.
"It did." I softly admitted, opening my arms to let her sit on my lap- her need to comfort visible in her innocent brown eyes. She could never see another in pain. She would lather me in hugs and kisses if she ever saw me cry!
On some rare occasion that I did cry.
"But with the help of a few kind doctors, Mama was as good as new in a couple of weeks." I cheered, kissing her softly on her forehead, her young age guaranteeing that she needn't know the specifics.
There was no need for her to know of the mental trauma that being kidnapped had left on me, or how Emily of all was the only one who could reach to me that first few months. She knew what it meant to be a victim of circumstances, and it was with her help that I had begun to trust Paul enough to openly share my fears and worries with him.
It had not been easy. There had been days when I had shouted at him to leave me alone, even thrown a pillow or two his way, but he had never left his patience. He had been there for me through it all.
Just waiting. Just listening.
Falling in love with him had never not been an option.
The more the tall pillars that had surrounded me from all sides broke, the closer Paul came to me.
I did not even realize it when he became so important in my life; All I knew was that I woke up one fine day to realize that I could not survive in a world that Paul did not live in.
And that was that!
We had gone out on our first date that very evening, our first date stretching into a three-day weekend that ended with Paul and I eloping in Las Vegas.
Charlie had not been the happiest camper to exist, but he liked Paul enough to not showcase his gun.
Also, the fact that he now resided in Seattle did make a difference.
Yup. He had gone back once I had recovered completely, claiming that he was happier over there. And also, he no longer had a house here to tie him down to this small town.
And he truly was the happiest I had ever seen him.
So, I couldn't blame him for that!
Last, I had spoken to him, he was settling into the married life, having reconnected with a childhood friend going through a painful divorce, their loneliness tying them together.
It had been hard for me those first few months after he had left.
I had refused to live at Joy's. She was kind enough, but not my parent. And with Charlie no longer having a house to go back to, my options had been limited.
I had lived in the pack house for the first few months, occupying one of the spare rooms that they had, but of course it was not home, and at the first opportunity that presented itself, I had rented my own small place. It was nothing more than one really tiny room, but it was home.
Those four walls were where I had truly begun to make progress…to realize that one bad experience with love does not mean you can never find love again.
That shabby little apartment was also the one to witness the first time Paul and I had made love….
Such beautiful memories I had of that small place!
"What happen to the bad guys, mama?"
I came back to the present with a soft jerk, a small smile on my face as I faced my little munchkin. "Your uncle Jasper took care of it. He never told me what exactly he did with them. Just that they would never be a problem to us again."
And they never had.
From what I had understood, Carlisle and Esme were dead, and none of their family or friends were keen on seeking revenge. Not even Rosalie and Emmett.
I don't know what happened to them.
Just that they had never bothered to interfere in our lives again.
"I miss aunt Alice." She whispered, sucking on her thumb- a habit I was trying rather too hard to get her rid of. "I want to meet her. She buys me nice dresses, mama. I like her."
Oh, my baby!
If only Alice knew how much you enjoyed the elaborate dress up…
She would never leave this town.
"Aunt Alice misses you too, honey." I assured her. "But uncle Jasper wanted to meet his brother. You remember you had met uncle Pete?"
"The one who kept cracking bad jokes?" she scrunched up her eyes in question.
"Yup. That's him."
No matter how hard Paul tried to keep me away from the vampires, it was just not to happen.
After Alice and Jasper had helped in saving my life, an irreversible bond had formed between us. A bond that just could not be broken. They were family.
They would always be family.
And Paul and the other members of this tribe had come to accept this fact.
Certain relationships were not made by blood, but by experiences.
And Alice was my sister.
That could not change.
Peter and Charlotte were the added bonus. I did not meet them very frequently. Paul would have a coronary, simply by the fact that they fed on humans.
But they were nice people, and truly wanted only the good for us, their diet making no difference to my life.
Also, I refused to brainwash my daughter at this impressionable an age.
She would get to decide for herself who was worth keeping around and who was not.
If she decided that she could trust the vampires, so be it.
Of course, Jasper would be running a full background check on said vampire.
That goes without saying!
"Mama, will I meet my prince charming? Like you met daddy."
"Of course, you will, sweet pea." I smiled at her. "There is someone made for everyone. But you need to grow up for that. And to do so, you need to drink your milk."
She glared at me at that, all that annoyance visible in her tiny eyes. God knows what enmity the kid had with a glass of milk!
More often than not, I found it washed down the sink- the remnants of it still visible, something that after a conversation with Paula, I realized that Paul too did while growing up.
Of course!
The apple never falls far from the tree, does it?
"How are my two favorite ladies doing today?"
I felt a kiss to the back of my neck, being taken by surprise as always.
"Daddy, I am no lady." My little munchkin giggled, leaving my arms as she readily kissed her daddy on his cheek.
"Oh, is it so?" he played along, appearing confused. "But I thought you were a lady. Grandma Paula told me that you are a lady?"
"Nuh-uh." The giggling increased. "I am a little girl, daddy."
"Is that so?"
My sweet pea nodded her head in agreement, giggling all along.
"Mama, is our little munchkin a lady or a little girl?" he winked at me, as always, his silent indication to play along.
I smiled, shaking my head briefly, unable to take his fun away from him. "Daddy, I think she is a lady."
"No. I am not."
I let out a laugh, watching as my husband tickled our little wonder, leaving wet kisses all over her, the feeling of being complete thick in the air.
We were happy.
We were complete.
Never had I imagined that Paul and I could work this well together.
Sure, we still fought. Sure, I still contemplated murdering him at times.
But I loved the man to the moon and back.
And I knew that he loved me too.
Sometimes, you got it right in the first go, and at times, lady luck favored you on the second.
But if neither has been your turn, don't worry, for third time's a charm.