Jackson

I could tell Edward was unsure of himself. He glanced at Bella frequently and gained confidence from the silent exchanges. They were sitting closely but out of respect they were not in physical contact. Esme has been on the warpath about couples getting frisky and leaving clouds of lust around like a minefield Jasper and I had to walk through. At least Jasper could scoop Alice up and retreat somewhere private to give an outlet to the urges.

Alice had warned me more than once that a dose of lust and some privacy with Tanya would ruin our growing friendship. I was destined to suffer in the short-term.

We were sitting in the living room, pretending to be human. Emmett was sitting cross-legged on the floor in the middle of the room with a game controller gently cradled in his giant hands.

"Come on Jasper," Emmett whined, "I need a decent opponent."

"Not now Emmett," Jasper replied from the attic. He was pulling out supplies which would be needed in less than a week.

"Edward," Bella began, "Tell Jackson about our courtship, from your perspective."

Edward was clearly reluctant but clever enough not to argue with his mate. His voice remained soft and monotone. I was interested to learn that he had not realized the mate bond was forming until it was blatantly shoved in his face. I had hoped that story had been exaggerated. The bloodlust and obsession sounded natural, though I had to interrupt not too far into the story.

"You snuck into her room?" I repeatedly incredulously.

His eyes dropped to the floor, "Yes, most of the time."

Surprisingly Bella remained serene.

"Did you rip him a new one when you found out?" I asked her.

She shook her head, "It seemed natural, especially when I knew what he was."

"You were seventeen, he was over a hundred," I mused aloud, "Did no-one point out how creepy it was to break-and-enter?"

"We did," Jasper chimed in.

"Repeatedly," Emmett added. He did not take his eyes off the characters on the screen. "Esme quickly put a stop to the paedophile jokes when we knocked a hole in the wall."

"Expect stalker urges," I sighed, "So noted."

"Not really a stalker," Edward argued weakly, "And that wall was your fault Emmett."

Jasper and Emmett didn't try to hide their laughter.

"You were stalking me sweetheart," Bella clarified, "What choice did you have? If I had been a Vampire already we would have been lovers within a few days. Even Carlisle marvels at your self-control."

"The instinct to weld yourself to your mate's side is strong," Jasper admitted heavily, "From a human perspective, yes, it is identical to being a creepy stalker. From a Vampire perspective it is perfectly natural and a painful instinct to deny."

"I was stupid," Edward said firmly, "A complete stubborn idiot for making decisions for you." He spoke to Bella directly and their mating bond shimmered. I suspected the conversation between them would continue once they were alone.

"For leaving, that description is accurate," Bella conceded, "Though your motives were honourable, your actions were moronic."

"Expect moronic behaviour," I added to my internal list.

"You're not as uptight as Eddy," Emmett said while his character shot at something, "Hopefully you will listen to reason."

"Don't call me that," Edward muttered.

"Don't count on him being reasonable," Jasper laughed from upstairs, "He's a Whitlock."

"According to Alice, we have at least a couple of years before your mate shows up," Edward revealed.

A couple of years? I was annoyed at having to wait, yet oddly relieved that I had time to prepare. I doubted I would be able to do anything more than hold hands until my mate was turned, even with time to tame my instincts.

"In the meantime, it has been nearly six months since you arrived."

I raised an eyebrow at the telepath. He was stating the obvious, which I found annoying.

"The 'Edward is a Stalker' conversation can continue another day," Jasper said. His voice was closer and his footsteps were bringing him toward us.

"Yeah," Emmett agreed, "He doesn't get to change the subject that easily."

"Renesmee and the Pack will be returning in a few days," Edward said, visibly irritated.

"Renesmee doesn't smell like food," Bella explained to me, "But her scent is not Vampire either. Jacob will be very protective to be careful not to make any vaguely threatening moves near her."

"You can threaten Jacob though," Jasper laughed as he carried a pile of blankets and pillows down the stairs.

"Leave Leah and Seth alone though," Emmett laughed, "Seth is a good kid."

"And Leah?" I asked.

I watched the Vampires glance at each other. Even Emmett tore his gaze off the screen.

"Leah is miserable," Jasper said flatly, "Becoming a shifter ruined her life. She blames us, yet she has to spend half the year with us."

I could understand the frustration and isolation of the only female shifter. I hoped I would get used to the smell so I could get her perspective on the oddness of the Cullen family.

"Emily had another baby last year," Bella added. I was startled by the name, which earned a raised eyebrow from Jasper.

Bella quickly summarised who Emily was and why her growing family would always antagonize Leah. I tried to imagine how Leah felt. She didn't belong anywhere, and was constantly surrounded by reminders of the happiness she was denied. I doubted I would be anything but bitter in her position.

"It's a shame she didn't imprint on the male hybrid," I mused.

"Her hatred of Vampires would have been an issue," Edward said.

"Did she even look at him?" Bella wondered, "And she was a wolf at the time; don't they need to be human to imprint?"

The shrill ring of a mobile phone made Jasper laugh. Clearly he was not surprised that his mate's name flashed up on the screen of the phone Edward was pulling out of his pocket.

"Nessie and her dog are not staying in my cabin," Emmett grumbled at Jasper, not interested in the phone conversation.

"Settle down," Jasper replied, "They're using ours. Alice plans to bleach it and redecorate after they leave."

"You're not getting your room back," I pointed out.

"Hello Alice," Edward greeted with boredom, "Enjoy your visions for now before they are blocked for six months."

"I'm going to ring Nahuel, he will want to meet Leah. I can't see what will happen but the blurry parts mean he will definitely make the trip."

"Why can't she see?" I asked Bella.

Bella shrugged, "We're not sure. When I was pregnant Alice struggled to see me. The Wolves are totally invisible."

Edward hung up the phone, "Carlisle has a theory about it. Alice was human and is now a Vampire. Her mind has no experience being a hybrid or a wolf."

I still found it strange. If Alice could see humans and Vampires, why would she be blind to a mixture of the two?

"Maybe she could never see Renesmee properly because she was destined for Jacob?" I hypothesized.

Bella shrugged, "Maybe."

"He was always far too interested in Bella," Edward grumbled, "For all we know he was stalking her ovaries."

Jasper finished a second trip outside. Emmett waved the spare controller at him.

"You play him Edward," Jasper instructed the telepath, "It will take your mind off your future son-in-law and ovaries."

"I'll shield him," Bella interjected as Emmett complained about cheating.

"Maybe Jacob was destined for Bella's daughter, not matter who the father was," I said, "Assuming it wasn't him."

"Gross," Jasper offered.

"Has Alice tried biting Renesmee?" I asked.

"Of course not," Edward snapped. Bella was distressed by the very thought.

"Vampires are all about blood, it is a valid suggestion," Jasper agreed. Bella narrowed her eyes at him.

"It would be her decision," I said, seriously wondering if a tussle would break out.

"Alice is welcome to bite Jacob," Edward offered, "But the smell at such a close range might make her throw up."

"I love Seth like a brother but damn he stinks," Emmett laughed.

"Seth was quite young when he shifted," Jasper explained, no doubt sensing my curiosity, "We smell awful to him but there is no hostility."

"If Nahuel is coming for a visit, we should get him to introduce Seth to his sisters," Emmett suggested, "Three sisters should triple his chances of imprinting."

"If he imprints but Leah doesn't there will be hell to pay," Bella warned.

"Maybe she already imprinted," Emmett said hopefully, "The rest of the Pack has stopped shifting and most have a kid or two by now."

"It's too bad that Emily is her cousin," Jasper said with a smile, "How funny would it have been is she imprinted on her ex's kid?"

"I didn't find it funny," Bella replied flatly.

"If it hadn't been us, it would have been amusing," Edward said.

"If they didn't stink it would have been hilarious," Emmett added, "The look on your face was priceless Bells."

"The memory of you throwing him into the forest is a cherished one," Jasper admitted.

I was enjoying the pleasant atmosphere they were generating. Other than the motherly anxiety Bella was emitting, all the emotions were soothing.

I wasn't looking forward to meeting anyone new, let alone stinky shifters who instinctively wanted to kill me. Renesmee sounded interesting, especially as I had never met a hybrid before. If she could keep the pungent in-laws in line I would be quite impressed.

Jasper was watching me with a secretive smile. I suspected he knew exactly what I was thinking.

"How did you survive all the drama?" I asked him.

He shrugged, "I went hunting more than was necessary. I avoided Edward and Bella as much as possible too."

"Who was worse?"

Curiosity was thick in the air. Bella waited for the answer expectantly. Edward watched Jasper too, which gave Emmett the opportunity to shoot his character.

"Edward was definitely the worst," Jasper revealed, "Bella was anxious, horny or both for the most part but he changed moods every few minutes. No-one lives under a cloud of self-doubt like Edward."

"All perfectly natural," Bella pointed out with a frown.

"Very natural," Emmett agreed, "When are the girls due home?" The lust creeping along his aura was alarming.

"Emmett, control yourself or go far, far away," Jasper snapped.

"Spoilsport."

"I heard that Rosalie kissed Jackson," Bella teased, "If you douse him with sexual tension you might tempt her."

The lust abruptly vanished. I refrained from making a joke about not liking threesomes so he would miss out but I held my tongue.

Emmett glared at Bella and muttered about her devious tactics.

Edward shot Emmett's character with a triumphant laugh.

********************************************************************************************The snow was so thick that I had to dig a tunnel to reach my hammock. I inspected the frozen, fraying ropes and decided to ask Alice to order a few new ones.

Esme had banned any sexual activity in the house but since the snow did not stop randy couples from getting busy I did not linger near my tree house just in case.

I was wiping the snow out of my hair when the crunch of footsteps tugged at the edge of my hearing. Esme would not be happy with me dripping onto her carpet but I remained in place.

Tanya ploughed through the snow as the sun was setting. Carlisle was still at the hospital, I was not sure where everyone else was.

"Love the tunnel," Tanya greeted with a smile, "You should see my underground bunker one day."

Out of respect for the clean house and dry furniture we headed for showers. I was grateful that there were multiple bathrooms in the vast Cullen house so I did not have to sit around thinking about Tanya wet and naked.

Tanya borrowed some of the spare clothes Alice left handy. With a smile Tanya recalled how she had borrowed Rosalie's clothes without permission once and had been in the bad books for months.

I cuddled up with Tanya on the couch. I liked holding her in my arms, safe in the knowledge that the lines of friendship were clear and uncrossed. We could enjoy the intimacy free of expectations. I still considered Edward a martyr for not allowing any of his family to simply hold him all those years.

Tanya was sad, which made her less talkative than usual. I let her brood silently while I slowly chipped away at the mood.

We slipped into the Vampire version of rest, where our minds narrowed the focus to a single activity or train of thought. I passed many nights relaxing with Tanya and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.