A/N:

Of course you guys still had some questions after yesterday's chapter, but that's what this Epilogue is for ;-) Time to tie some knots together!

{Epilogue}

I slowly opened my eyes as the sun streamed through the opening of the hut. Edward's arms enfolded me, and his peaceful face was pressed against my chest.

I smiled and ran my fingers through his hair until he showed the signs of waking up. "Morning, sleepyhead," I said softly.

He glanced up at me, his eyes slowly blinking open. "Does it have to be?"

A small laughed escaped me. "I don't think we get a say in what constitutes 'morning.' The sun has us beat there."

"Does it, though?" he asked me and grinned. He rolled on top of me and showered my face and neck with adoring kisses. "Day doesn't start until we get out of bed, far as I'm concerned. And I'm not ready to leave this bed with you."

I wound my arms around his neck. "In that case, I could use more waking up."

"Yeah? And is this gonna help you?" he asked and started to slowly kiss down my neck and chest, his hands roaming down my body.

"Mmm," I hummed. "It's a nice start..."

Edward tugged playfully at my underwear with his teeth as one of his hands slid between my legs.

"Oh, Edward … keep going," I urged on.

"Don't have to tell me twice," he replied and shifted until he was between my legs and I could wrap them around his waist.

We melted into each other like we always did, no matter how many times we were together, and our sighs of pleasure filled the hut.

Two hours later, we emerged outside, fully dressed, onto the wooden platform outside the hut. Elyys'tel was already bustling with life as the Kaarii prepared for the annual tradition of Niala'rei.

Edward and I happily greeted those we met as we made our way down the tree and headed for the beach where we knew we would find our friends.

A grill had already been set up, and Emmett was happily handing out food to everyone.

Benjamin was tucked under Jacorel's arm, and when he saw us, he raised his bottle high in the air. "Happy Reunion," he called with a wide smile. "Here's to five years!"

Five years indeed. Time passed with incredible speed, however the first year after our return had been a crazy whirlwind that could have been compared to our adventures on El Jardín.

There had been a huge media circus since my friends had been missing for over nine months, but with all of their help, Edward and I had been able to avoid it for the sake of not having to answer questions about who I was, and about his assumed treason. For those reasons alone, he and I had to stay in the shadows a bit longer.

I'd tried to convince him that he and I should have traveled to his family in Louisiana, but he had insisted that he didn't want to see them until he was officially a free man again. Because of that, we hid in motel rooms for months while attempting to gather evidence that would speak of his innocence.

"Edward, look, Cullen's on TV," I said.

"I had more than enough of his face on the island, Princess."

"Just look," I told him and pointed at the screen flashing to a courtroom where Cullen was being restrained by security personnel. His face was slick with sweat and his eyes were wild.

"Don't you understand?!" he yelled. "The crystal people are coming … They're coming for us all!"

I exhaled with relief. "I think the secrets of El Jardín will remain safe."

Edward sat down in the couch next to me and pulled me against him so he could kiss the top of my head. "I only care that you're safe."

Eventually, both of us realized we'd need help, and after talking to Rosalie, she promptly hacked into NCIS's database to see what they had on Edward. It turned out it wasn't much and the evidence they did have was weak and questionable.

Once we knew that, the only thing we could do was let Edward be brought in for questioning, and every single one of our friends promised they'd witness on his behalf.

It wasn't a very drawn out affair. Without McKenzie, there was no one who could manipulate Edward's statements. The documents that had presumably been written by Edward and Jazz and were supposed to prove they had purchased anti-aircraft weapons and provided the Kharzistani government with them were quickly written off as false with a simple handwriting test.

It was more difficult to prove that Jazz was also innocent, but Edward made it clear that his best friend's name would also be cleared if that was the last thing he did.

Then, finally, I was able to persuade him to take me to Louisiana to meet his family. He warned me that Beth would interrogate me mercilessly to make sure I was worthy, but Rosalie did some more of her computer magic and gave me everything I could possibly need for a background story.

His mom had fainted when she saw him but recovered quickly. While his dad accepted me right away, his mom and sister remained cautious, and became even more so when we gave them the news that we were married.

"Edward, I'm disappointed in you," his mom frowned. "You know how long it's been my dream to see my only son marryin' a good girl."

For their sake, although it didn't please the women fully, Edward and I had made our marriage 'official' in the eyes of the State by going to the courthouse and buying a pair of cheap rings, although, we would always see our handfasting ceremony as our real wedding day.

"Does it feel weird to you?" I asked him that night while in bed. His parents had given us their guest room to sleep in while we stayed there.

"What?"

"I know I am as human as anyone else, now, but is it strange to you that I don't have parents; that I wasn't born? I felt so guilty lying to your family and tell them that I'm an orphan."

Edward's arms tightened around me. "I've already told you. Screw the past. You're Bella. My Princess. It's the future with you that I want, not the past."

Everything fell into line. The futures Kaanu had shown me slowly came true, although, of course there were some alterations to them.

Garrett and Kate found their way back to each other, and even though they had missed their senior year at Hartfeld, both of them caught up quickly and started successful careers in football and medicine.

Emmett got his food television show, and to everyone's surprise, he and Rosalie started dating after she and Peter realized they were better off as friends. Emmett also stopped pursuing hallucinogenic drugs, although he still enjoyed partying hard.

Rosalie got a job as a software developer and invented a program that made it easier for solo artists to create music that sounded as authentic as any band.

Peter struggled for a while with confidence issues, but eventually he gathered enough courage to apply for a job at DSE's game studio. They hesitated at first since he didn't have any experience in his resume but when he displayed his never-ending knowledge on video games, the job was his.

Cullen was convicted, receiving several life sentences to be served consecutively, but after only a year, he was found in his cell where he had hung himself. Alistair acquired ownership of El Jardín and Cullen's enterprise empire as he stood as Cullen's only heir. He asked Leah if she wanted to become his partner, but she declined. She'd had enough of Cullen and was ready to return to Tobago and her uncle.

Tanya and Alistair moved in together shortly after that, and Tanya found her passion in her mathematical paintings.

Victoria was declared a medical wonder and became a worldwide motivational speaker, but instead of starting her own foundation, she started cooperating with already existing ones and always encouraged people to donate to medical science.

Benjamin was the one who struggled the most with being back in America. Every day he missed Jacorel more, and he started to revert back into himself. I reminded him of the future he had as a bestselling author, but he said that didn't matter anymore because the love of his life couldn't share the success and happiness with him.

That was when I suggested to Alistair to have the cellphone towers repaired on El Jardín. At first he was reluctant since the resort had been closed and the island had become a reservation for the rare flora and fauna that resided there, and repairing the towers would cause questions. However, when I told him it was for Benjamin's sake, he relented.

Benjamin moved to El Jardín once everything was repaired, and from there he could work on his book while still being with Jacorel. Occasionally, he flew back to the mainland to hold lectures, but he was happiest on the island.

And every year, around the time of Niala'rei, all of us flew back to there to reunite with the Kaarii for a few days of sun, beautiful handfasting ceremonies, good food, and games.

The day at the beach came to an end, everything wound down, and we all gathered around a roaring bonfire while watching the sunset.

"I want to make a toast," Victoria announced and we all lifted our own drinks. "It feels so good to be back on El Jardín, knowing that we can just enjoy ourselves with our friends, without anything chasing us, and nothing to worry about." She grabbed the pair of ancient dog tags she had around her neck in her hand. They were James' and they had been mysteriously sent to her about six months after we first returned to America. "While there are people we miss and wish we could get back, I am happier than ever that I have all of you."

Edward fingered the extra dog tags he had around his neck. The dog tags that had belonged to Jazz. After his name had been cleared, he had visited Jazz's family and they had insisted that he keep them.

"I never thought my life would be so peaceful," Victoria continued and then locked eyes with me. "I also want to toast for Bella. Without her, who knows where we'd be today."

I blushed and snuggled tighter against Edward's side, and he kissed the top of my head.

"I guess this is the closest you can ever get to paradise," Alistair said as he lovingly gazed at Tanya, and the baby boy she had in her arms.

All of us gathered closer together and faced the radiant horizon and watched it slowly disappear, knowing that everything would still be alright the next day.

THE END

A/N:

Okay, wow, this is it! It's over. The story has been marked complete.

I am amazed at the amazing support I've received from each one of you guys, even though most of you haven't been particularly vocal, I still know your guys have been silently reading on and keeping with the story, and I want you to know that you mean equally as much as those who review! Love you!

There are some of you who've stuck with me from the very beginning, and I can't even express how much it means to me that you've stayed with me through the entire journey.

Shoutout to a few very special people! You guys were the ones who kept me going!

ChristyWIX, debslmac, suzy 2010, Alice's White Rabbit, grandmachix, RoryCullen, and sujari6

Also a huge shoutout to my beta, SarcasticBimbo! Thank you for going through this insanely wordy story with me! I love you so much

So many kisses and hugs your way, everyone!

And as always,

Stay Awesome