A/N Here we are! The end! This is entirely from Bella's point of view. I wanted to leave the wedding details for the actual wedding.

This gives you some insight into what will be happening in the next fic. The preface should be up as soon as I upload this.

The first chapter is being worked on; I need to be in the mood to write the romantic, fluffy stuff. I also needed to do some research.

I am excited to see this story evolve. It's all about the twist.

I will be using plot points from Breaking Dawn, but this Bella is unlike the one in Twilight; the same goes for Edward. We shall see if there is any role reversal.

Thanks again to everyone who read and reviewed this fic. You did keep me writing. I am sorry that I broke the schedule. I'm a little broken, too, but we all have to keep on, keeping on!

A mighty shout out of thanks to Stephenie Meyer, who happens to own everything under the Twilight umbrella, I enjoy playing with her toys. I own the original characters. No copyright infringement intended.

EPILOGUE

If I thought things were going to be easy when I woke up, I was very wrong.

When Edward summoned Esme and Alice into my hospital room, I had no idea what I was in for.

Hurricane Alice, my soon-to-be sister-in-law.

While she deserved some credit, Alice knew precisely what ring I would want and where to get it. She crossed the line when she guilted Edward into proposing to me again, in the hospital—in front of everyone.

This engagement ring was exceptional, though it was not his mother's. (I never wanted to see that ring ever again.) I knew Edward would pay a lot for it, so I didn't ask the price, a 2.14ct, platinum Edwardian Engagement Ring from 1915 wasn't cheap.

It was, however, beautiful. It had a Round Brilliant cut diamond framed by four Round single cut diamonds and flanked by six graduating Transitional Round Brilliant cut diamonds.

It wasn't gaudy, and by the look in Edward's eyes when he put it on my finger, it did bring him back to that time of his life. The human part of his life. We picked out traditional platinum wedding bands, but they would be engraved with Forever. It was cheesy, but I liked it. After everything we had been through, it seemed apropos.

I wasn't sure which embarrassed him more, being a clumsy ice-skating vampire or Alice making him ask me again with such a large crowd. So, we cheated; he asked me in his thoughts, and I answered him the same way.

Jasper started laughing hysterically, while Emmett almost launched into hysterics until Rose smacked him in the back of the head. I like her. I held out my hand to examine my ring finger; at that moment, I knew this was the ring I was always supposed to have.

Esme's jubilant smile reminded me of my mother, and I embraced her like she was for the first time. It was what my mom wanted, and I hoped that Gabe would feel that way too. She doted on him and Nia just as much.

The look exchanged between Carlisle and Esme as they were looking at me, and Edward said a lot. They beat out every proud parent look I've ever seen.

The healing spell that my family performed on me worked too well. I had to hide the brands as they faded, and I had to fake being in pain. Carlisle carefully handled all of my test results.

I had a bum shoulder, but it was nothing that a little bit of physical therapy couldn't take care of. I had the best physical therapist, my twin brother.

So, a week after I woke up, I was discharged.

But everything seemed more complicated after that.

I have always had a hard time making decisions; once I make them, I stick with them. My indecision on where to live was frustrating for my fiancé. I knew it didn't matter where I was, my family would be close, but his family would not be.

Still, Edward was insistent that we not take into consideration his family.

That was absurd.

Gabe had shown him the house I was thinking about purchasing, before moving to Forks. It sat right on the Hudson in Sleepy Hollow, New York. I loved the house. If I hadn't been so eager to move to Forks, I definitely would have bought it.

Instead, Edward put an offer on the bloody house, the same day, and without talking to me about it. I was furious.

Gabe warned him, he might want to take it up with me, but he was sure that I would be okay with it.

Gabe was right; I was not okay with it, not in the least.

This resulted in our third colossal fight. Like every couple, we argued or bickered here and there. This was different; I was slamming doors and stopped speaking to him. I even flipped him the bird before locking myself in the bathroom. I didn't run. I knew he was expecting me to. I was not going to run from Edward ever again. Gabe also had clipped my wings, as we call it; until I could prove, I was ready to face the world again. A secret Gabe kept from everyone but me. Too many secrets, I know, but they were done with a purpose.

I started to panic. I hadn't dealt with what had happened to me. I struggled for some modicum of control in my life, something I always had, but I couldn't find any. I couldn't find the words to explain how I was feeling. I knew that if there was just one crack in the dam, it would break, I would shatter into the hot mess, I was inside. I had a panic attack, and that did it.

I cried for the first time since I was shot.

I heard Edward on the phone with the real estate agent, trying to take back the offer, anxiety, and fear tinging his voice.

I wiped away my tears and decided not to let my confused mind ruin the best part of my life.

I walked out of the bathroom, took Edward's phone, and hung up on the real estate agent.

I cried for hours, and we didn't say a word. Edward just held me. I allowed myself to be vulnerable with him. I let Edward in that day, to see all of me, messed up and reeling. But I knew he loved me and had been waiting for me to stop being 'fine,' since I was discharged.

It was a huge step forward.

I let Edward off the hook because I knew inside, he was stewing and brooding about our honeymoon and changing me. I decided that when we got back from the honeymoon, I wanted to be changed, and I wanted Edward to do it. He was attempting two feats that terrified him. But, I didn't want to take any more chances with my life. I was still scared. It would take that entire time for me to get my personal power back from the depths of PTSD, with a little help from my friends.

While I admired Alice's dedication to staying within the Edwardian era, there were certain things I didn't like. Like wedding dresses from that era, they were hideous. This was going to be our day; I knew what I liked and did not like. So my battles with Alice began to heat up. Since Edward had so kindly paid for a great wedding venue, in Sleepy Hollow, and I was in the middle of training, June 20th was the date we settled on- Edward's birthday.

Yes, I am a witch, a powerful one, and I was trained to be a warrior, but that didn't protect my mind from going back there. From reliving it. It didn't stop me from remembering what my body looked like from the outside, on the operating table, or Edward's turbulent mind. I needed the time, and Alice used that against me. I was tired of fighting with her and gave in. I got most of my demands anyway, but I still didn't like her running the show.

She thought I was a pushover.

HA! She had so much to learn about me.

Turnabout was fair play, so Esme and I found twenty acres of undeveloped land right off the coast in Oregon. I bought it that day, fully intending on making it a secure compound with my warding. The boys would build a fence surrounding it. Gabe agreed to ward the land from me, to protect me from myself, to keep me inside, and clip my wings again.

It was a good day.

Jasper and Carlisle helped me understand what life would be like after I was changed. They explained that there would be a role I would need to find and play as a Cullen.

It only made sense to be prepared.

Jasper and Rose quickly became my best friends. Carlisle promptly became like a father to me, and my vampire rabi.

It was so painfully obvious that the house in Sleepy Hollow would be great in the future, but I needed to be around his family.

Designing our house was a lot more entertaining and enjoyable than I thought it would be. Esme was obviously the person who helped us put it all together. She was talented. Eventually, Edward came around as we worked on the blueprints and designed our house. Soundproofed on both ends (Emmett's laughter still makes me jump.) Close but not too close to the main home. It was perfect.

Perfect because it was ours.

The land was surrounded by untouched nature and plenty of wildlife to hunt. Our house was right on the waterfront. I could work more on elemental magic, although it was a guessing game if or how that would work out as a vampire — even more of a reason to stay on the west coast with his family. I needed to lie low as I came into my powers.

I didn't want to be a bloodthirsty, feral monster, so I spent my days and nights preparing for the transition. I would not kill an innocent; I couldn't do that to Edward; he'd blame himself and brood about it for decades. I would be like Carlisle. THAT was my mantra.

Although I loathed keeping secrets from Edward, I did not want him to see Gabe spelling me into pain, daily. I needed to learn how to think around the pain. Each day he increased it. Jasper gave us both a taste of what it felt like.

Holy Crow!

The curling iron metaphor did not come close to how painful it was. Gabriel would remind me of our ancestors burned at the stake and their silence while it happened. They did not want to give the onlookers an inch of satisfaction. It was true, and something I kept in mind.

Even though Gabe despised doing it, he understood why I was, and Jasper did too. It was not because I am a masochist. It was because I was in love, and the last thing I would ever want to ask Edward for would be for him to kill me. I knew I could handle it; I just needed to be prepared.

So, come hell or high water, I would be. I've been known to surprise him now and then.

A/N That's it, folks! Time to move on to Twilight With A Twist Part Two, (original, I know.)

Another shout out to those who enjoyed this story. It was a spur of the moment idea that grew because of you.