This is it folks. The end of the line. Jasper and Bella have both been through so much since this started and I have truly, TRULY enjoyed each and every one of you experiencing it with them. Thank you for every review, like, follow, comment, all of it! I am so honored to have written something that so many of you were able to relate to and enjoy. This is honestly one of my favorite pieces I've ever worked on and it is you guys, the fans, who have made it so special. Let's be honest here: I can write until my fingers fall off but it's the patronage of such wonderful people that make it worth sharing.

If you like this, maybe you'd like my other stuff. I promise there are more wonderful things coming (ARROW!). I'm also joining AO3 since I understand that there are several sites that have stolen all the content from here and are using ads to make money. And let me tell you: if I work this hard and don't make anything off of it, no one else is going to.

The song for this chapter is All This Time by OneRepublic. Because who else would provide the song for this monumental chapter.

Disclaimer: If you haven't gotten the message that these characters don't belong to me by now, then I'm doing this whole disclaimer thing wrong. You know what I do have though? Some awesome, kickass fans. And that's even better.

Chapter Twenty Six: All This Time

BPOV
"Are you ready for this," Charlotte asked me excitedly as I straightened my dress in the mirror. I met her gaze in the mirror and couldn't keep the silly grin from my face. My eyes were bright and if there was a time before this in my entire life, human or supernatural, that I looked as beautiful as I was in this moment, I couldn't think of it. My hair was pulled back and styled into a classically elegant twist. My dress was a simple masterpiece of lace and silk. I'd found the designs for it when Jasper and I were going through Alice's old things, deciding what to keep and what to donate. I'd decided to go through her sketchbook out of a sense of nostalgia and not an actual interest in fashion design. I'd moved my fingers over the sketches, admiring her delicate artistry and missing her fiercely in that moment. When I'd turned the page to see the title of the project with the beautiful plans for what I wore now, I'd wanted to cry. She'd captured me perfectly, of course.

I turned as the door behind me opened and Esme walked in, looking ethereal in a silver cocktail dress.

"We're all ready for you," she said, coming up beside me and tucking an errant hair behind my ear. I took a deep breath, surprisingly calm and content. Charlotte, Rose and I followed her out the door. We walked out of the house and out into the backyard. It had been transformed into a beautiful display of yellow and white daisies and lace. A small crowd rose at our entrance, made up mostly of friends of the family. Peter and Emmett stood by Jasper at the end of an aisle lined with flower petals. Esme kissed my cheek and then joined Carlisle in the front row. Rose and Charlotte preceded me down the aisle and then I found myself moving towards the man that I loved.

My emotions overwhelmed me as I kept my gaze fixed on his face. His eyes held nothing but love for me and I could feel it, wrapping around me like a warm hug. He looked devilishly handsome in a beige suit and the smile on his face assured me that if I had had any doubts about spending my life with him –which I most assuredly did not –they were completely unfounded. I finally found myself across from him and it took every ounce of restraint I had not to just bury my face in his neck and hold him.

"Please be seated," a deep voice said to my left, drawing me from my intense fixation of Jasper. I turned and smiled at Jacob. We'd been unsure about what my change would mean with the Quileute tribe. Technically Edward had been under the treaty –and knew it –when he bit me, thus breaking the agreement between the wolves and the Cullens. At first, things had been tense. The tribe had suggested we leave but Carlisle –I would later find out –had explained Jasper's disappearance right before my change and worried that if he tried to come back and find them, he would be unable to. It was somewhat of a weak excuse for this modern age. I'm sure they saw through Carlisle's excuses but something, maybe pity for me, stayed their hand and they gave us six months. In that time, I mostly kept mostly to myself and definitely out of their way.

Then one day I came home from a hike up the side of the mountains to find Jacob sitting on the porch patiently. He'd immediately engulfed me in a hug that left me feeling even more broken and surprisingly healed at the same time. Then we'd both cringed at the ungodly stench coming off the other and agreed to continue or reunion downwind. We'd sat a good twenty yards from each other and exchanged stories about what we'd been up to for the last few years. I felt slightly guilty at not keeping in touch with Jacob but he understood that after Alice and Edward, I'd needed time to 'find Bella' as he put it. He'd been busy doing online courses at a tech school to get a degree in business and auto mechanics. I offered Rosalie's superior advice any time he wanted it. He'd met a girl during our separation and I congratulated him on finding someone who would finally put up with all his crap. He'd asked about Jasper and I, painfully, told him the arc of our budding friendship as pen pals to his proposal and then desertion. He hadn't been very complimentary of Jasper –or Edward –after hearing that but seemed to sense that things weren't finished for us, even if he didn't voice those thoughts.

When Jasper had come back and we'd resolved the issues still between us, Jake had been less than convinced. But it wasn't hard to see Jasper's earnest or conviction to staying with me and eventually the two became what one might call friends. There was endless teasing on both sides but Jake would often call or text Jasper for advice or to go for a run or hunt. When Jasper had asked me to marry him for the second time, I agreed on the condition that Jake, as the new chief of the tribe, officiate.

"I never thought I'd be standing in front of a bunch of vampires, marrying the undead but here I am," Jake started and I rolled my eyes at his antics. I don't know why I'd ever thought we might have a serious ceremony. "Bella has been my friend since we were in diapers. She was a lot cooler back then, less smelly." Everyone chuckled. "I've had the incredible honor of seeing her grow up and mature without actually having to participate in the maturing thing. She's seen me through the hardest things I've ever experienced, like the loss of my mom and allowed me to support her through her trials as well. I didn't think there would ever be a guy who could compare to me in the way of making her happy but I have to give Jasper credit. When they're together they each become the best version of themselves. You can't be around them without seeing that they are completely devoted to each other's happiness. But don't listen to me. Let's hear their sickeningly mushy vows." I mock glared at him but he grinned back at me unrepentantly.

"Bella," Jasper said softly, pulling my attention to him as he held my hands gently but firmly in his. "It's no secret that after I lost Alice, I didn't think there would ever be anything in this life worth climbing out of bed for. You were the first thing that made me feel anything more than numbness or grief. And just like that, you were a part of my life. You slowly lifted me from darkness and through the strength of your character and your unending compassion and love, I found myself healing. Just like a flower needs the sun to grow and survive, I need your beautiful smile and incomparable spirit. You are the most beautiful woman I know and I am honored that you want to spend the rest of eternity with me."

I beamed at him, unable to shed the tears of happiness that I felt should be present before I took a deep breath.

"I guess it should be weird, marrying my former best friend's husband," I started and he laughed. "But I think it's perfectly acceptable to be marrying my best friend. Jasper, you've been there for me when I had no idea who I was or what I wanted to do with myself. You were the voice of reason when I had a dilemma and the comforting presence when the nightmares of the past became more than I could bear. You supported me and allowed me to really discover who I am and what I want from this life. And that's you. You are the person I want to see every day, the arms I want holding me when things get hard and the one to share everything with. My life would be poorer without you in it and I would be a poorer person without your love and encouragement. This is just the beginning of a life so full of happiness, it shouldn't be possible. And I know that because life with you isn't anything short of wonderful."

He raised my hands and kissed them softly.

"Hey! No kissing until I've said my bit," Jake interrupted and everyone laughed, breaking the somewhat heavy atmosphere. "Now that we've gotten the gross, mushy stuff out of the way… do you, Jasper, take Bella to be steadfast companion? Do you swear to love her, respect her, honor her and uphold her in good times and bad, for better or worse, and for as long as you live until death parts you or the world explodes?"

"Yes," Jasper said firmly, mouth twitching at Jacob's limitations.

"And do you, Bella, take Jasper to be your steadfast companion? Do you swear to love him, respect him, honor him and uphold in good times and bad, for better or worse and for as long as you live until death parts you or Ryan Reynolds becomes a member of the freaky undead and you can have him?" I jokingly punched Jake's chest.

"Even if that happens, yes."

"Good. You've exchanged rings already so without further ado, I now pronounce you vampire and eternal undead companion. You may kiss the bride." Jasper's mouth crashed into mine and wrapped my arms around him. We broke apart, grins mirrored on our faces and I turned to hug Jacob.

"Thanks, you mutt," I muttered and he laughed.

"Whatever, you know you guys are dog people." I laughed and then turned with Jasper to greet our guests who were now converging on us with well wishes. I turned to look at my husband and felt warm contentment and happiness bubbling in my chest like a hot spring. I knew that whatever life brought, no matter how much the world changed, I would be able to handle anything. Jasper seemed to sense my staring and turned to meet my gaze. He pulled me to him and cupped my face in his hands before pressing his lips against mine in a soft kiss that was filled with bliss and promises of a happy future.

The End

Gah. That was sad. And happy. Bittersweet. Thank you again for reading. No I'm not crying. I'm just sweating from my eyes.