It was the weekend, when she arrived. The day before, Edward had been working on the bushes surrounding the house. As he snipped away with astonishing speed, Carlisle decided to help his eldest son, who seemed to be tense at the idea of Alexandrine's coming.

"May I join you?" Carlisle asked politely, looking over Edward's shoulder.

Edward practically jumped in his skin. Even vampires became lost in what they were doing, sometimes. "Sure," he said quickly.

Then he sighed. "Is this about Alexandrine?"

Carlisle raised an eyebrow. "Of course not! What makes you think that?"

"Either you've mastered zen and the stopping of all thoughts, or you've finally reached your limit and your brain has ceased to work."

Carlisle allowed a chuckle. "It's just that I find your behavior troublesome."

"Why?" he went on snipping. "So I don't like her coming here. Is that against the law, or something?"

Carlisle smiled. "Of course not. But that opinion is widely unfounded. You haven't even met her."

"But even so, I dislike her."

"Why?" Carlisle asked, genuinely concerned and seemingly fascinated. "I've never seen you like this."

"She's Volturi!" Edward practically shouted. "She's been living the life of constant killing and feeding off innocents for--how old is she? Either way, what if she messes up? We've been doing good here, for once!"

Carlisle nodded. "I supposed this would be the reason. But no need to worry," he assured. "She's quite in control of herself."

"Oh?" Edward confronted. "How so?"

"One time," Carlisle said, laughing, "She had a fight with Caius. She was so angry, she wouldn't allow herself to feed with him. So she passively looked on as they had a huge feast--she didn't even waver!"

Edward wasn't convinced. "That was a hundred years ago, at least," he reasoned. "She's too used to her life."

"And you're used to yours, yet you still long for blood." At the mention, Edward's throat tightened.

"That's the perfect example!" he choked out.

Carlisle put a hand on his shoulder, as a crack of thunder sounded above them. Rain, of course. "I'm sure you'll be fine."

Edward scoffed and continued his angry snipping of the bushes' leaves.

Then Carlisle smiled mischeviously. "I even think you'll rather...er...like her..."

In a flash, the clippers were embedded into the earth and Edward was charging off the lawn, and into the woods. In a second, he disappeared.

Carlisle knew he was angry at such a suggestion, especially since Carlisle had already tried to set him up with Rose in earlier years. But he couldn't help it. Maybe they would like each other.

--

She came under veil of darkness, as any smart vampire would do. She had slunk through the deserted town of Forks under the pouring rain, and into the road that led to the Lair of the Cullens.

It was only when she was entering the meadow that was the Cullens yard that they realized her prescence. None of their abilities worked on her, and they'd been neglectful enough to be so wrapped up in their own things that they didn't realize her arrival.

It came to a surprise to Emmett, who was the first to notice the crunching of footsteps outside.

"Wow! She's so close!" he murmured, and immediately the others realized it, too.

They sprang from whatever they were doing--Emmett lifting weights uselessly, Edward and Alice in a heated battle of chess, Jasper studying, Rosalie checking her looks in a mirror, Esme and Carlisle reading some medical textbooks--and ran to the door just as she arrived at the front steps.

Even before the door opened, they were all aware of her. And they were stunned, as Carlisle had predicted.

Jasper tentatively pulled open the door, and before them stood their awaited visitor: Alexandrine Ockley.

Before them stood a four foot five, smiling, happy thirteen-year-old. Or, rather, it seemed she'd been turned when she was thirteen.

An immortal child.

She was dripping wet, a rather cute-looking rain coat slung recklessly around her. They all stared, except for Carlisle, who openly welcomed her with a firm handshake. She had flowing, long brown hair, which framed her reddish-black eyes. Her smile was dazzling, even among vampires.

"Carlisle!" she purred. "So great to see you!"

The five children of Carlisle and Esme gave each other a glance that meant the same thing.

Holy shit.