I am selfish, I am wrong
I am right, I swear I'm right
Swear I knew it all along
And I am flawed
But I am cleaning up so well
I am seeing in me now
The things you swore you saw yourself

- Dashboard Confessional

"… and I say we just go down there, ask them what their problem is, and deal with it."

Ellie pressed her forehead against the front window as her family hashed out a plan. A plan on what to do with their new werewolf problem.

"Yeah, except their problem is that they want us all dead, Em," Edward replied. "And what are you going to say to that?"

"I say we fight it out. It's the only way this problem is going to get resolved. And two to one is bad enough numbers to make anyone listen, if that's what you'd rather."

"Emmett," Carlisle finally interrupted. "Think of what you're saying."

Once Carlisle pulled her into the house, Edward was more than willing to explain his odd behavior earlier in the evening. It appeared Ellie wasn't the only one keeping secrets. Noah was a wolf—her wolf, she thought automatically—along with the three other evil-looking men they had seen that one day on the dock. The reason why Noah's brother hated her so much was because she was somehow linked to the coven of vampires that Ephraim, the pack's leader, felt was his pack's duty to kill.

Whatever spark had flown between them that first day in the clearing had complicated the situation, immensely so. Imprinting, Edward had said it was called. Now that Noah wasn't all for annihilating her family, Ephraim wasn't entirely sure what to do about it. It was pack law to not hurt those the pack had imprinted on, and Noah was apparently putting up a good argument that attacking her family meant attacking Ellie. All the same, Ephraim didn't feel comfortable having the vampires so close to the reservation they were bound to protect.

And now the Cullens were at a loss of what to do. Edward's ability had always helped them out before to figure out when to leave before—when someone was getting too close to guessing what they were or what exactly made them so unique. Was this time any different? Now there was an entire tribe who knew what they were, and her family was debating what exact path to take as Ellie waited for her fate to be sealed.

She stared miserably out at the woods which seemed so empty without her silver wolf guarding them. What else had Noah been hiding from her? She had thought their relationship was so honest. And here they were both hiding the essence of what they were from one another.

"Well, Carlisle, do you have any better ideas?" Emmett was continuing the discussion, which was flourishing without her input.

"I definitely do not want this to end in a fight. There must be some way to make Ephraim see reason. I can understand that he only wants to protect his family, but we have proven how very different we are from the tales they have."

"And if he doesn't see reason?" Emmett retorted.

There was a long pause as everyone realized exactly what they would do. What they had done time and time before. Ellie looked up, feeling Carlisle's pained expression boring through her.

"I'm not leaving," she stated stubbornly, responding to his unspoken thought. "I'm not leaving Noah."

"Then bring him along! I always liked dogs," Emmett joked, trying to bring levity to the situation, as always. The grin fell from his face with the look Ellie gave him. "No, but he's a good guy. I don't see why he shouldn't come with us."

"Provided he stays downwind," Rosalie said, mostly under her breath.

"El, you don't even know him," Edward interjected. "If he didn't tell you about being a werewolf, then what else hasn't he told you? How do you know he's not just using you as a tool for the pack to get to us?"

Ellie's nostrils flared as she glared at her brother. It felt like he had just slapped her. She was speechless. "I love him," she said angrily, tears coming to her eyes.

"Ellie, give me a break." Edward thought she was being ridiculous about this, but she didn't feel like she was. She threw him a look of deep betrayal as she read his thoughts.

"Edward," Rosalie said in a patronizing tone. "Stop trying to talk about things you know nothing about."

"Enough," Esme commanded, intercepting the fight that was about to ensue. "We don't know enough about this situation to act upon it at this moment. Regardless of everything else, Ellie cares about Noah, and that makes him a part of this family. We owe it to her, and to Noah, to hear his side of the story. Maybe Noah can act as the go-between and get Ephraim to change his mind. He seems to have prevented them from attacking thus far, who's to say he can't continue doing that?"

Carlisle nodded his resounding agreement. The verdict was in—she and Noah were safe, for the time being, at least. There was a long pause, and Ellie could see her siblings agreed with their parents to varying degrees.

"How much damage do you really think their teeth can do, though?" Emmett posed the question to no one in particular after a moment.

"Ugh. Enough, baby," Rosalie said.

"Do you think maybe Noah…"

"No," both Rosalie and Ellie said at the same time.

"C'mon! Just one bite! On my finger or toe. Something little like that."

"Absolutely not," Esme said as Ellie threw him an exasperated look.

"Baby, I like your fingers," Rose continued quietly.

Ellie rolled her eyes. After exchanging a long look, the pair went off under the pretense of hunting. Carlisle and Esme were talking quietly in the corner, and Ellie seized the semi-alone time she had with her twin.

Edward, she called to him as he began to go outside. He turned around, showing that he was giving her his full attention. Do you really think that about Noah and me? That what we have isn't…

El, I don't know what I think. Maybe Rosalie is right. I know nothing about this.

You don't really think that she's right, though. You can't lie to me.

No, that's true, I can't. I think you you're too young and don't know him well enough to decide whether or not you love him. I think true, true love is rare, and is mostly just for the stories we read.

What about Esme and Carlisle?

Ellie didn't want to open the can of worms that was him calling her too young. She was almost forty, for goodness' sake.

What Esme and Carlisle have is rare, you see that too. The two of them are very loving, very kind creatures. That doesn't just happen every day.

Noah is like that too, deep down. You just haven't gotten to know him yet.

I'll admit the way he regards you is quite bizarre. There's something to be said about imprinting. But is imprinting love, El? Or is it just some odd fluke like me becoming a vampire or you being a protezioni?

"Yes, it is love," Ellie sputtered out aloud. Her breathing was starting to come out in gasps, and she realized her exclamation brought Carlisle and Esme's attention to them.

What is love, if it's not just some odd fluke, Edward? She hissed her thoughts angrily at him. Falling in love is no more or less strange than becoming a vampire, or a wolf, or some kind of protector. I love him, Edward, and he loves me. You need to accept that.

"Ellie, he's not being honest with you! You love some hypothetical version of him! It's not real!" he exclaimed, exasperated.

Ellie felt like she had been sucker-punched as all the breath flew out of her. She grabbed at her heart, and gave him a dangerous look.

"Sometimes you say the most hateful, devastating things, Edward Cullen, did you know that?" She gave him a look, reminding him of the last fight they had gotten into, before turning on her heel and storming up the stairs to her room.

"Oh, Edward," Esme said quietly before following closely behind Ellie.

Esme caught Ellie's bedroom door before it slammed shut on its hinges. Feeling extremely overdramatic, Ellie flung herself face-down on her bed, feeling miserable about the whole thing. Esme sat down beside her much less dramatically. She rubbed a cold hand up and down Ellie's back, soothing her, but not completely. The only person who could really console her now was as hot as a fire and miles away, and probably running on four paws right now.

"It is love, what Noah and I have, isn't it, Esme?" Ellie lifted her head slightly to the side as she addressed her mother.

"Oh, sweet Ellie, I can't tell you that. That's something only you and Noah would know." She gave her a smile. "But what I do know is that you light up like a bulb when he's around. He's able to pull these deep, powerful emotions out of you like no one else can and he makes you show your true colors. I think he's changed your life dramatically, and that's a hard thing to do for people like us."

Ellie considered all of this. "But what Edward said…" She trailed off. Edward could read people's thoughts; didn't that give him some kind of omniscience in the matter?

"Baby, Edward's judgment is clouded. He's more than a little jealous and he's scared of losing you to a person he doesn't even know."

"Jealous?" Ellie asked skeptically.

"Of course. When he left, he expected everything here would stay the same. That you would always love him the best and you two would always have each other, no matter what. He wanted you to be waiting in the wings for his arrival with open arms. He didn't expect you to have become your own person as well. He didn't realize that you would be questioning him and his actions as much as you question everyone else's. And now there's this complete stranger that is encouraging all of this from you, who you spend all your time with, and who you've given your heart to. Edward doesn't quite understand that the heart grows and changes to make room for each person in your life. You've thrown him for a loop, Ellie darling."

Ellie mulled this over as a knock sounded from her door. Edward, Ellie groaned to herself.

"Come in," Esme said, watching Ellie.

"How are you holding up?" Carlisle took her by surprise as he sat on the foot of her bed. Ellie pulled herself to a seated position to see him better, immediately feeling sheepish over her dramatics.

"I'm fine," Ellie said automatically.

"Good. Ellie, I just wanted to let you know that I really do view Noah as part of this family, and I'm not alone in my thinking."

"Thanks, Carlisle."

"You're welcome, darling. Now what seems to be the problem?"

"Ask Edward," Ellie said petulantly.

"Edward decided it was time to go for a run somewhere up north," Carlisle stated.

Ellie pursed her lips. She didn't like involving third parties to her and Edward's bizarre conversations.

"Carlisle, Ellie was wondering if what she feels is love," Esme stated instead. "What do you think?"

Carlisle chuckled softly. "I don't know what to tell her, Esme." Ellie didn't miss the loving caress that Esme's name became when Carlisle spoke it. "Love is the most powerful thing out there, sweetheart. You've heard me preach how I think this family's ties are so much stronger because we stick together out of love and devotion to one another. For humans, I have seen love facilitate medical miracles. At the same time, love creates the deepest wounds. So it's a tossup, I suppose.

"But," he said with a smile, reaching for Esme's hand. "'Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.' You know that quote as well as I do, Ellie, in addition to a hundred others that express it just as poetically. True love is the most amazing thing you can ever experience."

Ellie nodded, and watched her parents exchange a sweet look with one another. Once they left, she rooted around in her chaotic nightstand drawer for the old Bible she still kept. Flipping through it, she found the passage Carlisle referred to, and read it several times. As she eventually returned the book to its resting place, she noticed a familiar looking box at the very bottom of the drawer. It was an old music box she had gotten years ago that stored all of her sentimental mementos: a brooch Esme had given her as a family heirloom, letters and postcards from Emmett and Rosalie's trip around the world, pictures of her family, ticket stubs from her favorite plays and the first "talkie" movie she ever went to—things she felt funny framing and decorating her room with, but wanted to hold onto nonetheless. Caressing the items she went over like they were holy objects, she noticed a yellowed piece of paper sticking out from the bottom.

Gently extracting it, she saw the letter her biological mother had written her years and years ago. Her breath caught as she re-read the letter. The last thing her mother had wished for her was to follow her heart. Her heart felt like it had been battered, but it still pointed her in one direction. Ellie got up, changed out of her outfit for a more sensible dress, sweater and Emmett's old boots, and immediately headed for the door.