Disclaimer: The Twilight Universe belongs to Stephanie Meyer. She's doing "Breaking Dawn" quotes of the day on her website, starting tomorrow!

One Month Later

It had been a long time since I'd been quite this nervous. I'd had very little to be worried about over the past month, that was true, which was probably making my nerves now all the more severe by contrast.

The thought of the last month distracted me for a moment, bringing a smile to my face as I sat behind the darkened windows of my little Audi, waiting. It had been, without a doubt, the happiest month of my life.

No surprises there. I had Edward back. And he loved me as much as I loved him.

He had been going out of his way to make sure I knew that ever since he'd moved back in with us. For the first two weeks we rarely left each other's company, a fact I hadn't minded at all. I had been trying to make up for lost time, yes, but there was also a small part of me that was afraid that I had dreamed up the whole thing and if I were to let him out of my sight, he would disappear again.

But the weeks went by and Edward didn't disappear. Every day that past left me with greater confidence in him and his love for me. He had even gone ahead and registered the both of us to attend Ithaca Senior High in the fall, determined to be by my side through the remainder of my education. It really should have been impossible for someone to be as happy as I now was, but I would have dared anyone to try having their own Edward Cullen for eternity and being unhappy about it.

Edward for eternity...

The thought of being with him, forever, was almost too wonderful to comprehend. And yet, somehow, that was the lot that I had been granted. How had I gotten so lucky?

Well, I knew the answer to that. It was the same reason that I was sitting alone in my car, watching the raindrops hit the windshield, feeling somewhat like I wanted to throw up. I looked down at the dashboard to check the time, feeling my stomach lurch as I registered that there were only a few minutes left.

Was this really a good idea? It had seemed good from the safety of my own room three days ago. Edward and I had been relaxing on the sofa together, me listening while he groused about how long it had been since he'd listened to any good music. It had been his idea of replacing every single one of his C.D.'s, as well as his stereo system, that had opened the door for me to voice a nagging desire that had been growing inside of me for several days.

"Edward, you do not need an entirely new music collection," I had sighed, exasperated.

"It really isn't any trouble, Bella," he'd protested earnestly. "I wish you were able to understand that—money really isn't an issue for us."

I rolled my eyes. "I understand that perfectly," I disagreed. "What I don't understand is why you feel the need to spend that money so flagrantly."

"What good is it to us if we let it sit around?" he asked, grinning playfully at me as I smacked his arm in protest.

"Spend your money on something you don't already have! You have a perfectly good collection in Forks, Edward."

"Yes, but then I'd have to go through the trouble of driving all the way out there, packing it up, and driving back."

"Which is going to take you so long," I scoffed. "You drive faster than everyone in this family. The drive there and back isn't going to be that bad."

"Without you it would be."

My breath caught slightly and my response died on my lips. Edward was teasing me, I knew that, but I also knew that he meant it. I couldn't help smiling as he pulled me closer, tightening his arms around me.

"Duly noted," I said through my grin, "though I still think you should go to Forks."

"You really want me to leave?"

I laughed. "Yes."

"Oh." The tone of his voice was priceless, really, an adorable combination between confusion and amusement.

"That doesn't mean I want you to go anywhere without me."

He was silent for a minute and I waited for the response I knew was coming. "I can't take you to Forks, Bella."

"I know," I sighed. I couldn't go back to Forks, not for a very long time; being anywhere near it was probably just as bad of an idea, but I couldn't shake the feeling that I needed to go back. "But..." I was a little afraid of telling Edward what I was thinking. I was almost certain he'd be opposed to the idea. Edward waited patiently for me to continue, which I eventually did, my voice quiet. "I need to go back, Edward. Just for a few hours. I need to see Jacob."

Edward had opened his mouth to protest, but my last statement stopped him.

"He's the reason I'm here," I went on. "He was my best friend in Forks and I wasn't there for him during the hardest time of his life. And after all that, he went out of his way to save my life and get me back to you. I need to thank him for that."

In the moments that followed I felt true anxiety. There was no way Edward was going to be okay with this. Jacob was everything he hated, from being a werewolf to being potential competition for my affections. Besides, he had always been so protective of me that I didn't think he would be too pleased about allowing me some alone time with a vampire's worst enemy.

That was why his next words surprised me. "I agree."

I turned around abruptly to get a good look at his face, which was unreadable. "You do?"

He nodded slowly. "Though I'd prefer a phone call or a letter to an actual visit."

I didn't bother to protest. I could tell already that Edward knew I would insist on seeing Jake in person. "You mean it?" I asked. "You'll take me?"

Edward paused, then nodded again. "On a few conditions," he added. "You call ahead to let him know you're coming and you stay far away from Forks."

"Done," I said immediately, relieved that Edward wasn't being stubbornly unreasonable about this. He'd loosened up quite a lot since his return but there was a look in his eyes that told me, in no uncertain terms, that he wasn't very happy about any of this. "Thank you," I said meekly.

He nodded, smiling slightly despite his obvious lack of enthusiasm. "Of course."

"Why are you agreeing to this?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me. "Is this the same vampire who fought so stubbornly against my being changed?"

Edward chuckled. "Several reasons. My own prejudices aside, I owe him as much as you do and I think thanking him in person would only be right. And...I know you care a lot about him."

Was that uncertainty flashing across his face? Oh, Edward... I took his face in my hands. "Yes, but I care about you more," I promised. "Thank you for understanding, Edward. I love you."

He answered by pulling me into a kiss.

We had set out two days later, using my car as it was the least likely to be recognized by anyone from Forks, should they be anywhere around. Edward drove us to the front door of his old house where he got out and I took the wheel. He would pack up what he wanted from his room and be waiting when I was done. He sent me off with the traditional "be safe".

So here I was, waiting just outside of the Quileute reservation at noon, as Jake had requested when I'd called earlier, wondering if I'd been too impulsive. It had been hard to tell over the phone if Jake had been happy or not at the idea of a visit—the whole conversation had been a bit rushed and awkward. What if he couldn't stand me as a vampire? Could Jake attack me?

My nervous panicking was interrupted by a sharp knock on the driver's window. I jumped slightly and looked to see a dark outline that was unmistakably my best friend.

My anxiety left me instantly. Jake was grinning.

I threw the car door open and leaped out, engulfing Jake in a bear hug, laughing despite the rain.

"Jake!" I squealed as he picked me up and spun me around.

"Bella," he laughed in a voice that was deeper than I remembered, but still him. "I am so happy to see you. You have no idea." He set me down and held me out at arms length, as if checking to make sure I was okay. "You're shorter," he teased.

I smacked his arm. "You're gigantic," I responded. It was true, he was quite a bit bigger than he'd been when I'd last seen him, as a scrawny teenager. Remembering the conversation I'd had with Emmett what seemed like forever ago, I hit him again.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"You might have told me you were turning into a werewolf, Jacob Black," I scolded. "I could have helped you out!"

Jake released me, holding up his hands in protest. "I couldn't, Bells, I swear! I was under orders not to tell you, specifically! I wanted to, believe me!"

"I still wish I could have helped, you, Jake," I grumbled. He grinned and ruffled my wet hair fondly, much like my older vampire brothers liked to do. I could see a habit in the making, one I was going to have to stop before it went any further.

"No harm done, right? I'm fine, really. Sorry for not telling you. How did you find out?"

"Put two and two together after talking to the Cullens," I shrugged. In the brief silence that followed, a gust of wind passed between us. Jake's nose wrinkled in response and his smile lessened slightly. "What?" I asked.

Jake's grin returned as fast as it had gone. "Oh, nothing. You just smell a bit like a vampire."

"Well I wonder why," I said sarcastically. "Only a bit?"

Jake nodded. "Usually it's a lot worse."
"Lucky you." Now that he mentioned it, there was something different about the way he smelled, more woodsy, more canine, but not terribly awful. "You smell a bit like a wet dog."

Jake grinned and shook out his wet hair—it was much shorter than it had been before, I noticed—and gestured to the car. "Maybe we should get out of the rain."

I nodded and he dodged deftly around the front of the car to slide into the passenger seat as I slid into my own. We shut the doors together. I turned to Jake, grinning. He probably thought I was insane, but I couldn't help it. This was the perfect way to end the first perfect month of my life.

"How have you been, Bells?" Jake asked eagerly after wrinkling his nose again, probably smelling Edward's more pungent vampire scent. "You look great, by the way, not that you didn't before."

I laughed. "Thanks. I've been...really, really good," I admitted. "Honestly, I can't remember ever being happier. The only bad thing's been not being able to see you."

"I know," Jake sighed. "That totally sucked."

"How about you?" I returned the question. "How have you been?"

Jake shrugged. "Oh, you know. I started out miserable, I missed you a lot, but I...I sort of met a..."

His reluctance to talk was both frustrating and endearing. "Met a what, Jacob?" I pushed with a grin.

"A girl," he finished sheepishly.

"No, not one of those," I gasped in mock surprise.

"Yeah, I know, shocker," Jake grinned, encouraged by my teasing. "Her name is Anna. She's from the Ozette Reservation, just north of ours. She came down to visit family in La Push, and...well...things sort of clicked."

"That's great, Jake!" I said.

"Yeah, it really is," he agreed. "And...I'm sorry I was so pushy with you. You know...before..."

I waved it off. "No harm done," I repeated his words. "I'm just happy you're happy." I was nothing short of relieved that he'd found someone who could make him this happy, more than I would ever have been able to. "She'd better take good care of you."

Jake grinned. "That's enough about me," he said, "I want to hear more about you."

"Well, you'll be happy to hear that I'm only mostly vampire," I offered, causing him to raise an eyebrow.

"How so?"

"I don't thirst after blood at all, unless I'm in need of some nourishment, and even then, I tend to shy away from humans."

This news seemed to be exactly what Jake wanted to hear. "That's amazing, Bells!" He looked out the front windshield, frowning for the first time since our reunion. "I can't tell you how often I worried that I made the wrong decision in letting you live," he admitted. "I thought for sure you'd end up miserable, haunted by a thirst that you couldn't control. I wondered if it wouldn't have been more humane to let the pack..." his voice trailed off and I nodded, understanding. "Anyway, it's just a huge relief to hear you're okay and happy."

"Very. Thank you, Jake." He nodded. "And please pass that on to your pack. I owe all of you, but you most of all, so very much."

Jake shrugged. "I wasn't going to let my best friend die at the hands of my family."

I reached over and squeezed his hand. "Really, Jake. Thank you." I couldn't possibly tell him enough. Everything, my happiness, my family, I owed to him and his wolf pack.

Jake squeezed my hand in return. "Bells, you know you don't need to thank me. What was it you said? I'm just happy that you're happy. That sums it up pretty well in my opinion."

I beamed at him.

Jake and I sat in the car talking for hours, long enough for the rain to stop and the sun to peak out between the clouds and the trees. I really didn't want to leave Jake but Edward was waiting and it probably wasn't a good idea to stick around much longer.

"I'm going to write to you, Jacob Black, and I want to hear back," I said as he opened his door.

Jake nodded and pulled me into a one-armed hug. "Thanks for coming by, Bella. I really wanted to see you again."

I nodded, hugging him back. "Take care of yourself."

"Tell your vampire to take care of you, or he'll have an angry werewolf pack to deal with."

I laughed. "I'll pass on the message."

Reluctantly, Jake pulled away and slid out of the car. "I guess I'll see you later, Bells."

I nodded, refreshed and uplifted by the encouraging smile he was giving me. Not forced, not fake, just truly and completely happy. "Bye, Jake."

OoO

Edward was waiting for me when I drove up, leaning against the porch railing next to four large boxes. I got out of the car, feeling completely and incandescently happy. Everything really was alright now. Jake and I were friends again and I was going to spend eternity with the love of my life.

"Hey," Edward said as a walked slowly around the car to where he was standing on the porch. "How did it go?"

I shrugged, smiling at him. "Fine. He's happy. I'm happy."

"Seems like everyone's happy." Edward was smiling now too, probably relieved that I was back unharmed, both physically and emotionally. "You were gone for quite a while. What did you talk about?"

"Life. My thirst. His new girlfriend." I noticed that Edward brightened considerably at this news and I laughed. "He says if you hurt me you'll have a werewolf pack hunting you down," I added, grinning."

Edward pulled me into his arms with a matching smile. "That's one mistake I don't plan on making again," he promised.

"I rather thought so."

"Anything to avoid an encounter with werewolves."

I laughed, genuinely pleased that Edward was laughing and teasing with me. It seemed that everyone really was going to end up happy, even the solemn, masochistic vampire that I had first met a few miles away from this very spot and fallen in love with soon after.

Maybe there really was such a thing as "happily ever after".

I looked up at my vampire and found him smiling at me, his gaze full of love. I reached up and pulled him down into a searing kiss, determined to take advantage of everything that I had been given.

Jake was okay. Edward was mine. I was happy.

It was all thanks to the wolves.

A/N: And there it is! Finished! What a ride... Leave me a note and tell me what you think!

Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed or PMed me! I am so grateful for all of the support! The prologue for the sequel should be up soon, along with a (not so) short little oneshot based on the Avatar:The Last Airbender universe, if any of you are into that. Best wishes, and thanks for coming with me on this rather long and often frustrating but totally satisfying ride!

EB