A/N: Hi, there! This story has been bugging me for a while, so I decided to go ahead and write it. I've always thought that, even though Jacob imprinted at the end of Breaking Dawn, he still got the short end of the stick, having to live like a monk until Nessie was old enough. I like the idea of the universe waiting until she's an actual adult to bring them together. In this version, they've both been to college, lived on their own, and have some dating experience under their belts, so they're ready for and can fully appreciate what they have. There will be some adult language and situations, so this story is best for adults 18+.

Thank you for reading! If you have time, I'd love to know your thoughts on this timing!

e·vent ho·ri·zon

noun

~a theoretical boundary around a black hole beyond which no light or other radiation can escape.

~a point of no return.

- from

Prologue: Jacob Black

You never wake up and think, this is the day my life changes forever. You just get up, get dressed, expect just another day, and then…WAM! You meet a girl on a beach, or you change into a werewolf. Or the girl you love chooses someone else, turns into an animated corpse and disappears.

That was twenty years ago. Two long decades have passed since my best friend left on a honeymoon she never returned from, not as herself, anyway. I heard things, the stuff of nightmares. That she was pregnant with a demon baby that was killing her from the inside. That she wasn't expected to make it out of this alive. She would change or die. It was all the same to me.

She called, but I never answered. Sam was on the verge of declaring war. They left before that happened, though. The calls eventually stopped coming, and she was just…gone.

I'd heard from my dad, over the years, that Bella and Charlie kept in touch. Charlie had a granddaughter. The circumstances were strange, he knew, but he chose to remain ignorant of the facts as long as Bella seemed happy. Sometimes she visited, sometimes they flew Charlie out to God knows where to visit them. He didn't see her as often as he would like to, but they talked on the phone almost every day.

I avoided these conversations as much as possible, but there were things I couldn't help overhearing.

The overwhelming pain eased, over the years, to a dull ache. I occupied myself with setting goals and working my ass off to achieve them.

With no vampires around, we could take turns going off to college. I'm a mechanical engineer now. Brady moved in with Billy to look out for him while I was gone. One day, when Billy no longer needs me, I'll move away from the reservation and put my degree to real use. In the mean time, restoring classic cars keeps the bills paid.

This morning, I woke up in the bedroom I grew up in, looked out the window, at my diploma hanging on the wall, at my smartphone on the bedside table. No messages. It's Sunday, so the shop is closed. I planned to do the grocery shopping for the week and catch up on laundry. Just an ordinary day.

You never wake up and think, this is the day my life changes forever. Then you meet a girl in the woods and, WAM! Everything is changed; everything is different. You're different.

Today, I met Renesmee Cullen.