A/N: Sorry for the lack of updates but the fact is, I've completely forgotten how this story plays out and I'm just kind of winging it, so we're both going to be surprised to where this story goes. So it makes writing a little more difficult. But I refuse to give up! It's just going to take a lot of time.

Thank you all for sticking with me and thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed and reviewed my little story!

Thank you and Enjoy Some Sweet Fluff~

Bella's POV

After my talk with Alice the two of us stayed out on the porch until it began to get dark then the two of us ventured inside. When we walked into the kitchen we were greeted with quite the curious sight of Stella avidly explaining the concept and creation of the blood tablets to an amused Victoria who was eyeing her glass curiously.

I couldn't help but chuckle at the display, for multiple reasons. "Wow you actually got her out of her lab in such a short amount of time?"

Victoria chuckled while Stella threw a glare in my direction before rolling her eyes, "My project became worthless and I don't have the materials to start it back up, so I figured I'd come up here and show off the blood tablets. Besides, I'm hungry and it's your turn to cook."

Chuckling I nodded my head before beginning to go through the cupboards debating on what to make. "Also, if you can, I need a lot more supplies and I'll be pretty busy tomorrow. Can you pick some up for me?" Stella asked from her seat on the counter beside Victoria.

I nodded, "Yea sure, just write up a list and leave it on the table. I'll grab it later." I still hadn't made up what to make when I heard a new voice join us.

"Bella's cooking?!" I turned just in time to see a grinning Yuki waltz into the room, a gently smiling Rosalie following close behind her. For a moment I paused, it wasn't the first time I'd seen Rose smile in my time befriending the Cullens. But this smile…I don't know to explain it. She was just….happy. Completely and utterly happy.

"Can we have ramen?!" again Yuki's voice broke me out of my thoughts. She bypassed the others sitting at the counter and instead jumped up to sit next to the stove, her green eyes watching me.

I looked through the cabinets again and shrugged. "Sure," I began to pull out everything necessary as a grinning Yuki clapped her hands once happily. I chuckled at my sister's antics as I began cooking.

The six of us then began chatting about a variety of things as I cooked up food for my sisters and I. It was relaxing and fun, the three vampires seeming to be able to relax around us completely. And it wasn't until I saw the shy smiles Yuki was shooting Rosalie that I realized why we all seemed to be getting along as if we were already family. We were family! Well…not officially yet of course, but close enough for wolves that it counts. After all, Alice was my mate, my one and only. Victoria was Stella's for all eternity. And Yuki…she now had Rosalie. Well…maybe that should be the other way around. Yuki seemed frightened and nervous but Rose was completely calm around my young sister which eventually caused Yuki to relax as she continued spending time beside the blonde.

Huh…who would've thought that Yuki would find her mate in Rosalie…I certainly didn't expect it. I mean I had a passing thought when I first met Rose sure, but that was solely due to the fact that Yuki had a soft spot for blondes. But it actually was right….well, I'm happy for them nonetheless.

I smirked to myself as I began serving three portions of the freshly made ramen. I suppose that the six of us have completely disproven the belief that vampires and werewolves are natural born enemies. If that were truly the case all three of us would have not have been mated to vampires. Sure one of us would be fine and people could simply argue that they'd be an abnormal wolf, but all three? That's just too many to simply brush off.

Although…we are quite the odd bunch as it is…we always have been. People could just say that our family was just odd…cause seriously, all three Pureblood daughters mated to vampires? It is really strange, even for a supernatural being. I sighed, great, yet another reason to be ostracized by others and another reason we may never be able to truly go home.

Then again…I glanced at my five companions who were all listening intently to Victoria regale a story about her escape from five Volturi guards. Yuki, Alice, and Stella were each hanging onto the scarlet haired vampire's every word, while Rosalie who was definitely curious seemed more interested in observing Yuki's reactions. I couldn't help the smile that formed on my lips. Who needs those judgmental eyes of those idiot wolves? They can alienate us all they want, this is my home. And I have no desire to go anywhere.

"What's with the stare and goofy smile Bells?" Yuki's voice broke me out of my musings. Blinking I refocused on the scene before me. It had shifted, everyone's eyes were now on me, each with a curious expression on their face.

I couldn't stop the flush of embarrassment at the sudden attention. Shrugging I placed the bowels down before my sisters, "Oh nothing. Just lost in thought is all…" I prayed the hot food being placed before her would deter her from asking more about my thoughts but unfortunately, it's not that easy to avoid Yuki's questions…

"What about?" Yuki immediately asked as she began eating, her emerald eyes trained on me.

I sighed and debated my answer. It sounded incredibly cheesy and embarrassing to me, there was no way I wanted to willingly voice the more recent thoughts…soooo I turned to the original ones. "Simply enjoying the fact that the six of us seem to be getting along really well. Though I suppose that's to be expected of course."

Stella chuckled, "Tell me about it. I had the same thought. And as I'm sure you came to understand, the reason as to why comes down to one thing, we're family. Albeit a new one, but hey, if we're already this comfortable around each other, our futures are going to be full of more and more relaxing atmosphere together."

Yuki giggled and raised a random glass near her, "Cheers to that!" everyone chuckled and cheered along with her with fake glasses.

I smiled to myself as I went to stand beside Alice's seat, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. Grinning at the smile she gave me I knew I was right. This is my home. They're all my family. And I'll protect them all with my life.

...

Rosalie's POV

After the Cross girls ate we continued talking in the living room for a bit longer until Bella began yawning. She decided to retire for the night and Stella figured she'd do the same since it had gotten late and she would be returning to the hospital bright and early.

"Well, seeing as I plan on staying in the area for a while I'll go run some errands till you're free again, like getting some shoes. When will you be free exactly?" Victoria had asked. She left with the promise to return after Stella told her her hours. Alice and Bella shared a quick goodbye before Alice headed back to the house, though it seemed like she'd rather stay. Either way, I suddenly found myself alone with Yuki again.

I glanced at her, she was playing with a glass of fake blood, her emerald eyes trained on the liquid moving in the glass. She was nervous, and I didn't blame her, I was to. Normally I would've done what Alice did. Leave so my mate could get some rest but due to my poor mate's unfortunate insomnia I couldn't really use that as an excuse to leave. Besides, if she did try to rest I wouldn't have wanted to leave in case she woke up screaming again, I wanted to be beside her, to calm her down like I had seen Bella do previously.

So, seeing as I didn't want to force her to try and sleep I decided to just…wing it I suppose. "Sooo…if you don't plan on trying to sleep the two of us could head up to your room and you can…I don't know…play me one of those lovely songs you were playing earlier. And if you do plan on trying to sleep, I could…you know…stay nearby to calm you down if you wake up afraid again…" my god…this was nerve racking! But there was no way I was going to leave her on her own…sister's here or not. I wanted to be there for her…besides…

"Y-you don't have to do that Rosalie!" she held up a hand in front of her in protest. "I don't-"

"Rose," I interrupted. Seeing her confused look I elaborated, "Call me Rose, or your angel if you'd prefer, I think we're a little past proper names my Snowflake." I smiled when she blushed at the nickname I gave her earlier and I made a mental note to use it as often as possible.

"Rose…" she said uncertainly, blush still prominent on her pale cheeks, "you don't have to babysit me…I can manage another night on my own. And I well…I might've tried to sleep…I haven't made my mind up yet."

I frowned, "I'm not going to babysit you…well not completely anyway. I just want to spend time with you, and I definitely don't want to leave you alone if you do attempt to sleep. After all, I can't be your angel in shining armor that will sweep you away from the nightmares if I'm back home lounging on my useless bed."

She giggled at the image for a minute before becoming contemplative. "Well…if you put it that way…" she bit her lip as she debated with herself. I tried my hardest to keep looking in her eyes but good god…I didn't want to look anywhere but her lips, silently wishing it was my teeth in place of hers. "I'll try to sleep…later…but first…you uh…wanna see some of my favorite sketch books?" she shyly asked, finally releasing her lip and allowing me to meet her eyes again.

I smiled warmly, "I'd love to." She smiled an adorable smile at me before taking my hand and leading me up to her bedroom. Yuki looked around her room looking through the piles after piles of sketchbooks and sketches scattered about her room. She began mumbling to herself as she pulled out book after book. Finally she seemed to find whatever it was she was looking for.

Turning to me she spoke, "Have you ever been to Japan before?" I shook my head no. "Aw that's too bad…" she frowned slightly before smiling shyly at me, "If we get the chance I'd love to show you around, you know, whenever I'm not being hunted by that bastard and his minions."

She pulled a face causing me to chuckle lightly. "I'd like that." She smiled warmly as she handed me the sketchbook in her arms.

"This one is one of my favorites, it's mostly landscape sketches of the surrounding area I grew up in." As I took a seat at her piano bench and began browsing through the pages Yuki went back to searching through her shelves whilst humming a random tune to herself. The sketches were stunning, they were all of beautiful scenery of Japan, she seemed to favor some small clearing because I found about six different variations of the same place. I didn't blame her, it looked lovely. Nestled nicely inside a circle of trees, a small section of a river, and various flowers scattered throughout the green floor.

After I had finished going through that sketchbook Yuki handed me another, this one was mostly family memories, both from when she was a child up till now when it's just the three of them in this house. There was even a sketch of a young Yuki offering her hand to a crying young Bella at a park. I smiled softly at all her sketches. It was obvious she took great care in creating her pieces, you could feel her love coming off the pages and I silently prayed that I'd one day make it into her works.

I felt Yuki come sit beside me as I made it halfway through the book. Out of the corner of my eye I saw her occasionally smile at certain scenes, internally reliving the memory. The last page was of the three sisters sleeping peacefully in front of a fireplace as young girls, I couldn't help the smile that formed on my lips. The three looked positively adorable. Especially the young Yuki. Sweet innocent Yuki, sleeping peacefully beside her sisters. Completely unaware of the fact that in the future sleep, would become filled with darkness and monsters.

I closed the book and turned to look at the young Alpha beside me. Surprised colored my face as I noticed she was asleep, leaning against my shoulder. Green eyes closed, soft full lips parted slightly as she breathed softly, occasionally moving as she mouthed words to herself in her sleep. I couldn't make out any actual sounds but it didn't quite matter.

I silently placed the sketchbook down on the piano before carefully wrapping an arm around Yuki's waist and leaning slightly to put the other arm under her knees. Standing slowly I held Yuki bridal style so I could lie her down on her bed so she wouldn't wake up with an ache in her neck for sleeping against my shoulder. I paused in my movements when I was standing fully because Yuki unconsciously wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled herself closer to me, mumbling something in Japanese.

Smiling to myself I felt a warm feeling rise in my chest. Even asleep Yuki was comfortable around me, so much so that even sleeping she wanted to be close to me. Smiling happily I made my way over to her bed and lied her down. I tried to remove her arms from my neck carefully but she refused to let go. Her grip was firm and unyielding. Chuckling slightly I gave in and lied down next to her, my inner vampire was purring in delight when Yuki pulled herself closer to me as she slept. Her warm body felt amazing against my cold one.

I left an arm around her waist as my other hand reached up to run gently through dark locks. Her hair felt amazingly soft against my fingertips and I wondered briefly if her fur felt the same. That also probed the question as to what color her fur actually was, though considering her name I had a feeling I could pretty accurately guess what color her wolf was. And compared to her two sisters wolves she probably stood out quite a bit. Stella was dark grey in color with a small patch of brown on her right ear while from Yuki's memory I recalled Bella having the same fur color as her brown eyes.

I chuckled softly to myself at the odd thoughts running through my head as I held an adorable sleeping girl in my arms. As I refocused my attention on the small frame against me I couldn't help but smile at the delicate innocence on Yuki's face. In this moment she looked so at peace it was hard to believe she was still undergoing the aftermath of what happened to her. As I ran my finger over a pale cheek I swore once again to never let another person harm this sweet fragile girl in my arms. Funny how she considers me her guardian angel when at this moment she was the spitting image of an innocent angel.

...

My eyes opened when Yuki began stirring restlessly against me. I had shut my eyes and emptied my mind in my version of sleeping as I held her in my arms. Now her once delicate and peaceful face was contorted in fear as she whimpered and constantly turned in my arms, fighting against her memory of that monster.

I sat up and gently held her in place by her shoulders as I began quietly hissing her name, hoping to pull her out of her dream/memory without causing her too much shock. As my voice landed on unresponsive ears I lifted her up into a seated position against me, burying her face between my neck and chest as I held her gently against me. With the new positioning I spoke directly into her ear, "I'm right here my Snowflake, wake up. You're dreaming. You're okay. He can't hurt you. You're safe. I swear." I continued whispering reassurances to her and slowly her movements stilled.

A hand reached up and clutched tightly against my shirt, like she was desperately trying to remind herself that I was real. In response I tightened my grip on her as I ran a hand in a soothing motion along her back over and over until the tense muscles relaxed completely and she was slumped up against me. Her whimpering hadn't died down completely so I pulled my head away slightly so I could tilt her head and look directly at her.

Emerald green eyes were wide and glazed over with unshed tears, fear, pain and worry reflected in her gaze as she met my own. My dead heart broke at the sight and I couldn't stop myself from placing kiss after kiss along her forehead, cheeks, nose, eyelids, everywhere but her lips, whispering more reassurances after every kiss. And after a moment her whimpers stopped but I didn't pause in my ministrations, nor did she pull away. She needed the comfort and I needed to comfort her.

With one final kiss placed on the corner of her lips I finally pulled away whispering a final 'I'm right here' to her. The pain in my heart vanished as I saw her once tear filled eyes now calm and watching me with a mixture of curiosity, awe, and another emotion I was too frightened to name. I simply stared back silently, unsure what to say or do now.

Silence fell upon us. With me sitting on her bed and her, half on my lap, leaning her entire warm frame against my frozen one. I was about to attempt speaking when she moved. Slightly startled I could only watch as she came closer and placed a soft kiss on the corner of my lips. Sadly she pulled away too quickly for my liking and buried her face into my neck breathing in my scent deeply as her arms snaked around me and held me tightly. "Thank you…" her warm breath against my neck sent delicious shivers down my spine and had me smiling softly as I held her.

It took me a minute to clear away any…unwelcome thoughts before responding, "Always my sweet Yuki." I let my thumb rub soothing circles against her hip and I smiled when she nuzzled her face closer against me.

"How long?" she hummed against my neck a moment later.

Once again pausing to collect my thoughts I glanced at the clock beside her bed, "Hm, nearly five hours."

She suddenly jolted back form me, moving so my arms just barely held her in my embrace. Her green eyes were wide again as she looked at me, dumbstruck. Her mouth opened and closed for several moments but she made no sound causing me to worry. "You're serious! That….that's the longest I've slept since my recovery!"

Worry quickly left my body and I relaxed my suddenly tense posture, allowing a smirk to form on my lips. "Oh? Is it just that wonderful sleeping with me?"

As expected Yuki's cheeks darkened in color and she lightly pushed against my shoulder. "Don't get so full of yourself…" she mumbled lightly, her blushing cheeks taking away any power behind her words. I merely chuckled and pulled her back against my body. She willingly returned into our previous embrace and I let out a content sigh.

"I'm glad. You're making progress. It'll be slow, but we'll manage it. I promise." I placed a single kiss atop her head and I felt her hum against me.

"I'll hold you to that." She curled up further into me and began playing with the end of my hair with her free hand.

And that's how we stayed till morning approached. She didn't fall back asleep again but that was fine. Simply talking with her about anything and everything seemed well enough for the moment. She seemed semi-well rested compared to previous moments I've seen her so I felt no compulsion to have her try and sleep again. Instead she asked me every question that popped into her head ranging from 'what's your favorite color?' to 'do you think all felines believe they're better than everyone else?' oh yes, it was quite an interesting conversation. And I loved every minute of it. I didn't want to leave, I definitely didn't want to go to school.

"Hey…" Yuki's voice suddenly went quiet. I glanced down to where she had her cheek pressed against my shoulder, a finger tracing random designs along my collarbone. Her green eyes were worried and a little scared as she watched her finger run along my skin.

"Yes?" I asked softly, hoping to gently prod her into continuing.

She hesitated a moment and her finger stilled. She finally looked up and blurted her question quickly, "Wouldyoumindditchingschoolandspendingthedaywithmemaybe?" I blinked and slowly processed her words. Thankfully I managed to catch everything she was saying, if I hadn't been a vampire or used to Alice's fast talking I would've missed her question completely. I silently thanked my psychic sister for her excited speaking, which is something I never thought I'd do.

"Slow down there Snowflake," I smiled softly as she blushed, "would I mind ditching school and spending the day with you instead?" I repeated her question to make sure I'd heard her right. At her nod I continued, "I'd absolutely love to." The worry vanished from her eyes, as did her adorable blush sadly, as she sat up in my lap.

"Really?" her eyes lit up in excitement which was absolutely adorable.

I chuckled and nodded, "Really, really." She grinned and hugged me tightly. "Mm just lemme go grab an extra set of clothes." She nodded and jumped off me and her bed, heading over to her walk in closet.

"Kay! I gotta shower anyways." I inwardly frowned at the thought, I didn't really want her to shower since my scent was all over her and my inner beast was loving it. Shrugging I decided to simply reapply it when she got back. Smiling at the thought I stood when a knock came from the door.

Yuki came back with a towel and clothes bunched up in her arms to open the door. "Yes?" Bella was standing there with her phone in her hand.

"Morning," she glanced up to smile at us both seemingly unfazed at my presence in her sister's room this early, "Alice just texted me saying she's picking me up for school and bringing you some spare clothes Rose."

"Oh. Well thanks for the heads up Bells." Bella smiled at me as she pocketed her phone.

"No prob. Surprised she just didn't text you though."

I shrugged, "Left my phone in my bag yesterday and my bag is still in Eddie's car I believe." Bella nodded and headed down the hall.

"Well I'm making us breakfast so shower quickly Snowball!" she called as she made her way down the stairs.

Yuki grumbled at the nickname before calling out a quick 'got it' to her sister. She turned and gave me a happy smile before bounding off to the bathroom. Smiling to myself I decided to head down to the kitchen and hang out with Bella while I waited. As I situated myself on one of the kitchen counters to watch Bella, Stella entered soon after, her white coat already on and a lovely slack and blouse combination. She bypassed both Bella and I as she grabbed a few water bottles from the fridge and a box containing blood tablets before rushing out of the room to what I'm assuming is the garage since the sound of a car starting followed shortly afterwards.

"Looks like she's late," Bella chuckled as she continued making breakfast as her sister's car left the premises.

"Mm," I rested my chin on my palm as I returned to watching Bella cook a simple breakfast for her and her sister. "I still don't know how you lot actually eat human food. Don't you have noses better than ours? Shouldn't all that yeast and other shit bother you?"

Bella shrugged, "I'm not sure really. Stella's got a theory that since our bodies still need food to function properly our subconscious factors out any negative smelling ingredients that aren't harmful to us. And the reason for you and other vampires being unable to get past all the negative scents could be because you're not physically capable of digesting any of the food anymore, so there's no need for your mind to block out any of the repulsive scents. That, and it also helps that we only use fresh ingredients and meats that don't have a lot of unnatural preservatives and the like."

I nodded. It made sense. Still didn't make the smells better in my opinion. A knock sounded and I went over to let my sister inside. Alice greeted me with a quick hug before she pushed a bag in my hands and trotted off to the kitchen to greet Bella. "Well hello to you to." Mumbling to myself I went back up to Yuki's room to change into new clothes.

As I walked out in my skinny jeans and red blouse Yuki was just about to pass by heading towards the stairs. When I opened the door she stopped and smiled towards me before her eyes went from my own straight down to my outfit and I smirked as a blush started appearing on her cheeks. I purposefully left the top two buttons undone and deciding I couldn't help but tease her I leaned forward and smirked as I tried to meet her eyes, which were fixated on my breasts.

"See something you like Snowflake?" my words were just barely above a whisper, just loud enough for her to hear and snap her eyes back onto my own golden ones.

If possible her cheeks darkened. To my pleasant surprise she nodded slightly before taking my hand and quickly walking off towards the scent of food, dragging me along probably trying to ignore my chuckle.

After the sisters ate and Alice and I chatted together Alice and Bella said their goodbyes before hopping into Alice's yellow Porsche and heading towards Forks High. I glanced over at the adorable brunette beside me. "So what exactly do you plan on doing today? Not an animal shelter I hope."

"Aw you don't like puppies?" she pouted at me and I resisted the urge to kiss her senseless.

Smirking I leaned in closer, "Well there is one pup I'm quite interested in."

My words caused her to frown deeply, "I am no puppy," her words came out in a low growl and I couldn't help but giggle at her.

"Sure you're not Snowflake." I ruffled her hair slightly and she growled again before immediately fixing it making me laugh.

"Just for that I'm not telling where we're going. Just get in." With that said she went over to her BMW, of course a violet one. Still, it was a sexy car. Though my red one was much sexier in my mind.

The car ride was silent expect for the radio though neither of us minded. She ended up driving us to Port Angeles. I resisted the urge to ask where we were going and instead just watched as building after building passed by until she finally pulled into a parking lot. Outside a…day care?

"Um…what are we doing here Yuki?" I leaned over to get a better look and sure enough, I could see a small group of children playing through the front window, I could even hear their lighthearted laughter from here.

"This day care is run by a nice lady named Amelia Vitali, she ran it with three other woman, all of which recently quit. She's still in the process of hiring new management but she can't handle interviews and take care of the children at the same time, so on days she either needs help or has interviews lined up she calls me up and I come volunteer my services. And I just kinda hunched you wouldn't mind helping." She gave me a small smile.

"Kinda hunched? Just what kind of hunch did you get from me that would suggest I'd help?" It wasn't like I wasn't interested, I just don't understand her logic sometimes.

She blushed and looked down at her lap watching her fingers pick at the hem of her shirt. "Well…you're my mate and well…" she bit her lip then took a deep breath before speaking quickly, "my biggest dream is starting a family with the person I loved and so I simply assumed that you'd possibly either want children or maybe were just good with them and didn't mind them since I want like a big family and all and well like I said it was just a hunch that you'd even be interested in helping," Breath, "you don't really have to do anything if you don't want to. Just you know…keep me company?" she glanced up shyly at me through her eyelashes and I just couldn't help but think she was the most adorable person I've ever met.

I chuckled and leaned over to place a soft kiss on her cheek, "Lucky for you I adore kids." Her eyes lit up at my words and I gave a shy smile, "The reason I hated this life so much is because it robbed me of my own dream. Becoming a mother. And till recently…I thought I'd lost that chance for eternity…" My voice grew soft.

Her kind and warm smile made my heart melt, "It's not just a dream anymore, now it's a reality." She reached over and took my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Ready?"

Taking a deep breath I nodded and followed her out of the car and into the day care. My eyes instantly focusing on the four kids playing with various toys around the place. That's when panic set in. I mean, what the hell am I thinking? I'm a vampire! And while I'd never in a million years harm an innocent person, let alone a child, my entire existence will scare these kids. They won't want to be anywhere near me.

Inwardly wincing I quickly made to leave but the strong grip on my hand had me being pulled back, away from the door and towards a woman on the phone. Looking over at Yuki I noticed green eyes watching me closely. When our eyes locked she smiled and mouthed, 'It'll be fine,' before focusing her attention on the woman. I didn't quite believe her words, but I wanted to so I resigned myself to standing practically frozen by her side, her hand keeping me in place even if I wanted to run.

The woman on the phone whom I assumed was Amelia ended her call and turned to find us standing beside her. Her eyes fell on the girl beside me and lit up as she smiled, "Snow! Wonderful! I'm so glad you made it, and just on time as always." The two shared a brief hug. "And who is this?" turning her attention to me I sent her a smile.

"This is my…girlfriend, Rosalie," Yuki paused and seemed a little hesitant before saying girlfriend and the blush on her cheeks gave away her embarrassment, but the little smile on her face made me grin. My god this girl was adorable.

Amelia took my hand in a handshake before I could prevent it, and to my surprise she seemed completely unfazed by my unnaturally cool skin, "It's wonderful to meet you Rosalie. I'm Amelia Vitali, the owner of this little place. Will you be helping out Snow today?"

"Just Rose is fine, and yes it looks like it." I smiled and returned my hand to Yuki's when Amelia released me.

"Oh that's absolutely wonderful! I can't thank you two enough! I'm so behind on paperwork and I've got two interviews coming in within the next couple of hours so your help is greatly appreciated. The kids just ate and have been relatively calm for the moment but that's sure to vanish when the other children arrive. They all have their little nametags on so you can call them by name, they all have snacks either in their cubby holes or left in the fridge there with their names on them so if you could just keep them on the tables while they eat that'd be fantastic. The bathrooms are at the end there. And yea…I believe that's about it. Snow can fill you in on the rest. If you two need anything I'll be in my office right over there with the door open, feel free to come in if you need." And with that Amelia was gone.

Yuki giggled at the look on my face when my eyes fell on the kids again. "Don't be so panicked. You'll be fine. They're all used to the small amount of my alpha aura that I can't help but emanate when they're close enough, so you're fine. Kids don't really pay attention to temperature, if anything, all the running around they do combined with the heater constantly on will probably have them loving your cooler body. Now come on, let's have some fun!"

And so my day in the day care began. It started with only four kids then grew to nine as time progressed. And sure enough, Yuki was right, the kids all seemed perfectly fine with my abnormalities. Not even commenting on the differences once. They constantly asked me to play games with them and were perfectly fine just being near me.

I loved every second of it. Being surrounded by happy giggling children made my frozen heart ache. At first because of the feeling of loss due to knowledge that I'd never have my own that I always had since becoming a vampire and seeing a child in passing wherever I went. Then my eyes would settle on Yuki, who always seemed to have a kid on her shoulders, in her arms, or hugging her legs, and my heart would ache because now, with her, in the future I could finally have my dream come true. And I couldn't stop picturing a little girl or boy with golden hair and her green eyes whenever I saw her. The thought alone always brought a smile to my face.

We ended up staying there till five o'clock in the afternoon. Most of the children had gone home and it seemed like Amelia had finished all her paperwork. And since my heightened sense allowed me to listen to the interviews I knew one would not be receiving a callback while the other Amelia seemed to have high hopes for. So hopefully for her she'll get another extra hand here. Which, considering the bags under her eyes, she desperately needed. I understood why Yuki seemed determined to help now, I felt the same way, besides, it was a wonderful time for me.

After thanking us multiple times Yuki and I took our leave and set about the drive back to her place. The drive was relatively silent, both of us just smiling as the scenery passed us by. I finally broke the silence, "Thank you. For bringing me with you. It was…amazing…" I looked over and smiled happily at her.

She grinned back at me, "Thank you. For not running the second I let your hand go." I rolled my eyes and flicked her ear causing her to giggle. "It was lovely wasn't it?" I hummed my agreement as I watched her drive. "I love being around kids. They're just so wonderfully innocent and pure and just bring smiles wherever they go. Well…most of the time." we chuckled to ourselves, remembering the many times we got annoyed at these two little boys who seemed determined to pick a fight with each other whenever the other even thought they caught a glimpse of them nearby. Trying to keep them separated and distracted with other things ended up being more difficult than I thought.

"I really adore them. I feel the same way when I'm at shelters for animals. And while I obviously prefer the dogs and puppies, some kittens and cats are also just adorably kind and just want love that I can't help myself but try to give them all the love I can before I have to go. It's so hard to not just scoop them all up, stick 'em in my car and take them home with me. But Stella said she'd take my credit card, phone, and sketchbooks if I ever did." Yuki pouted at the threat and I couldn't help but laugh.

"That's quite the list of consequences." I snickered at the pouting wolf.

"It's completely unfair! I can't even have one! Not one little pup!" she huffed and continued pouting.

I smiled and poked her cheek, "Well maybe when you and I live alone in the future I'll consider letting you have two pets."

Her pout vanished and an excited grin took its place. "I'm going to hold you to that!"

I frowned, "Hey, hey, I said maybe."

She shrugged as she pulled into her garage, "Semantics."

As we got out of the car Bella and Alice pulled up beside us in Alice's bright yellow car. Alice hopped out of the passenger seat to my surprise and hopped over with a happy grin, "Hey you two! How was your day?" her eyes were sparkling. Meaning she knew exactly how our day went.

I gave her a soft smile, "It was lovely." Alice giggled.

"Where'd you two go today?" Bella asked as she led the four of us inside the house. We headed to the living room and Bella dumped a bag on the table, "Stella! Here's all your stuff!"

Footsteps came up quickly from Stella's lab. She appeared, grabbed the bag, mumbled, "Thanks Bells, Alice, I owe you two," there was the sound of a door closing and she was gone as quickly as she appeared.

"Great seeing you too Stella. Haven't seen you all day, how was work? Great. Working on something big? Oh that's good. I'll let you get back to work, love you." Yuki spoke to herself as she took a seat, pulling me down beside her.

We all chuckled. "I hope Victoria doesn't mind playing second fiddle to her experiments. Once Stella sets her mind on something she tends to forget the world around her." Bella leaned back in her seat.

"I'm sure she'll manage. Anyways, we went to go help out Amelia today. It was so much fun!" Yuki was smiling wide and I smiled as well.

"I'd love to hear all about it but I saw enough in my vision earlier and I need to get going, I gotta get ready for my date tonight!" Alice bounced up, grinning at Bella, before heading out, "I'll come pick you up in two hours Bells!" and with that Alice was gone.

"Shit…what am I going to wear…?" Bella frowned and quickly ran off to her room. Yuki giggled and leaned over, resting against my shoulder.

"That blue top of yours will work out perfectly." Yuki called up after her sister. Bella called out a quick 'thanks' before the door to the bathroom closed. Yuki disappeared for a quick second before rejoining me on the couch, handing me a glass of blood.

"Thanks," taking the glass I gave a small sip and nearly purred at the taste. I doubted I'd ever return to actual hunting, this just tasted so much better. Yuki curled up next to me, cradling her own glass.

The two of us stayed like that for several moments, simply enjoying being in each other's presence whilst remembering all the fun the day had brought us. My fingers absentmindedly ran through Yuki's dark locks while hers played with my own golden ones.

Time passed and suddenly Bella appeared before us, her anxious expression vanishing immediately when her eyes landed on us, replaced with a smirk, "You two sure look cozy." Yuki merely hummed and snuggled closer into my side. Bella chuckled, "You two are too cute. Anyways, how do I look?" her anxious look returned and she bit her lip as she waited for our answer. I instantly wondered whether it was a nervous tick all three sisters shared since Yuki seemed to do it quite often.

Pulling myself out of my thoughts I quickly appraised Bella's attire, her dark blue shirt hugged her figure nicely but was modest, she wore a dark leather jacket that complemented her black skirt which went to down to just brush the top of her knees. She wore a simple pair of flats and had straightened her hair. She also applied a faint layer of makeup and wore simple gold earrings and a delicate golden necklace.

I nodded my approval and saw Bella's shoulders relax slightly. Yuki nodded shortly after, making Bella relax fully. "You look great Bells. Good choice with the flats to." I commented causing her to furrow her brow in confusion. I smirked, "No doubt Alice will wear heels in an attempt to almost match your height. If you wore heels she'll continue being much shorter and we both know how much she enjoys being short."

The three of us chuckled when we heard the doorbell ring. Glancing at the clock I noticed my sister wasn't a second late. Bella's nerves returned in full force as she raced over to get the door. I heard them awkwardly greet each other before they took their leave. Yuki giggled at her sister's actions before turning to me. "Are you gonna stay again?" her voice was soft and for a second I wondered if she was worried I'd leave, but the calmness in her eyes made me think that she was just asking for confirmation to her assumed response.

I smiled and leaned down to kiss her cheek, "Until you send me away, I'll be right beside you." Yuki grinned happily before standing up and taking my hand.

"Come on, I wanna go for a walk." Smiling I followed her into the woods. Looks like we were having our own little date night and I was excited.

...

Bella's POV

I know it was originally my idea to go out on a date but now that it's actually happening I'm freaking out! And I'm not even fully sure why…she knows she's my mate and she's made it clear she intends to be mine. So why am I so freaking nervous right now?

Maybe because she looks absolutely beautiful in her red dress that was cut really low and showed off her lovely toned legs. It took every ounce of willpower in my body to keep my hands off her right at this moment. Maybe it was because I'd never been on a date before so I wasn't at all sure how I should act. But…did it really matter? This was Alice. My Alice. My sweet and beautiful Alice. My Raven. I didn't have to pretend with her.

As my eyes fell on her face I noticed she was talking but I couldn't quite make out what she was saying. Part of my mind registered her mentioning the movie we were going to see but my eyes were simply too busy memorizing every little detail on her face. The way her eyelashes fluttered with every blink of her warm golden eyes, the line of her adorable nose, her cute ears that were sporting diamond earrings, the way her lips were curved up in a smile as she spoke. Every tinniest detail was being recorded by my eyes and I couldn't stop the smile on my face as I looked at her.

Finally her eyes flickered over to mine and I briefly wondered what she saw when she looked at me watching her with a goofy smile on my face. She paused in her sentence before starting up another, this time I actually managed to pay attention to what she was saying, "What's with the awestruck look in your eyes Bells?"

I merely smiled, she made it too easy sometimes, "How can one help but not admire your absolute beauty and perfection my sweet Raven? A mere mortal like myself can't help how stunning you look, especially in that dress." I made a show of looking her delectable body over again, letting my eyes take in her pale form again.

Alice stiffened slightly under my stare and when I looked back up into her eyes I saw her once warm golden eyes darken with what I assumed was lust as she stared at me. Suddenly before I had time to react Alice had hit the brakes so forcefully I was pushed painfully against my seatbelt as the car made an unexpected stop. Once my body hit the seat again I found I wasn't the only one in my seat. Blinking a couple times to adjust my focus I suddenly found my date straddling my lap, her face hovering over my own with only the tinniest of inches separating ourselves.

"I can't contain myself if you look at me like that Isabella." Alice's breathy voice brushed against my lips and caused goosebumps to rise against my flesh as her husky voice scent wonderful feelings through my body. And the way she said my name…I couldn't take it. I wasn't able to find a proper response as my eyes were transfixed on the loving and lustful gaze of my Alice. My inner wolf was loving the attention and all I wanted was to taste every inch of exposed flesh presented to me.

Before my consciousness could catch up I had claimed Alice's lips with my own, reaching up to grab her neck and pull her closer to me while my other arm wrapped around her waist. Alice moaned against me as her hands reached up to tangle themselves into my hair, locking me in place. Her lips felt like silk against my own and I couldn't stop the small groan coming from the back of my throat as my tongue reached out to demand entrance into her mouth. Immediately I was granted access and I wasted no time in exploring my prize, loving the taste that was purely Alice.

When the need for air began to burn too much I reluctantly pulled my lips away, breathing in large amounts of air only to moan when my nose caught scent of both our arousal. Alice instantly began running her lips along my jaw and down my neck, nipping lightly just above my pulse point causing a groan of pleasure to leave my lips again. My hand on her neck began traveling down to meet with the other at her hips but they didn't rest there, rather they traveled down to the edge of Alice's dress and moved up, bring the fabric up as more skin became exposed to the nighttime.

Alice's smaller frame shivered against mine before her lips returned to my own, her own hands now having made their way to the bottom of my shirt and inching up inside. Her cold fingers pressed against my warm skin made me shiver pleasantly, even more so when they inched even higher, getting closer and closer to my breasts as my own hands reached further and further up.

A sudden horn blaring near us caused us both to separate and freeze our ministrations. A car had just driven past and had a lovely view as to what was going on inside the car causing me to blush deeply. The two of us were panting when we locked eyes again, our hands stilled, lips slightly bruised, and hair completely disheveled.

"Well…if that's what's going to happen if I stare at you like I did earlier, I need to make a note to do so often…very often." My voice was extremely breathless as I spoke. Alice giggled and kissed me softly once more before retrieving her hands and moving back over to the driver's seat causing me to pout.

Alice winked, "Oh there will be plenty more of that, but we're gonna be late for our movie if you keep distracting me Bella." Alice quickly then returned to the road and sped off to our destination.

"Not with the way you drive," I muttered to her causing her to smirk. I became increasingly aware of my arousal and not even crossing my legs brought any comfort causing me to frown. This was gonna be annoying.

We were not in fact late and arrived just on time to catch our movie. Alice bought me a large bowl of popcorn and we took our seats. It was an enjoyable movie from what I can remember of it, but my focus was more on trying to steal kissing from the girl beside me. After the movie the two of walked along the quiet street hand in hand, coming to rest on a small fence that overlooked the ocean. Alice leaned into me and I automatically wrapped an arm around her, loving how nicely she fit beside me. I rested my cheek atop her head and we simply stayed like that for some time.

We eventually made it back to her car and I spoke for the first time in a while. Despite the few words we exchanged throughout the night, neither one of us seemed to mind as we were far more preoccupied with just being with each other. "Tonight was wonderful Alice." I smiled over at her and she smiled back.

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. It was definitely a night I'll always treasure." Alice's smile was so stunning that I couldn't stop looking at her. She would occasionally glance over at me as she drove and I smiled at her every time, making her smile widen.

Sadly we eventually reached my place and had to say our goodbyes. She leaned over and kissed me softly, my fingers reaching up to run through her raven locks. "I'll see you later Little Raven." I whispered to her when we parted.

"I'll be waiting my Bella," she kissed me one last time before I headed inside. Leaning against the closed door I couldn't stop the small smile on my face, nor did I want to.

Sighing happily I began making my way upstairs when I heard the backdoor open. Looking over I saw Rosalie walking in carrying a sleeping Yuki bridal style. I raised an eyebrow in question. Rosalie smiled softly before speaking quietly, not wanting to wake the snoozing girl, "I'm apparently quite good at putting her to sleep without realizing it." She chuckled to herself and I couldn't help but join in.

"That's good, she deserves it." Rosalie nodded.

"How was the date?" Rose questioned quietly as we both headed upstairs.

I felt a deep blush coat my cheeks as a shy smile formed on my lips, "Really well…" Rosalie smirked at me before heading into Yuki's bedroom with a soft 'good' in response. I made my way to my own room and changed into something more comfortable. As I looked at the ceiling from my bed I couldn't help but smile again, "Yea…really well," I whispered to myself as I fell asleep, a smile still on my lips.

...

Victoria's POV

Glancing around my new apartment I felt myself glow with pride. Over the years I had begun stuffing money that I took from my victims into various bank accounts, simply because I believed it could become useful in the future. And I've thanked my past self so much since starting this ordeal. Not only would I not have been able to get this place I'd have to steal clothing and the like from either breaking into stores or breaking into houses. And I don't think my new mate would be quite happy with me if I had gone around and done that.

I haven't known Stella for very long but I quickly learned some really important personality traits. How utterly devoted she was to her work. Both for herself and her sisters but also at the hospital. She truly loves what she does. Then I noticed how much love she seems to have in her heart. During that dinner with her sisters I could see her love for her younger sisters so easily. Almost like it was a tangible thing. It made my dead heart ache, wishing for a day where she'd smile at me like she did to her sisters.

Stella was also very morally sound. She didn't tolerate my feeding on humans and told me so outright. Thankfully she had an amazing alternative or I'd be having issues at the moment. Those blood tablets she created made me awe at her intellectuality and made my inner vampire purr in delight. They really did taste authentic. Which is even more surprising, since she said she'd never had human blood before.

Her very blunt way of speaking also made me purr. There was never any questioning as to what was on her mind. She was either very clear about it or a simple question could direct me to what she was thinking. I absolutely adored that.

Chuckling to myself I glanced at the clock. She should've gotten off of work by now. When my hand touched my front door handle a knock sounded before me, causing me to freeze in my movements. Hesitating for only a second more I opened the door to see who had stopped me from seeing the stunning Stella.

I felt myself instantly frown when I saw James standing in the hallway, arms crossed over his chest, a glare on his face, his lips forming a tight line, and his eyes black as night. Huffing in annoyance I mirrored his stance.

"What do you want James?" my voice came out in a low growl.

"What are you doing?" his voice was low.

"What in the world do you mean?"

His teeth clenched tightly for a moment before he spoke again. "What are you doing in an apartment? Living next to humans? Do you plan on staying here?! What the hell is going on?!" his voice started rising and I felt myself tense.

"Get inside and calm down before you start shouting something that could get us killed." I hissed at him, before reluctantly stepping aside to grant him access inside.

He growled low but walked in. His head turning to look at everything. The apartment was a small two bedroom one bath but it was large enough for myself and hopefully Stella should she ever wish to stay. Once I closed the door he turned around to continue glaring at me.

Inwardly sighing I briefly wondered what Stella was doing. Wishing I was with her instead of dealing with an irritated James. "I think its quiet obvious I plan on staying in the area. Why else would I properly buy an apartment that's relatively close to my mate's house? Hm? Ever wonder that?"

"Mate?! You don't even know this mutt!"

I growled threateningly at him. "Watch yourself James. I know her enough. And I won't tolerate you bad mouthing her in my presence!" my voice was a dangerous hiss and I could see his eyes flicker with something akin to fear.

"You're going to give up our lifestyle just like that?! What about us?! The three of us were perfect together!"

"We'll it looks like it's just you and Laurent now. The only trio I want to be near is the the trio of wolf sisters. Yes. I'm giving it up just like that. I don't want it anymore. Now leave," I went over and held the door open for him, my glare never leaving his face.

The anger shinning in his eyes was so apparent and it was clear he wanted to say more. But he merely clenched his teeth and strode out of my apartment without another word or look in my direction.

Closing my door a little rougher than I should have I growled to myself. Trying to relax. But as I took a breath I caught his awful scent lingering in my apartment and knew I had to get it out immediately.

I spent the next hour cleaning my living room with all sorts of cleaning supplies to get James's scent out of my place. Once I was certain his scent wouldn't linger I opened a window slightly to let in some airflow while I was gone then went off to continue with my original desire to see Stella again.

It didn't take me long to walk/run to her place. When I got there I didn't hear anyone else inside. Only one heartbeat coming from below. Stella in her lab.

Letting myself in I went over to the kitchen and grabbed myself a water bottle and added in the necessary amount of blood tablets from one of the many boxes scattered about the place before heading down to Stella's lab. Much like yesterday she had her back to me and was bent over on some experiment.

As silently as I could I walked over and slowly snaked an arm around her waist causing her to jump in surprise. Smirking at the reaction I rested my chin on her shoulder again, looking down at the odd concoction she was brewing up.

"Hello love," I purred my greeting into her ear. Grinning at the shiver that went through her body.

"Hello Scar." I chuckled at the nickname. She had gotten tired of calling me by my name when I continuously refused to call her by hers, preferring various pet names such as love, darling, sweetness, or my favorite, Star. So she began calling me Scarlett or Scar for short.

I gave her a squeeze before releasing her and moving to lean against the table to her right. Watching as she mixed her concoction. It was the same as from before. It seemed like Bella was able to restock her ingredients from before.

"I still don't think this is going to work. In fact, I'm almost positive it isn't going to work. You've got too much sodium cyanide. It's completely breaking apart and destroying all the other necessary components." I rested my chin on my hand as I leant over the table.

"I reduced the amount this time. I think it'll hold now." Stella was watching the mixture closely. One hand stirring or adding more ingredients into the dark green mixture while her other hand was writing down every step she did.

Shrugging I left her to her soon to be failed experiment and decided to go through all the notes she had scattered about. When I'd asked her why she had so many she told me that a werewolf's memory was as perfect and crystal clear as a vampire's memory.

So in order to keep from doing the same experiments over and over again she began writing down everything she did in great detail. Noting what would happen if a certain ingredient was added or what would happen if she changed the order of the ingredients or if she let the mixture boil for a certain amount of time...she went into some insane details.

It was quite interesting to read through. Just by looking through her notes you would think that she'd been at this for years upon years. But in reality she'd only been working on these two particular projects for less than a year's time. It amazed me how much she'd managed to do.

I had gone through four of her notebooks and halfway through the fifth, thanks to my vampire memory and speed, when I heard an irritated groan from my blue eyed companion. Looking up I saw her holding her head in her hands over her now failed experiment.

Setting down the book I went over and pulled her into my arms. Loving the warmth she emitted. "I'm not going to say I told you so, so I'm sorry it failed. I know how much you want this to work."

Stella sighed and practically ripped off her gloves, tossing them aside before she turned and returned my embrace. Her arms slipped up around my neck and she rested her forehead against mine.

Sighing again she spoke, "Thanks…for not gloating…probably would've smacked you if you had." She grumbled as I chuckled. I could definitely see that happening.

She closed her eyes as her hands came down to rest against my neck, holding me there. "I need this to work…but nothing I do makes a lick of difference…it all fails…I…I don't know what to do…" her voice faded and I could feel her body shaking lightly as she held in her tears.

Suddenly forced in unknown territory I didn't know what to do for a good few minutes. I'd never had to help someone who'd begun crying. Never had to comfort anyone. I didn't know what to do. My mind was panicking but my body moved of its own accord.

I kissed her cheek lightly, trailing my lips along the smooth surface of her cheek. Slowly back and forth along her cheek for a few moments. When the shaking started to lighten up I moved ever so slowly to claim her lips in a soft kiss. Her lips felt amazing and I couldn't stop myself from lightly licking them, wanting to taste every part of her.

Sadly she pulled away, opening her dark blue eyes to meet my red ones. There were no tears. Just…an odd mixture of emotions I didn't know how to name.

I smiled lightly, "Relax. You're not alone now. Let me help. I'm certain we can figure it out." She smiled softly.

She leant in and gave me one more light kiss before pulling away again far sooner than I would've wanted. "Thank you. But not tonight. I'm tired. And still fighting the urge to throw that mess at the wall."

I chuckled at that, "Then let's get you to bed before you ruin your lab." She smiled at me as I led her through her own house up to her room. Thankfully her scent was the only scent I could smell in the house, aside from the other two vampires who visited alongside me yesterday, so it was easy for me to find her room.

I walked her to the door and stopped, not sure if I should enter or not. I didn't quite trust my sense of control to walk in there. So I decided this would be where I stopped. Looking at the woman beside me I smiled and gave her one last gentle kiss. "Until next time my star," my breath washed against her lips and I heard her sharp intake of breath.

"Until next time, my sweet." She smiled warmly at me before heading into her room. Softly closing the door. I smiled to myself and slowly began my walk back to my own apartment. The day may not have been what either of us was expecting it to be but I quite enjoyed the end of it. There were no words to describe how amazing it felt to have her lips against mine. And I reveled in that fact as I entered my apartment, imagining what her reaction would be should she enter. And the best part of everything…was that that woman was mine, forever. I couldn't wait to see where my life will go beside her.

...

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Have a lovely day and I will try to post more frequently!~