Just a short one, some internal monologue from our favourite battle scarred cowboy, and then I have our epilogue to go. I'm posting them together now, so please enjoy, and thank you for sticking with me for so long.

Chapter 36.

Jasper POV

It has been seventeen hours, forty-two minutes, and thirty-seven seconds since my Bella had opened her eyes as a vampire.

Less than eighteen hours together and I was already being forced to be away from her.

But appearances were everything, and I needed to be seen in public, seen grieving. And take any questions about my innocence away.

I knew it was less than two hours until I would have her again, Alice had assured me of that, down to the second. But it was far too long.

I never wanted her to be more that a foot away from me again.

I had sat with her for those three days as she writhed and screamed and burned, from the second Alice has sprinted at me and Edward and told us the news, I hadn't left.

When she screamed, I held her.

When her fever spiked, I tried to cool her.

I did everything in my power to help her.

And then when she opened her eyes and whispered my name in that beautiful new, clear voice, I could've died then and there.

I took her for her first hunt. We ran together, played. And then we made love. So many times.

And now, less than eighteen hours later, I was away from her when she still needed me.

I could feel Edward mentally snickering at me from where he sat in a row ahead of me in the Forks High School Gym. Of course, he was playing his part just as well as I was, and no one would know we were having any sort of mental interaction. But I knew he thought me insane for my feelings right now.

I couldn't help it though! All I wanted to do was protect Bella, like I had been unable to do just four days prior, and now I had to entrust her care onto others.

Of course, given it was Rose and Emmett looking after her, I knew she was in safe hands. Even if the thought of Rose and Emmett alone with a very fresh newborn and Bree being an older one was more than slightly terrifying.

But being seen in public for all of us was immensely important. The town needed to see us, and then we would be able to fade from their memories after today.

And so, I, Edward, and somewhat surprisingly Alice, were all sitting in stupid blue graduation gowns with blue hats and golden tassels, waiting for our turn to walk across the stage, all the while playing the part of immense grief. Not one of us wanted to be here. But it was one final public appearance. In the audience, Carlisle and Esme were playing the part and sitting beside Charlie, who was beside Bella's mother and stepfather.

What should have been a happy atmosphere was instead heavy and unpleasant. And I allowed myself to tap into this, to make it all the more believable. There were sniffled tears in the seats around me, several classmates had offered me their condolences, and all of the teachers looked troubled. Forks had lost two students this school year, and there hadn't been a body or much evidence regarding their disappearances to offer closure.

The graduation ceremony began with the principal offering his recap of the year. He started with all of the good points. Spoke of how this was the largest graduating year from Forks High School to date, how proud he was for those who will be off to college in the fall, and all the achievements of the year.

"But today has also become a time for us to remember two of our students, who are not able to walk across this stage with us." Principal Greene said. As he said this, the projector screen behind him turned dark, and then two images were shown side by side. The school photos of Bella, and of Austin Marks who had been killed by Victoria.

"Sadly, this year we lost two very bright students, two friends to us all, to promising young people." He said with a sniffle. "Over the winter break we lost Austin Marks, and not a day has passed where he hasn't been remembered and loved." He paused and I could here several people in the audience crying and plenty of handkerchiefs hastily wiping faces.

"And then this weekend we lost Isabella Swan to an accident at the beach. And it is with great sadness that I must inform you that after three and a half days of searching, Isabella has officially been declared presumed deceased." And the sobbing in the crowd picked up again.

Of course, they would never find her body as it didn't exist. And of course, Bella wasn't really dead. But it was true we needed everyone to believe she was.

It had been Charlie's idea on how to go about this, he and Jacob planned it. Jacob and Bella had both told people of their plans to be at the beach that day, so it wasn't a stretch at all to say they were off walking along the rock break water that jutted out into the bay. And then as it rained the rocks became slippery and Bella lost her footing, falling into the water and being carried off by a strong current. She wasn't athletic in the slightest, so it was incredibly plausible that she wasn't a strong swimmer and had simply drowned.

Of course, Jacob had called it in officially, and Charlie had played his part by overseeing the search and rescue party.

News of her disappearance had begun to spread at the prom. Of course, we weren't there due to the real events, but by the end of Saturday night, the whole town it seemed believed Bella to have drowned.

Renee flew in by Sunday evening, bringing her flight forward a few days, and everyone except me went and stood by on the beach as if waiting and praying for a miracle. I refused to leave Bella's side, and the story was placed that I was too distraught to leave my bed. I was after all meant to be a somewhat emotionally unstable, fostered teen.

I zoned out as the principle continued. Talking about how great Bella and Austin were, and how their lives were taken too soon, too tragically. I just let myself feel all of the grief in the room, and mentally prepare for the next part of the ceremony.

Before we could all take our turns to walk across the stage and officially graduate, the school wanted to honour Bella and Austin, and have their parents come up and receive their diploma and such, so they could symbolically graduate. Austin's parents had thanked the school but asked to not come to the graduation, it was too painful for them, and they had been working so hard to move past this dark time. However, Renee wanted to do this as Bella was so close, and Charlie was happy to come and support her. Even if he knew the truth, he wanted to publicly honour Bella seeing as publicly she would be dead now.

And so, Principal Greene called them up, and Bella received a standing ovation for her graduation. With the emotion in the room, it was hard for me to not burst into sobs.

And then the actual graduation could begin.

I hadn't bothered to keep count of how many times I had graduated but seeing as I had been attending high school and college on a repeated cycle of about once per decade since the sixties, this was probably my sixth high school graduation. But once again, I waited for the turn of the row I was sitting in to go and line up, I watched Alice walk across the stage, and then Edward.

Alice walking across the stage had been a surprise. She had left school a couple of months ago, with enough credits and the correct grades to graduate, and while she was pretending to be ill in Seattle, she had completed a few assignments emailed to her, and so when the news of Bella's presumed death had come about, the school clearly felt sorry for our family and asked if Alice was well enough to attend. It was actually a nice touch.

And then it was my turn. I briskly walked across the stage, looking to the ground. I didn't want to look at the pitying looks. I shook the principals hand and the man told me take my time to mourn my girlfriend but that Bella would want me to continue on with my life and go to college.

My swift glare threw him off and he quickly handed me the piece of paper I was here for, and then I made my way back to my seat to sulk.

Finally, the graduation ceremony was over, and I could escape.

Not only were the emotions beginning to get too much, but even though I had taken Bella hunting late yesterday, I was so busy helping her and absorbing everything that was her new form, I hadn't hunted myself. I knew my eyes were dangerously dark, I had deep shadows beneath them, and it really wasn't ideal for me to be in an enclosed room with so many humans.

I made my escape to stand beside our cars, I would have ran if there weren't so many people around, and I waited for the rest of the family to wade through the crowd of students and family's to be able to leave. I was anxious to get to my Bella.

Fortunately, this just had me looking more and more like a surly, emotional teenager.

Unfortunately, it left a place for people to seek me out. Jessica Stanley began to walk my way, but fortunately before she was even half way, Angela grabbed her hand and pulled her into a hug, and asked to take some photos, seeing as they had been in school together since kindergarten. Angela sent me a small smile over her shoulder as she steered her away, and I couldn't help but feel immense gratitude for the young woman. She was far more emotionally mature than anyone else her age I had met.

Eventually everyone joined me, including Charlie, Renee, and Phil.

Renee pulled me into a hug and patted my back. I don't think she knew who she was comforting, me, or herself.

Edward snorted in response to that thought and craftily hid it in a fake sneeze.

"Oh Jasper, I can't even begin to know how you're feeling!" She began to sob. She had thankfully let go of me and Phil took over the comforting by rubbing her back. "I thought that the next time I saw you both I would be celebrating your engagement!" She sobbed again.

I knew I had a choice. I had asked Bella to marry me over a week ago. And thankfully nothing had changed in our plans there, she was still wearing the ring, though I might begin to look for something a little more durable than a pearl for her with her new strength. But would it hurt Renee more to know, or to have never know.

I glanced at Alice, who nodded encouragingly, and then to Edward who confirmed.

I took a deep, unnecessary breath.

"I asked Bella to marry me the weekend before." I said quietly, "We wanted to announce it this week while you were in town." I added. A small lie, but one that would make her happy.

Renee began to wail then, and I was worried I had done the wrong thing, but Edward's slight shake of his head told me otherwise.

She hugged me again and congratulated me. Then sobbed again.

She then turned to Phil and said, "I need to go to the beach again, I need to say goodbye properly." He agreed, and we said our goodbyes as she left.

As Renee left, Charlie gave me a strong pat on the back and asked if I was telling the truth then.

"About asking her, absolutely, but we weren't ready to announce it to anyone yet, other than the family as they had all overheard the proposal." I told him.

"Well congratulations, and I look forward to the wedding invite." He said with a little smile. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm exhausted after the events of the week, I'm going to head off. Give her my love for me?"

"Absolutely Charlie, I'll make sure she calls you tonight as we had planned. It'll be off of Esme's phone, just in case anything happens, and people look into call logs and such."

"Of course, I'll see you all around."

A small chorus of 'Bye Charlie." Echoed out as he stepped into his cruiser, and then finally we could make our way home, and I could see Bella again.