Thank you so much to everyone who had read and reviewed! This will be the last chapter. Thank you to reviewers makiita, grimfwaters, Naerts, and all the other guests who reviewed!

From now on, I will be focusing on Wrecked and possibly posting a new story I've been working on, along with Turning Tables, a crossover between Twilight and Need by Carrie Jones. I will also be posting some new oneshots and other short stories, along with continuing with When I Fall. I would really appreciate it if you guys would check out those stories, along with my other ones, but either way, thank you all for reading.

Charlie

Someone was knocking on my door. I jerked upright in the armchair, looking around, then jumped to my feet. Someone was knocking at my door! It was my day off, and there was only one person that would be visiting me…well two people. They hadn't called though…I thought they would call first. The knock came again, and I pulled the door open, feeling a gust of relief when I saw my daughter and Edward in the doorway, her hand in his. I never thought I would be so happy to see her hand in his, her shoulder touching a man's. After what had happened, after I'd visited her that second time and hugged her…I'd felt her in my arms, the way she'd stiffened, trying so hard and failing to seem comfortable in my arms. My daughter had never been afraid of me. I'd never given her any reason to be…but after what that boy had done to her…I had been afraid that she would never recover.

But it had been nearly four months since…since Jacob had left. That's how I thought about it. Somehow, the Cullens had convinced me not to tell anyone, so I just thought of it as Jacob being gone. Jacob was gone. And now, Bella was…well, not back to normal. Not yet. She hadn't gone back to school, so I knew she was still uncomfortable around other people. She still didn't hug me, or even touch me really. She didn't get too close, other than letting me touch her shoulder or her arm when she came over, but Edward was always with her, holding her hand or keeping his arm around her, and she didn't seem to mind it. On the contrary, she seemed to be comfortable with him, and desire his contact. The few times I'd seen her with the other Cullen boys, that giant one that seemed so protective of her, and the other one, the smaller one that would obviously do anything for her…they adored her, those boys. And the girls too. Whatever I had thought about Edward, he and his family loved her, I couldn't deny it. Bella had a happy family in them. She couldn't have picked a better family to join.

Of course, I did wonder, even as she sat in the living room on the sofa across from me, her hand in Edward's, if she planned on actually joining their family. I could tell that Edward loved her…maybe even wanted to marry her. But after what Jacob had done…I shoved the thought away. I couldn't think about what Jacob had done to my little girl. "So how's, um, homeschooling going?"

"Good." She told me. "I'm almost done, actually. I'm going to graduate early." I nodded, glancing at Edward.

"And you?" I asked. Over the last few months, the forced questions for the sake of keeping up the appearance of courtesy had turned into almost grudgingly respectful conversation. He'd done well with Bella…I didn't know if she could have gotten through this without him and his family.

"He's already done." Bella put in, rolling her eyes, and Edward chuckled, looking down at his lap in an almost convincing display of embarrassment.

"I was able to finish up last week, actually." He told me. "We have plenty of free time, so I've been looking at colleges."

"Oh really? Where have you been looking?"

"Dartmouth, actually. It's a pretty good school, and they have plenty of online classes, so either way…" He shrugged, and I nodded.

"What have you thought about studying?" I wondered. I knew that Bella had an interest in medicine…I just wondered if she planned on pursuing that.

"Biology…maybe go into medicine." He answered to my surprise.

"Really?" I wondered. "That's what…"

"That's what Bella wants to study." He spoke with me, laughing softly. "Yeah, we both like Biology. It's where we met. Biology class." I nodded, although I didn't think Bella had ever told me that. I honestly had no idea how they'd met…she'd just told me one day that she had a date with Edward.

"After I finish high school, I'm going to take online classes…if I get in."

"Of course you'll get in." I assured her, shaking my head. "That's great, Bella! You'll do great." I couldn't help but be proud. I'd never been to college, and although her mother had been through a local community college, neither of us were as smart as Bella. She blushed a little, smiling down at her lap. Bella never was great with praise. "I'm proud of you, Bells." I couldn't help but add, and her face grew even more red.

"Thanks, Dad." She muttered, and Edward chuckled, moving so that his arm was around her. She didn't stiffen. She didn't pull away or act uncomfortable at all. Instead, she smiled at him a little, and he squeezed her gently. "Actually…there was…um…" She fidgeted with her hands, tucking one under the other, and looked at Edward. "Dad, there's something I need to tell…something we need to tell you." She stammered, looking over at Edward once more, and I crossed my arms, leaning back in confusion.

"Okay." Edward squeezed her gently, watching her as she seemed to struggle to speak.

"Okay…" She mumbled, fidgeting once more, and I waited with less and less patience.

"Okay?" Edward sighed, looking down at her expectantly, and she gave him a pleading look. He nodded, looking a little amused, and sat up a little and met my eyes.

"Chief Swan, Bella and I are engaged." He told me, making my eyes widen in surprised.

"Engaged…" I repeated, then noticed how Bella refused to meet my eyes. I forced myself to lose the surprised look and tried to smile. I wasn't upset…I had known that Bella and Edward would want to get married. I knew that he loved her, and that she loved him. I was just surprised…it was so soon. "That's…great. Congratulations." Edward smiled at me when Bella did, relaxing under his arm. "So…when…"

"Not too soon…Alice wants to plan the wedding. We have a few months." Bella put in, and I wondered if my daughter knew how long it usually took to plan a wedding. Judging from the tiny smile on Edward's face, no one was going to tell her.

"Oh." I remembered the party and the lights in the trees…that was going to be ornate. Edward laughed softly, and I guessed it must have shown in my expression.

"She begged." He explained, and Bella laughed softly.

"She's really excited." She told me. "She'll probably come here to measure you for a suit soon, so be on the lookout." I made myself laugh, but inwardly I was grimacing. I hated wearing suits, and she knew that. I doubted Bella was looking forward to wearing a wedding dress and having a party either, but it wasn't the party I was thinking of. "Um…I'm going to go the bathroom." She announced suddenly, jumping up and hurrying off, and I watched her go in surprise. Then again, she tended to do this when she got nervous nowadays.

"Is she…"

"She's okay." Edward assured me with a small smile. "She was nervous about telling you."

I nodded, my lips pressed tightly together for a moment, and then I looked back up at him. "Edward…I know you love her. I know you…I mean, without you, I don't think she could have gotten through this. I know…I know I was hard on you…"

"I never apologized." He spoke suddenly when I stammered. "I never apologized to you for that. I left her. I…in a way, I'm responsible for what happened to her." His voice was soft and full of pain, and I shook my head.

"No. You…you don't owe me an apology. Whatever happened before, you were there when you needed her. I just…now?" He knew what I was asking. He took a long moment to think, then nodded.

"Before…before what happened with Jacob…" He spit out the boy's name. "…I wanted to ask her to marry me. I planned to, as soon as we were out of high school. I wanted to go to college with her…move in with her, and before…I was going to wait." He tried to gather his thoughts. "After what he did to her, I knew…"

"Edward…" I tried to stop him, but he held up a hand, seeming to steel himself.

"We took her to the hospital about a month after what…after he raped her." He explained. "She had an exam, to make sure she was healing okay, and Carlisle took some blood to give her a pregnancy test."

"A…a pregnancy…" I stammered. That, somehow, hadn't been something I'd thought about. "She…" I shook my head. I needed to hear the rest before I said anything, so I gestured for him to go on.

"We talked about it…before." He told me, leaning forward and lowering his voice. "She told me that she didn't know what she wanted to do. And I told her that whatever she wanted to do, I was okay with it. I would be there, no mater what. If she…well, no matter what, I love her. I want to marry her. And Carlisle ran the test."

"Is…is she…" He seemed to know that I needed a moment, so he waited. "Is she pregnant?" I didn't know how to cope with that thought, so I just waited, focusing on Edward, my daughter's too pale, too handsome boyfriend. I almost sighed at the thought, but it was true. He was cold and hard and pale…I was reminded of that, every time he shook my hand, and I wonder if Bella even noticed anymore.

"No. No…she isn't." He paused for a long moment, then smiled sadly. "She cried. When Carlisle came in…we were waiting in his office. She started crying. I didn't understand…she cried for an hour…just sat in my arms and cried. Carlisle sat with us…he didn't understand either…she wouldn't talk. He was going to sedate her…she was hysterical. But then…she just kept saying 'I'm not pregnant…I don't have to do this. I'm not pregnant.'" Edward gave a small smile. "She was so afraid…but so was I. I didn't…I didn't want her to have to go through that. I didn't want to go through that." We were silent for a long time, and he looked up at me as we heard the toilet flush upstairs. "I want to marry her. I want to be with her for the rest of our lives." He looked up at me earnestly, speaking more quickly. "I love her. That's why I want to marry her. She's not back to normal yet…she's not fully healed and she's not over what happened to her. But…I want to marry her. And she…I think this is what she really wants."

"Bella…she wants to get married?" I forced a laugh and he chuckled.

"We talked about it. Bella wants to join our family…legally join our family…join my family. She wants to spend her life with me too."

I didn't want to ask this question. I didn't want to have to even think about this, but for Bella…I made myself say it. "Can she…on your…do you expect her to...I mean, do you plan on…on having a wedding night." It was hard to even look at him when I asked that, but I did. He didn't seem embarrassed in the least. Instead he smiled a little, looking sad.

"No, of course not. I don't believe…that would be what's best for her at this point. She's not over what he did to her...she couldn't be. It's only been a few months and when he…I mean, we never…" He shook his head with a harsh sigh. "I can wait…I will wait until she's comfortable with the idea." He was determined; I'd give him that. Determined and in love with her. "I'm going to take her to my mother's island." He told me suddenly.

I felt myself stiffen. "Her…her island?" He chuckled.

"Yes. My mother has an island off of the coast of Brazil. It was an anniversary present."

"Right…of course it was." Edward laughed.

"We have a house there. I was going to take her there for our honeymoon….get away from here for a while, and when we get back, we're going to go to Dartmouth…either online classes or actual classes…whatever she wants." He seemed almost sad as he said this, but I didn't ask. I didn't have time to…Bella chose that moment to come back downstairs, smiling at us hesitantly, then frowned at whatever expression was on my face.

"What? What are you guys talking about?"

"I was just explaining our honeymoon plans." Edward told her with a grin.

"Seriously!" She gave me an irritated look. "He won't tell me anything!" I laughed, recognizing that irritated look. It was such a familiar look…I'd been on the receiving end of it plenty of times. It made my heart ache how familiar it was, but I made myself laugh.

"I'm sure you'll love it." I assured her as she sat next to Edward once more. "So, tell me more about this wedding." And, as I leaned back in my recliner, I listened to my daughter tell me all about the wedding Edward's sister had planned.

Bella

I wanted to marry Edward. I did…really. He'd been…so wonderful. And I loved him. And I wanted to join his family…really join it. And I was going to. I was going to join his family. He was going to change me…after the honeymoon. I mean…after the vacation he'd planned…whatever that was. We'd talked…when he'd asked me to marry him. We'd been the only ones home, together in his bedroom, curled up on the bed. He'd made me dinner, turning on a movie and holding me as I'd eaten. It had only been four months after what had happened…I was oddly good at keeping track of how long it had been.

Something other than the movie had been on my mind though…he'd promised to change me if I married him…and Carlisle had promised to do it after I finished high school. But after what had happened…I didn't know if they would follow through. "Are you still going to change me?" I'd wondered, speaking softly to break the silence, and he seemed to answer out of habit.

"Only if you marry me." He'd paused then, glancing over at me. "I'm sorry…" He'd shaken his head, his arm still around me. "I…I guess we should…talk about that." For a moment I had been silent.

"Do you still…you still want to change me?" I'd asked quietly, hanging my head, and he'd turned, cupping my cheek.

"Carlisle promised he would change you after you finished high school if that's what you want."

"Will he still…I mean…after what happened…" I'd trailed off, staring down at my hands folded in my lap.

"Carlisle promised he would change you." He'd reminded me. "As long as you still want him to."

"I…I want you to do it." I'd whispered, and he'd sighed, pressing his lips again my forehead. For a long moment, he'd been silent, and then he'd touched my face, having me turn to look at him.

"I want to marry you." He'd murmured, his honey colored eyes meeting mine. "I love you, Bella, and I want…more than anything, I want to marry you. I want…I want you…to want to marry me." For a moment, I'd stared at him, not knowing how to answer that. The idea of marriage had always been a bad one to me.

'But is that just because of my parents?' I'd wondered. Honestly, I knew that Edward and I wouldn't have the same fate as my parents. I'd never want to leave him, and I knew he'd never leave me. 'Does it really matter at this point?' I'd wondered. 'Can't I give him this?'

We'd talked all night, until my eyes were drooping. I'd told him about my parents. I'd told him about Renee…what it had been like, living with her. And he'd talked to me. He'd told me about his experience with marriage…first his biological mother, then Carlisle and Esme. "And…what about…after?" I'd asked, looking up at him almost fearfully.

"I want to marry you." He'd told me softly, stroking my face. "I would never do anything to you that you didn't want. I would never expect you to do anything you didn't want to." I'd forced myself to meet his eyes. "So after the wedding, I'll take you on a honeymoon vacation." He smiled, pushing my hair back. "We'll vacation for as long as you want, and then, when we get back…when we get back, I'll change you. Carlisle will be there with morphine, and we'll all be there the whole time. We can't guarantee the morphine will work, but Carlisle wants to try." He'd stroked my hair, and I'd given in to the impulse, leaning forward and pushing my lips against his.

It was harder to kiss him now, but I hoped that, with more practice, it would get easier. I was glad for his control now that I needed it. He'd wrapped his arms around me, his lips moving from my lips to my forehead, then pulled away. "You said…your memories…they fade." His eyes had grown infinitely sad then, and he'd pressed his forehead against mine.

"You should talk to Rosalie." He'd told me suddenly. After everything, Rosalie and I had gotten closer, but she still didn't go out of her way to talk to me very often. "Or Esme. You should definitely talk to Esme." He'd stroked my face the, kissing me once more. "After we change you, you'll have several months of trying to get used to being a vampire. Trust me, it's not really an easy transition, but I'll be there the whole time. You'll love hunting. It's fun." He'd assured me, smiling as he kissed my cheek, and I'd had to smile.

"Bella?" I jerked out of my thoughts and found myself staring at my own reflection in the mirror. "Bella!" Alice stepped into the bedroom, smiling at me. "You ready? Charlie's waiting, as is, Edward, I might add. If you're late, you know Emmett is never going to let it go! All you have to do is follow me." I stood, walking over to my sister who stood in the doorway. "Edward hasn't seen your dress yet, and…" She broke off when I threw my arms around her. She moved hesitantly, putting her arms around me.

"Bella…I don't want to wrinkle your dress." She told me, laughing softly, and she pulled away, wiping under my eyes. "Don't you dare cry." She told me with a smile, kissing my cheek. "I worked hard on your makeup. Now, come one. Are you ready?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm ready." Following her out into the hallway, I smiled at my dad, looping my arm through his and watching my sister down the hall, trying to balance in the heels Alice had insisted I wear.

"Dad…"

"Yeah?" He asked, squeezing my hand.

"Don't let me fall."

"Never." He kissed my hair, rubbing his thumb against my hand, and when the music changed, he stepped forward, leading me down the hall and toward Edward.

The End

I have loved writing this story. Thank you all so much for reading, and I truly hoped you enjoyed it. I may have an alternate ending, or I may not. I'm not positive yet. Either way, I hope you liked the ending.

One of my readers , Olga Q, was kind enough to translate this story into Russian! If you want to read this story in Russian, go to: (slash) forum (slash)

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