Author's Note: After careful thought, this is the conclusion of The Center of His Universe. All of our loose ends are pretty well tied up and I'm struggling to publish regular updates. I want to thank each of you who has stuck with me reading this one.

I started it when I was still a super new and nervous writer and I feel like I have improved a lot over the course of the story. I want to showcase the improvement in skill with some newer ones that I have in the works and I hope you'll stick with me and enjoy those too when they start to come out.

I've read every single review personally and there are too many wonderful people to name and thank individually, but you all mean so much to me. I hope you're happy with how things end and hope to see you around!


The rest of the school year absolutely flew by with Edward and my newfound friends by my side. Alice, Chy, Leah, Angela kept me busy with plenty of girl time. Jacob, Seth, and the Cullen guys were also happy to add their own special bits of chaos to my daily life.

Sam and the rest of the Quileutes, except for Billy, were pissed when they found out that the Cullens wanted to change me, and even more so when they learned Jacob had accepted his spot as the true pack alpha to give his permission. Billy was proud that Jacob finally claimed what was his, regardless of why. I heard there was a lot of fighting, but eventually they all settled their differences. Seth, Leah, and Jacob's explanation of vampire mates being like imprinting all helped.

The plan was for us to have our wedding and say goodbye to our family, telling them we were going to get settled in another state to prepare for school in the fall. We were both intending to start with online classes when I felt ready, whether it be fall or a year or two later. Edward was going to change me as soon as the Cullens could leave town and join us without raising too many suspicions about timing, likely a few months later.

I tried to talk Edward into a traditional honeymoon and consummating our marriage while I was still human, before the bloodlust kicked in, but he insisted it wasn't possible. After reading his journals and all of the struggles he had gone through to learn how not to hurt humans and how to even do simple things like hold pencils without breaking them, I relented and respected his opinion, but not without some whining on my part.

"I feel like I'm going to explode if you don't touch me soon."

"Won't that make it even more fun when I do touch you?" he teased, grinning at me.

"You will regret making me wait once I'm changed. I'll see to it."

"I certainly hope so." he said, caressing my cheek and laughing quietly at my enthusiasm. "Besides, I'm making me wait as well. You don't think that's torture enough?"

"No."

"Is that why the rush to be changed?"

"No. I want to be with you forever. Why wait?"

"You're sure you don't want more time with your family? Your friends? Travel? Children?"

"I would only want your children. If I can't have them, then no. I've never really wanted them anyhow. And I'll still get to see my family after a year or two. Alice said she could dress me and do my makeup well enough that I'll look mostly normal to Charlie. Just a bit older. We're still going to college together. I'm not giving anything up."

"Chocolate cake? Soda? Naps?" he asked.

"Getting sick, injured or tired. Using the bathroom. Wasting a third of my days sleeping." I quipped back.

"You are going to be so feisty as a newborn." he purred, running both of his hands through the hair at the top of my scalp, his sweet breath washing over my face. I closed my eyes, enjoying the sensations of his touch.

"I hope I give you Hell."

"I hope you do too." he grinned. "Are you scared?"

"A little."

"I won't let you hurt anyone."

"Not that. I'm afraid I won't feel like myself right away. That I will want blood more than time with you." I looked into his golden eyes, finding it impossible to imagine that I would ever want anything more than him.

"That will pass. Besides, not all newborns go through such an intense bloodlust stage. Several members of our family didn't. At least, not past the first few weeks. What I meant was, are you scared about our wedding?"

"Only that everyone will be watching me. I don't like being the center of attention."

"Unless it's my attention."

"Right." I smiled, putting a hand on his face, and bringing him close to me for a kiss.

"You should get some rest. You become Mrs. Edward Cullen tomorrow."

"I like the sounds of that."

"Me too." he smiled at the engagement ring on my finger.

"I'm not sleepy."

"I bet I can fix that." he said, lounging back on the bed and taking me in his arms.

"Oh Edwaaaard!" an obnoxious voice shouted from outside right as we got settled.

"Go away, Emmett!" I yelled.

"NEVER!"

"Come on Bella, send him out!" Jasper added.

"No!"

"But Bella-!" Jacob and Seth practically shouted together.

"My bachelor party." Edward said with a smile.

"There won't be strippers will there?"

"If I had my way there would have been." Emmett said, appearing in my bedroom.

"Dude, what if we were naked?" I asked.

"You weren't." he laughed.

Edward shushed him. "You guys are going to wake Charlie."

"You and I both know what a heavy sleeper he is. Going to take more than us to wake him up."

"Get out. I'll be down there once Bella is asleep." Edward said, annoyed.

"But you promised!" Emmett pouted. The voices outside joined in. "Yeah man!" "You promised!" "We don't have all night!"

"Ugh." Edward pulled at his hair.

"Emmett, out." I said gently. "I'll send him down in a minute. I promise. I'm holding you personally responsible for making sure he comes home on time and in one piece."

"Yes ma'am." he said, hopping back out of the window with a chuckle and a mumbled "But you didn't say no strippers."

"Go. Have fun. I'll be fine."

"You aren't going to get cold feet on me?"

"Never." I said, ruffling his hair where he had messed it up. "I love you. I'll be there."

"I love you too. Sweet dreams…Miss Swan. At least for tonight." he teased, kissing my lips, then my nose, then my forehead. "I have my phone in my pocket if you need me."

"Go on. It's fine. Enjoy your feast."

"Enjoy your rest. I'll see you at the altar."

"Be ready to catch me if I trip down the aisle."

"I'll always be there to catch you." he smiled at me. There was a chorus of gagging noises from outside.

"Real mature, guys." I said as Edward jumped out of my window with a laugh. I heard the whooshing sound of them taking off through the woods and laughed quietly, settling in for sleep.

My phone lit up with a text from Chy. Warning, rowdy werewolves and vampires headed your way. Lock your window.

Too late, but thanks for trying. I texted back with a smile. They already kidnapped Edward for a night of chaos and way too much testosterone.

Can I bring you breakfast and some estrogen to keep you company in the morning?

I would love that. I sent back, putting my phone on its charger, and closing my eyes. My pillow smelled like Edward. It wasn't long before I was blissfully asleep.


Chy and Leah arrived together the next morning, bringing me breakfast. They had become close friends quickly and I enjoyed spending time with both of them. Though I loved Alice, Chy and Leah weren't as girly. We could go for hikes and bike rides, watch scary movies, and play video games together. It felt normal to be with them. Charlie loved them both too.

My parents were already at the Cullen home helping finish last minute wedding preparations. Alice had insisted that I needed beauty sleep and was not to be disturbed but staying at my dad's house also made sure Edward wouldn't accidentally see me before the wedding.

"Alice didn't text both of you a long list of rules yet? Like, don't feed the human anything fattening. Or don't let her fall down the stairs!" I joked. They both groaned. "Oh, she did." I corrected.

"She did." Chy said, showing me her phone.

"I love her very much, but sometimes I wonder if this isn't her wedding."

"It's her vision." Leah said, making a face.

"I'm sure it will be perfect though. She's worked really hard on it." I said, not wanting to talk bad about Alice. She had put a lot of effort into it, and I appreciated her so much. I decided to ask Edward to buy her a gift. My phone immediately lit up with a text from her. It's perfect. "Speak of the devil."

The girls laughed and we spent a few hours just hanging out before it was time for me to go to the Cullen house.


"Are you excited?" Chy asked on the drive over.

"Very. I can't wait for it all to be over with though. I just want to see him."

"I'm sure he feels the same." she said gently.

"Are you excited to become a bloodthirsty monster in a month or two?" Leah asked, joking.

"Edward promised me he won't let me harm anyone. And yes. I am excited. He won't have to hold himself back around me anymore. Emmett says I'll be really strong at first and I'll be able to throw Edward around a little if I want."

"And you do want." Leah said, laughing.

"Very much."

"Yeah, if given the choice to be human or monster, honestly, I'd chose monster. It seems being a vampire isn't as hard on the body as being a wolf, but at least I can still eat and stuff."

"Would you be a wolf still if given the choice?" I asked, curious.

"No. But, I accept it. It is kind of cool being a protector. Besides, Matthew took it better than I thought he would."

"You told him?!" Chy asked, surprised.

"Showed him." Leah laughed. "Scared the Hell out of him at first too. It would have been funny if I wasn't so nervous how he'd react. He didn't speak for a solid five minutes, but then all he said was Cool!"

"Typical man." Chy laughed too.

"I could definitely see Jake or Emmett reacting like that. Is Matt going to be your date later?"

"Of course. He's going to meet us here in a few hours." she said, pulling into the driveway. My heart raced as I saw all of the flowers and lanterns decorating the yard. There was a blur in my vision and Alice was immediately standing in front of me.

"Exactly on schedule. Let's start getting you ready!" she smiled, her eyes sparkling.

"Where's Edward?"

"Getting ready in his room. You aren't allowed to see him until later."

"Is he alright?" I asked, wondering how he fared with the other rowdy guys during the night.

"Never better." she smiled, taking my hand, and leading me inside. "He's been looking forward to this day for a very long time. He spent decades thinking it would never come. That you would never come. Jasper won't leave his side. He's practically high on happiness." she giggled and led me up the stairs with Chy and Leah following.

"Can I at least say hi to him through the door?"

"No need." Alice answered. "You know he can hear you just fine from here."

"How is he not seeing me through everyone's thoughts? That doesn't count?"

"I've forbidden him from reading mine and I keep singing songs he hates over and over in it to stop him. He promised his best to stay away from Leah and Chy's minds and they both promised to sing songs or think about things he doesn't want to see too. He'll behave."

"And when my parents come upstairs? We can't be like oh hey there's a mind reader in the house so just like...don't look at your daughter."

Alice stuck her tongue out at me. "Relax. Everything is fine. If you want to talk to him, do it now before I put you in the shower and start using the noisy tools on your hair."

There was a soft knock on Alice's door. "Don't you dare come in!" Alice called.

"I'm not." Edward said and my heart fluttered. "It isn't fair to her if she can't hear me answer."

"Edward."

"Bella."

"I love you." It was all I could think of to say in the moment. Chy and Alice smiled. Leah playfully rolled her eyes.

"I love you too. Don't be nervous, everything will be fine. And if it isn't, Alice will rip all of our heads off. So, we won't be around to worry about it." he chuckled.

"Very reassuring."

"I've waited nearly a hundred years for you and yet, these last few hours seem like the most torture. I can't wait to see you."

"Me neither. Won't you tell me where we're going tonight?"

"No. Somewhere private. Just the two of us."

"Sounds amazing."

"Alright, now go!" Alice said. "I've got lots of work to do."

"Are you calling me ugly, Alice?"

"Never. But we're going to make you sparkle."

I laughed at her choice of words and surrendered myself to her. Rosalie and Esme joined us and despite my usual lack of girly instincts, it was a fun few hours of pampering and gossiping for everyone. My parents came in about an hour before the ceremony, both crying about how pretty I looked and bringing me a gift of some hair combs that belonged to my grandmother. They hugged me and Esme secured them in my hair for me.


Before I knew it, it was time to face my future. Charlie held my hand and helped me down the stairs and out into the garden just as someone started playing piano. Carlisle and Esme held the doors open for us and then…there he was.

My entire world stopped for a moment. I almost forgot how to walk. I feared that if I took a step I would run into his arms, tradition be damned.

He was standing under a shade of white flowers, smiling radiantly. His eyes were on me and full of tears he couldn't shed. He had his hands balled up at his side, as if he couldn't wait to touch me either.

Charlie started walking and it felt like an eternity of steps before he placed my hand in Edward's, and I was whole. We smiled at each other, barely registering the words of the ceremony or the gentle laughter from a few people in the crowd.

We responded in the appropriate places and tried to pay attention. Before I knew it, it was done. Edward leaned down to kiss me. I cried and held him tightly. Everything was perfect.


When the ceremony and the reception were over, Alice helped me change to a more comfortable outfit for travel and Edward changed as well, meeting me just outside of Alice's room.

"I will never be apart from you again." he whispered in my ear as he insisted on carrying me down the stairs. "There is no reason to stay away from you. You're all mine."

"Where are you taking me?" I asked, teasing, and trying to distract myself from the tears threatening to spill down my face from happiness.

"I told you, somewhere we can be alone." he smiled at me and I forgot everything.

He sat me on my feet just before we stepped onto the porch. We were hugged and congratulated by what felt like half of the town and then…we were off. It was just the two of us in his car, with the words Just Married painted on the back window.

"You can rest if you'd like. We have a long drive ahead of us. I didn't want to fly."

"Not even a hint?"

"Does it really matter where we're going?"

"No, so long as we're together."

"Exactly." he smiled. "Mrs. Cullen."

"I love the sound of that."

I laid my seat back, closing my eyes and falling asleep even though I didn't really intend to. It had been a long day.

I slept through the ride. Edward didn't seem to mind. I tried to fight it and stay awake to keep him company, but he seemed to know just how to rub my back with his free hand or exactly when to hum to me to make me fall asleep in an instant. Besides, my nights sleeping were numbered anyhow. Soon, we would have eternity together.


I woke up properly when he drove us up a driveway easily as long as the one to the Cullen home in Forks. There was a large cabin at the end of it, just barely visible in the rising sun.

He parked the car and helped me out, immediately picking me up in his arms to carry me. "I wanted to drive so we could bring my car. Welcome home."

"Home?" I asked, looking at the cabin curiously. It looked old, but well maintained. There was a multitude of flowers surrounding it, not at all unlike the ones in our meadow. There was ivy crawling up the porch in a way that only accented the charm.

He held me in his arms and walked up the stone walkway, then the three steps as he unlocked the door. "Our wedding gift from the family. Total privacy until we're ready for your change. They own a mansion on the same land, just barely out of hearing range, so they'll be nearby in a few months when we need them."

He smiled at me, watching me as he sat me on my feet, and as I admired the cabin. It was decorated in a mixture of new things and old-fashioned things, expertly blended in a way that only Esme could do. There was plenty of comfortable furniture for lounging.

"The kitchen and bathroom are fully stocked for you." he said, stepping into the small kitchen that shared an open floorplan with a living room and turning on a coffee pot to warm up. "Would you like to freshen up while I make you some breakfast?"

"No." I said, and he raised an eyebrow at me. I threw my arms around him and kissed him passionately, pressing myself against him as much as I could. "I want to enjoy my husband alone for a while first." I added when we pulled away to breathe.

He purred and held me tightly. "Then how about we take a bath and then you can sit with me as I make your breakfast?"

"We take a bath?"

"We. I have one more surprise for you." I looked into his eyes, excited and nervous for what he was going to say. He grinned shyly at me. "I've spent weeks going through visions and scenarios with Alice and also speaking to Carlisle. We can have our true wedding night if we take our time and are really careful. You mustn't let me hold you too tightly and if I can't resist the urge to bite, I'm going to take my hands off of you and bite myself. That won't scare you will it?"

"No." I answered quietly. "You mean…?"

"If you want." he said, stroking my cheek. "I'm going to take a few precautions to protect you from my strength and my venom."

"But we can be together…in that way?" I blushed.

"Eventually, you're going to have to say the word sex." he laughed, admiring my blush as he caressed my cheek. "I love your shyness though. And your blush. I'm interested to see how far down it goes." He trailed his hands down my throat gently and just barely under my collar.

"Edward!" He laughed loudly. "You mean all of that time I spent last night teasing you about it. All the weeks I've spent trying to talk you into it even though I knew the answer was no, you were-"

"Going behind your back and trying to make it safely possible?"

I looked into his golden eyes and nearly cried again at the love there. I had cried more in two days than I ever had, but they were tears of joy. "I love you so much."

"I love you too."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pressure you."

"You didn't. I want you too. More so than I've ever told you." he said, his eyes darkening a little as he leaned in to kiss me. From the second our lips met, my mind was clear, and my body was buzzing with electricity. We were finally alone together, and nothing would ever have to separate us again.

We kissed until I was nearly dizzy. He laughed as I stumbled into the bathroom for a few human minutes before our bath. My heart was racing. I suddenly understood why Alice had insisted that I shave my legs again the previous morning, even though I had just shaven them the night before. The lingerie she put in my luggage made more sense too.

When I walked back out into the bedroom, he had lit candles on top of the tall furniture, laid rose petals on the bed and gotten more comfortable, standing before me in only his boxers. I froze, admiring him and thanking the heavens that he was mine.

"No pressure, love." he said, coming to take me in his arms. "Let's just relax for a bit and enjoy each other, starting with a bath and then a massage for my favorite human. I know you're tense from all of that travel."

"A little."

"We were in the car a long time. Let's get comfortable."

"Stupid human needs."

"No, not stupid." he said, leaning my face up to look into his eyes. "More time to savor this. And you. Let me show you how much I adore you first. We'll get you relaxed and fed as I admire you and the fact that you're finally all mine. And then, when you're settled and ready and when I've grown a little more used to the scent of your…excitement…" he purred, making me blush even harder. "Then, we'll make love as husband and wife. I promise I won't hurt you. I've taken every possible precaution."

"I trust you."

"In a few of the visions, you were bruised. If I stop touching you, please don't think it's because I don't want to. I do."

"Relax." I said, using his word on him. "You won't hurt me. Should I be concerned at how much Alice has seen me naked lately?"

"Very. She was very careful to block any of the fun parts out of her visions before she showed them to me. She's seen you more than I have and that just isn't fair."

"Did you ask her to show you me naked?"

"Of course not. I would never disrespect you-"

"It was a joke, husband."

"Husband." he smiled. "In that case, may I help undress you?"

I took his hands and placed them on the bottom of my shirt, lifting my arms to help him remove it.


Edward and I spent a month blissfully alone in our cabin before the family came to join us at the main house nearby. We had only left twice for groceries and supplies, not wanting to go anywhere where we would have to keep our hands off from each other if we could help it.

We made love nearly every night and he never once hurt me, though he did destroy a few pillows. I asked him why he couldn't change me with his venom via sex as opposed to biting and he explained how that venom wouldn't change me, but could kill me in different ways, by potentially making me pregnant with a vampire baby that would leech all of my body's nutrients before killing me on its way out.

"As much as I would love to try to have your baby, if given the choice, I'd rather not die in the process."

"Your dying wasn't an option for me either. I'm sorry for not bringing it up."

"It's alright. There's no chance of survival?"

"None in the cases Carlisle could find. We didn't even know it was possible but I insisted he research every possibility of ways that I might accidentally harm you so we could be prepared for it."

"Your overthinking came in handy." I joked.

"I'm sorry I can't give you that. A family." he said sadly.

"Edward, you have given me a family. Look how many brothers and sisters I've gained. And parents too."

"You know what I mean."

"I never wanted kids. You know that. All I've ever wanted is you. I am so, completely happy. I'm not missing anything. I promise."

"You're sure you want me to do this? No last-minute questions or second thoughts?"

"None." I answered, completely sure of this.

"The family is nearby in case we need them. Alice is watching for when I bite you and one of them is going to stay where they can hear me shouting if needed at all times."

"It's alright. I can't wait to wake up and see you and tell you how much I love you. The second the bloodlust passes we are going to spend hours in bed together and you are not going to hold anything at all back from me. Got it?"

"Yes ma'am." he said, laughing nervously. "Bella, I love you so much. You are my everything. This is going to hurt like Hell, and I am so sorry for that. I can't wait for you to wake up and be mine forever."

"Forever. I can't wait." I smiled, pulling him in for one final kiss. He kissed me gently at first, but it quickly became passionate and urgent, taking all of my thoughts of anything but him in the present away.

First, he kissed me in a way he never had before by allowing me to place my tongue in his mouth and near his teeth, kissing me until I could hardly breathe, and my mouth burned not from his venom, but from the intensity of his kiss.

Then, he whispered a final I love you as he kissed down my neck and bit me. I was immediately consumed by fire, but his face and the feel of his touch in my mind kept me going. I couldn't wait to wake up and be his.


Author's Note: That's it! I didn't want to change the rating, so I didn't write a detailed lemon, but there are tons of those on my profile if you are looking for some. Thank you for reading! I hope this was a suitable ending.