A/N: All original Twilight characters are © Stephenie

Meyer. Original Perfect Forever characters are the sole property of MissP1987.

A/N x 2: It has also come to my attention that several of my current and/or former students have found this story. I STRONGLY ADVISE YOU TO READ THE TWILIGHT SAGA FIRST! 6th grade and above may read and enjoy! 5th grade and below must have parent's permission first! Sorry, teacher first, writer second.

A/N x 3: I APOLOGIZE PROFUSELY THAT THIS CHAPTER HAS BEEN SO SLOW TO COME! The last month of school was a DOOZIE, and it has taken me until now – with a little help from a trip to the beach and some lazy days – to recuperate.

Chapter 23

A-B-C's & 1-2-3's

Bella sat at the large mahogany computer desk in the study of the Cullen mansion staring at the screen with contentment. Edward stood behind her – his strong reassuring hands on her shoulders – waiting patiently. With an elated squeal, Bella pressed the send button – ending her first year at Kaplan University in the criminal justice program. She had completed the first eighteen hours of the 120 hour program in December. This semester, even among all the drama with the Volturi army, she had managed to complete twenty-one hours of introductory courses. There was a definite up-side to perpetual insomnia. Bella was on track to complete her degree by next spring.

"Congratulations, Love. I am so proud of you."

Edward kissed the top of Bella's hair drinking in the scent of fresh strawberries and sweet vanilla.

Bella stood to face her husband, wrapping her arms around his waist. With a wrinkle in her nose, she peered up at him with twinkling ocher eyes and said, "Thanks for your help with statistics, Edward. Math has never been my strong-suit."

Edward chuckled and tweaked the end of Bella's upturned nose.

"Ah, yes. About that help I provided. I believe you promised to repay me in a very appropriate manner at a time of my choosing. Do you recall that particular conversation, Mrs. Cullen?"

Bella giggled at the look of seriousness on Edward's face because it was betrayed by the smirk forming in the corners of his mouth.

"Hmmm. I seem to recall only vaguely said conversation, Mr. Cullen. However, I am in practice of keeping any and all promises that I make. So, what exactly did you have in mind?"

Before Edward could answer, Bella's mind flashed back to an earlier conversation just days following the battle with the Volturi army. They had spent a blissful night in Bella's old bed at her dad's house making love and celebrating life. Then, on the way home through the forest, Edward had finally confronted her about her transformation experience and the use of morphine. Reluctantly, Bella had revealed every detail of her painful transformation – how she had burned in silence to protect him and how that the morphine had actually exacerbated the pain instead of easing it. As expected, Edward had lost it…blaming himself and swimming in guilt. It had taken hours of listening to him rant and soothing him with her own reassurances, but Bella had finally made Edward understand that she had no regrets and that he had not been to blame for any of her pain. She had told him that she would gladly face the exact same pain one hundred fold if it meant she could share an eternity with him. For Bella, the pain she had endured during her change was only a small price to pay for that privilege. She would never regret one moment of the life she had chosen. Eventually, Edward's dark mood had lifted and he'd gotten past the guilt. But, he'd made Bella promise that there would be no more secrets…past or future.

"Bella, Love? Did you hear me?"

"Huh? Oh. I'm sorry, Edward. What did you say?"

Edward chuckled and guided Bella back into the chair in front of the computer.

"Always so reluctant to shop. I said, you're going to repay me by going shopping with me. You navigate. Graduation is in three weeks, and we have gifts to acquire."

Bella rolled her eyes in mock exasperation as she obediently placed her fingers atop the keyboard. For the next several hours, Edward directed her to numerous websites where they acquired graduation gifts for Jacob, Embry, and Quil.

~o ~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~o

Jacob laughed with exuberance as he pulled ahead of Quil and Embry, beating them both to the cliff overlooking the churning waters below. Even in human form, he was still faster than either of his best friends. They were celebrating today. Final exams were done, and graduation was two days away. So much sorrow had taken place in the past few months…Paul's death and Rachel's grief, the Quileute twins – Drew and Dayson – and Cade and Taylor – two of the youngest wolves – had all been lost in the battle with the Volturi army, and Tanya and Garrett had been killed, too. Somehow, amid all the loss and pain, time had marched on…life had continued.

Now, as the sun stepped out from behind the clouds, turning the water from gray to blue, and Quil and Embry bounded up beside him on his left, Jacob turned to look at his two best buddies with a mischievous grin. Today was about letting go of the past and moving on to the future.

Jacob's future – though the location was far from certain – was set. Where ever Renesmee was, there Jacob would be fulfilling whatever need she had in her life at that moment in time…uncle, big brother, friend… until the time was right for her to recognize him as her one true love – her soul mate. But until then, he would not be satisfied with living off the Cullen's generosity. He wanted more. So, he and Embry had enrolled in the automotive tech program at Peninsula College in Port Angeles. The plan was to open a garage – as soon as the two-year program was complete – specializing in restoring antique and wrecked vehicles. Quil – being the more business minded of the three – had enrolled in the business administration program and planned to be the financial genius behind their future business venture. Jacob knew that someday he would be faced with the heart-wrenching certainty of having to leave La Push, but until that time, he refused to dwell on it; choosing instead to live life to the fullest alongside his best friends and very large extended family. Starting with today's cliff dive…

"You guys ready to do this?" Jacob asked, already shedding his socks and shoes.

The only answer he got from Quil and Embry was the sight of their shirts being peeled off and tossed to the side. As soon as Jacob had removed his shirt, all three boys lined up side by side on the edge of the cliff.

"One!" Embry shouted, and each boy raised his arms straight up to the side.

"Two!" Quil hollered, and each of them rolled up onto the balls of his feet.

"Three!" Jacob screamed, and in unison, the three boys leaped head first off the cliff.

~o ~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~o

Seth walked slowly up to the door of Ethan and Leah's house in La Push and drew in a long ragged breath before knocking tentatively. The weeks since the battle had been difficult for everyone, but after finding out that Carlisle had had to perform a hysterectomy in order to save her life, Leah had become withdrawn. Angry and depressed, she was so much like the pre-Ethan Leah that it scared Seth. And things had only gotten worse when Leah had found out – thanks to Meekah's big mouth - that Rachel was pregnant with Paul's baby. Even Ethan had changed since the battle. He didn't know how to handle Leah's feelings of inadequacy. All he wanted was to fix the problem…to return things to normal. His inability to do that frustrated and angered him. Whether or not she could or could not have his baby didn't matter. He just wanted her and their life together.

As the door swung open, Seth smiled in relief when Tahla – who had moved in to help Ethan take care of Leah in the weeks following the surgery – greeted him with her own wide grin and a hug.

Seth was having none of that. He was too glad to be out of that stupid wheel chair and walking around on his own two feet. He still had a few weeks of therapy left to go, but he would be as good as new by the time school started back in September. He pulled Tahla close and gave her a long kiss on the lips. Finally, Tahla sighed and broke the kiss, looking deep into Seth's eyes.

"Hi," Seth rasped.

"Hi, yourself," Tahla whispered.

"So, how are they today?" Seth asked, dreading the answer before Tahla even responded.

"Ethan is working on a case in Port Angeles. He'll be back for graduation tonight. Leah…"

"Leah is just fine, thank you."

Seth and Tahla turned at the same time to see Leah standing in the doorway of the tiny kitchen dressed in a yellow v-neck jersey dress. Her long raven hair cascaded in wavy curls down her back, and her cheeks glowed with color for the first time in weeks. Before he could stop himself, Seth whistled in surprise. Leah chuckled when Tahla popped him on the arm to shush him.

"So, it's been that bad, huh?"

Leah smiled as Seth grimaced. She knew her little brother was trying to find a kind way to say it had been pure hell.

"That was a rhetorical question, Little Brother. I know I've been hard to put up with since the battle. But, I'm okay… really. Rachel came by to see me yesterday, and we talked for a long time. I realize how truly blessed I am. I have a husband who loves me more than life itself… You're back on your feet and getting stronger every day… Mom is happy and healthy… And, now there are seven new members of our family that need me. Time for wallowing in self-pity is over. So, what do you guys say we meet Ethan in town for dinner before we head to graduation?"

Seth grinned and pulled his sister into a crushing bear hug.

"You don't have to ask me twice! I can always eat!"

"And eat and eat," Tahla teased and slipped under Seth's arm to turn the brother-sister hug into a group hug.

~o ~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~o

Shortly after the formal strains of Pomp and Circumstance had been played and Jacob, Quil, and Embry had received their high school diplomas amid loud and embarrassing cat calls and howls from members of their large extended shape-shifter family, the entire La Push gang was in attendance at a party hosted by the Cullens.

As was her usual custom, Alice – the ultimate party planner – had pulled out all the stops, but this time she wasn't alone. Esme and Bella – enjoying a chance to be back in the kitchen – had prepared the food, and the wolves and cats would certainly be wanting for nothing in that department. Rosalie had volunteered to take senior portraits of the three graduates and now their faces were plastered on everything from napkins to the three large sheet cakes as part of Alice's decoration theme… or maybe scheme was a better word!

Emmett and Chan had taken on the roles of DJ, hence the loud booming noise of the latest hip-hop chart topper in the background while everyone filed into the Cullen's spacious great room. Meanwhile, Edward, Carlisle, and Jasper were busy preparing the garage as the official gift station… mainly because the gifts – most of them anyway – could not fit inside the house.

Bella watched with amusement as Jacob, Quil, and Embry entered the room. Not surprisingly, Renesmee was in her usual spot perched atop Jacob's shoulders. Bella chuckled as she realized her daughter had grown so much this year that her legs dangled almost all the way to Jacob's chest now. Claire – always wanting to be just like Nessie – sat on Quil's shoulders with her arms wrapped securely around his neck. Both girls were giggling… obviously sharing some sacred little girl secret. With a tinge of sadness, Bella realized that the friendship the two girls shared now would probably not survive the changes that were constantly taking place in Renesmee's mind and body. Already, Nessie towered over Claire in size, and she had long ago surpassed her intellectually. Renesmee somehow understood this though, and kept their friendship on Claire's level. But, eventually – Bella dreaded it more for Claire than she did for Renesmee – she would outgrow her childhood friend. At least by then Claire would be in school on the reservation and would make plenty of friends there.

School… another source of worry for Bella where Renesmee was concerned. Claire would be attending pre-school in the fall, and Renesmee had already been begging Edward and Bella to let her go, too. Although on some level, Nessie knew she was too advanced for preschool, it was the experience she was longing to be a part of, and it was difficult to explain to her why that experience would never be possible for her.

Bella smiled wryly as a set of strong granite arms wrapped around her waist and Edward's lips grazed the sensitive skin right behind her right ear.

"You're doing it again, Love."

"What?" Bella tried to act oblivious, but she knew Edward could see right through her.

"Although I find your habit of biting down on your bottom lip quite tantalizingly sexy, your brows are also furrowed which lets me know you're worrying… again. And, considering you're staring a hole through our daughter, I'd be inclined to believe that you're worrying about her and her future… again."

"Who's the future detective in this family? You or me?"

Bella giggled as Edward nipped her neck playfully with his teeth.

It didn't take long for the bottomless pits of the wolves and cats to totally obliterate the mammoth food supply. Soon after, the large crowd was herded into the garage for the gifting ceremony.

Emmett's jeep, Alice's yellow Porsche, and Edward's silver Volvo had all been replaced by three conspicuous tarp-covered heaps. Atop each easily recognizable shape sat a pile of professionally gift-wrapped presents of various shapes and sizes.

Grinning from ear to ear, Emmett slapped Ethan on the back and said, "We were gonna draw whiskers to see who got to open gifts first, but we couldn't talk Ethan into phasing and letting us pluck a few, so I guess we'll just have to use these broom straws we found. Shortest straw goes last."

Emmett held his hand out in front of Quil and raised his eyebrows to encourage him to draw. Quil grinned and plucked a straw from Emmett's large fist. Then Embry jumped in front of Jacob and yanked a straw from Emmett's hand and compared it to Quil's. Everybody laughed as Embry grimaced. Quil had obviously drawn the longest straw. The question was, was Jacob's straw the shortest… or was Embry's.

Jacob rolled his eyes at the ridiculousness of the whole scenario and pulled the final straw from Emmett's grasp.

"Figures," Jacob mumbled as he held up what was definitely the shortest straw.

"Sorry, Bro. That's the luck of the draw," Embry teased.

"All right, Quil. That first pile over there by the far wall is yours," Carlisle said as he gently shoved him forward.

During the next hour, Jacob waited patiently – and a bit apprehensively – as his best friends eagerly opened the gifts that had been lavished on them by the Cullens and the Ahtena tribe. Some gifts were homemade, and some were store-bought. Regardless, Jacob felt more than a little guilty for accepting gifts from any of them. But, Bella had already had "the talk" with him concerning the expected graciousness of his acceptance of his gifts, so he was determined not to disappoint any of them. So, he waited his turn with growing trepidation.

Willa, Meekah, and Tahla had made each of them an arrowhead necklace with hematite and tiger eye beads. The arrowhead represented the adventurer in each young man while the hematite was said to revitalize and energize; the tiger eye would create a balance between negative and positive energy.

Rosalie and Emmett had given each graduate a professional portfolio of portraits along with an oil painting of his favorite pose in the portfolio. A lone wolf of the appropriate fur color stood in the background of each boy's portrait.

Alice and Jasper gifted each boy with a trip. All three – along with the rest of the wolf pack and the Ahtena warriors – would be going to the Grand Canyon for a seven day hiking and camping excursion. In anticipation of the upcoming camping trip, the remaining wolves and warriors gave each of them gift certificates to the Newton's outdoor supply store.

The ooh's and ahh's over each gift-wrapped package continued for almost an hour. Neither graduate was allowed to unveil what lay hidden beneath the canvas covering each of their appointed heaps until each boy had depleted his stash of smaller gifts.

Although it was quite obvious to everyone what each oddly yet familiar shaped mound represented, nothing could have truly prepared them for what was actually unveiled as Jacob, Quil, and Embry simultaneously yanked the tarp from each of their assigned heaps.

"Oh my God!" squealed Embry.

"No freaking way!" yelled Quil.

Appreciative whistles from the rest of the group punctuated the continuous shrieks that Quil and Embry just couldn't contain.

Jacob was speechless.

Embry opened the door of his brand new Ford Explorer Sport Trac – unbelievably, the exact color of gray that his wolf coat sported – and jumped behind the wheel. Quil climbed into his sleek chocolate Jeep Liberty and blew the horn, inciting a horn-blaring contest between him and Embry.

Bella narrowed her eyes and nudged Jacob – still standing open-mouthed and wide-eyed in front of his russet Chevrolet Corvette Convertible.

Edward chuckled and clasped his hand on Jacob's shoulder.

"Mind-reading has all kinds of advantages, Jacob. Oh, … and you're welcome, by the way."

Everyone laughed as Jacob suddenly came to life and leapt into the car without even opening the door to join in on the horn-blowing battle already in progress.

After indulging the graduates for a couple of minutes, Carlisle held up his hand to silence their musical tirade.

"If you three would move over this way, Esme and I have one final gift that we'd like to give you."

As Jacob, Quil, and Embry made their way over to the other side of the garage, Carlisle held up a large rectangular object wrapped in brown package paper.

"You boys have become like sons to us. We like to invest in the future of our children. So, this is a little something to let you know how much we believe in each of you," said Esme.

Jacob began ripping the brown paper away from the package as Quil and Embry stood by watching intently. Suddenly, all three boys gasped and looked at each other with shocked expressions.

Tears filled Jacob's eyes as he looked up at Carlisle and Esme.

"How did you… When… ?"

Carlisle chuckled and said, "Have we told you that Edward reads minds?"

Jacob laughed and looked down at the poster-sized photograph he was holding.

In the picture sat a warehouse-size aluminum building with a glass enclosed office space on one end and a five-car garage on the other end. Attached to the roof in the middle of the building was a sign.

AB & C

Custom Automobile Repair and Restoration

Unashamedly wiping the tears from his eyes, Jacob handed the photograph over to Quil and grabbed Esme in one of his famous bone-crushing – had she not been an indestructible vampire – bear hugs.

"Thank you… both," Jacob whispered.

Esme returned Jacob's hug joyously before handing him a legal-sized manila folder and looking expectantly up at Carlisle who grinned mischievously.

"Boys, inside this envelope you'll find the deed to the property and a certificate of ownership that names all three of you as equal owners. We have furnished both the garage and the office with the most current state-of-the-art equipment. In fact, you could conceivably be open for business as soon as tomorrow."

"A little spending money from jobs on the side until you get your degrees couldn't hurt," Esme chimed in with a wink.

At that, Quil and Embry both took turns hugging Esme.

Jacob looked on with mixed emotions. He knew that the "B" of AB&C Custom Automobile Repair and Restoration would someday have to leave La Push. It was an inescapable reality that Renesmee would leave Forks when her family did, and Jacob would follow her. But until then, he would revel in the bliss of this perfect moment … regardless of how fleeting it might be.

Edward moved up beside Jacob and laid his hand on his shoulder.

"The moment may be fleeting, Jacob, but your place in the heart of EVERY member of this family is permanent."

Edward smiled crookedly as Jacob raised his eyebrows and cut his eyes towards the corner of the room where a certain beautiful blonde stood arm in arm with her love.

"Yes, Jake. Even Rosalie."

~o ~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~o

The following Friday after the graduation party found the Cullens and their adopted shape-shifter family standing outside the Cullen mansion saying goodbyes as the wolves and the warriors loaded up the hummers and headed out for the Grand Canyon.

Bella held Renesmee's hand after she gave Jacob a pouty good-bye hug. She was indignant that she wasn't allowed to go on this trip with him. But, Edward and Bella had plans of their own for her while Jacob was gone on his senior trip. They would be busy remodeling their little cottage in the forest and re-doing Renesmee's bedroom so that it represented her growth from that of a toddler to a pre-schooler.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Cullen clan had their own special mission planned. Ethan and Leah had talked it over with Carlisle, Esme, and the Ahtena Warriors. Though the kids loved the Cullens dearly, they believed their place was with the Quileute tribe who had adopted them so openly into their fold. Since they would be moving in with Ethan and Leah in the fall to begin their junior year at the school on the reservation, the Cullens planned to spend the week renovating Ethan and Leah's tiny house in La Push to accommodate a family of nine.

Now, as Bella looked around at the melting-pot that had become her family, she couldn't help but chuckle softly under her breath. Sometimes, she still had trouble believing all that had happened to bring them all to this place… this time… this life. None of it … none of them… was perfect, but there was love and acceptance. Bella was proud of her eclectic family. She knew that not all of them would live forever and life would never be truly perfect for that very reason, but it would always be their version of perfect. And that was good enough for her… forever.

A/N: I hope that this chapter doesn't disappoint you. As faithful readers, you're more precious to me than you will ever know! Please take a moment to review this chapter. Good, bad, or ugly – well, maybe not ugly… LOL! – your reviews are my bread and butter! The epilogue will follow shortly. Then, be on the lookout for Part 2 of this story. It's forming in my head at the moment, but isn't totally mapped out.