Hey guys,

I am so happy everyone has enjoyed this story. I have loved writing it. But I've had some really bad writer's block this week. I just couldn't see where I should take the story next. But I couldn't leave the story there, there were too many unanswered questions. So here is a little epilogue to give a glimpse into their lives in the future.

-x-

iwishiwherebellaswan

xxx

Five Years Later

I sat watching my son running around with his father.

After graduating High School, with a lot of support from the Cullen's, Edward and I went to Baylor University with my little Ed. We shared a two bed apartment, Edward and I in one room, the other having been transformed into a nursery. The only father Ed had ever known was Edward and I couldn't be happier. As I had taken a three year course, I spent Edward's final year staying home with Ed. Part way through the year, I got a job writing for a small newspaper. It meant going into the offices three times a week, but I arranged it so that Edward could be home with Ed. The three of us had little time to go back to Forks to see our families, but Esme often came to visit. But it was the fourth of July and Edward had graduated so we'd gone back to Forks. His family were all gathering home for holidays and I wanted to be there with them.

Esme and I were sitting together on the long picnic bench in the middle of their yard. Rosalie was standing with Jasper, cradling her new born baby in her arms. It turned out Rose had always wanted children. Her and Emmett got married their first year of College and had their first baby nine months later. Now, they have three children; Chad is 4, Madison is 3 and little Russell is just 1 month old. Alice and Jasper married just after Chad was born and now have a 2 year-old daughter. Even my Dad remarried and was happy. Looking around at everyone playing in the yard, I realised that my life wasn't all that different from five years ago. Everyone had moved on, but I was still stuck in the past. Edward wanted to move on. He'd proposed before, but I said no as there were still things he didn't know about me.

Climbing out from the bench, I made my way over to my boyfriend and son. Edward stood up straight and smiled across at me, completely unaware of how I was feeling. Ed ran over to me and leapt into my arms.

"Are you going to play with us Mommy?"

"Not right now sweetie. Will you go and play with Chad? I want to talk to Daddy for a minute."

"Okay."

He scrambled down from my arms and ran over to where Chad was playing with his toy trucks. Taking Edward's hand, I started to pull him inside. He followed me closely, not saying anything. I pushed him down onto his old bed from High School and sat beside him. He wound one arm around my back, holding me to his side.

"It's time I tell you about Ed's father."

It was something he'd asked me about before. But I'd never been able to talk about it with him.

"It was after the new year in 2012. I hadn't gone back to school yet. I'd spent the day in the mall with my friends. We were celebrating the new year. We went to dinner in the evening and were having a good time. My mom wasn't expecting me home. She knew I'd text her when I was leaving, so she went to bed when it got late. When the restaurant was closing, my friend offered me a ride home, but I lived in the opposite direction to the other girls she was driving home. I didn't mind. I'd got the bus home late in the evening before. It wasn't something I hadn't done before. So I texted my Mom letting her know I'd be home in about half an hour."

Taking a deep breath, I leaned into him.

"I had to walk four blocks to the bus stop, but I never reached it. I was attacked and raped and left lying in the street."

Edward's hands on my tightened and he sucked in a deep breath.

"It took almost an hour before a couple came across me. They called an ambulance and I was taken into hospital. I don't remember anything that happened over the next few days, what I do know is what my Mom told me. But I do remember the feeling. I was unresponsive, so I couldn't tell anyone what happened to me, but because of the way couple described finding me, the doctors did a rape kit. When the tests came back positive, the police were called. They couldn't do anything at the time. I couldn't give them a description of the man and the DNA they'd retrieved from my body didn't match anyone on their system. But it matched with an unidentified piece of DNA from a different rape victim. When I eventually was told that information, I felt a little better knowing I wasn't the only one. I stayed off school for almost a month, but I often had friends staying over because I didn't like being alone. Everyone was very nice and sympathetic. The police called my Mom everyday to ask if I was ready to go into the station and give a statement, but I couldn't remember anything about the man and I was scared. Eventually I went back to school. I didn't like being around guys, even the ones who were my friends. My girl friends were all really good at surrounding me so that they couldn't get close to me. It was about two months after that I found out I was pregnant. My Mom insisted I go for weekly check ups and blood tests, and that's how I found out. Within two days, everyone at school turned against me. Someone thought I'd made the whole story up and just got knocked up for the attention. I had a few good friends that stayed by my side. But not many. Summer break was tough. I didn't leave my house except from when I had a doctor's appointment. And then Ed was born on the first of September. I never told you this, but I'd gone through the process of giving Ed up for adoption. I was scared he'd look like his father and I couldn't deal with that. There was a couple ready to take him from me. But when he was born, he looked so beautiful. I fell in love with him the first time I saw him. School was rough though. I was bullied relentlessly. There were times I'd be out in the park with Ed and people would start throwing things at us. I was too scared to go to school, so I'd stay home. I didn't know what to do. It was over the Christmas break, when Charlie was visiting, my Mom suggested that I move to Forks with Charlie, start over with Ed. I cried that night, but unlike all the other nights, it was because I was so happy. So I moved to Forks."

Closing my eyes, I stopped talking. Edward didn't say anything for a minute, but he continued to hold me. Turning his head towards mine, I felt his lips on my temple.

"I am so sorry Bella. I wish none of that happened to you."

"I don't. Not anymore. If it hadn't happened, I wouldn't have Ed. I've gotten past what happened to me. And I'm hoping that telling you this will let me move on with my life. With our life."

"Thank you, Bella, for telling me."

He lifted me onto his lap and held me close to him. I wrapped my arms around his neck, smiling up at him.

"Do you see me any differently now?"

He sighed, his hand sliding over my thigh.

"Yes. What happened to you explains a lot. And I completely understand. I don't love you any less and I respect every decision you've made as they were made to better your life and Ed's. And now we've built a family together, you, Ed and me. I just want you to know that I'm here for you, as I always have been. If you ever have anything else to tell me, I am here to listen."

"I know. Seeing the others outside, I realised that I want us to be like that. I want us to be able to move forwards together. Rose and Emmett have Chad, Madison and Russell, Alice and Jasper have Cami and are expecting again. I want to have a baby with you."

Sliding my hand over his face, I stared into his deep green eyes. He was stunned. We'd never talked about having a baby together. We've had a lot going on in the last five years and we've been trying to raise Ed as best we can. And Edward is Ed's father. They may not share blood, but they are father and son. I make sure everyone knows it when they ask. But in the last few months, I'd been thinking about what Ed would look like if Edward was his biological father.

Brushing his hair out of his eyes, I placed my other hand to his chest. Tilting my head back, I pressed my lips to his.

"I want us to have a baby together and expand our family. Ed, he's nearly six, and he's starting kindergarten in the fall. You've got your new job and I've still got the paper. I know we haven't had sex in a while, but that's not because I don't want to. Ed's always found a way of interrupting. But we'll have a couple hours each day when Ed's at kindergarten. I want us to use that time to be together. I know you'll be working most days, but I can bring you lunch, and when you're at home, we can spend some quality time together."

"Bella, I… I think you need to slow down a minute. I would love to have a baby with you, but is now really the right time? Our apartment isn't big enough for another baby. There's barely enough space for Ed now that he's getting bigger."

"I know. But we always knew we weren't going to live in our apartment much longer after you graduated. And we could have the baby in our room until we find somewhere else."

"You've thought about this a lot, haven't you?"

"Yes. And we'll make it work. We always do."

"Yes, we do work well together, don't we?"

He turned me around on his lap so that my knees were on either side of him. Placing my hands to his shoulders, I leaned over him.

"I've never felt safer than here in your arms, in this room. I remember the first time I was in here. It was the first time I felt safe after everything happened."

"I watched you sleep that night. You were so tired and when you leapt out of bed to go to Ed, god, you were amazing."

Sliding his hands onto my ass, he flipped me over onto my back, my head resting in the pillows.

"We've never had sex in here."

"No."

He opened my legs around his hips and slid up my body. Pushing at his shoulders, he rolled off me.

"We haven't, and we aren't going to either. Not now at least."

Sitting up, I pressed my lips to his.

"I love you."

"I love you too Bella."

I climbed out of the bed and held my hand out to him.

"I want to start life with you Edward."

"Then let's start."

The End