"All of the shit is in the car." Jane stands in the entryway, her backpack slung over her shoulder along with a pair of oversize sunglasses covering most of her face.

Her hair is pulled back in a ponytail, she is wearing one of Leah's old t-shirts. At least, I assume it's Leah's, because it has the word fister on it, and as far as I am aware, Jane hasn't explored sex with women.

Not yet, anyway.

"Language." I snap, and can't ignore how I sound exactly like Carlisle.

Jane just smirks, shaking her head and turns to Leah, who is doing a horrible job of covering her smile. "Check out big daddy over here."

"Be nice," Leah chuckles, and lightly slaps Jane's shoulder.

"Yeah, poor Edward's been on swear patrol ever since Lizzie got in trouble at school for calling a classmate a penis head." Alice walks past me, carrying a small cooler of what I assume is snacks for the trip, and gives Jane a little hip check as she passes on her way out the door.

"You can't blame me for that," Jane protests. "I've been at school."

"That doesn't mean you can't set a good example when you're here." I point out, and Jane responds by sticking out her tongue.

"Quit it, both of you." Leah glares at me, and gently pushes Jane toward the stairs. "Go get your sister."

I give up. There's no winning with any of the women in my family. Not that I should be surprised by this in the least. I do a quick visual check of the living room and go over my mental check list. We should have everything we need. It's not a long trip, but it always seems like we forget something.

"Lizard, get your ass down here," Jane screams from the bottom of the stairs, and I grind my teeth.

I look up, ready to say something, but Leah already has her hand in the air. She shakes her head, gesturing for me to keep my mouth shut.

I know she's trying to keep the peace, but I'm on edge. This is always a bad time of year. I hoped to make things easier for Jane by going on a family trip for her birthday. Not too far, just down to Portland to visit Emmett and Rose, and check out their new house and business. It's a distraction, and not a very good one. There's no good way to avoid the pain of celebrating her birthday without facing the loss of her brother, but I have to try. If I don't, I might have to deal with it myself, and some days I don't know if I can. I thought time would change that, but it never does.

Leah's face softens, and she walks over to me. "I know."

She pulls me into her arms, and I cling to her almost too tightly for a second. Then I get a hold of myself, and let out a shaky breath. I'm back in control.

"Thank you," I whisper against her cheek, and give her a quick kiss.

"Momma, can I bring Sparkle pants?" Lizzie runs up to us, holding her bright favorite toy.

Mister Charles Winchester Spark Pants the fourth, is a pink pony with glittering purple pants and lime green hair that Leah braided upon Lizzie's request. The doll and it's ridiculous name were a gift from Seth. Whenever I see the thing, I can't help but smile, remembering the crazy Christmas we spent in La Push, our entire melded family crammed into Harry's house. It was bit of mess, logistically speaking, but it was also one of the best times of my life.

"Of course, baby." Leah bends down to zip up Lizzie's jacket, and I'm struck again by how much they look alike.

Everyone tells me Lizzie has my mouth, and hands. Esme insist that she acts exactly like me, especially the way she idolizes Jane. "You were even worse with Emmett, had to do everything with him. The sun rose and set around your big brother."

"Come on, Lizard." Jane holds out her hand, and Lizzie can't get out of Leah's grasp fast enough.

She runs over to cling to her older sister's hand, and smiles wide. Jane takes off her sunglasses and puts them on Lizzie's face. As she looks down at Lizzie, I notice a hint of sadness in her smile.

She looks up at me, and I feel my chest tighten. There's a moment when I'm tempted to go to her, to comfort her the same way Leah did for me. But Jane straightens in an instant, shakes her head and her smile is confident again.

"The princess crew will be chillin' in the car, Daddy-o." Jane gives me a wink, and leads Lizzie out the door.

"Daddy-o?" Leah stands up and takes my hand. "For the record, she gets that from you."

I smile, tightening my grip on my wife's hand, and nod. "Damn right she does."

"Language, Edward," she scolds me with a smirk, and I gives her a smack on the ass in reply. "I'll show you some language."

"You better." Leah laughs before heading out the door.