Emmett helps me pack the car. For arriving with next to nothing, we seem to be leaving with an awful lot of stuff.

"I've made you three full playlists of music that will annoy the crap out of Edward," he says with an evil grin, tucking an iPod into the glove box. "One of them is specifically designed for Cleveland."

I roll my eyes at him as I jam the last of Alice's mystery bags of clothes into the boot and slam it firmly, hoping nothing breaks.

"Trust me, little B. It will definitely be worth it." He swings an arm around my neck and musses my hair, and I elbow him sharply but ineffectively in the ribs until he releases me.

"Rose said you guys might meet us in Rome?"

"I'm pushing for Tuscany. Rome in the summer is disgusting. You can't go out during the day and the place is packed with tourists. We'll see you somewhere in Italy, though."

I think about the last time they were in Europe, and how much has changed since then.

Edward comes down to the parking garage with yet another giant box and I throw up my hands in exasperation. "Where does this all come from? There weren't this many Christmas gifts for the entire family!"

He shrugs his shoulders and opens the back door of the car looking for some space. "Esme said it was for the library. It's heavy, so I'm assuming it's books."

"It is," Alice confirms, bouncing along behind him with a sports bag that is quite literally half her size. "And these are the new little league uniforms. They are darling."

I give her a guilty smile. The Cullens' generosity knows no bounds.

For the first time our farewells are easy, light. None of the fear, hurt or misunderstanding of previous separations. Jasper promises to try and keep Alice's travel planning in check. "I'll aim for less than ten revisions of the itinerary," he says with a wink. Alice pulls a disgruntled face. "If I let Edward do it, it will be hopeless," she says with conviction. "Bella will wind up being dragged through a hundred dingy opera houses and depressing, gothic cathedrals."

Esme's embrace is fierce and filled with love. "When you get back, Bella, we'll talk about where we live next. Carlisle and I are thinking about Montana."

"Really?" Emmett offers Carlisle a high-five, which he ignores with a withering look. "I love that place. Bells, it has its own elk herd! Coyote and bull moose."

Esme loops an arm through mine. "It's really beautiful, Bella. I think you'd like it. The main ranch house is all wood and stone, and the view is stunning. There are several outbuildings, and we wouldn't all be under each other's feet."

Rose appears with my laptop case and stows it under the passenger seat. "Montana State has a campus nearby," she says to me. "You could go back to school if you wanted." Rosalie remembers well our time in New York; how I used to love curling up in the library with pencils twisted in my hair. I can't even picture Montana, but suddenly it sounds like the best idea in the world.

My goodbyes with the family are tight hugs and elicited promises about emails and Skype and European must-sees. Their goodbyes with Edward are silent and sincere, and by the time he's finished with each of them he looks overwhelmed. I throw him the keys to the car as I climb into the passenger seat, and we pull out into the icy Chicago streets.

A vampire road trip is really only half as much fun. There are no slushies; no beef jerky or Red Vines. No disgusting gas station restrooms, no roadside motels. But there's a bright, cold winter sun overhead, my feet wrapped in fuzzy green socks propped up on the dash. And there's Edward beside me at the wheel, telling me stories about the riots at the Democratic Convention in the sixties while he traces patterns on the inside of my wrist.

My heart hurts for him. "You were alone for so long."

He looks across at me in surprise, unconcerned as ever about taking his eyes off the road.

"Not completely alone, no. But... It doesn't matter now."

I think about Jasper: But it's just that...history. It ceased to mean anything the day Alice found me in that diner. Jasper's had over a century to process what happened with him, his time with Maria, and then of course, Alice. I'm not in that place yet. It still means something to me. It matters that Edward was alone; it matters that I was alone. His fingers trace up my forearm, pushing back my sleeve, following where my veins once flowed. Every place our skin connects is a covenant; every touch is a knitting of broken bones. I've ceased to wonder how much damage was done, though I know I will carry some phantom pain for at least a little while longer. Still, when you have forever in front of you, that seems okay.

When the sun starts to sink toward the horizon, we stop on the outskirts of the Allegheny National Forest. The snow is thick on the ground, an undisturbed white quilt wrapping itself around the trunks of the trees. Edward opens my door for me and offers me a hand out, but when I'm on my feet I'm almost instantly knocked off-balance as he presses me back against the car and kisses me soundly. My eyes close. Edward feels miraculous. Like strength, and comfort, and abundance. Like I could make a home right here in the taste of him, with his hands on my shoulders and the snow crunching underfoot.

When I open my eyes again, Edward is beaming at me. Then he turns and takes off at a dead sprint, and it's all I can do to collect my scattered wits and follow.

The hunt is fast and primal, tearing through the undergrowth. Blood relieves the burning itch in the back of my throat, but my satisfaction is only average at best. Winter feeding is hard work and unfulfilling. I almost wish I needed the cold air to tear through my lungs. Sometimes I crave the feeling of being truly alive.

When I catch up to Edward, I realize we're in a completely different part of the forest. Old-growth trees surround us, towering overhead.

"They're white pines," he says, laying a hand against the bark of the nearest tree and craning his head back to stare up at its branches. "Over 400 years old. Believe it or not, this part of the forest is called Heart's Content."

The trees are beautiful. I think idly about climbing one.

When I look back at him, I'm startled to find Edward in front of me, down on one knee.

"I want to do this here," he says quietly, "where I can't hear anyone but you."

I'm rooted to the ground in shock. He takes my left hand in his. The forest around us is utterly still.

"I know this seems sudden, Bella. And I will wait as long as you need me to, I swear. But I've walked every day of this life toward you. The only time I was crazy enough to try and go in another direction it nearly destroyed me."

His touch is an accelerant, spreading across my skin. His eyes are vibrant, fresh with new blood. His pose is a petition.

I am struck mute.

"Bella, it didn't destroy you. You didn't founder. You grew more brilliant, impossibly beautiful, unfathomably strong.

"I knew the moment I saw you in Hollis that everything I thought I'd felt for you when you were human was a lie. It was the palest imitation. When I saw you, really saw you - without the cloud of bloodlust and the aching exertion of restraint - the veil was torn. There was no going back."

I know exactly what he means. I know with certainty that there has never been any way to turn back. There has only ever been this moment, in this clearing. White and green; unspoiled and ancient. Just this eternity; just this breath. For better or worse.

"I know I've hurt you. I know I've lost your trust. If you will let me, I vow that I will spend every moment we have together making that up to you. I love you, and I will never give you a reason to doubt me again. If you need space, you can have that too. But my life is your life. I don't know how I could have ever thought otherwise.

"Isabella, Isobel...Bella. Will you marry me?"

I don't know if I believe in fate - if I was always destined to this eternal life, to Edward. But I know that I believe in him, in this complicated, flawed man kneeling before me. And I believe in us, in the warp and weft of the life we will make together.

The answer starts deep in my chest, taking on a life of its own, asserting itself. The answer dances from my lips and resounds around the clearing.

"Yes."

The ring Edward slides onto my finger is perfect. Understated and simple, with a diamond solitaire that glints in the last of the fading daylight.

And then everything's a blur of motion. I'm dragging him to his feet, his jeans wet from kneeling so long in the snow. He's pressing against me, against this tree that's older than both of us. Here, in this place: the heat of his kiss, the feel of my hand through his hair. The commitments we make to one another.

"I love you," I whisper against his skin, against his tongue. I love you, I love you. His broad palm against my ribs. My knuckles knocking against his belt buckle. The bark at my back.

We are flush with the snow, white on white. Both illuminated in the soft light that streams through the 400 year old trees. I'm thinking that Edward and I are like these trees, bright and alive, time inconsequential. Then he does something with his tongue that makes me arch back with a gasp, and I realize then that I am alive. More alive than I ever was when blood coursed through my veins. I am awake, I am aware, I am whole.

I want to tell Edward this, but instead I press my lips hard against his own. Then I flip him on his back and laugh at his wide eyes. It seems my newborn strength is still lingering - or I just managed to catch him off guard. His surprise fills me with a joy so strong I wonder if I've ever actually felt joy before.

He laughs and pulls me down to him with a growl. We surge together and feel nothing but each other, not even the cold.

It's only much later that I realize where we are and begin to comprehend the meaning of what has happened.

"I should call the others. I mean...will Alice have told them?"

Edward shrugs. "Jasper and Emmett already know. I talked to them about it when we went hunting before Christmas."

"Really?" I can't picture Edward discussing this with his brothers. They've been apart longer than I've ever known them together.

"You're going to think this is strange, but I wanted to ask Jasper's permission."

My eyebrow arches in disbelief.

"No, it's not the name thing. I'm not hung up on that," he assures me, adding quickly, "although I can't wait for you change it. It's that...Jasper has been your mentor and your protector. He's been there for you every step of the way. I can't ask Charlie Swan for your hand, Bella, but I wanted to be sure Jasper approved."

There is something so old fashioned, and yet so respectful, about this gesture, that I'm at a loss for words.

I reach into my pocket for the phone and dial a familiar number.

Edward looks at me, incredulous. "You really want to deal with Alice and wedding planning right now?"

I turn my back to him.

"Of course not," I laugh. "But I do have another sister who might want to know."

Rose answers on the second ring, her happiness for me radiating from miles away. Edward takes my hand as I answer her questions and we walk out of the forest, the same as we were when we entered, and yet entirely different.

"Plus les choses changent plus elles restent les mêmes."

I tune Rosalie out for a minute, turning to catch Edward's eye. I wonder if something has changed, if somehow he can read my thoughts, but then I realize. We are going to be together forever. He doesn't need his gift, he knows me better than anyone. I smile and focus back on Rose, saying, "No, God! Does Vera Wang even make three-tier taffeta affairs? You're almost as bad as Alice!"

Edward's laughter warms my heart.

Hollis seems small, but comforting, like visiting your elementary school years after you left.

Edward drives slowly for once, and I wonder if every place we live will feel this way. I wonder if we'll ever come back to Hollis, decades from now, when there won't be anyone to remember an Isobel Whitlock and an Edward Masen.

He pulls into my driveway and kills the engine. I wonder if Carlisle will keep the house, dropsheets covering my shabby, beloved furniture. Or if he'll rent it out, if some new family will have to get the granite bench in the kitchen fixed.

We carry in the contents of the car, and Edward lingers in my hallway, one hand on my hip and the other running his thumb over the ring on my finger.

"Stay," I whisper, before he can suggest leaving. I never want him anywhere else but at my side.

"Of course," he says with a devilish answering smile. "You're the one with the bed."

.x.x.

Mrs Ainsley's mouth presses into a thin line when I tell her I am resigning, but when I reveal that I'm engaged to Edward, Casey squeals with delight.

"You see, Mrs. A? I told you they were meant for each other!" Mrs. Ainsley is clearly trying to hide both her amusement and her approval but it only works half-way. Casey sighs happily. I wonder if she's been reading in the romance section again, a section I know probably wouldn't exist if it wasn't for Mrs. Ainsley's own fondness for heaving bosoms and ripped bodices.

Stifling my own giggle, I get an idea. "You know, Mrs. Ainsley, now that I'm leaving, it might be nice to have someone keep up the children's section part-time. I can't think of anyone that knows the ropes better than Casey. The children know her and trust her already."

Casey's eyes go wide with delight and I laugh.

Mrs. Ainsley sniffs and looks Casey up and down. "We'll have to have a discussion about boys and proper library voices." Then she sighs. "And there's still no budget for fairy wings or tutus."

I could almost swear Mrs. Ainsley winked at me while saying that.

Friday is my last day, and I'm running out the clock at the front desk, checking books and clicking on links to insanely overpriced hotels as Alice emails them to me.

"You're leaving," a small voice accuses. Scott has a stack of books on the counter that he's hiding slightly behind, as if it's taken all his courage to confront me like this.

"I am. I've got a chance to go and see some places I've never been to before. It's an adventure."

He scowls, remaining tucked behind his books.

"But I've been thinking about it, and I thought it might be fun if I sent you a postcard from every city I went to." I reach beneath the counter and pull out a poster tube. "And this is a map of the world. I thought your dad could help you put it up on the wall at home, and then when you get the postcards from me you can stick a pin in the city on the map."

I had the map laminated to withstand all the pinpricks and future I imagine for this little boy.

Julian comes inside to pick Scott up. I start for a moment, not having seen him up close in so long.

Scott runs up to his dad, and begins telling him all about the map. His excitement is light as a summer breeze, and as hard to ignore. Julian smiles at Scott, then asks him to go wait in the car. Scott nods and looks solemnly back at me.

"Be careful," he says. "And if you learn how to tesser, I expect to know." I smile thinking of him reading A Wrinkle in Time, curled up in bed with a flashlight. Scott walks over and shakes my hand. Then he is gone.

I shake my head but Julian is still there. He's looking at me strangely. Then he sighs.

"I guess we just won't be able to get rid of you that easily."

I realize what I've done. I will be writing postcards to Scott. Not Julian. I will be staying in their lives, and I didn't ask permission.

"I'm sor-" I start to say before Julian cuts me off.

"Don't. Apologies aren't needed. Things change, right?" He still hasn't looked me in the eye. "Just promise me you'll write him. He's not old enough to understa - you know, he gets his hopes up and - I just don't want him to have an empty map, is all." The last words come out in a rush and I'm glad I have the sharp senses now to catch it all.

I reach for his hand, steeling myself for the heat of his skin. "I promise, Julian. I won't let Scott down."

At that, he looks me in the eye.

"I know you won't," he almost whispers, and it's so easy to see how things could have been, if I'd never met Edward. But without Edward, I would never have come to Hollis, and when you're dealing with things like forever, at some point you have to stop playing endless games of what-if.

Squeezing his hand gently, I try to smile at him. "There might be a lot of postcards," I warn, trying to lighten the mood.

Julian tries to smile back. "Maybe one day we'll follow your path. If I win the lottery, I'll let Scott pick a place every month, and we'll go."

I know then that when Edward realizes what I'm doing he will find a way to create a scholarship to allow Scott to travel the world with his dad. "You'll have to send postcards in return," I tell him, half-serious.

He just smiles and drops my hand.

"Goodbye, Isobel Whitlock."

He is gone. And so is Isobel Whitlock.

I finish up at the library and go to meet Edward; Bella soon-to-be Cullen goes to meet her fiancé. I find him at the hospital, taking a last minute look at patient charts.

"Let's go," I say, pulling at his arm. "Right now."

Edward looks puzzled.

"You know our flights to London aren't for another week, right?"

"I have somewhere I want us to go first."