A/N: Say goodbye to Jas and Babe...
"Are you ready yet, Babe? They'll be here any second. Shit, it's just your mom and dad. You don't have to dress up!"
He's impatient only because he's nervous. It isn't every day that your new in-laws fly across a the entire country to see the life you're providing for their baby girl. Or something. Whatever. We've never been that family, but I'm pretty certain that's where Jas's head is. He is a good Southern boy at heart. But so much has changed in the last five years.
I left Forks after senior year to attend NYU. My brothers finally figured out why I wasn't planning on leaving Washington and threw the mother of all shit fits. My mother, Ali, and Jasper all supported them. My dad was curiously silent. So I did it. I moved to New York.
Jas didn't immediately follow me. We decided I might need some time to find my place here. Sounds grown up and resonable, right. Psh. I cried for two weeks before I left, and it sparked another doozy of a fight. At least this time we knew why we were pissed at each other. We tried the long distance thing and realized very quickly that it wouldn't work. We broke up for most of my freshman year.
And then I came home for the summer.
He knew I was home right away. I never lost touch with Sketch or the guys. Jas and Em stayed close. We met up at one of Southern Comfort's last gigs and knew we missed each other. This time, though, it had to be all or nothing. We decided on all, and he moved to New York with me that August. We've been together ever since.
Ali and Mike went to Seattle for school. His parents needed him to go to state school, and she wasn't leaving him. The unholy wrath of Carlisle Cullen was a sight to behold. Ali refused to give in. Hot Doc made them promise not to get married or have a kid until Alice got her degree, and then he sent her off to school. Jas and I are flying back with Mom and Dad when their visit is over for the wedding. My maid of honor gown is divine.
Emmett had the kid. Well, Rose did. It's been tough going for them with Em in med school, but Rose is making it work. And little Maggie is amazing. Just amazing. She's smart and beautiful, the best of her parents. They think they might get married when Emmett leaves school for good.
Edward stayed lost for a while. He turned so far inward that it took some time for him to escape his own guilt. I tried so hard the rest of that year to get inside that head. But he was locked up tight. He did emerge, though, and he's at school in Port Angeles. He doesn't know yet what he wants to do when he grows up, but I hope he finds whatever he's looking for. I miss him, but I don't really know him anymore. I sometimes wonder if I ever did.
Jake was recruited to Clemson. My little brother is busting heads on the gridiron on television every Saturday, breaking hearts every other day of the week. He always knew he could do this. The NFL is a huge probability. He'll be one of the greats.
Seth is here with us. He loves NYU. I have no idea what he'll finally settle on for his major, but he better choose something he loves. I'm just so grateful to have him close.
Lauren is here in the city, too. Fucking modeling. She not a huge name, but she gets steady work. Who knew? We're friends, damn it, and hang out about once a week.
Riley and Jess lasted a good little while, but it fizzled as those things do. Riley faded away for the most part. We still keep in contact on Facebook, but that's about it. Jess stayed in Forks and has no intention of ever leaving. She and Eric are making some noise together.
Jas found work at a bike shop in Brooklyn. He loved it so much he called Pete out here. Damn if he didn't buy the place, our Peter. It's called Sketch's Bike Shop. I fucking love it. So does Charlotte. She keeps the books, keeps the guys straight. She 's our very own Gemma from Sons of Anarchy but without the gun and two packs a day.
Jasper is co-owner these days. He worked hard to buy his half. I don't think I've ever seen anyone so proud as he was the day he signed the papers. Well, maybe I was more proud. So proud of him. He misses the guys, misses the band, misses the music. He once told me that being a rock star was a fantasy and not his reality. He was mostly right, but he hasn't abandoned it completely. He and Sketchy Pete still find open mics here and there. He's still so good. He sings for me all the time. He sang to me at our wedding.
And me. I studied Art History and Literature. I teach neither. Jas was right again, and I was able to put those degrees to good use. I'm an assistant to the curator of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. A very low rung assistant. But my foot is in the door, and I don't ever plan on leaving there. EVER. We live in Brooklyn and I commute. We were able to get a bigger place here than in Manhattan, and I don't mind the train ride. It gives me those moments to myself to collect my thoughts and order my day. The only lists I make these days are work related or of the grocery variety.
'They're here, Babe," Jas says when we hear the doorbell. I open up to let them in, and share my grown up world with them.