Chapter 35: The Happily Ever After
"I'll call you once I get settled." I told Felix and Athenadora as we stood again at the front door to say our goodbyes. "I don't know what that looks like, or what time frame that will be in, but I'll keep in touch." I promised each of them.
"You better or I'll send Felix here on another globetrotting expedition to find you!" Athena challenged me with a brow lift and hands on her hips.
"As soon as you know." Felix added. "I'm not trying to stay here on purpose for very long Bella."
"Yes Felix, as soon as I know." I crossed my finger over my heart. "Bye." I smiled at each of them.
Demetri was standing back, leaning against a pillar watching my departure. I smiled up at him before I turned away from the house. He winked at me and flashed a grin to me before I took my eyes off him and climbed into the open car door that Edward had waiting for me.
After spending the night with Demetri looking out on the ocean, I wanted to spend the rest if the day catching up with the others before I left. Demetri had also called a meeting, which was for my benefit, so that we could all share information about the Volturi, Chelsea and Aro.
Everyone had felt the effects of Chelsea's ability. Evidently, she had been manipulating the Volturi's loyalties for years. She didn't just strengthen ties, she built them. Conversely, she also had to ability to destroy them, or suppress them; feelings, loyalties, desires, etc. – in my case all of my memories before my change. I was lucky to get them back at all, others were so lucky.
Everyone that was at Demetri's had felt the shift. It took weeks, sometimes months for the affects to be diminished completely, but once they did there was no going back. It was as if we had all been living under a fog and it finally lifted. Most of the guard was happy to serve, they didn't change after the manipulation ended – only the ferocity of it, which was why Demetri had some many members still alongside him, doing their job. Everyone here agreed with the idea of law and order, it was just no longer a forced blind obedience.
Chelsea's deception and created ties weren't limited to just Demetri and I either. Which was why Marcus had been coming around more and more. He spent Chelsea's entire tenure being influenced. He stayed because he thought he wanted to be there – even as miserable as he was, he thought it was what he wanted. Before she came, he stayed out of fear and loneliness. He didn't feel either of those ways after she was stopped, and has since been free to live his life how he saw fit. Of course, he was still figuring out what that meant for him.
Sulpicia discovered that although she loved Aro, she hadn't been happy with him for a long time. His need for power and control sickened her and she wanted nothing to do with it. When Chelsea came that had all changed and she was content again. After the deception stopped, she found herself living her truth again and left Aro at once. She's coming to terms with everything, but has found a friend in Marcus. They have a long history of living under Aro's thumb, so they are helping each other through it.
Athena is living her best life. Either she wasn't affected by Chelsea at all or her power is in her resilience. She is perfectly happy and content helping others get there too. Caius stayed where he was, holding on to what little control and authority he had left. He never had a gift to speak of and his influence came from being one of the three founding members of the Volturi. He will keep his position, even threw all the changes and content to keep the prestige that comes with it. Athena will someday move back to the castle full time. Happy as ever, wherever she lands.
Aro sat quietly beside Caius, but without his master of puppets, he had lost his will to rule. Eventually Aro will tire of this life and he'll slip out of the castle under the cloak of darkness never to be seen again. Freeing Sulpicia and Marcus to find happiness together. They both had loved and lost, they understand each other and will spend the rest of their forever together in companionable love and acceptance.
Chelsea was being held – somehow, somewhere – under the protection of Aro. When he disappeared, so did her protection and she was killed almost immediately. No one wanted to take the risk of her manipulations again. Afterall, how could she ever be trusted? How would anyone know that they were doing what they wanted in her presence.
The little crazy pot Jane and her brother Alex stayed beside Caius, happy to be back at the top of the food chain.
The Volturi were never quiet the same again. Much like the human countries of the world, the vampires expanded on the leadership the Volturi had and ruled over continents to keep order among the race. A hierarchy much like the military was put into place to keep order, but without the fearmongering that the Volturi had been known for. It was the most civilized and functioning the species had ever been.
Edward and I made the long journey from Demetri's estate to my small cottage near Pisa. We hardly talked, which I assumed was due to him being uncomfortable with my Volturi family and how I chose to say goodbye to them, or more specifically Demetri. We listened to music and only stopped for fuel a couple of times before we made it to our destination.
Rosalie and Emmett were still in Italy and after we stopped in for a quick hello, Edward and I ended up back at my place.
My little home was almost exactly as I had left it, although someone had cleaned up the mess I had left and kept it clean since from dust.
"I'm going to get cleaned up." I told him when we were in the house. "Make yourself at home."
He nodded once to me and went into the living room. "May I?" He asked me, indicating the book case that held my photo albums, just before I closed my bedroom door.
"Absolutely." I smiled before closing myself up. I stripped my clothes and went straight for the shower and after depleting half of the hot water reserves, I stepped out and re-dressed in clean clothes. I pulled the towel off my head and combed through my hair before going back out into the living room where Edward was sitting on my couch, flipping through the last album of the set.
"Shower's all yours if you want."
"That would be great, thank you." He said and disappeared into the room.
I picked up the albums and scanned through them while he was gone. They were loaded with pictures I had taken and printed off myself. Mostly they were of Felix and I since the two of us had spent so much time together. There were a lot of pictures of the others too, hunting trips, vacations, assignments that were so boring we had to entertain ourselves. There were a surprising amount of Demetri and I together too, which was nice. I didn't realize I had taken so many of us together. There were pictures of parties and birthdays, balls the Volturi hosted, even a wedding or two. An attestment of a life well lived.
I was smiling at the photographs when Edward came out of the bathroom. "You look happy in all those." He remarked.
"I was." I looked up at him. His hair was still wet, perfectly disheveled and dripping on his clean shirt.
"Are you unhappy now?"
"Why would you ask that?" I sat the album down.
"I didn't mean too." He ran a hand through his hair. "And I certainly didn't want too, but I overheard your and Demetri's conversation. Part of it anyway."
"I'm not surprised you heard something you didn't like." I stood from the chair I had been sitting in. "Which part?"
"I saw you two up there, on the bench and despite my best efforts I moved closer to hear you." He shook his head at himself. "You told him you could have been happy together."
"We could have."
His lips pinched together in a downward smile. "And then…"
"And then I kissed him."
He moved closer to me, not close enough that I could touch him, but to where we were standing face to face. "Do you love him?"
"Edward, I thought you said you overheard our conversation?"
"I did." He took a step forward. "But I want you to tell me."
"Yes." I answered his question and ignored his wince. "I do love Demetri, and I think I always will – in some form or another. But I'm not in love with him. I thought I was. We thought we were in love, but that was Chelsea."
"You could still be with him, if that's what would make you happy Bella."
"Edward, what do you think these last few days have been about?"
"I'm not really if I'm being perfectly honest." He shook his head a few times.
"I didn't ask you to come with me so that you could watch me reconnect with a life that didn't involve you or to intentionally hurt you in anyway. I told you I needed time."
"I know and I told you, whatever you need."
"And I've taken that time." I took a step closer to him. "I needed to clean up the mess that my life had become since you walked back into it. I needed to know where I stood with my friends and family. I needed to see them again after staying away so long to find myself. I needed closure in order to move on with my life."
"All this time that we've been a part, I was thinking of you, seeing your face in my mind every second that I was away. When I told you that I didn't want you, it was the very blackest kind of blasphemy. Before you Bella my life was like a moonless night, and then you shot across my sky like a meteor and suddenly there was brilliance and beauty. When you were gone, everything went black, like I had been blinded by your light. There was no more reason for anything. I've lived in agony all these years, I was hollow. My heart was gone, because I had left it with you."
"And in its place, you had taken mine." I told him. "Even though I couldn't remember it, I felt the same. You know I felt the same, you read it in my journals, witnessed it through Jacobs memories – we shared and suffered in mutual grief. When you came into my life, my mind didn't know you to miss you before then, but my body did. I felt it even though I ignored it – afraid to admit it. When I heard your voice for what I thought was the first time at Laden Fields, I wanted to go to you and comfort you and I didn't know why. I heard the anguish in every word and when you found out, or thought you had found out that I was dead, my heart broke with yours as if I were experiencing the same loss as you were, not realizing on some level I was. After, when you followed me, I looked forward to your intrusions and thought about you when I was alone – and when we touched." I reached out for him then. "– our connection was still there, the electricity between us was still there. I recognized it even though I didn't remember it and when I did start to remember, it was torture. Relieving the heartbreak of losing you was only bearable because I knew that you weren't gone anymore and that all I had to do was let you find me."
"How can I ever make amends for such behavior?" He closed the little space that was still between us.
"You must know, surely you must know these last few days have all been for you. A fresh start, so that I could be free for you because I love you, I have always loved you and will always love you. You are my life now."
"Then I have to tell you, you have bewitched me body and soul and I love..love..love you and I never wish to be parted from you again."
His mouth was on mine then and I welcomed him. This kiss was not like the others I had remembered; it was new because we were equally matched and it was a thousand times stronger because of it. I greedily thread my fingers through his hair as he pushed his body against every line of mine. We traced each other; our hands memorizing the others body, learning new and rediscovering the once familiar. It was better than I could have ever imagined, better than it had ever been. We stayed wrapped up in each other's arms day in and day out for weeks before we eventually left the cottage. We knew each other in ways we had never before, we knew the others secrets, hopes, desires and fantasies and we promised each other forever.
Edward and I were married a few months after our first night together. Alice, Rosalie and Esme had taken over and planned a small – beautiful, wedding. Our families were there, all of the Cullen's and the Denali cousins. My father, Sue, Seth and Leah, and Nessie was the flower girl. Felix and some of my friends and family from Italy, along with close friends if the Cullen's. Athenadora and Sulpicia, stood alongside Alice and Rosalie as bridesmaids. Emmett, Jasper, Felix and Carlisle stood up for Edward. Jacob officiated thanks to the great state of Washington. Even Demetri was in attendance, which would have been awkward if not for Tanya.
A reception followed and we danced into the night until it was time for us to leave for our honeymoon. Edward took me to Isle Esme, a private island that Carlisle had gifted to his wife many years ago.
We had been there for several weeks and had been in the warm ocean water when I tugged at his hand. "Come with me. I have something for you." I smiled at him mischievously.
"You've already given me everything I'll ever want or need." He said but followed close enough behind me to pepper my wet shoulders and back with kisses as we walked.
"I think you'll like this." I teased and led him up to the porch where I sat cross-legged on the patio sofa and pulled him down to sit next to me.
"What are you doing?"
"Shh. Close your eyes." I leaned forward and kissed him once – the taste of salt water still on his lips – then I sat back and closed my eyes.
I had been practicing with my shield again, strengthening it but in a different way and I wasn't sure if it would work. I'd never had anyone to test it on before. Shielding myself and others was so much easier than trying to push it away. It had taken me a long time to get comfortable enough with my shield to cover the distance that I was able to cover and even more practice to strengthen it to block physical threats. I had only been trying this for a little over a few months but I had hope as I pulled at the all too familiar part of my mind.
"Did you say something?" I felt Edward inch forward as he said this which caused me to giggle.
"Shh." I shushed him again, placing my hands around the sides of his face to hold him, then I pulled back on the barrier again.
He gasped and leaned into my hands. "Bella?" He questioned as I sifted through some of my blurry human memories. They were dim but I showed him the highlight reel of my favorites anyway. The first day I saw him, the first time I saw him in the sun, how he looked when I came down the stairs to him for prom, and our dance together that night, our first kiss.
Then his lips were on mine as he pushed me down onto the sofa we were sitting at. "I heard you. How?" He kissed me. "How did you do that?"
"I've been practicing." I chuckled at him and his reaction.
"Why?"
"For you." I told him and then he kissed me again.
"Show me more." He practically begged after a few minutes.
"Don't interrupt me this time." I smirked at him and then closed my eyes to concentrate.
This time I showed him my clear memories of him, the ones that were seen through perfect eyesight. The first time I heard his voice in Laden Fields and how I reacted to it. The first time I saw his crooked smile before I remembered that it was one of my favorite things in the world. His face in the meadow after I regained all my memories. Our first night together in the cottage and the subsequent nights following. Him standing at the alter waiting for me and us dancing again at the reception.
The elastic barrier slipped before I could show him how beautiful he looked in the ocean water bathed in sunlight.
"Damn it." He growled and pushed me down again with hungry kisses.
I laughed breathlessly when he released my mouth. "Now you know." I grasped his face between my hands. "No one has ever loved anyone as much as I love you."
"You're almost right." He pressed his lips to mine and murmured against me. "I know of one exception."
"Prove it." I teased.
"I plan to. Every day. Forever and forever and forever."
"That sounds exactly right to me." I pulled him tighter against me where we continued forward into our perfectly piece of forever together.
The End.