A Matter of the Heart

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to Stephanie Meyer.

Epilogue

Five years later…

Bella felt the nervousness run through her veins. She had never faced anything like this before, this was worse than facing a hundred rabid vampires. Well that was a slight exaggeration, but at least she wouldn't have to speak to the vampires, and embarrass herself for all eternity. This was going live; she would be speaking to thousands, no millions of people. What if she froze? What if the camera trained on her and she couldn't get any words out. God, why had she agreed to this? Why? Perspiration beaded on her forehead and the makeup artist let out a heavy sigh as she immediately dabbed at Bella's forehead with a sponge, trying not to ruin the carefully applied makeup. "Try to relax, dear." She advised wearily.

Bella tried to smile but it came out more like a grimace. "It's my first time." She confided. "I never expected to be on national television. I'm only a writer…"

"A writer who has sold millions of copies of her first book." The makeup artist reminded her. "I can't wait for the second by the way. I wish I could find my own Jacob." A misty look came into her eyes before one of the assistants rushed up to Bella, a voice buzzing in his ear. Bella felt stunned when she was suddenly pushed out into the spotlight. The bright lights made her blink rapidly and suddenly she was there, standing before Ellen DeGeneres. The sound of clapping from the audience rang in her ears, and she fell into the chair opposite the talk show host, losing all her dignity completely.

Ellen leaned across and patted her hand reassuringly. "You'll be fine. My advice is look into the audience and focus on your family. That eases a lot of my guest's nerves."

Bella smiled falteringly as she stared out at the sea of faces looking back at her. And there he was, there they all were. Her father, Billy, the whole pack had come to watch her début. But there was only one person she needed to see. Jake gave her a thumbs up and mouthed good luck. Bella immediately felt better. Her shoulders relaxed and her heart rate returned to normal. She heard Ellen introducing her to the audience as the exciting new young writer of a book which had stormed straight to number one and charmed all the women in America. "And here she is, the one and only author of My Own Personal Sun, Bella Black herself." Ellen clapped along with the crowd and the interview began.

It had all been surreal. Bella stumbled off the stage, her cheeks flushed and joy making her face glow. She couldn't believe it. She had been on the Ellen show and she hadn't faltered once. She had answered all the questions, even managed to deal with the hosts gentle teasing. It was awesome. Life was awesome. The world was awesome. She felt like an excited little kid as the pack, her father, Billy and Jake all swarmed around her, congratulating and hugging her. This was momentous for all of them. Bella's books were going to make her very well off indeed, and as a result she was able to plough her new found wealth into the reservation. She was already funding several rehabilitation projects for the young children, trying to give them much more opportunities when they left the tribal school. With talks already on going for her books to be made into a series of films, Bella along with Jake and the elders began to make more ambitious plans.

Everything had happened so fast that Bella felt like she hadn't had time to draw breath. She was relieved when she and Jake could retire to their room in the hotel which had been provided by the Ellen show, and relax. "You were great, honey." Jake assured her as he laid next to her on the huge king size bed. "You look a bit peaky though, are you feeling alright?" He trailed his fingers across her cheek, his voice full of concern.

Bella twisted round so she was lying on her side and facing him. Her eyes were bright and lambent. She had a secret to tell, one that she hadn't felt able to share with everything that had been going on. She swallowed thickly, her fingers interlocking with Jake's as she finally revealed what she had been hiding. "Jake, I'm pregnant." She said softly. "You're going to be a father."

It seemed to take a while for the news to sink in. Jake became still for a moment, his hand tightening around hers. It had always been his dream to have a family of his own. They had held off so far because of all the chaos they were surrounded by. Life had become hectic as he tried to balance his growing business. He was the proprietor of the first garage to be opened on the reservation, and it had been so successful that he was planning on expanding, maybe as far as Seattle. Embry and Quil were in co-ownership with him and they already employed several apprentices, which coupled with Bella's growing success as a writer had made planning a family seem impossible.

When he didn't immediately say anything Bella became concerned. Was he upset? "Jake? Talk to me, please?" She begged. "I know this isn't the ideal time but…"

Her words were swallowed as Jake suddenly came to life and pulled her into his arms. He rolled onto his back so she ended up draped across his taut body. "I'm going to be a dad?" He checked as if he didn't quite believe what Bella had told him.

"Yes." Bella laughed as he kissed her in delight. He continued to rain kisses all over her face until she had to beg him to stop because she couldn't breathe. She gazed into his beloved dark eyes and smiled contentedly. "Happy?" She asked.

"More than happy." Jake caressed her face with his hand before leaning in for another, gentler kiss. "I love you, Bella Black."

"Right back at ya, Jacob Black." Bella whispered, her eyes alight with all the love she felt inside.

The End…

A/N-thanks for reading!