OMG. So this is it! The Epilogue! It's short, I know, but it's basically just tying up the lose ends and with what happened that night.
I want to thank everyone for their reviews, it's insane! I now have over 100! Crazy shit. Well, keep reading, and review please. I'm already thinking of a new story now that this one is done (TEAR!!!!) but I still have to work it out.
D/C: I do not own Twilight, nor do I own any of the characters portrayed in the book and/or movie. I do, however, own a black cat named Twilight (seriously). She is in my lap right now purring.
The Seattle Times
November 22, 2009
By: Frank Morales
Washington Can Rest Tonight
In the town of Forks, Washington, the new day can bring peace and rest for the Cullen family. Late last night Patrick Colgan, the man responsible for the last five years of hiding from the Cullen family, is dead. Edward Cullen, 18, was reported missing early yesterday afternoon, after his car broke down just outside of the Forks city limit. After several hours of Edward being missing Colgan infiltrated the Cullen home with partner Kaiden Sale, student from a high school in Phoenix. Being unfortunate bystanders, Edward's sister and girlfriend were then thrown into the mix, as well as Deputy Jacob Black.
Details are unknown on the events that occurred within the home, but it has been reported that Kaiden Sale was shot and killed by Colgan. Extensive injuries were inflicted upon the Cullen's and the girlfriend, whose name is unknown. Colgan was then killed in a crash was he tried to get away from the others by car.
Upon questioning the Forks Police Department, it was said that Mr. Colgan had been terminated from his employment with that same Police Department because of harassment against the Cullen Family. Colgan also withheld information regarding any legal troubles he had in the past when applying with the department. Colgan had allegedly followed them from Chicago, Illinois after they left the town because of aggravation from Colgan. Records show a restraining order against Colgan because of several instances of stalking the son outside of school and from the father inside and outside of work.
The harassment issues had arose after the death of Patrick's wife, Jenna Colgan, when she passed away in a crash in Chicago. Reports from that night show that Dr. Cullen and his son Edward had attempted to help the Colgan's from the car and to administer medical help.
The hospital and police do not have any comments at this time in regards to the Cullen family.
Forks High Gazette
November 24, 2009
By: Angela Webber
Local Heroes in our own School!
Who would have thought that we had heroes inside these very own walls? Monday is always filled with the apprehension over the week to follow, but as we all walked onto the schools' property on that rainy morning, we were met with not apprehension, but with admiration at how our fellow students had stood up for themselves… and won.
It is unclear, but it was said that Edward and Alice Cullen, as well as newer student Bella Swan, were brought to the hospital with extensive injuries. The people responsible for this are an ex-member of the Forks Police Department and Bella's ex-boyfriend from Phoenix, who are now both dead. The details are sketchy but from what we understand, Patrick Colgan (the cop) had followed Edward and his family from Chicago after his wife died in a car accident. After the Cullen's recognized him from Chicago, he was immediately fired from his post due to a restraining order still in effect that he neglected to let officials know.
It is sad to report that Edward, Alice, and Bella were injured in the nights' events. Edward suffered severe head trauma, while Alice and Bella both received broken bones in their hands.
I want to make it known that they were all brave in the events that happened that night. To go through those events and walk out of it with their heads held high is amazing. I personally want to thank them for being that brave. We need more people like that in this town!Bella's POV
"Angela's making us sound like freaking war heroes," I muttered to Alice. She laughed and grabbed the Gazette out of my hand. After reading over the article she sighed.
"You know, when we go back to school after Thanksgiving, we're going to be hounded like weirdoes." I shrugged. Sitting up, I looked around Alice's room and winced at the bright walls.
"Weren't we already looked at that way?" I asked rhetorically. I slid off the bed and looked out the window. It was still raining and I wondered when the guys would be back. They were still at the station, going over what happened that night with my father. I wanted to be there, but we had already given our statements.
"Bella, you're making me nervous. Get away from the window." I rolled my eyes at her, wishing that Edward were there instead of her. A horrible thing to think, I know. But I hadn't had more than ten minutes alone with him since that night. Between my father holding me hostage and Edward being fawned over by his own family… it was a circus.
When we got to the hospital that night, I dragged Carlisle to the side and whispered how Edward had been shot. The panic that flew into his eyes was immediate but I calmed him when I told him Alice and I healed him. There was no time to explain how, hell even I didn't know how. But Carlisle was worried that there were aftereffects of that night that the other medical personnel wouldn't understand.
When another doctor looked me over and took X-Rays, they found that I had a broken bone in my right hand. Self defense, they claimed. I didn't even notice the pain. One brace and seventeen sutures later, I was being released. I watched as Alice, too, had a brace placed on her left hand. She winked at me over the shoulder of the nurse, and I knew right away that she was going to laugh about this. Both of us fighting back; Emmett would be proud.
It took hours until we were allowed to see Edward. He didn't have, well any, superficial wounds. He had internal bleeding and a broken rib, which Carlisle hugged us for. I knew that he was thanking us for the small amount of damage that his son had. If we hadn't been there, he would have died.
"Hey Bella," Alice tore me from my trance. I looked away from the falling rain and into her golden eyes. "How do you think we did it?" I knew what she meant. I had thought about it for hours. How did we heal him?
"I don't have an answer," I admitted. Alice stood from the bed then, walking over to me and looking… shy?
"Do you want to hear my theory?" she asked. My mouth dropped open.
"You have a theory?" I shouted. Alice winced and nodded. "I've been wracking my brains thinking of something, and you have a theory? Please, indulge." Alice rolled her eyes and motioned towards the bed. I sat down and sighed. She placed her hand over mine and pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. I smiled at the movement; it reminded me so much of Edward.
"Okay, well that night we found out that I could take someone else's energy as well as mine and shove it into someone." I nodded. It had been an odd experience.
"Well, I'd never been able to heal someone before. Ever. Even when Patrick touched me, Edward didn't heal. But with you…" She trailed off, looking at me as if she were waiting for me to understand. And literally like a flash of lightning I did.
"And what, I'm the missing puzzle piece?" I snapped. Shaking my head, I headed towards the window again. But Alice grabbed my arm and turned me around.
"Are you denying that you're special?" Alice asked carefully.
"Um, yeah!" I laughed. Was she joking?
"You mean it's impossible that you're like me and Edward?" I stopped laughing and closed my eyes. Never in my entire life had I thought that people like Alice and Edward existed. Never had I witnessed such extraordinary gifts. Just the possibility of being like this… like them. It was an honor.
"Alice, I don't know if this is even possible!" She wouldn't even let me finish. Reaching out, Alice grabbed my arm and glared at me. Suddenly I felt the lava pour through my bones, and looking down I saw that Alice's hand was glowing. I gasped, looking up at Alice. Her face was calm, but her eyes clearly said 'I told you so'.
From down stairs I heard the front door slam, and laughter resonate up the stairs. I jumped and tore my arm from her grasp. Immediately the hot sensation disappeared.
"Alice…" I gasped. Was she right? Was I some hidden key to this crazy ass gang?
"Alice? Bella?" Edward's voice traveled up the stairs and I felt my skin blaze in a blush.
"Let's test this the proper way," Alice said with a smile. Turning towards her door, she started to shout, "Edward! In my room, get in here!" Seconds later Edward appeared in the doorway. I grinned despite my shaky demeanor.
"Edward," I breathed. He looked fantastic, despite the bruises that littered his face and the way his arm hung in a sling. He grinned at me and walked forward. Careful to avoid my hand, he wrapped me in a one armed hug and kissed me quickly.
"Hey guys, what are you up to?" he asked. I opened my mouth to ask about how the statement went with my dad, but Alice opened her mouth and offered her two cents.
"I think I figured out how this healing thing works!" she spit out. I turned quickly to glare at her, but was immediately cut off.
"Do tell." I turned to the doorway and saw that Carlisle and Jasper were standing there. I blushed again and turned to chastise Alice for her big mouth. Especially when we hadn't actually proven anything.
"No, she hasn't figured out anything," I snapped. Edward smiled and pulled me to the edge of the bed.
"Let her get this out of her system," he whispered into my ear, "it's the only way to shut her up." I snorted and nodded once. I watched as Alice took center stage and Jasper took a seat in a spare chair in the bedroom. Ever since that night, he hadn't let either me or Alice go unprotected. Which in turn meant that he when Edward wasn't nearby, he was. One evening when Edward was still at the hospital, Alice had been hovering over her brother, and in turn Jasper was hovering over me. Charlie didn't question it at all, which I found odd. After all, Jasper not leaving the foot of my bed while I slept would have been odd. But after that night something unspoken had happened. No one questioned us, no one wondered why we were so protective over each other.
"So I think Bella is the key to the healing." Alice said it so bluntly and both Jasper and I chuckled.
"Please, explain," Jasper said. Alice walked over to her nightstand and removed something. Holding the object tight in her hand, she stepped directly in front of where Edward and I sat and put the object behind her back. I could see the others curiously look on. I could tell they were thinking the same thing as me: What was Alice up to?
"Do you guys trust me?" Alice asked. Cryptic much?
"Of course," Edward replied right away. I paused for a second and nodded.
"Yes." I trusted Alice with my life. But with whatever was in her hand… not so much. Alice reached out and grabbed Edward's hand from mine and held it in her own.
"Don't be mad," Alice whispered. In one quick motion she pulled her hand from behind her back and brought out… a pocket knife? FUCK. Alice held the knife to Edward's palm and in one quick motion she pressed in. My stomach lurched at the blood that poured on his skin, and I jumped up.
"Alice! What the fuck!" Jasper and Carlisle were rushing forward as well, but Edward didn't seem to react much. Only a hiss of breath escaped his mouth.
"Shut up!" she yelled. I froze, as did everyone else. She threw the pocketknife on the bed and grabbed my arm to pull me closer.
"I've thought about this, and I'm certain that I'm right," she said to me. Her golden eyes bore into me and I felt nervous. Looking over at Edward, I saw that he was staring at me, nodding. He was ignoring the blood that poured from his cut. Glancing over at Jasper and Carlisle I saw that they were also curious.
"Fine," I whispered. Alice let out a small squeal and let me go.
"Okay, so I'm going to try and heal the cut on my own first." I knew the cut wouldn't heal, but I let her go about her theory. Alice winced once as she held both hands to Edward's arm, careful not to strain her hand, and closed her eyes. I could feel Jasper's presence as he stepped closer to us, and I reached out to set my hand on his back. He looked at me and offered me a small smile.
There was only silence as we watched Alice concentrate. Edward watched her carefully, waiting for something to happen. But after a solid minute, there was nothing.
"Alice," I broke the silence. Nothing was happening, and the blood was still seeping out of the cut. Alice opened her eyes and gave a tight smile.
"That's what I thought," she said. "Now, let's do it this way." She reached over and grabbed Jasper's hand, pulling him closer to her side. She put her right hand on Edward's arm and left on Jasper's. Again, she closed her eyes and tried to concentrate. I gazed on in wonder, thinking of how insane it would be if this worked. Again, a minute later and nothing happened. Alice let go of Jasper's arm and gave him a large smile. He just nodded and stepped back, his job done. And then everyone's eyes were on me.
Guess that's my cue.
I sighed and stepped forward, extending my hand. Suck it up Bella, she won't let it go until you do it. Alice seemed pleased that I was offering myself up so easily and placed her hand back on Edward's arm. He was staring at me, smiling his sweet, sweet smile. So much trust in his eyes, so much happiness. Even with the bruise that covered his entire left side of his face, he was handsome.
Alice tentatively reached out and placed her hand on my arm.
The effect was instantaneous.
Hot lava poured over my skin and into my bones. I gasped, my eyes flying wide open. I looked at Edward first and then Alice. They were both staring at me with smiles on their faces.
"Oh my God," Jasper whispered. I glanced at him and followed his gaze to where Alice's skin connected us. We were glowing.
"I told you!" Alice whispered, still trying to concentrate.
"Look," Jasper said. I stared at Edward's hand and smiled as I watched what was happening. The cut on Edward's hand was also glowing, and slowly- very slowly- it looked like it was healing itself.
It took all of thirty seconds for Edward's hand to be healed, but when it was done I pulled back from Alice.
"Well I'll be…" Carlisle said. And just like that everyone was cheering.
"Bella, do you know what you can use your gift for?" Jasper pressed me. I shook my head.
"No, it doesn't work without Alice," I said quickly. She grinned though and pulled me into a tight hug.
"I guess we'll just have to stick together then." Carlisle pulled be into a hug next and then Jasper.
"Ha! She so does not look happy about being stuck with you guys!" Jasper laughed. I smacked him across the shoulder and smiled.
"Don't tell them shit like that," I scolded. Jasper followed Carlisle down the stairs, both of them talking very adamantly about what had just happened. Alice reached over to grab the knife and stuck it in her pocket. When she saw me eyeing it, she laughed.
"Just in case we want to practice," she explained. I shook my head and looked at Edward.
"Are you okay with this?" I asked him. He gave me a crooked smile and pulled me closer to him.
"You mean am I okay with a fucking excuse to keep you with me at all times? Hell yeah I'm okay with this. See, if you don't, then the fate of all mankind will be in jeopardy!" I cracked up and gave him a quick kiss on his non bruised cheek.
"I love you," I whispered. He grinned and pressed his forehead into mine. He looked at me longingly and sighed.
"I love you more."
"We're like the Three Musketeers!" Alice screamed with glee. Tearing out of the room, I heard her bound down the steps and yell for Jasper.
"Let's go downstairs," Edward said, pushing me after Alice. I wrapped my hand around his, raising it to my lips for a kiss.
"What next?" I asked curiously.
"Come on, let's go cut Emmett," he said. Laughing, I followed him down the stairs. Watching Alice jump on Jasper's back and Rose sitting with Emmett, I realized I had finally found where I belonged. Phoenix be damned.
Okay. Be nice. Horrible cliff hanger for an end, I know. But hey... maybe JUST MAYBE I might have a sequel shoved somewhere up my ass!
I really do want to thank you all for reading Freeway. It was such an adventure to right. And with the comments you all gave me, and reviews, etc, it pushed me to make it the story I wanted it to be. I also want to thank my husband, Patrick (I KNOW lol!!!!!), who listened to me babble on and on about this. He wasn't too pleased that I named the psycho in the story after him but after a while he got over it and now actually smiles about it.
I love you all!! And stay tuned for my next story very soon!!!
Love, Ashley