So this is it. Thank you everyone! To everyone who's made it this far thank you for reading my random scribbles, I can't tell you how humbling it is having other people reading and enjoying.

I will be posting a new story or two in the next few weeks so keep your eyes open. I hope you've enjoyed this!

Firework

Epilogue

It was finally here the day I'd been looking forward to for what had felt like forever. There had been pain and tears, hard work and freak-outs but it was here. Finally. We'd made it.

Today Caroline, Elena, Bonnie, Stefan, Matt, Tyler and I would graduate high school. Only two of us would be graduating as a normal human as we'd started but we'd still made it, most of us even after our deaths. It was something I was immensely proud of.

My dad had flown over to watch the ceremony, I was pretty sure at Damon's expense but neither of them had mentioned that, so I was ignoring it as well.

Dad was so proud and angry, but mostly proud I was pretty sure. Damon's genuine smile said everything, his scowl when he saw Elena also spoke volumes.

Elena… I forgave her almost instantly, she had been my first friend here and I would never forget her easy acceptance of a stranger in her house, how she was one of the first to help me become who I was, someone I was happy to be. She didn't want me to sacrifice myself for her, that wasn't her. So, when she came to me genuinely upset then of course I forgave her, how could I not. However, I wouldn't forget. There was part of her that was in love with Damon, that had become glaringly obvious and while I could be friendly with her, I could never have the same relationship with her. I just didn't trust her round my vampire.

To make matters worse it seemed like I was the only one who could easily forgive Elena, or me and Caroline anyway. Caroline couldn't hold a grudge to save her life. Ric was still cold towards her, Stefan was noticeably upset, Bonnie turned a hard shoulder most of the time and Damon… Yeah Damon was going to rip her throat out if she ever came back to the Boarding House, not just threaten to he would do it without remorse.

The Boarding House was the reason that Charlie was currently darting between angry and proud despite it being my graduation. Damon had set him up in one of the guest rooms, far away from our room and Charlie had quickly figured out that I wasn't just visiting Damon and him, I was actually living there. Well, he wasn't police chief for nothing. He was angry with Alaric, Damon and me, the only saving grace was that I was eighteen closing in on nineteen and he couldn't do anything about it. Anything other than yell at us all anyway. Which he had done. Loudly.

My newish vampire senses were not good for someone shouting at you. I'd been working tirelessly with Damon to try and bring them under control with normally quick success but when I got emotional it normally blew those lessons out of my head.

We'd found out that my gift was… certainly more now. I could actively scan the whole of Mystic Falls and tell you where each mystical creature was and who they were, even if I'd never met them. It was very handy. Especially on the full moon.

I could also compel people as most of our kind could. Damon theorised that I'd gain and have control over more gifts the older I got. Much like he had. I was trying to get him to teach me how to shapeshift into an animal, he said that would probably take years, if not decades to master. I was determined to do it within two years just to prove the arrogant ass wrong.

I was torn out of my musings when Bonnie's name was called out to collect her diploma, clapping and cheering for her along with all of my other friends.

And so it continued till name was called out.

"Swan Isabella."

I went to get proof of my high school education to cheers and claps.

I looked out at the sea of faces. Charlie, Alaric, Jenna, Jeremy, Matt, Elena, Stefan, Caroline, Bonnie, Tyler, the cheerleading squad, Jacob, Jasper, Alice, Emmett and Rosalie. The people who had helped to make me who I was, the people who had supported me to get here. They were all on their feet for me.

Then there was Damon who whistled the longest, clapped the hardest and had a huge smug grin across his face. A mask not needed with me anymore. He helped me, and I was helping him. Now the last bit of my human life was at a close we had the rest of forever to make to work on us together.

Five Years Later

"It's your own fault, you wanted to do this." I stuck my tongue out at my phone despite the fact that Damon couldn't see me.

"Yeah well at the time it seemed like a good idea." Damon said sounding whiny which made me hold back a chuckle. "And I didn't realise they'd all be here."

"You know that most of them can hear you right?" I questioned with a laugh.

"You know I don't care right?" Damon quipped back, I could hear the smirk in his voice.

"Today you have to pretend like you do, just for another thirty minutes anyway."

"Fine." Damon huffed out. "Get here soon." With that he hung up. Very romantic.

"That didn't sound like poetry." Charlie smirked looking very awkward as I finished putting on my jewellery.

"That was Damon, you've met him right? He doesn't do poetry very often." I grinned right back at my dad.

"You sure about this? You can still back out if you want to." Charlie pointed out.

"I'm sure dad."

"Come one then, it's time." With the Charlie took my arm and together we carefully manoeuvred out of the room and out towards the lawn.

As we stepped outside the music started playing and I gripped Charlie's arm a bit tighter as everyone turned to look at me.

I looked around at the fairly small sea of faces, everyone I cared about was out on the lawn, and a small handful of people I didn't. At the end of the red carpet, looking extremely handsome in a beautiful black bespoke tuxedo was Damon. My heart sped up as did my feet, no longer nervous, now I was full of anticipation.

Damon's eyes grew round at the sight of me dressed in a white wedding dress, my hair styled for once in an elegant and intricate updo and more makeup on then I'd ever worn before all to make me look 'natural'. Judging by the look on his face my efforts (and the efforts of my bridesmaids Caroline and Bonnie) had been worth it.

I barely heard the words that the Minister said, repeating when prompted. All I could do was stare into the eyes of the man I would spend the rest of eternity with. His beautiful blue eyes filled with emotion stared right back, his lips twitched upwards in his cocky crooked smile. He was getting what he wanted as was I.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Seventeen Years Later

It had been a long day. It had been a long month. But today he was finally at rest. My heart would never recover, there would always been that small hole that could never be filled. And I would have to live with that for eternity.

"Come here." The voice of my salvation whispered into my ear, his arms wrapping around me and pulling me closer to him on the bed he'd found me on.

I breathed in deep and filled my nostrils with the calming scent of him.

"You took the make-up off." He whispered into my ear as he spooned me from behind.

"Cried it off, I looked ridiculous anyway. At least no-one commented of the fact." I replied my voice husky from crying.

"You looked like a woman in her thirties. A total MILF by the way." Damon said, his voice gentle and soothing despite the attempted humour.

"What am I going to do now?" I asked with tears in my eyes once more, I'd thought I'd cried myself out but apparently not.

"Well first of all you are going to have some blood, you haven't eaten in a week and you're going to start feeling it more if you don't drink, then you're going to sell the house like you said and we are going to travel to England as I promised you twenty ish years ago. We're going to have fun, just as Charlie wanted us to." Damon told me, his voice catching on dad's name. I wasn't the only one feeling the loss.

"Does it get any easier?" I asked turning to look into the bright blue eyes I could never tire of. The handsome rugged face of my husband.

"No. You just learn to live with it and around it. Live and think of him."

Thirty Years Later

"Damon!" I shouted despite knowing he could hear me even if I'd spoken at my normal volume, somethings were just engrained though.

"What's up?" He called back.

"In coming, Cullen's, be here in roughly ten minutes." I called back trying to hide my worry. I'd not seen the Cullen's since I'd transitioned fifty something years ago now. And I wasn't looking forward to a reunion. Especially as my husband had killed their son and brother.

"Huh. That sucks." Damon was beside me wrapping an arm around me and kissing my neck. "Wonder what brings then to England?"

We'd lived in a large Manor house in rural England for the past ten years, we'd have to move soon and it bugged the hell out of me. I loved this house. Damon and I had spent weeks putting it to rights. Turning it from an almost derelict, crumbling, old pile of rocks into a beautiful, comfy home that we both adored. We'd be keeping it because there was no way in hell that I wouldn't be returning when everyone in the village had passed on. This had been the first house that we'd actually bought together. And I'd managed not to eat anyone in the village either. Go me.

"Wanna go meet me?" Damon asked before quickly turning into his crow and turning back.

"Really?" I asked excitedly. I'd only been able to transition for the last year or so.

Damon rolled his eyes at me. "Come on Wildcat."

With that he was flying from the balcony of our bedroom, preforming aerial acrobatics while he was at it. Show off, I rolled my eyes.

I closed my eyes breathed deeply and concentrated on brining my animal to the front. Letting the change take over instead of fighting it like I'd done when first learning.

I ran from the room and downstairs, yipping at the crow when I was outside.

Together we went to 'greet' our 'guests'.

The Cullen's collectively stopped when we came into view of them, all of them wearing confused looks at the crow which was cawing a laugh as he flew close to the fox, playing with her as she dodged him and then sprang as though to attack. Her mouth never catching though. I loved playing Damon like this.

Together Damon and I transformed back as though we'd practiced. We had. Not that either of us would tell the other.

"Damon, Bella." Carlisle greeted us both, his eyes slightly round at the sight of us no longer animal but vampire instead. He might have been aware that we had gifts but he obviously never knew about the fact we could change into animals. Shape shift as it were.

"Hey Carlisle." I smiled at the older vampire, taking in the rest of the family behind him and smiling at them as well. Damon wrapped his arms around my waist and rested his head on top of mine.

"What can we do for you Doc?" Damon at least was attempting to be polite. It wouldn't last. Fifty years with the man and I knew him well enough now to know that shit was going to hit the fan if they said one cross word.

"We were hunting in the area and came across your scents. We all agreed that we'd like to visit with you." Carlisle said with a gentle smile. "And to offer out congratulations of course. Marriage seems to sit you both well."

"Lie." I breathed to Damon who tightened his arms around me a little.

"I know. Be ready. They're after something." Damon's rich voice echoed in my head. Ten years ago, when we were working on my gifts Damon started experimenting with his, having the ability to dream walk he'd played with that while I was awake leading to the very handy skill of being able to speak with me my mind. Unfortunately, I couldn't talk back mentally. Yet anyways.

"Thank you. Now what do you want?" Damon said bluntly, politeness completely gone.

"The Volturi…" Carlisle started saying.

"Not interested." Damon interrupted.

"But…"

"You somehow got yourselves in trouble with the Volturi, you're hoping for help. We're not interested." Damon said his voice harder now.

"Bella…" Esme said pleadingly.

"Sorry Esme." I replied. I didn't want to get into it with the Volturi, or anyone. Damon didn't either. We just wanted to spend our eternity together, enjoying each other and life, well until we got bored which hadn't happened yet. That's why we'd not gone running when Elena called twenty years back. Needing help from some vampire or other. Elena was no longer with us and neither Damon nor I felt the slightest bit of guilt, consequently Stefan hadn't spoke to either of us in those twenty years, he was still alive and kicking somewhere though. The only time we'd actually gone to help anyone was when Caroline called and that had not worked out that well. Damon's old buddy had tried to kill us both. Luckily Enzo, Caroline, Damon and I were all on fairly good terms now. Even seeing each other every so often for a few months. Caroline was happy and that was all I cared about.

"You owe us." Alice blurted out.

"How?" I asked blankly, the emotions I felt concealed behind a mask I rarely felt the need to wear.

"We saved you when Victoria and her army were attacking, we stuck by you then." Alice's high-pitched voice was very grating on my supernatural hearing. Poor Jasper.

"Actually, Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie were the one's who stuck by us." I said.

"If they need help then we'll be happy to shelter them." Damon said, his voice wicked.

"We all need-"

Damon cut Carlisle off. "Who's actually in trouble? Who broke whatever law they're wanting you for?"

"Alice told-" Esme started again.

"Not interested then. Thank s for stopping by. Big dude, Blondie, Emo, you guys need help oir wanna stop by I'm sure you'll find us." With that Damon transformed and I followed suit. Heading back to our home together. Our next place to visit had been Italy, guess we were putting that off for a while now, I always wanted to see the Great Wall of China though.

It didn't really matter where we went though. As long as Damon and I were together.

The End