AN: I realize that I promised that it wouldn't take 6 weeks and then it did. Everything that could have gone wrong with this chapter did and I underestimated exactly how busy my kids would be this summer. And we didn't even do summer camps this year. LOL. The social lives of the littlest littlecats is out of control!

In any case, I also wanted to make sure I didn't rush anything. I wasn't sure if I was going to finish this up in one chap or two, but it does turn out that this is the final chap. I figured it was better to make it a longer chapter than to divide it into two short ones. It's right where I was hoping it would be. :oD

I'll do my thank yous at the end.

~xoxoxoxo~

Chapter 13:

James' body slumped to the ground, the bullet having pierced through his skull. Blood splattered the faces of the guards holding him up, but neither of them so much as flinched.

I pulled my gun.

"Ah ah ah, Mr. Masen," he scolded. "I suggest you put that away. I don't really want to have to traumatize my daughter by decorating her with your blood."

Reluctantly, I re-holstered the only weapon I had. Bella took a step forward, but I gripped her hand to keep her from getting too close. I didn't trust Charlie not to use her against me.

"What are you doing?" she asked. She was attempting to appear unaffected, but the shake in her voice gave away her uncertainty.

"Your toy seems to think he can do whatever he wants," Charlie spit. I glared at him. "I'm showing him what happens when drones forget their place."

"He's not my toy!" Bella defended angrily.

" And I'm not one of your drones," I growled.

"You're not?" he laughed. "Do you know what the purpose of a drone is, Mr. Masen? They mate with the queen. . . and then they die."

"Fuck you!"

"Enough," Bella groaned. "Is there a reason for all of this?"

"I always have a reason for what I do, Isabella," he answered her flatly.

"Then get to the fucking point," I snarled.

Charlie sat down and pulled the blond guard down into his lap. He pushed her hair to the side and pressed his lips against her shoulder.

"Let me tell you a little story, Mr. Masen."

"Really? Is this gonna take long? Should I take a seat?"

Charlie wasn't amused with my sarcasm. He frowned and took a deep breath.

"This is the story of two brothers and their little sister, orphaned when their parents were killed in a car accident. You see, the world was a different place then, but there was still evil – and it tried to tear them apart. They were sent to live with an old woman who beat them daily and worked them to the bone. The only reason they survived was because they had each other."

I shifted on my feet and looked around at the others who were steadily listening to Charlie. Their expressions told me that none of them had any idea where this was going.

"Eventually, Nathan, the eldest brother, became old enough to care for his siblings and he took them away, making a life for them. He went to school, got married, had a child. His brother did likewise. Their sister, quite a bit younger, was shy and quiet. She lived with Nathan and his wife Miranda, taking care of their son. A son whose own mother had very little time for him."

I glanced over at Bella to see if she knew why the fuck he was torturing us with this shit. Her head was tilted, her lips pursed, her gaze trained on her father, confusion evident.

"As time passed, Nathan and Miranda lost faith in the outside world," he continued. "They decided to protect themselves and their families by building a community of their own. The second brother Alec and his wife Katherine agreed that they didn't want to raise their daughter Esme in such a selfish and chaotic world. So it was set. They went about developing their plans. They had assumed that their little sister, Elizabeth would go with them. She was young and unmarried. The brothers had always taken care of her – loved her."

Charlie stopped, his eyes searching me, waiting for. . . something. After a second, he grit his teeth together.

"But they were wrong. The night before they were to set out to their new location, Elizabeth was stolen. Taken from their home by her lover and never seen again. Her brothers mourned the loss of their sister. Esme and I mourned the loss of our aunt. I mourned the loss of the only woman who ever truly treated me as though she loved me."

Charlie patted the leg of the blond guard and she stood up, moving out of the way before he rose. I watched him whisper in her ear. She nodded and her eyes flickered towards me, a smug smile appearing on her lips. Charlie began to pace.

"Do you know what her lover's name was, Mr. Masen?" he asked.

I shook my head. "I don't really give a shit, Charlie. It was a nice story, though. Thanks."

"We never saw Elizabeth again," he continued as though I hadn't spoken. "But we'd heard that she married her lover. That they'd had children. Three of them. Two boys and a girl. And then, about nine years ago, my father got news that his baby sister's family had been attacked. She'd been assaulted while her useless fucking husband and sons did nothing."

I felt the blood drain from my face as recognition finally hit me like a fucking freight train. That was what he'd been waiting for.

"The lover's name. Do you know it now?"

"Charlie?" Bella called. "What. . .?"

"You're lying!" I snapped.

"Unfortunately, no, I'm not. My father was so devastated by the news that he had a heart attack and died. My mother followed shortly after. All because your fucking father decided to take what wasn't his."

I stared at the man in front of me, trying to process what he was saying. I still didn't believe it. I wracked my memories for anything that my mother had said about her family. We never knew them. She said her parents had died when she was little. She said she'd been raised by an old woman who didn't love them. . . . Them. She'd said them. She never clarified who "Them" was – but now I knew.

Charlie smirked. "Yes, cousin. It's a small world, isn't it? I should have killed you the moment I found out who you were. I should have known you would be just like him."

I took a few painful breaths trying to keep my composure.

"Why didn't you?" I finally choked out.

"She may not be my biological child, but she is my daughter," he said glancing at Bella. "And you entertained her. I thought you would be discarded when she tired of you and then I would deal with you. I did not expect you to last this long. I. . . did not expect her to fall in love with you."

I looked at Bella and saw her lower her eyes to the ground. I squeezed her hand and turned my attention back to Charlie.

"So you sent that douchbag to kill me?" I nodded my head towards James' body. Charlie frowned and sighed heavily.

"I'd hoped he'd be able to resist the urge to share that bit of information. Perhaps I should have removed his tongue before I sent him." He sniffed and glanced at where James lay dead. "Guess it doesn't matter now."

"Wait!" Bella called lifting her head. "You sent James to kill Edward?"

"I sent James to eliminate a problem."

"A problem?" I scoffed.

"Yes, a problem. You've already taken enough from me, cousin. You will not take her."

"Stop!" Bella snapped. "I'm not a possession and I'm not yours to keep locked up."

Charlie stopped pacing. "You are mine!" he growled. "And I will do anything I have to to remind you of that."

"Enough!" I shouted. "No more chickenshit games, Charlie."

His eyes narrowed in on me and he locked his jaw. "No, cousin. You're right. No more games."

From behind me, I heard a flurry of movement and and all too familiar click. I turned to see Jasper with his weapon pointed at Charlie. Alice, too had hers trained on him, the barrel of her gun just inches from the back of his head.

"I knew the day would come when loyalties would be revealed," Charlie said casually. "Luckily, I'd prepared for it. Charlie clicked his tongue. The blond guard's gun discharged with enough force to blow Alice backwards and to the ground. A split second later, Charlie shot in my direction. I ducked. He wasn't aiming at me, though. Jasper went down, hitting the floor hard. My jaw dropped. Bella gasped, but I was still holding onto her.

"Shit!" Rose cried, darting towards where Alice had fallen, ignoring the fact that there were still guns cocked and ready.

I pulled my Beretta and swung it upwards. That motherfucker was going down. But Bella's hand swung out forcing my shot to miss Charlie by a mile and knocking the gun out of my hands. It wasn't entirely useless, though. His little blond pet crumpled.

"What the fuck are you doing?" I yelled, glaring at Bella. She looked over at me, her eyes sad.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

Charlie laughed and jerked his head to the side, making it crack. "I told you she was mine. She always has been and always will be." He lifted his gun one more time. I was fucked. I had no way of defending myself and Bella had just shown where her allegiance was.

I swallowed dryly and looked around. Rose was tending to Alice. Emmett was trying desperately to stop Jasper's bleeding. The blond guard was writhing around on the ground. Three other guards were aiming their weapons directly at my head. James was still dead.

I took a deep breath and raised my hands, clasping them behind my head.

"What are you waiting for?"

Charlie didn't answer me. He was staring at Bella. I glanced over. Her eyes were nearly black, her body was trembling. Her hands were clenched. I'd seen her like this before – the last time she was pissed at Charlie. But this was a whole new level.

"Bella?"

The air in the room suddenly seemed too thin and the temperature dropped. The guards who were still standing winced. Dropping their weapons, they covered their heads with their hands.

Charlie opened his mouth, trying to take in a breath. His eyes rolled back into his head. Blood started to trickle from his ears.

I watched in awe as my doll took him down to his knees without lifting a single finger.

"Stop," he begged, the sound barely escaping his lips as he curled into himself. "Please."

Bella took a few steps forward. I flanked her, still slightly worried that Charlie would find a way to hurt her. But my fears were unwarranted. She had it completely under control. When she bent down over him, I grabbed his abandoned weapon and locked the safety before shoving it into the waistband of my pants.

"I don't belong to you, Charlie" she whispered. "You're wrong. I never have. You made the mistake of underestimating just how much power I wield. These are my people. Not yours. They follow me. Not you. Did you really think I didn't know I could take it all from you at any time. You only remained in control because I let you. And now I'm done."

I cocked my own Beretta waiting for the word as Charlie's eyes widened. Bella shook her head and put her hand on my forearm.

"I'm not going to kill him."

"Why the fuck not?" I snapped.

"Because then I'd be just like him."

"You are exactly like me," he rasped, coughing. Tough guy didn't look so tough cowering on the ground.

"You're nothing like him," I sneered. "Just kill him. Or let me do it."

"Bella, we need Carlisle," Rose called. I held up my hand to indicate she was going to have to wait. "No, now!" she shouted. We both turned our heads to see Rose cradling Alice in her arms. Her face was pale, almost bluish in color. Her breaths were labored. Her hand was on her belly. I looked back and Jasper, who wasn't moving. Emmett had taken off his shirt to stop the blood, but I wasn't sure how much it was actually helping.

"Shit! I'll go." I looked down at Charlie. "You'll be okay with him?"

"I'll be fine," she said quietly. She held out her hand. "But just in case." I smiled and leaned in, pressing my lips against hers as I slid the gun into her hand.

"I fell in love with you, too, by the way," I murmured pulling away and darting from the room.

~xoxoxoxo~

A few hours later, Bella and I walked into the medical suite to find Alice sitting up on a gurney with Esme by her side, holding her hand.

As we approached, Esme turned and smiled.

"How's the baby?" Bella asked cautiously.

Alice smiled. "Dad says that everything looks okay. I have to be on bed rest for a few days, but nothing vital was hit, so I should be back on my feet in no time."

"And Jasper?"

Alice's smile faded. "We don't know."

Bella's eyes glazed over and a few tears fell down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry."

"For what?"

"I nearly got you killed. And the baby. I might have gotten Jasper. . ."

"Shush," Alice said, putting her hand over Bella's mouth. "It was only a matter of time. It's not your job to protect us. It's our job to protect you."

Bella frowned. "Not anymore."

I made eye contact with Esme and tilted my head. Kissing Bella's temple, I turned and walked away. Esme followed. On the other side of the room, we stopped.

"Did you know?" I asked, turning around to face her. "Who I was?"

She nodded. "Yes. The minute I saw you in the foyer, I knew who you were."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I didn't think it mattered."

"You didn't think it mattered that I'm the son of Elizabeth Swan?"

Esme looked down, licking her lips before meeting my eyes again. "She wasn't Elizabeth Swan, Edward. She was Elizabeth Masen. Charlie didn't fall far from the tree. My father and uncle believed that their women belonged to them. They believed that Elizabeth was theirs. She loved your father. He took her away from a life where she would have been protected, yes, but she would have been completely miserable here. I put my faith in God, Edward. There is a reason you of all people showed up here. And when I saw the way she looked at you, I knew what it was."

"And what is that?"

"To free her," she said simply.

I glanced over to see my doll laughing with her best friend.

"You don't think this is at all a little. . ." I paused.

"You're not actually related, Edward," Esme laughed, reading my mind. "I think it's beautiful." She put her hand on my arm. "I can feel the love you have for her."

"Yeah."

"No," she said, furrowing her brow. "I can actually feel it. Is that you?"

I shrugged. "I guess? I don't know."

"How long has that been going on?"

"Since the transfusion I think. I'm not sure exactly what it is."

Esme hummed. "Can Carlisle take a sample of your blood?"

"Um, yeah, sure. Whatever."

~xoxoxoxo~

"What are we going to do with him?"

"I don't know. He can't stay. I don't want him here."

"Really?"

"As long as he's here, I will always feel the need to guard myself. I don't want to live like that anymore, Edward."

I stroked a finger down my doll's naked back, watching her skin erupt in goosebumps.

"I can take him away."

"I'm still not going to let you kill him," she said turning to face me. I smirked. She knew me to well.

"I mean I know a place I can take him."

"Where?" she asked, turning onto her side to face me in bed.

"There's a prison about two thousand miles east."

"Two thousand miles?" Bella gasped.

"In one of the bigger cities. Chicago. I have a friend who runs it. He'll take Charlie. And the others."

After the showdown, word traveled quickly through the Hive that Charlie had been usurped. That he no longer held the power. For a few days, fighting erupted. People were killed – others injured, but in the end, those who still held allegiance to Bella's father, ended up right next to him in the cold, dark caverns he used as jail cells.

"What will he do with them?"

"It's a rebel camp. They're trying to rebuild. They need hard laborers."

Bella sniffed and flicked her tongue out at her viper bites.

"You still care about him?"

"I can't help it. He raised me, Edward. He loved me."

"He tried to control you."

"Yes, he did. But don't all parents attempt to control their children in some way? Did your parents not have rules?"

"It's different, Bella. My parents never would have put their happiness above my own. Everything they ever did was to try and better my life, not theirs."

"But your family abandoned you."

"Because of what I did. Because of who I'd become. They couldn't sit there and watch me destroy all the goodness that was left," I snap.

She's quiet for a minute while I regain my composure.

"I think there's still a lot of goodness in you," she finally whispered, scooting closer.

"You want some of my goodness in you?" I teased, lightening the mood.

She laughed.

"I'm completely serious, doll."

"I know you are." She rolled over onto her back, the dark pink tips of her breasts already hardened, beckoning my mouth to play with them. I obliged, wrapping my tongue around the little bud and flicking at it.

Bella arched her back and pushed the covers down to her hips. Moving so that my body covered hers, I gave equal attention to her other nipple before trailing kisses over her ribcage, down her abdomen, and along her hip bone before ending up between her thighs. I nudged her knees trying to get her to open wider for me as I dove in, plunging my tongue into her and lapping up her sweetness.

She moaned and writhed, gripping my hair between her fingers and urging me to lick her harder and faster. I did my best to drive her mad before sucking her clit in between my lips and causing her to vibrate as she came undone.

Without letting her relax, I flipped her over and pulled her hips up. "Ready for some of that goodness?"

I entered her roughly, watching as my dick retreated covered in her wetness and then plowed right back in. Bella lifted herself up onto her hands, pushing back into me, giving it to me just as hard as I was giving it to her. Our heavy breathing, the sound of slippery, wet skin, her little mewls mixed with my deep grunts. It was too much. I felt an all over hum coming from inside of me. It was similar to before, but much closer, much more electric. Was that what she felt?

"I'm gonna fucking come," I moaned.

Bella lifted one hand, steadying herself against the bars, and then slipped her other hand down between her legs. The result of us coming together was like an electric shock right to the cock – in a good way. I pulsed inside of her for what felt like an eternity, all the while continuing to advance and retreat from her warmth, until my strength finally gave out and I collapsed.

"Whatever that is, I like it," Bella sighed.

"Me fucking, too," I laughed, pulling her into my arms.

We stayed there together, sweaty and exhausted until sleep claimed both of us. In the morning we were woken by Emmett whooping loudly outside of Bella's quarters before barging in.

"Motherfucker's awake!" He grinned widely. Bella shot up out of bed and I nearly snarled when Emmett didn't look away from her naked body.

She dressed without a word, leaving me to catch up. I was still shirtless and barefoot as I followed her down the staircase and to the medical suite. Alice's gurney had been push up next to Jasper's and Esme and Rose were standing with them as Carlisle checked him over.

He looked rough, but he was smiling and holding onto Alice's hand.

"There's been a little bit too much of this going on around here," Carlisle said, frowning.

"Well, we've taken care of the cause," I assured.

"What's going to happen to Charlie?" Alice asked.

"I'm going to take him to a prison camp out east."

"We," Bella interrupted. "I'm going with you."

"Doll," I groaned.

"Don't 'doll' me, Edward. The last time you left me, you almost didn't come back. I'm going with you. That's not a request."

"I'm going, too," Jasper said. Alice scowled.

"No, dude," I answered, shaking my head. "You gotta take care of what's yours right now. I don't know how long we're going to be gone and you need to be here."

"Well, I'm going," Emmett announced. I nodded and when I looked over at Rose I realized there was no way we were getting out of having her go, too.

"Shit. I guess we'll get a team together," I acquiesced. "Make it a raiding trip."

Bella smirked in satisfaction. I supposed, considering she could take down pretty much anyone if she really wanted to, having her at my side out there wouldn't be such a bad thing.

~xoxoxoxo~

It took us two weeks to prepare for the trip. I used my knowledge of the cities and larger towns along our route to prep the raiding team. Commodities were different depending on the location. Some were richer in cattle, some grain. We would travel through coal rich land as well. This time, they didn't treat me like an outsider. They watched Bella, Emmett, and Rose defer to me when it came to making decisions and followed suit. They included me in conversations and the night before we were to leave, I was invited to join them in getting shitfaced.

The day we left, we dragged Charlie and three others from their cells, bound their hands, and covered their eyes. As everyone else said goodbye to their mates in the foyer, I stood next to mine, holding her hand. And when I walked out the door, she followed, never letting go.

Once again, we traveled during the night and slept during the day. Bella and I were on the same guard. We weren't supposed to fuck until we'd been replaced, but sometimes that wasn't as easy as it sounded. Bella made me horny on purpose, throwing out her vibes so that my dick would harden painfully. It seemed silly to whack off on my own when my mate was licking her lips twenty feet away from me, so I frequently gave in. It was also the only time we weren't being watched. Emmett and Rose apparently felt the same way, although they weren't nearly as discreet about it.

We averaged about forty miles a night and six weeks into our journey, we'd collected a few horses, a wagon, a dozen cows, two goats, and about six chickens. We ate eggs and drank milk for every meal, using herbs we'd collected for flavor. It wasn't perfect, but it kept our energy levels up. It also slowed us down. Nearly sixty days after we left the Hive, we landed in what used to be Chicago.

"We can't all go in there," I told the raiders the night we reached the city limits. "You all go get what you can. Emmett, Rose, Bella and I will take Charlie and the others in."

They nodded and split up the locations I'd identified as possible treasure chests. We waited throughout the day and at dusk, entered the city.

It didn't take me long to find the prison camp run by an old friend, Alastair.

"Masen," he greeted as we approached the barbed fence. "Long time no see, brother. I heard you defected."

"I served my time. It was time to move on."

"Yeah. Me, too. This here is my business now."

I looked around at the yard, where prisoners were dressed in grey jumpsuits.

"You need a few more?" I asked, yanking on the chain that held Charlie's wrists. Charlie stumbled forward, his eyes still covered.

"Where'd you get 'em?"

"They're traitors. We don't have the means to incarcerate them."

"So you thought you'd bring them here?"

I nodded.

It was then that Alastair seemed to notice Bella and Rose. He smirked.

"Give me a couple of hours with those two and we got a deal." His eyes scanned up and down the girls' bodies. I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up on end. I narrowed my eyes, glaring at him.

Alastair frowned and shook his head, twitching.

"Back off, motherfucker," Emmett growled.

"Not an option," I added, my voice low and threatening. "Do you want 'em or not?"

Alastair sucked his teeth and gave our prisoners a once over. "Yeah, whatever. I can find something for them to do.

Emmett gave Charlie a push forward. He stumbled a little and Alastair ripped the blindfold from his face. "You suck cock?" Alastair asked. I laughed. Bella didn't. Charlie spit in his face.

"He's kidding, baby," I soothed.

"Am I?" Alastair asked, wiping his cheek with his shirt. I glanced over at Bella. She looked uncomfortable and irritated.

"Shut the fuck up, A."

He shrugged. "You all need some food before you go? Drink?" I shook my head. "Suit yourself. Nice doing business with you, Masen." He motioned for a couple of his men to collect Charlie and the others. I watched Bella's face as they took them in. Charlie tried to look back, but the guard caught him and kept him from making eye contact with Bella. I was glad.

"Are you sure this is the right thing to do?" Bella asked quietly as we turned to leave.

"Yes," I insisted. "Do you want him to return to the Hive?"

She shook her head. "No."

"Do you want me to kill him?"

"No!"

I draped my arm over her shoulders. "Then yeah, this is the right thing to do. The man has a sick sense of humor, but he's seen too much of that shit in his life to inflict it onto somebody else. But he knows the fear that's derived from the threat. Come on," I nodded to where Emmett and Rose were walking ahead of us. "Let's get back to camp and see what's been found."

"They've just set out, Edward. We've got hours before they come back."

I bent my head down to her ear. "Then I'm sure we can find something to do to keep us occupied."

~xoxoxoxo~

We stayed on the outskirts of what they used to call Chi-town for almost a week. The raids were more than successful. On top of an abundance of medical supplies, fabric, and a boatload of children's shoes, they also found an abandoned medical lab from the university with microscopes, an ultrasound machine, and electrical wiring. And the most precious find. . . a generator. It was small, but it worked.

The trip back wasn't as uneventful as the trip out. We ran into two bands of thieves and ended up losing three cows. Two were stolen in the middle of the night and another was shot dead. To avoid a total loss, we butchered the thing and ate as much as we could. The hide we draped over the side of the wagon to dry out.

Five weeks into our return trip, Bella and I were on guard. The day was warm and everyone else was asleep. I could see where they slept from where I sat on the side of a lake, watching Bella swim naked.

I wasn't too worried. We hadn't seen anyone outside of our party for days. When she was done, I made love to her slowly in the grass. Her skin, that once glowed white from so many years hidden in the caves of the Hive, was now tanned and freckled. Her hair had grown long and lightened slightly, and her face was free from any paint. She looked so young and innocent. Beautiful.

"What are you thinking about?" I asked as we were dressing.

She pulled her shirt on over her head and sat down under a tree. She fucked around with her hair, ringing it out onto the muddy bank and brushing through it with her fingers. It took her a few minutes to answer.

"Rose hasn't bled since we left Chicago."

"And?" I questioned, even though I knew what that meant.

"And I think she may be pregnant."

I nodded. "Okay."

Bella frowned at me, obviously wanting more of a reaction, but what the hell was I supposed to say?

"I guess Carlisle will be able to tell by the time we get back. Do you know how long it will take us?"

"A few weeks assuming there aren't any more setbacks."

She looked down and sighed heavily.

"What's the matter?" I asked, lifting her head with my fingertip.

"Nothing," she whispered.

"Bullshit! Tell me."

"I. . . I want a baby, Edward," she rushed out. "With you."

I swallowed dryly. Somehow I'd known that was coming. "I thought you said you couldn't."

"I can't. At least, I never have been. But before we left, Carlisle said your blood had changed. Maybe. . . maybe whatever it is that's changed can. . ." She looked away and flicked her tongue at her viper bites. "Maybe things are different with you."

"Maybe," I agreed. When I didn't say anything else, I noticed Bella's eyes get glassy. I put my hand behind her neck and pulled her towards me so that she was in my lap. "I tell you what," I started, burying my face in her hair.

"What?" she breathed.

"When we get back, we can try."

"Try?"

"Yeah," I smirked. "I guess if I have to fuck you upside down to put a baby in your belly, I'll just have to suffer through it."

Bella chuckled lightly and then sniffed. "It may take more than that."

"Baby," I soothed. "I'll do whatever I have to do to make you happy. I love you."

"I love you, too. But what happens if I still can't?"

I shrugged. "Then we'll just steal Alice and Jasper's kid." I grinned at her as she tried to push me away playfully. "Don't worry about it. We've got time."

She nodded and leaned back into me. I kissed her neck and thought about how different life was going to be when we got back. Charlie was gone. Esme and Carlisle had agreed to run the Hive. They wanted to return it to what it was meant to be, a place of hope and rebirth, not of power and indulgence. Alice and Jasper would have their baby soon. Hopefully not until we returned, though. I knew that Bella wanted to be there for Alice druing the birth. I knew that she worried about her friend - her sister. I wondered if Jasper had recovered yet. He was on his feet before we left, but his ninja skills were a little rusty. I wasn't sure if he was going to stay on as my doll's bodyguard. I wasn't sure she even needed him to guard her anymore. Like I said, things were different. Yeah, Bella still felt obligated to help her people – our people – but she no longer felt trapped by that obligation.

There was a sudden commotion above our heads. Bella and I both looked up as a group of yellow finches landed on a branch. They chirped loudly at each other, hopping closer and then took flight to another tree.

Bella smiled. "They're so beautiful when they're free," she murmured.

I pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and watched as her eyes lit up in wonder and excitement. Never in my life did I think I would love someone the way I love her. She is my life.

"So are you, doll."

~xoxoxoxo~

AN: That is the End. Yes, I realize there are still questions. There will probably always be questions. I like questions. It means that I haven't reached my expiration date, right? LOL. I know a lot of you were hoping for a solution to Bella's infertility. And there may be one. :oD I am still considering doing a very small epi, but I'm not entirely sure. So for right now, we'll say that E and B try for that baby. . . . a lot!

Thank you so, so much to Melee03 and 6dlb5 for pre-reading and catching my mistakes and working me through this whole thing. Like I've said, this was such a different type of writing for me and when I first started it, I wasn't quite sure where it was going. It was more PwP at that point. LOL. These ladies were invaluable in helping me. xoxoxo

Thank you to EVERYONE who has supported me; Reading, reviewing, rec'ing and for being so patient. Much love!