Epilogue

And still of a winter's night, they say, when the wind is in the trees, When the moon is a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas, When the road is a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor,
A highwayman comes riding—

Riding—riding—
A highwayman comes riding, up to the old inn-door.

Over the cobbles he clatters and clangs in the dark inn-yard.
He taps with his whip on the shutters, but all is locked and barred. He whistles a tune to the window, and who should be waiting there But the landlord's black-eyed daughter,
Bess, the landlord's daughter,

Plaiting a dark red love-knot into her long black hair.

Bella, Boston, November 2010

"They shot him down that night, like a dog, and he died on the roadway. Didn't even bother to move his body to the side. A couple of good Samaritans came a little while later and quietly buried him."

Edward finished the tale, lapsing into silence. We walked quietly for a while, neither of us uttering a word before:

"I've upset you with this," Edward exclaimed, looking at me in alarm. My hand shot up to my cheek and I was surprised to find that it was wet with tears. I'd heard sad stories before, but this one seemed to especially upset me.

I was embarrassed to hear the quiver in my voice as I replied, "No, it was a lovely story... but not the end, I guess."

Edward still looked guilty, so I smiled, to show him I was fine and he turned back around, hands stuffed in his pockets. I quickly wiped away the tears while he wasn't looking.

"Well," he said, "if it's any comfort, folks around here say that sometimes, during a full moon, they can see two figures wandering these fields, and they say it's the innkeeper's daughter and her highwayman lover, together even after death.

I shivered as I thought of ghostly lovers wandering around these parts. But he was right. It was comforting in way, to think that those we love may never truly leave us.

We had been climbing an upslope for the past five minutes, and as we reached the top, suddenly, the old house materialized below us. I was glad to be home, but disappointed that it meant my time with Edward had to end. We came to a stop, looking at the renovated estate that held so much history.

"Well, here we are," Edward said.

I turned to face him, "Thank you so much for helping me home. And for the story. I still can't believe this is the first time I'm hearing it."

Edward ducked his head, as if embarrassed, "It's no problem. Really." I gave him a brief smile before I turned to go.
"Wait!"

I stopped in my tracks.

"I'd like to see you again sometime," he called out. My smile grew bigger as I turned around to face him.

"I'd like that too," I said, beaming.

"Besides," he continued cheekily, as he started walking back towards me, "you're going to have to give me that jacket back at some point."

I giggled, my face reddening as I realized I was indeed still wearing his jacket. I started to take it off to give it back to him when he put his hand over mine, stopping its motion.

"No, keep it for now," he laughed, "It's damn cold out and besides, it just means you'll have to see me again."

"I don't think that will be a problem," I muttered, the blush still heating my cheeks.

He was standing right in front of me again, captivating me with those green eyes of his when he said, "Shall I give you my number?"

"Yes," I affirmed, "Just let me find my phone."

I was digging around in my pockets, or rather his pockets since after all it was his jacket, for my phone, when all of a sudden, a freezing gust of wind blew out of nowhere, making me stumble, straight into Edward.

When we collided, his hands reached up to steady me, and his touch was warm on my shoulders. A slight breeze had arisen, and I shivered in its wake.

"Isabella?"

I frowned at hearing my full name. Something strange was happening with the air. It smelled ... different. Cleaner. Fresher. Newer.

I looked around me and even the light seemed different. The same old moon was still there and so was the house, and the trees, but everything had been transformed. It was all so familiar and strange at the same time.

"Isabella?"

I wrenched my gaze back to Edward, who was looking at me questioningly, his green eyes confused as he stared at me.

"Edward?" I replied back.

When my eyes met his, my mind flooded with memories. But not just any memories. Like the world around me, these images were both familiar and completely strange. They were mine and not mine. Like a movie they played and I saw places that I was sure I'd never been to before, and yet I knew every detail.

Woodstock... a face in the crowd, eyes catching mine... a wounded soldier in the medical tent on a battlefield in France, his green eyes laced with pain... a bronze haired boy, face burning up with the Spanish influenza... a pale figure standing along in the woods, skin glittering in the sunlight... and so many others hit my vision, making me gasp with their clarity. When they passed, my eyes focused on Edward's again, and it was like a screen had been lifted from my eyes. I saw him clearly for the first time and I found that I was crying.

"Edward!" I sobbed, my hands covering my mouth as my heart swelled with joy.

He broke out into a smile that rivaled the moon in its brilliance as he picked me right up off the ground in his embrace, spinning me around in exuberance.

"Isabella!" he answered, laughing, "Oh Isabella, I'm so happy I found you again."

I was laughing too, and suddenly, his lips were on mine and mingled with the salt of my tears was a taste on my tongue that was so distinctly and recognizably him. His hands were on my waist and mine were lost in his hair as we kissed and all the rest of my memories came flooding back, everything making sense now as I watched it all play again, all the way back to those earliest days, when I had been just a simple barmaid without a clue of all that was to transpire.

When we finally broke apart, we were both breathing heavily, as if we'd just run a marathon, and stood with our foreheads pressed together, savoring each other's presence.

"I told you I'd always come back for you, Isabella," Edward finally whispered, "though hell should bar the way."

"I never doubted it for a second, Edward," I replied, "You've never failed to come back for me."

And he hadn't. Through each iteration of life granted to us, he'd always managed to find me, no matter where we were or what situations we were thrown into. We never knew it at the time but gradually, we'd come to realize that there was something very strange about our connection to each other and that we'd known each other for far longer than could be possible. Each time our eyes were finally opened to the truth, it was as joyous as the first time. However, we were never allowed to enjoy having each other back again for very long. Typically, it lasted 2-3 years, tops, before some tragedy would befall us. We could always feel it coming, and each time, we tried to outrun it, to change our fate, but it always caught up to us in the end.

This time, however, this time felt different. I didn't know if it was the fact that we were back where it all started, in Boston, at the house that used be the inn, that made the difference, but I felt in my bones that Edward and I may very well be allowed to live out our lives as we should have so many years ago.

As he kissed me again, I knew he could feel it too, because his kiss held none of the urgency his kisses in the past had held, as if each time he kissed me could be the last time for a while. And while those were beautiful, passionate kisses that took my breath away, they always left me anxious. This time, all I could feel was euphoria.

"Come home with me, Edward," I whispered against his lips.

"I'd go anywhere with you, Isabella," he promised.

I giggled as a thought crossed my mind and I teased him, "Did you forget already? It's Bella now."

Edward chuckled low in his throat, "Okay, Bella. As you wish. But remember, you'll always be my Isabella."

I was more than okay with that as hand and hand we walked back to the place it all started.

Truthfully, although I had an excess of faith, I didn't really know how long this time would last. And even if it did last, I didn't know if that meant this was the last iteration Edward and I would have on this earth. There were many things I was unsure of.

But one thing that was certain to me, as certain as the ground beneath my feet, was that whatever happened, wherever we ended up, our souls were irrevocably linked, and Edward and I would always find each other again. Though hell should bar the way.