AN: Happy Holidays! It has been a busy, but entertaining holiday season for me and I hope you and yours have enjoyed the end of the year as well. With 2014 coming to an end, I figured a good way to end would be with another story. Thank you for the patience, support, and love from all those that have messaged me about when the next story would come out. I am in grad school and was swamped with work, so I had to wait until I had some downtime before I could really dive into another story. Hopefully it was worth the wait! So as usual, read, enjoy, and let me know what you think!

~Rachelle

Chapter 1

Grayish blue light peered into Zach's room as dawn brought more clouds and cold weather to complement the light dust of powdery snow already covering the region. It was late December and frigid outside. Zach gently tucked the heating blanket around Allie before quietly rolling out of bed and heading downstairs with a serene smile. The two had been inseparable ever since the night of the meeting between the family and the pack. Allie spent most of her time at the Cullen House and while her father was not keen on the idea of her spending the night, for over a month, she spent the majority of her nights in Zach's arms. Zach chuckled at his grandmother's exuberance as she hummed a tune while cooking bacon on the stove.

"Morning, grandma, mind if I help," he asked after kissing her cheek in greeting.

"Sure, it is so sweet that you make her breakfast. You know that I don't mind cooking for her though. It is nice having her here."

"I know and she loves your cooking. It is just nice being able do stuff for her. It isn't like I can take her out for a hunt with me, so this is the closest thing I get." Esme giggled and handed him a carton of eggs.

"Yes, I doubt she would appreciate the blood of grizzly as much as you do. At least not yet," teased Esme.

"Not yet," he questioned. Esme cupped his cheek adoringly as she wore a knowing smile.

"It is inevitable for her to become a vampire, so she can be with you forever. She is your mate and I know her mortality weighs heavy on your heart, as it should. Humans are fragile and any mate would be concerned. Your Uncle Edward obsessed over Bella's safety when she was human."

"I am trying not to worry, but it is terrifying to think about what could happen to her. She is going to help out at Ben's store again today and all I keep thinking is that there is too much snow on the roads and she could get hurt. Humans have accidents all the time and even if she is careful, that doesn't mean the humans around her will be."

"Your mother already worked on her car to make it more efficient," assured Esme, but Zach scoffed.

"Yea and that thing is still a piece of junk. I don't even want to think about it. She will be waking up soon and I want to be there when she does. Do we have any orange juice?"

"I stocked up the fridge yesterday since the pack is coming over again. There should be plenty. I have never had to do so much grocery shopping."

"Josh and I can go shopping in town whenever you need us to, so you don't have to get the food delivered to Leah and Jake's."

"They don't seem to mind and neither do I. If I weren't so worried about being recognized in town, I would go myself."

"They are my friends, so I should do the shopping. You shouldn't have to worry about it. I will go next time." She kissed his cheek.

"You are the sweetest grandson I could ask for," she boasted and he smiled proudly as she began whipping the eggs for him.

"Thanks, grandma, I can take over on the omelet. You know Seth will have his feelings hurt if you neglect to make him pancakes. He is such a baby." Esme ruffled his hair before turning her attention back to making breakfast.

Allie woke up to the smell of bacon in the air and the sound of her stomach grumbling. Zach's chuckle made her smile as she rolled over in bed to see him sitting beside her with a tray of food. She sighed happily and sat up as he placed it over her lap.

"Morning, my love," he whispered as he nuzzled her neck and she giggled.

"You are too good to me. What time is it?"

"Just past seven, you know for a human, you really are on a strict sleeping schedule. You always wake up around this time."

"All my advanced biology courses were first thing in the morning at Stanford. I guess when I got back here, the schedule just stuck."

"Do you miss school?"

"I haven't really had time to. A certain gorgeous vampire has kept me quite busy lately," she teased as she snuggled into his side and he wrapped his arm around her.

"Time usually goes by fast for vampires, but I must admit ever since I found you, the days just blur by even faster. I can't believe Christmas is a week away, are you excited?"

"My boyfriend is taking me to his private island for the holidays where I will get to meet his friends and spend time with the rest of his family, excited yes, but also extremely nervous."

"What is there to be nervous about? Everyone will love you just like my family already does. Even my mom has a soft spot for you and I never thought that would happen. The thought of me having a mate terrified her," he chuckled.

"I love your family and they have been great. It is just kind of intimidating knowing I will be the only human there."

"Jake, Leah, Josh, and….."

"They are wolves. They don't count."

"Renesmee, Nahuel, and Kaya are half humans," he tried and she giggled.

"Fine, then it will be me and one and a half humans. I feel so much better," she quipped.

"Hey, more than that, Nahuel and Kaya's siblings are coming, so that adds another one and a half, plus Charlie and Sue will be there."

"It doesn't count if you are immortal."

"It totally counts. They are still humans."

"Not when you add in such an awesome supernatural element as the Fountain of Youth."

"Okay fine, you got me there. This family is mainly supernatural, but you have to at least give me the three humans, four including you."

"Fine, I will count it, even though your half vampire, half human family members should not count, but only because I love you and cannot resist your dimples," she admitted. He slowly leaned in and she tenderly kissed him. He could hear her heart thundering in her chest and pulled away with a coy smile.

"Your heart is racing," he whispered and she winked at him.

"Kind of hard not to around you, but that is nothing new," she whispered back. Zach perked up as he heard the front door open downstairs.

"My parents just got back. I think my dad needs to talk with me."

"Go, I need to hurry up and eat and shower, so we can leave. I wouldn't want to make you late to school again."

"Oh yea because that is such a travesty," he teased.

"Get out of here, Cullen. You are slowing me up," she giggled and he rolled his eyes.

"Me, slow you up, really," he laughed.

"Always," she said with a sly grin before popping a piece of bacon in her mouth.

"I will be downstairs when you are ready," he informed and whistled happily as he headed downstairs to greet his parents. They were in the kitchen with his grandmother and his grandfather walked in the back door.

"Hey grandpa, how was work," he asked as Carlisle set his work bag down.

"A slow night, which makes me confident that the other doctors can handle things while I am gone," informed Carlisle. Rosalie kissed her son's cheek and he groaned.

"Aw man, I missed out on grizzly. I can smell it on you, mom. You promised you wouldn't go far enough to find any," whined Zach and Emmett chuckled at his son's annoyance.

"Hey, your mom made that promise, not me. Once the hunt begins, you never know where it will end, baby boy. You should have come with us," teased Emmett.

"I tried to keep him closer to town, but you know the grizzlies call to him," added Rosalie as she stroked her son's curly hair.

"Yea, yea," grumbled Zach.

"When are you going to hunt? I told you to go while Allie was asleep. You need to stay full," warned Rosalie and Zach smiled sheepishly as she scanned him over. His eyes were starting to lose their usual golden brown color.

"I know. It is just hard to leave her. I love being in bed with her," confessed Zach, but his eyes widened when his parents shared a look and his grandparents hid their smiles.

"Not like that…I mean we don't…you know what I…..ugh, this is embarrassing," groaned Zach and Rosalie nudged Emmett, who quickly stepped in.

"Baby boy, how about we go for a walk and catch up? Allie is in the shower, so we have some time. Come on," urged Emmett and Zach begrudgingly followed his father out into the backyard. They headed into the forest and Zach knew if he was human, he would be fidgeting.

"Dad, about what I said. We haven't…."

"Let me get this out before I lose my nerve and yes I know it is me and you are probably thinking, how can he lose his nerve, this is my dad, the cool, awesome, always confident, good ole' dad, but…."

"Dad, you are rambling," said Zach and Emmett scrubbed his face with his hands.

"I know. Sorry, this is just harder than I thought it would be."

"What is?" Emmett clasped his son's shoulders and looked him directly in the eyes to convey his seriousness.

"You have to take it slow with Allie. Look, I know she is your mate and you have urges. All mates have urges. It is natural. When I see your mother, I just….."

"Too much information, dad," shrieked Zach as he covered his ears and Emmett chuckled.

"Sorry, but just hear me out. You know I am always here for you if you need to talk about sex, mates, you name it, but it is going to be a bit different with Allie. She is a human and while so many great things happened because of your Uncle Edward and Aunt Bella, I don't want you going down their crazy, dramatic path. You know how Renesmee came to be and Nahuel's story as well, so you know what I am getting at, right?" Zach slowly nodded and looked down.

"Yea, I know dad. I can get Allie pregnant and if that happened, it could kill her if she wasn't turned right away. I know all of that, which is why we are taking it slow and when I say I love being in bed with her, I am being literal. I love to hold her and yes, we do stuff, but nothing that serious, I promise."

"Really?" Zach nodded and Emmett pumped his fist in delight.

"Thank God, because I was a bit worried too much of me rubbed off on you. When it came to me and your mother, there wasn't a lot of waiting if you know what I…."

"Dad," shrieked Zach and Emmett ruffled his hair.

"I'm teasing you, baby boy. Not about the sex part because I was totally ready as soon as I found my mate, but I am aware I am talking about your mom and as a mama's boy, you don't want to know any of that. I am relieved that you are taking such a mature approach about all of this. I teased Edward a lot about his restraint with Bella, but I always found it commendable because of the circumstances."

"Just so you know, Uncle Edward already talked to me about this too."

"He did, when?"

"When I realized Allie was my mate, he said that I could always come talk to him about it."

"He would know of all people. Don't take everything he says to heart though. He was so dramatic back then. Still is at times."

"Dad," chuckled Zach. Emmett clapped him on the back.

"You have a lot of people to go to for advice and I am happy about that. It makes me feel better, but I am still worried. Just because you and Allie aren't thinking about sex right now, it doesn't mean that you will be able to control your urges forever. You are still my son."

"So what should I do? We just found each other so of course we haven't talked that much about the future, but I know in the back of my head, we need to soon. It isn't just about sex either. I worry about her safety and the longer she is human, the more she is at risk for getting hurt. How am I supposed to deal with that?"

"Talk to her about it because even if she is a human, she is still your mate, and who knows, she might be thinking about it too. I am not saying the two of you have to figure out your lives today, but you will have to figure it out at some point. It is good to know that you aren't having sex yet. Just promise to give me a little warning before you decide to take that step. We will all need to be prepared."

"Prepared, how?"

"Oh you know, we'll throw you a party, send out announcements, the usual," teased Emmett and Zach let out a booming laugh.

"Thanks, that's very comforting, dad. I have to admit that I am surprised you were so nervous to talk to me about all of this. We have talked before."

"Right, in theory, but never about things that could be practiced. It is a bit different talking about sex now that you actually have a mate."

"I never expected her, but she is more than I could have wished for."

"Yep, just earlier this year, you were vowing to never want to be with a human. That changed quickly, didn't it," teased Emmett.

"Yea, but she isn't just a human. She is so much more than that," said Zach dreamily and Emmett rolled his eyes.

"Alright lover boy, let's get back to the house." The two of them could hear Josh's truck barreling down the road as they entered the house and Zach ran to the front door to greet his friend while Emmett joined his wife in the living room. Rosalie wrapped her husband in her arms and smiled adoringly at him.

"Thanks for talking with him. You are a great father," she whispered before kissing him. Emmett winked at her as they broke apart.

"You are a great mother and don't worry, we raised him right. They aren't doing anything yet. Now, I kept my end of the deal, I talked with him, now you keep yours," he said with a mischievous grin. She playfully slapped his shoulder and shook her head.

"Oh no you don't, not yet, Em, I plan on fulfilling my end of the bargain to the greatest extent, but after the kids leave for school," she informed.

"Zach, you kids better hurry up or you will be late for school," bellowed Emmett and she laughed at his sudden anxiousness to get his son out of the house.

Josh dusted the snow from his hair as he jogged onto the porch to greet his friend. They did their secret handshake before Josh motioned for Zach to follow him back over to his truck.

"Check out the new snow tires. My dad helped me put them on last night."

"Is that why you didn't want to go to the movies with us after school yesterday?"

"That and no one wants to see you two drool over each other for two hours."

"Hey, we don't drool. We gaze deeply into each other's eyes and….." Josh interrupted him by pretending to gag.

"Save all the sweet talk for your mate. Besides, I think customizing the tires and wheels of my truck is a much better way to spend the evening."

"For your information, it wasn't better because Allie was going to introduce you to her friend, Mia. She was thinking we could all double date."

"Thanks, but no thanks, I have other plans in store for my love life."

"Like what, giving Nina puppy dog eyes and begging her to take you back?" Josh smirked.

"Um no, while you have lowered your status of mate to the human level, I plan on elevating mine."

"First off, watch it, I didn't lower anything to be with Allie. She is perfect for me…"

"I wonder if Pre-Smitten-by-Allie Zach would have said the same thing? He was a bit hesitant about human girls, I am not sure if you would have liked him."

"Very funny, but mates change things. Anyways, what do you mean you are elevating your level?"

"I have been looking at this all wrong, Z. Ever since I joined high school, I have been searching for the right teenage girl to be with, but as the Nina Debacle will prove, that was a mistake. Soon, we will be on the island surrounded by beautiful vampire women who will have to forget any hopes they had about being with you and instead will focus all their attention on me. It is going to be great! I got attention before, but with you having eyes only for Allie, that will double the attention that the rest of the ladies need, especially Senna and Kachiri."

"Oh so now you are going after Senna and Kachiri?"

"I am not going after anyone. I am just going to be available for all the vampire bombshells that will be at the Christmas party. I hear Alice invited even more people this year. The more the merrier, as long as they are women."

"You do realize that every time you devise some scheme to improve your relationship status, you end up regretting it, right?"

"For someone that has found their mate, you are such a Debbie Downer! I am going to be surrounded by beautiful women ready to dance with me. I am a handsome, single guy with all this alphaness running through me. How is that not going to be the best party ever?" Zach laughed at his friend as he kneeled down to get a better look at the tires.

"Point taken, do you mind us giving Allie a ride home again before we go to school? It will be a good way for you to test out the new wheels."

"Do I ever? But, seriously dude, tell me you aren't wearing that to school. Flannel pajama pants are not in style, my friend," teased Josh and Zach rolled his eyes.

"Thank you Aunt Alice Jr., but I am running behind. My dad decided to have another sex talk with me, but this time it was about Allie."

"Yikes, that's ridiculously awkward. Trust me, I know. When I started dating Nina, I got a talk from my dad and my mom. If I wasn't a wolf, I probably would have died from the embarrassment."

"It wasn't too bad, but it just makes me realize even more that Allie and I have a lot to talk about when it comes to the future. To be honest, sex is the least of my worries."

"When you talk like that, I wonder how we are friends. Sex should always be the most of your worries. If you two can get around that pesky impregnation with a hybrid that could possibly kill her issue, then why not? Maybe you should ask your grandpa to go all Dr. Fang Mode and find a way for you to have sex without….."

"First off, lower your voice, my parents and grandparents are inside. And second, I am not asking my grandfather to help me have sex with Allie. We aren't ready for that. This part of the conversation is over."

"Whatever you say, but I know you and even if you will not admit it to yourself yet, you know you are tempted," whispered Josh and Zach groaned.

"I share a bed with her each night, of course I am tempted, but it is not worth risking her safety over. That is my main concern, not sex. Allie's mortality is what worries me the most."

"Why?"

"Because things happen around this family and even when they don't, I have to think about stupid human things that could happen. Anytime she gets into her car, I am terrified that she will get into an accident. When she is on the rez, I am terrified any number of scenarios could play out to harm her." Josh nodded his understanding and placed a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Z, I get it. Okay, maybe not as much as I would if she was my mate, but when I dated Nina, another reason I kept her at a distance is because I never trusted that she could handle it if I introduced her to my supernatural side."

"Which was probably a good idea since she dumped you the moment another guy came along…."

"Thanks for that, but totally not the point. My point is that dating a human complicates things, but I will always have your back, just like your family will, and having your back means having your mate's back as well."

"Thanks, J," said Zach with a smile and Josh shrugged.

"No problem, it is my duty as your best bro. I can't help you out with the sex issue, but maybe I can do something about the transportation. I don't blame you for being worried about her getting into an accident. Her car is horrible."

"I know right, I am surprised it even runs," chuckled Zach and Josh dangled his keys in front of him.

"My truck, on the other hand, is a work of art. She can drop us off at school and then take my truck to the comic book store," suggested Josh.

"J, are you serious? This truck is your baby."

"It is, which is why I know that it is the safest truck on the planet. My parents made sure of it and with the icy roads, I honestly would feel better if Allie was in something safe. She can just pick us up after school."

"I know how much this truck means to you. Thank you so much, J."

"And I know how much Allie means to you. Now, if you will excuse me, I smell pancakes and bacon that have my name on them," informed Josh before jogging inside and Zach chuckled at his friend's excitement over breakfast. He looked down at the keys in his hand and smiled even more knowing that Allie would at least be in a safe vehicle that day.

An hour later, Allie gave Josh a wary glance as he put his truck in park in front of Forks High School and turned to face her. Zach handed Josh his backpack and kissed Allie before opening the door.

"I'll miss you, but have fun at the comic book store today," said Zach and Josh nodded as he handed her the keys to the truck.

"Oh, will you get me that comic we talked about the other night? I could really use a new one to add to the collection," asked Josh and she nodded.

"Are you sure you are okay with me driving the truck? My car is working just fine," said Allie and Josh smirked.

"Does your car have state of the art snow tires," he questioned.

"No," replied Allie.

"Is it powerful enough to pull a semi?"

"No."

"Was it built and tested to sustain maximum impact with little to no damage to the people inside of it?"

"Probably not."

"Can it hold the highest level of alphaness, which it would need to hold in order to have me and Zach in the car?"

"I don't even know what that means," giggled Allie.

"So the answer is no. Just take care of my baby or I will cry. Got to go," stated Josh before hopping out of the truck with his backpack and Zach chuckled.

"We better get inside. Enjoy your day and I will see you after school," he said as he opened the door, but Allie grabbed his hand to stop him.

"I know you put him up to this, but you don't have to worry about me. I will drive his truck because it is awesome and will be fun to test out, but you don't have to protect me from anything," assured Allie. Zach cupped her cheeks in his hands as they gazed into each other's eyes.

"Yes, I do. The supernatural world may be new to you, but I am well aware of the dangers of my world and also yours. If anything happened to you, I could not exist. It would be impossible because of our bond."

"The mate bond, like you were telling me about before?"

"Yes, it connects us forever and I am sure to you this is overkill, but…."

"I get it, Zach. Before I knew what you were and you told me you were going to Alaska for a few days, it terrified me. I had this irrational thought that something could happen to you and being apart would be unbearable. I felt that before I even realized we were mates and even after I found out you were practically indestructible, I was afraid something could still happen to you."

"You are everything to me. Knowing you are safe is of the utmost importance." She kissed him softly on the lips and he leaned into the kiss just as Josh knocked on the window.

"Any day now you two, we are already late to class," said Josh and Zach let out a growl of frustration at the interruption, which made Allie giggle.

"Go, we will finish this later. I have to stop at home before I go to Ben's anyways, so I better get going. I love you, Zach."

"I love you too," said Zach before giving her one last kiss. Allie watched the boys go into the school before she revved the engine and drove out of the parking lot in the massive truck. Its power rumbled all around her as she made her way to La Push and she turned up the stereo as she enjoyed the drive onto the reservation. She was not surprised to see her mother waiting for her when she pulled into the driveway and waved at her as she hopped out of the truck.

"Morning, mom," she called and Emily frowned in confusion.

"Joshua let you drive his truck," questioned Emily.

"Yes, Zach talked him into it. He is worried about my safety and thinks my car doesn't cut it."

"Well, I can't say that I blame him, especially with this snow. The roads are not the best right now. How does it feel to have such a protective boyfriend? You have never been one to ask for help easily. You get that from your father."

"I would like to think I get my strong sense of independence from both of you, but I can tell the difference between being protective and being controlling. There is something very endearing about the way he thinks of every way to keep me safe. I just wish I could do the same for him," confessed Allie as she walked into the house with her mother.

"Is Zach in some sort of trouble?"

"No, he is fine. I just worry about him too."

"Why, he is quite powerful if everything your father has told me is true."

"But that's the problem, he is powerful and everyone in the vampire world knows that. Do you know how many battles he has been in? He is powerful, but no one is invincible, not even Zach. He can take care of himself and I get that, but it will never stop me from worrying that someday he may have to fight again and I don't know how I will be able to cope with him leaving me to go do that."

"So you two haven't spoken more about you becoming a….." Emily trailed off as the word got stuck in her throat and Allie plopped down on the couch.

"No, it isn't exactly a lighthearted conversation, but I do know what I want. I know that he wants it too. He worries so much about me as a human and I see the fear in his eyes even when he tries to mask it."

"Which is why you are driving Josh's truck without a fuss, you know it will make Zach feel better if you do," realized Emily and Allie nodded.

"Yes and it isn't exactly a bad thing. It is a great truck. Too bad I promised Ben I would help him around the store today or I would take it for a joy ride," giggled Allie.

"Do you want some breakfast before you go? I wasn't sure when you would be home or if you were coming today, but I can whip you up something."

"Thanks, but I already ate. I just stopped by to get some stuff for Ben. I can't stay long."

"Oh," said Emily and Allie could detect the disappointment in her tone.

"What's wrong, I didn't think you would take it so hard that you don't have to cook me breakfast?"

"It isn't just about breakfast, Allie. I miss you being around. When you decided to come back from California, I figured we would spend more time together than we have been," confessed Emily and Allie hugged her mother.

"I am sorry, mom. I guess it is just so easy to get lost in Zach. It is effortless to be with him and I have lost track of time lately."

"I understand that, but when you aren't with Zach, you are helping Ben, and that doesn't leave much time for me or your father."

"I will do better. I promise. After the holidays, I will be around more."

"Are you excited about going to the island with Zach for Christmas?"

"Definitely, he talks about the place so much that I feel like I have been there several times already. It will be nice to meet some of his friends and see the rest of his family. The last time we were around each other, things were too tense for me to actually get to know them."

"I hope you have fun. You better get going. I am sure Ben is waiting on you."

"Yea, probably, ever since I offered to help with the Christmas shipments, I have been swamped, but I promise that after the holiday season, I will spend more time at home. This position at the store is just seasonal. I love you, mom. I really do," said Allie as she hugged her mother again and Emily kissed her forehead.

"I love you too. Make sure to stop by before you leave for the island."

"I will," promised Allie before running into her room. She quickly gathered the things she needed to bring to Ben's and rushed out the door again. Sam walked into the living room as Emily watched Allie start up Josh's truck and head back down the road.

"That was quick. I just got out of the shower and the girl is gone before I could even get dressed," said Sam.

"What can I say, our little girl has a busy schedule," grumbled Emily and Sam sighed as he wrapped his wife in his arms.

"I know you miss her, but think of it this way. If she was still in California, we wouldn't be able to see her either."

"But always during the holidays, that was our deal. She could go to Stanford and be far away from home as long as we got to see her during the holidays. This will be the first year that doesn't happen," admitted Emily and Sam smiled sadly at his wife as she gazed out the window, watching her daughter drive away.