Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight related. L.J. Smith and the CW get the Vampire diaries, but the rest is all us!

EPILOGUE - Swan Song

I took the stars from my eyes, and then I made a map,
I knew that some how, I could find my way back,
Then I heard your heart beating, you were darkness too,
So I stayed in the darkness with you,
The stars, the moon, They have all been blown out,
You left me in the dark, No dawn, no day,
I'm always in the twilight, In the shadow of your heart,
Cosmic Love by Florence & The Machine

I was stirring from a deep sleep; at least I hoped I was. This couldn't have bled over into my dreams like it was. It had been over two months since the visit from the Volturi and things had changed so much. The Cullens, figuring it was time to move to avoid suspicion had chosen a location close to Mystic Falls, and we had a plague of shape shifting wolves coming and going in the house. It was like a huge dysfunctional family and everyone was actually happy. Well, with the exception of Edward who was apparently still hunting the elusive Victoria.

Sometimes though, people were too happy, and this was my source of discord this morning.

"Does he have to do that?" Damon grumbled, pulling a pillow over his head while managing to slip a quick grope in there with it.

"I guess he does," I sighed, sitting up and pulling my knees to my chest waiting for what was coming.

"SWEEEEEEEEET CAROLINE . . ."

"DUN DUN NUH," I joined in, laughing as Embry's chuckle came back at me.

Damon threw the pillow at the back of my head and pulled me into his arms. His lips brushed against mine and moved down to my throat making my whole body tingle.

"Why do you insist on encouraging him?"

I traced my finger down his nose and over his lips and grinned at him.

"He's in love, I get it."

"But every morning?"

"You want me to find a Damon song?" I cooed as my hands ran over his shoulder and down his back. "So I can drown him out?"

"Oh, I think we have other ways of drowning him out, baby."

He pushed against my body rolling me onto my back as his hand dipped between the two of us. If I'd known that we'd be so incorrigible, I would have given into him a lot sooner. I just couldn't seem to get enough of him.

Things weren't perfect by any stretch of the imagination but I was happy. The two of us bickered like a couple that had been married for sixty years, but it always ended up with us somewhere, screwing like rabbits. I think everyone in the house had seen our asses at one point or another. They soon figured out that hearing us bitch at one another meant avoiding hunting us down for at least two hours after the fact.

I was still working on my final semester at college, and I was nervous about our pit stop in Italy on the world tour that was supposed to follow, but I hoped things would be all right. I didn't want to be a lab rat for the Volturi. The Cullen's had apparently called their friend Eleazar who had been able to find particular gifts and asked him what that meant. He was just as interested as Jane had been, he'd never heard of a shield in a half breed, especially not one that could project to others.

Carlisle himself had been doing research with his seemingly unlimited resources. He'd never heard of a half breed with a gift and it interested him. He had me experiment with Alice and Jasper to see if I could block them but they seemed to manage to penetrate the shield every time which led him to believe it was more mental than physical.

Thankfully, Elena had managed to convince her witchy friend Bonnie to create a ring for me. I was able to go outside during the day with no problems. I could see why Damon loved tormenting her so much. Out of Elena's friends I think she was possibly the most annoying. She moped constantly. Damon loved to mess with her, especially now her little witch powers couldn't penetrate the shield thing I had. It had become second nature for me to protect him when she was around.

Embry pretty much lived with us, he went back to the reservation at least one week out of the month, but without Caroline he was pretty much useless, he was constantly worrying about her. It seemed that imprinting meant that the suspected danger was constantly around the corner. I couldn't deny what they had though; they were cute together. For him, it was gravitational; she was the pull for him. He revolved around her. For Caroline it was love, she trusted him implicitly and was always conscience of his presence. They were nothing like Damon and I.

I learned pretty quickly that Damon liked to antagonize everyone. When he and I were alone together he was everything I needed him to be, but in the grand scheme of things he hadn't changed much for everyone else. Of course Elena's defense was to threaten him with me, she and I had become somewhat friends. She seemed to be like I had been, if there was a threat or danger, Elena seemed to be smack in the middle of it. I sometimes felt like Velma from Scooby Doo, because we researched – a lot.

Currently, there was a werewolf sect after her to break their curse. Carlisle had called them 'Children of the Moon' they were apparently quite rare and were true werewolves, which gave them the form of gray wolves rather than they giant shape-shifting beasts that lived with us.

"Earth to Princess."

I gasped as Damon pushed against me making my breath stutter from my lungs.

"Are you with me?"

I nodded as he unsheathed his fangs and ran them along my shoulder making a shiver of lust roll down my spine.

"Where were you? I may have to kill it."

I laughed breathily and let my hips buck gently as he worked his magic. My man had magic hands, that's the only way I could describe the way he worked.

"Tell me," he growled, hitting one of the many spots he'd discovered along the way.

"I was thinking," I stuttered as his fangs moved over my shoulder and toward my chest. "How insatiable we are."

"That's a bad thing?" he asked as his fingers trailed down my thighs, nudging them further apart.

"No," I growled, pushing him to his back with my strength. I straddled his thighs and ran my finger along his length watching him twitch. I loved having the power to affect him that way.

I gripped him gently and worked my hand, watching his ice blue eyes slide shut and his hands massaged my thighs. My mind didn't usually wonder during foreplay with him, but he'd seemed to have caught me in a nostalgic moment.

His hips bucked gently as I worked, his unsheathed fangs dented the skin of his bottom lip as he fell away in the moment. I loved watching the satisfaction smooth the lines of his face, the feel of his fingers digging into the skin of my body as he got carried away.

I knew when he got close, he sat up his eyes lighter than normal as his hands gripped my hips and pulled me to him. We joined with one another in a series of breaths and moans and I was lost to the feel of him as we moved together. My fingers tangled in his dark hair as we moved, my senses seemed to feel him everywhere as we both reached the edge and fell together.

Damon collapsed back taking me with him. He studied me carefully, his hands pushing my hair behind my ear gently as he watched the smile on my lips grow. This was my Damon, the one no one else got to see. The one I had all to myself. I pressed my lips against his and giggled, I had always loved his reaction to that.

"Sweet Caroline," Embry sang as he passed by the door, and Caroline's sing song laughter followed.

Damon growled below me. "Please, let me hurt him just once?"

"No," I grinned, "but I will get him back for this. Jake and the guys are coming to visit."

"You're evil in the sexiest way possible."

"Paul is going going to enjoy this," I confirmed as Damon rolled me onto my back and nibbled at the flesh on my neck.

My phone chirped from the night stand and I couldn't help the small sigh that escaped. It seemed this small moment was over for now. I grinned up at Damon as I shifted to reach for my phone.

"I swear, I am going to stalk Alice and call her while she and her man are at it."

I let out another giggle which made Damon groan and bury his face into my neck as I peered at the screen of my phone over his shoulder.

It wasn't Alice at all.

"What does she want?"

"It's not Alice."

I clicked the screen and opened the text so I could view the whole thing.

Bells, it's dad. Was fishing on the res with Billy, ran into Jacob. Said he's coming to see you soon. I bought tickets, I will see you soon pumpkin. Love you, Dad.

"Shit fuck," I groaned wanting to throw my phone across the room. This wasn't good. Charlie was coming to visit. I still hadn't told him I had given up my apartment or that I was currently living with my boyfriend an hour away from campus, nor did I tell him that I was finishing out the semester through correspondence because I was a fucking vampire.

"What? Who was it?"

Damon rolled from his place half covering me and watched as I tried to wrap my head around this cluster fuck. Maybe if I'd had the foresight to mention I'd met someone this wouldn't be such a surprise. I'd been biding my time, putting it off until I knew how to explain it. I knew he'd want to meet Damon.

"Bella? You're pale even for a vampire, what the fuck has you spooked?"

"My dad," I muttered, sitting up and pulling the sheet over my naked chest.

Damon looked uncomfortable for a second, I knew he didn't like things that really played on emotions. He couldn't bite back with sarcasm and that made him feel useless. "Is he . . . I mean is he okay?"

"Oh he's fine," I said hysterically, turning to look at Damon. "He's coming to visit!"

Damon

The fuck?

Her father? The same chief of police, gun-toting, overprotective poppa bear?

Apparently so. Wolves I could handle. Volturi? Been there done that.

Parents? Well, moms, sure, but dads? Never.

"Princess, you think there's any way we could just pretend I don't exist for this little visit?" She rolled her eyes and snorted.

"Charlie's a pushover."

"To you, maybe! You're his little angel. To him, I am the devil who stole his daughter's virtue! He's going to shoot me in the dick!" I cupped myself gently. "I will miss you, old friend."

Bella laughed. Loudly.

"He's not going to shoot you! But oh my Lord that was hilarious! Make sure you do that again next time Emmett comes to visit! As a matter of fact, do it again now! I'll send it to him in a text!" She pulled out her phone and I lunged at her.

Yep, that ended up with us going at it like rabbits… again.

It had been two weeks since Charlie Swan decided to come for a visit and the day itself had finally arrived. Bella still hadn't told him that we were living together, something that she had promised me she would "take care of". That turned into "he will take it better in person when he can see how happy we are together".

Bella had gotten much better at dealing with her bloodlust so we (she) decided to pick them up at the airport.

"Daddy!" Bella squealed as a man with her eyes and a fuckawesome porn stache appeared. I never took Bella for the "daddy" type, and chalked it up to her being excited to seeing her dad after so long.

"Hey, Bells," he spoke in a gruff voice as he hugged her tightly. "I missed you kiddo."

"I missed you too, old man."

"What? No love for me?" Jake and his little woman appeared around the corner and Bella greeted them both with a hug and a kiss. The girls talked about me and did a bit of giggling and Jake reached out to shake my hand. I was just thankful that the rest of the pack weren't coming in for a few more days. Less people to witness my humiliation and eventual castration by firearm.

"Good luck, man. Charlie has no idea about you." I groaned and rolled my eyes.

"Uh, Bells? Who is this?" Charlie pointed in my direction and frowned.

Goodbye, dear dick of mine, we have had some wonderful years together.

"This is Damon. My boyfriend." He eyeballed me, but nothing too terrible. "We live together."

Yep that did it. I'm going to die. She's killed me, I just know it.

"I'm sorry, Bells, can you run that by me again? Did you say live together?" I cringed and Jake chuckled.

"Yes, we live together. Now, let's head to the car so we can get you settled in," Bella offered lightly and began walking. I could feel Charlie's eyes on the back of my head.

"Uh-huh, settled in my ass," he mumbled.

The drive to the house was filled with the girls chattering. I looked in the rearview mirror to see Charlie staring at me. His expression told me that we had some talking to do. I kept telling myself that it was a good thing; that I had something I needed to discuss with him, but for some reason that man scared the shit out of me. Possibly because I had never had a "meet the parents" moment. Why couldn't it have been Bella's mother? I was good with women. And if all else failed I could have used compulsion. Something told me that Bella's gift came from her stoic father, so it would be no use on him.

When we finally reached the manor I hoped to escape, but Charlie decided that he wanted me to be the one to show him to his room. Alone.

"Be nice," Bella warned him and I gulped. Jake was still chuckling and I gave him the finger. I could have sworn I saw Charlie's mustache twitch with the beginnings of a smile, but he quickly recovered.

"So," he began once I opened the door to his room, "I am going to risk sounding like an old fart and ask you what your intentions are with my little girl."

Do not say something perverted. Do not say something perverted.

"Well, sir, I was hoping to talk to you about that once I got to know you a little better."

"Now is fine, and cut the 'sir' business. You don't look like the polite type." I gulped knowing that he had me pegged. I saw where my princess got her observation skills as well.

"All right. Here it is. I'm an asshole. I've always been an asshole and I'll probably always be an asshole."

"Asshole. I get it. Move on, son." I smirked and so did he.

"My life has been a pretty dark place and Bella saved me from allowing it to get even darker. She makes me want to be better… mostly. But the thing is that she accepts me and loves me anyway. I've learned the hard way how quickly life can change, and I plan to ask Bella to marry me."

That seemed to shock him, but he recovered quickly.

"My little girl isn't the marrying type. Good luck with that."

"Does this mean that I have your permission, sir?" I asked hopefully.

"What did I say about that sir crap? Anyway, if you're going to be my son-in-law you should call me Charlie." Relief washed over me and I could have hugged him.

"Shit. I'm glad that's over with. Anyone ever told you that you're a scary mother fucker?" I asked and he laughed long and hard. I saw so much of my princess in him at that moment.

"I have been told that a time or two, just not quite so eloquently," he responded once his laughs had died down to chuckles. "Now, kid, you point me in the direction of a TV that has ESPN and some beer and we'll be square."

"Well, I'm more of a scotch man myself, but I'll see what I can rustle up. And have you ever watched ESPN on a 60 inch TV?" His eyes lit up like a Christmas tree and I knew that I had him hooked.

I woke up the next morning with Bella in my arms and hearing Embry sing that fucking song for the thousandth time. My princess' quiet giggle made me smile and I went about my daily routine of bitching about the singing. My life had never been so simple, and I had never been so happy. Sure we still had the Volturi to deal with, but Carlisle had assured us that they would accompany us when the time came and that everything would be fine. The pixie apparently had a vision that solidified it. And I was sure that Doucheward would be back at some point to try and stake a claim, but my girl wasn't going anywhere because I wasn't going to give her a reason to. In fact, I planned on giving her a very good reason to stick around forever.

Tonight. My forever will begin tonight… if I can get her to say yes.

Sabi'sSookie: *sniffles* I can't believe it's already over! Wow! I mean, it seems like just yesterday that Nostalgicmiss and I were saying "I wonder what would happen if an older, wiser, more jaded Bella met up with Damon's sarcastic, crazy, hot ass!". So, this is what the characters came up with, and I hope you guys all enjoyed reading it as much as we have enjoyed writing it! You guys have overwhelmed me with all your support and I want to thank every person who alerted, favorite, reviewed, or just took the time to read! You are all amzing!

Nostalgicmiss, my sister from another mister, you are the best friend, co-author, pre-reader, and all around bad ass chick around! Writing with you has been beyond amazing and I am so honored to share so much with you! Just remember me when you're famous and rubbing elbows with the hot actors cast to make your book into a movie! I love you, girl! MUAH

Nostalgicmiss: Just so we're clear, I have had Sweet Caroline stuck in my head for the longest time and I totally blame Embry for that! Man, I can't believe this is it, Done, finished, over! It's a bittersweet moment for me and I'm sure it's the same for Sabi! I'm just sorry that FFn went fail these last couple weeks! It's funny how the whole thing started, both of us had a need for these two to get together and started talking and that was it. I don't think there was any way we couldn't have done it!

Thank you to every one of you that have read this, alerted, and favorited, and of course to all of you that review. Thank you so much for giving us a chance and letting us know what you think. All of you have been amazingly supportive and I've had an amazing time hearing y our thoughts on these crazy characters. There are no words for how much I love you guys. Thank you!

Sabi, you are an amazing and talented woman that I am constantly in awe of. You're my best friend, I am so blessed to have the privilege of saying that. Thank you for allowing me to pre-read your amazing stories and for letting me be a part of the process. You have an amazing mind and an amazing talent, and I know you're going to go far! This whole process has been so amazing, writing with you has been a dream and I wouldn't trade this in for the world. Thank you for everything and for being the amazing person you are! I love you hunnie! MWAH

No more spotlights coming down from heaven
It's a goodbye, it's curtains down time
Not even out of my dress
And already my voice is fading
Goodbye my dear
(Goodbye)
And in to the big sleep
The Big Sleep - Bat For Lashes