A/N: Well… this is it gang- the epilogue of Shadow Rising. Info on the next one will be included below. I'm glad everyone liked the last chapter- I wasn't sure about it, but you guys liked it, so thanks to everyone who reviewed. Please enjoy:

Epilogue- The Beginning of the Rest of Our Lives

"Try on the last one again- I want to compare."

I sighed heavily and walked back into the bathroom, stripping out of the pink baby doll night gown I had been wearing to put on the black corset and matching lace underwear I had had on before.

"What do you think?" I asked, coming out of the bathroom.

"Hmmm…" Edward eyed me closely from where he lounged on our bed. "Try on that little sky blue number again."

I put my hands on my hips and glared angrily at him.

"You're really taking this too far, Edward Cullen!" I told him with a scowl.

Edward put his arms behind his head and raised an eyebrow at me.

"You released a Volturi prisoner and nearly got yourself killed, yet I'm the one who's going too far?" he asked. "Let me tell you a story about a pot and a kettle…"

"You told me that if I modeled this stuff you would forgive me!" I wailed, motioning at the bag of lingerie I had gotten in Italy.

"And I will- once I'm convinced you're done modelling. Now… the little blue one?"

I muttered darkly under my breath, but got out the night gown and went into the bathroom to put it on.

"That's very… hot, I believe the say now-a-days," Edward stated as I stepped back out.

"And the last dozen ones haven't been?" I demanded feeling slightly insulted.

"No, they were very attractive as well- I'm just partial to blue with your skin," Edward stood up and came to walk in a circle around me. "I really like the length of this one… and the easy accessibility."

I smacked his chest at this last statement.

"Pervert," I muttered.

"But you love me," he replied, pulling me close to him.

"I do," I agreed. "I really do. Can you ever forgive me?"

"I'm just glad you're alive," he replied, tilting up my chin so he could claim my lips.

"Okay love birds!" sang Alice, dancing into the room. "Break it up! It's time for Bella to go shopping with me!"

"Now?" I asked incredulously. "Alice, I don't think the stores are open at this time of the day… besides, we're kind of busy," I motioned at the night gown.

"Hmmm," Alice mused, looking between me and the expression on Edward's face. "I knew that was a good choice. If he could, Edward would be drooling right now. But that's not why I'm here," she gave her hand a wave. "Get dressed Bella- if we leave now, we'll reach Vancouver right after the stores open. You promised, remember?"

I sighed and muttered under my breath. I seemed to be doing that a lot since we had returned from Italy. I had promised Edward his own personal modelling show of all the lingerie Alice and Rose had bought me, while I had promised Alice that I would shop with her. It was all to make up for nearly getting myself and Jasper killed- an action that, if I didn't regret it before, I certainly did now.

"Do you have to go?" Edward whined when I walked out of the bathroom, dressed in jeans and a tank top. Summers in B.C. were pretty mild- especially as close to the coast as we were.

"I promised Alice," I replied, grabbing my runners and sitting on the edge of the bed to pull them on. I felt the bed dip under Edward's weight behind me, then his lips were trailing across my neck while his fingers played with the hem of my shirt.

"Couldn't you get out of it?" he breathed into my ear, making me shiver.

"No she can't!" Alice yelled from down stairs. Edward sighed and pulled away from me, letting me finish pulling on my shoes.

"We'll finish your modelling display when you get home," he told me.

I sighed again.

"If you think it's bad for you- think how it must be for me," Jasper told me later as we relaxed in the living room of the house. I sat on the couch, while he lay back on the Lay-z-Boy armchair. Emmett had managed to drag Edward out hunting, putting the modelling show off for a bit. "She just takes you shopping- I have to beg and buy her all sorts of gifts, while still not getting any."

"I'm sorry," I told him.

Jasper waved the apology away.

"I know- I can feel it. How about this- if you use your new and improved powers to block my mind from Edward sometime I ask you too, then I'll forgive you everything."

"Deal," I replied.

Once we had returned from Italy and Carlisle had given Jasper and I a lecture on the danger of the Volturi, we had begun conducting tests on my powers. It turns out Aro was right- I could block other people as well as myself from the powers. I hoped I would never need to use the ability- but chances were, with my luck, I would.

"Bella!" Esme called from the dining room- nothing more than a prop, really, but Esme enjoyed decorating it all the same. "You have a letter!"

"Who would be writing to me?" I asked Jasper incredulously.

Jasper shrugged at me.

"Who knows?"

I got up and went to the dining room to retrieve my letter from Esme.

"It doesn't have a return address," she told me before I could ask.

I frowned, but accepted the letter all the same and walked back to the living room. I tore the envelope open as I walked and shook the letter out. It was written in a scrawling hand, and it took me a second to decipher the words. I blinked at the signature for a moment, surprised.

"Who's it from?" Jasper asked.

"Tiazza," I replied. "And Andrew."

He sat up and leaned towards me, his interest piqued.

"What do they have to say?"

I sat down on the couch and began to read.

"'Dear Bella,

I would have written sooner, but I wanted to make sure it was safe. I doubt that Aro will let me go that easily, and I'd really hate for all your hard work to go to waste. I probably wouldn't have written this soon, even- but I felt that I owed you some explanations- and some thank-yous.

Definitely a lot of those.

I wanted to explain why we never returned to help you, after Jasper was taken in, and Andy barely got away.

Andrew was all fired up to go back into the fortress to help you and Jasper get away after they were discovered. The only reason he didn't stay and fight right then was because he figured he'd stand a better chance with me and the element of surprise. I would have let him go, and helped him- but Marcus had intercepted me before I got out of the fortress. He told me that if I was going to leave, I couldn't risk coming back. He assured me that you two would be fine, and that I should get to my lover before he became impatient. Had it been anyone but Marcus, I wouldn't have believed him, but ever since his mate died, Marcus hasn't cared enough about anything to lie-"

"That explains why Marcus told us to say your welcome to Tiazza when we heard from him," Jasper mused. "He knew what was going on, but let it happen."

"Even going so far as to help us," I agreed. "I'm glad that was answered- it was kind of bugging me."

Jasper snickered, but I ignored him and continued reading.

"-I hope you don't think any less of us for our actions. You don't look a gift horse in the mouth, and I'm not as good as you are. I'm sorry for any unnecessary pain we caused you. I hope we can still be friends- I wasn't lying when I told you I thought we'd make good ones, and Andy and I will need allies.

I can't tell you where we are, but I will tell you that it's warm, has few people, and we're happy. I hope we'll meet you again someday, and until that someday, I would like to stay in touch. I'll continue to write you, and you can reach me at --- --- ----, or I hope you'll agree, but if you never want to hear from me again, I'll understand.

Andrew says hello and thank-you- and to tell Jasper the same.

Best of luck,

Tiazza'"

"Are you going to reply?" Jasper asked me.

"Of course I am," I retorted. "If I hurry, I can reply before Edward and Emmett get back. Hand me the laptop."

Jasper picked Edward's laptop up off the coffee table and handed it to me. I quickly logged onto my e-mail and sent Tiazza a quick reply.

'Tiazza-

I don't think any less of you, or Andrew, because of your actions. I didn't play hero just so you could get caught again.

I would love to stay in touch- I look forward to it in fact.

Best of luck- and Marcus told me to tell you "Your welcome."

I'll talk to you soon,

Bella Swan'

I sent the e-mail and added Tiazza to my contacts just as the door opened and closed, signalling the return of the hunters.

"You can tell him about your newest correspondent," Jasper told me.

I merely stuck out my tongue at him.

Edward had eventually given in on the matter of me writing to Tiazza- mostly because I refused to let him stop me. The matter had been agreed to pretty quickly after I promised to model the lingerie that Alice had bought me in Victoria's Secret earlier that day. When I had asked her if she knew I would be needing it, she had innocently remarked on the weather.

There were perks to having a seer for a sister.

"Do you think things will be easier now?" I asked Edward as I lie in his arms later, after having modelled the lingerie, and have him eagerly remove it.

"What do you mean?" he asked, looking down at me.

"Well, first there was the whole you leaving and me being temporarily comatose, then the Italy fiasco- do you think life will settle down now?" I asked. "Or should I expect life to be this crazy all the time?"

"I think it's time for it to settle down," he replied. "We may still have issues, but we're working them out. We've conquered everything else that can harm us… we're going to be fine."

I snuggled into his arms, feeling nothing but love and contentment. It would be a feeling I would grasp onto with both hands in the coming weeks- because Edward was wrong. There was still one hurdle that we had to conquer- one that I didn't know if we would be able to conquer.

The past.

A/N2: The third instalment in this little series has been tentatively titled "Midnight Flame". I'm pretty sure you can guess a bit from the end of this epilogue. It will have people from both Bella and Jasper's past. This means that Jasper will be playing a big role (as if he didn't already- can you tell I love my Jasper?). I'll start writing it when I get back from my trip- it'll be a wild ride, and I hope you'll all tune in for it.