Jacob POV

It was just another Tuesday. Nothing felt different or special. That was all it was supposed to be. I no longer expected much fuss about my days. I just didn't have it in me. And my twenty second birthday was no exception.

The morning went as most did. I got up and went for a run; first in human form and then in wolf. One was for exercise and the other was freeing. I let my mind empty, or at least tried to. I could never forget certain things. Try as I might, moving on hadn't been easy, yet I hated feeling like I was waiting for something to change or get better. I had to accept what was.

Living with Quil helped. Not just because we'd been friends since diaper days, but we were also in similar boats. Then again he never had to wonder if his imprint was safe and happy, he at least knew. I had my letters with Bella or Edward to try and ease the wonder, but it wasn't the same. Nothing had been the same since they left. But like everything else that bothered me these days, I tried not to focus. Instead I focused on other things. Like my character in World of Warcraft.

"Can you stop that for a minute?" Quil asked from our kitchen, a full three feet away from our box of a living room.

"Just started a mission Ateara shut it." I didn't even bother looking up. In truth I was also distracting myself from an off feeling I'd been having all day.

"You finished the milk."

"Hang me by my toes." I paused the game as he came in, waving the empty carton. "June, Ward is busy right now, we wouldn't want to interrupt him on his birthday."

"Is that today? I hadn't noticed. It's not like I was going to try to make a birthday cake or anything. And you know what you need to make those? Milk."

I couldn't help but crack a smile. "Emily or Rip were probably gonna make a cake for the party later you know."

"What you're too good for two cakes?" Quil rolled his eyes. "Ok in the interest of full disclosure, I thought today would be a good way to practice how I bake."

"Because you have an audition on that 2 Broke Girls show?"

"Because Claire's birthday is next month." He said quietly, avoiding my eyes. He always did that if he spoke of Claire, as if imprint talk was banned around me. "I want to make hers, but I never have before."

A small, low part of me wanted to point out that at least he got to be at her birthdays. But that wasn't what my friend deserved. "I'll be your guinea pig then. But I don't want any flowers or princess stuff on it." I clapped him on the back and got my keys. "I have to pick up the new speakers from the music shop in Forks anyway."

"Tell the non believers the cult says hey."

I managed one of my few laughs and head down the stairs. When Ripley and Morgan had their weddings and moved out, Quil and I took their apartment, which was the left side of a two family house. It was a little central so we had to be careful with where we phased. It was close to work though, and Clearwater's, which I spent most my time between.

In fact this trip to Forks was the first I had taken in months. That realization had me thinking of just how sheltered I had been. It was something I had to work on. I couldn't keep holding myself back, even as much as I sometimes wanted to. My last girlfriend and I had ended things some six months before. Maybe it was time to get back into dating again. I could drag Quil out too. He'd been in a slump since a few months before. We had to get out of it.

After getting the speakers I headed down the road to the grocery store. I remembered the last time I had been there, Bella was pregnant and had been begging for cubed ham. I could still smile at the memory and all the others that would fly through my mind from time to time. And this particular time I didn't even feel the pain of it. Instead I headed down the dairy aisle, where a battle was ensuing, and I felt a tug towards it.

"What kind of shitfaced asshat doesn't stock chocolate chip waffles?" She yelled, shoulder deep into the freezers, digging around the eggo boxes.

My smile widened as boxes were thrown from the speaker with impressive speed as a particularly shapely ass wiggled in tight skinny jeans. It was a nice view, and an even better show. Even when one of the boxes nearly connected with my nose, a laugh slipped out. When she straitened and turned, I felt a lump rise in my throat.

She was a looker. Even more than that, she was beautiful. Her hair struck me first with its poofed style waves and chestnut color. She smirked as she blushed, the combination striking me dumb for a moment.

"Sorry but I had a jones for the chocolate chip kind. It causes me to make a scene sometimes." Her voice was deeper than I would have thought, but full of humor.

As I looked her full in the eyes and saw it, and felt my heart churn. It had taken me a moment, because those eyes had existed only in my memory for so long. Three years ten months and twelve days to be exact. And for the first time since then, I felt right again.

"Aurora?" I murmured, taking a shaky step for a closer look. There was no doubt now, but I still needed to hear it.

Her smile faded for a second but then rebloomed as she laughed. "Oh my god! I'm so sorry I didn't recognize you; I'm running on like three hours of sleep. It's Jake right? Oh Mom's going to flip when she sees you."

"Bella's here?" I put my hand on the Entenmanns's display when my legs didn't quite feel steady. "You guys are…."

"Back, yea!" She nodded, seemingly unaware of my reaction. "We just got in, and we were waiting until later today to hike it over to La Push. I have memories of it, but I'm itching to see if it's as great as I remember." Her smile was wide as she looked at my empty hands. "Are you shopping then?"

"I was going to pick up some things from the apartment but now…"

"You have to come with me! Oh they're going to flip." she took my hand and started tugging me away. "Come on, she and Dad have been talking about seeing you the most. They're over at our house."

"The last time I saw you, you were…" I couldn't manage to finish a sentence. Every time I tried I was afraid she was going to disappear.

"A baby, yea funny how that works. Crazy growing and all. I remember you a little now that I think of it."

"You do?"

"One of my first memories is of you actually. It was my first Halloween the whole gang went trick or treating with me. I remember them all, but you the clearest. I was a polar bear and you carried me on your shoulders all the way home." Her smile faded a little bit as she fumbled for her keys. "You looked different then though. Younger, happier. You seem a little dark now."

"Hasn't been an easy few years." I looked at the old and scarred car and smiled. "This is yours?"

"Got it just a few months ago. Mom and Dad said they would pay for the insurance if I saved enough to buy it." She lightly kicked the left back tire. "It's older than I am and has more than a few knicks, but nothing my bumper stickers can't cure." Her smile was back as she gestured to the passenger seat. "I'll drive you back to your car later if Mom doesn't hold you hostage."

"How is Bella? I haven't written her in a week or two, and she didn't mention anything about coming back."

"Well she has a fire lit out of her I believe. She got back from her last recruit trip and said we were ready, it was time to come home and give it a go."

"Give it a go?"

"The Volturi. Enough is enough, don't you think?" She started driving down towards the old Cullen place. "It's weird, it's like I never left here. I haven't had to look at a map once. My instincts much be better than I thought."

I wasn't sure what to say. It was clear to me that she didn't know about the imprint, which was a relief. I wasn't sure how I felt about it, and I didn't want her to feel awkward. It was enough to see she was obviously happy. She chattered on about how she had been in school for a while and enjoyed it, but felt on the outs as time had gone on. It excited her to be home and she hoped she would be able to make friends amongst her "aunts and uncles" on La Push. She didn't play music, just talked and asked about me or the others. Her driving was much like her father's had been, a muscle memory type ease. As she went up the winding road to the house, I felt my throat tighten.

Nearly four years they had been gone, and I had been forced to stay behind. I hadn't walked on this property since they had left. Couldn't even drive near it without wanting to make the turn, as if they would be there. And now as Rory pulled up in the same area I always used to, I felt an old sense of excitement.

"Sidebar, if Mom tries to get you on her side I'll never forgive you."

"What?" I left my thoughts and looked back at Rory as she slid out of her seatbelt.

"My hair. She's ticked I cut it all off. It was down to my butt, even longer than hers." She rolled her eyes. "I hacked it last month."

I reached over to tug the ends of it, not quite touching her shoulders. "I like it this way. Suits you." I smiled again, three times in one day being a record, and watched hers bloom.

"Do you feel it?" She asked as her eyes watched mine, scanning my face as if she could read it.

"Feel what?" I asked, letting go of her hair to take off my seat belt as well.

She shook her head with a laugh and got out of the car, and started walking towards the house. "Nothing, I must be jet lagged. Ma!" She shouted as she opened the door, bouncing with anticipation. As I followed behind I felt I could amoust bounce. Her mood was infectious.

A second later we heard Bella's hurried response of "Did you get your damn waffles, you've been gone almost thirty mi…" She stopped speaking and I heard the rush of socked feet, half running half sliding from the kitchen. And then she was there.

Of course she looked exactly the same. She would never change again, but the eyes could tell it all. And those eyes widened as her mouth dropped.

"I smelled dog." She whispered and was suddenly in front of me, as if to check if I was real.

"I smell vamp." I said, feeling all at once more human than I had in those near four years. "Jesus, c'mere." I pulled her forward as she cried, wrapping my arms around her. She was freezing, and her muscles had more kick than even mine, but it was my best friend, and just how I remembered her to be. "You're ok?" I could only imagine how this all felt for her. For them all.

"Better by the minute. Oh god, I didn't know, didn't really know how much I missed you until now."

"I blocked it out too." I looked up and broke away from Bella when I saw Edward. "Hey it's Papa Leech."

"It's birthday cub." He gave me a hard hug and clapped my back. "We were going to surprise everyone later, but it looks like the universe placed you and Rory in the same place." He grinned as he stepped back.

"Looks like." I said and took Bella's hand again. "You guys really staying Bells?"

"Oh we're not just staying." Rory snickered and skipped off towards the back of the house.

I dragged my eyes from her and back to Bella and Edward. "So she's serious? You're back to start some trouble."

"I think it's more we're back to finish it? Care to join our ranks." Bella smirked and I found it easier to remember to smile by the second.

"Sign me up." And I laughed as I saw the others, and walked forward to give hugs and handshakes. I couldn't remember a better birthday present, or when looking at Rory smile at me; feeling more at home.

Bella POV

It might have been Jacob's birthday, but I felt like I was the one getting a present. In my twenty three years, I had never felt anything like I had when I saw him and Rory walk through that door. It was as if that was what I needed all along to truly believe we could do this. I just needed to see my daughter, shyly beaming, and my best friend looking as though he was coming back to life.

He still looked much worse than I had prepared myself for, and it made me realize how badly I had been feeling lately as well. Ever since Renee died, it felt like I wasn't me. Now that we were back home and I saw for myself that my best friend had nothing but relief at our return, I felt more myself than ever.

We caught up with just Jake for a while, asking him his thoughts on our plans. I could see his concerns over the numbers, but he still seemed confident. Maybe he felt the same hope I finally did.

I looked at my watch and smiled. "We should head over to your party. Steal all the attention from you."

"Please do, I didn't want it in the first place." Jake leaned back at the kitchen table, in between Esme and Emmett.

"You don't like parties?" Rory asked, and I thought I saw her blush when Jake looked at her.

"Not recently. Plus no one throws a party like that one." He wagged a finger at Alice. "Remember my eighteenth bash?"

"One of my biggest successes." Alice laughed. "That was right before we…" She trailed off and then shrugged. "Well I'll have to make up for it next year with your twenty third."

As we all got up to leave Jake groaned. "Still have to live through the twenty second. Quil already knows something's up when I called to tell him I wasn't bringing home any milk."

We were going to pile into Emmett's jeep when I suddenly felt inspired. "Why don't we run?"

"Yea!" Rory bounced and Edward grinned.

"That's very supernatural of you." Jake wiggled his brows.

"What afraid the vamps will beat the wolf?" Jasper asked.

"Or the hybrid will take them all." Rory challenged, and darted off through the yard, jumping clean over the creek.

"Cheat! Your daughter is a cheat." Rosalie took off after her, laughing as she jumped on Emmett's back for the extra speed.

The woods filled with us laughing and egging each other on as we ran towards La Push. I smelled the air; I felt the familiar ground beneath my feet. It was home. The people around me were home, and we were going to get the rest of us.

As we reached the part of the woods that gave way to the back of Emily and Sam's house I felt my heart beat wild. They had expanded the house since the last I had seen it, and the outside was decorated according to a certain pack members party. I saw the elders as we called them, off to the side. Charlie, Sue, Billy, and Aiyanna, who were in on us being back, seemed to be waiting anxiously. Then there was Ripley's parents, Topher and Frankie; hanging by Paul's mother who seemed to be flirting with Jared's dad, Mingan. The best sight was seeing Emily with her toddler Aaron on her hip, who was waving wildly at Kim and Jared's Lua. Paul and Ripley's son was in a portable baby swing snoozing, and I saw Embry and Morgan walking hand and hand, Embry's head suddenly cocking towards the wood as he breathed.

"Hey," He said to the other pack members. "You guys smell something familiar or am I having a stroke?"

"Now!" Alice whispered.

I ran out at a human speed, wanting everyone to see it was us and not get confused. I heard our names being gasped and saw faces light up. With a shriek I rushed to Embry who whooped as he spun me around, hugging me tighter than he ever had as I squeezed back, one arm drawing Morgan in as I griped her hair. We fell to the ground as Quil jumped to us, and I laughed through the sobs. I looked around to see the others rushing as I rose to my knees, just in time to be tackled by Leah and Emily.

All I heard was you're backs and oh my gods and cries as we were enveloping in each other.

"Where are my girls?" I cried and my hands reached my mouth as Kim and Lulu came running. They looked so grown up and so happy with their new married lives, and that happiness burst at our reunion.

I knew if I was human the tears would flow at watching Sam and Paul's eyes water, or seeing Ripley grab Rory in a hug that would make someone thing she was her own child. Seth laughed as Edward bear hugged him strong enough to lift him up, and Sue was crying in Carlisle's arms.

It wasn't your average sight to see, but never before had there been this much love and relief to see ones family.

The children were confused by the excitement, but content to be passed around by those of us who hadn't met them yet. Men let their tears go unchecked, and hugged as tight as the women. There was no embarrassment, only joy.

Jake got his wish in not being the center of attention. That role had certainly shifted to Rory as everyone ogled her growth and beauty. I noticed the looks that passed between them when they didn't think the other was looking. Rory's glances were ones of curiosity, and Jakes seemed more timid and hesitant. They didn't know what to think of each other that was for sure. And though for years I had worried over how I would feel if the future pit them together, now I not only felt it a certainty, but it felt right. It would be quite the show to watch their dance begin.

In the middle of it all, my eyes found Edward, beaming with a glow I hadn't seen since I first changed into this life and we had our daughter. He was more than happy. Overflowing with it. And seeing that erased the last four years. Seeing all of us around each other made all the pain and wait fade away.

When we all finally felt civilized we made it to the large table Sam and Emily brought up. No one spoke of plans or the future. There would be time for that. We were together again, and for now that all that need be said. So we celebrated both Jake's birthday, and the hope that there would be many more we could gather for.

There was chatter and laughs all around. Tears, hugs, and playful punches as we were all together again, for the first time in almost four years. The fears were still there of course. Would we really be able to stick together? Would we lose anyone else? Could we win? There were more questions than answers as always. But they were pushed aside for more important things, like each other. For now there was only the memory of our years as family, and the years we had to come.