I AM SO SORRY!

Yes, it has been a while since I updated. I would explain why, but it doesn't matter. Reasons. We'll stick with that. Been super busy reasons...anyways, here it is!

I have the prologue to Torn written out but not typed up, and I can't find that notebook, so...what I'm gonna do, because I feel bad about not updating, is I'm gonna write the chapters and post the prologue when i find the notebook. So, it'll start with Ch. 1. don't worry, though. the prologue isn't important things for the chapters. It's just sorta a nice little break from madness that you're about to get into. :)

So, anyways, the epilogue to Together! :D

btw, i really like the chapter song. i recommend it. :)

36. Together: Demi Lovato feat. Jason Derulo

It was still dark outside when I felt myself being gently lifted from the bed, but through the slits of my half open eyes, I could see light starting to break outside. I didn't have to open my eyes to know who was carrying me bridal style down the stairs and outside, into the freezing December atmosphere.

I shivered a little, which makes sense since I was dressed in underwear and an oversized t-shirt. "I need pants."

"I have some in the car," he promised gently, voice full of a love deeper than anything I had heard yet. He always held back when it came to, well, everything. He had to, and he still does, but there was more to his tone than he ever allowed out.

It woke me up immediately, enough that I was able to smile and cling to him a little more.

He scoffed but kissed my temple as he stooped down under the half opened garage door. "You amaze me. It's like I didn't just lose complete control and break two of your toes as well as break our bedroom."

"I forgive you," I said lightly. "Besides, I probably would've done the same in your situation. I can't say I blame you. I'm sorry for not telling you sooner. For hiding it."

"I should've seen it," he muttered. "Enough of that, though. It's our first of many Christmases together, and baby, I'm not gonna mess this up." He took my hands in his cold ones and kissed my fingers tenderly. "I love you, Mayze, with everything I have in me. I can't even begin to explain how much you truly mean to me."

I threw my arms around him and sighed into his jacket, a smile playing on the edge of my lips. "I love you too, Edward, more than the sun."

"Well, gee, thanks," he said sarcastically, laughing as he swooped down and kissed me. It was a dance our lips knew well, but every time they danced, it seemed to only get better. Practice makes perfect, but this was more than that.

This was a little piece of heaven, a piece of my forever.

At first, we just hiked up a mountain. For an hour or so. We got to the peak of one of the smaller ones and looked out at the beautiful landscape. Covered in thick blankets of snow, the forest and lakes glistened under the light of the rising sun. I was freezing, even though I put on all the clothes he had in the car plus some of his.

That was where we finished talking things through. He was much calmer, and I told him everything that happened while he was gone. Everything that might've been hidden wasn't anymore.

He knew it all, and it was relieving. I, honestly, felt like I might float away into space. That's how much lighter things felt.

After descending the mountain, it was only seven sixteen. It was still too early for everyone to be up at his house—all the humans anyways—so we decided to swing by Charlie's and see if they were awake.

Of course, they were. Bella was cooking up a storm for obvious reasons, and Charlie was trying to figure out which bulb was shot in some of the lights he had decorating things.

I threw my arms around him as we came through the front door. "Merry Christmas, Dad!"

He laughed and met my hug with the same enthusiasm. "Hey, kiddo! Having fun with all your friends?"

I nodded. "It's amazing. We'll probably stop by later, to be honest. They were all gonna go hunting tonight anyways, so we'll probably come hang out here."

He grinned. "I'm sure Leah and Brady will appreciate that."

Edward closed the front door behind us and smiled at him. "Hey, Charlie. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas to you too, son," he said brightly before firmly shaking his hand. "Has she opened anything yet?"

"Not yet," Edward laughed. "I'm pretty sure everyone's still asleep, but no. We just went for a morning hike."

I nodded. "It's beautiful."

We continued talking, and Charlie gave me a small present. It was a beautiful necklace with a December birthstone diamond in the shape of a heart. I adored it, and of course, I hugged him for a while.

It was nice. Simple, nothing fancy. Perfect.

Bella and I scarcely even looked at each other, although it's not hard to figure out why. She completely abandoned me, and I was sick of it. There was a time when we were together, always. There was a time where it seemed like nothing could tear us apart.

We weren't there anymore. Now, it seems like nothing could keep us together, and I was tired of trying. I can't do it alone, and until she's ready, we can't be civil.

I stayed as little as humanly possible, because she had a look in her eye that made me wonder if she was about to get nasty. So, we spent time with Charlie and left. It was probably for the best anyways, because Brynk and Karma were probably restless. That meant that Oliver and Sapphire wouldn't be sleeping anymore either.

When we got back, I was bombarded with people wishing me a merry Christmas. Everyone was in some sort of pajama attire, including Jasper. It was incredible and homey feeling.

They were a little surprised to find more than one present for each of them. How were they supposed to know my family's odd desire to spend a bunch of money on people?

All in all, Oliver got the new MacBook he had been wanting from Carlisle and Esme. I was surprised how toned down the rest were. Rose and Emmett got him some expensive cologne, but what's a hundred dollars compared to seventeen hundred?

Exactly.

Anyways, Edward got him some weird something or another—a strange gadget of some sort—that they discussed on the phone, and Oliver was psyched. Jasper and Alice got him some part to a car he had been looking at. I don't really know. I didn't pay that much attention, because with each present they opened, I got more nervous about mine.

Carlisle and Esme got Karma a customized MacBook, too. Hers was black with red skull and crossbones on the back. Rose and Emmett got her . . . I don't know, probably the same thing Rose got me but toned down a little. She wouldn't open it either way. Edward got her a red pair of Monster Beat headphones by Dre, which she had been dying for. Alice and Jasper—Alice, really—got her some clothes. Karma loved them. She and Alice agreed in that area.

Alice and Brynk didn't, so Alice didn't get her clothes. Instead, they got her a new iPod touch. It was handy since Emmett accidentally stepped on hers and broke it. It was, of course, bigger, and it had neon lime green polka dots added on the back. Carlisle and Esme got her a MacBook to match it, too. It was great, and she flipped out. Let's see, Rose and Emmett got her some clothes that she would actually like—lots of them, really. Edward got her a black pair of the headphones he got Karma.

Sapphire got pretty much the same stuff as Karma, but her MacBook was red with black skulls. Her clothes were different, too, because she and Karma had different styles. Alice still got her right on.

I felt awful. What did I get everyone? Absolutely nothing. Why? I'm broke, literally. I have no money to my name whatsoever.

Of course, I say that, but then, I open my first present. What's inside?

A debit card with my name on it, unsigned, meaning Edward.

My teeth clenched a little as I sat it back on the ground. "You . . . okay, I promised."

"You did," he smirked. "And, besides, it's not like it really matters. Come June, it's just as much yours anyways."

I scowled. "This is not okay."

"It's quite okay, actually," Esme disagreed gently. "Mayze, dear, we love you. Don't worry about any of this."

I took a deep breath and looked over at Emmett, who was grinning madly. "I'm not opening whatever it is you got me. That scarred for the rest of my life. Do you realize this?"

"Just trying to help," he defended playfully. "Come on, Mayze. Promise. You'll like this one."

I picked his present up carefully with a scowl. It was something I promised Edward, to accept things with no complaints, but if they went as overboard with me as they did my friends—who am I kidding? It'll be worse!—then I'll probably freak out.

When I opened it up, what I got confused me. It was a bumper sticker, but I knew before I even finished reading it that Bella would never agree to let me put it on our Jeep. This was probably the coolest bumper sticker I had ever seen, and I was honestly okay with only this.

The sticker said in white letters, "The future Mrs. Cullen," which made me quite happy. Behind it, though, had everything no one else would understand. It was a picture of a lion, a tiger, and a bear. I got it. Edward got it, and most likely, his family did, too. No one else would, though. We knew that one day, we would complete that saying.

It's become a sort of motto, if you will.

From there, I just opened my presents and loved them. Alice got me a pair of really amazing combat boots that I had seen online once and loved. She argued with me about it for about an hour, but those were the ones she got me. Not too crazy expensive. Nice.

Carlisle and Esme got me a new MacBook similar to Brynk's, but mine had all sorts of neon colored polka dots instead of just one color. Emmett threw in some headphones, too. Jasper got me a stereo system with a deep bass capability. It was only the box, because apparently, he already installed it.

It's a nice thought, but I unfortunately don't ride in the Jeep anymore.

I still loved it, though. It was an expensive one, too, and it was gonna sound amazing.

My presents were almost done with Rose's hair, nails, and spa day she had planned—for me, of course. She was apparently gonna get her hair done, too, but I was a little worried. A day with Rose? Nerve wrecking.

That wasn't the end, though. There was one person left, and by the time I finished picking up all the paper, I realized there was only one thing left. It was actually placed on the tree, so my heart flooded with relief. I even sighed, and Edward just laughed and kissed my temple.

"It's nothing, Mayze," he murmured as my fingers began untying the bow. "Really."

The entire aura of the room changed when I took the lid off and saw a set of keys sitting in the box.

Honestly, I didn't realize he was gone until he was already running—human pace, of course—out the door. Emmett was rolling on the ground laughing so hard while Rose grinned mischievously. Alice simply talked to Karma about how she didn't understand their deep obsession with cars. Brynk, Saph, and Oliver laughed alongside Emmett while Carlisle and Esme simply smiled lovingly at me.

Of course, I took off after him, yelling his full name at the top of my lungs as I practically slammed the front door behind me. He was waiting for me, and when I got out there, he pulled me tight against himself and began kissing me all over, murmuring things that I really . . . I won't repeat them, but it surprised me. Emmett could hear. I knew he could, because I could hear his laughter getting louder, but he didn't even care.

I was blushing when he pulled my lips against his. It was such a simple action that turned into such a complex dance that our lips knew perfectly. As mine melted into the form of his, his hands came up to gently cradle my face.

"Please don't get mad," he whispered softly. "I owe you much more than this, but I'm not going to talk about that. I'm simply going to ask you to please understand that come June, it's all just as much yours anyways. And, really, when you consider the vast number of options I had, this really is nothing compared to what it could've been. I think you'll love it."

My fingers intertwined with his as we began making our short walk into the garage. What I found sitting beside their own line of foreign sports cars was the most incredible murdered black 2012 convertible Camaro. When I say murdered black, I mean it. Everything was black, except the windows, which were tinted as dark as was legal. The seats weren't quite black—a dark ebony color—but they were dark enough that from the outside, they looked black. I was too amazed to be angry, especially when I put my name in front of this car—Mayze's Camaro.

"Turn it on," Edward said gently, giving me an eager smile as I clutched the keys in my hands tightly. "We'll go for a test drive in a minute."

I pulled the door handle and let out a soft squeak as I got a better look. The stereo Jasper had gotten me was in fact put in here, and the entire interior seemed to be decked out and customized with top of the line stuff. It took me a minute to remember I had a purpose in opening the door, but I did what he suggested.

The sound of the engine was absolutely beautiful. It wasn't overly obnoxious and loud, but it was insane. The best part about revving it up, though, was the thing I noticed when I looked at the lights shining on the wall.

They were blue! I'm talking neon, unmistakable, electric blue.

I couldn't stand it anymore. This car plus my raging hormones plus the eternally embedded love I felt for Edward brought me to back him up into a corner and kiss him like the world was ending today. I clung to him and knotted my fingers in his hair, and the thing that surprised him most was when I began murmuring dirty things of my own.

He was trying to get a grip on his control, but he was struggling, and I actually got excited about that. What made the moment even steamier was when I began tugging at the waist line of his jeans.

Of course, he had to be a stinking party pooper and pull away, and I was quick to realize he was right to do so.

I wanted him, now more than other times, but this moment wasn't as bad as some others. Others, when there's nothing but pure love and romance stirring up desires and needs for each other, it's even harder to resist.

We resisted this time, though, and Edward shakily went over to turn it off. He was slow to speak, mostly because he had to tenderly kiss me before he would.

"So, you like it?"

I just laughed as I threw my arms around his neck. "I love it, Edward. Thank you, so much."

It was the best Christmas of my life.