One year later

Bella stared at her reflection in the full length mirror. She adjusted the straps of the dress that Alice insisted she wear. The dress was shorter than she would have liked but Alice insisted that it made her legs look good and Rosalie had agreed.

Bella felt the cool arms of Rosalie circle around her waist. She met Rosalie's gold eyes in the mirror.
"Are you ready?" Rosalie asked kissing her neck.

Bella turned around to face her mate. "No," she answered honestly. "Do I have to go? In the grand scheme of things, it's not like today matters."

"Bella," Rosalie said with a sigh. "It's your high school graduation. You have to go. Besides, I'll be right there with you."

"You graduated last year," Bella reminded her.

"Okay, I'll be right there, in the audience cheering you on," Rosalie corrected. "Alice will be there though and so will Angela. Do you really want to miss the chance to graduate with your best friend?"

"I hate when you use logic," Bella mumbled, resting her head against Rosalie's chest.

Rosalie laughed. "I know you do. I want to give you your graduation present now," she said.

Bella narrowed her eyes. "You promised no presents," Bella said.

Rosalie leaned forward to kiss her. "I promise you will love this one," she said. She went to their dresser and pulled out the envelope that she had tucked away for weeks. She handed Bella the envelope.

Bella opened it. She gasped at what she saw. "We're going to Rio de Janeiro?" she asked in surprise.

"We're flying to Rio," Rosalie corrected. "We're going somewhere else, an island off the coast. Isle Esme to be exact."

"Isle Esme…as in Esme?" Bella questioned.

"Yes," Rosalie confirmed with a laugh. "Carlisle bought the island for her about thirty years ago. They offered to let us use it for as long as we want. You did want to travel right?"

Bella nodded. She was speechless. Rosalie was taking her to a private island, an island owned by the Cullen's. "Do we get to explore Rio?"

"If you want," Rosalie said with a shrug. "I do speak Portuguese. The island is about an hour boat ride away but we can easily go out and explore the city. Mostly in the evening though, because of the sun."

"Okay," Bella said. Rosalie raised an eyebrow at her. "Let's go to Rio. When do we leave?"

"This evening after the very small party," Rosalie replied. "It's an almost twenty-four hour flight so we can spend a little time in the city before heading to the island."

Bella released Rosalie so she could check her reflection one last time. Alice had done her hair, nothing major, just some curls, and had threatened to bite her if she messed it up. Rosalie hadn't liked that threat but did agree that Bella looked beautiful. The only one allowed to bite Bella, was her. "Okay, I'm ready."

Alice and Bella rode to the school together. They were the only two graduating as Jasper and Rosalie had graduated the year before. The rest of the family rode together in Carlisle's Mercedes. Neither Rosalie or Jasper liked it but Carlisle and Esme had insisted.

"Are you okay Bella?" Alice asked as she headed to Angela's house to pick her up. Paul was meeting them at the school.

"I'm fine," Bella said forcing a smile on her face.

"You're not excited about graduation, are you?" Alice said with a frown. She simply couldn't understand not being happy about graduation. Even after fifty years, Alice was still excited every time she graduated.

"I hate attention, you know that," Bella told her. "And what if I trip on the stage? That would be embarrassing."

"Yes, I can see that," Alice said with a nod.

Bella glanced out of the window. "I wish my Dad could be here," Bella admitted. "He always talked about how excited he was to see me graduate and then go to college. No one in my family ever went to college. I don't know… he's alive and that's what matters but I can't help but be upset."

Alice bit her lip. "I know he would want to be here too," she said. "He…"

"Can't risk being seen," Bella finished. "Yeah, I know." She'd already had this conversation with Rosalie.

"I'm sorry Bella," Alice said as she pulled in front of Angela's house.

"It's okay Alice," Bella said, though she was still upset about it. "I'll get her."

Bella got out of the car and headed to the front door of Angela's house. She knocked on the door and waited for someone to answer. "Bella," Angela greeted with a grin. She was dressed in a black dress that stopped just before her knee. "Alice picked it out, what do you think?"

"You look great Angela," Bella said honestly. "Paul will love it. Is your family here?"

"No," Angela answered. "They said they would meet me at school. Let me grab my things real quick."

Angela left the door open while she ran back inside to grab her purse and her cap and gown. Once she was ready, she locked the door behind her before following Bella to Alice's car.

"You look great Angela," Alice said as Angela climbed into the backseat of her car. "But I swear to God if you let Paul rip that dress, I will haunt you forever."

"Why would Paul rip…oh," Angela said in realization. She blushed. "I will make sure Paul does not rip it."

Bella laughed at Angela's embarrassment, until Alice turned on her. "Don't you start Bella," she warned. "Rosalie is just as terrible about clothes."

Bella's mouth snapped shut. Alice wasn't wrong but Bella wasn't going to admit it.

Alice pulled into the school parking lot a few minutes later. Bella didn't see Carlisle's Mercedes which was a little strange considering they were supposed to come straight here and they left at the same time.

The three got out of the car and made their way to the auditorium.

"How long is the ceremony going to be?" Bella asked Alice.

"One hour and fifty-five minutes," Alice answered promptly, having already foreseen the question. "There's less than one hundred kids graduating but Jessica's speech will run a little long."

Angela snorted. "Of course it will," she said with a laugh.

Bella laughed along with her. Jessica had spent the last several weeks working on her valedictorian speech, to the point where she started to annoy her friends.

"Come on," Alice said. "We need to head inside before the principal gets mad we're late."

"Is the graduation being held inside?" Bella asked. She didn't like the idea of the Cullen's being cooped up inside the auditorium surrounded by humans.

Alice glanced at Bella. "Were you not paying attention during rehearsals?" Bella blushed. "Of course not. No, we're meeting in the auditorium. Graduation is at the football field."

"The sun?" Angela asked concerned.

"Not an issue," Alice assured her. "Today is a typical cloudy day in Forks. We got lucky this year."

Last year they weren't so lucky. Jasper and Rosalie weren't able to walk at graduation due to the sun. They faked the flu and got their diplomas later. Bella had been rather bummed about it. She was much rather watch Rosalie walk then participate herself. But as Rosalie reminded her, there would be plenty of opportunities in the future.

"Ms. Swan, Ms. Cullen and Ms. Webber, right on time," Principal Greene exclaimed in relief. They were the last three students he needed. "Get into position."

Once everyone was in position, Principal Greene led the graduating seniors out of the auditorium and to the football field. As they walked, Bella was suddenly very glad that Alice put her in a shorter dress. It was hard enough trying not to trip over the robes, she didn't want to worry about the dress as well.

Graduation was slow, despite Alice's assurance that it wouldn't be more than two hours. Just as Alice said, Jessica's speech was far longer than anyone predicted. But Bella had to admit, it was a good speech.

When it got to the name calling, Bella couldn't bring herself to be excited. She clapped for her friends and Alice as they crossed the stage. She really wished she wasn't so far down the list so she could get it over with.

Finally, it was her turn. "Bella Swan," Principal Greene called. She could hear the cheers of the Cullen's, Jasper and Rosalie were the loudest, as she slowly walked across the stage to grab her diploma.

Unknown to Bella, there was someone standing in the distance watching as Bella crossed the stage to get her diploma.

Charlie Swan couldn't be more proud of his daughter. Though he was far away from the crowd. He could see everything crystal clear. One of the many perks of being a vampire. His gold eyes were locked onto Bella throughout the entire graduation.

He wished he could be in the audience, clapping along with the Cullen's in celebration. But he was supposed to be dead. He couldn't be seen in public. He was ready to demand they let him go, consequences be damned, until Alice called with a solution to his problem. He could watch the graduation from a distance, and then see Bella later at the small graduation party hosted by Rosalie and Alice.

According to Alice, Bella had no idea he was coming back. Nor did she know Emmett was also coming home. It was a present from the Cullen's. Well one of the presents. They'd all got her ridiculously expensive presents. He hadn't understood it. Until he got a job in Alaska as a Sheriff of a small town. He was making less money now than he did in Forks but because he didn't have to buy food or anything, he was saving more. It allowed him to give Bella his own nice gift.

Once the graduation started to wrap up, Charlie made his way to the Cullen home.

By the time graduation was over, Bella was ready to go home. She was so glad she talked Alice out of the heels she wanted Bella to wear. She was wearing flats now and had almost tripped twice. She was just happy it wasn't when she was crossing the stage.

"Bella," Alice said forcing her way through the crowd. She grabbed Bella's arm so they wouldn't be separated. "The others are over here."

Alice and Bella navigated through the crowd until they found the Cullen's waiting for them. Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie and Jasper were standing together away from everyone.

Once they were clear of the crowd, Alice released Bella's arm. Bella went straight to Rosalie. "Congratulations," Rosalie muttered in Bella's ear. "How does it feel to be a high school graduate?"

Bella shrugged. "Right now, it doesn't feel any different," she said honestly.

"Give it time," Rosalie said. "Eventually it will hit you, probably around September when school starts up again and you're not getting ready to go."

Rosalie took Bella's hand and led her to the car, with the others following behind. "College is still in the cards, right?" Bella asked. While she didn't want to go now, she did eventually want to experience college.

"Whenever you're ready to go," Rosalie promised. "We have all the time in the world. There is no rush."

"How long do we have before we leave?" Bella asked.

"A few hours," Rosalie told her. "There's another present for you at the house." Bella opened her mouth to protest but Rosalie cut her off. "You'll love this present, I promise. We have do to leave by eight. I will pack for you so you don't have to worry about it."

The drive back to the Cullen house was silent. They all knew what was waiting for Bella at the house and they were excited to see her reaction.

Bella could feel Jasper's excitement when they pulled into the driveway. It made her more excited to know whatever surprise Rosalie had for her. "Jazz," Bella groaned.

"Sorry Bella," he said with a grin. It wasn't just his excitement. They were all excited.

Bella followed Rosalie to the front door. Rosalie opened the door and Bella gasped. Standing in front of her was Charlie and Emmett.

"Did you miss me Bells?" Emmett greeted with a grin.

Bella ignored Emmett for the time being and ran straight to her father. "Dad," she exclaimed.

Charlie wrapped his arms around Bella. Since he was turned, his only goal was to get control so he could see his daughter again. Now, it finally happened and Charlie couldn't be happier.

"Hey Bells," he said. "I saw you get your diploma. I'm so proud of you."

"You were there?" Bella asked surprised.

"In the distance," Charlie confirmed. "I knew I couldn't actually be there but I wanted to see you cross that stage."

Bella pulled away from Charlie so she could hug Emmett. "I'm glad you're back Emmett," she muttered. Emmett grinned. "Are you staying?"

"Yeah I am," Emmett confirmed. "It's good to be home." He let go of Bella so he could hug the rest of his family.

"Dad?" Bella asked.

Charlie shook his head. "You know I can't stay here Bella," he said sadly.

Carlisle stepped forward. "You would be welcome to join our family," he said. "Now that Bella and Alice have graduated, and Bella and Rosalie are planning to travel, we will be moving on soon."

Charlie stepped toward Carlisle and for a minute Bella was worried a fight would break out. "I appreciate that offer Carlisle," he said. "And maybe one day in the future I'll accept. But for now, my place is with the Denali's. I got a job as Sheriff in their small town. I even have an ID with Charlie Denali on it," he laughed. "I never had the chance to thank you all for what you did for Bella. I will be forever indebted to you."

"You owe us nothing," Carlisle said. He offered his hand to Charlie. "You will always be welcome with us Charlie."

Charlie shook his hand. "Thank you Carlisle," he said.

Bella turned her attention to Rosalie. "Was this my surprise?" she asked.

"It was," Rosalie confirmed. "Do you love it?"

"I do," Bella confirmed. She kissed her mate. "And I love you."

Rosalie wrapped her arms around Bella. "I love you too."

Charlie gently pushed Rosalie out of the way so he could hug his daughter again. "So Bells, tell me about this traveling you guys will be doing," Charlie requested. He had missed so much, he couldn't wait to hear more about Bella's life.

Bella led Charlie to the living room. The others followed behind but stayed out of the way, allowing the father and daughter to reconnect. "Well, Rosalie is taking me to Rio tonight," Bella told him.

"Rio," Charlie repeated in surprise. He glanced at Rosalie and she nodded.

"Carlisle bought Esme an island off the coast of Rio," Rosalie explained. "They were kind enough to offer it to us."

Charlie nodded. "That's awfully generous of you," he said.

"Well, as long as the kids don't destroy anything," she gave Emmett a pointed look, "I don't see any reason why they can't enjoy the island as well. Carlisle and I spend a year or so there every decade. We keep the home maintained but otherwise it is unoccupied."

"Do you have any other places in mind?" Charlie asked, looking back and forth between Bella and Rosalie.

Rosalie waited for Bella to speak. While they had talked about their travel plans. They had yet to make any concrete decisions on where they wanted to go. Rosalie wanted Bella to decide most of their destinations while Bella wasn't entirely sure where to start.

"Nothing has really been decided," Bella admitted. "I wouldn't mind seeing Texas and visiting Peter and Charlotte but other than that, I'm not sure."

Charlie withdrew a key from his pocket. "I know Rosalie got you a house in Canada," he started. "But I hope you would be willing to spend some time in Alaska." He handed the key to Bella. "I bought you a small cabin not too far from the Denali house."

Bella hugged her father. "Thank you Dad," she said gratefully. "Rose and I will make sure to visit before I turn and afterwards."

Charlie beamed at her words. He never got a chance to say anything more as Alice burst into the room exclaiming, "presents!"

Bella glared at her. "You promised," she protested.

"But I didn't darlin'," Jasper said with a smirk. He handed her an envelope.

Bella sighed and opened the envelope. Three drivers' licenses fell out. Bella frowned. She grabbed the top one. "Bella Cullen," she read. She grabbed the next one. "Bella Hale." The last one she recognized. It was the same ID she used when she went with Jasper to the Civil War exhibit. "Isabella Whitlock. I thought you got rid of this?"

"I was going to," Jasper admitted. "But Alice suggested I keep it. It's meant to be an emergency ID, for if you need to run. But you're welcome to use it regularly. You'll notice all the ID's say you're at least 21. Since you're going on your trip with Rosalie, we thought you might like to drink so wine or something, or at least have the option."

Bella got up to hug Jasper. "Thanks Jazz," she said gratefully.

Bella turned her attention to Alice, surprised she hadn't already forced her gift on her. "I packed your suitcase," Alice told her. "With all new things, so you don't have to deal with it."

Bella grinned. She actually liked that idea, though she wasn't sure about what Alice packed and that was bit concerning.

"There are vouchers for you with the airlines. Wherever you decide to go next is all paid for," Esme added.

Bella's eyes widened. "But the island… that was more than enough," Bella protested.

Esme laughed. "We share the island with all our children. You and Rosalie would be able to go no matter what," Esme assured her.

Bella got up to hug Carlisle and Esme. "Thank you," Bella said gratefully.

Bella turned her attention to Emmett. "I replaced the stereo in your truck," he admitted. "Figured if you were going to keep that hunk of junk then you might as well have a decent stereo."

"I'll have you know Rosalie fixed up my truck and now it runs like new," Bella said crossing her arms over her chest.

"Unfortunately," Rosalie muttered. She would never understand her mate's love for that truck but she would continue to fix it up until it was no longer possible. Something she hoped would happen sooner rather than later.

Bella gently smacked her mate. "Don't diss the truck," she hissed.

Rosalie wrapped her arms around Bella. "I will try to diss the truck less," Rosalie promised.

The time spent with her father wasn't enough. As it started to get dark outside, Bella realized she would soon have to say goodbye to him again. This time they wouldn't be separated as long. Charlie was past his newborn phase and it was safe to be around him. Bella would make sure they visited Alaska at least once in the next year.

"You have to go," Charlie realized when he noticed Rosalie paying more attention to the time.

"I'm sorry Charlie," Rosalie apologized. "We will miss our flight if we don't leave soon."

Charlie nodded in understanding. He knew this would be a short visit when he was informed about Bella's graduation. Charlie walked over and hugged his daughter. "I'll see you soon Bells," he promised.

"I love you Dad," Bella muttered into his shoulder.

"I love you too Bella," he said. He kissed the top of her head. "Enjoy your trip."

Bella looked around for their bags. "They're already in the car," Alice told her. "Go, or you'll be late."

Bella and Rosalie finished saying their goodbyes before heading to the car for their next adventure.