Chapter One
Years ago
Robert got out of the car when it pulled up into the driveway to our house. I called for mama and daddy to inform them of Robert and uncle's arrival. Alexander and Edward stood next to me as Robert stared at me in my new baby blue dress that mama made for me. Uncle smiled when he saw daddy and mama walking down the porch steps to help him with his luggage. I tugged on Edward's arm when I saw the presents for us and saw that the car was one of the newer models. Alexander crossed his arms over his chest when Robert walked up the steps to greet us after so long.
"Hello, my dear cousins," Robert said. I smiled at him and waved like an idiot to keep from our parents knowing that we hate one another. "You have grown up into a beautiful woman, Allison."
"Keep your hands off of her," Edward said protectively. I slid behind Edward as Robert walked over to us and smiled at me. Alexander stepped in front of Robert and began to snarl at him.
"Allison is to be fourteen here soon and she will be able to decide if she will take on the family curse or to be a normal person like everyone else. I am sure that she will also be able to decide if I am allowed near her," Robert said. I hid half of my face behind Edward as I timidly looked at Robert and his evil stare. "She may even decide to get married to someone once she is fourteen or wait a little longer."
"Eddie, can we go somewhere else that Robert is not? Mama said I am feeling better to go on a walk to the riverbed," I said. Edward took my hand and we went to the lake with Alexander to be away from Robert. I ran to the tire swing that daddy put up many summers ago for the three of us to play on during our summer vacations. Alexander walked over to give me a little push once I was on the tire swing as Edward went to sit on the bench next to us. I giggled as I went up higher and higher as Alexander pushed me and the wind pulled my hair out of my little ponytail. Edward smiled when I let out a girlish squeal when Alexander twisted the swing around to spin me.
"Alex, be careful or she will vomit on you," Edward said. I jumped off when it stopped and wobbled over to Edward. He caught me when I fell on my buttocks right on the grass next to his feet. Alexander sat next Edward as I waited for the world to stop spinning before I joined them on the bench.
"You are going to be fourteen here soon and that means that you will join me with carrying on the family heritage. Are you nervous or excited?" Alexander said. I looked at the sky and watched the birds fly south as winter made it's way here.
"Eddie, will I live longer than you?" I asked Edward.
"I am not sure, Allie-bear," Edward said. He put his arm around my shoulders and kissed the top of my head.
A Few Months Later
Mama pulled me into the living room when I heard daddy shout from his bedroom. Tears were streaming down my face as I caught a peek of daddy writhing in pain from something I could not detect. Uncle had the doctor called and was trying to help daddy with his pain while the boys were running around looking through the magic books to find the name for this. I dropped to my knees when I saw that daddy had blood trickling down the side of his mouth and when he coughed up some more blood. Within minutes, I managed to get to daddy's side and hold his head in my arms as his eyes began to loose his sparkle.
"I love you, angel," daddy said with his last breathe. I screamed at the top of my lungs for daddy to wake back up and patted his cheek lightly.
"Daddy, I am pregnant with Robert's baby," I cried. Robert pulled me away from daddy and held me in his arms. "He will not get to see his grandson now."
"Let my daughter go right now," mama growled.
Chapter Two
Present Day
Edward looked at Lucas as he ate two boxes of pizza at the island in the kitchen at my house. I sipped my tea in silence as Edward was mentally shouting at me for not knowing his existence all these years. Lucas looked at Edward and wagged his little finger in disapproval.
"Uncle, those words are not nice words to say to mother," Lucas said. I choked on my tea and coughed a little.
"Look here, Lucas, you are not my nephew to be ten years old and to show up when we just lost James," Edward snapped at Lucas. I put my hand on Edward's arm and pulled him back a little. Embry entered the kitchen and he ruffled Lucas' hair as he walked past him.
"Hey, dad, can we go to the park later this afternoon?" Lucas asked Embry.
"I am not sure, son," Embry chuckled. Edward gave me a confused look at the casual exchange between the two boys.
"Lucas does not want Robert to be his 'father', so he asked Embry to adopt him and the two grew close. We go through the paper process next week to make him a real person and to make him our son," I said as I finished my tea. Edward slapped his hand on the counter and pointed at me.
"I told you to make sure this child never knew you existed! But, no, you had to keep him for a year and get sent away once Robert's fiancé was found dead! Lucas is supposed to be buried and he is not even supposed to be your son! You were only fourteen when he was born and you were too young to have a child," Edward said.
"I am frozen at sixteen and so is Embry! We are still too young to have children if that is the case! Lucas' birth was something I wanted for him and Robert wanted him dead before he took his first breath! I fought for that boy and almost dead bringing him into this world! If Robert doesn't want the bastard he created, then I will keep him with me! He wishes he had never done what he did that night and commit the greatest sin in the whole world," I said. My cup shattered into pieces and I growled when my hand started to bleed.
"Lucas, go play with Evelyn in the backyard," Embry said. Lucas looked at me and ran to his sister when he saw my eyes.
"The boy is too powerful to have two witches as his parents and to be part shape shifter on our side of the family! How is this boy still ten years old after all these years?" Edward growled. Embry wrapped a wet cloth around my left hand as I took a deep breath to answer Edward.
"Mother casted the spell to make me stop aging for a little while until he found me and I could tell him the truth and take the spell off; now that he has grown into his powers, then he will not age like me," I said.
"Yes, but he is a shifter more than he is a witch and he is good at too," Edward said.
"Are you jealous that you nephew can shift better than you can when you were his age?" I quizzically asked. Edward deeply growled at my comment as Embry examined the make shift bandage he did.
"You know I hate it when you mention that," Edward said. I giggled as I looked over the bandage before kissing Embry's cheek as a thank you.
"You have no idea what it is like to find out your first born child lives after nearly two centuries. I believed he was with another set of parents that were humans and could provide him a normal life. To see him alive and just like his father and me, that is something I never truly wished for," I said. The doorbell rang and Embry growled as Evelyn and Lucas ran to answer it for us.
"No running in the house," Embry shouted. I hit his chest for yelling in the house and he smiled at me.
"Mommy, uncle is here to see you," Evelyn said. I rushed to the door to find Robert and Jane standing on my front porch. Lucas ran to me as Robert walked into the house and stared at me with evil eyes.
"You promised me that you would make sure he never knew about us," Robert said.
"Afraid to look at the mistake you made with me?" I asked smugly. Jane's eye twitched when Robert remained quiet. "Evelyn, come stand by mommy please."
"Yes, mommy," Evelyn said as she walked over to me. I picked her up and put my free arm around Lucas.
"Allison, he was not supposed to have been born and you know why," Robert said.
"Robert, I kept him because he is my son and to make you look at him and regret the horrid thing you did to me on my fourteenth birthday. Lucas will remain with me and Embry so he does not catch your evil attitude," I said. Lucas clutched my jean pant leg as he stared at Robert. My mind kept playing over the night Robert robbed me of my innocence and ruined my life.
"Stop remembering that night," Robert said. I felt a shiver run down my spine as if Robert stepped out of my body.
"How about the day I told everyone I was pregnant or the day Lucas was born?" I asked. Robert roared when he saw the image of Lucas the moment he was born and me on the brink of death. Embry and Edward walked over to us as Jane started to try to harm me. I threw up a force field around us when Robert threw an ice shard at me.
"I will not let you torture me like this," Robert growled. "Your mother had no idea how I felt to see you and Lucas fighting to survive all because of the stupid thing I did! I loved you so much, that to watch all of that was horrible for me and to hold Lucas was even worse. When you awoke the next morning, I watched you marvel at our son and smile when he was the most perfect baby in the world. Even after you saw he had two colored eyes and had the ability to shift, you loved our son more than I would ever be able to."
"Leave this house, Robert, and never return to see your son again," I said. Robert and Jane disappeared within moments of me finishing my sentence. Lucas looked up at me with concerned eyes.
"Mom, can I stay with you forever?" Lucas asked. I smiled at him as I put my hand on his left cheek.
"Forever," I said with a smile.
Chapter Three
Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, Emmet, Jacob, Bella and Reneesme stared at Lucas and Evelyn playing like they were together since birth. I gave them some more juice before I went to join the adults at the dining table. Embry put his arm around my shoulder as he pulled me closer to him and kissed the top of my head. I sighed as I watched the children play together.
"So, your mother placed a spell on Lucas to keep him ten years old until he found you?" Bella asked. Edward was staring out the window as the snow began to fall for the second time this week. No one said a word until Jasper cleared his throat and made me jump in my seat.
"My mother was full of surprises when she was alive," I said quietly before going back to watching the children.
"Both of them are not speaking to us and we are not getting anywhere," Emmet groaned.
"Why does my life have to be filled with crap like this?" I murmured under my breath. Embry stiffened when he heard and the others gasped when Edward chuckled at the comment.
"What is so funny, Edward?" Bella asked.
"Allison knows what is funny," Edward said. I looked at him to see he had on his serious, yet playful, face. We smiled at one another when we remembered what our father told us before he died.
"Always know that your life is crap if you believe it is crap and make it that way," the two of us said in unison and began to laugh. Edward sighed when I started to cry about our father, once again.
"Daddy, please tell me what to do now," I cried. Evelyn and Lucas ran into the kitchen to make me feel better. Embry rubbed my shoulders as the children stood next to me and gave me sad looks.
"Mommy, everything will be okay," Evelyn said. Lucas patted my leg with a smile on his face.
"Evelyn, daddy, and I will protect you from all the evil things in this world," Lucas said. I touched his cheek and leaned over to kiss his forehead. He kept smiling at me when I leaned back against Embry and looked at my children.
Years Later
Lucas brought the chopped firewood to Evelyn as she put them in the shed by the side of the house. Embry was telling our new guest the rules of the house and the rules of the reservation while our guest remained with us. I finished up my thesis paper and had it sent to my professor before I went to see if the children needed help. Lucas was wiping his face with the bottom part of his t-shirt when I stepped out into the winter air.
"Allison, get back inside this instance!" Embry exclaimed from the living room. I smiled as he ran over to get me back inside, since I was wearing only his t-shirt and his shorts. "You will catch a cold and we will not enjoy it very much."
"Embry, calm down," I giggled as he led me to the couch. "Have you finished giving our guest the rules of the house and reservation?"
"He has finished his three hour lecture," Kalika said as she walked into the living room with her cell phone in her hand as she checked a text message. "Why am I even here in the middle of nowhere again?"
"Your parents are concerned about your well-being and want me to keep an eye on you," I said. Kassi came through the back door with Alec and the carried the groceries into the kitchen. I got up quickly to show them where everything was supposed to go. Embry ran after me while patronizing me about not overworking myself.
"Allison, your husband is getting annoying about all of this," Kassi giggled. Alec smirked as he went to put the eggs away.
"Those go into the fridge in the garage, Alec," I said. He went to the garage as Embry took the box of cereal out of my hand. "Hey, I am capable of doing a few things on my own."
"Mom, you are 'fragile' in your current state and you are supposed to be 'resting' according to uncle Carlisle and grandpa," Evelyn said as she walked into the kitchen to get a glass of water. Lucas laughed when I glared at her comment and she shrugged her shoulders before joining Kalika in the living room.
"She has a point, because I recall a certain person getting ready to give birth to a big puppy her soon," Kassi said. Three toddlers ran into the kitchen with our pet wolf running after them.
"No running in the house," I said. The children ran to Kassi and begged their mother for some juice.
"Cleo, Martin and Lionel, do not beg like poor puppies," Embry said. The toddlers looked at their uncle with pitiful faces. Alec gave his children some juice before they ran back to the theatre room to finish their movie. I leaned over the kitchen island to grab the bottle of water before Kassi was to knock it over. Embry grabbed me when I began to tip onto the stool to my left.
"Mom," Lucas shouted when he saw me fall into Embry's arms. I clutched Embry as he held me for a minute.
"You are okay, baby," Embry cooed to me. I stood on my feet before going back to the living room. Embry followed me when he saw I was beginning to walk like a drunkard after too many drinks.
"Quit being overprotective, Embry, because you are not the one carrying a baby in your goddamn stomach and have to pee every thirty minutes!" I exclaimed while attempting to turn to look at my husband.
"Allison, you are about to give birth to another baby after so many years and many miscarriages over the years. I am just making sure that you and the child are going to be okay at the end of all this," Embry said. Kassi interjected with a tray of cookies and she pushed Embry back into the kitchen.
"You and Alec can cook dinner while the rest of us talk in the living room," Kassi said. Her bowling ball of a belly bounced as she waddled into the living room to join me on the couch. Lucas and Kalika were talking to Evelyn at the bar about something that happened at school before winter break.
"Can you believe that our moms are going to give birth to more children?" Lucas asked. I looked at Kassi to see she was giving me the same look when the girls giggled. "They always told us that they would not be able to have more children, but they are about to pop out a number of them now that we are a little older."
"Lucas Abraham Masen Call, you better watch what you say about us over here. We can make you wish you had never said what you said," I said to the children. Lucas ran over to cheese up to me so he would not be punished.
"I love you mother," Lucas cooed to me as he kissed my cheeks and rubbed my shoulders.
"Get off of me, you big old puppy," I giggled as I tried to push Lucas off of me. Kassi, Evelyn and Kalika laughed at us before Kassi gasped in pain. Everyone stopped to see that one of the babies' feet was visible through Kassi's skin and her shirt.
"That is so gross!" Kalika and Evelyn squealed. I pushed the foot back when Kassi went back to laughing.
"You just saw one of the perks of carrying more than one child in you," Kassi said. Lucas and the girls went to the basement to get away from us adults before dinner. I put my head back on the couch to let out a big sigh.
"We are going to give birth around the same time, just like Kalika and Evelyn," I said. Kassi took my hand in hers and she patted it before speaking.
"Did you ever think we would get this close as friends after all we have been through?" Kassi asked. I looked at her with a look of "What do you think?"
"We would not have moved past the phase of you being my great-niece's childhood friend and my son's husband's sister. But, I think all that happened between us was what brought the two of us together," I said. Chari threw open the back door and she stomped into the house with Seth shouting after her.
"Emma and Jay, get in Aunt Allison's house right now!" Chari shouted. Her two teenaged children strolled into the house and went to join the teenagers in the basement.
"Hey Aunt Allison," they both said before disappearing. I looked at Chari to see she had on her father's angry look. Jacob and Reneesme walked in through the back door when Chari pushed Seth away from her.
"Charitomene, you cannot treat your husband that way!" Jacob yelled at his daughter.
"Dad, stay out my business and let me handle this my way!" Chari shouted at her father. Seth walked away from his wife and went to give me a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
"Hello, Allison," Seth said as he leaned down to hug me. I smiled at him and he went to see if Embry needed any help. Reneesme joined Kassi and I on the couch as we watched Jacob and Chari fight it out by the back door. Kassi and I made faces at the newest addition to Jacob and Reneesme's life, little baby Stephen Martin Black.
"So, how is Stephen getting along with his other siblings?" Kassi asked. Suddenly the back door came open and a few more toddlers ran into the house while screaming.
"Steven, Matthew, and Charles, there is no running in Aunt Allison's house," Jacob said. I smiled at Jacob turning into a true parent after so many years with Chari and four more children. Chari went to find the boys in the kitchen, leaving Jacob standing and glaring at his daughter.
"Jacob, come and sit down before you lose your cool," Kassi said. Jacob sat on the couch opposite us girls and took a long, deep breath.
"Chari sure does know how to get under my skin sometimes," Jacob murmured.
"Sometimes, how about all the time now that she has finally hit the realization that her babies are almost all grown up? Jake, you two have been at each other's throats the day she moved onto the reservation," I said.
"You are the one to give throat expressions," Jacob said. I put my hand to my throat when he mentioned the incident with Felix. "I should not have said that, Allison, I am so sorry."
I got up and walked away from the room. I heard Kassi throw something at him and growl at him for what he said to me. As I was walking past the basement door, I heard screams and shouts from downstairs and they did not sound too good. Quietly, I poked my head through the door to listen in on them.
"You mean to tell me that you had sex with Robert Uley and you think you are in love with him? That is being a pack traitor, Emma!" Lucas said.
"Come one, you cannot tell me about being a pack traitor when you are not even a werewolf or even have the blood of a werewolf in you! Your mother does not even have any were blood in her! Robert is not like his father or his siblings and he wants out of that pack to be with us, guys!" Emma said. I leaned against the doorframe to keep listening to their conversation some more.
"Do not get started on my mother, when your grandmother is half vampire and half human! Also, Kalika is half wereleopard and half vampire and she is one of your friends!" Lucas exclaimed. I felt Embry and Jacob walk up behind me and we snuck down the basement steps.
"Oh, you want to take it that way, Lucas?" Emma snarled. The three of us made it down the stairs to see Lucas had his fingertips glowing as he fidgeted in his seat. The teenagers, except Emma and Lucas, looked at us three adults with concern in their eyes.
"Lucas, pourquoi parlez-vous à votre cousin comme ça? Elle est juste un jeune chiot dans l'amour, mon amour," I said to Lucas. He looked at me with angry eyes and went back to staring at Emma.
"Maman, elle nous dit que nous devrions laisser Robert joindre à notre peloton même si il est de paquet de Samuel. Elle pense aussi que je devrais avoir leur mot à dire dans ce parce que je n'ai pas de sang de loup-garou dans mes veines comme tout le monde dans cette salle," Lucas said before he spat at Emma. She charged at him and Lucas lifted his hands. I ran to stop Lucas's attack as Jacob and Embry ran to stop Emma.
"That is quite enough with this," Embry said. "The only person who will let anyone join the pack is Jacob since he is pack alpha."
"Shut up, Uncle Embry, we do not have to listen to you because you are not pack alpha! Stay out of our lives and just keep your 'advice' to yourself," Emma said as she pushed Embry and Jacob away from her.
"Watch your tone when you speak to your uncle that way," Jacob said. Emma lifted her hands in the air as if to say "Or what?" I turned to her and used my powers to push her against the wall.
"Emma, you have stepped on the last rock on this riverbed and you have fallen into the river. This means you have pushed the last button to be possibly pushed," I said calmly. Emma whimpered as I got closer to her and still held Lucas at bay. "I do not want to hear you ever talk like that to another person, who is your elder, for as long as you are alive. Repeat that moment once more and I will make sure you wish you had never done it. Do I make myself clear as fucking crystal?"
"Yes, Aunt Allison," Emma squeaked. I dropped her, the shield and grabbed Jacob and Embry before I dropped to my knees.
"Shit, this cannot be good," I said. Embry put his other arm around me as he helped me get up the stairs to sit on the couch in the living room. I was able to keep myself composed as we entered the room to see Alec and Jacob having an arm wrestling contest on my coffee table.
"Hey, break that and you will wish you had never broken it," Embry said. Jacob came up from the basement to whisper into Seth and Chari's ear. Emma entered the room, cleared her throat, and waited for everyone's attention.
"I have a proposal for you all, as the elders of this pack, to make an addition to the pack. He is a werewolf like us, but he is Sam Uley's son, Robert," Emma said. I looked at Embry to see he was smiling down at me when he put his hand on my shoulder and I put mine on his hand.
"Why would he want to leave Sam's pack to come to our pack?" Chari asked. Emma fiddled with her fingernails and she remained quiet for a few minutes.
"Emma, you can tell us the reason why," Reneesme sweetly said.
"He wants to come because he wants to be with me," Emma said. Kassi clasped her hands over her stomach as Alec looked at everyone around the room.
"We will think it over and tell everyone the decision that has been made," I said. Emma gave me a scared look and I motioned for her to see me later. Jacob went to help set the table with the rest of the boys.
Everyone was asleep in his or her beds, except for Emma and me. We were seated on the closed off porch enjoying some warm tea together. I sat with Embry's large sweater hugging my large belly and keeping me nice and warm, with my slippers on my feet.
"Emma, the look you gave me is the same look I had when I was beginning my relationship with Embry. You have something to say, but have not told anyone because you are afraid, am I correct?" I said.
"Yes, Aunt Allison," Emma said. I turned to her as best as my belly would let me.
"Tell me and I promise not to tell your mother or your grandmother," I said. Emma smiled as she looked at her hands for a minute, took a deep breath and looked at me.
"Aunt Allison, how do you know that our family tree is not tainted by anything? I am afraid because I am part vampire, part human, and half werewolf and I was wondering what my children would be based on the man I got together with," Emma said.
"Where did this come up from? Has Robert asked you this question before?" I asked with a smile.
"No, I thought of it and it has been bothering me about it," Emma said. I took her hands into mine and looked at her in the eyes.
"Mon cheri, you have nothing to be afraid of because we are not going to cause any harm to our future generations. What event got you thinking about this?" I said.
"Aunt Allison, you promise not to tell anyone about what I am about to tell you?"
"You have my promise, unless it leads up to something large and beyond my control. Once it is at that point, I will let you parents know the truth and we suffer their wrath together."
"Okay, here goes nothing now. I, Emma Clearwater, am engaged to Robert Uley and pregnant with his child."
"Emma, that is not funny. Come on tell me the truth," I said. Emma stared at me and I dropped her hands. "Holy fucking shit, Emma, you mean to tell me that the whole fucking reason an Uley wants to join us is because you are pregnant at the age of fucking seventeen? Are you out of your goddamn mind to be going through this shit?"
"Mother was pregnant at the age of twenty years old," Emma said.
"Your mother made some odd choices early in her life," I said.
"You had Lucas at the age of fourteen," Emma said. I flinched at that and Emma jumped when she realized what she said.
"My choice to get pregnant at the age I did was not one that I made. Someone made them for me and I paid a hefty price for it. I had a horrible first marriage, most of my children died during the time of my first marriage and that is one of the reasons we got a divorce. This marriage is a great marriage and life is great," I said.
"Aunt Allison, please do not let my parents know," Emma said.
"How far along are you anyways?" I asked.
"I am due a while from now," Emma murmured. I lifted her baggy shirt to see she was pregnant and was not very far along.