~ Chapter 47 ~

" I think I'll go home and mull this over,
Before I cram it down my throat
At long last it's crashed, it's colossal mass
Has broken up into bits in my moat.
Lift the mattress off the floor
Walk the cramps off
Go meander in the cold
Hail to your dark skin
Hiding the fact you're dead again
Underneath the power lines seeking shade
Far above our heads are the icy heights that contain all reason
It's a luscious mix of words and tricks
That let us bet when you know we should fold
On rocks i dreamt of where we'd stepped
And the whole mess of roads we're now on." - The Shins

The road seemed endless, even though the trip wasn't going to take that long. Emmett was already feeling antsy, and Jasper wasn't making it any easier. The dark cloud radiating from him, coupled with his gift, made sitting next to him nearly impossible. It was all Emmett could do to concentrate on driving, he knew he would need a distraction to keep from going temporarily insane. He thought about turning on the radio, but somehow that didn't seem like the right move. So reluctantly he turned to his troubled brother.

"So on a scale of one to ten, with one being all of us getting expelled from high school, and ten being our heads displayed in Aro's secret trophy room, how fucked do you think we are right now?" Emmett asked bluntly, frowning over at Jasper as he pressed the accelerator down a bit too far, pushing his oversized heavy duty truck ten miles past the speed limit. Just as he hoped, his question shattered the contemplative silence that had filled the cabin since they'd pulled onto the highway, although he didn't get the smile he was hoping for.

Jasper scowled and gave Emmett a half glance in warning. He had been dour ever since Edward had been put down. Everyone else except for Carlisle seemed to take it in stride, even Esme who Emmett expected to be super depressed and totally conflicted, seemed to be in better spirits then Jasper. Those first few minutes were the rough part. With Carlisle crying over Edward's grave, and Isabella and Esme having their moment, no one knew exactly what to do or what to say.

That awkwardness made the trip back to the remains of the Swan house seem to take a bit longer than normal. When they all arrived there was a long period of time where everyone kind of milled about aimlessly, until Bree looked up randomly from her seat in front of the bonfire and asked, "When do we start planning the house?"

The question grabbed everyone's attention and kept it. What followed was an avalanche of activity, which started with Bella shrugging when she was asked what she wanted in a house. Thankfully Rosalie and Esme had quickly taken charge of the construction project. The assigned tasks weren't far behind, which was how Emmett and Jasper found themselves headed towards Seattle. The goal was to pick up a second truck, and then fill both with construction materials, supplies, tools, and other miscellaneous equipment they could grab on a first run to get things started right.

After the question, the silence in the cab of the truck stretched, and Emmett was on the verge of repeating himself when Jasper finally replied.

"I hardly think getting expelled is that big of a deal. We've only gone through high school a dozen times… and I wouldn't go so far as to say we're fucked exactly…" Jasper's voice trailed off, though his expression remained pensive, as he gathered his thoughts.

"No? Could've fooled me, since you've been such a giant bundle of optimism since we left. You can see where I was confused." Emmett replied, his tone sarcastic with edges of accusation in it, though as he said it, he kept his eyes firmly on the road. It wouldn't due to go veering off the road because of a few moments of irritation.

Jasper's tone frayed into frustration when he finally responded, although Emmett wasn't sure if it was because of his not to subtle accusation, or his sarcasm. "Look, someone has to be concerned right now. I'm sorry that I'm not all sunshine and rainbows, but things are kinda screwed up. You have had the luxury and good fortune to be living in relatively quiet times for nearly your entire existence. Some of us have not been so fortunate." Jasper's voice calmed as he turned to regard Emmett, who eyed him with an incredulous expression.

"I know, I know. You're the soldier, which is a fact you'll never let us forget either. That doesn't mean you know everything, even if you've seen our kind at its most vicious and brutal." Emmett said with mild resignation, his voice flat.

Jasper's reply was slightly clipped in response, "I wouldn't need to remind everyone if they behaved with a bit more caution. I get your point though, I could probably be a bit less severe, it's just that I've seen more war and fighting than I care to remember. More than anyone really should. I've certainly seen more than the rest of this 'coven'."

Emmett shook his head slightly as he kept his eyes on the road. "Except that's not true anymore. Not really. I think Isabella's probably got you beat in that area now, plus you haven't been in a fight since James, and that was nearly a hundred years ago." Emmett repressed a slight smirk, when he caught Jasper open his mouth to protest out of the corner of his eye, and then watched him shut his jaw silently.

Emmett knew he didn't have much of a window to make his point, so he pressed his advantage. "Not to mention Eliza, and I don't think I'd want to wager against that ninja chick Mei, or that giant fucking tiger. God… that thing was nearly as tall as me."

For the first time in quite awhile Jasper cracked a smile. "Isabella does seem to have the innate ability to make friends with the oddest types. All those years ago she befriends vampires. Then she goes and befriends the Volturi…"

Emmett grinned, "Let's not forget to mention the wolves."

"How could I? We barely managed to eke out a treaty with the mongrels, one that has never been the most… stable or hospitable I might add… and she goes and forms a fucking alliance... in a week. How did that happen?" Jasper frowned, but smiled after a moment of reflection. Emmett had a point.

That was enough to break the tension in the truck. For a moment at least, until a related line of thought quickly turned his expression somber. "My point is, I don't really care if I'm coming across as all doom and gloom, but I don't want to lie to myself or anyone else. I have no illusions about the Volturi's wrath. This isn't just someone being careless, or the even flagrant flaunting of powers in front of humans. This is a flat out challenge to the Volturi and their power. They're going to bring all their forces to bear, and come down on us like the hammer of God."

The seriousness in Jasper's tone quelled any smart-aleck comment that Emmett had been prepared to make. When he finally did open his mouth to reply, Jasper surprised him by interrupting before he could get a word out. "I know Isabella's powerful." He said, voicing what Emmett had clearly been prepared to say. "The question that remains unanswered is; is she powerful enough? That's without mentioning Eliza contribution. Alone, Isabella is a monster. Together they are unbelievably powerful. But are they powerful enough? Sure they managed to take out fifty dying newborns in record time, but in the long run she and Eliza are just two, against the full might and breadth of the Volturi guard. My honest evaluation, given the facts at hand is that we stand no chance. They will overwhelm us with sheer numbers, especially if they call in all their allies and favors owed to them."

Jasper frowned and crossed his arms, while actively scanning the road for potential threats. This time it was Emmett that was slow in replying. When he finally did his tone was thoughtful, "I'm not so sure. What she did to Edward was unlike anything I've ever seen, that was Goku level stuff. Then there's the story I overheard some of the wolves gossiping about."

Jasper looked at Emmett with curiosity, trying to ignore Emmett's penchant for anime references. Despite the slightly lighthearted way he started, when Emmett continued his voice devoid of humor. "Apparently after the house explosion Isabella literally flew out of the rubble, with these creepy shadow arm things levitating her and her daughters. Then she screamed, and a chill went through them like someone had stepped over their graves."

Jasper had a confused expression on his face, and Emmett just nodded letting it sink in for several seconds before once more continuing his argument. "You also can't deny the fact that she is clearly different from us. The way she healed... that's... Carlisle was at a loss. She shouldn't have recovered. No one, and I mean no one in the entire history of the world, has recovered from something like that. Is there a scale for her kind of power? I mean how can we know what she can do? And let's not forget Eliza who is all quippy and friendly... ish. But one look in her eyes and you can see the warrior in there. She's harder than you were when we first met. And now there are four of them, with Alice and Bree having been changed into whatever she is too. They should be twice as effective with four, right?"

Jasper shook his head at that, his voice certain. "As... nuts as that sounds. I'm afraid it just doesn't work like that."

Emmett turned his head briefly to regard Jasper with a puzzled frown. "What do you mean?"

Jasper shook his head again, "I love Alice, and Bree strikes me as a sweet girl. But they are hardly trained warriors. It's not about them being 'different', it's about experience."

Emmett turned his eyes back to the road, and then processed Jaspers objection. When he finally responded after a few moments, his made sure to inject understanding into his voice. "I guess you're right. I assumed that we'd have time for some kind of training, but that probably isn't going to be enough is it?

"No, not really. Unless Isabella is an exceptional trainer. Even then, I doubt there is enough time for more than the basics, especially with this house taking up the next week at least." Jasper pursed his lips slightly, then twitched the left side of his mouth to pull out of the expression. Then he looked at his brother thoughtfully.

"What about Alice, she should be practically unstoppable now? Also, we shouldn't count Bree out. She's determined to learn, and picks things up very quickly." He gave Jasper a hopeful look, but once again, Jasper shook his head in disagreement.

"You're right, Bree is tenacious and bright. But at the moment she's not much more than a powerful newborn. As for Alice, I fear she might be even worse." Jasper looked back out the window, and sighed. He hated speaking ill of Alice in any way, but she had limitations that needed to be addressed.

Emmett's reaction was a bit more knee jerk than Jasper expected and he cut heavily on the wheel sending them towards the tree line viciously, before he corrected. "It's a nice truck Emmett, and I don't think Rosalie would be happy with you if your wrecked another one."

Emmett growled slightly, and gripped the wheel a little more tightly. Without looking at him, Emmett snapped out, "How can you say that? Alice is a better fighter than you are!"

Jasper's response was solemn, and if he was bothered by Emmett's tone, his face didn't show it. "I can say it because it's true. Alice is a nearly peerless fighter because knows what her opponent is going to do before they do it. She has no need to rely on anything but her second sight, which renders her so effective that no one ever touches her in a fight. The problem is that Alice's powers aren't working anymore."

They had discovered that little piece of news earlier in the evening when Alice had attempted to see the future and had come up completely blank for the first time in her memory. It had everyone concerned about the change, even Isabella was surprised by the news. The only one who didn't seem bothered by it was Alice. She had merely shrugged, and Jasper had been close enough to hear her murmur to Isabella, "I'll take this trade any day."

Jasper's brow furrowed as he continued after a momentary pause. "Whether it's just temporary or a permanent side effect of whatever change they go through. It effectively eliminates her advantage. It would be like suddenly losing your sight, right now she's going around without one of her senses. A sense that she has relied on for her entire life."

That seemed to resonate with Emmett as he let that sink in. When he replied, his voice was subdued. "Okay, I'll grant that, maybe you're right. Alice not being in touch with her inner Miss Cleo anymore is a bit of a problem, but I just can't help thinking that Isabella knows what she's talking about. She worked with the Volturi for nearly a century. I mean if anyone knows about their inner workings, it's one of their own coven members, right...?"

Emmett's voice trailed off and he let his eyes and hands wander as he spoke, since the road was relatively empty. He didn't like the outlook that Jasper had just painted. He felt passionate about this new coven. Rosalie had seemed more alive in the past two weeks than he had ever seen her, which was both incredibly wonderful and totally perplexing. He was willing to grant that Isabella seemed to be a little bit of a trouble magnet, but the fact remained that her presence back in their lives had drawn them from the pit of stagnation and depression they had been wallowing since they left her behind all those years ago. Rosalie was suddenly open, and had begun to smile again. Like those times when they would go away from the family to be just husband and wife.

Emmett was sure that the change in Rosalie wasn't entirely about Isabella though, but he wasn't entirely sure what had triggered the change. Sure the changes had been the most evident since they had joined Isabella's coven, but if he was being honest with himself, it had started even earlier than that. He was tempted to attribute it to Bree, because Rose clearly enjoyed the innocence and youth that Bree still held onto.

Although if pressed he would have to trace the changes back even further. To right when Isabella had returned to their lives, no matter how tangentially. Her mere presence was enough to spark something in all of them. For him it had been a rare moment where he lost his temper with his family. After that, it was as if just seeing the life in him return was enough to spark a change in her, except even that didn't quite explain how much she had changed. In a very real and unbelievable way Rosalie didn't even resemble the woman he'd known for nearly two hundred years. It was like she stopped hiding the best parts of herself.

Then it occurred to him, what the real difference was. It had nothing to do with Isabella, but it did have everything to do with Edward. Emmett felt stupid missing that obvious connection all these years. It had to be the mental intrusion, it must've been too much for her. Or something. She was such a private person, and to live a life were there effectively was no way to keep her thoughts to herself, must've been nearly impossible. He frowned and focused on the road. He wanted to turn the truck around and talk to her, to find out the truth either way. Or maybe he just wanted to acknowledge her change, and apologize for being a blockhead.

Jasper noticed Emmett's internal conflict and took a long moment to mulling over Emmett's opinion before finally replying. "You make fair point. I guess we'll just have to see. That doesn't change my feeling about some of the rest of this though. This trip seems like it's a fool's errand. Building a house in the middle of an unknown situation still feels like a pointless endeavor."

Jasper pursed his lips in irritation; he had not been pleased when Esme sent them on this errand. The trip sent him far enough away from Adara that he was already ill at ease, this conversation wasn't alleviating any of that building tension. Of course everyone seemed rather confident that nothing was coming immediately, but that was hardly reassuring.

"I think it'll be a good thing actually. Working together for the first time, getting a chance to interact with this new... family dynamic, it could be an adventure!" Emmett couldn't suppress the excited grin that crossed his face.

Jasper snorted, "You're just pleased that Eliza is insisting on, and I quote, 'The biggest television legally allowed in the continental United States. With a surround system to match and every game console ever built.' Or the giant combat arena that Isabella stipulated for the basement."

A sheepish expression crossed Emmett's face. "So what? Eliza has good taste! And tell me you aren't psyched about having a place to let loose for once without worrying about prying eyes?" He protested playfully, before his expression turned less sheepish and more serious. "Honest, I'm just thrilled to have Esme back, she already makes things feel easier."

Emmett turned on the radio, hoping to find something that could help ease Jasper's mood. Then he chuckled inwardly, and started focusing on silly memories so he could conjure up the corresponding emotions, in a playful attempt to inundate Jasper with happy chaos.

"That won't work." Jasper snorted a little bit at Emmett's attempt at levity.

Emmett shrugged and then a wicked grin crossed his face. "Well, if we don't build a house we could always live in tents! But… I've never heard of someone building a sound proof tent before." He finished his statement with a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows.

Jasper blinked and then turned away for a moment before heaving a resigned sigh. "Alright fine, we'll build a house." He had temporarily forgotten about that little issue. He had no desire to hear in great detail whenever anyone else in the newly formed coven was feeling particularly amorous.

Silence reigned again in the truck for several minutes, though this was a slightly more comfortable silence. Finally Jasper spoke up again, his tone more somber. "I still think I should've gone with Carlisle to make sure he didn't do anything... rash." Jasper couldn't finish the sentence with his initial thought. If any of them could commit suicide, it was Carlisle. His empathy made him more prone to the negative emotions, and because knew more about vampiric weaknesses than anyone, he was afraid that there was nothing that could prevent him from ending his life if he really wanted to go. Unless someone was there watching him every second until he was 'over it'.

"Do something rash over the asshole? Nah. He'll finally figure out what the rest of us did. Carlisle may never accept how big a douche bag Eddie was, but I know he'll get over it. Esme did what she had to do. She made the hard decision, so the rest of us wouldn't have to. I just wish I'd been there to help." Emmett set his jaw with a satisfied smile.

Emmett had thought he would be at least a little upset when Edward was finally killed, but was pleasantly shocked when he discovered he felt quite the opposite. He had felt bad for Esme of course, because he knew she made that choice thinking that she was going to lose everything. It made him love her even more than he already did, to know that she was willing to sacrifice everything in her life, for her children.

Emmett had never really thought of her as his 'mother' until that moment. Sure she was always the matriarch, and he accepted her as the second head of the coven. He just hadn't really thought of her like that, because his human parents had always been a good memory for him to rely on. He hadn't really needed a mother figure. Her actions seemed to lift a huge weight off his shoulders that he hadn't even been aware was there. Whatever damage Edward had caused over the years, it was finally over.

"That seems rather callous, he was our brother." Jasper said blandly as he looked over at Emmett and noted his expression with a raised eyebrow.

"He lost that connection to me the instant he thought about betraying us. Actually, knowing that Isabella choose us all those years ago, and he took that choice away from her, is enough to totally write him off. He had absolutely no right to do that. That one action proved that he likely spent his entire life manipulating us all like puppets in some elaborate private play. I'm disgusted by his arrogance and ignorance." He pressed on the gas pedal a bit harder, pushing them nearly to the top speed of the truck.

"You might want to slow down. I can feel boredom and hostility up ahead, we might have another speed trap." Jasper replied, his voice calm and his tone made it clear the former tension in the car had dissipated.

Emmett immediately eased down up, and settled down to the speed limit with smooth precision. He wasn't quite the driver Rosalie was, but he could probably place in most racing events, except drifting, since he could never figure out how to finesse the gas and break quite right to pull off the tighter turns. After he had ruined his third car trying, Rosalie had told him that if he tried it again she was going to cut him off for a month. That pretty much squelched any desire he had to learn the fancier types of car racing.

"I don't disagree with Esme's choice, I just don't know if Carlisle will ever recover like you say. He may not be rational about it, because out of all of us he was closest to Edward." Jasper continued the conversation without feeling the need to segue back into it.

"Then he should've fucking seen it!" Emmett practically shouted as they passed the access road with the cruiser sitting in it. As soon as they were out of radar range Emmett pressed hard on the gas again. Still, he was conscious of the fact that the whole topic of conversation was getting him worked up, and he didn't want to ruin another floorboard or pedal. He took several deep calming breaths, and eased back on the accelerator. The last time he got worked up in the car, he accidently put his foot through the floor, and Rosalie had made him her garage slave for a month. Not that the punishment was without it's perks… but he could do without the occasional lectures he was sure to get from Rose about things he really didn't care about.

Jasper waited until Emmett was clearly and visibly calmer before he continued, his voice still even and gentle. "Okay, how about we consider a hypothetical?"

When he saw Emmett slowly nod, he continued. "What if Rose was the one manipulating all of us, using intimate knowledge of our psyche's as ammunition to shoot down every question we had about her actions? Effectively pulling the wool over our eyes to such a degree, that we could never see the truth. Then she used that special knowledge to keep Adara and I, or Alice and Isabella apart for over a century? Would you be able to accept it or would you want to believe that she was doing everything with the best of intentions?" He wasn't asking the question to provoke the larger vampire, he was honestly curious how Emmett would respond.

Emmett looked at him for a long second, before returning his eyes to the road. When he responded he seemed was far calmer than he had been moments earlier. Thoughtful, but obviously conflicted. "I don't know. God, I've been so angry, I never thought of it like that. So you think he's in denial about Edward?" Emmett asked with a mildly apologetic tone of voice.

"Honestly, I think he is. Carlisle just found out that man the he loved as his oldest son isn't who he thought he was. It has to be nearly impossible to reconcile the image he had of Edward, with the truth of him as a lying manipulative sociopath. You also have to take into account Carlisle's age and background. When he was growing up as a human, the eldest son had a special importance, and no matter how 'modern' we are, it's very likely he thought of Edward as the most cherished and valued of the six of us. Then to have the woman Carlisle loves be the person to end that son? That adds a whole other layer of conflict. I keep playing out the way he reacted when Esme turned away from him… It was as if the entire foundation of his world had just been shattered. How could he not be lost? I just hope he pulls out of it. You know how depression can take root in our kind and fester. In a decade he won't be the man we've always known him to be if he can't get over Edward's death." Jasper looked out his window, as if the rain drops occasionally splattering against the window might hold some kind of answer. Not that any came to mind.

"Tanya will help him through it." Emmett suggested, although he sounded more hopeful than convinced.

Jasper sighed, and then took an exaggerated deep breath. "Maybe." He let the silence linger for only a few moments before he shifted slightly in his seat and asked, "Mind if we change the subject?"

"What ya wanna talk about?" Emmett asked as the edges of Seattle came into view.

"This family… Coven… Whatever we are. How do you think things will play out? I mean, I doubt Esme has any interest in being in charge, and Isabella isn't exactly a peacetime leader I think. I mean, you saw her reaction when we were talking about building a house. She just sorta shrugged. When Esme asked for input she just frowned and said that it should be "structurally strong so they could train properly." Do you think one of us should start acting with the interests of the coven in mind? Maybe eventually taking over as leader?" Jasper tiptoed around the real question, trying to put it as gently and tactfully as he could.

Jasper didn't like the idea of Isabella staying in control, because she was clearly dangerous and unstable, and he didn't know what might set her off. She didn't seem like the kind of person that was fit to lead a dozen people towards anything, except war. At the same time, he didn't want to come across like he was plotting a takeover or something, because he wasn't. He just wasn't sure she was actually interested in running a coven. Even though the Cullens had considered themselves a family, Carlisle still had to manage their personalities and mediate disagreements from time to time. He was also the spokesman whenever they encountered another of their kind. Normal duties that a leader would carry out, and simple responsibilities that he wasn't sure Isabella had any interest in pursuing at all.

"I think it's a bit early for that kind of thinking really... I mean we've only started to settle in and get a feel for one another. So it's way too early to decide whether she'd be a good leader. Unless, of course, you're already thinking of staging some kind of coup." Emmett gave him a grin, but his voice had a slight edge to it, and his eyes held a little glare of warning.

Jasper quickly shook his head no. "Obviously not. I value my head right where it is, thank you very much. I just meant that she doesn't seem like she's the sort to really enjoy 'leading' per se. She seems more of an act and react type of person." He wanted to make it very clear that he had no intention of spreading seeds of mistrust. Yet at his core, Jasper was a planner. He liked things orderly, but at the same he didn't want to become a group cancer.

The last thing he wanted to do was destroy things, because for the first time the family seemed to be showing signs of happiness. Besides, he could tell that Adara was in a much better place already. Her confidence and happiness had already improved, and she seemed far less self-conscious than she had been as the new vampire in a very established group. It still bothered him that he never thought of that as a problem.

Emmett nodded slowly, though his eyes misted over with a faraway look. He had pushed aside his momentary anger at the questions, reassured by Jasper's hasty reply. Emmett hated the idea of betraying Isabella, though he had to concede the point, she wasn't the right fit to lead the Coven. However, he had no interest in ever underestimating her again. He had seen her darkness first hand, in fact he wasn't sure he could last more than a minute in a one on one fight.

That thought made him smile, he had always thought of her as a little sister. Now she was all grown up. That immediately brought up the fact that he hadn't seen her grow into her vampirism. He hadn't been there to help her adjust to her strength. He hadn't been there to teach her to hunt. He hadn't been there to help her deal with the guilt that came with feeding for the first time.

He felt the anger return, along with a deep sadness. "We should've been there for her."

"In that we are in total agreement." Jasper replied with a frown, his thoughts having traveled down the same paths that Emmett's had. They both left it at that, since there didn't seem to be anything else to say. They lapsed into silence as they drove through the city proper, until they pulled into the giant Lowes store parking lot. Emmett smiled with the stray thought that if the clerks were paid on commission, they were about to make their year.

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Isabella looked at the floor length mirror with a deep frown. The dress was unmistakably gorgeous, and she looked like a movie star in it. Alice had chosen perfectly, and she was struggling to find any single fault in it besides her own personal dislike of dresses.

"C'mon, let's see it! No more dawdling!" Alice sounded worried, through the dressing room door, and Isabella couldn't bring herself to say anything. She knew she had seconds before Alice barged in, and she didn't quite know what to do.

The revelation the night before that Alice's power was gone, or that at the very least weren't working for the time being, had noticeably jarred Isabella. They had talked a little the night before, and though Isabella was worried, Alice didn't seem to be concerned in the slightest. She explained to Isabella that it wasn't grayed out like she experienced with the Quileute's. She literally wasn't getting any visions at all. Not even the little bubble of time she could always see in front of her that let her react to things moment to moment. Alice said that she wasn't sure if it was because of her transformation, or if it was because she was so close to Isabella whom she couldn't see at all since she had returned to their lives.

When Isabella had expressed concern and began to apologize, Alice had promptly kissed her to shut her up, and didn't stop until Isabella gave up trying to apologize. Alice's reasoning was pretty simple, if they were only temporarily gone, then her powers would come back. If they were permanently gone, she felt the tradeoff was absolutely worth it. Isabella was tempted to argue, but she could feel the conviction Alice felt about the subject through the connection. So there was no point in pushing on a topic that one side didn't view as relevant.

Shopping with Alice had been a whole new experience, from when she was human. Being a friend was one thing, being family was something else. Alice viewed their new relationship as an excuse to outfit all three of them with the best and most expensive clothes she could find. This was the fourth store they had visited, and just like the three before it, Alice struck like a whirlwind. Clothes seemed to literally leap off the rack or shelf and into her hands for a brief look before she'd either reject it or toss it to one of her three bewildered companions. Even Eliza, who enjoyed shopping, was caught off guard by the sheer force that was the experience of shopping with Alice.

Just after they had arrived at the first store, once each of them had enough clothing in their arms to fill up a large suitcase, Alice marched them to the changing rooms. Her instructions were direct, and even Isabella was startled by the domineering way she ordered them around. Alice set down a simple set of rules, first they were all to go and try every piece of clothing on. Then they were to make two piles; one of clothes they liked, and one of clothes they didn't. Then made it clear she would inspect each pile to make sure their choices were sound before discarding the rejected pile.

Eliza grinned at Bree who was staring at the dozens of items in her arms with a strange look on her face. She gave her an encouraging nod, and went into her own dressing room. Then Isabella did the same before sighing and practically storming into another room. Bree was the last one to go in, very tentatively. Once they were all closed in, Alice snuck into Isabella's changing room, with an impish grin. What followed not only completely changed Isabella's opinion of shopping, but somehow made it fun.

Alice made it a test of impulse control, by demanding that Isabella show her what every piece of clothing looked like on her. Then as Isabella changed, Alice took the time to see if each piece fit appropriately, which gave her the excuse to run her hands all over Isabella, driving her crazy. At points she hadn't even bothered hiding the fact that the touches were as much about enjoyment as they were about any sort of concern for fit.

Isabella got so worked up that she was close to snapping and taking Alice right there, regardless of how close of Eliza and Bree were, and heedless of any of the shop's assistants who might've been within listening range. Alice's grin made it all the more clear what her intent was, and that she was testing Isabella on every level. It was a mildly cruel game, but one Isabella enjoyed immensely. It made her confidant that she'd made the right choice. That Alice truly was her perfect mate. Alice just knew how to please her, and how to encourage her in just the right way.

When Isabella had changed out of the last outfit but before she got back into her original clothes, Alice's composed grin faltered almost entirely. She had been cautious enough not to look at Isabella directly before, but in that moment she couldn't resist. The hungry gaze she was giving Isabella was all the fuel she needed to get the upper hand on her diminutive mate. In a smooth series of impossibly fast motions, she had turned and pinned Alice against the wall. She pressed her naked body against Alice's, and caught her gaze and held it. "You're playing with fire…" Isabella whispered huskily.

Alice just grinned, clearly pleased to be able to get to Isabella. She leaned her head forward and gave Isabella a chaste kiss, then murmured, "You'll have to make me pay for it... later. Now we see how the girls are doing." She slipped out of Isabella's grasp, gathering up the majority of clothes, all of them keepers, and headed back out to the main area. Isabella growled softly in playful frustration before she got dressed and followed Alice out. She came up short though, when she practically ran into Eliza who was blocking her path. She was leaning her shoulder against the door jamb of Isabella's changing room, with an amused and knowing grin.

Eliza reigned in her smile before cocking her head and saying, "Funny, here I thought you hated shopping, or does Alice have… the magic touch." She chuckled to herself at her own pun, before turning and heading back into the main area.

Isabella scowled slightly, and groaned at the joke made at her expense. Then she joined Alice who was already going through Eliza's choices and was nodding happily. Eliza was watching her with a slightly less than happy expression as Alice tossed one of her shirts, and put back in one that she'd discarded.

Then without warning Alice turned towards Eliza and said, "As much as I approve of your choices here, I bet we can make the process a bit more fun next time. I'm sure Leah would love to give you some... advice. Then you might not be so inclined to besmirch my methods."

Eliza coughed and looked away nervously and Alice grinned at her, before her eyes fell on Bree. She hadn't made a sound, and had managed to sneak up on everyone who was distracted by Alice's editing of Eliza's new wardrobe. She was sitting on one of the waiting area benches with only one matching set of clothes, all marked with discount tags.

Alice's eyes narrowed, then a horrified look crossed her face as she took in the meager choices Bree had made. "Did I not guess the right size for you?" The idea that she might have been wrong about Bree's size was nearly as horrifying a concept to her, as the thought that Bree had rejected everything she had given her.

Bree blinked in surprise and then quickly shook her head, to ease Alice's shock. "No no, you guessed the right sizes."

Alice cocked her head in mild confusion, and regarded Bree thoughtfully. "You didn't like the style of the clothes then?"

Bree looked self-conscious, started to avoid Alice's stare. "They were okay, but this is fine for me." Bree crossed her arms more tightly over her chest, and started fidgeting her feet because she couldn't take her eyes off of them. "How did you guess my size so easily?" She asked meekly.

Alice narrowed her eyes again, and repressed a deeply sad sigh. She coaxed her voice so that it came out as gentle and compassionate as she could manage. Then she moved over and sat next to Bree on the bench. "Lots of experience, and a dash of natural talent. In another life, I probably would have been a fashion designer… or a seamstress."

Alice pressed against Bree's shoulder, in an attempt engage the girl who was still clearly moping. The conversation was enough to draw the attention of both Eliza and Isabella, and they both immediately focused their full attention on her as well. Bree then seemed to shrink a little bit under the combined gazes. Then Isabella strode forward and lifted Bree's chin, forcing her to look up into her ruby eyes. Bree expected scolding, perhaps even screaming. So she was shaken when Isabella smiled softly and spoke in the gentlest voice she had ever hear from her.

"What wrong sweetie?" Isabella let go of Bree's chin and stepped back, keeping both her face and posture as open and passive as she was capable of being.

Bree looked away and muttered a quiet, "Nothing." Isabella frowned and crossed her arms in a subtle display of disapproval. That was enough to force Bree to look back at her. Then with a slight change of expression, Bree could tell Isabella was quietly demanding her to fess up. That opened the floodgates, and Bree started rambling. "The clothes are all too nice. I picked out what I could, but it's still gonna cost way too much. I can wait until the next store, I don't need anything I promise. I... I'm sorry."

Alice made a strangled sound in the back of her throat, and Isabella went rigid for just a moment. Isabella wasn't exactly sure what to say or do, it was such an unexpected reaction from Bree. Isabella knew her past sucked, but she had never given much thought to the little things. She conjured up her daughter's memories and had to steady herself once she pulled up the truth of Bree's reasoning.

Bree had only been clothes shopping ten times, once a year the day before school. Her dad had never really liked spending money unless it was absolutely necessary, and they had never gone for anything better than Walmart attire. She felt uncomfortable picking clothes that weren't on a 'sale' rack, or weren't packaged in bundles of six.

The one time she had asked for something specifically, something pretty, something she wanted, her father grabbed her roughly by the left shoulder and literally dragged her out of the store dislocating her shoulder in the process. After they got home, he got so angry at her helpless cries of pain that he started hitting the arm she was cradling in a violent rage. The entire time taunting her, trying to make her buck up and take the pain. He kept calling her a baby, until she passed out. They moved two days later, just after she was discharged from the hospital with a broken arm. He had fractured it in three places during the beating, and then blamed her by saying it was her greed and weakness that was forcing them to go. Bree had learned her lesson. The next time they went to a store, she had tunnel vision and looked at only the cheapest and most generic things she could find.

After she had run away, she had occasionally managed to shop lift things she needed so she had clothes on her back. Of course that had been hard, being homeless meant even when she tried she was always dirty and smelled of the city. So the shopkeepers always regarded her with suspicion, and never once had anyone looked the other way so that she take something without getting caught.

So getting to shop in a fancy place made Bree feel like she was in a movie. A fantasy world, that would be yanked away from her as soon as someone shouted 'Cut!'. She knew her place was secure, and nothing was going to change how these virtual strangers felt about her. She also knew that Alice had money, but it hadn't really sunk in that she was entitled to spend it too.

Before Isabella could say anything Alice stood up and stormed into the changing room Bree had just exited from. Bree stared at Isabella with a slightly terrified expression, because the bizarre rage coming through the connection from Alice was scary... and confusing because it wasn't directed at Bree. It was a far more amorphous and toxic hate, that dripped from a place of buried memories and half remembered associations. Bree looked at Isabella and Eliza in an attempt to figure out what was wrong with her, when Alice came striding back out with all of the clothes she had picked out for Bree in her arms.

Alice stopped in front of Bree with the strangest expression, and dropped them all in her lap. "My father was a bastard too. He killed my mother and locked me in an institution. So we're going to forget those fucking bastards and enjoy ourselves. You deserve these, you deserve soo much more. If you ever feel ashamed, or unsure, I'll always be there to tell you how much you mean to me, and Isabella, and Eliza. How much you are loved. Now go and try it all on, before I get Isabella to pick things out for you. Or even better, I'll let Eliza find the most garish and ridiculous outfit in the store for you!"

Bree stood up, motivated as much by the command as she was by the sudden look of glee on Eliza's face, and went into the dressing room. Twenty minutes later she came back with over three quarters of the picks with a strained but happy smile on her face. Alice was mostly pleased, but she went through all the picks like she had with Eliza and Isabella and made even more edits then she had with Isabella. It was clear Bree had no idea how to dress for her frame. When she finished, Alice stood and handed everything she had picked back to Bree, and opened her mouth to say something, but anything she might've said was interrupted by the approach of one of the clerks.

"Is there anything I can help you with?" A very thin effeminate teen asked as he looked up and down each woman with a clinical eye. Isabella might have bristled at the look if it had been anything more than an appraisal of their figures.

Alice turned with a very polite expression on her face, and nodded. "We'll take everything she's holding. Plus those two piles there and there." Pointing to Isabella's and Eliza's approved piles of clothes. The clerk seemed startled for just a moment, but smoothly covered it up by nodding, gathering up everything, and heading away from them with a serious spring in his step.

Isabella looked a touch flabbergasted, and so did Bree. Even Eliza wasn't entirely sure how to take Alice's carte blanche approach to shopping. The Volturi credit card was pretty limitless, but she had never had the gall to abuse it. She also knew Isabella would've given her some grief if she had.

Alice shrugged. "I can see the future, and Carlisle invested wisely. Every Cullen has a financial portfolio in the hundreds of millions. So we do things differently. None of us are going to just 'get by' with the bare minimum." Then she spun around on her heel and followed the clerk, leaving all three of them to stare blankly at each other in shock until a bemused Eliza started chuckling.

The next store went far smoother, with Alice driving the experience with Eliza as back up. Isabella let Alice do whatever she wanted, because she loved the dressing room experience. It was such a strange and new dance that even spending time looking at herself in the mirror wasn't so bad.

Bree faired a bit better, as she acclimated to the idea that they wanted to spend money on her. Unfortunately the train screeched to a halt when Alice dragged them all into Victoria Secret. It started off with minor groans from Isabella, and ended up being a true test for all of them. Isabella suspected they spent way more money in that one store, than they had in all the other places combined. Isabella was firmly convinced that she now had enough underwear to change at least twice daily for two months, and very little of it was utilitarian.

Of course Isabella didn't put up much of a fight, and she knew Alice had probably given her far more than the others. All it took was a murmured "I'd love to see you in that" to convince Isabella to go along with pretty much anything but the most impossible items. A few she tried on, but refused to buy under any circumstances.

Bree had been embarrassed just looking at the storefront. When Alice dragged her in, she looked like she was going to keel over from sheer mortification. Of course Alice wasn't going to let a little embarrassment stifle her goals. So she kept her voice free from any amusement. Then she piled so many articles into each of their arms, that they each ended up with so many they had trouble holding onto it all. All at a speed that was not even a fraction of what she was capable of, but was still fast enough to be astonishing to the store clerks. Bree and Isabella may have been hesitant, but Eliza threw herself into it with gusto. Not even some playful teasing from Alice concerning a certain shifter, was enough to dim her enthusiasm.

Yet, even buying excessive amounts of skimpy bras and panties were as intimidating as the moment Isabella found herself in, looking at a floor length mirror... with a dress on. Something she hadn't worn in over ninety years. The last time she had worn a dress, she was human. She had been half-tricked into going to a dance with Edward. Although the evening wasn't so bad, it was the first time she truly realized he had no intention of ever turning her into a vampire.

She wasn't entirely sure why they had gone into this forth store. She had wanted to be done with shopping after the lingerie, but she was roundly outvoted by the other three. Even Bree seemed to finally be getting into the spirit of things, and seemed downright excited at the idea of shopping at a 'high class' store. So she'd surrendered with a only a token bit of resistance and grousing.

She sighed at her reflection, and took in her full appearance one last time. The dress was ankle length and silvery blue, and utterly unlike the dark navy blue one she had been subjected to a century before. It also seemed to fit well, though she felt practically naked. The dress felt like gossamer, light and ethereal, it was almost like it wasn't there. She wondered if that was because she wasn't as aware weight as a vampire, than she had been as a human. Or if it was because she had worn heavy cloaks or light armor leather coats ninety-nine percent of the time.

For the briefest of moments she barely recognized herself. It was such an absurd notion, to be afraid of a silly little swatch of fabric draped over her shoulders. But she thought she looked silly, and felt hesitant to step out of the changing room. Then she started to laugh as the ridiculousness of the situation struck her suddenly. It was spontaneous, and completely unexpected. Then she was stopped short by the sudden concern emanating from Alice, Bree, and Eliza when they heard her laughing.

"Isabella? Did I mess up the size? I couldn't have gotten it that wrong!" She called through the door of the changing room, trying to keep the pout out of her voice. Even with her attempt to restrain herself, worry and a little bit of offended pride came across in the tone of her voice.

That just made the laughter from Isabella louder. She didn't even know how to answer the question. She had faced down entire covens without so much as a second thought, but somehow, a simple dress had sent chills traveling up her spine. It was several long moments before she finally calmed her laughter.

Then she sighed, staring at the image in front of her in an attempt to change it through sheer force of will, before she took a breath and stepped out of the dressing room.

It only took an instant for Alice's face to light up like a carousel at night. It dawned on Isabella in that moment that her own preferences were totally unimportant, because beyond the fact that she wasn't used to the dress, she realized that she really didn't care. The fact that it mattered to Alice made the whole ordeal of shopping worth it, in a way that mattered far more then the simple teasing and playful back and forth they'd engaged in all afternoon.

"Mom, you look absolutely stunning." Eliza was still dolled up in the silver dress that Alice had picked out for her earlier. She hadn't yet changed out of it, spending time admiring the looks of it. She had never worn anything remotely that pretty, and it brought out her eyes. She wanted to show Leah sometime, and wanted to surprise her with it, though Eliza also knew that it wasn't something to just wear casually.

"Totes, Alice was right, that dress looks amazing on you." Bree added enthusiastically. She was waiting patiently for her turn, since there was only one dressing room in the boutique, still she was almost bouncing. "Okay. Let's get it. Now it's Bree's turn." Isabella said in an attempt to sound positive, even though she was half tempted to go in and take the dress off, but didn't because she knew it would look bad. So instead she pointedly went over and took Bree's spot next to Alice, forcing Bree to go in and try on her new wardrobe. It was about time too, they'd been shopping for over five hours and even Isabella's vampire patience was wearing thing, if she were still human she would've come up with a reason to stop after the first shop.

So it was difficult to wait as Bree spent the next half hour showing off all the marvelous clothes Alice had helped her pick out. Alice was determined to make up for the idea that Bree had never had nice things, so she made sure there were a few more things in Bree's bundle. Although everything fit pretty well, Alice got up several times to pinch in, fold over, or tuck away the excess fabric that didn't quite match Bree's body type and size. She discarded more than one piece of clothing to the waiting attendant when it was obvious that it wouldn't hang the way it should without serious alteration. Bree couldn't keep the ear to ear smile off her face. She was so happy, and with every look of appreciation or close bit of attention Alice gave her, she felt even more buoyant.

It was a moment Bree had never really had before, a instant of pure normalcy. Or, at least it was what Bree had always thought normal would be if she had ever had the chance to be normal as a child. It was such a basic experience, time with people that loved her. Bree already loved Isabella and Eliza, they were a part of her in every sense of the word even though they had only been together for a couple of weeks. They were in her mind and they understood her soul. They had even tied her to their blood when Eliza saved Bree's life with her venom.

Now Alice was a part of them, and Bree felt how her presence solved the missing piece of their group dynamic. She may not have known Isabella for long, but knowing her mind, even Bree could tell that she had only been partially alive before Alice re-entered her life. It was like a good part of her soul was dead. In the short time since Alice had become a part of the bond, she had become part of Isabella, she was quite literally a vital piece of the missing parts of Isabella's soul.

What Bree hadn't expected was how much she needed Isabella. There was no question about that she had a mother now. Even though she knew about Isabella's internal struggle, even now she could feel the beast deep down inside of her mother, waiting to be released, she wasn't afraid of Isabella like she had been, and even still was, of her father.

The absurdity of that fear was made even more ridiculous by Isabella actions. Bree had seen her crush the army of newborns she was with like they were a platoon of toy soldiers, stomped under her boot with ease. It didn't matter that Eliza was there too. The brutality and power displayed was terrifying. And yet, even when she was sure she was going to die, Eliza had stood up for her. Defended her. Then all it took was one word, a plea from Eliza to her Mother for Isabella to step in.

In that moment, Bree felt safe. Sure Eliza was clearly strong, but Isabella was strength and power personified. She wore that power like she was born to it, and it practically crackled with unseen energy, electrifying those around her. She was awestruck by Isabella, and desperately wanted her to be proud. More so, she knew that strength would guard her. Bree knew that she was protected, and always would be. She couldn't put into words how that made her feel. To know that Isabella would teach her to stand, and impart some of that strength so that she could face the world. It was something she never thought she would have. Even if one day they separated, she just would never truly be alone.

Still, Alice was different. She was the other mother Bree never knew she needed. Alice was the soft one, the nurturing one. It was easy to tell already that she was where Bree would get the unquestioning moral and emotional support. Where Isabella would probably make it her job to break anything that made Bree cry, but Alice would be the shoulder to cry on. The one she could talk to and ask questions of.

Eliza was the sister she could share secrets with, but even she would admit that her life experiences were severely limited and mostly relied on television, cinema and beating things up. Bree loved Isabella, but she knew in her heart that Alice was the one that would be able to help with those questions that would inevitably come. Alice in return had taken to Bree with grace and enthusiasm. It was clear that she wanted to be as close to Bree and Eliza as they would let her be, and neither of them even attempted to push her away.

While Eliza still had a few reservations after nearly seventy years hating the Cullens, she kept them to herself; and they were increasingly shrinking reservations. Eliza was thrilled with the changes in her mother, even in the short time since Alice had 'bonded' with them. The effect Alice had on Isabella was tangible. The massive changes to her emotional range made Eliza so happy that she was still struggling to wrap her mind around it.

For both Eliza and Bree, the only downside to this "little outing" (Isabella had snorted when she had heard Eliza refer to it that way), was that Leah and Seth had been called to La Push by Jacob because of something that had happened with his daughter Michele. Isabella and Eliza had both wanted to go with them, but Jacob had said it was pack business first, and then immediately promised that he would fill her in when they finished whatever drama was going on with them. Bree again wondered if her mother's 'death glare', as she was beginning to refer to it, was the reason he was so quickly apologetic.

"Bree sweetie, you have two left right?" Bree was busy trying to figure out how to zip up a curiously designed dress, so she muttered "mmmhmm". Alice turned to her lover, and she practically shivered with the ability to call Isabella her 'lover', and whispered with a shrug. "Ten minutes at most."

Bree didn't even hear Alice, even though she was less than three feet away. She was too immersed in the experience to notice much of anything. She got the tricky zipper done up and turned towards the floor length mirror and gasped. It was a moment eerily reminiscent of the moment her mother had experienced not minutes earlier.

Standing in front of her was a girl, no a woman she didn't recognize. All the other things she had worn and changed into today had paled next to this dress. The person she saw in the mirror couldn't be her. This stranger in the mirror wasn't ugly or drab, she was beautiful. What was most striking of all though, was that the reflection in the mirror was smiling back at Bree. The reflection was clearly happy. It was a strange thing to take in, she hadn't truly realized how much they had changed her until that moment.

What struck her as odd, was that she hadn't noticed it with the dozen other outfits before this one. For some reason, the color and shape of it altered her look just enough to make her no longer appear like the little girl she always saw herself as. She looked like an adult, albeit a young one. One that was far more sure of her place in life. For the first time she completely let go of that repressed conviction that she was going to wake up and find out this was all some kind wonderful dream.

Then she noticed something else about her face that she had actually changed since the last time she'd changed outfits. She had been so happy, that the euphoria coupled with the emotion felt almost natural for once. She stared into the mirror and blinked twice to make sure she wasn't seeing things. Somehow her eyes had shifted from the blood red she had been used to for months, to a bright fiery orange, that were slightly unnatural in the way they seemed faintly luminescent, much like Isabella's ruby red eyes, Alice's emerald green eyes, and Eliza's violet ones.

"Mom." Bree called out, unsure whether to be happy, or worried about the sudden change. A few moments later Alice pushed in, Isabella was right behind her. Just being able to say that felt amazing, but the looks on their faces when they took in her new eyes was even more amazing.

Isabella looked surprised, but happy, as she realized that their eyes were tied to an emotional place. Eliza popped her head in and started to chuckle. It was mildly hilarious to her, that Bree's emotional revelation came during a shopping trip. Alice however, thought it was perfect, and gave Bree a smile that struck deep in Bree's heart. Alice's simple expression of happiness and pride connected Bree to an emotion she never thought she would ever experience.

She was twelve when she had first seen a smile like that. Her dad had reluctantly signed off on a field trip to the city zoo. It was the first and only time she had ever been anywhere remotely exciting. Although the animals were all exotic and fascinating to look at and watch, and she found she could stare at the wolves and large cats all day, it was the other families that really grabbed her attention.

There was this one family, a mother and her two small boys that she kept finding herself returning her attention to. The two boys were running around and being a general nuisance, when one of them accidentally ran into a little girl, knocking her to the ground hard. It was something Bree had seen so many times at recess or at the park, when her dad had let her play with the few friends she'd been allowed to have. Except this time, the boys didn't make fun of the girl for crying. They didn't immediately take off to resume whatever game they were playing. Instead, these boys stopped, picked her up, and helped her find her father. Then they confessed what they did and apologized. The father was so taken aback, that his momentary anger abetted immediately.

Then Bree noticed the boys' mother out of the corner of her eye. The look of love and pride translated so clearly, that even without ever seeing anything like it before, Bree understood what it meant implicitly. In that moment, more than any other time in her short miserable human life, she knew she was not like everyone else. She knew that she would never have what those boys had, a mother that loved her.

The smile on Alice's face conjured up that memory, and the awful emotions associated with them. It brought them to the forefront of her mind, and shattered them. She had not one, but two mothers, and they both loved her... unconditionally. She had a family.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXX

"It's far from finished, but I think I have the basic rough draft of the layout. Finished basement, large main floor, back deck, and then two floors of private rooms. Reinforced walls, and sound proofing. I think it's some of my best work. Though at this point I'm not sure it qualifies as a 'house' anymore. It's more like a manor." Esme said proudly, as she looked up from the makeshift drafting table they had set up in front of the rubble of the destroyed Swan house.

It was still free hand, and she had at least five to ten hours of work ahead of her, putting all the details into the drafting program she had been using for the last decade. Sure there were newer software versions out there, but she was used to this one, and it had all the tools she needed.

Rosalie looked over her shoulder and nodded. "I think we could go a little bigger in the garage space. There's certainly enough land to build on, since Isabella said that they had over fifty acres titled to her, but overall I love it." Rosalie took a moment and squeezed Esme's shoulder, wanting to express without words just how happy she was to have her with them. Rosalie was relatively surprised that Esme didn't seem too distraught over the fight with Carlisle; but Esme had an air about her that all but said, "I've made my decision and people will either accept it or not. I have no regrets."

"Maybe we should put in a huge training room in the basement, with super reinforced walls." Adara offered absently as she flipped through paint swatches. She wanted to feel useful, but she barely knew how to use a hammer. Construction and design was not her strong suit, although she was looking forward to learning. The last three houses they had lived in that Esme had had a hand in creating, were after Adara had joined the family. The rest were just hastily purchased properties, or rentals. They hadn't really been "new" places to live in close to a century, as far as Adara knew.

At the time, she hadn't much cared. Adara had been more interested in Jasper and exploring their relationship. They were still in their honeymoon phase back then. Not that things had dimmed at all. Jasper was her mate, she loved him as much as she did when she first fell for him, perhaps even more now that she was no longer burdened with the vague sense of being an outsider.

"It's already done. There's a fairly big space down there already, it shouldn't take much to expand it. I get the distinct feeling Bella doesn't hold back, so we'll need the space. Eliza warned me that if there wasn't enough room, or if things broke too easily Isabella would probably just move outside without hesitation, and wouldn't care about the weather. So she suggested we pour the concrete in small sections; if a section breaks, replacing it is easy. Bree also wants, and I quote, "a bomb shelter". I just wish I could also pull off an indoor pool on top of everything else. I miss swimming." Esme elaborated in a mildly wistful and slightly distracted manner.

"Why not? It's not like we're working on a budget, and this plot of land is pretty immense. You could probably build an entire underground complex out here if it struck your fancy. Still, the permits would be a pain. Especially since this was new construction before the big boom." Rosalie said, then furrowed her brow and pursed her lips at the large pile of blacked lumber sitting next to the now mostly empty hole in the ground.

"Yeah, I'm kind of forgoing permits. You know Jasper. He's always got someone who can get what we need. He'll backdate our permits and forge our inspections all neat and tidy. He did the deed dancing for the house when we moved back into town. Had to get some new documentation saying we were up to various health and safety codes. It's not like the houses are unsafe, they're just built to withstand a lot of time. Isabella's last one used more wood than we normally use, since our consist of mostly stone and brick, but it was still built to be incredibly structurally sound. Of course, explosions aren't something houses tend to be built to withstand." Esme finished talking, and absently pushed the top sheet of the blue print to one side so she could began to sketch in an underground pool opposite the training room. Then she started doing math, her fingers moving so quickly that Rosalie had trouble following her work.

"Is it possible?" Rose said after Esme stopped and stared back and forth between the blueprint and the numbers.

"Actually yes, although it requires another obscene amount of poured concrete. Okay, this'll work it's just going to take about two days longer than I originally intended. So, roughly ten days. Not my fastest build, but considering the sheer size and 'other' factors, I think it balances out."

"Ten days. A lot could happen in ten days." Adara mused out loud, then winced and looked back down at the dark green paint swatch she was holding.

"Maybe. But it's not like we can stop living lives you know? We can't just go sit on the beach and wait for someone to come find us. Besides, I trust Isabella. She's harsh, but competent. I believe her when she says she knows the Volturi and their capabilities. I honestly think it's not the Volturi she's worried about. I'm pretty sure she's more worried about this Joham guy. At the very least, whatever he's doing is keeping Isabella here." Rosalie sighed slightly, and tentatively moved towards the rubble.

Adara moved to follow her, her own expression curious. "What do you mean, keeping Isabella here?" Rosalie glanced over at Adara, and noticed that Esme was also looking at her curiously. The full and rapt attention she was giving her was a sign of respect toward Rosalie's insight. It was a subtle shift, but a palpable one. Like some unidentifiable dynamic had shifted. Not that Rosalie gave it much thought.

Instead she shook her head and turned back to look at the burnt out husk of a house. "I think if Isabella had her way, she'd be heading toward Volterra like category five hurricane right now. I think she'd do everything in her power to level the whole damn city. The only thing holding her back is the fact that Joham is an unknown, potentially lethal enemy. He's got newborns, shifters, and children of the moon at his disposal. I'm pretty sure she doesn't want to leave us or the Quileute's vulnerable, even for the time it would take to stage a sneak attack on Volterra. It all boils down to the fact that she doesn't trust our defenses while she isn't here, that much I'm positive of."

"Things are going to get rough." Adara nodded slowly, as she digested what Rosalie posited, while looking over the rubble of the house. Then she glanced over at the large dumpster that they'd already been tossing things into. The task had to be done, and she didn't mind getting dirty. The commercial dumpster they had rented was already half full, the charred remains of the house frame was just enough to fill it. It struck her as sad that a house that big could fit in one thirty foot trash container. "They're already rough, aren't they?"

Esme sighed from behind them. "Yes, there are difficult times ahead. It doesn't help that Alice's visions are gone, even temporarily. I've been so used to having her as a resource, that it scares me to be on the same level as everyone else, although I am insanely happy that they are together now. Bella's a part of the family, which is more than I ever could've hoped for."

"Distractions. That's all this life seems to be. Distractions. We spend all our time doing something to pass the time, because we have endless amounts of it ahead of us. Except, now we don't. Our time could be finite, and that's oddly comforting. It almost feels like I'm mortal again. That there's an answer and a reason for our immortality." Adara mused putting down the catalog of furniture she was flipping through.

"That's a trap. It's not real. The threat of danger isn't enough to give our long lives meaning. It's what we do that matters. I've been thinking about that lately, and I think we should do something about it." Rosalie offered, but stopped before elaborating.

"I'm not sure what you mean." Esme said with a raised eyebrow.

"I mean we are fast and strong, nearly invulnerable. Sure there are some guns out there that could damage us, but not too many. We could help the humans, be proactive, helpful. Contribute to the world, instead of drinking from it. It isn't enough to abstain, we should be out there. Protecting those who can't protect themselves." Rosalie realized they were both staring at her, and she shrugged and folded her arms defensively. "Or not."

"Been thinking about it for a while?" Esme said through a wide grin, and a touch of sarcasm. She had never been so proud of her daughter before, and it clearly came across through her expression. Rosalie saw Esme's reaction and didn't quite know how to handle it. She hadn't realized that the facade she had kept up for nearly her entire existence had dropped. She had let her compassionate side come out, and for the first time in as long as she could remember, she didn't hate herself.

"It was Edward. I've been hiding my thoughts from him for so long, that the emptiness I'd always put up as a defense became who I was. That's gone. Just gone. I feel... free. I don't feel that crippling self-hate that I've been struggling with for my entire life. I feel like there's a future for me finally, one that might actually have some happiness. I don't understand." Rosalie couldn't wrap her head around the changes she was feeling. What was so different? That was a question she couldn't answer.

"I feel the same way. This new situation, I don't know, it isn't really that different from before, but it is for some intangible reason. Is it Isabella? Or is it because Edward was finally gone. Or both?" Adara said sitting a little straighter in her chair.

Rosalie shrugged a little bit, "It could also be the Volturi. We've thrown a challenge directly into their teeth. They have few options now. They could leave us alone, but that would mean they accept that their laws hold no power over us, and that they can't enforce those laws, which effectively strips them of their power. There's no way that's gonna happen. So they either have to kill us, or we have to kill them. That right there is an incredible freedom."

"It's both. I've felt it too. When Isabella dismissed me a couple of weeks ago, I thought that was the end. It was a miracle that she had survived, but she hated us. I think that's the one detail that's giving me pause in my optimism. I don't mean to minimize her issues with us leaving, but I get the feeling that there's so much more to what's happened to her. I want to know what happened to her." Esme finished up the final few lines of the draft, and rolled it up and out of the way. She had the design in her head, so she no longer needed them to input the details into her drafting program. She then stuffed the paper into a hollow tube, and got up and moved over towards the large hole in the ground where their new house was going to be.

Rosalie began to pick up a piece of cement to toss it into the dumpster. "She'll tell us in time. When she's ready... For now, all we can do is make sure we have a home that'll be worthy of our new family."

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Author's notes: WHEEE CHAPTER!

HOLY CRAP WE'RE NOT DEAD! O_O

1) I do apologize for the loooong wait between chapters. Stuff happened in real life. and then more stuff happened. And then school started and I'm taking 20 hours because our college converted from quarters to semesters and screwed me over so I basically have to take 20 hours a semester or stay at least one extra semester. So. Yeah. Not pleased.

2) I hope you enjoyed this chapter. This is what I like to call RELATIONSHIP BUILDING. Seriously. The last 10 chapters all happened in a single night. I figured... you know... maybe we should get a breath of air. Some down time and interaction time to explore these relationships. I expect the next few to be the same, though we'll probably move time a little bit. So there might be some fluff, exploring different characters mentalities and interactions. So we get to see how different groups relate to one another.

3) I have recently put out the beginning of another story, this one a Harry Potter fanfic that has been stuck in my brain in the little free time I have. I'm sorry if you're irritated i'm working on something other than IAL. But... i mostly don't care. I have to write what's in my brain. And one of my reviewers from this story is going to be co-authoring that with me. Nyx'sReincarnation and I shall be working on it. Basically we're gonna have fun with that whole universe. *sound of evil cackling*

4) Samantha Minuet's Author's Note: This was a hard one to write. The first draft went in an entirely different direction. I also had a lot of trouble conceptualizing the shopping trip. I kept picturing the group going to the mall, and it was just horrible. Thankfully, Kathryn boiled it down to the best possible terms, that it was about interactions. No matter where they were, or what they were doing. She was totally right of course. We needed some downtime story wise, and I think this chapter works for that. I won't go into the reasons why our posts have been so far apart, but suffice it to say we haven't had the opportunity to collaborate as much as we did a few months ago until very recently.

4) Samantha wrote all of this to get us started. Otherwise you'd still be waiting for a major update! She has been nothing but fanfreakingtasticallyphenomenamazing! (YES! I made up a new superlative for her!) Now granted it was originally four sections and 6k words and now we're at 3 sections and 13k words, so it's not like i had nothing to do with it. But... her writing this is... so wonderful. She's the brainchild.

5) The updates hopefully shouldn't take three months again. That being said, I absolutely refuse to put anything out there that is less than good quality. Technically at the moment, the last chapter would have been the end of our "book two" and this would be the start of book three.

I WILL however promise that I will NOT be abandoning this story. We will finish it. Seriously. Unless both Samantha and i are hit by buses or meteors... or buses that fall from the sky! On the same day. It will get done. We've got quite a bit of story to go though!

6) As always, please read and review!