Emmett had indeed crashed right through the living room wall. In retrospect, I supposed that I should have left the front door open, instead of a window.

We did our best to repair the damage, but of course Esme noticed right away, when she and Rosalie got home that night. Fortunately for Carlisle, she was too busy with Rosalie's veil to get too upset. She did, however, insist that we paint the entire house to match the not-quite-perfect color that Carlisle had gotten for the new siding. I suspected that she just wanted the men out of the house. We were actually relieved to have something to do while she and Rosalie continued with their squealing upstairs.

So the three of us were outside that night, putting on another coat of paint, when I heard the sound I had most dreaded since bringing our newborn home: the sound of a car's engine slowing down on the highway, right around the entrance to our driveway.

"Emmett," I said quickly, "hold your breath for a bit, please." Emmett dutifully exhaled and waited while I stretched out, searching for the approaching thoughts of whatever human was foolish enough to drive past our new "No Trespassing" sign.

I haven't been to a wedding in centuries! This is going to be so much fun.

I broke into a grin and shoved Carlisle in the shoulder. "You have been holding out on me," I teased.

Carlisle just laughed and nodded to Emmett, who began breathing again. "Are you sure it's okay?" he asked nervously.

"Don't worry," our father assured him. "I don't think you'll be tempted to attack these visitors." He turned toward the house.

The car raced up to the house, jerking to a stop six inches from my knees. The door opened, and the driver got out, shaking out her luxurious curls and smiling as she inhaled our scents. Her golden eyes darted straight to mine, and a bewitching smile spread over her face.

Still as delicious as ever.

I shuffled forward, smirking back at her as the rest of the group got out.

"Hello, Tanya."

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"Welcome!" Carlisle said happily, embracing each of our "cousins" in turn. Emmett hung back, his instincts telling him to run from the sudden presence of five new vampires, but I had no such excuse. I followed Carlisle's example, shaking hands with Eleazar and giving each of the women a brief embrace. I saved Carmen for last; she was the safe one.

"Hello, everyone!" Esme called as she and Rosalie joined us.

"Esme, it's so good to see you again," Carmen said warmly as she caught my mother in her arms. "And this must be the lovely Rosalie! Oh, I love weddings!"

I watched curiously as everyone made their introductions. When had the Denalis met Esme? Carlisle had taken me to visit twice before he changed Esme, but we had never gotten that far north since. I realized with an embarrassing twist in my stomach that it must have been while I was… away.

Irina's thoughts seemed to echo my own. Her abrupt coolness was at odds with her beautiful smile, giving it a deadness that was most unattractive. As Esme pulled her close for a hug, she stared at me from over my mother's shoulder.

Well, I see that you finally came to your senses.

My own smile faded and I nodded slightly, causing her to ignore me completely as she turned to Rosalie and began fawning over her with the rest. What did our cousins know about the years I had been away? Carlisle and Esme wouldn't have known what I was up to, if they had visited during my absence. And surely Carlisle wouldn't have gone out of his way just to tell them about my foolishness after the fact. I pushed the thought out of my mind as I watched Rosalie's thoughts whirl with happiness as everyone's talk quickly turned to the upcoming wedding. She was just as surprised as I was with our visitors. Carlisle had given her the best wedding gift possible: an audience.

In a flash, all six women disappeared.

"Don't mind them," Carlisle said, laying a hand on Eleazar's shoulder. "I'm sure they've gone upstairs to discuss wedding details. It may be a few hours before we see them again."

Emmett was just standing with his mouth open, still absorbing the shock of so many beautiful women descending on him at once. I elbowed him in the side, and he shut his mouth, glancing down nervously at Eleazar, who was circling him like a lion measuring its prey.

"So, what do you think of our newborn, Eleazar?" Carlisle asked curiously.

I think he's enormous.

"We're well aware of that," I laughed. "What Carlisle meant was, do you see anything… unique?"

"I don't believe so," Eleazar said uncertainly. "Give me some time, though."

Emmett took a wary step backwards. "Time to what?"

"Forgive me," Eleazar said, inclining his head slightly. "I have an extra gift, though not nearly so powerful as Edward's. I have the ability to see gifts… to discern if a person is talented, and what the type and magnitude of that talent is."

"Hmm… and you notice nothing?" Carlisle said, looking up at Emmett with a scientific gaze. "We had wondered whether his enormous strength might be classified as a supernatural talent."

"Hmm," Eleazar echoed. "Have you noticed the strength decreasing as he matures?"

Carlisle nodded.

"But he's still far stronger than Carlisle," I added. "At least by a factor of two and a half."

Eleazar backed up, tilting his head to the side as he surveyed Emmett again. "No… no, I see nothing. It may be so slight that I can't detect it, though."

"Thanks," Emmett growled. Eddie, this guy is… strange.

"Don't be offended," I replied. "If you were any stronger, Esme would never have let you in the house!"

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It was the noisiest night our house had ever seen. Before too long, the women had joined us downstairs, and we eventually broke into several smaller conversations as everyone caught up with each other, or got to know the newcomers. Rosalie was literally buzzing with excitement, reveling in the attention she was receiving, and elated to finally meet her extended family. I was so wrapped up in following all the conversations and thoughts that I didn't hear what Tanya said to me.

I turned to the sound of my name. "I'm sorry?

"I said, I'd like to see the grounds surrounding your home. What do you say to a little tour?"

I regarded her skeptically. In the two times I had visited her home before, she had attempted to seduce me at least thirteen separate times. I hated to mistrust her intentions, but we didn't exactly have the best track record when it came to trust.

"Perhaps later, when your family can join us," I said carefully. I didn't see any ulterior motive in her mind, but then, she had known me for a quite a while now. Plenty of time to practice controlling her thoughts…

She pursed her lips, offended. "Just a little walk?" It's rather stuffy in here, don't you-

"No."

She closed her eyes, flipped her hair over her shoulder to send her scent crashing into me. I leaned back into the couch, focusing my gaze on Esme's explanation of our games out in the forest last month. I refused to let Tanya see how delectable I found her scent; it would only encourage her.

"Really, Edward?" Eleazar gasped, looking at me. "173 miles an hour?"

I grinned, my conversation with Tanya forgotten. "That's right. Of course, it wasn't on a real track, and we were just estimating the length of the road."

Eleazar leaned forward in his chair, whipping his head around to catch Carlisle's attention. "You see, Carlisle, this is what I mean. A vampire can have enhanced characteristics, without them being supernatural talents. Consider Edward's speed. There isn't a physiological reason why he should be so much faster than the rest of us. He's tall, but not unusually so, and he's not any stronger than the average male vampire. So why should he be so fast? Yet his true talent is clearly his mind-reading."

"Can't a vampire have two supernatural talents?" Esme asked.

Eleazar leaned back in his chair again, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Now we're getting philosophical," he mused. "What makes a talent supernatural? What makes a singular characteristic a talent? Is my gift of discernment limited in some way? Talents can grow, but can they truly evolve from nothing, in a mature vampire? I haven't lived long enough to answer these questions, Esme. I've certainly never met a vampire with two talents, and neither have the Volturi. Ask me again in a millennium or so."

An uneasy silence filled the room at the mention of the Volturi. Eleazar had once been a part of the Guard himself, no doubt one of Aro's treasures, what with his unique gift. I watched curiously as fragments of memories surfaced in his mind now, most of them set in the dark tunnels beneath Volterra. His eyes took on a hollow look as the memories began to flip faster and faster, and as they grew darker. I saw Eleazar adjusting his cloak, looking in the mirror and not exactly liking who he saw. I saw Aro, framed by a cloud of purple smoke, eagerly reaching for his hand. I saw vampire after vampire dismembered. I saw the lonely days, and the lonelier nights.

Carmen reached over and took his hand gently, sending the memories away in a mist. She waited until she had his eyes, and smiled. This is your life now.

He stared back at her, oblivious to the crowd around them. You are my life now.

I smiled, watching their intimate exchange with my unique perspective. Their love reminded me of Carlisle and Esme's: warm and sweet. But unlike my parents, these two had been together for countless decades, and had developed a silent communication which seemed almost telepathic.

As quickly as he had entered it, Eleazar snapped out of his silence. "So, it will be interesting to see how Emmett's strength and Edward's speed change over the years. Perhaps Edward will be flying, one of these days."

I laughed with the rest of them, shaking my head at my cousin. Emmett was right; Eleazar was an interesting person, to say the least. At times, he carried himself with a gravity that reminded me of the Volturi guards I had encountered several years ago. But usually, he had a nervous energy about him that I had never seen in another vampire. He had a way of saying things that always took me by surprise, even when I heard the words in his mind ahead of time. But more often, he spoke so quickly that his thoughts barely kept pace with his mouth. Strange, indeed.

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After we had caught up, we all decided to go "out to eat". The Denalis were eager to explore our corner of Appalachia, and Carlisle was especially excited to show Eleazar some of his favorite hunting grounds and lookout points.

I hadn't seen my father this relaxed in a long time. Ever since Rosalie had come into our lives, he had seemed to be carrying the extra burden of guilt that her change had brought about. And now that she was finally beginning to thaw in the light of Emmett's love, Carlisle was burdened with managing another newborn. It was hard to imagine him as the lonely nomad he had been for most of his existence. His life was so different now, as a busy husband and father. If anything, he deserved a vacation.

"Carlisle looks much happier now," Tanya said beside me. I frowned, glancing around and listening in vain for the rest of our family. How had she gotten me alone like this?

"Than what?" I asked, stepping deftly away as she thought about slipping her hand under my arm.

She shrugged delicately. "Than the last time I saw him." In her memory, I saw flashes of Carlisle and Esme's unannounced visit back in April of 1927; they had come to see the Denalis had had any word of me. I flinched, unable to decide which was worse: Esme's heartbroken sobs or Carlisle's utter look of defeat.

"Oh- I forgot, I'm sorry," Tanya said, quickly replacing the memory with arctic scenery. "Although I have to say, you rather deserve it."

I frowned down at her. So I hadn't been imagining things when Irina's accusing thoughts had bombarded me earlier. "How did you…?"

"Esme told us that Carlisle suspected you were out murdering humans," she said easily. She might have been discussing the weather. "And although he sent us a note back in '31 to tell us that you were home, he didn't say much about what you had been up to. So, how many?"

I shifted uncomfortably, hoping she didn't mean what I thought she meant. "How many what?" I asked through my teeth.

"How many did you kill?"

"Nine hundred and thirty-seven," I hissed. The faces flew past my mind at lightning speed, and I winced again as I remembered the last thoughts of hundreds of my victims: I saw myself, on hundreds of different street corners, my red eyes glowing with condemnation and self-righteous hatred as I closed in for the kill. I remembered their blinding fear, and utter confusion at what sort of monster was ending their lives. Why was she doing this to me?

"Oh, is that all?" she said casually. "I've killed… well, let's see… tens of thousands. A hundred thousand, perhaps."

"That was different. You didn't know any better."

She quirked an indulgent smile. "Oh, and I suppose you did? You were a child, Edward. You still are, really. You're hardly responsible."

I laughed darkly. "Irina doesn't seem to agree with you."

Tanya laughed back, a sparkling, golden sound. "Yes, she's rather put out with you. And not only for your foolishness with the humans, either. She can't comprehend why anyone would dare to say no to the Volturi." We've met them too, you know.

I sobered quickly, remembering what little Carlisle had told me about their mother's execution, and the execution of the immortal child she had created. Tanya and her sisters had almost shared their mother's fate, spared only when Aro determined their complete ignorance of the crime in question.

"Don't mind Irina," Tanya continued. "She always liked to hold a grudge. I'm sure she'll forget all about it in a century or so." She watched my face carefully. "I didn't mean to… well, I suppose I did. I had a feeling you might be in need of a little perspective. It was four measly years, Edward. The blink of an eye. But you're still torturing yourself for it, aren't you?"

I just looked away, refusing to give her any satisfaction.

"I knew it," she said accusingly. "Carlisle might as well be your biological father, for all he's passed on his tendency to-"

"Was there anything else?" I asked tersely.

Her mind cleared and she put on a sultry smile. Would you like there to be?

I snorted in disgust and took off running, burying myself in the hunt. The deer's blood tasted foul in my mouth, next to the memories of human blood that Tanya had thrown in my face. But by the time I had cleaned up, I was regretting my abrupt departure. In her own way, Tanya had been trying to be helpful. I was just so used to the verbal sparring that Rosalie and I had grown accustomed to, that I had treated our visitor more rudely than I had intended. I should apologize… preferably in the presence of at least one other person. That way, she wouldn't take it the wrong way.

I found her, along with everyone else, engaged in a lively debate in the middle of a moonlit clearing.

"I don't know about this," Carlisle was saying.

Emmett's voice boomed out above the rest. "But with her there, there's no way it can go wrong."

"Is it really necessary for her to ride on your back?" Rosalie hissed. It wouldn't be so bad if she wasn't so drop-dead gorgeous. I've never felt so infuriatingly… average.

"What's this all about?" I asked as I entered the clearing. Eleazar was pacing back and forth, while everyone else was huddled around Emmett and Kate.

Emmett turned with a huge grin on his face. "Our problems are solved, Eddie!" he called gleefully.

I raised an eyebrow. "Our problems?"

Kate stepped forward. "Emmett was telling us how he'd like to take the money you gave him, and leave it for his human family."

"I know that," I said, frowning. I hadn't intended for my gift to become public knowledge. "And I told him it was a stupid idea. As soon as he remembers his old address, I'm going to do it for him."

"Which I can't," Emmett reminded me. "But if you guys get me close enough, I'd bet I could find it."

Eleazar turned on a dime, appearing in my face. "And I said, even with three male vampires to accompany him, he's still strong enough to do plenty of damage."

Kate gave a silvery laugh. "And I said, if you really want to keep him in line, take me along."

"It's perfect, Eddie," Emmett said excitedly. "She's going to ride on my back, and that way, if I get out of control, she'll just zap me into next week, and you guys can get me out of there."

I shuddered, remembering the time Carlisle had foolishly asked Kate for a demonstration of her talent back in 1919. It had been something of an experiment: Carlisle was curious to see how I would perceive his pain through my gift. I had registered the painful thoughts of humans before, and experienced a minor echo of what they felt, if I was really paying attention. And we had already noticed that my thirst was sometimes worsened when Carlisle let his own thirst go too long. But at that point, I had never actually been around a vampire who was experiencing real pain before. So after I had eagerly agreed to the experiment, Kate had given Carlisle a dose of her "medium" setting. His knees had buckled instantly from the pain, and I felt an uncomfortable jolt as well, though not nearly as intense as what Carlisle seemed to have felt. Carlisle had insisted that she do it again, this time with me trying to block his mind. He had fallen again, gasping at the pain; I felt nothing. Kate had offered to let me feel the real thing for comparison, but I had quickly lost my curiosity by that time. Emmett had no idea what he was getting himself into.

"That's all well and good," I said slowly, "but your human family is still likely to be at home. How close are you intending to get?"

"No, see, it's Saturday night," Emmett replied. "The one day I know everyone will be out of the house is Sunday, when they go to church. I remember that much."

I glanced at Carlisle, who shrugged back at me. "It's worth a try," he conceded. "Although I want Edward well ahead of us when we get within ten miles of the cabin. Now that Emmett hasn't been around to do the hunting, somebody else may be poking around in the woods, while the rest of the family is at church." This is different from the hunter, that first day. If he kills anyone in his human family, he's never going to forgive himself. Still, with Kate's talent, I don't see how anything could happen.

And that was how I found myself running through the forest the next morning, with Carlisle, Eleazar, Kate, and Emmett. Carlisle carried the money, while I scouted ahead occasionally, checking for hunters. Eleazar had a pair of axes slung over his shoulder. When the woods began to thin, Kate tried to climb up onto Emmett's back, but she found that she was too small to get her knees around his huge torso. Instead, she scrambled up onto his shoulders, letting her feet dangle in front of his chest. Considering the difference in their sizes, she looked like a child perched on her father's shoulders, on their way to the County Fair. Only this "child" was nearly a thousand years old, and she had a death grip on Emmett's neck, ready to electrocute him if he misbehaved.

As we continued on, Emmett began to get his bearings. "I think I've been here before," he said uncertainly.

"I know you've been here before," I said. "Look."

I led him off to the right, and Emmett sucked in his breath as he recognized the place where the bear had attacked him. Even though Rosalie had cleaned up every ounce of evidence, Emmett's eyes darted toward one edge of the clearing, as though he was afraid that the bear might come back for him.

"Rosalie killed the bear," I assured him. "Although if you met him now…"

"I'd demand a rematch," Emmett growled, cracking his knuckles loudly. Hmm. I wonder if THAT'S why I like bear so much.

"I don't doubt it," I replied. We definitely needed to get Emmett out to the Rockies, so that he could see some real bears.

I laughed out loud when I heard Kate's next thought echo my own: We've got to get Emmett out to Alaska so that he can see some REAL bears.

Emmett pouted at me. "What?" You know I hate it when you do that.

"Nothing," Kate cooed as she kicked her steed. "Now let's move!"

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Once we left the site of Emmett's demise behind, he quickly found his way back home. I went ahead twice, only to double back and assure the others that no humans were nearby.

Emmett's cabin sat at the foot of a sprawling pair of wooded hills, isolated from its neighbors by at least two miles. We wanted to give him some privacy as he approached his old home, so Carlisle agreed that as long as Kate accompanied him, the rest of us would wait under the edge of the forest's canopy. If there was any trouble, we would merely call to Kate, who would disable Emmett until we got him far enough away.

"Quite the growing family," Eleazar mused as we watched Emmett and Kate head down towards the cabin.

"Yes," Carlisle murmured. "I would never have believed it, twenty years ago. I had been alone for so long… I would have laughed if someone had told me that I would become a husband and father of three."

"Do you intend to add further to your coven?" Eleazar asked quietly, his voice taking on an odd pitch.

"I considered our family complete after changing Rosalie," Carlisle answered. "But she was so set on me changing Emmett, that I couldn't refuse her. Why?"

"No reason." A coven of five, with one enormous talent, and one with superior strength. Aro wouldn't be pleased- especially if any more were added. And they have already another strike against them: Edward's refusal to accept the offer to join the Guard. Not exactly the way to keep his coven in Aro's good graces.

I shot him a dirty look. "I'm standing right here, you know."

Eleazar met my eyes guiltily. I meant no offense, young Edward. I can only repent of my part in your… troubles.

"It wasn't your fault," I said quietly.

Carlisle glanced back and forth between us. "What is it?" he asked.

"I was merely expressing my regret for bringing your son to Aro's attention. It isn't often that he visits me, you know. It's only happened three times since my departure."

"Eleazar is concerned about the size of our coven," I told Carlisle. "He thinks Aro would be displeased."

"I don't see why," Carlisle said flatly. "Aro knows that I am a peaceable man, and I have no intention of breaking any laws."

"He should have left us in peace," I muttered.

Eleazar looked at me, confused by my hostility. "Aro has done nothing wrong, cousin. He merely extended an invitation to you, which you were free to decline." Not that I understand your refusal, myself. I only left to be with my mate.

I ground my teeth, remembering Jane and her fiery gaze. "I wonder how many of Aro's 'visits' to Alaska have resulted in these invitations, as you call them," I hissed.

Carlisle touched my hand, his eyes boring into mine in warning. Don't speak too freely. Eleazar is a good man, but he is no enemy to the Volturi. And everything you say will be laid bare the next time Aro touches his hand.

"Forgive me," I said, the words tasting bitter in my mouth. "I don't mean to speak against your master."

Now Eleazar looked more confused than ever. "Aro is no longer my master," he said slowly. "He is my friend."

"Of course," Carlisle said quickly, before I could say anything else stupid. I'll explain later, Edward. Let it go for now, PLEASE.

I clenched my teeth, swallowing the accusations that wanted to spew out of my adolescent mouth. It was a stretch to blame Aro for my idiocy back in the late twenties, but I blamed him nonetheless. How could Eleazar stand there and defend a tyrant? He almost seemed to like the man.

Thankfully, Emmett chose that moment to emerge from the cabin, with Kate clutching his wrist. She had been obliged to walk beside him once they had entered the cabin; in fact, I was surprised that Emmett was able to walk around in there without bending his head down. He waved to us, and we joined him as he picked up his old axe by the woodpile.

"It's so light," he said to himself as he swung it around. Carlisle and Eleazar took the other two axes, and the three of them began splitting the firewood while Kate and I kept watch. I had my gift extended to the limit, anxiously watching the sun. How long did church last?

"Quite the bachelor party, isn't it?" Kate said, nodding over to our immortal lumberjacks.

I smirked back at her. "No girls allowed, Kate."

She made a face. "Ugh. I'm just glad to have an excuse to absent myself from the flowers-and-frills party."

I had always found Kate to be the most intriguing of my cousins. Although she partook in the same unscrupulous pastime as her sisters, she had quite a different human background from either of them. She had been a highly-trained fighter, a bodyguard for some kind of tribal queen in what later became Slovakia. Sasha had chosen her for her courage, as well as her resemblance to Tanya and Irina. After her transformation, Kate's fighting prowess had taken on new meaning when she discovered her unusual talent for electrocution. Centuries later, she had been surprised when Eleazar had come along and, after some examination, decided that her talent was actually a psychic one; there was no actual electrical current flowing out of her skin. In this, her gift was disturbingly similar to Jane's.

But unlike Jane, Kate was no sadist. It was true that she still thought of herself as warrior, and the chief defender of her coven, but she had a gentle heart. She did, however, have a spunk that her sisters lacked. I wouldn't have called her unfeminine, exactly, just… spirited. She had been the first to lose interest in Carlisle and me, deciding that we were too "tame". That suited me just fine. And now I was officially on Irina's bad side, as well. Two down, one to go.

"That's the last of it."

Emmett tossed the axe back into its place, eyeing the now-bursting woodshed with satisfaction. Guess this is the last time I'll see this place.

I handed him the bag of money, and he opened it, taking a folded piece of paper out of his pocket and slipping it inside. He retied the bag and laid it reverently on the front porch, pausing as he mentally bade farewell to his human life. Then he turned on his heel and led us back into the woods, whistling and thinking about Rosalie.

I never found out what Emmett had written in the note. To my knowledge, Emmett Cullen never thought about his human family again.

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A/N: Wow, this story has gotten so much longer than I anticipated! The next chapter will be the last one, and it will feature a couple of important conversations, as well as Rosalie and Emmett's wedding. After that, it's on to 1936, when the Cullens move to Washington State and encounter the werewolves.

Also, you might have noticed Edward's growing preoccupation with his control over his thirst. There's nothing "wrong" with him, other than expecting too much of himself. He hasn't done anything really stupid in a while, and I'm thinking about him taking matters into his own hands with regards to the blood thing, in a future story (maybe 1950?) One possibility is him refusing to hunt for extended times- his reasoning being that maybe Carlisle's super-control is due to his months of starving himself as a newborn. I promise I won't let Edward kill anyone (I love canon, you know). But if anyone has any other ideas about that please let me know. Basically I just think it's time for him to do something stupid again, and I thought maybe something about blood would be good. But I'm open to other ideas as well.