Chapter Seven: Blossoming Relationships

Bella's POV:

The next day was much like the day before. Edward and I got up, and I woke Renesmee, who was excited to see her grandmother again. I was already calm and collected from last night, and I was prepared to face another day of revelations now.

But as we ran towards the big white house that the Cullens, Jacob, and my mother were waiting in, I couldn't help but think of what I had discovered yesterday. I might be a shapeshifter? What would that mean? How would I be able to tap into that power?

We approached the Cullens' house, and I sighed. I realized that I didn't see my mother's car here. We must still be early.

I walked up to the door before I caught wind of it. Three… four heartbeats inside the house. Renesmee's trilling heartbeat was the first one I detected, and then Jacob's. It sounded like my mother's was inside, and next to her… was that Leah?

I opened the door, and found to my surprise that it was indeed Leah, sitting across from my mother on our couches. Renee smiled up at me as I approached.

"Good morning, Bella!" she said cheerfully. "I was wondering when you three might arrive!"

I looked at Leah for a moment, and saw that she was watching me without any sort of malice on her face. It was… honestly strange. I hadn't ever really seen her face at peace with her emotions. She was actually quite beautiful, when her expression wasn't marred by anger.

"Hi," I began, honestly a little off-set by Leah's unantagonistic gaze trailing after me as I took a seat near the two couches. "How long have you been waiting?"

"Not long. I went for a run, when I ran into Leah, and then we came here," Renee said. "She had some, ah, questions for me which I was happy to answer."

"Thank you, Mrs. Dwyer. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it," Leah said, courteously. I was truly shocked, though I hoped my shock wasn't visibly evident. Leah… being nice… in the Cullens' house? I realized that that wasn't exactly fair, but I couldn't help myself.

Renee only patted Leah's knee. "It was the least I could do, dear. Trust me, I felt the same when I was your age. I was a mess, and Billy and the rest of them had to deal with it," she said, laughing. Leah laughed too.

I simply watched them. I know I had prepared myself for revelations today, but nothing could have prepared me for so much positivity from Leah. Jasper was in a corner with a book in his hands that he was pretending to read, smiling. He looked up at me and winked, feeling my shock and confusion.

What on earth was everyone talking about?

Leah's POV:

I had my answers. For so long, I thought… well honestly, since the incident with Sam, I thought I would never heal from that hurt. I would always be scarred, and left as a husk, unable to move backwards because of Emily and Sam's connection, unable to move on because I couldn't leave the pack or have a normal life.

Things had gotten monumentally better, when I finally found out that Jacob had a separate pack, away from Sam. Being on the same side as the leeches was a downside, but the upsides were positively astronomical. I wouldn't have to deal with Sam's pity anymore, or any of the rest of Sam's pack.

And then Ms. Dwyer came along. When my mom first introduced her to Seth and me, I was prepared to hate her. How could she allow her daughter to become one of those horrible bloodsuckers? Only later when Jacob told me about it, would I realize that she had had no idea, and so I knew I couldn't blame her for it.

But then came a revelation of my own, as Ms. Dwyer had walked forward, and just smiled at me. I straightened automatically. I was a werewolf. I was Quileute. I was a shape-shifter.

I was proud to be all three.

But for all my mental anchors holding me secure in myself, I never expected to hear those next few words come from Renee's mouth.

"Finally! Another female wolf!"

Those words hit me in the chest like one of the bloodsuckers had punched me. I gasped, scrambling backwards and desperately hoping I broke something valuable.

"What?" I wheezed out, the words only coming out as single syllables. "Did. You. Just. Say? A-no-ther fe-male wolf?"

I couldn't believe my own ears. This was extraordinary. I glanced at Bella as my mind suddenly clicked into a higher gear. Wait a second…

"Another female werewolf," Renee confirmed, nodding and smiling.

The world around me spun slower. I glanced at Jacob, at Bella and Edward, who were smiling. I seriously doubted they knew how devastatingly important this was to me.

Up until two seconds ago, I thought I was, had been, and would ever be the only female shape-shifter in La Push. Sam, Jacob, Quil, Jared… all of those lucky dogs had had the chance to find love, and Jacob even had a situation similar to my own, until he imprinted on the leech's daughter.

But me… if imprinting was only a way to find the person most likely to pass on the shape-shifting gene, then I was stuck. I couldn't have children if my body never aged. Even if imprinting wasn't to pass on the gene, it had to be for some reason, and whatever it was I was pretty sure I didn't have it.

But with this revelation came the startling realization: I was able to have kids. More than that, if imprinting was how Billy thought it was, then I would be able to find my imprint, too! I felt like my tail (which I didn't have, since at the moment I was in human form) was wagging like a domestic dog with this realization.

As people do when they're not sure they're dreaming or not, I glanced at Bella to make sure she was real. She caught me studying her, and I glanced away, embarrassed but trying to contain it.

Renee had had a child. She had been a werewolf, and she could have a child.

Internally, I was screaming in ecstasy and dancing around. This was more than I had even dreamed to hope for, when I first came with my mother to see her old friend at the Cullens'.

I resolved to confirm my answers the next day. As we began to leave, I told my mother that I was going for a run. Charlie wondered where I was going, but Sue only said the word 'wolf', and Charlie winced. For a human, he was getting pretty used to the idea of werewolves being in his town.

I phased, and began to run. Running was exhilarating; one of the only things that I had truly enjoyed about this life. I was faster than Jacob, I was faster than Sam, I was faster than any of them. I had to be, if I wanted to survive from the knotted pain inside me.

But tonight was the first time I had truly been able to relish being a shape-shifter. I charged through brush like they were only feathers to me. I crashed through a small tree, which toppled under my strength. I could feel that I had broken a shoulder-blade, but it clicked right back into place, and the wound closed in minutes.

I howled triumphantly. There was nothing I felt that could stop me now.

'Hey,' I heard in my mind. 'I saw your reaction when Renee said she was another wolf. Can't say I blame you.'

'I know, Jacob!' I said, not even bothering to try and sound normal. I howled again. 'I'm literally the happiest person on the planet right now!'

I could hear Jacob chuckle as he ran towards Billy's house, charging through brush much like I was.

'I don't really doubt it,' he said. After a moment's pause, he added, 'I'm glad that you found some answers, finally. And that they're in your favor, too. You seem like you're becoming the old Leah again.'

I breathed in heavily, barking a laugh. 'I feel like it, Alpha. I feel… like me again.'

The mask of calm I had worn for months, even a few years now, was torn off. I felt deep within myself, and it felt like I was whole again. There was almost no pain, now when I remembered Sam. He had imprinted, and I understood that it was, and had been, involuntary. I was still hurt, but I would survive the pain. I would get up again. This time, I had living proof of it.

'That's good. I liked this Leah better anyway,' Jacob thought sarcastically, as he reached his house. 'Good night, Leah.'

'Good night, Jacob,' I thought back, not ready to phase back yet. I was free! I threw my head back to howl.

I stopped short. There were two eyes, glowing out in the darkness, staring at me. They weren't a vampire's. They weren't anything but ordinary, except the fact that they visibly shone out against the darkness, a bright yellow.

The figure in the trees took a sharp intake of breath, before hissing and darting off.

I just stared after the figure. What was that? And more importantly…

Was it dangerous?

?'s POV:

I hissed in realization. The giant wolf below me… she was as big as a horse. She was as fast as a blur. She was as strong as a bulldozer.

She was… like me.

Well, almost.

Then she suddenly whipped her head up. Whatever she had been about to do, she stopped, and locked eyes with me.

I was frozen with fear. Were my eyes shining again? I reached up, felt the glow and saw my fingers in the darkness of my perch. I gasped with fright. I hadn't wanted her to see me. Not yet, anyway.

I darted off through the tree-line, before spreading my wings and taking flight.

Renee looked over and under the sea of people at the exit gate for the plane. She was almost going crazy as she couldn't see the person she was waiting for. Where was she?

Then she came around the bend in the boarding tunnel, talking with two of the stewardesses, who were smiling and talking back with her.

"Bella!" Renee shouted, raising a hand and waving.

Bella's brown eyes lit up as she spotted her mother. She ran forward, excusing herself from her stewardess friends, and jumped into Renee's arms.

"Mama!" she said, laughing. "You were, right, the beach was fun!"

Renee was desperately trying to listen as Bella began to tell her about her summer, but she was mostly focused on how explosively happy she was that Bella was safe, not a scratch on her. She had obviously overdone her worry. Her mother-wolf inside her was prancing about with joy, swelling her normal human emotions tenfold with love and happiness that her daughter was back with her.

Renee leaned down and kissed Bella on the top of her four-and-a-half year old head, and Bella looked up at her.

"I missed you so much, sweetie," Renee said, kneeling down next to Bella as Bella's small luggage was loaded into the back of the car.

"I missed you too, Mama," Bella said, leaning up on her tiptoes and kissing Renee on the cheek.

"C'mon, kiddo, it's time to go home," Renee said, relief pouring through every vein in her body. She picked Bella up and deposited her in her carseat. Bella buckled herself in as Renee slipped into the driver's side and started the car.

Renee drove through town, only stopping to grab some of Bella's favorite pizza and some sweets for later tonight. Bella was bouncing up and down as she realized that her mother was planning a movie-night to celebrate her return.

Renee was more relaxed than she had been in weeks as she drove home. Her hunting had been very successful, and she had discovered and eradicated the vampire nest in Phoenix. It wasn't large, as she had already taken many of them out; only about two vampires were left. Two vampires who were not expecting a horse-sized, superpowered werewolf to come crashing through the window of the warehouse they had been staying in. To her knowledge, there were no more vampires in Phoenix.

That's not to say it didn't still have other dangers…

As she was walking back to the car, which was only a few feet away, a man began to approach her. Renee could smell the alcohol on his breath, and could detect the knife in his pocket, making a metallic ping as it chafed against his leg as he walked toward her. She turned, glaring at him right in the eye, trying to send him her best 'angry momma bear' look.

Either he was exceptionally drunk, stupid, or both. He kept advancing.

Renee heard footsteps behind her, and noted that there were two more men as well.

She glanced over, and saw Bella waiting patiently in the car, only about twenty feet behind her. Bella glanced up and made eye contact with her mother.

Renee quickly glanced away again. A plan began to formulate.

"Hey there, sweet stuff," the first man said, slurring in a drunken sort of accent. "I have a… proposition for you…"

"Not interested," Renee said, hoping that perhaps she would not have to beat them up beyond recognition.

"Oh, don't be like—!" the man began, but before he could reach out to very possibly have his hand bitten off, Renee spun around and growled. Not a human sort of growl, but an actual, hair-raising, blood-draining wolf's growl. For added theatrics, she phased only her eyes, making them suddenly grow darker, before the whites returned to normal.

The three men backed off so quickly you'd think there was a time-bomb. Renee laughed openly as she watched the men scamper away with their figurative tails between their legs, occasionally glancing over their shoulder to make sure she wasn't chasing after them.

"I'll deal with you three later," Renee growled again, to no one in particular.

"Renee?" she heard a startled voice. She nearly dropped the bag of sweets on the concrete. She spun around, seeing a familiar face approaching.

"Alice?" Renee gasped. A shadow came out from behind Alice as well, and immediately smiled. "And Jasper? Hi, how are you guys?!"

Alice danced over to Renee and threw her arms around her. "We're great! I missed you so much!"

Jasper came up and shook Renee's hand warmly, smiling from the peace he felt from Renee. But he frowned when he felt the jarred moment where her peace had been disturbed.

"Oh, just a couple of drunk cretins," Renee said, waving her hand dismissively. "Didn't like it when I growled at them. They high-tailed it that-a-way."

Alice, however, had slowly walked over to Renee's car. She glanced in and gasped.

"Is this her? Carlisle told us about her, after you left! She's adorable Renee!" she said, waving at Bella. Bella seemed to notice she was being ogled, and looked up, before waving back at the stranger and smiling. "What's her name?"

"Bella," Renee said automatically. "Well, actually her name is Isabella, but she prefers to be called Bella for short."

"Hii Bellaa!" Alice sang, waving at Bella again. Bella seemed confused but entertained as she waved back again.

Jasper turned to Renee. His eyes were darker than normal, and Renee was anxious about the way he was twitching. He purposely leaned away from the car. "She's got quite a scent, hasn't she?"

Renee bit her lip. "Yeah, I noticed. I sent her to Forks for the summer, so I could clean out the vampires here who were catching her scent. It was pretty bad for a while."

Jasper looked impressed and nodded. "I would imagine. Yeesh, that's a strong scent. Excuse me, but I'm going to go stand over there," he said, pointing to a lamppost further away. "It was good to see you again, Renee."

"Good to see you too, Jasper," Renee said. She turned back, and almost laughed.

Somehow or other, Alice had convinced Bella to open the car door. Normally, Renee would be alarmed, but she knew that Alice would never hurt her daughter. Bella and she were sitting on the passenger's seat, making small talk, and Bella was giggling. As Renee approached, she heard snippets of their conversation.

"Y'know, you look like that funny white man," Bella said at one point. Then she sniffed. "And you smell like him too."

Alice looked at me, smiling but her eyes held a note of alarm and worry for me. I shook my head. She didn't need to worry, the vampires were all gone, except for Jasper and Alice themselves. She turned back to Bella.

"You met someone like me, hm?" Alice said. "What happened?"

Bella shrugged. "Chocolate bit him."

Alice nodded like this was the most natural thing in the world. Chocolate biting people. Renee walked up again, leaning against the car door.

"She's talking about her wolf toy. She named it Chocolate," Renee said. "She says he can grow as big as a horse, and protects her in her sleep."

Alice's eyes shone as she realized what Renee was talking about.

"I don't think you'll ever find a better protector from nightmares than your mother, though," she trilled amusedly.

There was another moment of silence before Alice Cullen spoke up again.

"Well, it was a pleasure to meet you, little Bella, but I have to go. My husband over there is waiting for me," Alice said, pointing out Jasper. Bella peeked over the dashboard to see the vampire leaning against the tree, smiling at them as he heard every word of their conversation.

"He looks nice," Bella commented.

"Mmm, he is," Alice agreed, subtly laughing under her breath. Jasper's smile grew wider as he drank in the amusement radiating from Alice. "I'll see you again, kiddo."

She didn't say it like a question, more like a fact. Renee raised an eyebrow as Alice got up and shut the door again, as Bella waited to be back on her way home again.

"Take good care of her for me Renee?" Alice asked. "I mean, I know you will, but I can see that she and I are going to be great friends one day."

"Even better than us?" Renee asked, a smile forming on her face.

"I don't know about that," Alice said, giving her friend a hug. "We'll see each other again, though. I can't wait to see you."

With that, the two vampires quickly, but not fast enough to be suspicious, walked out of sight. Renee got back in the car, to find a contemplative Bella sitting in her carseat.

"Mama?" Bella asked.

"Yes sweetie?" Renee replied as she buckled herself in. Stupid buckle wouldn't fit in the slot.

"Why did that lady have blood on her clothes?" Bella asked innocently.

The buckle mechanism crumbled in my hand as I pushed too hard and sliced through the plastic casing.

"What makes you think that?" Renee asked, her voice sounding too high in her ears.

"I could smell it," four-year-old Bella said simply, looking out the window.

"Oh," Renee said, her voice back under control. She started the car and did not answer Bella's previous question. Within a few minutes the question, the memories of having met the pale lady or her husband, and even the scent of honey and rainwater were quickly forgotten from the toddler's mind as they drove off to home once again.

Well, what do you guys think? Any guesses on who/what the mystery person is, with the yellow eyes? Feel free to either PM me guesses or leave a review! :)

-DragonHighElder