So, I just partied my pants off the past two weekends, and I've been searching for a new job during the week. Cut me a little slack for updating so slowly guys.

Two things this time: One, the past life flashback at the end of the chapter is in no way, shape, or form based on actual British history. It's something I completely made up. The next flashback will be based on historical fact. Two, the poll for my next story is up, so go to my profile to check it out and vote please!

That is all. Read on!

Jez's POV

Embry just imprinted on Tia. This is… well, I don't know if this is going to be a good thing or a bad thing. But knowing our luck, it's going to be a bad thing.

"Tia!" I cried out and hugged her, giving Embry a chance to rearrange his face into a less-disturbing expression. "It's so good to see you again."

"It's good to see you doing so well, Jez. I'm… surprised to see you with… such company," Tia stated carefully, staring at the four males that were watching our conversation closely.

"Chill, Tia, they know what we are," I said brusquely, rolling my eyes. "This is Renesmee, but we all call her Nessie. I'm training her."

Tia interrupted me. "You took on an initiate? I thought you never wanted to train anyone."

"I made an exception for Nessie. And teaching isn't as tedious as I thought it would be," I laughed. "Nessie isn't exactly a normal girl."

"So I see," Tia said, her eyes widening as she examined Nessie's more unique features.

"Yeah, it's complicated," I said, turning to the guys. "And these are our boys. Yes, they are shapeshifters. Get over it, sugar. That big one there is the Alpha, Jake. He's Nessie's wolf. Those two are Quil and Claire. This is Seth, my wolf, and that's Embry."

"So Embry is the only one without a female holding the leash, huh?" Tia asked politely.

"Nope," I said brightly, looking between Tia and Embry as comprehension dawned on Tia's face.

"You must be joking," Tia moaned.

"Sorry," I said happily. I wasn't sorry at all. Tia was an incredibly gifted healer that lived alone in Port Angeles. Solitary witches aren't uncommon, but healers are most likely to push themselves too far in their Craft, and usually have a companion to look after them. Tia needed someone to look after her.

"Um…" Embry shifted from foot to foot, clearly unsure of how to comfort his imprint without distressing her even more. Smart kid, to have noticed that so quickly.

"Tia, chill. You're freaking poor Embry out," I said lightly. After what I put Seth through, I was feeling a little more sympathetic to the boys.

"Oh, I'm freaking him out?" Oh, and Tia is quiet and shy most of the time, but the girl has a wicked temper when you piss her off. I love her for that.

"Yes. Your distress is his distress now," I explained simply.

"Fantastic. So, who wants to explain all of this to me?"

"There's a place downtown,
Where the freaks all come around
It's a hole in the wall,
It's a dirty free-for-all

And they
Turn me on
When they
Take it off
When they
Take it off
Everybody take it off!"

Nessie, Tia, and I were dancing around the bowling alley, singing at the top of our lungs. It was the perfect strategy: distract the boys with our amazing voices and dance moves, and kick their asses in the game. It was girls versus boys, and the girls are going to win. By over a hundred points. Is it overkill? Yes. Is it fun as hell? Oh yeah.

Seth was up next, so I put my hips into the moves and belted it out. Nessie and Tia stepped back for my solo.

"There's a place I know,
If you're looking for a show
Where they go hardcore,
And there's glitter on the floor

And they
Turn me on
When they
Take it off
When they
Take it off
Everybody take it off!"

As soon as Seth let the ball go, I pulled him into my dizzying dance so he wouldn't see the gutter ball he just threw. He was smiling and laughing along with me, so I'm beginning to think he just doesn't care.

"Jeez, you guys cheat hard," Quil muttered.

"It's not cheating when girls do it," Claire insisted. I couldn't help but laugh. That girl was so damn cute when she treated Quil like crap.

Seth clumsily spun us back to the benches, where he sat down and pulled me onto his lap. I shrugged and just went with it, and snuggled into him. He was so damn warm… how did I live without this for so long?

"You know what?" Tia said from her place on Embry's lap. After the first awkward hour, she really started to warm up to him. "I think I'm going to move to Forks. It's kind of lonely here. And we could make a legitimate coven."

I perked up. "You, me, and Nessie? Sounds like the perfect coven to me."

"Coven?" Claire asked, curiosity glittering in her eyes. She's just so damn cute…

"Yes. A Circle is a large group of witches, normally numbering in the hundreds. A coven is a very small group, ranging from three to thirteen witches. Vampires took the term 'coven' for their small groups from us," I explained.

"I'm in," Nessie said.

"Then we'll do the ceremony… tomorrow?" I suggested. My future coven nodded their consent.

When did my circle of loved ones get so big? I had Seth, his pack, and now my coven. I wasn't used to so many people meaning so much to me.

"We should probably get going soon," Nessie said sadly.

"Why's that?" Jake asked, looking a little miffed. I guess anything that made Nessie even slightly upset was dirt in his book.

"I think the owner wants to close up for the night," Nessie giggled at Jake's expression. "It's almost two in the morning."

"Wow, has it really been that long since we got here?" Embry wondered aloud. "We should probably get home."

"Yeah. I'm driving!" I said before Seth could protest. I could see he wanted to say something, but he didn't. Maybe I could kill two birds with one stone here…

"Hey Jake, why don't you and Nessie drive home with us? The Rabbit must have been pretty cramped on the way here," I said.

"Uh, sure," Jake said slowly. He still didn't trust me, which I don't really blame him for. But here's hoping we can build a little trust… with bribery.

We turned in our shoes and headed for the parking lot. Embry, Quil, and Claire would take the Rabbit and drop Tia off. Seth and I led Jake and Nessie to the diner where my Mustang was still parked. I could almost see Jake salivating over my amazing car. And now, for the bribery…

"Hey, Jake? Seth doesn't really like how fast I drive, and I can't stand driving the speed limit. Would you mind driving?" I asked as nicely as I could manage.

Jake's eyes lit up with pure, unadulterated joy. "Sure, I think I can manage that," he replied smoothly. But he couldn't hide his smile when I handed him the keys.

"By the way, if there's so much as a scratch on it when we get home, I'm taking it out of your ass," I couldn't help but add menacingly.

"Sure, sure."

It was a harrowing trip home (I could have sworn Jake was trying to crash my poor Mustang the whole way home), but finally we dropped Jake and Nessie off at the Cullen house and headed back to my place.

Seth decided to stay with me tonight, and I couldn't have been happier. Instead of sleeping in my bed (which would have been way too tempting), we slept underneath the willow tree in my garden. He was so warm, I didn't even notice the cold night air.

Seth's POV

I stood on the edge of the royal garden, waiting for Victoria to finish chatting with the other ladies of the court. It was a cold winter day, and I was grateful for my wool soldier's uniform. Victoria had to be freezing in that dress, so I knew I wouldn't be out here much longer. The court ladies liked to stare at me a little too long, if you get my drift.

"Jonathan! Are you ready to leave?" Victoria glided over to me with a smile. Even with that ridiculously frothy dress and sausage curls in her dark brown hair, she still looked beautiful.

"Of course, Princess," I answered, and we started walking back to the palace.

"How many times do I have to tell you, John? Just call me Tori," she insisted, but unlike her, I knew my place in Buckingham Palace.

"For the last time, I can't. You are Her Royal Highness, Princess Victoria, second in line for the throne. I'm a soldier, a guard in times of peace. It isn't proper for me to address you so informally," I explained to her for what seemed like the thousandth time. I wanted to call her Tori, very badly, but I knew my feelings for her were pointless.

"How many times do I have to explain to you that I don't care?" she said fervently. "We can talk to my parents, explain –"

"Explain what? That you're in love with a soldier?" I interrupted. "They can't have a commoner in the family, let alone one who could possibly hold the throne!"

"There is nothing common about you, Jonathan Barrington," she said simply, and continued walking.

"John!" I heard Tori scream my name again as I ran faster through the chaotic halls of the palace. The shattered pieces of priceless antiques littered the ground, courtesy of the assassins that had broken in just minutes ago.

They had planned their attack well – Tori's parents, the king and queen, were already dead. Her elder brother Henry was dead as well. We had barely saved her younger brother Edward. Now I just needed to save Tori.

I burst into her room to see Tori holding a wooden chair between her and her attacker's machete. I roared in rage as I charged him, my knife in hand. We fell to the floor, wrestling for control. I felt his body twitch when my knife finally found its mark. I tried to keep my body in between Tori and the corpse, so she wouldn't see the assassin's blood pouring out of the fatal wound on his torso.

"Is he dead?" Tori whispered, huddled in her robe.

"Yes," I answered. She threw herself into my arms and started bawling. I held her while she cried, knowing this was something I should have protected her from.

"Tori!"

Edward and a few of the guards burst into the room, ready for a fight. They slowly lowered their weapons when they saw me and Tori.

"Is she alright?" Edward asked, kneeling down by her side.

"Fine. I'm fine," Tori insisted, pulling away from me to hug her brother. "Where are Mom and Dad? And Henry?"

"We're… we're the only ones who survived, Tori," Edward said quietly.

"They're dead?" Tori whispered, and I knew what was coming next. Tori was older than Edward, which meant she would be crowned Queen of England tomorrow morning. My heart ached, knowing she never wanted to rule.

"So… I'm the queen now?" she whispered in a tortured voice.

"I'm afraid so, Tori," Edward said sadly.

She didn't answer for a moment. She had that calculating look on her face, the one that meant I would get into a lot of trouble doing whatever she had planned when we were younger.

"Edward, do you want to be king?" Tori asked simply.

"What?" I gasped.

"I – uh, yes, you know I do," Edward answered, looking as confused as I felt.

"Then tell the public that I died too tonight. I'll disappear, and I'll never have to be queen!" Tori exclaimed. "John, don't you see? If I'm not royalty, I can marry you! We'll go to America, leave this place behind. I don't want to be Queen Victoria; I want to be Victoria Barrington!"

"Do it," Edward said quietly. "You don't want to rule, you've hated this place your whole life. I want to be king, I always have. John, I won't let her go alone, though."

"You would… leave your whole life behind to marry me?" I asked her fervently. I could see it, our lives together in America… "That means no more wealth, no more prestige, none of the things you're used to."

"I can't wait," Tori said excitedly, and she kissed me.

I woke from the dream – or, past life… memory… thing… – in Jez's garden, her sleeping form still cuddled by my side.

Life was good.

So, I gave a happy, non-cliffhanger ending for once. I figured you guys deserve a break every now and then. The problem is, people review less when there is no cliffhanger, and I like reviews. So if I get plenty of reviews for this chapter, I won't leave so many cliffhangers. Please, vote in my poll for my next story and review! Love you all!