Chapter 11: Gift

Harlow POV

Here's the thing that people don't understand about magic, it's not all spells and potions. Sure, being able to make things do what you want with your mind, or cure any disease with a simple elixir is amazing. But, there are some things that are magical that you have no control over. For me, the first snow of the year has always been magical in its own right.

There had been stories of Witches powerful enough to control the weather, but somehow it seemed to me that no matter what kind of power you had, nothing could beat the pure white powder that fell from the sky and landed softly to the ground. No magic could imitate that beauty. I loved the way the cold would numb my hands and face, how crisp and clean the air smelled. The crunch under my boots as you waded through the white sea always left me feeling calm and happy.

Lots of people hated the cold, but when you lived with the ability to control fire, having the counter of it all around you was a whole different experience. It never failed, the first snow would fall overnight while I was sleeping, and the moment I woke up I would just feel so full. Kim would be in the kitchen early, making warm coffee and oatmeal with brown sugar. Emily would be sitting in her office, staring out her huge window, absentmindedly sipping on coffee and reading a spell book. Leah would be my partner in crime, running outside and throwing snow at each other as we cleaned off the porch. Neveah would be curled up in her bay window, drawing quietly. It was all so peaceful and wonderful.

Of course, everything was different this time around. Brady had all but permanently moved into Crow house, and he took on the job of clearing the sidewalk and driveway as I sat on the porch swing wrapped in a blanket and drinking hot chocolate. The little guy inside me would move around happily as the sugar got to him. As I stared at Brady working, every so often looking up to smile and wave at me, I couldn't have been happier. I imagined us in our own house, Brady and me dancing in the kitchen, him working hard and me taking care of our little son. It was all dreams, I knew that we had a long way to go before any of my household dreams come true.

Emily loved to remind me, that I might be able to be homeschooled, Brady still needed to finish school. She believed that if we really wanted our family to work, he needed to graduate and find a good job. Go further with his education if he was smart, were Emily's exact words. For me? Well becoming Supreme I would inherit the fortune that never seemed to end once Emily passed the title onto me. By no means would Gabriel want for anything, but Emily had always strongly believed that I shouldn't rely on money handed to me. She wanted me to work hard and eventually take on little girls in my own Coven.

I would be lying if I said I didn't dream about having my own little gang of magic wielding munchkins looking to me. There was hope in me that my sisters would provide those daughters for my coven, but any child needing training and guidance would be welcome in my home. Though Emily could be harsh, I also saw how much she loved us. My mother had abandoned me when I was five years old, she had suppressed her magic so long that there wasn't a drop left. And when I started making things move, she knew she couldn't provide what I truly needed. Emily said her doorbell had rang and there I was, sitting on the front step eating a candy bar. I still remember crying for my mother, though now I can hardly remember her face. Emily was my mother as far as I was concerned, she might be cold and hard, but I saw how she smiled when I succeeded, and the love she held for me and my sisters.

More than anything, I hoped to be like my "mother". I wanted to be strong and make sure Gabriel knew right from wrong. But I would still show compassion and tenderness whenever possible. There was a chance he would be born a Warlock, but it would be a few years before he would even show signs of magic. Unless you were born with a strong magical aura, like Neveah, it wasn't until about age four that you first showed signs of magic.

Brady was worried that the shifter gene would be passed onto our son, even though I didn't see a problem if it did happen. As far as I was concerned, if Gabriel did have the wolf gene, he had a whole pack ready to show him their ways and teach him how to control his ability. And as much as Brady wouldn't admit it, I know he would love having a son to share in his shifting. I saw the joy in Brady's eyes whenever him and his pack brothers would phase and run through the woods. As much as a curse Brady's gift was, in the end it still brought him happiness.

Sighing, I placed my empty mug on the porch railing and took a deep breath of fresh air. The pack was going to get a Christmas tree, and later we would decorate and have a small little dinner. Emily had never really allowed us to celebrate Christmas, she thought it was a useless holiday, but Sam convinced her to let loose and just try it.

Sam and Emily had been getting closer and closer as the days passed. No longer did Emily run from him and turn a cold shoulder, I watched her openly smile at him, and even admit to spending time together. Emily deserved happiness, she had been taking care of us all our lives, and Sam had been her imprint. I couldn't imagine being away from Brady, and I'm sure it hurt her just as much.

Neveah had described the imprints as soulmates, she even did research to back up her theory. It was known history that Witches would find their soulmate. Every so often in history, we would find someone who was our other half. Just as the Shifters couldn't be without us, we couldn't be without them. They amplified our magic somehow, and made us complete.

"Jake said they should be here soon," Brady stomped his boots on the steps and took a drink out of the thermos Kim had brought out to him.

"I'm so excited!" I bounced a little, "I can't believe we're actually gonna be doing the things I've seen in movies!"

"You guys really have never decorated a tree or opened presents?" Brady laughed, wrapping an arm around me and pulling me into his side.

"Nope!" I buried my nose into his jacket, breathing in the crisp scent that clung to him. "Emily wasn't a fan of everything, but I peeked into her study this morning, and she already has gifts wrapped. She won't admit it, but I think she's just as excited as we are."

"Good baby," Brady smiled. Placing a hand on my stomach his eyes softened as Gabriel kicked hard, "Hi buddy."

"Kim and Leah said they're pitching to buy buddy a crib!" I clapped my hands together eagerly, "They have some they want us to look at and decide what we want."

Brady rolled his eyes. As the due date got closer, the more eager my sisters were getting. Emily had converted the small storage room next to my room into a small nursery. Embry and Brady had spent all day the past week painting it a soft blue and grey. Neveah was working on a small mural on the wall. I told her I wanted the ocean, and from what I had seen so far, she was delivering on the request.

Brady had been hesitant about making a whole nursery, he said that if we moved what would happen to it. Emily had laughed and told him that the day I moved out of Crow house would be a miracle. I had to gently remind Brady that being the next Supreme meant that this house would one day be mine. My sisters would be the ones to leave, and even Emily would one day move on when I didn't need her anymore.

Eventually he saw what we were trying to point out to him, and got excited about decorating the nursery. We would turn my bedroom in Gabriel's room once the girls left and he got older. I had current bids on Neveah's attic bedroom, I had always envied how spacious and away from everything it was.

The pack had said Crow house was creepy, but over time I think they appreciated the history that the house had. I had no want to ever leave this house. This was where I became the Witch I am today, and I had much more growing to do.

"We're doing this the old-fashioned way," Sam carried the last box of decorations into the living room. The pack had finally arrived with a giant tree, carrying it, and setting it up for us.

My sisters looked at him and started laughing, even Emily couldn't help a small giggle, "Our magic is old fashioned Sammy."

"But if you guys do it the way you want to we'll be done super-fast and it won't be fun," Seth pouted cutely and my heart melted. I hope Uncle Sethy didn't teach little Gabriel that look, I'd be fucked.

"Ok, ok no magic," Emily waved a hand in the air. The fire roaring to life and Christmas music coming through the speakers. She winked at Sam as he gave her a look, "Except that bit."

I really didn't think decorating a tree would be so exhausting. But being almost six months pregnant everything left me winded now a day. So, after a few minutes of bumping everyone with my stomach, I sat back on the couch and munched on some cookies and watched everyone.

Sam and Emily were of course bossing everyone around, each having opposing visions of what the tree was supposed to be like. They argued like a married couple sometimes.

Jared was whispering in Kim's ear and making her blush. Jared had finally confessed to Kim about his imprint, and their relationship was so sweet it gave me a toothache. They were cute together, Kim was so mothering it countered out Jared's hyperness. They almost acted like a mother and father when someone was sick or hurt.

Embry was lifting Neveah to put a decoration up higher. He let her drop to the ground and she turned around and smacked him in the arm. Her pretty engagement ring winked in the fire light, reminding me that I needed to set a time for our outing tomorrow. I think I was more excited for Embry and Neveah's wedding then they were. So far, Neveah had basically left everything in my hands. We had agreed that the wedding would be in the beginning of January, Embry didn't want to wait and I thought it would be amazing to start the year off with a bang.

I heard Leah laughed, watching as Jacob wrapped tinsel around her and kissed the top of her head. Seeing Leah so happy was a breath of fresh air. For a long time, Leah had been so angry. I think she secretly resented the fact that compared to Neveah and I, the youngest, she was just an average Witch. There were days when Leah would push herself to try and develop some other gift, or out fight Neveah. And then Jacob had grabbed Leah one night and taken her to the movies, saying he needed some time away from everything. Since that night, they've been inseparable.

Jacob Black was not ideal for my sister I believe, I could still see there was some part of him that pined for that human girl Bella Swan, but even I couldn't deny that the pining was starting to turn into just platonic friendship. At the last couple training sessions with the Cullen's, Jacob had regarded Bella friendly enough, but instead of lingering around with her, he went right to training with Leah, even ignoring Bella when she tried getting his attention. I could see how much Bella was pissed at Jacob's actions, but what did the girl want? She was getting married to the popsicle.

The vampire wedding was a thorn in my side. Every time I saw Alice Cullen she was begging to help with the wedding, so I finally gave in and told her she could help with the dress shopping and decorating the venue we had rented. I guess little Bella was not keen on her wedding and Alice was depressed and wanted to be part of something that was going to happen soon. From what I had learned so far, Bella had changed the date three times, this new one not happening now till April.

"For someone not doing much you sure act as though you're exhausted," Neveah joked as she grabbed the cookie out of my hand and bit into it. Embry flopped down next to her on the couch and put his legs across out laps.

I tickled his foot and he flipped me off, "I'm growing a human thank you very much."

"Which means she can eat as many cookies as she wants!" Brady defended as he passed me another.

"Yeah, until she eats all the batter," Leah winked and flicked me in the head.

"Hey, tomorrow at noon we're going into Seattle," I reminded Neveah who scrunched her nose.

"Itty bitty is gonna play dress up," Leah pinched her cheeks and cursed when Veah bit her.

"And you need to go make sure the venue is all settled and let me know how big the room is for the reception," Embry pretended to shoot himself as I told him his new job. For someone wanting to get married so soon, he sure didn't want to help with any of the work!

"Oh my god Kimberly!" Emily dropped a bulb and it shattered on the ground. We all got quiet as Emily placed a hand over her mouth, "What did you just do?!"
Kim looked stricken, "What are you talking about?"
"That branch," Emily pointed wildly, "How did you fix it?"
I stared hard at what Emily was trying to point out. There had been a patch in the back that had broken off as the guys dragged the tree into the house. Once it had been flat with broken pieces, and now it was full and thick with evergreen.

"I don't know!" Kim snapped.

"Do what you just did!" Emily snapped her fingers, setting part of the tree on fire and snuffing it out right away. She waved us quiet when we protested the damage she had created.

Kim swallowed hard before kneeling and placing her hands on the blackened branches. Letting out a slow deep breath, I had to physical restrain the shout that wanted to escape my mouth. Slowly the branches started growing back, first brown twigs sprouting and then green needles popping up. We all stayed quiet until the tree was back to its glorious self.

Emily smiled widely, "Miss Kim, you can control nature."

Neveah and Leah tackled Kim as I jumped up and down and joined in on the happy screams. Kim was beaming at Emily as she looked back at her. Kim, who seemed so ordinary, had developed a rare gift.

"Looks like you'll have some extra training on your hands," Emily leaned in the doorway, letting Sam wrap his arms around her waist.

"Let's go celebrate!" Sam announced loudly. "Get your jackets girls, dinners on me tonight."

"So, sweet Sammy," I cooed as I popped into my room and grabbed my coat before going back into the living room.

Brady cranked the heat on as we followed Sam's truck to whatever restaurant he was taking us to.

"So with Christmas a week away, what would you like?" Brady asked, as he played with my fingers.

A ring, the thought rang so loudly in my head it startled me. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Brady, and I knew that we didn't need to be married to make that happen. But hey, I was like any other girl out there. I wanted a grand proposal and sparkly ring on my finger. I wanted to walk down the aisle in white and say my vows to the man of my dreams. But I felt selfish asking for something like that.

"Honestly, getting away for a weekend would be amazing," I settled, shoving my thoughts to the back of my mind.

Brady nodded, "Ok, we'll see."

"What do you want?" I asked as I unbuckled and allowed him to help me out of the car.

"I have everything I want already," Brady nuzzled my neck and I rolled my eyes at his corniness.

"Really?"
"Really."

I gave him a long kiss that made my toes curls.

Breaking away, Brady gave me a wide smile, "But a new PS4 wouldn't be bad either."

Of course!

Embry POV

It seemed like nothing was ever simple with this wedding. I knew that I was going to have to help make decisions, but I thought it would be things like: what flavor the cake is, do I want chicken or beef?

No, instead I was running every little errand that popped into Harlow's head. Today I had dragged Brady and Jacob with me to go down to the small bed and breakfast just outside La Push that Harlow had picked for the wedding. It was hell convincing Brady and Jacob to go do something so mind numbingly boring, but I wasn't going to do it on my own. Harlow had provided money for food, but I was holding it hostage till we were done.

There were time limits of course. We had to looks at the venue at noon, conveniently at the same time the girls were going to Seattle for dress shopping. Neveah had told me Harlow was worried I would come and try to peek. Really, I knew Neveah would be beautiful in anything, she could show up in sweats and I would be the happiest man in the world.

"So after the vows we'll move here into our small, what we call, ball room," the manager motioned to the next spacious room. The dark wood floors were exactly what Neveah had said she wanted. The walls were white, but supposedly there was going to be something hanging from them. "The dance floor can be over there in the middle of the room, and the bar will be over there in the corner."

"It's open bar, right?" Jacob mumbled, trying not to yawn.

"Better be," Brady stretched as I signed a couple of papers, "Do you even know what's really going on?"

"Nope," I admitted, "I think Harlow just didn't want to come do this."

"Who would?" Jacob laughed, "Can we go get food now?"
His request was a god send as we finally ran out of that building and into my truck, taking the short drive to our favorite wing spot and grabbing our usual table.

"So, Jake," I grabbed my drink from the end of the table, "Gonna be my best man?"

Jacob looked shocked for a moment before smiling, "Of course brother!"
Ever since the fight we got into, Jacob had been trying to act differently. I still didn't agree with his plan to help the Cullen's, and I didn't agree with involving the Witches. But he had been taking a step back from the full force attack he was planning. I had finally explained to him what I was so worried about, I had just got Neveah, I wasn't going to lose her to some petty fight. He knew how we all felt about Bella Swan, and I think Jacob was finally realizing that she really was no good. In the end, Jacob had been my best friend since we were kids, we had always been with each other, and there wasn't anyone else I could imagine standing by my side as I married the most wonderful woman in this world.

"So I get to plan the bachelor party then?" Jacob smirked.

"Yeah," I rolled my eyes, "Nothing too wild J, the wedding is on the third, it's going to be New Years. And I don't feel like trying to explain to a fire wielding Witch that a stripper was grinding on my junk."

"She'd castrate you," Brady laughed, grabbing a wing.

"Nah, Veah's not the jealous type," Jacob said around a mouthful.

Neveah really wasn't, she knew that I was hers. She was insecure sometimes, though loud and bubbly around the pack and Coven, she was still reserved around school. No longer did she shy away from the embraces I gave her, but when people started talking about our engagement, I could see how uncomfortable she was getting.

At first I had thought she was ashamed of me, but Harlow had explained that it was just Neveah being shy. I had to remember that these girls had only ever been around the same people all their lives. Neveah was so quiet and so different from others, that she stuck out and it drew attention, attention that was different from what she used to receive.

Harlow told her she was going to suck it up for the wedding. Almost all La Push was coming. After the pack was invited, our families were invited and then people had to bring dates and so on. Our small little gathering was feeling anything but. Harlow had even invited the Cullen's, much to my dislike. But the little vampire Alice had been a big help with the wedding from what I heard, and she really wasn't that bad. Neither was Carlisle or Esme. Emmett was obnoxious and loud, but him and Paul got along good. Jasper was quiet and reserved, and had been eager to fight Neveah.

She was shocked at first, but admitted to me that she had a good time fighting him. Unlike all the other Cullen's he was a soldier, and put a challenge for a little bit at least. I think Jasper was drawn to how calm Neveah could be, Alice had told me that he was so overwhelmed with feeling other people's feelings, that it was nice to be around someone who wasn't jumping off the walls. And really, I liked Jasper. He was good to have a conversation with, and I didn't get any bad vibes from him.

Edward was the black sheep of the group. None of the Witches trusted him, they hated having to remind him not to invade their minds. Leah had put him on his ass when he tried reading her one night. Edward insisted that he wanted to learn more about the Witches, but he was going at it in the wrong way. It didn't help that none of the girls cared for his soon to be wife. They thought Bella as selfish and annoying, and I couldn't help but agree.

"Carlisle asked if we'd swing by and talk for a moment," Jacob gave me a look, "Sorry bro, we'll be quick, I promise."

Jacob ran into the woods and phased, with annoyance I followed my Alpha, blocking any attempts he made at trying to talk to me. Every time we got close to the Cullen home, I could smell them. Like garbage left out in the hot sun. Usually we stayed phased when we came to speak to them, but with a signal from Jacob, Brady and I phased quickly and followed Jacob inside.

"Nice to see you boys," Carlisle and the rest of his family was sitting in the living room watching tv on such a low volume it was almost hard to comprehend.

"Course," Jacob smiled slightly at Bella. She made no move to go to him, instead sending him a dirty look, "what did you need."

"I just wanted to confirm our invitation to your wedding," Carlisle explained. Standing he smiled widely at me, and I suddenly felt put on the spot, "And to offer you your honeymoon."

"Excuse me?" my brain short circuited as I tried comprehending whatever the vampire was trying to elude to.

Esme giggled and placed a cold hand on my arm, "I know that with the Volturri coming you have been on edge. I am under no impression that you want to help," she smiled and squeezed my arm, "and I thank you and your fiancée for helping us so much. So as my thank you, I have these for you."

I took the envelope handed to me and pulled out the tickets and brochure. It was for a small island and resort. The plane tickets were for the morning after the wedding, good for almost a whole week.

"Everything's paid for, and there's even an account attached to that card for you two to get whatever you want while you're there. It's my private little island and I would love it if you two used it!" Esme gave me a quick hug and I couldn't help but let her.

"This is too much," I tried handing the envelope back to Esme.

"Nonsense," Carlisle placed a hand over his wife's shoulders, "You two deserve it. Please I'd be offended if you didn't take it."

I nodded my head and shook the matriarchs hand, "Thank you so much."

I know that we had our bad blood, and that there were still problems that laid ahead. But maybe I had misread some of these vampires. Maybe my Alpha was right in his thinking that not all vampires were our enemies. Maybe it was time to reevaluate the way I had been thinking about some things. Change was what we all were striving for, and I needed to start taking that step in doing just that.