Author's Note: I hope you enjoy this update! Thanks so much for hanging out to the end. I know I haven't been the best about updates lately. Home was started as a one shot almost exactly one year ago. It's come so far and I'm proud of the outcome. I'm going to do my best to post the epilogue by the end of 2021. Happy Holidays!

Graduation arrived before the seniors of Forks High School felt anywhere near prepared for it. Bella decided to invite her mother to the ceremony after weeks of careful thought, but she didn't come. She called to congratulate her daughter and gave a list of excuses why she couldn't, then asked Charlie to buy a gift and put her name on it. He refused.

Charlie and the entire Cullen family were in attendance cheering for Bella, Edward, and the other graduates. Edward had graduated many times before but this one was special. The way Bella smiled nervously when her name was called and positively radiated with joy when she saw her father sitting beside Carlisle and Esme in the audience was everything to him. He couldn't wait to spend the rest of his life with her. The waiting for her to be fully his was almost over. A near century of suffering and painful loneliness was coming to a close.

Alice wanted to throw a grand party to celebrate graduation but that simply wasn't Bella and Edward. In an effort to not make anyone uncomfortable, she instead catered a small lunch for Bella and Charlie to spend time together before the ceremony and prepared a surprise at the cabin for Bella and Edward after.

Edward carried Bella over the threshold and lightly tossed her down on the bed. "I will never tire of hearing your thoughts, but you've been teasing me for hours."

"And?"

He growled. "I was hoping for a romantic night in but I'm going to have to show you just what that does to me first."

"That is romantic." she giggled.

Edward sniffed weirdly and looked around the cabin before spotting the surprise Alice had managed to keep from him. He laughed as he noticed the details on it.

"What is it?"

"Our graduation present. A new set of luggage." He looked pointedly at the stack of leather luggage in the corner. "Yours are full of clothing for you. Mine have name tags with baseball bats and garlic on them because my family are smartasses. The tags on yours are shaped like a book and a vial of blood."

"Wow." Bella giggled. "That's so much better than a party."

"They know we won't be able to travel for a while though."

"Well, about that…"

Edward froze and looked questioningly at Bella, holding his breath as if afraid of what she might say. Bella caressed his cheek. "What if I want to stay human for six more months so we can travel the world first?"

"You really mean it?!"

"I do." Bella shared her thoughts to show him how long she had been planning.

Edward squealed like a girl and kissed all over her face, making Bella giggle again. "I'm so excited!"

"Me too."

"Am I allowed to give you your graduation present?"

"Aren't you my present?" Bella teased, making Edward roll his eyes playfully as he handed her a box.

"I know you don't wear jewelry very much but I was debating what to get you and I couldn't stop thinking about these." She opened the box to reveal a pair of pearl earrings with diamond accents. "They were my grandmother's on my father's side. She gave them to my mother as a wedding present."

"They're lovely. Won't I lose my ear piercings when I change though?"

"That's why they're clip ons." He smiled. "It was uncommon for women to have pierced ears then. They all wore these."

"I love them. I'll wear them the next time we go out somewhere. I don't want to lose one when I give you the last part of your graduation present though."

"What's that?"

"Me."

Edward laughed and happily reached for her shirt.

It wasn't long after graduation before it was time for the wedding. There was a large guest list because they didn't want to offend anyone by not inviting them and also because Alice would take any excuse to throw a big affair. Bella invited her mother, though Charlie made sure she stayed in a hotel in Port Angeles so she wouldn't be too close.

Still, Renee insisted on spending time with Bella leading up to the ceremony. When she asked her to meet for lunch, Bella insisted on bringing Alice because they had to attend to last minute details that only Alice could handle. Edward was still worried about what might happen.

Charlie was nervously trying to read the day's newspaper when there was a knock on the door.

"Edward? Is everything alright?"

"You know my family is…different. Would you believe me if I told you I can read minds?"

"Honestly? Yeah. I would."

"Will you come help me keep an eye on Bella? I don't trust her mother."

"Let me get my keys."

Edward chuckled and waited for Charlie, allowing him to drive. He most certainly would not approve of Edward's speeding.

"Can Alice read minds too?"

"No, just me."

"You can read mine?"

"Most of the time."

"Creepy. And Bella's?"

"When she lets me."

"OK, I'm going to need a little explanation on that one." Charlie said as he sped out of the driveway.

Edward laughed. "I wondered when you might start asking questions. Some members of my family are gifted in different ways. Emmett has super strength. I can read minds. We suspect Bella might be gifted as well but we can't fully test it yet. She can block mind readers."

Charlie laughed then. "She would have to be talented at keeping people out of her head growing up with her mother. Alright, so you can read minds. Why did you bring me?"

"I have a bit of a temper where Bella is concerned. I would never hurt her. But when people harm or upset her..."

"You can keep an eye on her in someone's thoughts but you're worried how you might react. You want me to go rescue her if things get too bad?"

"Alice will more than take care of her. I wanted us to be close by in case Bella needs us. But I need you to stop me from running in there and-"

"Got it." Charlie said. "Don't finish that sentence. Cop."

"You were more afraid of what I might do to her mother than the mind reading thing. I'm impressed."

"Yeah, well, I've seen plenty of freaky things in my time. Mind reading seems relatively harmless in comparison. You guys aren't shape-shifters, are you? I've heard tales…"

"No. We're…" Edward hesitated, not wanting to say things like 'human' or 'mortal.' "-people. Just with extra abilities. And weird diets because of those abilities."

"Ah. That's not so bad then. I think I can live with that."

"I hope so." Edward chuckled. "The wedding is tomorrow."

"Don't remind me. I like you, kid. But I don't want to give up my baby girl yet."

"You aren't. She can visit or call you any time she likes. And no matter where we are if you want to visit, we'll fly you out, except for the couple of months we warned you about when she may be sick as she officially joins our family. You can call her as much as you want though. It will be less than a week when she may not be able to talk. A few days."

"This is what she want?"

"I've tried to talk her out of it many times. Her mind is made up. She did agree to travel with me for six months or so first though. She told me our graduation night. We're going to start in Brazil after the wedding. Bella doesn't know that though. Then, we'll go to Africa, then Europe, then Asia."

"You really love her."

"I do. I won't let anyone or anything hurt her. I promise. Unfortunately, that includes trying to keep a close eye on her mother."

"I'm so glad Alice went with her."

"Me too."

They rode the rest of the way to the restaurant in silence. Thankfully, Charlie wasn't afraid of speeding though he didn't go as fast as Edward would have.

They parked the car behind the restaurant right as Bella and Alice sat down.

"I texted Bella that we're nearby." Edward said softly. "I didn't want her to feel like we're spying on her."

"Is she mad?"

"No. She's happy we're here."

"Can you hear them from here?"

"I can hear Alice. Bella has her thoughts blocked but that's her natural state. She has to focus to allow me to read them or be very relaxed. She's too nervous right now."

"I can understand that. I was hoping her mother wouldn't come."

"Me too but it means a lot to Bella to see her and give her the chance."

Charlie nodded in hesitant agreement. They saw Renee enter the restaurant and sat quietly.

Alice was showing Bella swatches of ten different shades of pink nail polish she was trying to pick from to do her nails for the wedding.

"They're all pink, Alice!" Bella laughed.

"I know! But there's Ballet Slipper, then there's Pouty Pink, then there's- "

"This one." Bella pointed. "It's subtle. It's not going to take attention away from my dress."

Alice smiled. "Now that's spoken like a Cullen in the making!"

"What are we discussing, ladies?"

"Hi mom! Nail polish. I picked this color for tomorrow." Bella held out the card she had chosen.

"That's nice dear, but don't you think-"

Alice interrupted, "I think it will be just lovely with her dress! You should see the shoes we picked for her. And the earrings Edward gave her for graduation. They're so pretty and understated!"

Edward chuckled. "What?" Charlie asked.

"Renee already tried to change Bella's mind on her nail polish for tomorrow but Alice interrupted her."

"Remind me to thank Alice."

"Me too." Edward agreed, tuning back to their conversation.

Bella and her mother ate in relative peace. Alice got away with ordering only water, pretending to be on a crash diet. She snuck a few French fries off of Bella's plate and hid them in the napkin in her lap so Renee would think she was eating them when she looked away.

"Now dear, are you sure about this? You're awfully young to be getting married. There's still time to back out, you know. One of my biggest regrets was marrying your father. You're much too young. I can't believe they are allowing this."

"I'm sure, mom. This is what I want. We're happy."

"Alright then." Renee said. Bella smiled nervously. Alice paid the bill for everyone and the three of them walked outside together. "What are these last-minute details you two just have to attend to all day today that keep you from spending time with your mother? I haven't seen you in months!"

"There's a huge list!" Alice started enthusiastically. "We picked her nail polish color. We still have to discuss makeup, her final decision on hairstyle, packing for the honeymoon, finalizing the playlist for the reception-"

"I wish you had involved me more." Renee looked sternly at Bella. Edward knew she was starting to panic without even needing to be a mind reader. "It's not every day your daughter gets married! Are you sure you made the right decision about everything? I mean, their backyard? The flowers? The cake?"

"Mom, it's my wedding. I'm happy."

"Alright." Renee threw her hands up. "Just saying. There's a lot to consider."

"And Alice and Esme have done a wonderful job with everything. It's all handled."

"Well, apparently not if you are waiting until the last minute-"

"I'm the one that waited, mom." Bella interrupted the rant. "It was my fault we're choosing these things last minute. I had to focus on school and stuff first. Graduating was more important, right?"

"You're right. I'm sorry."

Alice smiled and Bella visibly relaxed. "I suppose you two are busy the rest of the night then. I'll see you tomorrow, Bella?"

"Yes. You can come see me before the ceremony. I'll be in Alice's room."

Edward and Charlie exchanged a relieved glance when Renee left without noticing them or paying Charlie's cruiser any attention since it wasn't directly in front of her. Alice spoke aloud. "You two can go home now. I'm taking Bella to the spa and the bookstore before we go back." Bella giggled. Edward relayed the message and the men drove away.

"You are going to do just fine." Rosalie said, comparing two types of hairsprays and trying to decide which would be better for the ceremony. "Besides, no one will remember if you stutter a little or mix up your vows. Everyone is going to be talking about your dress, your hair, the reception, people who spend too long making speeches." She giggled. "The first time Emmett and I got married I thought Carlisle would never shut up."

Bella laughed. "He's usually right to the point. I'm surprised."

"Only after years of careful training from the rest of us." Rosalie laughed. "He used to go on for hours sometimes." She rolled her eyes. "Oh my God do not get him started talking about the French Revolution. He remembers every last detail! I swear, one time Esme had to stop him from writing a letter to the publishers of an extremely inaccurate research paper on some of the events of it."

"I'll try to remember that." Bella blushed and looked down at her manicured nails. "What was it like – your wedding night?"

"Wonderful, exhilarating, terrifying, amazing." Rosalie smiled and started to brush Bella's hair. "It wasn't our first time together. I know it won't be yours either. But it's still special. You dream of it your whole life. You want everything to be perfect. And it will be. No matter how clumsy or awkward or fun it is, at the end of it, you still have each other. Forever."

"I like the sounds of that."

"It's really brave of you to do this in front of your friends and family after knowing all you've been through. When Emmett and I got married, I loved the ceremony and the attention even though everyone in attendance was an immortal then. I know you don't really like all of the spotlight."

"No, but I want forever. And if this is what it takes, I'm happy. I've warmed up to the idea now that I've had time to get used to it and help plan things."

"Don't think you're getting out of helping me plan when Emmett and I renew our vows again."

"Again?"

"I like being center of attention." Rosalie laughed.

A sharp inhale from the doorway caught Bella's attention after Alice opened the door to someone knocking. Charlie stood frozen admiring his daughter as Rosalie put the finishing touches on her hair.

Bella stood up. "How do I look?"

Charlie stammered, tears in his eyes as he struggled to find the right word. "Beautiful. All grown up." He cried and Alice handed him a tissue quietly, giving Bella a look that dared her to cry and risk messing up any of her makeup.

"I wanted to come upstairs before your mother does. Esme has been keeping her distracted by having her help with the catering. How are you feeling?"

"Excited. Nervous. Ready for this to be over with." Bella smiled as she went to hug her father.

"Edward is a nervous wreck." Charlie laughed. "Jasper told him he was going to tie him to a chair until the ceremony if he didn't stop pacing and messing with his hair. Emmett threatened to send the DJ home and take his place if he didn't settle down. That worked." He laughed again. "I don't think anyone trusts Emmett with the music."

"They shouldn't." Bella said, remembering what he was singing the night he showed them to their cabin.

"Are you all packed for your travels?"

"And then some. Alice took care of everything."

"Do you need anything?"

"I'm all set."

"You have your something old?"

"The earrings Edward gave me."

"Something borrowed?"

"Rosalie let me borrow these shoes."

"That leaves the something blue." Charlie smiled and held out a box to Bella. "It is supposed to be from me and your mom but it sounds like Esme is keeping her good and distracted. It was your grandmother Swan's hair comb." She smiled at the silver comb with blue stones and immediately turned hesitantly to Rosalie.

"I talked to your father last night. This is the finishing touch to this lovely updo." Rosalie took it out of the box and placed it in Bella's hair.

"Alice?"

"You look wonderful, Bella. Edward is going to lose it."

"Dad?"

"You have never looked happier or more beautiful." Charlie lowered his voice a little. "We took bets on who cries first when they see her, Edward or all the boys who regret not asking her out now. "The women laughed and Alice and Rosalie ushered Charlie outside the door as they helped Bella finish fastening and tying the back of her dress.

"Ready?" Charlie asked when he walked back into the room.

"Beyond ready. Don't let me fall?"

"Never."

Edward waited impatiently under a canopy of flowers in the Cullen's large garden. Nearly a hundred years of waiting came down to this day. The seconds ticked by like hours. He tried to make the time pass more quickly by talking to friends and family, counting flowers on the arch under which the ceremony would take place, listening in to thoughts and conversations of those near him. Alice made him swear that he wouldn't intentionally glimpse Bella before the ceremony in someone's mind. It was near impossible to resist the urge to take a peek.

The music started and Edward took his place, hands clenched at his side and breathing only shallowly so the humans wouldn't get suspicious. All of his thoughts and emotions focused on his favorite smell slowly increasing in strength as she approached him on the arm of her father. Every step she took inside the house echoed in his mind and reminded him that this was it! All of his anxieties leading up to this were nothing now. She was about to truly be his.

The doors to the house opened and then he saw her. If Edward's heart had still beat, he swore it would have stopped at the sight of his blushing bride. While the thoughts of others focused on the dress, her hair, her jewelry, all he saw was her smile. Bella opened her mind to him and Edward nearly forgot where he was as he lost himself for a time in nothing but her happiness. He saw his own face reflected in her thoughts with a radiant smile that made her heart pound in her chest. Each careful step in the borrowed high heels seemed to take three times longer than normal. A hand on his arm from Jasper barely stopped him from wanting to run down the aisle and grab her, though his brother stopped his motion before any human saw him even flex.

Charlie had tears in his eyes as he placed her hand in his. "Take care of her, Edward. Good luck, you two."

"I will." he promised. Charlie took his place with a smile.

"You are a goddess. So beautiful."

"You're one to talk."

"I've missed you."

"I've missed you too."

Minister Weber cleared his throat. "Shall we begin?"

Bella chose to stay in her dress for the reception, which was taking place in the Cullen's garden as well. The whole yard had been lovingly decorated in flowers in a variety of shades of white, cream, and pearl, at least, those were the colors if you asked Alice. There were tables set up for eating and a wood floor assembled for dancing. The meal was served buffet style so the humans could eat as much as they wanted without people noticing that the vampires did not. Edward fed Bella playfully from his plate and acted too nervous to eat, not that it was a stretch to call him nervous. He had gotten himself so worked up prior to the ceremony that it took a while to calm down even though he was overwhelmingly happy the second he saw her.

Despite Bella's misgivings and fears, their first dance together as husband and wife went perfectly. Edward could hear in Bella's thoughts when she was having trouble following or feeling off balance and quickly adjusted for her. "I can't believe you're really mine." he whispered into her ear.

"I feel the same way about you."

"I am going to let you dance with your father and my brothers, then I am not letting you out of my arms again for days."

"I'm still human, you know."

Edward smiled. "For now."

"For now." Bella agreed, leaning against him with a happy sigh.

Charlie was the first to cut in for the second dance. "I've never been much good at this. It certainly won't look like that." he laughed nervously. "But I didn't want to miss an opportunity to tell you how happy I am. It means the world to me to see you so happy. And excited. And cared for. The Cullens are wonderful. I couldn't ask for a better family for you to marry into. Though I feel I should warn you that Rosalie has already threatened Emmett away from the DJ stand three times."

Bella giggled. "I'm surprised he hasn't started karate chopping the wooden benches yet or trying to arm wrestle the minister or something."

"You really think he'd do that?"

"Definitely."

"Be careful when you travel, alright? I know Edward will take great care of you but there's a lot of scary stuff out there."

"We'll be careful. I promise. Besides, you know us. It will mostly be museums and historical stuff anyhow."

"True. I'm grateful for that. Call if you need anything?"

"I will. Alice put international plans on both of our phones already."

"Good. What would we do without little Alice?"

Alice swirled nearby them in Jasper's arms. "Forget everything."

"Uh huh." Charlie agreed with a grin.

"May I have this dance?" Jasper asked politely when the song changed, taking Bella from Charlie with a big smile. "Your emotions are a very nice thing to be around right now. I don't think I could make you any happier even with my gift."

"You couldn't." Bella agreed with a shy smile. "Thank you for everything, Jasper. I can't imagine we would ever be here without your help."

"It's my pleasure. You kids have fun on your travels. There is so much to see out there. You will love it. And when you're ready, we'll always be here for you."

"I feel like the luckiest girl in the world."

"Ah, but we are lucky to have you as well." Jasper smiled, twirling her easily like he had his Alice. Bella giggled as Jasper let go of her only to have her land in Carlisle's embrace.

"Hello, Mrs. Cullen. My, how lovely you look in that dress. What on Earth have you done with sweet, shy Bella who used to tremble at the thought of staircases and take solitude in the family library away from the chaos of teenagers and crowds?"

"She's sleeping for today. Thank you." Bella blushed and smiled into his kind eyes.

"You know, there were many times Esme and I doubted whether Edward would ever find true happiness. I know the years haven't been easy for either of you, but we are so glad to officially welcome you to the family."

"Thank you. I'm incredibly grateful. And happy."

"And hopefully you always shall be."

"Me next! Me next!" came a giggling shout beside them. Emmett was bouncing up and down on his heels eagerly waiting for his turn with Bella.

Carlisle kissed her hand. "Safe travels, newest daughter."

"Bella! Bella! Bella!"

"Hi, Emmett."

"You look hot!"

"Thank you…I think." she giggled. "You had better not let Edward hear you saying that."

"No," he grinned. "He might not take too kindly to me flirting with his wife. I would imagine you don't want a big scene of us fighting at your reception?"

"No, I don't." Bella said, though it was impossible not to smile over being called 'Edward's wife.' She loved the sound of that.

"Damn. Maybe next time." Emmett laughed. "Rose and I have renewed our vows several times. She likes the ceremony. And she looks damn hot in those cute little dresses. The best part of a good wedding dress is the unwrapping afterwards. You see…"

"Emmett…" Edward growled in warning, passing them with Esme in his arms beaming up at him.

"Hey, Rosie took my iPod!" Emmett shouted. "But I'll get it back later!"

"I'm going to miss you." Bella laughed. "But not too much."

"No, you'll be having all kinds of fun on your own, won't you?" he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Well, perhaps not on your own, per se, but you know what I mean…if you know what I mean."

"You know, I'd like to think I don't know what you mean, Emmett. I'm sure your thoughts are much more inappropriate than mine."

"Always." he grinned. "But we can work on that. Forever!" Emmett tried to make a mean face but it only made Bella laugh anymore. Her cheeks started hurting from laughing and smiling so much. She couldn't remember ever having been so happy, feeling the love of her friends and family all around her.

"I think I would like my bride back now." Edward appeared then and Bella froze, completely dazzled by his golden eyes, full of life and emotion. He smiled at her and she forgot how to breathe. Bella could hardly believe he was hers. He took her in his arms and whispered in her ear. "And might I say, your blush looks positively delectable in that neckline. I think I might agree with my brother on the unwrapping part. I am very much looking forward to it."

Bella blushed even more and Edward chuckled. "I can't believe this is real."

"Me neither." he said. "But if it's a dream, it's the best I've ever had."

"Me too."

"Can we borrow our newest daughter for a minute?" Carlisle approached the couple with his arm around Esme.

"Of course."

"I think Charlie was wanting a word with you before you depart, Edward."

"I'll go find him."

Esme stepped away from Carlisle and put her arm around Bella, leading her to a spot away from everyone else. "First of all, congratulations and welcome to our family, Mrs. Cullen!" she smiled.

"Thank you." Bella blushed and tucked a bit of hair that had fallen out while dancing behind her ear.

"We wanted to give you your official welcome. All the members of our family have a piece of jewelry with our crest, though they don't always wear it. And that's OK." Carlisle handed her a delicate silver bracelet with the Cullen crest on it accented by small diamonds.

"It's beautiful. Thank you."

"May I help you put it on?" Esme asked. Bella nodded. "I should also apologize to you, Bella." Esme's eyes were twinkling with a mischief not unlike Emmett, which would have been concerning if she wasn't so sweet and motherly. "You see, your mother started getting a little belligerent towards me and Carlisle for approving of you marrying so young. And you know how much I love hosting parties and having humans over to feed…well…I kept offering her wine. I haven't drunk in so long. I have no idea what human tolerances are like…" Esme giggled. "I'm the reason she didn't come with your father to give you your gift, and why she spent most of the reception sleeping in one of the guest rooms. I'm very sorry she won't be awake to see you off."

"Thanks, mom." Bella hugged Esme as Carlisle smiled behind her before giving her a hug as well.

Esme caressed Bella's cheek and smiled at the endearment and how happy she was to have her newest daughter in the family. "Edward has waited so long for you. Our family feels whole now. No more loneliness. You'll always have us, Bella. You've helped us all so much more than you realize." Esme and Carlisle squeezed her hands and went to rejoin the party.

"Are you ready, my love?" Edward asked, making Bella gasp as she saw the moonlight reflected in his golden eyes, which were slowly turning black from admiring her blush as he took her by surprise.

"For what?" she asked with a nervous giggle. Why couldn't she stop giggling?!

"To start our journey into forever. Everyone is going to see us off. We're actually spending the night in our cabin and leaving tomorrow but no one else needs to know that." he winked. "Except Alice, who already figured it out. I told your father in private and promised we would call him or Esme for a minute when we're safely at the hotel."

"Alright, let's do this." Bella took his hand and they stood near the house as Alice got everyone's attention and led them to the front yard. Edward and Bella ran through a shower of well-wishers throwing rice, laughing, ducking, and trying to avoid the condoms Emmett was tossing to be his usual smartassed self.

They drove the car to a secluded spot also on the family property but out of sight and Edward took his bride in his arms to run to the cabin. She relaxed in the familiar embrace, enjoying the peace and quiet of only the two of them after the long day.

"My wedding gift to you is a few months of newlywed peace and quiet traveling the world before we settle into the chaotic life of the Cullen family."

"Sounds perfect." Bella smiled. "I got you something. It's not exactly a trip, but…"

"You're my wedding present." he grinned. "I can't wait to unwrap you."

"Only if I get to return the favor."

"Deal, but I absolutely did not wear the lingerie Emmett wanted me to." Edward chuckled. "I'm embarrassed to say he tried to talk me into packing a Speedo in front of your father."

"Oh God, how bad was it?"

"Your dad blushed profusely and wouldn't make eye contact with anyone for nearly ten minutes."

Bella laughed hard then, trying to catch her breath but struggling because she couldn't stop laughing. "I wish I could have seen that."

"Me too. It was torture being without you all day. Allow me?" Edward asked, reaching for the top of her dress. Bella nodded and he kissed her shoulder before slowly undoing each button running down the back at a slow human pace. "So gorgeous. I can't believe you're really mine."

"Did you see yourself in that tux?"

"You liked that, huh? I'll dress up for you more often. Good thing Alice packed a couple for me."

"I'm afraid to ask what she packed for me."

"Judging by my credit card statement, half a lingerie store, a couple swimsuits, maybe a dress or two I can take you to dinner in."

"I'm going to be wearing your clothes then."

"Or nothing at all." Edward teased. Bella leaned into his touches, relaxing her mind, and letting him truly feel how at peace she was, and her happiness at how far they had both grown together. They were at ease and happy together. They stopped caring about things like inappropriateness and lines that shouldn't be crossed. They had each other. No one could ever interfere with that.