A/N: HUGE thank you to all those who have left reviews for my story! Whenever I get that notification I leap for joy... okay, maybe not, but a lot of smiling is involved :)

Clara and Edward said their goodbyes to the Denali coven, Clara going as far as hugging most of the members. Irina still seemed indifferent to her, so she didn't want to push anything. She thoroughly thanked them, through Edward, for their hospitality and guidance into this new lifestyle. She was nervous about meeting Edward's coven and being near humans so soon after switching diets, but she trusted Edward at least to help her make as few mistakes as possible.

Clara shifted her rucksack on her back, taking one last look at the Alaskan home before taking Edward's hand and disappearing into the night.

It was torture trying to shield her thoughts from Edward, or constantly try to think of trivial things, such as the landscape or reliving moments from her past with perfect clarity. She truly wanted to think about meeting her father for the first time, what to say to him, how to react, etc., but didn't let herself dwell on it. Those thoughts would go around in circles, anyway. She saw Edward glance her way every now and then, but she wasn't sure if it was because she had let something slip or something completely unrelated. She longed for the trip to be over quickly, or else she was sure her anxieties would bubble over before they got there.

About an hour later, Edward pulled her to a stop, startling her. "We're about 30 minutes away from Forks," he said. "It would be quicker, but I don't want to take any chances by having you too close to civilized areas. Just follow me."

"I already was," she replied, trying to force a relaxed smile on her face. She wasn't sure if she was selling it or not, but it must've been enough as he nodded and the two took off again.

Before long, she could pick up the scent of vampires, so many of them. There had to have been 5, maybe 6. Her nomadic instincts make her go stiff with tension. Edward placed a hand on her arm, seeing her rigid posture and wide eyes.

"Clara? It's okay, no one will hurt you. You're safe here," he comforted her in a calm voice.

She took a few breaths before meeting his eyes, fighting her instincts and trusting him. It was even more difficult to control what she was thinking now. They were so close. He was so close. Not giving Edward time to react to that thought, Clara took his hand and thought,

"I'm ready to meet them."

Edward nodded, staring into her eyes, contemplating something. She prayed that he would just let it go and they could go in. He blinked, then started for the house, Clara in tow. She released a sigh of relief, that was quickly replaced by anxiety again. After a second, they were in front of the door. Before Edward opened it, he muttered to her in a low voice,

"If it makes you feel better, I'm not quite ready to be here, either," he squeezed her hand, then opened the door.

Clara didn't allow herself to take in the house from the outside but put her nervousness aside for a moment to observe with awe the inside of the house. It was almost futuristic. There were so many windows, which made the house feel like they were still outdoors when they were inside. The rooms were spacious, and the walls and furniture were white or other light colors. It looked very human, from her perspective, like they were truly a family. Sitting on the furniture was the family themselves she noticed, holding her breath. Now, she and Edward were standing, hands still laced together, somewhere between the doorway and the living room, with all eyes on her. One of the coven members, a girl with dark, spiky hair, rushed up to Edward and enveloped him in a hug, forcing him to release his grip on her hand. She crossed them behind her back as the pixie exclaimed,

"Edward! We've missed you so much!" she released him, giving him a radiating smile, then turned to Clara and giving her the same treatment. At first, she was terrified of this stranger wrapping their arms around her, but loosened up a bit when Edward murmured cautiously,

"Alice."

"It's alright, Edward," Alice replied lightly, releasing her grip on Clara, "Don't be afraid, dear, we all knew you were coming and have been waiting patiently for your arrival," she clairvoyantly stated.

Clara furrowed her brows, then looked at Edward, wondering if he told them she was coming. Edward shook his head, then tilted his head toward the short girl,

"Alice has visions of the future. She saw you coming," he put simply.

A throat being cleared caught her attention. "Of course!" Alice exclaimed, "Let me introduce you," she skipped back over to the rest of the coven.

"Shouldn't I be doing the introducing, Alice?" Edward asked, an annoyed undertone in his voice.

"Well, I just feel like I know her so well by now… of course, you can do the honors, Edward," she conceded, much to his evident surprise, sliding into her previous seat next to a stiff-backed man that immediately caught Clara's attention. Her eyes grew as wide as saucers. Somehow, she knew this was him. This was her father. She doesn't have any memory of his face or any photographs; she was sure there had been some, but after her change she lost all memory of his appearance. But looking at him was like looking in the mirror. The resemblance was uncanny. In the back of her mind, she heard Edward saying names as he pointed to people, trying to get her attention, but she just stood and stared at the man until he got to his name, which she mouthed along with him,

"Jasper."

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" Jasper asked, likely seeing the resemblance himself. Hearing his confusion and lack of knowledge of her hurt her, more than she was prepared for. But it was understandable. He'd never seen her before, probably thought she was dead. Before she could come up with a decent response, Edward announced,

"Everyone, this is Clara. Clara Whitlock."

The only one without a look of shock on their face was Alice, who Clara was sure knew exactly who she was, but no more than Jasper. Slowly, like molasses, he stood up, walked over to her until he was standing a foot away from her. As he approached, Clara noticed the scars. She couldn't help the shudder that ran through her. The scars screamed danger, but she knew he couldn't be. He was her father! Her breath was uneven when he stopped in front of her, mouth agape. He was obviously having trouble forming his thoughts into words, she realized, and understandably so. She didn't have words, either. So, just as slowly and carefully as he had approached her, she closed the distance between them, snaking her arms around his waist and tucking her head under his chin. After a moment, he shakily wrapped his arms around her in return, and laid his head on hers. In that moment, she felt joy, peace, and happiness. She had a family after all. The wide smile that fitted itself on her face seemed to appear on its own accord. She looked up and met his eyes, seeing a look of absolute love and wonder in them. Unable to speak, she mouthed the word,

"Daddy."

His lips met her forehead in the gentlest touch she'd ever received. This was heaven, she thought. Somehow, she made it to heaven.

It could have been minutes or hours, but before she was ready, Clara felt Jasper pull away, but didn't let go of her completely, to her relief. Jasper had a huge smile on his face, looking her up and down, almost making sure she was real in front of him. She returned the smile, holding his forearms as they were the only part of him she could reach.

"How are you here? Where have you been? What happened? I'm-I'm sorry I wasn't there for you, I had no idea…," he trailed off, ending his rambling of questions. She looked at Edward, pinching her lips and eyebrows together. He nodded at her, understanding her dilemma, and continued,

"There's something else. Clara has a gift." At that, everyone perked up, Jasper whipping his head between the two. "It unfortunately affects her speech. So, unless all the men in the room want to fall into a trance and forget themselves, she won't be speaking," he explained, Clara rolling her eyes at his offhand way of putting it. Jasper furrowed his brows, eyes focused on her, but directed his question at Edward,

"Are you saying we'll never be able to hear her speak?" pain etched in his voice.

"I'm afraid not, Jasper," Edward regretfully replied, "Not until we figure out how to control it. We tried in Denali. Kate helped her and I was the test dummy. Her powers are real, and strong. I've only heard her speak a few sentences. After one word, I was completely in a trance. It's hard to practice her control, though, without test subjects."

"I'll gladly help her," Jasper immediately volunteered, "You heard her voice and survived, so that's good enough for me."

Edward sighed, shaking his head, "You don't know what this experience is like, Jasper, and it would be even stranger for you to undergo it as her father. If you've heard of the siren legends, that's as close as I can describe this. You essentially fall in love with her, albeit artificially, when you hear her voice. That's still not an adequate way to describe it," he huffed, running his hands through his hair. Clara placed a hand on his shoulder, a saddened look on her face. She was growing to resent her gift and its interference in her life. All she wanted was to talk to her loved ones, she wanted them to hear her voice, she wanted to say her own thoughts. Her gift seemed impossible to control, to top it off. Kate tried, but gained no ground in the gift controlling process. She had said it could take years, though, she thought solemnly.

Edward cupped her cheek, meeting her eyes, "We will control this, Clara. Don't give up yet."

Clara nodded, leaning into his touch. Edward had a way of calming her like she hadn't experienced before. She opened her eyes to meet the staring ones surrounding her. She felt a bit self-conscious, and wanted to hide in Edward's embrace, but also put some distance between them, feeling perhaps they were too close in their eyes. Edward chuckled, pressed a light kiss to her temple, making her breath catch, then turned to the group,

"Clara's feeling a bit overwhelmed at the moment, perhaps we could give her some space for now," he suggested. Who 'we' was, Clara didn't know, but she certainly didn't want to be alone. She was torn between being with Edward and Jasper, but didn't want to be with both, as that could get awkward really quick. Sensing her dilemma, Edward squeezed her hand gently, then released it, saying, "How about you spend some time with Jasper? You two have a lot to catch up on."

Clara nodded, then turned to Jasper and Alice, the only two left in the room. Alice stood on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to Jasper's cheek, making Clara's eyebrow twitch, then sped away to an unknown room in the house. Looking back at Jasper, Clara signed,

"Do you know ASL?"

Jasper smiled, "Of course," he signed back. Clara let out a huge sigh of relief that was mixed with a laugh. She turned back to Edward with a wide smile on her face, which he returned with a smaller smile of his own. She turned back towards Jasper and felt Edward leave the room, giving the two their much-needed privacy.

Suddenly alone with Jasper, Clara felt a wave of awkwardness come over her, confronted with the reality of actually having to talk to him now. After a few seconds, though, she felt herself calm down, leaving all feelings of awkwardness behind her. It was strange, to say the least. She looked at Jasper to see the guilty look on his face.

"Sorry," he signed, "That was me."

"A gift?" she signed back.

"Yes," he nodded as he signed, "I can manipulate as well as feel other people's emotions. I hope that's not too weird for you. I won't use it on you if you don't want me to," signing at the speed of light.

Clara shook her head, a growing smirk on her face, "If I can stand Edward reading my thoughts, this is nothing," she joked, walking to the couch. He sat in the chair next to her, keeping a respectful distance while allowing a clear view of her face.

"You like him," Jasper stated, not asking, rather confirming. Clara was a bit stunned, signing,

"Did you read my emotions?"

"Yes, but it doesn't take my gift to tell. You are very comfortable with him, and his emotions reflect that," he confirmed. Clara looked away, slightly embarrassed. This wasn't exactly how she thought her first conversation with her dad would go, she thought to herself, then heard a laugh from upstairs. She shook her head at Edward's inability to stay out of her thoughts and focused back on the conversation.

"He's been good to me. I trust him," she smiled. With everything, she thought, hoping he picked up on that thought.

Jasper nodded his head, "I'm glad," he signed, "I've known Edward a long time. He's a good man."

"How long have you been here?" she asked, guiding the conversation toward what she truly wanted to talk about- his past.

"Since 1950," he answered, "I met Alice in 1948 and she led us to this coven," he recalled with a fond smile on his face. "I was in a dark place back then," he stated ominously.

Clara encouraged him to continue, giving him a short nod while keeping as much eye contact as she could with him. He took a deep breath and signed, "Might as well start at the beginning, huh?"

"They are usually a good place to start," she gave him an encouraging smile. Even though she knew his story, she knew it was important to hear it from himself, and she would give him hers in return. This was more than story time, this was their first steps in building trust.

After his story was over, Clara let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. His story was even more tragic hearing him tell it. You could tell he was trying to brush past the less appealing parts of it, but nevertheless, it made her want to cry. She would gladly rip Maria to shreds if he wanted her to, she thought maliciously.

It was her turn to tell her story she realized with a sigh. It definitely wasn't as dramatic as his story, but a story about your death is not an easy one to tell. She took a breath, then signed,

"The beginning."

"The beginning," he repeated, a sympathetic smile on his face.

"I was 18 when I died, then became reborn. I came down with Hay Fever after spending more time in the wheat fields than I should have. The rain storm didn't help, either," she confessed. "For the first few weeks, it was just the constant sneezing and coughing, but then I struggled to breathe and fainted one morning." She saw the event as if it happened yesterday.

Clara sneezed into her handkerchief for the fifteenth time that day, she was sure, and it wasn't even breakfast yet. This cold was lasting much longer than she had anticipated, and her grandparents were starting to worry.

"It's high time we call the doctor, Lucy," her grandfather said gruffly at the dining table. Clara sniffled and replaced her handkerchief in her dress pocket, out of sight.

"I'm fine, Papa," he replied, "It's just allergies. The seasons are changing," she defended, but had to stop to take deep breaths. She didn't confess this, but she labored in her chores the past few mornings, needing frequent breaks to catch her breath. She knew she couldn't slack on her chores, though, for she was the only one who could do them, so she kept her mouth shut.

"Besides," she said, standing up from the table, "I'm sure it'll pass… any… day now…," she trailed off, eyes rolling back in her head, and seeing nothing but blackness.

When she regained consciousness, she felt a warm blanket over her and a soft mattress under her, a feather poking her in the leg. She tried to take a deep breath but couldn't. Her windpipe seemed to be half the size as usual. She struggled to get air in, seeing black spots when she opened her eyes. Laura was closest to her, holding her hand and patting a damp towel on her forehead. Clara then heard a strange rattling noise, it seemed to be getting louder the more she regained consciousness. Just as she was about to ask what it was, she was hit with a coughing fit, then realized what the sound was. It was her. The sound of her labored breathing was the loud, rattling noise she heard. She was scared in that moment. She felt lightheaded from not getting enough air, and she felt too weak to move. Am I dying? She wondered. She frantically tried looking around for her grandparents, but lost consciousness before she could find them.

What seemed like an eternity later, she was awoken with an excruciating pain radiating throughout her entire body. She knew if she could scream, she would, but she somehow couldn't get her face to work. She tried opening her eyes, mouth, anything, but nothing was working. The rest of her body was responding normally to the pain, however, jerking and twisting with the pain. She thought she had died and gone to hell, screaming in her mind to God, pleading for mercy. Mercy wasn't given to her, however, and she continued to writhe in agony for the next eternity.

Soon enough, however, she awoke to find Mary, and the two embarked on their nomadic life, but not before she managed to steal a picture of her family from her old room. They traveled the country, never getting too close to civilization or each other. The years blurred together, Clara filling them with sketches from her sketchbook or whittling flutes to pass the time. More than anything, though, she longed for a family, but didn't know how to leave Mary. Discovering the Denali coven was the greatest thing that had ever happened to her.

"Mary," Jasper signed, "Was she small, young-looking?"

"Yes," she replied, "She said she knew you," she confessed.

Jasper nodded, "She helped me escape Maria. I told her to keep an eye out for you, not change you!" he angrily stated.

"If she hadn't, I would've died in 1881. I never would've met you. I never would've had a true family," Clara tried soothing him with a small smile on her face. "I just wish I knew about this animal diet sooner," she said.

"If you're diligent, it won't take long for your eyes to turn gold like ours, don't worry. This is just the beginning."

"A beginning indeed."

A/N: Don't forget to leave a review! Love you all!