"I can't eat another bite," Leah laughed, pushing away the tray with the remains of her huge breakfast. She sighed. "I should get dressed; Nahuel will be here soon." Esme was trying not to hover, but she couldn't help fussing over Leah and the baby for the short time they were under her roof. Leah handed her the tiny blanketed bundle with a smile. "Would you mind holding her while I get dressed?"
Esme sank into a rocking chair, cooing at the baby. "You certainly are a beauty, Pire. I predict you'll grow up to be a heartbreaker." She looked at Leah. "It's a lovely name, Leah, and a beautiful tribute to Nahuel's mother. I think it suits her."
Leah smiled. "You and Carlisle have been more than kind to us, Esme." She pulled on her sweater, smoothing it over her newly flat stomach as Nahuel tapped on the door and walked in with a brand new baby carrier, part of the elaborate car seat that was a gift from the pack.
Leah caught the tiny hesitation as Esme relinquished her hold on Pire, then smiled apologetically. "Sorry, Leah. I just hate to see her go. I know we're not exactly welcome on the reservation, and we'll miss her."
Nahuel reached out and cradled his daughter gently in his arms, then nodded at Leah. She grinned at Esme. "That's something we wanted to discuss with you and Carlisle. Is he around?"
"Of course I am!" Leah jumped slightly as he suddenly appeared in the room. "I always release my patients personally." He leaned over and kissed Pire's dark hair as she gazed up at her father.
"She's absolutely perfect as far as I can tell. We'll just keep a close eye on her to watch for any unusual abilities. I'd like to see her every couple of weeks for a while." He winked at his wife.
Leah grinned. "Are you sure that's a medical necessity?" she teased. "Nahuel and I have discussed this, and we want Pire to always have a special relationship with you two, her very first friends." Carlisle smiled and wrapped his arm affectionately around Esme. " That's why we wanted to ask you to be her godparents."
Esme gasped. "Really? But Leah..." She looked like she'd cry if she had the ability.
"I know it's a little unorthodox," Leah acknowledged, "but remember, her father is half vampire. And we know how tenuous relations are between our people. Maybe Pire can be an ambassador between the vampires and the wolves. So will you?"
"We'd be honored," they answered in unison, and everyone laughed.
Sue stopped in to give Leah a hand when she got home, and she was less than thrilled with the plan. She stared at her daughter, who was feeding the baby. "Seriously, Leah? Vampires for godparents? I don't suppose you've talked to Sam and Jake about this."
Leah's face tightened as she sat Pire up on her lap and gently patted her back. "It's our decision, Mom. Nahuel's and mine. And we both agree. The Cullens have been good to us, and they've been friends to Nahuel and Huilen for...many years. It's none of Sam's or Jacob's business." Pire indicated her agreement with a loud burp.
Sue sighed and reached for her granddaughter. "You're right, Leah, it is your decision. But there are years of tradition and antagonism that all your wishing can't erase. I hope you're not making a mistake."
"I think I'll take a shower while you've got Pire, Mom. It'll be a treat to take my time." Leah kissed the baby on her way down the hall. Half an hour later she came back dressed in clean clothes, her hair wrapped in a towel.
"I changed her and put her in the cradle," Sue said, smiling. "I hated to let go of her, but I figured she'd sleep better. Besides, I wanted to start dinner for you."
Leah poured a cup of coffee from the pot on the counter and sat at the table. "You don't have to spoil me, Mom...I feel great!"
Sue looked at her daughter. "When you get a chance to rest, Leah, grab it! Those opportunities will be rare now that you're a mom." She smiled. "Even though there are a few of us who will be fighting over your daughter. Huilen, Esme, and I will all want our baby fix." She looked thoughtful. "And I'm the only human in that group. How strange."
"You tend to forget, Mom, that Pire is not completely human." Leah grinned. "But so far she acts just like one."
Pire became the unofficial mascot of Jacob's pack. She was a happy baby who seemed to prefer her wolf friends to people in most cases. Her father was a notable exception. He had been given a papoose-style carrier for the baby shower, and she went everywhere with him as an infant. As soon as she was old enough to be outside in her playpen, pack members began to stop by before and after their assigned patrols, to her total delight.
Leah was working in her garden and heard a squeal of glee. She turned and, sure enough, there was Uncle Seth in wolf form, poking his nose though the playpen so Pire could pet his face. "Watch those teeth, Seth, you know how sharp they are!" Leah called over her shoulder. Seth huffed, clearly indicating that she should know better than to worry about such things, and Pire chuckled at the sound he made.
Leah wiped her hands on her jeans and picked Pire up, laughing and making a shooing motion at Seth. "Go - you don't want to be late for patrol. Jake will have your head!" Pire's little hand opened and closed. "I think she's trying to wave to you!" Leah called after him, smiling and nuzzling the baby.
"Time for your lunch, munchkin!" Leah whispered to Pire. She set the baby in her high chair and laid her spoon on the tray while she went to choose a jar of baby food. "How about some peaches, Sweetie?" she called over her shoulder from the pantry. "I think that sounds very...Pire? Honey, what happened to your spoon?" The stainless steel spoon had been bent completely in half.
"Huilen! Could you come here a minute please?" Huilen recognized the panic in Leah's voice and hurried downstairs.
Leah was sitting at the table staring at her daughter. "I always knew she was tough on toys, but...look at this!" She held out the spoon to Huilen, who took it from her solemnly.
"Did you think she would be a simple human?" she asked softly. "Both her parents are very strong."
Leah shook her head. "Maybe the spoon was damaged in the dishwasher. Yeah, or...something."
Huilen took a teaspoon out of the drawer and handed it to Pire. Pire banged it on the high chair tray, laughing and looking at her mother. She spied the jar of peaches in Leah's hand and reached for it with the spoon.
"Okay, okay," Leah smiled. "Here we go!" She took another baby spoon from the drawer and opened the jar. Pire opened her mouth like a baby bird, her fingers nonchalantly bending the teaspoon into a pretzel shape with a twisting motion.
Huilen gently pried the mangled spoon from Pire's grip as she happily gobbled her peaches, allowing Leah to feed her as usual. She didn't appear to notice that Leah's hand was shaking.
"That's the only thing I've noticed, Carlisle. Yes, we'll see you Friday as usual. Okay, I'll try not to worry. It's just...I'm a little concerned about my mom and Charlie. She can't accidentally hurt most of us, but...yeah. I know they're vulnerable, and Pire certainly doesn't know her own strength."
She sighed and hung up the phone, then dropped onto the couch, collapsing into Nahuel's arms. He smoothed her hair back from her face and kissed her softly. "Try not to worry too much, Leah. We knew she was bound to be special in some way. We'll just have to be very careful around humans until she's old enough to understand her strength. She's not strong enough to actually hurt us, or Huilen or Seth."
"I just don't want her to be treated as a freak," Leah whispered, her cheek pressed against his chest. "What will we do when she figures out she can remove the bars from her crib?"
He smiled patiently. "We'll deal with it when it happens," he said softly. He looked up as Seth walked in, a carton of ice cream in one hand and the ruined teaspoon in the other.
"What happened to this?" Seth asked with a grin. "Dishwasher malfunction?"
Word spread quickly through the packs, first Jacob's and then, inevitably, Sam's.
"You're late!" Sam growled at Logan. He had noticed that the small wolf was limping slightly, but he insisted on maintaining order in the pack. The younger wolves knew Sam would be firm but fair with them, and he expected no more from them than he demanded of himself.
"Sorry, Sam," Logan replied, his ears flattened against his head. "I stopped to visit with Pire and she broke my paw. She didn't mean it..."
"Is that the wolf version of 'The dog ate my homework?'" Sam thundered. "What kind of a fool do you take me for?"
Logan whined softly. "It's true, Sam. That little kid is strong!"
Later that night, Sam repeated the story to Emily as they got ready for bed. "I guess Leah's daughter does have some kind of super strength," he admitted. "A normal baby wouldn't be able to break Logan's paw. It was definitely snapped, but of course it was already healing."
Emily crawled under the covers and held them up for Sam. As he performed his nightly ritual, wrapping his arms tenderly around her and kissing the deep scars on her face, she whispered, "How would you feel about us having a baby, Sam?"
He stopped and looked into her eyes, then smiled at her. "I think that's a terrific idea. So maybe we should get this wedding planned. We'll set aside some time tomorrow to talk about it, okay?"
Emily nodded. She linked her arms behind his neck and pulled him in for a deep, passionate kiss. Sam moaned softly, his body instantly reacting to her touch. They made love slowly, sweetly, the rhythm of their bodies moving together in perfect harmony.
Afterward, Emily curled up against his warm chest. Within minutes he could tell by her soft breathing that she was asleep. Her lips curved upward in a smile. It took Sam longer to doze off, his dark eyes staring, unblinking, at the ceiling. A child. He wasn't at all sure he wanted to be a father, and he wondered what kind of parent he'd be. His own father had been a useless human being and a terrible role model. Was it something he could have inherited? He hoped not, but only time would tell.
All he knew for sure was that he loved his wife, and he'd do anything in his power to make her happy.