Disclaimer to Stephanie Meyer.

A/N: My fun fact to share about the epilogue is that it was one of the first chapters written. The story was written 1-3, epilogue, and then 4-16. I was on a walk one day and the scene just hit me. I forced my husband to sit down with me on a park bench while I outlined almost the entire chapter on my notes app. When I pulled that outline this week to fully write the chapter, the date of the note's creation was exactly one year prior.

Hope you all like it.

With love, -M

Epilogue

The house was so much smaller than I had remembered. Maybe it was time, or the human memories, or the weight of seeing it closely for the first time in so many years, but I felt like an intruder. I pulled on the front door a bit. The dead bolt wasn't even locked. They hadn't known Charlie always locked everything, even the screen door.

I pulled out the spare key I had once left at the Cullens. Charlie had insisted on giving it to Carlisle, trusting that he'd take care of me if something happened while he was at work. I rolled the key over in my hands, a foreign object after so many years. I had to wiggle the key into the lock, turning slowly not to break the metal.

Click

It still worked.

I pushed open the small white door and took my first step inside the house. It was exactly the same: the furniture, the decor, the appliances, nothing had changed. There was a newer TV and a recliner in the living room, the only indication that time had passed for Charlie.

Except for all the dust.

I walked into the kitchen, tracing my fingers along the cabinets. No one had cleaned the house in months. The cabinets bent down from years of wear, the kitchen table was cracked in the middle, the only thing that looked halfway clean was the refrigerator and the microwave.

My father's scent still lingered downstairs after all this time. It was painful, but not like thirst. It was painful like a fading memory. Like something that could still be cherished, but was just out of reach.

I'd missed my father so much.

I moved from the kitchen into the hallway and up the stairs. The same pictures from my human life still hung on the wall, most from summers spent with my father as a child. Some new pictures had been added, some I had never seen before. Pictures of Sue and her family hung on the wall, never replacing old pictures but added around the one's my father would never take down. A picture of the two on their wedding day hung, a beautiful sunny day on the reservation.

I had been there when my father got married. I'd begged Billy and Sam for special permission to be present on the reservation. They'd reluctantly agreed, keeping a close eye on me the entire time. I'd wanted so badly that day to have Jasper's abilities. I'd wanted to feel the joy I saw on my father's face, the first real joy I'd seen from him since I had moved to Forks. I'd wanted to project my love to him, to try and let him know that I was there and happy and always thinking of him.

But I stayed in the shadows and watched as the sun shined on their celebration.

Naturally, time passed and Sue and my father got older. I came to love Sue as fully as my father had. She brought happiness to my father's life that I had never seen before. She cared for him in a way I was unable to, helped mend the pain I had inflicted on him. Together, they had years of laughs and celebrations and holidays. Sue brought life back to my father, and I would forever be grateful to her.

But much too soon, Sue passed away. Her passing was slow, but painless, and it gave my father the chance to give the goodbye he'd never had with me. I was there with him then, too, when he cried over Sue's death. More than ever before, I'd wanted to reach out to him and comfort him, to ease the pain his heart would bear to carry. Jasper did help this time to pass on my love to Charlie. I may have imagined it, but I thought he'd understood and found some peace with the pain. He lived on for a few more years.

I placed my foot on the first stair, hesitating in uncertainty. I forced another foot on the next stair and clung to the railing. A small snap broke me from my thoughts and sprinkles of woods fluttered under my fingers.

I'd gripped the railing too hard, forgetting the strength of myself. Something I hadn't done in decades.

I walked through the hallway of the second floor, passing the single shared bathroom. My old bedroom door was closed and I left it that way. If Alice was right, I didn't have much time.

And I didn't want to waste a second.

My father's bedroom door was cracked and I could hear the low uneven rhythm of his breathing. I placed my forehead on the door and took a huge breath of air. I hadn't harmed a single human since my transformation, but I wouldn't risk it for Charlie, even now.

Alice assured me it was today.

I pushed open the door as quietly as I could. The creak of the hinges was drowned out by the noise of the monitors and machines. Charlie laid in his bed, his chest barely rising and falling. Tubes of IVs and oxygen stringed him to equipment hovering above his head. I squeezed my eyes shut to try and remember what his room had looked like before. It had been humorously empty, the classic single man living space. I could see now that Sue had brightened up the room a bit, adding artwork and furniture to the small space.

I took the single seat next to my father's bedside.

He'd aged so much since the last I'd seen him. His skin was thin with heavy wrinkles and he'd lost weight. He looked exhausted, even in his sleep. I rubbed my hand down Charlie's arm, something I hadn't done since I was a child. His skin was so warm, so blazing hot against my ice cold touch. I hoped he didn't mind.

I slipped my hand into his and squeezed gently. His breathing deepend a bit and his eyes slowly fluttered open. It was a long minute before he turned his head to see me and the heart rate monitor sped up. I reached up to turn it off.

Alice said he wouldn't need it any longer.

"Bella."

I smiled at my father. It was the first time since the last time my father had spoken my name to me. I'd heard it in his wedding toast, in conversations with friends, sometimes I'd even heard him speak it to himself, but never spoken to me.

His voice was frail and weak, old age claiming his energy wherever it could. I could still hear my father in it though, and my chest warmed with joy to be with him.

"Hi dad…"

"Am I finally-"

"No. Not yet."

Charlie's eyebrows creased and he squinted at me.

"But, you're still so young."

"I know."

I brushed some of the hair off my father's face and watched him. He was silent. Maybe he thought he was dreaming.

His body arched as a coughing fit started. I stood to support his back, careful not to use any of my strength.

Like a paper, like a book, Edward had told me.

The coughing stopped and my father leaned back onto the bed.

"I missed you so much, Bells… I'm- I'm so sorry for pushing you out that day- I-"

"Shhhh," I whispered. "Dad, it's okay. It's not your fault. I've been here all along, keeping a good eye on you."

Thick tears welled in my father's eyes as he squeezed my hand.

"I met someone."

"I know. She was good to you."

"She was." My father smiled and tried to turn, to grab the frame standing on his nightstand. I reached for it before he could strain himself, wiping the dust off before giving it to him. The frame folded, holding two pictures on each side. One of him and Sue on a fishing trip, the other of us sitting on the couch watching a game together.

Charlie looked at the picture and clutched it to his chest.

"There was never a day I didn't think of you," he said.

"I know dad. Me too."

We were quiet again. Charlie coughed more and asked for me to get him some water. He studied the frame, his thumb rubbing over the picture of him and Sue.

"Are you happy? Healthy? Safe?" he asked.

"Yes. After the crash I was saved, but I had to…"

He looked me up and down.

"Change," he said.

"Yeah, I had to change."

Another coughing fit.

"You know, Billy told me some crazy stuff before he passed. Thought he was losing it."

My head fell back in laughter. Oh how I would have loved to listen to that conversation.

"I can't really blame you."

Charlie huffed and put down the frame.

"So- you're like them."

"Yes."

Charlie reached over to grab my hand and squeezed as hard as he could.

"Are they…"

"They're family."

The tears pooled in his eyes finally fell down his cheek. I pulled my sleeve over my hand and wiped them away. My father smiled at me, the same look of joy from his wedding day.

"They saved my life," I said.

Charlie nodded, as much as he could, and continued to cry. He patted my hand at his bedside, and if he noticed how cold it was he didn't show it. He simply closed his eyes and smiled. One day, I would ask Edward for every thought my father had.

But not today.

"It's almost time, isn't it?" he asked.

"Yes," I said.

"I love you, Bells. You were my whole world."

"I love you too, dad."

Charlie reached up to grab my head and lay it gently on his chest. We laid there, for how long I'm still not sure, and I listened to his heart beat for its last moments. He never let go of me.

Until his chest stilled.

...

I left the room mostly as I had found it except for the frame once at my father's bedside. I took one last look, my father peacefully at rest with the pictures cradled in his arms, and closed the door.

I stood in the hallway and fiddled with my sweater. My father was gone. Alice had warned me and I had tried to prepare myself, but the ache in my body didn't seem to care.

My father had had a long life full of people who loved him. There was nothing left on this Earth for him. He had found the love he'd always longed for, he had kept close friends and a fulfilling career that protected a community he loved.

And I was able to give him the goodbye he'd always prayed for.

I walked down the hall to my old bedroom. After all these years, I'd never tried to visit. The last time I was inside it, I was human.

I pushed on the door to peek inside.

My human scent still lingered in the air. I couldn't help but laugh to myself. Edward was right, I did smell good.

I forced myself to step fully inside the room. My room was exactly the same as I had left it. The purple sheets on my bed were never changed, still the same sheets I'd slept in. I could smell that Charlie spent time in here, his scent mixed heavily with mine.

The outdated computer still sat on my desk along with the paper I'd finished writing that morning. Old clothes hung in my closet and on various pieces of furniture, Charlie hadn't picked up one thing. Even the books on my nightstand were still there.

I walked over to grab them, to take those small pieces of my human life into my current, when the window opened.

Edward climbed through.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Just like old times, huh? I can't believe I ever thought you were graceful at that."

Edward moved behind me, wrapping both of his arms around me and laying his head on my shoulder.

"I used to oil the window."

I smiled softly and continued to rummage through the books.

"He couldn't have been more at peace than he was," he whispered.

I nodded and dropped my shield. I wanted him to know everything.

"I'm glad I got to say goodbye," I said.

Edward rubbed my arms and breathed deeply. "Me too. He had a good life, even if you weren't able to be part of it more."

"You think?"

"I know. He was happy."

"That's all I ever wanted for him."

Edward sat on the bed and pulled me onto his lap.

"And that's all he ever wanted for you," he said.

I turned and let Edward hold me. We'd never left Forks. I'd wanted to stay and watch over my father. Edward stayed with me through it all, to comfort me when I couldn't be part of my father's life and to console me when he got sick.

And after all this time, I still wasn't ready to leave.

"The nurse will be here in a few hours," he said.

"I know."

"They're going to take good care of him."

"I know."

Edward held me a bit tighter and kissed my forehead.

"They're burying him next to Sue. Did you know that?"

"Yeah. That gives me some comfort."

"Well, did you know that Sue waived her reservation burial when she passed?"

I sat up to look at him.

"No?"

"Mhmm, she did. She wanted to be buried with your father."

"Where is she buried?"

Edward cusped both my cheeks and bent his forehead down to mine.

"One space over from yours."

"You mean-"

"He'll be with you both."

I covered my mouth to try and stop the choked sound lodged in my throat. It was dumb, to care about such a thing when I wasn't really there.

But it did bring me peace.

...

Edward never let go of my hand as we left the house, locking the door as if we'd never been there. I pulled the key from the lock and put it in my pocket, a small keepsake I would forever cherish.

My last goodbye to my father.

Edward opened the car door for me before climbing inside.

"Well, where to?" he asked

"Hmmm, we can go anywhere?" I asked.

"Anywhere."

"What about your hometown?"

He gave me a sidelong glance. "You want to go to Chicago?" he asked.

"Yeah, I want to see where you grew up. I think it's only fair."

Edward laughed. "I got really sick the last time I was there, you know."

I shrugged. "I have a feeling that won't be the case this time."

He kissed the back of my hand, shifting the car into reverse.

"Chicago then."

A/N: First, thank you to everyone who followed and interacted with this story in the process of me writing it. I would not have finished writing it if it were not for the kind words from you all.

This story was definitely a longer endeavor than I had anticipated, and I appreciate the patience each of you allotted me when I took forever to update. This is the first story I've ever written and I learned so much throughout the process. When I finished the epilogue, I went back and reread the story from start to finish. I wish I could go back and rewrite the first half (at least) of the story. It took me over a year to finish and it's apparent I needed that time to better my writing.

Lastly, I want to thank all of these users for taking the time to comment (and remind me to update) as much as they did on my story. I loved reading them all and I'm so appreciative.

Anntastic92

butterflygrl0329

glowingivy

Guiltypleasure82

Kiimii

MDBEU

SassYNoleS

Sunflower Fran

TheMoonsLullaby

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I wish you all the best and I hope you all enjoyed the story!

With love,

-M