Epilogue: In Plain Sight
I packed my groceries. As I paid, I saw Susie Taylor unloading her cart behind me. Dan was with her.
"Hello love!" Called Susie, "How are you? Back into the swing of things already?" Her strong northern English accent reminded me so much of Jess.
"Yes, feels like I've never been away."
"Are you looking forward to tomorrow? I bet it's all go down at Charlie's. I saw Heather earlier; she said that Edward's family have been in and decorated the church. Apparently you can't move in there for flowers." She sighed. "I must admit tomorrow's going to be hard. Ness getting married, it's…" Dan appeared at Susie's side and put his hand on his Mum's shoulder. She put her own on top.
"You must miss her so much." I said.
"I do. Still, I'm glad that Dan's finally managed to get himself back on his feet. He's even got the chance of a job."
"Sound engineer." Said Dan. "I've got an interview for a recording studio in Seattle."
"That's great! I'm glad to see you're doing well." He had filled out a lot from the summer, lost that 'walking dead' look he'd been cultivating; gotten a haircut and could even find his razor again. I picked up my bag and said I'd see them both tomorrow at the wedding. Dan and I glanced at each other and a thousand unspoken words passed between us.
I'd see him earlier than tomorrow, because in exactly one hour we were both due at the Cullen house. More than that, we both knew what was coming for Susie Taylor. Before the first anniversary of her daughter's death, her son would be dead too. Not literally dead, just spirited away. Both Dan and I had our 'Plan As' and Dan's was moving towards completion. Jane was winding up her association with the Volturi and working out of the house in the forest, gradually handing things over to her successor. She was also Mom to Sophie, aided by Rose and Emmett who acted as night time babysitters, while Jane spent her nights with Dan in the Taylor's house. Dan spent time at the house during the day; convincing his parents he was looking for a job and giving them hope that he was turning things around. That wasn't to be. Drugs would return to Dan's life in a 'fatal' way.
I drove home and arrived just as Charlie was heading out.
"Going for a beer? I asked.
"Just out to catch up with a friend in Port Angeles for the evening. You?"
"Playing it by ear, got the possibility of a date so who knows."
"Well you drive safe."
"Always do." I said to the chief.
"Hey that's my line." He grinned.
I laughed and walked up to my door. More lies, I knew exactly where Charlie was headed and tonight it wouldn't involve beer. I juggled my groceries and my work bag and wrestled the key in the lock. I almost fell through the door as it opened and a grapefruit rolled out of the grocery bag and along the hall floor. I struggled in, shut the door and as I did so a hand shot out and picked up the escaping fruit.
"Oh you're home!" I sighed in utter relief, dumping the groceries and my bag right where I stood. My eyes drank in Daniel, as if they were glugging gallons of the freshest, cleanest most thirst-quenching water, ever.
I couldn't keep the smile from my face. It had been a full ten days since we'd last seen each other and I was desperate for him. He's called me every day, but that wasn't the same. There'd been an unfortunate combination of my period and him having three days in San Francisco; for Madison's tenth birthday and a meeting to secure some work. Our reunions were always sweet, but there was a familiar routine that we had to observe when we'd been apart for any length of time. I couldn't throw myself at him; he needed a moment, to focus on the flowers and not the wine. It wasn't long, but when I was this close these moments felt like forever. Finally his arm reached out to me and I ran over to him. He locked me to him securely, in a grip I knew I could never break, nor ever wanted to. I put my hands around his neck and exerted what pathetic grip I could in return. We kissed and I responded to his lips a little more than I used to. I could do that now, he was getting stronger.
"That felt like the longest ten days ever." I said.
"For me too, it's so good to be home."
"So how is she?"
"As I said on the phone, as far as I can tell she's mostly OK." He couldn't see Madison directly; all he could do was skulk around in the shadows of her life and pick up what gleanings of it he could. "There's been a development though since yesterday, her birthday seems to have sparked something." He guided me through to the living room and flipped up the lid of my laptop. In the browser bar he typed a web address and it brought up a missing person's forum. He clicked on one thread and it brought up a picture. The man in the photograph was familiar and it took a second or two to register that it was of Daniel in his pre-vampire state. His features were softer, less defined but it was still him. His hair was longer, a more muted shade of blond and reached to his collar. His cheeks were an unfamiliar pink and his eyes were brown. I saw that just like Jess, the conversion process had perfected what he had. "It was taken two weeks before I disappeared from her life." He said.
"What's it doing on here?"
"She's looking for me." He scrolled down and I read the few lines she'd put there. That was a little girl who wanted her Daddy back and tears sprang to my eyes.
"She's ten and she's posting on a message board? How does she know how to do that?"
Daniel raised an eyebrow. "What do you think I used to do with her, play Barbies?" He grinned. "If I passed anything on to her it was knowledge of how a computer works and how you get information out of it. Thing is, she's doing this behind Helen's back." He said.
"Helen doesn't know about this?"
"No. Helen has another new person in her life. I'm about six relationships ago. I'm well and truly dead."
"Madison's not convinced though?"
"It would appear not, she still thinks I'm out there." His face was so pained and yet I couldn't tell him what I knew from Kael. I had no timescale to put on it and not knowing may cause him to do something unwise. It could be one month, one year, one decade, two decades or more. I didn't know when, all I'd asked Kael was whether Madison and Daniel were ever going to be reunited. He'd given me a simple yes.
"But I got a new picture." Daniel said, suddenly animated. He went over to his bag and pulled out his camera, switching it on and scrolling through the photos. He turned the screen to me. She wasn't looking directly at him but it was close enough. He'd caught her with an expression which showed her to be unmistakeably his daughter but with Helen's brown hair. She was far away and no real part of my life whatsoever; but as I loved her Daddy very much, I was starting to connect to her, to feel that she was already part of our lives.
"You should print that off. I have a frame we could put it in." I handed the camera back. "What are you going to do about this?" I pointed to the screen.
"I'll have to go into the forum and take it down. There are people in the city who know very well what happened to me and they could turn that to their financial advantage. Helen is very wealthy, our family is very wealthy and Carlo's empire needs a constant supply of money. Who's to say that one of them won't remember me and work out that it's an easy source of cash?" He sighed. There was pain there and then his expression totally changed. "But! There's also this. He flicked to another photograph and turned the camera back to me. It was a photo of a couple, taken as they were pushing a grocery cart across a parking lot. The likeness in the man was familiar.
"Your Mom and Dad?" I could see the emotion on Daniel's face that would never come out as tears. I put my arm around him.
He nodded. "I took a chance yesterday after the meeting. It was tough driving through Menlo Park, but worth it for this. You know how much this means."
I did. He knew they were alive and well. Even though this was as close as he could get, it would give him another thing for his growing pile of nice memories. "Print that one off too." I said. He put the camera down on the table, returning to hold me again while I ran kisses up and down his throat.
"I really wish you could've been with me. I wish we could share these times together."
"The downsides of me being a teacher, huh?" I smiled.
"I know." He smiled in return and angled his head on one side. "Sometimes I think you don't get why I'm doing this?"
"Oh, I totally get it. I just don't think the rest of the world would ever get why a vampire would be so thrilled about simple experiences they take for granted."
"I don't care about the rest of the world. All I care about is you."
"And Madison."
"And Madison."
I kissed my boyfriend, my currently secret boyfriend who, despite being a vampire, craved nothing more than to spend his days sat at a computer in our spare bedroom, writing software, programs or designing websites for other companies. A vampire whose favourite way to spend weekday evenings was watching TV on the sofa, with me wrapped up in a blanket in his arms to protect me from his chill. But often I had to work weeknights; because although I tried very hard to get everything fitted in by five o'clock when I left school, I was, after all, only human.
On the face of it there was a stunning normality to our lives: Work, family and time together. I went out there Monday to Friday and did my job, but I hid the rest of my life in plain sight. You just didn't talk about it. There was a time and a place to discuss Christmas arrangements with Heather, and it wasn't in the bread aisle at Thriftway. I jealously guarded my time outside school especially the weekends, when I came home and found that he'd made a head start on dinner. I liked that part, because what's sexier than coming home to find that your guy cooked dinner? Possibly knowing what lies ahead.
An early dinner for me was 'getting it out of the way'. An early dinner meant I would be retiring to bed very early after a long week of work. But I was never at home on Friday nights nor did I ever get an early night, or any sleep at all for that matter. Friday was when I temporarily checked out of my human life, relocated to the Cullen house and became as near vampire as it was possible for me to be. I spent the weekend with Daniel; out in Olympic National Park or simply in his room in bed. I was always hellishly tired on Mondays, but the ache between my legs and the fading bruises on my body were the tangible reminder of how much I enjoyed my weekends. But this one was different, we couldn't hole up in his bedroom for two solid days, we had other things to do this weekend.
"Hey, look at the time." He reminded me. "You need to get changed. I'll put the groceries away."
"Oops!" I sprinted upstairs, changed out of my work clothes and pulled on jeans and a top. I ran back downstairs again and he met me in the hall.
"See you in ten." He kissed me and handed me my car keys. He'd make his way through the forest and regardless of how fast I drove; he would always get there before me.
The house was a hive of activity as I pulled into the garage area. Daniel opened my door before I'd even pulled the car to a stop. We walked hand in hand into a packed house, where vampires, Quileutes, humans and even the odd angel were waiting for things to start. All the family were here, from Carlisle through to three month old Sophie, who was currently wrapped in a blanket in the arms of Jane and being coo-ed over by Alice. Daniel and I had spent time getting to know Sophie too, as we took our turn in caring for the little girl. Bella had told me about the Cullen's 'team-parenting' approach. When babies were such precious gifts in a family, it was only fair that everyone got their turn with them. Spending time with Sophie had awakened desires in me that I had never known were there. It had gotten me thinking about more than including Madison in our lives. But that would require careful thinking about and wasn't something I could do on a whim.
Along with the family there were the Alaskan cousins and a contingent of red-eyed vampires that the family considered friends. The red-eyes were very polite but I could see that they weren't comfortable in the presence of humans. The gold-eyes made it look easy, but I knew the struggle that it was. Over in the far corner I spied Charlie catching up with Garrett, one of the Alaskan cousins. Garrett was his cousin now and regardless of the species difference, there was a shared intenseness in their faces which could only mean one thing – they were discussing sports.
The Quileute packs were here with their wives and girlfriends, although Leah, not being imprinted was on her own. There were none of their children here; this gathering was strictly for those people who knew the truth. Even Billy's wife Maggie wasn't here. Secrets like this couldn't be extended to non-imprinted marriage partners; it was much too great a risk.
Tomorrow's ceremony was for the wider world and Maggie would be at that. Tomorrow, Ness Masen would marry Jake Black in the town church, in front of some of their family (there had to be notable exceptions) and those who thought they knew them. But tonight, on the back lawn, Ness Cullen would be the one marrying Jake. For them this was the important one. This was where they could truly be who and what they were.
But first there was an equally significant event. In the living area everyone gathered around the dining table. At it sat Billy and Carlisle. To Billy's left was Jake and to Carlisle's right were Edward, Bella and Ness. Billy held up a yellowing scroll of parchment.
"This is the treaty drawn up between the Cullen family and the Quileutes in 1936." He said in a loud voice. Billy took it between his hands and ripped it firmly in two along its length. "It is no longer applicable between friends. There is no new treaty going in in its place, but something stronger; that will permanently bond the Quileute tribe and the Cullen family together, for eternity." Billy turned to Carlisle. "The Quileutes will stand and fight with you to protect your ways and all those who are born into or claim the family name of Cullen."
"Likewise." Carlisle said. "The Cullen family will stand and fight to protect your ways and all those who are born into or claim membership of the Quileute tribe."
Billy and Carlisle shook hands and the assembled crowd clapped, whooped and whistled.
"Now, I believe something very special is going to cement our new friendship," continued Billy. "So if you'd all like to make your way out onto the lawn back there, the Reverend Heather Scott is going to officiate at the first ever Cullen Quileute wedding. Those of us who've been around a while," he pointed out a few of the crowd. "Carlisle, Edward, Rose, Emmett, Esmé, Quil, Harry if he were here, have some understanding of the magnitude of all this." Billy was serious now. "The rest of you are simply here to witness the tearing up of an old treaty and to celebrate Ness and Jake's wedding. But some of you know what this truly means.
"Right now, I want to say my own personal thank you to Bella." Billy lifted his hand in acknowledgement to her. "Without you insisting that friendship was necessary between Edward and Jake, none of this would have been possible. So I acknowledge you in all this; you and your amazing daughter. Who from today I get to call my daughter and if you'll all about turn and face the other way please, this old man's going to cry."
Underneath a clear night sky and on a lawn bordered with flaming torches, Ness and Jake stood in front of Heather and recited vows they had written themselves. There didn't appear to be any precedent for this, so using anyone else's words had felt wrong. There was no seating plan, there was no standing plan, this wedding was as informal and as casual as it got. It was unseasonably warm for early October and Ness was in jeans and a vest top; Jake was in cut offs and barefoot. Everyone else had kept to the dress code to 'come as you are'. That was less about clothing in this family.
Tomorrow was the dress-up day and at Ness's gathering of girls last Friday night, Alice had revealed the hat she was going to wear.
"Do you think it's too big?"
"No not at all." Rose had smirked. "Although I'm glad for your sake, that we're not holding the ceremony in Area 51." That had sent giggles around the assembled group.
"It's lovely, Alice." Said Heather. "In my experience, it wouldn't be a proper wedding without a woman in a really big hat."
Alice placed the hat on her head. She looked stunning. Despite its size she'd chosen perfectly. I was beginning to see, as she'd helped me to pick out my dress that she always did.
Back out on the lawn, my mind wandered a little from the ceremony and I looked around at our family. Very soon we'd split into two groups. Edward, Bella, Daniel, me, Ness, Jake, Charlie and Heather would stay here. Edward and Bella were remaining at their cottage in the forest, but this house was going up for sale, its purpose now served because with Ness and Jake's enormous house down at La Push, there was a bigger place for the growing family to congregate in. The keeping of the cottage had been a relief to Ness. With her parents there and her in La Push, there would be eleven and a half miles between her and her father and he'd be out of range of her head. I knew Edward was glad about that too.
As for Daniel, we were already living together, although he came and went unnoticed by the wider world. It had been fortunate that I'd chosen a house right next to the forest, it made life so much easier. But Daniel wasn't staying behind the doors and windows of my life. Just like Dan, I too had my exit plan. Plan A swung into action tomorrow, when I'd be attending Ness and Jake's wedding and there, I would meet Carlisle's cousin, Daniel Cullen. They do say it's often the way that you meet your future husband at somebody else's wedding. That was going to ring true for me. That was Plan A anyway. Plan B involved an accidental bite, and Plan C… I didn't want to go there.
So that was us. Equally there were plans for the others. In a few weeks' time, when Dan had tragically 'died' from a drug-overdose, Carlisle, the new hospital Doctor and Esmé, his wife; would travel north to Dawson City, in the Yukon Territory of Canada. With them would be their adopted children; Dan, 17 and Jane, 14. Arriving a week ahead of them, would be Emmett and Rose McCarty and their baby daughter Sophie. In a large remote house to the north that Esmé was already overseeing the renovations on, would live Jess, Will, Ben, Jasper and Alice. When Dan graduated for the second time and 'went to University' that would be the cue for his transformation and the point at which Jane and he would go and live at the house while he adjusted. Sophie wouldn't be able to have much contact with Dan for a while, but these were the difficulties that we would work through.
In pulling Dan out of Forks we knew that we would be causing horrific pain to Susie and Brian Taylor. I would be witnessing first-hand what would be part of my own Plan A, B or C when my time came. Departures caused distress, but the lives that we led meant that it was unavoidable, whether you chose it or had it foisted upon you. Back in Tuscany, Faisal and Alia had agreed to oversee the program for a while as Carlisle and Esmé felt that their duty was to their family while Dan made the transition.
I looked over to Kael, watching his daughter performing the ceremony. He was staying around for a while as Heather's nephew, and was already causing utter chaos at Forks High, where Kael Scott, our newest arrival in eleventh grade held almost the entire female population, and some of the male, in his thrall. I wondered if by encouraging her father to do something he'd never done before - go to school – Heather had quite appreciated the disruption she'd bring on the town. Vampires were nothing compared to the havoc angels could wreak. He was in my History class he kept me on my toes, narrowing his eyes whenever I got my historical facts wrong! Heather's Sunday congregations were now giving headaches about space-issues. The men couldn't work it out, but the women knew exactly why the place was overrun with teenage girls… and their mothers! Kael was fascinating to talk to and he and Edward had been getting to know one another, especially as a diamond ring around Heather's finger, meant that Kael was going to be Charlie's father-in-law. Kael knew what the future held for our family but I hadn't wanted to know. But Edward thanking me for something had given me hope that I would survive. For a while at least.
As cheers and applause rang out for Ness and Jake, I looked up and saw high above me the constellation of Orion the hunter. What had started almost a year ago with me looking up at the stars had come full circle. But the astronomy teacher wasn't standing in front of me now; he was standing behind with his arms wrapped tightly around me. I thought back to the list that I'd made at the start of the last academic year. I'd achieved everything, although not quite the way I'd planned it. However, I'd scored a pretty spectacular fail on the 'no men' rule. Ah well, nobody's perfect.
I had a little list in my head of three things I wanted to achieve this year. Number one was to meet a really nice man. Now, where in Forks would you go for one of those..? Perhaps I'd have some good fortune at the wedding tomorrow.
The End
Author's Note: I hope you have enjoyed reading this story. I'd love any feedback you'd like to give. There are two more stories to come in this series, so please click 'author alert' and the site will let you know when there's more.
Thank you once again for reading!
Rachel xx