Disclaimer: I still don't own it, but have had a wonderful time playing with the characters that aren't mine. A big thanks to SM for letting us write fanfic!

A/N - Well folks, here it is FINALLY! Its been a hell of a ride, and I have so greatly appreciated the support of each and every one of you. All the loyal reviewers who have been with me from the beginning as well as the ones I have picked up along the journey. And even YOU...the reader who doesn't review, but keeps coming back, even when it takes me forever to update. Thank you ALL for your continued support and patience.I have thoroughly enjoyed the reviews and PM's and friends made along the way.

A big thanks to Lillie Cullen my beta,who fixes my boo boo's and does it quickly!

And a super big 'you-rock-my-world' to Lea for the unwavering encouragement and constant supply of double coat Tim Tams. And especially for providing me with the inspiration I needed to write. Without you babe, this story wouldn't exist.

Epilogue

BPOV

"Good Morning Mrs. Masen," the cheerfully familiar face behind the counter greeted me as I approached the reception area. She seemed even more congenial than usual. The small and overwhelmed looking young lady sitting next to her was obviously training. I gathered the extra sincerity was for her benefit.

"Hello Liz", I smiled politely, adding a slight nod and proceeded down the long hallway toward the turn leading to the last room, on the right; the one with the best view. It was the largest room in the building, the most private and the only one to face south toward the majestic Olympic Mountains. It was the best money could buy. The whole facility was the best money could buy. I should know, I had paid for it.

I couldn't resist peeking into some of the rooms as I passed, especially since I knew several of the other residents. I smiled warmly at Mr. Banner as he was pushed down the hall by a young but kind looking boy.

Listening with my immortal ears, I eavesdropped on the chatter of the ladies gathered in the Activities Hall as I passed, all of them engaged in a lively discussion of the latest character developments in their favorite soap opera while shaking out a cup of dice in a leisurely game of Yahtzee.

As I rounded the corner and made my way to the end of the hallway, I stopped at the doorway, taking a moment to listen to the sounds within the room. The rhythmic sound of metal hitting ceramic followed by the telltale slurp and swallow told me it was lunchtime. The smell of the tomato soup used to turn my stomach, but I had become more tolerant about being around human food in the forty years since being reborn.

A few more sips of soup and the crisp sound of biting into a perfectly toasted grilled cheese sandwich, then a shuffle and rattle. He was checking his watch. Considering that he had been senile for nearly 5 years, and couldn't remember if he had eaten lunch, or the fact that he had already fed his pet cat twice that day, it was quite impressive that he never forgot my visit. He knew when to look for me. And knew I would always come.

I peeked around the corner. "Hello Charlie, looking for me?"

His face lit up immediately; the twinkle in his deep brown eyes apparent even under the tufts of silver grey hair he didn't want to have cut. His slow and deliberate chewing became more vigorous in an attempt to clear his mouth; the motion exaggerated enough to shift his wheelchair slightly with each bite, eliciting a soft squeak only audible to my ears.

"Slow down and chew your food properly mister," I chided wiggling my finger playfully as I crossed the room, stopping in front of the set of shelves next to the window, "I'll still be here when you swallow."

He grinned and raised a playfully challenging eyebrow, but slowed his chewing. He watched me intently as I opened my handbag and reached in, pulling out the newest addition to the collection on the shelf.

As I set the small figure in an empty space next to the others, all from different places, my ears tuned in to the conversation happening at the reception desk half a building away.

"Is that her?" the new girl asked Liz, her chair creaking as she leaned closer.

"Yep," Liz confirmed, "she comes in the same time every week."

"How are they related?" She cautiously pressed further, not sure if she was now being too nosey. Liz didn't disappoint though, dishing further details without so much as batting an eye.

"I'm not totally sure...she has never really said that I know of. I think she is his great niece or something like that. Either way she is the only family he has left. And he is so happy when she comes. You know…" Liz's chair creaked as she now leaned closer to the huddle and lowered her voice. "He thinks that she is his daughter. The one that…died."

To him, I was Bella. As he'd aged, his mind had slipped away, bit by bit gradually losing the parts that made him the seasoned and wrinkled man he was today, and taking him back to a different time. A happy time. A time when his daughter was still alive. In his mind he was still a middle aged man and Bush Jr. was still President.

Charlie swallowed enthusiastically and grinned widely. "Isabella! You came."

"Of course I came," I smiled warmly as I crossed the room and leaned down to hug the man who was my last remaining biological family. He felt thinner, and I knew his time left was limited. The cancer would take him before his mind would have the chance to slip much further. That would be a blessing. I took some measure of comfort knowing he would leave this world happy, never having to remember the tragic night that tore his world apart or the year of depression that followed.

He eventually found some light in life again, spending many good years with Sue Clearwater after her husband's death. They never married but were happy together, somehow finding solace in their shared grief. Sue died just a few years ago, after Charlie had already forgotten who she was. Again, somewhat of a blessing for him. I know those few years were hard for Sue, but I couldn't help wanting Charlie to be spared any hurt possible after seeing how my loss affected him. He didn't deserve to suffer any more.

"And what did you bring me?" he asked, squinting to see the newest addition to the shelf of various statues and trinkets gathered there. I always brought him a little something back from each new place I visited. I knew he would forget where the collection had come from as soon as I left, but I also knew he enjoyed looking at the items, and would sometimes even take them down, turning them each over in his aged hands and smiling as he examined the fine details in the statues.

I gripped the handles of his wheelchair and pushed him over the bookshelf and picked up the tiny replica of the Alamo. "I was in Texas this week," I told him, setting the solid piece of ceramic into his hands.

He scrutinized the object for a moment, his eyes scrunching up before widening. A broad smile flashed as he looked up to me. "Remember the Alamo!" He exclaimed, waving his fist triumphantly into the air.

Edward and I travelled often, but I always made sure to be in Port Angeles every Wednesday at 1pm sharp. We were currently living in the little house in the woods we had affectionately named "Granny's House." Although we missed the rest of the family, we planned to join them after Charlie passed. But for now, this was where I needed to be. I knew his passing would be soon, but not exactly when. Alice's vision wasn't clear yet, apparently a decision made by an orderly was still in limbo. Either outcome looked peaceful for him, so I wasn't bothered by the uncertainty. When the time came, I would be here with him. that I knew for sure. I would be by his side to send him into an afterlife I wasn't completely sure I would be welcomed into when my time came. I could hope though. I lived my life as honestly as possible and continued to make amends for the indiscretion of taking a human life that I still thought about every day. Ronald's grandchildren had all made use of their anonymous trust funds to attend college and make a good life for themselves, one of them even donating large sums of money to local charitable organizations. It made me feel good to know I had helped that struggling family turn things around in some way, maybe given them opportunities they may not have otherwise had. Something positive had come out of my weakness.

When he was finished studying the details of the Alamo, he handed it back to me and watched as I returned it to its place on shelf, right between the miniature Statue of Liberty and the bottle of sand from Normandy Beach.

I laid my hand on his shoulder and stooped beside him. "Would you like to go back and finish your lunch?" I asked, but before I had finished my sentence he was already shaking his head.

"Nope, I don't need anymore of that," he said with a dismissive wave of the hand. "Let's just sit by the window for a while."

"You got it," I chuckled as I pushed his wheelchair to our spot in front of the huge picture window. I pulled up my usual chair and sat down next to him.

We sat there together just as we did every week. We talked some, about everything and nothing. He told me stories about my childhood, not remembering he had already told me the same stories the week before. And the week before that. It didn't matter though; I relished those pieces of his recollection. I never got tired of hearing them.

After a while, and right on schedule, Charlie's eyes grew heavy and the pauses between his thoughts stretched. I peeked at my watch. It was time to go. Charlie wasn't the only person I came here to see.

"Time for a nap?" I asked, as his head began lolling to the side. He nodded and smiled as I stood, wheeling his chair over to his bed. He wouldn't accept help if he could avoid it, so I just stood and watched as he pulled himself slowly out of the chair and climbed onto the bed, settling on his side curled around a pillow. Almost immediately his face softened into a peaceful expression. I leaned down, kissing him softly on the cheek.

"See you next week, Dad," I whispered and he sighed.

"Love you, Bells. Be safe out there," he murmured. I chuckled softly to myself. Once a dad, always a dad.

"Love you too," I responded before pulling the blanket up around his shoulders and sliding quietly out of the room, closing the door behind me.

I stood in the hallway just a few paces from his room, listening, and after just a moment heard the sound I was waiting for. The rhythmic thumping started in the lobby and was moving toward me, the sound was sharper this week, and the subtle chirping of patent leather suggested a new pair of shoes. She was growing up so quickly. Her giggle rang through the quiet hallway.

"Hurry up, Grammy! Great Gran's cookies are getting cold!" A tiny voice proclaimed, full of all the sass and self-possessed poise of a precocious four year old. Her grammy was still at the reception desk, chatting with Liz. The source of the angelical voice came skipping into view, curls bouncing playfully around her heart shaped ivory face. Bright and sparkling brown eyes met mine.

"Hello," she said, flashing a smile of perfect white teeth that had not yet started falling out. "I'm bringing cookies to my great-gran." She held up the basket to show me.

"Well, hello there." I knelt down before her, meeting her gaze with a friendly smile before peeking into the basket. "Ooo..Oatmeal Raisin, those are good ones! Did you make them yourself?"

She granted me another show of her infectious smile and nodded proudly. "Uh huh, my grammy helped, but I did all the mixing and scooping. She really just measured 'cause I get all c'fused at the numbers on the cups."

The conversation at the reception desk wrapped up and the clicking sound of the woman's shoes began moving toward us.

"She is going to love those cookies," I assured her, but it wasn't necessary. Her grammy loved everything little Mary brought to her. "You should get them in to her before they get cold."

Her eyes lit up again as she hurriedly recovered the cookies and resumed skipping down the hallway. Her little hand reached behind her, waving, as I watched her back retreat. "Bye!" she called back over her slender shoulder.

As the sound of footsteps approached from behind, I quickly turned, pretending to drink from the water fountain installed in the wall. As the woman passed I inhaled deeply, the familiar scent swirling around me, bringing me both regret and a deep satisfaction. Once the woman had passed, I turned to watch her travel the rest of the distance of the hallway.

She looked good; healthy and…happy. The years had been kind to my best human friend. Angela had certainly had a fulfilling life. She and Ben had married shortly after high school, and attended college together. They had four children, naming their first born and only daughter Isabella. I was outside the hospital the night Isabella was born, sharing Angela's joy from afar. I may not have been able to hug her and gaze sweetly into her new baby's eyes as I told her how beautiful her daughter was, but I know she felt my presence. I was sure of it. And on the night Bella gave birth to Mary in the very same hospital, I was in the waiting room.

I watched until her form disappeared around the next corner, and I heard her voice join the other two, already busy chatting in the room she entered.

I smiled to myself as I turned, and slowly made my way down the long hallway toward the front doors. I knew that these moments with my remaining humans were not going to last forever, but I took such pleasure in watching them and being a part of their lives while I could.

As I stepped out into the bright sunshine, I was careful to pull my hood up and slide my hands into my pockets before making my way across the parking lot to the sleek black car waiting for me. Edward sat in the driver seat smiling and revving the engine playfully. As I opened the door and slid into the leather seat next to him, he nodded toward the building, shaking his head.

"Mary is getting so tall!" he proclaimed. "What do you suppose they are feeding her, Miracle Gro?"

I chuckled and shrugged before leaning across the seat for the kiss I knew was waiting for me. As my mate leaned closer, pressing his lips to mine, the familiar current coursed through my veins, warming my body from the inside out.

"You ready, my love?" he asked when our lips parted.

"Let's go," I nodded.

As Edward put the car in gear and pressed the accelerator, I took another look at Charlie's window. I truly enjoyed the way my circumstances allowed me to still be a part of my human's lives, to interact with them at times and take care of them in anonymous ways that would enrich their lives. I treasured them and their human moments in a way I never would have been able to appreciate as a human.

It may not have been my choice that brought me to the place I was, but as I thought of how at ease I felt in my life, and how much love I felt for my mate sitting next to me, I knew that it very well would have been. And that the consequences of that choice, regardless of which of us made it, would have been very much the same and weren't all negative.

I reached across, taking Edward's hand in mine and twining our fingers together. His eyes met mine, golden orbs of warmth and adoration. He brought my hand to his mouth, kissing it softly before letting them fall, coming to rest on his lap.

He was my everything. My lover. My soul mate. My choice and my consequence. And there was no place I would rather spend eternity than by his side.

Fin