Welcome back! I have to admit, I almost gave up on this story after the first chapter. This is my first time publishing anything I've written, and I wasn't sure that you guys would like it. The positive reviews have been amazing, though!

I took a little creative license on this one, creating a non-canon character that I promise will be important to this version of the story. I hope you enjoy, and I look forward to hearing your feedback! -SS

Chapter 2

Flames ran up and down my throat like fiery fingers and I immediately hitched my breath. I put all my mental focus into holding still. I couldn't let my muscles unlock. If I did, I would fight these kind vampires until I died just to get at that sweet, sweet smell. I could track her from here, I knew I could. Her only saving grace would be if her scent went in multiple directions and Edward could be warned before I arrived.

But I couldn't think about that. I couldn't think about tracking her because if I did—No! There was no "if." I was not going to kill this human. Or any of the others. I refused to move, refused to breathe.

"That's good, Bree. Now do it again."

I was beginning to believe that in addition to being extraordinarily beautiful, Rosalie was also insane. That was the only explanation for why she wanted me to breathe again.

"If you can take another small breath and still hold yourself here, do it. Do not leave until you absolutely cannot take anymore. It gets a little easier each time."

I steeled myself again and took another short, barely detectable inhale. The flames returned, but this time instead of holding my breath, I breathed in a little more. The flames licked up and down my spine this time, punishing me for not giving them the sacrifice they so desperately craved. I finished the shallow breath and then stopped, riding out the pain of the fire until it dulled back into a constant ache instead of a forceful stab.

I knew that I'd pushed as far as I could. If I smelled it again, I would follow it.

"That's enough," I said, expelling some of the tainted air from my lungs.

"Go outside," Rosalie responded. "Do not hunt." I obeyed at once, gasping for the fresh air that would expel all of the remnants of Bella's scent from my brain. It would be ages before I could be around her, or any human. If the lingering scent in the living room was enough to undo me like this, there was no way I would ever be able to control myself around the living source.

I kept sucking in the cold air, imagining that with every breath I took in, a little more of the wild cravings I had were forced out to float away from me. As I settled down, the sound of a vicious growl from inside the house caught my attention.

"Please, Rosalie, I'm not trying to interfere. I'm simply cautioning you as someone much older than you who has done what you are doing before."

"She's mine, Carlisle." Rosalie's voice was cold and empty. There were threats and venom and a multitude of horrors lurking just under the surface of it, waiting for Carlisle to say the thing that would tease them out.

"If you and Emmett want to parent her, Esme and I are in agreement. It's well past time we stopped taking in children to parent and instead set our sights on supporting you children in your own endeavors. I was merely trying to advise."

"We know that," came Emmett's booming voice. "Thank you."

There was a long pause in which it seemed like everyone was waiting to hear what Rosalie would say.

"I apologize. My behavior was a bit territorial. I appreciate your advice. And your blessing." Her words were short and clipped, like she was only saying them to avoid further conflict.

"This will work," Alice said suddenly. "We all just need to keep doing what we're doing. More of the outcomes end well than the alternative now."

"She's settled down enough to be curious about our conversation," Jasper added. "Perhaps you and Emmett should go to her."

I had no doubts that Jasper was trying to dispel the tension in the room by getting rid of its tensest member.

Rosalie and Emmett soon met me in the yard.

"You did really well, Bree!" Emmett's smile was huge, and it really did make me feel better. Rosalie nodded her head encouragingly along with him.

"Thank you," I said. "It sucked."

Emmett chuckled. "Yeah, it's not easy. But it gets easier every time. You just have to keep reminding yourself why you committed to our lifestyle to begin with. For me, it's Rose." He put his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to his side. "It matters to her that we don't behave like monsters. And she matters to me more than anything in the world. So, when I'm tempted, I think of her."

He turned a dazzling smile on her, and the look of adoration in his eyes was so genuine it felt almost too private for me to watch.

"And for me," said Rosalie, still grinning at the look Emmett had given her, "it's two things. I didn't have Emmett in the beginning, so at first it was a competition with myself. I told you before I've never tasted human blood. I don't intend to break that record. But there's also my family. We live more peacefully because of our diet, and I don't want to lose them in a mad bloodlust."

It was so strange to hear these vampires sharing their motivations and values with me, but I liked it. I was comfortable in it.

"I want to try again," I said.

"I don't think so," said Rosalie. A confused look crossed Emmett's face, but he didn't argue with her. "There's pushing yourself to get stronger, and then there's pushing until your strength breaks. We need to keep you from crossing the line between the two."

I didn't like it, but it made sense.

"Fine," I answered. I realized that my voice sounded pouty, the voice of the whiny teenage I'd been not too long ago. I tried to make it softer as I continued. "Can I take a shower, though?"

"Of course," Rosalie answered. "Hold your breath and I'll show you up to mine and Emmett's room. You shouldn't be able to smell her there."

I held my breath and followed Rosalie back through the house. Esme peeked her head out of the living room and smiled as we walked through the door. I smiled back but didn't waste any of my breath speaking. We walked up the steep staircase and met Alice and Jasper on their way down. Alice's eyes were staring into the distance, like she wasn't really seeing anything in front of her. Her step never faltered, though.

"Oh," she breathed. "How careless of me. Bree," she said, focusing her gaze back to the present. "You're free to wear anything in my closet. I think you're closer in size to me than anyone else. I'll take you shopping tomorrow, if you'd like."

Alice was weird, but she seemed very kind. If I was going to be a part of this family, I was going to have to take advantage of opportunities to spend time with all of them.

"I'd like that very much," I said, sacrificing a little of my air to ensure that she knew how much I wanted to spend a day with her.

"Fantastic!" she said before flitting down the stairs with Jasper in tow. Rosalie continued the rest of the way up the stairs and into one of the rooms on the second floor. If I hadn't known better, I would've thought that I'd somehow left the Cullen house behind when I crossed the threshold into Rosalie and Emmett's room. The main parts of the house were stark white, sleek and modern and open. This room couldn't have been any more different.

The back wall was completely glass, peering out over a huge river. The rest of the walls were exposed pine. Two rocking chairs sat in front of a fireplace to my right, and a large area rug with weaving strands of black, gold, and tan covered the floor. To my left was a bed, adorned with a comforter and pillows that matched the rug. Various paintings hung artistically on the wall, bringing a feminine touch to the otherwise rugged room. On either side of the fireplace were bookshelves. One of them held a record player, records, and almost endless books. The other held various sports magazines and piles of sports equipment. I was willing to wager that one was Emmett's.

After giving me a few moments to take in the room, Rosalie responded to the expression on my face.

"Surprised?"

"Only a little," I answered. I took a breath as the words used up the rest of my air and was grateful that the air smelled clean.

"Emmett grew up in a cabin," Rosalie said in that rare soft voice she occasionally used. "He missed the comfort of it, and I really don't mind." Her expression matched her voice, gentle and caring.

"Anyway," she continued. "The shower is in there." She pointed to a door I hadn't noticed before in the back left corner of the room. "Alice meant it when she said you could raid her closet. Feel free. Her room is at the end of the hall, with the closet through the bathroom on the right side of the room."

I nodded my understanding. "Thank you."

"I'll give you some privacy. Help yourself to any of the books."

She left the room, pulling the door closed behind her as she went. I sat in one of the rocking chairs for a few minutes, finally allowing myself to feel all of the exhaustion and stress that I'd been under for the past twenty-four hours. It didn't seem possible that it had only been a day since I'd been mobilized along with Riley's small army against the Cullens. In that time I'd almost died, twice, and had now been accepted into the home of the most compassionate vampires that had probably ever lived.

What a strange day. I felt tired. My body was, of course, ready for anything. I could've charged into battle or pursued prey on a hunt, climbed a mountain or swam across the Atlantic. But mentally, I wanted rest. Even the Cullen's money couldn't buy the luxury of rest for vampires, though.

With a sigh, I walked out of the room and down the hall into Alice and Jasper's room. If Rosalie and Emmett lived in a rugged log cabin, Alice and Jasper lived in an apartment over the River Seine. My eyes were assaulted by shades of pink and silver with floral accents everywhere. Alice clearly had an obsession with Paris. I was suddenly a little apprehensive about shopping with her tomorrow. I'd always admired nice clothes, but never been able to afford them, and I had no idea how I'd manage to do so now. I had about $300 in my pocket, collected from some of my last human victims. With Alice's tastes, that wouldn't go far.

I continued into the closet and was again assaulted, this time by a collection of beautiful clothes. Burberry, Chanel, Armani, Valentino, Givenchy…her collection was incredible. My eyes were immediately drawn to a knee-length velvet pink dress. I grabbed it and ran, falling back into the instincts for theft I'd cultivated during my short time in Riley's charge.

When I got back to Rosalie's room, I came to my senses and remembered that I'd been given permission to borrow this dress. I smiled as I ran my fingers over the soft material, thinking about how luxurious it would feel on my hyper-sensitive skin. My walk was slower as I made my way to the shower.

I turned the water on to a nice lukewarm temperature before stepping in and letting the water wash over my granite skin. The dirt scrubbed off easily in the water, but it took ages to get the grime out my hair. When the long process of getting clean was over, I stepped out into the steamy bathroom. I used my fingers to comb and part my hair, letting it airdry a bit as the steam receded from the room. When I could see myself in the mirror again, I picked up Rosalie's hairdryer and started blowing my hair dry to achieve volume and a sharp bob at my chin. The rest of me dried as I styled, allowing me to slip easily into the dress when I was done.

The dress curved out into a wide crewneck that showed off my collar bones, but the sleeves were tight all the way down to my wrists. It clung to me perfectly until it reached just above my knees, the pale pink color standing as a compliment to my pale, smooth skin and in contrast to my dark hair. Except for my piercing red eyes, I looked beautiful.

I imagined how I would look if I could stay with the Cullens. When my eyes one day softened to gold, would I think I was truly beautiful then, or would I always miss my brown ones? I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair, a nervous tick I'd brought with me from my human life, before stepping away from the mirror and back into the room.

Rosalie's bookshelf was tempting. Her books ranged from timeless classics—though they probably didn't seem timeless to her—to modern young adult literature that had only become popular in my human teenage years. After formulating a mental list of which books I would read first, I walked back into the hall. I was afraid to descend the stairs for fear that Bella's scent would hit me again, but I wasn't sure that I wanted to stay up here alone either.

"Bree," a gentle male voice said from the end of the hall. Carlisle was peering at me from an open door. "Would you join me?"

I walked toward him, entering what could only be his office as he stepped aside to hold the door for me. "Thanks," I said.

"You did very well today in dealing with Bella's scent." His tone was praising and, in spite of myself, I felt myself beginning to smile at him. I mumbled my thanks while Carlisle resumed the chair behind his desk. Feeling that standing was impolite, I sat in the chair opposite him.

"I wanted to get to know you and invite you to ask any questions you may have," he said.

"Oh, um, well, I'm really not that interesting."

He smiled kindly. "I highly doubt that. Tell me about your family."

"I, uh, I don't really remember my dad. He and my mom tried to live together when I was a kid, but she got tired of him knocking her around, so she took me and left. She died last year."

His face crumpled into the picture of compassion. "I'm sorry to hear that."

I just shrugged at him. I hadn't known what to say to that when I heard it as a human, and I didn't know now.

"Is that the only family you had?"

I hesitated for a moment. I'd been planning to keep Ashley a secret, at least until I was sure I could stay here. Carlisle's face was neutral, but his eyes were scrutinizing. He'd know if I lied, and I wanted him to trust me. Plus, Edward would probably know as soon as he visited again anyway.

"No. I have a sister. Ashley."

"Is she older or younger than you?"

"Younger," I answered. "She's fourteen."

He resumed his scrutinizing, and I was suddenly reminded of just how old he must be, and just how young I was.

"Can I ask you something intrusive?"

"Of course," he answered. "As long as I reserve the right to decline to answer."

"I was just wondering how old you are."

Carlisle let out a genuine laugh, and it was a heartwarming sound. "I'm not sure exactly how old I am. I was born in the early 1640s in London, during Cromwell's rule. I was in my early twenties when I was turned."

I was tempted to ask about his transformation, but I was afraid of offending him. Reading the apprehension on my face, he continued.

"My father was an Episcopalian minister. In those days, creatures like us were not a myth or a story. We were the very real nightmares of people who believed in us wholly. My father hunted vampires. I admit, he wasn't very good at it. In his zeal, he often brought about the deaths of humans who merely had peculiar behaviors, but he rarely found real vampires."

He was staring beyond my head now, lost in the memories of his life almost three hundred years ago.

"I was more patient than he. I found a small group of actual vampires living in the London sewers. I led a raid on them, but a group of over-confident humans with torches and pitchforks were no match for vampires, even starving ones. I was bitten as they attacked. I knew what my father would do if he knew what I'd become, so I dragged myself into a cellar for the duration of my transformation." He paused briefly as a shiver ran down his back. The memory of the transformation elicited that response in us all.

"No one came when they heard the screaming?"

He shook his head. "I didn't scream. It was one of the hardest things I've ever done. People knew who I was, and they knew what I did. If someone had come across me, writhing and screaming in pain just after hunting vampires, I would've been killed. In hindsight, I spent a long time wishing I'd screamed at the top of my lungs.

"I tried a number of ways to kill myself, even starvation. They all failed. I was hiding in a cave one day when a heard of deer passed by. I didn't even think, I just attacked. I found, though, that I could live on the blood of animals, and my lease on life changed."

I thought that over for some time before asking my next question. "So you've never tasted human blood?" Just at the thought, the thirst raised its ugly head.

The corners of his lips quirked. "I have tasted, but never killed. I told you, not screaming out was only one of the hardest things I've ever done."

I was staring at him now with wide eyes, completely enraptured by his story.

"I turned four of those I now call family. First was Edward, then Esme, Rosalie, and Emmett. Alice and Jasper came to us by their own path." His voice held a note of finality, and I knew if I wanted further details about those stories, I'd have to ask each person individually. "Is there anything else you want to know?"

"Um, I'm sure there will be a lot more as time goes. But, can I ask what you all do at night? I know you go to school and work during the day but what about when you're pretending to be asleep?"

"For the most part, we take some time to indulge our own interests. For example, I normally brush up on my medical studies. Edward and Rosalie read, play music, and work on cars. Emmett and Jasper normally end up embroiled in one game or another. Things like that. What are your interests?"

"I like to read. I don't really remember caring about much when I was human. And I didn't have a lot of time to figure out what else I might like after."

"Of course," Carlisle responded. "You're welcome to any of the books in my office. I'm sure Rosalie would agree, and Edward too, though you'll have to wait until he's here to ask him."

"I'm sorry about that."

"About what?"

"Chasing Edward out. It's really not fair. I don't want to be an inconvenience."

Carlisle was shaking his head at me before I could finish getting the words out. "Bree, you're not an inconvenience. Edward spends all of his time with Bella, anyway. The only difference is that now she won't be here as often. We'll manage other ways to see her. You're a part of this family now, Bree. We take care of and support each other, and you're now living through a difficult phase that we've all endured before. We will be here for you."

If I could've teared up, I would've. It was so strange to be cared for, to not have to dance around the edges of everyone else's convenience. It was nice to be prioritized.

"A few more things," he continued. "Your sister, Ashley. Would I be correct in assuming you cared for her after your mom's passing?"

I didn't want to think about this. But, again, I wouldn't lie. "Yes. For a while. But eventually I had no way of making money. Ashley was going to school starving and didn't even have a winter coat. A teacher must've called CPS. I wasn't home when they came. I knew that Ashley was gone when I returned, though, and I knew they'd come for me too. So, I ran. That's how I ended up on the streets. She's with a nice family. They're just fostering her right now, but they'd been talking about adoption before...before Riley found me."

"It sounds like you care about her very much," Carlisle's soft voice said.

"I do."

"Bree, you may be tempted, at times, to visit her. You can't do that. First, because it is against the Volturi's laws for us to expose ourselves to humans. You and Ashley both would be in great danger if you did that."

I nodded. I'd not been thinking about visiting her. Not concretely. It would be nice to check in on her though, just to make sure she was okay.

"And you can't visit but remain unseen, either. Not now. Maybe after you've matured and your thirst is controlled, but to check on her would be to be near humans. You would pose an immediate danger to your sister's life if you got too close."

That thought hadn't occurred to me, but of course he was right. If the ghost of Bella's scent clinging to the furniture downstairs was enough to require me to leave a room or else lose my mind, I had no doubt I would kill my own sister if she got too close. Even now, my throat flared at the thought.

"Of course. I understand," I said.

"I'm glad to hear it. Now, I'll make these next two things quick as to not cause you unnecessary pain. First, we've opened all of the doors and windows downstairs in an attempt to expel Bella's scent. We'll try again tomorrow to see how you respond to it, but it should be faint and manageable within a few days. Until then, you should try to remain up here. I'm often in my office if you'd like company."

I nodded to show him I understood.

"Finally, I need to know how often you were hunting before."

I now knew what he'd meant when he'd mentioned unnecessary pain. Just thinking about hunting made my throat burn. I swallowed down the venom beginning to pool in my throat.

"About twice a week," I answered him, paying attention to the vibration in my vocal cords instead of the sudden dryness in my mouth.

"We'll try to stick to that same schedule with you, for now. If you need to hunt more often, please tell us. We're here to help you."

"I will."

With that, Carlisle turned to one of the books on his desk, subtly dismissing me. I went back to Rosalie's room to pick a book off of the shelf. I felt bad about taking over her and Emmett's space, so I moved back into the hall and snuggled in on the top step to read.

Thirteen chapters later, Rosalie walked out of her room.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

I shook my book at her. "Reading."

"I can see that. I meant, why are reading out here? I'd have thought you'd want some peace and quiet."

"Compared to what I've been living with, you guys are monks," I told her. "And I feel bad intruding on your and Emmett's room. I'm fine out here. The scent should go away in a few days and then I can hang out in the living room."

"That's nonsense. You're not intruding, we're offering. Esme and I talked and we think we can add a room off the garage. It'll take a few days to get the materials in, but once we have them it should only take us a day or two to build. Until then, you can use mine and Emmett's as a place to retreat."

"You're building me a room?"

"Everyone in the house deserves their own space to get away," she answered. "Plus, Esme's wanted to expand for ages. You've just given her an excuse to finally do it."

There weren't any words I could say to express how grateful I was, and by the time I settled on trying, the moment had passed.

"Will you be okay if Emmett and I go for a run?" she asked. "Carlisle and Esme will be here, and I think Alice and Jasper will be home soon."

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Have fun running."

Rosalie grinned at me before flying down the stairs to take Emmett's hand and pull him outside. I retreated into their room, curling up with my book in one of the rocking chairs and feeling, for the first time since I'd been turned, at peace.