Author's Note: Thanks to everyone, I heart you guys. Ok, this is all in Edward's point of view. More at the bottom.

Nice reviews are better than chocolate, unless maybe you're licking that chocolate off someone.

Epilogue: Every Day

I have the alarm set to a classical music station, but that doesn't diminish the desire I sometimes have to throw it against the wall in the morning. It's six thirty a.m. I wake up alone.

I get up, shower, shave, and try to make some sense of the mess atop my head. Failing at that, I get dressed and head downstairs.

Breakfast time – eggs, potatoes, bacon, no toast. My nerves tend to translate into hunger though I don't have to do anything today but watch. And I've found over the years that I have a strange knack for cooking. I eat everything straight out of the pans before sticking them in the dishwasher. I swallow down a small glass of orange juice and check my watch. Seven fifteen. I have time.

I sit at the little kitchen table and try to remember where I left my shoes. By the front door?...No…the living room. I get up and pad over to where they sit under the coffee table, resisting the urge to look at the soft, thick cushions of the couch; I don't even sit down on it to put my shoes on. I don't think I could fall back to sleep even I wanted to anyway. I grab my worn out messenger bag, inside there's a few notebooks, about a dozen pens, a voice recorder, extra batteries, a digital camera, press pass for today, my glasses case, and my cell phone. Slipping on my coat, I decide to leave a little early because I can't wait anymore.

Outside, I reach down and grab the newspaper, stick it in my bag. My byline is on the front page today and I barely suppress the smile as I walk down the street to my car.

There's already a crowd forming outside the small brick building when I get there. We all stand in the grass; I listen to the conversation buzz and look at the trees. The leaves are changing again; it's her favorite time of year.

I can feel someone looking at me and so I turn to my left; it's Alice and Jasper. I nod in greeting, but don't walk over. Alice's face is perpetually wary, but she has softened a lot; she talks to me now. Jasper cracks a smile, with him it was easier. But he'll stay by Alice's side in whichever direction her opinion goes and I admire that kind of loyalty. I smile toward them and see Jasper motion behind me; I turn and look.

It's Charlie. My nerves ratchet up a notch as he sees me; he seems to take pleasure in my light anxiety. He comes to stand next to me though I don't know why. I nod at him. "Charlie."

And to my astonishment, he pulls his hand out of his jacket pocket to shake mine. It's just a tiny bit tighter than one might deem appropriate. He notices my surprise at the gesture and clears his throat. "It's her day." He sticks his hand back in his pocket and faces the little stage.

It was probably the best I was going to get from him for now, but that was alright. Just the fact that he was willing to stand next to me for a purpose other than the infliction of physical harm was a testament to how far things had come. Slowly, but surely.

When I look up again, Kate is on the stage; she's excited. She sees me and waves; I wave back. She winks at her husband who is standing front and center.

And then Bella walks on stage and Charlie glances at me again, but I don't care. She sits down on one of a few folding chairs and I'm dimly aware that she's sitting next to the mayor. I'm supposed to be following this, I remind myself. So I pull out a notebook and glance around to make sure one of my paper's photographers is here.

That first day I bumped into Bella, she told me her idea for a safe house was barely in the planning stages. But it was a little further along than that. And it only took about a year for it to become a reality.

When I told Carlisle about it he was interested, and so was Esme. Interested enough that they were willing to put any worries aside and make a donation that took Bella and Kate's project off the ground. They made it anonymously, but I think she knew.

Bella finds me in the crowd when she gets up to speak. She smiles, blushes. I smile. I am so proud of her.

Charlie's voice is gruff and he doesn't look at me, but he does say, "alright…for her." He doesn't need to say anything else for me to understand.

I keep looking at Bella; she's a little nervous about speaking in front of so many people. I can see her spinning her ring with her thumb. The ring I gave her.

I watch her and think about how this has all been worth it. And I know I would gladly do it all over, every mistake and ounce of loss, if it would bring me right here to this morning. Because to see Bella happy and by my side, my heart is full.

Every day.

end

Author's Note: Done!

First, thank you to my regular readers, this was a pretty big leap from what I normally write, so thanks for leaping with me. And to the new readers, thanks so much for taking a chance on this story. You guys mean the world to me.

Story related things: The playlist for this is finished; you can find it on my homepage. And no sequel, I think they've been through enough.

I'm going to take a few days off, but I'll be posting again really soon! I just can't seem to stay away :)