Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.

Esme

Progress.

It's a fickle thing.

It comes by ostentatiously or inconspicuously. Fast as lightning or slow as molasses. It swallows things whole or evades them entirely.

Our Bella's progress has been more of the molasses sort.

When it comes to flying, she's fallen to the dirt every time her wings have failed her. She's stumbled and hurt each moment, she's cried and sweat and even bled a bit (by fault of scraping her knees on a few sharp pebbles).

What she doesn't see is that each day her wings are stronger, her legs and back are stronger. Each stroke of her wings is more powerful and less painful than the last. It took her just a week to hold herself aloft feet above the ground. Only two to fly to the top of the statuesque trees lining the clearing.

She's made progress with Edward as well, or rather, he with her.

They're rarely apart and constantly in contact with each other. Little touches in every moment; fingers twisting the other's hair, a hand on a shoulder-back-arm-waist-face, lingering embraces, feet touching under the table. It all seems so natural between them.

They think they're subtle.

Carlisle gives me knowing glances when he catches the longing in their eyes. I see how eyes flutter to lips and then away, thinking about the next kiss, or maybe the last.

We've all been given this extra chance at life. We all deserve this happiness, our little pieces of heaven with our significant others and all of us as a family.

I may not know how I got to this life, but I thank God for every moment of it.

AN

Everything's a metaphor. Maybe not everything, but a lot of things. This kind of seems like an ending. It's not. Yet. Kinda bridging because I feel like it's being drawn out a bit.

My twenty year old's life? Hectic. Fell in love (read: currently obsessed) with The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater, some of my clothes are making my skin itch and/or break out, I'm avoiding my boyfriend, and I accidentally texted an absolutely-horrible-for-me ex back because I didn't realize it was him until it was too late. I might've screamed. Definitely blocked his number. Decided to say, "Peace out!" to the real world and found my way back to this one. Who doesn't like late night updates?

Thank you all for your support.

Cannibal