I know I'm usually a sarcastic shit in these Authors notes, but I'd like to sincerely thank you so much for reading HPA and taking your time to review (thus making me feel like a million dollars)!

And just to address this question, I probably won't be attempting a sequel to this, but I may do a few one shots.

*sniffles* this is it, my lovelies.

BPOV.

"Isabella Marie Swan!"

The crowd exploded into good-natured cheers as, with shaky legs, I made my way onto the graduation stage. The Dean of the Business Faculty, and then the Dean of the University, shook my hand. Both of them looked like they wanted a stiff drink – which was understandable, considering how many graduating students hands they had shook today. The Dean of Business wouldn't look me in the eye – making me wonder whether he remembered I was the girl Carlisle Cullen had tried to get a scholarship for a year ago.

The Dean's pretty assistant handed me my diploma and smiled at me indulgently as I shifted the tassel on my graduation cap.

I had officially graduated.

No my students, no more books, no more teachers dirty looks. I could understand what Alice Cooper was talking about. School was out, and I was a societal approved and accepted adult. That would have scared the crap out of me, but as I scanned over the students and staff, I found the families of students and knew I would never be alone.

There was an entire row of people dedicated to me, all of them looking up at me with pride and love. Alice and Jasper were at one end, Jasper's arm thrown lazily around Alice, who was sobbing uncontrollably into his shirt. I couldn't help but shake my head in exasperation. She had cried at pretty much every milestone in our lives, so I was far from surprised.

Next to them were Rose and Emmett, both of whom were wolf whistling in the wake of my name being called. I swear to God, they were responsible for 90% of the crowd's noise. Next to Emmett, my dad Charlie was looking at Emmett as if he was a nutcase, unsurprisingly considering he had just started hollering like he was at a freakin' baseball match or something. Mom was in a similar state to Alice, clutching to Dad and sniffling. Geesh. You'd think they were at my funeral.

Angela was sitting next to Mom, looking incredibly uncomfortable even as she smiled kindly. This was one of her first public outings with the Cullen family, and I knew she was worried about exposure. She had decided to wait until her son was old enough to make an informed decision before publicly announcing he was a Cullen or not. Surprisingly enough, Esme was sitting next to her, and even from here I could see she had a reassuring hand on her forearm. She was also smirking, in a typical Esme fashion, as she sat between Carlisle and the mother of Carlisle newest son. I shook my head again. I would never understand Esme's (or, by extension, Emmett's) sense of humor.

Carlisle was oblivious to this, too busy cooing at chubby baby Ben, who was sitting contently in his favorite brothers's arms. Since Carlisle and Edward, not to mention the rest of the Cullen family, had sat down and worked through their differences (I'm fairly certain more punching had been involved), it hadn't taken long for all of them to bond over the cuteness that was their newest family member.

Edward was holding Ben securely against his stomach, his hands crossed over Ben's round belly and his chin resting on Ben's head. I felt my ovaries come alive at the sight of Edward and Ben, as they always did. It was like someone flipped a switch from Off to Edward-Impregnate-Me-Now-Please. But more important then my overactive ovaries was the look in Edward eyes.

He wasn't cheering or crying. He was simply looking at me with the fiercest mix of pride, love and adoration written all over his face – and I knew – I knew, that he hadn't taken his eyes off me the entire ceremony, even when I was in my seat and he could only see the back of my head.

Time suddenly couldn't pass quickly enough, as a burning need to be wrapped up in Edward's arms consumed me. The moment they released us from the stage, I was knocking my way through the crowd, oblivious to the flying graduation caps that had been thrown into the air. I was met half way by a bone-crushing hug, and looked down to see Alice had wrapped herself around me like a pretzel, shortly joined by Rose, who wrapped her arms around both of us.

Rose and I rolled eyes at each other over Alice's head as we swayed in our six-armed hug-fest. Neither Rose nor I were that emotional about ceremonies or similar pomp, but Alice cried at everything; from weddings to the movie Armageddon.

"Oh Bella! I'm so proud! Promise me we'll be friends forever!" Alice wailed, getting snot over my graduation gown.

"Cripes, Al," Rose huffed, patting her head like a dog, (a habit she'd picked up from Emmett, the condescending ass), "we're all marrying into the same family. I spent more time around you two now then when we lived together. I think you should be more concerned about the three of us getting sick of each other."

We took a moment to look into each other's eyes. I thought about the great life I had had, and how the two girls hugging me had been there every step of the way, through thick or thin. I thought about my future, Christmas in the Cullen house, our giant family sitting around, a drunk Jasper in a Santa costume handing out presents. Actually, that had happened last Christmas, but I thought it was a fair indication of years to come. I thought about the life that was growing inside Rose's womb, about the wedding I would be attending next week, about whether Jasper would cry when Alice reached him at the altar.

I don't know whether she was thinking the same thoughts as I, but Rose began sobbing like a wanker the same moment I did.

"See!" Alice wept into my shoulder, as we all clutched each other tightly, "I knew you both felt it!"

Emmett and Jasper arrived only a few minutes later, pushing through the crowding and laughing their insensitive asses off at the sight of us.

"Goober, what's with the tears?" Emmett boomed, clapping me on the back and practically making my knees buckle. "You're all grown up now, Miss. Graduate."

"Ha!" Jasper grinned; gently untangling Alice from the hug as Emmett did the same to Rose. "She's just upset that she'll have to marry our esteemed little brother now. You know how those two were waiting till' she graduated."

"Bite me, Jazz." I growled at him, my mean attitude ruined by the fact that I pulled both him and Emmett into a hug. "Maybe I'm crying cause I've got to be stuck with you as a brother-in-law for the rest of my bloody life."

Emmett and Jasper hugged me back tightly, Emmett pressing a rare, gentle kiss to my cheek and Jasper whispering to me, "proud of you, my soon-to-be little sister."

Okay. Rose, Emmett, Jasper, and Alice looking at me like the loved me and were immensely proud and wanted to get into a five-way hug was more then my tear ducts could handle right now.

"I'm going to go find the olds, I'll see you all back at Edward's for this stupid party." I told them, wanting to run off before I started snotting up like Alice.

"Bella!" Alice growled over her shoulder I pushed further through the crowd, "NO party thrown by me is ever stupid, young lady!"

Great. Offending Alice probably meant I'd be on coat-taking duty all night.

I found Charlie, Carlisle and Renee chatting near their seats. Esme and Angela were wrestling a very reluctant Ben into his portable buggy, while he screamed "E-WARD!" at the top of his little lungs.

Mom and Dad engulfed me the moment I was with them, and I knew, out of every well-wisher here, nobody was as proud as they were.

"Bella," Renee whispered in my ear, "you've done so well for yourself. That's all any mom ever wants – for her child to grow up and have more then she did. I'm in awe of you, baby."

I felt that traitorous lump reform in my throat as my dad told me he loved me and as they made their way to their car. I could see it in both of them – how very glad they were that I had made it here, to graduation. I saw it in them last night, as we sat around a dinner table with the Cullen's, Alice and Rose, how glad they would have been even if I hadn't made it here – as long as I was happy.

Carlisle cleared his throat, and I realized I'd forgotten he was standing right in next to me.

"Congratulations, Bella," he told me in his soft voice.

"Thanks, Daddy-C." I grinned at him, earning me an irritated huff. Since Rose and Alice had found out my nickname for Carlisle, they had both adopted it too, annoying the crap out of him.

"Yes, well, I know things haven't always been good between us, and I just wanted to say, that…" Carlisle cleared his throat again, no doubt about to make apology number 1018.

"Seriously, C-Man, it's all in the past." I told him, honestly. "Edward and I were stronger because of it, and we're together forever now."

I felt a familiar presence behind me, and arms wrapping around my middle. I wonder if my insecure man had heard that last declaration. His lips on my neck told me that yes, yes he had.

"I thought I'd give you a few minutes to let everyone congratulate you, Sweetheart," he whispered into my throat, "because now I have you in my arms, I have no plans of letting you go."

Now Carlisle was clearing his throat out of discomfort, still unused to Edward's overzealous public affections towards me.

"I'm glad that's the case, Bella." Carlisle began, trying in vain to ignore Edward. "I was a fool for comparing your relationship to the mistake Ang and I made together, even if I did gain a wonderful little boy from that. I'm so glad to see my family, with so many new members happy and…and…EDWARD!" Carlisle broke off from his emotional little speech, rolling his eyes to the heavens due to the behavior of his youngest son.

"Ignore him, C-Unit. I know I do." I told Carlisle calmly, even as Edward's dexterous hands snuck inside the front of my robe and splayed over my hips. His mouth was on my neck, all teeth and tongue and the occasional joyful sigh.

"We'll see how well you can "ignore me", when I really put my mind to things, my Angel." Edward whispered huskily against my ear, before again attacking my neck, this time with a renewed zeal.

"Um, and anyway," Carlisle began again, but he gave another snort of outrage as Esme sidled up to us. "Edward, that's going to leave a mark!"

"I think that's the idea, honey." Esme said, grinning at me. Out of the Carlisle she and myself, Esme was the only one who was successfully ignoring the nipping teeth now at my jaw.

"He was her employer, that's incredibly inappropriate behavior in front of Bella's professors, what if she gets in trouble?" Carlisle ranted, even as he allowed Esme to begin steering him away.

"Don't be such a prude, Papa-C!" I called after them, "And we'll see you tonight!"

I giggled and relaxed back into Edward arms, feeling his erection pressed into my back. Honestly, the man's ability to get a boner anywhere was somewhat frightening. "You're not my employer anymore, Edward." I purred as he devoured my neck, "So what do plan on doing to me?"

He flipped me around; brining me face-to-face with the happiest, most dazzling smile I'd ever seen him wear. "I may not be your employer, but I can think of some wonderful scenarios in which you can call me Mr. Cullen."

I laughed provocatively and tugged on his tie, bringing his face close to mine. "Is that right?" I asked him, burying my hands in his hair.

"Mmm." He hummed against my lips. "And pretty soon I'll be able to call you Mrs. Cullen."

"Soon," I agreed, automatically fingering my engagement ring. "But don't think your going to distract me from the fact that you haven't told me what my graduation present is…"

"I have just four words for you, my little graduate…" He whispered, taking my cap off and cradling the back of my head. "Me…you…Bora Bora."

Several day's worth of orgasms and being serenaded on a moonlit beach?

Whoever said school was the best years of your life had obviously never met Edward Cullen.

The End.

I feel kinda stupid writing "the end", but hey, just in case it isn't blindingly obvious, right?

I'll add a chapter notice to the end of HPA letting you know when my next story has started; I'd love for ya'll to read it!

Thanks for reading,

Lots of Love,

NorthernLights17

:)