AN

Hope is the expectation that something outside of ourselves, something or someone external, is going to come to our rescue and we will live happily ever after.
Dr. Robert Anthony

So here we are; the end of my very first story. So exciting. I'm not going to lie, this ending was hard to write, but I think it turned out well.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed, and a special shoutout to ALICESTAR100, kimmmz, caitness, and ImDaMnShOrTaNdPrOuD for reviews or Faving in the last chapter.
Thanks also to LivLifeForever, cause she's just the bomb. (I threw a little something in there just for you.)

Without further adeau...

Eight Years Later

Myra's POV

A smile crept onto my face as I saw Jacob's beat-up old truck pull up into the parking lot. He'd fixed it up so that it ran fine, but knew that I loved its battered exterior.

"Hey, boyfriend," I greeted him as I hopped in the passenger's side, leaning in to kiss him on the cheek.

"Hey, girlfriend," he replied, pulling me back over for a kiss much more favourable than its precedor. I loved the feel of his lips on mine. We kissed for a while longer, before I had the stupid idea to stop.

"We need to get to the toy store before they close. I don't want to have to rush at the last minute to get a gift for Dakota's birthday party tomorrow," I reasoned. I wouldn't be a quick task either. When it came to gifts for two-to-three-year-old girls we didn't always see eye to eye. Last year he'd wanted to buy her a gift from the discount plushie bin. I'd argued saying "that thing look like it's half human, half vampire, half wolf, and half cat, and a distinctive lack of half unicorn, so it would have to be a 'no'." He then made it clear that if we ever had kids, Jared better buy them super expensive gifts too.

"How was the fitting?" Jake brought me out of my memoryland.

"Unfortunate," I turned away, rested my arm on the door, and dropped my head to my arm, "Why couldn't Kim just give us colours and let us pick our own dresses like some other brides do? The dress I have to wear is ridiculous."

"Well I think that it was a mutual decision between her and Jared that they wanted to plan everything down to the last flower petal, so that this time it would be special." Jared and Kim had already been married for just over three years, but it wasn't the big wedding they'd (yes Jared too) always dreamt of. When Kim found out she was pregnant at 21 (not too bad) they had to throw together a quick ceremony which was more about technicalities than celebration.

"I know why, I was just complaining," I snapped in a tone that I immediately regretted.

I reached over, and put my hand on his arm, "Sorry, babe."

"You know, sometimes I think that you save up all of your anger, and then only lash out at me because I have to forgive you." It was probably the truth, but by the look on his face I could tell I was already off the hook.

"You don't have to forgive me," I challenged.

"Oh, but I do."

"And why's that?"

"Because I love you." Our eyes remained focused on each other. It was the kind of connection that made me shiver.

"Jacob!" I screamed, after I'd quickly let my vision scan the road in front of us. "Eyes on the road!"

The truck swerved back and forth. His left hand was madly fighting to steady the vehicle, and his right had shot out to keep me steady against my seat. Once he had stabled us, he pulled over to the side of the road. I assumed it was either for a quick breather or a romantic make out session, but both of my theories were discontinued when he got out of the car. He came around to my side, extending a hand to help me out.

"Jake, we have to get to the store-"

"Don't worry about it," he cut me off, "I already got her an expensive Barbie RV thing."

He sensed my hesitation and continued, "Don't worry, you'd love it; it's very pink."

"I hate pink."

"But Dakota loves pink." He was right. "Come on," he ushered me towards the forest.

Normaly I didn't like walking over intense terrains, but hiking, like so many other things, was infinitely better with Jacob. Whenever I fell or tripped, or pretended to, he was there to catch me. Even after so long together, I was always surprised at how comfortable, warm, and safe I felt when he was holding me.

"This would probably be faster if you phased, and I rode on your back," I suggested.

"I...I don't really...well, phasing...it's..." I was confused by his uncertainty; it's not like we hadn't done it before.

"I'm going to stop phasing."

I was shocked, and couldn't really speak.

"I mean, you're almost 25," he continued, "and I look it, and I figure it'll take a while before the aging kicks in, and it may take a couple tries to keep my phasing reflex down, so I figure-"

I cut him off with a finger to his lips. "Calm down. I'm not upset. You just seem like you've been considering this for a while, or trying to keep it from me or something."

There was a pause. "You know what today is?" I asked, "I mean, other than a day before Dakota's birthday, and a month before the wedding of the century."

"Yeah," he took my hands in his, and leaned in close to my face, "this is the anniversary of the day we first met."

I smiled, remembering. "I thought you were a creep. It was a place just like this," I looked around and saw that we were surrounded by trees.

"No," he corrected me, "It wasn't a place just like this, cause it was here. Eight years ago, today, I saw your beautiful face for the first time." I surveyed the area again, and sure enough he was right. The spot where I was laying, spying on Kim, was slightly overgrown with new foliage, but, as everything else, was there nonetheless. So today wasn't just some random hiking trip.

I turned back to Jacob, and was shocked for a moment when his towering presence was no longer before me. Then came an even bigger shock; he was down on one knee.

"Myra," I couldn't breathe, "You are the love of my life and my future. You are my soul mate and the woman I hope to spend the rest of my life with.

"Every time I see you, I fall in love all over again, and you're my best friend. My heart is yours forever. Will you marry me?"

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

It took a couple moments to process everything he had just said.

I bent down, and pulled Jacob, my beautiful, strong, caring, soon-to-be-ex-werewolf Jacob up into a passionate kiss, pausing only for a moment to respond "yes".

A final farewell to all of my lovely readers. Please, even if you've never done so before; review.

And super-duper-finally, you can find picture on how I picture Jake, Jared, Myra, and Kim's lives at missbook. piczo. com (no spaces)
I just don't want to clutter up my profile like a bunch of people do, and it's just so much easier to see them all in one place.

BYE, AND HAPPY FANFICTIONING!