A/N: Dearest Readers... Well, this is it-the point when I get to click that "Complete" button. I'm going to miss these characters so much. So much that I may (or may not... who knows :P ) have planned out two short companion fics. You can probably work out from reading this epilogue who those two fics will centre on.

I have lots of people to thank... Project Team Beta, StoryPainter & Thir13enth for making this readable, the real Christine for listening to me complain for months on end, and all of you! Because I sure wouldn't have had the drive to keep going on what is the longest thing I've ever written without all of you. I am way too obsessed with watching the stats graph showing the number of hits per day, and that wouldn't be interesting to watch if nobody was reading! So... MWAH! You all get big, fat air-kisses.

And so, on with the show. This fic started with Alice out there in the forest realising she was losing Jasper. It's only right that we end with Alice, too.

Alice

The scandal had rocked Forks. For months they were talking about the daughter of the police chief, and how she ran off with her boyfriend after only living with her father for a few weeks.

"Flighty," they had called her. "Just like her mother," they had whispered. The town had not forgiven Bella's mother for abandoning her husband, and Bella seemed to be destined for the same fate in Forks' history.

We moved to New Hampshire about a year after it all happened. It was time. Youth was both our blessing and our curse. Esme had wanted to leave earlier—she protested that if Jasper and Bella wanted to live with us, we couldn't stay in Forks—but Carlisle continuously reminded her that it would look odd for us to leave straight after Jasper had "run away".

"How long, Alice?" Esme asked me for what felt like the hundredth time. She was gripping onto Carlisle's sleeve and bouncing on her toes like an impatient three year old.

"Two more minutes."

I looked around at my family. All of us had been anticipating this day for a long time.

Well… most of us, anyway.

It had now been twelve years since Bella had been changed and, apart from a few short visits, we hadn't seen much of them. They had lived semi-nomadic lives, traveling wherever the wind took them, much like they had been in the last week of Bella's human life. We had finally convinced them to spend at least a short amount of time living with us in Newfoundland.

Rosalie and Emmett were quietly murmuring between themselves, and Emmett kept glancing down the driveway. He really did see Bella like a sister and had been anticipating their return almost as much as Esme and I had.

At the other end of the porch, Edward stood with his arms wrapped around his newborn mate, Christine.

"Nobody blames you," she whispered to him. He nuzzled the top of her head, burying his nose in her curly, blond hair. They had met several years ago when she had been a student teacher on placement in the Pennsylvanian high school we had been attending. She had been changed last summer, and that hadn't been the only change to happen. Edward was completely transformed. He was actually… happy. It probably also helped that he seemed to be paying us all back for the nights he'd had to endure listening to our various amorous activities. The eternal virgin was sure making up for the century he had spent alone.

Our ears perked up at the sound of the car coming closer.

Rosalie listened the most carefully. "Mustang," she murmured. "Nice."

I grinned to myself when they pulled up and the sight of Jasper emerging from the car no longer hurt me. Since Bella had been changed, my feelings for Jasper had changed as well. It pleased me that after several years of pain, knowing I was losing him, I was freed from the grasp of my love for him. I knew he was truly better with Bella, and the way he looked as they walked toward us was evidence of that.

They both wore casual jeans, sneakers and vintage band t-shirts. Jasper also wore a brown leather jacket, and Bella's hair was wild around her shoulders. None of it was what I would have styled them in, but they seemed comfortable, and it somehow suited their personalities.

Jasper naturally walked slightly in front of Bella, always wary of threats to his mate, even when those perceived threats were his own family.

Esme couldn't hold back any longer, and with a squeal of "Jasper! Bella!" she was down the stairs and flung herself at them. The rest of us hung back as she fussed over them like a mother hen and led them inside. She barely remembered to stop to introduce them to the new member of the family.

After a few hours of catching up on what everyone had been doing, all the boys went out to hunt, leaving us five girls alone to "bond." The instant they left the house, Bella was on edge, her burnt copper eyes—evidence that she and Jasper had been mixing humans and animals in their diet—constantly darting to the windows.

I sat down on the couch next to her. "They'll only be gone a few hours, you know."

"I know," she replied absently, her fists clenching and unclenching rapidly. "It's just he hasn't hunted without me since I was turned."

I started by giving each girl a pedicure while we gossiped about the men. Asking Christine questions was always the most interesting – everything was still so new for her and Edward, and you just knew that if she were still human she'd be blushing furiously.

Bella, however, didn't join in as much as we would have liked. Her reticence made me wonder if my visions were wrong, and she wasn't planning to stay with us for very long. She sure didn't seem comfortable around us. Which, I guessed, made sense. She was accustomed to it just being her and Jasper most of the time. Being in such a large group of virtual strangers was bound to make her uncomfortable.

As we spoke about the preparations for Christine's upcoming wedding, she turned to Bella. "Are you and Jasper going to get married any time soon?"

Bella bristled. "No," she replied shortly before amending her answer. "I'm sure yours will be lovely, but it's just not our thing. I mean, Jasper's already been married" – I felt everyone try to not look at me – "and I've never wanted to do it. My parents weren't exactly the best example of wedded bliss."

I tried to protest. "You could just—"

"No, Alice. We don't want a wedding. We already have a bond much more permanent than a ring and a piece of paper."

I pouted, but she just gave me a look and turned back to the magazine she was flicking through.

Half an hour after the boys had left, her reserve and mood made a bit more sense. She suddenly clutched at her chest, cringing.

"Oh, for the love of God, Jasper," she gasped. "What's so great that you have to go so far away? They're just animals."

I didn't think she really knew she had spoken out loud, and we all looked at her in shock.

"I'm sorry... I… I… can't." Her eyes darted between each of us before she raced out the door. We watched her as she stopped for a second in the backyard, closed her eyes, and then sped off into the trees.

"What the hell was that?" Christine asked, her eyes wide. I could see from her expression she thought Bella was weird. She didn't have the history with Jasper or Bella to accept them straight away into the family.

"When Jasper and Bella first met, he would complain about it hurting to be away from her," I explained. "I guess that still happens, if what we just witnessed is anything to go by."

"It's really that strong?"

"I guess," I sighed. "Jasper once said it was like his heart was tethered to hers and being too far apart would rip their insides out."

"That sounds horrible."

Rosalie jumped in. "It would have its advantages and disadvantages. Look at how Bella knew exactly which way to go to find him. If I was looking for Emmett, I'd have to run around until I caught his scent. She didn't have to breathe in to find him, she just automatically followed the tugging."

Christine nodded. "I'm still glad I just have an ordinary mate, though. As much as I love Edward, Bella looks like she'd die without Jasper. That's scary."

"Yes, she probably would," I confirmed. "But the chances of finding your Pereche are so slim, you shouldn't worry about it."

You speak of the devil, and he shall appear. Jasper and Bella emerged from the trees, holding hands, with Bella looking a million times more relaxed.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. I won't do it again. I got carried away competing with Emmett," he whispered to her as they entered the house. His t-shirt had a small bloodstain on the sleeve which instantly got the attention of the newborn in the room.

Jasper sensed Christine's bloodlust increase and smiled apologetically. "I'll go attend to this," he informed us, and Esme pointed him in the direction of the laundry room.

With a quick kiss for Bella, he left us again, and Bella settled herself on the floor. Noticing how dirty her feet were from sprinting into the forest mid-pedicure, I offered her the foot spa to soak them in.

"Better?" I asked with a sympathetic smile.

"Much." She sighed. "I'm sorry about before."

"It's perfectly alright, dear," Esme reassured her, patting her knee gently. "The only problem now is how we are supposed to gossip about those men of ours when one of them is in the house." She grinned to let Bella know she was joking.

I tried to make myself scarce while still being able to watch the upcoming encounter by looking busy at the dining table making jewelry.

"Bella? Jasper? Can I talk to you?" Edward looked incredibly nervous, gripping Christine's hand tightly for comfort.

Jasper looked over at his mate, and after some thought, she nodded slowly. They all sat on the couches, each couple facing the other across the coffee table.

Edward took a deep breath. "I should have told you this sooner, but it didn't seem like something to say over the phone. I need you to know how sorry I am for how I acted when you were human."

He buried his head in his mate's shoulder. "Shh, sweetie. You can do this."

Ever so slowly, he looked at Bella and Jasper again. "I know that words can't make up for trying to kill you, Bella, but they're all I have. And I have to admit that even after you were changed, the reason I never came with the others to visit was that I was still angry."

Bella looked at him in confusion. "Angry? Why?"

Jasper wrapped his arm around her shoulders as if he could protect her from what he suspected was coming.

Edward sighed and didn't say anything until Christine squeezed his hand. "I was angry with Jasper because he got to taste your blood and not me. I know, logically, it's ridiculous. I mean, there's no way I would have stopped to let you change if I had started, but…"

"I think that's enough about that," Jasper growled.

"Sorry," Edward said, his head down, contrition pouring off him.

Bella frowned and looked at Jasper. It was as if they were having a silent conversation. After a nod from her mate, Bella maneuvered around the coffee table to crouch in front of Edward. She rested her hands on his knees.

"It's truly fine, Edward. I know what it's like to have no control over your actions. I guess that wildness I felt as a newborn is a bit how you felt when you were around me. None of us are perfect, and that is something we all need to accept. As long as we crave blood, it will always be our weakness. You weren't to blame, Edward. And I don't blame you."

With a look of shock on his face, he looked into her coppery eyes. "Thank you."

"I've had over ten years to think about this," she continued, "and I have come to believe that this was the best path for us. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have been transformed as early as I was, sure. But without you, Jasper and I wouldn't have gotten as close as we did. We learned so much about each other as we were fleeing. And who knows if we would have experienced anything like that if we had still been in Forks? How would we have coped if I was living with my father for years while we just 'dated?' It would have been torture to be apart so much. So, in a way, I should be thanking you. Because you made us who we are today, and you solidified our relationship to what it is today."

"You're—you're welcome?" He didn't seem to know if that was the correct thing to reply to her proclamation. "You really don't blame me?"

"I don't," Bella confirmed, squeezing his knee to support her statement.

"I still blame you," Jasper grumbled.

"Jasper!" Bella admonished. "Don't be like that!"

"What?" He threw his hands up in defense. "I had to watch him try to kill you not once, but three times. You might have lost the details of what happened during your change, but to me they're still crystal clear. Nobody should be able to attack you and get off scot free."

Bella retreated back to Jasper's side, holding down his hands and looking into his face carefully. She was murmuring something so softly I couldn't make it out, and he seemed to calm down.

From the other side of the coffee table, a small voice came out timidly. "If it helps, Jasper, he didn't get off scot free like you say."

"Christine—" Edward tried to interrupt.

"No, it's okay," she whispered back to him before raising her voice back to its normal level. "If you think what Edward did doesn't haunt him every day, then you don't know him very well. Of course he's traumatized by what happened. He's working through it. And gaining Bella's forgiveness is a positive step toward accepting himself again. We're working hard here. Jasper, if you can't forgive him, I understand, but know that he's not the callus killer you portray him as in your head."

"Thank you, love," Edward whispered with a kiss to her cheek.

Bella looked up at Jasper pleadingly. "It's been twelve years," she said softly. "It's over. You need to remember that. I'm safe and he's not going to hurt me anymore. I know you've been carrying this with you for a long time, but it's okay to let it go."

"Feel it, Jasper," Edward implored.

The two locked eyes as Jasper felt Edward's emotions for endless seconds. Finally, Jasper stood up and stepped toward him.

"Brother," he said, and the girls looked at each other in shock as the two embraced in a manly one-armed hug.

"Thank you," Edward whispered, his voice filled with emotion.

"I may forgive," Jasper warned him. "But I never forget."

The family was all watching a movie. Well, most of them were. I could tell two of the couples weren't paying any attention to the screen, only to their mates. Any other day, I would have felt jealous, but today was different. I watched them from where I leaned against the doorway with a smile on my face.

"I'm going to be gone for the weekend," I informed them. "Maybe a bit longer. I'm going shopping in Halifax."

Most of the people in the room just nodded absently. Only Esme and Christine really looked at me.

"Shopping?" Esme queried, looking up at me over Carlisle's shoulder. "I could…"

"No," I interrupted. "I can't buy your Christmas presents if you're there, can I?" I smirked at her in an effort to make her back off. I really couldn't have anyone insisting on coming with me today. "Next time we'll go together."

"Have fun," Carlisle called to me from his spot on the love seat. "You have your cell phone with you?"

"Of course."

I sat in my car for a minute looking up at the house. When I returned, everything would be different. Well, maybe the house wouldn't be different, but all going well, I would be different.

I had timed my departure so that I would get to the ferry right on time; I couldn't imagine how nervous and impotent I would have felt just waiting around in the terminal. The journey was slow and excruciating. The weather was overcast and the seas were rough, making the sailing even worse for the human passengers.

As I parked my car near the city hall in Halifax, I couldn't help the excitement which flooded me. I stood at the edge of the square and took in the scene before me. This was it.

I took a deep breath in and let the wintery air fill me with a sense of peace.

I am aware, more than most, how fragile our destinies are. Just the slightest change can alter the future of the whole universe. Some of these changes seem to be for the better, and some for the worse. All our destinies were changed when Bella walked into our lives, and though I lost Jasper because of it, I can't help but be glad.

I knew that I was going to be happy. The second Bella was changed, my future became bright once more. And the reason for that was sitting on the other side of the Grand Parade right now, flaring his nostrils as he sensed another vampire in the area.

Once he singled me out in the crowd, he watched with trepidation as I moved toward him with purpose. I sat on the bench next to him and placed my hand so it barely touched him.

There it was—the feeling going through my body at his touch confirmed what I had seen in my vision.

"Hi, I'm Alice."

He looked between our hands—where I was sure he felt the same feeling I did—and my face several times.

He seemed to choose his words carefully. "Pleasure to meet you, Alice. I'm Daniel."