[  enjoy the last full chapter  ]

Valeria wasn't cold when she woke up. No, she was quite warm as she nuzzled closer to the source of heat, who tightened his hold around her as she did so. Slowly, she opened her eyes, her memories slowly coming back to her. But she couldn't recall a single thing after being placed on Sam's back.

She looked up to see Sam's warm brown eyes looking down at her worriedly, one hand brushing against her cheek. With a sigh, she closed her eyes and leaned into his touch, craving the warmth he provided. Then she took in a deep breath, finding that she needed to breathe.

Her eyes snapped open again as she breathed more and more, placing her hand to her chest. She could feel her heart beating beneath the skin, making her eyes go wide. As her pulse picked up, the steady beeping of the heart monitor she was connected to also increased.

Frantically, she looked around, seeing an IV coming out of her arm and other wires connected to her to monitor her vitals.

"Hey, hey, look at me," Sam said, his warm hands cupping her cheeks, forcing her to look at him again. "It's okay. You're okay."

"Wh - what's going on?" she asked, some of her memories a little hazy, not really understanding what her brother did to her. "Where's Raph? And Nessa?"

"Rensmee is okay. Everyone is safe, and the Volturi are gone," he told her. "But your brother... Carlisle said it was his gift and your humanity one together. Valeria, you aren't - you're not a vampire anymore."

Her eyes went wide as she looked down at her hands once more. She'd lost some of her natural tan after turning, but it was back now. And she could see blueish veins underneath her skin as she flexed her fingers. The movement made the IV in her hand sting, and she hissed in pain, not used to feeling pain. With a frown, she brought her finger to her blunt teeth and found that her bite wasn't even strong enough to break the skin.

Sam chuckled and pulled her finger from her mouth, and then he helped her sit up properly. "How are you feeling?"

Valeria was silent for a moment, trying to pinpoint different feelings. "My... limbs feel weird," she mumbled, wiggling her toes a little.

"Carlisle said that might be the case. They've not had blood pumping through them for three years," he explained. "Walking might be hard — eating too."

At the mention of eating, Valeria's stomach actually rumbled, and she put her hand on it. She was hungry, not thirsty.

"This isn't happening," she whispered, her eyes still wide. "I mean, it's not possible."

"I'm afraid it is," Carlisle said, stepping into his office. Esme was just behind him with a bowl of chicken broth in her hands. He'd suggested starting with something very light to make sure she could keep it down. "I'm not quite sure how, medically speaking, but it is possible, evidently."

At the sight of her adoptive parents, tears welled in Valeria's eyes, the fluid spilling over. Esme quickly rushed to her side and wiped the tears away before hugging her. And Valeria tensed up, thinking that her skin was freezing. It didn't stop her from hugging her back, though.

Carlisle went over to the machines that she was hooked up to, checking her heart rate and blood pressure, both of which were quite low. He suspected she'd get stronger the longer she remained in her new human state. That was only a theory, of course, as nothing like this had ever happened.

"It's as if your brother reversed the transition process," Carlisle told her, standing at the end of the hospital bed she was situated on. It was a tight fit with Sam also lying next to her. "All your organs seem to be functioning, your heart is pumping, and clearly, your stomach is growling. It seems that you truly are human once again, Valeria."

Valeria didn't know what to say to that, feeling so overwhelmed. But then Esme coaxed some soup into her mouth, knowing she needed something on her stomach. After she'd eaten half the bowl, Carlisle then began testing her reflexes and vision — her left eye couldn't see as up close as well, just as it'd been when she was human before. She'd have to go back to wearing glasses and contacts.

"This is insane," Valeria breathed out after Carlisle examined the scar on her knee that'd reappeared. She got it playing soccer when she was seven and fell on a rock, cutting all the way to the bone. "Carlisle, what's even going to happen to me?"

He looked conflicted for a moment before setting his clipboard full of notes down. "I'll continue to monitor you to make sure nothing detrimental is happening to you healthwise. We can only hope that you really have been restored to your human state and will continue to age at a normal pace. Though perhaps, similar to Renesmee, your body could try to catch up on those three years of aging missed. Only time will tell. Now, how's that settling on your stomach?"

Valeria looked down shyly. "I'm still hungry," she admitted before yawning. She just felt so tired, something she hadn't felt since turning.

"I'm going to keep you on a clear liquid diet for a few more days," he told her. "But we'll get you something. After, I want you to try and rest. If Sam's going to keep you up, then he can leave."

"No," Valeria said, grabbing her mate's — did she have a mate if she wasn't a vampire anymore — hand tightly. "Please, I don't want to be alone right now."

"Of course, dear," he said, kissing the top of her head. Then he left, leaving Valeria alone with Sam, who hadn't let her go once.

Feeling a bit nervous, Valeria looked up at him and bit the inside of her cheek. "Maybe this is a stupid question," she mumbled, "but am I still your Imprint?"

Sam let out a huff and cupped her jaw, shaking his head. "I didn't Imprint on you because you're a vampire, Valeria. I Imprinted on you because you're you. The same person that I fell in love with. The same person I want to marry."

She shyly looked at the ring on her finger, almost having forgotten about it with everything that happened. For the first time in years, her cheeks burned as she looked back up at Sam, and he adored the sight of it. That, coupled with her deep brown eyes, took his breath away.

"You're perfect, Valeria, this way or that," he said before kissing her forehead. She hummed happily and leaned into his kiss before moving upward, seeking out his lips. While sliding her hands up his chest, he wrapped his arms around her waist. And when he kissed her, he groaned from how soft she felt against him.

Valeria whimpered against his lips as he overpowered her in the kiss. She'd always been so strong, but now he was in complete control as he rolled her onto her back and hovered over her, deepening the kiss. She tangled her fingers in his hair, her lungs burning as she fought off the instinct to breathe so that she could keep kissing him.

But then Sam helped her breathe by pulling away and attaching his lips to her neck, leaving behind soft and light kisses that made her smile. Then he playfully bit her, and she finally heard the heart monitor spiking, which the doctor of the house also heard.

Fearing something was wrong with his daughter, Carlisle sped into the room, only to scoff when he saw Sam on top of Valeria. "This isn't resting," he commented, crossing his arms.

Sam sheepishly rolled off of Valeria and smiled at him, feeling like a teenager being scolded all of the sudden. "Sorry, Doc. Couldn't help myself."

"Out. She needs to rest," he told her. "Esme will be up in a second with more food and to keep her company."

☽︎

Valeria was nervous as she finally left her bed in Carlisle's office. Walking was still shaky for her, so Sam easily picked her up and took her down the stairs to meet the rest of her family, seeing them all for the first time since the battlefield.

And as soon as her feet were on the ground, strong but small arms were wrapping around her. Valeria was stunned by her speed before realizing that it was Alice who was hugging her, touching her for the first time. She smiled and hugged her sister back.

"I can force you into whatever clothes I want now," she squealed.

"Darlin'," Jasper said, rolling his eyes playfully. "Stop hogging her."

With a huff, Alice pulled Valeria over to the rest of the family. Rosalie was the next to embrace her, tears welling in the blonde's eyes. She was both impossibly happy and jealous for Valeria, glad that she was given a second chance at a human life but also wishing it could be the same for her. Without even meaning to, Valeria was going to have everything Rosalie ever wanted.

"I'm so happy you're okay," Rosalie whispered, running her hands through Valeria's hair, which was a bit frizzy from the weather.

Then big arms wrapped around them both, and Emmett lifted the two girls off the floor, making Valeria laugh. After that, she was passed to Jasper, who didn't want to let her go as he held her. The empath was so goddamn grateful that her blood wasn't all that appealing to him, because that'd been his biggest fear after hearing her heart start beating again.

Valeria then looked to Edward and sighed. "I can finally touch you and yet I'm not strong enough to throw you out a window for being annoying," she said, rolling her eyes jokingly.

"Ha ha," he laughed sarcastically before hugging his sister. He sighed in relief, thankful that she was really okay. "I'm sorry that I didn't warn you about your brother. I had no idea something like this would happen."

"But it did," she said, not sounding angry with him. "And nothing can change that now. I'm just glad I'm not dead or in some Volturi dungeon."

"Aunt V, you're awake!" Renesmee exclaimed, running into the room with Bella and Jacob a few steps behind her. Valeria crouched in anticipation and caught Nessie in her arms, finally able to hug her niece for the first time.

"Hey, Nessa," she said, squeezing her tightly — which wasn't all that tight given her lack of supernatural strength.

"Look at them. Two badass Volturi survivors," Jacob said, crossing his arms and smirking at the girls. "Bet they hate that."

"Aro was quite mad at Raphael," Edward admitted, gaining Valeria's attention as she sat Nessie back on her feet. "He wasn't expecting that to happen. He felt Raphael was throwing away your gift. There's no doubt in my mind he'll be punished."

Valeria hated herself for not feeling sorry for him. "Yeah, well, he could leave if he really wanted to."

"What's going to happen now?" Bella then asked, looking from Valeria to Carlisle.

Though there were a million unanswered questions, Carlisle knew it wasn't the time to worry about them. Not when everyone was alive and happy and safe. Besides, only time would answer his questions, so he instead put a dazzling smile on his face while looking to Alice.

"I believe another wedding has to be planned. Someone proposed while you were gone."

Alice let out a squeal, finally spotting the ring on Valeria's hand. She flitted over to her and grabbed her hand to study it, unable to believe he'd proposed while she was gone and unable to see it in her visions.

"Oh, my god! I'm thinking February—"

"Maybe summer," Valeria cut in.

"Here at the house—"

"On the beach," Sam told her, wanting to get married where he was most comfortable.

"I'm thinking lavender and sage for the colors—"

"I think I'd like blue and yellow better," Valeria suggested.

Alice let out an impatient huff and nearly stomped her feet. "Fine, but I'm choreographing your first dance since Bella was too clumsy to do one."

It was then that a thought ran through Valeria's mind, and Edward, who could once again read her thoughts, began to snicker. "About that," Valeria said, picking at her fingers. "Um, Mike kind of gets to since Kokomo for our first dance."

"Excuse me?" Sam asked while Alice's mouth just hung open in disbelief.

"I super swore it before we were even dating," she admitted, a blush rising to her cheeks from embarrassment. "You can't break a best friend super swear."

☽︎

Jessica Stanley was jumping around in excitement as she was on the phone with Valeria, who had some exciting news to share. And asking her to be her maid of honor was just the icing on the top of the cake.

"I knew it!" she squealed. "When's the wedding? I can be back any time."

"It's not until the end of summer," Valeria said, laughing. "We're not doing the whole short engagement thing like Bella. But I'm going dress shopping in two weeks and want you and Ang there. Someone has to have an opinion stronger than Alice."

"God, you and Sam are gonna be the hottest husband and wife in the world," she gushed, falling back on her mattress. "And you'll make the cutest babies — wait, you aren't pregnant, right?"

Valeria laughed and shook her head even though she couldn't see. "No, not pregnant. Just very much in love and ready to marry him." Though deep down, Valeria wasn't even sure if she could get pregnant one day. Carlisle was still unsure of the lasting effects on her body after returning to her human state. "So, I'm guessing all the screaming means you're saying yes?"

"Of freaking course, it's a yes!"

☽︎

"God, cooking is exhausting," Valeria grumbled while stirring the batter for a third batch of pancakes that she was cooking for the pack. "It didn't used to be this exhausting."

"You don't have to cook for them," Sam said, rolling his eyes.

"Um, yeah, she does," Jared said matter-of-factly while chewing on some bacon. "She's the pack mom now. It was solidified by the ring on her finger."

Valeria was slowly settling into her new and human life. She still lived at home with the Cullens, but nearly every day was spent on the reservation. And while she still loved cooking, she was definitely going to invest in a stand mixer now that she didn't have supernatural arm strength. She missed not being able to move at super speeds as well, which made doing the dishes horrible — she'd taken Sam's advice and forced the pack to do the dishes in exchange for food.

"Why doesn't Mike have to cook with me?" Valeria whined, looking to her best friend. "Why can't he be a pack mom too?"

He looked at her knowingly. "Do you want me to burn the house down?"

She grinned a little and nodded. "It'd make me miss my powers a little less—"

"No," Sam said, coming between the two best friends before they could burn his house down. "I don't care if you cook, but he certainly can't after the last bonfire."

"It wasn't even that bad," Mike muttered.

Leah snorted and ruffled his hair as she passed behind him. "Babe, you set a clump of marshmallows on fire and then flung it at the food table and burned the rest of the burgers."

"On accident," he said, rolling his eyes playfully. Then he got up and slid his arms around Leah from behind, pulling her into a hug. "And hey, Jess, Ang, Eric, and Tyler are all coming home this weekend. I can't wait for you to meet them."

Though Leah was excited to meet all his friends, she was anxious about being compared to Jessica Stanley, who seemed perfect from how Valeria described her. What if she hated Leah for dating her ex?

As if reading her mind, Valeria spoke up. "Jess thinks you're so cool from the stories I've told her. She can't wait to meet you, especially since you're Seth's sister."

"Oh, can I come hang out this weekend?" Seth asked, bounding over from the living room. "Please?"

"Sure," she said, grinning.

"Yeah, we're gonna play laser tag after we get some pizza and catch up on Friday," Mike added. "I need a werewolf on my team."

Valeria's jaw dropped. "But we're always on the same team."

"Well, that was when you were a badass vampire that never missed her target. I can't be sure if you suck or not," he said while shrugging.

"Mike, even when human, she was on several athletic teams. I'm sure she can keep up," Leah said, rolling her eyes. "But that's fine because I call dibs on Val."

"Yes! I get the best partner," Valeria said, earning a pout from Seth.

"But you said I'm the bestest one in the pack," he mumbled, poking out his bottom lip.

Valeria cooed and pushed past Sam to go and wrap her arms around Seth, who leaned into her touch and shot a teasing glare at his sister over her shoulder. "You are the bestest, Seth. But you're also a little too nice and not competitive enough for laser tag. I need to kick Tyler's ass."

☽︎

Valeria moaned happily against Sam's lips as he pushed her deeper into the mattress, his thigh slotted between her legs like it belonged there. With a whine, she shifted her hips up against his leg, seeking out some kind of friction. He grinned wickedly into the kiss before letting his hands wander lower and lower, seeking the hem of her shirt.

"Get out!" Jessica shouted as Bella pulled Sam off of Valeria abruptly. Angela was standing apologetically by the door, not taking the superstition quite as seriously. "No seeing her before the wedding!"

"The wedding is tomorrow," Sam said, rolling his eyes. But he did gather his shoes, avoiding Bella's stern glare — she was just repaying Valeria for her throwing Edward out before their wedding.

"Tomorrow is in seventeen minutes," Bella informed them.

"This is my house, you know," Sam muttered.

"Well, the dog can sleep outside," Jessica said, unknowingly making a perfect joke. Rosalie and Alice both snickered from their spots in the living room where they were cleaning up from the spa time they'd had earlier.

Valeria had moved in with Sam just a few weeks before the wedding, and the night before, he agreed to sleep at Jared's house. It was a good thing that the girls were having a sleepover, or Sam definitely would've forgone the night at his Beta's house to spend some alone time with Valeria — as if they weren't about to have two weeks of alone time on their honeymoon to Puerto Rico.

Rather than get off the bed, Valeria just sat up on her knees and pulled Sam closer by his shirt. He bent down to kiss her sweetly.

"I'll see you tomorrow," she murmured against his lips. "I suspect you'll be easy to find in the crowd."

Sam grinned and brushed his nose against hers, not wanting to go just yet. But the bridesmaids wouldn't allow that.

"Stop being clingy," Bella said, shaking her head.

Valeria looked at her with wide, accusing eyes. "I know you of all people are not saying that to me."

Bella would've blushed if she still could as Jessica and Angela laughed, knowing how she was around Edward, especially at the start. "Just come on, Sam. Seriously. I will drag your ass out of here."

"I'd pay to see that," Angela said with a small smile, not knowing how strong Bella truly was now. "Really, you guys are too cute, but it's late. Everyone needs their sleep for tomorrow."

Valeria finally gave in and released Sam's shirt, though he didn't step away. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head before taking in her calming scent of wildflowers and strawberries — he loved that her scent didn't change when she became human once again. "I love you."

"I love you too, Sunshine," she murmured. "You're gonna be stuck with me forever now."

"Sounds like a damn good forever."

☽︎

"He's not that bad."

"Off the Florida Keys."

"He's horrible, Valeria."

"There's a place called Kokomo."

"But at least he's slowed it down to a ballad version," Valeria said with a big grin on her face.

Sam thought Valeria looked ethereal in a white wedding gown. She looked so beautiful he could almost tune out Mike's horrible singing voice as they shared their first dance. But the smile she wore made the horrible song choice worth it — as did Alice pouting a few feet away, who was furious she hadn't been able to talk Valeria out of it.

In the seven months of being human, Valeria found she was getting used to it. Carlisle had her back on Vyvanse, and Sam thought she looked adorable when she had to wear her glasses. She loved being able to go out on sunny days and taking naps — she'd really missed sleeping.

Her heart still beat a little slow and she got tired easily, but all in all, she was healthier than Carlisle could've hoped. She functioned like a regular, healthy human — she even got the flu in February and recovered just fine. And now that they knew she was okay, Sam knew he'd have a long life with her at his side.

The wedding had gone perfectly, and now that she was in her husband's arms, Valeria wasn't going to leave his side for even a second.

"I love you, Sunshine," Valeria murmured after he turned her in his arms, making her giggle.

"I love you too, Mrs. Uley," he said, leaning down to kiss her softly. And the sigh of affection had all of the bridesmaids cheering. "Even though I hate this song."

"It's a great song," she said, shaking her head. "And he tried to negotiate a different option."

"The different option was Cheeseburger in Paradise."

"And you chose this, so no more complaining," she teased. "Now dance with me. You know you love it."

"Come on, everybody. Sing along!" Mike then shouted, holding the microphone out to the crowd. "Aruba, Jamaica, ooh, I wanna take ya to Bermuda, Bahama, come on, pretty mama!"