Stranger Love

Epilogue

Years went by. The Cullens eventually had to leave, and Seth went with them. Leah was upset with him but refused to leave La Push, knowing somewhere in the back of her mind that he would be okay. Jasper came back to Forks at least once a year to visit Eleanor's small family, staying at the house outside of town and being sure to stay hidden from the public eye to avoid suspicion. Bella and Edward would visit Charlie sometimes, and Renesmee and Seth would visit the reservation to see Sue and some of the others. Everyone was surprised when Renesmee became close to Claire and Sarah despite living further away and growing at a greater rate than the other two girls. Though the hybrid girl grew to be an adult by the age of seven, a part of her stayed as young as her friends.

After the Cullens left, most of the wolves who had imprinted decided to stop phasing and spend more time with their families. Quil enjoyed being a wolf and he and Leah, along with Embry and some of the younger wolves, took over protecting La Push.  Jacob decided to give the Alpha role to Quil for a time, only phasing once in a great while when a problem came up that required extra help. Being a wolf was second nature to Jacob and that never changed, despite the time he spent away from the pack. Sam and Emily got married and started their family, as did Kim and Jared. Rachel and Paul had fought about it, always ending up back together after each fight, until they found out Rachel was pregnant. That was when Paul realized he was being a hothead jerk and finally settled down. His paternal instincts kicked in quickly and the bond with his imprint grew, though it seemed impossible that it could've. He was a better father than anyone expected him to be, knowing him in his younger years.

Eleanor found out she was pregnant again when Sarah was three, and this time they had twin boys. She worked with Carlisle on her health after that pregnancy, which had been even harder on her body than the first, and found out she had been lucky to have the two healthy pregnancies she did. Her reproductive health hadn't been what she expected or hoped it to be. She was crushed to find out she couldn't have any more babies without putting herself in critical condition and risking her life in a very real way. Everyone knew even trying for another baby wouldn't likely end well. Jacob assured her they had the perfect family and everything would work out. In the end, things were good. Billy lived with them for a while before Rachel offered to take him in. Billy fought against it, saying he was fine on his own, but none of his children believed him. The old man was simply too stubborn for his own good, even in failing health.

When Sarah was seven, Rebecca and her family came for Christmas from Hawaii. Rachel had called, paying for long distance, to tell her their father wasn't doing the greatest. Rebecca wanted her children to see their grandfather again- though Eleanor wasn't sure they'd ever met him in the first place- before it was too late. Eleanor wasn't a fan of her long lost sister-in-law. Something about her was off, but Eleanor tried not to think about it too much. She got along with Rebecca for Jacob's sake. It was clear how much the woman loved her father despite staying away for so long. Billy passed away when Sarah was twelve, and her brothers were only nine, due to health complications after catching a bout of pneumonia that put him in the hospital.

Life went on. Jacob sometimes had a hard time not being a part of a pack anymore, and Eleanor tried to encourage him to go join them if it really bothered him that much, but Jacob never did. Eleanor came first in every part of his life, even if it took him some time to fully learn and embrace it. He knew it would worry her more than anything else. He'd resolved to spending his life with Eleanor and growing old with her as they watched their children grow. His instincts never fully reverted back to the way they were before his change, though. He could still smell the sickly sweet scent of the vampires when they visited with Jasper, no matter how long it had been since he last phased. They were glad to see how happy Seth and Renesmee were, even just being close friends. Seth knew she wasn't ready for any kind of relationship, and her parents definitely weren't ready for that given the short amount of time they'd had with her.

Things were right in the world. Eleanor had a family of her own, finally, and it was so much more than she'd ever expected. She didn't regret her decision to watch John's girls after their mother died, and she didn't regret the decision to take them to La Push to be closer to their family. It had played out in a more perfect way than she could have ever imagined. The only thing that worried Eleanor was the knowledge that her boys would eventually go through the same thing their father had. It was inevitable with their vampire family, and the friends they had from years before. Renesmee had grown close with a nomad from the Amazon, Zafrina, and occasionally convinced her to come to Forks. Zafrina was always with her two sisters, though. They moved as parts of a whole. Eleanor tried not to let it bother her too much. The three sisters meant no harm to Renesmee or those she loved, which included Eleanor's small family and those on the reservation.

Eventually, Eleanor accepted the fact that she couldn't do anything for her children if the fever set in. Jacob assured her he would be there for them when the time came. That gave her comfort. Her children grew up learning the legends of their tribe, but it wasn't until they were about sixteen that they learned the truth of it. Sarah had claimed she knew the entire time while the boys mentioned how cool they thought it was. They had the same thoughts as Quil when he first changed, saying they couldn't wait and that it was going to be awesome. Eleanor let them enjoy that while they could. She didn't want to ruin things before they discovered the truth of being shifters and everything that came with it. 

So, the small family grew. They embraced the family they had, vampires and wolves alike, and life went on the way it always did. Time passed quicker than anyone wanted, the way it typically does. Eleanor felt as if one day her children were infants and the next they were grown, but she took all the time she could to enjoy what she had. It was more than she had expected to have in this life. She was happy. She was in love. She had more family than she ever knew what to do with. She was content to live life to the fullest, following whatever path she was set on.