Love Comes from Unexpected Places

Epilogue: Everything That I Wanted

Sitting in her car as she watched the funeral ahead of her, Bella Cullen took a shaky breath before she climbed out of her car; she couldn't remember the last time that she had been here. 

It had been such a long time since Alice had dragged her from her aunt's wedding and Bella had never been afforded the chance to return and see her family again; Edward had made sure that there was always something there to stop her from coming back to Forks. 

Slowly Bella followed the path, she kept her head down knowing that while a lot of people wouldn't remember her now that she couldn't risk it; she had heard the news and wanted to pay her respects. 

It didn't seem real that she was actually attending Sophia's funeral, it only seemed like yesterday that her cousin had been moving to Forks with her baby daughter; now she was being buried in the town where she had spent most of her life. 

Bella had wanted so many times to come back to Forks and see the family that she had left behind, she had missed Sophia getting married to Paul, she had missed her father getting married to Grace; she had hated herself even more when she had missed out on his funeral. 

It wasn't hard for Bella to spot Mia, she swallowed at how much the woman looked like her cousin; she peeked at the man next to Mia knowing that he would be her husband, she smiled a little glad that Mia had settled down. 

Next to Mia stood her two twin brothers, Bella didn't know much about them but she had heard that they had been born three years after she had been turned and had been a wonderful surprise to Sophia and Paul. 

The twins, Noah and Tyler, looked so much like their father and Bella was a little wary about going near them in case they carried the wolf gene like Paul had done; Bella knew that she didn't want any problems.

Standing next to the twins was their younger sibling, Bella wasn't sure who Zoey looked like but she knew that it was an equal tie between both of her parents; she felt a pang of jealously at the fact that Sophia had four beautiful children. 

Bella turned her attention away from the siblings that were all grieving over the loss of their mother, she looked at the coffin and wished that she could have been there in Sophia's last days. 

It had stung to hear that Paul had passed away a couple of years earlier at the age of seventy-five, Bella could only imagine how devastated Sophia had been when that had happened especially after everything. 

There were few people at the funeral that Bella even recognised, she wanted nothing more than to focus on the reason that she had come here; this was her only chance to say goodbye to the last of her family. 

Charlie had passed away as had Renee, her aunt and uncle also gone and now her only cousin was being buried in the ground alongside her husband. 

Bella crossed her arms, she had never imagined when she had made her decision to become a vampire how she would feel when it came to losing her family; she cursed the foolish eighteen year old that she had been. 

It had taken Bella to realise just how imperfect living for eternity would be, she had broken away from the Cullens around ten years ago tired of constantly repeating high school and she had spent her time traveling the world since. 

Bella occasionally spoke with Alice but she didn't have the heart to speak with Edward, she couldn't put up with his constant over-protectiveness even after she had become like him; she had never been allowed to anything alone.

Slowly the funeral came to a close and Sophia's coffin was lowered into the ground, Bella watched silently wondering what would have happened if she hadn't become a vampire; she wondered if she would have married and had children without Edward in her life to blind her. 

Bella didn't know why she had been so stupid, she had been warned by a lot of people about becoming a vampire but she had ignored them and it had cost her greatly; she hated that she had rushed a decision that affected her still. 

Walking towards Mia who was talking with some people, Bella doubted that Mia would remember her and her stomach turned watching the woman with her own children; it was something that she wished that she could have. 

"I am sorry for your loss," Bella said stopping beside Mia, she wanted to say something to the family that would never know who she was; she didn't want to mess more lives up with her selfish wants. 

It had been her decision to turn her back on her family to become a vampire and Bella was determined to make sure that no one else suffered for her decisions; Charlie and Renee had grieved for her never knowing the truth about what had happened to her. 

Mia stared at the inhumanly beautiful woman before her, she had a feeling that she knew who she was and she kept her son close knowing that she didn't want any trouble at her mother's funeral. 

"You're Isabella Cullen aren't you?" Mia guessed watching Bella, she remembered little about the woman before her but her mother and father had always told her about the decision that Bella had made. 

Mia had always considered it a stupid decision, she could never understand how Bella had thrown away her family for a man that she had barely been with ten months; a man that had dumped her for six months in the middle of those ten months of dating.

"Was she happy?" Bella asked looking at the freshly covered grave, she was totally alone now and she had no idea what she was going to do; she couldn't bring herself to return to the Cullens anymore.

Mia eyed Bella, she had no idea why the vampire would show up like this and she hoped that she didn't plan on sticking around for long; the last thing that Mia wanted was for any of the children to phase like Paul had done. 

"Very," Mia replied softly, she looked over at her husband and smiled knowing that she, like her mother, would never understand why Bella had made the decision that she had. 

Bella nodded her head, she remembered a time where she'd wanted Sophia changed because she was missing her family after what had happened with Irina; she was glad now that Carlisle and Edward had stopped her from coming to Forks to change her cousin herself. 

"I hope you are happy with what you chose," Mia said nodding at Bella before she walked away to join her family, she kept her son close knowing that she didn't want to keep her family waiting any longer. 

Bella stood watching Mia and her family leave before she slowly turned to look at the grave again, she slowly moved to place a flower on it and she swallowed back the tears that she was never going to be able to cry. 

"I'm going to miss you Sophia," Bella whispered wishing for the chance to speak with her cousin one last time, she knew that wherever Sophia was now she'd be happy to be reunited with Paul again. 

Bella's golden eyes traced the lettering on the grave stone and she knew that she would never have one of them herself, she shook her head before she slowly turned away and started to leave the grave behind.

THE END.

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Author's Note: 

Thank you to everyone that has read, commented and favourited this story. It's taken me 18 months to get to this point and I couldn't have done it without any of you, this story would have finished a long time ago if it weren't for your support xxx