safe and sound. twilight

ᴇᴘɪʟᴏɢᴜᴇ 4

ten years later

The rain pattered against the lane, leaving the cobblestones slick and shiny. Behind her, the Professor slipped and slid against the floor, her easel held tightly and protectively under her arm. Any other day and I would have helped her, my steady feet taking us to the edge of the Ruskin School of Art and toward the centre of campus. But today was too important and I was already cutting it too close for timing.

The art building sat at the very back of the intimate campus, nestled away beyond the gravelled courtyard and under the protection of young oak trees that already stretched far with bushy green branches. In my three years at the University of Oxford, I'd grown to know the grounds well, from the colleges to the museums to the wooden areas that skimmed the very edges. It was in those trees that I could finally pick up the pace, hoisting my tools over my shoulder and setting off into a sprint.

The cottage lay on the very outskirts of the old city, nestled along a small grassed lane that could only be accessed by foot. Through the short, wooden gates and past the grove of apple trees, our home sat quaintly, painted white with green decorations and outlines of the sun. In the garden, the flowers were ever-blooming, colours of every kind.

It even smelled like Forks, with the constant mist of rain and the mossy forests that seemed unending in our little portion of the world. Forks, the place we would even think of, even with our own slice of heaven here.

Alice waited inside, still dressed in the satin night dress that she'd worn when I'd left that morning. I could tell before I saw her face that she was stressed. Her short hair had not yet been styled the way she liked, and her fingers twitched by her sides, tapping a random, erratic tune. Before she could move into the kitchen, I caught her arm, drawing her against me.

"You don't have to worry," I said, brushing the stray strand of dark hair from her forehead. She blew out an exasperated breath. "They're only coming for tea."

Alice finally turned to face me, golden eyes bright and permanently wide. "That's why I have to worry. They're coming here," she said, stressing her words, shaking my arms slightly where her hands had found my elbows. "I want everything to be perfect."

"Everything is already perfect," I said, placing a gentle kiss between her brows, hoping to calm the tension that was building there. "How can it not be when you put so much love into it all?"

It was true. Alice had poured her heart and soul into the house. Almost everything had been handmade- the curtains, the bedding, the very clothes on my back. It supplied the small store that was nestled into the village closest to us.

"And it's only because I love you so much-" Alice began, returning the kiss with a quick peck to my lips, "-that I want to make it all perfect."

Before she could say anything else, I spun her around, pushing her away from the front of the house.

"You need to change. I'll sort the rest."

Alice only huffed, agreeing with a smile, leaving me to fix something that wasn't even broken. I looked across the sitting room where the fire roared beneath the hearth, a record spinning by the lace-covered window. Only perfect could describe it. I'd never dreamt of such a home in my youth because it never seemed possible, yet here it was.

Soon enough, they arrived. The Cullens. Esme and Carlisle with their warmth and nurturing. Edward and Bella, Renesmee trailing along with Jacob, doing her best to bore him with talk of her boyfriend. She was tall enough to reach my shoulders now, her face and body that of a teenager. Even Emmett and Rosalie came along, Thomas and Jasper lagging behind, their clothes speaking from another, new life abroad.

Alice waited in the doorway, my arm around her hip. Her hands were clasped with excitement, eyes waiting for the tell-tale rustle that would betray their positions. She knew the exact moment they would arrive, but that didn't stop her from waiting.

Renesmee squealed when she saw us, running from the family to jump and wrap her arms around our necks, clashing us together. When she brought her head to touch the side of ours, I felt that strange rush of familiarness. I felt her excitement, her elation, so strong that words couldn't describe it- a feeling that everyone surely felt. The smile that took my face was impossibly big.

I'd missed Esme's motherly hug, her scent of sweet cakes and fresh cotton. I'd missed Carlisle's smile and Edward's sarcasm; Bella's deep conversations and Renesmee's gossip; Rosalie's sarcasm and Emmett's laughter; Jasper's southern drawl and Thomas's tales of our past. Even Jacob's face brought me happiness, his smile pleasant and familiar. Familiar. The best feeling. Family.

When everyone had finally had their hugs and words and piled into the small house, Emmett broke into a shout, throwing his arms wide and stepping onto the kitchen chairs. "When's this party going to start!"

The laughter began with the music. Everything felt so right, there in that cottage, the whole family together, years down the line. Forever didn't feel like long enough. Alice saddled into my side, head tucked contently into my neck. I could feel her whispers building with her smile, pressing a kiss against bare skin.

"I love you," Alice said, and even all those years later, it rendered me speechless under the gaze of her warm eyes.

I'd always thought about what it would be like to die.

I'd always thought about the end. Alice told me not to worry, but it wasn't worry that I felt. There was a certain sense of contentment that came with those thoughts. I was filled with the knowledge that my life had become complete. If the end truly brought flashing images of the past, I knew what I would see.

The first time seeing Alice: the way her hair was ruffled by the wind and the glaze of her amber eyes, all-seeing. The smile on her lips was as if she knew. Knew what we'd mean to each other.

I'd always thought about what it would be like to die.

I'd once thought that without a soul I would never transcend mortal plains or be reincarnated for a second chance. Perhaps that's still true. Perhaps this was all I had- my immortal life, hidden away as a monster to men. But heaven didn't look so sweet when here, amongst the Cullens, with Alice, I felt like an angel with wings.

That extra life didn't seem so scary anymore. Forever was but a short time with Alice. But if I was to die, here with her by my side, it didn't feel like such a bad way to go.

"And I love you, Alice Cullen. More than you could possibly know."

<3