Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight Saga. No copyright infringement is intended.

Author's Note: Well folks…this is the end. I'm sad to see it end, but I have loved writing this story and hearing all of your thoughts about what happened in it. Thank you so much for all of your support and thanks to my ffn sister AgoodWITCH for all of her hard work.

I sort of took a page from one of my favorite movies in this chapter. Hopefully it's not too cheesy. I hope you all enjoy this final peek into the past. Thanks again for everything!

Epilogue

Isabella settled into her bed, shifting in an effort to seek the comfort that she never seemed to find. She had lived a long life, and now she found that she was ready for her time on Earth to come to its end. Her hip ached with the shooting sting of a lightning bolt as she shifted upon the mattress in her chambers and remembered her life.

Lost in her memories, she settled back with a small whimsical smile, letting the aches of old age drift away as the mental image of laying in the field with Edward in Kensington after they had first arrived from Spain danced in her mind. That was one of her favorite memories of Edward, his green eyes smiling down at her with pure love and devotion, the sun shining behind his head, making the red in his hair glint like a halo of fire. Oh she missed him so…she only hoped that he would be waiting for her when her time came.

A knock came at the door, bringing Isabella out of her beautiful memories and back to the present where every joint ached in her seventy-seven year old body. It was highly unusual for anyone to live this long…leave it to her to stick around when she really just wanted to be done with it all. She sighed, calling out weakly for the person at the door to enter.

Bella smiled as his face peeked in, so like his father's, even if his age was beginning to show much more heavily on his sixty year old face. Anthony walked in, behind him Arabella, along with her other children, Leo, Grace, and Tristan, all of their children, grandchildren, and four great grandchildren shuffled in to see her with sad smiles on their faces. They knew she was ready to move on and be with Edward again, but it didn't make it any easier to let go.

Bella looked around the room, her pride growing brighter with each face she saw, touches of Edward shining out of each and every one of them. Anthony and Arabella were of course the apples of their parents' eyes from the moment they were born, and when Edward died of a heart attack after thirty five years ruling at Bella's side, Anthony stepped forward to claim his father's role while doing his best to take care of his heartbroken mother. Anthony was a wonderful ruler, not afraid to go to his mother for advice when he came across something about which he was not sure how to proceed. It made Bella feel important, as though she still had a sense of purpose, in this new world where the love and light of her life was missing.

Arabella invited her mother to move with her to Kensington, which she and her husband had taken over after Carlisle and Esme had died. She and her husband established other nice homes all around the area in which the rest of Bella's children eventually moved to with their families. There was a sense of peace being in Kensington, surrounded by her beautiful children and grandchildren and walking the grounds within which she and Edward had frolicked as newlyweds, and quite possibly conceived their twins. Before her body grew too weak, Bella spent many days walking into the pastureland and sitting in that place where she still suspected that they had conceived their firstborn children. A wry smile would spread across her face when she would think of the shock the nobility would feel knowing that their current sovereign was conceived in the middle of a pasture. Bella loved living in Kensington Palace, even though the time they had spent there was so brief, she almost felt like Edward was there with her, watching her, waiting for her.

The grandchildren and great grandchildren were all shepherded forward to give Bella kisses and hugs, all of which she treasured dearly before they were sent out before they could become restless and loud. Bella regretted that the adults had felt the necessity, but at the same time, she needed to speak with them. She asked them all to get comfortable, watching as her five children huddled closest to her bed, ranging in age from sixty to fifty, behind them their children anywhere from forty years old, to late teens did their best to support their parents and listen intently to their beloved grandmother.

"I do not know how I know it, but I know I will be passing soon. I wanted to see you all before I go to tell you how much I love you and how proud I am of each and every one of you. You are everything my beloved Edward and I dreamed that you would be. You have done so much to continue the things that were important to us. Thanks to you, there are schools in almost every province in our nation. You have learned the importance of treating your people with care and making them your first priority in decision making, not yourselves, and most of all, you have learned to care and have compassion for all of those around you. I could not be more proud of any of you."

Not a dry eye was in the room as Bella paused, wiping at her eyes with a small smile. "Life is hard when you are old, everything hurts, and even the simple things are difficult. I am tired of being here. I am ready to go to heaven with my Edward. That does not mean I will not miss you, because I will, dearly, as I know you will miss me. Just try to be happy for me that I will be in a better place."

Bella sighed, the effort making her cough harshly, sending pains through her sides. Everyone tensed as she grimaced before relaxing back into her pillow. She looked to her left with a smile, asking her youngest son, Tristan to pass her the ornately carved wooden box behind him. He carefully carried the large square box to the bedside, marveling at the carving at the top and remembering when his father had presented it to his mother for their twentieth wedding anniversary to use as a jewelry box.

She thanked him as he set it next to her, holding it steady as she fumbled with the latch and the lid. With shaky, wrinkled hands, she opened the top to reveal rows upon rows of folded parchment, each sealed with wax.

"There is a large one for you, Anthony, that outlines everything, but there is a letter for each of the children, grandchildren, and so forth in there, that I ask you make sure that they get when I am gone. They contain messages from me and a list of whom I would like certain keepsakes to go to. Most of my jewelry belongs to the crown, but there are a few from my family that are special and are my own private property. I know traditionally everything would go to Anthony to disperse, but he is too busy ruling England to have to trifle with my estate."

Anthony nodded solemnly with tear streaked eyes as Arabella rested her head on his shoulder as she laid her hand upon her mother's leg.

"There is also a letter in there I wish for you to send to your uncle Jacob. He should be informed immediately of my death and sent the special letter along with this necklace." She opened a handkerchief, which held a silver heart shaped locket that he had given her as a wedding present. She had always remained close to Jacob. He had taken the throne shortly after she and Edward had and as a result Spain and England were tightly bound allies. Unfortunately, that had not stopped conflict completely, but it was highly likely it discouraged quite a bit.

Jacob was surprisingly still doing well, although he knew his time was coming to an end as well and had been grooming his grandson to take over, as his son had died shortly after the young one's birth and Jacob and his wife raised the boy as his own. Humorously enough, King Jacob would be replaced with King Jacob II when the time came.

Bella discussed a few more incidentals before hugging each of her children and grandchildren through streaming tears. It was terribly hard to say goodbye, but the time had come…everyone she had known when she first came to England sixty years ago had gone. Alice and Jasper had only passed a year or two before, while Emmett and Rosalie had been victim of a storm at sea while going to Italy for a holiday. One by one, those she loved left before her, and while her children and grandchildren were a great comfort, she missed her contemporaries.

The children hugged and talked by the door before Anthony and Arabella returned to Bella's bedside.

"We would like to stay with you until you fall asleep, Mother…if you do not mind." Arabella said sweetly, taking her mother's hand and lifting it to her cheek.

Bella smiled, bringing her daughter's hand jerkily to her lips and kissing the back. "I would love that, my darling. Thank you."

Arabella took one side of the bed while Anthony took the other, sitting on uncomfortable chairs as they leaned over the side of the bed and grasped their mother's hand lovingly in their own. They each prayed silently for their mother as she relaxed into the pillow and through labored breaths, finally fell into a deep sleep.

Bella felt the change immediately, as the aches all vanished in a cool wash of freedom. She opened her eyes to see the slumped forms of her children on either side of the bed still holding her hands, and yet she could not feel the contact. She sat up slowly and easily, looking around in confusion until she caught sight of him and her breath caught in her throat, her eyes filling with tears.

He looked exactly as he did the day they married, his bronze hair glowing atop his head as his green eyes glinted a smile in her direction. He walked toward her quietly, glancing with love at their sleeping children before offering her his hand.

Bella reached out to take it, surprised to see the smooth skin over her bones and muscles. He grasped her hand in his, warm and comforting, a tingling sensation of home running through her body at the contact which she had not felt in nearly twenty five years.

"I cannot believe you're really here," Bella whispered her voice soft and airy as it had been in her youth.

Edward smiled down at her with a wink. "My beautiful silly Bella, I never really left. I have been waiting for you."

Edward leaned down slowly to kiss Bella's lips, deepening the kiss almost immediately as he pulled her into a tight embrace.

"I am so proud of you. You went on without me and you helped our family. You are still just as amazing as you were at sixteen."

Bella blushed, hiding behind her hair that was once again made of long soft mahogany waves. Edward laughed, tugging her in for another kiss before leading her toward the door.

"Come on, love. I want to show you everything!"

Bella giggled as she ran after Edward through the house and out the back door that opened into the pasture and out into the darkness of the world beyond.