A/N: Well folks, this is the end. I was going to start posting a new story once this one was done, but RL is kicking my ass and my muse decided to take a long vacation. If you feel inclined to do so, put me on author alert and once my new story starts posting you'll know.

Graduation Day

EPOV (Age 18)

I was bored. Correction, I was beyond bored. Who knew that high school graduation could drag on and on and on? As the principal droned on about how proud he was of us, I took a good look around the gym. It was filled to capacity despite the fact that our graduating class had less than fifty people in it. I let my gaze wander over the bleachers, and I saw Dad (who I'd finally stopped calling Carlisle), Esme, the Swans, but no sign of my mother. She'd promised she'd show up, and I felt a twinge of anger that she wasn't there. I huffed back a sigh, mentally telling myself it had been stupid to get my hopes up. Our relationship was rocky at best, but I'd been doing my best to make amends. Apparently, I was the only one trying.

A smattering of applause had me turning my gaze toward the stage where the principal was done talking, and a guest lecturer stood up and began to speak. Geez. At this rate, I'd be a geriatric by the time they got around to handing us our diplomas. Tyler Crowley who was sitting next to me must have felt the same way because he let out a muttered curse before pulling a Gameboy out of his pocket. I wished I'd thought to bring something to occupy my time, but I hadn't realized I would need it. When Rose and Emmett had graduated, it hadn't lasted this long.

Tuning out the guest lecturer, I looked over my shoulder and sought out my girl a couple of rows behind me. She looked as bored as I was, but she gave me a smile when she met my gaze. The past year had been hard, busy, and yet amazing. I'd kept my job at Newton's after the summer even though Dad had told me I didn't have to, but I'd wanted to. I hadn't wanted to have to rely on Dad's money to take my girl on dates or put gas in my car. I'd also joined the baseball team in the spring, so between practice, my work, and Bella's work, we hadn't gotten to see each other as much as we'd have liked to. We'd even had a few arguments here and there, but we'd always talked them out, which only strengthened our relationship.

We'd also spent the year preparing to take our SATs and applying to colleges. That had been beyond tedious. I'd come home from school one day to find fifteen college catalogs sitting on the table that Esme had sent off for. I had looked through all of them, but none of them had appealed to me. It didn't help that I'd had no idea what I wanted to do when I grew up.

Bella had been just as conflicted, but she had been adamant about leaving Washington. She'd wanted to get away from small town life and the pacific northwest. One night at my house, we'd been looking at universities online, and she'd spotted an ad for Arizona State University. I'd quickly pointed out that Tanya was in Phoenix, but Bella didn't care. After poking around on the site, she'd told me to add it to our list of potential schools. There was no way we were going to be separated. So, it had been with fingers crossed that we'd sent out tons of applications.

Last month, we'd both gotten acceptance letters to ASU, and we were thrilled, yet sad at the same time. Bella's family was going to be scattered across the country. Rose and Emmett were in California, Alice had gotten into some fashion design school in New York and Jasper would be attending New York University. But thanks to modern technology, we'd always be able to stay in touch.

Dad and Esme were sad to see me go but respected my decision. I did have to promise to come back to Forks for all the major holidays, and I readily agreed.

"Dude!" Tyler whispered from beside me, interrupting my musings. "We're up next."

About freaking time. Granted, we still had a long ways to go before graduation was over and done with. Fidgeting a bit, I stood at the base of the stage and waited for the principal to call my name. Once he did, I made my way across the stage to the sounds of hooting and hollering coming from the Swan family as well as my own. I couldn't contain my grin as I shook the principal's hand and took the piece of paper handed to me.

An hour and a half later, it was finally over, and I was sitting next to Bella at a fancy restaurant in Port Angeles with our families. The conversation during dinner consisted of when all of us when be leaving for school. Jasper and Alice wouldn't be leaving until the end of summer, where as Bella and I would be leaving in July. We were driving to Arizona, and Dad and Esme had found an apartment for us and paid a year's worth of rent for us as a graduation gift. I was extremely grateful for that because I had no desire to live on campus with some guy I didn't know. Charlie had been apprehensive at letting Bella live with me but as was pointed out to him, Bella was an adult.

A month and a half later, Bella and I had packed up not only my Volvo but a U-Haul as well, and we were ready to hit the road. Hugs and kisses were given, and more than a few tears were shed as we embarked on the next journey of our lives.

4 Years Later

EPOV (Age 22)

Four years had come and gone in the blink of an eye. I swore, it felt like just yesterday that we had moved into our apartment and attended orientation. We'd both been so excited and scared at the thought that we were college freshman.

Freshman year had been a year of firsts. We survived our first college exams, attended our first college party (which we'd both decided wasn't us), and had gone all the way as crass as that sounds. While I hadn't been a virgin, I might as well have been, because it was all new when I was making love to Bella.

Our relationship had flourished over the past four years, and I grinned as I recalled the night I asked her to marry me. It had been on Tuesday night in May last year, and we'd just come back from dinner with some friends. We'd settled in on the couch to watch some movies and the next thing I knew, I was blurting out, "Marry me."

She'd stared at me like I'd lost my mind, and I honestly thought she'd argue that we were too young or something, but she hadn't. She'd thrown her arms around me, knocking us both off the couch, while telling me yes over and over again. I'd been ecstatic. I'd been planning on asking her to marry at some point, but I certainly hadn't planned on it being then. I'd given her my grandmother's ring later that night, and seeing it on her finger had brought out the emotional side of me. Bella had agreed to be my wife.

"Hey, handsome. Are you ready?" Bella asked, interrupting my thoughts. I turned around and let out a whistle. She was gorgeous and five months pregnant with our child. The pregnancy had been the result of a stressful week of finals and the forgetting of birth control, but we didn't regret it. Sure, this baby wasn't planned, but he or she was loved very much already. Although, I had been positive that Charlie would kill me when we called to tell her parents the news. Instead, he'd been completely understanding and supportive; after all he'd been a young father himself.

"Yep," I told her as I straightened my tie once more. "Are the folks here?"

Bella nodded. "They've got a spot on the quad near the large oak tree. We'll meet them there once we're done."

Two hours later, I officially had a Bachelor's Degree in Sports Medicine as well as a teaching degree, and Bella had a degree in psychology. She'd started off an English major, but after taking a psychology course, she realized that was what she wanted to do. Bella would be starting her Master's degree in the fall while I would be working as a Physical Education teacher at a local high school and coaching baseball. Once Bella had her Master's or the baby was in school, I'd go and get my Master's.

Bella had thrown a fit at first, not wanting me to put off furthering my education, but I assured her I was fine with it, and I was. Who knew? Maybe I'd really like teaching P.E., but I certainly wasn't going to complain about it. It was a job with good benefits and decent pay.

We'd spent the last few weeks debating whether or not to stay in our apartment or find somewhere else to live. After much discussion amongst ourselves and with our parents, we'd decided to move into a modest two bedroom home. Dad and Esme had helped us out with the down payment, something we were extremely grateful for.

Over the course of the next week, we moved out of our apartment and into our new home, and I was extremely glad that our families had stuck around to help us move. Without them, it would have taken so much longer. Once we were moved in and mostly unpacked, our parents and Bella's siblings had headed back to their homes, leaving us to settle in.

We settled in quickly, and before I knew it, July was upon us and our wedding was a week away. Bella and I had originally thought about just hitting up the courthouse, but Esme, Alice, and Renee had argued against it, and we'd given in to them. I was beginning to rethink that decision, and I think Bella was too.

In the end, however, it was worth the hassle we'd had to endure. As I stood near the gazebo at the park that we'd chosen to get married at, I teared up a bit as Bella walked toward me. She was stunning. Her long brown hair was pulled back, and she wore a beautiful dress that showed off her pregnancy. Alice had done an amazing job designing Bella's dress.

Charlie gave me Bella's hand and before I knew it, I was kissing my wife in front of our family and friends. Hugs, kisses, and congratulations were given before Bella and I left for our honeymoon. After a night at home as husband and wife, we left for a spa retreat a few hours away. It was the perfect place for Bella to be pampered and for us to relax.

A week later, we were back at home, making sure the baby's room was ready. Bella had been having false labor pains, and she was terrified the baby would come early. She was right. Two weeks later, Bella went into labor. Panicked and scared, I'd rushed her to the emergency room, and she was immediately taken to the delivery floor.

Thirty-two hours later, I was looking at our daughter who was nestled in an incubator. She'd been four weeks early and weighed four pounds and six ounces, but she was otherwise healthy. She'd have to stay in the incubator until she was able to eat, breathe, and stay warm on her own. I just hoped it was soon.

After a week and a half, Libby was declared strong enough to come home with us, and we were thrilled, yet terrified. Renee and Esme stayed with us for a few days after Libby was home, and I couldn't tell you how glad I was to have their guidance and support. Bella and I were both terrified about caring for our little girl on our own, but eventually we got the hang of it.

10 Years after Graduation

BPOV (Age 28)

"Do we have to go to this?" Edward whined as he stood in front of the mirror tugging on his tie. We were getting ready to head to our ten year high school reunion, and he was less than thrilled. Hell, I didn't really want to go either, but Alice had begged and pleaded, and I had been helpless to say no.

"Yes," I told him, using the same firm voice I used on our six year-old daughter when she whined.

"But—"

"No buts," I told him, a stern look on my face. If I was going to this stupid thing while six months pregnant, he was damned well going to. Checking my watch, I saw that we needed to leave in a few minutes so we had time to drop Libby and Riley off with Edward's parents before heading to the Moose Lodge where the reunion was being held.

We'd moved back to Washington three years ago and had settled in Seattle. I'd gotten a job working as a psychologist at the local hospital, and Edward had gotten a job doing what he loved; teaching P.E., and coaching baseball. After his first year teaching back in Arizona, he'd realized just how much he loved it, and he'd decided not to get his Master's degree. I was fine with his decision as long as he was happy, and he was. He'd had no trouble finding a job in Seattle.

Our parents loved having us so much closer, and to tell the truth, I'd been missing Washington. Something, I didn't think would happen. Now, three years later, we were settled into our live here, had a beautiful home, a gorgeous daughter and son, and another on the way. But I'd told Edward this was the last one. Three was the perfect number of kids, and he agreed. Besides, I didn't want a huge age gap between the kids, and as it was, Libby was six and Riley had just turned three.

Four hours later, we'd dropped the kids off with their Nana and Pops and headed over to the Moose Lodge. I gave a sigh as Edward helped me out of the car and wished I didn't feel like a whale. Edward was constantly telling me how beautiful I was, but there were moments when I didn't believe him. I was having one of those moments as we headed into the lodge.

We walked in the door and found a card table set up with a woman behind it. Her name tag read Bree Tanner, and I couldn't honestly remember her at all. Apparently, she remembered Edward though, and I let out a growl as she blatantly ogled him. Did she not see his pregnant wife right beside him?

"Oh, my God! Edward Cullen! You haven't changed a bit!" she squealed, and I smirked as he let out a wince.

She dug through the name tags on the table and handed his to him, her hand lingering far too long for my liking.

"Easy, tiger," Edward whispered in my ear as he took his hand in mine. I took a deep breath and calmed myself before turning to Bree and giving her my name. She looked a bit put out when I mentioned my name was Bella Cullen.

"Did you go to school here?" she asked as she looked through the name tags. I informed her had and gave her my maiden name. Seconds later, I was handed a name tag that read Bella Swan. Asking to borrow her pen, I scratched out Swan and wrote Cullen. I was damn well marking my territory.

Handing Bree's pen back to her, Edward and I then headed into the bar area where I was assaulted by Alice. She and Jasper were still living in New York. Alice had worked her ass off to become a designer, and she was doing well for herself. Jasper had gotten a degree in art history and museum science and worked at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. They had a two year-old daughter named Mia, and she was a carbon copy of Alice. It was almost frightening.

The four of us sat around catching up for a bit when Alice told me she'd talked to Rose earlier in the day. Rose and Emmett lived in San Francisco and owned an auto shop that catered to wealthy clientele. They'd applied to adopt a little boy, and Alice told us that the adoption had finally gone through and was being finalized. I'd have to call them when we got home to congratulate them.

"Bella? Oh, my gosh, it is you!" a voice squealed from behind me, and I turned to find Jessica standing near my chair. We'd kept in touch for a couple of years after graduating but eventually, we'd lost touch.

"Hey, Jessica," I said, standing up to give her a hug.

"Holy shit! You're pregnant!" she shouted, causing me to cringe a bit. I'd forgotten how annoyingly loud she could be at times. "Is this your first baby?"

Edward and I shook our heads, and I informed her it was our third. Her eyes practically bugged out of her head. Edward being the proud daddy that he was, pulled out his phone and showed off pictures of Libby and Riley to Jessica.

"You two make beautiful babies," she said with a sigh, and I heard a bit of envy in her voice.

As the night went on, we learned that Jessica had taken over the diner and was in the middle of a nasty divorce. She'd ended up marrying Mike Newton a few years ago, but she'd caught him cheating on her with none other than Lauren. To tell the truth, I wasn't all that surprised. Apparently, Mike was still working at his parents store and had moved back in with them after Jessica had kicked him out.

After a while, Jessica left to go catch up with some other people, and as the four of us sat there, I realized we didn't fit in, and I was okay with that. We stayed for a few more hours before deciding to leave, and I told Edward that the whole night had felt like a waste of time. A few people had come over to talk and say hello, but it was mainly guys from the baseball team who wanted to catch up with Edward.

Before we got in our cars to leave, I gave Alice a hug and told her I'd see her the next day. She and Jasper were staying at Mom and Dad's for a few days before heading back to New York, and I wanted to spend some time with them. Edward and I were going to spend the weekend at Esme and Carlisle's with the kids, and then we'd go home on Sunday.

Esme and Carlisle were still up when we arrived, and we sat around talking for a little while. Before heading up to the guest room, we stopped to check in on our kids. Riley had claimed Edward's old room as his own, thinking it was super cool to sleep in his daddy's room, and I let out a giggle when I spotted our boy. He was lying crossways, his head hanging off the bed, and it didn't look comfortable at all. With a grin, I stepped into the room, and doing my best not to wake him, I picked Riley up and tucked him in under the covers.

I brushed a hand over his dark brown hair and pressed a kiss to his head. He looked so much like his daddy. Crazy hair, big green eyes, and his daddy's grin. I felt Edward's hand rest gently on my back as he too leaned over to give our boy a kiss.

Cracking the door so it was partially shut, we headed across the hall to Libby's room. She was cuddled up with her stuffed armadillo, a gift from her Uncle Emmett. I didn't know where he'd found that thing, but she'd loved it and had named it Lily. With a small sigh, I took a moment to just take her in. She was growing much too fast for my liking, and I still had a hard time believing that she was in first grade.

After we gave her kisses and tucked her in, Edward and I retired to our room and settled in for the night. I let out a little groan as I crawled into bed, my back hurting and our son kicking my bladder.

"He's active tonight," Edward commented, his hand resting on my belly to feel his son's kicks.

"Yeah," I said with a sigh, knowing I wouldn't get much sleep while he was wiggling around and kicking.

Surprisingly though, I did manage to sleep and was woken up to the sounds of little giggles coming from the side of the bed.

"Shh, Riley. You'll wake Mommy," I heard Libby say.

Cracking an eye open, I found my two little monsters next to the bed staring at me. I had to admit it always creeped me out a bit the way they would just stand there and stare.

"Morning, loves," I said with a sleepy voice. "Where's your daddy?"

"Makin' breafast," Riley told me. "He said to it's time to eat."

We spent the remainder of the weekend hanging out with our families and catching up. The drive back to Seattle on Sunday was full of tears and whining. Neither child wanted to leave their grandparents and aunt and uncle. I was pretty sure I'd been told I was a mean mommy more than once, but I didn't take it too seriously because the minute we arrived home, the kids ran to the backyard and began playing on the swing set. The joys of being young.

It took less than nine hours for Mason Carlisle Cullen to make his appearance into the world, and I was extremely grateful. Out of all my labors, this had been the shortest and least painful of them all. But oh boy, he had a powerful set of lungs. I swore, from the moment he was born until we got him home, he didn't stop crying or hollering. It was going to be a fun first few weeks.

Libby was thrilled to have another little brother to boss around, but Riley wasn't so sure about Mason. As far as Riley was concerned, Mason was too loud and smelly, and he couldn't do anything which made him boring. I held back a snicker at Riley's little rant and knew it was only a matter of time before he learned to like his little brother.

And, I was right. By the time, Mason was two, he and Riley were thick as thieves and more often than not, Riley was getting Mason into trouble. I sometimes felt bad for Libby being not only the oldest, but the only girl, so I made sure that we had girl dates once in a while. But, Libby was very much a daddy's girl. I knew Edward would do anything for his little girl.

I still found it hard to believe that Edward and I had been together for thirteen years. I had never really believed that I would find my one true love while in high school, but I had, and there wasn't a day that went by that I wasn't grateful. We had a strong, solid marriage; not that we didn't have our tiffs and arguments, but we always talked it through.

Squeals coming from the backyard interrupted my musings, and I smiled as I watched my husband and children having a water fight. My life might not have been perfect, but it was pretty damn close, and I couldn't ask for more.

a/n: And, that's all she wrote. Thanks for coming along for the ride! I've had a blast writing this story, and I can't thank you all enough for the love and support you've given me.