Lost
Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to SM.
A/N-well this is the end guys. Thank you for all your kind reviews and for following this crazy story right until the very end.
Epilogue
Six weeks later;
It had taken Bella a while to recover from her ordeal. Physically she was improving every day. Carlisle had been able to devise a treatment that helped her body eject the last of the venom/shifter blood mix that had still been circulating in her veins. It had taken a lot for Bella to place her trust in Carlisle again. She knew he hadn't been in control of his body when he had carried out the previous experiments on her that had been Utlapa. But still it was difficult for her to separate the two. But with Jacob constantly by her side and with the support of her dad, Billy and the pack she was able to overcome her fears and allow the vamp doctor to help.
Once she began to heal, Carlisle and Esme took their leave. There was no reason for them to stay around any longer. "I want to gather my family around me again." Carlisle told Bella and Jacob before they left. They had already been in contact with Emmet and Rosalie, but were still trying to track Alice and Jasper down. They hoped that the little psychic would see that the situation had changed and that it was safe for her to come out of hiding. "I have many apologies to make." Carlisle was full of regret. He looked toward Jacob, who had his arm around Bella. "If you ever need my assistance, you can always reach me on this number." He passed a small business card to Jacob.
"Thanks." Jacob just wanted them gone. He had no plans to ever contact the Cullen's again. He was done with them, permanently.
Esme hugged Bella goodbye before she climbed into Carlisle's Mercedes. The vamp doctor lingered for a moment longer. He gazed at Bella, his golden brown eyes full of guilt. "Live a happy life, my dear." He said to her before he finally joined his wife in the car and drove away.
Bella wondered why he looked so guilty all of a sudden, but she didn't waste her time pondering why. Jacob had screwed the business card up ready to dispose of it later. "Thank fuck they're gone." He muttered.
Bella agreed with him wholeheartedly. It was now time for them to live.
Old Quil was buried with full honours. As far as the rest of the tribe knew he had died of a heart attack. His funeral was packed. Young Quil read a eulogy to his grandfather. It was difficult for him, now knowing the full truth. Leah Clearwater had been a great support to him. The two of them had become closer over the intervening weeks and a deep friendship had developed between them. During the ceremony Quil was surrounded by family and friends. It allowed him to make peace with what had happened and gave him the strength to move on.
It wasn't only Quil who was moving on. Charlie was too. He had put up his house for sale in Forks. He was going to move onto the reservation permanently. He had already found a two bedroom apartment that suited his needs. Bella had moved in with him but Charlie knew she probably wouldn't be staying for long. With the way her relationship was progressing with Jacob he guessed she would be moving into the Black's house soon. It had taken Charlie a while to come to terms with the truth after Billy finally revealed to him what had been going on. Their friendship had been strained for a while. But Charlie was a forgiving man. He knew how much the Black family had risked to save his daughter. He couldn't stay angry for long. He'd had a long talk with his daughter and he'd made peace with the past. Like everyone else, he just wanted to look to the future.
Neither Jacob nor Bella had seen what was on the memory stick. In a way they were afraid to. It was part of Bella's past and she was anxious about what would be on it. Carlisle had assured them it was nothing bad, but still she fretted, and put off viewing what it contained. Bella had never recovered her memories about what happened on her honeymoon night. For that she was glad, and so was Jacob. If her mind had blocked it out then so be it. It was best left buried. Now she was regaining her health she just wanted to focus on the future. But eventually curiosity won over fear and Bella told Jacob she wanted to download the contents onto her laptop.
"Are you sure?" Jacob checked as he put his arm around her.
"I think I'm ready." Bella laid her head on his shoulder.
"Okay." Jacob kissed the top of her head as he watched her plug the memory stick into the USB port. It took a moment for the contents to be downloaded. When they did they were surprised to see it was a short video. "Are you certain you want to see this?" Jacob asked Bella one last time. He could see how apprehensive she looked.
"I'm ready." Bella smiled at him tremulously as she leaned forward and pressed play.
Almost at once her face appeared on screen. It was obvious she had been crying. Mascara was running down her cheeks. Her hair fell in soft shiny waves across her shoulders. Bella realised she was sitting in the back of the expensive car that Carlisle had loaned Edward to transport them in style to their honeymoon. She was wearing her blue going away dress. She must have filmed this on her cell phone. The picture was wobbling. Her hand must have been shaking.
"There isn't much time." The Bella on the screen whispered. She sniffed back her tears and wiped her face with trembling fingers. "I didn't get to see you again Jake. I just want to say I'm so sorry for what happened. You were right in everything you said. I wish I could say this to you face to face, but this will have to do for now. I'm going to tell Edward that it's over, that I made a mistake. I shouldn't have married him. But I want to do it in private. I owe him that much. But I'll be back Jake. I promise. I hope you can forgive me. I hope you still love me. I love you. I'm going to send this to you…."
The picture went blank.
Jacob's hand was clutching Bella's. He turned his head to look at her. She was still staring at the screen in shock. "I never got that video message, Bells. I never got it. If I had I would have come running. You know that, right."
"I know." Bella tore her eyes away from the screen and hid her face against his shoulder. She let out a choked sob before raising her head again. "I love you, Jake. I always have."
"I love you, too." Jacob said earnestly as he cradled her face in his hand and leaned forward to kiss her.
The End….