Edward's POV
'Leah?' Jacob asked again. 'Are they...yours?'
'Yeah...'
There was a moment of the most awkward silence I'd ever felt in my entire freaking life. 'Fuck.' he finally sighed.
'JACOB! They can hear you!' she yelled into his head.
His huge furry shoulders rose in the closest thing to a sheepish shrug as he could do. 'Oh shit sorry! Fu- sorry, sorry. It's just...damnit! This is gonna bring the Volturri down on us. I'm glad you got your wish and you're not all dead-endy like you thought, but Leah...shi-shoot.'
"Jacob, maybe we should speak of this later?" I spoke up. "Would you like to meet your new nieces and nephews?"
'Slash brothers and sisters-in-laws.' Seth added, seeing as Jacob would one day be married to their eldest sister. 'Dang, we really are getting close to incest around here.'
'The pack isn't blood family, moron. Neither are the Cullens, really.' Leah told her brother, scornfully.
'Still, though...'
'Sure. I'd love to meet them.' Jacob interrupted the sibling banter.
"Well, this is Harrison Whittier Cullen. We call him Whit." I pointed to the black puppy near my feet. "Masen Seth Cullen." I added, pointing to the dark grey puppy. "Then Elizabeth Mary Cullen...or Beth. She is the mini-Seth. In color and attitude." I said, chuckling. I just noticed that Beth and Seth rhymed and since Seth and Alice were both chipper and energetic, she took after her uncle in more than fur color. I picked up the chocolate-colored puppy and scratched her ear. She phased back into a little naked baby girl in my arms. "And this little lady is Emma Rose Cullen."
Jacob looked to each puppy slowly and then trotted forward to nudge each one with his nuzzle, as if inspecting them.
'Jay-cob!' Masen whined. He sounded exactly like his mother, indignant and put-out. Jacob and I started to laugh in unison. Seth joined in quickly and Leah huffed before coming over and licking our son as if to console him. He didn't seem upset, just angry.
"What now, Edward?" Rosalie asked impatiently. "What's happening?"
I chuckled and looked to my sister. "So far, Beth seems to get her personality from Seth and Alice. Whit is a little more serious than a child should be and Masen is definitely Leah's son."
"Oh no." Emmett groaned with a playful grin. My she-wolf growled playfully back at him.
"Why don't you four say hello to your aunts and uncles?" I asked them, setting Emma back to her feet. She phased immediately, obviously easier than before. From there, they all bolted toward the other half of the circle we'd formed on the ground and started licking and nipping on legs and fingers. I watched quietly as my family laughed and pet each puppy.
While they all talked and laughed, I scanned my 'family'. As happy as I was, I couldn't help but to think of all the problems we'd be facing.
1. The Volturri. I knew Jane said that she'd stand up for us. I knew she was fond of us now, along with her colleagues, and I hoped Aro would listen to her.
2. Jane. While she was definitely fond of us, I very seriously doubted that she felt anything near what Seth felt for her. He'd imprinted, it wasn't his choice. And she liked him because he made her feel likeable. That was the only reason. I mean, she'd lived hundreds of years killing and torturing whomever she liked. She may not be our enemy, may even be a friend, but I wasn't sure if any of us could call her family. I wasn't sure if she could handle giving up human blood and I was afraid for Seth's well-being if she couldn't.
3. The pack's reaction to my newest children. Even if they seemed completely fine, like Renesme, Sam would flip when he learned they were me and Leah's children. He was possessive over her and I wasn't sure the pack would stand up to him.
4. Demetri, wierdly enough, was very jealous of the attention Seth was bestowing on Jane. They'd planned to stay a few days. They'd been here a few weeks, and his anger grew toward the youngest shape-shifter daily. He had the physical appearance of a seventeen year old, while Jane looked to be fifteen, but both were of the mind of genius adults. He had strong feelings for her...possessive, lustful, sorta-kinda loving feelings.
I'd been dwelling on these things for the entire day, some of them longer. Little did I know, that two of the four problems were going to be solved within moments.
Emma, the second-eldest, of Leah's 'litter' started to cry suddenly. She had been running to Jasper and tripped over her too large paws. Leah started toward her but Emma looked up at the same time, right in front of her. Where Jacob stood.
I watched through his mind as it swirled. Leah snapped her head toward him, completely shocked. He didn't...he can't...Nessie...it's not possible... Millions of cords that had previously snapped from everything he loved and connected to Renesme, now snapped again and hooked into Emma.
My first thought was not again and then about Renesme's reaction. I almost missed the flash in Emma's mind. She didn't imprint, I was now pretty sure that females can't. But it was like, she knew. Like she was the one that grabbed the cord and fastened it on. Like she had accepted it without even knowing exactly what it meant.
A hushed silence fell over us all and I looked to Renesme, who was watching curiously.
Leah was human again, naked, and staring to Jacob like he was a criminal. "Jacob...you didn't!"
He finally snapped his face to the side, losing eye contact with our one-day-old daughter. "I- Leah- I don't know how! I didn't mean to!" She was stalking toward him now. "I'm sorry! It wasn't me!" She stopped suddenly. Oh no, Nessie. She looked to my daughter quickly and I followed her gaze.
Renesme didn't look confused anymore. She looked sad, but not devastated. She almost looked like a father at his daughter's wedding...sad but proud. "It's okay my Jacob. I'm sorry...Jacob. It's okay."
"Nessie..." Jacob whispered. He looked guilt-ridden. "I still care for you like a little sister."
"But you feel no need. I understand, really." she told him. "You belong with Emma now."
"Why? So he can re-imprint on the next unusual baby he meets!" Leah yelled. "Hell no! You're not hurting my daughters anymore." she said, moving protectively toward Renesme. Nessie looked up and smiled at Leah.
"She's right, Jacob." Seth started, looking sympathetic. He moved over to kneel beside Leah. "You really might re-imprint on someone else. What if this time, it's not until she's grown and you break her heart? What if Emma isn't as understanding as Nessie?" he asked, looking down to my daughter.
Their eyes met and his mind swirled. I was in shock. Nobody else seemed to notice this time, since he wasn't in wolf form and sharing his mind with anyone but me. Millions of cords...steel cables, fell away from Jane and cast out to Renesme, and like before, they seemed to be slack and then pulled tight as if my daughter caught them and fastened them to herself tightly. Seth smiled down at her in amazement and I could feel the slight relief in his mind too. Renesme returned the gesture. "My Seth."
Okay, so don't hate me, okay? At first, I really thought Jane needed someone but then I was thinking... imprinting doesn't really affect the imprintee much and there is no way Jane would go so far as to give up human blood. Plus, she's sadistic. No way would fate pick her for Seth. So I've fiddled a little. Seth couldn't exactly imprint on his own niece, but Renesme isn't related to him. By the way, any ideas on special abilites for the pups? Whit is obviously a mind-reader like his dad, but I'm not sure about the other three.
