I Do Not Own Much, Please Do Not Sue!
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For the past ten years, the vampire Edward Cullen has been the imprint of the alpha shapeshifter of the La Push pack, Jacob Black. And in that time he has borne him three children; the eldest a girl, Sarah Carla Black who takes after her vampire father and twin boys, Zack Cole Black and Zeke Cale Black both of whom take after their werewolf father. The time to dispel the imprint has come, as have the forces of darkness. But it seems the supernatural beings of Forks and La Push are fully prepared for anything that comes their way. It is my sincere hope that each and every one of them makes it through this ordeal.
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Carlisle stood beside his son Edward in front of the house he and his family helped build to house Edward's 'family'. His wife and their other children were stationed at intervals around the house, each of them on guard against the forces of darkness. And in the surrounding trees, half of the wolf pack patrolled while the other half rested inside the house. The alpha shifter himself was inside as well, within the sanctuary of his own bedroom, watching as his children slept. It had been decided after much discussion, in other words a very loud and violent argument between Edward and Jacob, that he should stay with them instead of Edward. The vampire had no need for sleep whereas the long day would tire Jacob out. Today was Sarah's tenth birthday and as much as they had wanted to celebrate, none of them could forget the warning they had received days before. It was the exact same message as the one they had received after the battle on the day of her birth.
We bide our time, growing stronger but when the first born reaches Its first decade of life, we will be there to destroy It and any others like It once and for all!
Carlisle couldn't help but be apprehensive about the outcome of the upcoming battle, he just hoped that his new family would make it through this unscathed. He remembered a time when his family consisted of seven vampires; he had thought it complete then, even though Edward was without a mate. But then he had met Isabella Swan, his blood singer turned mate and together they had had a daughter, Renesmee Carlie Cullen. His family was more complete than he could ever hope for, especially seeing as how one of the shapeshifters had imprinted on his granddaughter. And he wasn't just any wolf, he was an alpha of his own pack. It had always been a dream of his to 'bury the hatchet' with the Quileute people and he believed that the bond between Nessie and Jake would help with that. But then those . . . people came and destroyed her! And then killed Bella as well! They had all been worried about Edward's reaction to the news but were all surprised when he asked about Jacob. And then came the shocking news about Edward being imprinted onto Jacob and everything else that came with that information. Carlisle smiled despite the situation, he was now the grandfather of four; a human, a mostly-vampire shapeshifter hybrid and two mostly-shapeshifter vampire hybrids. This whole situation had brought the vampires and shapeshifters closer together, so much so that they were all one big happy family now. What really worried Carlisle was the fact that after tonight his family would never be the same again. And that had nothing to do with the advancing enemy! No, it was all due to the fact that the imprint would be non-existent come morning. Jacob and Edward would no longer be bonded; he only hoped they would come to a suitable agreement about the children and their futures. As the patriarch of his coven, he would stand by his son's decision even if it turned out to be the incorrect one.
"Carlisle, I hear them! They're coming from all around us! There's hundreds of them!" Edward's voice brought him back to their current predicament. "I will alert the others! Let the wolves inside know." And with that he was off to warn the vampires and patrolling shapeshifters of the impending arrival of the enemy. When he reached Esme, he could see how worried she was and knew it wasn't just about the upcoming battle. Taking her in his arms, he held her tight. "I'm sure everything will work out for the best love. We have to have faith and trust that they do what is best for everyone." She hugged him back but did not speak; with a kiss to her cheek he left. Seth and Leah had taken it upon themselves to fight alongside his wife and he knew they would do everything within their power to protect her from harm. Returning to the front of the house; he joined Edward, Quil and Embry to await the foolish humans and their strange powers.
"I'm surprised Jacob is not here." Carlisle commented nonchalantly, knowing his son's answer already. "He was asleep, I didn't see the need to wake him." Sighing, "Edward, you should have woken him. He needs to know about th-" "They are nota threat Carlisle! It is unnecessary to wake him!" Before Carlisle could argue further, the first wave of humans became visible through the trees at the edge of the clearing. Embry and Quil phased immediately and advanced on the enemy, he was about to move to follow them when Edward's hand grabbed his sleeve. "They've asked that we stay here, in case any of the humans make it pass them." "Very well then." Carlisle acquiesced to the wolves' request.
The battle lasted longer than they had thought it would but in the end, the remaining humans fled when it was obvious that they stood no chance of winning. The vampires were as spotless as they were at the start of the previous day; perhaps not asspotless, for their clothes were ripped and bloody. Carlisle was both impressed and proud of the restraint Jasper had shown when surrounded by so much bloodshed. Jasper told him later that there was no way he could possibly drink the blood of humans whose only goal had been the deaths of his nieces and nephews. The werewolves on the other hand had all survived the night but their bodies had not been so lucky. Most were sporting several broken bones but young Seth had lost an eye protecting Esme from one of the berserkers. And Quil had lost most of his left arm pushing Edward out of the way of an energy blast not unlike the one that had killed Nessie.
Near the end of the battle, after the gifted humans had made an appearance, Jacob had come bursting out of one of the upstairs windows. It was just after Quil had saved Edward; the alpha wolf had gone on a rampage and had only stopped his assault when every single one of the 'magic' users were either dead or dying. He had been furious with Edward for not waking him and looked as if he would tear him apart when Alice approached. "Vampire Edward Cullen. Shapeshifter Jacob Black. Congratulations for making it to the end of the prescribed time limit on your imprint. You are now both free to do with your lives as you choose. I will be watching." Jasper was there to catch her as she collapsed once the possession came to an end. The moment of truth had arrived and every single one of us was curious to see what would happen next.
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It was late in the morning when Jacob and Edward finally got a chance to be alone. Edward was leaning against the back door frame, watching the children play outside, when Jacob walked into the kitchen. The house was quiet; the Cullens having gone hunting while the wolves recuperated. Even though he felt kinda empty inside, it was still hard to believe the imprint was gone. How quickly time flies! He turned to watch Jacob wash out his coffee mug, unsure of where to begin what was definitely going to be an awkward conversation. "So what happens now?", the wolf asked quietly. It still amazed him how much the shapeshifter had grown without changing physically. "I think we need some time apart. I have already spoken to Carlisle and the others; we decided to travel. I'm not sure how long we will be gone." Jacob was staring out the window, "You should ask the children to join you." "What?! But -" He turned to look at me then, he looked drained of all energy. "They're our children, they should be given a chance to decide who they want to be with, Eva too. She's a smart girl, she knows she can't go with you but it would be insulting not to ask her." That actually made sense, he certainly has matured over the past ten years whereas I don't feel any different from fifty years ago. "If that is what you wish, I will ask them." He just nodded as he turned back to the window. We were both silent for a while, lost in thought. "Dad says I can move back in with him and Charlie while I look for a house. I'll try to be moved out before you l-" "Jacob, that's not necessary! When we registered this house, we put it in your name." He looked at me with a furrowed brow, "So this house . . . is mine?" When I nodded he smiled but something was wrong because it didn't reach his eyes. Before I could ask he was headed out to join the children.
Four days later found Jacob and Edward standing side by side watching the vampires say goodbye to their extended family. "Jacob are you sure about -" "Yes of course, just . . . be careful." Jacob had been looking forward to this day; he needed the time away from the bloodsucker to deal with the loss of his imprint. "When we get back, the two of us will need to discuss what the next step is, for the children's sake." "Of course." Jacob turned and offered his hand; when Edward took it and they shook, he had to fight down the nauseous feeling in his stomach. Stepping away as the vampire went to bid his children farewell, he sat down on the porch. "Daddy?" Smiling he looked up in time to see Sarah throw herself into his arms, holding onto him tightly. He ran his fingers through her bronze hair, "Yes princess?" "I don't have to go with Father, I could stay here with you if you want." She had her face hidden in his neck and he could feel the wetness leak from her eyes. "As much as I would love it if you stayed honey, you know you can't do that. You promised your brothers and Eva that you would take care of your Father, you cannot break that promise now. As long as you promise to come back to me, I will be okay." Sniffling his daughter pulled away from him to look in his eyes, "I promise Daddy, Father and I will come back to you." Edward chose that moment to call her, "Sarah it is time to go!" Giving her one last squeeze and a kiss to her forehead, he let go and she ran to get into the Volvo. Zack and Zeke came to sit on either side of him while Eva leaned against his back. All three of them were holding onto him tightly as they waved goodbye to the Cullens and their sister.
He waited until the early hours of the next morning, when he sure he was the only one awake, to let out everything he had bottled up inside. He lay curled up on Sarah's bed, crying softly into her pillow. Before when he had lost Nessie, he hadn't been given a chance to feel the loss. But now, he had a hole somewhere deep within him and hoped that his children could fill it.
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Author's Note:
For now The Tilt is complete! YAY :D Although I might add more, depending if I'm inspired or not.
I am going away on holiday with my brother and his family for a week and am hoping to write Keeping the Balance during that time. I'm only going to post it once I have completed the whole thing; if everything goes according to plan it will be 10 chapters long. And after that I'm going to write Equilibrium, which will be the end of this wonderful tale.
I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has reviewed my stories thus far: Harlequin Jade, DMHPsasunaru, Utena-Puchiko-nyu, krazykittymattand SugarSpiceNeverythingNice. With extra special thank yous going out to mia-dcwut-09 and Rhondeez! :) You guys make writing fanfics worth it! Also thank you to everyone who has favourited or alerted either me or my stories, it makes me all warm inside!
See ya,
The Lady Herself HEAVENLY_SHADES