I Run to You

by MidnightTrain

For five years, Bella Swan and Jasper Whitlock have lived as carefree vagabonds. In an old Mustang, they roam from town to town across the country. But they are broken; and they are running. So what happens when the past catches up to them? All-human. Complete.

30. In The End

Chapter 30: In The End

Yep, I'm baaack :) So, I Run to You will be posted in its entirety tonight. (Haha finally!) So stay tuned!

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My gift is my song
And this one's for you.
Elton John – Your Song

x.x.x

Edward.

"Dude, do you seriously still have to hide this shit from your mom?"

"Don't fucking judge me, you prick. You try facing the wrath of Chelsea McCarty and then come talk to me."

I laughed, shrugging out of my tux jacket and tossing it onto the railing behind me. We were back beside the gazebo. Emmett was crouched down on the bottom step smoking like his life depended on it while Jasper and I shared a cigar and kept a watch out for Mrs. McCarty. The original Mrs. McCarty, not the soon-to-be.

"You know she'll just smell it on you" Jasper pointed out.

"Well, that's why you fuckers are here. I figured at least one of you would have the decency to take the blame for me on my big day."

Jasper rolled his eyes and I passed him back the cigar. "You know you're about to get married, right dickwad? Maybe it's time you grow a pair."

"Hey, fuck you. You're the pansy-ass emo bitch that about cried himself to sleep last night because he didn't get to spend the night with his little girlfriend."

"Guys!" I cut in, trying to hold back my laughter. "Enough."

"Fuck you." Emmett rounded on me. "Don't think I didn't see your pathetic whipped ass sneak out last night just so you could go read your new roommate a bedtime story last night, or whatever the fuck it is you two 'friends but not just friends' do that late at night –"

"Emmett!" Jasper cut in, slapping Emmett on the shoulder. "Shut the fuck up man. You need to chill out. Seriously."

Emmett let out a long breath, tipping his head back as he exhaled. "Sorry," he muttered, taking a drag of his cigarette. He ran his hand over the top of his short hair, shaking his head slowly. "I'm just fucking stressed. I'm sorry, guys."

"Stressed about what, exactly? You're about to marry the girl of your goddamn dreams. The sun is shining. You've got two fucking bitchin' groomsmen. You should be the happiest motherfucker on the planet right now. So just… stop being a cunt because you didn't get any action last night and cheer the hell up." Jasper narrowed his eyes and Emmett looked up in surprise, obviously not expecting a rebuttal like that from Jasper. Emmett just kind of blinked at me for a moment before his face broke out into a huge grin. And just like that, we were all laughing.

"Fuck. I'm sorry, guys. I'm an asshole," Emmett said, still shaking his head as he laughed.

"Yeah, you are. But we still love your bitch ass," Jasper grinned, blowing a smoke ring before passing the cigar to me. "Now, what do you say we get your ass down to the beach and get you married?"

Emmett jumped to his feet, stomping his cigarette out as he slipped on his tux jacket. "It's time?"

"Yep. And you don't want to keep that beautiful bride of yours waiting, now do you?"

"Oh hell no. There's no way I'm spending my first night as a married man in the doghouse. Let's do this boys."

I slipped on my own jacket as I followed the guys. Emmett paused.

"So what are the chances the two of you will be able to catch me if I pass out standing up there?"

"Nil," Jasper said, nudging him forward. "So keep your shit together, man."

Emmett nodded and continued on. I grinned as I watched and Jasper turned to look back at me, laughing silently. I gave him the thumbs up. And that's why he was the best man.

"Hey Em," I called just before we rounded the side of the cabin.

"Sup?"

"Fuck you."

He turned to face me, grinning. He held out his fist and I bumped it with mine.

"Fuck you too, Cullen."

x.x.x

The ceremony was nice. Short and sweet and nice. Bella looked damn beautiful. And I'm pretty sure somebody got married.

Not positive, but pretty sure. Like I said, there was a reason Jasper was the best man.

Ah, I'm kidding. Mostly. I mean, Rose looked stunning. Alice and Bella looked beautiful in their matching dresses that were the color of the clear blue sky above. And goddamn, did those flowers ever look good. They really completed the whole wedding. Truth.

Alice bawled her eyes out. Esme and Mrs. McCarty bawled their eyes out. And Emmett, the cocksucking pussy, bawled his eyes out, though much later he blamed it on the dust and sand blowing in his eyes. There was hardly a breeze. But whatever. Because chances were that the day that I had to stand there and watch Bella walk down the aisle towards me, it'd probably be a little dusty out too.

Jake's older sister was the photographer and after the 'I do's' were said and done she directed us around the beach for pictures. We posed in the sand, on the dock, in the trees, around the Mustang, and pretty much everywhere else in a five-mile radius.

Emmett's mom, sister, niece and nephew joined Em and Rose for a few shots. And it was kind of nice to see that Emmett had been able to scrape up what he could of his estranged family for his big day. Because the look on his face made it clear that it meant the world to him. The kids climbed over Emmett as Rose laughed at their antics while Rachel captured the moment with the long lens of her camera pointed at the group.

By the time we were done my face hurt from smiling and Bella was wandering around with her shoes swinging in her hand.

"That was fun," she said, holding out her free hand to me as she watched me over her shoulder. I took my time reaching her, too busy simply taking her all in. She looked so fucking beautiful. Her dress was strapless and hugged her curves to her waist, from where it began to flow to her knees. She was wearing my mother's locket around her neck and she and Alice were wearing identical white feather earrings that matched the white ribbon tied around the waist of her dress. Her hair was up in some little up-do, my biology-class time waster beaming at me from the back of her neck. I smiled the same proud smile I felt every single time I looked at it. If only that little bird had known how far he'd come.

"You know," I said when I finally reached her and laced our hands together. "I believe you owe me something."

"Is that so?"

"Mmmhm…" I tugged on her hand, pulling her to a stop as my lips touched her bare shoulder just once. I didn't miss the way she shivered when I pulled away.

"And what could I possibly owe you?" she asked softly, batting her eyelashes as she smiled up at me.

"Well, I could swear somebody was teasing me about a new tattoo yesterday, and you know I've inspected every inch of skin I can see and I haven't seen any sign of such a thing…"

She pursed her lips like it was something she had to think about. "Well then… I suppose the only conclusion you could make is that it's not anywhere you can see. Right now." With a wink she's dropped my hand and went running off through the grass, laughing and skipping as she went.

I watched her, giving her a few seconds head start before reacting. I called out to Rose, my eyes still watching Bella hungrily, "Rose! How much time do we have until we have to be back for supper?"

"Like twenty minutes. But Edward, don't you even think -"

But it was too late. I caught up to Bella easily, though she really wasn't trying all too hard to evade me. Rose stood there yelling and threatening our lives while I dragged Bella off to the guesthouse. Bella blew Rose a kiss just before we disappeared into the trees. The second the shade hit us, Bella's bare feet touched the ground and we were lips and tongues and hair and hands everywhere. By the time we made it to the door of the guesthouse I had the zipper to Bella's dress all the way down and my jacket was lying somewhere on the ground. In fact, there was probably a trail of shoes and clothes leading right up to the front door. Rose was going to kill us.

But whatever. She was the one who insisted the girls had to have a slumber party last night, effectively cockblocking those of us who hadn't seen our girlfriends in months. Selfish bitch.

But either way, it was a good thing I kept those tapes.

I kicked the door shut behind me and Bella was already on the bed, wriggling out of her dress. When she got it down to her hips she stopped and smiled coyly. I pounced on her, flipping us over so she was on top of me, straddling my waist. She grinned, pulling her lip between her teeth in a way that was simply too damn sexy to be allowed. And I wished we didn't have to rush this. I wished I could take my time with her. Because it had been too long. Sixty-seven and a half days too long. Not like I was counting or anything.

One hand slid up the curve of her hip, resting firmly on her ribs as I lightly stroked the place just under her breast where the words bye-bye baby, it's been a sweet love were inked into her skin. As I ghosted over the tattoo, I looked up at her, silently asking permission to see the newest addition to her small collection of body art.

"I hope you like it," she shyly, arching her back as she stretched on top of me.

"I will," I replied, my voice low and husky. I cleared my voice and tried again, staring at her lips as I spoke. "I know I will."

"Okay."

Slowly, she lifted her arm from the side of her I wasn't holding, and I could see the slight trembling of her body and I could smell the heat of her skin. She twisted to the side and it was there, opposite the Free Bird tattoo that the new, larger tattoo resided. And I felt myself grinning as I read over the words written on her skin. And her fingers slipped down to my chest, under my arm, where my own permanent reminder of the past was branded into my skin. My scar from the car accident back in Jacksonville. Her new tattoo was in the exact location on her body that my scar was on my own.

I had to fight to hold back the fucking tears.

"You like it?" she asked softly, her fingers still running gently up and down the raised flesh along my ribs.

"I love it," I said, swallowing hard as I sat up and placed a light kiss over the words, over her heart, and then on her lips.

"I should thank you for the inspiration," she said, her fingers curling around the locket that hung from her neck. The locket where, inside, the exact same words were engraved into the gold.

Never that which is shall die.

It was a Euripides quote that had been printed on the booklets at my mother's funeral. I'd stumbled across one when I was going through some shit of my dad's, the words ringing a distant bell in my memory. And then I just kind of knew. It was my mother. It was Bella. It was us. It was everything.

The next day I'd taken my mother's locket and had the quote engraved inside. And it wasn't until I picked it up at the jewelers the same afternoon that I knew exactly to whom the locket belonged. It was Bella. And I knew my mother would be proud to see it hanging from the neck of a girl she knew I loved with everything I had.

Never that which is shall die.

I slowly pushed myself up so we were sitting chest to chest, her legs still wrapped around my waist. I kissed her softly and as I did my hand slipped over those words once more before I gently tugged up on the top her dress and pulled it slowly back into place over the tops of her breasts. And then I reached around and began easing the zipper slowly up her back. She pulled away, lips parted and chest heaving as she looked down at me questioningly.

"I need…" I struggled to find the words, swallowing hard once more. "I need you for as long as I can have you."

She smiled softly as she began to understand what I was trying to say. She took my face in her hands, her thumbs gently stroking my cheeks. "You can have me for as long as you need me," she said, her voice a whisper. "Whenever you need me."

"Tonight," I vowed, kissing her collarbone gently as the zipper reached the top of her dress.

She nodded slowly, tears gathering in her eyes as she looked down at me. "Tonight," she agreed softly. "And then, forever."

x.x.x

Bella.

As the wedding party, Edward, Jazz, Alice and I had all agreed to give something to Rose and Emmett that nobody else could. Each of our gifts was separate, and although not every one was material each and every one came from the heart.

Alice designed and created Rosalie's stunning, one of a kind wedding dress. She put hours, days, weeks, and months of work into that dress. And it was perfect. Perfectly perfect. Though I hadn't been to many weddings in my life, I was positive there had never been a wedding with a more beautiful bride. It was almost a shame this would (knock on wood) be the only time she'd be a bride. She owned that dress. It was sexy, elegant, and just a little rugged – just like the bride. Did I mention it was perfect? And I knew Rose wouldn't rather wear anything else.

Jasper's present was a little bit more of a surprise to the rest of us. I knew he'd been working for the past month or so on something, but he never would really give me any details on exactly what that was. But it turned out his gift was simple, yet something I knew none of us would ever forget. He'd been writing an epic speech or "the most epical speech that shamed all other speeches of time" as Emmett had dubbed it later that night. Jazz delivered his speech with amazing finesse after dinner. He had us rolling on the ground laughing one moment and weeping into champagne the next. And it was perfect.

Edward, being Edward, helped them buy their first house. I'm sure we all rolled our eyes a little when we heard that, but it was just so Edward. The house was on some land outside Forks, towards Port Angeles. It was there that Rose planned to expand her business and open Wild Rose Body Shop and Mechanic with Emmett. The shop would be on the same piece of land as their house and they hoped to attract customers from both PA and Forks, which we all knew they would. The two of them working together was complete genius, though neither would admit it. It was the perfect place for them to work from home and raise the "tiny humans," as Emmett so eloquently put it. And Edward was the one to help make that dream come true.

And my gift… well, my gift was really the only thing I could offer them. I sat down, and for the first time in seven years, I wrote a song. For them. And after dinner, after the speeches and toasts and laughter and tears, I played it for them. A long tent with no sides and a ceiling lit up by thousands of sparkling lights had been erected after the ceremony, and it was under that tent where we laughed and danced the night away. The sun had just begun to dip below the horizon when I set up the microphone began to play. The newlywed couple was barefoot in the sand as they danced their first dance and I sang my first song.

Halfway through, Emmett hollered at everybody to get their asses out there and couples quickly began to oblige. I grinned as I watched Carlisle lead Esme onto the dance floor, followed closely by Alice and Jasper. Then Chelsea McCarty scooped her grandson into her arms and began to dance and my eyes followed Edward as he approached Emmett's four-year-old niece Emma and offered her his hand. The little girl quickly latched herself onto him as they danced slow circles around in the sand under a twinkling canvas. His gaze me mine and he winked and I grinned at him before losing myself in the chorus.

The moment couldn't have been more perfect if we tried.

When I wrapped up, the guests were on their feet clapping and I was trying not to cry when Emmett swept me up into his arms to thank me.

"That was damn sexy, Swan," he said in my ear as we hugged.

"Well of course it was. It was written for us," Rose grinned, nudging Emmett out of the way as she pulled me in for a hug. "Seriously though, Bella. That was incredible! Thank you so much."

And I just hugged her back, finding myself completely lost for words. But they seemed to understand. Tyler, the DJ, started spinning an upbeat dance track from where he was stationed by the patio and more bodies filled the dance floor. Edward gave me a small wave from where he was still twirling Emma around in circles and I laughed as Emmett looped his arm through mine and led me into the crowd.

And we kicked off our shoes and we danced.

I was breathless and my face hurt from laughing after only a few songs passed. Emmett led me gracefully through a slow song and I had a feeling that he'd had a few lessons from some of our friends just for this evening.

"Having fun, Swan?" he asked me as he twirled me around.

If the permanent grin on my face wasn't a good enough answer, I nodded. "Yes. This is amazing, Em. I can't believe you're married. And all along I thought you were really holding out for me."

"Hey, a guy can only wait so long, dream girl," he winked.

"Not all guys," I corrected him, my gaze drifting across the floor to where a certain tall, bronze-haired man was laughing as he danced. "Some guys are better at waiting than others."

"Oh yeah, I'm pissed at you about that, by the way."

"No you're not," I grinned, nudging him.

His faux-glare quickly melted into a smile. "You're right. I'm not. But shit, Swan. That's some pretty big news to be holding out on."

"We weren't holding out… you're just unobservant."

"Why? Because I didn't observe you guys sneaking around behind everybody's backs?"

"We weren't sneaking around!" I insisted, laughing. "Remember last summer when Jazz and I came down and we all went out for supper for your engagement party?"

"Yeah…" Emmett said slowly.

"Edward and I were outside for an hour 'catching up' while you guys were all having cocktails. Everybody was cracking jokes about it all night and you never seemed to catch on! And Jesus, Emmett, Edward stayed in my room with me when you guys all came out for Christmas! I don't understand how you didn't know."

Emmett got a kind of blank look in his eyes as and I could only assume he was looking back on the past year and a half, remembering all the very conspicuous hints that he'd overlooked that made it pretty evident that Edward and I were back together. I rolled my eyes and held back laughter as I waited for him to process this new information. Finally, he spoke.

"Oh… shit. I am unobservant, aren't I?"

"You are," I agreed, finally laughing when he looked down at me. "And as soon as everybody realized that you hadn't caught on yet… we decided it was fair to mess with you a little. And then you went and recorded over Edward's lectures and it was game on."

"You guys suck, you know that?" Emmett pouted slightly.

My grin widened. "I know. But you love us."

"Yeah… I do," he relented, hugging me as we danced. "But hey, you'll be living closer to me and Rosie now, huh? Does that mean we'll get to see you more?"

"Definitely," I grinned. "Edward's just got another semester at UDub, and then… who knows? Maybe we'll move back closer to Forks if we can find jobs."

"That'd be badass. Hell, you can come work for me, Swan!"

"Uh… yeah… I don't think that would be a very good idea. Me and cars? Not such a good match."

Emmett seemed to think about it for a second before grinning sheepishly down at me, "Yeah, you're probably right."

"It's okay, Em. We'll always be close by," I assured him.

"You better be," he said, his voice serious. "You guys are my family now, and there's no way in hell I'm letting you take off on me again."

"Aw, Em," I said softly, "I'm done running. I promise you."

"Okay," he nodded once, seemingly placated.

"So…" I cleared my throat, my gaze drifting over his shoulder to where I saw Carter, Emmett's nephew, attempting to twirl Rosalie around the dance floor. "Speaking of family, how's it been having your mom and sister here? Was it as bad as you thought it'd be?"

Emmett kind of scrunched up his face as he shrugged. "It's been all right… kind of weird I guess. Mom's been great… a little over-bearing, but Rose keeps reminding me that I should be thankful that she's even here at all. Honestly, I was shocked as shit when she told me she was coming. I didn't think she'd give a fuck about my wedding. I think she really warmed up to Rose though… which is weird because the two of them are nothing alike. But my mom has changed since I've been away. She used to be pretty cold. Or maybe I've changed, I don't know." Emmett shrugged and looked down at me. His eyes lit up when he began talking again.

"I was mostly excited to see Carter and Emma. It's been so long… Those two little monkeys have grown up so much! Carter will be going into grade two already in the fall. Char's been great too, you know. It's too bad her hubby, Peter, couldn't make it out. He's a pretty cool dude; I think you all would have gotten along."

"Yeah, that would have been nice," I agreed. "I haven't had much of a chance to talk to her, but Charlotte seems great. Have you two always been close?"

"No," Emmett shook his head. "She's almost six years older than me, and we never really hung out as kids. She had better things to do but whatever, that's how kids are. We really only became close after I left. I'm so glad I kept in touch with her."

I smiled, feeling so happy for how far my friend had come. "Have you talked to your dad at all?" I asked quietly.

Emmett shook his head again. "Nope. But fuck him. I'm glad he didn't come. I really only want the people I love – and who love me – here on my wedding day. It would have been a disaster if he'd shown up. I guess you can't fix every relationship in the end, but it's fine. He's let me go and that's all I really ever wanted."

The song came to and end and I hugged Emmett tightly once more. "I'm really happy for you, Emmett," I said earnestly.

"Thanks, Swan. You guys know you mean the world to me." He threw his arm over my shoulders and pulled me into his side, "But enough of this sappy shit… want to come get a drink?"

"Sure," I agreed and he began leading me off the dance floor to where the bar was set up. I stood to the side while he grabbed us drinks and chatted with the guests who were milling around the bar. Night had fallen around us but in addition to the strings of lights wound around the legs and the ceiling of the tent, the flickering flames of candles and tiki torches lit up the beach. It was truly a breathtaking set up.

If Edward was serious about this whole wedding thing, we were going to have a hard time rivaling this.

"Hey stranger!" I turned to see Jasper approaching the bar with Alice on his arm. They were both laughing as they climbed the slight incline up to the bar.

"Hey, guys," I smiled.

"What's goin' on?" Jasper asked as they came to a stop beside me. He'd already ditched his tux jacket and had the sleeves of his shirt rolled up to his elbows, the thumb of his free hand hitched under the strap of his suspenders. The smile on his face was so free and easy I had the urge to just hug him.

"Just admiring the sights," I told them.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Alice sighed, looking around.

"It is. It's perfect."

"This had been such a great day. You guys have no idea how happy I am to have everyone here together." Alice looked over at me, and the genuine smile on her face was contagious. "This has just been… amazing."

I nodded in agreement as Emmett approached with our drinks. He passed me my Coke and took a sip of whatever it was he was drinking. "Hey," Emmett greeted Alice and Jasper with a nod, "You guys aren't sneaking off already, are you?"

"No way," Jasper assured him. "Just getting some refreshments."

"Good," Emmett nodded, and he grinned as he glanced over at me. "Oh, there was something I've been meaning to tell you two."

"What's up?" I asked.

Emmett rolled his shoulders and grinned to himself before speaking, "The other day I told my mom about how I took you guys to the beach house after you picked me up in Oregon."

My eyebrows about shot to my hairline. "What? You told her? What did she say?"

Emmett shrugged nonchalantly. "Asked if you liked the décor and wanted to know if I made sure to lock up when we left."

Jasper and I glanced at each other before we burst out into laughter. I patted Emmett on the back as Jasper clutched his stomach. "Your family is crazy, Em."

He shrugged again. "I know, but she gave it to me and Rose as a wedding gift."

I stopped. "Wha – she what? She gave you the beach house?"

"Yep." Emmett smirked into his drink.

"Christ," Jasper said, shaking his head. "You're a lucky son of a bitch, you know that? Who runs away from home for two years and then gets handed a beach house mansion the next time he sees his parents?"

"This guy," Emmett replied, puffing out his chest. "It's cool though. I'll probably invite you guys out… one day. Maybe. If I ever forgive you for keeping me in the dark about everything for so long."

"Screw you," I laughed. "You have two houses and I have… none. How is that even fair?"

"Life's a beach," Emmett said, his grin growing, "Well… at least it is for me, literally. It must suck for you guys though."

"I hate you."

"You can't hate me, Swan. It's my wedding day."

"Then I'll hate you tomorrow."

"Fine by me – I'll be long gone on my honeymoon with my beautiful wife." Emmett patted me mockingly on the shoulder. "But have fun hating me while I'm away. And speaking of my wife, I should go find her before Carter decides to make his move." He nodded towards the beach, where Rose and Carter were still tearing up the dance floor. "The kid's only seven, but he's as smooth as his uncle Em. He was blessed with the McCarty charm. I'll catch you kids later."

I could only roll my eyes as he walked away. Jasper frowned, shaking his head as his eyes followed Emmett, "You know, I really hate that guy sometimes."

"Oh, we all do, sweetie," Alice assured him. "But what's the deal with the beach house?"

I shook my head. "It's… kind of a long story. But basically, Emmett only thinks he's some tough runaway rebel. I wouldn't be surprised if he confessed that to his mom the second she touched down in Seattle."

"Probably," Jazz laughed. "Shit, he probably told her that before he told her he was getting married."

"Such a momma's boy," I chided, shaking my head.

"Total pansy-ass," he agreed.

"Pansy-ass?" A voice asked over my shoulder and I jumped when Edward slid up behind me and wrapped his arm around my waist. "Ah, let me guess… Emmett?"

"How'd you know?" I laughed.

"Lucky guess," he grinned in return.

"You guys, we really should leave him alone. I mean, it is his wedding day," Alice cut in. We all stopped and looked at her and slowly looked back at each other before bursting out into laughter.

Alice giggled and shook her head. "Fine. Just… make fun of him nicely."

Jasper just looked to the side and grinned at Alice. And it was one of Jasper's smiles where his eyes crinkled at the corners and his entire face lit up, and it was one of Jasper's smiles that made me feel happy just to be a part of it. And it was a smile that made me goddamn breathless just to see because we'd made it so, so far and this was happiness and this was what it was all about.

"Let's go dance," I said quietly into Edward's shoulder, my lips hardly moving as I spoke. And he took my hand and together we made our way back to the beach and stood to the side of the dance floor, so we were a part of it but not really.

"You okay?" he asked, looking down at me with his forehead wrinkled in concern. His hands slipped around my waist and I wound my arms around his neck, my fingers playing absently with his hair. I looked up and nodded because I was really, really okay.

"Okay," he said, kissing my forehead and then bending down to kiss my lips. His mouth moved softly against mine and it didn't seem to matter whether the beat was soft or slow because this was our song. This would always be our song.

"I love you," I whispered when we parted.

"I love you too."

And I think it's fair to say that for both of us, those words weren't enough. But it was all I'd ever need.

And I was finally in the place I'd been long to be all night. In his arms.

Home.

"You know, sometimes it all just really hits me," I said quietly. "Where I am, where I've been… Those years after I left and when Jazz and I were on the road, it's such a blur to me now. And it scares me to think, you know? Like what if we hadn't picked up Emmett and what if the Mustang hadn't broke down? I wonder where we'd all be."

"To be honest, I've wondered that myself," Edward mused. "And I like to think that we all would have found each other in the end, regardless of how it went down."

"I'd like to think you're right," I said with a smile.

"Just have a little faith, Bella," he teased.

I just laughed and shook my head. "Funny."

"Mmmhm." He pressed his lips to my forehead and turned his head to the side.

"You see that?" he asked, and I followed his gaze across the dance floor to where Emmett had Rose were swaying in each others arms, slow-dancing around the floor to a Garth Brooks song. Her dress was flowing all around her and in that moment, the way he was looking at her and she was looking at him, it was like the rest of the world didn't even exist. And there was something magical about it, and it wasn't how obviously in love they were or even the fact that they'd just stood up in front of their friends and family and declared their eternal love to one another. It was something else. Something I couldn't even describe but I could see it and I could feel it.

"Yeah," I said softly. "What about it?"

"I want that."

I closed my eyes, my chest swelling with an immeasurable amount of emotions at those simple words. "Edward." I turned back to him with a smile on my lips. "You already have that. Just because I don't have some diamond on my finger doesn't mean that I'm any less yours and you're any less mine. We belong together," I shrugged. "It's that simple."

"My god, I love you," he said, taking my face in his hands and softly brushing away a stray piece of hair. "Don't you ever leave me again." The openness and the pain and the fear in his eyes startled me.

"I can't…" I said shaking my head slowly. "I wouldn't dream of it, Edward. You are everything to me. I'm not going anywhere without you by my side, that I can promise you."

He nodded, the fear dissolving as he kissed me. When he pulled away I felt a light tap on my shoulder and Edward and I both shifted our attention to Jasper, who stood watching us with a grin on his face and a strange, proud paternal look in his eyes.

"May I?" he asked, giving me a cheesy wink as he held out his hand.

"Sure, man." Edward grinned, stepping away as Jasper took his place. "I'll be… around," he told me, and my smile lingered on him as I watched him weave his way through the crowd and the twinkling lights and out of my sight.

The song that played was slow, and Jasper held me softly around the waist as we danced. He smelt like rum and cigars, and at first no words were exchanged as I laid my head on his shoulder and we rocked slowly in place on the floor.

When he spoke, his voice was quiet.

"I think Alice and I are heading out pretty soon." He stopped to clear his throat. "You know, long drive."

I blinked, feeling sluggish and slow. "You're leaving tonight?"

"Yeah…" I looked up to see Jasper's face was pulled together, the familiar crease stretching across his forehead. "I just figured… well, we've got a lot to do tomorrow. I don't want to waste half the day driving. And I haven't been drinking so… it just makes sense." He shrugged.

"Oh…" I swallowed hard. "Okay. Yeah, I understand."

One side of his mouth lifted up into a smile, "Besides, I wouldn't want to unnecessarily steal beds from others who really need them tonight." And then the cheese ball nudged me with his elbow and winked.

I felt myself smiling in response. "Yeah, we wouldn't want that. In fact, I can think of someone who could put that bed to use pretty soon. I am getting awfully tired." My smile widened.

"Oh fuck," he laughed, rolling his eyes. "God forbid Bella doesn't get some… sleep."

"And I haven't had a good nights sleep in a reeeeally long time," I said, raising my eyebrows. "Like, months."

"Ugh." Jasper shuddered and his face scrunched up in disgust. "You know, I don't really need to hear this right now."

"Hey, you started it. Besides, don't even try and deny that you and Alice will be going at it like bunnies the second you get home. And it my old bedroom to boot."

Jasper shrugged, "Hey, your room is bigger. And trust me, Alice and I need all the room we can get."

"Oh god. Okay, okay. You win."

Jasper's grin widened as he leaned in towards me. "You know I always win."

"Only because I let you."

"Sure, sure."

We fell silent for a moment as we found our rhythm again with the song that was playing. I leaned my head back on his shoulder and a part of me hoped the song would never end.

He was leaving tonight and I wasn't ready.

"You look happy, Bells," Jasper said finally, his mouth right by my ear. "And you have no idea how good it is to see."

"I am happy," I said, "This weekend has been a long time coming for all of us."

"It has," he agreed. I could feel his attention shifting somewhere over my shoulder and I would have bet anything that he was unconsciously seeking out Alice as he spoke. "Still doesn't change the fact that I'm going to miss the hell out of you, though."

"I'm just trying not to think about that part," I admitted softly.

"Me too," he agreed, his voice nearly inaudible.

And this was the part I always thought we were good at: the good-byes. How many years of our life had we spent doing it? It had always been the same – we had a routine and we were good. We'd slip quietly into the night from one town to the next, parting ways with the few friends we had made and leaving as easily as we had arrived.

I wondered when exactly good-byes had become so hard.

And it wasn't even that I was moving to an entire different country from my best friend, the man I'd spent almost my entire life with. He would only be a few hundred miles away, and really I knew I'd see him often. But tonight I was saying good-bye to many other things – to the old Bella and Jasper and of our former way of life. It was officially the end… but really, tonight was a beginning, too. But I guess most ends are.

"I can't do this," I said finally, my voice sounding tiny against his shoulder.

Jasper pulled away in surprise. "What?"

I registered his confusion and shook my head quickly. "No… this. We should be celebrating the beginning, not mourning the end. We shouldn't be saying good-bye…"

"What? We should be saying hello?" Jasper asked, his face twisted up like he was about to laugh.

"No – maybe – shut up." I slapped his chest gently when he did begin to laugh. I made a face and turned away from him. "You're an ass."

"How about this, Bella," he said when he regained his composure. He reached grabbed both my hands and pulled me so I was facing him. I sighed and watched him warily.

With a soft smile, he tucked a stray piece of hair behind my ear and lowered his voice, "I'll say that I have to go. And I'll tell you that I'm going to miss you so, so much. And I'll remind you that there are two amazing people waiting out there for us, each with their own new and exciting adventures to take us on. I'll tell you that I'll see you soon, and that I love you. And there will be no good-byes, not even one."

I blinked back tears that filled my eyes as I smiled. "I say that sounds perfect, Jazz."

"Good." He leaned in and softly pressed his lips to my forehead and then pulled me into his arms for a hug. He squeezed me tight and held me for what felt like forever. I felt the odd tear slip down my face as I hugged him back as hard as I could.

When he pulled away I brushed away the tears that had fallen from my eyes. Jasper raised his hand as he stepped away, his fingers just barely waving a silent good-bye. I raised my own hand, a mirror image of him and we stood like that until he slowly nodded his head and was gone.

And it was a beautiful moment – in a broken, bittersweet kind of way. The lights and the stars twinkled above me and bodies danced to the rhythm of the night. Just like that a long, exhausting journey had come to and end. And when I finally moved from the place where Jasper had left me, I turned and found myself in the familiar arms of another man. The arms of my new home, the one where I kept my heart.

"Hi," he whispered in my ear and I almost laughed and wondered if he could have possibly known. "You okay?"

"Yeah," I said, quickly peering over his shoulder and scanning the crowd for one last glimpse of the blonde curls I knew so well. "Yeah, I'm…" When I couldn't find those familiar blonde curls I looked up into the face of Edward, into his green, green eyes and smiled. "I'm better than okay."

"Okay," he smiled, and leaned and slowly pressed his lips to mine.

And as I closed my eyes to kiss him back, I realized that I was exactly where I wanted my new journey to begin.

x.x.x