Epilogue

When I was young, I was ready to sacrifice everything for love – even if my life was the price of it. Dazzled by first love, I didn't really care about myself. I was confident of making decisions. I wasn't afraid of pain, and I certainly didn't fear Death.

When I grew up, everything changed. First love stopped dazzling me, and my old plans and decisions began looking silly in my own eyes. My life got its price, no matter how ordinary it really was. I got something to lose, and I realized that to be afraid wasn't that bad.

When you grow up, the world around you change, and you realize that your life will never become a fairytale. One day you grow up, and you leave your teenage dreams in your past, like you leave old photographs in a dusty album. One day you grow up, and you see that life is constant changing and learning, and freezing in time isn't a perfect life.

One day you begin to be afraid of Death, and the only thing that helps you fight with it is hope. They say hope never dies. I cannot but agree with that.


The deer was still twitching in my hands, but life was leaving it rapidly. I closed my eyes, draining my victim. The warm blood filled my frozen body, and I felt almost normal now.

Almost.

I noticed his steps long before I saw him. They were accurate, light, almost weightless, and it sounded like music to my ears. I shook my head, listening to them. Even after becoming a vampire, I still wondered how gracious he really was.

"Are you really hoping that draining another deer will help you outrun me?" Edward teased me, coming into sight.

I smiled, glancing at him.

"I won't be able to do that," I answered confidently. "You are too fast."

Actually, I could outrun Edward in the first year of my new life, but it was long ago. Still, running was something I really enjoyed now. It was almost like flying. An impossible freedom.

"Don't you even want to try?" Edward asked, teasing me again.

A half second later we both broke into a run. It wasn't a competition, but we both liked running together, putting on speed. I could see everything around me if I really paid attention, but I enjoyed watching the perfect abstract picture instead. The green forest was a real work of art.

I chuckled when the sunlight penetrated through the tress and touched my pale skin. I was sparkling, reflecting the light a million times. Of course, it wasn't exactly the heat I remembered when I was human, but it reminded me about good days, making me feel happier.

I was happy now, after all. At least, I could be dead, so my new life would never turn into regret.

Edward slowed down a little, letting me catch up with him, and then held out his hand. I didn't hesitate and accepted it immediately. We continued our way together, holding hands, and it balanced us, bringing some piece to our dead hearts.

"I think we need to go back to the house," Edward broke silence first. "It's time to go."

I nodded and squeezed his hand. He was absolutely right.

I felt a sudden nervousness that filled me from head to toe. Our trip was a special event – we went to see somebody very important. Perhaps, it should have become a routine for somebody, but not for me, and I couldn't stop worrying about the reunion. Strange, but now I was the same Bella as I was in the past. I became a vampire, but I didn't bury all feelings. They weren't dead - there were just locked inside of my perfect cold body, that's all.

Edward and I returned to the house and soon began our journey by car. Of course, we could travel by foot, but we needed to pretend being humans. It was the part of the plan we needed to follow if I wanted to see the person I loved.

I looked out of the window, but saw nothing around me. I was too anxious. Edward noticed that and stretched out his hand again. I squeezed it, realizing how much I needed it now. Edward still could read me like an open book, even if my thoughts were closed from him.

"Don't worry, Bella," Edward said, comforting me. His whisper sounded even better in my new life. "He'll be there."

"I know," I answered quickly, noticing some hysterical tone in my voice. "But I can't stop worrying. What if…"

"Alice said that everything would be okay," he reminded me. "She can't be wrong."

I rolled my eyes. Of course, Alice couldn't be wrong. It was pointless to argue with her about the future.

I looked at our entwined fingers. Years later after my changing, I could say that my love for Edward was still there. Of course, it felt different, and it took some time to become the love we had now. And it wasn't that easy. My childish obsession with Edward became the part of the past. Now I knew that love was a constant work and self-cultivation. Perfect love lived only in silly books – the real love, even eternal one, required constant attention.

Edward so understanding. After calming down and getting used to a new life, I felt sorry for all curses I had told him while I was changing. I knew it had hurt Edward, and I knew that he would always remember every word I said. But it was pain talking in me at that time, and, of course, he forgave me when I tried to apologize for that. In my opinion, Edward turned out to be a much better partner than I deserved…

…and he also made me such an unbelievable present. Edward fulfilled the promise that was impossible to fulfill. While I was changing, Edward promised me to save Charlie in my new life.

And Edward did it. He persuaded Carlisle and the rest of family to let Charlie know our secret, and after some consideration they agreed to help us. We didn't want to disappoint Dad, so Carlisle made a decision to tell him everything before organizing my fake funeral. To our astonishment, we got an unexpected help from Billy Black. He guessed that something bad had happened to me; after getting the news from Carlisle, Billy offered his help with having a conversation with Charlie. Billy loved his best friend, and he had no desire to break his heart as well. Strange, but vampires and werewolves concluded a new treaty. They started to help each other survive in the modern world.

Carlisle and Billy told Charlie that part of the truth that Dad was ready to listen. Charlie didn't belong to a supernatural world, but in the end he accepted the rules of the game. He didn't want to know much, but promised not to ask questions if it gave us a chance to be together.

It was unreal, but it worked, and Edward and I started visiting Charlie several times a year. We had to change locations and move across the country for the opportunity to spend a quiet day together, but it didn't matter. The game was worth the candle.

"We're almost here," Edward murmured. "I can hear his thoughts."

I made an unnecessary breath.

"What is he thinking about?" I asked. I didn't know why I was asking it. Maybe, I was too anxious, that's all.

Edward smiled his beautiful crooked smile and turned to me.

"He's waiting for you," he said shortly, knowing that it would be enough to comfort me.

I nodded and squeezed his hand again. Everything would be alright now.

Our car turned left, then turned again and again, and soon began slowing down. I inhaled deeply, finally noticing a familiar smell. At first my reunions with Charlie were difficult, but a decade later thirsty stopped bothering me.

"We arrived," Edward said, cutting the engine.

Having no desire to wait for any second, I unfastened the seat belt and went out of the car. It didn't mean that I worried about my safety. I needed to remember about the rules.

It was easy to find him. An old grey-haired man was standing near his truck thirty hundred meters away from us. He was examining the trees and the pale grey sky and then turned to our side, noticing us.

"Bella?" Charlie asked in a surprised, but happy voice. He never asked questions, just like he promised, but Dad was still amazed at my appearance.

"Dad!" I cried back, smiling at him.

I ran to Charlie, trying to keep human's speed. I still needed to remember about the rules. We all did.

Charlie looked relieved after examining me closely. I was real – he could see it now.

"It's you," he said, hugging me, his voice sounded confident now. "It's you."

Cold didn't scare him at all, and I relaxed in his warm arms.

"It's me," I repeated his words and closed my eyes, enjoying our little moment. "I'm back."

THE END


Writer's note

Can you imagine that this is the very end?)

I'd like to make a confession. I've never been a Twilight fan, and I've never imagined that I can write the story like that. But I remember how it all started. I stuck with writing my own story when one day I saw the article about the books' anniversary. After seeing it, I remembered the moment when I read them for the first time as a teenager, and I tried to recall my impressions of it. When I read "New Moon", the moment when Edward left Bella really impressed me, and though I had no idea about fanfiction at that time, I was wondering what could happen if Edward didn't return so quickly. I remembered all that after seeing that article and wrote the first chapter almost immediately. I didn't know why I was doing it, but I felt that I needed to do it. Strange things happen, you know?)

At the same time, I didn't want to portray the characters as perfect and nice as they used to be. Our impression of things changes when we're getting older, and I wanted to show it too. I wanted to see a new version of Bella, more serious and grown up. I wanted to show that vampires weren't perfect – they could do really awful things or could be irritating sometimes. I wanted to show that everything had changed, and I hope, I could do this.

Dear readers! Thank you for your time and for all your reviews and comments. Maybe, my story isn't that big and popular, but your attention means so much to me. I'd like to thank my beta readers who helped me with a few chapters (sorry if I was too impatient!). I also want to thank wonderful Coffeefilterart who helped me edit my text as well. English is not my native language, and the fact that different readers from different countries can read my story, really amazes me.

Well, here's the end. I'm a bit sad, but I'm glad that I began writing this unusual story. Thanks for making this journey with me!

Sincerely yours,

a . kingsly