Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of Twilight. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N: This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities.

Chapter Numbering: Because FFnet doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link FFnet displays.

Notes:
I'm warning everyone ahead of time, this chapter has tons of spoilers for SM's Official Guide! Also, I got superbly sappy in this chapter. So bring your toothbrushes!

Previously – Mireille didn't enjoy 'running' with Edward. Mireille and Edward walked through the trees and discussed Carlisle's self doubts. Edward realized Mireille is sarcastic and they agreed no apologies for thinking or hearing thoughts. Alice announced Rosalie had calmed, Emmett said a proper hello, and they discussed Rosalie. Upon returning to the house, the Cullens discussed Mireille's new story, Mireille was given the surname Whitlock, they finalized backstory details, Edward found Mireille's paperwork, and they chose her classes for school.


Chapter 7: Informed


The laughter (and my confusion) had thankfully died down and as Carlisle had just informed me, I was unable to start before the new semester, since it was so far into the current one.

"You'll be starting in January," he went on to say, glancing down at the course guide he held in his hand. "Now… we need to recreate your school records and we'll also have to edit your parents' names on your birth certificate. Jasper, why don't you take Mireille up for that?"

Remembering that Jasper was the forgery go-to man, I just followed him upstairs, though I was definitely bewildered as to why we had to go up there. Even more bewildering was the fact that we bypassed his study and Carlisle's office both, without any hesitation.

"Jasper, where are we going?" I asked him in confusion. I trusted him, but this was odd.

"You'll see," was all he told me, and I was forced to just continue following him up to the third floor and into the same room that housed Esme's art studio. But rather than enter the studio, we took the first hall to the left and entered the first room on the left as well.

As I looked on in amazement, Jasper settled at one of the desks therein, gestured for me to take the seat next to him, and immediately began the procedure of forging my 'new' school reports and birth certificate faster than I could really comprehend. I just started to wonder why on earth I needed to be there, when Jasper finished the edited reports and pulled a blank class registration form out nowhere. Before I knew it, he had filled in the advanced courses as discussed.

"Are those right?" he wanted to know, glancing over his shoulder at me.

"I guess so," I partially stuttered, still a bit behind the times as awe swept over my mind.

Without a word, the Texan vampire knew exactly what was going on with me, and he was willing to wait it out until I became sensible again.

"Obviously you have to take gym," he said absently after a while, filling that in too, only at a much slower pace. Then, sensing my return to coherency he asked, "French or Spanish?"

"Spanish," I replied. Another class was written in at the speed of light and my registration form was completed and then scanned into the computer. If the entire process had taken fifteen minutes, I would have been surprised.

"Done," Jasper declared. After hitting print and turning around to face my stunned features with a slight grin, he casually remarked, "Not the first time we had to do that."

"I reconsider my idea of speed writing," I said dryly, shaking my head while his grin widened minutely and he moved to collect the printed documents and hand them to me.

"Maybe…" Jasper started thoughtfully, but trailed off. It wasn't until Edward showed up with my file that I understood why.

"A passport would be an excellent idea," he spoke, obviously agreeing with a thought already spoken. "If we have to leave the country in a hurry, Mireille will be coming with us."

"When have you had to actually leave the country?" I wondered in surprise. "I thought you could just move to the other coast or lose yourself in Canada."

"A couple of times we stayed overseas because of a larger threat." Edward was very careful in his word choice, I noticed.

"How much of my past do you know, Mireille?" Jasper cautiously inquired, looking highly uncomfortable.

"A good deal of it," I admitted plainly, curiosity present in my voice. "From the time you joined the army as a human, right on up to the present."

"At least that cuts down my explanation time," he commented dryly, but neither brother looked amused. "Sometimes, when we live closer to the south, the southern covens can cause a very widespread panic amongst humans. You wouldn't believe how much more superstitious people can be once there's a mass death rate."

"Actually, I can," I remarked with a sarcastic smile. "Look at how people acted about the millennium."

"True enough," Jasper chuckled. "The point is that at times, there can be an awful lot of dangerously close calls with humans once they get into that state of mind. So we leave the country until the panic dies down, explained by some variant on a serial killer or a plague or something like that."

"Okay, so you have to make me a passport," I summarized.

"Yes, but we'll have to take an updated picture," Jasper informed me, only then taking the file from his brother's outstretched hand.

"I'll take care of it," Edward responded, pulling me out of the forging space and down a hall perpendicular to the one we had taken the first time through. At the end of that hallway was a large room already set up for what looked like a photo shoot. A large piece of light gray fabric with a sponged design hung from the top of the far wall, contrasting vastly with the black stool in the middle, at which I took a seat.

"Smile," said Edward, and immediately after my smile became the most natural, a brief click of the camera cemented my lightly smiling face in Twilight history.

"So, what is this… area?" I questioned Edward broadly, waving at the expanse around us as I hopped down off the stool.

"The place we forge birth certificates, licenses, academic and medical records… You name it, we've had to do it. Mostly it's when we're more rushed than normal and can't do it through a professional agency."

"Wow," was all I could think to say, following him back to where Jasper was. The process of opening my picture and creating the passport photo was completed at the same speed as before, meaning that I saw virtually nothing of it until the completed project lay in front of my eyes.

We went out and down the stairs at a human pace and, having completely glanced over the records that were mine (and yet not mine) by the time we got to the main floor, I commented amusedly, "Congratulate me, I'm officially illegal now."

"Welcome to C.E.E. underground," Emmett half hollered from across the room.

"Grow up," Rosalie condescendingly responded to him with a scowl in her voice before I could even speak. She was going to give me whiplash, what with her constantly changing feelings towards me.

"Thanks, Emmett." Lame though it was after Rosalie's criticism, I felt like I should say it anyway. The big vampire shrugged and smiled apologetically at me, leaving the room in a tense silence.

"Your medical records are as complete as anyone could hope them to be," Carlisle remarked amidst the silence, clearly trying to break the uncomfortable atmosphere. "I don't think we need to make any changes."

"That's good," I nodded awkwardly, unsure of what to say to that. I hadn't realized that we would think about editing my medical information for any reason.

"Just precautions," Edward told me, handing me the same blanket from earlier while lightly steering me to the sofa that had formerly housed Alice and Jasper. Glancing around curiously, I found the two sitting on the ground beside the coffee table, perusing some of my school stuff again.

"What's so fascinating about those papers?" I asked them in amusement. Surely my grades were old news by now?

"Certificates," Alice informed me happily, never even looking up.

"Certificates for what?" I wondered, surprise coursing through my system for the tenth time that day.

"All of your clubs and achievements and so forth," she went on, still incredibly cheerful. Rosalie and Emmett looked up in interest when they heard her, Emmett even moving over to their spot to lean over and read along with whatever Jasper was holding.

Weakly I suggested, "I suppose this is repayment for knowing all about you guys?"

Alice rolled her eyes good-naturedly, at last looking up at me. "Of course not, Mireille. It's just that none of us have ever had anything like these. You have to remember how long ago any of us were in high school or below that. And of course, for me, there aren't even those memories. It's interesting to look over things I never had."

Content though she may have been in her explanation, I felt very badly for Alice. She never remembered her childhood or her teen years at all. Not that they were anything spectacular, particularly later on, but still it must have been hard to never know where you came from. In spite of my conviction that Alice should never know the way she was treated before becoming a vampire, I began to feel guilty for withholding what I knew about her past. Risking a glance at Edward, I found his rich eyes staring at me searchingly, asking me for the facts I had been hiding so well until then. Giving in was almost all too easy; showing him all I knew about Alice's human life, her vampire protector in the asylum, and James' obsession. The difficulty was editing out the parts about Bella once James started hunting her and told her all about Alice, but it was a necessary omission.

By the time we were through, Edward's face was black with anger, and I shivered at the hatred I could see growing there. For whom, I couldn't tell. Jasper gazed at us raptly, eyes narrowed as he concentrated deeply on his brother's abrupt change in mood.

"Thank you," Edward told me suddenly. The sincerity in his voice let me know it was not me his anger was directed at, relieving me so immensely that I sighed aloud.

"But I…" Edward spoke further, unhappier than ever and fidgeting in his seat beside me. I could only imagine the battle raging inside him; it was a matter of protecting his sister's happiness or being truthful with her. "I think she should know. It's not fair to keep it from her."

Now every vampire in the room stared avidly at us, all thoughts focused on our one-sided conversation. Understandably, Jasper could no longer stop himself from asking, "What is it?"

Inhaling the deepest breath possible, I turned to Alice. The expression of understanding on her face was very telling. "Have you seen this already?" I had to make sure.

"Not the words you'll speak," she admitted quietly, setting down the papers in her hand. "And I had no real idea when it would happen. All I knew was that you would have some unfortunate news for me at some point early on and Edward would want you to tell me."

"What?" Rosalie snapped in confusion, bouncing back and forth between me and Alice. For me, her gaze became completely mistrustful. For her sister, it was concerned, although the beautiful vampire hid it fairly well.

"Can you block it at all?" I tentatively inquired, not decided yet as to whether or not I would actually tell her.

"I can," she nodded. "And I'm not bothered about everyone hearing, so don't worry about that."

"Okay," I started, then cleared my throat in an attempt to erase my growing nerves. But it wasn't working. I couldn't fathom hurting Alice like that. Telling her that her parents probably didn't want her… I just couldn't do it if her human parents had not loved her at all, no matter how wonderful her immortal parents were.

To my horror, I could see Alice's vision grow distant before my eyes. Edward must have decided to tell her.

"I didn't," he assured me firmly, barely sparing me a glance as he looked over at his tiny sister, sharing whatever vision was in her head. "This is something else."

Jasper waited, patiently and yet somehow impatiently, with his arm secured around his wife. Worried over what might be so urgent that Alice couldn't block it at all, I sat with baited breath like the rest of the family to hear what was happening.

"Mireille," she spoke, startling us all back into breathing, however unnecessary it might have been for some, "Go up to my closet. There are some… packages… atop the low shelving in my clothes cabinet on the left side of the room."

Someone could have knocked me over with a feather, inciting me to drill Alice with too many questions at once. There was so much that didn't make sense, I just couldn't help it. "Packages? What are they? Where did they come from? Who sent them?"

"I don't know if they were sent from anyone in particular," she said, seeming dazed herself. "They just… appeared. Like you."

Everyone now turned to stare at me instead of Alice.

"Go up to my closet." Alice was coming back to herself; her voice wasn't so distant.

Bewildered as to what the packages could possibly be, but anxious to find out, I stood from the sofa, allowing the blanket to fall back on the cushion. Feeling incredibly self-conscious with every pair of eyes following me across the room and up the staircase, I tried my best not to let it overwhelm me. When I was out of their range of vision, I felt my bones relaxing slightly. Of course, when I opened the door to Alice's enormous closet and stepped inside the space full of modern white cabinetry, the nerves came back full force. Jasper must have been too absorbed in Alice's condition to bother with mine.

On the left side of the room was a section of cabinetry with low shelves inside to house her shoes. Upon the shelves, as Alice had said, were some packages. Six packages, to be precise. And I would have known the wrapping paper on two of those packages anywhere. How Christmas gifts seemingly from my estranged uncle ended up in Alice's closet, I had no idea. Just like I had no idea how my music books had turned up on Edward's piano or how my files had ended up in Carlisle's office. Just like I had no idea how I had even gotten here.

Shaking myself, I moved closer and hesitantly picked up one of the nearest packages, only to feel a certain familiarity with the shape and size. Checking the other packages, I started to get the most uncomfortable feeling about precisely what they were. As a matter of fact, I knew with certainty what they were.

Something about the other two packages was more bothersome, unfortunately, so I took my time opening the rest, not at all shocked to find the entire Twilight series sitting in front of me. Pulling an agitated hand into my hair, I tried to make sense of it all. Maybe I was supposed to tell them everything. But then how could I? It could ruin things that hadn't even begun yet. For all I knew, Edward might decide Bella's fate was too much at risk and skip out on it totally. I could be ruining everything Edward needed and deserved. And that got me panicking.

"You're not going to ruin everything," came the velvet voice from behind me. Somehow, I knew he would be the one to come up to me.

"These books," I said almost hysterically, grabbing Twilight and waving it between us to emphasize my point, "are your future! And I am not in them! If I step in, I'm only going to mess it up."

"Why would Alice have seen positive things about you, then?" Edward countered smoothly, walking over with the air of someone attempting to calm a caged animal. Then again, that was exactly what I felt like. Barred from leaving Forks or the Cullens. "Alice saw you successfully participating in our family life before you even arrived in Forks."

That caught my attention. Aghast, I asked, "Why didn't you tell me? You said she hid it from you!"

"She did," he reassured me, holding his hand up in a supplicating gesture that only slightly appeased me. "She has spent the last several minutes showing me what she saw about you. I must say, you seem to be making us all rather happy in every vision. I don't see any signs of you ruining our lives."

"It could be a temporary thing," I whispered sadly, letting go of my wildness to replace it with sadness. I had been selfish in thinking I could be here without any repercussions. Carlisle was right; everyone leaves a mark somehow. Mine just might be deeper than others. "Maybe I'll be a perfect fit for now in this family, but later it'll be my fault if things go wrong with Bella."

Though he looked exasperated, Edward's eyes were ever so gentle as he watched me. "Did you, even once, decide that you were going to change our futures?"

"No," I reluctantly answered, gripping Twilight so tightly that it probably wrinkled the cover.

"Did you make those books appear?" he continued, nodding at the novel in my hands.

"No," I replied even more reluctantly than before.

"And did you," Edward nearly breathed the question, stepping right up to me and gently releasing the book from my anxious hands, "ever choose to get lost in the Michigan wilderness at night and somehow, against your own will and comprehension, land in the middle of the Olympic Forest?"

"No," I whispered with my last bit of resistance.

"Then stop fretting," he murmured kindly, reaching out to softly rearrange my hair from its nerve-induced disarray.

"You are not at fault for what might happen," Alice's quiet voice followed her brother's. She stood in the doorway, and her eyes were just as kind. "If Bella is supposed to be a part of this family, then she will be. For now, the only thing I see is our newest friend. You."

Choking up was not a good choice, considering every person in the house could smell the salty tears and hear every irregular breath I took. Yet I couldn't stop it from happening. Not a single tear actually fell, but that didn't mean my eyes weren't full to the brim with water and my throat tight. The siblings both laughed lightly at my attempts to ignore it and helped me gather the four books and two strange packages to head downstairs. Alice flashed out of sight before I even cleared the edge of the cupboards, but Edward stayed by my side the entire walk down.

To my immense relief, the imminent tears receded by the time we were on the first floor. By my lack of nerves, however, I suspected it was mostly Jasper's doing. I was grateful, though, and the southern vampire nodded at me in acknowledgment. No one said anything about my outburst upstairs or even the fact that books about their future were sitting in the room with us, but Esme came up to me in a blink and hugged me as tightly as she dared, kissing my forehead before she released me. Carlisle was right behind her, offering a one-armed embrace of reassurance. From the same position as earlier, Rosalie gazed contemplatively at me for a full minute before turning back to her perfectly-manicured nails with a far less resentful expression than she had worn earlier. Emmett gave me the most reassurance of all, somehow; his grin was exactly the same as before.

It didn't take Edward's guiding hand to figure out my seat this time. The blanket remained, although folded neatly I saw, and a brand new cup of hot chocolate sat steaming on the coffee table. Smiling for the first time since finding the books, I settled into the sofa and let Edward tuck me in with the blanket, hand me my mug, and place my books and packages between us.

After a moment of comfortable silence, Emmett was the first to speak, practically bouncing on his toes in a method reminiscent of Alice. "So… Are you going to open them?"

A genuine laugh escaped me at his childlike enthusiasm. I had already faced the more frightening packages, hadn't I? Might as well open the rest, I figured. Feeling exceptionally courageous, I dived right into the two Christmas gifts that had bothered me so badly. The first, I was surprised to find out, was a book about the newborn vampire in Eclipse named Bree.

"That's weird," I muttered, frowning. "I don't remember this book."

"It's not yours?" Carlisle wondered in surprise.

"No," I shook my head, "I only have the four. This isn't even a part of the main series, actually. It's just a novella set during Eclipse. Maybe I just never paid attention to it. I might have thought someone was just being hopeful that the series might continue, so I never actually believed this was a real book."

That didn't exactly make sense to me, considering I was such an avid fan of the books, but I could explain it no other way.

"May I?" Edward asked, a frown on his face similar to mine.

"Sure," I easily offered up the book, hoping he could figure it out. Surprisingly, he turned to the front cover immediately.

"Oh, it must have come out late in two-thousand-eight," I told him. "My uncle, amazing though it sounds, must have bought it early."

"This wasn't printed in two-thousand-eight," Edward reported flatly, startling me a little by his seriousness.

"What?" I half laughed. "Don't tell me it came out in two-thousand-seven and he forgot about it? I mean he has a terrible memory, I grant you, but to forget this for a year? I didn't realize it was that bad."

"It was printed in two-thousand-ten."

My mouth dropped open completely, as did everyone else's.

"How did I get it, then?" I could barely make out my own voice. "That's my uncle's wrapping paper. I'd know it anywhere. He makes a lot of paper materials, so he creates his own wrapping paper. It's always the same kind."

"It must be a gift he was going to get you in the future," Alice suggested much more calmly than I could comprehend. "If that's the case, the other one probably is, too."

Just when I though I couldn't be anymore amazed, I opened the second package (far more hesitant than a moment ago, it must be said) and found an official guide to the Twilight series sitting there in all its glory. I acted from Edward's example first and foremost, almost blindly opening up to the publication date.

"Two-thousand-eleven," I mumbled disbelievingly.

"Well, you'd better read them soon," Edward suggested with a raised brow. "I think we'd prefer to hear any facts contained therein from your own lips. It feels more reliable that way."

"Right," I responded without thinking, staring at the index of the official guide in rapt fascination. To think... even the Cullens might not know some of that information. That was the craziest part of it all. It struck me all of a sudden that I might answer my own wish through this book. If Alice's story was in there… maybe her parents weren't as horrible as I feared. There could be a better explanation than simple abandonment.

Hardly aware of my surroundings, I opened up the book to the page for The Cullen Coven. A wide grin covered my face when I turned to Carlisle's page and saw the drawing of him. It was a very nice picture, although it didn't capture even half of his true attraction or the gentility of his eyes. I was pleasantly surprised to read on the next page that his eyes were blue as a human. I'd always thought so, but to have it confirmed was exciting. Skipping the actual biography, I turned pages until I found the next person in the family.

It was Edward. And my goodness, was it an attractive drawing. Again, it was nothing like the real person beside me, but that wasn't the point. I skipped reading his description since I already knew his human eye color was green, from New Moon, and moved onto the next family member. I now suspected the guide was going in order of the person's entry into the coven, and sure enough Esme was next in line. Her picture actually did convey all of the sweetness of her disposition and my smile returned in a far softer manner. Curious as to her eye color, I read the description this time. Brown. That I had also figured. She seemed so similar to Bella in some ways that it only made sense.

Rosalie, the next member shown, had a very fitting picture. It captured her beauty, yet also the bitterness that had encapsulated her since being changed. Her eye color, violet, I also knew, so I went on to Emmett's section. His picture amused me for some strange reason, although I couldn't pinpoint exactly why. Shaking my head, I went on to Alice, but hesitated. Not yet. I would save hers for last. I quickly rifled through to Jasper's section instead. This picture, like Rosalie's, showed the troubled nature beneath the outward appearance and I felt bad for him, having to live through what he did. It always made me feel anger for Maria, but now… Looking over at the scholarly yet battle-scarred vampire as he sat sifting papers with his beloved Alice, Maria's actions made me feel something close to hatred.

Edward's hand on my shoulder reminded me of where I was. Shoving my anger out of mind so as not to make Jasper feel what I was feeling, I refocused on my book and reluctantly turned back to Alice's section. To my disappointment, I found her eyes had been dark brown as a human. I used to imagine they were blue, too. Reading onward, I was not surprised to find that Alice had a degree in fashion design, but I was definitely amused. As I began to read Alice's history, however, my amusement was snuffed out like a candle flame. By the time she was put into the asylum, I was absolutely horrified and my throat was tight with tears again. Poor Alice.

Only when Edward started growling did I remember how easily he was following along, but I couldn't stop. If I was going to tell Alice about her life, I had to finish the story. What she endured in the asylum pushed my tears to escape their confines and run down my face. And then to have her protector torn from her… But then if this stranger had become a father figure to her, Alice might never have come to find the Cullens. That was the worse scenario in my opinion. The Cullens really were the best thing that happened to Alice and Jasper both.

After Alice's story came to the end, I had to close the book. Curious as I might have been for the rest of the information in it, I realized now that I might be able to find out a lot of the things I really was interested in from the vampires around me.

Without my notice, Alice herself had come to sit beside me while Jasper settled onto the arm of the couch next to her, a hand extended to grasp her small shoulder.

"I read it," Alice told me simply, an expression on her face I didn't understand at first.

"I'm sorry," I murmured guiltily. "That's why I didn't want to tell you about it. And I didn't even know this much before."

"What did you know before?" she asked quietly, reaching over to brush away the remaining tears on my cheeks.

"Just that you were put in an asylum for some reason," I explained equally as quietly. Upon my revelation, Rosalie and Esme gasped loudly, a deeply distressed look covered Carlisle's face, and Emmett scowled. Jasper growled so low in his chest that I could almost feel his body tremble from it, even with Alice between us. Unless that was Edward trembling at my side, which I found entirely plausible. "A vampire who worked for the asylum bit you, James wanted you, and he killed the old vampire for turning you. And then you went off into the world with your first vision of Jasper, never remembering what happened to make you into a vampire."

"Oh, Alice," Esme murmured, eyes glassy with tears she could not shed.

"So I was James' singer," Alice pondered pensively.

"Mm-hm." I responded to be courteous, realizing she was not really asking.

Then Alice whispered low, a tender expression crossing her face, "My mother loved me."

"Yes, she did," I agreed, happy that at least something from her story was good to hear.

"Of course she did, dear," Esme murmured at her small daughter and quickly rose to embrace her tightly. As Carlisle and Jasper smiled on, Alice basked in the love of the only mother she had left, returning her embrace just as strongly.

"You didn't want to tell me any of this," said Alice curiously once they parted, although her features still hinted towards the truth of her mother's affections. "Why?"

"Before this book came, I didn't know anything except the fact that you were put in the asylum by your parents," I confessed nervously. "I thought they hadn't cared about you. If all I did was make you feel badly, then it didn't seem worth it to tell you. Like it said in the book, the shock treatments made you forget the bad times with your father and stepmother, and so you went back to your bright, happy self. I didn't want to take that away."

Another heavy silence stole over the room, until Alice smiled. Not just a casual smile, but a wide, bright smile that lit up the room. "Thank you," she told me warmly, yet mischief entered her eye.

"For being just as overprotective as Edward and Jasper."

Stunned for all of a minute, I snorted abruptly and then started laughing along with the aforementioned vampires.

"Thanks, Alice," I finally told her, shaking my head. "I feel so loved."

"You should, actually!" she giggled a little. "After all, I compared you to my mate and my almost-twin."

"You were born the same year," A smile crossed my face. "I guess you were meant to be brother and sister all along."

"Of course we were," she grinned at Edward, who just shook his head laughingly at his sister and tried his best to rumple her short hair, which of course failed.

"Was my father always such an angry man, do you think?" Alice then wondered aloud, a frown marring the happy façade of a moment before. "Or was it just when he became interested with my future stepmother?"

"Who knows?" I shrugged sadly. "Your early childhood seemed relatively happy, so maybe that was the case."

With a shake of her head, Alice appeared to be mostly back to normal. "It doesn't really matter. I have a father that I can be proud of."

Carlisle positively beamed at the praise, albeit a bit bashfully, and gladly embraced the tiny vampire as tenderly as Esme had. "Thank you, Alice."

If I wasn't mistaken, the doctor's eyes were overly bright when he pulled away, but I didn't comment on it. Neither did Edward, although he looked like he wanted to chuckle quite brilliantly.

"Well, now that I've covered the entire spectrum of emotions in one go," I remarked wryly, to which Jasper snorted loudly.

"You couldn't possibly have," he said, simultaneously slipping down onto the sofa and pulling Alice into his lap. I had to wonder if it was a way of distracting himself from my constant scent and heartbeat, but shook my head to clear that idea.

"Smooth moves, Major," I retorted humorously instead. He grinned quite widely in response and Alice giggled, leaning in to kiss his cheek. Rolling my eyes, I turned to Carlisle. "So, any other files that need fixing?"

"No, we're quite finished editing," he assured me. "I'll be completing your registration for the high school tonight and then I believe that will be everything. We can get you a parking permit when we turn in the paperwork."

"But I'm not legally able to drive now," I said in surprise. "Not until I'm theoretically sixteen."

"Your birthday is in January," Jasper joined in the conversation. "You'll be able to drive next semester."

"Ooh! You're so-called Sweet Sixteen!" Alice added enthusiastically. "Oh, I could throw you a wonderful party! Of course, we'll celebrate your real age, not just the fake one. That wouldn't be any fun."

Wow. A party by Alice Cullen… I was already eager to see what she came up with.

"Then it's settled," Carlisle surmised, greatly amused by his daughter as she chattered. "We'll register you on Friday. I'll take you up while the others are in class. Less attention that way."

"You should register sooner," Alice suggested abruptly, apparently just entering into a vision. "If you do it any later than tomorrow, people will think you didn't have time to do the paperwork quicker because you never actually had plans to do this."

That was so soon, I couldn't help gulping. "Tomorrow?"

"Yes," she nodded confidently. "Trust me, it'll be better that way."

"Oh, then we should go over what classes I'm supposed to have taken," I said anxiously. "So I know what to say if I'm asked about it."

"Just look over the edited grade reports," Edward responded calmly, handing me said reports form the coffee table. Much relieved by the fact that I didn't have to remember the course names just by word of mouth, I took a while reading over the changes wrought in my old class lists.

"Carlisle," Esme spoke up some time later, a slight frown marring her lovely features. "All six of them won't be able to fit in the Volvo. And no, Rosalie, you will not take the M3. It's far too ostentatious, even for a junior."

Rosalie rolled her eyes, but replied quite respectfully, "You should buy a car, then, Esme. You have the subtlest taste of all of us when it comes to vehicles."

"Actually, I was thinking Mireille needs a car of her own," Carlisle thoughtfully added, leaving Esme looking pleased.

"A… car?" No doubt about it, I was doing a very good impression of a fish, the papers in my hand slipping right to the floor. "Of my own?"

"You had one in the other… reality," Carlisle chuckled, "Why not this one?"

"My car was a piece of junk that I bought in my second year of college because I purposely got more than necessary on my loan for a down payment," I pointed out flatly. "I don't think that's quite the same thing."

"Believe me," Edward cut in, "You won't be driving a piece of junk this time. And you won't even need a down payment."

Much as I wanted to protest this generous gift, I decided I shouldn't be so ungrateful. It was partly to protect the Cullens, anyway. Rosalie driving her M3 could raise suspicions.

"Thank you," Edward sighed. "That was much easier than I thought it might be."

"Sorry," I laughed. "I hope I haven't been too difficult so far."

"No, not especially," he laughed a little with me. "But I can tell you're going to be very stubborn at times."

"I ought to fit right in with you, then," I told him airily, smirking for the first time in my life. The whole family laughed (even Rosalie allowed her amusement to show) and Edward narrowed his gaze substantially.

Carlisle began to speak again after recovering from his laughter, "We are finished here, Mireille—"

"Oh, we can go shopping now!" Alice squealed, cutting him off completely and clapping her hands in excitement as her voice carried on at the highest speed I could comprehend at a human level. "Come on! We'll have plenty of time."

"But—" I tried to protest, having wanted to sit a while longer, but I was dragged away and half forced into my coat and other outerwear, as well as having my hair fixed.

"Esme, you drive," Alice commanded hurriedly, pulling on her own outwear: a lovely blue-violet pea coat that I was actually envious of. Esme smilingly accepted her charge and joined us in her tan coat and scarf half-a-minute later.

"Good grief, Alice," I grumbled on the way out the door. "Back home, I had half as many clothes in my whole wardrobe as I do from just that shopping trip last night. Why do I need more?"

"You're living as a Cullen now," she exasperatedly told me, finally releasing me from her iron grip to let me climb into the back seat of the Mercedes. "We have far more clothes than that. It would look strange if you weren't as well groomed as the rest of us."

Sighing as I pulled my belt on, I had to admit she was right. "I just feel… I don't know."

"Greedy?" Esme suggested understandingly, turning the key in the ignition.

"Yeah," I sighed again. "And selfish."

"That's ridiculous," Alice insisted forcefully.

"Alice," Esme gently reproached her daughter, who abruptly went silent at the expression on her mother's face. All was quiet until we reached the end of the long driveway.

"I do know what you mean, Mireille," Esme went on in a quiet voice. "When I first started my life with Carlisle and Edward, they spoiled me so much that I felt exactly like you do. Obviously I had the added troubles of being a newborn vampire and constantly ruining my clothes, but that's rather beside the point."

A smile found its way onto all three of our faces at that.

"My point is that you shouldn't worry, because it will all be for the best," the tender-hearted vampire explained herself. "We are happy to give you the same privileges that the rest of us have."

"Thanks, Esme," was all I could think to say to her kindness.

"And if that isn't enough reason," Alice threw in, "then just remember that you are helping us overcome what could have been a very sticky situation."

I smiled warmly at the tiny woman, and nearly thanked her as well, when she spoke again.

"Plus you're giving me a well-deserved shopping trip."

Esme and I were smiling warmly still, until we digested what Alice had just said more clearly. Glancing cautiously back at me in the mirror, Esme began to smile, and before I knew it we were both laughing at Alice's affronted face as the trees of Forks swirled away behind us.


A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed Chapter 6: Integration!