Saving Grace

by TheGingerNextDoor

Alice and Carlisle meet a girl who would make a good vampire. Better summary inside, I swear.

1. Chapter 1

Saving Grace

Chapter 1-Coming Home

Disclaimer: I don't own the Twilight characters. They are the property of Stephenie Meyer. The song "Love Story" belongs to Taylor Swift, and "Kiss Me" is by Sixpence None the Richer. All characters involved; takes place after BD. Please R&R. Thanks!

Summary: Alice meets a sick girl who would make a good vampire, but will Alice be able to convince the others to save the girl?

Carlisle walked down the hall of Pediatric Ward 2-North, searching out his patient. He liked the girl; she was spunky, and reminded him a bit of Alice. Her name was Grace Siler; when he had told her that he was her chief doctor, she'd laughed and said he didn't look old enough to be a doctor. His patient was fifteen; today, he'd have to tell her he couldn't find a donor for her, and he hated when he had to do that. Especially when it was the pediatric patients, and this girl in particular. He'd pulled her file when she was first assigned to him, and had discovered that she had basically lived at the hospital since she was six. Her parents had passed, and apparently, it was cheaper and easier for the state to keep her at the hospital than to find a medically-suitable foster home. Besides, it seems that she was sick a lot; she had a hole in her heart, and hadn't had success with any surgeries or transplants. He suspected there was a genetic issue at hand, and that was why nothing had been successful. As he knocked at her door, he noticed she had "redecorated" in preparation for the upcoming Halloween holiday. Her door sported a mural of construction paper witches, ghosts, and bats. "Happy Halloween" had been written in glitter glue on the bottom of the mural. He entered when she'd responded, and smiled warmly at the girl.

"Hey, Dr. Cullen." She indicated her IV pole, which she constantly decorated. Today it was dressed in a plaid skirt she'd likely swiped from the rec room, and had a wig on the top t-bar and a plaid hat that he had recognized as one that Rosalie had donated. He shook his head.

"This is the Highland Lass Fiona. Fiona, please say hello to Dr. Cullen." She had affected a terrible Irish accent, and made the pole "speak" to him. "Allo, kind laddy."

"That is really funny, dear. But I have some serious news." Her expression changed then, and she sat up on the bed. She absently fiddled with the ID bracelet she wore, and the smile dropped.

"What?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't think we have any donors that will work for you. We can try a patch again, but so far, nothing seems to be holding. I'm checking the European registries, but again, so far, we have nobody. I came by to see what you wanted to do." She looked as though he had slapped her, but nodded lightly.

"I guess we can try a patch. But like you said, they haven't held yet. But I guess it's something. If we do the patch, what does it look like for my…chances?"

"Well, the patch WILL prolong your life. But I don't know how long. Sorry. But I think if you don't choose to get the patch, you are looking at about nine months, maybe a year. The hole just seems to keep growing, no matter what I do. I don't quite understand what's going on, but I am trying to do everything I can think of, and there's one more patch type we can try. Normally, we just use a skin graft, but your body is rejecting your own skin, so for you we use synthetic things-last time, I understand the surgeon used a piece of muslin. There's an experimental treatment in England that is using an aluminum-mesh alloy. We could try that; I know a doctor there who might be willing to help. But that's kind of the end of the road."

"Metal? In my heart? Is that safe?"

"Apparently."

"Hmm. Can I think about it and let you know Monday? I need some time, and it's getting late. You should get home to your family."

"Of course. But I do need you to let me know sooner rather than later, just because we need to set some things up. And let me worry about my family, OK? I just need you to think on this. I'll be back in the morning to do rounds, maybe you can even let me know then?"

"Maybe. Thank you, Dr. Cullen. I can tell you didn't want to tell me this. I appreciate that you never try to bullshit me." He raised his eyebrows at her, but didn't say anything.

"You're welcome. What's on the schedule for the rest of the evening?"

"Well, I thought I'd harass some nurses, then maybe I'd race wheelchairs upstairs with the old folks, and maybe I'd call in a bomb threat. Or maybe I'll just go sit in the rec room. They're playing a movie; Dracula. I was hoping for something really scary, like maybe Nosferatu, but I guess the fact the next oldest patient here is 8 kind of means I'm stuck with lame Halloween movies." He chuckled.

'Well, all of those things sound like fun, but please be careful when you race wheelchairs. I don't want to have to come back tonight because you can't breathe."

"Yeah, I was kidding about that. I'm kinda leaning towards the vampire, anyway. They're very interesting." He shook his head.

'Well, then. I'll see you tomorrow. I think your nurse is going to come by in a minute; it's Ms. Johnson. Please try to be nice, OK?"

"Wow, Dr. Cullen. A fifth of Chivas and a uterus, and you could be my mother." She rolled her eyes, but continued.

"Thank you anyway. I'll see you tomorrow. I might bring Frank out. We'll see."

"You need to come up with more pole characters. We've had Frank and Fiona lot lately."

"Good idea. I'll think on it." She waved as he turned to leave. He hurried home quickly; he'd promised Emmett and Edward he'd hunt with them that evening. When he arrived at home, the boys were already waiting. He was glad for the distraction; he'd think and worry about his young patient if he didn't have the chatter of his sons to keep him busy. When finally the three were satisfied, they returned home to find Alice pacing around the house. Edward went off to find Bella, but Emmett and Carlisle stayed with the clearly out-of-sorts vampire.

"What's up, Alice?"

"Had a vision that Bella's mom had a car crash. Bella is calling her, but I hate when I see things like that, even when it turns out to be nothing." She sighed, but had stopped pacing when Bella came downstairs.

"Everything's fine, Alice. She WAS driving in the storm, which I told her was probably not smart, but she said she was going really slowly." Alice let her breath out and nodded.

"Well, I am glad that everyone is OK. My visions are failing me lately. I wonder why…" The others shrugged. Sometimes Alice's visions were shaky, but she worried about the recent rash of misinformation she had been getting. Maybe she was stressed out, but she was a vampire, so it wasn't like there was much for her to stress about. She had been feeling a little empty; since Bella had been changed, Bella had been distracted with Nessie, of course, and her and Rosalie were new best friends, and now she longed for a new friend who wasn't in her family every day. She had talked to Jasper, and he'd suggested she do some volunteer work at the hospital, and she planned to talk to Carlisle that night. Bella hugged her and went back upstairs, and Emmett wandered off to find Jasper and watch the new shoot-'em-up movie they'd rented earlier. Somewhere Rosalie was reading, but no one was exactly sure what Esme was doing. She had holed up in her office earlier that day, and no one had dared bothered her; she seemed oddly upset at something. Alice looked at the man they all looked to as their father. He smiled at her-he sensed she was wanting to talk to him.

"Alice, is everything OK?"

"No, but I think it could be. Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure. Let's go upstairs; I need to do some work anyway. Meet me in my study in a few minutes, all right? I need to find Esme."

"She's in her office. She seems annoyed at something, but I didn't ask her about it. I'll see you in a minute." The diminutive vampire sighed and headed for the stairs. Carlisle knocked on the door of his wife's office, and was greeted by a scowl-faced Esme. She changed her expression when she'd found out that it was her husband, but he caught on quickly that something was up.

"What's wrong, honey?"

"I'm just a little annoyed with the boys. I asked them to do something for me earlier, and it just didn't get done. Plus, I am a little busy with my new clients; the wife is very demanding and I can't figure out how to please her." His wife shook her head; she looked a little wary. He reached for her and gave her a hug. She smiled when he released her.

"Anyway, enough about me. How was your day?" He sighed.

"Generally fine. But remember that girl I was telling you about?" Esme nodded.

"Well, it's not going well. I can't figure why her body is rejecting everything we try. And Alistair's colleague insinuated that his patch, the metal one, won't work for her because it's really not made for her type of defect. Which basically means I try another pointless patch, but I don't think she'll go for that, or I let her die. Which also is kind of unappealing. So the afternoon wasn't so swell. But, hey, Edward, Emmett, and I had a successful hunt, so that's something, right?" It was Esme's turn to hug her husband.

"Well, you'll figure it out. Besides, from what you told me of the girl, she'll probably tell you exactly what to do." He laughed.

"You're probably right. Anyway, I'd better go upstairs. Alice needs to chat. Do you want me to speak to the boys?" Esme shook her head.

"No, I will. Thank you. You'd better go up; Alice has been out of sorts today. See what's up." He nodded as he turned to go upstairs. Esme went back into her office, and tried to complete more work.

When he arrived upstairs, he could see Alice was already in his study, still pacing back and forth. He walked into the room, and she stopped. He motioned for her to sit, but she shook her head.

"Ok, Alice. What's up?""Well, I need your help. Ok, so you know that I love Bella with my whole heart, and I love the others more than anything, right? But lately, I feel like I'm really in need of a makeover. But this time, I want to make over my soul. I need something in my life, but I don't know what. I miss having a friend whose not related to me. I talked to Jasper, and he suggested that I talk to you to see if you had any ideas." Alice's pale amber eyes were wide with emotion. Carlisle considered what she was saying, and as he turned her words over in his head, an idea came to him.

"Well, actually, I do have an idea." Alice perked up.

"Really?" He nodded and continued.

"There's a young lady, one of my patients. She could use a friend, and I think you'd get on well with her. She's a lot like you, actually. But if you're interested, you could go to the hospital with me and spend some time with her. She's fifteen, but I don't think that she'll mind that you're older; actually, she'd probably like it. But you wouldn't have to do much; I mean, it's not like a really little kid who you can only read to or something. Just talk to her. Fix her hair. Stuff like that." Alice looked intrigued.

"Wait, you said she was your patient? She has something wrong with her heart?"

"Yes, a hole in one of her chambers," Alice looked a little lost, "But that's not important. Just don't let her run, and it'll be fine." Alice nodded and smiled a little.

"Ok, Carlisle. It sounds great. I'll do it. Can I go this morning?" She was back to her normal, perky self. He nodded.

"I leave at 7:30, so be ready. You can ride with me, and if you finish up, you can just hang around my office until I'm done with rounds and stuff. OK?" Alice nodded vigorously, and hugged him. He was a little taken aback; they weren't a PDA kind of family.

"Sorry. But thanks. I'll be ready at 7:30." She bounded out of his study, calling for Jasper. He smiled, glad he could make at least three of his children happy that day. He turned to his patient files until Esme came in, and he told her about his conversation with Alice. He noticed then that it was almost 7. He stood up to change his clothes and get things ready for his day. It struck him then, something he hadn't thought about in ages, that it was a little odd that he no longer slept. The thoughts were interrupted by a very loud wail coming from the direction of Edward's bedroom. He smiled; Nessie was getting bigger every day. He heard Bella take her downstairs, and what sounded like Emmett cooing at her. He quickly changed his clothes and gathered the files he'd need for the day. When he arrived downstairs, Alice was already waiting, carrying a tote bag. She patted it, and said "Provisions. I figure if she's fifteen, she'd probably be into magazines and stuff." He shrugged and nodded, not really sure about the things that fifteen year old girls liked.

"Good idea. Ok, Alice is coming with me to the hospital today. Does anyone need anything on the way home? We can stop off if we need to. Esme, how are we for food for the baby?" Everyone shook their heads. Esme replied, "We're doing fine, dear. Have a good day, you two. Alice, tell me everything when you get home." Alice nodded, and kissed Jasper goodbye. Carlisle told Esme to expect them back around 11 am, and they left.

Once at the hospital, Carlisle took Alice to the third floor. They saw Grace standing at the nurses station, hand on her hip, giving some poor male nurse what was surely a piece of her mind. She tossed her head at him, and turned around, her pale blue eyes flashing. She smiled when she saw Dr. Cullen and the petite girl with him. She strolled towards him.

"Dr. Cullen, Nurse John won't let me switch roommates." She smiled warmly at Alice.

"I'm sure he has a very good reason, Grace. Now, this is Alice, my daughter. She's been wanting to help out, and I think you two would get along great. Please show her around, can you? I'll talk to the nurse and see what the problem is." He smiled at Alice and turned to walk to the nurses' station. Grace looked Alice up and down.

"Are you really here because you want to be, or is your dad making you do this?" Alice looked shocked for a moment, but recovered quickly.

"No, I'm really here because I want to be." Grace pursed her lips, but seemed to believe her. "Ok, then. Let's go to my room before someone comes and shoos me out of here. No one let's me do anything. It's like an interment camp for sick kids," She grabbed Alice's hand and pulled her down the hall, talking a mile a minute, "Have you ever heard of the Antsy Pants? I was doing some Googling, and found one of their songs I liked. We can listen to it while we have girl talk. You do like girl talk, don't you, Alice?" They stopped in front of a colorfully appointed room. If Alice wasn't a vampire, she'd be exhausted already. Instead she replied. "Yes, I do. But I've never heard of Antsy Pants. What kind of music is it?" She followed the girl into the room. She sat on the bed and patted the pink comforter, motioning for Alice to sit next to her. Alice was a little dumbfounded; most mortals gave the vampires a wide berth, but this girl either didn't notice that Alice was different or else didn't care. She shrugged and sat where the girl indicated. The girl was fiddling with a CD player that had been sitting on a side table by the bed. Alice took the moment to really look at the girl. She was pretty; her skin was alabaster white, and clear. She had pale blue eyes and brown hair. Actually, she kind of resembled Esme, with Alice's hair color. Grace looked up then and smiled at Alice. She sighed.

"I can't seem to make the song play. Oh, well. Maybe next time. To answer your question, they're bluegrass-punk. Anyway, tell me all about you. Dr. Cullen seems too young to have a teenaged daughter." Alice laughed her tinkling giggle, and shook her head.

"I suppose. I'm adopted. Actually, all but two of us are. There's six of us kids and my niece. I have an older brother who just got married and had a baby. They live with us, so it's really loud all the time. I kind of like that it's quiet here." Grace was looking at her with her head cocked sideways.

"Wow. You're all really lucky to have been adopted. I've been in the system since I was six, and I have yet to find a foster family. No one wants the sick kids. Anyway, it must be cool to have so many siblings. I'd love for it to be a little noisier here, though. Mostly it's pretty boring, although they just moved a cute boy into c-6. They won't let me talk to him, though. I guess he is just in for some kind of virus and Dr. Cullen says that my immune system is too compromised. So instead I hang around with 6 year olds. But enough about me and my downer life. You want to do something fun? We can go to the rec room, and I could play the piano for everyone. Do you sing?" Alice shook her head.

"Well, that's all right. Maybe we'll kick the little kids out and I'll teach you the Thriller dance. You know, Michael Jackson? No? Ok, well then, let's just take a walk." Alice nodded; people said she had energy, but she was 99% sure she wasn't this energetic. If Grace didn't cough hard every so often, you might forget she was sick. Grace pulled her up and started to run down the hall even before Alice could get out the door. She heard Carlisle's voice scolding the girl.

"Grace, please. Don't run, OK?" Alice was out the door behind her and mouthed a quick "Sorry" to Carlisle before catching up to the girl, who had slowed down. She was gasping, clutching at her chest. Carlisle zoomed over, but by the time he arrived in front of the girl, she was upright again.

"That hurt. I'm sorry, Dr. Cullen. I won't run anymore, I promise. Come on, Alice. We're almost there. Maybe I'll just play for us." Carlisle looked from Grace to Alice.

"Yes, Grace plays the piano well. Almost as well as Edward." Grace nodded.

"Well, shall we?" Alice allowed the girl to lead her the rest of the way, to a large, open room that resembled a school gym. A bunch of art supplies were out, against one wall was a large bookcase stuffed full of books and videos. In the middle of the room, there were three large, long tables set up with chairs of various sizes scattered around. In the corner was a small, very old piano. Alice remembered that Carlisle had brought Edward to tune it once, but didn't remember him talking about the room. Grace smiled at an older woman who walked over and identified herself as Jenny the Recreation Therapist. She was gaping openly at Alice, but Grace didn't notice.

"Gracie, why don't you play something for us today? I'm bringing in the kids in a minute. How about that song by that blonde teenaged girl from Radio Disney? Taylor whatever." Grace nodded, and sat down at the piano. She motioned for Alice to sit down next to her. She began to play a few chords, which Alice recognized as warm-up exercises.

"Grace, where did you learn to play the piano?"

"Before I got sick, my grandfather taught me." Alice had noticed that some other kids had come in to the room; it was clear that Grace was the oldest patient. They gathered by the piano, most of them keeping clear of Alice, and Grace began to play a song that Alice recognized from the mall's PA music. A little girl tugged on Grace's sleeve and asked her to sing. Grace shrugged, but nodded. She opened her mouth, and a sweet song filled Alice's ears.

We were both young when I first saw you, I close my eyes and the flashback starts and I'm standing there on a balcony in summer air. See the lights, see the ball gowns, see you make your way through the crowds and say Hello. Little did I know. That you were Romeo, you were throwing pebbles, and my daddy said stay away from Juliette, and I was crying on the staircase, begging you please don't go. And I said, Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone, I love you and that's all I really know and you be the prince and I'll be the princess, it's a love story, baby just say Yes.

Then, Carlisle came to get Alice to return home. As the two vampires left the room, they could hear Grace's voice continuing down the hallway, and to the elevator. As they drove home, Carlisle asked Alice how it went, and Alice answered his questions, but was thinking hard.

"Did you have fun?"

'Yes."

"Did you get to look at any of the magazines?"

"No."

"Do you want to go back?"

"Yes." Carlisle sighed and fell silent. He suspected what Alice was thinking, but he didn't want to push it.

"Well, since Esme and I are leaving tonight, I won't have a chance to ask her if she wants you to come back until Monday, OK? Would it help you if I let you look at her case file? Normally, I wouldn't allow it, but I know you'll keep it to yourself." Alice shook her head.

"No, thank you, though. Don't do anything that might get you in trouble. I forgot you and Esme were leaving tonight; I promise to keep the boys in line. Or at least try." Carlisle smiled.

"Thank you. We appreciate that. Thank you for coming today, I know Grace was happy. I could see it in her face. She looked well today; they took her IV out." Alice nodded, feeling like a ninny. Mercifully, they were home, and Alice ran inside to find Jasper. She realized she had left the tote bag with the magazines in it in Grace's room, but she figured they'd be safe. Carlisle let himself into the house, and came face-to-face with Emmett, who was looking guilty.

"Hey, Carlisle," he said, rushing out the door behind him. Carlisle shrugged, and closed the door as Rosalie bolted down the stairs.

"Hey, Carlisle. Did Emmett just leave?" Carlisle nodded.

"He's so busted. Excuse me." She ran out the back door in the same direction as Emmett. He didn't bother to ask Edward, who was in the kitchen feeding Nessie what was going on, as he was sure of two things: one, that he most likely didn't want to know, and two, he'd likely hear about it later anyway. He headed for the stairs, where he could hear Alice and Esme talking in hushed tones, but couldn't quite make out what they were saying. When he got to the top of the stairs, he could tell they were talking about Grace and what Alice had done that day. He interrupted, as if he hadn't noticed they were talking.

"Hi, ladies. Say, Esme, are you ready to head out?" She scowled at him and tilted her chin towards Alice. Carlisle looked innocently from his wife to his daughter.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you two were chatting. Please carry on." He smiled to himself as he went down the hall to put this things away and stick a few things in his overnight bag. He and Esme would be gone the whole weekend. Sometimes Esme and Alice got ideas when they chatted with each other, and he felt that this is one of those times. He couldn't say exactly why he felt like that, just something he felt in his bones. He shrugged and sighed and went into his closet. A few hours later, he and Esme were in the wilderness, and the children were alone.

At home, Alice sat in her bedroom, thinking. Jasper was off with Emmett, watching TV and periodically tossing a baseball in the living room, which caused Rosalie to screech every time. She couldn't think with all the noise, and now Nessie was crying. She briefly considered going to the hospital just to see Grace and enjoy the quiet, but she also had to watch the boys. The last time they were home alone, Jasper and Emmett had turned the living room into a chemistry lab and, somehow, a gerbil ended up in the fridge. Needless to say, Esme was upset for weeks. The tiny vampire girl stood up and floated down the stairs.

"Hey, babe. What's up?" Jasper had spied her floating down the steps.

"I'm going outside to think because you all are being way too loud. Jasper, please stop bothering Rosalie." He rolled his eyes, but nodded.

"Sure. Sorry you're having trouble sorting things out; it seems like today was kinda intense."

"Yeah. If anyone needs me, I'm going to be on the back porch." They all nodded and Alice went outside. She was forming an idea in her head, and had spoken briefly to Esme about it, but it'd be hard to convince the others, especially Carlisle. And Rosalie. If she could get one or the other on her side, she knew it was in the bag. She pulled herself up from the porch chair she sat in and went inside to talk to Rose. She found the blonde vampire sitting on the couch between the boys, holding the remote above her head. When she saw Alice, she threw it to her. Alice immediately put it in her shirt and stuck her tongue out at the group. A moment later, she was being tackled by Jasper, who worked the remote free and kissed her. Then he rose, triumphant, and pressed "play" and resumed his spot on the couch. She sighed and spoke to Rosalie.

"Hey, Rosalie. Got a minute?"

"Sure, what's up?"

"Let's go sit in the study and chat. I don't want to bother the guys. Besides, I need a woman's perspective, and Bella is being odd right now." Rose nodded; she knew that her sisters were close, but since the move, Bella seemed faraway. Rosalie thought it was probably just the shock and awe of her new life, but Alice, who could be dramatic, thought it was her. Rosalie followed her up the stairs and into the library, where they could be relatively alone. When Alice spoke, it was with a sense of urgency, but also sweetness, for Alice was no fool. She knew that Rosalie would be the hardest sell, and so she tread lightly.

"So, you know how I went to the hospital today, and I met the girl and all, right?" Rose nodded. "Look, here's the thing, Rose. I think she's sicker than Carlisle is letting on, and I want to ask him to bring her here to die. Maybe even change her. I don't know." Rosalie sucked in her breath and shook her head.

"Come on, Alice. Let's be real. Think about what you just said…Besides, what makes you think that Esme and Carlisle would let her come here? Who says she'd want to? I think you're reading a lot into one visit." Alice sighed, she had expected this reaction.

"Rose, would it be better if Jasper and I agreed to be responsible for her? I mean, the hospital is no place for a teenager, especially one who is that sick and is already lost. She has no family, Rose."

"Have you talked to Jasper about this?"

"Not yet. I just had this idea."

"I see. Let me think on it. My first inclination is to ask Carlisle to have your head checked, but maybe, maybe I can find some reason for this to make sense. Good luck convincing the others, too." Rosalie said the last sentence with more than a hint of sarcasm.

"Thank you, Rose. Look, all I'm asking is you do just that-think on it. Promise me, please? Maybe you should come with me and meet her. I think even your jaded self could be had."

"Maybe I will." She sighed. "Ok, Alice. I promise. I will think about it. But don't ask me to come with you to talk to Carlisle or anything like that. OK?"

"Deal. Thanks, Rose. I apologize for Jasper's behavior, by the way." Rose held up a hand and shook her head.

"It's no problem. Emmett was goading him, anyway." Rose smiled at Alice. Rose is guessing that Alice is getting a little ahead of herself; the pixie vampire could sometimes get carried away. But Rose's strategy would be to pretend to think about the situation Alice proposed, while betting that Carlisle would be her greatest hold-out. Bella said she'd never bet against Alice, but Rosalie wasn't sure, at least in this case. Alice began pacing again, and Rose stood up to leave.

"Um, Alice. Do you want to come down and play cards with me?" Rosalie usually hated playing cards with her or Edward, but in this case, it seemed Alice could use a friend.

"No. But Rose, do you think you could play piano for me?" Rosalie looked surprised. Whenever anyone wanted a song on the piano, they went to Edward, and it was usually never Alice who asked. Rose could play fine, but Edward was superior.

"Sure, I guess." She stood up to go downstairs. Alice looked happy, and followed her out of the room and down the stairs. They waved at Bella, Edward, and Nessie, who had retreated from their rooms to find out what the loud banging noise was coming from the living room while Alice and Rose were talking. It had been Emmett rearranging furniture. Esme was going to have his head, but no one said a word. Rosalie perched herself on the piano bench and turned to Alice.

"What do you want to hear?"

"Something romantic. But rock-and-roll-ey, too. Know what I mean?" Rosalie nodded and flipped through some sheet music they stored in the piano bench. One of the collections was a modern music anthology, and it likely would have something Alice would want. She didn't know where the book had come from; Edward preferred classical, and she could only play a few things. But she handed Alice the book and told her to choose something. Alice flipped to a page that was a song that had been used in bad late '90's movies, and one you could hear at the mall a lot. Rosalie placed the book in front of her and began to play. The others gathered around and Alice sang along.

"kiss me, beneath the milky twilight, lead me out on the green, green grass. Raise up your open hand and strike up the band and make the fireflies dance and the silver moon sparkle. Ohh, kiss me…"

Jasper and Emmett began laughing hysterically.

"Alice, please. I will pay you to stop singing," said Emmett. The others agreed. She crossed her arms over her chest and tossed her head. When Rosalie was finished playing the song, Alice hugged her.

"Thanks, Rose." An idea was forming in her head. She trotted out of the room and to the study to make a phone call. She dialed the number for the volunteer coordinator at the hospital, and left a message describing her idea for a Halloween party for the kids, along with her cell phone number.

Monday morning, Carlisle pushed open the door to Grace's room, and was surprised to find his usually-energetic patient lying in a fetal position on the bed. Her eyes were closed and her features were screwed up into a grimace. Her arms were wrapped around her body, as if shielding herself from an invisible attacker. He spoke in low tones.

"Grace, are you alright?" Grace answered in equally low tones.

"No, Dr. Cullen. I have been in pain since last night, and the stupid nurses can't get anyone from pain management to give me anything." He approached the bed with his stethoscope ready, and sat down to take her vitals.

"Can you describe the pain?""Yeah. It's a sharp ache in my chest. It feels like someone has my heart in a vice grip and is poking it with a thousand knives." He sighed. Pain was never good.

"Ok, let me check your heartbeat, and I'll see what I can do." He finished taking her vitals and left the room for a minute to locate a nurse. When he returned, he had a vial of morphine, which would immediately relieve the sharp pains, at least long enough to get an x-ray. As the drug entered her system, he could see her visibly relax.

"Thank you, Dr. Cullen. That helps so much. Hey, is Alice here today?"

"She's in school right now, but is going to come by later."

"Oh, right. School."

"I want to get you upstairs for an x-ray and some blood work, OK?" She nodded.

"Hey, Dr. Cullen, did the social worker find you yet?" He looked confused and shook his head.

"No, why?"

"Looks like they're going to give me emancipation. I can make my own decisions from here on out without having to explain them to a judge and the State. But they need you, as my chief doctor, to sign off on it."

"Is this what you wanted?""Yes. I don't want the patch, Dr. Cullen. I'm tired of fighting my body. I'm ready to die. And I want to be able to make that decision on my own. Which I have. I'm sorry.""No, it's no problem. It IS your choice, after all. I will find this social worker and talk to them. I don't see any problem with signing something off like this."

"Thank you." She was sitting upright now, her eyes a little brighter. A moment later, a lab tech arrived to take her upstairs. When they left the room, a petite Hispanic woman was standing in the hallway, waiting for him. She seemed a little leery when she spotted the young, good-looking doctor and his unconventional pallor and eye color. But she shrugged and began.

"Dr. Cullen, I am Maritza Juarez, I work for the State. I'm sure Miss Siler has told you that I am her caseworker?" He nodded. She continued. "I am here today because Miss Siler has applied for and has been granted emancipation from the Department of Child Welfare and the State of Connecticut. I just need your signature, as her primary doctor, that this is in her best interest and that, to the best of your knowledge, Miss Siler will be able to make her own decisions with a responsible mind and towards the idea of safety." He nodded, indicating that he understood. She opened her mouth to finish her spiel. "If I can be frank, Dr. Cullen, I know that Grace is…precocious, but she has made her wishes as to her medical care and the ideas she has for the end of her life known to me. I think she's rather intelligent, actually, and understands the outcomes of the choices she makes." Carlisle smiled.

"Yes, I think you make an accurate reading of young Ms. Siler. I believe that she knows full well what she is doing, and I have no objections to her petition. I will sign whatever documents you need. Please, let us step into a more private area. The doctor's conference room is right up the hall, allow me to show you the way." He led the woman down the hall to a small meeting room, and indicated a chair for her. He sat opposite her, and shuffled through some papers she had laid out on the table. He read them carefully; apparently, the order basically allowed the state to wash their hands of Grace immediately, and she was in charge of her own life pretty much as soon as he signed. It seemed a daunting and rather unfair choice for a fifteen year old, even this fifteen-year-old. He looked up at the woman, who stared at him, as if trying to grasp an explanation for his golden eyes and young appearance. He smiled warmly at her.

"Ms. Juarez, how often is emancipation granted to a child in the system?"

"Not often, maybe once a year. And Miss Siler will be the youngest to receive it; however, given her rapidly-deteriorating medical condition, I believe the State thinks that it's not a big deal."

"I understand." He signed where she had highlighted, and stood to leave.

"Please excuse me, I have to be upstairs for clinicals in a few minutes. Is it possible for me to have a copy of this paperwork?"

"Only if Grace gives me a statement allowing it. I'll ask her before I go. If she allows it, you will receive a faxed copy by weeks' end."

"Thank you. Ms. Siler should be returning from the lab momentarily." The woman nodded and also stood. She replaced the paperwork in a manila file and followed him out of the room. He went on his way, but double-checked with the nurse he'd spoken to earlier that pain management was indeed paged, and that they would contact him as soon as possible. She assured him that those things were so, and he continued on the clinic to begin seeing patients.

During lunch, Alice and Esme arrived at the hospital with Nessie in tow. He was surprised to see his wife and granddaughter, but not so much Alice. He ushered them into his office and closed the door.

"What's up?"

"Well, Alice asked me to drop her off when we were done shopping so she could spend more time with the young lady she's become friends with, and I needed to see if you can talk to the boys tonight about their behavior when you and I leave. Nessie is just along for the ride."

"Of course, dear. Why don't we all go upstairs and see how Grace is doing, Alice, and Esme, you can tell me about the boys on the way up." They all trooped out of his office and headed for the elevators. Esme held Nessie on her hip and she was so cute and charming that everyone stopped to coo at her and ask the popular doctor if she was his. After he had explained to the third person that she was his granddaughter, and his wife and family were there to visit a patient, the word must've gotten out because no one approached them again. When they arrived on the second floor of the main hospital, they immediately ran into Grace, who was standing in the hallway doing the air guitar and singing at the top of her lungs to Michael Jackson's "Thriller." She stopped when she spotted the vampires, and smiled.

"Hello, Dr. Cullen. Alice. Other people." She walked slowly toward the group. Carlisle noticed that her IV had been reinserted.

"Hi, Grace. Please come and meet my wife and my granddaughter." Grace made her eyes wide. "This is too much, Dr. Cullen. You have a granddaughter? Hey, Alice." Alice waved.

"Yes. This is Esme, my wife," he indicated the pretty woman next to him, "and Nessie, my granddaughter."

"Nice to meet you," she said, putting out her hand to shake Esme's. "Come on, Alice, let's go upstairs to the nursery and look at the babies."

"Wait. How are you feeling right now?"

"Much better. The pain people gave me some drugs which has caused the pain to subside. It's still like a 6, but that I can handle."

"I'm not sure it's a good idea for you to be walking that much. You don't want to overdo."

"Remember what I said about you being my mother?"

"Yes, something about a fifth of Chivas and a uterus." Grace laughed.

"Exactly. I'll take a chair, though, how does that sound?"

"Better. Thank you. You girls have fun, now. Alice, I'll come to collect you after my evening rounds, OK?" Alice nodded as Grace pulled her down the hallway towards her room. Esme turned to him, her eyebrows raised.

'A fifth of Chivas?"

"Yes. Apparently, her mother was an alcoholic, and she associates my concern with that of a parent." Esme nodded.

"Well, she likes Alice. Thank you for bringing her home; Jasper has her car today, though I am not sure why."

"No problem. I'm only seeing one patient this afternoon, and then I'm going to check Grace's labs and then do rounds, so I should be home a bit early. I'll speak to the children; it might be good for all of them to hear it again." Esme agreed, and waved at the girls, who were now heading down the hall toward the vampires, who happened to be standing near the elevators. Grace, as promised, was in a wheelchair, and Alice was walking along next to her. Esme and Carlisle finished their discussion, and Esme caught the elevator down with the girls. Grace was talking a mile a minute, not noticing that Alice wasn't listening, but was instead looking at Esme with concern. Esme shook her head imperceptibly, and mouthed "nothing" to her. Alice was suddenly aware that Grace was talking directly to her.

"Alice, this is our stop. Coming?"

'Yes." Alice followed the girl out of the elevator. When it closed behind them, she stood up and left the wheelchair behind. Alice looked at her questioningly.

"I'm not going to use it. I'm just standing. I'll grab it when we go back down. The nursery is this way." She started down a hallway, then stopped a few feet where large windows began. Alice stopped behind her and gazed at the babies lined up.

"Why do you like to come here?" Alice asked her. Grace furrowed her eyebrows and looked for a second like she was going to cry.

"Um, well. I think for a couple of reasons. Firstly, if I can be so frank, I'm dying, Alice. I will not get to experience having a child, hell, I may not live to see 16. Secondly, I look at these babies, and I think-my life is about to end, yet one life is replacing that-it's kinda cosmically creepy." She looked wistful for a minute, then laughed. 'Listen to me, waxing all poetic and stuff. Besides, aren't they just really cute?" Alice nodded in agreement, but also in understanding, for she knew the feeling of never being able to have children. Alice watched the babies, some kicking their legs, some sleeping, and some turning pink from wailing and noticed Grace was staring off into space. She saw Alice looking at her, and smiled.

"Can I tell you something, Alice? When I told you just now that I'm dying, it's the first time I've ever acknowledged it. You know, Dr. Cullen wanted to try a patch again for the hole in my heart, but I just don't feel like fighting anymore. I have been fighting this thing for almost 10 years. My body rejects every patch, I'm allergic to all the anti-rejection drugs, and transplants haven't stuck. So today I made the decision to die. Is that like giving up?" If Alice could cry, she'd be crying right then. She shook her head, fearing that if she spoke, her voice would indicate the emotion that her face couldn't show. They were quiet for a few minutes, when Alice spoke up. "Can you tell me about your parents?"

"My father, James, he died when I was three. He was in the Army and was killed in combat. I don't remember much about him, except that he was very musically gifted. My mother, Katherine, was a drug addict and alcoholic who wasn't a great mother at all. She had a lot of demons, but she was gorgeous. That's where I get my coloring from; it's all her family, the Silers. I didn't take my father's last name; they weren't married but they were committed to raising me, I remember. But my mother was fun. So much fun. At least, I used to think so. Although now I understand that it was completely reckless, like letting me stand in the snow, when I was 7, just in my nightgown. It was the first snowfall of the year, and had just been diagnosed, and I wanted so badly to see it, and so she let me. Anyway, this is getting to be a pretty big downer, huh? You left some magazines here last time; let's go upstairs and get lost in Vogue, what do you say?" Alice smiled; that was definitely more her speed. She filed away the information Grace had told her and proceeded to follow her back to the elevator. She sat dutifully in the wheelchair, although she looked pained. They caught the elevator back upstairs, and, when they were safely and quietly alone in the elevator, Alice began to think. The elevator door opened to reveal Carlisle's smiling face. He noticed the look on Alice's face, but didn't stop to ask about it. He had a feeling she'd tell him later. Grace smiled, too.

"Hey, Dr. Cullen."

"Hello, girls. Have fun at the nursery?"

"Yes. Now we're going to get lost in Vogue for awhile. See you at rounds." She wheeled herself out of the elevator and into the hallway. Alice ambled after her, lost in thought. By the time they arrived at Grace's room, Alice was more present. They arranged themselves on the bed. Grace looked at Alice and spoke.

"Alice, are you OK? I said too much downstairs. I know to keep my mouth shut. I apologize if that's a lot to handle; I forgot that you are adopted, too. Did it make you think of your family?" Alice nodded. Grace hugged her, then stepped back.

"Jesus, Alice, you're freezing. Do you want to borrow a sweater?"

"No, thank you. It's all right. Let's check out the magazines." The girls sat quietly for a few minutes before Grace spoke.

"Alice, I'm really sorry about the things I said downstairs. I didn't mean to get all mellow on you." Alice laughed.

"It's really OK."

"Alice, can I ask you a question? I know this is going to sound silly, but you're the most glam sixteen year old I've ever seen. Would you consider giving me a makeover? I mean, maybe not today, but if I'm going to die, I want to go out looking gorge, you know?" Alice nodded and squealed.

"Yes, totally. Maybe I'll bring my sisters, too, they can help. Wish we could go shopping, that'd be fun."

"That'd be fun. I haven't been to a mall in eons. The only time I really get new clothes is when people donate stuff. Some of it is great, but mostly it's kind of lame."

" I bet. I'll see what I can do; maybe Saturday I can come early so we have all day."

"Yeah." Just then, a knock at the door interrupted their giggles and plans.

"Hello, Grace. Alice. I'm here for rounds and then to take Alice home." Grace pouted.

"Oh, just when we were starting to have fun. Oh, well. Let's get this show on the road, Dr. Cullen." She shifted on the bed, putting the magazine aside and extending her arm so he could take her pulse. He ran her vitals, then spoke to her.

"Grace. I signed your emancipation paperwork, and the social worker faxed me a copy, thank you for sharing that information. Now, I understand that you don't want the patch, and I think that's fine. But I have asked the hospital's attorney to come up to speak with you about your end-of-life wishes. Like I said, the patch would've lengthened things, but now I think we're looking at under a year. OK?" She looked at him, very serious, and nodded.

"Thank you, Dr. Cullen. I appreciate the help."

"You're welcome. Any plans for the evening?"

"Ah, I wondered if you were going to ask. You forgot the other day. Yes. I think I might go check out Nurse Heather's dumb Unitarian church, then I might get hit by a truck full of hot garbage juice, then I think I'll round out the evening by diving fully-clothed into the water tower at the Galleria." Alice laughed.

"Sounds like fun. Please try to remember not to stress out your heart too much, though."

"Sure thing, doc. Bye, Alice. Don't forget-Saturday." Alice stood.

"I won't forget. I'll be here bright and early."

"Not too early; at 8 am, I like to bug the hell out of the nurses."

"Well, eight-thirty, then."

"Sounds great. Bye. Have a good evening." They left the room as Grace picked up the remote and turned on the TV. As they headed for the elevator, Alice spoke rapidly, telling Carlisle all about Saturday before he could ask.

"So, Saturday. I'm giving Grace a makeover; she asked me to. I'm thinking maybe Rosalie and possibly Bella would like to help. I wish we could go shopping, but maybe I can just clean out the closets. There's so much to do to prepare." Carlisle chuckled.

"Alice, that sounds like fun. But please remember that she's very sick. Please don't overwhelm her. Besides, do you think it's a good idea to have a posse of vampires in one young girls' room? I mean, Bella is doing fantastically, but you shouldn't tempt fate, OK?" He saw the look on Alice's face and hastily added, "just be careful, and gentle, OK?" They were in the car by then, and a few minutes later, they were home. Carlisle asked Alice to stay in the living room as he called the family together for a quick meeting. When the vampires were all assembled, Esme and Carlisle reminded the kids of the proper behavior when they went out to hunt. Then Alice spoke up about her plans with Grace. Rosalie agreed, but Bella passed. Alice also told them about her idea for the Halloween party she was thinking about for all the kids at the hospital, and they'd all agreed to help with that. She told them she'd organize it more with the Volunteer coordinator at the hospital and then get back to them. They parted ways, but Edward remained in the living room, playing with Nessie. Alice turned to speak to him.

"What's up, Alice?"

'Can I tell you something? It's kind of crazy."

"Sure."

"I have an idea. I know it's crazy, but it might work. I think I should bring Grace here to die. We could get to know her, and she would be far more comfortable than at the hospital. Plus, she could experience things. You know she hasn't been to a mall in years? I mean, I know that's not important, but she's also never kissed a boy, or gone to school dances, or anything. Like I said, I know it's crazy. I'm crazy, but I think it might work.

Anyway, Edward. I cannot sit back and just let Grace die in that place. I know it's a long shot convincing anyone to let me change her, but if she could just come here, she could have the guest room, and Carlisle is already her doctor. He could keep her comfortable. That was all I was thinking." Edward nodded.

"I think that's actually an OK idea. I mean, you'd have to help Jasper and Bella a lot with a mortal in the house, but I think it could work. I understand that you want to help. I will support you, but you really should talk to Jasper before you talk to anyone else."

"I know. He's my next conversation. But thank you for your support. I'll need it when I talk to the others."

" I know. I better go; Nessie needs to eat and Bella has homework."

"Thanks, Edward." They both left the study and noticed that the house was particularly quiet. Even the TV, which Emmett liked to turn up to full volume because it drove everyone crazy, was quiet. She shrugged and stalked down the hallway to find Jasper. She found him in their room, reading a book.

"Jazz. Honey. Help me. I just said something really insane." He looked up at her and pulled her down onto the bed with him and wrapped his arms around her.

"Tell me what you said. We can figure it out, I'm sure."

"You're going to think I'm crazy."

"I already think that, so nothing you can say will phase me."

"This might."

"Try me." She shrugged.

"Ok. Here it goes. I want to bring Grace here, Jasper. I think it's inconceivable that she die in the hospital is all. And she can come here, she is not a ward of the state anymore. I mean, in a perfect world, I'd like to change her, too, but I think that might be pushing my luck. But that's my general idea. I know it's not perfect, and it'll be hard. Especially for you and Bella. But I think that everyone deserves to die comfortably. Besides, Carlisle is here, he can help. And I'm sure the others will help when she gets here." Jasper had been nodding while she spoke.

"Ok. I see where you're coming from. I have just a couple of questions. First, where will she stay? Second, have you talked to Carlisle? And third-don't kill me-are you sure you aren't projecting some of the things that have happened to you from… before?" She grimaced, but shrugged.

"I don't know. Maybe. But no, I haven't talked to Carlisle. And I was thinking that we have the guest room. Also, there's something else. I think I would want to…be responsible for her. I mean, like, take care of her. You know?"

"I think I know where you're heading with this. Alice, you cannot just change a child, OK? But, yes. Generally, I think that's a good idea. But you really need to think about whether or not you really CAN be responsible for two imperfect vampires. Remember, the first year or two can be the worst and hardest. It's a lot of work. And I'm no picnic myself. But if this is that important to you, I promise to try really, really hard. Just try not to let her bleed." Alice laughed.

"I know it'll be hard. I promise to think about it, but I'd really like to move soon. Can you come with me to talk to Carlisle?"

"Of course."

"Ok. I'll find out when he's available and let you know. Thank you." She wiggled free from his grasp, kissed his cheek, and left to find Carlisle. She found him and Esme in the study.

"Hi, can I talk to you guys? I guess we should talk again, all of us, together."

"Of course. Is now good?"

"Yeah, let me go round up Edward and Jasper. By the way, have you seen Emmett?"

"Yeah, he's in the basement, watching TV. I think he realized that today's family meeting was directed pretty much at him."

"I see."

"Thank you." Both Alice and Esme rose to leave, but went in separate directions. Alice went into the living room to grab Edward.

"Hey, Edward. Grab Nessie and go up to the study. I'm talking to Carlisle and Esme now."

"Oh, that was fast. Ok. Come on, Ness." He grabbed the baby's hand and went upstairs, while Alice followed behind. She stopped at her bedroom and knocked for Jasper. When he answered, she pulled him down the hall.

"We're-I'm-talking to Carlisle. I am fairly certain I can handle being responsible for you and Grace. Are you OK with that?"

"I think so. Yes. Sweetie, you're hurting me. I can walk, you know." She loosened her grip, but didn't stop pulling him. He stopped her outside the study and pulled her to him.

"Whatever Carlisle says, I will be here for you. I love you, OK?"

"Me, too. Thank you." They entered the room, where the others were already gathered. Edward had called Bella, too, and someone had grabbed Rosalie. The only one missing was Emmett.

"Should someone get Emmett? Looks like it's going to be a family chat again." Rosalie stood up.

"I'll be back. Just a minute." She flew downstairs. A few moments later, Rosalie came back in, pulling Emmett behind her. They stood behind Edward and Bella, who were perched on the settee. Esme and Alice occupied the armchairs, Carlisle sat in his desk chair, and Jasper sat on the floor with Nessie. Carlisle nodded to Alice. She took a deep breath and started.

"Ok, I wish I had thought about how I was going to say this without sounding like a crazy person. But here goes. I want to bring Grace here, to stay with us-well, me-as she's dying. I just-" she raised her hands and spread her fingers- "I just think that it's unfair that anyone, particularly a child, should have to die in a hospital, with no family. Here's my plan: she can stay in the guest room. And I'll, well, I and Jasper, will be responsible for her and everything. So that's it." Everyone looked at each other. No one said a word.

"Can someone say something, please?" Rosalie spoke up.

"Ok, Alice. It appears that you're serious about this. I didn't realize that."

"It's OK. I didn't either. But it's like, I feel like a kindred spirit, you know? Like something is drawing me to her, like it's my JOB to help her. It's like, I can pass sick people on the street, and I feel very little, but I see this girl, and her frailness and her spunk, and I just HAVE to protect her, to help her. It doesn't make sense to me, but that's what I feel. So what I am asking is for everyone's support. And permission, I guess, too. I know it'll be difficult for all of us, but I just can't help this feeling." Bella stood and crossed the room to sit next to Alice, who was small enough that both girls could fit in the armchair.

"Well, I'll help you, Alice." She leaned over and kissed Alice's hair.

'Thanks, Bella. I'll admit, I don't know how this will look yet, OK? I just know what I think could work. But everyone is right; I don't know if she'd even be interested. And I'd probably have to tell her about us, which may scare her. I just don't know." Emmett was looking at the ceiling. He spoke softly; so much so that no one heard him at first.

"Alice, is this like, a mothering thing?"

"I don't know. Maybe. But I don't think so, more like a protector or mentor thing. I don't really know how to describe it."

"Because if so, I think that there are better ways to do it. I mean, how are you going to do school? You know, our cover story? I don't know. I mean, if this what you really want, I will do whatever you need me to do."

"Like I said, I am unsure how this will look yet. I am not even sure if that'll be an issue. I am, after all, assuming that she will want to. Besides, I think we'll have to blow our cover. That's why it's important to me that we all be involved. I'm so sorry. But thank you, Emmett. Coming from you, that means a lot." Rosalie was looking incredulous. And a little bit incensed.

"All of you cannot be serious. Are you serious?"

"I am," replied Bella. Jasper and Emmett nodded in agreement. Edward shrugged and mouthed "sorry."

"Well, I'm sorry. But I just can't get behind this." Rosalie tossed her head. Carlisle and Esme looked shocked, but Esme speaks first.

"Alice, I am glad that the others are on board, but Carlisle and I really need to discuss this, because, as you said, it involves all of us, and our home. You really should have talked to us first." Alice nods, seriously.

"Esme, I'm sorry. I really didn't think it was all going to come out at once. I did intend to speak with you first. Actually, if the others want to clear out, we can do it now." Esme sighs, but nods. As the others filed out of the room, Jasper picked up her hand, and they sat in an armchair, her in his lap, and faced the people they considered their parents. It was Alice who spoke first.

"I'm really sorry. I know I overstepped boundaries. Carlisle, of course I don't want you to do anything that may get you into trouble. And Esme, I don't want to be a burden, but I feel like I need to help her. Please, think about it?" Carlisle sighs. He nods.

"I appreciate that you realize that you crossed a line. But I will think about it. Esme and I need to talk, can we let you know in a few days?" Alice considers, and nods.

"Yes, thank you." She excuses herself and leaves with Jasper. Esme looks at Carlisle.

"If it's not going to cause you problems at work, I don't have a problem with it. When I was riding the elevator with the girls today, it struck me then." He sighs. Her damned mothering instincts were kicking in; he saw it in her face when she'd met the girl the day before.

"Ok. I will talk to someone from Risk Management and feel it out. I don't think this is the best idea Alice has ever had, but I tend to agree that nobody needs to die at that hospital. Especially Grace. But if this goes badly, I hope we're all prepared for the consequences. I really hope Alice knows what she is doing." He looks at his wife again. She is nodding, but serious.

"I think she does. Alice and Jasper are the most mature of the children; they lives they led make them old souls. I am confident that Alice can handle this."

"Ok. So how do we make this happen?"

"I like Alice's idea. Maybe Grace can check herself out, and she can come here. I'll help Alice set up the guest room-just tell us what we'll need, and we'll go to the medical supply store. I'll talk to Edward about Bella; maybe they can hunt daily or something. I'll watch Nessie, and I'm sure Rosalie will pick up the slack with her. It's not ideal, but it can work." He nods.

"Fine. What if Alice wants to change her, though?" Esme sighs.

"That I don't have a plan for. Let's cross that bridge when we get to it. How does that sound?" He sighs again, and reaches for his wife's hand.

"I can deal with that." His work phone rings then, and he grimaces.

"Tell Alice I will talk to the attorneys at work; but yes, otherwise. Hello, this is Dr. Cullen." Esme leaves to find Alice as Carlisle takes his phone call. It's the nurse who has been working with Grace; she isn't responding to the pain meds he'd ordered. He told her to order a higher dosage of the medication, and stood up to go to the hospital. He kissed Esme on his way out, and she reminded him to speak to the lawyers.

When he arrived at the hospital, he'd discovered that Grace had been moved to the ICU, and was quickly deteriorating. After he'd examined his young patient, and had coordinated her pain regimen some more, he ran into a colleague on his way up to see the Risk Management attorney.

"Hello, Dr. Thomas. How are things in Myology?"

"Fine, thanks. I was just hearing that your young patient is dwindling fast. Anything I can do to help?"

"Don't I wish? I hate that she is going so quickly, and in this wretched place."

"Yeah, one of my peds patients isn't doing so well. I made the mistake of introducing him to my wife; now she wants to adopt him. Problem is, we only have a two bedroom house, and three children of our own."

"Is that legal? I mean, to adopt a child you work with?' "Well, this kid has been turned over to the state, so yes. But not normally, of course. But perfectly legal, though frowned upon. Why do you ask?" Carlisle shrugs.

"Just never heard of that before. Oh, here's my stop. See you around, Doc." He stepped off the elevator at the first floor and went into his office. He called home, and spoke to Alice.

"Alice, it looks like it's a go, legally. I would ask you and Jasper to speak with Grace first, but you have my permission. Yes, I'll arrange it for tomorrow; will that work?"

"Ok, see you tonight. Bye."

He places the phone down in it's base, and sits back in his chair. He checks his email, and works through the rest of the hour, forcing himself not to worry about things. After a little while, he signed off, went back downstairs, checked on a now-sleeping Grace, and left to go home.

When he arrived at home, things were in full swing. Esme and Alice were clucking around, making preparations for the arrival of a mortal child. He knew full well by now to keep out of the way, and instead took some time to talk to Edward and Bella. He knew that it would be hard for Bella to have a mortal living in such close quarters, but she was handling this life well. They expressed their consent and support to Alice, with the promise Bella would speak up if she was having difficulties. It seemed out of his hands now, and he just threw himself into his work, and caring for his young patient.

Late the next day, Alice and Jasper showed up at the hospital, and Carlisle escorted them to the Intermediate ICU, where Grace had been moved during the night. He spoke to the nurse, who allowed the children to enter her room, with the warning that they had 15 minutes. Carlisle excused himself downstairs. Alice and Jasper entered her room quietly, and she smiled. She looked worse than when Alice had last seen her; paler, ashen, and she had dark circles below her eyes. She raised the bed, and motioned for them to sit.

"Hey, Grace. Dad said you weren't doing too well. This is Jasper. We came by to say Hi, and to discuss something with you." Grace nods, her usual spunk and energy clearly drained. She had smiled weakly at Jasper, who began sending calming vibes her way. She sat back against the pillows, and motioned for Alice to continue.

"Well, we-I-talked to each other, and our sisters and brothers, and to our parents, and I wanted to know if, um, if you wanted to come live with us until you…pass on. It wouldn't be a problem; we have an extra bedroom, and Daddy is already your doctor, but you'd need to be willing to check yourself out of here, and to kind of keep quiet. It isn't illegal for Dr. Cullen to do this, but it is frowned upon." Grace nods, her brow furrowed. When she speaks, it is low, and ragged.

"Alice, why would you want that? I don't understand."

"I just don't think that it's fair for anyone to die in here. I like you, and I know it's strange, but I think it could work. But it's up to you." Grace looks from Alice to Jasper, and back to Alice.

"There's something else, isn't there?" Alice looks at Jasper, who raises an eyebrow.

"Yes. If you stay with us, you have to understand that we are an unconventional family, but we will keep you safe. I promise that." Grace looks intrigued.

"Unconventional how?"

"Well, like you know, we're all adopted, for one thing." Grace shrugs.

"I can handle that. What else?" Alice shifted uncomfortably, but Jasper spoke before she could.

"You'll see when you get there. It's hard to explain; we just are all different people living in one house. But it'll be great, you'll see." He sent more calming vibes her way, and she sank into her bed a little more.

"Sorry. I'm a little tired today. I think I could deal with those terms. How soon can we do it?"

"As soon as you want."

"Right now?"

"Let's ask our father to look you over, and I'll call our mother and let her know if he says it's OK. I think you'll probably have to sign forms and stuff, too. Do you want me start packing your room up?" Jasper turned his calming vibes to his mate, and whispered to her to slow down.

"Go have Carlisle paged. I'll stay here." Alice looked surprised.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." He looks at Grace when Alice stalks off into the hallway, and smiles at her. He settles into the chair across from the bed. She is eyeing him suspiciously, as though she is trying to figure out the reasons for his odd looks and demeanor. He smiles at her,

and speaks.

"So you and Alice seem to be getting along well."

"Yeah, she's super. She was supposed to give me a makeover tomorrow, but then they stuck me in here and that nurse could give a Marine a run for his money, so it looks like that's a no-go. Unless I get to home with you guys, I guess. So, what was Alice NOT telling me?" He raised his eyebrows; this girl was observant. And funny.

"Um, do you believe in vampires?"

"I guess. What do you mean? Why?"

"Well, we're just really into them at our house. It's kind of odd, I guess."

"I see. It can't be much stranger than the things I've seen."

"I don't know about that. So, Alice told me a bit about you. I'm sorry to hear about your folks."

"Thanks. So what happened to yours? Alice told me you're all adopted." He laughs darkly.

"Um, they passed a LONG time ago. I don't really remember them."

"Oh. I'm sorry." Just then, Alice came in with Carlisle. He smiles at his young patient, and speaks.

"So Alice tells me you're going to be our new housemate. I have called my wife; everything is ready. I spoke to the attorney upstairs; there's some paperwork you need to fill out, and of course, I'll need to do the discharge paperwork, but I think we can have this done by late tonight. Does that work for you?"

"Yes, thank you." She smiled warmly, the excitement she was feeling was bringing color to her face. Alice dragged a plastic chair close to the bed, and held her hand. Grace smiled lightly, but told Alice she was kind of tired, and Carlisle nodded.

"Yes, you should be. They gave you some Codeine syrup; it'll knock you out. You should sleep a bit; this evening should be all the excitement you'll need for one day." Her eyes were already closed, and she let her head sink into the pillows. She fell into a light sleep as Carlisle ushered the vampires out of her room and upstairs to his office.

A few hours later, Grace had woken up, and signed the papers that the hospital's attorney had made for her. As he protested her wishes, though, she began to gather her things, and Alice came in to help her, carrying a big box. Grace had had her fill of the attorney, and turned around and spoke to him.

"Thank you, Mr. Bradley. But you do realize that I know full well what I am doing. I wish to die somewhere besides this stupid hospital, and I have emancipation and I get to make that call. Please bother someone else with your complaints." Alice stifled a giggle, and tried to look annoyed at Grace. Grace saw her look, and the look of disdain from the attorney, and quickly apologized. He left, huffily, but promised to file her papers immediately. She had already been given written permission from the chief hospitalist to leave. As she and Alice packed her meager belongings, she began to cry. Alice stopped folding her clothes, and put an arm around the girl.

"What's wrong?"

"Sorry, just nervous, and a little scared. Not of you, just the idea of living with strangers. You all seem nice enough, but it's kind of overwhelming, too. I mean, all my life, I've wanted a place to go; a home, and now I get it, and who knows for how long? Does that make sense?" Alice pulled the girl into an embrace, taking care not to inhale.

"Yes, it makes perfect sense. It'll be great; you'll see. You're coming with Jasper and me, and…dad will follow in a little bit. I finished packing your clothes; anything else you want?" As she let the girl go, she indicated the box. She had already loaded Grace's cd player and toiletry kit into the back of Rose's jeep, which she and Jasper were borrowing to haul the stuff. Plus, it was open and airy, and Alice hoped that the air flow would help Jasper to not freak out. He was doing well so far, though. The box of few clothing and linen items that Grace had would fit in the back seat with Alice. Esme and Edward had gone to the medical supply store when Carlisle called, and had procured an IV pole and a heart rate monitor. They were setting it up as the girls were finishing up. Grace looked around, and spied her stuffed rabbit.

"Just floppy bunny, and I think we're done. Thanks for helping me."

"No problem." Alice giggled at the stuffed rabbit. But she handed the box to Jasper, who had just arrived, and would be driving that evening. He smiled at the ladies as he led them into the hallway. Alice had had Grace dress warmly, and handed her a blanket for the car. It took only a few minutes for Jasper to finish placing the items in the Jeep, help Alice climb in, and head for home. Grace is snuggled into the front seat under the blanket, and is holding a conversation with Alice.

When they pull up at the house, Esme rushes outside to meet them. Alice tells her that they brought her from the Intermediate ICU and that Carlisle says she needs to sleep as soon as possible. She nods, and helps the girl out of the car, into the house, and up the stairs into the guest room. Alice follows behind with the box of her clothes, and the two women help the girl change from her hospital-issued pajamas into sweats and t-shirt. Esme helps her into the bed, and Grace settles back, looking strained from the ordeal. She smiles at Esme, and greets her warmly.

"Hello again, Mrs. Cullen. Sorry, I forgot my manners earlier. How are you?"

"I'm well, thanks. Please, rest now. Carlisle will be home soon, and he'll put in your IV. Can I get you anything? Something to drink, perhaps?" Grace smiled weakly.

"Yeah, some tea would be great, if you have any. Otherwise, water is fine. Thank you." Esme smiled.

"Tea is fine. Please, don't feel like you're a stranger. Make yourself at home."

"I don't know about that, Mrs. Cullen. I like to drink Maker's Mark in my panties while dancing to Abba songs. So maybe making myself at home is not a good idea, huh?" Esme laughs.

"Please, call me Esme. Maybe you shouldn't make yourself at home, then, but don't feel as if you need to ask permission to get or do something, OK?"

"Got you. Thanks." Esme leaves to go to the kitchen as Carlisle comes home. The family had gathered around the living room, all talking and speculating about their new visitor. Carlisle enters the kitchen behind her, as Alice follows behind him. "Esme, turn off the kettle. Grace fell asleep."

"Thanks, Alice." Alice excuses herself and Carlisle speaks to Esme.

"We need to sit down with her. I looked at Grace's newest workups, and she's failing faster than I thought. I don't know if it's because she's decided to go, or if there's more blood leaking now, or if there's something we're missing, but I don't know if she'll make it too much longer." Esme looks seriously at him and expels a breath.

"Ok. How much time, do you think?"

"Not sure. It could be as little as a month or as much as three. I want to x-ray her for a blood leakage; I think we have the machine downstairs from Bella's pregnancy, and I just want to pull some blood and see if I can find signs of infection. Then I'll know more. But let's ask the others to be gentle with Alice right now. I'll try to work with Grace tomorrow; I took the day off, and we can see if Jasper needs to hunt for awhile. Maybe we can take turns going with him and the others. Let's keep an eye on Bella, too. Like I said, I hope Alice knows what she's doing." He sighs, and looks at the floor, then to his wife.

"Anyway, we'd better figure out what we're going to say to Grace when she starts asking questions. Like, for example, why Jasper and Alice sleep together. Or why we never actually sleep. Or why we leave at various times of day to "hunt." He sighs again.

"Let's talk to Alice and the others now. We can have a plan ready for the morning." Esme, who had been silent during his speech, simply nodded. Carlisle asked her to gather the children, and he went upstairs to gather Grace's files, and found Alice standing in front of the girl's bedroom door.

"Alice, she's sleeping. Everything is fine right now. Please go downstairs now; Esme and I would like to speak with everyone. I'll peek in before I come down, I just need to gather some files." She sighs, but heads down the stairs as Carlisle enters his office, grabs Grace's file and opens her door. The young girl is fast asleep, breathing lightly but evenly. He smiles, shuts the door, and hurries downstairs where the family is gathered. He enters, and sits on the couch next to Esme, and hands the manila folders to Alice, who is sitting on the floor by Esme's feet. He speaks.

"Ok, everyone. Thanks for meeting up so quickly. Esme and I wanted to speak with you all, but particularly Alice and Jasper, about Grace. Alice, that folder is her medical history; I want you and Jasper to read it, please. Before she left, she had several evaluations: Psych, educational, and medical. She passed all of them with flying colors; her Psych workup was interesting, though, in that the therapist noted that she is quite mature and has an above-average IQ given her lack of formal schooling, but she tends to hide away from much through humor, and she has trouble identifying and revealing her feelings. So, let's be aware of that. Also, Alice, Esme and I need to hear from you what you plan to tell her and when. She will start asking questions; she is quite curious, but she can handle a lot, I know. And she likes the truth; I think she respects that. So… Any thoughts?" He opened the discussion to everyone, and gestured with his open hand to the group. Everyone was silent for a few moments, as if processing what he had said. Emmett was the first one to speak.

"Alice, Jasper, just tell her. It'll be easier for all of us. And do it soon." He looked serious, and Alice was afraid for a minute. Jasper raised an eyebrow, but nodded. Rosalie glowered at him; apparently, he'd deviated from their scripted answer. Bella and Edward spoke quietly to each other and then Bella spoke up.

"Um, we agree with Emmett; sorry. But she does need to know, and just telling her is the best way to do it. We can help, though, if you want us to." Alice smiled tightly. Rosalie cleared her throat.

"Fine. Just tell her right away. Or I will. And she won't like what I have to say, I bet." Alice looks to Jasper.

"Can we have a few minutes?" Carlisle nods. The two vampires excuse themselves outside, where Edward would be more challenged, and the others couldn't hear. They were quiet in their discussion.

"Jazz, what if we see how she's feeling in the morning, and then, if she's feeling alright, take her out somewhere and tell her? Having the discussion in a public place might be better." He purses his lips.

"I don't know, Alice. If we stay here, the others can help us out. Esme wants to, and Bella and Edward are willing. No, I think we should stay here, and just sit her down and tell her outright."

"What if she doesn't believe it?"

"Well, we'll keep telling her."

"I want to change her."

"I know. But let's deal with that issue later, OK? We'll definitely need to run that one by Carlisle and Esme. I don't think the others should get a vote in that one, though."

"We did for Bella."

"Yeah, but she ASKED."

"I get your point. I guess it's better if we do it here in the morning. Especially since Carlisle will be here. Let's go tell everyone." Jasper reaches for her and gathers her into a hug.

"I still love you." Alice smiles.

"I love you, too." They walk back into the house holding hands. They stop in the threshold to the living room. Alice takes a deep breath, and begins.

"Ok, here's how we envision it. We-Jasper and I-will sit her down tomorrow and just tell her outright. We'll do it here; maybe downstairs or something. That part we'll deal with then. But yes, right away, and just flat out. And if she doesn't believe it, Jasper says we just keep telling her. I'm sorry again this is causing problems, but I appreciate the gesture from all of you." They all nod and murmur. Carlisle speaks.

"Thank you, Alice. Please, if you want Esme and me to be there, just let us know. I spoke to the others while you and Jasper were talking, and I reminded them to go gently with Grace. But if you need help, or need to hunt more or whatever, please speak up, OK? I guess that's it." Alice thanks Carlisle and the others nod and leave. Alice excuses herself to her room, where she sits on the bed to think about she will say to Grace. After a while, she stands up and quietly enters the girl's room, where the teenager is still sleeping soundly. She plucks one of Grace's pairs of jeans and a t-shirt from her things to check her size. Alice suspects that she is the same size as Bella, and as she looks at the tags, she is excited to discover she is correct. She knocks on Bella and Edward's bedroom door, and speaks to Bella.

"Hey, Grace and you are the same size and pretty much the same height. Can she borrow some of your things?" Bella nods and points to the closet.

"Help yourself, Alice. There's some tops I have she can have, too. Let me grab those." Alice nods and throws open the closet, pushing aside Edward's stuff and pulling some items out. She tosses them behind her into a small pile. Bella adds the tops as Alice turns and begins to sort through the clothes.

"Yes, this is all good. Anything in here you don't want to part with?" Bella pulls out a few items, and helps Alice fold the rest. They quietly place the clothes in the girls room, and Alice settles herself into an armchair near the bed as Bella leaves. Alice remains in her room for the next four hours, until Jasper comes for her, and pulls her out.

"Alice, you cannot obsess. It's not healthy. Grace is sleeping; she's OK. Let's let her sleep in peace, all right?" Alice nods, but then Edward pokes his head out of his door and tells Alice that Grace is stirring. Alice glances at the large wall clock at the end of the hallway; sure enough, it is 7 am. Alice flies down the hall to her room and knocks softly.

"Hey, it's Alice. Can I come in?" The door flies open and Grace ushers her in and closes the door behind them. She indicates the pile of unfamiliar clothes.

"What is all this stuff?"

"It used to be Bella's. I noticed you didn't have much, and you two are the same size and height, so I raided her closet. You seem upset; what's wrong?" The girl sighs.

"No, I'm not upset. Thank you. It's very nice of you and Bella to do this for me. It's just-you don't have to feed me and entertain me and dress me every second. I am sick, but not invalid. OK?" Alice nods.

"Well, change quickly, and come eat some breakfast. Dad wants to check you out, then I want to talk to you. How are you feeling today?"

"Great. 'Course, I just slept 10 hours. It was nice sleeping without the stupid nurses coming in and out, turning on lights and adjusting my IV in the middle of the night. That's SO annoying." As she spoke, the girl changed out of her pajamas and into jeans and one of the tops Bella had donated. She pulled on a pair of socks. Alice was a little shocked; even the girls in gym class weren't as carefree about dressing as Grace obviously was. The girl swiped on some deodorant and ran a brush through her hair, pulling it back into a ponytail. The whole process took about two minutes, and then she spoke to Alice.

"I'm feeling so well today. I might not even need the IV. I hope. But let's go eat; I'm so hungry I could eat a whole antelope." Alice grimaced but giggled, and led Grace downstairs. Alice introduced Grace to Rosalie and Emmett, who had been out hunting when the girl had arrived the previous evening, and to Nessie, who'd been asleep. Nessie recognized her, though, and smiled and waved. After she ate some cereal that Esme had left out for the two girls, Alice pulled Grace up the stairs and into the study. She gathered Jasper, Esme, and Carlisle, and the five people sat around Carlisle's office. Alice spoke up.

"So, there are some things I-we-want to discuss with you. Ok. Um, do remember that time when you hugged me, and said I was freezing? And, you commented on how pale and young we all are? Well, see, we're vampires. All nine of us. This is our coven, and we all live here, together. You see, I'm not actually 16, I'm really about 67. And Jasper is my…mate and he's really old. I am sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but I didn't want to frighten you, and I really do care about you, and I wanted to help you, and I'm just really sorry. So, that's the story." As she was speaking, Grace's face had gone from concern to fear to mirth to disbelief. Now, the girl was sitting ramrod straight in her chair, looking at Alice, staring hard, as if trying to read Alice's mind to see if Alice was telling the truth. She was silent for several seconds, as she appeared to be processing the information. Finally, she seemed to relax a little, and sat back in her chair. She moved her gaze from Alice to Carlisle, who just nodded. She sighed, and spoke.

"Ok. But I am a little scared, yeah. Sorry. So am I supposed to be, like, the virgin you sacrifice for dinner or something? I mean, how does it all work?" Jasper smiled, but shook his head.

"No. We don't feed on humans. Just animals. And we don't sacrifice people; that's a whole different thing. We are what's called Stregoni Benefici, and our purpose is to protect mortals from evil vampires."

"Oh, the good cops. I see. Well, this is truly…awkward. But wait, what about the baby? Is she, like, a baby vampire? I though vampires couldn't or weren't allowed to procreate or whatever it's called." Esme murmured a response.

"No, Bella had her before she became one of us."

"Got it. Ok, just one more thing. Obviously, it's not like in the movies, and I met you all at the hospital, so how does it work? I mean, like, blending in to society and stuff? Clearly, you can go outside, but do you do, like, regular things like grocery shop and…I mean, obviously, some of you work, and I assume that you actually *do* go to school, but-sorry. I am just rambling, huh?" She is more relaxed, and glimpses of her normal behavior are coming out, like how she twirls her hair when she talks, or bites her nails when she's asking questions she thinks are nosy or inappropriate. The four vampires laughed. Then Alice stands and crosses over to the girl, enveloping her in a hug.

"No, you're not. I know this is a lot to deal with, but the others said it was only fair that I told you now instead of later. But you're totally welcome here, and I promised Jasper I wouldn't feed and entertain you every minute. Maybe just once an hour or so." Grace laughed then. Alice released her, and sat on the settee next to her. Jasper asked if he could go now, and Alice nodded. Carlisle spoke then.

"Well, that went better than expected. Grace, sorry, but I have to do a workup. I looked at your tests from yesterday and it appears you're failing faster than I expected, OK? I want to x-ray you, and pull some blood. I suspect that the blood leak is growing, but I won't know for sure until the x-ray is done, and I can measure your blood cell count. How is your pain level right now?"

"Actually, it's fairly low for once, maybe like a three? I have some pressure in my chest, but I have to say, it was SO nice to sleep without stupid monitors beeping all night, and the idiot nurses coming in and out and turning on lights and stuff. That used to annoy me. It's like, hello, I need my sleep and you people are making it impossible to sleep. But I guess we can do a workup now. But aren't you supposed to be at the hospital?"

"I took the day off; I wasn't sure what would happen with Alice's speech, and I wanted to be on hand in case you wanted to do something else. Let me see if I can get some help bringing the X-ray machine upstairs, and then maybe I can just check you out in here."

"You have an x-ray machine in your house? Awesome. I could go downstairs if that's easier. I just need to be able to sit, right? So you can get a good picture? Can I go outside later? It's so nice out there. Sorry." The others chuckled lightly.

"I suppose it would be easier having you go downstairs then us hauling the thing up here. I think it might be possible for you to go outside later; maybe Alice will show you around town." He stands, and strides for the door. The others follow him down to the den and into the basement, where Esme and Edward had set up the X-ray machine the day before. He ran the needed X-rays and pulled three vials of blood, during which Esme excused herself, and Alice stood on the other side of the room. When he was finished, Alice swooped in and led Grace upstairs to her room.

"You want to go out? Let me ask Carlisle if he thinks that's too much. I'll be right back." Grace sat on the bed, and stared at the wall, thinking. She was wondering just what the future held with these vampires, and if she'd be OK. A low knock interrupted her thoughts. She opened it to find Edward. He spoke to her quietly.

"When Alice spoke to you this morning, did she tell you that some of us have powers? She can see the future, Jasper can control people's emotions, and I read minds. I was just walking by, and I, um, overheard your worries. You'll be just fine, OK?"

"Ok, thanks." Just then, Alice appeared next to Edward. She saw Grace standing in the doorway, looking a little surprised, and elbowed Edward.

"Hey, Edward. What's going on?" She asked.

"I was just telling Grace about our powers. I heard her thoughts; she was worrying, and I told her everything was fine. Uh. Excuse me." He hurries down the hallway and down the stairs as Alice tells Grace that Carlisle said it was fine to go out, but only for a few hours. "So, get your jacket. Let's go."

Alice stands while Grace tosses on a green hooded sweatshirt that read "Dartmouth Soccer", stuck a small, beat up billfold in the pocket, and then turned to Alice.

"I'm ready to go." Alice grimaces, and holds up a finger. She flies down the hall to her own room, and returns with a brown purse, which she hands to the girl.

"Here, you can borrow this for now."

"Thanks. You ready?" Alice nods. The girls leave and head to the shopping mall. When they enter, Grace begins to cower against Alice.

"Grace, what's wrong?" They sit on a bench near the entrance.

"I know this will sound weird, Alice, but I'm a little scared. I haven't been to a mall in 10 years, and all these people are a little discomfiting." Alice giggled.

"You are living in a house full of vampires, and THIS scares you?" Grace nods. Alice takes her hand.

"It'll be fine, you'll see. Let's start at the junior's store; we can both fit into that stuff. What are you shopping for?" Grace stands up and shrugs.

"Nothing really. I just wanted to get out." Alice nods.

"Ok, fine. I promised Carlisle we'd eat when we were done shopping, and that I'd make sure you sit down once in awhile." Grace was already in the store, though, trying on some hats, and making funny faces in a large mirror. As Alice heads to Grace, a salesgirl approaches her wearily, and smiles.

"Welcome. Um, today if you spend $25 or more, we will give you a coupon for $5 off your next purchase. We just got in some Christmas stuff, be sure to show it to your sister." Alice smiles and nods. The girls sort through the racks, try on things, play with makeup, and shop around for a couple of hours, until Alice notices that Grace is fading quickly. She hurries the girl to a café inside the mall, and they collapse into a booth, laughing and high with the joy of shopping. The waitress appears, takes Grace's order, and disappears, all the while eyeing Alice suspiciously. Grace hasn't noticed the wide berth the other mortals give her, and Alice giggles at the thought.

"What's funny?"

"Nothing. I was just noticing that everyone else kind of avoids me, but you will even hold my hand. It's just odd; I'm used to mortals avoiding me."

"Why would I avoid you? I like you." Alice laughs again.

"Well, Grace, I'm a vampire. It's kind of a survival instinct. It's odd that you don't have it."

"Is it? I wonder what your father would say. Maybe because I'm already dying, I figure you might just hurry it along, you know?' Grace smiles then. Alice shrugs, but nods. The waitress reappears with Grace's salad and a mineral water for Alice. The girls sit silently for a few minutes, until Grace speaks up.

"Alice, why do you call…Carlisle by his first name?" Alice looks surprised; of all the questions she'd expected Grace to ask, that question wasn't one of them.

"Well, we all look at Carlisle and Esme as sort of our parents, but since we're all technically older, we also view them as peers, and so I think it's more comfortable for all of us. Besides, all of us had parents in our previous lives."

"Ok. What about your previous life, what was that like?" Alice takes a deep breath. This was the conversation she'd been hoping to avoid.

"Well, it started out OK, but it doesn't really have a happy ending."

"I don't know, you have Jasper, and sort of a family that loves you. I think that's fairly happy." Alice purses her lips and shrugs. Maybe.

"Well, I have always had visions, even before the vampire thing. When I was fourteen, and starting puberty, the visions worsened, and my parents couldn't deal with it. They took me to various doctors, to no avail. They eventually committed me to a mental health hospital, and I don't really remember much after that. I don't think I was there too long before I was changed." Grace sips her soda and looks thoughtful.

"Is that why we connected so well? Because you understand what it's like to be a sick girl?"

"That's what the others think." Grace nods.

"Well, tell me more. What's the most awesome thing about being a vampire?" Alice chuckles.

"The awesome clothes. That's easy. Next question." The girls talk for an hour, as Alice answers Grace's questions about the family and their lives. She tells her about Rosalie being from a wealthy family, and Jasper's soldier past, and about Bella and Edward falling in love. She tells Grace that Emmett hasn't shared much about his first life, but that it seemed fairly normal. Finally, Grace was finished eating, and finished questioning Alice, and they decided to head for home.

When they arrived at home, Carlisle was waiting for them in the sitting room with Esme and Jasper. Alice immediately knew something was up; usually, no one met her when she got home from a shop, and they could hear her anyway. Grace seemed to understand that something was up, as the smile left her face. Carlisle spoke to the girls.

"Please, both of you, sit down. I need to tell you the results of your x-rays and tests I ran this morning." Grace nods as Alice sticks the few shopping bags in the hall closet and settles next to Jasper. Grace stands, her hands on her hips, facing Carlisle, as if about to sass him. But her face is serious, and no one tells her to sit.

"What is it? Just tell me, Dr. Cullen. You know I can't stand it when doctors talk around the big pink elephant in the room." The others look at each other, but Carlisle just nods.

"You can call me Carlisle, like the others, OK? I'm not really your doctor anymore. But the tests weren't good. The hole in your ventricle has grown, and is leaking blood fairly rapidly. I'd say you were losing a good cup or so a day. That is a bad thing. I think we're looking at three months here, tops." Grace sets her jaw, but nods.

"Thank you. How did you run the tests so fast?"

"Someone in the lab at the hospital owed me a favor. I called it in."

"I see. Ok, well, thanks again. How were my x-rays?"

"Fine. Your lungs are still clear, which is why I am saying three months. I want to x-ray you twice a week from now on, OK? As soon as your lungs begin to fill, you will need to decide what you want for your end-of-life care, ok?"

"Got it. Want to see what Alice and I bought?"

"No, Grace. I want you to understand the gravity of the situation here."

"I got it, Carlisle. I was dying yesterday, and I am still dying today. What does it matter why or how?" Carlisle looks to Esme, who has a smile playing at her lips, and shrugs. He sighs.

"I guess it doesn't. How are you feeling now?"

"A little tired, but Alice took good care of me. She wouldn't let me smoke, or moon the security guards, or run super fast." Alice and Jasper titter, and Carlisle chuckles, while Esme just shakes her head. Esme could tell that this girl was going to be a handful for Alice and Jasper. But Esme was slowly falling for her; her mothering instincts kicked in whenever the mortal child was around. Carlisle spoke then.

"Well, why don't you rest, and I want to speak with Alice and Jasper, all right?" The girl nods, and heads for the stairs. They heard her enter the bedroom and close the door behind her. Carlisle turned to Jasper and Alice, and spoke the things on his mind.

"She's really sick, Alice. I don't think she'll be able to do many more outings, so get them in while you can. Have you had a chance to read her file yet?"

"No, sorry."

"It's all right. Just do it soon, OK?" Alice nods, sensing there was something else.

"Carlisle, is there anything else?"

"Yes, actually, there is. I have asked Alistair to come out and look at Grace; I just want to make sure my assessment is accurate. He will be here this weekend, and is only staying overnight. So please prepare Grace for that, OK?" Alice looks to Jasper, who nods.

"Ok, Carlisle. Thank you for letting me take Grace out today. I think she enjoyed it; I certainly did. She's really spunky, and quite funny."

"I know. I'm glad you girls had fun. If there's nothing else, Esme and I are going to be upstairs." Alice nods, and smiles as the two older vampires file up the stairs. Alice and Jasper remain on the couch, talking to each other.

"It's getting worse, Jazz."

"I know, sweetie."

"This isn't going like I hoped it would. I was hoping for more time. It doesn't seem fair."

"No, it doesn't. But you can't control these things. If it makes it better, Grace was happy when you came home."

"Hmm. Well, I guess we should go up and read the file. You want me to read it first and then I can tell you, or do you want to read it too?"

"I want to read it, too."

"Ok." Alice stands, and rushes upstairs to grab the files. She stops and peeks in Grace's room, where the young girl had fallen asleep on her stomach, with some paper and a pen in a clipboard next to her. Alice entered, and slid the clipboard off the bed, and placed a blanket over the girl, then stepped back. She smiled, and then turned quietly and left the room, finding Rosalie standing in the doorway, watching her.

"You're really gentle with her, Alice. I didn't realize that you cared about this girl that much." Alice nodded and closed the door.

"Yeah, I guess I do. Thanks, Rose." Rosalie just shrugged and continued down the hall as Alice went downstairs. She handed the file to Jasper and they spent the next hour reading and discussing. They learned that Grace had lost both of her parents by age 8, and that her mother had been an inadequate mother, and that, for a short period of time, she'd been in the custody of her grandfather, before he, too, passed away. They learned that she had a rare but not-unheard of heart defect, and was allergic to many drugs, and also the patches other doctors had tried to patch the hole in her heart. It appeared, from notes in the margins, that Carlisle had contacted Alistair awhile ago, and it didn't look hopeful. When they were finished dissecting their new charge, they could hear Grace's door open, and Alice stood and flew up the stairs. Grace was standing in the doorway, her face drawn and ashen, and when she saw Alice, she struggled to change her expression.

"I'm sorry, Alice, I'm OK, really. I'm just in some pain, but I just got up to vomit; I don't feel well. But you can go back to whatever you were doing. I'm really fine." Alice shook her head.

"No, you're not. Let me help you to the bathroom, and then I'll get Carlisle." She took Grace's hand and led her to the hallway bathroom, and, after settling Grace on the floor with a damp washcloth, she flew down the hall to Carlisle and Esme's bedroom. She knocked, and when Esme answered, she spoke in low, quick tones. A moment later, Carlisle was flying down the hall, with Esme and Alice following behind. Jasper joined them, and the four vampires filed into the small, cramped bathroom. Grace had apparently emptied the entire contents of her stomach as well as some blood into the toilet. Luckily, she had the presence of mind to flush the mess down and toss some bleach from under the sink down behind it. Now she lay in a ball, her face flat against the cool tiles. Alice immediately drops to her knees and rubs her back, and Esme coos at her. Carlisle steps forward, as Jasper inches out; the smell of blood is still lingering a little.

"Grace, are you vomiting blood?" The girl just nods.

"Apparently. Also, I think it was a cheeseburger I ate in 2004." The others roll their eyes, and Carlisle nods, seriously.

"Ok, well, this changes things a little. I am going to call the lab and have them look for infection. Alice, I need you and Jasper or, actually, maybe Jasper and Bella should go-to the pharmacy and pick up some medications. I will prescribe some anti-nausea medications, which should at least curb the vomiting, and I think it's time to refill your regular meds, anyway. Let me go make some calls. Alice, Esme, can you help Grace, please?" The women nod, and Carlisle speaks to Jasper in the hallway. He tells Jasper that it might be a good idea for him and Bella to clear out for a couple of hours, until the blood smell dissipates more. They agree that that is a good idea, and Jasper goes off to find Bella while Esme and Alice help Grace clean up and tuck her away in her bed. Edward, who had been in his bedroom, watching Nessie sleep and doing homework, came out of his room then, and went into Grace's as the girl drifted into a light sleep, and Alice settled herself into a chair near the bed that Esme had found. Edward speaks to Alice, taking care to not wake Grace.

"Alice, she feels like she's a burden, and she also feels upset that she is causing problems around here for all of us. She feels things very deeply."

"I know."

"Can I offer some advice?" Alice nods.

"Just keep being nice to her. She's a little afraid of Rosalie, let's see if Esme can maybe get Rosalie to tell Grace that she isn't mad at her, but merely the situation. And, she worries that you and Jasper are missing school. I think that Esme can handle watching Grace while you two live your lives."

"I'd be too worried. What if she vomits blood again? Or if she starts bleeding? And Esme is here alone? I couldn't ask her to do that."

"I think Esme would be just fine. Remember last week when we left Nessie here with her, and Nessie cut herself with the scissors and her paper dolls8? She did fantastically."

"I'll think about, and talk to Jasper."

"Good. Want me to talk to Esme about Rosalie?"

"No, I will. Thank you, though." Edward nods, and looks at the still-sleeping girl.

"Isn't odd that she isn't frightened of us, but merely worried that she's a problem? It's like Bella. But at least I can read her. That helps." Alice nods, it WAS strange.

"I guess it is sort of weird, yes. But Bella had a reason not to be afraid; she loved you. Grace, well, she has every reason to be afraid but isn't. What do you make of that?"

"I don't know." Both vampires shrug, and Edward excuses himself, but Alice remains in the girl's room until she hears Esme and Rosalie arguing in the hallway. Rose is telling Esme that her and Emmett should leave, but Esme is asking her to stay, and that Esme needs Rose's help because Alice is distracted, and Carlisle is busy. Alice tunes her ears to the conversation, and hears Edward interjecting, trying to smooth things over as Emmett and Carlisle come in. Emmett is trying to shush Rosalie, which is causing Rosalie to become more upset, and Carlisle is trying to tell Emmett to just let the women talk it out. Edward's voice rises above the rest.

"Everyone. Stop. Firstly, there are two sleeping children. If you can't bring yourself to care about the mortal one, at least be quiet for Nessie, ok? And cut Alice some slack, Rose, you were no picnic during Bella's pregnancy, and also, I know for a fact that Grace feels that she is a burden. It's on her mind all the time. She takes great pains to stay out of the way; you could all stand to make her feel a little more welcome. You all were fantastic when I first brought Bella around; pretend that this is the same thing. I am not defending Alice, Rosalie, I think she could've done this better, but it IS done, and we should all support her. It's hard for all of us, especially Bella and Jasper. Esme says she needs you, well, I need you, too, to help Bella and with Ness, because Bella and I will probably have to be out of the house more as Grace becomes sicker. Furthermore, has anybody considered what this is doing to Alice? She has devoted herself to someone else; I haven't ever seen her like this, and it's refreshing, but Alice is struggling with what this is doing to Jasper, as well as everyone else. She is even considering asking to defect with the girl, for a little while, to make things easier. But, then, Jasper likes her, too, and I think it's a good fit; I don't know how Alice saw this, but Grace could make a really big impact on their lives together." He stops, and it is silent for a moment. It is Emmett who speaks first. He had been surprising the family lately; he had been revealing his feelings more vocally.

"You're right, Edward. Rose, you have to admit that Eddie has a point. I know you're upset, and that you were when Bella first came around, but you've got to give this a chance. Alice is our sister, we should be more supportive. And if Carlisle and Esme have no problem with it, how would it look if WE do? I think they know what they are doing." Rosalie softens and speaks, her voice calmer and low.

"You're right, Em. I'm sorry, everyone. But just know that I am still unhappy, and if Alice pulls anything funny, I'll bite her myself." Someone titters, but Carlisle shushes them.

"Thank you, Rosalie. Emmett. Rosalie, you really should introduce yourself formally to Grace. You might find that you like her."

"Maybe." Her tone was doubtful. From the bedroom, Nessie began to wail, and Alice could hear Jasper and Bella coming home. She turned to Grace, who was stirring, and waited for Jasper to knock on the door. He did, a moment later. She stood up and pulled him in the bedroom.

"Thank you, Jasper. Are you really sure you're OK with all of this? I mean, I know it was hard earlier with the blood, and Carlisle thinks it'll just get worse. We can leave, if you like, take Grace up to Denali or go visit Charlotte and Peter…" He kisses her, interrupting her thoughts.

"No, we couldn't. We agreed to be responsible. I'll admit that the blood wasn't pleasant, but the bleach helped. Did you do that?"

"No, she did. I don't know how she knew it would help. Edward thinks there's something going on with her." Jasper nods.

"Yeah, she doesn't emanate feelings like regular mortals do; it's much more intense, and it's less random, more focused. Most mortals just flit from feeling to feeling, but Grace feels emotions thoroughly, as though trying to make them stay with her forever. It's odd. I've NEVER seen anything like it." Alice nods, and smiles lightly.

"Well, I guess we should be on the lookout for her to start throwing objects around with her mind, like Garrett or Randy." He laughs.

"I guess you're right. What are you doing right now?"

"Watching Grace sleep."

"Well, since she's sleeping fine, you wanna go make out?" Alice smiles, and lets him lead her out of the girl's room and into their bedroom.

An hour later, Alice exits her bedroom happily, and sets off to find Esme. When she comes downstairs, she is surprised at the scene in front of her. Grace, attached to an IV pole, is sitting on the couch, laughing with Rosalie and holding Nessie. Grace smiles as Alice enters the room.

"Hey, Alice. Did you know that Rosalie is very funny?" Alice raises an eyebrow at Rose, who looks sheepishly at the floor.

"No, I didn't. Usually she's serious. She's older than the rest of us, you know."

"I know. But she is. You want to watch a movie with us?" Alice shakes her head.

"No, I need to talk to Esme, but thanks." Grace shrugs and nods as Alice continues through the house. It seemed that Esme and Carlisle had had the same idea as Jasper and Alice, because after Alice knocks, Esme opens the door slightly, humming and her chest was buzzing, and Alice immediately felt embarrassed.

"Sorry to interrupt, but can I talk to you later?" Esme smiles.

"We were finishing up here, so let's chat now. Meet me in my office in a minute, dear.

Let me square things away with Carlisle." Alice nods, and turns away, putting her head in her hands, and shaking her head. It was SO gross interrupting your parent figures in an intimate moment. She entered Esme's study and settles herself in one of the large overstuffed armchairs that Esme had designed herself. Alice liked this room; it was open and airy, and Esme had brought in a bunch of plants. A moment later, Esme entered, and settled herself across from Alice. Alice looked at her, sheepishly.

"Sorry again for interrupting."

"It's really not a problem, Alice. Like I said, Carlisle and I were finishing up what were doing, and it wasn't an interruption." Alice nods once.

"Ok, great. Well, um, I wanted to talk to you because I talked to Edward earlier, and he suggested something I hadn't though of. Um, Jasper and I missed school today, and we will likely miss more as Grace gets sicker, but I want to minimize the impact it has on our daily schedules, mostly because I worry about Jasper and the others. Would you be willing to help me out, and keep an eye on Grace while Jasper and I are at school? I'm going to talk to my guidance counselor to see if I can shorten my schedule, but I think it might be a good idea if we go back, at least for a bit." Esme is nodding as Alice is speaking.

"I was wondering what you guys were going to do. I think I can handle that; Carlisle wants to take some time off and monitor Grace; I think you should know that he feels just as connected to her as you do. But Nessie and I will be fine with her; it might be better for her anyway, having the house empty. There will be less distraction, and she could sleep more." Alice looks up at Esme when she says the part about Carlisle, her eyes wide.

"I wouldn't have expected him to be so connected to Grace. I thought it was just me."

"Well, even Rose likes her. But Carlisle thinks there's some reason she was assigned to him as her doctor, like that it's meant to be or something."

"Yeah, Edward and Jazz both hinted at that, too. Edward said he could read her thoughts, but that she wasn't afraid, just worried that she was a burden. Jazz said that she feels things more deeply than most mortals, and that she sort of wallows in them-the good ones, I guess. He said it's like she's trying to experience each emotion fully." Esme furrows her brow, thinking. She filed away this bit of information to share with Carlisle later. Now, she answered Alice quickly.

"Well, I'm fine with having her here. Earlier, it wasn't so bad, with the blood. It wasn't enough to make me react, although I was piqued, I'll admit. Thank you for adding the bleach so fast; I don't recall seeing you do that, though."

"I didn't. Grace did it herself, as if it was an instinctual thing.'

"Odd. Well, that was good thinking on her part, then. Shall we start tomorrow? I'll write you and Jasper a note, as well as one for Rose and Emmett."

"Thank you very much, Esme. I appreciate it."

"You're welcome. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to make some calls and talk to Carlisle for a bit before dinner for the children." Alice nods and stands.

"No problem." Alice flies out of the door and back down the stairs just in time to see Grace sit down at the piano. She stops, and enters the living room to listen. Grace and Rose sit down, Rose places a book of music in front of Grace and the girl begins to play scales and warm-ups. Edward came in, and looking at Grace with surprise, sat down to listen as Grace began to play a jazz song that Rosalie liked. Halfway through, Alice felt Jasper's arms wrap around her waist, and she noticed that the rest of the family had gathered. As Grace finished the piece, everyone clapped, and Grace looked up, startled.

"Oh, I didn't realize it was a family affair. I'll be here 'til Thursday. Try the wine." Everyone laughed, and Rosalie asked her to play some more. Grace nodded, and begin to play Dracula's theme while everyone laughed some more. Finally, she turned to Alice.

"Have a request, Alice?" Alice nods.

"Can you sing again?" Grace nods, and shrugs, takes a breath, and arranges her hands on the keys. She opened her mouth and began to sing Brahms's Lullaby.

"Lullaby and good night/with roses benigh

with lilies o'er spread is baby's wee bedLay thee down now and rest, may thy slumber be blessedLay thee down now and rest, may thy slumber be blessedLullaby and good night, thy mother's delightBright angels beside my darling abideThey will guard thee at rest, thou shall wake on my breastThey will guard thee at rest, thou shall wake on my breast".

When she finished, she smiled lightly and looked at the keyboard, nodding her head in a light bow.

"I know it in German, too." Alice noticed that Rosalie had placed Nessie between the two of them, as Nessie loved the piano. The others were looking at each other, impressed by the young girl's ability. Edward spoke up.

"How much can you play, Grace?"

"Um, well, pretty much. Carlisle said I don't play as well as you, but my grandfather gave me lessons before I got sick. I just lost a lot of skill until they got that piano at the hospital. I remember when you came in to tune it." He nods.

"Yeah, it was a mess." Carlisle nods.

"It was, I remember, we were there for awhile. But the nurses couldn't keep Grace away from it after that." Esme smiled, and spoke.

"Well, you play beautifully, dear." Just then, the phone rang, and the family dispersed as Grace continued to play quietly for Rose and Nessie. When she had finished, Carlisle and Alice ran her vitals, and told her about Alistair coming, and then sat her down and her and Nessie ate dinner. Alice and Jasper sat down with her in her room afterwards and told her about them returning to school the next day, and that she'd stay with Esme and Nessie, and to be on her best behavior and if anything went wrong, she could call Carlisle at work, or one of them and someone would come right away.

"Alice, I am almost 16. I think I can handle being on my own with a sweet, gentle vampire and a cute baby for 6 hours. I mean, what's the worst that can happen? You said you didn't feed on mortals, right?"

"Right, that's true, but the scent of blood is hard for us to ignore, OK?"

"Great, well, if I bleed again, I'll open a window, or try to fart or something to dissipate the smell. I think we'll be fine," she said, firmly as Jasper tittered.

"All right. We just wanted to let you know. I'll write down our cell phone numbers, and Carlisle's, too, just in case. Actually, I'll ask Carlisle if I can give you the number for another coven of vegetarian vampires that live in Alaska. Tanya is the name of their leader; you could call her in the event of a major emergency."

"Yeah, because if the house is burning down, 911 wouldn't be faster." Alice glowered at her.

"Actually, I meant that if something happens and you start to bleed and Esme freaks out, Tanya can talk to her. OK?"

"Great. There was a clipboard here earlier; have you seen it?" Alice nods, and stands, and reaches under the armchair that she had been sitting in and hands the clip-board to Grace.

"You fell asleep on top of it the other night. I'm sorry for moving it."

"No, it's OK. I was just writing a note to this friend of mine who went into the hospital as I was leaving. He's not one of Carlisle's patients; he is on the burn unit, but I was hoping Carlisle could drop off a note to him. Then I think I'll turn in; these nausea meds are making me drowsy." Alice and Jasper nod and stand up to leave as Grace picks up the clipboard and starts to write. Later, Alice comes upstairs and finds Grace sleeping again, and removes the clipboard and gives the note to Carlisle to take to the young man she'd spoken about, and set about preparing to return to school the next day.

That morning, Alice was sitting in the armchair across from Grace's bed when the young girl awoke in a fit of violent coughing. She sat up, and smiled through the coughs at Alice, who had moved to the foot of the bed. Alice looked at her worriedly, and spoke to her.

"Grace, are you OK? Having any pain?" Grace screwed up her face, but stopped coughing.

"I'm fine, Alice. I think this is to be expected; Carlisle said my lungs will start to fill up. They're sore. But I think I'll be fine. I need a new IV; is Carlisle home?" Alice nods, and goes to the door and calls out for Carlisle, who arrives in the room the next moment. Alice tells him that Grace woke up coughing hard, and that she needed a new IV.

"Alice, I am going to show you how to do the IV, and from now on, you can help Grace with that. Now, about the coughing, did you bring up anything?" Grace shook her head.

"No, but it hurt. My lungs are sore." He nods, his brow furrowed.

"Yes, I expected that." He listens to her heart, and tells the girls he'll return in just a moment, and comes back with an IV bag, an alcohol wipe, and tape. He showed Alice how to remove the empty bag, replace it, and retape the bandage over the needle. He didn't think she'd need to pull the needle out, but showed her how to do it if she needed to.

"And hold your breath; it'll only bleed for a minute." Alice nods, but looks worriedly at him.

"Don't worry, Alice, I don't expect you'll have to do this, I just want you to be prepared." She nods, and shoos Carlisle out the door so that Grace can dress. As Alice is combing Grace's hair, because the girl likes it, Jasper knocks on the door. He opens it, and smiles in at the girls.

"Alice? It's time to leave." Alice nods, and the girls troop down the stairs, Grace hauling the IV bag, off its stand, behind her. She says goodbye to the family, kissing Alice on her head like a mother would, and the girls laugh until Jasper literally picks up Alice and puts her in the car. Grace looks at Esme, who smiles at her. Carlisle had left immediately after finishing up with Grace, and the girl found herself suddenly alone with Esme and Nessie. Esme suggests that they have breakfast, then they could figure out what to do that day.

The women decide that since Grace is feeling better today, she could handle a fast trip to the grocery store, so, they bundle up and head out into the cold October air towards the mini-mall where the grocery store was. They looked funny, a young, pale female vampire, all alabaster skin, under eye circles and yellow eyes, a one year old the size of a six year old, and a petite, gawky teenager, carrying an IV bag. Esme indicated a shopping cart that had two benches facing each other that the girls could sit in, and they did, laughing and talking and messing around. Nessie, who had adjusted to their visitor, held Grace's hands, and smiled serenely at all the other shoppers. Most of them paused to coo over the "adorable family" and "sweet sisters who were well-behaved", but steered clear of Esme, which caused Grace to laugh until she coughed. They shopped quickly, only needing to refresh the milk supply in the house, as Carlisle insisted that both Nessie and Grace drink it to help their bones, which drove Edward crazy, because he insisted that with Nessie's vampire genes, her bones were surely fine. But it was all Esme could do sometimes; Nessie didn't like most mortal foods, but she liked the texture and mild flavor of the milk, and she would drink it for her grandmother. They also bought some cereal and fruit, as well as some toilet paper and more bleach. As they were checking out, Nessie fell asleep, and Grace climbed out of the cart, but Esme protested.

"You have to be careful that you don't over-exert yourself, dear."

"I'm fine. I've been sitting the whole time; my hieny is numb. Besides, I'm getting low on fluids here; I have to elevate it to get the last bits of potassium water out of this thing." Esme shrugs, but grimaces.

"Ok, but if you feel at all shaky, you must sit right away, OK?"

"Yes, ma'am," said Grace, saluting with the hand that wasn't clutching the IV bag. As they paid and left the store, they could hear the girl at the till telling the bagger the Cullen's cover story. After the grocery, Esme took the girls back home, helped Grace replace her IV bag, as Carlisle had told Esme how to do it, then took them to the park on the corner, where Nessie ran and played, but Grace and Esme sat in the shade, the girl with her IV and some juice, the woman with a hat and long sleeves. Grace looked curiously at Esme, who raised her eyebrows.

"What?"

"What's with the getup? It's not like you'll get a sunburn." Esme chuckled.

"I can't reveal myself in the sunlight. Not only is it frowned upon in the vampire world, it would also scare the pants off the other moms." Grace considered.

"I see. But the dad over there is kinda hot; we might want his pants scared off." Esme laughs and shakes her head.

"Sorry. But ask Alice, maybe she'll show you what I mean." Grace nods, and looks up at Nessie, and shouts to her to be careful just as the baby falls off a see-saw that she is riding with another child. Grace stands and rushes to the girl, with Esme close behind. They check her over, and Esme looks at Grace incredulously.

"How did you see her falling? We were way over there, and Carlisle said your vision is bad."

"It is. I should have glasses, but the social worker never arranged an optometry visit. But I don't know, I just felt it in my stomach." Esme is staring at the girl, her mouth and eyes wide. She recovers quickly, though, and picks up a wailing Nessie and carries her to the car. Grace follows, uncomfortable with the woman's reaction. They drive in silence to the house, where Grace excuses herself to nap before lunchtime, and Esme and Nessie go about their daily activities. Grace winds up sleeping through lunch, and all the way up until Alice and the others return home from school at 2:30. Carlisle comes home early to check on Grace and his wife, and Esme tells the family about the park incident. Jasper and Edward tell the others about what they discovered about the girl, and the seven vampires sit and try to dissect the implications until they hear Grace wake up and Alice immediately goes into a trance. Jasper sighs as the family gathers around Alice, who is panicky in her vision. Suddenly, Alice speaks as she stands and flies up the stairs, Carlisle and Jasper close behind.

"She's about to have a seizure."

Sure enough, there is a loud boom from the hallway as Grace collapses to the floor in convulsions. Alice lays down next to her and speaks soothingly as Carlisle rolls the girl to her side and tells Jasper to time the seizure. A few seconds later, the convulsions stop, and the three vampires breathe out audibly. It is another moment before Grace opens her eyes and sputters a cough. She seems a little dazed, but is able to talk.

"Ow, that really hurt. I think I hit my head on something." Alice, who was still lying next to her, nods.

"You had a seizure. What happened?"

"I don't really know. One minute, I was coming back from the bathroom, and my chest really hurt, and the next I open my eyes and here we are." Alice nods again, but sits up and looks at Carlisle. By now, the rest of the family has gathered in the hallway. Grace sits up, and attempts to stand, but stumbles and sits back down, and leans against Alice. Carlisle speaks.

"I think it was a seizure from the new nausea meds. And from the pain in your chest, too. Esme said you took it easy today, so I don't suspect that you had a palpitation, too, but I'd like to check, just in case, OK? Let's let you rest for a bit, and I'll x-ray you this evening." Grace nods.

"Yeah, Esme wouldn't let me do anything fun. I couldn't stand close to the microwave, I couldn't run off with biker dudes, or drink schnapps. It was totally boring." Carlisle rolls his eyes, slightly annoyed as the others chuckle.

"Well, I am glad that she kept you safe, and it was fairly problem-free. I understand you saved Nessie today, too." She shakes her head as Alice and Esme help her to stand.

"Not really, I just felt that she was going to fall. Luckily, it wasn't very far, and she was OK." The others nodded, and most dispersed as Alice led her to her room and settled her in bed, with Jasper hovering close behind, watching. After Alice has Grace settled, and the girl is nodding off, he pulls her out of the bedroom.

"Let's talk to Carlisle and Esme tonight. We need to change her soon if we are going to, because I think this seizure thing is going to happen again. It wasn't fun, and she's in a LOT of pain, and so are you. It kills me when you feel pain, and I want to make it better for both of you." Alice looks him in the eye; he isn't kidding. She nods, and whispers.

"I'm afraid to talk to them, Jasper. I don't know if they'll give me permission." He nods, but considers something in his head. He leads her to their bedroom, sits her on the bed, and sits down next to her.

"Alice, if you are serious about changing her, and I've known you long enough to know that you are, and, if Carlisle and Esme won't allow it, we will defect again and just do it ourselves, OK? It's not the most ideal situation, but I'd be willing, if you are." Alice nods, miserably.

"I really don't want to have to make that choice, though." Jasper pulls her close to him. He holds her for a moment and sends calming vibes to her. He can feel her relax, and he murmurs that they should go talk to Carlisle and Esme now, at least to set up a time for the big chat. He continues to send the calming waves to his mate until he is fairly certain she is relaxed. They stand at the same time, and smile at each other. Jasper takes her hand.

"Do you want me to talk to them first? If they think I am having a problem, they might be more willing." Alice shakes her head.

"No, but thanks. I told them I'd be responsible, and I will be. It'll just be hard."

"That's what responsibility is about. When we're done, I want to spend some time with you in Grace's room; I want to see if I can calm her in her sleep. She's really feeling the pain of her heart thing, and now muscle soreness from the seizure. Plus, emotional pain that is indescribable. It has gotten better since she has been here, though. I think she acts stronger, puts up a brave front, but she's really hurting deeply. I'm glad you've been a friend to her; the hospital was no place for her." Alice nods, looking thoughtful, but allows Jasper to lead her down the hall to Carlisle's office, where the two adult vampires are talking in hushed tones, apparently about Grace. Jasper knocks lightly at the door, and Carlisle tells them to come in. They enter, and Alice speaks for them.

"I want to arrange some time to meet with you and Esme, if possible, to discuss-well, where this is all going." Carlisle nods, he'd been expecting this since Alice first visited the hospital.

"Actually, Esme and I were discussing that, also. Please, sit down, and let's talk." The two younger vampires took a seat on the chairs opposite Carlisle's chair, and Esme remained on the settee one of them had scooted close to his chair. When they were settled, Carlisle began.

"Esme and I were talking, and we are intrigued by Grace's abilities. Also, we enjoy having her around and want to make the rest of the time she has with us as pleasant as possible, so we were discussing things we could do with her. She seems to have a deep connection with Nessie, though I can't tell why, and of course, she likes you, Alice, and everyone else. I have noticed that she hasn't said much to Emmett; I don't know if she's afraid of him, or if he's just been sending off unfriendly vibes and she's picking them up or what is going on, but that is the only glitch I see. Otherwise, she's doing fantastically, as is everyone else. Edward has spoken to me about what he's observed, and so has Esme." Jasper interrupts.

"Yes, I have been telling Alice that I have felt Grace feeling things. Mostly pain, intense pain, both from her heart problem, and now the soreness from the seizure. But also emotional pain; her life hasn't been easy." Carlisle nods. Alice takes a breath and raises her open hand, indicating her want to speak. He nods at her, telling her to speak.

"Ok, so, here it is. I want to change her. Or at least bite her and help her death along. She's in pain, and it's killing me, and Jasper, and I would hate for this to be a burden for much longer. I-we-are willing to defect if we have to, if you guys can't or won't help us, but I hope we can all do it together." She stops speaking then, as Jasper shoots more calming waves at her. Esme nods.

"I just told Carlisle the same thing. I think she'd make a wonderful vampire, and I'm excited to see her powers. I think she holds a lot of cards, and I, for one, want to see her in action." Esme smiles at the thought, but continues. "I know you said you are, and want to be, responsible for her, but as far as I, personally, am concerned, we can just add her to the family. What's one more teenaged vampire?" Carlisle looks sideways at his wife. She shrugs at him and smiles. Alice nods at her.

"Great. I'm glad that you feel that way. Um, so kind of the plan I had in mind is this: of course, I will ask Grace what she wants; if she doesn't wish to be changed, I can respect that and deal with that. It'll just make it harder, and me sad. But I want it to be HER choice. Also, do we have to let the others have a say? I know we did for Bella, but she sort of asked, but I don't really think that the others should get a say. But whatever you think is best, I'm fine with. I am pretty sure Rosalie will be my biggest holdout, but I can deal with her. Then, I think we should wait until Alistair does his check up and tests, and makes his determination, and we'll go from there. It might be good to set an actual date; I noticed Grace's birthday is coming up at the middle of next month, maybe before or after that would be good. IF we decide that this is going to happen." Jasper nods at her, smiles lightly, and takes her hand. Carlisle, who had been deep in thought while Alice spoke, nods his head.

"I am fine with you changing her, Alice, because I know this decision is one that comes from a good place, and that you have other motives than your own. But I also know that Grace's body is very sensitive. I have her blood type, and I want to get everyone else's blood, because whoever does the actual changing would, ideally, share her same blood type, and hopefully the same gender, and as close to the same genome as possible. Which will be hard, considering none of us are related, except Nessie, obviously, and Grace is not related to any of us. So let me run some tests; Edward expressed an interest in helping me map the family's blood types anyway, and we can make a plan. You are right; waiting for Alistair's assessment is a good idea, if for no other reason than to have a second pair of fresh eyes looking at her medical history. Thirdly, I think it's best to tell the others, but if you don't want them to have a vote, I think that's OK. I wish you'd reconsider, but I understand your misgivings. Alice, the first year or so are the hardest for a vampire, are you really sure you can handle being responsible for a newborn vampire, and Jasper? Esme and I can help you out, but I am not sure how much I am willing to take on parenting another perpetual teenager. I am getting too old for that. Of course you and Jasper don't have to defect or anything; Grace can stay in the bedroom she's in; knowing Esme, they'll have it redecorated in record time." He smiled as his wife socked him lightly on the arm. The four vampires breathed a collective sigh of relief. Carlisle continued.

"I have taken the weekend off; Alistair should be arriving late tomorrow morning, and I will start with Edward on getting everyone's blood before tomorrow evening, so you and I should be able to move forward then. I will keep you posted, but I ask that you not talk to Grace just yet, OK? " Alice nods as Carlisle continues.

"Finally, I think it's wise if you and Jasper spend some alone time together; perhaps you should hunt overnight sometime soon. I will be around more, and Esme enjoyed her time today with Grace, and it's really no problem. Bella and Edward are off now, so Rose and Esme are on Nessie watch, but maybe this weekend would be a good time." Jasper speaks up.

"Thanks, Carlisle. I was going to suggest that myself. This weekend would be great; Alice and I appreciate your help with Grace." Carlisle smiles lightly and nods. Alice and Jasper stand and excuse themselves, going to Grace's room. Grace is sleeping fitfully; her face is registering her subconscious' pain, and Jasper is grimacing at her. He begins to send calming waves of energy at her, and for a moment, nothing happens, but then Grace sighs deeply, turns over, and smiles in her sleep. He grins wide, it worked, and he sits in the armchair and pulls Alice onto his lap.

"That's never worked on a sleeping mortal before." They sit in silence for awhile, watching the girl sleep, and Jasper changes his vibes from calm to happy, and the smile grows. When he sends pain signals out, her expression changes, and he immediately goes back to the calm. Alice watches the exchange with interest; Esme is right, she seems to have powers. She is suddenly excited, and Jasper plucks her up as he stands, and carries her out of the room.

Later that day, after the others had gone off to school, and Grace and Nessie had had their breakfast, Esme took them shopping again, but this time they went to the Target nearby. Esme explained that she had realized that Grace had only a small amount of clothing, even with those items donated by Bella, and also that the girl had only two pairs of underwear and two bras, and that girls needed more to wear than just that much. Esme also had arranged for her to see an optometrist later that afternoon. Besides, it would keep them entertained and out of the way until Carlisle had Alistair settled, and he creeped Esme out, so she was all too happy to make them scarce for the morning.

At the clothing store, they purchased the few items that Esme thought Grace would need, but they also picked her up a nice outfit she could wear for the inevitable party that Alice was already preparing for the girl's birthday. They also bought some new pajamas, and two pairs of shoes: one pair of soft-soled slippers that she could wear in the house, and a pair of sneakers. Esme had decided that, if Grace decided to let Alice change her, that they could shop for school stuff later, as it was Esme's first goal to get the child enrolled in school. They picked up a few new things for Nessie; given the child's rapid rate of growth, Esme was forever taking things in and out and often found it easier to just purchase new items. They finished out their shop by picking up some toiletries and personal items for Grace, and some laundry detergent for Rosalie and Emmett, and then Esme took the children to lunch to explain to Grace about the optometrist. Halfway through the eye doctor's appointment, Carlisle called Esme and told her it was safe for them to return home. After Grace picked out a pair of funky, flattering purple glasses, they returned home, to find Alice and Jasper, as well as Edward and Alistair. Carlisle joined the three girls in the living room, and took an assessment of Grace.

"Grace, how are you feeling after your outing?"

"Tired. And my lungs still hurt." He nods, and suggests that she lay down for awhile until Carlisle has what he needs set up and ready. Alice follows Grace upstairs and into her bedroom. Grace tells Alice about her morning, and then falls into a light slumber, and Alice settles in to watch her sleep. About fifteen minutes later, Grace cried out in pain, and sat straight up. Immediately, Carlisle, Esme, Alice and Alistair were in the bedroom. The girl panted in pain, but it seemed to pass quickly. She looks up at the gathered vampires.

"Holy cow. I thought I was dying. I'm sorry." Carlisle, who was looking at her with his brow furrowed, spoke.

"What is wrong, Grace? What hurts?"

"My chest. It's like, a big giant elephant is sitting on me, and a bazillion pins are poking me." Carlisle asks Alice to get his stethoscope, and as she heads out the door, Carlisle introduces Alistair. There was an immediate shift in the air when Alistair met the girl; he seemed oddly intrigued by the young woman. Alice returned momentarily, and the two doctors listened to her heart, and took her vitals, and asked Alice to remain with her. Carlisle and Alistair holed themselves up in Carlisle's office with Edward while Esme took Nessie downstairs. The house was quiet as Jasper, who'd turned up during Grace's outcry, and Alice talked quietly with Grace. She seemed to be failing fast today; her stamina had been spent that morning, and Alice encouraged her to sleep. After a few minutes, Grace fell back to sleep, and Jasper resumed his studies of the sleeping girl. They went back and forth with emotions, until Alice poked him and he calmed the girl down.

Meanwhile, in Carlisle's office, Alistair had sat himself in one of the armchairs in the room, and stared out the window. Carlisle and Edward exchanged glances and Carlisle spoke to his old friend.

"Alistair, what's wrong?" The other vampire looked up at him, as though suddenly realizing where he was. Carlisle was momentarily fearful, but it passed quickly. Alistair replied, in a low, strained tone.

"Your mortal child, Carlisle. She reminds me of my Alma." Carlisle nodded. Alma had been Alistair's mate many decades ago, before she'd opted to defect and was ultimately killed by the vampire she'd left Alastair for. Edward looked up from the computer where he was typing away, trying to set up a program he and Carlisle had made to map the family member's genetic lines and blood types, and looked questioningly at Carlisle, who shrugged at him and shook his head. It was silent, except for the clicking of keys and the occasional sigh from Alice as she watched Jasper and Grace's silent exchanges, until Edward spoke urgently.

"Um, Carlisle, Alistair? There's something you should see." The two doctors hurried to Edward's flanks as he continued.

"So, I ran Grace's stats against everyone else's, see, here, the pink line?" He points to the pink line on the screen, and continues, "and it matches, almost exactly, to Esme, see, here in yellow." Edward traced the adjoining lines on the screen with his fingers as Carlisle gasped. Edward nodded.

"The good news is that Alice is a close second. They seem to have crossed genes at some point along the way; probably extended cousins or something." Carlisle looks at him, then at Alistair, who is standing, open-mouthed and shocked. He speaks in low tones.

"Edward, go get Esme, now. Alistair, would you excuse us, please? Edward, please tell the others to leave Esme and I alone for awhile." Edward stands and nods, understanding the gravity of the situation. Alistair stands and makes his apologies as Esme enters the study, looking worried. Edward passes the news to Rosalie and Emmett, who walk past, and knocks on Grace's door for Alice and Jasper. He is surprised to find Alistair instead, sitting at the foot of the girl's bed, watching her sleep as Jasper sends different feelings to her and she responds. The look on Alistair's face concerns Edward; it is a mix of joy, and pure agony, as if the memory of his former mate is alive in the girl's very being. He passes Carlisle's wishes to Alice and asked her to tell Jasper. She nods, but looks concerned.

"What's going on, Edward?" Jasper and Alistair look to them. Edward shrugs.

"I'll tell you later. But it's kind of serious. I'm off to find Bella and Ness. Tell me when Grace wakes up; Carlisle needs more blood." Alice nods, still concerned. She shrugs, though, trusting that Edward knows his duties, and that he really will tell her later, and turns back to Jasper, who is now testing anger on Grace. Alice watched, annoyed at her mate, as Grace twitched and flailed in her slumber. Alice poked him again, and he stopped bothering the girl. She, too, is concerned about Alistair's sudden, intense attention to the sleeping child, and asks Jasper to come with her, and asks Alistair if he wouldn't mind keeping an eye on the girl. Alistair agrees, and Alice pulls Jasper out the door, down the hall, and into their bedroom. She sits down on the bed while he looks at her sideways. She speaks, her voice shaky.

"Firstly, something is up with Carlisle and Esme. Edward was acting strange. Secondly, I don't really like the way that Alistair is looking at Grace; it's like Grace is his next meal." Jasper, who had laid himself on his side, facing Alice, began to chuckle lightly.

"He doesn't want to bite her, Alice." Alice looks at him, confused. Jasper smiles at his mate, and continues.

"He wants her. Like, romantically. I can feel the lust, and actually, quite a bit of actual affection. It's rolling off of him. It's kind of gross, actually. I haven't felt that coming off of anybody since Bella first saw Edward." Alice is looking at him, her mouth wide open and her eyes wide.

"What?"

"Yeah. You don't see it?" Alice shakes her head slowly.

"My God. But she's just a child." Jasper shrugs.

"So were you when we met. Look at us now." Alice rolls her eyes.

"That's completely different. We had been vampires for awhile."

"So? How is it different? It's kind of cute. Mostly gross, but a little cute. But don't worry, I don't think he'll actually act on it. He's too polite, and, frankly, a little scared of us." Alice nods, but stands to rush back to Grace's room. Jasper pulls her to him.

"Not so fast, my pretty little pixie. One more thing. I think I figured out the one emotion that Grace can't-or won't-feel. Know what it is?" Alice shakes her head.

"Fear." He releases her as he chuckles again. "She won't allow herself to be afraid. Isn't that strange?" Alice nods, suddenly ill-at-ease with the recent turn of events.

Back in Carlisle's study, Carlisle has an upset Esme in his arms. She'd collapsed there when he told her what Edward had discovered, and what it meant.

"Esme, I think that you and Grace are somehow related. Like, directly. Actually, I think she's likely your great-niece. Edward discovered it when we were running Grace's stats with that new program we wrote." She had paled even whiter than she was, and he'd had to catch her before she hit the ground. Now, she was sitting stonily, staring at the multitude of lines on the computer screen as he showed her the two matching ones.

"See here? Edward made Grace's line pink. It matches yours in genome and blood type. You're the yellow; Edward said it was sunny like you are." He kissed his wife's forehead, desperate to comfort her. He indicated Alice's line, showing her where Alice's blue line intersected with hers and Grace's at the ¼ gene spot.

"And it appears that Alice's relatives and yours have met at one point in time. See here? You share ¼ of her genes, too. And the three of you have the same blood type, AB negative. Of course, you three would have the most rare blood type in the world." He kisses her neck then, and she relaxes slightly. He holds her tighter, and she sinks further into him. He knew this would shake her, but to him, it made more sense now-Grace was fated to come into their lives, for a reason. Perhaps she could be the bond that Esme needed; the child they could love as their own. Or perhaps she was sent here by some bipolar guardian angel who had a sick sense of humor. Either way, it was sort of cool when you were clear headed enough to think about it. He sighs then, and Esme sits up a little straighter.

"So what happens now, Carlisle?" Carlisle shrugs.

"Well, there's a few things that can happen now. One, we tell the children, and Grace, as well, and we decide who is going to be responsible for her. I know you want another child, Esme, and apparently Grace has your blood in her. Maybe she'll be the one we need to solidify this whole family. But she will be the last teenager to join this family, OK? I know your mothering instincts are still active, but there has to be an end, Esme. Now, the other option is that we say nothing and see where the chips fall. The third option is to do nothing, I'll swear Alistair to silence, and we just proceed as originally planned. I'm leaving this one up to you." Esme nods, and settles against Carlisle, burying herself deep into his chest. She is quiet for a moment, but then speaks.

"Let's talk to Alice and Jasper; I want her, Carlisle, but I would not stand in the way of Alice and what she wants. I know Alice sees Grace as sort of her child, too, and though she is not vocal like Rose, she longs for a child that she and Jasper can love together. That I know for a fact, because I have seen how she is with Nessie." Carlisle nods once, understanding his wife's position. He hadn't considered that Alice's feelings were motherly; he had only figured out that Alice had a connection to the girl. He sighed, this could be a bloody mess. He stands, though, as Esme does, and follows her down the hallway to Grace's room, where they find Alice and Jasper snuggled together in an armchair, and Alistair at the foot of Grace's bed, deep in laughing conversation with the child. He was immediately struck that Alistair was, one, that close to Grace, and two, actually laughing. Grace stops her jokes as she spots Esme and Carlisle, and Alistair looks up, guilt and surprise on his face. Carlisle looks at him, trying to understand his friend's emotions, but Alistair excuses himself to hunt, and flies out of the room. A moment later, they hear the front door close, and Esme sighs audibly.

"That was strange. I want to talk to the four of you right now, if that's OK. Something has come up. Alice, first though, I want you to talk to Grace, OK?" Alice wets her lips, and, looking to Jasper, nods and turns her head to Grace.

"I'm just going to say this, because I was a little unprepared to do this so soon. Grace, I want to turn you into a vampire, if you'd like, and it'll heal you, and you'd live with us here for all of eternity. I was hoping we could have more time, but you're sicker than I realized, and I know this is a hard decision, and whatever you decide is fine, but I can offer you that. Becoming one of us will be hard and strange at first, but you'll be fantastic, and I and Jasper will be here with you the whole time, OK?" Grace has bit her lip now, so hard it is turning white, and Alice is worried that she will draw blood. But to her surprise, Grace lets up on her lip, and stands. Silently, she walks to Alice, and the others tense slightly until Grace embraces Alice, and starts to cry lightly. The four vampires look to each other, and shrug. A moment later, Grace turns around, and wipes her eyes.

"Sorry, I was just, um, that was weird. I don't know what that was. Can I talk to Alice alone, please, just for a tiny minute?" The three others nod, and file out of the room. Grace pulls Alice to the bed with her, and tucks the vampire in with her, and Alice wraps her arms around the girl and they face each other.

"I'm scared, Alice. What if I can't handle it? What if I am a crummy vampire, and I get a craving for carrots and I try to eat them and die? What about school? Can I still go to school? I've never kissed a boy; I want to do that. I know it's silly, but I do." She stopped speaking, and smiles lightly, but continues.

"I love you, Alice, I think. You've been like a wonderful mother figure to me, and I hope that I haven't been too big of a pain in the ass around here." Alice's eyes filled with emotion and her voice was unsteady as she answered.

"Grace, you'd be wonderful as a vampire. If you ate carrots, you'd just get sick, not die, but I would imagine you wouldn't get cravings for carrots. Look, I don't know how this will work out, OK? It could go several ways. There are vampires who live in covens, like us, there are nomadic vampires; remember I told you about Jasper's friends?, and then there are vampires who live in groups, but are not close-knit like covens are. You can also be a good vampire or an evil one. If you were to choose a different life, that would be OK. I would hope that you didn't, but if you wanted to move to Australia and be a nomad who only ate kangaroo's, I could support that. I love you, too, Grace, and I think you could be a good vampire. Just think about it. You don't have to give me an answer right away." Grace nods, but looks thoughtful.

"How would it work? Would you and Jasper be more like parents, or more like siblings? Because I don't really need parents, but it's nice to have someone looking out for me. And I could never have a child, could I? I would be fifteen, forever, right? And if I found a really super- boss vampire boy, I could, like, marry him, right?" Alice laughs, and nods.

"So many questions." She tickles the girl, and Grace squeals, but sits up. She hollers for the other three.

"Jasper? Esme? Carlisle? You can come in now." The three vampires enter silently, and Esme smiles at the two girls sitting in the bed. Grace inhales deeply, and smiles.

"I want Alice to make me a vampire. But I have a lot of questions, too. Can we do it right now?" Alice laughs, and Jasper smiles, but Carlisle shakes his head.

"Unfortunately, no. Esme did want to chat with you all; it's fairly important, and could impact your decision. Besides, I think it's best if we set a date. You could be a sixteen-year-old vampire then." Grace nods.

"But being fifteen is so cool. And, like, I could get Jasper to take me places, and I could sit in the back seat of the car like he was a chauffer, and we could…" she stops speaking then, but opens her mouth.

"Ok, I'm sorry. Please, Esme, talk to us. I promise I'll be quiet." She immediately turned serious, and leaned back against the headboard. Esme sinks into the chair that Alice and Jasper had occupied just a few minutes before, and considers how she will explain what her husband had discovered. She decided to do as Alice had done, and just lay it all out.

"This news impacts both of you, actually. The computer program that Carlisle and Edward wrote can track all of our genes, blood types, and medical history, just in case we ever need that information, though I can't think why. Anyway, Carlisle found something interesting. Apparently, the three of us girls share some of the same genes," she pauses as Alice gasps lightly, and Grace's face registers slight confusion. She continues, as Alice rises and crosses to Jasper, who picks her up and hugs her tight.

"Actually, it appears that Grace and I are more closely related than you and I, Alice, although that appears to be the reason we get along so well." Alice is looking dumbfounded at Carlisle, who just shrugged lightly and nodded at her. Alice speaks in a low voice. No one noticed that Grace had paled, and was staring at the ceiling, although Jasper could sense her unease.

"Esme, are you telling me that you, Grace, and me are related somehow? And how closely are you and Grace related?" Esme bites her lip, and looks to Carlisle, who indicates that she should continue. She does.

"Yes, Alice, that is precisely what I am saying. I don't really understand the science of it, but practically speaking, we're cousins, sort of, on the female side. Grace would be my great-niece." From the bed, Grace muttered under her breath, but the others could hear her.

"Holy Mother of Jesus."

The others turn as she stands and crosses to the closest and rifles through a shoe box she pulls out and dumps on the floor. A moment later, she walks to Esme, and hands her two items-a photo and a handwritten letter.

"These were in my mother's things when they found her. I got them; I kept them at the hospital, these things were the only things I had left of my mother's family. I want you to have them. They'll answer your questions. You're my Great Nana Eliza's sister. I remember your name now, in the old white bible she had. I saw it once; I was going through my grandfather's attic one summer and it was there. I didn't know what it was, really-an accounting of the family members. I thought it was just old, dead people. Sorry." Esme looked at the photo; it was her sister and her, taken one summer when she was 10 and her sister was twelve, at a park. They were with cousins, and the picture was in front of an ice cream stand. It was worn and slightly yellowed, but in that moment, Esme could remember it like it was yesterday.

"Oh, my God." Esme hands the picture to Carlisle, who looks at it and smiles. She looked almost exactly like Grace, except with lighter hair. The silence in the room was deafening, and the tension was palpable. Grace shrugged lightly, and turned to Alice, who was looking both shocked and confused.

"Alice, I still want this. And it's OK if you were to be like my mom OR my sister." Alice nods, still silent, and Carlisle clears his throat. They all look to him, and he speaks, his voice full of the confidence and authority that comes with age.

"Alice, Esme has expressed to me that if you wish to continue to be responsible for Grace, she is OK with that. I urge you to think this through carefully." Alice nods, but Grace puts up her hands.

"I have an idea. What if we do this? How about I get to be a vampire, and as I am learning how to do that, we see how the cookie crumbles, as they say. We can just tell people that you are my aunt and uncle or something, but at home, Alice and Jasper will be responsible for me. If that doesn't work out, we'll do something else. Who knows? Once I start high school, I could be a rebel with pink hair and stuff and NONE of you would want to claim me. I've been told that I am a handful." Esme laughs, calmed by the child's logic, and the vibes from Jasper. Alice, who also has responded to her mate's vibes, nods vigorously.

"I could handle that. We'll just see how things go." Carlisle looks from Alice to Esme; both women seemed in agreement, and he breathed a sigh of relief. He spoke again.

"Ok, now that that's settled, since Esme and Alice are both good genetic matches, one of you will do the actual changing. Grace, I want you to understand that it is not pretty and quite painful, OK? Someone will literally bite you, and inject just enough venom to poison you, initiating the change, but not enough to kill you, OK? Normally, I'd do it, but I'm concerned that your body would fight the venom too much, and you'd die from heart failure before the venom could kick in, since we are not genetically matched nor do we have a blood-type match. Edward would be the only one of the boys, as he has a similar male gene pool, but he would be more like the pinch hitter. Do you understand?" Grace nods.

"I think so." Alice looks questioningly at both Esme and Carlisle. Esme looks at her husband, fear and uncertainty in her eyes. He rubs her back, assuring both of them that he'd be on hand to help.

"I'll be here; I can tell you when it's time. You're both very capable; I wouldn't have suggested it if I didn't think you could handle it." Grace bit her lip; she seemed to know that in this case, her wishes didn't count. Alice spoke up.

"I'll do it. I got us in this mess, I might as well clean it up. But I would want you there, Esme, if you can be, for support. I don't want to do it alone. You could be there when her heart stops, too, if you want." Esme nods.

"That would be fine. Thank you, Alice." It was silent and tense again, until Grace spoke up.

"Um. Ok, when can we do this? And how do we do it? I mean, like, is there special preparations? Should I like, take blood thinners or something? I mean, I guess that I understand that how I am now will be how I am for all eternity; that I'll never grow or age or anything, but like, if I cut my hair, will it grow back, or will that be forever, too? What are the rules?" Carlisle sighs; Grace's insistence was a good distraction from the problem at hand.

"I'll let Alice and Jasper explain that to you. I would prefer that we set a date; Alice mentioned that your birthday is coming up; maybe then is a good time. Or after the holidays; I think you'll make it that far." Grace nods, seriously, and returns to the bed, sitting down and looking thoughtfully at Alice.

"Ok. Can you all excuse me, please? I need to use the restroom, and Alice, I need a new IV bag." Alice nods, and the family disperses as Grace heads for the bathroom and Alice locates the IV bags that Carlisle had procured from the hospital and placed in a plastic bin near the bed. After Alice helped Grace with her IV, the girl plugged in her CD player and dug out a dog-eared copy of "The Return of the Native," which struck Alice as odd, and, as Grace settled herself to read in her room, with quiet music playing from her CD player, Alice excused herself to her room to finish homework.

A few hours later, Alice had finished her Spanish translations and her essay on Shakespeare, and had gone downstairs to see what everyone was up to. She had glanced in at Grace, who'd fallen asleep, and felt confident that things were OK. She and Esme were on speaking terms again, as the older woman had spoken to Carlisle, and they'd agreed that Grace was mature enough to decide what she'd wanted. Now, Alice was sitting in the den with Edward, Bella, Jasper and Nessie, watching TV, playing with Nessie, and talking. Carlisle was upstairs with Alistair, discussing Grace and the odd things about her medical history, and Jasper had assured Alice that the older vampire's feelings toward the mortal child were waning a bit, and now it was merely astonishment and affection. Now, they heard Grace's bedroom door open, and her rushing for the bathroom again, and a moment later, Alice was at her side as she brought up more blood from her lungs, and collapsed, exhausted, against the cool tiled floor.

"Sorry, Alice. I did the bleach again, though. Does that help? It was the smelliest thing I could find." Alice nods as Carlisle, Esme and Alistair rush in.

"It's brilliant. How did you know to do that?" Grace shrugs, but sits up and tells Carlisle that she vomited blood again. It was Alistair that spoke, though mostly to Carlisle

"Bollocks. Ok, mate, I change my original claim. I think you were spot on with three months. Have you a recent x-ray?" Carlisle nods.

"Yeah, but let's do another right now. Grace, it seems your lungs are filling more. Can we take another x-ray?" Grace nods, and stands.

"Can I brush my teeth first?" Carlisle nods, and turns to Esme.

"She should eat, too. I think it's best if we keep her diet as plain as possible. I'll show you and Alice the BRAT diet later; basically, it's bananas, rice, applesauce and dry toast. It's bland enough to not upset the stomach but balanced enough to be healthy." Esme and Alice nod as Grace finishes up with her toothbrush. They file down the stairs, and into the garage, which Carlisle had converted into a mini-clinic, and Grace settles herself next to the x-ray machine and allows Alice to place the apron over her. The test is finished quickly, and as Carlisle and Alistair process it, the women take Grace upstairs to eat. After she eats, she excuses herself to nap, and Alice packs her backpack and picks out her school clothes for the next day, and starts to paint her nails when a knock at the door interrupts her. When she answers it, she is surprised to see Edward standing there.

"You should sit in Grace's room; she's thinking about running away." Alice raises her eyebrows.

"What?"

"Yeah; she thinks she can climb out of the window in the bathroom, and that nobody will notice. She's just worried about you and Esme, and all the recent developments." Alice nods, but hurries down the hall to the bedroom and enters, in time to see Grace standing at the closet, tossing things into a duffel. Alice clears her throat, and Grace whirls around, looking guilty.

"Hi, Alice." Alice indicates the duffel bag, and Grace looks at the floor.

"I was going to run away, Alice. I am a burden, I can tell, and I never wanted that. I just want it to be OK, so I will go, and no one will have to worry anymore." Alice shakes her head.

"You're not, Grace. You mustn't think that. You have to stay; if you go, I would notice. I'd miss you. Besides, you're really very sick. Think about the work that Carlisle has done." Grace nods, and kicks the duffel bag into the closet.

"I just… I don't know, Alice. You and Esme are tense with each other, and that upsets me, because I just want everyone to be happy. I'm sorry." Alice nods, and hugs her.

"It's OK. Just don't even think that anymore. Edward can read your thoughts, you know." The girls sit on the bed as Grace sighs.

"I wish there was a way to block him. Sometimes I think things that I don't want people to know." Alice nods.

"Yes. But trust me, he's heard it all before." Grace looks thoughtfully at Alice.

"Ok. I guess I'll stay." Alice smiles.

"Let's go downstairs; you can eat some dinner and we can watch a movie."

"It's a school night, Alice." Alice grimaces at her, and she laughs and follows Alice down the stairs, pausing halfway to catch her breath. Alice sits with her for a few minutes, concerned, because this is the first time that Grace has had to stop on the stairs. Esme allowed Grace to eat in the living room so the girls could watch their movie, since Esme was concerned about Grace staying up too late. Halfway through the movie, Carlisle interrupted and asked the girls to come downstairs. His expression freaks Alice out. When they arrive in the makeshift clinic and settle in some chairs, Carlisle, who had been standing in a corner near an X-ray reading screen, moves closer to the girls.

"Grace, Alice. It appears that Grace's lungs are filling up with blood quickly. Faster than both Alistair and I realized. I think that whatever you ladies decide as far as your changing, Grace, it should happen sooner rather than later. Also, I am taking a sabbatical from the hospital; I'd rather be here as your heart starts to shut down. I don't know why it's happening so fast, but the facts are that it is. So, Alice, feel free to remain at school for as long as is necessary; I do not want this affecting your studies. Do you two have any questions?" Alice shakes her head, but Grace nods.

"Carlisle, um, how are my vitals and stuff? It's just weird, because I am not having much pain lately, and I had a lot more when I was in the hospital."

"I think you have a respiratory infection, but otherwise, everything looks fine. I'll start you on antibiotics tonight; Alice, why don't you and Grace go to the pharmacy?" Grace nods, and turns to Alice.

"Let's go." Carlisle finishes scribbling on a prescription pad, and hands a slip of paper to Alice. The girls file out, and tell Esme, who is in the kitchen cleaning up, that Carlisle is sending them to the pharmacy. They head out, and on the way to the store, Grace turns the music up loud and they sing loudly until they get to the drugstore. They are more serious in the store; Grace seems to get that their public appearance is important to the Cullen's. As they wait in line, she asks Alice a question.

"Hey, Alice. Would it hurt your feelings if I asked Esme to start home schooling me? I don't want to be too far behind when I start school again next year; I have missed so much, though, she'll probably be better off teaching me the stuff that Nessie needs to learn." Alice thinks for a minute, and then nods once.

"I think that's a great idea. Let's talk to her tonight. I guess we won't get to finish the movie, sorry." Grace shrugs.

"That's Ok. Let's finish it tomorrow." They move to the counter, and Grace hands her insurance card to the cashier, and they are finished quickly. They return to the house, and hunt down Esme, who is delighted to start home schooling Grace, and then Grace excuses herself to bed. Alistair, who had been acting strange since he'd met the girl, was seen off to the airport with the promise from Alice that she'd call him if things went wrong.

A few days later, Esme and Carlisle are at the store with Grace and Nessie, procuring the girls some home school supplies when Grace, who had been following behind the family, suddenly gasps for air, causing both adults to turn around suddenly. It was Carlisle who to caught the girl before she fell to the floor. He speaks in low tones to Esme, who is watching, concerned.

"Esme, I'll take Grace to the car; finish up here. Don't worry; this is to be expected. You and Nessie should just continue shopping. If anyone asks, make something up; I'm sure you can think of something brilliant. We will see you in a little while, OK?" He has pulled the girl closer to him, protectively, and is alternatively speaking to his wife, and assessing Grace. It appears that the blood in her lungs has began to interrupt her air supply, and the activities of the day have led to her lungs and heart being overworked. Esme nods, and puts Nessie in the shopping cart.

"Ok, honey. We shouldn't be too long; but I do really need to grab a few grocery items." Carlisle, who is heading out the door with Grace, nods, as he can hear her from so far away. Esme is shaken, but does as her husband instructs, and goes about her shopping trip as though it is a normal day, and she is a normal mother out shopping with her husband and children. A security officer, who'd likely witnessed the scene on the closed-circuit TV, wandered over and asked if they were OK. Esme smiled her most dazzling smile and assured him that they were.

"Yes, our…daughter is ill today; we were here to pick up some medications at the pharmacy, and do a little shopping while we waited. I think it was just a little too much for her, so my husband took her to the car, where she can rest. Thank you for checking, though." The young man seemed satisfied with that answer, and spoke into a radio on his shoulder, and strode off. Esme and Nessie finished their shopping quickly, and return to the car, where Carlisle is sitting in the passenger's seat, his face buried in Grace's medical file, his handsome features screwed up in concern. Grace's pretty features were screwed up in a grimace of pain and they spoke to each other in low whispers.

"Carlisle, I'm OK. The pain is not so bad. It's really fine. You shouldn't have worried the girls." He sighs.

"Grace, I'm just concerned because now you will be short of breath for however long it takes for this thing to run it's course. Which means that this will be a repeating episode."

He smiles up at his wife, and stands to help her load the car and put Nessie into her seat. He tells her what the new developments are.

"Es, it's getting a little worse. The blood and mucous in her lungs are limiting her air supply. She simply can't breathe adequately. I think we should move her into the den; I don't think that walking up and down the stairs at home is a good idea."

He lifts his granddaughter, who had fallen asleep, into her booster seat and strapped her in, stroking her dark curls and smiling at her. Grace had settled herself into the seat next to the toddler, and leaned her head against the window. She still had her grimace, but her gasping for air had subsided. They let themselves into the car as Carlisle started the engine. He and Esme talked the whole drive home. It is decided that they will tell Alice and Jasper tonight, and that things will have to happen a little more quickly than they originally planned. Esme told him about her conversation with the security guard, and he nodded.

"See, Es? You did fantastically. Grace thinks that I worried you in the store; I didn't have the heart to tell her that she worried you." Esme smiles.

"Well, Nessie told him that Grace was cool, so I think that sealed it." Carlisle chuckled lightly as he pulled the car into the garage, and left the two now-sleeping children in the back seat while the two adults unloaded the shopping bags. Esme picked up Nessie, and carried her into the house, while Carlisle helped Grace inside, who'd woken up when Esme had opened the door to get Nessie. He took the sleeping toddler from Esme and settled her on the loveseat in the den while Esme helped Grace to the bathroom and then settled her on the couch next to the loveseat. When the two girls were settled, and Carlisle had given Grace some morphine for the pain, the two adults excused themselves upstairs. With their vampire senses, they'd know immediately if there was trouble, so Esme, who was hesitant to leave either child, was OK with leaving the girls alone for just a few minutes.

When they arrived upstairs, leaving the bedroom door open to better listen for the children, Esme sank into an armchair near their bed.

"Honey, the prospects of this are really bleak. Alice is indecisive, Grace is in pain, which means that Jasper is in pain, and I am trying to be as much of a help as I can without taking over. The scene in the store today was tough, though. Was this the end of our outings?" Carlisle brushed a stray piece of hair from his wife's face, and nodded solemnly.

"Yes. I don't think anything but sitting outside is a good idea; too much activity could cause a heart attack or aneurysm. I am concerned about oxygen flow to her brain; I want to pull some more blood and see if I can x-ray her chest and head tonight." Esme nods, but he continues.

"Esme, look. I don't think that Alice is indecisive, I think she just wants this to happen in a perfect way, and that's not going to happen. Jasper is very strong; he has spoken to me about the intensity of Grace's pain; it fluctuates daily, and he is very attentive to that; Grace hides a lot of it, but he tells me when it's really bad. I still don't understand why Grace and Emmett barely look at each other, but I guess it's awkward for both of them. Perhaps you can talk to him; you are good at getting through to the kids. I just wish to make the transition easier for everyone. As for your taking over, I think that you're taking this all in stride, and I am convinced that Grace cares about you and likely considers YOU in a mothering role. Just don't tell Alice that." Esme nods thoughtfully.

"How long, Carlisle, do you think?"

"As soon as possible is ideal. I think the longer we wait, the more we flirt with death. It's a really unappealing prospect either way, but I guess having another vampire child is better than a dead one." He looks wearily at his wife, and she looks back at him, seriously.

"What do you mean, Carlisle?" He sighs.

"Esme, I don't like the idea of changing people. I mean, I know that that's why you and I and the children are all here, but I don't know how much you guys realize that every time I make a choice to save someone, it means two things. One, that someone else will die, and two, that I am still, inherently, bad. It's just hard to reconcile sometimes." Esme reaches out and touches her husband's face; this was the first time in their 100-odd years that he'd been this open about the demons she knew he fought daily. She sat quietly, and when a few seconds passed, and he didn't continue, she whispered to him.

"Carlisle, I didn't realize that you felt those things so deeply. I knew that you had troubles reconciling your job and passion with this life, but I didn't realize the extent of it. For that, I am sorry. How can I help?" He smiles at her.

"You do, already. Every morning, when we come downstairs to start our day, and you smile at me, it's a little bit of assurance. When I come home at night, and you kiss me hello, no matter how busy you are, it helps. So promise me you'll keep doing that." She rises, and settles herself in his lap.

"Of course." He kisses her softly, but the sound of Bella and Edward arriving home alerts them to Nessie's sudden wailing, and they both laugh and stand up. Carlisle mutters under his breath about Dad not getting lucky today, and Esme swats him on the arm as they troop downstairs. Bella is holding Nessie, trying to soothe and quiet her, and Grace has awoken and is sitting propped up on the couch, talking to Edward, apparently about their shopping trip. Nessie calms down quickly, and Esme explains briefly to Edward and Bella about the recent developments with Grace, and they all agree that a family meeting is the best way to decide things, unless Alice is adamantly against it. Bella takes Nessie outside to play, and Edward and Esme excuse themselves while Carlisle sits quietly in the living room to speak to Grace. He faces the girl, who is looking at him with an unreadable expression, and begins.

"I don't think that outings are a good idea anymore. I am recommending bed rest for however long it takes for you and Alice to decide what you're going to do. I don't want you doing anything strenuous; the slightest amount of cardiovascular activity could cause a heart attack or stroke, and then this whole thing might be pointless, OK? If you decide you need some fresh air, you can always sit outside; Esme has a patio area where it is nice to sit and read. Also, we are moving you down here into the den; you climbing those stairs worries me. Tonight, I need some blood and more x-rays, OK? But mostly, you need to rest, be still. Sleep as much as you can, and keep the excitement level low. Esme wants to start your lessons this evening, I believe she will start off with English. How does that sound?" Grace's expression had turned stony; he was afraid that he was scaring her, but then she went to stormy and then to peaceful calm, and nodded.

"I was always good at English. Thank you, Carlisle. I understand what you have just told me. I just hope I don't drive Esme too crazy being inside all day." He chuckles lightly.

"Esme is tougher than she looks. She can tolerate more than you'd think." Grace nods.

"Well, then, I guess we don't have to worry. You know what, though? You've stopped asking me what I am planning to do with myself each evening. You people think I am upstairs sleeping, but I am really leading a bawdy double life."

Carlisle smiles, and Esme comes in. He gestures for her as he speaks to the child .

"Oh, really? Well, do tell all, please."

"Well, like last night, I jumped out the window, and spent the night field dressing cats, tipping over porta-potties, and stealing fruit from the Mexican market on the corner, you know the one that sells the plantains for $0.25 a bunch? Sometimes I like to burn things, and last week, I took a magnifying glass and lit an ant on fire." Esme laughs.

"Grace, I understand that you're being funny, but it's not OK to joke about things like that."

"Fine." She tossed her head lightly, and Esme raised her eyebrows at Carlisle.

"Grace, Alice and the others will be home soon. I need to do some work for a bit, but we'll get the den set up for you by tonight. Do you need anything before I head upstairs?" Grace shook her head.

"No, thank you. I'm fine. I think I may nap some more. Please, excuse me." The two vampires nod, and stand to leave as Grace arranges herself in a comfortable sleeping position on the couch.

End of Chapter 1