Disclaimer- The plot belongs to me. Everything else belongs to S. Meyer.

AN- sorry that this chapter is short. This is the last chapter. This could be even considered as an epilogue, I suppose.

This chapter is dedicated with all my love to every single person who read this story from beginning to end, and liked it.

CHAPTER 20

Two years later

I took a sip from my drink, looking at my watch. I was early, I knew. But it was my first date with him, and being early was better than being late. Or maybe not. Wasn't there some saying about being fashionably late? My mind wandered to the first time he had asked me out- yesterday.

We had both been lying on our bed, cuddled together. I was sleepy after making love, and he was drawing patterns on my cheek with his long fingers.

"Have I ever told you that you have sexy fingers?" I asked him.

"A couple thousand times. But you can say it again if you like," he replied, grinning lazily.

I was just about to drift off to sleep when he suddenly said, "Sam told me he was going to ask Emily out tomorrow."

"Took him long enough," I muttered. Sam was Edward's old roommate. He had lived with Sam for a few months after moving to Washington to go to college. I had been living with Alice then- we go to the same college. My major is English, while Edward's is music. We get together with Em, Rose and Jasper every weekend- they go to a college a little further away from ours. Jasper and Alice are even more in love with each other than they were in high school. Em and Rose are now officially together. At some pleading by me and Em, and even Alice and Edward, she had started going to see Carlisle. It had really helped her, and she was planning to be a psychiatrist one day. She was also slowly getting over her fear of sex.

What had really helped Rosalie was telling everyone about what James had done to her. She had been running for student body president, and had announced it in front of the entire school. She urged other girls who had had similar experiences to come forward, and a girl did. She had been raped by her cousin.

The entire school turned against James after that- they all believed Rose, specially as I had said the same thing about James earlier. I did feel a pang of jealousy that they didn't give her the hard time they gave me, but I was happy, too, that she didn't have to go through anything worse. Almost everyone in school came to me to apologize.

Soon after that, Leah, a girl who went to school in La Push, came to visit me and told me that James had raped her, too. She wanted to stay silent about it- she had just come to me because she wanted to share how broken she felt with some one who had gone through the same thing, but Edward had pleaded with her to come with me and Rose to the police station, as he felt we had enough people to make them believe our story.

We had no idea how word went out about what Edward was pleading Leah to do- we suspected an ex- boy friend of hers for ratting us to James, but James, along with six other friends, caught Edward as he was coming home alone one day, and beat him enough for him to be hospitalized, with the warning that if he didn't stop trying to make Leah admit what happened, the next time he would end up dead.

But even though I begged him numerous times to just forget it, he didn't, especially as James had begun leering at me whenever I passed him in the hall way. No amount of begging from me could stop Edward, and the only thing I could do was make sure that I, along with Emmett and Jasper, went with him wherever he went. Of course, Emmett and Jasper meant Rose and Alice, too, and in the end, Rose played a huge part in convincing Leah to go to the police.

After weeks of pleading and reasoning, we went to the police station to file a case against James. All three of us, and even Edward and Carlisle testified in court against James, and we won. Since James had just turned 18, he was sent to prison.

Soon after that, Edward, thanks to my tutoring and his brains, managed to scrape enough marks not only to graduate, but to go to college as well. He and Emmett slowly became best friends, as well as considering them selves brothers.

Coming back to Sam, Edward's old roommate- Edward had moved out of that apartment to live with me two months after living separately- which in reality meant sleeping together squashed in a single bed meant for one every night, either in my apartment or his.

It was almost a year since we had come to college now, and we were enjoying living together very much.

Sam, now our mutual friend, had been single for a long time because he couldn't muster the courage to ask out the girl of his dreams- Emily.

"Good to know he finally did it," I told, when Edward was silent. "What are you thinking?" I asked him.

"I just realized that we've never been on a date!"

I frowned. "What? We've gone out together alone a ton of times…"

"But neither of us really ever asked the other out, and… you know, it was never official…"

"It doesn't have to be like that to be a date," I told him, sitting up.

"Yes it does," he had insisted. And then- "Isabella Swan, will you go out with me tomorrow?"

Which was why I was sitting here in this ridiculously expensive restaurant that Edward had selected, one hour early. But then I realized that I wasn't the only over eager fool as I spotted a head of messy auburn hair walking in my direction.

"I thought I was early," he said, looking surprised but happy.

I shrugged, not wanting to tell him that if it wasn't for this rather silly date idea, we both would have met about three hours earlier, like we did every day. But no, dates had a time. Which was probably why this was the first time we were going on one. Oh well, at least I had him all to myself now.

"You look amazing," he told me, and I blushed. "You look really great too." He did- enough to make my heart beat faster. Or maybe that was just my natural reaction whenever he was around. But he did look even better than usual- he had obviously made an extra effort- the only benefit of this date. If we were home now, I would pulled him down to the sofa with me, devouring those soft lips…

"Shall we order, then?"

Take your mind out of the gutter, Swan.

I nodded. "Yeah, sure."

"So how was your day?" I asked him, after we ordered. He looked nervous for some reason, I wondered why. He kept running his hand through his hair, a nervous habit of his.

"Good," he answered, looking a bit distracted. "It was good."

"This is romantic," I told him, gesturing to the scented candles and the bowl of water with dark red rose petals floating abundantly on top. "The music, too." it was a soft, foreign tune, played on the violin.

Then I leaned towards him, asking in a whisper, "are you sure we can afford this?"

He laughed. "Relax, Bella. I've got it covered."

Dinner was delicious- I had to admit it was another benefit of the date. We shared a strawberry cheese cake for dessert. As he paid the bill (refusing to tell me the amount, which made me suspect that it was a lot) and we stood up, I found myself wishing the evening wasn't over. I had really enjoyed it, despite my previous thoughts about dates. I was debating with myself whether this was better than staying at home with him when Edward surprised me by suddenly dropping to one knee.

Was he going to tie his shoelace? Or was he- I gasped as he pulled out the most beautiful ring I had ever seen- a ruby surrounded by diamonds.

"I love you more than my life, my Bella. And I want to be with you every day of my life, I want to grow old with you. Will you marry me, and make me the happiest man on earth?"

Tears filled my eyes as I looked at his face, looking so nervous, vulnerable, and hopeful.

"Did you even have to ask?" I asked. "Yes!"

His face broke into a delighted grin, and he jumped up. I offered my finger for him to slip the ring on.

"I love you," I told him, kissing him. I vaguely heard the sound of the musician cheering.

Maybe dating wasn't such a bad idea after all. And it was definitely better than staying at home with him.

AN- I'm sad that this is over. I'm not satisfied with this chapter anyway. I don't have any plans to do a sequel or anything, but that might change, though it's unlikely. If I do put up something connected to this story, however, I'll inform everyone in an AN.

Everyone, please review. You might be someone who read this from the beginning, or someone who read it a long time- even years- after this story was over. Whoever you are, please review. It doesn't matter that this is over- I might consider adding chapters or changing minor details if a lot of reviews ask for it, though it won't be anytime soon. But do know that all your reviews will be read over and over again, and loved, and any advice will be heeded in writing any stories in the future. And I will respond to all of them.

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