A/N: Hello again friends! I hope that this finds you still stuffed from a holiday meal, or tired from cooking all day and opening presents, or just simply enjoying your weekend before the end of this horrible year. This is what I always wanted, this epilogue. To give you all the reason why I feel Liz should have been turned, too. I hope it meets with your expectations.

Epilogue: Elizabeth

Elizabeth

There were many times in the last hundred years that I marveled at my good fortune. I knew I was going to die when I was laying in the hospital in 1918; but what upset me more was that Edward was going to as well. My dead heart would constrict now and then even thinking about how close we both came to losing each other. There were many things to be thankful for, and Carlisle saving us was most definitely one of them.

My gift had taken me by surprise. When I had first woken up from the burn, I stared into Carlisle's eyes and saw strands of options. It was almost disorienting, honestly. I could look into someone's eyes and see branches and emotions tied all together. Some were interesting, in that they had strings that jutted off from whatever choice was made. It was like looking at an intricate spider web. One choice would lead to another, which had another branch. At first it was almost overwhelming. But over the years I learned to scan them carefully without feeling paralyzed by choices.

I knew when I looked at Carlisle that I would love him one day. He was a kind and gentle man, and had chosen to turn us both – regardless of the hardship he would endure by trying to tame two newborn vampires. But when I saw the choice in front of me, I realized there was timing to it. I couldn't choose now without hurting Edward and that wasn't a risk I was willing to take. The loss of Edward, Sr. had been too recent; not only would Edward take it horribly, but I simply didn't feel ready.

Edward, Sr. was a wonderful man. He had treated me with respect and kindness. He provided well for our family, and never had a problem with my stubbornness or insistence on improvements society could make with regard to women's rights. He simply had loved me and encouraged me to do whatever I felt was right. He loved our son and tried to show him that every day. Losing him had been hard, but then when Edward and I had also gotten sick my whole world had been turned upside down.

Through the first few years with Carlisle, I found it easier to adjust to my new reality than Edward. His mind reading hadn't helped much; and being able to hear Carlisle's feelings for me certainly hadn't made anything any easier. When he and Esme decided to go off on their own, I finally saw the branch that I had been waiting for. I would never forget my husband or his love, but I was ready to move on now. This strand of a choice had always been there, as if all life had a grand plan. Destiny played a part in everything I saw, and I knew that now.

I remember the first moment I knew that I was falling in love with Carlisle. We had been on a simple hunting trip, Edward off with Esme somewhere. We had been searching out a herd of deer and when we came across them, Carlisle immediately went for the buck in the back corner. There were does and babies, and he skimmed over them to head for the male. For a flash of a moment, I saw his compassion for all living things and I fell just a little bit for him.

But I held it all in, carefully watching my thoughts around Edward. I knew it wasn't time to act yet, so I bided my time waiting for him to make the choice to leave. It was destiny, after all; I knew it would happen eventually. Once he and Esme had made the decision, all new branches of possibilities opened up to them both and I saw so clearly how happy they would both be eventually. Not together, for that wasn't meant to be, but joined in a different way. I couldn't tell what or why, but I could clearly see the joyous outcome that would happen for them both.

I clung to that hope after they left. That joy and happiness would find the two that I loved so dearly. Carlisle encouraged me to go to school, which helped me pass the time. But the moment that I made the choice to lead me down the road to him, I was overwhelmed by the future. Love and family; contentment and excitement. I looked into his eyes as I told him I had made my choice, and the love shining out of them eclipsed the sun. He was my bright spot in this new life, and the second the choice was made I knew just how right it was.

We made a lovely life together. Edward and his mood swings always shook us, and I knew how hard Carlisle was taking it. He never expressed anything out loud, but I knew my mate and husband. Edward's behavior and strict disapproval of him caused Carlisle to feel sad and dejected. For years I played the wife and mother trying to convince them both that they needed to try and bond to become friends. Carlisle was always willing, but said Edward needed to make the choice first.

After a while, I decided that I couldn't intervene any longer. Once Rose joined our family, there were more important things to manage. She had been raised in a house who didn't tell her the importance of being kind to others. Rather, she had been told how important it was that she find a rich husband and ensure that her future was solid and stable. There was no love there. She came to us broken physically, but her emotional fractures are what hurt the most. There was a lot I had to do in order to help her.

Esme was a kind soul and never wished harm on anyone. She and I had banded together to help Rose through the worst of the transition, but it had taken years – and Emmett, honestly – for Rose to realize her worth as a person, and that she could make a life for herself. Even if it wasn't the life she had always thought she wanted. She had been particularly sad about the loss of having children. And while I couldn't speak on that, since I'd had my child already, Esme could.

"I often feel sad about the loss of my child," Esme said quietly one night. Rose, Esme and myself were all out hunting, and had stopped to chat far away from where the guys were. Sometimes the private time was the best, so we could get Rose to open up to us.

"You had a child?" Rose asked, staring at Esme in shock.

Esme nodded, her head down. "I had a little boy. He died when he was very little. I hadn't had him for long at all. I remember how much I loved him, and how perfect he was."

Rose leaned forward, capturing Esme's hand. The gesture was small, but powerful. I started to see a change in Rose after that conversation. Understanding what we had all given up seemed to make a difference.

"After my husband passed away, I was terrified of this stupid flu. I was sure that Edward and I were next," I explained, leaning back against a tree. "I wouldn't have chosen to live the way we do." I looked directly into Rose's eyes. "But I will never be sorry that Carlisle saved me and my Edward. It's not an easy life, Rosie, but it is a life. There are worst things that could have happened. Being angry only gets you so far in life, and it can only hurt you and those around you. Embrace what you have, and what you are."

It wasn't an easy road for her, but she made an effort to try. It was really only a few short years before her behavior and attitude had done a total 180. We got along well as a family unit, and it made me happier than anything in the world to see everyone get along.

Through all of it, though, I worried about Edward and Esme. I had Carlisle, Rose had Emmett, and the two of them were always on the outside. They stuck together, and Carlisle often wondered if there was more to their relationship. I knew better, and never questioned them, but I was sad at their loneliness.

The introduction of Alice to our little family had been an absolute breath of fresh air for me. Not only did she walk up and hug me as if we'd known each other for years, but when I looked at her a whole new branch of choices became available to my entire family. The undercurrents of joy and contentment were even more clear now as I smiled down into her beautiful face. She smirked at me, and hugged me a second time.

"As soon as I saw you, I couldn't wait to meet you," Alice had said, whispering to me. "We were always meant to work together, weren't we, Liz?"

I laughed, hugging her tight. "So many possibilities. Tell me about this one?" I chose a strand of choice in my own life, and her eyes glazed over for a moment. After a few minutes, she came out of it and laughed at me.

"Only if you want to cause a fight, Liz!"

Edward laughed, having watched the whole thing take place. "You two are going to be trouble. I can tell."

"What did you see, Ali?" Jasper asked, his mouth curling into a smirk.

"Liz was contemplating pushing Emmett into the lake, and I saw that if she did that, he would pick her up and toss her in as well. Then, eventually, all of us would get tossed in." Alice laughed as Emmett glanced around.

"We doing this? Who's for a midnight swim?" He rubbed his hands together. "Which one of you is first?"

"Emmett, it's 3 in the afternoon. We can't do a midnight swim in the afternoon." Edward's smile had not faded as he looked around at all of us.

Emmett, the good-natured goof that he was, shrugged and grabbed me, throwing me into the water. I knew he would, so I wasn't surprised in the least. Soon, as Alice had predicted, we all ended up in the water, splashing each other and exploring the bottom of the massive lake. We all emerged sometime later with smiles on our faces; our family had grown, and we were all happy.

Alice and Edward started to become closer; their gifts working with each other quite well. But still, there was something missing in his life. Alice and I would often go off on our own to discuss, and I would make decisions and she would see the outcome. Nothing was quite right, so we stuck to the path of least resistance as we navigated through to the end of the century. But everything changed when Alice had her first vision of Bella.

"Liz, let's go for a run," Alice said, grabbing me by the arm. I had been reading a new novel in the living room, Edward playing his piano and Carlisle leaning against the wall just listening. My eyes came up to hers and they looked almost frantic.

"What was that, Alice?" Edward asked, turning away from the piano. "It was a flash of someone, then it turned into images of a meadow?"

"Nothing. I just need to talk to Liz about it."

We rushed off, Carlisle and Edward staring after us. We got as far away as we could, to ensure no one would over hear us, before Alice gave me the news I'd been waiting a century to hear.

"Edward's mate is moving to Forks."

I grabbed onto the branches and started shifting through them, as though they were a magazine. There were many options available to him, and not all of them led to his happiness. But one rather obvious choice had the most beautiful outcome I almost wept in relief. And it centered around both him and Esme. They would both find happiness.

Alice's concern was focused on his thirst for her, but we sat down and worked out a way to help him. Bella had to be left alive, because the ending for the two was too amazing to pass by. I remember how happy she and I both felt as we shifted through her visions. It was all we could do to contain our excitement when we got back to the house.

And then, like a truck hitting us, the realization of Esme and Charlie came. Just after Edward made a decision to get to know Bella, we figured out this would happen. Edward, ever the protective big brother, had mixed emotions, but Alice and I had just wanted Esme happy. This is what I had seen for them so long ago.

When I saw them together, I knew that Charlie would end up one of us. Edward's shout of "No" still resonated in my ears sometimes; like there had been some way to avoid it. Unfortunately, if Esme was to be happy with this man, that's what needed to happen. Especially considering I knew that Bella would change one day as well. He was so rigid in his denial of the only outcome Alice and I could see it was laughable. As if he could bet against us! We told him that daily, yet for some reason he was still set against her being like us. Charlie hadn't had a choice, but Bella did. He didn't understand how it felt to lose your child, or almost lose them, when there was something you could do about it. I didn't want that for Charlie. Bella being human meant that she was in danger every minute.

James and Victoria had been a surprise as well. When they showed up, smelling all the humans in the area, and pretended to be oh so nice. As soon as I looked into James' eyes, I saw the only branch available to him. He wanted a chase. A hunt. And there was something about Edward and Bella running to keep her safe that appealed to him. It made no sense to any of us, but it was the only branch he had. The only option we had was to eliminate him. I could see it so clearly, we had to make that choice. No one was happy about a preemptive kill, but my mind just focused on the only thing I could. He would kill Bella, not turn her, just for the sport of it.

The newborns...now that was a surprise. Victoria would run, all of her branches had something to do with escape, fleeing. So, I knew that's what she would do. I hadn't any idea that she would come back with an army. Carlisle had to calm me down when that was first seen by Alice. I thought I had forced everyone into the wrong choice, but it turned out to be what we had to do.

Obviously, I hadn't counted on the newborns or the Volturi. I knew there would be a minor strand of loss, but it wasn't close to us so I couldn't focus on it. The outcome of the battles were way more important in my mind. I had to compartmentalize; minor loss compared to the two I loved, and who had been alone the longest, finding the lives they always wanted.

As I stood there, watching Bella and Esme walk down the aisle toward their chosen mates, I knew for sure that I would be crying if I could. Alice came up beside me, hugging me tightly. I knew she felt the same way. For years, she and I had wanted this for Edward and Esme. And now they had it: everything they ever wanted.

My eyes sought out Carlisle, standing as best man next to Edward, between Emmett and Jasper; Charlie standing next to Edward. His eyes found mine as well, and he smiled at me. I felt my heart swell in love.

This is the life we had all wanted.

A/N: Well, that's it folks! Thank you again to all of you for reading my story. I appreciate you all so very much! I really loved writing this story, and am so glad you stuck with me till the end.

I am posting the last chapter of Consuming Love today also. So, both stories are ending right now, which is super sad. But, never fear. I have a new one being prepped. May be a little bit before I start posting it, as I only wrote one chapter so far. Still Bella and Edward, but not a vamp story. Just something I thought would be a lot of fun. Follow me as an author to get notified of when that starts!

Thanks again to my sister and my beta zombified419 for prereading. I appreciate you both!

Happy new year, my friends! Look for more stuff from me in the new year!