Yet again, running short on time, heading out to tour UNT! Loads of fun, I'm sure. I started this chapter by writing two diffrent, shorter versions that I wasn't happy with before blending them together and finishing it out to give you this chapter! I hope you like it, and thank Lizesme's review for reminding me about this story.

Review!

-Jenn

"Why were you keeping Vitalia from me?" He said coldly, and it was even colder than his normal tone, something I didn't think was possible. I could imagine how red his eyes were, how they always got when someone threatened his Vitalia.

"Russell! They didn't mean to! They're just not used to someone like you so close to a human, so close to here without express permission." Vitalia yelled from inside the car.

He looked back over his shoulder at her with a look that usually ended up with him kicked out of their bedroom for a few days. "It does not matter. You are none of their concern."

My stubborn best friend exited the car, her blond son on one hip, "Russell, let me handle this. Your skills of diplomacy are practically nonexistent."

"Vitalia..." He said, her name rolling of his tongue in a growl. She put a hand on his chest, and whispered something to him I was sure shouldn't have been said anywhere near their son, judging by the suddenly euphoric expression that crossed Russell's face before he regained his stony composure.

"Please, Jenna is family, I trust you realize that there is a time and a place for things like this and that this is not that place." She looked at me, and smiled. My father growled at her, "I understand your...uneasiness about my husband, but I assure you, he is no danger to you all."

"They are a danger to us." Russell growled, and Vi shoved at him.

"Get in the car you big brute, you aren't making anything any better." Vitalia hissed putting their son in his arms, "I mean it. Get. In. The. Car."

He cursed in Russian, but took the blond toddler from his mother. When Vi handed Luca to Russell, the growls from my family started again. Vi shot a dark look at them, "My husband is not about to hurt his son."

Looking over all of the people around me, his gaze settled on Sam and my parents. "One wrong move, and I will end this. No one hurts my Vitalia. You don't harm her, and you have nothing to fear from me."

Vitalia held her ground, and I envied her courage, "Mind your manners and get in the stupid car. Jenna won't let them hurt me. Will you, Jenna?"

I shook my head numbly, my mouth running away from me, "No. I'm not sure what's going on, but I won't let anyone hurt anyone."

She smiled sweetly at me, "Thank you, Jenna. See, Russell, I'll be just fine."

"I don't like this." He said, his upper lip pulling up in disgust.

"It will be fine, really." He refused to move, a marble statue against her human hands. She backed off. "I had hoped to avoid this, but you just have to be difficult, don't you? Get in the car, Desyat!" She yelled the name that always cowed him into submission and he backed off, but didn't turn his back on my family as he got in the car.

He had been trained from his early childhood to protect her, and in order to accomplish the level of brainwashing needed to make him to put the needs of others before his own, they had called each trainee by a number in Russian. Russell had been the number ten, and the word still made him cringe. It always upset Vitalia when she had to hurt him like that, but he had been dead set against backing down and I think we both knew that would end badly.

I ducked underneath my father's arms when Russell was finally in the car, putting myself between my friend and my family. "Can we take this to the bonfire now, down at Billy's? We don't need to talk about this in front of the kids, do we?"

"Jenna." My father started, and I held out a hand. I wasn't an idiot. Once I had overcome the shock, I had a clue as to what was going on.

"Don't you dare start. I don't know why I thought that our family secret would be normal. After I learned about Russell, should anything really surprise me?" I was tired of being lied to, and now that I had the idea that the big family secret was supernatural, I was just done. "Would someone park my truck? I'm going to ride down the street with the only people that have been totally honest with me."

Vi put a hand on my arm, trying to calm me down like she was usually so good at. It wasn't going to work now. "Jenna, they didn't want to lie to you." She looked at my mother, "They were ordered not to tell you."

"Why?"

She bent down and picked up a handful of the Washington soil, "I'm not certain. Things have happened here. This soil, it has lots of stories to tell. I'm sorry, but we don't have the time for me to dig any deeper." She looked up at me, brushing her hands off on her leather pants. "Come, they'll be honest with you now. It's actually easier this way." She winked at me, "Everything will be easier now."

"Wha...?" I started and she grabbed my hand, pulling me to the car. I directed Russell to Billy's house, and was unsurprised to see the Cullen's waiting for us. "Hello Dr, Edward." I said cordially, nodding to the vampires, who were looking at Russell critically.

Vitalia rolled her eyes at them, "He's not a danger to any humans. I'm his...I believe the word you use is...Singer. The only blood that appeals to him is mine. Also, killing my husband in front of our son would be cruel."

"How did you know what Russell was?"

My mother tried to play dumb, "What is he, Russian?"

"No, mother, he's a vampire. But you already knew that, didn't you?" She recoiled from my harsh tone.

My father spoke next, and I was relieved to hear the truth out of his mouth, "Yes, we know about vampires. The Cullens, they are..."

"Vampires. Yes, I know that. What I want to know is what you are."

"Shifters, Jenna. Almost all of us." I heard Embry's voice from behind Sam and my attention was instantly riveted on him.

"Shifters, as in were wolfs?" I asked, my heart beating faster as I remembered all of the tribal stories I had grown up hearing at bon fires. He nodded. They really were Spirit Warriors.

Vi grinned, "See, Jenna? I told you things would be easier! They could smell him coming. If they'd been paying attention, they probably would have smelled him on you too."

Suddenly, everyone was talking at once. They were all screaming at Embry. My mind was reeling. My family...they weren't human? It was loud, and the pressure building in my head sent my temper over the edge. "Would everyone shut up!" I yelled, and silence fell upon the members of my extended family and friends, as well as the Cullen vampires.

Russell handed the Luca to me, who instantly had his hands in my long brown hair. He was so used to the menacing presence of his father that he didn't even realize that the air was filled with unbearable tension. The solid weight of him in my arms was comforting though, and I felt myself calm down. I smiled gratefully at Russell who simply tipped his head at me.

He knew that Luca's skin was like a relaxant drug, even if it didn't effect him. That was one of the reasons Luca was so used to being passed around by the three of us, that and he was just too cute to deny.

"Fascinating." I heard the Dr. Cullen say, and I looked up at him. His unblinking golden eyes were fixed on Luca who was now resting his chubby cheek against my neck, his eyelids bobbing as he fought sleep.

You could practically see the gears in the vampire's head turning. It was like he was analyzing the boy from across the clearing. It unnerved me, but Vi didn't seem to mind. "You're interested in our son's gift, no?"

"I apologize, but, yes. Jenna was just perusing the basics in her mind." I gasped and he looked at me apologetically, "My son, Edward, is a mind reader, he told me what you were thinking." He looked back to Vi, "Are you gifted?"

She smiled maliciously, "Yes, Carlisle." He arched an eyebrow at her casual use of his first name. She crouched down and scooped up another handful of dirt. "I'm a psychometrist, Vitalia Marie Morretti née Rinaldi, the daughter of an Italian diplomat, Angelo Rinaldi, and his Russian bride, Vita Travunskaya." She let the dirt fall through her fingers, "My mother's family came from very old blood. I've been told that magic ran strong in the Russian past. My mother was not gifted, and I'm not certain if my brother was since I have nothing of his. Does that satisfy your curiosity? I'm not in the mood to talk anymore about my mother and brother so don't ask. Perhaps later, but not now. This meet is about you all, not me. I'm glad you find my son interesting and I'll give you permission now to test him later."

"Carissimi, non preoccuparti. Tutto andrà bene." Russell said, soothing her in his own special way.

I suddenly put everything together, and looked at my parents in horror. "I'm normal. That's why I was never included in on this big secret. That's it, isn't it?" My knees buckled, but Russell was there to catch me...well more like to catch Luca. He scooped the both of us up, holding me to his chest

"Jenevieve, I believe I should have told you not to worry, shouldn't I? Calm yourself. I'm sure there is a reasonable explanation." When his husky voice stopped I realized that every member of my family that was present was growling, my parents and Embry shaking. "Although, they're not too happy about me carrying you." He walked to Vitalia and she took Luca from me. "Thank you, Carissimi."

She smiled, "You're helping my friend. That means the world to me."

"I like Jenna. I never would have chosen her otherwise." He sat me on my feet, but held onto my shoulders to steady me. I was lightheaded, but I suddenly realized that they weren't going to let anyone go anywhere now. Not until it was explained about how I knew about, and become involved with, vampires. Because Russell had chosen me.

"What did you choose her for?" Embry yelled, looking more unbalanced than my parents. I had no doubt that whoever was in control of their little pack was forcing him to keep back. A sudden chill filled me, were my parent's the leaders? It fled quickly, and Russell let me go. I knew who the pack leader was, it was obvious once I remembered what had happened right before Vitalia had gotten to La Push. Sam.

Russell smiled, "I am not the wild thing you must be accustomed to. My first and foremost duty is to protect Vitalia, in life and in death. When I was a boy, we were trained to put our charges first. I can protect her now better than I ever could before, but now I can't enter the sunlight without drawing unwanted attention. When Vitalia insisted that she attend college, I had to make a choice. You're Jenna has made things very easy for us as well." Russell said, drawing me back into a conversation I wasn't sure I was really quite ready to face. "Vitalia needed a roommate, candidates were screened very carefully and Jenna was chosen due to her abilities and interests."

"Her...abilities?" My mother asked, looking confused. I didn't want this to happen. I didn't want them to know. My secret had been mine for so long that it still bothered me that Vi and Russell knew.

But Russell just kept on, and I cursed the fact that once he got started talking, he, for all his overtly masculine characteristics, became as chatty as a little girl on a playground. "I screened possible applicants in Vitalia's major first for any sort of disabilities, then looked for family histories, which was where Jenna first stood out. Her grandfather is a police officer, who would have, logically, instilled in her those points of views, the protect and serve qualities. I then looked at their high school transcripts and narrowed the field even farther." He smiled fondly at me, "It was down to three girls, and I took to following them. At first, your Jenna was not any different than the other two, but then, the little shvibzik, she ran off into the forest by herself." He chuckled darkly, "She had no idea I was following her. Her awareness didn't come until I trained her. But her talents, they are all hers. You all think she is merely a human, but she is like my Vitalia, the gift lives in her blood."

"Please, don't. Please stop." I finally choked out.

He smiled at me, "Vitalia has told me the bandage hurts less when ripped off quickly. Do you wish me to continue?"

I looked at Embry, and our eyes met. I wanted to go to him. I didn't really understand why, considering how hard I had worked to avoid him. Things had changed. We had slept together and I was feeling that bond now. My body wanted to find comfort in him. In my mind, he was a safe place now, as safe as my father's arms had once been. I understood why he always had looked so sad. He had wanted to tell me the big secret, but couldn't. It had always been that secret that had nearly torn me away from my family, that had kept him from being open with me. I couldn't let another secret replace the one that had just been revealed. "Yes...yes, keep going. Please."

It was time to come to terms with the fact that I was in no way my parent's little girl anymore. I felt a little smug. They might have kept their secret, but I had my own. Suddenly, sleeping with Embry seemed to be the least of my problems.