AN: Hey Everyone!

Thanks to all who read, follow, fave and review this!

I love working on this story because I really enjoy these pairings!

Seeing how each of the couples interact is one of my favourite things, so I definitely appreciate the fact that people are actually reading (and I think, enjoying) this one!

Mondo thanks to the reviewers for Chapter 9: sarahplumb, AHealingRenaissance, catgrl, traceybuie, and Babysis64! You're all so amazing, I love you!

This will probably end up being a 20 or 30 chapter story, and it's going to probably have a few larger time skips, since they've only been on the island a few months and they're staying for two years.

This story will end when they leave the island, but I'm hoping to do a sequel eventually that would begin with the four couples weddings and show Jasper and Bella's move back to Texas along with other developments. So keep those reviews coming because I love the added motivation your feedback provides!

In fact, what brought me back to working on all of my stories, was one specific review that gave me a kick in the pants, so please know, your comments truly are the grease for my creativity wheels!

Here it is Folks, Chapter 10!

Chapter 10: These Lovely Early Days

Alice's POV

After we had all gotten to spend some time in the arms of our true mates, I called the family back together.

"So, I think we're getting close to the point in time when the new generation gap becomes a bit more noticeable. Is anyone else feeling that?" I asked everyone.

"Yes." Rose nodded. "For one thing, Carlisle and Edward owe Esme and I a night out in Jakarta, even though I'm not entirely convinced they didn't let us win, but hey, a night in the city is still a night in the city. So I guess we'll be having a double date at some point."

"Plus as the medical team for the village, the four of us will be spending more time together," Esme added.

"Exactly. " I nodded. "Which works out perfectly because it gives each of the new "generations" a chance to bond. And since the four of us "youngins" will be posing as students again when we leave this island, it gives us a chance to work on our new dynamics too."

"So which of us will be kids of whom?" Bella asked me.

"Everyone is ready to find out?" I confirmed. Heads nodded all around.

"Bella and I will be sisters. Children of Edward and Esme. Emmett and Jasper will be brothers. Children of Carlisle and Rosalie. Any opposition to a little hair dye, Em?" I beamed.

"Aww yeahhh! I've been tryin' to tell everyone for decades that I'd make a really sexy blond!" Em chuckled. "Thanks, Ally!" He said, squishing me in a big hug.

"Wait...so, we're gonna be their biological kids?"Jasper confirmed. "How do you plan on workin' that?"

I wanted to remind him that he and Bella would only have to pretend until they eventually moved back to Texas, but there was no way to do so discreetly, so I just answered based on what would be happening until then, once we left the island.

"Esme and Carlisle can both pass for people in their thirties. They're used to doing so anyway. No one from the school needs to see Edward, so it doesn't matter how old he looks, and everyone will just assume Rosalie, as a doctor's wife, has had a lot of plastic surgery." I shrugged.

Rose frowned while some of the others snickered. "So your plan is for me to seem entirely superficial?"

"No Rose. But looking beautiful is important to you. If you were a human woman in her late thirties, you know you'd be nipped and tucked and botoxed, admit it." I shrugged casually.

"Maybe and maybe not but I don't like the idea of people assuming that." She huffed.

"The human ladies have been assuming that about me for decades, Rose," Esme admitted. "And when they ask what my secret is, I just tell them I exercise vigorously for hours a day and eat a strict vegetarian diet with the addition of wild game." She grinned. "I've often had women coming up to thank me because they lost forty pounds on "my diet". It stops the cosmetic surgery rumors very quickly."

Rose laughed hysterically. "That's brilliant, Esme, thank you! I'll have to try that."

"Does anyone else have concerns surrounding those relationships?"

Everyone shook their heads.

"Any other questions for now?" I asked.

"Um, Ally, can ya tell everyone else what you told me about the whole markin' thing?" Emmett asked.

"Sure, Em. As funny as it would be to let them all find out for themselves, you're right. I should probably give everyone a heads up. The practice of marking one's mate isn't optional like everyone thought. It happens automatically when true mates fully consummate their relationship," I said, turning to Carlisle for his reaction first.

"Oh." He nodded slowly. "No wonder most of our friends always thought I was crazy whenever I said that doing so had never crossed my mind."

"Has it crossed your mind recently?" Rose wondered. "I know it has mine."

"Yes, Sweetheart. It very much has." Carlisle beamed. Rose looked relieved.

I could see others looking around at their mates and the lust level in the room must've quickly spiked, based on how tightly wound Jazz looked so I drew their attention back to the discussion and continued speaking.

"Keep in mind, everyone, that once you do mark your mate, other vampiric mating instincts will take over. From what I've seen in the visions, after that point, you will no longer have sexual desire for your current spouse, and you won't want to share your mate in that way either.

"So it is imperative that no one take that final step until everyone feels they have obtained enough closure with their former partner on an intimate front. Other types of sex and foreplay don't seem to cause that irresistible compulsion to the same degree, so they are safe, provided everyone follows the courtesy rule we agreed on at the last meeting," I recommended.

Edward pinched the bridge of his nose. "I need several people in this room to stop thinking about oral and anal, please. Or at least think about them more quietly."

I giggled for a long time and several other people started laughing as well.

"Any other questions?" I asked.

"When should we have Nessie and Jake and the others fly down here?" Bella asked.

"It looks like they can all get time off to come for a visit around Christmas!" I cheered after searching my visions.

"Oh my goodness! That's in six weeks!" Esme realized, looking flustered.

"Yes, but we will all be ready for their visit, don't worry," I assured everyone.

"Now, the medical team should quickly go hunt, because one of the villagers is going to break his leg in about two hours time," I informed them. "Meeting adjourned."

Jasper's POV

The "older" generation had all left for the village since Alice had said the injured boy would be bleedin' a lot. Mind you, three of 'em probably could've handled it, but at this point, I was pretty sure it was just as much about spendin' time with their mates as it was about the actual medical care.

So the four of us "kids" were hangin' out.

"Let's do somethin' totally teenage!" Emmett smirked, gettin' that mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Oh my gosh, Em. What do you have in mind?" Bella laughed. She was sittin' curled up in my lap on one of the futons and Em had Alice sittin' similarly snuggled with him on the one across from us.

"Let's get drunk and play Never Have I Ever!" He laughed.

"I'm in if you are?" I told Bella.

"Sure, why not?" She grinned. "And we all know that one wants to play." She added, pointin' to the very eager Pixie who was practically vibratin' with excitement.

"Sweet! I'll go get the tequila!" Em offered, jumping up and grabbin' a bottle of Patrón.

"I'll go first!" Alice offered once they were seated again. "Never have I ever jumped off the cliffs at La Push!"

Bella rolled her eyes and took a drink. She looked surprised for a minute when I also took a drink, then it registered. "Oh yeah! Edward told me you were there that day." She smiled radiantly.

"I was." I nodded. "I'm sorry I couldn't catch that red-headed bitch that day. It would've saved a whole heap o' trouble if I could've."

"Jasper, I'm sorry! I never realized just how much you did to protect me as a human." She smiled softly, projectin' gratitude and happiness as she kissed me lightly.

"I'm just glad it all worked out okay." I nodded, sendin' her my love and rubbin' circles on her back.

"My turn!" Emmett exclaimed excitedly. "Never have I ever...eatin' somebody's pet dog!"

"Ah fuck, Em! I was drunk an' it ain't my fault the damn thing was bleeding' in the woods! It looked like a coyote until I tasted it." I grumbled, taking a shot of tequila.

"Oh my gosh, you ate a dog?" Bella snorted. "That's brilliant. How did it taste?"

"Like dirt. I wouldn't recommend the blood of any domestic animal." I shuddered.

"Okay, my turn," Bella said still laughing. "Never have I ever gotten my head stuck in a tree!"

"Ha! Em, drink!" Alice grinned.

"That was no fair! That stupid fox knew I couldn't follow it in there but I had to try!" Em laughed taking a shot.

"Never have I ever, put a diaper on a baby on backward!" I smirked, waitin' fer Alice to drink.

"Okay, that is way too easy to do! Surely I can't be the only one!" She huffed drinkin' anyway. "No one else has done that?" We all shrugged and shook our heads.

"Sorry Pix looks like diapers are the one item of clothin' your incredible fashion sense can't help ya with."

"I figured it out eventually Jazz. And it's not like Renesmee knew the difference." She pouted.

"I mean...I might've, sorta told her. When she was older," Bella confessed with a shrug.

"Bella! Oh my goodness!" Alice laughed and I knew she'd be blushin' if she was human.

"Don't worry, Alice. I've told her embarrassing stories about everyone in the family, myself included," Bella assured her.

"Well good! So long as it isn't just me. Anyway, it's my turn. Never have I ever had my swimsuit come off diving into a public swimming pool in front of a bunch of humans." Alice snickered.

"No fair, Ally! You're just tryin' to get me drunk!" Em chuckled takin' a shot.

"I bet that was embarrassing, Em! Were there children present?" Bella laughed.

"Unfortunately there were, yeah. One woman, covered her daughter's eyes so fast, I would've sworn she was the vampire!" He snickered. "Thankfully Ally had seen it in a vision and tossed me a towel before anyone could call security."

"Wait...if Alice saw it in a vision, why couldn't she tell you in time to stop it?" Bella asked.

Alice shrugged. "Then I wouldn't have gotten the peep show." She smirked.

"That does it!" Em growled lightly, proceedin' to tickle her until she was squealin' so badly my ears hurt. I had to admit though, their antics were pretty adorable.

"I'm so glad I'm not ticklish." Bella laughed as we watched them carryin' on.

"Really, Darlin'?" I quizzed, surprised. "Not anywhere?"

She smirked at the innuendo and shrugged. "Nope. I realized as a child pretty quickly that being clumsy and being ticklish did not go hand in hand because I used to fall off my bed whenever my mom would try to tickle me. So I figured out how to shut off that impulse."

Now it was my turn to smirk. "You do realize this means I'm gonna have ta make it my life's mission ta find a ticklish spot, right?"

"You are certainly welcome to try," she challenged.

"Oh, I will be. But when you least expect it. I'm fairly certain if I catch you off guard it'll be easier." I grinned.

"All the best of luck to you, Jasper." She laughed, kissin' me passionately.

That kiss pretty well did me in. I pulled her against me, layin' us back on the couch while I continued kissin' her.

I must've been projectin' too because pretty soon the tickle-fest on the other couch turned into somethin' a little more heated. And it was while I was makin' out with Bella, and Em' and Alice were engaged in a similar pursuit, that the others all returned home from the village.

"See Carlisle, this is what happens when we leave the teenagers home without adult supervision," Rosalie teased, but her emotions were playful, not chastisin'.

"I would blame the alcohol but we've only had a couple of shots." I grinned, sheepishly, as we reluctantly pulled ourselves back into a sittin' position. "How was the village?"

"Not bad," Esme smiled and I noticed she and Edward were holdin' hands. "It was an older boy and it wasn't his first broken bone, so he wasn't scared, he was very brave."

"How did he break it?" Bella inquired.

"He got into a fight with his brother," Carlisle smirked, clearly rememberin' a few times over the years us boys would've prolly had broken bones if we'd been human. Even still, we'd had a few limbs ripped off here an' there, but it was all in good fun.

"Yep, that'd do it." I nodded. "Hey Em' remember that time you tried ta put me in a headlock and I flipped you over my shoulder into Esme's flowerbed an' we both got gardenin' duty fer a month?"

"Man, I was so mad! I don't know anythin' about flowers. Pretty sure I killed more of 'em than I planted." He laughed.

"At least it wasn't as bad as the time Edward tried to chase Jasper, and Renesmee got in the way and almost got tackled by her own father!" Alice laughed.

"Okay, that was not my fault!" Edward vehemently denied. "She came zipping over at the worst possible second and I barely had time to react!"

"Thankfully you did stop in time. Pretty sure it would've been a little hard to explain the bloody nose to Jake if you'd barrelled into her!" Bella chuckled.

"Indeed. And I would've never forgiven myself either," Edward nodded.

"Ya know that whole incident was my fault, right? You do remember why you were chasin' me?" I smirked.

"Because I got emotional during a chick flick and you told me that little girls were more macho than I was?" He grumbled.

"It wasn't even a sappy chick flick. It was a Rom-Com." I snickered. "Renesmee didn't even cry."

Edward shrugged. "Yes, well that just means I am a compassionate, sensitive person. Some people have no heart."

"I hope ya mean me, not Renesmee." I laughed.

"Of course I mean you, you buffoon." He huffed.

"Says the man who thinks buffoon is a worthy insult," I smirked.

"Anyway, before anybody else gets thrown into a flowerbed or nearly runs over any little girls, did you four want to join us? We're playing a drinking game!" Alice offered.

"Actually, that sounds like fun," Esme of all people beamed.

"Sure, why not?" Edward agreed as they came over and sat down on one of the empty futons.

"Carlisle? You and Rose want to play?" Alice asked.

"Actually, Rose has tasked me with teaching her everything I know. So I plan to be in the garage beginning a rousing discourse on the history of modern medicine, while she works on the boat." He grinned happily.

"In about six hours I may need someone to come out and remind me that I was the one who asked for this." Rose teased.

"Don't worry, Darling. I plan to make it as riveting as possible. I promise," Carlisle vowed.

"Great, so we'll both be riveting," Rose smirked dragging him from the room.

Carlisle laughed hysterically, praising her joke as they made their way to the garage.

"Well, I guess Rosie finally found someone who appreciates her sense of humor." Emmett chuckled.

"I didn't even know she had a sense of humor." Edward shrugged.

"Yes, you did. Remember that time she turned one of Esme's bowls into a dog dish and brought Jacob his food in it?" Alice giggled.

"That was decades ago! You don't have a more recent example of Rose being funny than that?" Bella laughed. "That happened when I was still human."

"So, what game were you playing before we crashed the party?" Esme asked, not so subtly veering everyone away from the subject of Rose's apparent lack of humor.

"Never Have I Ever," Emmett grinned. "But I'm pretty sure the girls were gangin' up to try and get us drunk."

"Hey, it's not our fault you boys have done more stupid shit than we have," Bella smirked.

"We'll see about that. It was my turn when we left off." Emmett smirked. "Never have I ever fallen off the back of a wolf."

"Dammit!" Bella sighed, taking a drink. "Jake veered off to the side and ran under a low hanging branch, that was not my fault it was his," she insisted.

"It was still hilarious to watch." Em shrugged.

"You know, I have to admit, those wolf races were pretty fun." Alice grinned.

"Never have I ever, ridden on the back of a wolf." Esme grinned, taking her turn. Everyone else drank.

"Really? Never?" Emmett asked, surprise. "You should try it when Jake is here. It's like an amusement park ride. Especially if you can get them riled up enough that they try to buck you off."

"Yep, even better than bull ridin'," I smirked.

"You've ridden a bull?" Bella inquired, clearly impressed.

"Yeah Darlin'. When I was livin' with Pete and Char. I entered a rodeo bull ridin' competition and man, you've never seen a truly crazed bull until you've seen one with a vampire on it's back!" I laughed.

"Oh my gosh!" Bella giggled. "How did you even manage to get on it in the first place?"

"Used my gift ta calm it down. I had that bull so calm beforehand that no one even thought he would buck. Then as soon as they opened that gate, I removed my calmin' influence and the damn thing started buckin' so high, everyone thought it was tryin' ta fly away." I snickered.

"That must've been hilarious!" She laughed.

"It was. I wish they had camcorders back then!"

We continued playin' the game straight through the next morning. Laughin' and drinkin' and reminiscing, until a few people needed to hunt. I couldn't even remember the last time we'd all had so much fun.

Carlisle's POV

Things in the village had gone pretty well. I was finding things surprisingly less awkward than I had anticipated with regards to Edward and Esme's budding relationship. I wasn't surprised that I felt no jealousy since I hadn't expected to feel any, as she was never my mate.

I was however surprised that I no longer felt that sense of loss I had at first when I initially thought about the fact that Esme wouldn't be my wife for much longer. I think it was because Rose had truly accepted me now. It was impossible to feel like I was losing anything when I had my beautiful mate by my side.

So instead of feeling sadness, I was able to watch Edward with Esme and be truly happy for them. I was able to view their subtle glances and radiant smiles and the occasional soft touch, through the filter of who I would be to her going forward. A brother. Protective and loving but in a platonic sense.

Meanwhile, I also knew based on how they were progressing, that I needn't feel guilty with similar displays of my affections for Rose.

We were careful, in the village, of course, since the locals still believed that Esme was my wife and that Edward and Rosalie were our children. So we definitely had to be subtle. But I liked the little things I could do, such as resting my hand on Rose's back as I brushed by her, or using a variety of pet names, or even the occasional kiss on the cheek or forehead.

It was like a little game that I was finding I particularly enjoyed playing. Seeing just how much I could get away with doing to make my feelings known to Rose, yet without also making them known to the village. It was a challenge, but I knew she thrived on the attention and that certainly made it worth the slight risk.

By the time we got home though, after being surrounded by people, I definitely wanted to have her all to myself for a while. So we declined the invitation to join in the family games and made our way to the garage.

Rose was noticeably thrilled that I was making good on my promise to teach her, and even more pleased that I would be spending time with her while she tinkered away at one of her favorite pastimes.

"I had a lot of fun in the village, Carlisle. I liked how you used the doting father routine to mask a your...more amorous desire for me. I was grateful to not have blood in my veins though or I suspect it would have been rising to my cheeks the entire time and given us away." She admitted while opening her toolbox and withdrawing the items she would need.

I stood behind her and brushed her beautiful blonde tresses off to the side, kissing the exposed flesh of her exquisite neck sensually. "I am glad you enjoyed it, My Sweet. I had a lot of fun walking that line myself," I admitted.

"I could tell." She laughed, spinning to face me and linking her hands behind my neck, leaning close to kiss me. "You seemed very...aroused."

I pressed my lips to hers, pressing our bodies closer together. "Yes, Sweetheart. You certainly have that effect on me." I nodded, gazing into her eyes.

"Now, now, Carlisle. I certainly hope you haven't forgotten the rousing discourse on the history of modern medicine I was promised?" She chastised, in a stern, sexy voice that made me very much hope for a punishment.

"You know, it seems to have slipped my mind. I guess I'm just a bad, bad boy," I groaned, biting my lip trying not to lose my grip on what little restraint I still had.

Rose swiftly grabbed the toolbox and went around to the other side of the boat. "Perhaps a bit of distance might help you to focus on the task at hand." She laughed.

A large part of me wanted to leap over the boat and have my way with her, but another part of me truly enjoyed the anticipation of things to come.

"Yes, perhaps." I nodded in reluctant agreement.

I began discussing medical advancements and discoveries throughout the ages, while she worked on replacing the gas-powered motor of the boat with a sustainable one which would run on solar power as well as harnessing the power of the boats own movement through the water.

It seemed to me that while I was teaching her, I could stand to learn a thing or two from Rose myself.

AN: Next Chapter, we're gonna skip to Nessie's visit because I'm really excited to see the Blacks and the Swans interact with the Whitlocks and I'm also getting really antsy about the big reveal because I think when you find out Renesmee's secret, you're all going to be very, very excited for all of our couples (I hope)!

Blessings,

-BMW