6:05:00

Alice smiled gently over at her mate, as she yawned quietly and rested her head on the cool glass window. Alice felt content as she glanced at the rearview mirror and saw Jasper fully relaxed in the seat behind Emery, listening intently to her heartbeat.

At first, Alice was wary of the Swan, because of how she saw Bella coming, but couldn't envision her mate coming along. Living, if you could call it that, for so long, she has inevitiably become suspicious of those who were not her family.

When Jasper came along, she knew that with him, is where she belonged. Turning into a vampire was something she had never imagined. Living out a long life was something that she had hoped for while she was once young and alive, unaware of the danger that would eventually come along and change her perspective on the world. But unlike how she thought it would change her for the worst, it instead changed her for the better. Although she was always positive and kind, becoming a vampire allowed her to truly see the good in people. With Edward, she saw a young man that eventually became a brother to her. She saw a young man who although despised himself because of what he had become, love those around him, who were just like him. With Emmett, she saw a trustworthy and loving brother. Who although was often times overly playful and enthusiastic, was an amazing listener and comforter. With Rosalie, she saw the embodiment of strength. With Rosalie, she saw tragedy turn into something beautiful. A woman, who although still struggled with trauma, begin to love again. A woman who is beginning to love herself again, while loving those around her. With Carlisle and Esme, she saw nurture and understanding. She saw love that she thought she'd never find after having to leave her family behind. She saw the beauty behind letting go and starting anew, although she knew that letting go was never always that easy.

But as she drove her car over the uneven pavement that shook her tires and listened to the soft breaths that escaped her mate, as she looked over and saw the newest edition to the family she called her own, resting peacefully in her presence, she realized, that the best things in life don't have to be something you have already seen before.

▹

Emery awoke once again as her head lolled from side to side on the window of the humming car, her eyes slowly opening.

Realizing that she was still with Alice and Jasper, she lurched up from her slouching position, her cheeks beginning to flush. Looking over to apologize, she began to relax as she saw Alice already parked outside of her childhood home, resting her upper body on the center console as she grinned back at Jasper, who was speaking to her in a gentle hum.

As if noticing a change in her breathing pattern, Jasper pauses mid sentence and looks over to his other mate, a smile appearing as he took in her squinted and tired eyes glancing back at him shyly.

"Well, sleeping beauty is awake." He announced playfully, biting back a laugh as Alice turned around and pretended to be surprised, full out grinning as she slapped his knee and turned to face front.

"We just got here, don't worry." Alice said in a placating tone, causing Emery to sigh out and nod, her cold fingers now wrapping around her too-long sweater sleeves.

Glancing over at her home, Emery was glad to see that the living room lights were now off and so was the light in her fathers room. Worrying about coming home late, Emery glanced at the clock and relief flooded her as she noticed she still had ten more minutes to get inside.

Furrowing her eyebrows, Emery looked back at Jasper as he cleared his throat and made his way outside of the car.

Alice let out a quiet snort as she realized what her mate was going to do, and bellowed out a laugh as Emery's cheek caught ablaze as Jasper opened the car door for her.

Looking down at the now open mouthed teen, Jasper grinned down and rested his crossed arms on top of the opened car door, waiting for her to exit. Alice gently cupped her shoulder and nodded towards her home, playfully reminding her that it was time for her to exit, as she remained in the car starry eyed and frozen.

Snapping out of it, Emery pursed her lips and quickly got out of the car, wincing to herself in embarrassment as she almost trips from the front of her shoe getting caught on a large and uneven rock.

Refusing to look up, she begins to look back in the car for Alice, but instead finds the Cullen standing next to her on her right.

"You guys really have to stop doing that." She gasps out, her hand clutching onto her stomach, causing Alice to grin. Instead of replying, Alice simply shrugged off her fright and wrapped her arm around her mate, beginning to guide her to her front door.

"Tonight was a blast, you know, after researching dead poets and having you fall asleep, not only in my kitchen, but my car too." Alice started in a playful tone, laughing and knocking elbows with her as she saw Emery fluster.

"Maybe it was you that caused me to fall asleep." Emery rebuttled, causing Jasper to laugh out into the quiet night, smiling widely behind them. Alice feigned offence and turned to her with a wounded look on her face as they reached her front door.

"This is what I get for being a good friend." She gasps out, grinning and leaning back on the home as Emery laughs and shakes her head, reaching for the doorknob.

"You are greatly appreciated, Alice." Emery responds, smiling to herself as Alice looks back at Jasper and responds with a happy "I know!"

Entering her now quiet and almost blackened home, Emery turns around to say goodnight, and steps back as she comes face to face with Jasper. Heart beating wildly in her chest and her cheeks becoming red once again, Emery looks over to Alice and finds her leaning against the door with laughter pouring out of her.

Feigning annoyance, Emery goes to playfully reprimand her, but is instead interrupted by gently footsteps coming from behind her.

Bella turns the corner and meets eyes with her sister and the grinning duo and awkwardly wraps the blanket tighter around her shoulders.

"Dad got tired and I decided to wait up for you instead." She announces, her eyes flickering in between the two that were standing closely to her older sister with interest. Jasper stiffens and Alice sends her a tense smile, before announcing that they were just leaving.

Before Emery could wonder why their attitude changed so quickly, Alice wraps a hand around Jasper's arm and gently tugs him back outside.

"See you tomorrow?" Alice asks, relaxing as she puts more distance between Bella and Jasper. Emery grins at the two with a confused expression, deciding to keep her questions to herself as she notices the now tense and closed off expression on the Hale's face.

"See you guys tomorrow." Emery replies, sending a comforting smiling over to the Hale, who looks back at her and nods tensely before heading over to Alice's car.

Alice sends her a wave over her shoulder as she guides Jasper into the car in an almost hurry, and sends her a final goodbye in a honk before she speeds away.

Raising an eyebrow before sighing and closing the door in front of her, Emery is surprised when she turns around and sees that her sister is still behind her.

Bella looks back at her with an awkward look on her face.

"Did you have fun?" Bella asks, wincing at the look of confusion on her older sister's face. "So we're speaking now? You're no longer mad at me?" Emery asked out into the quiet home, her arms crossing around her middle in a defensive state.

Bella sighs and slumps her shoulders, her hands loosening on the hold she had on the blanket.

"Listen, I understand I might have come off as upset," Bella began, but was cut off as her sister looked at her with an incredilous look on her face.

"Angry is an understatement, Bella. Try resentful." Emery replies with a huff, her exhaustion causing her to become impatient towards her sister.

"You don't understand." Is all Bella says, looking at her sister with a tired look on her face. Emery lets out an empty laugh and nods to herself, before deciding to not give her sister an answer.

"Em." Bella calls out in frustration as her sister, instead of replying, takes her shoes off and heads upstairs.

Pausing wid-way up the stairs, Emery turns around and looks down at her sister, who now looks small. Sighing to herself, Emery rests against the landing and rests her head on her shoulder.

"Yes, Bella?" She asks in a dry tone, causing Bella to fluster.

"I'm sorry." She announces, causing Emery to raise an eyebrow and sigh tiredly.

Emery winces at the tightness in her back and decides that she's tired of going back and forth with her sister, and just needs some rest.

"We'll talk about this later, okay? I'm really tired, and I don't want to go back and forth with you anymore." Is all Emery says, before she makes her way up the rest of the stairs, sluggishly getting ready for bed.

▹

Now resting on the edge of her bed, Emery feels the tremor in her hands as she attemps to place her hair into the ponytail once again.

Instead of becoming frustrated like the other day, she instead gives up and sorely slides herself up against her pillows.

Wincing at the pain in her abdomin and the dull ache in her back, Emery closes her eyes and tries to fall asleep, but to no avail.

Trying to roll the ache out of her back, Emery winces at a new pain coming from the middle of her back.

Weakly sitting up, Emery places a shaky hand next to her narrowing spine and feels a bump. Swallowing thickly and blinking back tears, Emery realizes that her blood clots are getting closer to her spine, which means that it'll be harder for her to get around now.

Slouching back down painfully and moving to her side, Emery frowns in the dark, upset at herself for ever believing that just because she leaves her hometown, doesn't mean that her pain won't follow.

Forcing her eyes to close, Emery tries to keep her mind off of the tremors of her spine shifting uncomfortably, but the pain is too much for her to rest. So with shaky hands and watery eyes, Emery places her head down on her pillow and allows her tears to roam free, her hands clutching to her sheets as she tries to find grounding.