Author's Note: This is it for Attraction! The last chapter. I hope it ties up all of the loose ends nicely. I had hoped to have it done sooner but really wanted to take my time to give this unique story the ending it deserved. It's going to have some POV switches like the beginning of the story.

I could have written more about Charlie and Victoria's travels and drug this out for dozens of chapters, but I have so many ideas floating around in my head needing fleshed out that I didn't want to risk leaving this one unfinished. It's been such a fun story and experiment.

Thanks to everyone for reading and for your awesome reviews! Another special thanks to ChristyWIX for the Charlie/Victoria idea and some of the details.

And to those of you who have read multiple of my stories and are watching me grow as an author, you rock. I think about each and every one of you when I write or come up with a new story. I am especially grateful that you stuck around for some of the earlier stuff when I was first getting started and learning how to form a sentence, lol.

All WIPs on my profile are still getting updated until they are done, and the next one I'm going to continue is Home, probably once I finish The Center of His Universe.

Here we go!

Epilogue

Tanya wandered around Denali hoping for a newly arrived human male to spend the night with. Someone she could enjoy a few hours with and then send on his way never to see him again, as had been one of her favorite nighttime activities for many decades.

There were plenty of her usual type hanging around outside of a rather rowdy bar that didn't quite fit the quiet town, but something didn't feel right to her. Instead, she turned the car into a park and went for a walk to enjoy nature at a human pace for a bit. She could try her luck again in an hour or two when some of the newcomers had settled into their hotels for the night.

"Lovely view, isn't it?" asked a small voice beside her.

"It is." Tanya agreed. She was always polite with the humans. She didn't fault them or judge them for their weaknesses, but she also didn't want to draw unnecessary attention to herself and her family. They rather liked their residence in Denali.

"I'm new in town. I was hoping that I might find others like me here."

"I'm sure that you-" Tanya paused, turning and looking into the woman's eyes for the first time. "…will."

"I'm sorry to startle you. I heard there were other animal drinkers in Denali. I had to see for myself."

Animal drinkers. Tanya truly took in the woman's appearance. She had golden eyes and long, brown hair that was neatly braided down her back. She appeared the same age as Tanya, and about a foot shorter. She was stunning, more stunning than any vampire Tanya had ever seen before.

"You are all alone?" she asked after a few moments of silence.

"Yes. The woman who turned me, Sarah, wanted me to be her travel companion, but I couldn't take any more human lives. It didn't feel right. I hated hurting them. I heard rumors of your clan from a nomad and I thought that I might come and see if they were true."

"We consider ourselves a family. I'm Tanya." She offered the newcomer a hand to shake.

"I'm Heather."

"It's nice to meet you, Heather."

"Likewise."

"How old are you?"

"In our years, four. In human years, twenty-five."

"There are other animal drinking families. One a little more well known. How did you hear about us?"

"My creator said she had heard rumors of beautiful women with golden eyes up this way, and when a passing nomad mentioned a clan of animal drinkers, well, I assumed it must be you all."

"She wasn't upset with you for leaving her?"

"No, she just wanted me to be happy. I promised her that I would take care of myself."

Tanya insisted on taking Heather home to meet the rest of the Denali family. It would certainly be a better use for her night than stalking bars for human men to play with. Perhaps she could learn more about this mysterious woman, or if nothing else, spend the rest of the evening admiring her beauty.

Charlie and Victoria had their entire immortal lives in front of them, so there was no hurry to be anywhere or do anything. They just enjoyed the time together, alone except for weekly phone calls home to the Cullens and to Billy, who was slowly warming up to the idea of still being able to talk to Charlie and keep him updated on their mutual interests and hobbies.

They stopped whenever something caught their interest and often sent photos back to the family. Though they were hesitant to use the Cullen credit card at first, they delighted the family with occasionally mailed gifts and postcards and looked forward to hearing their reactions to the things they sent home, usually small trinkets and decorations, or books they thought Bella might enjoy.

They were more comfortable around humans by the day. There were times when they were tempted by particularly delicious scents, but they took great care to remind each other that they would not harm someone's mate. And they didn't. Neither of them slipped up. Not once.

A few weeks after their departure, Edward convinced Bella to marry him in a small ceremony in the Cullen's garden. They were of course invited, but Bella didn't want to make a big deal of it and so neither did they. They heard it was a lovely day with just the immediate Cullen family and their cousins, the Denalis. Alice took pictures for them and promised to bring them with her when they saw each other again.

"Are you sad?" Victoria asked Charlie as he gazed off into the distance of the vast forest.

"No, why would I be sad?"

"We missed you daughter's wedding."

"I'm not sad. I know Bella. The less attention on her, the better. I'm sure she was ready to get it over with."

"You don't think she was disappointed in us?"

"What? No." Charlie said, his heart swelling with pride that Victoria cared about Bella's feelings and was starting to see her as her family too. "She's a lot like me. We don't like eyes on us. We especially dislike ceremony. I'm sure she only went through with it to make Edward happy. I mean, I don't doubt that she wanted to be his wife, but she doesn't really like attention. I'm sure she was glad that it was just the Cullens."

"Like father, like daughter." she smiled.

"Exactly. Besides, she said that he was whisking her away on some private honeymoon where he promised they could be far away from humans and listening family." he chuckled, glad that he and Victoria had gotten some privacy of their own as well before things got intimate between them. He understood exactly how Bella felt in that regard.

"Where shall we head next?" she asked, thankfully breaking him out of his thoughts.

"Wherever you would like to go, dear." Charlie answered, and Victoria smiled even bigger at how natural dear sounded coming from him.

"Well, we've spent a while in Canada and Alaska, but I would like to show you where I'm from. Can we go to Europe?"

"Of course, we can. But I don't suppose there's a direct walking route?"

"No." she laughed. "We don't have to breathe underwater. We can swim part of the way if you want. Or we can fly."

"Vampires can't fly."

"An airplane." she laughed even harder, pointing towards the sky.

"Oh. Hey, don't blame the newbie here. I'm still learning."

"Well, I think you'd know by now if you could fly. Have you noticed any wings yet?"

"I thought they might grow in later. You know, like wisdom teeth or something."

"Wisdom teeth." she shook her head and started walking towards the nearest town. "Well, I've never been on an airplane before and I think I would enjoy the experience at least once. You sure we'll be safe around the humans?"

"I'm positive. We'll hunt before we go." Charlie still thought that humans smelled pretty good, but he knew that he didn't want to drink from one. It was like being tempted by the smells of a bakery but not going in. He could handle that. Sure, it sucked, but it was a good sacrifice. A lifesaving one. Besides, all he had to do if he were tempted was focus on the fact that he would be taking a life. That thought alone was enough to want to make a vampire throw up despite the fact they couldn't.

Victoria was used to being around humans, so she could handle it too. While they had been her diet for centuries, there had been many situations when she couldn't have the one she wanted in order to avoid suspicion. Thus, she wasn't worried either. They could do this.

And so, they did.

She loved the romantic architecture of France. Although Charlie wasn't as impressed, he was still in awe of what humanity had accomplished. The tall structures, the intricate details, buildings that had stood the test of time despite being built almost entirely by hand.

When admiring buildings and art wasn't holding his interest, he admired her. He often wondered how he had gotten so lucky in finding his mate. He truly had no idea that something like this could be out there for him or could even be real.

Sure, he had loved Bella's mom, but in the way that one admires someone and wants them to be happy, not in the way that someone had a hold of his whole entire soul. And despite what anyone else might say, he was positive that vampires did have souls. How else could they love someone this damn much? How could they feel so complete? So whole?

He had also gained a new respect for what Edward had went through trying to avoid and then protect Bella. In Edward's shoes, he couldn't have run away either. He understood it now, and he held no resentment for what had happened to him, or to Bella. This was their destiny. He was sure of it.

Tanya and Heather quickly became inseparable, spending hours talking about everything and yet nothing in particular. They had similar tastes in books, music, art, and other…activities. They were quickly mated and couldn't wait to let all of their friends and family know. Tanya was worried about judgement from some members of their extended family, her mate being female, but it turned out that she was worried for nothing.

"Tanya! So good to see you!" Carlisle said, opening the door of the Cullen's home in Canada for her and Heather.

"And you, Carlisle. This is my mate I told you about on the phone, Heather."

"Hi Heather! Welcome to the family! Come on in."

"Tanya!" Bella exclaimed, running down the stairs to give her a hug. "I never thanked you properly for helping us rescue my dad."

"That's old news." Tanya smiled. "But I would do it again in a heartbeat."

Edward smiled kindly and helped her introduce Heather to the rest of the family. Everyone was happy for them. Though Emmett did make plenty of jokes and inappropriate comments at Tanya's expense, they were all good natured.

"So, is some lucky human man going to get both of you?! Damn."

"No. We're mated. I don't need a man." Tanya joked back.

"Which one of you wears the pants in the relationship?"

"Both of us!" Heather said, rolling her eyes at him with a laugh.

"Smartassed. I like her!" Emmett finally said with his booming laugh, just before Esme sat down beside Heather to get to know her better. Tanya was glad they decided to go visit the Cullens. After all, It was seeing Edward and Bella together that opened her heart to the possibility that her mate could be out there. Maybe that was all she needed all along. A possibility.

Victoria loved traveling, knowing that Charlie would always be at her side. He listened to her, actually listened, not just let her talk at him like most men did. He would ask questions and try to find her meaning, not just the words. He respected her for who she was, not what she was. She was so, impossibly happy.

He was always willing to let her suggest a new course or place to stop and never told her no, though she wouldn't have questioned it if he had. Despite the centuries of being a nomad, this was the first time she felt that she had real, actual freedom.

"There's going to be a street festival tonight. Can we go dancing?"

"I've never been one for dancing, but as long as it's with you, I'll give it a shot." He smiled, his grin making her feel like the most important person in the world. "And as long as I don't have to share you with anyone."

"I'm not to be shared." she answered seriously.

"Besides, I think our eyes are turning golden enough that we can finally go without sunglasses or those fancy contacts Alice shipped us."

"I won't miss the contacts."

"Me neither. Are you going dressed like this?" he asked, gesturing towards her ripped jeans and sweater ensemble that would definitely look out of place at a street festival.

"No, guess I better channel a little of my inner Esme."

"Or Alice." he corrected.

"I wouldn't go that overboard." she laughed. "Never."

"Good. I would hate to explain that credit card bill to Carlisle."

"I doubt he ever even looks at it. Besides, Mr. jeans and plaid, you need an upgrade too."

Charlie looked down at himself and sighed, reluctantly agreeing that it was time for a change of clothes for himself as well, at least for a few hours. They waited until sunset and took a stroll into a populated city to go shopping for the first time in many months.

He picked out some slacks and a button up that just a single color, at her insisting. She found a lovely green dress that accented her red hair. They were easily the best dressed couple at the event if they could say so themselves.

They spent hours dancing and enjoying each other's company under the moonlight and the twinkling stars, close enough to the festival to enjoy the music and blend in, but far enough away to avoid most of the prying eyes and potential dance partners trying to steal them away from each other. It was one of their favorite nights.

Charlie greatly enjoyed the large forests of Russia and Germany. They spent hours in them romping through them, running, climbing, hunting, mating. That was quickly one of their favorite activities. Each time, they were floored by emotions as if it was their first.

"Do you think we'll ever get tired of this?" she asked him as they snuggled atop a large cliff.

"I doubt it. I hear that's all most men ever think about anyhow."

"You're not most men."

"Thankfully, not. I have way cooler superpowers."

She rolled her eyes and laughed. "This is nice though. Just being together. I've never felt such…peace."

Though she struggled to come up with the world, she had been happier in the last few months than she had in centuries combined. It was all thanks to Charlie. Their bond was unbreakable. She was more sure of that than she had ever been anything in her long life.

While they did spend time mingling with the humans and enjoying some of the local cultures, they were both most at peace when they were alone together. There was no judgement or stress. Just each other in the forest, vampires and prey, man and woman, everything as nature intended.

The holidays approached quickly since Charlie and Victoria spent the majority of a year on their extended travels. They visited every single continent at least once, doubling back to explore their favorite parts of Europe twice. As Alice had predicted, they found themselves in Paris at end of November, just before when the Americans celebrated Thanksgiving and started their holiday season.

They were sitting on one of their favorite hiding spots overlooking the top of the city. There were lights twinkling all around below them and a cool breeze in the air. They were at peace, snuggling and enjoying the view and listening to the distant music of a street performer.

Suddenly, they both caught a familiar scent and turned around just in time to see a pair of vampires scaling the structure they were sitting on.

"Bella!" Charlie exclaimed. "Hi Edward!" he added a little more calmly, laughing as he ran to hug his daughter. "What are you doing here?!"

"Alice." she answered, returning his hug with a smile. "Hi Victoria."

"Bella, so good to see you." Victoria smiled, taking her turn to hug her next. "And Edward. A very delayed congratulations on your marriage."

"Thank you." Edward said, shaking her hand.

"We felt bad not coming." Victoria said.

"It's fine. It wasn't a big deal. We didn't want to make you guys come all the way home." Bella tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and looked down in a way that said she might have blushed had she still been human.

"Told you so." Charlie made a face at Victoria, who laughed at his antics.

"Same old dad, I see."

"Well, who exactly did you expect? Count Dracula?" he teased.

"Not exactly. Charlie Swan is just fine, thanks." Bella smiled. "What have you two been up to?"

"Everything!" Victoria answered, excitedly beginning to tell the couple about their travels. She spoke with more enthusiasm than she had ever felt before and when she was done, everyone was smiling and still paying attention to her, asking her questions. She felt truly loved and like she belonged, especially important to her regarding Bella. The happy couples enjoyed the evening together before joining the rest of the family to celebrate the following morning.

Billy Black missed his friend Charlie and decided that he was tired of hiding from his fears of the unknown or the unnatural. Shortly after Charlie called to tell him that he had settled back down with the Cullen family in Canada, Billy booked a flight for a visit. He took his daughter Rebecca with him since Jacob had become a shapeshifter.

"He's probably going to look a little different than we're used to." Billy warned, knowing that Rebecca had heard the legends but that she believed they were just legends.

He didn't want to endanger Charlie's safety further by telling her the truth. He knew that they were in no danger going to visit the Cullens, despite his past beliefs. Charlie always sounded so…well…Charlie…on the phone. Things really hadn't changed as much as he had first suspected.

"Well, yeah. He's finally moved out of Forks and stopped eating at the diner every night. I'm sure he feels a lot better." she teased.

"I'm sure." Billy agreed, trying to not think too hard about his friend's new diet.

Rebecca knocked on the door of the Cullen home and Billy held his breath. Nervous wasn't a strong enough word. He was terrified. But he knew that he had to do this for himself. He missed his best friend, and he wasn't going to live in fear the rest of his life. He had to overcome this, and he would.

"Billy!" Charlie exclaimed, throwing open the door and greeting his old friend with some weird, elaborate secret handshake from their childhood.

Rebecca spotted Bella over his shoulder and they exchanged a knowing smile. She looked healthier since the move to Canada too, Rebecca noted, but nothing else had changed between their dads. They were the same weirdos they always had been. Billy breathed a sigh of relief at Charlie's gentle teasing and wild greeting. It was still the same old Charlie Swan.

The Denalis came to visit again a few days after Billy left. With Kate's help, they discovered that Charlie could fully block mental powers like Kate or Edward's, but only if he focused on them. Bella's gift was the opposite, able to block unless she chose not to. It was a rather interesting study in vampire genetics for Carlisle, but one that he was unlikely to be able to research further for a very long time, if ever. Biological parents and children both being turned was incredibly rare.

He did expand on his working theory that each vampire's mental power was a stronger version of some kind of trauma response when they were human, which explained why only some vampires had powers. For instance, Rosalie had a great, happy life up until the events leading to her death, so she hadn't needed to develop any internal defenses. Emmett was physically strong and carried that over into his immortal life, but he always felt the love of his family and hadn't needed any type of internal defense mechanism.

Alice didn't remember much of her human life, but she knew that her parents and especially her father hadn't treated her well. Carlisle theorized that developing visions as a vampire was the result of her having intense flashbacks of past abuse as a human that likely helped guide her decisions and keep her out of trouble.

While Jasper could hardly remember his childhood, he did remember that he was always known to be even tempered and a great negotiator. Thus, his fate as am empath.

Edward was usually pretty in tune with other's thoughts and Carlisle theorized that this was because he hated conflict and would spend a lot of his time trying to see the other side and avoid arguments.

Victoria's talent was escaping and hiding, even in impossible situations, something she had perfected as a child.

Carlisle also expanded his theory to include why gifted mates often found each other. For instance, Edward could read minds, Bella could block mind readers.

Victoria could theorize escape plans long enough to drive herself mad, but Charlie could soothe her anxieties in a way with his shield.

Alice could see a hundred visions of the future, but Jasper could help her regulate her emotions and snap back to reality.

Carlisle wasn't sure if the gifts worked both ways, although he was sure that they did in some cases. After all, Alice's visions were useful to both her and Jasper. Edward's mind reading benefitted Bella too by helping keep them safe. Victoria's gift allowed her and Charlie to travel to places others wouldn't risk, knowing that they could always easily find a way out and not be trapped.

Regardless, Carlisle knew that his theories were just theories. What really mattered is that his family, his entire, now extended family, was whole and complete.

Victoria had never had an opportunity to settle down before. She had always been a nomad and thought that she always would be. However, anywhere with Charlie by her side felt like home. People actually wanted to get to know her, and she wanted to get to know them.

Despite the more practical parts of the nomadic lifestyle, like not helping clean house or run pointless errands for appearances, she found that she grew a little happier each day she spent with her new family.

Esme, always the thoughtful one, gifted Charlie and Victoria a small house in the woods just a few miles from the rest of the Cullens so that they could still enjoy their privacy and yet see everyone else as much as they wanted. They had freedom to travel if they pleased, but they really had a place they could always come home. Something theirs.

Charlie was more of a comfort to Victoria than he ever realized. When they settled down, her thoughts bothered her sometimes. She remembered the hundreds of innocent humans she had killed and wished for a way to atone. Charlie, never one to dwell on something that couldn't be changed, happily helped her set up a set up a small charity for victims of child abuse, something that she had suffered with as a human.

Carlisle and Jasper gladly helped them fund it, and Victoria and Charlie organized events and fundraisers in their spare time. Though she may have harmed many men, together, they saved thousands of children from abuse. She had found her purpose, and her mate. Finally, she was free to just be. She was fearless, and free.

Author's Note: That's it! What did you think?

I might re-use my little theory at the end for another story in the future. I wrote it for Attraction after seeing something on Facebook about what if vampire's gifts were just talents they had as a human. It also made me really think about how mates attract and an idea about Charlie being soothing for Victoria that Christy had given me when she first mentioned a Charlie/Victoria pairing. I kind of love it and might want to play with it some more in the future.