A/N – So I could offer excuses, but I know no one wants to hear them. It's been a crazy six months in my household and my muse kinda disappeared on me. However, she came back for a visit and graced me with this, the final chapter and the epilogue. I honestly kinda got off the track I wanted to go on and killed my villain too soon lol. However, I think I have dotted all my i's and crossed all my t's with these last installments. So without further ado, here is Chapter 19. Enjoy!

I watched Paul as he paced in front of me, mumbling quietly to himself. I knew he needed to straighten his thoughts out and then I would get my answers. Finally he stopped and squatted down in front of me. "What do you remember?" he asked, his brow furrowed in thought. I explained about remembering the bonfire, talking with him on the beach, him coming to my house, and us having a conversation at the diner. Then I told him about being in the grey room with Edward and a breakfast tray.

"I feel like it was all a daze. Like I knew what I was doing but I know nothing I did makes sense. Why would I comply with him so easily?" My hair fell around my face as I hung my head. I couldn't face this man, I knew he would be disappointed in me. I felt like I betrayed him for some reason.

He lifted my face to his slowly. "He had you dazzled B. He used his lure and your previous addiction to him to get you to comply. I could see it when we confronted him in the forest." I felt my face tense in concentration. Flashes of red hair and a group of wolves went across my mind.

"Victoria…She helped you." Paul nodded his head. "Yes, in the end she did and we gave her the release from this life that she needed. She was mad with grief over the loss of her mate. Her original intention was to go after you, but after watching Edward for months, she decided that he would have to be the one to go."

I stared at him for a minute another vague memory coming to my mind.

"Unfortunately my darling, you cannot just 'take them down'. You see it's Victoria that is chasing me and I just haven't had any luck catching her. I know she is out for vengeance for her mate that we killed, but I'm not sure what to do at this point."

He knew she was after him! He was going to use me to eliminate her. Was he really going to keep me after she was gone? I was honestly leaning towards no. Even if I didn't know everything he had done over the past months, I knew it couldn't be good if he was willing to use me like that.

"He told me he was wrong and shouldn't have left me. He wanted to change me, but couldn't because he was being chased by Victoria. I believed him, I was going to distract her with my blood and he was going to take her out." The conversation with Edward came back to me in a rush. My breaths quickened and I stood and began pacing almost exactly where Paul had been minutes ago.

"He was going to use me! I believed him! HOW THE HELL DID I BELIEVE HIM?!" I screamed, turning to Paul. I felt the tears streaming down my face. I couldn't believe I actually fell for him again. Why did his dazzling have such an effect on me? The sobs left me throat before I could even think to stop them. "Why?! Why did he do this?! Why did I give in?! WHY AM I SO WEAK?!"

My knees began to weaken but I never hit the ground. Paul caught me before I was even close. He bundled me into his lap and rocked me, stroking my hair. "No Bella, you are not weak. I know you fought it. He knew exactly what your weaknesses were and where to hit. He used you, that is all there is to it. It was NOT you at all." I could feel his words rumbling through his chest as he pressed me tightly to him. Safety. There was that feeling again.

My tears dried up eventually as we just sat there. I suddenly flushed with embarrassment. I can't believe I fell apart like that in front of him. I made to get up, but he held me tight. "I know it's a lot to process Bella, but it's all over now. He will never hurt you again, he is gone." I nodded into his chest and finally grabbed hold of myself. Enough of this pity party. I was tricked, it was not my fault. I just had to keep telling myself that.

"So," I said. "You going to explain to me about the conversation in the diner. That seems to be the only thing that I can't get my head to recall." Paul chuckled at me quietly and turned to stare into the forest. "Well we talked about what it was like to be a wolf, how it happened for me, and some of the characteristics of being a wolf. We talked about your favorite legend and why it was your favorite." He paused there, seemingly holding his breath.

In my mind I could hear pieces of the conversation from the diner as Paul spoke. Healing, anger, speed, the Third Wife…..

Imprinting….

I took in a sharp breath and looked up to his face. He imprinted on me. He was my soul mate. I had barely had time to process everything before I was taken from him. What did I want? I had friends, I felt I had brothers in the pack now, did I want a lover? A boyfriend? He would protect me no matter what, I knew that. Would it be so bad to give my heart to the one person who was practically guaranteed to never leave me, would be exactly what I needed? If I needed someone to give it to me straight whether I wanted to or not, he would do that. If I just needed someone to hold me, he would be there.

I brought my hand to his face and watched as his eyes closed and he turned into my hand. I stroked his cheek with my thumb gently and he opened his eyes to mine. I felt a jolt in me, a connection being made that would tie me to this man forever. Yes, this is what I wanted, what I honesty needed. His body relaxed even as he pulled me tighter to him. "Mine." I whispered as I snuggled into his embrace and sighed finally feeling content.

I was home.

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Paul left after talking a while about everything. He had to run a patrol, but promised we would talk again later. I felt better about the whole situation and was content to let my relationship with Paul grow naturally. We had shared a few kisses and they were just as sweet and fulfilling as the one we shared in the kitchen. I honestly believed I would never tire of kissing those lips. They were just that fabulous.

Charlie came home around four that afternoon and after a quick dinner I told him I was going to head to LaPush and talk with Jacob. Paul had explained that Jacob had joined the pack and Sam had explained everything to him. Everything. I had no idea how he was dealing and I was concerned for him, especially when it came to the imprint.

I wasn't ignorant to the feelings I knew he still had for me, but I knew he respected my decision at the outset of our friendship and wouldn't push the line. That didn't mean I wanted him to be hurt by this. I still needed my friend, my sun.

Pulling in front of Jake's was almost surreal. It felt like it had been years since I had set eyes on the clapboard house in the woods instead of just a few days. I watched as the door opened slowly and Jake emerged, more subdued than I had ever seen him. His physical appearance had changed drastically. He was taller, more defined, almost hulking, but still sleek. But his hair. His beautiful hair was gone, cut short like the rest of the pack. I almost cried at that for he had loved his hair, so had I.

"Hey." I said quietly as I hopped down from the truck, slamming the door shut. He mumbled a hello to the ground. I approached him slowly, but he held his hand up stopping me in my tracks. "Don't Bella. I know what you're here to talk about and I don't want you too close in case I can't control my anger at the whole situation. I honestly don't want to hurt you."

He finally lifted his face and met my eyes. My heart almost broke at the pain I saw in them. "Jake, I am so sorry." He huffed out a sarcastic laugh. "You have nothing to be sorry for Bells, NONE of this is your fault. Everything that has happened this past few days was down to one stinking vampire who is no longer a problem." I shook my head at him. "I know that Jake. I'm sorry that you are hurting. If there's one thing I never wanted it was for you to be hurt. You deserve so much better than that."

His smile turned half-hearted. "Only you Bella would be concerned with someone else's pain after everything you've been through." He sighed deeply. "I know that Paul imprinted on you and one way or another you two will get together. And it's something I will learn to live with. My feelings will fade, but my friendship will always be there. And who knows, maybe I will also imprint. Then I'll know exactly how he feels about you and I will feel better about it."

I smiled at him. One thing I had never expected from him was such maturity about the whole situation. I wanted to run to him and hug him until he couldn't breathe but held off because of his fears. "Ok" I said. Jake's smile returned in full force. I could still see a bit of hurt in his eyes but our friendship would survive and we would only get stronger from here. He was still my Jake, I was still his Bells.

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Time began to pass again. We started back to school in January. Paul, Jake, Embry, Quil, and I all worked on the motorcycles in our free time. We all became close as a pack and were content. There wasn't a lot of action to speak of. Sam had kept up the patrols though, so they were still busy making sure the reservation and Forks were safe from the "leeches," Paul's favorite term for them.

Two weeks after the "incident" I was home cooking dinner. Paul was patrolling and the other guys were helping Sam with some construction projects. It was the last weekend before school started back and they wanted to make a few bucks. I wasn't expecting any company so when I heard a knock on my door, I was immediately on my guard. I grabbed the frying pan I had just set on the stove before walking to the door cautiously. I leaned against the wall and peered through the curtains around the window only to be shocked almost off my feet.

There on my doorstep were none other than Alice Cullen and Jasper Hale.

I had really put the whole Edward kidnapping and trying to use me behind me. It was not something that I wanted to dwell on for long. I had not even thought about the Cullens and how they would feel about the death of Carlisle's first "child". So yeah, I was more than a bit shocked to see them on my doorstep.

Taking a deep breath, I slowly opened the door to their shocked faces. "Bella! How are you alive?!" Alice's high pitched voice grated slightly on my nerves after spending so much time around the pack with their deep, soothing voices. She grabbed me up into a massive hug, almost squeezing the air out of me. Jasper just chuckled indulgently at his wife. I awkwardly patted her back. "Uh, hi Alice?" It came out as a question because I was honestly unsure how to respond to that.

"Oh Bella, you have no idea….I couldn't see you anymore…..and after losing site of Edward…. I just had to make sure that Charlie was ok." Alice was speaking in spurts and making no sense to me at all. "Alice stop! What are you talking about?" She looked at me, eyes shining with venom that would never fall. Jasper rested a hand on her shoulder before looking at me. "May we come in and explain Bella?" I nodded before leading them into the living room.

I sat in Charlie's chair and gestured them to couch. They perched on the edge and after sharing a look, Alice spoke. "Before I begin, Bella I have to apologize. I should have listened to you and respected your wishes about a birthday party. Jasper has done nothing but beat himself up for the past few months and the guilt the rest of the family has felt has just been devastating." I held up my hand to stop her. "No, Alice, it's ok. He's an empath who was in the same room with six other vampires, one of which was dating his singer. I would have been more surprised if he had not moved at all. So Jasper, just stop now. I never blamed you, there is nothing to forgive." I smiled at him as he gave me his trademark smirk and nod. "Thank you Bella." His deep voice shocked me, as well as the slight southern drawl I detected.

Alice smiled at her mate before turning back to me. "We went to Alaska to begin with. I will admit that I was watching out for you at first. I wanted to make sure you were safe and nothing happened to make you accidentally let the secret slip. We were all afraid something would happen and word would get back the vampire rulers, the Volturi. It would have meant death for not only our family, but you as well. But I began losing visions of you. I could still catch glimpses but a few weeks ago, I lost you completely. I initially panicked but Carlisle assured me that if something had happened, it would be in the news somewhere. So I followed Forks news, Port Angeles news, even Seattle. I settled a bit when I didn't see anything." Alice paused for a moment with a slightly hesitant look on her face. "So you didn't see what Edward was doing?"

Alice hung her head. "No. Edward learned long ago how to evade my visions. He left us after a month in Alaska and I have not been able to see him since then. I have searched and searched but nothing." I almost felt bad for the news I was about to give her. "You won't find him, Alice." I said. She met my eyes and I could see her confusion. I lowered my eyes from her face. There was no way I could look at her or Jasper as I delivered the news that would possibly destroy their family forever. "He's gone Alice."

As I told the story of my life after they left, I would feel intermittent bursts of calm from Jasper. I was thankful for them as I desperately needed it to continue the story. When I got to the part where Paul imprinted on me, I chanced a glance at Alice. Her face was shocked and happy. "Of course." She whispered. "The wolves." I looked at her in askance. "I can't see the wolves for some reason. That's why you've been spotty or just completely gone. You are now tied to the wolves permanently." I thought about it a moment realizing it made sense. It also explained why she wouldn't see Edward at his death because it was directly tied to the wolves.

I continued my story, trying my best to ignore the gasps from Alice and the spikes of anger from Jasper. When I described the room Edward had taken me to they told me it was cottage on their property that Esme had started to redo in hopes that it would one day become mine and Edward's home. I shuddered at the thought, completely unable to imagine that future anymore. I still didn't have most of my memories from that short time but I managed to give them Paul's description of Edward's demise and my injury. Alice's eyes swam with tears.

"How could I not see this? How could we all have been so blind? I don't understand!" Alice broke into tearless sobs as Jasper wrapped her in his arms. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I wish I had answers for you, but I don't. I do know that none of this is your fault, nor mine, nor anyone else's except Edward's. He chose his path and followed it. Nothing about anything he did made any sense to me. And unfortunately he paid for it all with his life."

Jasper and Alice didn't stay long after that. I knew this would be the last time I saw any member of the Cullen family. It left a bittersweet taste in my mouth. I missed the people that made up their whole: father Carlisle, mother Esme, big brother Emmett, aloof sister Rosalie, sympathetic Jasper, and hyper active Alice. They were all unique and wonderful. But the hurt they had caused me by leaving without so much as a goodbye was irreparable. I could never go back and belong with them again. As I bid my friends farewell for the final time, I took a moment to feel a bit of sympathy for their family. While Edward was a sadistic bastard at the end, he was still their family. He had to have some redeeming qualities, though I was hard pressed to think of any at the moment.

I returned to dinner and was ready by the time Charlie got home. I reveled in our now nightly dinners at the table. We talked and I learned so much about him that I never knew. It was something I would have missed out on if I had continued on the path with the Cullens. How could I possibly want to give up my father, my friends, my future for one man? It was beyond me now, something I would never have to worry about again.

After speaking with Paul for a few minutes and a warm shower, I climbed in to bed. I felt finally felt I had the closure I needed to close that chapter of my life. I don't think I had ever realized that though I knew I was getting better, the closure was going to be a necessary step for complete peace and acceptance of what my life had become. My life had been redeemed in the best possible way; the threats were gone, I had a fierce protector, and life was progressing on a natural… Well, mostly natural path. Hey, what would life be without a few shape shifters around?