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Epilogue

January 20, 2037

It was an odd thing to wake up in the Lincoln Bedroom after a decade in the Master Suite, but for Isabella, this was where she would stay from now on. Her residency at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW was about to come to an end.

Soon, they would be living in a far more modest home in Alexandria. Well, if a six-bedroom estate on a fenced-in lot with a private driveway could ever be called modest. But remaining in DC had been a necessity when Fitzwilliam had named Edward as his successor and, upon his election win, Emmett had appointed Edward to take over the role beginning February first.

No one had been more surprised by his easy victory than Emmett, but the damage done by John Caius was still felt in his party. The rebuild was taking time, and no clear leader for the party had stepped forward as a definitive challenger for the Presidency.

Caius himself had fallen from grace rather quickly six and a half years ago. His lack of action when his political rival was in real danger saw him being convicted of obstruction of justice and impeding a federal investigation. Not even his attempts to cast all the blame on Alec, who had died in the raid that saved the President,helped his cause. He was sentenced to eight years in federal prison, but he died in custody two years later.

Lizzie was busy entertaining little Gar, who was as mischievous as his namesake. The four-and-a-half-year-old had been a surprise for Bella and Edward, but he had completed their family in a way no one had expected. The chance to be a full-time mother to them was something she looked forward to. As much as she'd fought to have a work/life balance, the job had taken precedence at times.

Isabella put her finishing touches on her makeup as Edward corralled their bags so the agents could load the car. They were moments away from the President-elect's arrival with his family and they needed to be in position.

"Ready, my love?" Edward asked from the doorway.

"Yes. It will be nice to wake up for the children's schedule and not some national crisis."

"You've earned the rest. You did so much to heal the country in the last ten years."

He reached out a hand and with her makeup bag packed away in her small suitcase, they entered the main hallway.

An agent took the bag while Isabella called for her children. The trio ran over, and as a family, they descended and made their way to the North Portico.

Emmett and his family stepped out, and there were several hugs. Henry, a now brooding teen, allowed his Aunt Bella to dote on him before she turned to Marie, who already spent quite a lot of time at the White House having sleepovers with Lizzie, and Alice and Garrett's children.

Emmett stepped close to Isabella and leaned down to whisper. "Is it silly that I'm still nervous? You're leaving me in a good place; I don't want to undo your hard work."

"You know the job, Emmett, and you ran on some strong beliefs. A lot of work has been done to make sure people earn a living wage and that our environment is protected already. As a former single father, you know the plight of the underprivileged better than anyone on the Hill. Just do your best to keep your campaign promises and listen to Monica. She'll tell you if you get off track."

"Did Alice ever have to do that?"

"During the inquiry and trials for the Fathers of the Republic, absolutely. It was hard not to take it personally as the most prominent victim of what was eventually declared a terrorist organization. But I kept myself just removed enough so when the organization had to disband even for the portion that hadn't been radicalized, that it didn't come off as political revenge. The DOJ and Homeland Security made that call."

"And Rosalie was all too happy to see it done."

The families were urged to make their way to the waiting vehicles so they could depart for the inauguration.

The ride was uneventful, and Isabella took a few steadying breaths as they made their way to the stage.

She was familiar with how things would go over the next hour or so, but it was still emotional to bid farewell to her job. Alice had told her to take some time to adjust and then they could move onto speaking engagements and events of that nature.

The moment Emmett and his family took their seats, she focused on the present.

It was her fourth time sitting through an inauguration ceremony, so she knew the beats and schedule well. When it was time for Emmett to take his oath, she couldn't help but get emotional, wiping a tear before Edward reached to take her hand.

Soon they were exiting the stage, watching Emmett sign his first document as President.

His luncheon was a beautiful celebration, and then it was time for the now former First Family to take their ceremonial final flight on Marine One.

Isabella looked out over Washington DC, the city that had been responsible for some of the greatest and worst moments of her life, and smiled. Every moment had been worth it, because it gave her this amazing family, and a husband who would do anything to keep her safe and happy.

In a job where people didn't believe a woman could manage, she'd prevailed.