I know the battles of chasing the shadows of who you wanna be
It doesn't matter, go on and shatter
I'm all you need
Broken pieces, break into me
So imperfectly what you should be
Lay here, it's safe here, I'll let you be broken open
Hide here, confide here so we can be broken open

Broken Open - Adam Lambert

Jasper POV

Being around newborns was an intoxicating experience for someone such as me. The insatiable hunger for human blood tended to overwhelm them and sometimes drove them toward madness. My training experience allowed me to somewhat guide Bella as she struggled to control her hunger, but the unusual thing was that Bella still smelt like a human. The fresh, somewhat fruity scent of her blood remained behind, and one could have mistaken her for a human. The only thing that was missing was that damned blush.

There had been several times that her hunger had threatened to take control. Emmett-the love sick fool that he was- thought it would be okay to take Bella out to the woods, not realizing that it was the middle of summer, and therefore, a prime time for camping and hunting. Bella had returned restrained in Emmett's arms, her red eyes burning with need. The wildness had only dissipated when she'd saw her son, who had started to cry for his momma.

Bella was like a saint with the child. She read him stories, she sang to him, and rocked him to sleep every night. Only after Gabriel was sleeping, would she go out and gorge herself on animal blood.

Watching her hunt was an amusing experience, to say the least. Bella's new found graceful stance seemed to startle her as she learnt to adjust to being indestructible.

"It's kind of hard to adjust, you know?" she laughed as she wiped her mouth. The vibrant red streaks down her white shirt stood out like a sore thumb.

"Such a messy eater," I said, laughing. Alice had foreseen the destruction of the two hundred dollar shirt and was currently out, after much persuasion from Bella, buying her simple tank tops until she'd learned to not dribble.

Turning, I lifted a log and placed the carcass of the departed mountain lion underneath just as Bella jumped, startled by a bird that had flown over her head in a nearby tree. I grinned as she growled at me. "Birds scare me. Just because I could crush it with my finger tips doesn't mean the fear still isn't there." she raised her eyebrow, daring me to make another comment. She faltered for a second before speaking again. "And do not tell Emmett!"

This perplexed me. "And why shouldn't I tell him?"

"He teases me," she said coyly and then rolled her eyes. "There's not much to do at night…besides teasing me."

It was my turn to raise an eyebrow.

"Oh, no-" Bella spluttered, eyes wide. "Not like that."

"Sure," I said, shaking my head.

"Honestly," Bella spoke, her voice vastly became frustrated. "Emmett hardly touches me except to kiss me. I think he thinks he can't. It's not like I can get pregnant again," she said quietly as she picked at the hem of her shirt, the fine white cotton shredding to tiny bits.

"Maybe he's just giving you time." I tried to reassure her, the best I could. "Maybe he wants you to regain your memory completely first?"

"I remember him, Jasper. I remember how he made me feel, how we were together. I remember him so much more clearly than anything," Bella said. "He's so wrapped up in the baby, and I love Gabriel, I really do, but I'm still me. I'm still the same girl he fell in love with."

I could feel the upset coursing through her body. Her emotions were a wild mix of longing and frustration. "Well, tell him. Tell him to cut his crap and give you what you need. I promise you, Bella, nothing he felt for you has gone away."

She smiled, a shred of calm breaking through. "Thanks, Jas."

"So, you heard much from Charlie?" I asked, broaching the situation with her father carefully.

She frowned. "He called last night. The hospital released him yesterday afternoon. He had a mild heart attack. He's still a little freaked out by the whole vampire thing, but he said he can't wait to see his grandson. I think he may attempt to kick Emmett's ass though." She smiled at that last part.

"Emmett respects Charlie a lot, he always has. Charlie's let him off twice with speeding tickets," I joked, trying to lighten the situation.

Bella grinned as she turned and looked into the distance. "It's almost time for Gabriel to wake. Do you mind if we head back?"

"Not at all." I said as I fell into step beside her. The conversation always followed easily between us, and I wished I'd been able to talk like this with her when she'd been human. My horrible slip at her eighteenth birthday party would haunt me for the rest of my life. I blamed myself for all of it; Edward leaving, Rosalie dying and Alice's pain at losing both of her sisters. Although nothing could replace Rosalie, Bella and Alice were becoming closer than before. Alice was reveling in playing aunt to Gabriel and it made my long dead heart feel warm again to see her happy.

"Has Gabriel started to drink formula yet?" I asked.

Bella laughed. "No. Every time Carlisle attempts it, he cries. Carlisle insists that when Gabriel is old enough we should take him out and try him with animal blood. Emmett wants grizzly. I told him I'd rip his arms off before I let my baby loose with an irritated bear."

"Typical Emmett," I responded as we neared home. As the house came into view, Ilene and Carlisle were sitting on a swing on the back porch area. Seeing them together made me feel a little sad. They were very similar, their faces the same shape and their features almost identical. It made me wonder how I hadn't noticed it before. Ilene reminded me very much of Rosalie, and that wound, for me, was still very fresh. Rosalie had been there for me right after we'd left Forks and Edward had taken off for Alaska.

I found it hard to let new people into my life, but Bella had wormed her way into my heart a long time ago. That clumsy human girl had been a part of our family even though we'd ran away like cowards and left her at her lowest ebb.

I'd never let that happen ever again.

Ilene looked upset as Carlisle rubbed her shoulders. Bella's brows furrowed as she approached her. I hung back until Carlisle motioned me into the house, leaving Bella and Ilene alone.

Edward. He mouthed and I sighed. What the hell was he doing to that girl now?

Emmett POV

Nothing prepared me for being a father. For every single piece of good advice, there were several bad ones. Bella was jumpy as hell around the baby and Esme had to school her in how to feed him properly, and surely enough she began to get into the swing of things with Gabriel. Not to mention battling the bloodlust and trying to acclimatize to having a whole different lifestyle.

She was like Wonder Woman.

Bella's bloodlust was a sore subject, particularly to Edward. He'd fought so hard to make sure she was kept human and happy, and a part of me sympathized with him. Bella's horrific entrance into her new life had affected us all on some level, especially Jacob. He hadn't been near the house for nearly two weeks, which had distressed Bella greatly.

Charlie, on the other hand, was doing amazingly well. He'd been desperate to get out of the hospital and had followed the orders Carlisle had given him to a T. His wife, Sue, had come to get him and he'd been calling everyday to speak to Bella.

But something, deep within me, had changed; Bella was different in my eyes now. The love I felt for her had intensified, yet, I was scared I was going to do something that would hurt her.

Watching her with the beautiful, baby boy we'd made was like nothing I'd ever known. But when it was just the two of us, something became slightly…awkward between us.

I could smell Bella's scent as she entered the house and came up the stairs, checking in on Gabriel before coming into our room.

As she walked in, a strong surge of desire soared through my body as I saw her blood soaked shirt. It was torn on one side, where I guessed she'd been restraining a deer or mountain lion. I barely contained my moan, and low growl escaped my mouth as she raised the shirt over her head.

My jaw dropped as she turned to me, and threw the shirt in my face. I inhaled the sweet scent of her as she twisted her wavy hair into a bun at the top of her head.

I didn't know what had gotten into her, but I liked it.

"Babe…what's going on?" I asked as she stood with her hands on her jean-covered-hips.

"I'm frustrated, Emmett. I'm scared that you don't see me as you used to…when I was human."

I groaned and motioned her forward with my fingers. "Come to me, baby, I want to you to feel something."

Bella climbed onto the bed, and headed toward me, her lace covered breasts temporarily distracting me. She sat back on her knees, and I picked her up and sat her directly over my arousal. I brought her up against my chest, and I felt her shiver as my breath hit her earlobe.

"Nothing will ever feel as good to me as you do. Human or not, you're everything I've ever wanted, and nothing will ever change that. Can you feel what you do to me?"

"Yes," she whispered as she rocked herself over me, her hips going in circles.

"Making love to you was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. But knowing I can really give it to you how I would like to makes me hard as rock," I confessed.

Bella's hands threaded through my hair and the sweet taste of her tongue as it fought with mine was exquisite. Her body molded against mine as my hands roamed my back. The soft, purring moans just made me ache to be inside of her. One of her hands left my hair and travelled down to crotch of her jeans. With a few pulls, the fabric had torn, leaving her exposed to me. The smell of her arousal was the only thing that could literally drive me insane with lust. My eyes rolled back into my head as Bella's hands destroyed my jeans and I felt her warm hand around my cock.

Welcome home, baby.

"I don't know what I'm doing," she breathed against my mouth. "Show me,"

Hottest. Thing. Ever.

"Ease up, Bella, let me see you," I said as she lifted herself slightly and moved her hand. I slid my fingers inside her, feeling her head fall against my shoulder, where she proceeded to lick and suck at my neck. Every swipe of her tongue went straight to my dick. I rubbed my fingers over her clitoris and she growled.

"That felt good," she confessed as she raised her head. Her lips were red from where she'd been licking them and the glossy sheen of venom that coated them was sweet on my tongue. "I want to feel you inside of me."

Who was I to argue with her?

Ever so slowly, I inched myself inside her. Having sex with Bella as a human had been amazing, but being with her as a vampire was mind-blowing. All that having sex for hours crap wasn't sticking with me. Being inside her was testing my stamina, and I grit my teeth as she fell into a riding motion, with my fingers at her hips, guiding her.

Her soft giggles made me smile as she sat straight down and swirled her hips. Her eyes were glassy, and her hair had flown loose from her bun and now fell around her shoulders. It was fast, furious and we both just wanted gratification from each other. We were so desperate to feel each other again, that we didn't care as long as we got there.

Feeling Bella come undone around me was amazing. Seeing her let loose and just fly made me love her even more. A few minutes later, I followed her over the edge of bliss.

It was a little after noon when Jacob showed up with Leah, Sam and Billy Black in tow. I looked toward Edward who was standing beside Carlisle at the door shaking Billy's hand.

Trouble?

Edward gave a slight shake of his head and I relaxed. Bella stood on the stairs, with Gabriel in her arms.

"It's good to see you Billy," Carlisle said. I could feel the hesitation in his voice.

Something was up.

"Cut to the chase, mutt," Edward growled, his frustration growing.

Leah growled and glared at Edward who rolled his eyes.

"We have a problem," Sam confessed. "The pack came across three different scents this morning. They run an exact circle around your property and have left a trail across the reservation."

Edward looked at Carlisle. "Alice has been watching, she's seen no signs of any nomads or the Volturi."

"A body was found on La Push beach two nights ago, completely drained of blood. It was a male, in his early twenties. He attended Forks High with you," Sam said as Edward cursed.

"Who was it?" I asked, not wanting to believe that any of this was true.

"Mike Newton," Edward murmured. "But I don't under-"

"Wait-" Bella started. "Mike? Why would anyone go after Mike? He's harmless!"

Sam sighed. "We have no idea. It could just be a case of being in the wrong place at wrong time. But as a protective measure, we are patrolling around the outskirts of your land. The trail was fresh and due to the precarious situation surrounding Bella's change and the birth of the child, we feel it necessary that we work together to protect the people of Forks. We cannot afford another disaster like the last time."

I frowned. Another disaster? They'd had no losses. The only people who'd lost anything were us. I'd lost my wife and our family had lost a daughter and a sister. A part of me hated the fact that the wolf pack acted like they were above us. There was no packing order in this town. Whether we were Vampire or Shapeshifter, we were not above one another.

"Emmett," Edward said, trying to appease my anger. "Calm down."

Images of Rosalie's face passed behind my eyelids as my anger built. Of all the emotions I felt towards her death, anger was the main one. All they'd suffered was a few broken bones. We'd lost a life.

"We're not here to bicker," Billy said, breaking his silence. "We know your loss was devastating. All we are saying is that it is in both our best interests to cooperate together fully. There must be no more death. We have already lost too much."

"Where did the trail lead?" Carlisle asked.

"It lead towards the Canadian border and headed toward Vancouver."

"So, someone is watching us?" Bella said, worrying her bottle lip between her teeth. She was looking at Jacob who was looking at the floor. "What if they try to take Gabriel, what if they want me, or Edward or Emmett?"

"If they want you-" I started, but Bella cut me off.

"Jake?" her voice was soft and sad. Gabriel rested his head on her chest and closed his eyes. "Why won't you look at me?"

Jacob was blunt. "This is neither the time nor place, Bella."

The back doors opened and Alice and Jasper stepped in, their eyes bright gold from their hunt. "Oh but it is the time and the place," she said, her voice light and airy. "Something is coming, and Bella needs you Jacob."

I was hot on her heels as she put her arm around Bella's shoulders. Bella instantly relaxed as she felt the calming influence of Jasper take over.

"I've been getting flashes of something for the last few nights, but, it was only this morning that I realized what it was. With Jasper's help, it dawned on me that I was seeing the southern vampire wars. Someone is letting me see what is going to happen. Maria is involved in this, and where Maria goes, Aro will follow."

"I knew it was The Volturi!" I hissed. "They're scared of what power we have. Think about it; Edward reading minds, Alice seeing the future, Jasper with his emotional control and now Ilene with her ability to bend people's will? How will they react when they see Gabriel, and see how advanced and special he is?"

"This is where Jacob comes in," Alice said, smiling at Billy Black who seemed to have paled, if possible.

"What a minute," Leah said, moving forward. "Are we looking at another fight? Because Jacob told me about your war with the Newborns, this is serious shit. I don't want to die."

"And it will be Newborns, if Maria is commanding them. She knows how angry and raw a Newborn mind is." Jasper spoke.

"More Newborns? Great…just…fantastic," Jacob said, exasperated. "Well, at least we know they aren't coming for Bella this time."

"No," Alice said, her voice wavering. "They're coming for Jasper."