Jackson
Nahuel and Leah went for a walk to get to know each other better. Leah was hopeful but cautious so I was sure they weren't going to end up naked like the other couples who had wandered away to seek some privacy.
I liked Leah as a person, and already thought of her as family. I was always hopeless at analysing my own feelings, yet I was sure she evoked sisterly emotions.
Edward was watching me strangely. I silently asked him to voice what was making him so curious or I would begin picturing his wife naked.
"Your thoughts toward Leah are interesting," he admitted, "Once you hoped she would imprint on you, then you wanted to ease her pain and now you are like a father watching his daughter leave the nest."
"Telepaths," I snorted, "You think you know so much. People, and Vampires think all sorts of nonsense. You need to analyse their emotions and their actions to be able to understand anything."
"You may be right," Edward mused.
"I know he is," Rosalie agreed absently.
My mind shot to their dysfunctional relationship before I could stop the images. One day they would sort out the issues which had festered for decades but it was not my place to prompt such a discussion.
"Why hasn't anyone invented artificial blood?" I asked suddenly.
Even Emmett looked confused when I blurted that out.
"I have kept my mouth closed for months," I added, though Edward snorted to show his disagreement, "And I really want to know; why hasn't anyone in this family invented artificial blood? Is some other Vampire working on it?"
"I saw that in a TV show," Emmett replied with a grin.
"Those Vampires have fangs," Bella pointed out, "And sunlight cooks them."
"That would suck," Edward mused, "As much as I hate looking like a glitter ball on a sunny day, being roasted is even less appealing."
"Sleeping would be nice," Rosalie added, "But not in the dirt; that would be gross."
"So no-one is going to answer my question?"
"Carlisle wanted to work on it a few decades ago," Edward revealed, "But he was worried about drawing attention. Medical science was advancing so fast that he was sure humans would sort it out before the turn of the century."
"There are a few types which can replace many of the functions of the blood, but not carrying oxygen," Rosalie explained, "It tastes good but doesn't satisfy."
"Have you tried mixing it with animal blood?"
They looked at me with equally surprised expressions. Once again I was struck by how limited their imaginations were.
"I'll take that as a 'no'."
Rosalie and Edward continued the conversation about that suggestion while my attention wandered to Leah again. I hoped she would find happiness, even long enough to stop blaming herself for not being able to hold onto Sam.
"Nahuel has another theory he is sharing with Leah," Edward said softly to me.
I rolled my eyes at his shameless gossiping.
"I do not gossip," Edward argued.
Rosalie, Emmett and Bella all laughed at him. I smiled as his annoyance kept the amusement at bay.
"Anyway," he growled, "Nahuel wonders is Leah is fertile, and that is why she didn't imprint."
"It always seemed weird," Bella mused, "She has the strongest bloodlines and yet none of the boys imprinted on her."
"Imagine the tension if she had experienced some sort of shifter mating heat," Emmett added with a grin, "They would have killed each other over her, or had an orgy."
Rosalie stared at him while he cringed, waiting for her to slap him or say something cutting. Instead she remained motionless.
"That actually makes a lot of sense," Bella concluded, "To keep the Pack stable, maybe her body chose to become temporarily infertile. Once she is surrounded by only imprinted males, who knows what could happen?"
I frowned at the forest; I really hoped she was not out there getting naked with the hybrid. More than anything else, I didn't want her to be hurt again.
Even Jacob and Renesmee decided to travel with the Pack for a while, much to Bella's dismay. With eternity stretching ahead I didn't understand her concerns. Rosalie suggested that Renesmee take her parents with her on their planned trip to Africa.
Leah thanked me for my help and promised to stay in touch. She confided that she and Nahuel were going to remain friends while they got to know each other and then see what happened.
She cried a little, which made me uncomfortable though I couldn't admit it. I had wished that I could cry more than once in my life.
"I will miss you little wolf," I admitted gruffly while she held me in a scorching hug. I savoured the nauseating smell, knowing I would miss it as soon as she left.
"Keep in touch Leech," she replied as we pulled apart, "And when you find your mate I need to meet her to make sure she's good enough for you."
The rest of the family kept their distance, though I was sure they could still hear us. Nearby the Pack was excited to explore the world.
Life returned to normalcy, or as close to 'normal' as the Cullen's would understand. Living on the edge of death under the watchful gaze of a manipulative sire would have been more familiar to me.
I was surrounded by blissfully happy couples and it was pissing me off. The stench of wolf in the forest was slowly fading, and I was continually grateful that I did not need to breathe.
I sought out Rosalie, when she was not sneaking off somewhere semi-private to get naked with Emmett.
"I love Nessie," Rosalie commented airily while sprawled on the living room floor with a glossy magazine, "But when she takes her pets away I am relieved that the stench begins to fade."
I appreciated how she opened the conversation without any awkward greetings. Her bored tone and passing insult covered her effort to reach out to me. I could sense the concern she had for me, and it was sweet.
"I want to hunt," I said without preamble, "I need to throw out some emotions too."
Rosalie nodded knowingly, "I'll grab Emmett, and we can leave in ten."
Jasper and Alice entered the house behind me. I realized that I was not concerned that my back was exposed to them.
"Only ten minutes?" Jasper teased, "Emmett must be losing his stamina."
Rosalie flipped him off as she left the house.
"New house rule," Alice announced suddenly, "No-one is allowed to tease Edward about his sex life."
"So everything has to redirect to Emmett," Jasper added.
I snorted, mainly annoyed that I didn't have a sex life to be teased about.
"Are you sure it would screw things up if Tanya and I-"
"Yes," Alice cut me off, "Think about the conversation you will have to have with a long-term lover to explain why certain movements make you flinch. If you share that with Tanya instead of your mate, the mating bond will be weaker than it should be."
"And if you have sex with Tanya without having that conversation she will never understand," Jasper added.
I raised an eyebrow at him, wondering if he knew that from experience. He pressed his lips together to indicate that he would not speak about it any further.
"Which will ruin the friendship," Alice concluded, "Damn, this is annoying having to explain why I make these decisions."
"Less annoying that having decisions made for you," I pointed out.
Emmett yelled at us from the yard, something about Santa needing his reindeer herd culled.
"Jingle Bells, Emmett smells," Alice sang as she glided outside.
"Edward ran away," Jasper continued.
"Did they really?" Rosalie wondered, "I looked for them but their trails were all old."
Jasper and I regarded Alice; her emotions gave her away.
"Cough it up," Emmett ordered her.
"Bella and Edward have left on an errand," Alice said tightly.
"Errand?" I coaxed.
"Lonnie will be released from prison tomorrow."
"Is Edward going to try to stop her?" Emmett wondered.
"Not if he wants to keep his testicles," Rosalie countered.
Emmett moaned, "Can I joke about him if he's not here?"
"No," Jasper and I replied together.
I felt better once I had drained a few reindeer, though the lingering sensation of boredom remained. I didn't have a mate or a purpose; life was boring the hell out of me.
Bella and Edward returned after a week. They both retained their golden eyes and the rest of the family stank of curiosity.
I expected an immediate confrontation from Carlisle, considering his strong opinions on killing humans. Instead the couple was welcomed home and the elephant in the house was ignored.
Emmett found an online news article about the recently-released sex-offender who had been found hanged in his own apartment. I was looking forward to the family meeting which was planned for the moment Carlisle returned from work.
Bella did not emit one wisp of guilt, which I admired. Edward did, but I suspected it was the disappointment from Carlisle he regretted rather than dismay at the outcome.
Rosalie tried to initiate a conversation about the death, and Esme quickly silenced her. I admired Esme in that moment and sent Rosalie a wave of calm.
"We will wait for Carlisle," Esme explained tightly.
We spent three hours motionless in the living room. I could see the annoyance of most of the family and was secretly delighted; life was just as tedious for me most days so it was nice to know that my reaction was normal.
Esme went outside to greet her mate when we heard the car approaching. Silence reigned within the house as we listened to Esme inform Carlisle of the death. I was sure it was a murder yet even in my thoughts I tried to avoid the term.
Carlisle and Esme returned wearing sombre expressions. The family sat in the same room for a full minute before a word was spoken.
"Bella, Edward; did you kill Lonnie and make it look like a suicide?" Carlisle asked finally.
"Yes," Bella replied calmly, "Edward helped with the planning; I carried it out."
Carlisle was surrounded by disappointment and dread.
"I cannot condone this," he said firmly, "As you were an intended victim I can understand your need for reprisal, but if it happens again neither of you would be welcome as permanent members of this family."
"I understand," Bella replied evenly, "And I hope I never again have to deal with a monster like that."
She didn't rule out the possibility of killing again, which interested me greatly.
Alice spoke up, "Carlisle, if we remain together as a family until the end of the year the Volturi will come for us," she said flatly.
Alarm spread through the assembled Vampires quickly.
"Jasper and I are going to take a long holiday around the world," she continued, "Jackson, you and Tanya are invited to travel with us."
"Should the rest of us scatter too?" Rosalie asked with a frown.
Alice stared at the back of the room for a few long seconds. I didn't like the way her emotions blanked out, though I was used to the sensation after so many months witnessing it.
"Aro, Renata, Felix and Demetri will arrive together; Jane and Alec will remain out of sight but close enough to incapacitate if needed. If the six of you remain together Aro will be suspicious but not hostile."
"He will know that we only left to avoid a confrontation," I pointed out.
Edward made a weird noise and stared at Alice in disbelief, "You want to split the family permanently?"
"Not a chance," Emmett declared. At the same time Rosalie announced, "No way!"
"Alice, this is a huge decision," Carlisle intoned gravely, "I refuse to let the threat of the Volturi tear us apart. Take a vacation if you must, but no decisions will be made until we are reunited."
Alice agreed easily. I was not the only one to sense that the decision had already been made.
"Let's meet up in Paris in a few months," Rosalie suggested.
"It has been decades since I visited London," Carlisle mused.
"We will keep in touch," Alice assured her parents, "I'll call every week to check in. We can meet up in different places and search for a place where we can live close enough while still being considered two separate families."
"Siberia?" Bella suggested, "I've always wanted to learn Russian."
"Sounds great Comrade!" Emmett boomed, "The bears in Russia need to be hunted!"
"Emmett," Esme scolded, "Try not to think with your stomach all the time."
"His stomach is the nicer option," Edward sighed.
They were strange and I had known them for less than a year but I was sure I was going to miss living with the Cullen's.