Celebwen Telcontar: Here's the next chapter!
Balrog: This chapter's fairly boring. Just a bunch of people talking and eating.
Celebwen Telcontar: Balrog! Don't be so critical! Please read and review, people!
The following week, Jacob invited Brunhilde over to dinner with the Pack. She accepted, and rode over to the house with Leah, who was helping Siegfried check out of the hospital. The two siblings had a lot to talk about, including the fact that Siegfried had since proposed to Leah.
"Hey!" Embry called as he heard the three enter the house. "Quill's out picking Claire up..." He faded off as he saw Brunhilde, who's eyes went wide and began walking towards Embry like a sleepwalker. "You're Brunhilde?" he asked softly. "You're... beautiful."
"Thank you," she replied in a hushed voice as he took her hands. Siegfried snorted in laughter and Leah cracked up and kissed her fiancé. Siegfried called something in German to his sister who glared at him for a moment before shrugging with a laugh, then explained.
"My brother has just said I may as well move here."
"Why not?" Embry asked, obviously dazed from the Imprinting.
"You are right, miene liebe. Why not. I assume Siegfried'll be living here?"
"Ja," Siegfried replied with a grin and a kiss for his fiancée. "If she has me." His words were in butchered English and with a strong accent, but no one could misunderstand him.
"Absolutely, miene liebe," Leah replied, leaning into his side where his arm was sticking out awkwardly due to the cast.
"We're having company for dinner!" Seth called as he came hurtling down the stairs. He took one look at Brunhilde and Embry and laughed. "Looks like Imprinting's going around! The Cullens are coming for dinner to show the other side of our family. They're bringing food for everyone."
"Good!" Leah said, smiling. "How does a venison steak sound?" she asked Siegfried. He laughed.
"After hospital food? Wunderbar!" Leah laughed with him, knowing how bad hospital food was. He spoke quickly with Brunhilde, who glanced at Embry, blushed, and nodded, looking almost abashed.
"Uhm... Leah, Embry? Siegfried suggested we... marry in a double wedding. I... agree, if you do."
"Yes!" Leah cried, hugging the German woman and spinning into an impromptu dance with her, both women laughing and Brunhilde blushing fiercely, both giggling like schoolgirls.
The door opened, and Claire, Quill, Jacob, Renesmee and the Cullens came in. Huilen and Nahuel were carrying platters of raw venison, while Rosalie, Emmet, Carlisle and Esmee were carrying two large thermoses each, and Alice, Jasper, Edward and Bella were carrying various meats as well, all from the animals the Cullens had hunted.
"We don't need that much food," Jacob laughed.
"I think I'll eat meat tonight," Renesmee said, looking at the large quantity of meat. Nahuel nodded.
"I'm so happy you'll be joining us!" Alice squealed, handing her platter to Jasper and hugging both Siegfried and Brunhilde.
"I'm glad we're joining you too," Brunhilde said, hugging Alice back. The pixielike vampire only came up to low-chest on the powerful German woman, who was almost bent double to hug Alice.
"You'll get used to the smell," Jacob joked, elbowing Bella before theatrically rubbing the offending joint and muttering about a fracture. Bella snorted.
"Well, if you wouldn't hit me, then you wouldn't get yourself hurt!" she teased back.
"So, Brunhilde," Carlisle said, "What are the differences between your people and Jacob's pack?"
"They can completely change. Legend says that we could change many generations ago, but we have since lost that ability. Bjorn the Black Bear, our forefather, was the first skin-changer; he could change into a great bear, and speak with animals of all kinds. We have several legends about him. I would like to talk to Jacob about them, and see what similarities Bjorn Black Bear has with the forefather of the Wolves."
"Sure, sure, I'll talk to you after dinner," the Alpha replied.
"Emmet, would you pass the blood?" Renesmee asked. Her uncle passed the decanter, and the hybrid refilled her glass. Jacob asked for the barbeque sauce, and when he tipped a generous portion over his meat and on the side, Renesmee drizzled blood over her steak.
"Good idea," Nahuel said before asking for the blood, which he applied in the same way.
"Next time I'll marinate two steaks in blood for you two," Esme laughed.
"That sounds good," Nahuel said, taking a bite of his blood-dipped steak.
"This is good meat," Brunhilde said, carving off another slice of meat for herself. "It's not too dry, and it's nice and gamy. I like the taste. What is it?"
"Puma. We found it near a residential area. It would have been shot anyways, and was stalking a little girl," Rosalie replied. "Edward and Bella returned the child to her mother while Emmet killed the puma." The Vampire built like a linebacker flashed a grin before swigging from his glass and refilling it. Siegfried asked his sister something in German, and she replied.
"How well does Rosetta Stone work?" Leah asked the table.
"Very well," Jasper said, at the same time that Seth replied, "Not too bad."
"Vampire minds work differently than human or Shifter minds," Edward said. "Rosetta Stone isn't the worst program for humans or Shifters. It works really well for Vampires, though."
"I need to get a German program."
"Me too," Embry said, mopping up a puddle of barbeque sauce with a piece of elk.
"I can help you learn," Edward said. Bella, Carlisle and Renesmee also offered their tutoring skills.
"We'll learn German in a single semester at this rate!" Embry laughed, reaching over to kiss Brunhilde on the cheek, leaving a smear of barbeque sauce behind. Esme discreetly notified Brunhilde to that fact, and the burly German woman quickly wiped her cheek off.
Suddenly, all the vampires stared at Renesmee, frozen.
"What?" the hybrid asked, lowering the bite of venison she had been about to eat.
"Did you all just hear that?" Rosalie asked.
"A sound like a bird's heartbeat? Yeah," Jasper replied.
"What's going on?" Renesmee asked slowly.
"How do you feel?" Carlisle asked. He stood up, walking around to her and gently feeling her forehead, lymph glands, and abdomin.
"I'm fine, Grandpa! Now what is going on?"
"Do you feel nauseous, fatigued, or at all different from normal?"
"No, I don't! What is this about?!"
"I have a hypothesis, but I don't want to say anything until I'm sure. Edward, don't say anything, I might be wrong, so I want to be positive first."
"A-alright," the Vampire stammered. Renesmee glared at her father and grandfather before rolling her eyes and dipping her piece of venison steak in the blood on the side.
"What's going on?" Bella asked her husband.
"I'll tell you later," Edward replied softly.
Celebwen Telcontar: What's going on with Renesmee?
Balrog: She's—
Celebwen Telcontar: Balrog! That question was for the readers!
Balrog: Oh, right. Please read and review!
Celebwen Telcontar: If you could leave constructive reviews, such as what you liked, what you didn't like, what I could change, and how it could be better, please do so!