A/N: I dedicate this epilogue to my beta Bree. She has been stuck with me through all of it. Thank you for your patience, Bree. I wouldn't have been able to do this without you.

Epilogue

In northern Montana, almost on the Canadian border, there was a log cabin. It was remote, and no one knew that it was there. No humans anyway. The cabin was small, just two rooms, but it was enough. A huge bed, the only real excess in this little home in the woods, occupied the bedroom. Bella laid in this bed, staring out the window. Jasper's head was resting on her shoulder. Her hair was spread on the pillows, and the sheets were crumpled around them. The only sound was some birds outside and their own breathing. She was very happy.

Jasper snaked his arm around her waist and kissed her neck softly. "What are you thinking of, darlin'? Your emotions are as sweet as honey."

She smiled and met his gaze. "Of you, of course. And of how happy I am. The fact that I get to keep you forever makes me warm inside." She held up her hand and looked at her wedding band. It was a golden band with rubies in a line—very simple, very elegant, very her.

Jasper took her hand and kissed the ring. Then he looked at the clock that was on the wall.

"We should get going, love. Or we won't be there until next month."

She laughed and buried her hands in his golden hair, pulling his face to her and kissing him deeply. "You are right. We really should. Jake will be pissed if we don't come. We did promise."

He looked at her, his beautiful wife, his equal in every way. "We can always come back here afterwards."

"I'm counting on it."

Jake stepped outside as he heard the big jeep make its way toward the house. The car came into view, and he waved at them. Bella was driving, and Jasper was in the passenger seat. She parked to the side of the yard, stepped out, and then Jake caught her in a big hug.

"Welcome, Bella. It's good you see you again."

He had a huge grin on his face, and Bella returned it.

"It's good to be back, Jake. How are Billy and Charlie?"

"Out fishing, as usual. No worries. The rest are out back, come on."

Jasper took Bella's hand, and they followed the huge young man around the house. It had been three years since they had been here last, not wanting to trigger anything accidentally by coming too often or staying too long.

In the backyard three barbeques were set up, and the whole pack was there to greet them. Seth was, as usual, the most easy-going of them, hugging both Bella and Jasper. The wolf-girls were there as well, and this time including Emily; she hadn't been able to make it the last time they had been here.

Now she hugged Bella and greeted her eagerly. "I know I'm late, but let me see it!"

Bella laughed at her and held up her hand, showing off her ring.

Emily sighed happily. "It's beautiful, Bella. I'm so happy for you both."

Bella glanced at Jasper with a smirk. "Four years and counting. It's bearable."

Jasper laughed and pulled her to him. "That's not what I heard when we had to get out of bed to get here, darlin'."

Emily laughed at them and dragged them along to introduce them to the new members of the now quite large extended pack-family. There had been more imprints. Seth, Leah and Jake had found their matches since last time, and some of the "older" couples had cubs of their own now. Jake's imprint, a beautiful young woman by the name of Sarah, was heavy with child. It was to be their first, and Bella was very happy for them.

The gathering continued into the night. Some of the toddlers were fascinated with the two vampires. Both Bella and Jasper let the children touch them, only to see them scream in delight and rush back to their parents. After a while, several of the families left, and the party died down. Jasper stood by one of the still glowing barbeques and talked to Sam and Seth, and Bella found herself sitting alone with Jake.

"So," she said and smiled at him. "Sarah seems like a very nice girl. Congratulations."

Jake smiled and took a swig of his beer. "She's amazing, Bells. And to see her like this, with my child … It makes me all soft and mushy. Sam's giving me pain for it, says an Alpha can't be like that."

Bella laughed a soft, low laugh. "Maybe he should have thought about that before he decided to stop phasing and making you Alpha."

"Yeah, maybe. Enough about me, how are you doing?"

Bella shrugged. "Just fine. More than fine, really. I'm wonderful. We haven't quite decided what to do yet, now that we have both graduated. But I couldn't be happier."

Jake took another swig and stared up at the night sky, seeming to be pondering something.

"But he isn't your mate, right?"

"No. You only get one mate. We 'only' love each other." Her smile was brilliant. "For us vampires, love is a very strong thing, it changes us to the core. While the mating is predestined, love is still a very strong bond. And since we both already have met our mates, there is no risk that anyone will take him from me."

Jake nodded slowly. "I remember Edward saying something along those terms. I'm really happy for you, Bells."

They smiled at each other and the stars kept on twinkling above.

Bella and Jasper climbed into the jeep and headed out of the reservation close to midnight. They were both silent, comfortable with each other's company, and feeling a bit nostalgic. Bella drove the old, familiar road back to Forks, passing Charlie's house. The lights were out, so she stopped the car for a few minutes. They sat there, looking at the small yellow house where it had all begun.

Jasper put a hand on her thigh in comfort; he could feel sadness and longing starting to emanate form her. "You miss him," he stated quietly.

"Yes. He's my father, and for those short years I lived with him, he was the best father anyone could have." She sighed and then drove off.

They continued north, and found the driveway, even though it was almost overgrown with brackens and grass. The jeep made it easier as they turned off the highway and continued along the overgrown road. When they reached the clearing, they both got out and silently walked together, hand in hand, up to the small mound that was all that was left of the old house. The forest had claimed the clearing again; shrubbery was shooting up everywhere in the tall grass. The mound was covered in moss and grass, but you could make out some rectangular shapes under it all, traces of what had been. To them, the faint scent of ash still lingered in the air. They stood there for a while, not talking, listening to the familiar sound of the river, their memories conjuring up images from a happy time. Silently they turned and walked back to the car and got in. They drove out to the road again and continued into the night.

A/N: I have some stories lined up, but as of right now I have no idea if I can get a beta for them or not. So bear with me and hang in there, and I will post something as soon as I can.
Thank you to all of you, my dear readers, your support has been wonderful.
Until next time!