Epilogue

Bonus scene. Dedicated to my beta reader who has been amazing on turnaround times! Thank you cliodna_bright! Unexpected surprises are unexpected.

Bella had not ventured far from the house for their first months in Vermont. Thanksgiving and Christmas had passed quietly, though at both she had felt the loss of her father closely and wondered how he was coping. Alice had attempted to hide the obituary, but Bella knew very well how to work a computer. She sat for over an hour, desperately wishing vampires could cry.

The cold winter that had settled over the north-east kept many humans in doors, and that helped. Bella still refused to venture out hunting without Edward, but she was getting better at trusting herself. Mostly, they passed the long winter with each other and their family, which was all Bella really wanted.

Still, Alice had started pushing again in the spring about Dartmouth. She and Jasper had delayed their acceptance until January, and seemed to be thoroughly enjoying being in college again. Apparently it had been a few years. The cold and snowy winter also made going outside easier on them both. Alice had also delayed Bella and Edward's acceptance by a year, which meant that Dartmouth was expecting them in September and Alice still expected Bella to go.

It was May before Bella finally caved. A few hunting trips in the now spring air – and a few near encounters with humans – and Bella was learning to trust her control. As long as there was no blood, Edward was certain she could manage it and some part of her was beginning to trust that belief.

But before college started, Edward wanted the one thing Bella had promised him. A wedding.

Bella had given in to that a lot more easily. In fact, the hard part had been getting Alice to let go of her elaborate wedding plan she'd been formulating for a year. It wouldn't work anyways. They could not risk humans at the wedding, if they could find any to invite, so that left the Cullen family and the Denalis. A small, quiet, intimate affair.

Just what Bella had wanted.

They married on a sunny June afternoon at the back of the house in Vermont. Bella wore a knee-length dress of chiffon and Edward wore a tie-less suit. And there were about a million flowers to decorate the yard. But Bella didn't care about any of that. All that mattered was that – with Jasper quickly certified to conduct the ceremony – Bella was allowed to pledge eternity to Edward in front of their family.

'I love you,' she told him at the end of her vows.

'I will love you every second of every day of forever.'

It was a promise she knew they would both keep.

There was dancing afterwards, because Bella could dance as gracefully as a ballerina now. Thankfully, the compliment of vampires meant that food and dessert and even alcohol wasn't needed, so Bella had only protested the truck-load of flowers for a brief second. The yard did look beautiful, after all as the sun set and Alice flitted about lighting candles.

'This came for you today,' the pixie announced when the place was glowing by the flicker of candlelight. She held a small box wrapped in gold and silver paper out to Bella.

'Who's it from?' Bella asked.

Beside her Edward looked uncomfortable. 'It is a wedding gift from the Volturi. Alice saw it arriving days ago, but I didn't want to worry you. The card that came with it expressly states for you to open it on your wedding day.'

'Our wedding day,' Bella added absently. She would have a little talk later about the 'didn't want to worry you' part of Edward's explanation.

Taking an unnecessary breath Bella unwrapped the paper and opened the matching gold and silver box almost as if it were a bomb. Who knew what Aro considered a suitable wedding gift?

Inside, nestled on a bed of velvet, was a necklace. The heavy chain was made of no-doubt real gold and it supported a shining stone the size of an egg. Tucked to one side was a folded piece of parchment. Bella plucked it from the box and unfolded it to reveal a few lines of elegant writing that reminded her of Carlisle.

On the occasion of the wedding of Bella Swan and Edward Cullen, it pleases us to send this gift. May you wear it with beauty to represent an unshakable bond between two mates. Our apologies that we could not be with you on the happy occasion. ~Aro, Caius, Marcus

'That's…worrying.'

'It's a hollow threat,' Alice cut in. 'I've looked and I don't see any unexpected visits. I think it's just a warning that we shouldn't forget them.'

'Like that will happen,' one of the Denali sister's – Tanya – comment dryly.

'Quite,' Carlisle agreed. 'I would not let it concern you, Bella, especially today. Aro simply wishes to make a statement.'

Bella put the note back in the box and shut the lid. 'Well, statement made. Alice would you get rid of this? Stick it somewhere I won't find it.'

Alice grinned. 'My pleasure,' she hummed and disappeared with the box. Bella didn't watch her go.

'Now if that's the last interruption I have to deal with,' Bella started again, sounding amused. 'How about a dance, husband?'

It was Edward's turn to smile. 'I thought you'd never ask,' he winked at her.

Whatever Aro's plan had been with the gift, Bella wasn't going to let it bother her. Today was her wedding day and tomorrow was her honeymoon and even the Volturi themselves could wait on that.

She had eternity to enjoy first.

THE END

AN: That's it, there isn't anymore. Literally. This is the last part of the Cardinal Points Quartet. I'm done with Twilight now. I may, possibly, be done with fic in general too because I am about to start the busiest year of my academic career ever. I've invested too much to ruin it by spending time I don't have writing fic. Thesis first! My new motto.