Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns all Twilight Saga and characters. I, Anita11, own everything else.
Jaime
"So what does this mean for Cam? Is she connected to this ancient mother too? Is that why aunt Leanna was able to conceive her even though uncle Jack was infected with werewolf venom?" Billie asked him.
"That's my best guess but I think maybe you should talk to uncle Seth about it. He would be better able to explain that to you." Harry suggested. She just shrugged.
"Maybe tomorrow. Its kinda late…" She told him. I knew her well enough to know that was only an excuse. She didn't feel comfortable enough with the family to just go over to him and strike up a conversation or maybe she still felt guilty for attacking him.
"Do you feel the same connection to Cam that you did with aunt Leanna?" I asked Chris. He nodded.
"Its not exactly the same but its strong. Possibly stronger than what I felt with Leanna but there is something different as if… I don't know, its as if its incomplete." He told me. For some reason that worried me.
"Is something wrong with her?" I asked quickly. He shook his head.
"No! Of course not. I just think she's young. She needs more time to come into herself." Chris explained. Harry gave a small yawn and slumped back on the chair.
"You can take my bed if you want." I told Harry. I didn't sleep so I really didn't need a bedroom. He smiled at me.
"I think I might head back to the house and wait for uncle Jake and aunt Ness." He said. Billie looked at him.
"Why do you still call them that? I thought you were all mad at each other." She told him. Harry smiled at her.
"I've loved them for much longer than I've been mad at them kid." He told her with a smile and then he leaned into her and kissed her head tenderly. The gesture was so familiar, like an afterthought. I could tell by Billie's surprised expression that it caught her off guard. He then proceeded to pat my shoulder and kiss my head before he headed out. I starred at the door in amazement.
"What?" Chris asked me as he looked at me expression.
"Nothing… I just realized that I never had an uncle before. I had aunt Lee but uncle Jack was never in the picture." I told him. Chris smiled.
"Now you have 2 official ones and a whole lot of surrogate uncles and aunts that love you." Chris told me. I smiled at him really liking that thought. Billie looked unsure so I took her hand.
"We've never been part of a big family. It was the four of us for such a long time and then aunt Leanna came back pregnant. Before Cam she was there but she was distant as if she was afraid to love anyone but… When she came back with Cam, she was a completely different person. It was the first time that we felt like a real family." I told Chris. I looked at Billie and she had tears in her eyes and her lips made a tight line across her face.
"From 4 we went to 6, then we got cut in half. Its almost like every time we get more family we loose some of our own. I wonder who we'll loose next now that we have countless family members at our disposal." Billie said sarcastically before she got up from the table and went to her room.
"She's definitely not a half glass full kinda girl, is she?" Chris asked me. I frowned and shook my head.
"What if Billie's right? We can't get everything. Power, immortality, love, beauty. It all has a price. For vampire's it's the pain and the thirst, for werewolves it's the madness, for shifters it's the responsibility to their pack. What if the happiness that comes with having a family had a cost? What if that cost was Cam?" I asked him worriedly.
"I'm not going to let that happen. That's not a price that anyone in this family is willing to pay. We WILL keep you all safe." He told me. His voice was full of conviction and assurance that I had no choice but to believe it. It was as if he was ready to sacrifice everything, even himself, to ensure his proclamation would be met.
"Sorry. I know that. I think Billie knows that too. Maybe she's just scared of change. She's afraid something bad is going to happen. So is Cam." I told him. Chris sighed.
"They don't trust us." Chris said with disappointment.
"I don't think its that." I told him honestly. "I think they just don't like change." I told him. Chris looked at me contemplating.
"I guess that makes sense. Your lives have changes so much over the past year. You went from having a perfectly happy stable life to not knowing if you would get attacked or worse. I can only imagine how horrible it must have been for you." He told me sympathetically. I nodded.
"The worst part was not knowing if I would hurt them myself. It was terrifying." I confessed. He patted my hand.
"You're stronger than you think kid. You are the first of your kind and one of the most unique vampire's in existence. You may very well be more powerful than Benjamin but first you need to learn to access your natural instincts. To control your powers." He told me. I was confused.
"What do you mean?" I asked him.
"Well… your shield incredibly powerful. Even our most powerful soul reader couldn't find you. I think that just like Harry can trap the spirit, you can shield it which means you have some access to your spirit powers. You just need to learn to separate them from your vampire instincts." Chris told me.
"Show me!" I told him a little too exuberantly. He smiled.
"I like your enthusiasm. Come on kid. Lets got to the training room." Chris told me. We walked over to the training room again to get started.
"So how do we do this? I try to block you again from smelling us and scanning us." I asked him, unsure about how I was going to do that.
"That's the goal but don't try to force it. Vampire powers are different. When Bella wants to extend her shield she concentrates on power or, in other words, on her shield itself. With nature you concentrate on feelings so for now, I just want you to think back to a few days ago when you were filled with worry. Think about that emotion, your need to protect the girls. If I'm right, that's were your shield stems from because there is nothing more natural or more powerful than our need to protect the ones we love." He told me. I nodded in understanding and closed my eyes.
Turns out, I didn't have to try hard. I remembered my desperate need to protect my sisters and myself from whatever was coming for us. As soon as I did I felt it something. I remembered feeling that same thing when I was turning. It was so subtle that I didn't notice it before but now that I knew to look for it, I could sense my connection to the girls and the more I concentrated on it, the more tangible the connection became. I could even sense their location in the house to the point that I could almost reach out and touch them through this invisible connection. But it wasn't something tangible enough to touch, it was like an energy that ejected from me and connected me with theirs.
"Your scents are gone and I can't sense you or the girls anywhere in the house." Chris told me. I looked at him in shock. I wasn't even trying hard I just acknowledged that the connection was there and reached out to it.
"Great now how do I turn it off. I'm not sure how I turned it on to begin with." I told him. Chris turned his head slightly, contemplating.
"What did you feel?" He asked me.
"I thought about the girls. I thought about how much they mean to me and how I wanted to protect them. How I needed to protect them. Then I felt a connection to them and I concentrated on that connection. That's it." I told him.
"I see. You need to be connected to the people you are protecting. You need to feel a bond to them." Chris told me.
"I guess." I just shrugged not knowing where he was going with this.
"Do you feel any other connections? I mean, I know that you just met us but Seth and Eve are here and they are your family. Try to concentrate on them and see what happens." He suggested. I tried to concentrate. I didn't really sense anything.
"No. I'm sorry." I told him. I felt a little guilty because I really did like Seth and Eve, but I just couldn't feel a connection to them. At least, not the same way I felt to the girls.
"Try again. It not going to be a strong connection, I mean, you've known the girls all your life and you just met Seth but you've talked to him. Just concentrate on him, concentrate on what you've talked about and how it made you feel." He told me. I tried what he said. I thought about uncle Seth and the way he spoke to us with such love and kindness. I thought about the rest of them too. How they all laughed and joked around last night. How they all made me feel at home all night even though I could tell they were all very tired. I remembered how Seth kept drinking coffee just so that he could stay up to talk to me for as long as he could tolerate. Then at around 6 am, he lost the battle with sleep so the vampires stayed with me so that I wasn't alone. I never had to be alone again, I realized. This fact really moved me.
"Anything?" I shook my head.
"Sorry. I started thinking about something else. Let me try again." I concentrated on Seth again. It was hard to think about connections. With the girls, the connection was already there because I loved them and it was that love that fueled the energy. I trusted Seth but I realized I didn't love any of them yet.
Seth was grandma's brother. I tried to think of him that way. I thought about my connection to him as something tangible. He was my blood, my uncle. I thought about the emotion I felt knowing that he was a part of my life. I thought about my grandmother and my aunt and what having another uncle would mean to me. It was a strong emotion, an emotion I could almost touch but it wasn't tangible like Chris said. It wasn't something I could touch, it was something I could feel. It was hope, possessiveness, happiness, love all mixed into one. That is who Seth and the others were to me. I instantly felt a surge of energy flow through me and outward. It was warm, like a mantle.
I tried to embrace to the warmth as I thought about Seth and the others. I tried to remember that first awkward moment I met him but instead of the meeting at their house, another memory slipped into my brain. It was hazy. Like a memory of a memory. Like my brain had etched it somewhere but my brain could barely access it. The more I concentrated on it, the clearer the memory became. I must have been no older than 2 years old. Grandma had me on her lap.
"Yes! He's finally up." Seth said as he picked me up from grandma's lap.
"This one is going to be a ladies man." He said before he threw me in the air.
"Be careful Seth!" Grandma complained. Grandpa waked next to her and smiled.
"He's not going to break my love." Grandpa told her and kissed her cheek. They both looked at me and Seth. Seth said something and my grandparents said something back but I couldn't remember that part.
I did remember grandma smiling sadly at Seth before she took me back.
"We're happy here Seth. I am not trying to leave my family behind but I have lived many lives and it is time for us to live our last one. Harry and Liam have you and they have each other. Parents die. Its how things are supposed to be." I remembered her saying as she nuzzled my hair. Just then, Harry, Eve and Kara came in with I man and women I didn't know. The man quickly picked me up and started playing with me.
"I put the materials for the new addition to the Danny's house in their garage. I promise we'll have it done before Rita and Danny get back from their vacation next week." The man told grandma before he turned to me and said, "That's right, you are gonna need a new room for the little baby sister your parents are making you." He told me as he tickled me.
"Liam! I told you I wanted to be surprised!" Grandma complained.
"Sorry mom. But aunt Alice sent all girl stuff so its not like you weren't going to see it." He retorted.
"Just hide it well. I don't want them asking me why I have female baby clothes and furniture in the garage or somewhere stupid. Keep the new addition neutral and I'll set up all the baby stuff once they realize they're pregnant." Grandma told him.
"I'll put it in your attic mom. Nobody ever goes up there." Harry said. He and Kara went back outside. The other woman came over and stated playing with me.
"He's so beautiful aunt Leah. He has your cheekbones." She said.
"I know. Those Clearwater genes are coming in strong." Seth told the woman proudly before he took me into his arms again and started tickling my belly. The woman started laughing.
"He may the cheekbones but the rest of it is all Black. Rita is a descendent of our side of the family so I am pretty sure, that's where he'll get his good looks." The woman told him.
"Ha! You Blacks are all so full of it. Why did I even let you be in my family?" Grandma asked the woman.
"Hey Liam is the one who imprinted on me so blame him." She said playfully. Liam looked at her with all the love and adoration in the world.
"Its not my fault I imprinted on you. Blame fate. Whenever fate decides to brew up a crazy, hardheaded woman, it always pairs her with a Clearwater male, ain't that right dad?" He asked grandpa. Grandpa laughed and Seth laughed hard at that too. I could feel the vibrations from Seth's laughter and I started giggling too. The woman got angry and took me into her arms.
"Come on Jaime. Let's leave your uncle Liam to get comfortable with the couch he'll be sleeping on for the next week, while you play with your auntie Dalia." She told me and kissed my cheeks.
"Kid you ok?" Chris asked me. His voice was full of concern. I saw Seth and Eve pop their heads out of the lab and walk over. I looked at them.
"You came to see me. You brought baby clothes for Billie before she was even born. You knew..." I said accusingly. Seth looked surprised.
"That's right. I got to see both of you when you were little. The only one we didn't see was Cameron because Leanna wouldn't allow it." Seth told me.
"How can you remember that? You were only two years old then and vampires don't have access to those kinds of memories." Eve asked me. I shrugged.
"I don't know. I was thinking about my connection to you and the memory just came to me." I told them. Seth's brows furrowed.
"Its probably your energy. Your spirit powers." He told me. I gave him an odd look to tell him I didn't know what he was talking about so he continued his explanation.
"The human brain has the ability to record or remove out any information that it deems unnecessary. Usually this occurs during the human sleep cycle. The one's that remain become memories and the more information the brain retains the stronger the memory is. But no matter how weak, any memory leaves traces in your mind, like strings of energy that can be pulled or plucked. That's how your cousin William can access memories from people's minds and even remove them. Being a spirit warrior is about having access to the naturally occurring energy that exists on earth. Vampire venom enhances the naturally occurring powers that a human may have so… when you connect to our energy it makes those strings stronger. It gives you the ability to access information from you mind more easily. At least, that is my best guess." Seth told me. I was surprised.
"So when I try to connect with you, any memory of you will become stronger no matter how remote?" I asked them.
"The truth is that there's no way to know for sure. We've never had a Quileute vampire so its difficult to predict how your natural born gifts will manifest themselves." Eve told us. I nodded. That made sense somehow but it troubled me.
"What?" Chris asked me.
"What if I access something bad? Can my powers hurt my sisters?" I asked them. Chris looked at Eve for assistance but she looked at Seth. Seth walked over to me.
"What do you sense?" He asked me. I shrugged.
"Concentrate. Close your eyes and think about your family and your powers. Do you sense anything from their energy that could hurt them?" Seth asked me. I closed my eyes and I did as he said.
"No. Not really." I told him honestly. "Its not my powers, its my vampire instincts that can hurt them." I told them. Seth smiled at me.
"That's something that all the vampires in the family struggle with but I think that's why your power protects them. Your power shield's their sent and their aura from any immortal being even yourself. It makes sense that a Quileute would be able to protect a human scent from a vampire." He told me and then winked at me. I nodded in agreement.
My gift was to protect. My powers gave me the ability to protect my sister from myself and anyone else who might endanger them. They truly were a gift.
Nessie
My granddaughter was alive. She was alive! And we were finally going to meet her! I couldn't have been more nervous if I tried. Every fiber of my being ached with the need to hold her in my arms. It was as if my brain and body refused to believe this was happening and it needed the assurance that she was real. Jacob's leg kept shaking nervously on the car ride to the house making me even more nervous. I was grateful that William was there to drive us because I didn't think either of us could drive.
When we got to the house, I took Jacob's hand. He was still at odds with Leah and the rest of the family but we had to figure out a way to move past it for Cameron. I had already forgiven Leah. The truth was that I could never truly be angry at her. She was my best friend, my aunt, my defender and protector. Yes. She said some hurtful words but she was in pain. We all were.
'Its time' I told Jake, using my gift. He looked at me and nodded.
We got out of the car and walked over to the house. My parents were outside waiting. Will patted Jake's back and smiled at him before he turned to his grandparents.
"Hey grandma. Hey pops!" He said before he hugged them. Mom kissed his forehead as daddy took me into his hug.
"She's amazing." Dad whispered into my ear. I smiled and felt a tear drop. I let go of daddy and went over to momma. She kissed both my cheeks and wiped my tears away.
"Come. Let's put this family back together." She told us but she was looking straight at Jacob. Jake had tears in his eyes. He looked at momma and they exchanged a meaningful look. I gave up on trying to figure out their silent communications long ago so I walked past her and opened the front door. Harry and Karla were both there to greet me with smiles and open arms.
"This is a happy day aunt Ness. A truly happy day." Karla told me. I felt Jacob come in behind me. Karla let go of me to go to Jake who gave her one of his big bear hugs. Liam walked me over to the living room where Leah and Kal were waiting for us. Kal was seated on a sofa and Leah was leaning against a wall as she looked out the window.
Karla and Jake walked in behind us and then both Karla and Harry walked out to give us privacy. Jake took my hand as he stared at Leah. Leah wasn't looking at us but I could see the traces of silver in her eyes.
"Oh Leah…" I said and took a step towards her. I let go of Jacob's hand and walked straight to my best friend. Once I was next to her, she looked down to the ground.
"I should have never said what I said. I don't even know why I said it. You are anything but a curse. You're a miracle, just like Harry." She told me. She looked at me then. Her face was angry but I knew it wasn't directed at me. It was self-anger, self-loathing.
"We all said things we didn't mean. I should have known from the moment you opened your mouth that you didn't mean any of those things. We both should have." I told her, refereeing to myself and Jake. She finally looked at him. I turned to him and saw that his face was hard.
"Ness is right. I should have known and I would have if I hadn't been so lost in my own pain. I'm sorry Leah. Kal… you've been trying so hard to fix this and we wouldn't let it happen. My stubbornness wouldn't let it happen. I've been drowning in this pain and I couldn't see the harm it was causing. You trusted me to lead and I failed you. I failed everyone." Jake told Kal.
"The loss of a child is the only pain that can compare to losing an imprint. Its maddening." Kal said sympathetically. Jake nodded.
"I know that now and I should have never judged how you dealt with it. You chose to be with your human family and I completely alienated mine. I hurt my wife, my daughter and my best friend." He told them. Leah's strength crumbled slightly and she let out a sob before she reigned on her emotions.
"How is Sarah?" Leah asked us. I took her hand for strength.
"She's happy about Cameron, like the rest of us but she's still hurt. Very hurt. She's broken." I told her, my voice cracked in the end as I tried to swallow my own sob.
"She refuses to see me but she wants to see Cameron. She's desperate to see her." Jake added. Leah nodded.
"Cameron's afraid of her. Edward said she has visions of the past. She saw everything that happened between Leanna and Sarah." Kal warned us.
"Perhaps we can meet on neutral grounds. Perhaps the one of the islands or some other place all together." I suggested.
"Cameron may need some time." Leah told us. This worried me.
"Sarah may not have too much time. We're losing her. She's not well. Duli is scared. Her children are all scared. This thing with the werewolves has everyone on edge over there and her condition is only making it worse. The family is trying to hide her condition but it makes her weak. If our enemies know of this, it will put everyone in danger. Especially Cameron." I told them. I shuddered as I thought of what our enemies might do if they got a hold of Cameron. The first and only natural born child of the moon. She is like their holy grail! Leah put her arm around me to comfort me.
"Sarah in no condition to lead or to make the decisions she's making. She needs us just as much as Cameron needs us. This is why we need to stand together. For our children. We cannot lose this family. Not after everything we've been through. I'm not losing any more of our children." Kal told us.
"Agreed." Jacob said. Kal went over to him and they hugged before they walked over to Leah and I. I let go of Leah and we all stood in a circle facing each other.
"Agreed." Leah said before she hugged Jake. Jake's arms wrapped around her instantly. I could feel his relief and happiness though our imprint link. Kal got closer to me and put his arm around my shoulder and I around his waist as we saw our estranged spouses reconcile. After a long hug, Leah and Jake let go of each other and turned to us.
"When do we get started?" Jake asked Kal. Kal wasn't one to show much emotion but he was so happy that his face was beaming. I was looking at him so I easily saw how happy he was. He looked at Leah who nodded at him and then he look at me. I was waiting anxiously for his reply.
"Now." He told us and my heart lifted. I was going to finally meet our granddaughter!