Thank you all for your support of my little story. I have thoroughly enjoyed writing it. This is the final chapter. Enjoy!

SM owns it all, and I am forever in her debt for awakening my creativity.

Out of the Shadows

Chapter 20: The End

BPOV

As the plane touched down at LAX, I gave a reluctant sigh as I let go of Edward's hand. For much of the time in Europe, we had to be very cautious about any outward appearance of affection. Working as Edward's assistant gave me the ability to be with him all day but we couldn't be more than friendly, at least not until the evening when we were alone in our hotel.

The routine in London, Paris, Rome and Berlin were all the same, personal security waiting for us, two rooms booked at the best hotel, cars to whisk us to whatever location was required for promotional photos or interviews. The print interviews were booked in a separate room at the hotel we were staying at, but the radio and television interviews were a whirlwind of cars, buildings, people and then cars again.

For the entire three weeks of our trip, we would almost collapse at the end of the day in Edward's room. My room was basically for show and my luggage. The nights together were wonderful. After crawling into our comfy clothes, we'd order some food, curl up on the couch and spend hours just talking about the day, what I'd done, and about anything that came to us. Each morning we would wake up together in his bed, wallowing in the joy of being alone before the onslaught of the day began. By the end of the three weeks, Edward was not only my boyfriend but also my best friend.

By the time we disembarked from the plane and got through the airport, I was longing for the quiet of Forks again. The photographers were waiting for him at the entrance, and poor Edward was surrounded. Thankfully, his security team was there to make sure he made it to his car safely. We had previously discussed that I would leave on my own, grab a taxi to my house, and we would get together the next day.

As the taxi pulled up in front of my apartment building I felt emotionally torn because this was the one place that Edward had never been so it felt cold now. It had been over two months since I'd been here, and I'm sure that my plants were all dead. After dropping off my bags, the first thing I checked was my car. I hated leaving her in the parking garage under the building for this long but she was looking great still.

My phone rang as I walked back into the apartment. It was Edward. "So how's the car?" I just broke down laughing. "You know me so well, Mr. Cullen."

"Well, I don't know about you but I'm about ready to keel over from exhaustion. I just wanted to make sure that you made it home okay before I sleep for the next 24 hours."

"I know exactly what you're feeling. I think I might throw some laundry in, you know, all those new clothes you bought me, but then I'm out for the night as well." I looked around my apartment to make sure that there wasn't anything else that needed to be done before I turned the lights off. Before I could say another word Edward read my mind.

"I know one thing, my sleep won't be as good without you next to me. We have to make some arrangements because your bed is way too far from mine." I could hear the smile in Edward's voice. I knew that I would collapse from exhaustion but the sleep won't be as good as it had been in Edward's arms.

Our first night in London was almost a comedy of errors because we weren't sure what arrangements would work. Neither one of us was ready to broach the subject of how intimate we were going to be on this trip. We went to our own rooms, but by midnight I was standing outside of his door with my arm raised to knock but changed my mind and went back to my room. I lied there, staring at the ceiling, for another hour before I heard the light knock on my door. I bolted from the bed, ran to the door, and peered through the peephole, to see Edward standing there. He looked absolutely gorgeous with his disheveled hair, pajama bottoms and hoping and longing in his eyes. I yanked open the door, grabbed his hand and pulled him into my room and into my arms. I don't know how much sleep we got that night due to the passionate make out session, but again we never went further.

When I awoke in my bedroom, I knew that Edward and I needed to make new sleeping arrangements soon because I could foresee a lot of sleepless nights and groggy days otherwise. The clock read 4 am, which was afternoon in Europe, but I was wide-awake. After a light breakfast, I finished up my laundry and tackled my emails. This task was going to take a long time so I made a pot of coffee to help me through.

I was startled by a knock on my door at around 6:30 am. I checked my appearance; clean pajamas, no holes or see-through bits, hair not a nest, teeth brushed. As I approached the door, I started to feel an electric tingle that started at my toes and travelled up. Edward was on the other side. I was in such a rush that I actually fumbled with the lock, twice, and I could hear the chuckle from him. As the door flung open, I launched myself into his arms, and was rewarded by his soft lips kissing every inch of my face and neck. We stood there making out until I heard one of my neighbors clear his throat. We reluctantly broke apart with a giggle, and walked back into the apartment with our arms around each other's waist.

"So this is your place? I say you're definitely moving to my place." He smiled down at me, with happiness and worry in his eyes.

"Yeah. Well, I'm sure that you have the better place but do you have room for my baby?" Edward's eyes widened in horror, as his mouth dropped open. I let him hang there for a moment then, "I mean my car."

He wiped his forehead, "Whew, I was a little worried there. Not that having a baby with you wouldn't be incredible, but I'd like to do it in the right order."

I stood on tiptoes and gave him a quick kiss. "I like your thinking." We spent the rest of the morning in my apartment listening to music, finishing my laundry and talking. I was constantly amazed that we didn't run out of things to talk about, and that it came so easy.

It was the beginning of December. We had missed Thanksgiving, but had promised everyone that we would be home for Christmas. I was leaving the following week for Forks because I really wanted to spend more time with my Dad. By mid afternoon, I had an overnight bag packed, and we were heading to Edward's house in my Porsche because we were going to spend as much as possible before I left in a week for Forks.

EPOV

As Bella drove to my house, I realized how anxious I was to have her in my bed again. We had slept together every night, except last night, for the last three weeks but we had only made love once during that time. Oh, what a night that first evening in Paris was!

Alice and I had arranged for the best suite in the best hotel for our first night in Paris. The room had an exquisite view of the Eiffel Tower, and I wasn't going to waste our trip to the most romantic city in the world. My commitments for the day were scheduled to end around 8 pm, and I had arranged for a personal shopper to take Bella to some of the best shops in the city, so it was all a surprise for her.

There was an exceptional meal waiting for us when we arrived back at the suite, and the personal touches were in the bedroom. I had made sure that the shopper had taken Bella to a lingerie shop, and she assured me that Bella had bought something special. When Bella stepped into the room, a meadow of wild flowers was awaiting her. The smell was perfect, not overpowering, the music was classical and soft and the most beautiful woman was beside me. We fell into each other's arms. Our kisses went from soft and loving to passionate and demanding. My body was demanding more from Bella this evening, and it was not shy about showing it.

Bella had excused herself, and came back wearing lingerie that was designed to kill a man. The black bra and panty set with garters was stunning on her creamy skin, and she was so self-confident wearing it that she was even more irresistible. What little self-restraint that I had left melted in a second. The next several hours were just a blur of passion, lovemaking and words of devotion. There was no way that I was ever going to let this woman slip through my fingers again.

"Edward? Edward?" Bella needing the security code to the gate at my house brought me out of my reverie.

"Sorry, sweetheart. I was just remembering Paris." She gave me a sly smile. "Did you remember to pack that little black number I love so much?"

"Of course. I'm sure we'll have to christen your bed tonight."

The next day I had a meeting with my agent regarding a new project so I reluctantly left the house early. I wanted to spend the day with Bella, so I was even more disappointed to see Tanya waiting at my agent's office too.

"Edward, sweetheart. It's so good to see you." Her greeting was sickening, even more so because she did the whole double air kiss thing. "I can't wait to see what project they have us doing together. We'll be able to spend so much time together, and maybe pickup where we left off."

I quickly removed her hand from my arm, "I don't think so, Tanya. I'm completely off the market where you are concerned." I sidestepped her into my agent's office without a backward glance. By the time the meeting had ended, I was miserable and longing for Bella in my bed. I could tell by the glint in her eye that Tanya was pissed off for being set aside again, and I wasn't wrong.

When I arrived home, there were photographers camped out in front. We had known that our relationship wasn't going to stay hidden forever but I wasn't about to be ousted just yet. For the next week, Bella came and went like any normal assistant would, except she stayed the night.

The morning that Bella left for Forks, we knew the charade was up because all the dots had been connected from our time in Vancouver to Forks to Europe to L.A. I had to say my goodbyes at the house because there was no way that we would have any peace at the airport.

It killed me to be in my house alone but I still had some work to finish up before the holidays, as well as some errands that only I could do.

BPOV

My time in Forks was quiet, peaceful and dreadful. I missed Edward like you miss a limb. I was incomplete without him, and that scared me a bit. Our hate/love relationship had changed so quickly and completely that my head was still spinning. It worried me that I wasn't giving myself enough space to sort everything out. But every time I was away from him, I felt lost, sad and miserable.

Being at home with my Dad was great. In the last month, he had progressed enough with physical therapy to no longer require the wheelchair and was now down to just a cane. He was still sleeping in the main floor bedroom because the stairs were still a challenge, and he said the bed was a lot better. Dr. Cullen figured that he would be back to work, desk duty only, by the end of January, which was great because Dad was going stir crazy.

Every night I was on the phone with Edward because I just couldn't sleep without hearing his voice at bedtime. Dad figured I was being pathetic, but even he could see how miserable I was with Edward.

Angela was nice enough to fill me in on all the gossip regarding Edward and me. It was going to be a tough go in the New Year. I only hoped that we could have a quiet Christmas, but that wasn't to be. I had already seen photographers around Forks and Edward hadn't even arrived yet.

Angela and I went out to Port Angeles for shopping and an evening out, and thankfully the photographers didn't follow. The spirit of the season was definitely in the air, and I was especially happy because I had all my shopping completed. I took advantage of my trip to Europe, and now I was able to just relax and enjoy Christmas, or at least the best I could with Edward still in L.A.

On the 20th, I had dinner at the Cullen's house. Esme and Carlisle treated me like family, as always, and I was just as happy to see them, as I was my Dad. If anything were to go wrong with Edward and me, I would be crushed to lose his family as well. Esme was like a mother to me now, and Carlisle was just as caring as my own Dad. Alice, Emmett, Rosalie and Jasper were like the siblings I never had, even if I didn't see them much, and the thought of ever losing them was horrible. Edward had my heart and his family was a part of my soul now.

My siblings were arriving on the 21st, and Edward was expected on Christmas Eve. I was so thankful for the distraction that Alice provided when she arrived. My yearning for Edward was getting worse, and I could tell by his phone calls that he was feeling the same. We spent hours on the phone every night but it wasn't enough. It was clear to us that I would have to be on location with him because a separation for a month or more would probably kill us.

Alice's form of distraction was exhausting. Esme and Carlisle were not allowed to put up the tree until Alice arrived. From the stories I was told, it was lethal to decorate for Christmas without Alice. I believe Emmett actually has some scars from Christmases past to back up this claim. It took us 2 days to complete the decorations, baking and wrapping.

My Dad and I would be joining the Cullen's for Christmas Eve, and possibly Christmas morning. We had spent so many Christmases on our own that the idea of a big family event was appealing. Dad always felt bad about the holidays because that was the time of year that I felt my Mom's absence the most, but this year was going to be the start of new traditions.

I dropped Dad off at the Cullen's before driving to Port Angeles to pick up Edward. I was giddy with anticipation and was very thankful that Carlisle lent me his car. My need for speed was purely functional not fun today. I didn't even care if someone was following me now because I was on my way to get my man, and I didn't care who saw us together at this point. After all the gossip and mud slinging, coming mainly from Tanya's camp, I wanted it known that Edward was off the market, and eventually it would be old news.

Edward's plane was delayed, typical holiday travel woes, so by the time his plane touched down I had worn a path in the ground from all my pacing. As I saw him come out of the building, my heart grew two sizes, just like the Grinch. I ran to him, to his arms and to his lips. I needed to feel him against me and to have my lips on his. Being with his family had made me long for him even more.

"Hey beautiful, fantastic to see you too." He held my hand as we went back to the car. "It's going to be a very long time before I let you out of my sight again." The look in his eyes told me that there was no way I was sleeping in my own bed tonight. I couldn't agree with him more.

As soon as we stepped through the door of his home, he was enveloped in a sea of arms. Once he disentangled himself from his family, Edward spent some time with my Dad in quiet conversation. I was helping Esme and Rosalie in the kitchen, but was very curious about the conversation taking place.

We sat down to a lovely dinner and were reassured that the turkey would be occurring tomorrow night. Once dinner was finished, we sat around the table talking and just enjoying the company. Emmett stood up, kept a hand on Rose's shoulder, and announced that there would be another Cullen for next year's Christmas dinner. The look on Carlisle and Esme's faces when they realized that they would soon be grandparents was priceless. From the corner of my eye, I could see my Dad getting choked up too. I only hoped that I would be able to give the same gift to him one day.

After Rose was thoroughly toasted and the dishes were done, we all retired to the couches in the family room. The tree in the corner was incredible; nothing less from Alice, and the Christmas carols were softly playing in the background.

Edward stood up and picked up a present from the tree. "I know it's not our tradition to open presents on Christmas Eve but I hope you will all understand my impatience." Edward looked at my Dad, who gave him a quick nod, and then knelt down in front of me.

"My dearest Bella, you have changed my world in so many ways, all for the better. You have had a piece of my heart since high school, and now you have the rest of it. I will never let you leave my life again. You have bewitched me, body and soul. I love you. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

My heart stopped. I looked into his beautiful green eyes and knew that I would never love another. Perhaps I did not love him as well as I do now, but there would be no other man for me.

"Yes, Edward. I will marry you."

And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.