Raum

Snare

[2014-03-03] That's all folks. Thank you! Some very kind readers asked me about my (writing) plans. I have a dream: writing some original fiction. Fingers crossed!

Epilogue

Oxford, England

Charlie and Edward sat side by side in the lecture room, waiting for the committee to enter and for the thesis discussion to begin. The professors took their places, ready to listen to the first candidate of the afternoon session. Bella was introduced by her thesis supervisor, who spoke highly of the research on art history that his student was about to defend.

Edward was beaming with pride, but when a particular mind in the room captured his attention, he let out a low growl.

What's the problem? Charlie thought, knowing that the other vampire would read the question in his mind.

Edward tilted his head toward one of the men seated on the committee. "That professor," he seethed, too low for the humans to hear him. "His filthy mind..."

He didn't need to elaborate further. Charlie glared at the handsome man who was directing a friendly smile toward the candidate, making a show of his interest in her thesis. Too friendly. As if the student could sense what was happening, she placed her left hand conspicuously on the table in front of her, her wedding band glistening under the fluorescent lights.

"He's noticed that she's married," Edward whispered to Charlie.

But Charlie didn't take his eyes off the professor. Via Charlie's thoughts, Edward witnessed the horrors the other vampire was unearthing with his talent. Professor Gerald Reynolds was the kind of prey Edward and Charlie had spent the last few years hunting. A murderer. A monster who had managed to escape justice so far. A predator who, three years before, had seduced and killed one of his graduates and continued to bed all the beautiful students he could attract.

Charlie and Edward managed to calm down only by reminding themselves that, if all went smoothly, Gerald Reynolds would be arrested within a few days, and that they would make sure the police found enough evidence to have him declared guilty in a court of law.

He won't be able to hurt anyone else, Charlie told Edward with his thoughts. He may have figured out how to lure in those poor girls, but he won't stand up to an interrogation. I've seen it before. Once they've arrested him, he'll tell the police everything they want to know, as long as they give him hope that he'll be able to cut a deal.

Edward inclined his head slightly in acknowledgment, still glaring at the professor. He would relish putting this one behind bars; the scumbag would never know how fortunate he was that the two vampires who'd caught him were capable of exercising restraint.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Seattle, Washington

Due to the rain and bitter wind, there weren't many people at the cemetery, and that weather gave the vampire the privacy he craved. Gerald Reynolds's case had been closed only a few days before, and it was still fresh in the memory of the vampire who had anonymously tipped off the police about him. He walked slowly along the gravel path, reconnecting with the place after years without visiting it. He'd put on a long coat, and his face was shadowed by the hat's brim; nonetheless, before approaching the grave, he made sure there was no one nearby who might recognize him.

He crouched in front of the tombstone and brushed a fallen leaf away from the marble surface. A soft smile spread over his face when he finally looked upon his wife's photograph.

More than five years had passed since the last time he had been here. More than a decade since he'd accompanied his wife on her final journey–on a path he'd never be able to follow himself.

"Hello, Renée," Charlie murmured.

He didn't know when he'd have another chance to visit her grave, and he felt the urge to tell her all that had happened in the last few years–his first as a vampire. He recalled some images among the myriad of sharp memories forever stored in his supernatural memory.

Where shall I begin? He remembered the evening he'd met Alice–the day before the end of his human life. Alice, Jasper...their names would mean nothing to Renée, and yet they've become like family to me.

Charlie and Renée had been together since high school. Most of his closest friends had always been their friends, until his change and the necessity of faking his death had made him lose them, too.

"I guess you would have liked Alice," he said, as if he were trying to find a connection between his old life and his immortal existence. Thanks to Alice's visions, he'd finally been able to return to the U.S., even if just for a short time. Even after he, Alice, and Jasper had left the States, Alice had kept checking on the Volturi's plans. Fortunately, the Italian vampires' interest in Washington seemed to have waned; they had learned nothing more about Carlisle or the vampire they guessed he'd created, and Edward would make certain that they would never find that information.

Pain lanced through Charlie as he recalled that the Volturi's visit had cost Sherman, Walsh, and Stephens their lives. He never talked about it, and his friends respected his wishes, but when the sorrow became too heavy, Jasper was always there to help him keep his emotions under control.

He surfed through his memories as if they were concentric circles. At the center of them all, there was Bella.

"Our little girl," he said quietly to Renée. He recalled how his wife had looked when she was younger, holding a wailing newborn Bella in her arms. The best moment of my life. Charlie grazed his index finger over the picture on the tombstone; his skin was as cold as the marble on which the face of his beloved was displayed, forever stilled in a moment of joy that would never come back.

A veil of sadness covered the fond family memory, and he recalled his wedding vows. Until death do us part...and Death had parted them, indeed.

It won't happen to Bella, he considered, relieved that his daughter would never know how painful it was to lose the person you loved. But Bella's forever had come at a high price.

Charlie had witnessed the end of his daughter's human life and her transformation into an immortal; as he knelt before her mother, he wondered what Renée would have thought of Bella's decision.

Edward surfaced in his thoughts, completing the picture of Charlie's new family.

I owe Alice and Jasper a great deal, but to Edward I owe so much more. Alice and Jasper had given Charlie more time on this earth and the chance of a new existence; without their help, the heart attack he'd had on his way back from Portland would have killed him.

But Edward had taken care of the person who, for Charlie, was more precious than his own life: Bella.

Only Renée could have understood what Charlie had felt the first time he'd met with his daughter after his transformation.

When Edward and Bella had finally been able to leave the safe house, they had headed for Europe. He'd promised her they would go to Masen Manor, the house where Edward had grown up, and stay there during the months when the mansion was closed to visitors. Edward's foundation had extended that period, pretending that some restoration work would be done to the mansion. It wasn't a complete lie, because the house had received considerable attention from Alice in preparation for a very special event that would take place there: Edward and Bella's wedding.

At the time, less than a year had gone by since Charlie's change, and he'd demonstrated that he could perfectly master his control over his bloodlust. Edward had made all the arrangements to give his fiancée the best gift she could hope for: the opportunity to see her father again.

The wedding had been a new beginning, and not only for the newlyweds. In England, Charlie had resumed his studies as a profiler, while Alice and Jasper had purchased a house in London and started a fashion design firm, with Alice putting her creativity to use and Jasper dealing with the legal aspects and the accountancy.

When Edward had begun to talk openly with Charlie about his mindreading abilities, the decision to work together hadn't been far behind. Making use of Edward's talent alongside Charlie's own gift, which allowed him to know the past of any person with whom he came in contact, they'd become secret vigilantes, and many criminals had been arrested thanks to their work.

Charlie wondered what would have happened if he and Edward hadn't stopped Gerald Reynolds. That criminal had operated at the university Bella attended, ready to descend upon the girls who studied there; if he and Edward hadn't been at Bella's graduation... He couldn't have hurt her, but he could have preyed on someone else's daughter.

If she had still been human... Charlie recalled the other decision that had been made shortly after Bella and Edward's wedding. For the first time, he allowed himself to open up about all the turmoil his daughter's choice had caused. As if Renée could hear him, he told his wife about the doubts he'd had when Bella had made up her mind about her future. Her resolution to be changed hadn't been met with the same reaction from every member of the family. Alice and Jasper were on Bella's side; Edward had decided that he would accept her choice, even if the idea of taking her life tore him apart. But Charlie had been the last one to come to terms with his daughter's resolve. Looking back on it several years later, he realized that the way the others had helped him to face that new situation had been further proof of the strong friendship between them.

Alice had confessed that she'd had a clear vision of Bella as an immortal, and in her vision, Bella's irises had been red and she'd been surrounded by humans. Even if they hadn't talked openly about their fears, they'd been afraid that Bella might choose to follow her predatory instincts. Instead, Alice's vision had proved to be right, but in a good way: Bella had mastered her bloodlust so well that she'd been able to mingle with humans even when she was still a newborn.

Charlie had expected that his brilliant daughter would put her talents and supernatural abilities into new projects, maybe perfecting her skills with computers. Instead, Bella had decided to take a few years off to enjoy what she loved most. She'd graduated in art history, she'd read every book that was housed in the vast library of Masen Manor...but more than all that, her days had been filled with the joyful awareness that, with Edward, she'd found love.

Charlie had been afraid that he wasn't doing a good job as a single parent, and he'd been shattered when Garrett's death had thrown Bella into a black hole and he'd lacked the strength to guide her toward the light. Now, he talked with joy of his daughter, hoping Renée could see how their child had blossomed into an amazing woman.

His human memories were blurred, but he could still remember how lonely and lost he'd felt whenever he'd come to visit Renée. Every time, the guilt had weighed on him, because he hadn't been able to give her closure. Thanks to what Edward had revealed, he had finally gotten his answers about the Drainer. Case closed. With Edward, Bella has found the kind of love you and I had, Renée. And it will not be taken away from them.

He left a white rose on the gravestone and bid his wife farewell. For the first time, when he left the cemetery, he was at peace.

The End

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