Lily woke up alone. She rolled over and looked at her phone, seeing that it was well after noon. She groaned. Being a surgeon meant being flexible with her schedule, but she never liked to sleep in later than ten. Elsie came in and crawled into bed with her mother, curling up.

"Momma, you slept a long time," Elsie said matter-of-factly.

Lily laughed softly. "Momma was up late last night."

"Did you go back to work?" Elsie asked with wide eyes.

"No," Lily said sadly. "I was talking with Lee-Lee and Rosie."

"Is everything okay?" the girl asked with a scrunched brow.

Lily nodded. "Yes. Everything is okay. Everything is getting better. Mommy is going to get better, sweetie. I promise."

Elsie smiled brightly and attacked her mother in a hug. They heard a soft chuckle from the doorway and looked over to see Carlisle standing there. "It's good to see you back to normal. Elsie, can I speak with your mother?"

"Can I play with your heart listener thing?" Elsie asked, sitting up.

Carlisle smiled. "We talked about what it was called. Do you remember?"

Elsie thought deeply, repeating after her mother when Lily quietly whispered the name to her. "Stethoscope."

"Of course you can use it," Carlisle said with a bright smile. "Just make sure to put it back in my office when you're done."

"I will," Elsie promised. She hopped up and hugged Carlisle's legs before running off to his office.

"She's a sweet child," Carlisle commented.

Lily sat up in the bed and looked at him. "Thanks. Hey, so I wanted to apologize for last night... I went a little crazy for a minute. I'm sure Rosalie told you- assuming you didn't know before that."

"I should apologize to you," Carlisle said. He sat on the edge of the bed and took in her appearance. "I shouldn't have been so forward. Sometimes I forget this is a different time and not everyone was raised as I was."

"Will you tell me about it?" Lily asked shyly.

Carlisle nodded. "I was born in 1640 and my father was a pastor. From childhood, I knew about the supernatural- vampires, werewolves, all of it."

"Wait," Lily said and adjusted herself to be more comfortable. "Werewolves exist, too?"

Carlisle couldn't hide his smile. "There is a lot for you to learn about my world, Vera."

"Leah told me about the history of her tribe," Lily said. "She told me that some of the men turn to wolves."

Carlisle nodded. "They are technically considered shapeshifters because they turn at will rather than on the night of the full moon."

"Thank you for being honest with me," Lily said suddenly. "And for sending Rosalie to explain it all. She really helped me calm down."

"She told me," Carlisle said wearily. "I didn't mean to put you into such a state."

"Sometimes it happens," Lily admitted, more to herself than to him. "It started around the time I was diagnosed with leukemia. I know it doesn't have anything to do with the sickness, but sometimes I feel like it's making me lose my mind."

Carlisle tilted his head as if listening for something. He then blinked and looked at Lily again. "Leah is back."

"You can hear her?" Lily asked. She began moving out of the bed.

"As a vampire, all senses are heightened," Carlisle answered simply. "She will want to speak with you."

Lily nodded and went to the dresser. "I want to change real quick. I'll see you downstairs?"

"I need to head to the hospital and check on a couple of my patients," Carlisle admitted sheepishly.

Lily turned to look at him. "Carlisle, you don't have to feel bad. Based on last night, I know I'm not ready to go back."

Carlisle nodded. He flashed across the room to her and moved her hair from her face before placing his hand gently on the back of her head. "Call me if anything happens, or have Leah or someone call. I don't enjoy being away from you right now."

Lily nodded. "I promise."

Carlisle pressed a light kiss to her forehead before looking down at her. Lily stood on her toes briefly to brush her lips against his. The simple, quick moment made her heart skip a beat. Carlisle chuckled softly to himself and kissed her quickly, naturally- as if they'd been this way for a number of years. "Change and find Leah. I heard her promise to tell you more today."

Lily blushed and smiled. She blinked and Carlisle was gone, only a slight breeze left behind. The quick movement was something she would need time to become used to. The woman changed quickly before going downstairs and seeing Leah leaning against the porch railing. She joined the tall woman. "Hey."

Leah scrunched up her nose. "You smell like him."

"What?" Lily asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The vamp doctor," Leah said. "They all smell awful, but I can tell the difference between them. I never thought it would happen, but I've almost gotten used to the stench by now."

"Will you tell me more about the wolves?" Lily asked. She looked at her friend. "You said you would."

Leah quirked a smile, still staring into the trees. "It started with Sam. The Cullens moved to Forks, not far from where we grew up in La Push, and he phased. Then Paul and Jared joined him. Bella was chased out of town by a leech who bit her, but then came back to be with Edward again. Embry phased after they left. The leech that tried to kill Bella had a mate who came after Bella because the Cullens killed him. Then it was Jacob, then Quil. My dad had a heart attack almost a week before the Cullens came back to town, and Seth and I phased that night. There's never been a record of a female wolf."

"It sounds lonely," Lily murmured and looked down at her hands.

"It is," Leah said. "But I'm used to it. After Bella became one of them, Jacob split off. He was the rightful alpha and wouldn't listen to Sam. Seth followed, and I had to keep him safe. Sam's pack is a lot bigger than ours, but it's easier this way- especially after Jacob imprinted on Renesmee."

"What does that mean? Imprinting?" Lily asked. She moved to sit in a chair on the large porch, slowly becoming tired of standing. Leah sat next to her. "I hear the guys talk about it a lot, but I don't know what it is or what it means."

"It's... hard to explain," Leah answered honestly. "I've never imprinted, but we have a kind of pack mind when we phase. We can hear each other's thoughts. Imprinting is... It's when someone becomes the center of your world. When Jacob imprinted on Renesmee, it was like his entire world shifted. It wasn't the sun holding him in place anymore... she was. She's his everything. It's all up to her, what they become in the future. When she was little all she wanted was a friend and protector and brother. Now, I'm not so sure."

"Bella said that Elsie and Embry have the same special kind of relationship as Quil and Claire. Did he, you know, imprint on her?" Lily asked nervously.

Leah nodded with a smile. "Yes. But you have nothing to worry about. Embry just wants to keep her happy. When a wolf imprints, their priority is the happiness and protection of the person they imprinted on. The cost of that doesn't matter to them."

"Is that what happened with Sam?" If possible, Lily's voice was quieter than it had ever been.

Leah looked down, her face becoming hardened, and nodded once. "Yes. I didn't understand it before, but after I phased I could see in his mind how sorry he was to hurt me and how much Emily had suddenly meant to him. It was easier to understand then, but that didn't take the pain away. The best thing I could've done was to join Jacob's pack."

Lily nodded. She didn't understand completely, but she was trying. She couldn't imagine how hurt Leah still was, even if it had been years since everything happened. "Can I ask you something?"

Leah nodded. "Course, Lil. You can always ask me anything."

"Do you think you'll ever imprint?" Lily asked quickly. She was scared that if she didn't say it fast enough she would back out of asking.

Leah shrugged. "Honestly? No. I don't think I will."

"I don't think you're destined to spend forever by yourself," Lily said. She placed a hand on Leah's hot shoulder. "I know you'll find someone. Even if you hide it, you're too sweet to spend forever by yourself."

Leah placed a hand over Lily's. "Thanks, hun. That's really sweet of you to say."

"Lily," Alice said, suddenly appearing. "Carlisle wants me to drop you off at the hospital. He mentioned something about running a few more tests and not having the right machinery here."

"Okay," Lily said. She stood slowly, only stopping when Leah put a hand on her arm. She looked up at the woman with question.

"I'll take you," Leah said. She looked at Alice. "I need to run to town anyway."

Alice rolled her eyes before tossing Leah the keys. "It's the black Equinox out front."

Leah nodded. "I got it."