Well, here we go! We've finally reached the end of their journey. I'm gonna be sad to see these two messed up kids go. But I think we're leaving them in a pretty good place.

Please take a minute to have a listen to the song for this chapter, Stand by Me, by Ben E. King. It's by far one of my favorites of the songs I chose for this story.

Epilogue

Summer, 1966

Bella

"Mama, look. Aren't they pretty?" My daughter looks up at me, holding a tiny handful of wildflowers. Her brown eyes shine brightly in the rare afternoon sunshine as she holds out her gift to me.

"Did you pick those for me?" I ask as I squat down to see them.

"I did! EJ helpeded me."

"He helped you?"

"Uh huh." Her smile is so big it's almost heartbreaking. My little carbon copy inherited most of my features, including my Cupid's bow lips, but her smile is all Edward's.

It didn't take long after she was born to realize Elizabeth was quite a big name for such a little girl. When Edward started referring to her as his itsy-bitsy sweetheart, it didn't take long for it to morph into her nickname.

"They're so pretty. Thank you, Bitsy."

"Just like you, Mama."

"Well, I think they're just as pretty as you."

Her eyes light up like I've just told her she's a bona fide princess, and she nearly tackles me for a hug. It shouldn't surprise me when she does this, because her reaction is the same every time, and it always makes me laugh. I get a kiss on my cheek before she scrambles out of my arms.

I look around the yard and then to the tree line. "Where is that brother of yours, anyway?"

"EJ's makin' mud pies in the woods."

I sigh and get to my feet. "Well, as soon as I get the laundry off the line, you and Ican go look for him, okay?"

"Okay, Mama." She runs off to the little playhouse Edward built for her in the back of the yard.

Once I've folded the last of the sheets, I carry the load in the house and set it on the kitchen table. I watch out the window over the sink and sip from my glass of lemonade as Bitsy runs around her playhouse, lost in her own imagination.

I step outside and call for her. "You ready to go get your brother?"

"Yes, Mama." She runs to my side and grabs my hand, leading the way down the worn path into the woods behind our house. While it may be our property, it's still the woods. I don't like it when EJ is out of my sight for too long.

When we moved in here five years ago, I fell in love with it. Three bedrooms, a yard for the kids to play in, enough space for me to plant a garden, and woods for us all to explore made it just about perfect. We signed a lease almost right away. A couple years back, Harry came to us and asked if we'd be interested in buying it, and we jumped at the chance. To finally have roots here in Forks somehow made our new life more permanent.

Bitsy and I meander down the narrow path until we come to their favorite place to play. When we finally find EJ, he's in his own little world, covered from head to toe in mud.

Many times over the years, Esme would find one of her children dirty from playing outside, and she would just laugh it off. 'A dirty kid's a happy kid,' she'd say.

I imagine if she could see her grandson at this very moment, she'd agree that he's one of the happiest kids in town.

"Edward Anthony, just what do you think you're doing?"

My voice and sudden appearance startle him, and he drops a handful of mud on the fallen tree he's using as a table.

"I was just playin', Mama. I'm sorry."

"You're not to set foot in the house before we hose you off, do you understand?"

He hangs his head. "Yes, Mama."

"Now, come on. I've only got a couple of hours before your dad gets home, and I need to get dinner started."

He dutifully follows behind me, his head still hung in shame. Bitsy keeps looking back at her brother then up at me. We trade conspiratorial looks, trying to stop our giggles, but it's a losing battle. Looking down at her smiling face, it makes me ache for another child.

After she was born, Edward and I decided to put growing our family on hold, until we knew the two of us were on solid ground as a couple. I went to Dr. Leibold at Forks Community Hospital and asked him to prescribe the new pill, Enovid, to prevent another pregnancy. To say he was shocked about my request would be putting it mildly. It was so unorthodox in Forks, it had to be ordered. The order was placed on a regular basis for over four years.

It's taken us a while to get where we are, stronger as a couple, but we now feel like we're in a good place. So I stopped taking the pill two months ago.

Finally clean enough to be allowed back in the house and redressed, EJ is sitting at the kitchen table with his sister. They're coloring with the new Crayolas Sue bought for them this week. Since Harry died of a heart attack this past winter, she's spent more and more time with our family. As sad as we were to lose Harry, we're grateful she didn't decide to move to Seattle where her children are after he died. We still get to have her in our lives. She's taken on the grandmother role Esme is unable to fulfill.

"Wha'cha cookin', Ma?" EJ asks from his spot on the table. "Smells awfully good."

"Right now, it's just meatballs and sauce. I'll put the noodles on when Daddy gets home."

Hearing the front screen door slam, the heads of both kids pop up, and their faces light with excitement.

"Daddy!" they both yell as they scramble from their chairs and toward the front door.

Even tired from working all day, he welcomes them with open arms and kisses for each.

"Hey, guys. Did you have a good day?"

They both launch into tales of wildflowers and mud pies, colored rainbows and dragons, and Edward tries to take in each and every detail. I can see the tiredness in his eyes, but he listens intently to their excited chatter.

I'm standing in the doorway at the kitchen taking in the familiar scene. "Okay, you two. Let Daddy go get his shower and then you can finish telling him about your day while we eat."

Deflated but agreeable, they release him from the prison of their tiny arms and go back to the table to continue with their artwork.

In the amount of time it takes me to boil the pasta, Edward showers. And by the time I'm straining the noodles, he's behind me, wrapping me in a hug.

"And how was your day, Mommy?" he asks as he places a kiss to my shoulder, exposed by the sleeveless shirt I'm wearing.

"Good, but it's better now." I pour the noodles back into the pot. "You mind helping the kids put away their things?"

"Sure." He turns back to the kids, and, as is always the case when their daddy asks them to do something, it's done in a flash.

Dinner is, as usual, a loud affair. We constantly need to remind the kids to take another bite as they talk incessantly. They finally clean their plates, and as I clear the table, they run outside to play in the last hours of daylight.

I stand at the kitchen sink, washing the dinner dishes, and watch Edward play with the kids. They're roughhousing, like always, and he tosses Bitsy around as if she weighs nothing. EJ, on the other hand, is tall like his father and chooses to climb his dad to get in on the chaos. Only sixteen months separate the kids, but looking at them, you'd never guess they were six and five. Our daughter definitely did not inherit any of her father's height genes. I think she's destined to be small and petite like her mother.

The climbing and tossing soon changes to throwing around a ball, and shortly after I join them, they decide to call it a night. They're bathed, dressed, and tucked into bed with promises of a hike to our favorite picnic spot this coming weekend.

"Did this just come today?" Edward turns from the desk in the corner of the living room, the letter from his mother in his hand.

"Yeah." I tilt my head, resting it on the back of the sofa as I turn to look at him. "It's the second one this month."

His eyes meet mine, and I can see the worry there. More news from home in such a short amount of time can't be good.

Over the last few years, we've been able to keep in touch with his family. I've also sent and received a handful of letters from Rosalie, Maggie, Alice, and even a few from my sisters and brother, Eric. Tyler hasn't been heard from in years, but there's no love lost between us. My siblings don't know my husband is alive, and they're too wrapped up in their lives to really question why I've moved so far away from what was my home. But being able to hear the details of their lives takes a bit of the sting away from having to leave them behind.

My sisters are doing their best to live within the circumstances they were given. Angela is about to have her third baby in as many years, taking to motherhood like it's second nature. Jessica finally decided to leave her abusive husband. The murmurs of feminism in her small corner of the world apparently made an impact. After Mike left an especially nasty bruise on her face, she shocked everyone by finally leaving him and filing for divorce. Angela told me that in order to speed up the process, Jess even went so far as to sleep with the first willing man she found so she could admit to adultery just to be free of Mike. Angela told me she thinks Jess is one of the women leading the charge to burn their bras and get out of the kitchen. I wasn't the least bit surprised. When you've been a tightly held spring most of your life, and you're finally released, you're going to bounce around a bit.

Alice wrote last month with the good news that she and Jasper are expecting their second child. They married the year after I left Pittsburgh for the final time, and so far, it was the hardest news Edward had received from home. Not being there to see his sister marry was a hard pill for him to swallow. We both knew it was the first of many milestones he'd miss. But it's just another sacrifice he made to be with us.

Maggie is still ... Maggie. She's still working at the hospital with no plans to settle down any time soon. Rose, on the other hand, finally moved on from Emmett. She fell in love with a doctor she met after getting hurt at work, and she couldn't be happier. In her letter, she told me he stitched her up and then asked her out. They're getting married at the end of this summer. Missing her wedding will be my 'hard to swallow pill.'

But to receive another letter from Esme so soon after the last one has to be bad news. Her prior correspondence was somber enough, containing details about Uncle Tony's untimely demise and his funeral.

According to the newspaper clipping she'd sent us, Tony was shot in his car and left to be found. Edward said it was probably a message for someone since his body didn't disappear. I didn't ask any questions about what that meant, and Edward wasn't inclined to offer any. But the news lifted an invisible burden from my husband's shoulders. One of the few who knew he was still alive would take the secret to their grave; yet another link to his old life ... gone.

Nevertheless, as Edward stares at the innocent looking envelope in his hands, I can see the worry on his face.

"Come sit by me, and we'll open it together." I pat the sofa cushion beside me.

As is our routine when we get any news from his mother, he first reads it to himself. Watching him digest whatever is on the page is almost painful. I reach for him, my hand rubbing a path on his back to maybe ease his worry, or at least make sure he knows I'm here for him. He's practically trembling beneath my touch, and not in a good way. Unlike so many times before, this time he doesn't pass the letter to me to read. He grasps it firmly in his hands and hangs his head.

"Is it bad?" I whisper.

He only nods.

"What is it?"

"Em enlisted." His voice is low, almost broken sounding.

I still my hand, momentarily confused. "What? Why would he—"

"He heard about Rosalie getting engaged. He told Ma he was ready to finally grow up." He stands from the sofa, my hand abruptly falling away from him and my attempts to soothe him, as his hands fly to his hair.

"Why the hell would he do that?" He stalks around the room looking like a caged animal, frustrated with nowhere to go.

"I don't know. Maybe he thought—"

"He's not thinking, and that's the problem. Why would he ..." He drops back in his seat at my side, and leans over, curling in on himself; his elbows on his knees and his head cradled in his hands. "Why would he do this?" he whispers just loud enough for me to hear.

I scoot closer, wrapping my arms around him. "I'm sorry." It's all I can offer.

"What if he—"

I shake my head. "We can't think like that. All we can do is hope he comes back in one piece."

The stories of men coming home from Vietnam broken and wounded, and some not at all, have even found their way to Forks. Heated discussions over coffee and pancakes about the wrong and the right of US involvement in the war have kept us away from the diner lately. News of his brother willingly signing up to fight is just too much for Edward to take.

We sit in silence, processing his mother's letter, until the clock chimes.

"We should probably go to bed. You have an early morning tomorrow. It might be a good idea to sleep on this anyway. You're upset right now, but it might look different in the morning."

He nods and silently guides me up the stairs to our room. The silence continues while we undress and then follows us into bed. We settle into our usual positions; Edward on his back, his arm wrapped tightly around me, and my head on his chest, just under his chin. The sound of his beating heart is soothing, even though I know it's hurting.

"I'm sorry," I whisper.

He doesn't respond. He just squeezes me tighter. I look up at his face and find him stoically staring into the darkness.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Everything." His simple answer only leaves me with more questions, but before I can ask them, he turns on his side, leaving us face to face.

"If I could go back and change those two years I wasted, I would."

"I know, Edward. We've talked about—"

"No, let me finish, please." His hand comes up and brushes the hair from my face. "We've already talked about what I'd do differently between you and me, but I'd change so much with the rest of my family if I could."

"Like what?" I ask softly.

"Like spending more time with my brothers and sisters. Like doing more to help my parents ... listening to what my father tried to tell me. I wasted so much time, and I'll never get it back."

It's my turn to brush aside the hair that's fallen to his eyes, and with it, a silent tear. "I know baby. But we can't look back and focus on the what-ifs." I cradle his cheek in my hand. "We need to focus on what we have now."

"That letter just reminded me of how much I'm going to miss ... things I won't be there to see ... help I won't be able to give."

"You know, we had this talk when Alice got married," I remind him.

"I know, but this feels different."

"How?"

"Em could get hurt ... or worse. Ma and Pop or any of the kids could get sick or hurt, and I can't do anything to help them. I just feel so ... helpless."

"And unfortunately, there's a lifetime of possibilities for the rest of your family, Edward. You've got five other siblings, besides Em and Alice who have graduations, weddings, and babies in their futures. And any of them, including your parents, could be gone tomorrow."

He flinches and opens his mouth to speak, but I gently cover it with my fingertips.

"But you can't honestly tell me if you'd have stayed you'd have been able to see any of those things for yourself or stopped anything bad from happening to them."

He shakes his head. "If I'd have stayed, I'd be dead," he whispers like he's trying to keep the ghosts of the past from hearing him.

I sigh, trying to think of the right words. He looks so ... vulnerable; I can't bring myself to cause him any more pain. "I know you're missing a lot, that you gave up a lot to be with us, but I'm glad you did. If you hadn't—"

He places a quick, gentle kiss on my lips and rests his forehead against mine. "I know. And I am too. I wouldn't trade what we have for anything."

"Me either. And as hard as it was at the time, everything we went through brought us to where we are."

He's quiet, digesting my words. He finally nods. "You're right. But promise me we won't let whatever happens down the road get in the way of what's important. This, right here"—he squeezes me to him—"is what's important. I won't mess up this time. You and the kids are the best things in my life."

"I promise."

"I mean it, Bella. All the bullshit I put you through, you know I can never apologize enough for it—"

"And you don't have to—"

"I know. But I'll never stop trying to make it up to you." His eyes search my face as if he's memorizing every detail. "I may have lost the rest of my family, but I'll never regret coming for you." His voice drops to a whisper. "And there's a part of me that's really guilty about that. The fact I could so easily walk away from all of them ..." He sighs and kisses my forehead. "But I can't bear the thought of living my life without you. I love you so much."

"I love you, too."

As we lay wrapped around each other, I think about all we've had to give up, all we've had to walk away from to be together, and I don't feel an ounce of regret or remorse. Yes, I miss my friends. I miss the chance of building a stronger relationship with my sisters, with Esme and the rest of Edward's family, but I don't doubt our choice to leave it all behind. He may feel guilty about how he feels, but I don't ... not for a single moment.

I have my husband, the boy I married, safe and alive in my arms. And to me, that's all that matters.

A/N: I hope you've enjoyed this one! I appreciate you sticking with me, even though this one was especially rough. It started as an idea formed by memories of my grandparents. Their journey started in much the same way; a baby and hasty marriage at sixteen and nineteen, and a life under the roof of my great-grandparents and their brood. They were married for fifty-one years and fulfilled their vows of until death do we part. Not without their troubles, their ups and downs inspired a lot of this story.

An extra special thank you goes out to 2brown-eyes, DICATAKADD, gabby1017, and ceceprincess1217 for their pre-reading, most especially to Cece. She, more than once, was fed up with this boy. But she put up with me and stuck it out. ;) And a thank you to Sunflowerfran for editing and just putting up with me in general ... especially when I felt the need to fiddle.

My beta mentioned she'd like to see these two a few years down the road, maybe a real reunion with his family, so I won't rule out a futuretake sometime in the future.

I plan to post chapter two of Stasis tomorrow, so if you need to refresh your memory from when it posted back in October, you've got time. It's completely written, and the plan is to post twice a week, and I'm excited to share it with you!

For up to date info about upcoming stories, please join me in my Facebook group, Sunshine Fics. I share exclusive weekly teasers, among other things.

See you next week!

Lots of love,

Sunshine