Epilogue

The first year had passed in the blink of an eye. Time stood still for no man, supernatural or not. It seemed to float on the clouds, looking benevolently down on the lives that it touched, cradling them in softness, bathing them with shadowed light.

The events that had taken place should have shaken Bella more than they did. It seemed the rush of power she'd experienced in the clearing healed her soul as much as it consecrated the blood running through her veins. Human, yet not. The gifts of her people always dormant, ready to arise if the situation warranted it.

In the following months, Old Quil grew weaker by the day, but the fear of death did not touch his heart. Instead, he welcomed it as an old friend when the time came to follow his ancestors home. With sadness always comes great joy. Under the same stars that lit his path, a new generation celebrated the eternal joining of a warrior and his imprint. Jacob and Bella found themselves married, with both of their father's smiling happily at the head of the aisle to bear witness.

Life went on. Matt and Leah settled into the longhouse, taking up the post of shamans past. The tribe welcomed the new wise-woman and her husband into their midst. Somewhere between fact and fiction, legend becomes reality. Though unaware of all that had taken place, the tribe knew that there was an innate difference between Leah and them. Between the oversized men whose faces bore the signature of hardened warriors in battle and those who walked beneath them. The history of their people whispered in the ears of the Quileute, bringing forth a new reverence, respect for those who protected their lives.

Winter melted into spring and the changing seasons of nature. New happiness covered the soul of Jacob Black. His time filled by long lazy mornings making love to his wife and quiet afternoons spent beneath the summer sun. With the simple touch of his hand, Bella bloomed beneath him like a flower, petals slowly opening and closing in delicate balance with the beat of his heart.

The days consisted of creating in the small workshop, hammering nails for the addition on the house, midnight romps through the woods, listening to the calming sound of nature's song.

Wolf and Man had found peace.

Another year passed, bringing with it the birth of a child. A baby boy whose head bore the fine downy curls of his mother, black as a raven's wings from his father. William Sean, named for the grandfather he knew and one he had never met. Named for the strength of men and women passed through the generations. The outward symbol of a shattered life mended by love.

On morning of his birth, Máire knelt in the dewy grass, planting a small seed. Tiny green shoots sprang forth from the earth, unfurling with the promise of the future, watered by the tears of the present. Her time here had come to an end, the body holding her soul weakened and sore. One day, they would find their way back to each other.

Jacob and Bella found themselves kissing their loved ones goodbye, watching as Embry and Máire left for the land of the young, disappearing into the golden light behind the water.

ooo000ooo

Nearly a half century later, Isabella Black sat in front of a bank of windows, watching the pink petals of an apple tree flutter to the ground, writing the story of their life, a legacy to their grandchildren.

The electric hum of the printer quieted, the last sheet of their story falling into legend. Bella bound it with the others between soft leather folds, a gift from her husband.

The sun had began to set, a thousand stars shining bright over a distant horizon. Memories washed over her mind, covering her aching body as the folds of a warm blanket. Small children who'd chased through the yard, playing a game of hide and seek with their father. Later, they would sit around a campfire and listen as grandpa told the stories of their people. Laughter when Billy would jump from his seat, swinging one of the dark haired angels into his arms.

The innocence of babies who lay sleeping in their beds. Nights where she crept downstairs, sitting in front of blinking computer screen, sipping coffee and pouring out her thoughts. The way Jacob would creep up behind her at the dawn, wrapping his arms around her waist to carry her to bed. With a smile, he'd ask to see what she'd written and each time she told him no, only to find the monitor littered with brightly-colored post it notes later, passing on his ideas for a story. She'd laugh at his blood thirsty desire to see zombies inserted into romance, radioactive werewolves tearing through a city of villains and the witch who took down a vampire. Life bleeding into fantasy.

They held each other in times of sorrow, leaned on each other when life became too much, glowed with happiness in each others presence. Through the years they watched those surrounding them age, the time and tapestry of life weaving itself in a bright pattern of family, love and friendship, strengthened by honor and duty.

The children of the pack would cleave to each other, Matt and Leah's son sneaking kisses from their daughter, Sam and Emily's boys bossing the tribe, over-protective of their pretty sister. Seth, Quil, Collin and Brady, the pups... all faces of a beautiful past, some passing into the annals of history.

The time had come for them all to come together once more. Their bodies aged and sore from the trials of life. Gathered beneath the boughs of an apple tree, each imparted a single drop of blood against the bark, watering the magic that flowed as running sap beneath its surface.

Jacob and Bella stood with their arms around each other, watching as the canopy of leaves which their children and grandchildren had played under shimmered beneath the moonlight. The blush of red apples, juice and sweet which had fed their bellies turned gold before their eyes. One by one, the warriors and their wives laid hands on its flesh, passing into the shadow of this world and the next.

With a final look at the home which had brought so much joy, Jacob and Bella whispered goodbye, marching forward to greet the next chapter of their lives.

Beyond the veil, family waited. Beneath pink skies, the wolves ran once more.