Almost two years later...

"This is where they live?"

"Yes, do you like it?" Tanya asked, glancing over at Maddie.

The dark-haired girl with the bright golden eyes looked out of window and scanned the road and the few shops the that were supposed to be the town center. "I don't know," she returned, "... it's tiny."

"It's perfect, Mad. Not too many people, surrounded by woods and it is almost always cloudy. You'll have a great time."

"Are you sure?"

"One hundred percent." Tanya smiled brightly and removed her right hand from the steering wheel only to rub her shoulder in a comforting manner. She had known the girl for nearly two years now due to the fact that she had stayed with them for her newborn years. She couldn't allow her to let her doubts take over now. The girl needed to see them again and really get to know them to be able to understand.

"I'm not sure," Maddie replied in a quiet voice.

"And why is that?" she asked. "Are you nervous?"

After a moment of hesitation, Maddie said more to her fidgeting hands lying in her lap than to Tanya, "I didn't want to stay with them before... what if they don't want me to stay with them now?"

That question seemed to amuse the blonde woman as she laughed out loud like the young vampire had just told her a funny story.

She felt Maddie's confusion and out of her peripheral view she saw her stare at her, which only served to amuse her even more. "Do you ever listen?" she asked in between laughs. "We talked about that, and you even talked to Carlisle on the phone, did you not?"

If the person she had detested the most told her just how happy he was that she would consider staying with them again, then how could she still have doubts about that?

"I did." It was the first and only time they had talked in nearly two years. Last week.

She had started talking to Edward and Alice half a year ago maybe, and the first time she had accepted a call from Esme had been just a few months ago. But Carlisle? No, she hadn't been interested in hearing his voice or what he would have to say to her. But that had changed, obviously.

Now she wasn't even sure anymore who came up with the idea of her moving in with them again, but everyone had been very supportive and encouraged her to try it, and she liked the thought of living with Rose and Em again. They had visited them in Denali every other month or so, but they only ever stayed for a few days until they needed to go back and go to school or do whatever it was they needed to do.

"See? Really, I don't understand where this is coming from now. They are your parents and they have missed you very much and are overjoyed to see you again."

Putting her elbow on the window frame, Maddie let her chin rest in her hand and sighed. "Well, I understand that they technically are... but I don't know if I can see them as such." Then she bit down on her lip while she glanced at Tanya again before she added, "I don't really know them."

Tanya had explained to her that turning someone was the only way to create a vampire. And the person who turned you is supposed to offer guidance, safety, knowledge and the like. Like a parent, somehow. They had really made a point of telling her that they were her family by venom. It just felt like the best course of action after she found out that they weren't just friends with Rose and Emmett, but friends with all of them. Even more than that, they considered them family, and it disturbed the girl. But as she learned for how long they have been knowing each other and that Carlisle and Esme were very loving and trustworthy people, she calmed some. If the people she trusted said they were good people, then maybe they were right and she had been wrong.

"Just take your time, nobody is rushing you. And if it doesn't happen for you to think of them as your parents, then it doesn't happen," she explained casually and shrugged her shoulders. "It won't change their feelings for you and they are still your family."

"Hm ..."

"Oh, come on now! You get to have siblings, isn't that fun?" she asked in her best 'I'm talking to a toddler'-tone of voice that usually made Maddie roll her eyes and laugh.

But this time she just shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe..."

"Aww, you talked to all of them on the phone, didn't you? And you said you wanted to try it and see how it would go. How can you still have doubts, Maddie?"

"I don't know, okay? It's just so weird! ... did you know that Alice got me a whole new wardrobe? She said it was necessary after seeing what I will be arriving in. What is that even supposed to mean?" she asked and looked down on herself, trying to figure out what was wrong with her jeans and sweatshirt.

Tanya chuckled.

"And Esme has been cleaning the room I will be staying in every day for weeks now."

That just seemed to amuse the blonde even further. "See? They are excited to have you back!"

"... or they have gone nuts."

"Yeah... no." Tanya hummed, looking like she was thinking about it. "No, I'm pretty sure they are just excited."

"But what if ..."

"No! No, no, no! Enough with the 'ifs and 'buts''! It is going to be great, end of story!"

Maddie snorted, then gave Tanya a weird look while she put her knees up against the glove box and stuck her hands in the front pocket of her sweatshirt like she was getting comfortable in her seat. "Did you just yell at me?" she asked with an amused smirk.

It was quiet in the car until a laugh escaped the blonde vampire. "I needed to so you would stop worrying!" she told her, but looked a little embarrassed. "Don't you see that your doubts are without reason? You shouldn't be nervous, and you know I will pick you up if you have the feeling that it doesn't work out."

"Yup, I know. And I'm not nervous,... I just wanted to make small talk."

"Right."

"Uh-huh."

After a moment, Tanya said, "Mad? I knew you weren't really nervous. You are too confident for that and I can tell that you are just excited." Of course she knew that she was nervous, but telling her that wouldn't really boost her confidence, now would it? Tanya was very proud of the development Maddie had made in the last few years. She had turned into a normal, happy girl again - the complete opposite of what she had been like when she joined them.

Yes, sometimes something resurfaced, but that was very rare.

"Ok, I lied... I am nervous."

"No, you're not," Tanya replied absent-mindedly and pulled the car off the road and onto a hidden path.

"I don't care if you believe it or not," she added and crossed her arms over her chest. Only a second later she uncrossed her arms again and sat straight up as she realised where exactly they must be now.

They had just turned onto the driveway that led to the Cullen residence. It was nearly invisible from the street, what with all the trees and ferns. But Tanya obviously knew this path, and they followed it for a few miles.

After two more turns, a white house with huge windows and a deep porch came into view. It was a mansion, large and imposing, and while its size was intimidating, it also wasn't. Kinda.

There was something warm and inviting about it but she still she couldn't shake the nervousness off.

This was it now.

Her new home.

She stopped scanning the house and looked straight ahead at the driveway... and the people standing there.

Esme and Carlisle were already waiting in front of the garage. He had his left arm around her shoulders and they both gave them warm smiles like they were genuinely happy to see them.

Seeing them gave her a weird mixture of old and new feelings. She clearly remembered how she had felt about them before Rose and Em had brought her up to Denali. She remembered the confusion and the pain, remembered how much she had loathed them. And then she had just followed her instincts, that told her that they weren't to be trusted. A lot of time had passed since the last time she had seen them, she had gotten the chance to stay somewhere else and learn about what had happened from a different perspective. Turned out that she hadn't understood their motivation for changing her and misinterpreted their behaviour, but Tanya had told her that she hadn't done anything wrong. Her instincts, especially right after the change, had taken over and so she couldn't help acting the way she had.

Maybe that had been one of the reasons why she had considered going back – even though right at that moment she considered leaving again.

Tanya slowed down, then stopped the car in the middle of the driveway and turned off the engine.

They looked at each other for a brief moment. Tanya noticed that Maddie was unsure and maybe even a little scared, and so she just gave her an encouraging smile. "Come on," she said and patted her knee. "let's say Hello."

Maddie glanced at them again, then looked back at Tanya and gave her a hesitant nod in response. They opened their doors and just before Maddie could put a foot on the ground, the front door of the house was forcefully opened and out ran Emmett. He made it over to her in less than a second and immediately buried her in one of his famous bear hugs, spinning her around a few times. "Tiny, you're here!"

"Em, can't... breathe," she choked out.

"No worries, you don't have to!" he laughed, but set her down on her feet again.

Maddie pushed her hair out of her face and looked up just in time as Rose walked toward her and gave her a hug and a kiss on the forehead.

"Hi Rose!"

"Glad to have you back," she said with a smile and ran her hand over the girl's hair.

"Give me another hug!" Emmett demanded.

"No, you crush me." Maddie screwed up her nose and shook her head just to tease him.

When he smirked, she wisely took a few steps back, away from him. But he just smirked even broader and then he broke out into a run.

She shrieked and ran.

Tanya did not interfere in the welcoming ceremony the kids were having. She directly went over to Esme and Carlisle and they hugged as well.

"It is exciting, isn't it?" she asked. "To have her back?"

"We cannot thank you enough for taking care of her. All of you," Carlisle replied.

"Don't thank us too early, she is a handful." Then she laughed. "No, just kidding. But have fun with the terrible twos!"

Carlisle let out a chuckle.

"Without you, we might have never seen her again. And she looks so content and full of life, you did a great job, Tanya," Esme said with venom-filled eyes. Always sentimental, that one.

"It was a pleasure having her, don't you worry."

"And everybody got along?"

"Well, she's a kid... she got herself in trouble a few times, but nothing worth mentioning. Only Irina was of the opinion that you should be taking care of your brat on your own. Oh well, you know her. They had some difficulties, especially because of Maddie's gift."

"Is she able to control it?"

"Well, depends on what you mean by that." She smirked at Carlisle and went on. "It doesn't just 'go off' like it used to in the beginning, she is able to purposely use it now. But with her still very impulsive decisions ... the outcome isn't always so pleasant. She preferred to use it on Irina, that's why she wasn't always so welcoming towards your little girl."

Carlisle and Esme beamed when they heard Tanya call Maddie their 'little girl'. Hopefully it would be this way. Alice had told them already that Maddie would even call them 'Mom' and 'Dad' in the near future... but the future could always change.

"I hope no permanent damage occurred."

"No, no. They loved teasing each other. Irina chided Maddie on various occasions, it got on her nerves, so she told Irina to 'stop talking to her'. At first we thought our sister was just ignoring her, until we found out what Maddie had done to be left alone by her. That was quite funny actually. And it lasted about a week. Similar things happened often, but it wears off sooner or later, depending on how much she concentrates and in which way she bonds with the person in front of her."

"In which way?"

Tanya was surprised that they barely knew anything about that. Well, if that was the case, then the next few weeks would get really interesting for them... "Yes, you see, she needs to build up a connection. Touch, eye contact... she needs the person's full attention."

Em and Mad were still speeding around the house a couple of times until they saw Emmett catching up with her, grabbing her from behind and lifting her off the ground before he spun her around once more.

She squealed and laughed - all her worries had obviously vanished into thin air the moment she got out of the car - just like Tanya had anticipated.

Hearing Maddie's carefree laugh gave Carlisle a jolt of joy.

"I have never heard her laugh before," he said breathlessly, probably more to himself than to anyone, then looked at Tanya with the biggest smile on his face.

Now she laughed, too. "Get used to it, you'll hear it a lot from now on."

The hug was broken by a squeal, coming from Alice, who quickly embraced Maddie, then looked her up and down, tzked and grabbed her hand. "Come!"

Maddie was perplexed, but had no other choice than to follow little Alice, waving to Jasper and Edward in the process.

Not even a minute passed and Alice and Mad walked out of the house again. Alice still had a grip on her arm, and she looked a little displeased. Nothing much had changed about the girl, apart from the pearl necklace gracing her neck that hadn't been there just moments ago. The little pixie pulled her new sister over to their parents and Tanya.

"Hi," Maddie said and raised a hand in greeting.

"She doesn't do what I say," Alice grumbled like she was complaining about a broken toy. The newborn had refused to put on the beautiful new clothes she had bought for her and only agreed to wear the expensive necklace for a few minutes.

"Maybe because she doesn't want to," Tanya offered helpfully and Maddie gave her a thumbs up for guessing right.

"But why?"

"Alice, please," Carlisle mildly rebuked and shook his head at her.

Maddie grinned at the pixie, but the glee quickly vanished from her face again because she had noticed something that startled her.

"Why are you crying?" she asked and blinked at Esme who had tears in her eyes.

"I am just happy to see you, sweetheart," Esme replied and reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind the girl's ear. Maddie didn't pull away, and Esme smiled at seeing that. "How are you?"

Maddie whispered, "The truth? I really don't like the necklace, but psssht!"

"I heard that."

"Good, then I don't have to repeat it."

"You'll thank me soon enough, I've seen it," Alice said, then turned on her heel and walked away. Nah, she hadn't really seen it, but she was in a pissy mood that her much needed help wasn't appreciated as it should be.

Maddie took her eyes off Alice and turned her head back around.

They were looking at her like they were expecting her to say something, and she fidgeted a little while she averted her eyes.

"Um... sorry about your car... and the wall," she said and grimaced while hesitantly looking up in Carlisle's eyes.

When he chuckled, she visibly relaxed.

"It is already forgotten, dear, no need to mention it again. Besides, it was my fault so you have nothing to apologise for." And he had quickly gotten a brand new black Mercedes, that he loved just as much as his old one, or to be more precise: Just as much as his old ones. This hadn't been the first car that had fallen victim to one of his children.

She nodded and smiled up at Tanya, who had put her hands on her shoulders. Carlisle would have liked to do the same, he would have liked to embrace her, but it was probably still too early for that. He still got the feeling that the girl wasn't completely comfortable in his presence, and she didn't look like she wanted to be hugged by him.

But she was here now, she looked happy and she talked to him - the day couldn't get any better.

"Have you seen the house yet?"

Maddie looked at Esme and shook her head. "Only the bathroom downstairs. Alice shoved me into it and told me to get changed."

"Then we still have a lot to show you. I hope you like your room. It's that one, you see?" Esme took a few steps to stand next to her, then pointed to a window on the topmost level.

"I'll get a room up there?"

"Don't be daft. Do you think you'll get locked in the basement?" Tanya snorted.

Maddie groaned and rolled her eyes. "No? But I thought all the rooms up there would be taken."

"Sweetie, we had chosen a room for you right from the beginning. We rebuilt it, so you'd have a bigger closet."

"Huh?"

That really surprised her. Not just the part about the bigger closet, but also the fact that while she hadn't been with them, they had still prepared a room for her.

Esme looked a little embarrassed. "Of course we didn't know if you'd come to live with us again, but still, we always had a room ready, just in case."

Maddie really didn't know what to say, but Esme interpreted her silence as disappointment.

"You can have a different one if you don't like it, it's no trouble at all," she quickly said and shook her head.

Maddie just blinked at her in confusion, and Carlisle put a hand on his wife's shoulder. "Let her take a look at it first, love."

"Edward's room has a nicer view or we'll give her ours. She'd have her own bathroom and-"

"No!"

Esme and Carlisle gasped and stared at her. That had been a very loud and determined No.

"I don't want your room," she said emphatically.

Carlisle's face was unreadable, but Esme suddenly looked hurt... or disappointed.

"I-," Maddie started, but then she just let out a groan and walked away.

They watched her go, confused by the situation and unsure of how to react, and Tanya cleared her throat to gain their attention again.

"I'm sure she did not mean what you think she meant...," she said apologetically.

Carlisle held up a hand and shook his head. "No, that's absolutely fine, we were a little too rash."

They saw her head for the car to lean against the side, then noticed how Edward whispered something to Rose and then sent her over to her while he approached them.

"Mom, no," he said when he reached them, "she's not going to leave again after just a few minutes."

"Edward-"

"Sorry, Carlisle, but I just had to let your thoughts through to know what's going on."

"And?"

"Your offer made her uncomfortable. She just doesn't want to cause you any inconvenience and she has no idea how to decline something without running the risk of sounding rude."

"Really?"

He nodded.

And indeed, she did not get back in the car or wanted to leave. Rose brought her over to them, and then they led her into the house and she saw a big banner hanging in the foyer with the words 'Welcome home' written on it in bright pink letters. She didn't say anything to that, and so they just started to show her the house and her room that she actually really liked. The view was fine, the bed was comfy, only her closet was really big and already stuffed with clothes, so she would barely have any room for her own stuff that she had brought with her.

A sense of quiet had settled over the house after the little tour, and when the kids were busy talking and playing a game on Em's gaming console, the parents and Tanya left the house for a walk through the forest to give the kids some time.

It had been a while since the last time they had seen each other, and it would be nice to just talk. Especially now that Maddie would be staying here, it might be beneficial for them to know a few things so they would have a smooth start and would be able to get to know each other a little quicker.

"Has she opened up to you?" Carlisle asked when they passed the first few trees that bordered their property.

That was quick.

"About her past, you mean?" she asked and gazed up at him, then narrowed her eyes. "Why would that be the first thing you ask me about?"

He held her gaze before he looked up at the sky for a moment.

"I was just worried." He told her and ran a hand through his hair, sighing. "The last time I saw her... How does she feel about the transformation?"

Of course he would ask. His guilt was still weighing hard on him, and he needed to hear how she was doing now. "She remembers the pain, of course," she replied, then let out a sigh. "Over the time she got more comfortable with herself and the situation, I think. You know children can adapt fairly quickly as long as they are feeling safe and you're being honest with them. So we tried telling her about things she needed to know and she seemed to accept the facts."

"What about... her past? Does she still remember much of her human life?"

She looked back down at the muddy forest floor and shrugged her shoulders. "She's told me some things, but I know it wasn't all. Sometimes she is so unsure of herself and you just don't know where it's coming from. I have the feeling that the biggest problem is that she is ashamed of it."

"Ashamed?"

"Yes. It's sometimes hard for her to accept people being nice to her, because she's 'not a nice person', whatever that is supposed to mean."

"Oh dear," Esme breathed.

Carlisle put a hand on his wife's back, then quietly asked, "And what does she remember about her time... with us?"

Tanya's eyes darkened. "More than enough."

Carlisle and Esme exchanged a look.

"I still can't believe what you've done. You could have at least tried a little harder to tell her about you, instead of just letting her get worse and then turn her. Did you really think she would accept you just like that after that stunt?"

They walked in silence for a while as neither Carlisle nor Esme could change what had happened, until Tanya suddenly spoke up.

"I took her to San Francisco a few months ago," she told them.

Both Esme's and Carlisle's eyes widened at that. "You did? How did she react?"

Tanya's face took on a hint of sadness as the memory appeared. "That was so tough to watch. She needed closure, you know? So I took her there and we went to the graveyard where her family is buried. She had a complete breakdown when she saw that her mother along the baby wasn't buried next to her father, but next to her mother's new husband."

They didn't know what to say, and so they remained quiet and waited for Tanya to continue.

"She practically pulverised the tombstone, well, the half where his name was written on, crumbled it to dust."

When they just stared at her, she went on.

"I took her away from there then. I have never seen so much desperation in anyone's eyes."

"Is she all right?" Esme asked quietly, her hand covering her lips.

"She was different for several days, she cried nonstop without even noticing. The tears were just running down her face, but she didn't want to leave. She asked me if I could go back to the graves and put down some flowers and candles for her, and so I did. When we drove back to Alaska, she slowly became herself again. I'm not sure if I did her a favour taking her there. It was her biggest wish, but I really don't know if it was the right thing to do, seeing how she reacted. But it's her family, so who am I to keep her from that? I don't have the right - no one does."

"You gave her the chance to go to the cemetery and visit their graves and I'd like to thank you for that. I am ashamed that she missed the funeral because of us and couldn't make any arrangements concerning the location of her mother's grave."

Tanya nodded her head. "She remembered where her father and brother were buried, and since she expected her Mom to be buried next to them, she headed for that first. But like I told you she wasn't there, so Maddie went on in search for her. The poor girl."

Suddenly Esme frowned. "I thought the little baby boy was with the mother."

"Yes." Tanya nodded, but looked like she didn't understand what Esme was getting at.

"But you just said her brother was with her biological father."

"I'm not talking about the baby."

Carlisle gasped. "What?"

"Her older brother, his grave is next to her father's," Tanya clarified for them.

"No," Carlisle replied and shook his head, "she doesn't have another brother, she was an only child until the baby was born."

"Did she tell you that?"

He looked dumbfounded. "No, but we-"

"Well, I also don't know for sure, but when she passed the tombstone next to her Dad's, she let her fingers run over it like she was petting it. I almost didn't notice, but when I looked down I saw that the last names were the same."

"Maybe it's just a coincidence."

"She mentioned a car accident and that her father was in a coma for six weeks before his body gave up. This boy died six weeks prior to her father."

"Maybe-" "He was thirteen."

Judging by their silence, this information had taken them off guard and seemed to worry them.

It indeed worried them, as they didn't know how this family setting would affect her now. She would live with siblings and them, who would take the role as her parents. Would it work out?

She would clearly be comfortable with Rose and Em, but they didn't know how exactly she saw them. Friends? Family? If she had a brother back in her human life, than that might explain why she had warmed up to Emmett so quickly. Maybe she actually sought a family, perhaps it would bring comfort to her and make her feel safe. It was hard to tell, they had barely talked yet and she seemed more interested in interacting with her siblings than with them. But that was okay, they would take one step at a time.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought that up. I was just trying to brief you about a few things. Maybe I'm wrong about the boy, she has never mentioned him."

They nodded. "Yes, maybe."

"Okay... and please don't ask her about about her family, okay? If she wants to talk, she will – if she doesn't, she won't. So don't ask her and don't pester her."

"Of course not."

"Don't screw up again," she reminded them.

"Tanya, we want this to work out," Carlisle told her. "We made mistakes, but we don't regret having changed her. Now is our chance to show her why all this happened. You don't need to tell us to try harder or to try our best to make this work. That's what we want."

"I will pick her up again and take her back to Denali if you-" "Tanya."

She understood why her warnings were getting on their nerves, but nevertheless she wanted to let them know that they couldn't afford to make any more mistakes with the girl. And she wouldn't let them traumatise her again. "Just thought I'd mention it," she mumbled and shrugged her shoulders.

After walking some more around the forest, they headed home again to see how the children were doing, and just as they had jumped over the river, the sounds of cheering and laughing wavered over to them through the open French windows.

The kids were still talking and playing, and apparently Emmett was winning non-stop, making the others believe that he was cheating somehow. But the boy just had a lot of practice.

And another topic seemed to be discussed.

"... and then you can go to school with us!" They heard Alice say.

"... or I stay home with you and we'll play my new Xbox games," Emmett suggested with a huge grin. He was convinced that his new games were much more exciting than physics or social studies. And he wanted to make it his duty to teach the girl everything she needed to know. They could start with Evil Dead, and then head on to Otogi. Or Spongebob, whatever she liked.

Sighing, Maddie leaned back against the pillows. "I do wanna go outside, but I'm not sure about that school idea."

"School's fun! You can learn a lot about humans and-"

Rosalie held up a hand to stop her. "Alice, please. She knows everything about humans already. Not everyone woke up with complete memory loss, you know?"

"Everything?" Alice looked doubtful.

"I think so, yes," Maddie replied and blew a strand of hair out of her face.

"Ok, then tell me... why is it so important for girls to go to the restroom together? Why do people drink when it gives them horrible headaches? Why do they pee themselves when you put their hands in warm water while they sleep and why do they put chilli peppers in their food even though-"

"Alice," Rose interrupted her when Maddie just gaped at the spiky-haired pixie.

"I really want to know!"

"How would I know stupid stuff like that? Google it."

"It's human stuff, I thought you have been human!" Alice argued.

"So?"

Edward reached out and put a hand on his sister's shoulder while still trying to beat Emmett in his favourite fighting game. "Alice, stop it."

"But she needs to go to school, she doesn't know anything about humans!"

Edward and Emmett just finished their round, and Maddie took the controllers from them when they offered them to the group. She held one out to Alice.

"Come on," she prompted with a smile and pushed the controller into her hand. "I wanna crack your skull in half."

Tanya cleared her throat when she noticed her cousins exchange a weird look. "Well, they do seem to get along just fine," she remarked and smiled at Carlisle and Esme who just until a minute ago had still been worried.

Yes, it looked like it might indeed work out...

And that was the last chapter of this story. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing and being patient with me :-)

The next story will be Jasper/ Maddie bonding, because I got asked to write that. I have a few chapters, but I think I won't post it until the story is complete. That way you won't have to wait forever until I update. Aaand I will continue Otlta soon, very soon.

Okay, that's it, thanks everyone!