Chelsea and Jane were the first to leave. Jane had zapped more than half of the coven in the uprising, and there were whispers about Chelsea. Isabella's trusted guard was telling all. James was unforgiving but unwilling to die for dead masters. He left next, with Victoria in tow. Demetri followed soon after and vowed to return to Volterra and rejoin the Volturi on his own terms.

Rosalie and Emmett were locked in their quarters in a screaming match for days. She had loved her cousins, but she'd loved Emmett more, which was something Isabella had never considered.

Alice woke with Jasper by her side, and Edward had to leave and find new quarters away from the lovebirds. Even joy was painful.

He stopped hunting.

And when Jasper told him a few days later that they were ready to move on from the canyon, Edward decided not to go with them.

Alice broke away from her mate to hug her old friend. Edward saw his fate in her mind when their cheeks brushed.

A busy Italian courtyard at noon.

One last human kill.

A dozen vampires in maroon robes.

Then, finally, sweet nothingness.

Alice frowned when she pulled away. "If you change your mind," she said. "Look for us near a hospital." Her face scrunched up, and Edward caught a quick glimpse of Alice and Jasper with another vampire couple. In a house. Coexisting. And a doctor's coat hanging from a peg in a kitchen. She shook her head and blinked, unsure where the thought had even come from.

Edward shrugged. They both knew he wouldn't change his mind.

Jasper embraced him next, and the two held onto each other as the sun set behind them on the desert one last time. And when Jasper finally let go, Edward flew.

A/N – If you've made this far, thanks for sticking with me. I hope you enjoyed it, at least a little. Y'all really are the best.

Thanks to M and Iris for all the things, to Lizzie Paige for an AMAZING banner, to the ladies at TLS for Sneak Peeking this, and to y'all for reading.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Also...

I've written a short story for the "Babies at the Border 2" compilation. It's not scary at all, just pure romance – MrsSpaceCowboy-style. You can get your hands on it and works by dozens of other fandom authors by making a $10 donation to RAICES or the ACLU. Send receipts to babiesatthebordercomp at gmail by November 24th.

Here's a peek at "The Funcle"

Summary: As Director of Special Events, Bella Swan eats, sleeps, and breathes Crosstown Concourse. The vertical urban village is home and work and the love of her life. She has nothing in common at all with Edward Cullen who has a job or two or three of his own. Except Maggie, the niece they share, who's dubbed him the funcle because he's like a dad – but cooler. It isn't a meet cute when you've known each other a decade, and it turns out Maggie isn't the only Swan girl over the moon for the funcle.