Epilogue

Isabella thought this day was never going to come as she stood alongside her sire on the front porch of the house they have been living in for the last year.

And what a year it had been.

She had no idea there was so much she had missed out on, that there was so much to learn about this life she had. There was a never ending itinerary of lessons and skills that needed to be imparted to her that she was positive that even with the forever she had, she would never get to end. Everyday was a learning experience. There was always something new. There was always room for improvement. What she had once thought to be a perfect creature turned out to be anything but.

She had seen first hand that they do make mistakes and made messes that could rival any human. Vampires had perfect recall but their foresight sucked. They didn't always make the right choice when presented with more than one option. There were many times over the last year that she knew that Peter wanted to kill her due to poor choices made by not thinking shit through. Of the last three hundred and sixty-five days she spent three hundred and twelve of them grounded.

Peter didn't take the daddy role lightly.

Isabella looked up at him, a slight smile on her face. Sure, he had been an asshole for the most part, but she also knew it was for good reason. She had been a brat for the first month of the separation with Jasper, not knowing how to handle it because she had never had too before. She wasn't used to having to control herself or her emotions. She didn't know what it was like to feel the full effect of her bloodlust for extended periods of time. The only thing she knew how to do on her own the day Jasper left was control her strength. Other than that, she was more or less a year and a half old newborn with life experience.

Peter had been patient with her, but that didn't mean that he put up with any bullshit from her. He was the same point blank blunt asshole that he had always been. However, he still took care on how he handled her and her tantrums when she was angry or hungry, working with on her on how to come out of the rage that both induced. He never starved her, but he did push her to be able to go longer without feeding. At this point, she was able to go nearly two weeks without feeding and still be around humans. Her eyes darkened on day ten and she would drool a little come day twelve, but she didn't try and attack until day thirteen. She still had a way to go, but within a year, Peter was happy with the progress so she was too.

The hardest part, at least for her, was learning to control her gift. It was almost like Peter and his intuition. It seemed like it had a life of its own and couldn't be controlled. It was always the most potent when she wasn't actively trying to use it or when it was a situation that she couldn't get out of without it. After nearly two solid months of trying to force its submission to her will, Peter had given up on that front and took a different approach. He would purposely put her in fucked up situations and watch as she tried to talk herself out of it.

It only didn't work once and Peter ended up having to come to her rescue. To this day she was still amazed that that altercation didn't come to blows. She also wasn't wholly convinced that he himself didn't have a form of the Gab Gift with how he talked himself out of that one. The other dude was pissed.

Outside of those few things she was still working on, she had learned the basics of tracking her meal and how to dispose of it. She had learned everything she needed to know about the different territory markers so she didn't have another issue like that one time. It wasn't easy and it certainly didn't come naturally. It was really hard most of the time to tell the difference between an active nomad territory and one that wasn't. There was more than once that she couldn't tell if the nomad had moved on or not. Most of the time all it took was an a quick word with Peter and that was that. Other times she needed to talk herself out of it, and once Peter nearly ended up in a territory war. He had taken it all in stride though, stepping in only when needed and letting her learn on her own.

The shittest part of this was that she wasn't allowed contact with Jasper to tell him of her progress. She was proud of her accomplishments and wanted to share them with him, but Peter refused to let her call him. The point of this was for her to learn to do things on her own and Peter knew good and damn well that Jasper would have taken any phone call to mean that she wasn't able to do this and thus undoing everything by showing up.

What Isabella didn't know, however, was that Peter himself was keeping Jasper updated on her milestones. Once a month there would be a call that Peter would excuse himself to take and she never thought to ask him who it was, figuring that it was Charlotte and not caring enough to get confirmation.

Also, over the last year, Peter and Isabella had gotten a lot closer. There were still times that they got into a fight over this or that that usually ended in a remodel of the house, but they were fewer and farther between now. He also kept his promise to get her a car, sacrificing one of his own to teach her how to drive as a vampire. At first she didn't think there could possibly be that big of a difference, but very quickly found out it was when she put her foot through the floorboard of the car when she hit the brakes too hard.

All in all, for the two of them, it wasn't a horrible experience. A lot was accomplished over the last year and, now that Isabella was more confident and self reliant, together they would tackle the issues that came with being mated at such a young age. Peter had promised her that he would continue to be there to guide her and keep her on the path she was currently on. He also made sure she knew that that extended to making sure that Jasper didn't overstep the now clearly defined boundaries or undo any of the work that was done in his absence.

Isabella turned back to the drive when there was an engine revved at the gates, a spark of excitement igniting in her gut. Finally, to the second of a year passing, Jasper was back within her sights.

*X*

Just outside the open gates to Peter's house, Jasper pulled over to the side of the road and just sat there for a time, letting the fact he was finally going to see his mate again wash over him. While he had been extremely busy over the last twelve months with getting everything set up for the great reveal to the humans, he had felt her absence every second of that time. He missed her and couldn't wait to have her back in his arms where she belonged.

There wasn't a moment that she wasn't on his mind, that she didn't takeover his thoughts. It didn't matter what he was doing, she was there to haunt him. The last time he saw her the scent and feel of her fear and sadness over the way things had to go tortured him. He had meant what he said before he left, that changes were needed, but he had been left wondering if that was enough to calm her. He hadn't stayed to find out, didn't know the way his words of parting affected her.

He had actually been surprised when Peter took his first call, but not at all when he was denied the chance to speak with her. Peter had no problems with answering his question about how she was doing, but he wouldn't go into her mental state, only on her progress. If Jasper pushed the issue and made a demand to know, Peter would hang up on him and that would be that. He had no idea where the fuck Peter and Bella were until twelve hours ago so there was no chance of him showing up. Peter wouldn't tell him a damn thing that wasn't imperative and Jasper knew that putting forth any effort to find them would be pointless because Peter would know and move them somewhere else.

So, instead of sulking, he did what he was supposed to; focus on and figure out what he truly wanted. It only took once thinking of anyone but Bella in his life to know that was impossible. The mere thought made him ill. Once that was figured out without any doubt, the rest came pretty easy.

A slight breeze blew through the trees, Jasper's eyes sliding closed at the scent of his mate on the air, a purr in his throat. He basked in the aroma for a moment until the watch on his wrist beeped, his eyes snapping open. That was it, time was up. Twisting the throttle on his bike, Jasper revved the engine and shot up the drive to where his mate was waiting.

The moment he saw her it was like the last year never happened, like she hadn't been gone. Pulling to a stop, Jasper cut the engine but didn't dismount. From the corner of his eye he saw Peter standing next to Bella with his arms crossed and a smirk on his face, but it was secondary to his mate. She had his full attention. She was bouncing on the tips of her toes, a wide grin on her face and her red eyes bright as the sun.

When Jasper finally got off his bike, Peter took a half step in front of Bella, keeping her at bay until one thing was confirmed. He cocked a brow at his sire, his head turned a little to the side. He didn't need to say a word, knowing that Jasper knew what the unspoken question was. All Jasper did was nod once slowly, locking eyes with Peter and that was that. Both sides were convinced they were finally on the same page and they were going to stay that way.

The moment Peter moved out of her way, Bella was down the steps and in Jasper's arms, a giggle sounding into the yard as she was spun in a circle. Jasper held her close and tight to his chest, both of them breathing in the other's scent like their lives hung in the balance.

The reunion lasted an eternity but it was over all too soon for them as well. Jasper set Bella back on her feet, looking down at her as she looked at him through her lashes. She had an uncertainty in her that he could understand. He didn't need his gift to know that. He didn't even need his nose to smell it. It was in her eyes.

In them he saw every memory, every moment since Bella's rebirth run through the bloody depths, corresponding emotions making his head spin. They had come a long way in the last two and a half years, and they still had a way to go until things were right between them. However, for the first time in all that time, the eternity in front of them looked a lot brighter than their cloud shrouded past.

Neither one said a word to the other, both knowing it wasn't needed. Though they were not going to forget the path of their past, they weren't going to dwell on it either. What happened then had no bearing on the now. They both changed. They both grew over their time apart. They were both stronger from the separation. Bella learned that she was more than what she had become. Jasper learned that he didn't have to have total control.

As they continued to stare at eachother, they both saw what it was they wanted most. Jasper saw nothing but perfection in Bella and Bella saw the love she desired in Jasper's eyes.

Off to the side, completely forgotten in the moment of reconnection, Peter watched with that same cocky, shit eating grin in place. What he saw when he looked at the pair was what the new world was going to need. He saw the man he has always seen as a God rise from the ashes of icy flames and the Goddess that was always buried deep within his daughter emerge to take her place at his side. From the moment he had first laid eyes on Isabella in that bar he knew what she destined for. All it took was being pushed to the brink of sanity and to be saved by the same one that did it to her.

Every choice and every action had a consequence, be it big or small. As he continued to watch two of the most important people to him face their own, he took a moment to wonder what the ones on the horizon were. There were huge changes coming in the very near future. The only thing left to figure out was...

Could they handle the consequence of change?

*X*

And there it is... in all it's fucked up glory.

If you wanna, put this on your alerts. I have been working on something, and once I finish Soulless, this story will see a... erm... surprise.

See ya then!

~Speklez