"That was Rosalie on the phone," Carmen announced excitedly one lazy Saturday afternoon. Garrett and I had just returned from hunting. I had been ecstatic. After months of hard work, his eyes had finally morphed from ruby to orange, and now they had dulled even further, to a hard amber. It would still be a few more months before they would be completely gold, but the improvement was so outstanding it was almost unthinkable. Garrett had wholly devoted himself to the vegetarian lifestyle, and as far as I knew, he hadn't even cheated once. It was truly remarkable.

"What did Rosalie want?" Tanya asked, flipping through episodes of Say Yes to the Dress. Lately, she'd been dragging me to watch them with her and Carmen, demanding if there were any that I liked. And each time, I rolled my eyes and reminded her that I wasn't even engaged yet, to which Tanya always responded "Yet! That's the key word! Come on, everyone knows Garrett's going to propose soon!" And still, no proposal, no ring. Tanya and I had even been giving him not so subtle hints as well. She hadn't, thank goodness, been incredibly jealous. The signs were there, yes, but after we had a long talk about it, she'd convinced me that she'd rather see Garrett and I happy than anything else, and she'd taken to trying to tell Garrett that I was expecting a ring with even more vigor than me. We'd leave pictures of styles I liked in his newly acquired red Mazda, talk in loud voices about what gemstones were my favorites, purposely look at rings online in rooms where he would conveniently walk into. I told myself that he was just waiting for the opportune moment, but I was getting more and more tense. A girl could only take so much sexual tension, for Garrett and I were firm about not having sex until we were legally wed. We were raised on old-fashioned morals.

"Carlisle's expecting that Rosalie's going have her baby in two weeks, and Rose wants all of us present for the birth. Nessie is demanding we come as well. Rose advised that we come now, or Alice was going to come up here and drag us down. Apparently she had a vision that she needs us down now. Don't worry, Rose said she knew what the vision was, and it was nothing harmful," Carmen reassured. Excitement filled the air, all of us anxious to see Rosalie's baby. She and Emmett had been waiting on it for near a hundred years. And after seeing the way Rosalie interacted with Nessie, I knew she would be an excellent mother.

Eager to get down the Cullen's immediately, we hurriedly packed a few essentials into bags and loaded them into the trunk of Tanya's Mercedes. Tanya drove, as always, Carmen was riding in the middle seat in the front, Eleazar in the passenger's side, and Garrett and I were sprawled across the seats in the back. It was pretty much identical to the scene when we had come back from Forks, the day Irina had died.

It had been three months, and the pain hadn't gone away, as I knew it wouldn't. Tanya and I had good days and bad days. On the good days, we'd live as we did when Irina was with us, happy. On bad days, I would become so antisocial and hostile that only Garrett could pull me out of those moods, and even he received countless shocks in those first few months. I tried refraining as much as I could, but if I was pissed off enough, it didn't matter who tried to touch me. I'd shock them to their knees. I felt bad about it later, of course, but I didn't come out of mourning without a good fight.

Tanya sped along the highway, determined to reach the Cullen's in four hours or less. It was a tall order, but I don't think the speedometer ever dipped below 110 miles per hour. We'd been waiting for years for Rose's baby. We were impatient by now, and I knew that all of us were excited to see how much Nessie had grown.

Dusk was just falling when Tanya pulled into the Cullen's drive, at a record time of a mere three and a half hours. We all sprang out of the car, and Nessie flew down the porch steps, hurling herself into Carmen's waiting arms, Jacob trailing protectively behind her. Carlisle, Esme, Edward, and Bella lingered by the doorway, arms raised in welcome.

Nessie was showing Carmen a plethora of memories that we had missed. As Tanya, Eleazar, Garrett, and I made to go inside the house and greet the other members of the family, Carmen suddenly laughed behind us. "Yes, Nessie, you'll have plenty of time to share your memories with the rest of the family. We'll be here for a few weeks, don't you worry."

In the front room, Rose was lying on the couch, watching some football game with Emmett. Her stomach had swelled to an incredible size, indicating that she was so close to bursting. She had a cup of hot blood in her hands (which was clearly animal by the smell, which in turn meant Garrett wasn't going crazy over human blood, thank God), which she was drinking thirstily. But unlike how Edward and Carlisle had described Bella's pregnancy, Rosalie was absolute glowing. She didn't seem sickly or near the brink of death. In fact, she had never looked better. Emmett was even more fidgety than usual at the prospect of his child coming. I knew that he had mixed feelings about the baby. While it went unquestioned that he loved it, he was apprehensive about being a father. Rosalie had confided in Tanya, Carmen and I that Emmett didn't think himself responsible enough to handle a child. However, he got along just fine with Nessie, if teasing her a bit more than everyone else, but that was just Emmett's nature. I was sure that he'd be fine, and he had Rose, Carlisle, and Edward to coach him.

As soon as she saw us, a huge smile lit up Rosalie's face. She waved us over to her couch, slowly getting up so she could hug us as best she could.

"Baby's taken its toll this month," she explained as she gingerly lied back down. "Esme told me this would happen, so it wasn't entirely unprepared, but I don't ever recall being this exhausted or drained since I was a human. I'd probably feel better if I was drinking human blood, but I don't want to open myself to that temptation." We all nodded, understanding. Alone of all of us, even Carlisle, Rosalie had never had a taste of human blood. True, Carlisle had only done so while changing Esme and Rose, but Rose could boast not even that much. Not one drop of human blood ever made its way past her lips.

"I wish she'd just give in," Emmett said, walking over, his signature easy smile on his face. "I keep having to hunt for her since she can't do it herself, and I have to make sure I don't empty the animals of blood before I get them here. Then I've got to drain them outside into her cups because Esme doesn't want them in the house. I'm telling you, I'll be glad when she's popped this baby out."

Rose rolled her eyes at him, and finished the rest of her blood. At that moment, Alice came bounding down the stairs, making headway for us. Jasper was behind her, looking slightly amused, her exuberant mood rubbing off on him.

"I knew your eyes would look good once they changed," Alice announced happily, addressing Garrett. "Now go upstairs. Right now. Emmett, Jasper, you too. And Edward, same goes for you," she said, raising her voice slightly to call Edward. He was at her side in an instant, and apparently whatever thoughts were running through her head were amusing to him, because he was just barely holding back a chuckle. As soon as all the people she needed were gathered, Alice began to push them upstairs, with an explicit warning for the rest of us to stay back, and that she'd use Edward to make sure we weren't listening in. I believed her, and I wouldn't try, but I couldn't help but wonder what they were discussing up there.

The guys came tramping down the stairs a few minutes later, all in suspiciously good spirits. I raised an eyebrow at Garrett, but he just smiled at me, in a way that told me he knew something I didn't. Well, that was going to bother me to no end. I went through a few options in my head for ways that I could wheedle the information out of him, but most he would see right through. I decided to go for sultry, not asking straight out, but wait for a later time, seduce him into it later. Not completely honest, but I was allowed to seduce him. He was my mate, if not my husband yet.

I slowly walked over to him, Edward laughing as he read my thoughts. One quick glare in his direction was enough to ensure that he wouldn't tell everyone, upsetting my whole goal. But I made it to Garrett with no further interruptions from Garrett or anyone else.

Sliding my hand up his chest, it came to rest on his cheek, and I pulled him down for a long, slow kiss. I was on full succubus mode. No one could resist me. Garrett kissed me back enthusiastically, but ended it far too soon for my liking.

"Nice try, Katie," he whispered into my ear, causing my whole act to fall apart and I glared at him, crossing my arms.

"Stop reading me so well," I grumbled. A loud cry suddenly drew my attention. Emmett was doubled over laughing, and I could practically hear all the jokes he was formulating whirring around in his head. No doubt he'd use his favorites as soon as he composed himself long enough to speak. Sure enough, the second his fits of laughter ended, he grinned over in my direction.

"Are you getting a little frustrated Kate?" he asked devilishly. "Seems like your succubus act is falling a bit flat. I'm thinking you're going to have to amp it up a notch to get some. You could be the poster child of the year for sexual frustration. Did I tell you how early Rose and I started going at it after we met?"

"No, because you know Rose would kill you if you started describing your sex life with her in public," I said, effectively quenching his argument. Happy with myself, I settled down comfortably in Garrett's arms, but he only held me a moment before he let go. The look on my face must have looked more hurt than I intended, because he laughed.

"Edward, Emmett, Jasper and I are going to leave for a while, but I'll be back soon," he said, getting a devilish glint in his eyes that rivaled Emmett. My suspicion was renewed, but I conceded to let him go. I had just better find out what was going on when they got back, because I had an odd suspicion that it involved me somehow. My thoughts were only heightened when I saw Alice whisper something into Esme's and Carlisle's ears, and they both shot side smiles in my direction.

The guys immediately loaded into Edward's Volvo, speeding south, but I had no idea what their final destination was. But a small hand on mine turned my attention to Nessie, who was impatiently waiting for me to lower myself to her level so she could fill me in on everything that I missed.

"Hi Nessie!" I bubbled, much like Tanya. She'd grown another foot since I'd seen her and could now pass for a young elementary school student. It must have eased Bella's and Edward's mind so much when they had met Nahuel, proving Renesmee's future to be a safe one. I kneeled down in front of Rosalie's couch so Nessie could press her hand to my face, showing me all of her memories.

There were thousands she went through, everything from going down to La Push for the first time with Jacob to being schooled on the rules of football by Uncle Emmett, and even watching from the sidelines as Uncle Jasper gave Bella her first real fighting lesson, Nessie anxiously hoping to pick up some tips. Momma didn't allow her to learn to fight yet, which made Nessie quite frustrated. Everyone got to fight, except her. She didn't want to fight anyone necessarily, but it'd be nice to have the skill.

Finally, one last image lingered in my mind, because Nessie considered it of great importance. She showed me a memory of a picture of Edward and Bella's wedding, and then flipped images in her mind so that I took Bella's place and Garrett took Edward's. Her question was clear: Are you and Uncle Garrett going to get married like Momma and Daddy?

I barked out a short laugh. "I hope so, but if he doesn't give me a ring soon, I can't marry him." Nessie, apparently confused, pressed more images into my mind, asking me why a wedding ring was of such great importance. When she had asked Aunt Rosalie if Garrett and I were going to be married, Rose didn't know, so Nessie had been excited to ask me. I was left to answer all of her questions about the intricacies of weddings, which I honestly didn't mind at all. She was genuinely curious, eager to know as much about the world as she could. And her mind was so pure. She was extremely intelligent without really having to know the pain of real life yet. It would come, surely, but not now. Nessie was an uncorrupted innocent for now, and I wanted to preserve that. She shouldn't have to experience all of the pain life brought. She was too good. I wouldn't mention what life was to bring to her. She didn't need that. Right now, she was content with her parents and her Jacob.

After two complete hours of Nessie and I discussing the finer points of weddings and our general frustration that neither of us knew if Garrett and I were going to be married at any time soon, Tanya commanded Nessie's attention, and I was getting a bit twitchy and annoyed. Where were Garrett and the rest of the guys? Alice told me not to worry, but I couldn't help it. I didn't like being left in the dark. Eventually, I took to pacing around the living room, which Tanya found annoying after a short while, so she sat me down and forced me to watch yet another episode of Say Yes to the Dress, and this time, I had the opinions of not only Tanya and Carmen, but Alice, Rosalie, Esme, Bella, and even Nessie chimed in occasionally on what they thought I would look good in. Jacob was out scouting with the werewolves who's names I had learned that last time I was here were Seth and Leah, but he popped his head in every once and a while to check on Nessie. Carlisle and Eleazar were talking in low, easy tones over in the corner, and I seriously debated on whether or not I should join them.

After the fifth episode and in the middle of a particularly animated discussion between Tanya and Alice about whether a ball gown or mermaid would look better on me, we heard Edward's Volvo pull into the garage, four pairs of feet slowly making their way out. I leapt to my feet and Tanya quickly changed the television back to Emmett's football game, which was down to the last play. Emmett bounded in first, heading straight for the couch, eager to see the final seconds of the game, but only after throwing his familiar smile in my direction. Garrett, Edward, and Jasper all came in at the same time, looking very pleased with themselves. I bounded straight over to Garrett, one hand my hip.

"Now are you going to tell me what that was all about?" I asked, trying to scare it out of him, even though I knew it would never work. While my glares could send most people screaming and running in the opposite direction, Garrett wasn't affected at all.

"Nope," he said easily, popping the "P" sound. I made an exasperated sound and heard the snickers of 11 people behind me. Furious, I turned to them, exposing all of them to the power of my glare. Some of them backed up a step, but Tanya, Carmen, and Eleazar were far too used to it to be affected.

"What?" I burst out. "I know that each and every one of you are aware of exactly what is going on. I know that somehow Alice told you without me finding out about the secret, which in itself is a miracle, but I would appreciate being let in and know why all of you are staring at me like I'm some sort of fool-"

"Kate, look behind you!" Tanya exclaimed, interrupting my tirade. So confused, I didn't even question what she told me and instinctively turned around, and the sight that met me instantly made me loose a scream from my throat, hands coming up to cover my mouth, eyes immediately going wide.

Garrett was there, on one knee, that familiar smile that I adored so much plastered on his lips, and a beautiful ring in a box he was holding. It wasn't any of the ones Tanya and I had printed out and left for him, but it was in the same sort of style and much, much prettier. The center gem was a magnificent, shining blue colored diamond, surrounded by smaller, traditional diamonds. Only later did I register how many were truly there.

"Kate Denali," Garrett began, which sent my still heart flying like crazy. "I would follow you until the ends of the earth, and I'll love you until the sun stops rising. Katie, would you do me the honor of marrying me?"

To stunned and happy for words, I threw my legs around his waist, kissing him with as much vigor as I could manage. Laughing against my lips, Garrett stood, one hand on my back, one tangled in my hair.

"Alright, come on, Nessie's still in the room," Bella muttered after a few minutes of this. I ignored her and just pushed Garrett into me further.

"Aw, Bells, let her have her fun," Emmett said. "She's obviously not as innocent as you are. Bet you they'll go through a few houses. Esme, you're gonna have to be prepared to revamp quite a few." I ignored Emmett as well. Even his comments couldn't ruin the moment. It was too perfect, too beautiful.

"Alright, alright, enough!" Tanya said, laughing squeezing her hands between us to separate our faces. "You can do that when you're alone."

"Ah, but Kate still hasn't answered me yet," Garrett joked, holding up the ring again. I looked at him with an expression meant to be incredulous, but my enormous smile ruined that angle.

"Of course, you idiot!" I said, and I could see his happiness increase a thousand-fold with those few little words. He carefully slid the ring onto my fourth finger on my left hand, and I couldn't resist kissing him again, though much more socially acceptable than the last. Oddly enough, that was the one that caused Emmett to imitate a gagging noise.

I felt a hand on my leg and looked down to see Nessie. Garrett set me back down on my feet, and I lowered me face so that Nessie could press her palm to my cheek. She showed me her interpretation of mine and Garrett's wedding one more time, with another, simpler question: Now?

I laughed, picking Nessie up and swinging her in a circle, giddy over my own extremely lucky fate. "Yes!" I exclaimed. "Yes, now I'm definitely getting married to Garrett." She imprinted another picture into my mind, asking another question. "Of course you'll be at the wedding," I reassured her. "Just like everyone else."

"Speaking of that," Alice piped up, dancing over, a smile wide on her face. I instantly became apprehensive, knowing how overboard Alice when with these type of things. "I'm planning it, so don't even try to talk your way out if it, and we're going to have it within the next few weeks, right after Rosalie has her baby. You're not getting out of that one, either. I've already seen it happening."

"There's no way to win against her, is there," I asked, still in a slightly breathy tone from my exhilaration. But I didn't really mind Alice planning my wedding, because I knew she'd do a beautiful job, just so long as she didn't go overboard. I'd have to take control of a couple things at the very least.

"Alice," I said hesitantly, and her face lit up. She must have guessed what I was about to let her have, but she needed to know her limitations. "You can plan the wedding, but I get control over the guest list and the dress."

Alice frowned for a moment. "The dress you can have," she said. "Since I already know which ones you're debating on picking. They're really beautiful, by the way. You pick a good one, whichever you end up with. But I want the guest list. Oh, never mind. You're not going to budge on that. Just get the torture over with."

"Everyone who's here, and that's it," I said, making Alice wince overdramatically. I could see her wanting to invite every single person that Garrett or I had ever met, even for just a split second. If she had it her way, everyone who had gathered to witness for Nessie would be back, and then some.

"Not just these people," Garrett said, causing my eyebrows to furrow in confusion. Who else did he want? "Do you remember Benjamin telling me something before he and Tia left?" I nodded slowly, also remembering that Garrett had said I'd find out what the Egyptian had said in time. "He told me that when we got married, he requested that he and Tia be able to attend. I don't think you object to Benjamin and Tia?" I shook my head, pleased. Besides Garrett of course, I formed a closer bond to Benjamin and Tia than any other vampires I had met during those trying weeks.

"Benjamin and Tia will be fine, but no one else," I said with a meaningful look at Alice. She sighed loudly, but started muttering about everything she'd need for the rest of the wedding. She went to a separate room and grabbed a piece of paper and a pen off of Esme's desk and danced back into the living room, hand flying over the paper as she wrote down a very long list in her elegant script.

"OK, this is all fun and stuff, now can we go play baseball?" Emmett asked impatiently. "Alice said there was going to be a thunderstorm in an hour, and we haven't played baseball in so long! Come on, I want to see how I do against my new baby sister and cousins! It's been at least a decade since the last time we played against them, and Kate shocked me when I was just getting around to home plate, which made me lose. I need my revenge!"

"Why don't you just come over here and see if you can withstand one of my shocks now?" I challenged, holding my hand up, wiggling my fingers. Emmett wisely backed off, albeit with a bit of grumbling as he did so.

"Emmett, you're probably going to have to leave in a couple minutes with Rosalie. You're going to have to drive. Rose, you don't mind being our umpire, do you?" Carlisle asked. Rose shook her head.

"Nessie can help me with that, so long as Esme plays instead of me so we have equal teams," she replied brightly, and Esme nodded. After that confirmation, Rose slowly rose to her feet, Alice assisting her, while Emmett went to grab a couple more blood cups at Rosalie's request. With Emmett's and Alice's help, she was able to make it into the garage, where Emmett lifted her into his Jeep. He drove off, much slower than he normally would have gone, but in the opposite direction from the usual clearing.

"We had to switch where we played," Edward said into my ear, in answer to my thoughts. "We didn't want to play in the same field where the Volturi came, especially not with Irina's memorial in the center. We'd rather have that marker there instead of a baseball field." I nodded, words not having the capability to describe the gratitude I felt. Edward would know though. It was one of the few times I was actually grateful he could read minds.

Alice mulled over a few things on her list before she lifted her head, as if listening for something. A couple seconds later, a wide smile formed on her face. "Let's go!" she announced. Emmett had taken the supplies with him and Rose in the jeep, so all we needed to do was start running. Nessie didn't even need an umbrella, since Alice said that the new clearing wouldn't see any rain.

Since Nessie couldn't run as fast as any of us yet, she was propped on Edward's back. Bella informed the wolves of where we were going, and we took off into the woods, following Edward's and Alice's lead, since we didn't know where the new clearing was. Garrett and I were the fastest, so we could have overtaken them, but we preferred to lag behind a bit, talking.

"So am I correct in assuming that Alice dragged you upstairs to tell you exactly what to get and where to get it because she had seen the ring in a vision?" I asked, not bothered. It could have been days before Garrett found the right ring if Alice hadn't intervened.

"She went one step farther," Garrett replied. "She'd actually drawn out a picture of the ring, and made sure to put a clear image of it in her head so Edward would see it. Emmett was obviously thrilled that he got to make jokes about it the entire way there and the entire way back. Honestly, I don't understand how he could be Carlisle's and Esme's son. Despite the opposite personalities, look at how much bigger he is then they are."

I laughed. "Maybe one of them had an enormous uncle. I remember that back when I was a human, I had a brother who was younger than me, but he was bigger than both my father and mother by the time he was thirteen. And he completely dwarfed me. But my mother's uncle was just as big as he was. So that's where he got it. I don't know how big he ended up being. I was taken as a slave at fifteen by a tribe, and then trained to be a bodyguard for their princess. That's where Tanya and my… creator found me. I had just turned twenty one by then. Tanya's the oldest, changed at twenty four. Irina was twenty three. So I was actually the youngest, despite being changed before Irina. She was changed right as my newborn year was ending, so she was a year older than I was, and Tanya was seven years older than me."

"So Tanya was changed a little over four years before she found you?" Garrett inquired. I nodded in affirmation. "Well that makes me feel old!" he said, laughing. "I was changed when I was thirty. Although I think it might have been a comfort for my mother when she heard I died. I swear, she had a heart attack every time she asked me whether or not I was married yet and the answer was always no. She got increasingly desperate every time she asked. You should have come then. Eased her poor old heart." I laughed right along with him as we neared the clearing. I could smell Emmett and Rose not far away. Sure enough, within two minutes, we saw Emmett's Jeep parked in front of a makeshift dirt road at the other end of the clearing. Rose was stretched out on a boulder near what I guessed would become our home plate. Emmett was marking out the plates, making sure to spread them out far enough.

"Ah! My eyes!" Emmett yelled as soon as we were in range. He pretended to shield himself from my newly acquired ring. Then he turned towards Esme. "You're supposed to make sure we don't cheat. Make her take it off. The glare coming off all those diamonds is blinding me." Esme just laughed at him, but I glanced at my ring again. There wasn't really a glare in this whether, but the amount of diamonds was enormous. I turned to Garrett.

"How many diamonds are on this thing, out of curiosity?" I asked. Garrett became suddenly very interested in exactly where Emmett had placed the bases. He knew I didn't like overly extravagant things, but I loved the ring. As long as the gems weren't fake, it really didn't matter. "You know I don't care as long as they're not fake, right?" I asked, to try and reassure him that I wasn't going to go crazy.

He let out a visible sigh of relief. "Thank God," he muttered before he turned to me, followed my gaze to my ring. "Fifty exactly, including the big colored one," he said. My eyes widened, but not in anger. I was more surprised that I would love a ring so over the top. But Alice's vision didn't fail. The ring was perfect somehow.

"You're lucky I love it," I teased Garrett lightly, then gave him a quick kiss, causing Emmett to groan in mock disgust.

"Alright, before you start getting on, let's play!" he announced. "Teams… well as long as I'm against Kate, I'll be alright. I need my revenge." He grinned at me wickedly, which I returned. Well, if that's how he wanted to play, I would happily oblige him. It was on.

"And we need to separate Kate and Garrett," Tanya said, appearing suddenly at my elbow. "They're the two fastest, even more so than Edward and Jasper."

"So that means Garrett's on my team!" Emmett yelled, clapping Garrett on the back. Oh, dear Lord… This had some interesting outcomes, to say the least. "And then Edward and Jasper can be on separate teams too… Edward, you can come with me and Jasper can go with Kate." That was Emmett. He decided the teams, and as long as Rose or Esme was present to keep them fair, he got away with it. He assembled good ones as well, the ones that were the most evenly matched.

"And Bella!" he said, grinning at his newest sister (who had just dropped Nessie off with Rosalie), throwing an arm around her. "I've got to show my baby sister how the game works! She's got to be on my team."

"Tanya shouldn't be with Kate," Garrett suddenly piped up. "They're undefeatable when they're together. Unless someone has a suicide wish…"

"It's alright, I agree," Tanya said, laughing. She went over to stand with her nearly full team, leaving me with just Jasper.

"Hey, if you get Bella, we should get Carlisle," Jasper said. "Carlisle's the best hitter, but Bella's still the strongest."

"Besides me. But that can work," Emmett said, nodding. "And you should get Alice too, since Tanya's the other best pitcher. But Esme!" he suddenly, exclaimed, putting his arm around his mother. "Mother dearest, you hardly ever play. And I'm not going to pass up an opportunity to play with my dear old mum. Esme's on my team."

"Which means Carmen and Eleazar are with us," Jasper said, smirking.

Emmett called out to the others who weren't with us. "Oi! Me, Garrett, Edward, Bella, Esme, and Tanya are on one team, and Carlisle, Jasper, Alice, Kate, Carmen, and Eleazar are on the other." Edward, Carlisle, Alice, Carmen, and Eleazar, who were at various places around the field, all nodded to Emmett's yell. Alice tossed a bat over to us, and Emmett and Jasper competed with it to see who would bat first. Emmett won, so, overenthusiastically, he led his team over to stand slightly in front of Rosalie and Nessie. He grabbed his bat, swinging it for practice, never losing his signature smirk. Carmen followed them, acting as our catcher. If someone was coming around to home plate, we'd throw to her instead of having to run after that person. The rest of my team took their respective positions on the field. Carlisle was in between first and second base, Eleazar was positioned in between second and third, Jasper and I were in right and left field respectively, and Alice was at the pitcher's mound.

Emmett was up to bat first, unsurprisingly. Alice flicked the ball towards him, but it landed in Carmen's hands. Emmett, not in the slightest bit deterred, took stance again, and this time, knocked it straight towards Jasper. He ran a ways, jumped, and caught it, causing Emmett to be out. Rosalie called the play, and Emmett walked back to home plate, disgruntled.

Bella was next, slightly wary of the baseball bat, but hit the ball on her first try anyway. She seemed thrilled, and started running around the bases. She was strong, and the ball sailed over our heads, but I rushed through the forest, pumping my legs as hard as they would go, diving to catch the ball just before it hit the ground. Triumphant, I ran back, where Bella was just passing third base. Rose looked to Edward for confirmation from my thoughts.

"She caught it," he affirmed as Bella came around. "Sorry, love," he said to her as he took up the bat. Edward was more careful, making sure to hit in more infield so Jasper and I wouldn't have the chance to catch it. He made it to second base when he stopped, seeing as Carlisle had thrown the ball to Eleazar. Tanya followed up with the same kind of hit, sending Edward home and herself to first base.

Garrett was more interesting. He hit the ball in a way so that it bounced right in front of home plate, but it flew all the way out to Jasper and I. I ran after it as Garrett and Tanya flitted around the bases. I caught it just as Garrett reached second and Tanya went home.

At this point, I probably should have thrown it to Eleazar, but I was overcome by a sudden desire. I wanted to be the one to get Garrett out, as childish as it was. But he was coming around to my side of the field, and I decided to just go for it. I sped after him, determined to catch him.

"Show time," I heard Emmett mutter, thrilled. I ignored him, and concentrated on moving my legs as hard and fast as they would go. Finally, while Garrett passed third and was on his way home, I jumped into the air and came down on top of him, tackling him to the ground. I pressed the ball in my hand to his shoulder.

"Out," I whispered, pressing my lips to his for the briefest of seconds. He just grinned right back at me, grabbed my forearms, and sprung up to full height, taking me with him. I pushed against him, still smiling, and he let go so both of us could head to our needed positions.

Esme was with us, because she was catching, and she just smiled and shook her head at me. Rose too, grinned from the rock she was perched on.

"You're going to be worse than Emmett and I," she said as Emmett and Edward went to the outfield, Garrett and Bella took spots infield, and Tanya tossed the ball up and down, waiting to pitch. Carlisle grabbed the bat, hitting it so hard that he was completely around the bases by the time Emmett emerged from the trees, claiming he'd caught it.

"Yeah right," I heard Esme and Rosalie mutter at the same time, Esme lamenting the fact that Maggie wasn't present at the moment to make Emmett abstain from cheating. Edward, however, called him out on his bluff, to which Emmett got a very pissed off look on his face.

"Can I borrow your gift for a moment, Kate," he called, still glaring at Edward. I laughed, but didn't try to bother shocking Edward. Even if I felt like it, Bella would shield him from my shocks. Jasper was up to bat next, and Emmett actually did catch that ball. Then it was my turn.

Garrett and Tanya both grinned at me wickedly from their places on the field. "No using your gift this time Kate!" Emmett called. I rolled my eyes in response, focusing on the ball Tanya was throwing. I hit in on my second try, aiming it right in between Bella and Garrett. Garrett, being faster than Bella, managed to grab it, running towards me as I made my way to second base. Right as he was about to tag me with it, I jumped into the air, right over Garrett's head, completely horizontal, spinning my body around into countless circles, landing neatly on the base. Garrett shook his head at me, but smiled, letting me know that the game between us was on.

Carmen performed a hit similar to mine, and it was enough to get me around the bases. Eleazar hit a power hit, which Edward and Emmett both jumped for at the same time, but Edward ended up catching it, making Eleazar out, and threw it to Esme, but Carmen reached home plate a half a second before the ball landed in Esme's hand. Rose and Nessie called it good.

Alice, too, was out and we switched sides yet again. At the end of the ninth inning, we were down by one, and I was up to bat. Carlisle was on first base, with one out. I made it my personal job to bring him in. I tried doing what Garrett had done on his first swing: hit the ball at the ground, and have it bounce far into the outfield. Carlisle and I took off the moment the bat made contact with the ball, speeding around the bases.

Emmett and Edward jumped for the ball at the same, time, but collided in midair, leaving the ball to rest on the ground. Garrett sped off after it, reaching it faster than anyone else could have. Carlisle was rounding third base at this point, and I was in between second and third. I pumped my legs even harder, knowing Garrett was the only one who could match my speed. But that was my problem. He had the ball.

I could hear him behind me, straining to reach me. Carlisle had already crossed home plate, so Garrett didn't bother throwing the ball to Esme. He just chased me as I rounded third.

And suddenly he was in front of me, having gone infield around third, effectively cutting across more field than I had to pass. I jumped, trying to get away from him again, but Garrett suspected my trick. He jumped at the same time as me and we collided in the air much like Edward and Emmett had, ending up with him on top of me on the ground. He grinned down at me, while I attempted a glare in his direction that failed the moment I tried putting it on. The grin was impossible for me to resist.

"Out," he said at the same time as Rosalie, kissing the tip of my nose, and then my lips. I rolled my eyes at him as he got off of me, and we both returned to our respective places on the field.

Carmen hit a double, and then it was up to Eleazar. He hit the ball towards right field, where it danced around the line that marked our foul ball area. Rose declared it playable, however, so Bella raced after it, throwing it towards Garrett, who then threw it to Esme, but it was too late. Carmen already passed home plate.

Our team celebrated quietly, giving each other high fives. With the exception of Emmett, everyone else gracefully lost. Carmen jumped into the air, meaning to twirl a few times before she came down, her signature celebratory exclamation.

But as she tried her first twirl, she suddenly stopped, dropping like a bullet. "Ow," she muttered, which instantly had everyone apprehensive. She had one hand on her stomach, an odd look on her face. "Carlisle!" she suddenly called out, and he was at her side in an instant, as was Eleazar.

Carlisle calmly put his ear near Carmen's stomach, while the rest of us hovered anxiously, not daring to get too close. Garrett put his arm around my shoulders as we waited for Carlisle's verdict. After a minute, he pulled away, smiling radiantly.

"Carmen, you're pregnant," he announced quietly, which was immediately met with the standard exclamations from everyone else. Eleazar was in shock, and put his ear near Carmen's stomach, mimicking Carlisle. Rosalie and Esme squealed in joy. Tanya and I ran up to Carmen, waiting anxiously for Eleazar to move out of the way. Once he did, the most wondrous expression lit up his face.

Being faster than Tanya, I got my head down by Carmen's stomach just before she did, to her chagrin. I pressed my ear to her skin, covering the other with my hand. It took me a moment, but I definitely heard it. A tiny heartbeat was fluttering, slower than a human's would, but it was, without a doubt, present.

"Oh, Carmen!" I exclaimed, hugging her. She and Eleazar had been trying for the past 150 years to conceive. And now, Carmen was finally getting her wish. She would have her own little Nessie. And I would have a niece or nephew. A new addition would be made to the Denali coven.

When most everyone took their turn at Carmen's stomach, hearing that strange, slow little heartbeat that the child would have until Carmen and Eleazar decided to have him or her stop growing. As far as Carlisle could discern about the vampire children, they hung in the balance somewhere between vampire and human, but in a different way than Nessie. They grew as fast as a human, learned much quicker, and fed on blood. Really, the only differences between them and Nessie was the growth rate and the fact that they had that little crescent on their heads, meaning they had yet to be bitten, oddly enough, since the crescent looked exactly like a vampire's bite. Eleazar had told us that Aro had studied one in Italy, years and years ago. Its parents had committed a crime, so they were killed, but the child was spared for study. It grew to the age of 120, always aging. The vampire in him made him immune to diseases, but age took him until he withered away to bones. Only the parents of these children could halt their growth.

Carmen just glowed with happiness, much in the same way Rosalie did, and the same way Bella did when she was with Nessie. All these mothers had that in common: their children lit up their world in a way I couldn't comprehend. Could never comprehend, in fact, unless I were to have one of my own. And how I wanted one…

It would take years. Perhaps as long as Carmen and Eleazar, or longer. Esme held the record for the shortest time taken to conceive as far as I was aware, and that was still a decade. But somewhere down the line, I'd conceive. Garrett and I were going to be married. I could have kids, sometime. I'd feel this kind of joy. I'd know the pleasure of being a mother.

The thought made my mind more content as we all raced back to the Cullen's house, Emmett and Rosalie returning in the Jeep. Carmen could still run, just not perform acrobatics. She'd have to be slightly more careful while hunting, but it would still be an easy change. Before, I had burned with jealousy when I learned Rose was pregnant, and Esme. But now I had some consolation. I had Garrett now. I had the same promise.

We reached the Cullen's after not long. Alice went right back to work on her wedding plans, occasionally consulting Esme for her opinion on something. Alice refused to tell me anything, mostly because Garrett was in the room. Emmett and Rosalie joined us after a while, Rose helping as much as she could with the wedding plans, Emmett immersed in yet another sports game. Edward, Jasper, and Garrett tuned into that occasionally. Eleazar still seemed to be in a state of shock. Carmen was asking Esme, Rose, and Carlisle about things to expect now that she was pregnant, while I hung on to every word.

Finally, Tanya, who'd been wishing Nessie a good night before the girl was taken to her cottage by her parents, asked Alice a question, one that I had been wondering about for months as well. "Alice, what did you show Aro that made him call off the attack?"

Alice froze, as did Edward. Both of them got a look of immense sadness in their eyes. "Death," she said sadly, looking up from her wedding plans, which had now expanded to three whole pages. "Carnage everywhere. There were only four survivors. Well, actually, three technically. If I hadn't shown Aro his fate, what would have happened was that he would have tried to take me away, infuriating Carlisle. And Aro… he would have beheaded Carlisle and burned him. That started the huge fight. Jane tortured Jasper, and he was killed by Demetri. But I got my revenge on Jane. With Bella shielding me, I threw her into Sam's, the other werewolf leader's, jaws. He ripped her apart. Emmett took out Alec while he was fighting against Bella. Benjamin created a sinkhole, sending most of the witnesses who stayed to fight with the Volturi to their deaths, but also resulted in Leah's death, who sacrificed herself for Esme. Seth was also killed, by Jane and Felix. After Sam and I killed Jane, Aro and Caius were so enraged that they entered the battle themselves. The Romanians dismembered Marcus. Caius almost killed Tanya, but Garrett knocked him into Kate, who shocked him while Tanya beheaded him from the mouth. Edward and Bella took care of Aro, but there was still most of the guard. Felix especially was on a rampage. After Bella and Edward killed Aro… Felix killed Bella. Edward was furious, and turned on Felix, but Chelsea surprised him from behind. She and Felix overpowered Edward, and he too was killed. I didn't see everything, but I was enraged. I had to avenge Jasper. But I saw Esme burning on the ground, and well as one of the guards ripping out Rose's baby from her body and burning both of them. Emmett went hysterical after that. Eleazar and Carmen were both killed by another guard, and Tanya killed him, but she was overpowered by Felix right afterwards. I saw the corpses of Maggie, Liam, Amun, Kebi, Tia, Zafrina, Senna, Peter, Charlotte, Mary, Randall, Vladimir, Stefan, and the all the wolves. Felix and Chelsea were still fighting, as well as seven other guards. Benjamin opened another sinkhole, taking another four out, but Felix got him as well. And Kate… you were grabbed by Chelsea and two others. You fought your hardest, but there were too many. They considered you the biggest threat at this point, because of your gift. They held on to you, and Felix was supposed to behead you, but Garrett jumped on him. He stopped Felix, but he was also killed. And after that… you couldn't be stopped. You were so far in your grief, you just turned up your gift to full potential and took the rest of them out, Felix and Chelsea included. In the end, you, me, Emmett, and Siobhan were the only ones left. Emmett had to hold me back because I wanted to jump into the fires. And so did you Kate. Neither Siobhan nor Emmett could stop you. You clung to Garrett's remains and you burned together. I don't know what happened to Jacob or Nessie. I assumed they got away, but I can't be 100% sure. While I would have loved to see the destruction of the Volturi, the price was too much to pay." She said the words with no emotion, but I saw the dead look in her eyes. The vision had taken a toll on her. To see almost everyone she loved die must have been awful. I was almost overcome with dread, and I had only heard. I hadn't seen. I turned so I was lying belly down on Garrett's chest, pressing him closer to me. Never, ever, would I let anyone take him from me.

"Thank God Aro's so concerned about self-preservation," Tanya breathed. "Even with all the other nomads in the world, that would have rendered our kind to near extinction. All of the pain and suffering that would have taken place… I can't even begin to comprehend it. But even now, we all know Caius wants us eradicated. I'm right, aren't I Alice?" Alice nodded once.

"I'm keeping a close watch on him however," she said. "He doesn't want to do anything yet, since Aro has forbidden it. But he's toying with the idea of sending a few after your coven, Tanya. He's still enraged that you and Kate escaped him for the second time. But Caius doesn't know my gift like Aro does. And since Aro's not involved, I can see every decision Caius makes. He won't be able to touch us." Tanya nodded, satisfied with Alice's assurance. But I was a bit more skeptical.

No one could touch me. That much was certain. I'd easily kill anyone they sent after me, provided it wasn't Alec. If his gift got to me before I could incapacitate him, then I'd be in trouble, but he had the disadvantage of his gift being slow. Besides, I was positive that Caius wouldn't send out Jane or Alec. Aro would obviously notice their absence. I wasn't worried about me. I was worried about my family, specifically Garrett.

The rational side of me told me I was being foolish. Garrett was more than capable of taking care of himself, just like Tanya, Carmen, and Eleazar. But I couldn't help but feel a sense of fear. Just like Jasper. When the Cullen's had described the newborn fight, Jasper had remarked that he had gotten bitten in his urge to make sure Alice wasn't involved in the fighting, when Alice could easily take care of herself.

And then the answer hit me. It was another aspect of love. Irrational fear for your significant other. Eleazar and Carmen acted like that around each other, as did all of the Cullen pairings. That fear, that need for an assurance of safety, could be enough to drive the other to the point of extreme annoyance, but it was just something every mate had to put up with. Even with my gift, I would be prepared to bet big money that Garrett was secretly terrified for me as well, especially considering that Tanya and I were some of Caius' top targets. But Alice was sure she'd see when he was planning. I did feel safe, so long as she watching out for us. I would have my brief spells of panic, but they'd passed, just like this one did. Joy took its place, and I spent a night like I had four months ago, just before the confrontation, where family dominated everything else. Always family.