Title: Three Vampires and a Baby

Summary: Immortals and perpetual bachelors Emmett, Carlisle and Edward find themselves the guardians of a mischievous human girl after she's abandoned on their doorstep. With the unexpected help of one of Edward's classmates, they navigate the landscape of raising a child, learning lessons in love and parenthood along the way. AU.

Pairings: Canon

Rating: M

POV: Alice

AN: Yep, you read that right. The epilogue is from Alice's POV. There are two chapters, so we're going on a bit of a ride. Hope you enjoy :) Thanks to everyone who has continued to support this weird little AU :)

xx

13 years later.

"Come on, Jasper!" I whispered to my best friend. My very slow best friend.

"I'm coming, Ally," he grumbled, shooting a glare at me over his shoulder as he lumbered out of the window that I'd slipped through not a minute before with ease. He was going to get us caught if he didn't hurry up. Jeez, the noise he was making alone might be our downfall.

And then all my careful scheming would be for nothing. He was lucky I'd foreseen his less than graceful escape and accounted for it.

"It's like you're trying to get us caught," I muttered, tapping my foot while I waited for him to shimmy down the water pipe next to my second storey window. "Remember how I told you uncle Em would only be distracted by his Xbox for five minutes?"

"Not all of us are part monkey, jeez," he grimaced as he landed beside me in the grass with a soft huff.

"Finally. Let's move! We gotta take my car. Uncle Em will hear if we yours."

I grabbed his hand, dragging him around the side of the house to the detatched garage where my Porsche – a gift for my birthday, last month – sat in all its canary yellow glory. I patted her hood as I passed by; she hadn't failed me yet.

Lucky for us, Uncle Em made a really distracted babysitter – especially if we got him mixed up with his favourite video games. Jasper and I were teenagers; we didn't even need a stupid babysitter.

The problem was that we had six overprotective vampires for guardians. Six stupid, overprotective vampires who thought a pair of teenagers had no right going to a college party. Even when they were expressly invited.

"This is going to be awesome," I grinned as I slid into the driver's seat of my car. Jasper grudgingly slipped into the passenger seat.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" he asked for what had to be the millionth time since we'd begun this adventure.

"That's a good question," a voice from the backseat commented, light with amusement.

Damn.

In unison, Jasper and I twisted, glancing into the backseat with unease. Uncle Edward and Aunt Bella were the portrait of calm and casual as they sprawled in the rear seats. His arm was draped loosely around her shoulders. She leaned into him, giving him one of the secret smiles they shared so often.

"Um, hi," I greeted, turning up the wattage on my most innocent grin. It was the smile that made my uncles turn to goo and buy me pretty things, like the beauty humming beneath us.

"Hello Alice," Bella returned my greeting with an arched eyebrow.

"Fancy running into you here," I chuckled, forcing my tone to remain airy. "Jasper and I were just running out for some groceries. We're all out of, um–"

"Jam!" Jasper supplied helpfully when my moment of floundering stretched on for a second too long.

"Jam," Edward repeatedly slowly, making it obvious how ludicrous that excuse sounded. To be honest, I could see his point. Thanks for nothing, Jasper.

Edward shook his head in amusement. "You two really need to step up your lying game."

Bella chuckled. "You two do realize that lying is futile with this one around," she jabbed her thumb in Edward's direction. "Well, unless you're me. I lie to spare his feelings all the time."

She aimed a saucy wink at her mate. Jasper and I turned away in disgust.

I groaned. "I don't even want to know."

"Do you want to explain what you were really doing?" Bella's tone was unfailingly pleasant.

"Not particularly."

Like I was going to admit anything when they had no proof. I knew how this worked.

"That's fine," Edward offered, just as amiable as his wife. "Since we already know and all. Did you really think you would get past us? Give us a little credit."

"I've been checking on the future constantly, and you guys were gone," I muttered, annoyed that my ability had failed me. "You were supposed to be hunting."

"We decided to go hunting earlier in the day," Bella explained. "But we got caught up in our cottage with something else." She smirked in Edward's direction. Ew, gross. "We didn't make a decision not to go hunting, we just forgot about it. Don't you know better than to trust your visions at face value by now?"

"Stupid decision-based visions," I muttered.

"If you think you're not in trouble because you didn't get away with this little scheme of yours, you'd be wrong, by the way," Edward explained. "No Porsche for a month. You're driving a car of our choice, including to school."

Edward began making decisions about the hideous cars he could buy to make us drive. He pictured a Toyota rust-bucket that was substantially older than me.

"Hmm, I'm picturing something brown," he suggested, looking to his wife for approval.

"With lime green and orange racing stripes," Bella amended with a grin. "And a huge 'I heart my parents' window sticker on the back."

I gasped at the monstrosity invading my visions. "That's not fair! We didn't even do anything. We never left home. You can't punish us for not doing anything!"

"You knew full well what you were doing," Edward explained, taping his temple. "I have concrete proof."

"You can't make me drive that thing!" I snapped. "It's social suicide. It's hideous. We'll be the laughingstock at the school."

Bella grinned. "But all your classmates will think your parents are so cool. Buying a car just to teach you a lesson? That's definitely cool parent territory."

"Who cares what they think about you?" I scowled. "What about us?"

"You don't have to do this," Jasper pleaded, though I knew he could care less what car we drove to school. He wasn't the type of person who let something as silly as what our classmates thought get to him. He was arguing for my sake alone. "We promise we'll be good."

Bella chuckled. "Do you think we were born yesterday?"

"No," I drawled with biting sarcasm. "We know you're like a hundred years old. You tell us all the time. You don't understand what it's like to be in high school."

Edward snickered. "Ally, I've been to high school a half a dozen times. If anyone knows what it's like to go to high school, it's me."

"Yeah, like a million years ago," I argued. "Things have changed since the age of the dinosaurs."

Bella chuckled. "You're driving that car whether you like it or not. If you don't like the punishment, you shouldn't have done the crime, kid."

I glowered at her in the rearview. "Don't call me kid. And we didn't know that was the punishment for sneaking out!"

Bella shrugged. "Not our problem."

"Ugh, you're so unfair."

I yanked open the driver's side door and stomped back to the main house. Jasper followed me like an obedient puppy, trailing comforting words. His calming essence helped smooth over my mood, though it wasn't enough to erase all my fury at the injustice of the situation. We hadn't even had a chance to enjoy the party, yet we were getting punished! How was that even remotely fair?

Uncle Em was in the foyer when I burst inside; it was apparent he'd been waiting for us. His greeting grin was enormous. "I don't know whether I'm proud or appalled."

"I'm thinking proud," Jasper advocated, sending out gentle waves of pride, hoping that our uncle wouldn't notice the subtle shift in mood.

"Agreed," Emmett nodded, offering us both high fives. "You shoulda been a little more slick about it, though. I'm disappointed by your lack of foresight, squirt."

"Really, Emmett?" Edward sighed, materializing beside his brother. Bella was at his heels. "You make it impossible to discipline the kids."

"Hey, I'm in full support of your punishment. It's gonna be epic! Rose and I'll work on ordering a custom in the morning."

"We thought you and Rose might enjoy that," Bella shook her head. "But really, we should be punishing you, too. How could you let the kids sneak out? You knew they were a flight risk."

"Um hello, we're right here," I muttered, chagrined that they were acting like we were toddlers.

Bella glanced at me. "Oh there you are. I was worried you had tried to sneak out again."

I scowled, unimpressed. Stupid parents thinking they're funny when they're not.

"I was playing Halo 10," Emmett divulged without a trace of remorse. "I was totally kicking ass. It was awesome."

"Lesson learned," Edward drawled. "Don't leave Emmett alone with the teenagers. Got it."

Bella patted her mate's shoulder, dropping a kiss on his chin. "We learned that lesson a long time ago, baby. We just keep hoping he'll catch up to them in mental maturity."

By the next morning Jasper and I had regrouped. When we finally stumbled into the kitchen, Esme had breakfast on the table. She loved mothering both of us. No matter how upset she was, we could count on being the two best fed kids in Europe.

Jasper greeted his mother with a kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks, Mom."

She stroked his shaggy blonde hair in the patented affectionate-Mom way.

"No problem, honey. Eat your breakfast. You, too, Alice."

Uh oh. That tone said she wasn't happy with either of us. Keeping secrets in this house was a lost art, I noted with annoyance. Stupid Edward and Bella had opened up their big mouths.

Jasper and I exchanged a glance, knowing better than to try to talk to her now. It was better to wait until she had a chance to cool down. With a shrug, Jasper took a seat and tore into his breakfast.

I sat down across from Carlisle, who was reading the morning paper on his tablet. At least I could count on him not to be annoyed with us. I didn't think I'd ever seen him in a bad mood. I wasn't sure he knew how to frown.

"Hey Carl," I greeted, taking a bite of Esme's perfectly crisped bacon and over-easy eggs. "It's a lovely morning, isn't it?"

He glanced at me over his tablet. "Beautiful; 25 and sunny. Wear a light jacket."

I shoveled in another forkful of eggs with a smile; I knew I could count on Carlisle to be in a good mood.

A parchment envelope propped up near my plate caught my eye. My name was written on it in a fancy calligraphy that screamed "important." It was sitting there innocently next to the salt and pepper. Who would send me a letter? Hadn't they heard of email?

"What's that?" I asked jabbing my fork toward the foreign letter.

Carlisle sighed. "That is something we'd like to talk to you about. It's from Aro."

"Aro?" I gasped.

I'd heard stories about Aro, of course. I knew he had abducted Jasper and me when we were toddlers, and that he was the reason that Esme and Bella were vampires. I couldn't remember anything about Volterra first-hand. Everything I knew about it came from the stories I'd been told by my parents. I knew Jasper remembered some of our experiences. He'd had occasional nightmares about it for years afterward, though it had been half a decade since the last one.

"Did you read it?" I asked Carlisle, anxious to know what Aro could have to say to me.

Carlisle shook his head. "It's not my place. Go ahead and open it."

I snatched the heavy parchment letter from its place and tore through the greasy red wax seal, curious what Aro could possibly have to say to me.

Dearest Alice,

It has come to my attention that you recently celebrated your sixteenth year.

At such an age, I'm certain you have begun to contemplate whether or not the life of an immortal is for you. Should you choose that path, I urge you to consider joining the elite ranks of the Volturi. It would be my express honour to count you amongst the Volturi guard.

As such, I would like to extend you an invitation to visit Volterra. It is a lovely city and would be all the lovelier for your presence. If you find the city to your liking, I hope you'll consider making it a permanent home.

Deepest affections,

Aro

P.S. Please invite young Jasper to join you. It would be my pleasure to host the pair of you.

The words on the paper seemed unreal.

I'd been begging my parents – all six of them – to consider changing me for close to a year now. They'd always refused on the grounds that I was too young to understand the consequences of making that choice.

Despite what they thought, I was mature enough to know what I wanted. Plenty of people left home, started lives, even had freaking children at my age. I knew I wouldn't regret my choice to become a vampire. I'd grown up with six, count 'em, SIX vampires as a constant presence in my life. I knew what the lifestyle was all about. I wanted it to be mine.

How come they couldn't understand that becoming a vampire was my choice, not theirs?

And now that life was being offered to me on a gilded platter.

Aro would change me, even if they wouldn't.

Glancing up from the letter, I was unsurprised to find all of my parents assembled. They had been waiting for this moment. They'd known it was a long time coming, and they'd neglected to tell me. They were more than happy to insert themselves into my business when it suited them. Yet, they'd purposefully kept me out of the loop with this, for their own selfish reasons. They wanted me to remain their dumb kid for eternity.

Only Jasper remained oblivious. He glanced at the yellowed parchment in my hands with detached curiosity. "What's it say?"

"Aro is inviting us to come to Volterra. He wants to change us. He's offering us a place in the guard."

Jasper tensed; he didn't share my eagerness to be a vampire. He was careful and methodical. He liked time to think and plan, whereas I was happy to go with the flow and enjoy the spontaneity of the moment.

"Ally… are you sure that's a good idea?" I could feel his apprehension seeping around the room. It was making me feel things I didn't want to feel.

"Stop it," I frowned. "Don't push your stupid feelings on me. I hate when you do that."

Chastened, the Jasper's fog of doubt lifted. "I'm sorry Ally," he muttered. "You might not remember Aro, but I do. He's… strange. I don't trust him."

"Jasper's right," Bella offered, her tone gentle. "There's a lot you don't understand about Aro, or what it means to be a part of the Volturi."

"We've sheltered the two of you from our world," Rosalie chimed in, "But there's a lot of negative that comes with being a vampire. It's not all glamourous."

"Aro's a perfect example of that," Edward continued. "He plays nice when it suits his purposes," he pointed to the paper in my hand. "But he's not the kind of vampire that you want to be associated with. He'll do anything – absolutely anything – to get what he wants."

"He wants you, squirt." That was Emmett's contribution. It was like they'd planned this little intervention. Maybe they'd practiced with cue cards.

"We've never explained this," Emmett continued, "but you were the catalyst for happened all those years ago. Aro saw stars when he laid eyes on you. Your gift… it was the ultimate temptation. With the ability to control the future, he'd be unstoppable, and he knew it."

"He was willing to imprison two helpless children," Esme input, her tone laced with restrained fury. "He was that enraptured. He's a cruel and selfish. You should think carefully about whether you want to align yourself with him and his values."

"At least he wants me," I said, managing to keep the tears threatening at bay. "You say you love me, but you don't want me around forever. I'm just a doll you play house with to pretend you're normal! If you really loved me, you'd want me around for eternity."

"Alice," Carlisle's soft baritone was soothing to me and I hated it. "It's not that we don't want you to be a vampire."

"None of us had a choice in becoming a vampire," Bella explained. "Each and every one of us was forced into this life. We've made the most of what we've been dealt, of course. You, on the other hand, have a choice."

"You have the unique opportunity to choose." Rosalie continued Bella's line of thought, proving once again that they'd planned this dumb charade masquerading as parental concern. "We just want you to be certain you're making the right decisions, for the right reasons, at the right time."

"We know you think you'll never change your mind now," Bella offered. "But you're sixteen. Do you really want to be sixteen forever? Think about it. Emotionally, mentally, physically… you'll be sixteen forever."

I rolled my eyes at the condescending words. "Whatever. You're just making excuses. Edward was seventeen. What freaking difference does one year make?"

"Do you think I wouldn't change that if I could?" Edward asked, his tone soft. "Being forever seventeen isn't necessarily the gift you would think. I'm doomed to forever look like a teenager. I'll never look old enough to hold a job for more than a few years at a time."

"Such a tragedy," I sneered. "You never have to get bored working some stupid job."

"There's a lot more to it than that. You'll never be able to get close to anyone ever again. You'll constantly be moving from place to place to ensure that no one questions your age."

I shrugged. "So what?"

Edward persisted, his condescending attitude refusing to budge. "I wish I could make you understand the experiences you would be giving up. We're not saying that you should never want to become a vampire; we're saying that you should wait a few years."

Bella was in agreement with Edward. What else was freaking new? "Being twenty-two when I was changed was a gift," she claimed. "I was old enough to have had some life experiences to shape me into a well-rounded person, but still young enough that people don't question why I'm with Edward."

"Whatever," I sighed; I was so over this whole parental inquisition.

Aro had understood I was old enough to make my own decision. Why couldn't my own parents? Probably because they would always see me as the same little kid I'd been when they had found me. Well, too bad for them. I'd grown up whether they liked it or not.

"I'm old enough to make a cognizant choice," I informed. I hoped including a word from my university vocab prep would help prove my case.

I turned to Jasper, ignoring my parents. As far as I was concerned, this discussion was closed, and none of their business. It was between me and Jasper.

"Jazz, I think we should meet with Aro. I mean, we don't have to make a choice right away. But he was kind enough to offer. We should at least pay him a visit."

Jasper glanced at the sweeping words on the letter that he'd grabbed when I'd set it aside. "I don't know."

"It's just like a campus tour," I reasoned. "You check out the facilities, see if you think you'd fit in. Then you make a well-informed decision about whether to apply."

It sounded perfectly logical to me.

Jasper's tension eased up a little; I could tell he was being swayed. "Maybe it wouldn't hurt."

"Alice," Emmett interjected in his serious voice. I was only Alice when I was in trouble. Usually it was Squirt, or on a good day, Ally or Al. "Aro isn't the kind of vampire you want to be your sire. I know what it's like to want to rebel against authority, but please trust us on this one."

"There's no harm in visiting," I reiterated for the billionth time. "I promise I'll consult you before I make a final decision."

There. That sounded reasonable and mature, right? I could act grown up when I wanted to.

Esme sighed. "I don't like this, Ally-bear."

"That, right there is the problem," I grumbled, "I'm not your Ally-bear! You all think of me as this two-year-old you found on your doorstep. You refuse to let me grow up! Every time I try to get some so-called 'life experience,' you guys jump all over me a bunch of mama bears. How am I supposed to grow up if you won't let me do anything?"

"Ally…" Carlisle tried his soothing crap, but I was done.

I shoved my half-eaten breakfast away in disgust. "Whatever, I'm leaving. Come on Jasper, I texted to Megs to pick us up for school since we can't use the Porsche and our fabulous new ride isn't here yet." I made sure to infuse every word with dripping sarcasm.

A honk from outside called our attention, just as I'd known it would. My gift was good for something after all.

Jasper spared a wary glance at our gathered parents, but stood to follow. Unable to leave things on an uncomfortable note, he pressed a kiss to the cheek of our aunts and his mother.

Outside, Maggie was waiting for us in her shiny, cherry red BMW, a newer version of Aunt Rose's vintage model. Her grin drooped at the sight of Jasper and I.

"What's with you two? You look like hell. Late night?"

"Just tired, I guess," I offered with a wan rendition of a smile. It wasn't like I could explain the real situation to our normal friend with normal human parents.

Maggie shrugged and set the car in reverse to pull out of our driveway. Uncle Carlisle didn't like it when we drove over the pristine lawn he maintained with careful diligence. Even Maggie, who spent countless hours at our house, had learned better than to mess with the grass.

I listened with disinterest while Jasper and Maggie made small talk on the ride to school. Usually I'd be the one leading the conversation, but today I wasn't in the mood for mindless chatter.

I waited until we were pulling into the school parking lot to ask her the question I'd been waiting to since we'd left.

"Hey Megs, can I borrow your car?"

She glanced at me from the driver's seat. "Why?"

Jasper was alarmed. I could feel his tension seeping into my bones. "Ally, you aren't–"

"I want to go somewhere, but my parents are being jerks about it. So I'm gonna go now. I promise I'll have your car back by end bell."

Maggie's eyes widened. "You're cutting? The whole day? That isn't like you."

"I'm tired of being like me," I muttered. "Being like me sucks. I want to be someone fun for once."

"Ally, I don't know if this is a good–"

I glanced into the backseat at my best friend. "I'm not going to make you come, Jazz. You can go to school. I'll catch up with you when I get back."

"Where are you going?" Maggie's eyebrows were knit together in concern. "You're not in trouble or something, right?"

"Nothing like that," I assured. "I'm just going to Volterra to visit a friend."

Maggie handed over her keys as we all exited the vehicle. "Be back before dismissal or my parents will kill me."

I kissed her cheek. "Thanks, you're the best!"

She waved me off. "Don't mention it. Drive safe, okay?"

The music that signaled it was time to get to class began to play, loud even in the parking lot. With a last wave, Maggie headed inside, leaving Jasper and I standing by her car.

Jasper heaved another sigh and crossed his arms. "I don't think you should do this. At least wait until our parents can come… just in case."

"Our parents don't want me to go. If I don't go now, who says I'll ever be able to?"

"Ally, be reasonable," he pleaded, giving me the puppy eyes that were usually a sure thing. "I love you. I'm just trying to look out for you."

"I love you, too. But I'm going. I'm sorry if you don't like it." I jerked my head in the direction of the school doors. "There's your out."

"You know I'm going to come if you go."

I grinned, embracing him. "I knew I could count on you."

His chin settled on top of my head. He was easily a foot taller than me. He let loose yet another sigh that reverberated through every point of contact. Jeez it wasn't that bad. We'd be back in a few hours, none the worse for wear.

"For the record, I'm only doing this under duress. I don't want to go, but I can't let you go alone."

I kissed his cheek, which pinked under my lips. "That's fine. As long as you come."

We buckled back into the car, and within minutes were cruising down the highway to Volterra. If all went according to plan, the drive would be a couple hours long. Plenty of time to get to Volterra, find Aro, and get back in time to return Maggie's car.

Jasper and I passed the time humming along with the old tunes on the radio and playing the car games we'd learned during road trips growing up.

As the highway signs began to announce we were approaching Volterra, Jasper's nerves took a steep hike upward. He was clouding the car with his sour mood.

"Jazz…" I warned.

"Sorry," he muttered, checking his feelings. The tension lessened but didn't disappear.

"Can't you at least pretend to be excited? This trip could change our lives forever!"

Jasper turned to me, his sharp blue gaze imploring. "I'm trying okay? But you don't remember Aro. I do. The guy… he's not quite right. He's creepy as fuck, and I'm not looking forward to seeing him. Alright?"

"But joining the guard…"

"Isn't something I want," Jasper finished, his voice firm. "Who wants to be at stupid Aro's beck and call for the rest of their life? If I'm a vampire, I want to be able to enjoy it. And Edward's right… I don't want to be stuck being seventeen forever, either."

"I'm not sure what I want," I admitted. "I just want to see all my options laid out, I guess. I'm not saying we have to do this today, okay?"

I slowed the car, pulling off the freeway into the city. The GPS on my phone was alerting me that we were only miles out from the heart of Volterra. I knew the Volturi compound was located somewhere near the central square based on my visions, but I wasn't quite sure about the entrance. I wasn't worried; we'd figure it out.

Jasper squeezed my hand. "Good. We need time to think about this, you know?"

I gave him my most reassuring smile. "I do."

A glance outside revealed we were at our destination. I could see the familiar towering figures of the buildings that lined the square. Parking next to the first metre I came across, I stepped out of the car, eager to stretch my legs after the long drive. Jasper did the same next to me, letting out a little hum of pleasure as he unfurled his long limbs. The BMW was an awesome car, but it wasn't exactly spacious.

I drank him in with a smile. My soul mate was a sight to behold. Lucky for me, he didn't have a clue. He forever thought of himself as the shy, misfit little boy he'd been once upon a time. I'd known since we were children that he was the one meant for me. I didn't need my parents' stupid mate bonds to know that.

I clasped his hands in mine as he leaned against the car.

"Jazz?"

He met my eyes with a hum to indicate he was listening.

"I want you to know that I won't go through with anything unless you're 100% sold. You're the most important thing to me. I know I'm stubborn and a pain in the ass and–"

"Crazy," he supplied helpfully.

"A little" I agreed. "But what I'm trying to say is… we both have to be sure. You and I are in this whole forever thing together."

He hugged me, tightly enveloping me with his lanky frame. The warmth of his love surrounded me like a worn and well-loved blanket. "I know that."

I smiled. "Good. Are you ready to do this?"

He offered a small grin. "As I'll ever be."