A/N: The page break changes POV's.

This chapter is dedicated primarily to mombailey, because while the rest of you were apparently trying to make me temperamental, she was supporting my decisions made in the last chapter. I'll also say this Epilogue will be dedicated to everyone that kept their faith in me, rather than try and bring me down because of Jasper's death. You guys have been following this story for a total of 61 chapters. Shame on all of you who honestly thought that I didn't know what I was doing, or that I was just trying to irritate everyone.

I don't want an AN at the bottom of the chapter. I'll say now that the third installment of the trilogy will be posted no earlier or later than August 1st. If you honestly need to know why the long wait, ask me in a review. ^_^

It had been seventeen long years since Jasper died. Since he was murdered.

You know, after seventeen years, I was starting to get tired of being so lost. Being so empty. For so, so long I had been living a half life. Living a life of loneliness- without my better half right beside me.

I thought I finally understood everything I had learned, so long ago, when I was still a human. When I was fresh in the field of love, and innocent. When Jasper told me that he was tired of waiting such a long time for the right person.

I had only waited seventeen years, but my wait was different. I was waiting for some other of my breed to take me out. I was waiting to see if Carlisle was right. If he was, then I would finally be with him again.

Jasper may have waited two hundred years for me, but he never knew me. He had only something to look forward to. I didn't. I had nothing, anymore. Not really.

I had Silas, but that wasn't enough.

Us vampires, we were like penguins. We will pick our mate, and then that is it. Never again will we have another one. I was the sad little penguin in the flock that had to watch my family members love one another, while I was by myself.

Silas even had Tanya. It really was just me now that was totally and utterly alone.

Speaking of Silas, he was headed my direction. It hurt me to look at him. With his wavy blonde hair, his gentle golden eyes, and his tall and lean body. He was like the ghost of his great-something-uncle Jasper. Even though Carlisle changed him when he was eighteen and not twenty- I can't look at him without seeing the man I still loved.

Silas sat down beside me on the couch, wrapping his arm around me. He asked gently, "Bad day?"

I had two sorts of days. I had bad days, and I had non-miserable days. Today I was having a bad day. I had been trying to push him out of my mind, but it still was not working. I nodded slightly.

Silas glanced at Alice as she passed. In his attempt to comfort me, he started playing one of her memories for me.

I felt myself inside of Alice's body. I felt smaller and lighter than usual. Edward has his arm wrapped around my shoulders, and he looked bored as hell. I was seeing through Alice's eyes.

She turned to Edward and whispered excitedly, "It's today."

Edward smiled at Alice, rubbing her shoulder gently. "I know it is, love. He's almost here. The door is about to open."

Alice's head snapped to the side, and it felt like she wanted to jitter in her seat. The door to the diner swung open, and in stepped a man. His coat was drenched, and his blonde curls hung loosely in front of his dark burgundy eyes.

Alice sprang off the chair, and we crossed the room at a swift pace. We looked at the new vampire and I felt my cheeks stretch as Alice smiled.

My sister's bell-like voice announced, "You've kept me waiting."

Edward was right behind Alice. The leonine figure fumbled his thumbs as his head bowed in shame. His thickly accented voice apologized, "I'm sorry, ma'am."

A small hand was extended. The new guy looked shocked. He glanced up warily. Edward just smiled. Tentatively, his hand clasped Alice's. The trio headed back into the rain…

Silas allowed Alice's memory to fade. My hand tingled from where Jasper had 'touched' it. My son whispered sadly, "It's the best I can do."

I leaned over and pecked his cheek. He beamed- he always did love that. I laughed, "It was enough to help me get by today. Thank you, Silas."

Emmett sprang onto the couch, and tossed backpacks into our laps. "First day of the new school, kiddos. Go get the move on."

Sighing, I willed myself to be strong today, and followed my brother out to the truck.

You know, I was tired of people.

I hated them, in fact.

Ever since I was a young boy, I was an outcast. I was the weird kid that the others avoided like the plague. It all started when I was little- all the weird things that I have grown to accept.

When I was five, when I started school, I made no friends. I created my own friend. The boy could have been my twin, he looked so much like me. He had been so vivid, so real, that I actually thought he existed. I had in-depth conversations with him. I could feel him when we wrestled. I could smell him- he smelt like oranges- when we sat together on the school bus. Twelve years later, I still remembered his innocent voice.

My imaginary friend stayed as an active part of my life for a long time. Mom found out about him when I was ten. She asked who I was talking to one day. I tried to introduce her to him. She got upset. I went to therapy for a while. The nice doctors helped me close my friend away. He wasn't real- they said- and I needed real friends.

Just as I turned eleven and was free of therapy, I entered middle school. Everyone already knew, by then, that I was different. I was the one who talked to 'himself'. I was the one that had a phobia of dogs for no reason. Like, a phobia phobia. I couldn't even look at a large dog without having an anxiety attack.

That set my weird-meter to level two. There was this one dog I kept seeing, a big, shaggy brown one, that terrorized me. He chased me down the road once. That same day I shot him with my dad's rifle. Only, I missed somehow, and accidentally shot the mail lady in the leg.

So now I was the crazy kid, who saw little boys and dogs, and had violent urges I couldn't control.

If that weren't bad enough, literally the night of my sixteenth birthday- so almost a year ago- the dreams started. I had such vivid dreams!

First came the short girl and her husband. She had black hair, he had bronze hair. They were both pale and had honey-yellow eyes.

Then came the rest of them. The huge boy and his wife, a drop-dead gorgeous blonde. The tall blonde with the gentle smile and the lady with the soothing voice. On occasion, others would be in my dreams as well.

None of them ever had names.

But she did. The beautiful one with the thick, mahogany hair. The one with soft curves, a tender smile, and stunning ruby eyes. She had a name. I never heard it in my dream, but some part of me just knew it.

I kept her to myself. I kept them all to myself. I was fucking psycho enough without telling mom or dad I thought I might love a girl from my dreams.

I'd be hugging myself in a padded room before Tuesday.

Anyway, I hated people. I hated that I cried at night because of what they called me. I hated that I felt like a freak because the other boys kicked my ass at least once a month. I hated that the girls hesitantly move out of my way as I walked the halls.

I hated my imaginary friend. I hated that fucking dog. I hated all the nameless faces that haunted me at night.

Except for the one. I loved her.

"Hey, freak!" I stiffened when my nickname since sixth grade was shouted across the hall. One of the boys from my class taunted, "Why aren't you talking to yourself today? Did the voices in your head finally shut up?"

One of his friends nudged him and warned, "Watch out, David. If you make him mad he might sick Kujo on us."

Everyone in the hallways started laughing. All of them. I felt my heart start to throb as their cruel laughter echoed hollowly in my ears. Tears stung my eyes and I darted down the hallway, skidding around the corner.

I slammed into something fucking hard. What the hell, there wasn't a wall here!

My Advanced Spanish book slipped out of my arms as I grabbed onto the wall to stop myself from falling. Did I mention I was fluent in Spanish and never learned it?

I waited to hear the book thud against the ground. Oh, who cared? Why not run right into a wall and give them something else to laugh about?

The thud did not come. In fact, it was suddenly completely silent in the hallway.

I gathered my courage and looked down. Kneeling on the ground in front of me, holding my Spanish book, was... was…

My mind blanked out as her wide golden eyes locked with mine. No, not golden. Butterscotch. Ocher. The color that peeks through the clouds just as dawn breaks.

Beautiful eyes. That's what they were. Even if they weren't red.

They were eyes that did not once look away from me as she stood up and extended her arm. Her lips parted and her musical voice needlessly pointed out, "You dropped this."

My hand clasped on the other end of the book and I whispered, "Bella."

The smile that lit up her face was brighter then a million suns, and she whispered, "Jasper."