A/N Sorry about the abrupt change in POV. I originally wasn't going to include this chapter, but it was just too much fun! Hope you enjoy!

"I really wish you'd let me do it, Jasper."

I was leaning against the doorjamb of my expansive closet as he helped Alice survey the parts of my wardrobe that were due for donation. Renesmee and Edward were sitting on our bed reading Santa Rita Durão's Caramurú in Portuguese as a night-time story; we'd burned through most of the English classics and were branching out. Edward was half-listening to us with an amused expression.

Now that my eyes were close enough to amber that I could get away without contacts, my little family and I were flying to visit Zafrina's coven in our first official family vacation. Both Renesmee and I needed new passports for the occasion, and that meant paying a visit to our dear forger.

Jasper passed by me to drop an armful of clothes in a huge cardboard box. "It's not safe, Bella."

"I had no problem controlling myself last time!"

Jasper glanced at Edward, and they shared a worried look.

Alice's voice echoed in my drive-in closet. "I feel like such a failure as an aunt, Nessie. You don't have a swimsuit that fits!"

Renesmee hopped off Edward's lap, eager to delay bedtime, and danced to Alice's side. "Shopping?"

"Maybe we'll ride with your mom to Seattle. Oooh! Or you could both ride with me and take the Porsche!"

"It's not that, Bella," Jasper continued, ignoring them. "He's a weak point. A vulnerability. He knows even more than Charlie does, but he has no reason to be loyal or quiet. That makes him dangerous. That's why he's only ever met me. If the Volturi ever came down on us for including a human in the deception, I would be the one who would be punished. I was the one who made all the contacts. I was the only one Jenks ever knew."

"Overprotective fool," Alice muttered.

My little girl nodded sagely. "Tell me about it." No doubt she was remembering Jacob's panic attack when Edward insisted that this be a family vacation, no imprinters allowed.

"Besides," Jasper added, "my talent lets me know when he's lying and yours can't."

I wasn't going to let them side-track me. "Human liars always give themselves away – heart-rate, skin temperature, cortisol in the blood. Not to mention the blush. And the Volturi aren't a risk anymore. If you don't let me do this, the poor man's going to have a heart attack and you'll have to find another forger all over again."

He shrugged indifferently. "None of them are very durable, Bella."

"I can't believe you just said that."

Edward opened his mouth, and I shoved hard against my shield. Don't you dare side with him! He did a double-take, the way he always did when I surprised him like that. He'd once described it as me popping in and out of existence. I admit I felt just the tiniest bit smug that, after all the times he materialized out of nowhere when I was human, I could finally turn the tables. It really came in handy when we needed to talk about something behind Renesmee's back – if he didn't give us away.

He narrowed his eyes at me but didn't answer.

"You'll want a cover-up to go with the swimsuit," Alice mused. "And a cute sun-hat."

"Make it green," Renesmee reminded her. It was her favorite color.

Jasper seemed to register Edward's surprise, and I realized that whether or not my husband agreed out loud with him, Jasper perceived that Edward was on his side. There were getting to be too many talents in this family. Or maybe it was just truer than ever that it was impossible to keep secrets among the Cullens.

Jasper crossed his arms. "It's Machiavellian but true – it's better to be feared than loved. And I've spent a third of a century making Jenks and Elliot very afraid."

"But it's best," Renesmee said absently, carrying an armful of clothes to the donation box, "to be both feared and loved."

Edward and Jasper exchanged another glance, and then Edward burst out laughing.

Alice giggled and scooped Renesmee up into her arms. "Did you know The Prince was based on Aro?"

Jasper relaxed his stance and rubbed Alice's arm. "What do you think?"

She didn't look up from playing with one of Renesmee's ringlets. "Looks good to me."

"What does?" I demanded.

Jasper smiled smugly. "You can take over as liaison between us and Jenks, on one condition: you allow me to formally introduce you and ratify the transfer of responsibility."

Ratify? Formally introduce me? I rolled my eyes and put it down to some long-buried Southern gentility. "Fine." Then I pointed at Renesmee. "Alright, young lady. To bed!"

She collected hugs and kisses from all of us, and Alice went to tuck her in, Jasper tagging along. Renesmee had missed her so much while she was gone last December, and even though it had been months, my daughter still clung to Alice. And that was just fine with both her and Jasper.

Edward was suddenly behind me, his arms around my waist. Even though I was a vampire, he was still quick enough to catch me off my guard every now and again. "Alright, young lady," he purred softly, his delicious breath tickling my ear. "To bed."