A/N: I am so sorry for the long delay. I have been settling back into college life for the last few weeks and packing to move the weeks before. Now that things are coming into a more regular pattern, I'm hoping to get back on track with my writing, until then, I present to you my absolute favorite chapter yet.


"WELL! This is the house, and there's my mom flirting with your mom, and-" Kira burst into the house, giving the Cullen children a very loud tour of the house. Her shouting from the living room gave Esme and Victoria the split second they needed to jump away before all the house was flooded with vampires, "And upstairs we have bedrooms which none of you are allowed to see until we finish cleaning up."

Emmett snickered at the mortified look on Esme's face, in retaliation, Rosalie smacked him upside the head. "Don't you have another family member?" Jasper asked, wary of their situation. The girls had been far too cavalier about inviting a whole family of vampires into their home and he couldn't help but feel like this was some kind of ambush.

"Isabella is running off some steam." Kira shrugged, "She'll be back in time for dinner. Speaking of dinner, I'm starved. Tori what have we got?" She pulled open the fridge.

Victoria smacked her hand and bumped her aside, "Oh no, you brought friends, so you get to entertain them. Now out of my kitchen." She shooed her out and turned to Esme, her cheeks a little pink, "You mind helping me with dinner?" Esme bit her lip and nodded. The two of them got to work in a comfortable, if embarrassed, silence.

Kira rolled her eyes, "Okay guys, we've got more board games than you can shake a stick at, video games, and the shed is full of balls and frisbees and crap for messing around outside. Any preferences?"

"Books?" Jasper asked shyly.

Kira nodded, "Hell yeah, upstairs, first door on the left… The three stacks on the right." Jasper nodded his thanks and sped upstairs, disappearing, half to feel more secure, but also to escape the emotional tension in the room. Emmett was on edge waiting for another one of Kira's tricks, Rose was struggling between liking the girl, and being jealous. Edward was frustrated and lusting after the girl, while Alice was more upset than he had ever seen. Jasper wasn't even going to try to unravel the mess of desire and confusion that was the couple in the kitchen, let alone the mating bonds all over the place, and Kira's quiet agony that made itself known whenever he tried to use his power on her. It was like her own personal defense against him.

"Why is it that Jasper is allowed upstairs into your rooms, but the rest of us are not?" Edward asked, looking annoyed.

Kira leveled him with a look that would have any human shaking, "Because he is not entering our rooms, he's getting books. You aren't asking for books now are you?" Edward shifted uncomfortably under her gaze, and Kira's mouth quirked into the tiniest of smiles as a malicious gleam lit her eyes. She opened her mouth, "M-"

"Kira Elizabeth Calleigh, you will behave yourself in my house." Victoria called, sensing Kira's intentions.

Kira sagged, "Yes mom." She huffed, "Spoil-sport."

Emmett laughed, his voice booming through the house, "Kira and Edward sitting in a tree!" He sing-songed. Kira's eyes lit up with glee and he shut up just before the girl tackled him through the still-open, front door. The Cullen children rushed to the door, watching in shock as Kira shoved Emmett's face into the mud.

"You're gonna regret that you giant ape!" She had another second of smushing his face in the mud before Emmett recovered. He flipped them around, and straddled Kira, laughing as she tried to wriggle out of his hold.

"Be careful Emmett!" Alice called, giggling moments before her vision came true. Kira brought her foot up and kicked the vampire in the midsection. It shouldn't have even budged him, but his face contorted in surprise as he went flying a fair distance for a human kick, but still reasonable, if he had been human. Kira lifted her head to watch Emmett crash into the grass before she let her head fall back and laughed.

All the vampires froze, they had never heard her laugh before, she hadn't even smiled in front of them. Her eyes and voice were so expressive that it was hard to remember sometimes that the girl didn't laugh, but it was never more apparent than now. It was such a gleeful, free noise, like the voice of a woman freed from her personal prison. All restraint gone, Kira rolled to her feet, laughing as she stumbled over to Emmett, "You," She struggled to contain her laughter, "You should have seen your face."

Emmett relaxed with a laugh of his own, and took her offered hand, "Yeah well I didn't expect you to kick me pipsqueak." He joked, standing to his full height of exactly as tall as Kira.

She bit her lip, finally stifling her giggles to the disappointment of all present and smacked him upside the head, "Pipsqueak my ass."

The Cullens watched in mixed amusement and awe as this woman dragged Emmett, the strongest of them, down into a noogie with seemingly no effort. Alice thought it was funny, but she couldn't bring herself to enjoy it as much as she knew she would have any other time. The absence of Isabella had her on edge in a way she understood, but hated regardless. There was no vision to guide her, but she felt that if she pushed too hard, her future with Isabella would disappear in an instant.

A tantalizing smell reached Alice's nose and she turned to see Isabella standing downwind under the shade of the trees. In the darkness it was harder to pick out the individual scars along her arms and cheeks, but two still stood out. The razor thin line along her left eyebrow that cut so close to Isabella's beautiful eye, and the thick weal around her right ankle that looked like a deep rope burn. They set Alice's teeth on edge knowing that someone had hurt her, had hurt her friend. It made her wonder if Kira and Victoria were responsible, but it was a stupid thought really, she loved them dearly.

The scars were beautiful and ugly, a reminder that Isabella had survived a great deal and still retained the ability to laugh and cry, she looked so young. Alice burned to touch her, to remind herself that Isabella was real. Before she'd considered the consequences, Alice had sped to Isabella's side, a cold hand on the girl's forearm. "Are you okay?" Alice asked softly.

Isabella looked down at the small vampire, inside she was still seething, but this vampire's touch soothed the burn. Maybe… Isabella caressed Alice's cheek, the action setting her at ease, she wanted to bury her fingers in Alice's hair and- Isabella removed her hand. "I've been better." She murmured, her palm burning hot without the soothing chill of Alice's skin. She clenched her fingers into a fist and willed away the need to do it again.

Alice bit her lip, and instead of doing what she wanted, tackling Isabella and holding her for the rest of eternity, she looked back to their playing siblings and leaned against Isabella's side. Contentment spread through the both of them at the contact, but both were also afraid of ruining it all with the wrong move, so they stood. Silently they watched the game of ultimate frisbee being organized before them. A low rumble began, surprising Alice until she realized what it was. With a smile, the pixie snuggled into Isabella's side to hear her purring better, basking in the warmth of the the younger girl's lanky arm wrapping around her waist.

Isabella couldn't help but feel conflicted. Standing with Alice so close made her feel whole for the first time since she shifted, it was amazing breathing without that heavy weight upon her chest holding her lungs tight and forcing her to fight for every minute. But she had lived with that weight for so long, it was strange breathing without it, liberating, but uncomfortable. It seems stupid to think of someone wanting the emptiness back, but it was so much safer, more familiar. Not even James had managed to reach her in that empty place, she could always retreat there, hide herself.

She was saved from her confusion by Victoria calling out, "Dinner's ready."

"I'll be back." Isabella mumbled, trying to extricate herself from Alice's grasp, only to find the vampire was walking with her. She frowned at the pixie, "You don't have to come."

"I know." Alice replied, beaming up at the confused shifter. Isabella's frown deepened. She gave a shrug that seemed to say 'suit yourself' and continued into the house with a little vampire wrapped around her waist. Kira didn't say anything when she came into the house to see Alice attached to her kitten, but Isabella could see her amusement, and felt the mental equivalent of being poked.

"Shut up." Isabella grumbled, glaring at Kira.

Victoria covered her mouth to hide her grin until she could push it away, "Be nice little one."

Isabella stuck her tongue out, "Whatever mom." Esme bristled a little at the girl's treatment, but before she could do anything, Victoria had already reached back to take the woman's hand. It was comforting, and settled her, but she was terribly embarrassed to need calming. The three shifters dug in while the other vampires filtered into the house.

"Are you ever going to explain why I can't hear any of you?" Edward asked, obviously addressing Kira, his reluctant mate.

Isabella tilted her head at him, looking between him and his mate with the slightest smile like she knew something he didn't. It frustrated Edward to no end, and it didn't help that Alice was simply daydreaming about this girl and filling his head with her nonsense. He didn't need her impossible, not to mention sinful, fantasies intruding upon his thought processes. "You say that like we would invite you to mind rape us."

Silence.

Emmett snickered, "She has a point."

"IT IS NOT RAPE." Edward stated so loudly, one might even consider it yelling. "Methinks the lady doth protest too much." Victoria thought to her sisters with amusement, finally understanding why they had put so much effort into their mental shields all day. The girls were all dancing with amusement inside their bond. His self-defense was so vehement, and so immediate, it was likely he'd had the thought before.

"So forcing yourself into my brain without permission, reading my most intimate thoughts and feelings, and then bringing them up in common conversation, that's not rape?" Kira said thoughtfully, happy to join in on anything that would get him to stop drooling over her, "You know, I think Captain Sparkles has a point. At least with rape, I mean he can still talk about it and stuff, but it's not as big an invasion. Like you can't screw a person so much that you can find out their thoughts about a person or subject."

Edward gaped at the woman who was supposed to defend him. "It's not rape, it's not even that bad, I mean it's not like I intend to do it. I can't control it."

Alice bit her lip, and Rose was watching with a smirk, though her eyes burned with anger and disgust. She enjoyed watching Edward get put in his place, but it was a slap in the face to realize that it really was like rape, and after all she'd been through, she had been letting it happen for nearly a century. "You mean like how the guys on the news can't control it?" Kira asked, her eyes shining with amusement.

Edward growled, "This is different. I am physically incapable."

"That may be true," Isabella smirked, "But now you're whining about it, because you expect to be able to accidentally mind rape everyone. So now that we can stop it, you're upset. Are you saying that you enjoy mind raping people?"

Edward gaped, and Esme cleared her throat, "I don't think he meant it that way in particular girls." She was deeply embarrassed for Edward's behavior, and more so for his lack of consideration. "Edward, I understand you are upset, but that is no reason to be so rude. Once Carlisle gets back from work, we'll all talk, and if the Calleigh's are comfortable, they will share with us about themselves."

Edward nodded, sitting down in the living room to gather his thoughts, while Kira and Isabella ate in relative silence. "He's still an asshole." Isabella informed her sister, glancing at Victoria to make sure she wasn't eavesdropping somehow.

Kira hummed her agreement, though it could have been her enjoyment of their steak salads. "Hell yeah. You should have seen him at school." Kira ran over their interactions after Isabella left.

Isabella snorted her steak, and started coughing, hard. "Oh my god, your feminine charms? He seriously said that? I was just kidding when I joked about his boner for you." Isabella looked down to see Alice watching her with concern, her cold hand rubbing soothing circles on the girl's spine. Isabella bit back a smile, and though she hated it, she removed Alice's hand and squeezed it gently, "I'm fine short-stack." She teased, "Things just went down the wrong pipe."

"Does that happen often?" Alice asked, frowning as she wondered if she would lose her, her friend over something so simple as choking on her food.

"Only when Kira does mean things while I'm eating." Isabella mock glared at her sister.

Kira stuck her tongue out, "Oh come off it, you enjoyed it just as much as I did little one."

Alice frowned, "But she didn't do anything?" She had been paying the utmost attention to Isabella, but maybe she'd missed something. Thankfully, Isabella quelled her worries before she got too caught up in her concerns. Isabella tapped her head and winked. Alice smiled, "I understand."

Emmett jumped up in surprise, "Holy shit you can read minds too?" He clapped his hands to his cheeks, "I'm in a house full of mind rapists!"

Isabella giggled, and Kira coughed into her hand. "No, no we communicate to each other via our bonds." Victoria explained, smiling herself, "To those with an open mind, we can project our thoughts just like speaking. We can also project feelings and images. Kira was probably sharing anecdotes over the table again." She leveled Kira with a stern look that the girl didn't seem to notice as she polished off her third helping.

"Whoa. Bellsy do me!" Emmett demanded, vibrating with excitement.

Isabella raised an eyebrow, "Seriously Emmett? Bellsy? You couldn't have come up with something more imaginative?" Emmett went wide eyed, "HOLY SHIT IT WORKS!"

Rose put her hand over Emmett's mouth, "Inside voice baby, inside voice." She looked over to the shifters, "So is the communication just a you thing, or can we talk back?"

Kira shook her head, "Only mates can talk back." Edward inhaled sharply, and immediately started trying to project his thoughts into Kira's mind.

Jasper winced at the pain that moved to the forefront of her mind, "I take it you know from personal experience?" He asked quietly. Kira nodded. "May I ask what happened?" He finally understood her pain, being separated from one's mate would be agonizing, Jasper wondered how long it had been that she was so comfortable with the pain.

"No." Isabella snapped sharply, her grip on Alice tightening, "You may not." Jasper put his hands up in surrender and backed away a step.

"Kitten, calm down." Victoria said softly, "There is no battle to pick here." Isabella ducked her head, her regret broadcasting to all those in the family bond, and Jasper as well. It was strange to see such a fierce girl back down so quickly from such a little admonition. Edward's head jerked up as he finally made the connection between the two women, with Isabella being the kitten that had Kira tied up in knots. He stared at her, trying to understand.

Alice stood up and the room went silent. Isabella held her tighter reflexively. The pixie smiled at her and kissed her head, "I'll be right back. I have to get the door for Carlisle." Isabella released her with a blush, realizing that despite her earlier decision to stay away from the pixie, she had gravitated closer.

Carlisle approached the deadly silent building with trepidation. He could hear three sets of heartbeats, and nine people breathing, but no one was moving or talking. It was one thing for Esme to text him telling him to be home from work on time, it was another entirely to find out they were invited to dinner with some new friends in town. The head of the coven walked at a human pace, taking his time to collect as much information as possible when the door opened in front of him. "Come on, we're all waiting." Alice waved him in, her smile brighter than he'd seen in years.

Carlisle walked into the house, and despite the awful walls and flooring, the furniture reminded him of home, his original home. He had spent his developing years surrounded by hand carved woods stained dark, and thick carpets to hide the rough flooring. One of the heartbeats drew near and he looked up to see a rather wild looking woman with a mess of red curly hair and the eyes of a wild creature. She looked comfortable surrounded by vampires, but he could tell by her posture that she was on guard. "Good evening." He smiled, "I am Carlisle Cullen. I see you have already met my family."

Victoria's mouth quirked up into a small smile, "Victoria Calleigh. Kit, Kira, come out and greet our guests properly. We need to make a good impression." Two more young women walked in, but Carlisle only noticed the first one to step out. Alice latched onto her arm immediately, which caught his attention, but her terrible scars held it.

He hissed quietly, "You abuse her?" He glared at Victoria, his fists clenched. He knew those scars, he and his sister had borne similar ones back when he was human. The scar above her eye in particular reminded him of a night when his father had pulled out a knife and threatened to skin his sister for an indiscretion.

Kira snarled, "Of course not." His attention shifted to the regal woman, taller than the other two, with a powerful presence that would have intimidated him were he any younger. "She is mine." She snapped, thinking that Carlisle intended on taking Isabella from him.

Alice stiffened, her eyes turning a shade darker as she looked at the new threat. Kira's behavior with Isabella had been sisterly, perhaps motherly at times, but she had never considered that the two were a couple, despite the fact that Emmett and Rose occasionally posed as siblings. Isabella let out a growl of her own, "Enough." The word caused Kira to stiffen, but not back down. "He was concerned. You really think any of them would try to take me Kira? Calm down." She grabbed her sister's shoulder, and tugged her back.

Carlisle watched the two girls make eye contact as some intense communication was obviously going on. He looked to Edward automatically, desiring his guidance. "I have none." Edward replied glumly, "They choose to block my powers." Choose. Carlisle mused upon that word. He wondered how they had the power to block out Edward's gift by choice.

"They block mine too, sometimes." Alice said softly, drawing all attention to her. "I had a few visions, but they always cut out, or looked strange, like something was missing." Isabella looked to her curiously, "Visions?" She didn't mean to speak directly to Alice's mind, but it felt as natural as breathing to her.

Alice smiled, "I'll tell you later." Isabella heard the words in her mind and stiffened. Alice's smile faded away immediately and she realized she had screwed up. Alice bit her lip and took a few steps away, hugging herself as she left the warmth and safety of Isabella's arms. Her theory was proven, but at what cost?

Carlisle and the rest of the Cullens watched curiously, except Edward who was frowning in concentration again, trying to reach Kira's mind, either through his own powers, or their mating bond. He couldn't help but think she was blocking their mating bond as well, her previous mate must have been a delusional relationship, or perhaps a secondary choice in case they never met. Her demeanor suited his perfectly when she wasn't being crass. He could see in her eyes that his Kira was a natural born leader, just like him.

Carlisle looked to Victoria, relaxing his posture as much as he could. He felt on edge, like he was surrounded by predators, the kind that could actually arm him. It reminded him very much of the La Push wolves, except in this case, they didn't smell bad, only repellant. Much as flowers smell, nice but not food. Victoria smirked, "It's always a tense day with vampires, don't worry."

"Who told you?" He couldn't let such an infraction against the treaty go unpunished. If the Wolf pack found out, it would be a massacre, and he did not want those lives on his hands.

Victoria tapped her nose, "You did. Vampires all smell the same," She glanced towards Esme, "Mostly. It's another one of the perks."

"Perks of what?"

Isabella raised an eyebrow at Victoria, "Oh tell them already Tori, they already know something is off."

Kira lit up with glee, "Can I show them? Shovel face needs to take a hint, and I want to give it to him." Victoria pinched her nose to hold back her consternation, and waved, "Go ahead Kira."

"Edward." Kira purred, earning the victorian boy's attention immediately, "I need your help with a little demonstration." Edward stood up, wide eyed, all his focus on Kira, searching for some indication of what it would be.

Emmett winked at Rosalie, recognizing that look from Kira's last stunt, "This is gonna be good." He whispered. Victoria gestured for everyone to follow the girl as she placed a hand on Edward's chest, and guided him out of the house backwards.

Edward's stumbling all over the place was a testament to the woman's effect on the vampire, he was so overcome that he didn't even notice when they started moving into the woods out of sight of their distant neighbors. "You know, I think we got off on the wrong foot." Kira informed Edward, her eyes intense as they captured his.

He was spellbound, barely able to stutter out hopefully, "Y-you do?"

"Mmmn," She nodded, "You see, I think you got the idea that I entertain even the slightest amount of regard for you. You have been forcing your presence, and your gift on me ever since we met, just because you're a gay little virgin, and this is the first time you've ever felt," She paused, looking him up and down, "Lusts of the flesh."

Edward shuddered as the words rolled off her tongue, his body betraying him even as his mind protested, "N-no, we're mates, I know we are, I've never felt this way about anyone." The insults she served him flew right over his head.

Kira's eyes flashed, "Let me tell you about mates Edward. Among my kind, we are free with our bodies, seductors of the highest degree, comparable to succubi. It's only natural. When we mate, we mate for life, we never leave their side, and the idea of causing them pain for anything other than the heightening of their pleasure," She licked her lips, "Is unthinkable. We die with our mates no matter what their species. Human, vampire, shifter, whatever."

"Th-then it's good that I'll never d-die?" Edward was losing confidence in his assumption that she was the one for him. Something in the way she carried herself gave him the idea that she was only seconds away from injuring him permanently.

"It would be, had my mate not died in my arms Edward." Kira replied. Jasper hunched over at the depth of her pain, clutching his middle as he fought the urge to siphon it off on others. He wanted to leave but he needed to know what they were dealing with first. Kira shifted, her body elongating even further as stripes drew themselves along her bare skin. Her shirt ripped to shreds, and Edward felt himself falling back as her palms grew larger, heavier, and her nails curved into wicked claws the length of his long fingers. "You insult his memory with your arrogance Edward Cullen." Kira growled, the sound low and menacing as she projected her voice into the minds of everyone there, "I will not be so lenient the next time you make such assumptions." Those words were for him alone, not even Isabella nor Tori felt those words, or the images of her clawing his chest open and ripping out his dead heart. Edward was grateful for that. Her heavy paws on his chest seemed to gain weight with her threats.

Jasper nodded to his siblings and ran just as soon as one of them acknowledged him. His departure broke the somber mood. "Ahem," Carlisle flinched as all eyes turned to him, including that of a twelve foot long Siberian tiger. "Do you all shift into tigers?"

"No." Victoria replied calmly, "We don't stay in packs, cats are solitary creatures by design. We're probably the largest group of cat shifters you'll ever find outside Lions. Lions are a rare exception to the rule, but they stick to home territory. Most of us visit our natural habitats, but after that, we tend to roam. It's more interesting that way."

Esme tilted her head, "What do you all shift into, if it's not too personal."

"Jaguar." Victoria said softly.

Isabella ducked her head, "I'd rather not say." Alice bit her lip, forcing herself to keep a distance from Isabella.

Kira scooped the girl into her arms, giving her the tight hug that Alice desperately wanted to administer, "She's our little kitten, isn't that right?" She teased. Isabella gave her a small smile, and instead of shoving the older girl away, she snuggled into the embrace. Alice smiled softly, realizing that Kira wasn't competition, but someone important. It was difficult, reigning in all the different emotions raging through her head, all she wanted was to hold Isabella, and protect her.

Victoria smiled, wrapping her arm around Esme's waist, "So what do you say? You still feel up to renovating the old place? I know the inhabitants are crazy, but we're tons of fun to play with."

Rose frowned, "Wait. What about the mutts in La Push? Won't they have something to say about this? Technically you are breaking the treaty."

Isabella stiffened in Kira's arms and hissed, "We have nothing to do with those animals."

Eyes widened all around the room, and Carlisle frowned in confusion, "Animals? Aren't you all cousins, or sister species?"

Victoria chuckled, "We are similar in our mating habits, and our healing, strength etcetera, but that relation does not come with steady bonds. The mutts at La Push are examples of some of the worst of their kind. I truly pity you for making a deal with them. They are territorial, and judging from the smell, they've made some kind of blood pact. It taints them, makes them smell awful even to their own kind."

Victoria quirked her head, "I don't doubt it was vampires they made the pact against. They're bigger than other dogs I've seen. They most likely agreed to isolate themselves to gain greater strength against their hated enemies. However, as Kira found out, they haven't been taught about their ancestry, or the dangers of such animosity."

"You know quite a bit about them considering you've only been here a few days." Carlisle replied, an accusation implicit in his calm remark.

"My knowledge is rather collective. I get around quite a bit, and I talk to some knowledgeable people. South America had more insights than I had expected." Victoria didn't take any offense from his inquiries, she doubted his was anything more than a child really. "I befriended a coven of vampires there whose experience rivals my own, and so we bonded over killing the poachers and warlords who wandered into our territory. It was quite thrilling really, hunting with vampires." She chanced a glance to Esme who honestly didn't know what to think.

Carlisle nodded, his brow furrowed in confusion, "It seems that I have walked into quite the confusion, haven't I?"