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Chapter Twelve:
In Which Endings Are Just Beginnings in Disguise

Marcus stalked back and forth across the floor of the throne room, feeling like the stone walls were becoming too confined, too claustrophobic. Caius watched on silently from his chair and waited for his personal guards to escort his brother (or perhaps ex-brother; he didn't know what the etiquette for a situation like this was) to this room of all rooms.

Though he knew that he ought to be as angry as Marcus, Caius could not grasp at the feeling enough to be driven by it. Aro, even in his defiance and thirst for things out of his reach, was family. Nothing else seemed to matter much in Caius's mind on that account. The ties that bind are more steadfast than the pulls for which they are broken.

The doors opened and Aro entered the room. He was not struggling in the hands of his escorts like Marcus had thought, but coolly walking in front of them with his hands clasped before him, like a repentant child. The guards filtered out of the room and closed the door, sealing the silence of the three estranged brothers.

Caius continued to watch as neither of his brothers said anything. Marcus had stopped pacing and stood by the far wall, watching Aro with narrowed eyes and distrustful anger. Aro just stood there, looking as though he wanted to say something but could not think of the words to articulate such an overwhelming feeling. Taking his brother's silence as defiance, Marcus suddenly spat, "Back again? Do you not remember that by choosing to leave, you forfeited your right of calling Volterra home?"

Staring at his clasped hands, Aro gently responded, "Yes, brother. I am aware."

Marcus, who refused to let Aro's seemingly penitent appearance shake him, snapped, "Then why did you return?"

To his brothers' surprise, Aro told the truth. "I saw that I have gone astray, and I wish to return to the ideals we had begun with, all those years ago." His pale red eyes sought out Marcus's and Caius's. "Am I too late for repentance, my dear bothers, or is there still a chance for me to be the man I should have been?"

Caius watched as the anger fled from Marcus's face. All past blunders were erased at the sight of the proud and unforgiving Aro dropping his prejudices and doing his best to change what he had become. Pardoning his brother's faults, Marcus embraced Aro and told him how sorry he was for his behavior.

Caius permitted himself one of his rare smiles and joined his brothers in the center of the chamber, glad to see that that the rift between them was closing as the ties that bound grew thicker from their brief strain.

000

Behind the counter at the bank, Edward absentmindedly fiddled with the small metal nametag pinned to the front of his white button down shirt. Mrs. Stanley, his supervising manager, was making personal phone calls to her mother in her office, so Edward was left to man the empty bank. After the surge of people suddenly wanting to withdrawal and deposit money when Edward first started working had worn down, the bank had become a desolate ghost town that saw, at most, half a dozen people a day.

Edward focused murderously on the large clock hung on the opposite wall like it would speed up out of fear for the young bank teller. The moment the clock struck 5:00, Edward gave a short goodbye to Mrs. Stanley before he rushed out the door with his umbrella in hind. Uncaring of the traffic, he bounded across the street and stood in his usual spot in front of the library where Bella worked.

It was such an expected thing to happen now that the people of Forks didn't even glance at the grinning youth with auburn hair as the brunette greeted him with a kiss of Hollywood-like perfection. Even beauty of that degree can be accustomed to with enough exposure.

"Hello Mr. Masen," Bella smirked as she pulled away from Edward and flicked his nametag. "How was your day?"

"Dreadful, Mrs. Masen," he quipped in return, referring to the fact that the whole town thought they were married.

"And why is that, Mr. Masen?" she asked, playing along to his over exaggerated tones as the walked home.

"I didn't get to see my darling wife all day." He wrapped his arm around her waist and drew her closer to his side.

"It was only a few hours and-"

"Nevertheless, I have you all to myself tonight." His hand crept lower and Bella giggled in surprise before shaking her head.

"I am afraid that is not possible."

"And why not?" he demanded.

"Esme has requested our presence tonight at their house for a family dinner without the dinner."

Edward pressed his lips to the side of her neck and started to trace his fingers along the sliver of exposed skin between her shirt and pants in an effort to persuade her differently. "But I had something special planned tonight," he breathed into her ear.

Bella shivered gently but remained strong. "What? More special than the three times this morning, the seven times last night, or the two times during our lunch break yesterday? I'm afraid that it will have to wait."

Edward heaved a sigh. "Well, I suppose I will just have to get it over with now."

"That would be called indecent exposure, sweet-" She broke off when Edward handed her the umbrella and dropped to one knee, becoming soaked under the quickly strengthening downpour. "What are you doing?" she asked in a hesitant voice.

"What I was saving to do for tonight," he snapped petulantly as he searched his pants for the small box he had been carrying for the past week. Once it was found he held it out to her and opened it to reveal a stunning diamond ring in a setting that matched the bracelet she wore on her wrist.

There was no big speech. There was no grand gesture. The last two years had been so full of them that they were no longer needed. All that was there was a boy with a question on his face and a girl with the answer in her eyes.

Bella dropped umbrella and, not even noticing the rain staining her hair darker, covered her mouth with both her hands, as if to stop the wide smile spreading across her face or keep in the shouts of joy that were threatening to take her over. "You do realize," she started, her voice trembling with the strain to keep it steady, "that Emmett will insist on being the priest?"

His face solemn, Edward nodded. "As much as I realize that Alice is going to insist on planning every second."

"Hmm. How do you feel about elopement?"

"Frankly, as long as the end result is marrying you, I couldn't care less about how we get there."

Bella nodded for a few seconds before wild happiness took over. Laughing exuberantly, she launched herself at her now fiancée and covered his beaming face in kisses as he slipped the ring onto her finger.

He picked her up and started to twirl her around in circles. Both of them were oblivious to the stares of people around them as they looked into each other's eyes and knew that every trial had been worth it to end up in this exact moment in time.

Well, it's over. I'm so utterly thankful to everyone who has read and reviewed this fic.

To look out for in the future: I have several stories lined up to post next, but I don't want to do so until I'm far enough along to prevent the long pauses between chapters that you've had to suffer through. And, maybe, there will be a third chapter to a very popular two-shot of mine. I'm crossing my fingers that it will turn out well.