Helloo everyone!

Here comes the epilogue. Thank you for coming along with me on this ride. It was my first why choose - reverse harem- fanfic I've ever written. It was the first fic in which I added this much spice and lemmons, but it felt great.

Stay with me for two more outtakes, one from Jane and Garrett and one from Jasper and Bree. I hope to update them sometime next weekend.

Also, stay tuned for another fic, also why choose, but there is no date of publishing just yet.

Thank you once again for the incredible support. You made me braver, more curious, and like I could write anything under the sun.

Enjoy!


THE LOCKET.


Epilogue.

Ten years later.

As the years passed, she became very adept at handling her gift. Renata and Jasper were her biggest helpers. She refused to let Jane or Alec use their gifts on anyone since they were too invasive, so instead, she used Renata's mind manipulation and Jasper's emotional blackmail to her advantage. She could say she was fairly good at it. It took a lot of time to finally feel like her shield was a part of her and not a separate sentient being that had its own will.

It is safe to say that her mates were present for most of her training. And Didyme wouldn't miss the show for anything in the world. Bella's trial and error with her gift had become her first source of entertainment. Jasper's favorite torture method was lust and laughter. Whenever he shot her a big wave of lust that almost had her running to her mates and abandoning training, he would dump humor and joy – effective as a bucket of cold water. She felt like a dog being trained with a spray bottle. It worked in the end; dog training methods included.

So, once her teachers deemed that there was nothing else they could teach her, she devoted her free time to teaching any visitor or new guard with their gifts. Of course, she could not claim all the credit. Jasper and Renata were there with her. Jasper even confessed that using his gifts like this felt like atoning for his atrocious past of killing newborns whenever they were no longer "useful."

Bree's telekinetic gift was interesting, to say the least, but she was still dealing with some PTSD from her time in Victoria's army and didn't feel comfortable using her gift to teach anyone how to use theirs. She felt it would be like being a weapon and didn't want to feel like that any longer. Jasper supported her decision and promised her that she would never be forced to do anything she didn't want to do. They would have to kill him first. That little confession earned him his first kiss with his mate. Bella teased him about his vocal abilities later that day, to which he opened his mouth like a fish. If he could have blushed, she bet he would have been beet red. She laughed hard and long, took pity on him, and told him what she meant.

In sum, she trained hard to master her gift, and once she did, she decided to teach others how to master theirs. It was not a straight road, and some vampires expressed their discontent about her teaching them anything. Suffice it to say that Marcus didn't condone this behavior and made it painfully clear that Bella had the authority to use whatever means necessary to get their asses in line if they wanted a shot at being in the guard.

"I don't give a shit about your motivation. But if you want to stay here, her word and that of Renata and Jasper will be your sacred text. And if you don't believe in God, use whatever equivalent you find satisfactory. If you don't heed their orders, you're out." He dropped the bomb and never visited the training room again to impart his philosophy. Not one vampire dropped out.

As for her mates, their jobs mainly remained the same, with the addition of training the gifted vampires in physical combat.

"While all of you have badass gifts, all of you are nothing if you don't know how to fight vampires like me." Alec said, setting his mind-numbing mist loose. "One wrong move, and you're dead."

Jasper had opted out of helping teach physical combat, saying that he had had enough of teaching vampires how to fight, and either way, her mates had way more experience, regardless of whatever Demetri said about the Major of the Southern Wars.

Garrett had decided to take over Bella's project with the digitalization of Marcus' books. He saw many familiar names on the pages, and it became his project when he started adding more information to the entries. What gifts they possessed, and if they had belonged or currently belonged to any clan. Jane helped him occasionally, but she was not much for books. She was the brain behind the coding and the numbers.

Jane still went on missions with Bella's mates, which allowed Bella to bond with Garrett and put Alec's mind at ease that Jane had not replaced him, that he was still the most important man in her life, and that she was, indeed, happy.

"Hello, wife." Alec's voice brought her back to earth. She was lying on his bed, with Demetri's shirt and Felix's hoodie, reading in her Kindle. She always wore their scents whenever they were gone for days in whatever mission Aro needed them to lead. It was the only way she could deal with their absence without going insane.

Bella smiled at Alec and sat up, receiving his kiss with enthusiasm. "Hello, husband of mine."

Alec took in his wife's bundled figure. He absolutely loved that even after ten years of marriage, she still needed to get their essence in hers after a few days out. It reminded him of the early days of their relationship. They have had good and bad days, but they were as strong as the sturdiest tree.

"How was your week?" Alec asked, sitting next to her on the bed.

"Uneventful, mostly. I got to help Garrett with the books, and now Marcus wants to redo the entire space. He roped me into the project."

It was no secret that after ten years in the guard, Bella was Marcus's favorite person. It was a hard-earned place, but it was also pretty clear that aside from respect and admiration, Marcus loved Bella. Of course, it wasn't a romantic love. It was that of a brother and sister.

"How did he rope you into it?"

"You know how I am!" She threw her arms up and let them fall noisily into the bed. "I was curious about the books. I went down there, and the next thing I knew, Marcus was talking my ear off with plans about remodeling the library and wiring and palette, and…Alec, he even had the blueprints! I couldn't say no." Alec chuckled. His wife was too sweet, sometimes to her detriment.

Bella perked up even higher when her two other men entered the room. Alec jokingly prevented her from getting out of bed, but the joke was on him because the guys settled around her and kissed her hungrily.

"How did this super-secret mission of yours work out?"

Felix was beaming with pride, his eyes shining, and his smile was big and happy.

The guys' behavior was the biggest change in these past ten years. Alec no longer doubted everything and anything. He no longer felt like an outsider, and thus, he'd been opening up more, letting through the fantastic man that Bella knew was in there. She had been privy to that amazing man, but seeing him give himself to the world was beautiful. Demetri was still the serious, responsible captain of the guard, but he no longer felt like he held the world's weight on his shoulders. Felix was his usual cheeky self, but that seriousness, that hesitance, that first instinct of thinking the worst of a situation was long gone. They worked hard to let go of his past and whatever had hurt him.

That was another thing, their past. Before getting married, the guys had a long discussion of giving Bella full disclosure of their pasts. They didn't want to start their marriage with that hanging over their heads.

They had been alive for long. Almost a thousand years. They had bed women; they had had orgies, threesomes; they had taken women in multiple positions, alone, together. They had fucked the same woman at the same time or different women in the same room. They had killed. In the beginning, before knowing about the Volturi – at least in Felix and Demetri's case – they had killed for fun, for the thrill of the hunt. They deeply regretted that. Demetri had been the most apologetic and embarrassed about it. It took Bella a while to get him to understand that she was not ashamed or horrified of what he had done or who he had been. He had turned his life around, gotten better, and never looked back, never made the same mistake.

"I love you." She'd said. "Because of the man you are today. Because despite the difficulties, you managed to find the right path. Because the man I fell in love with taught me how to be strong and feel comfortable in my own skin again. I love you because who you are now is amazing. With whatever faults that can appear." If vampires could cry, they would have both cried then. It had been an emotional moment.

Alec had told her how bratty, and manipulative he'd been. He'd hid behind his urge to protect Jane to do despicable things. He had hurt Jane emotionally a few times by scaring away whatever boyfriend she found. He told her about a dark period in his life when Jane wouldn't speak to him. He had to crawl – figuratively – to earn her forgiveness. He'd never been good with women, though he had had his fair share of conquests and sex encounters with them. But he'd never been able to connect with them emotionally. Hurting a few females that he had cared about at some level. "I don't need Chelsea to tie me to this place because I genuinely believe Aro gave me a new life when he turned me. Despite me behaving like a spoiled idiot." He'd shared.

Bella listened in silence until he finished talking. She thanked him for giving her the opportunity to get to know him, and for taking the risk despite his fears, his past, and his insecurities. It hadn't been easy for Alec to get rid of those, but for her, he tried. For her, he'd tried anything.

Felix's story was not much different than Alec's or Demetri's. Only, Felix got seriously burned by a woman in his early life as a vampire. They met, and they hated each other. She was entitled and bratty; he was an asshole with a superiority complex – according to her – they fought all the time. But the same heat that drove them to fight drove them to passion. And so they fell in bed together, and from that day onward, they started a relationship. On Felix's side, it was serious. He knew she wasn't his mate, but he thought he could be happy with her.

"Since you're with me now, I'm guessing it didn't work out." She'd said quietly, holding Felix's hand. He'd looked like he needed the contact.

He gave her a slight smile. "I was right to think she was entitled and bratty. But I thought that was just a rough past making her like that. I never expected her to lead me on, make me fall in love with her, and then break my heart like it was another twig in the forest."

Bella had only the strength to squeeze his hand in support. His reaction the night she came home after Jane and Renata kidnapped her made more sense now that she was hearing this. The heartbreak she'd seen in his eyes, the absolute mess of his appearance. He'd thought he'd lost another woman he loved, only this time, it was his mate.

"What did she do?" She'd asked.

"She was cheating on me, or more like dating both of us at the same time?" He'd shaken his head. "You know I have no problem sharing." He'd winked, and she'd smiled. "But the way she did it was crappy. She made me believe I had changed her life. She'd made plans with me about finding a nice place to settle down and move together. When we were on the eve of moving, she broke everything off. She told me she was in love with someone else and was sorry for stringing me along."

Bella had frown. If the woman knew she did not love Felix, why continue in a relationship, why tell him she loved him, why make love to him, and make plans only to shatter them to pieces along with his heart. That was beyond cruel and manipulative.

"You didn't deserve that." She'd whispered. He'd shrugged.

So, after those three conversations were out of the way, Bella didn't waste a mili-second reassuring them that nothing had changed, just like she told them from the start.

"I think she's in another realm." Alec's voice brought her back to the present.

"What?"

Demetri chuckled and kissed her shoulder. "We were saying we'd like to take you away for the weekend."

"Really?" They'd taken time off occasionally but hadn't in a while. They'd been busy with missions and Bella with training.

"Yeap. Pack a bag; we're leaving in ten minutes."

"Where are we going? What clothes do I pack?"

Felix shot her an amused grin. "I'd say clothes are not necessary attire for this trip, but one never knows. So, pack whatever you want. It's not as if you feel the cold."

Bella huffed and packed a small bag with the essentials. Underwear – though she didn't know why she bothered with those since most of their escapades ended in shredded underwear. She packed a swimsuit – with the same thought she had for the underwear and random clothes she picked up from her closet. It took her exactly two minutes to finish everything, but she was too excited to wait in her room.

She skipped to Felix's room, catching him naked and coming out of the shower. "If you wanted to see me naked, all you had to do was ask." He winked.

She smiled. The Bella from ten years ago would have apologized and left the room, but she was another person now and way more comfortable with her own skin and secure in her relationships.

"I know. I'm just excited about this getaway. Hurry up!" She threw herself into her mate's bed and observed him with a grin. He slowed his movements deliberately to give her a show, making her laugh.

The show was interrupted by Demetri entering the room. He snorted. "Get dressed, you clown. We don't have time."

They drove for a few hours down slightly familiar roads. There was something about the last leg of the trip that was prickling in her mind. It felt like she knew this place like she'd been here before. But she couldn't put her finger on how she knew it.

"Figure it out yet?" Demetri asked her from the driver's seat, putting his hand on her knee.

"This looks so familiar. But I can't pinpoint where I am."

Alec chuckled behind her seat.

Felix, however, took pity on her. He leaned over the space between the driver's and the passenger's seat. "The dirt road we just passed, it's where we took you for our first date. Do you remember that?"

In the past ten years, they figured that a few of Bella's human memories were fuzzy at best and forgotten at worst. It took a toll on her, but she learned to live with it.

A lightbulb went on in Bella's brain. Of course she remembered her first date with her three men: the teasing, the sexual innuendos, the laughter, and love. "I do remember. What are we doing here?"

"Where we're taking you is close to that dirt road. Call us sappy, but we wanted a special place." He was not making any sense.

"What are you talking about? I don't understand." She scrunched up her nose in annoyance.

"Patience, darling. We're almost there." Alec drawled.

She got out of the car when her three mates were already out. Bella could see they were parked in front of a cabin in the woods. They were surrounded by nature and chirping birds.

"What is this?"

"Home away from home." Demetri told her, holding a pair of keys in front of her.

She took the keys but didn't step closer to the cabin. "Home away from home?"

"We built this cabin mainly for you. But it's for all of us to come here when we need to step away and recharge."

Bella gasped, fully understanding now what this was.

"Home away from home." She whispered, looking at each of her mates.