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. Stephenie Meyer created it all.

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Epilogue- Laurent

After arriving in Forks with my boy, we had a meeting with his pack to revise the treaty. The revision to the treaty made me the only vampire that was ever allowed on their land. The decision to let me come and go on their land came easy, the fuss came when an agreement couldn't be reached on where on the reservation I could go and if I'd need some sort of escort. Jacob, of course, rallied behind me, stating that I would never be with out him therefore no additional arrangement was needed. I was surprised however to see that Billy, Jacob's father, was a big, if not bigger supporter. Billy, who was greatly respect, put his foot down after about twenty minutes of heated debate.

He said, "This great man, my own son's imprint, will not be disrespected any longer. Our legends prophesized of his arrival and you fools wont even let him walk across our land without attacking him. You should be ashamed our yourselves."

I heard all the legends. Billy was thrilled to tell them to me because of my perfect memory; he said the legends would live on forever.

To be honest, it was a little disturbing to me that the wolf pack killed any vampire that crossed into their land without asking questions or offering to let them leave peacefully. I had been too close to those crosshairs myself. It was this that I endeavored to change although I knew the reasons why it likely wouldn't work. Feeling a little special, after hearing Billy's support of me, I asked if I could suggest something.

"Is there any way that we can show discretion when you guys are out there mindlessly killing any vampire in your path?" It doesn't come out well, and I can hear it in my voice the influence of being around my boy so much. I sounded younger than I've felt in a long time, I even sounded a touch naive.

"Laurent," Jacob's dad turned to me, "I understand your discomfort, but we cannot take the risk of not patrolling in wolf form, and we can't speak while we are in it. I know, It's quite a predicament." Billy's brow frowned, a characteristic I recognized as I grew to know him more; it was a sign of him being in deep thought. "How about this, we will pause for any vampire with gold eyes."

I nodded and hesitantly asked the question that had been on my mind since Jacob informed me of the purpose of this meeting. "Can I go on patrol, too?"

Billy's eyes teared up, "Would you really do that for our tribe? You want to protect us, too?"

Jacob was shocked at my request as well, I never mentioned the idea to him. His tears ran down his russet skin as he lifted his head high, proud to be holding my hand. Almost immediately, the pack was warmed to me as if they were waiting for this show of loyalty.

"This is my family now," I said in Quileute.

"And you are a part of this tribe," Billy declared officially, "and you will walk across our land as if it is your own, because it is now."

One of the wolves suggested that they all be allowed to smell me, catch my scent, so that they didn't accidentally attack me while on patrol. In theory, I was all for it, but when the wolves lined up to take their turns I was suddenly aware of how Bella felt that day we ran into the wolves returning to Forks. The collective scent of the pack suddenly made me panic a little. I wasn't sure why it alarmed me as I had been back and forth on the reservation for weeks now and should have grown use to the presence of my once enemies. As always, my boy was there placing his hot hand on my shoulder and the other on the small of my back.

"I could never let them hurt you," he whispered in my ear as his brothers passed by me. I leaned back into him and comforted myself in his body heat as the wolf pack, one by one, put their noses near my outstretched hand.

I thought about how we often switched roles between who comforted whom. Today he stood beside me proudly, protecting me from nothing to be honest, and I knew that, but tomorrow it would be me comforting him as we attended the memorial that the town was throwing in Charlie's memory.

~o~x~o~x~o~

Jacob and I debated on which room we should take in the two bedroom house. What if Bella came to visit? We scratched taking her room, but the idea of taking Charlie's was uncomfortable. We had been sleeping on the pull out couch, well my boy slept and I held him and dreamt of our future together. Alice suggested re-doing the house so that it didn't feel like we were living amongst ghosts; avoiding rooms and certain pieces of furniture (we couldn't bring ourselves to set in Charlie's chair either). Bella agreed and gave us carte blanche, whatever we wanted, she said.

Alice and Jasper moved to Seattle and enrolled in the college. In her free time from classes and planning the wedding, Alice spent an exorbitant amount of time on the phone with me talking about color schemes.

The first thing we ordered was a sturdy California king sized wrought iron bed frame with one of those wonderful memory foam mattresses. I realized that it's the first bed I had ever bought. I was reminded me of the bed I had as a human, it was actually made of straw and had to be fluffed and flipped. Only Carlisle and Jasper could commiserate with me. All of us were thankful that we couldn't quite remember.

The new bed hadn't arrived yet so I laid there on the pull out couch with my boy snuggled in my arms. If it was possible, his body temperature raised a degree or two at night. I pulled his body closer as his skin scorched me in the most innocent way and waited for the morning to interrupt our peace.

~o~x~o~x~o~

"Wake up," I seductively whispered in his ear.

Jacob grumbled, rolled over and buried his head in the pillow.

"Do you want me to make breakfast while you lay in bed and ignore me?" I said good-naturedly.

"Mmm," he grumbled; he wasn't a morning person. I leaned down and ran my tongue over the shell of his ear and pulled the lobe into my mouth careful not to touch him with my teeth. He grumbled again, I knew what he would say; I don't fight fair.

"I know," I said softly after a few minutes. I knew by then he was awake, but was hiding from the world and the memorial service that morning. Jacob took Charlie's death as hard as Bella and I knew that my boy was saddened with the fact that she wouldn't be there to honor her father. It was emotionally trying to know how Charlie truly died, the true cost of his life especially when the good citizens of Forks believed that he died in a horrific car accident.

At least Emmett had fun destroying one of the cars in Denali, after all he flew there. Rosalie cried at the loss of a good machine but it was necessary.

We dressed in our suits after Jacob finished his breakfast and we were out the door half an hour after Jacob peeled himself out of bed. We made or way to the church where the memorial was being held.

As I stepped out of the car I smelled Bella's scent, but didn't see her anywhere. Jacob noticed it as well as we eyed each other questionably, both looking around and ahead of us for her presence.

"I'm up in the tree," she said with melancholy in her voice. Both Jacob and I glanced up and saw her perched in the top of the tree the overlooked the church's walkway. "Actually, I think I'm going to go."

I looked up and she was gone, I debated on whether should find her but decided that it would only play into my boy's insecurities. Jacob and I were stronger since our return from Alaska, and Jacob understood Bella to be my best friend, but I tried to keep as many questionable instances out of our relationship as possible. I stayed with him and hoped that where ever Bella went, that she would go to Edward.

The memorial was emotional as expected, Charlie was loved by the community and they were shocked by his death but did not suspect any foul play. The town believed that Bella had died and that Charlie was with her now. I was glad that Bella left, this would have been too much for her. Jacob sat stoically by my side until he could no longer hold back. He dropped his head into his hands and sobbed. I slipped my arms over his back and rubbed his shoulders. I was surprised and touched by the level of acceptance this small town had for our relationship. If they only knew...

~o~x~o~x~o~

A few days after the memorial service we flew out to meet the rest of the Cullens for Bella and Edward's wedding. Isle Esme was breathtaking and completely relaxing to all of us after everything we'd been through. Carlisle and Esme flew in from Ithaca, where they went back to live. Rose and Emmett decided to go back to Ithaca with them as well but lived in their house as 'newlyweds'. Carlisle returned to his job at the hospital and they were trying to settle into a normal rhythm but missed having 'the children' in the house.

The Cullens had decided that in time they would all join again, and would move to the same town when it was time to move in a decade or so. While Jacob and I were undoubtedly considered apart of the family, we decided that we would not be joining them. With Jacob's eventual leadership role in the tribe, he worried about living far away. He wrestled with the idea of permanently relinquishing his birthright to lead the pack, and therefore the tribe. I told him that we would stay in Forks and La Push as long as he needed to and if the Cullens really regarded us as family, they would visit; and of course they would.

Everyone was already there on Isle Esme; we were the last to arrive. The Denali's were invited as well; Carmen, Eleazar, and Kate came, but Tanya said she couldn't bear to leave Alaska, not yet. Tanya's absence was a reminder of the reason that such a special occasion had to be delayed in the first place.

The days between when we arrived and the wedding passed quickly and before it even seemed possible, we were all getting ready for the ceremony. Earlier that day, everything was set according to Alice's vision. Four white chairs on either side of the aisle. Eleazar, Carmen, Kate and Jacob would sit on the left, Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie and Jasper would sit on the right.

Everyone had made their way down to the water as the sun was setting. Alice stepped out of the room where Bella was getting ready and joined Edward by his side as his "best man" at the make-shift alter where Emmett, the master of the ceremony, also stood. The ceremony was only waiting on Bella and me. Bella stepped out of the room and smiled shyly.

Bella wore a knee length empire waist strapless white dress with half her hair pulled into a high bun and the other half flowing down her back. Bella chose not to wear a veil; one of many traditions she rejected and argued with Alice over. The rest of the women were dressed similarly to each other, distinguished only by variation in colors. Edward wore light khaki shorts and a white button up shirt and us guys followed suit. Everyone was barefoot on Bella's insistence. The bride carried no bouquet, she said she didn't need one. Bella was set on a more casual theme, after all it was a beach wedding, and I was inclined to agree with her. About the only thing that stayed as Alice had planned it were in fact the chairs and the satin ribbons that were tied to them. The ceremony was stripped of everything except people and feelings, anything else was too much.

I held my arm out and she cautiously took it.

"You're my very best friend," Bella said with such feeling, "Thank you so much for everything. I wouldn't have Edward today if it were not for you."

"It's nothing at all, it's me who should be thankful to you." Bella and I shared a smile as we both attempted to hold back tears. "Ready?"

She only nodded and we began to walk towards where Edward and Emmett waited for us. The music that we marched to was the sound of the waves and the birds singing. Before we even knew it I was placing her small hand into Edward's and taking my place by her side as her "maid of honor." Nothing was as it should have been for this union; Bella would have had it no other way.

"Now it's time for Bella and Edward to exchange their vows," Emmett declared after a short and to the point intro. "Edward?"

Edward gathered her hands and placed them over his heart and began, "My life was altered the day you walked into my life, Isabella Swan. I never wanted something so bad in my hundred plus years. While at first all I truly wanted was your blood, I soon realized I needed something so much more important and special, your heart. I apologize to you Isabella for the rash decision I made but I can not say I regret it. Because of my decision to leave you, to protect you, you stand before me the most radiant creature I have ever seen, yet your heart remains unchanged. I am in debt to the man who comforted you in his attempt to rejoin us. He saw our love, our possibilities even when I could not. I will never question how much you love me or how much I love you. I give myself to you wholly and with no hesitation. I am proud to be the man to hold your hand for eternity. I love you Isabella. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to prove that to you again." He pulled her hands up to kiss them and was positively beaming.

"Bella?" Emmett prompted.

She nodded her head but didn't speak.

The silence was unexpected; everyone looked around anxiously waiting to hear Bella's heart felt words but they never came. Suddenly Edward's eyes grew big as he looked into Bella's eyes in complete awe.

As it turned out, Bella had been working very hard on her shield for just this purpose. It was the first time she ever let Edward into her mind and she recited her vows to him in a way that offered him more than just loving words and tearless sobs. Bella gave Edward the gift of truly knowing her, for the first time.

"Alrighty then!" Emmett said when he couldn't think of anything else to say.

The beaming couple exchanged rings without incident and shared their first kiss as husband and wife in front of a few of the people who held them dear.

Hugs and congratulations were hurried as Alice shooed us all from the island shortly after the ceremony. I could almost hear Bella's sigh of relief. I wasn't sure if it was the idea of spending her first night as a wife out of ear shot of her family or that she was finally joined with the love of her life without some horrific incident to loom over the day.

Whatever the reason was, I was happy for Bella and Edward. Though I left my best friend on the island, I knew I was leaving her in capable, loving hands; I was losing nothing.

I had my boy, Jacob, to run with me.

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A/N: Firstly, thanks a bunch load to Chewie4370 (btw, have you read her stuff yet?) for not only pre-reading, but actually beat-ing this time. Y'all should really be thankful of her, I know I am! Secondly, I really want to hear what you thought about Run With Me, especially those of you that have been reading this whole time and haven't said a word (yeah, I know about you). Here's the way I feel about reviews and begging for them: I think the story should beg for the reviews, not the author. I think that the content of a story should be compelling enough to make the reader want to click the little review button.

Alright, now here are a few recommendation for you to busy yourselves with: (you can find them all on my favorites list)

Harvest Moon by Content1- if you haven't read it yet, you need to. I am a big a supporter of this story and I think that any true Twilight fan should read it. It's a post Breaking Dawn Canon. The official summary - "What happens to the Cullen family after the Volturi left. Edward and Bella begin life together and face heartbreak and joy after their lives are irrevocably changed by both joy and loss. 2010 Summer Shimmer Awards - Pawn Award Winner. Edward POV"

So, even if you ignore every word I've ever written, go read Harvest Moon. Now, I don't know what prompted you read Run With Me, but for me it was about writing an alternate pairing story, (even if it wasn't a romance). So my other two story rec's are alternate pairing stories that I thought were excellent.

Love In The Mirror Room by forbiddenkisses- it's a BellaxJames story for all you James' Coven fans, the official summary- "What if, on that fateful day in the ballet studio, James and Bella had realized they were intrigued by and attracted to one another? Is it Stockholm or destiny? What would Edward do if he could find no traces of either of them when he got to the studio?" The great thing about the story? It doesn't turn Edward into some evil douchward (like what happens in, like, every story that she doesn't end up with him) in order for her to love James anyways.

Time Will Tell by December Jinx- this one's a BellaxEmmett and it's awesome and it makes me want an Emmett of my own, 'nuff said. Official summary-"The Cullens left Bella, but she holds herself together. Jasper returns to her, asking for forgiveness and her help. Alice is not well, and he needs Bella to go back in time with him to help her. Will Bella find love with a different Cullen? B/Em, J/A, E/R" Now that all is said and done , I'm tapping into my inner hypocrite to say please review!