Bella inhaled for what might be the last time for a few hours. Renesmee nestled deeper into her arms, hiding her face in her hair. 

As Carlisle answered the door, Jacob crossed the room towards me and pulled my body into his for comfort and normality. "Hello, Charlie," he said, most likely looking appropriately embarrassed. After all, Bella and Edward were supposed to be in Atlanta at the Centre for Disease Control. Uncle Charlie knew he'd been lied to. 

"Carlisle," Charlie greeted him stiffly. "Where's Bella?" 

"Right here, Dad." Bella called from in front of us and Charlie wasted no time and jogged up the stairs to the floor we were all waiting on. 

Charlie's blank expression told me how off he thought Bella's voice was. His eyes zeroed in on her and widened. I read the emotions as they scrolled across his face. 

Shock. Disbelief. Pain. Loss. Fear. Anger. Suspicion. More pain. 

Bella bit her lip. 

"Is that you, Bella?" he whispered. 

"Yep." She winced at her wind-chime voice. "Hi, Dad." 

He took a deep breath to steady himself. 

"Hey, Charlie," Jacob greeted him from beside me. "How're things?" 

Charlie glowered at Jacob once, shuddered at a memory, and then stared at me. "It's been a long time since I last saw you as well, kiddo." He nodded at me, taking in my appearance and comparing me against the other females in the room. He finally made the connection and noticed the difference. 

He had of course noticed a slight change when he first saw me after my transformation, but he hadn't been looking for it then. Now, with Bella and I in the same room surrounded by Esme, Alice and Rosalie he could see the exquisite, inhuman beauty in all of us. 

"I've missed you too Uncle Charlie." I smiled softly not wanting to scare him. 

Slowly, Charlie walked across the room until he was a few feet away from Bella. He darted an accusing glare at Edward, and then his eyes flickered back to her. 

"Bella?" He asked again. 

She spoke in a lower voice, trying to keep the ring out of it. "It's really me." 

His jaw locked. 

"I'm sorry, Dad," she said. 

"Are you okay?" he demanded. 

"Really and truly great," She promised. "Healthy as a horse." 

"Jake told me this was... necessary. That you were dying." He said the words like he didn't believe them one bit. 

Bella braced herself as she swallowed, trying to ease the tension inside her throat. Edward squeezed her shoulders sympathetically. "Jacob was telling you the truth." 

"That makes one of you," Charlie growled, eyeing me as well. I looked down at the floor shamefully. "Oh," he said, and all the anger fell off his face, leaving only shock behind. "This is her. The orphan Jacob and Seth said you're adopting." 

"My niece," Edward lied smoothly. He must have decided that the resemblance between Renesmee and him was too pronounced to be ignored. Best to claim they were related from the beginning. 

"I thought you'd lost your family," Charlie said, accusation returning to his voice. 

"I lost my parents. My older brother was adopted, like me. I never saw him after that. But the courts located me when he and his wife died in a car accident, leaving their only child without any other family." 

Edward was so good at this. His voice was even, with just the right amount of innocence. I needed practice so that I could do that. 

Renesmee peeked out from under Bella's hair, sniffing. She glanced shyly at Charlie from under her long lashes, then hid again. 

"She's... she's, well, she's a beauty." 

"Yes," Edward agreed. 

"Kind of a big responsibility, though. You two are just getting started." 

"What else could we do?" Edward brushed his fingers lightly over her cheek. I saw him touch her lips for just a moment - a reminder. "Would you have refused her?" 

"Hmph. Well." He shook his head absently. "Seth says you call her Nessie?"  

"No, we don't," Bella said, her voice too sharp and piercing. "Her name is Renesmee." 

Charlie refocused on Bella. "How do you feel about this? Maybe Carlisle and Esme could—" 

"She's mine," Bella interrupted. "I want her." 

Charlie frowned. "You gonna make me a grandpa so young?" 

Edward smiled. "Carlisle is a grandfather, too." 

Charlie shot an incredulous glance at Carlisle, still standing by the front door; he looked like Zeus's younger, better-looking brother. 

Charlie snorted and then laughed. "I guess that does sort of make me feel better." His eyes strayed back to Renesmee. "She sure is something to look at." 

Renesmee leaned toward the smell, shaking off Bella's hair and looking him full in the face for the first time. Charlie gasped. 

I knew what he was seeing. Bella's eyes - his eyes - copied exactly into her perfect face. 

Charlie started hyperventilating. His lips trembled, and I could read the numbers he mouthed. He was counting backward, trying to fit nine months into one. Trying to put it together but not able to force the evidence right in front of him to make any sense. 

Jacob let go of me and came over to pat Charlie on the back, Seth followed as well to stand close by. He leaned into whisper something in Charlie's ear; only Charlie didn't know we could all hear. "Need to know, Charlie. It's okay. I promise." 

Charlie swallowed and nodded. And then his eyes blazed as he took a step closer to Edward with his fists tightly clenched. "I don't want to know everything, but I'm done with the lies!" 

"I'm sorry," Edward said calmly, "but you need to know the public story more than you need to know the truth. If you're going to be part of this secret, the public story is the one that counts. It's to protect Bella and Renesmee and Aria, as well as the rest of us. Can you go along with the lies for them?" 

The room was full of statues, except for me moving towards Jake and Uncle Charlie. His eyes flickered up to me, taking me in again. 

Charlie huffed once and then turned his glare on Bella. "You might've given me some warning, kid." 

"Would it really have made this any easier?" 

He frowned, and then he knelt on the floor in front of her. Renesmee smiled at him toothily. "Whoa," Charlie gasped, his eyes on her perfect teeth. "How old is she?" 

"Um..." 

"Three months," Edward said, and then added slowly, "rather, she's the size of a three-month-old, more or less. She's younger in some ways, more mature in others." 

Very deliberately, Renesmee waved at him. 

Charlie blinked, bewildered. 

Seth elbowed him. "Told you she was special, didn't I?" 

Charlie cringed away from the contact. 

"Oh, c'mon, Charlie," Seth groaned. "I'm the same person I've always been. Just pretend this afternoon didn't happen." 

The reminder made Charlie's lips go white, but he nodded once. "Just what is your part in all this, Seth?" he asked. "How much does Sue know? Why are you here?" He looked at Seth's face, which was glowing as he stared at Renesmee.

"Well, I could tell you all about it - Sue knows absolutely everything - but it involves a lot of stuff about werewo—" 

"Ugh!" Charlie protested, covering his ears. "Never mind." 

Jacob and Seth grinned. 

"Uncle Charlie, I know it's a lot to cope with." I said slowly, gently placing my hand on his shoulder and I was grateful he didn't cringe away. "The majority of people back home know about all this, just be careful who you talk to. They'll let you know that they know first. Just try to not believe anything you see." 

Uncle Charlie mumbled something unintelligible. 

"Woo!" Emmett suddenly boomed in his deep bass. "Go Gators!" 

Jacob, Seth and Charlie jumped. The rest of us froze. 

Charlie recovered, then looked at Emmett over his shoulder. "Florida winning?" 

"Just scored the first touchdown," Emmett confirmed. He shot a look in Bella's direction, wagging his eyebrows like a villain. "'Bout time somebody scored around here." 

I could see Bella trying to fight back a hiss, but I was trying to fight back a laugh. It was nice for his comments not to be aimed at me for once. 

Charlie was beyond noticing innuendos. He took yet another deep breath, sucking the air in like he was trying to pull it down to his toes. He lurched to his feet, stepped around Jacob, Seth and I, and half-fell into an open chair. "Well," he sighed, "I guess we should see if they can hold on to the lead." 

* * *

"I don't know how much we should tell Renee about this," Uncle Charlie said, hesitating with one foot out the door. He stretched, and then his stomach growled. Bella, Seth and I were seeing him out, I think he just wanted to talk to the two of us privately, but Seth had invaded due to Bella having Renesmee in her arms. 

Bella nodded. "I know, I don't want to freak her out. Better to protect her. This stuff isn't for the fainthearted." 

His lips twisted up to the side ruefully. "I would have tried to protect you, too, if I'd known how. But I guess you've never fit into the fainthearted category, have you?" 

Bella smiled back, pulling a breath in through her teeth. She was coping well with the smell; she didn't lose focus once. 

Charlie patted his stomach absently. "I'll think of something. We've got time to discuss this, right?" 

"Right," She promised him. 

Then Uncle Charlie turned to me, his face hard again. "Does your mother know about any of this?" 

"No." I said regretfully. "If she was still married to Dad, then maybe she would, but like with Aunt Renee she'd freak out and we just don't want to put her through that. I know that she has a faint recollection of the legends and myths surrounding the tribe, but I know she doesn't take it seriously." 

It had been a long day in some ways, and so short in others. Uncle Charlie was late for dinner - Sue Clearwater was cooking for him, Dad and Billy. That was going to be an awkward evening. 

All day the tension had made the minutes pass slowly; Uncle Charlie had never relaxed the stiff set of his shoulders. But he'd been in no hurry to leave, either. He'd watched two whole games — thankfully so absorbed in his thoughts that he was totally oblivious to Emmett's suggestive jokes that got more pointed and less football-related each time, directing them at both Bella and I — and the after-game commentaries, and then the news, not moving until Seth had reminded him of the time. 

"You gonna stand Billy, Rob and my mom up, Charlie? C'mon. Bella and Nessie will be here tomorrow. Let's get some grub, eh?" 

It had been clear in Charlie's eyes that he hadn't trusted Seth's assessment, but he'd let Seth lead the way out. The doubt was still there as he paused now. The clouds were thinning, the rain gone. The sun might even make an appearance just in time to set. 

I was happy that Seth was willing to leave Ness for just one evening to help with Uncle Charlie. Though, he did still have to go and see his mom properly, he hadn't seen her since the packs broke apart, even Leah had only made a brief visit. 

I knew that I would have to return home eventually as well, I missed everyone back there and I was sure Jake did too. But I just couldn't bring myself to tear myself away from Renesmee. 

"Jake says you guys were going to take off on me," he muttered sternly to us now. 

"We didn't want to do that if there was any way at all around it. That's why we're still here." I explained, trying to take some of the fire off of Bella. 

"He said you could stay for a while, but only if I'm tough enough, and if I can keep my mouth shut." 

"Yes... but we can't promise that we'll never leave, Dad. It's pretty complicated—" 

"Need to know," he reminded us. 

"Right." Bella and I confirmed simultaneously. 

"You'll visit, though, if you have to go?" He looked at both of us expectantly. 

"We promise, Dad. Now that you know is enough, I think this can work. We'll keep as close as you want." 

He chewed on his lip for half a second, then leaned slowly toward us with his arms cautiously extended. Bella shifted Renesmee - napping now - to her left arm so she wouldn't get squashed and let Uncle Charlie wrap his arms around us. 

"Keep real close, girls." He mumbled. "Real close." 

"Love you, Dad," Bella whispered through her teeth as I said. "Love you Uncle Charlie." 

He shivered and pulled away and we dropped our arms. I guessed the mixture of Bella's freezing temperature and my near enough scorching heat was enough to do weird things to his body.  

"Love you, too, kids. Whatever else has changed, that hasn't." He touched one finger to Renesmee's pink cheek. "She sure looks a lot like you. Has both of your mothers' nose shape." 

Bella kept her expression casual, though we both felt anything but. "More like Edward, I think." She hesitated, and then added, "She has your curls." 

Charlie started, then snorted. "Huh. Guess she does. Huh. Grandpa." He shook his head doubtfully. "Do I ever get to hold her?" 

Bella blinked in shock and then composed herself. Renesmee was in a very deep sleep, but from how happy she was to see Uncle Charlie and how clearly, she had understood Edward earlier, I knew that Renesmee wouldn't think of him as food. 

"Here," Bella said, holding her out to him. He automatically made an awkward cradle with his arms, and Bella tucked Renesmee into it. 

Charlie grunted quietly as he felt her weight. "She's... sturdy." Bella frowned, you could tell from her face she didn't know if that was okay or not. "Sturdy is good," Charlie said, seeing her expression. Then he muttered to himself, "She'll need to be tough, surrounded by all this craziness." He bounced his arms gently, swaying a little from side to side. "Prettiest baby I ever saw." 

"I know she is." Bella concluded with a smile. 

"Pretty baby," he said again, but it was closer to a coo this time. 

I could see it in his face - I could watch it growing there. Uncle Charlie was just as helpless against her magic as the rest of us. Two seconds in his arms, and already she owned him. 

"Can I come back tomorrow?" 

"Sure, Dad. Of course. We'll be here." 

"You'd better be," he said sternly, but his face was soft, still gazing at Renesmee. "See you tomorrow, Nessie." 

"Not you, too!" Bella complained as I laughed. 

"Huh?" 

"Her name is Renesmee. Like Renee and Esme, put together. No variations." Bella struggled to calm herself without the deep breath this time. "Do you want to hear her middle name?" 

"Sure." 

"Carlie. With a C. Like Carlisle and Charlie put together." 

Charlie's eye-creasing grin lit up his face, taking Bella off guard. "Thanks, Bells." Who would have thought that Uncle Charlie would be a big, mushy grandpa? 

"Thank you, Dad. So much has changed so quickly. My head hasn't stopped spinning. If I didn't have you now, I don't know how I'd keep my grip on - on reality." Bella said sincerely, she could now stay in touch with her little bit of normal. 

Charlie's stomach growled. 

"Go eat, Dad. We will be here." Bella promised. 

Charlie nodded and then reluctantly returned Renesmee to her. He glanced up, his eyes were a little wild for a minute as he stared at the light streaming out of the window on the floor above. 

Everyone was still in the lounge there, besides Jacob, who I could hear raiding the refrigerator in the kitchen; Alice was lounging on the bottom step of the staircase with Jasper's head in her lap; Carlisle had his head bent over a fat book in his lap; Esme was humming to herself, sketching on a notepad, while Rosalie and Emmett laid out the foundation for a monumental house of cards under the stairs; Edward had drifted to his piano and was playing very softly to himself. There was no evidence that the day was coming to a close, that it might be time to eat or shift activities in preparation for evening. Something intangible had changed in the atmosphere. The Cullens weren't trying as hard as they usually did - the human charade had slipped ever so slightly, enough for Uncle Charlie to feel the difference. 

He shuddered, shook his head, and sighed. "See you tomorrow, girls." He frowned and then added, "I mean, it's not like you don't look... good. I'll get used to it. Aria, I don't know how I didn't..." he drawled out, stopping himself mid-sentence. He didn't want to think about the differences and similarities between Bella and me. 

"Thanks, Dad." Bella said, saving him from continuing. 

Charlie nodded and walked thoughtfully toward his car. "Wait, Uncle Charlie?" He turned on his heel and looked at me patiently. "Could you tell my dad, I miss him?"  

"Of course." 

We watched him drive away; it wasn't until we heard his tyres hit the freeway that Bella had realised she'd done it. We turned and made our way back into the house and up the stairs. 

"Wow," Bella whispered. 

I blinked and felt the second set of contact lenses disintegrate; Bella was on her third pair. 

The sound of the piano cut off, and Edward's arms were around her waist, his chin resting on her shoulder. "You took the word right out of my mouth." 

"Edward, I did it!" 

"You did. You were unbelievable. All that worrying over being a newborn, and then you skip it altogether." He laughed quietly. 

"I'm not even sure she's really a vampire, let alone a newborn," Emmett called from under the stairs. "She's too tame." 

Bella snarled at him under breath, clutching her baby talisman once again. 

"Oooo, scary," Emmett laughed. 

Bella hissed, and Renesmee stirred in her arms. She blinked a few times, then looked around, her expression confused. She sniffed, then reached for Bella's face, asking where Uncle Charlie had gone. 

"Charlie will be back tomorrow," She assured her. 

"Excellent," Emmett said. Rosalie laughed with him this time. 

"Not brilliant, Emmett," Edward said scornfully, holding out his hands to take Renesmee from Bella. He winked when Bella hesitated, and so, a little confused, she gave her to him. Edward wanted Bella to take Emmett on. This was going to be good. 

"What do you mean?" Emmett demanded as Jacob finally stopped being a fridge raider. He walked towards me, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand as he was still chewing something. I rolled my eyes; his stomach was never satisfied for long. 

"It's a little dense, don't you think, to antagonise the strongest vampire in the house?" Edward shrugged and I coughed, looking at him completely appalled. "Okay, second strongest." He corrected himself and I let the satisfied grin roll over my face. 

Emmett threw his head back and snorted. "Please!" 

"Bella," Edward murmured to her while Emmett listened closely, "do you remember a few months ago, I asked you to do me a favour once you were immortal?" 

While waiting for her to remember, Jacob came up from behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, resting his head on my shoulder. I turned my head to meet him for a peck on the lips as I rested my hands over his. It was so nice to just be normal like this with each other. 

After a moment, Bella remembered and she gasped, "Oh!" 

Alice trilled a long, pealing laugh. I watched through Alice's mind as she saw Bella decide to challenge Emmett. 

"What?" Emmett growled. 

"Really?" Bella asked Edward.

"Trust me," he said. 

Bella took a deep breath and glanced at me. "Go ahead." I said with a laugh. It would be good to see Emmett get beaten by someone other than me. 

"Emmett, how do you feel about a little bet?" Bella asked him, looking him dead in the eye. 

He was on his feet at once. "Awesome. Bring it." 

Bella bit her lip for a second, hesitating. His size, like Jacob and his brothers, was very intimidating. No matter how strong you actually are you still doubt yourself for a split second. 

"Unless you're too afraid...?" Emmett suggested. 

Bella squared her shoulders. "You. Me. Arm-wrestling. Dining room table. Now." 

Emmett's grin stretched across his face. 

"Er, Bella," I said quickly, "I think Esme is fairly fond of that table. It's an antique." 

"Thanks," Esme mouthed at me, giving me a wink. 

"No problem," Emmett said with a gleaming smile. "Right this way, Bella." 

Bella followed him out the back, toward the garage; the rest of us trailing behind. There was a largish granite boulder standing up out of a tumble of rocks near the river, obviously Emmett's goal. Though the big rock was a little rounded and irregular, it would do the job. 

Emmett placed his elbow on the rock and waved Bella forward. We stood in an arc around the boulder and Emmett, waiting for Bella to take the step forward to challenge him. Edward gestured for me to take the little monster, and I gladly accepted. It had felt like a lifetime since I last got a cuddle. 

Edward came up behind Bella and placed his hands on her shoulders, he leaned down and kissed her cheek and that seemed to be the only motivation she needed. She left his grasp and took the few steps forward towards Emmett. 

I could tell she tried to look unconcerned as she set her elbow against the stone. "Okay, Emmett. I win, and you cannot say one more word about my sex life to anyone, not even Rose. No allusions, no innuendos - no nothing." I tried not to laugh at her seriousness as I bounced Renesmee on my hip. 

His eyes narrowed. "Deal. I win, and it's going to get a lot worse." 

He heard Bella's breath stop and grinned evilly. There was no hint of bluff in his eyes. 

"You gonna back down so easy, little sister?" Emmett taunted. "Not much wild about you, is there? I bet that cottage doesn't have a scratch." He laughed. "Did Edward tell you how many houses Rose and I smashed?" 

I grimaced as the memories entered both Emmett's and Rosalie's minds. Jacob came up to stand beside me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, laughing at the expression on my face. 

Bella clenched her jaw and grabbed his big hand. "One, two - " 

"Three," he grunted, and shoved against her hand. 

Much to my enjoyment, nothing happened. 

God, he was trying. Really using as much strength as he could to try and move her hand, but it wasn't enough. "Aww Emmett, I expected more." I teased with a big cheesy grin, today just couldn't get any better. 

Emmett grunted; his forehead creased and his whole body strained in one rigid line toward the obstacle of Bella's unmoving hand. She let him sweat - figuratively - for a moment, teasing him. 

A few seconds, though, and Bella looked a little bored with stalling. She flexed; Emmett lost an inch. 

She laughed. Emmett snarled harshly through his teeth. 

"Just keep your mouth shut," Bella reminded him, and then she smashed his hand into the boulder. A deafening crack echoed off the trees. The rock shuddered, and a piece - about an eighth of the mass - broke off at an invisible fault line and crashed to the ground. It fell on Emmett's foot, and I snickered. Jacob and Edward's muffled laughter followed. 

Renesmee reached up to pat my throat, replaying the moment seconds before as Bella smashed Emmett's hand into the rock. "Yes, your mommy is very strong." I told her, lifting her hand to kiss her palm and I was rewarded with a dimpled grin. 

Emmett kicked the rock fragment across the river. It sliced a young maple in half before thudding into the base of a big fir, which swayed and then fell into another tree. 

"Rematch. Tomorrow."

"It's not going to wear off that fast," Bella told him. "Maybe you ought to give it a month." 

Emmett growled, flashing his teeth. "Tomorrow." 

"Hey, whatever makes you happy, big brother." 

As he turned to stalk away, Emmett punched the granite, shattering off an avalanche of shards and powder. 

"Maybe your ego will heal in time." I called out to him in a laugh. "Just remember that you also have forever to try and beat me!" 

He picked up a shard of rock and lobbed it down river, it travelled so far that the splash was the sound comparable to a single raindrop hitting a puddle. 

Surprise was clear on Bella's face at the fact she was actually stronger than Emmett, she placed her hand, fingers spread wide, against the rock. Then she dug her fingers slowly into the stone, crushing rather than digging; she pulled her hand away to reveal a handful of gravel. 

"Cool," she mumbled. 

With a grin stretching her face, she whirled in a sudden circle and karate-chopped the rock with the side of her hand. The stone shrieked and groaned and - with a big poof of dust - split in two. 

Bella started giggling. I remembered feeling the strength for the first time, I'm pretty sure I knocked down a decent number of trees. 

The family and I burst into our own fits of chuckles while Bella punched and kicked the rest of the boulder into fragments. Renesmee was looking at all of us in ecstatic wonder, her smile couldn't get any wider as she looked between Bella and the rest of us. 

She turned in my arms and placed her dimpled hand against my cheek, replaying the sound of our laughter. "We're laughing because mommy's having fun." I explained and she gurgled until suddenly a trill of beautiful giggles began to escape her mouth. 

We froze instantaneously, Bella included as she whirled round to look at her gorgeous little baby. "Did she just laugh?" Bella gasped. 

Everyone was staring at Renesmee with the same dumbstruck expression that must have been on my face. 

"Yes," I whispered. 

"Who wasn't laughing?" Jake muttered, rolling his eyes and I glared at him playfully knowing he was only joking. 

"Tell me you didn't let go a bit on your first run, dog," Edward teased, no antagonism in his voice at all. 

"That's different," Jacob said, and I watched in surprise as he mock-punched Edward's shoulder. "Bella's supposed to be a grown-up. Married and a mom and all that. Shouldn't there be more dignity?" 

Renesmee frowned and touched my face again. She wanted Bella to go back to punching the rock, she was finding it amusing. 

"What does she want?" Bella asked. 

"Less dignity," I said with a grin. "She was having almost as much fun watching you enjoy yourself as much as the rest of us." 

"Am I funny?" Bella asked Renesmee, darting back and reaching for her at the same time that she reached for Bella. Bella took her out of my arms and offered her the shard of rock in Bella's hand. "You want to try?" 

She smiled her glittering smile and took the stone in both hands. She squeezed, a little dent forming between her eyebrows as she concentrated. 

There was a tiny grinding sound, and a bit of dust. She frowned and held the chunk up to Bella. 

"I'll get it," Bella said, pinching the stone into sand. 

She clapped and laughed; the delicious sound of it made us all join in. Baby laughs had to be one of the best sounds in the world. 

The sun suddenly burst through the clouds, shooting long beams of ruby and gold across the eleven of us, and Bella was immediately lost in the beauty of her skin in the light of the sunset for the first time. Dazed by it. 

Renesmee stroked the smooth diamond-bright facets, then laid her arm next to Bella's. Her skin had just a faint luminosity just like mine, I placed my arm beside theirs, showing Renesmee I was the same despite the darker pigment to my skin. 

She reached out both her hands and touched us at the same time, thinking of the difference and feeling disgruntled. "Hey, it's a good thing." I assured her. "It just means we can go out and play in the sun when the others can't if there's humans around." 

She smiled up at me, seeming to like being a little better than the rest of our family. 

Jacob had his hand in front of his face, pretending to shield his eyes from the glare, coming off the family and now Bella. "Freaky Bella," he commented, and I laughed. 

"What an amazing creature she is," Edward murmured, almost in agreement, as if Jacob's comment was meant as a compliment. 

The perfection and happiness surrounding this moment made me think of home, of my family that were waiting for my return. I hadn't seen them for over a month, but it felt like a lifetime. I had so much to show them, so much to tell them about. I wanted to show them Renesmee and let her see that world as well. 

Of course, I didn't want to take her away from Bella just yet, and the more I thought about it that if I brought her back now, Seth would want to show to everyone, and I didn't want her to get overwhelmed. 

I wandered back to Jacob and wrapped my arms around his torso as I looked up at him. I could tell from his raised eyebrow and expectant smirk he knew I was about to ask for something. 

"Yes, my love?" He asked curiously, placing his warm hands on my shoulders. 

"Let's go home." I began and his eyes widened. He didn't expect for me to want to go so soon because of Renesmee. "Only for a little while, I know you miss them too." 

"That's true." He rubbed his hands over my arms, taking in how badly I wanted to go and then looked up over my head at Edward, silently telling him we'd be back soon. "Let's slip away whilst they're distracted." 

The family were more focused on the the laughing baby and the differences in Bella to notice Jacob and I backing away into the trees hand in hand. We slipped under the cover of the trees, the luminosity in my skin dulling until it looked normal again. 

"Are you nervous?" Jacob asked me as he began to lift his shirt up and over his head. 

That was a good question. "I don't think so." I answered honestly, I was just anxious to see how everyone would receive me... and Jake, the new alpha. 

"Nothing bad is going to happen." Jake promised, noticing the worry on my face as he dropped his pants and then kicked off his shoes. 

"I know that." I acknowledged, gathering up his discarded items of clothing in my arms. "I just don't want it to be awkward." 

The air around Jacob quivered for a split second as he focused on letting his inner wolf explode out of him. I took two steps back just as his two massive front paws thudded down to the exact same spot, I had been standing in. He had got remarkably quicker at phasing in and out, one of the qualities that came along with being rightful alpha. Even Sam was nowhere near that speed. 

"It won't be awkward." Jacob ensured. "Sounds like no one else is in wolf form. Not even Sam I don't think." 

I walked round to the side of Jake's body, with my free hand I grabbed a handful of his fur and pulled myself up and onto his back. The sheer thought of running that far was bringing the aching pain from this morning back into my legs. 

"You don't think everyone is at your house, do you?" I asked Jake as he began to trot along towards the river. Seth and Uncle Charlie had told us Sue was cooking for them and my dad at Billy's house... but with everyone in Jake's pack unphased it seemed as if they were there too. I could feel Jake grimace as he thought about Uncle Charlie being surrounded by everyone. "Oh no, poor Charlie."  

"I'm sure if they are it would only be our pack, Sam would most likely be off grumbling with his own pack about what Seth and I did." Jake pointed out just as he began to pick up the pace and power through the undergrowth. 

"Or complaining to your dad..." I threw the idea up into the air and the closer we got the more realistic the idea seemed. Intertwining scents from both packs and Jake and I's family members led all the way to my house. 

Through the trees Uncle Charlie's cruiser was visible, parked up on the gravel besides Billy's and my father's trucks, as well as Sue and Emily's smaller cars. 

"Great." Jacob muttered, stopping quietly a few metres away from where the forest stopped and his yard began.  

I could hear the muttering going on inside, it seemed mostly like normal conversation due to Charlie's presence, but the more intently I listened it was clear that the the majority of Sam's pack were there as well and their imprints besides Claire. The individual pack members missing were Brady and Colin. 

I touched my hand to the side of Jake's muzzle. From their thoughts it seemed as if they were waiting for Uncle Charlie to leave to have a discussion about what Jake and Seth had done. The elders had requested for Jake's pack to go and collect him later on this evening. "They are waiting for Charlie to leave. They don't know we are here, but they were going to send for you anyway." I said to Jacob through transferring my thoughts to him.  

"I'll phase back." Jacob said. "It sounds like they aren't eating anymore." 

I stepped away from Jacob, placing his clothes and shoes on the floor as the thought of seeing my dad, Tori and my friends swept over my mind. Would they be angry that I kept away from them, or would they understand? 

Jacob let me know he was ready by slipping his hand into my empty one and gripped it tightly. I wanted a big happy reunion but even though Sam had come to apologise it was still a shock that they had all turned against their allies and family members, especially Quil and Embry. I didn't know if they'd be as forgiving to me for abandoning them for so long either. 

"Might as well get this over with." Jacob suggested, leading the way towards the house. 

Uncle Charlie's thoughts seemed physically closest and then the front door opened, and he became visible calling out his goodbyes and thanking Sue for cooking dinner. As Uncle Charlie turned to face away from the house, his eyes locked onto Jacob and I and he froze. I cursed myself as he looked at my eyes that were no longer covered with contacts. He smiled at us, waved, and then headed towards his cruiser.  

Need to know.

Looking back at the house I could see Billy and Dad waiting in the doorway, stern, emotionless looks on his faces as he looked at Jake. Behind them Sam was lingering, the same expression on his own face.

Jacob was complaining inside his own head, and so were the others. They agreed that for the cases of Jacob and Seth it was the right thing for them to do, but they believed they should have at least been consulted first. Jacob's rash behaviour had got him in trouble again. 

"Is she here?" Tori's muffled voice sounded from behind the wall of muscular men. "Is she?" 

I pulled Jake forward, practically jogging towards the house to get to my sister. I hadn't realised how much I really missed her, but once I heard her voice it brought tears to my eyes. 

"Dad, let me through." Tori pushed, trying to squeeze around our dad and Billy's wheelchair. 

Dad stepped aside and Tori got past, she wasted no time in running towards me and I met her halfway, I let go of Jake's hand and blurred forward. She jumped back, surprised, but recovered quickly by throwing her arms around me.  

"I missed you!" I whispered, trying to stop my voice from wavering. "I'm so sorry I didn't come home sooner." 

"It's okay! I wish that I could have come to you instead, no one wanted a fight. It was hard for all of us, I'm just happy that you and Bella are okay!" It was weird to have my little sister console me, but I gave into it. 

Tori stepped away, and through my tears I had been distracted because I didn't notice Quil, Embry, Paul, Rachel, Emily and Kim running towards me. "Aria!" Quil yelled, his body slamming into mine as he wrapped his arms around me, the force sending both of us to the ground. The rest of them piled on top of us and I puffed my chest out to try and stop myself from being completely crushed. 

It wasn't painful at all - until they all started laughing. Their laughter was contagious, and as soon as I let the breath I was holding go, their weight increased. 

"Alright, guys, you're gonna suffocate her." Jake called out and began to lift the body's off of me one by one. When Quil finally rolled onto the grass and off of me I could finally breathe again. 

Jake offered his hand to me to help me up, pulling me to my feet. "You looked like you needed some help." He laughed, throwing his arm over my shoulder. 

"I did, thank you." I chuckled, kissing his cheek before looking back at the awaiting group that had assembled in front of us. 

"So," Emily began, placing her hands on her hips, "it looks like our vampire girl has returned." She said with a wry, jesting, smile.

"I thought Bella held that title?" Quil interjected, as teasing as always. 

"She's actually stronger than Bella." Jacob informed them and the pack member's eyes widened at the prospect of me bettering a brand-new newborn. "We'll get into that later."

"Aria." My dad's voice brought the tears back. 

I turned away from the group to see him standing there with his arms already open wide, ready for me to run in to. 

The last few weeks hadn't been kind to him, it was entirely minute, but I could see the differences. The small stress lines across his forehead had made a slight but permanent mark there, a few random strands of his long black hair had greyed at the roots. I wasn't sure if it was because of the worry for me or the division of the packs that had done this to him, but I still felt guilty. 

I jogged over to him, not wanting to overwhelm him like I had done to Tori and flung myself into his arms. "Hi, Dad." 

His breathing wavered and I knew that he was trying to hold back the tears. "I'm so happy you're home."

My eyes blissfully fluttered closed as I rested my head against his chest. "So am I."