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Brady's point of view:
The first night was the worst in my life. I lay in bed, expecting Brianna to walk through the door. I wanted to hold her close to me, to kiss her.
An ache settled in my chest, and I wanted to go after her. I wanted to go into her apartment and search for any clues. I wanted to go after the men who took Brianna. It was madding to wait for the police to do their job. By the time they found her, it may be too late. She was probably.
It's all my fault, I said to myself. The thought ran through my head , pounding out of my head more rapidly when the smell of blood seeped through my apartment. I couldn't take it anymore. I got up, and shot out of my window, holding back the need to phase. When I reached the forest, I phased, not even stopping to make sure my clothes didn't rip. It was something I hadn't done in years. Whispers of sympathy poured in from my brothers, but I blocked them out. I wasn't in the mood to hear their pity.
Running for hours, I pushed my body faster and ran longer than I'd ever run before. When the sun started to rise, I turned back towards home. I had to look in her apartment, try to get a scent; who cared about human laws if I was in wolf form anyway?
I phased, moving too fast for anyone to see me naked. I opened the window, which made a little noise. I flinched in response. Once in the room, I quickly phased again, using my sense of smell to try and get a clue as to who'd taken her. Much to my frustration, there was nothing but our scent and the faint smell of some of the people who worked at the apartments.
Walking around the apartment several times, I found the same result: nothing. It was as if no one but us had been in the apartment except us. How had this happened? I walked into Brianna's bedroom and around to the side of her bed. Despite my attempts to avert my eyes from the blood, I looked down at the smear that ran across the carpet. My heart sank at the sight.
Come home, Brady, Collin said. Come get a beer with us.
I need a few more minutes, I replied.
Don't stay too long.
I agreed, still looking at the blood, distracted by the sight. My eyes traveled the path of the blood until it stopped under the window. That's strange, I thought. Instead of continuing until it tapered off, it stopped abruptly. I approached the area, smelling it to see if I could get any clues. My hackles raised as I smelled it. I couldn't tell why it stopped like that, but I knew something was very wrong.
A numbness set over me as I went home. Found nothing. Smelt nothing. Hopeless.
Several days later, I sat on my couch, refusing all food and water Embry and Quil tried to give me. She was gone, and I was going crazy. Where was she, was she scared, was she hurt? Plus, there was the strange note that was left. What did they mean that my family was next? Other than my mom, I didn't have much family, unless they were talking about the pack … and I didn't share the note with them either.
"Hey, Brady," Emily said, squatting down in front of me.
When had she gotten here?
"I brought you some dinner."
I blinked at her. I wasn't hungry.
"Spaghetti, your favorite." She held up a container, as if to tempt me.
Usually, I would've torn the lid off and ate the spaghetti in less than two seconds, but I couldn't. I didn't feel hungry. She might not have food.
"You need to eat for her, sweetie," Emily said, as if she read my thoughts. "She wouldn't want you to just sit here like this."
"She's gone. Who knows what she'd want," I said harshly.
Emily flinched, making me feel guilty. Sam wasn't a part of the pack anymore; she didn't have to be here, taking care of us still. I didn't deserve to be taken care of since I didn't take care of Brianna.
"I'm sorry. I'm going crazy here," I explained.
"I don't blame you." She smiled sadly. "I'd be going crazy too. Trust me, I know what it feels like to think you may never see your loved one again."
I nodded. Emily knew; she'd gone crazy during the newborn and Volturi confrontations.
"Please eat, sweetie," she whispered, holding up the container, her large eyes pleading with me.
I sighed and took it in my hand. I opened it up and took the fork Emily held out. Without actually tasting anything, I ate the food. A howl rang out, and I stopped in my tracks, my fork halfway to my mouth. Leah.
"Something's wrong," Embry muttered, shuddering.
Rosalie's point of view:
"Seth is going to die when he sees you," Alice said as she put Ashley's hair into an elegant bun.
"Are you sure this isn't too much?" Ashley's hands wrung each other as she sat at Alice's long make up counter.
Alice had to beat Ashley over the head to allow a makeover to be done to her date with Seth tonight.
"It's not." Alice put her hand on Ashley's shoulder. "You're going to look like you, not like a clown."
"It's just that I never get dressed up like this." She bit her lip.
"You deserve it," I said, rocking Jordan in my arms. "You need a break to keep up with your little ones."
"And you don't?" She raised her eyebrow at me.
"Arian sleeps, I don't." I shrugged. "I get a break every night."
"I suppose that's true." She sighed. "He's still sleeping?"
"Yep." I grinned at my friend.
"He must like that you can move fast," she replied, noticing my quick rocking movements.
"Maybe he'll be quick when he grows up and phases." I smiled down at Jordan. "He's so precious."
"Can you hear what my daughter's doing?" Ashley asked.
I tilted my head, listening for Abby, and I heard her ask a crayon from Arian.
"She's roped my daughter into coloring."
"Oh, she's been doing so well," Alice commented. "I think Ness and Abby are good for her."
"I agree," I said. "She's learning how to be a normal little girl from them."
Alice worked in silence, putting the final touches on Ashley's hair.
"What are you little ladies doing?" I heard Jasper ask.
"We color," Abby replied.
"Does your mother know what you're coloring?" he asked as Alice sprayed Ashley's hair with hairspray.
"It surpise, Uncle Lasper," Abby replied. "It be for Gamma and Gampa."
"You may want to come look at this, Rosalie," Jasper said. "Bring Ashley."
"According to Jasper, our daughters are up to something," I told Ashley.
"This can't be good," she muttered.
We left Alice's overstocked bathroom, and went into the hallway. We stopped in our tracks, seeing a scared looking Arian and Abby, both holding crayons in their hands. The wall in front of Abby was covered in scribbles, and Arian had drawn stick figures next to them. I burst out laughing.
"Oh, Abby." Ashley moaned. "What did you do?"
"We make pwetty walls," she explained, as if it were obvious.
"We told you this wasn't okay." Ashley put her hands on her hips.
"I no color Uncle Sam's wall no more." Abby shrugged.
Jasper and I doubled over in laugher.
"When you make an argument like that ..." Jasper continued to chuckle.
"Oh, my," Esme said as she came up the stairs.
"Gamma, I made your wall petty," Abby blurted.
"Oh, get Grandma on your side," Ashley muttered. "Esme, I'm so sorry. I'll clean it up."
"Nonsense," Esme said, smiling. "It's an easy fix. Seth is waiting downstairs for you, my dear. Jasper will help me clean up."
"Are you sure? I don't want to be any trouble," Ashley said.
"I'm sure. Now go." Esme shooed Ashley away.
"I'll help you get the cleaning supplies, Esme," Jasper said.
I knelt down in front of the two girls.
"You need to apologize to Grandma. It's not okay to draw on walls, okay?" I reminded them.
Arian's lip quivered a little and she nodded.
"Okay, Aunt Rose," Abby said.
Esme and Jasper came upstairs with the cleaning supplies.
"Gamma, I be sorry," Abby said, her face full of sadness.
"I forgive you, my love," Esme replied.
"Grandma," Arian whispered. It was the first time she used that name, and my breath hitched as I heard it.
Esme softened and knelt down before Arian.
"I'm sorry." Big tears ran down her face. "Don't be mad."
"I'm not mad, honey." Esme took Arian in her arms. "It was a mistake. Now you know it's not okay to draw on the walls."
"Only paper."
"Only on paper, my love."
Esme held Arian for a while until she stopped crying.
"Would you like to help me clean like a big girl?"
Arian nodded against Esme's chest.
"Good girl." She ran her hand through Arian's curls. "I'll need you to use the sponge to scrub the walls."
"Okay, Grandma."
Arian took the sponge and used it to wash the crayon off of it. When they finished, we fed them dinner, let them have a small slices of chocolate cake, and put the girls to bed. Throughout the night, Bella, Alice, Esme, and I took turns caring for Jordan.
Nessie decided that they'd have a sleep over in Arian's room, which made Abby and Arian happy. Nessie even pulled out three sleeping bags so they could sleep on Arian's bedroom floor.
"Nessie?" Arian whispered from upstairs.
"Yes?" she whispered back.
"Are you asleep?"
"… No."
"Can we paint your doggy's nails tomorrow?"
"I don't think he'd like that, sweetie."
Alice and I laughed silently at their conversation. Jordan started to shift in my arms, and I moved him to my shoulder.
"Shhh," I said soothingly, hoping he didn't wake up.
One warm bath and a lot of crying later, he was finally asleep, and I felt glad that I didn't have to call Ashley to come home.
"She's been doing so well these past couple of days, Rosalie," Alice said quietly.
"I know. She's blooming, finally."
"So are you and Emmett. You're both amazing parents."
"Thank you."
I kissed Alice's cheek.
"You ever think about adopting?" I was curious to see if her feelings changed over the years.
"Can you see Jasper and I chasing after a little one?"
"I suppose not." I smiled at her.
"As always, we love being an aunt and uncle." A large grin covered her face. "We never thought we'd have a family like this, Jazz especially."
"It's amazing," I agreed.
"So, I've been thinking about Christmas …" Alice said, making me groan.
"Alice, it's six months away. You realize that, right?"
"I know … it's just Arian's first Christmas. Think of all the decorations we could get." She clasped her hands.
"You'll drive everyone nuts."
"It's for the children." She batted her eyelashes.
"It's for -"
A long, painful howl rang from outside. I met Alice's eyes. Something was wrong.
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