Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

So this is the final chapter of Forever Bound and I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to read my little story, those who have taken the time to put it on their alerts and especially those who took the time to review. Each little one is treasured. There will be a long thank you at the bottom and read it, for you may be mentioned! After reading the first few chapters, een I can see my writing has improved and I can't believe you stuck with me so long! Thank you!

So there is now a trailer for the story! http:// www . youtube . com / watch?v=-RRnEJ5xKZo

I really hope you enjoy the final chapter and I apologise one last time for any mistakes.

Enjoy!


Forever Bound

Epilogue – I Loved Her First

As Edward stood outside the church, scuffing the tops of his shoes on the pebbles as he waited, he wondered what on earth he was doing there.

He had tried to refuse going through with it, he had sulked and he had thrown a number of items around the house in anger, and yet here he was; standing outside the church, waiting for the bridal party to arrive as he still questioned his current position.

Ultimately, Edward knew why he was going through with the events of the day, his family had threaten to disown him if he behaved in his previous manner or refused to do it any longer and although Edward hated the threat put against him, he knew he had to go through with it.

Until this moment, it had not actually occurred to Edward to inform his family that he was of age and therefore it would be pointless to disown him, as he no longer needed his parent's money to do anything in life, he had enough of his own.

Edward could hear wheels crunching on the gravel behind him and reluctantly turned around; better get this nightmare started. Each member of the bridal party exited the carriage quickly, placing a kiss on Edward's cheek as they passed but he paid them no attention. The only thing Edward could focus on was the beautiful brunette who sat in the far end of the carriage, looking positively sick.

Forgetting about everything else, the time schedule, the guests and the fact that he hated being here in the first place, Edward jumped into the carriage and wrapped his arms around the girl in the carriage who looked up at him with tears pooling in her stunning green eyes.

"What if he does not show up Papa?" Alicia asked, her body beginning to shake with worry.

Edward carefully ran his hand through his little girl's hair, trying not to pull a hair out of place from the complicated style it was currently in, knowing that his sister would be after his blood if he did such a thing.

"Darling, he has been standing inside that church for the past half hour, coming out every five minutes looking for you. I must say, he looks worse than he usually does—" Edward was cut off as Alicia slapped his arm lightly, a watery giggle escaping her lips.

"Are you ready to do this Papa?" she asked, snuggling herself a little tighter in his arms one final time as his daughter.

"No," he replied sulkily, burying his head in her hair and kissing her. "But do I have a choice?"

Placing a soft kiss on her Papa's cheek, Alicia shook her head and took his hand in her own, making a move to stand.

Sighing, Edward pulled himself to his feet and helped his beautiful daughter descend the steps in her beautiful lace dress.

As they made the short journey from the carriage to the church, Edward took the time to admire his little girl. She was stunning. Her hair was chocolate brown like her mother's, although she had inherited Edward's green eyes and her bronze highlights shimmered in the sun.

The moment Edward and Alicia had set foot in the door of the church, the wedding march began. Edward took a deep breath and gently pulled Alicia's arm through his own; it was time to give his daughter to another man.

He was not a bad kid, Edward's brain reasoned, it was just his paternal side that was telling him that no boy would ever be good enough for his daughter. In his heart, Edward knew he would rather have the boy standing waiting at the altar for Alicia take his daughter's hand in marriage than any other man out there, but it did not make the task any easier.

As they walked past their family and friends, many of the women already in tears, Edward could not help but think back to his own wedding day.

He wished he could do it all over again and show Bella how much she meant to him and how much he loved her; not that she needed reminding after their nineteen years of marriage.

However, Edward would always have regrets about his own wedding day. He regretted the fact that he did not tell Bella how beautiful she looked, he did not even appreciate it himself as he was too consumed with anger as he was unable to marry Tanya; an event he was immensely glad did not occur.

As Edward passed Bella's smiling face in the front pew, he realised that that day did not matter. It was not the beginning of their relationship, of their love. Their past nineteen years together had more than made up for the disastrous start.

Bella threw a watery smile in the direction of her husband and daughter, already overcome with emotion and the ceremony had not even begun. Blowing a kiss in their direction, Bella grasped Esme's hand a little tighter, overcome with emotion and pride as her eldest child took her place opposite her husband-to-be.

"Who gives this woman to this man?" the priest asked as the father and daughter came to a halt. Edward looked his future son-in-law up and down and noticed that the colour was appearing in his cheeks once more; probably due to the relief he felt now that he knew Alicia was sure to go through with it.

Taking in his appearance, Edward could understand, grudgingly of course, why his daughter was so in love with the man in front of his. With his tousled, short wavy blonde hair, square jaw and piercing grey eyes, Edward was amazed he was willing to settle down so young, especially when there were at least ten girls throwing themselves at him at any one time. He never seemed to notice though, his eyes always only for Alicia; reaffirming the fact that he was good enough for Edward's beloved daughter.

Bella's soft cough broke Edward from his thoughts as he remembered where he was. Giving a slightly embarrassed cough, he finally answered the priest's question, "Her mother and I, along with our family do."
Turning to Alicia, Edward gathered her into his arms one final time as Alicia Cullen and began to whisper in her ear, "I love you baby girl; never forget that. You will always be my princess."
"I love you too Papa." Alicia whispered in reply, her tears beginning to hit her father's shirt.

Pulling away, Edward raised her hand to his lips and placed a final kiss on it, before allowing it to be taken by her fiancé. Taking his free hand, Edward offered it to the groom. As they shook, Edward noticed his son-in-law's palms were beginning to sweat. He could not help himself. Leaning in to ensure that Alicia could not hear, Edward whispered one last threat. "Make her happy or I will send Seth your way". He had to contain his laugh as the man in front of him gulped and nodded reverently.

Pleased with the reaction, Edward made his way to his wife's side in the front pew and the moment he sat down, Bella buried her face in his shoulder for comfort. Wrapping his arm around his wife, Edward glanced around the church as the service began.

Standing beside Alicia were Dena and Alice and Jasper's daughter Megan, who had been chosen as bridesmaids. Walking them up the isle had been Anthony, who was playing the role of best man, and the groom's cousin Daniel.

Rosalie and Emmett's youngest son Toby had been chosen as ringer bearer, while Bella and Edward's third and final child Claudette had been honoured with the position of flower girl.

As Edward's eyes drifted to the guests, he noticed Seth sitting in the second pew on the opposite side, his eyes dark and his fists clenched. It was no secret that Seth was in love with Alicia, but she had never seen him as anything more than a cousin, only having eyes for the young man beside her; breaking Seth's heart in the process.

Edward knew that if anything ever went wrong in her marriage, Seth would be willing to step up to the plate in an instant. He was not sure how he felt about so many men being after his daughter, but it did create a good threat when one was needed.

Sitting on the pews behind and to the side of them were the whole Cullen-Swan family. Carlisle and Esme sat right beside Bella and Edward, while Alice and Jasper and their second daughter Marianne sat beside them.

On the row right behind them was Emmett and Rose, along with five of their six children, Charlotte, Maximilian, Andrew, Sarah and Elizabeth.

Turning back to the service, Edward began to listen once more just as the vows were beginning.

"I, Thomas Mark Anderson, take thee, Alicia Rose Cullen, to be my lawfully wedded wife. To have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until death do us part." Thomas took his ring from Toby and slid it onto Alicia's finger, causing the tears to begin to fall.

After composing herself, Alicia began to repeat her vows. "I, Alicia Rose Cullen, take thee, Thomas Mark Anderson, to be my lawfully wedded husband. To have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until death do us part." She then placed the ring she had picked out onto Thomas' finger. The smile they shared at that moment was so full of love that Edward almost felt the need to turn away and give them a moment to themselves.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Thomas and Alicia have taken the chance to write their own vows. Thomas, if you would like to go first?"

Taking both of Alicia's hands in his own, Thomas stared into her eyes and it was obvious that in their minds, no one else was in the room. "Alicia, from the moment I met you, it was love. Even when your mother with still carrying you I loved you. I hated everyone staring at the bump that you were; I even hated your father staring at you because it made me jealous. And at your christening, at just a few weeks old, your beauty astounded me. I think that was the day your father started to dislike me," Thomas chuckled at this but Edward blushed slightly as Bella laughed into his shoulder. "Not only did I find his only child beautiful, but you graced me with your first smile; a moment I will never forget even though I was only three. As we grew up together you grew more and more beautiful, until some days it hurt to even look at you because you were so stunning," Every woman gathered in the church now began sobbing at Thomas' words as their husbands comforted them.

"I want you to know that I will spend every day of forever trying to show you how much you mean to me and try and show you a sliver of how much I love you, for no matter how hard I try, there are not enough words to express my love for you." Even the men were weeping now, including the groom himself.

After providing the congregation and herself with time to pull themselves together, Alicia began to recite her vows to the love of her life, "From the moment we met, I clearly knew you were going to be an important part of my life. My Papa is the most important man I ever had in my life, and yet it was you I chose to share my first smile with. You always looked after me as I was growing up; making sure I never fell down when you were around and allowing me to fall asleep on you when my Papa was away. As we grew, your heart and soul became so beautiful and caring, a thousand times more stunning than anyone else I know. Mama read this too me when I was younger, and I believe it fits perfectly with what I wish to say, for no matter how many hours I spent trying to express my love for you, I simply could not summon the right words." Alicia took a deep breath and Bella braced herself against Edward's body, knowing how much the following words were about to affect her.

"Remember tonight, for it is the beginning of always. A promise, like a reward for persisting through life so long alone. A belief in each other and the possibility of love. A decision to ignore and simply rise above the pain in the past. A covenant, which at once binds two souls and yet severs prior ties. The celebration of the chance taken and the challenge that lies ahead. For two will always be stronger than one. Like a team braced against the tempests of the world. And love will always be the guiding force in our lives. For tonight is mere formality. Only an announcement to the world of feelings long held, promises made long ago in the sacred space in our hearts"

Even Edward had a few tears falling from his eyes at this point, although they quickly dried up when Thomas lent forwards and captured Alicia's lips with his own. Even the priest appeared to be slightly taken aback and quickly completed the service. "Err, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." Alicia lifted her foot up in response and the church burst into applause.

-o-

Edward was waiting impatiently in the line to greet the newlyweds at the wedding reception. Bella was holding his right hand while she looked out for Claudette and Anthony, who had already disappeared into the party.

"Papa," Alicia exclaimed, throwing her arms around her father's neck and pulling him close to her. "I did it Papa. I am now a married woman!"

Edward tried to hold it together. "You did it Ali. I am so proud of you. I love you baby girl, you looked beautiful up there." Pulling away and smiling at her father, Alicia then embraced her mother.

Edward offered his hand to Thomas, who took it instantly and shook it with just enough strength to show he respected Edward but was not going to be intimidated. "I meant what I said about Seth you know," Edward informed him.

"I know that Sir, but I promise you that you will never need to exercise that threat. I never intend to hurt Alicia," Thomas replied, wanting his father-in-law to understand the love her felt for his wife.

Edward grinned at him for the first time in eighteen years, "I know that son. And please, call me Edward," and with that he wrapped his arms around Bella and pulled her into the party.

"Thank you for doing that Edward," Bella said to him as they made their way to mingle with the other guests, "I know how hard it must have been for you."

"Oh no, it was not hard. I have always known that he is a good man; I just could not expose my knowledge until he had made an honest woman out of my daughter. What kind of father would I be if I did not do such a thing?" Edward chuckled at Bella's shocked expression as he pulled her over to the rest of their family, a smile gracing his face.

-o-

"From my earliest memories, Thomas was always there." Anthony told everyone present during his speech, "He has always been there for my sister, protecting her from everything. Whether it be a paper cut or a spider, he would always make sure that Alicia was safe. Growing up with Alicia, all I heard about was Thomas. Each day, she was tell me about the latest book he had told her to read, she would tell me about how the way he looked at her made her go soft inside," Bella's blushed graced her daughter's cheeks at this point, "I have been brought up knowing that these two were going to end up together, and I am just surprised that it took eighteen years to get my big sister to walk up the aisle." Thomas smiled and kissed Alicia's hand as Anthony picked up his flute of champagne. "To Thomas and Alicia. May your marriage be blessed with love and happiness and many long years together."

"To Thomas and Alicia." The guests repeated before taking a sip of champagne each.

"Now get started on a niece and nephew for me," Anthony joked although Edward did not find it funny. He began to choke on his drink, worrying Bella immensely as their daughter made her way to the dance floor to take her first dance as a married woman.

When he had finally recovered, Edward turned to Bella in horror, "They are going to be having children!" he cried, wondering why his wife was not panicking along with him.

"Yes of course they are Edward," Bella smiled, rubbing his back, "They are going to be the first ones to make you a grandpa."

"I am too young to be a grandpa! And she is too young to be a mother. She is only eighteen years old," Bella began to laugh, "What aspect of this situation is funny Bella? Our little girl is going to have to do," Edward looked around uncomfortably, "you know, if we are going to become grandparents. How can you condone it?"

Once Bella had finally regained control of herself, she took Edward's hand in her own and forced him to look at the dance floor. "Look at them Edward," Thomas had his arms wrapped around Alicia's waist as her arms rested on his shoulders. Their noses were touching and their smiles told a thousand words as they swayed slightly across the floor, "They are so in love. They have been in love since the moment they saw each other. We knew that instantly and it is clear that she was never going to fall for anybody else." Placing her hand on her husband's cheek, Bella looked into his eyes, "You ask me how I can condone it? They are us Edward. How can you deny anyone, especially your own daughter, the chance at a love like ours?"

"I cannot," Edward whispered, observing his daughter and son-in-law once more.

Smiling, Bella followed his gaze, "Besides, by the time I was eighteen, I had been married for two years, had a child, was pregnant with my second and you had gone to war. And you never seem to complain when we do 'you know'."

"That is not making me feel better Bella," Edward informed her, although there was a small smile on his face which was enough for Bella, and she pulled him to the dance floor.

-o-

A clicking of a champagne glass and the shhing of the orchestra caused the dancing to stop half an hour later, as all the guests turned to look at Emmett, who was standing in front of the orchestra, a large smile on his face.

"Sorry to break up the dancing, but I believe it is time for the father-daughter dance." Everyone smiled at this and Bella pushed Edward towards Alicia, who held out her hands for her Papa for take. "Now, as we all know, Eddie is quite the musician, so it was him who wrote the song they are about to dance to. If I could ask you all to leave the floor, I would like to introduce the father and daughter, Edward Cullen and Alicia Anderson."

The guests began to applause and the band struck up the first cords of Edward's composition. Wrapping his arms around his baby girl, Edward forgot about all the eyes staring at them and began to move his daughter across the dance floor.

Look at the two of you dancing that way

Lost in the moment and each other's face

So much in love you're alone in this place

Like there's nobody else in the world

I was enough for her not long ago

I was her number one

She told me so

And she still means the world to me

Just so you know

So be careful when you hold my girl

Time changes everything

Life must go on

And I'm not gonna stand in your way

"Oh Papa," Alicia breathed, tears beginning to fall from her eyes as she buried her head in Edward's shoulder. Edward simply smiled and pulled his little girl as close to his body as he could, cherishing every moment he had with her before she went away for two weeks on her honeymoon. It would be the longest Edward had gone without seeing his daughter since she was a year old and he was dreading it.

But I loved her first and I held her first

And a place in my heart will always be hers

From the first breath she breathed

When she first smiled at me

I knew the love of a father runs deep

And I prayed that she'd find you someday

But it still hard to give her away

I loved her first

Others began to fill the floor. From the corner of his eye, Edward noticed Carlisle was dancing with Bella while Emmett had formed a circle with Charlotte, Sarah and Elizabeth, wanting to share the dance with all of them; as Jasper took turns in leading Megan and Marianne around the dance floor.

But Edward did not pay attention to them, he was too busy trying to pour all the love he felt for the girl he held in his arms into her.

"I mean it you know?" Edward whispered into her ear, before extending his arms and forcing Alicia to spin out in a circle before she returned to his arms once more.

"Mean what Papa?" Alicia asked, staring him right in the eyes.

"I loved you first and no one can ever replace the love I feel for you Ali. No one."

Alicia began to sob and Edward was worried he had said the wrong thing, but just as he made a move to comfort her, Alicia threw her arms around his neck and began to squeeze the life out of him. "I love you too Papa." Her tears began to soak into his shirt but Edward did not care; he needed to hear her words. "No one can ever take that away from us. I love you so much Papa. It does not matter if I am married, have moved away or am old and grey. You are always going to be the number one man in my life." Edward choked back a sob and kissed every inch of her face he could reach. "You are my superhero Papa."

How could that beautiful women with you

Be the same freckle face kid that I knew

The one that I read all those fairy tales to

And tucked into bed all those nights

And I knew the first time I saw you with her

It was only a matter of time

A tug on Edward's trouser bottoms broke the moment between the father and his eldest daughter as they both gazed down at the interruption while wiping their eyes and were met with the sight of Claudette, her arms above her head, reaching for Edward.

"Dance with me Papa," she asked quietly, her hands clenching into firsts as she waited for him to release Alicia.

"Of course I will Angel, if Alicia does not mind?" Alicia shook her head and smiled at her little sister.

"I was hoping that perhaps I could cut in?" Thomas' father Harry asked, reaching for Alicia's hand.

"That settles it then," Edward smiled, kissing Alicia on the cheek before he took Claudette's hand and led her to the centre of the dance floor. "Hop on sweetheart," Claudette giggled and jumped onto her father's feet as he spun them across the room.

But I loved her first and I held her first

And a place in my heart will always be hers

From the first breath she breathed

When she first smiled at me

I knew the love of a father runs deep

And I prayed that she'd find you someday

But it's still hard to give her away

I loved her first

Claudette had been a complete surprise to both Edward and Bella. Although they had not planned to not have any more children, they were not actively trying for one; however they should not have been surprised, as Bella was only thirty and Edward himself was only thirty three. So four and a half years ago, they had been graced with the little angel Claudette who was a clone of her father, apart from her mother's chocolate eyes.

"Faster Papa, faster," Claudette cried in between her giggles. Edward complied with her wish, causing her laughter to spread throughout the hall, making it all the brighter in Edward's opinion.

"Promise me you will not get married," Edward asked Claudette as he spun her, "I do not think Papa will be able to cope with his two girls leaving him alone."

"You are silly Papa," Claudette smiled up at him, "All boys are icky. You are the only one I ever love," she vowed with a little nod of her head for conformation.

Edward knew he could not hold her to these words when she got older, but they comforted him all the same.

From the first breath she breathed

When she first smiled at me

I knew the love of a father runs deep

Someday you might know what I'm going through

When a miracle smiles up at you

I loved her first

-o-

"I wish our wedding day had been as happy as this," Edward sighed as he and Bella danced together.

"Do not look back and grieve over the past, for it is gone; and do not be troubled about the future, for it has not yet come. Live in the present, and make it so beautiful that it will be worth remembering." Bella quoted, smiling up at Edward.

"When did you become so knowledgeable?" Edward laughed, spinning her around.

"I did not," she laughed, "Ida Scott Taylor wrote it, I simply live by it."

"Smart thing to live by." Edward commented. Bella nodded in agreement.

"Although our wedding day was not the happiest of days, I shall never regret it," Bella told Edward firmly, "It brought us what we have today. Look at all the love that surrounds us now. If our wedding day had been different, who knows if our life would have ended up like this."

Edward could not help but agree. He glanced around the ballroom and took in all the love that was being shown between the people. His mother and father were dancing together and looking at one another like love struck teenagers, Emmett was pulling Rosalie across the dance floor, but as she threw her head back and laughed, Edward could instantly tell they were as in love with each other as they had been the first time they met.

Although Seth had been heartbroken at the beginning of the day, he appeared to be quite content as he danced with Dena in his arms, smiling and laughing with one another as his mother and father danced alongside them. Jacob and Leah were still bickering while they danced, but Edward knew they would not be the strong couple they were today if that were ever to stop.

"Keep your son away from my daughter," Jasper hissed as he stepped beside them, a laughing Alice holding onto him as they danced together. Quickly searching the room, Bella and Edward were met with the sight of Anthony and Megan dancing with one another, their bodies a little too close together for two people who claimed to be simply best friends. Megan's head was on Anthony's shoulder as he ran his fingers through strands of her golden hair; a look of bliss covering his face.

Just as Edward was about to respond, something bashed into his legs. "Sorry Papa," Claudette giggled, as she and Toby attempted to dance their way across the floor, stepping on one another's toes and bashing into a number of other couples, but that did not diminish a moment of their fun, as their laughter mingled together and was heard across the hall. Bella could not help but smile at the small children's innocence.

All too soon, the night began to end and it was time for photos of the group.

Pictures were taken of the groom's party, the bridal party, the in-laws standing together, the husband and wife by themselves, and one of the whole party together.

"Right, now let us have one final picture of the bride's family together." The photographer suggested, and Edward was all too happy to comply.

As Alicia and Bella sat in the two chairs at the front, with Claudette sitting at her mother's feet, grinning up at the camera, Anthony and Edward came up behind them. Anthony placed his hands on his big sister's shoulders, while Edward placed his on Bella's, although she quickly covered his hands with her own.

As the Cullen family smiled at the camera and the flash went off, Edward knew that they would always be a family. Nothing would ever break the five of them apart. They could make it through anything and their love would always last.

Forever.

---

Is it too much to ask each of you who read this final chapter to review one last time and let me know what you think?

I hope it isn't! Even if you do not review, I thank you for reading it and hope you enjoyed it.

Okay here come a number of the thanks that I must make. Firstly to Flora73, who was my first ever and constant reviewer. You set the ball rolling so thanks for that! Then a much needed one to Troyis, who wrote the amazing lemons you all read, so thank you for giving up your time to do such a thing for me. Then to TexasTwilight77, who took the time to read my chapters before they were published and gave me the courage to post them, even when I thought they were no good. To tbonemom0512, who let me use her son Thomas in this story; thank you for having such a lovely son that I could put in this story. Thank you mommytwilight, who told me how much she loved my story but told me to focus on my school work first, that you would all wait for me to post a chapter. Thank you to LVQueen1, who always checked up on me and made sure I was okay, motivating me to finish the chapters and TearsInTheDust who was usually the first to review a new chapter. Lizzie2325, thank you so much for your lovely, positive and long reviews for each chapter, I love reading them. And finally thanks to Seba nefer and The Blue Hour, who are now taking the time to translate this into French and Spanish.

I have no plans for a sequal to this story as I feel it is complete, although I may post a few extra little chapters for pieces of their life if you wish me to? I won't be writing a new story for a while as I have some pretty big exams in the near future and need to focus on them. But I do have a number of ideas so please add me to your Author Alerts.

One final time, thank you for reading. :D