Changing Our Forever

by Lillian Marie Hope

What happens when Bella and Edward receive the Twilight books from a Psychic-also known as Stephenie Meyer? What happens if the Cullens befriend the Quileutes before it's too late? The Cullens and Quileutes work together to save a damsel in distress AND a Quileute from being attacked in the mall. Read the story to find out. Disclaimer: I don't Own Twilight :(

18. New Shapeshifters

Chapter 15

BPOV

I groaned when I felt someone bouncing on my bed.

"Are we having an earthquake?" I snarled, displeased to be woken up in such an unpleasant manner. I heard the musical laughter of a certain shopaholic. "You'd better not be waking me up to go shopping, Alice," I growled menacingly, snuggling even deeper into the bed.

"Oh, but I am!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands. "We're going shopping!"

"Ugh!" I groaned angrily. "We are not! We have guests here, in case you've forgotten. Sleeping guests! And I'm one of them. Haven't you ever heard the phrase, 'Let sleeping dogs lie'? There's a reason for that. I just dare you to go wake up the wolves as abruptly as you have me this morning."

She laughed. "Don't be silly, Bella. I have no desire to spend the rest of eternity missing a few body parts. I let the dogs lie, but you, my human slave, will drag your butt out of bed and get ready now, before I make you."

There was an edge of menace to her voice that made me open my eyes and look at her. It was terrifying. She looked like she was going to go ballistic. If she put all that pent up energy of hers into violence, I didn't want to be anywhere in the vicinity. I immediately went into placating mode, fearing the worst.

"Okay, fine, Alice. We'll go shopping," I grumbled. "But I'm going to sleep in the car on the way there."

"Fair enough," Alice agreed smugly, easy to please now that she had gotten her way. "I graciously laid out your outfit for today. You can put it on after your shower. Unfortunately, we don't have time to play Bella Barbie today, so I'll have to fix you up at vampire speed, once you're dressed."

I grinned widely. That was the best news of the day so far.

"You could at least pretend to be disappointed," Alice whined, seeing the expression on my face. I laughed.

"No, I don't think I could. I have it on good authority that my acting skills are severely lacking," I teased, throwing back the covers and sitting up on the side of the bed. I stretched my muscles, yawning sleepily. She huffed and left to give me some privacy. I stood up, stretching again, arching my back like a cat. I thought about last night and almost felt like purring. Edward and I had certainly enjoyed ourselves, particularly after we got rid of Jasper and Emmett. We figured they would hesitate to bother us again after the little chocolate stunt, so we did a little boundary stretching while they were otherwise occupied.

I walked stiffly into the bathroom, beginning my morning routine. I always loved the feeling of the hot water coursing down on my skin. I considered it one of the distinct pleasures of life, one of the blessings of technology. The joys of hot, running water was something our modern society took for granted, but it was one of the reasons I was thankful I had been born in the modern age. There were other reasons, of course, but indoor plumbing was one of the main ones. It's all well and good to fantasize about living in the past, but I know I've been spoiled by technology and would find it very difficult to be alive a century or two ago. In addition to technology, I would have an extremely difficult time adjusting to societal attitudes and expectations of women in previous centuries. I enjoyed my freedom and equality too much to simply throw away all I've been taught since I was a young child.

On the one hand, I wondered how much of Edward's attitude toward me is simply a product of the culture in which he was raised. On the other hand, Carlisle was much older than Edward, but I never felt like he belittled me or condescended to me. In all fairness, Carlisle spent more time actively involved in the human world, so perhaps that made it easier for him to adjust to modern ideas and attitudes over time. I thought about the question more deeply. Carlisle is paternalistic though, which would be consistent with his upbringing. Esme is a stereotypical stay at home mom, well, except for the vampire part. The 'kids' all go to school and don't hold down any jobs. In Carlisle's day, and even in Edward's, it was commonly expected that the man should protect and provide for his family. Carlisle did exactly that, for his entire family, even though his 'sons' were perfectly capable of finding jobs of their own. I wasn't Jasper, but I could sense the pride, contentment, and satisfaction emanating from Carlisle whenever he was surrounded by his family, his loved ones.

Was Edward trying to do the same with me? Was he mimicking both his human and vampire fathers? He didn't want me to get an after school job, already agreeing to support me indefinitely. He liked to procure food for me, always so proud of himself when he brings me a meal. He expected to make the decisions for both of us, and expected me to do whatever he told me. I had news for him. They'd been leaving the whole 'obey' part out of the marriage vows for decades now, and I had no intention of it being included in mine. Had Esme ever stood up to Carlisle? Had the Twilight books ever mentioned an argument between the two of them? Had she ever told him no? To my horror, I realized I couldn't think of a single instance in which Esme had opposed her husband. Was that Edward's expectation of me? No, Rose ruled Emmett, and Alice ruled Jasper, despite Jasper's age and military status. He must see from his siblings' relationships that it didn't really work that way, right? I had a feeling he and I needed to have a serious talk about our expectations of one another with regards to a long term relationship. We needed to define a few roles and boundaries. There was no way I'd ever successfully pull off the June Cleaver model.

I shivered, both from my thoughts and from the chill in the water. I had been contemplating these thoughts for so long, I had used up all the hot water. I thought guiltily of the rest of the inhabitants of the house as I shut off the flow. I quickly dried my body and hair with the towels, realizing Alice would be after me any second to hurry up my pace. I looked around the bathroom, but didn't see my outfit. I groaned as I realized I had left it on the bed in the room. I wrapped the towel around me like a strapless dress and dashed over to the bed. A sudden raspy intake of breath signaled another's presence in the room. I looked in that direction to meet the shocked but lusty gaze of my soul mate.

I watched his eyes darken as he drank in the sight of me in nothing but a towel, standing beside his bed. I could even witness his internal struggle as he fought against running over, tossing me on the bed, ripping away the towel, and having his wicked way with me, right here, right now. I felt my own arousal respond to the images in my mind. As that knowledge wafted over him, he tensed, a low rumbling growl rippling through his chest. He leaned forward in his chair, as if to pounce, and I recognized my cue to skedaddle. I grabbed my clothes and bolted for the bathroom. Dashing through the doorway, I turned back to see Edward standing by the bed right where I had just been standing, staring after me with a dark hunger. My heart was pounding, and I quickly shut the door and locked it, leaning back against it while I tried to calm my breathing. I heard a chuckle from him at my actions. I knew they were pointless to an extent. After all, the lock would never hold him if he chose to force the issue, but I had faith that he would respond appropriately to it. I believed the lock would restrain him, because the gentleman inside of him would respect the meaning behind it.

I put my clothes on more rapidly than usual, stumbling against the wall as I tried to put on my slacks and barely managing to stay upright. As soon as I was presentable, I flung open the door, only to find Alice had replaced Edward by the bed. I was thankful she wasn't the empath of the family, so she wouldn't detect the stab of hurt and disappointment I felt upon seeing her instead of him. I didn't want to hurt her feelings and knew she would take it personally.

"Ready?" she asked eagerly. I gave her an indulgent smile. I really did love her.

"Ready as I'll ever be," I admitted. She grabbed my hand and led me to her bathroom, where she performed her makeover magic at a speed too quick for the human eye. In less than five minutes, she had created a look she usually took hours to produce. I met her eyes in the mirror. "You mean you could have done this that quickly all along?" I demanded.

She grinned. "What's the fun in that?"

I growled. "And the purpose of dragging out our sessions for hours on end?"

She grinned wider, baring her teeth. "Female bonding time! How else would I manage to get so much time with you, when Edward wants to keep you all to himself?"

I groaned. I suppose she had a point, in a way, but couldn't she have picked a better hobby than that? Something I might actually enjoy too?

She shrugged. "I'll think about it."

Well, that's probably the best offer I was going to get at the moment, so I nodded my acceptance. We darted down the stairs together, her keeping me upright, and into the kitchen, where Esme handed me a homemade blueberry muffin, still warm from the oven, and a glass of orange juice. I set them down on the counter and threw my arms around her.

"You're the best, Mom," I whispered in her ear. She positively beamed, returning my hug enthusiastically. Over her shoulder, I could see Edward smiling contentedly at the two of us. I smiled and waved to him. Then I pulled back from Esme and thanked her politely for making my breakfast.

As I scarfed down the delicious buttery muffin, I noticed it was later than I had realized. Then I noticed how quiet and peaceful it sounded in the house. How odd.

"Where is everyone?" I inquired in confusion.

Edward smirked. "Long gone, sleepyhead. They all wish you good morning though."

I looked around in confusion, then back at him.

"Where'd they go?"

"Rose and Emmett went for an overnight 'hunting' trip, Angela and Ben are spending the day alone together seeing the sights in Tacoma, and the La Push gang are going to spend some time working together to develop rules and regulations governing their relationships within and outside the pack," he explained.

"Wow, it's so quiet with just the six of us here," I commented, wondering what we would do with ourselves. Why did I have to go shopping again?

"So, why am I going shopping?" I asked bitterly, wanting to spend more time with Edward.

"We are going shopping, love," he assured me, understanding my objection. Oh! Well, if he's going too, it won't be so bad. Did he plan to buy something, or was he just along to spend time with me? "Alice and Jasper are coming with us to Seattle. Carlisle and Esme are going to enjoy some precious alone time, something they haven't gotten much of lately. It's time for me to replace the Volvo, as I don't want to keep driving the Vanquish around town. It's way too conspicuous."

I laughed quietly to myself. They were way too conspicuous no matter what, but if he wanted to pretend they could fit in by driving a less flashy car, then I was willing to play along with his delusions. Soooo, a new car, eh?

"A Vette, get a Corvette, please?" I begged, wiggling and bouncing in my best Alice impression. Edward scoffed at me.

"A Corvette? Is that the best you can do? How about the latest model Volvo?"

I snorted. As if. "The Corvette simple purrs 'sports car', honey. It's the only car that calls to me. I always look twice when I see one. I always think, 'Now that's a car'."

He eyed me in disbelief. "And the Vanquish?"

"Oh, yeah, it's um…nice," I stuttered, not wanting to hurt his feelings.

"Nice?" he nearly exploded.

"Yeah," I nodded in agreement. He looked like he was in pain, like he'd been kicked where it hurts. I patted his arm to comfort him.

"So, let me get this straight, the Vanquish which I paid over a quarter of a million dollars for is 'nice', but the Corvette which costs a mere 60k or so is a 'real sports car'?" he choked out, clenching his fists and gritting his teeth.

"Yep, you got it," I agreed eagerly. He winced, looking disappointed and distraught. I squeezed his arm, trying to help. "Hey, to each his own, right? Don't worry, it's your car, you should get whatever would make you happy."

He nodded, but didn't look pleased. Oh, well. Can't please everybody all the time. I shrugged, turning to finish my orange juice. Alice came dancing into the room.

"Ready to go?" she asked. We both nodded and shuffled out to the garage where Jasper was waiting for us. We piled into the SUV, with Jasper driving. True to my promise, I laid down in the back seat with my head in Edward's lap and promptly fell back to sleep.

Edward decided to awaken me by tickling me mercilessly. I woke up giggling and gasping for breath, squirming and wiggling to avoid his annoying fingers. My head was thrashing back and forth and I whimpered for him to please stop. I hated being tickled. I hated feeling so out of control, being unable to prevent my body's automatic response to the stimulation. He stopped abruptly, clearing his throat and shifting underneath me. I looked up at him and noted his eyes had darkened again. I didn't really think anything of it, as I was simply grateful he stopped. I sat up rapidly and fled out the door on my side. Alice caught me before I could do a face plant on the ground from the force with which I flung myself out of the vehicle. She chuckled as she helped me regain my balance. I saw Edward standing on the other side of the SUV with his eyes closed, taking deep breaths. What was his problem?

I looked around, taking in our surroundings. We were in front of a large Chevy dealership. I saw several new Corvettes prominently displayed and shrieked in pleasure. I grabbed Alice's arm and dragged her over to them. She started laughing but came along willingly.

"I think I must be rubbing off on you," Alice teased.

"Yeah, you looked like twins right then," Jasper agreed, playfully taunting us. "I'm not sure the world can handle two Alices. I'm also not sure the Cullens have enough money to support the both of you if you're going to take up her hobbies, Bella."

Alice scoffed. "Spend all you want, we'll make more. There's plenty more where that came from, my dear. Besides, we're stimulating the economy, just like all the analysts say is needed, right?"

"You've got a good point," I agreed, smirking. "It's important to support our local businesses, keep the small businesses afloat, and help prevent rampant unemployment. Our decision to purchase luxury items, to share the wealth, is for the good of the individual, the state, and indeed the whole country."

Alice laughed gleefully. "I'll make a shopper out of you yet!"

"Heaven help us all," Jasper muttered, not bothering to hide his amusement.

Edward slipped his arms around my waist, pulling me up against his chest. He rested his chin on my shoulder and murmured into my ear, "So which one do you like best?"

I looked them over. There were three of them there.

"Well, the red is pretty, but I know for a fact that police pay more attention to red cars and pull them over more often for speeding. The white would be too difficult to keep looking clean. That leaves the black, which happens to have tinted windows already. Perfect!"

"I can't believe I've been reduced to picking out a car based on the colour and because it 'looks pretty'," Edward grumbled. "What a disgrace. The things I do for you, Bella. The sacrifices I make. I hope you appreciate this. It goes against everything I believe about car shopping."

At first I was offended. Then I realized that, despite his grumbling, I was getting the car I always wanted. So I simply patted his back, gave him a big hug, and stroked his ego a bit. "You're so good to me, darling. I love you so much. Thank you, sweetheart, for humouring me."

It worked like a charm. He gave me his crooked grin, melting under my touch. "Anything for you, love."

A grumpy looking salesman came over to us, seeing us surrounding the black Corvette. "Can I help you young people with anything?"

Alice turned to me. "Do you want to test drive it first, or do you know it's the one you want."

I turned to Edward. "What do you think, honey?"

He smiled at me. "Do you really think you're going to change your mind?"

I deliberated for a second, before shaking my head and smiling. "Nope."

Edward looked at the salesman and nodded. "We'll take this one. Go ahead and start writing up the paperwork."

The salesman started at him and raised his eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

"What the lady wants, the lady gets," Edward answered with a smirk.

I looked at him and waggled my eyebrows. "Anything I want?"

He chuckled. "Eventually, my Bella." I smiled and nodded, knowing he meant it.

The salesman stared at Edward, his lips twitching to hold back a smile. "Do you know how much this car costs, young man?"

Edward grunted in disgust. "Yes, cheap little thing, but for some reason she prefers it to my Aston Martin Vanquish. She obviously has no taste in cars, as she picked it purely because she likes the way it looks." He rolled his eyes and sighed. "I'm uncomfortable parking the Vanquish in our high school parking lot, so I offered her any car in the world, and this is what she picked. She didn't want a BMW or a Mercedes or a Porsche. She thinks Porsches are ugly. Ugly! But I love her, so if this is what makes her happy, I'll be happy with it." Alice, Jasper, and I were chuckling from both his rant and the salesman's response to it. The salesman cleared his throat, fairly certain we were pulling his leg. He decided to call our bluff.

"Well, sir, I'd be happy to get the paperwork started on that. What payment arrangements did you wish to make?" he inquired indulgently. There weren't any other customers around at the moment, so he didn't mind our little 'joke'.

Edward smiled. "I like you, Carl. It's nice of you to humour us when you obviously don't believe us. You've been nothing but respectful and professional, despite your internal doubt and amusement. It's your lucky day." He whipped out his mysterious black credit card and handed it to Carl. "We'll take it as soon as the paperwork is ready."

Carl looked at the credit card in his hand, and his jaw dropped in shock. He looked at Edward and then back to the card. "Um, of course, sir. Do you have any ID?" he asked tentatively, unnerved by the possibility that we kids actually did have enough money to buy the car outright.

Edward sighed, reached into his wallet, and brought out his ID, handing it over with a small smile. Carl compared the names and signatures on the two and appeared intimidated. He gulped and looked at Edward, hoping he hadn't offended him. "I'll get right on it, sir. If you'll just follow me?"

Edward nodded and we all followed him inside. He offered us drinks, but I was the only one who accepted. He ran off to get everything started with the paperwork and grab the keys. He spoke briefly with the manager, who argued at first, but stopped as soon as he saw the credit card and ID. The manager left his office and came over to introduce himself and checked to be certain we were being treated appropriately.

"Actually, I was very impressed with Carl. He was respectful and professional the entire time. Most people judge us based on our age, not realizing the financial power we wield, and treat us poorly. Carl, on the other hand, was helpful from the beginning, despite our appearance and his belief we couldn't afford the car I had chosen for my beloved. Congratulations on hiring such a delightful employee."

Carl blushed at the effusive praise, but the manager eyed Carl with a new respect. I stood on my tiptoes and kissed Edward's cheek. I was so proud of him for the way he handled that.

Before long, we had all the paperwork in order and were ready to bring the new car home. I looked at the keys in Edward's hand longingly and gazed up at him with my best puppy dog eyes. "Please, Edward?" I pleaded, moving closer to him. "Please?" I reached slowly for the keys, hoping he would give in to me. He blinked his eyes at me, his vision slightly dazed. I realized I was dazzling him and took another step closer, staring into his eyes, as my fingers stealthily reached for the keys.

Quick as a wink, I grabbed the keys and kissed him on the lips. "Thanks, Edward!"

I turned and got into the driver's seat. He blinked and looked down at me in astonishment. "Whoa, wait a minute," he protested.

"You're the most wonderful guy ever," I gushed, not giving him a chance to continue his protest. I started up the engine and waited for him to get in the passenger seat. Truthfully, I had been taking lessons from Alice and Rose both. I met Alice's eyes as she and Jasper pulled away in the SUV, and she burst into laughter. Edward reluctantly climbed into the passenger seat and stared after his departing siblings.

"Love, do you have any idea why Alice is laughing uncontrollably while reciting the Gettysburg address backwards?" he wondered, turning to me. It was too much. I started laughing too. He stared at me as if I'd gone insane. Maybe I had. But I was insane behind the wheel of a brand new Corvette, so who needs sanity anyway?

I had a lot of fun driving the new car, feeling the purr of the engine vibrating up through the seat. I felt like I was riding in a growling cougar, so fast and cunning. After about fifteen minutes, Edward couldn't take it anymore.

"Please pull over at the next exit," he pleaded. I looked at him in surprise.

"Certainly, honey," I replied, concerned. It wasn't like he needed to eat, go to the bathroom, or vomit. Why did he need a break?

He was over at the driver's side door, opening it, mere seconds after I pulled into a deserted parking lot. "What's wrong?" I asked in confusion.

He gazed down at me in desperation. "Please let me drive, Bella. If you want to get home sometime today, please let me drive!"

I started laughing. "Was I going too slowly for you, Edward?"

He shuddered and whimpered, trying to get himself under control. He turned on his best dazzling charm effects and began to 'convince' me to trade places with him. "Aren't you still a little tired, love? Your eyelids are getting heavy. You are getting sleepier and sleepier. It isn't safe for you drive right now. You want to curl up in the passenger seat and get some sleep. I will take care of you and keep you safe. When you wake up, we'll be home, safe and sound. Sleep, my Bella."

Was he seriously trying to hypnotize me? So unfair! Unfortunately, it was working. At least I was aware of what he was doing and could take him to task for it later. Right now, I just wanted to take a little nap. Seeing my eyes closing, he gently unbuckled me and shifted me over to the passenger seat, buckling me back in safely. Then, he slid into the driver's seat with a big grin, shifted into gear, and floored it.

"He'd better not wreck my car." That was the last cohesive thought I had before drifting off into dreamland. Stupid charming vampire.

BPOV

Carlisle and Esme met us on the porch as we pulled up in front of the house. They admired the new vehicle, teasing both of us over our small victories.

"Bella, would it be possible to get another blood sample from you? I have continued working with the boys each night while you are sleeping, helping to condition them, and the rest of the family too, to be unresponsive to the scent of your blood. I have used up all that I took during our previous session, however, and I feel there is more work to be done."

"Certainly, Carlisle. Whatever I can do to help, I'm willing," I volunteered.

He smiled, giving me a paternal hug, and led me up to his study. Edward came to hold my hand again while Carlisle inserted the needle. Edward started playing with my hand, planting kisses in sensitive spots, and I nearly jumped when Carlisle announced we were finished. I had been completely distracted by my sexy boyfriend. Carlisle chuckled and Edward smirked.

"Perhaps I should use your services more often, Edward, when I have a nervous patient I need to hold still. I think your methods would work well on all the female patients," Carlisle teased.

"No way!" I protested, throwing my arms around Edward. "He's mine, and I don't share. They'll have to find their own special someone to dazzle them. Edward's taken."

They both laughed at me, at my words and the way I was clinging to him like a vine.

"I love it when you get possessive, honey," Edward drawled, hugging me tightly to his body. "You're sexy when you're jealous, but you know, Bella, you're the only one for me. I'm all yours and I always will be."

I momentarily forgot about Carlisle as I started to show Edward how his words made me feel, but Carlisle reminded us of his presence with a firm throat clearing. I blushed bright red, caught French kissing and rubbing against my boyfriend by his father. What a disgrace. Carlisle chuckled as I tucked my face into Edward's chest, trying to hide from his dad.

"I've got all I need for now, so if you two would prefer to be alone, you are more than welcome to relocate up to your bedroom to finish your previous discussion," Carlisle suggested in an amused tone of voice.

"Excellent idea, Dad," Edward remarked, holding me closer. "We could use a bit of privacy right now."

He carried me up to his room—gotta love that vampire speed. We melted into one another and it literally felt like I was burning, though in a good kind of way. I could feel the warmth flowing through my body, at complete odds to the knowledge that his touches should be making me chilly. Instead, my passion was raging through me, threatening to consume me.

We fell onto the bed together, clutching one another, kissing desperately. Our hands fell to greedily exploring one another's contours as I lost all concepts of time and space. It felt like we were in our own little bubble of space, cut off from everyone else. His hands began to slip up under my shirt, massaging my lower back, as his lips and tongue began exploring my face and neck. I was lost to all but the sensations themselves when a small perky voice loudly interrupted, "Enough sucking face, people, we've got work to do."

We both froze, breathing hard, and I felt like doing something violent. I briefly entertained myself with the idea of pouring gasoline on the clothes inside Alice's closet and burning the entire thing to the ground.

She gasped, and whimpered in a hurt voice, "You wouldn't, would you? Isabella Marie Swan! If you so much as lay a finger on my clothes in a harmful way, I'll make you go shopping with me every day for the rest of eternity!"

I shuddered. Talk about a living hell! "Why didn't you lock the door?" I asked Edward in an accusatory tone.

He groaned in response, "I'm sorry. I thought I did."

I forced my eyes open, my gaze falling upon my evil best friend. Edward and I were still frozen in the same position we were in when she first interrupted. Maybe if I could convince her to leave, Edward and I can take right back up where we left off in our demonstration of love and affection.

She grinned, seeing my ploy. "Ain't gonna happen, sister. You two need to snap out of it and come join the rest of us."

Edward read her mind to see what she had planned. He pulled back to look at me speculatively and then turned on a charming grin. That reminded me about something that had been bugging me in the back of my mind.

"Hey, you hypnotized me, you jerk!" I griped. Now that the kissing seemed to be temporarily on hiatus, I might as well air my grievances.

He had the courtesy to appear ashamed, but then defended with an attack of his own. "Well, you seduced the keys out of me in the first place."

I grinned. "I've always wanted to drive one of those. It was awesome! The roar of power, feeling like you are in control of a monstrous beast."

He lowered his lids seductively. "Hmmm. You do seem to have an addiction to controlling monstrous beasts. Shall I take you for a ride, baby, and let you feel me roar beneath you?"

The heat curled in my belly as my arousal sharply increased. It was so strong even I could smell it, so I knew it was no secret to either Edward or Alice. I blushed heavily, and Alice giggled. Edward flashed a smug, satisfied smile, clearly pleased at my response to his verbal teasing. I rolled my eyes and growled, which only made them both laugh a little at my antics. He sat up, pulling me up along with him.

"We'll be down in a minute," he assured Alice, who eyed him skeptically. "Relax, I mean it." Her eyes glazed over briefly, indicating a vision, and she snapped back to the present. She smiled and nodded, clearly pleased with her vision.

She shook her finger at me, like a mother scolding her child, and warned, "If you take longer than a minute, I'll come get you and drag you downstairs myself."

I frowned and huffed, breaking away from Edward. "Fine!" I growled, crossing my arms across my chest in a display of unwilling compliance. They could make me go, but they couldn't make me like it.

I soon found that statement to be false as well. Not only could they make me go, but Jasper was perfectly capable of making me like it. Darn empath. Remind me again why I put up with all these meddlesome, gifted, stubborn vampires. Oh, yeah, because I love them. Dang, caught in my own trap.

"So what was so all fired important that you had to interrupt my 'alone' time with my significant other?" I grouched. The rest of the family chuckled, and Jasper sent me waves of excitement and joy. I did my best to resist. I didn't want to enjoy this, whatever it was. I wanted to be grouchy and miserable so they wouldn't do it again. Enjoying myself would only encourage them next time. They would simply remind me that I'd enjoyed it last time, as they dragged me away once again against my will. I really needed to set some limits about not taking advantage of the weak human just because they were a thousand times stronger than me.

Alice flipped on the stereo, allowing the music to fill the room, but not so loudly as to be uncomfortable having a conversation over it. "The girls' choice dance is coming up in three weeks, and we decided we should prepare for it."

I started to panic—I could feel my heart pounding and knew they could all hear it. "I, uh, have to be in Seattle that day," I insisted. Then I remembered the story from Meyer's books. It was going to be sunny that day. "I mean, Edward and I are going to the meadow and then spending some quality bonding time with my dad. I couldn't possibly reschedule that for some silly dance."

Rosalie snorted, and Emmett coughed 'bullshit' into his hand. Esme gave him a 'look' and he murmured a quick apology.

Carlisle appeared vastly amused. "Has anyone ever told you you're a terrible liar, Bella? I mean completely unbelievable, utterly hopeless, couldn't fool a two year old, terrible liar."

I gave him a disgusted look. "It's been mentioned before." He grinned at me, appearing younger than usual.

"What are you so afraid of, Bella? You literally start panicking when someone mentions dancing," Jasper inquired.

I sighed. "You've all noticed how clumsy I am. Have you ever played with dominoes, where you set them up on end and then push the first one so it knocks all the others down in a chain reaction? Or maybe you'd rather think about bowling pins. That's what dancing is like for me. I know I'll trip and crash into somebody, who will crash into somebody else, and start a chain reaction to take down the entire crowd. I don't dance," I replied firmly. I expected them to see reason. My expectations were unmet.

"Well, it's just like us and the bloodlust," Alice explained. I was confused. What did that have to do with dancing? Other than the fact that someone would likely get injured and require medical assistance if I went within ten feet of a dance floor. "Practice makes perfect. It's like you told Jasper. It gets easier over time the more you do it. So we're going to help you practice until you feel confident in your ability to dance gracefully."

"Good thing you have eternity then," I grumbled. The whole family burst out laughing. I raised an eyebrow. I wasn't joking.

Alice tried to pull me up out of my seat beside Edward, but I resisted. She didn't want to risk pulling hard enough to hurt me.

"Just think of it as a socially sanctioned way to spend time in my embrace in a public place," Edward murmured softly into my ear. I paused to ponder his remark. He did have a point there. Hmmm. Maybe I should give it a chance, here in the privacy of their house.

"Okay, let's do this. I guess worst case scenario is entertaining Emmett while I collect a few new bruises."

Emmett guffawed at my statement, but Edward sent him a dirty look.

"Okay, Bella, Esme and I will be your instructors. We'll talk you through the dance steps and demonstrate accordingly. You'll also be able to watch the others to see the steps in action. Now, you need to pay attention to your partner's signals, when he leads you. He will indicate which way you need to move with subtle, but unmistakable hand pressure. Now, when you feel Edward pushing lightly against you like this, what does your body want to do in response?"

"Take a step back?"

"Yes, you step backwards with your left foot, making space for his right. Now how about when you feel him pulling you lightly toward him?"

"Step forward."

"Exactly, right into the space he has just vacated. Don't think about what your feet are doing. Don't even worry about the music right now. I want you to close your eyes and concentrate on Edward's body talking to yours, leading you, guiding you, telling what to do and where to go."

Wow, dancing was rather sensual when I thought about it that way. I shot Edward a lustful look before closing my eyes in compliance. I soon felt us gliding around the room as I concentrated solely on his hands and the signals they sent me. It was ridiculously easy for me to follow his lead. After a few minutes, when I was starting to forget anyone else existed other than us, Carlisle instructed me to open my eyes.

My eyes immediately drifted down to my feet, but Carlisle chided me.

"Keep your eyes on Edward's face. You will find he will send signals through his expressions as well, helping you to clarify and predict his actions once you become familiar with them."

I got lost in his sparkling topaz depths, and he pulled me closer. I felt as if we were talking without words, communicating on the same basic plane. I felt the desire pulse back and forth between us, neither increasing nor decreasing, but simply there. I decided I may come to like dancing after all. Edward kept a firm grip on me, and I never once stumbled, much to Emmett's disappointment. Carlisle was an excellent teacher, both patient and encouraging, willing to repeat a move over and over again until I got it right. I thanked my family for the lesson, hugging each and every one.

"Don't think that was it, Bella. We'll have lessons every day for the next three weeks until you're eager to attend the dance and show off your new skills."

I groaned at first, but the more I thought about the past hour spent in Edward's arms, the more I looked forward to more lessons. Even if I didn't attend the silly school function, I'd surely wish to dance at my own wedding, so the lessons certainly wouldn't go to waste. "Thanks, Alice. I'm looking forward to it."

Rosalie grinned at me. "Ha! I knew you would, but I wasn't sure how long it would take you to admit it." I chuckled. She had me pegged.

Edward started leading me back up the stairs, when Alice had another vision. She started giggling and then Edward started laughing. The rest of us waited for them to finish. As soon as Alice snapped out of her trance, she raced over to the computer, pulling up YouTube. We all clustered around her, eager to see what had caused such merriment.

"Apparently, Michelle Newton is quite entertaining!" she squealed as pulled up a new video. My jaw dropped, and I watched in shock from beginning to end. Poor Mike. He was never going to live this down. I really hoped he had plans to attend college out of state.

"Wow, I never realized Jessica and Lauren were so creative," Edward mused. "I must admit I am impressed with their ingenuity."

Jasper and Emmett were rolling on the floor laughing, while Rosalie and Alice looked extremely smug. Carlisle and Esme tried very hard to appear disapproving, but they couldn't quite hide their amusement, so they left the room without saying anything. I heard Carlisle's laughter once they were in their room. Edward was smiling like the cat who ate the cream. I gave him a stern look.

"Edward, did you take Mike straight home last night, like I asked?" Obviously, he hadn't. He gave me his best 'innocent' look, the one that said he should be nominated for sainthood and given a halo as he had not ever done, said, or thought anything wrong. Wow, that was some look. If I didn't know him so well, I would probably totally fall for it. I was certain it came in handy when it came time to get out of trouble with human authorities. He could see that I wasn't falling for his charm this time. His lips twitched then he spun around and dashed up the stairs to his room, with me hot on his heels.

I entered the room after him, slowly and deliberately closing and locking the door. I turned around and started stalking him.

"You've been a naughty boy, haven't you, Edward?" I murmured in a low husky voice. I saw his eyes go black with lust. He swallowed and nodded his head. "First, I'm going to interrogate you, then you may need to be punished." He gulped and nodded again, his fingers trembling. I loved the feeling of power that coursed through me at the knowledge of how I affected him. This boy was going down, and I was going to enjoy every minute of it.

SamPOV

I was on routine patrol, mainly running around moping, while counting down the hours, minutes, and seconds until my beloved Emily returned from her weekend trip with Leah. I loved hearing the sound of her voice over the phone, but it couldn't compare with actually holding her in my arms. I felt so lonely, though Paul was always around. Paul had enjoyed having the place to ourselves at first; walking around naked like it was a bachelor pad.

However, he soon missed Emily's cooking, and by today, he had realized how much Emily's female touch adds to our lives. I had a feeling he'd be a lot more welcoming of her presence from this day forth. That would make Emily so happy, to develop a familial relationship with Paul. She longs for the day the others change, so she can have one big happy family. I knew she couldn't wait until she had another imprint to keep her company and share secrets with her.

Whenever she called, I could tell she missed me, but I could clearly hear the joy and excitement in her voice. Every now and again she would start giggling or laughing. She wouldn't tell me what was occurring, just that her new friends were a blast to be around. I was so happy she made new friends. I hated that our lifestyle makes it so hard for her to get close to anyone else. She was such a wonderful person, it felt like a crime to keep her so isolated.

She was also really shy now because of her scars. She hated the way people stared at them. I hated the way it made us feel every time someone reminded her of them. I was positively thrilled she had found friends who didn't make her feel self-conscious about them. When I was with her, I didn't really see them when I looked at her. I just saw Emily herself. I refused to ignore the scars, like the elephant in the room, and would frequently assure her of my devotion and my promise to never lose control like that again, by kissing her scars. I wanted her to know I loved all of her, not just the unblemished parts.

More than anything, I was thrilled for Emily to be able to be friends with her cousin again. Both of us had hated hurting Leah, but the imprint was too strong. I had to let Leah go, because my first priority would always be Emily, and that wasn't fair to Leah. I did still love Leah and wanted her to be happy, but I knew I could no longer be the love of her life. Emily was my whole world now. I had some measure of peace with the past though, now that Leah had forgiven both me and Emily. It had broken my heart to come between them. It had been such a rough transition for both of them, yet they had both lost their lifelong best friend and confidante at the same time. They had always been so close before, only needing each other, not having much of a social circle outside of themselves.

I hated being a werewolf, and I blamed the Cullens for all the pain in my life. If they hadn't come here, my life would have stayed on track. I would have married Leah, Emily would never have been injured, and the two most important women in my life would still be best friends. Nobody would be hurt and miserable. Damn bloodsuckers ruined my life.

I tensed as I heard a mournful, angry howl miles away, over the boundary line. It reverberated in my chest, rattling my ribcage. I knew that sound. It was another werewolf. One of the others must have changed while over the border! They would be feeling lost, scared, and alone, as I did my first time. I needed to go and help him. I wondered which of the boys I had been watching had been the first to change. He must be out of range, since I couldn't hear him inside my head. As I thought about it, I heard two more howls from the same wolf. Poor guy. I raised my own howl to summon Paul. Then I howled again to let the other wolf know I would find him. I was surprised not to receive a reply, but figured the other wolf was likely frightened. He wouldn't know what had happened to him and wouldn't know if other wolves would be a good thing or a bad one.

I waited for Paul to join me in wolf form.

What is it, Sam? A bloodsucker?

No, another wolf. I heard him howling.

Oh, man. He's probably out of his mind right now. Which way?

Over the border, sounded like Cullen land.

Cullen land? What if the leeches get him? He's violating the treaty by being on their land!

I know, but it's worse. If he meets up with any of them, he will instinctively attack and they will defend. Only one of him and seven of them. He doesn't stand a chance. If they kill him then, it wouldn't even be a violation of the treaty as he was where he didn't belong.

I don't care, I'd kill them anyway.

Don't be a fool, Paul. If we fight them, not only would we likely die, but then they would be free to enter La Push and feed here! We're strong, fast, and powerful, but there are seven of them, and they have had decades to practice their fighting techniques. We cannot afford to fight a war now. We must wait until the pack is larger.

Yes, you're right. We will wait for the others before we attack.

Well, we still need to go and retrieve our confused brother. I just hope we find him before they do.

Let's do it.

We began racing toward the land where I had heard the howling originate, eating up the miles under our paws. This was one of the few advantages of being a werewolf—being able to run like the wind, feeling the breeze whip past me as I effortlessly sped through the forest. I knew from our legends we were even faster than the bloodsuckers. If they ran from us, we could catch them, even if they got a head start. We could rip them to pieces with our sharp fangs, werewolf and vampire teeth being the only substances strong enough to pierce stony vampire skin. Then we would burn the twitching pieces so they couldn't grow back together. I couldn't wait.

Me neither.

I soon realized the howl had come from the Cullen house itself. I hadn't been over there as a wolf, but it was one of the things the young teens of La Push had dared each other to do before the Cullens had actually returned—to go explore the Cold Ones' house. It was a macho, immature show of bravery. By the time I was a teenager, none of us really believed the legends were real. So it was more of a joke than an actual terror. Yet one day, the Cold Ones had returned, and the Tribal Council had forbidden all Quileutes from wandering in the woods over the border. And one day, I found out the hard way that the legends were real, as I became one of them.

This was bad. This was very bad. I could only hope the Cullens were away this weekend. They frequently took 'camping' trips out of town. We needed to move as quietly as possible as we approached the house, lest we signal our presence and start an unnecessary war. We also needed to stay down wind, as they would smell us a mile away.

We came close to the edge of the tree line, identifying the scent of a vampire and a human up ahead. We focused our eyes on the sources of the scents and saw a vampire holding a human in his embrace. It was the one called Edward, one of the originals on the treaty. He certainly couldn't claim ignorance of the terms. He appeared to be dancing with a beautiful human girl, humming quietly, with nobody else in sight. Before our very eyes, he lowered her into a dip and bent over her, placing his lips against her neck. She moaned, and he began to suckle. I felt the fury rise up in me. He was feeding on a human right there in front of us!

We crouched, poised to leap out of the forest, preparing to bound over there to kill the leech and save the girl, or kill her too if necessary. Then we heard a shriek that turned my heart to stone and froze the air in my lungs.

Emily! Emily was inside the Cullens' house, while one of them fed on a girl outside in the yard! Emily was shrieking for help in a house full of vampires! My whole universe came to a screeching halt. Screw the girl in the yard, I had to save Emily!

GO!

We pounced out of the forest and raced toward the house at full speed, intending to crash right through the door and up the stairs to the second floor. I was going to kill them all!

KILL THEM!

Suddenly, three vampires seemed to materialize in front of the door. The one known as Carlisle, the leader, the original; the one known as Emmett, the massive one as big and tall as me; and the new one, the scarred one.

"Please, stop, Sam and Paul! We mean you no harm and wish to settle this peacefully!" the leader spoke soothingly in a calm voice. I felt a strange calmness trying to creep over me, but I pushed it away.

Paul and I stopped a few feet away, tense and angry, trying to figure out how to get past them. I would die if need be.

"Their thoughts are full of incomprehensible rage. I can't see past the desire to kill us." The Edward one murmured.

"Yes, they are murderously angry, full of rage, but there is also fear, agony, and despair," the scarred one added.

I heard the quiet sob sound that Emily always makes when she is anxious or distressed. THE LEECHES MUST DIE!

LeahPOV

I relaxed as the warm water from the shower poured down on me, slowly rinsing the syrup from my fur. I had considered phasing, had even started the process, but the millisecond the fur started withdrawing into my skin, I felt the syrup being sucked in with it. There was no way in hell I was going to live with syrup under my skin. Disgusting! I would never get clean! So I stayed in my wolf form, allowing Rose to help clean my fur. Emily joined us there in the bathroom and shampooed my fur for me. It felt great when she rubbed the shampoo in, like it does when the stylist at the hair salon shampoos my head and massages my scalp. But my fur was all over my body, not just on my head, so I was embarrassed to admit my animalistic appreciation to being 'petted' in wolf form. I knew Emmett would never let me live it down if I said anything, trying to make something sexual out of it, but in truth it was like a full body massage, like a day at the spa.

Once I was fully clean and rinsed, Emily turned off the water and held out a towel. My fur hung heavy all around me, dragging at my skin. I stepped gracefully out of the tub, and Emily began to pat the fur dry, soaking up the majority of the excess water dripping off of me. After a minute or two of her careful ministrations, I couldn't take it anymore. I pushed her away gently with my nose, tore the towel off with my teeth, and proceeded to follow my instincts to shake, shake, shake the water off my fur. I heard Emily shriek as the water droplets from my fur landed all over her, as well as the ceiling, walls, and floor.

I laughed internally, both at her response and the feeling of my little tail wiggling.

The air outside was suddenly filled with furious growling. I raced into the bedroom, looking for a window to see what was happening. I saw two wolves racing across the yard. Sam was here!

I listened tensely to the conversation between the Cullens and the responding growls of the new wolves. I heard the sound of running feet and paws on the stairs as my pack and the other vampires raced to provide support to the team facing Sam and Paul. I stayed in wolf form so I would be able to hear the others, but Emily and I weren't supposed to be here, so I stayed upstairs with her.

When Jasper described how Sam was feeling, I heard Emily give a distressed sob, so I began phasing to my human form. Immediately after Emily sobbed, Sam roared an attack growl.

"He's reacting to Emily!" Edward shouted over the roar. I finished phasing back to my human form, and grabbed Emily's hand.

"Stop him, Emily!" I cried. To my intense relief she seemed to understand exactly what I was saying.

"SAM, STOP!" she screamed. "PLEASE STOP, SAM!"

Outside, everything got eerily quiet.

"Please come downstairs, Emily," Carlisle requested calmly. "Please reassure Sam that you are perfectly fine, unharmed, and here of your own free will."

"Of course, Carlisle, your family has been nothing but good to me. I will be right down. Please calm down, Sam. I have some very exciting news to share with you," Emily responded serenely.

I threw on a shirt and shorts and went to escort her downstairs. We saw Kim waiting for us in the hallway. The three of us went downstairs together. Bella came through a door from the outside and promptly joined our group. The four of us proceeded outside, working smoothly together as a unit.

SamPOV

The door behind the leeches swung open and more bodies started pouring outside. Three female vampires came to stand behind the males, lending support to their mates. The bigger shock was the three werewolves that jumped out of the house and went into defensive crouches on either side of the vampires. I was still growling angrily, but part of my brain was working in overdrive.

Who were these new wolves? Why were they standing with the Cullens against us? Had they been brainwashed? It made no sense to me.

"He's reacting to Emily!" Edward shouted over my roaring.

"Stop him, Emily!" Leah cried from upstairs. What were the leeches doing to them up there?

"SAM, STOP!" Emily screamed. "PLEASE STOP, SAM!"

I froze in place and issued an order for Paul to do the same. Then two more figures raced outside the house. It was Quil Ateara and Seth Clearwater. They both were shaking terribly and fell to the ground, beginning their first transformation right there in front of us.

"Please come downstairs, Emily," Carlisle requested calmly. "Please reassure Sam that you are perfectly fine, unharmed, and here of your own free will."

"Of course, Carlisle, your family has been nothing but good to me. I will be right down. Please calm down, Sam. I have some very exciting news to share with you," Emily responded serenely. The Cullens had been nothing but good to her? What the heck? Was this all a dream, a nightmare? Because nothing was making sense anymore. Nothing.

"Jacob!" Quil shouted in agony.

"Edward!" Seth called, writhing around as his bones shifted.

The huge russet wolf walked over to the changing boys and settled down on the ground between them. Edward also glided over to them. I growled menacingly. The bloodsucker had better not hurt my boys or I would take off his head myself!

"Remember what Jacob told you," Edward reminded them gently. "You're just going through your first transformation. This is the worst one, and it gets easier from here. You're safe, we're all here for you, and we'll see you on the other side. I guess this means you'll get to participate in the canoe paddling competition after all."

What the heck is he talking about? To my shock, both the boys on the ground grinned wholeheartedly. They were grinning during their change? Were they insane? Had the Cullens been taking advantage of them somehow? Did they know some kind of black magic?

I was done with speculating. I wanted Emily, and I wanted her now! Just as I thought that, she came strolling through the door, flanked by Leah, Kim, and the human Edward had been feeding on when we arrived. Except there was no wound on her neck, and she seemed perfectly fine. I looked more closely at her neck, where I had seen Edward put his mouth and noticed a hickey. A hickey? Since when did vampires give out hickeys?

I concentrated on Emily, my Emily. She was glowing with happiness and excitement, more beautiful than ever before. I instantly calmed down and order Paul to stand down. I couldn't risk Emily getting caught in the middle if we started to fight. Emily approached me confidently, her smile radiant. The Cullens all pulled away to allow her to pass through them, like the parting of the Red Sea. I held my breath as she strolled through their midst, surrounded by them. She passed through unscathed, unmolested. In fact, they all smiled affectionately at her as she walked by them. She reached up and caressed my wolfy face, and I leaned into her hand.

She looked deeply into my eye with a magnetic intensity. "The Cullens are wonderful people, Sam. You've got them all wrong. There are bad vampires, who care nothing for human life, but the Cullens are like us. They're on our side, protecting and helping the humans in the area. They don't harm humans. They're really not all that scary. I've been living here with them since Thursday, and I feel better now than I have ever felt before. I love them, and they love me. Esme and I are best friends. Dr. Cullen fixed the mess of my face that Sue was unable to repair. Just look what he did for me, for us!"

She turned her head so her scarred cheek was right in front of my eye. I felt my jaw drop. My enhanced eyesight was able to see teeny tiny stitches holding her skin together. She smiled and I saw that the muscles in her cheek now pulled her mouth up properly. All the muscles and tendons in her face had been repaired. In addition, even though the lines were still the angry pink of fresh wounds, the lines were so thin that they resembled mere cat scratches. I was guessing that once they faded to white, they would virtually disappear.

Now I knew I was dreaming. This was impossible. I phased back to human form without thinking.

"Sam!" she squealed, quickly trying to conceal my naked body with her own. I held her closely, revelling in her embrace after days apart. Someone threw me some clothes, which I hastily donned, using Emily as a privacy shield. Then, I noticed our audience had stepped away and now surrounded Quil and Seth, giving us some privacy.

"This is the craziest dream ever, sweetheart!" I laughed, spinning Emily around. She put her hands on either side of my face.

"You're not dreaming, Sam. All of this is real," she declared. I raised an eyebrow, looking at her in disbelief. She huffed, leaned forward, and bit my bottom lip.

"Ow, you little vixen," I protested.

"It's all real!" she insisted, having proven her point.

"It's real?" I asked incredulously. She nodded firmly. "Wow!"

Carlisle stepped calmly toward me, his arms up in front of him in a gesture of peace. He smiled at me. "Shall we talk?"

Talk to the bloodsucker like he's a civilized person? I looked at Emily, at her face, at her expression. I sighed in resignation. I met his caring gaze and nodded once in the affirmative. "Let's talk."

PaulPOV

I can see where this is going. All my tribal brethren are turning traitor. They're falling under the bloodsuckers' spell, joining ranks with the enemy. I can't believe Sam was stupid enough to phase to human form within striking distance of the leeches. They've even brainwashed Emily. Well, they're not going to get me! I will not be a slave to the bloodsuckers! I'm out of here.

I carefully slipped away while nobody was looking. I slinked into the shadows of the trees and bolted, flying on silent paws. I was vulnerable in wolf form, as Sam could force me to return against my will using his Alpha command. I put as much distance between us as I could before shifting to human form. I raced to one of our hiding spots and slipped on some clothes then continued running to La Push, slower than a wolf, but still much faster than a human.

I managed to make it to my house without anybody seeing me. I ran inside to grab some necessary items, threw them in my car, and then floored it out of the reservation. I wasn't sure where I was going, but I didn't plan to stay around here to watch the destruction of all that I loved and held dear, or worse, to participate in that destruction. We were a weak generation to be able to be turned against our own people, unlike the Protectors of old. I was disgusted with the other wolves. How could they help the bloodsuckers over the humans? What a disgrace.

My cell phone rang, but I ignored it, knowing it would be either Sam or Emily. They were my family, my friends, my life since my first transformation. Now they had been sucked in by the enemy. I would come back for them. I couldn't leave them at the mercy of the bloodsuckers, but I couldn't afford to get sucked in myself. I needed to get away so I could think. I needed to plan my strategy. I needed help, but where could I possibly find any?

EPOV

This is so bizarre. I don't know up from down anymore. I hope something starts making sense soon. "Before we talk, I want to make sure Quil and Seth are okay," Sam declared. I can't just abandon them when they must be so upset and confused. I need to explain to them what has happened.

"Certainly," Carlisle agreed smoothly. "Shall we, ladies?" He escorted the women inside, knowing when all the wolves phased they would be naked. Alice raced inside and came back a few seconds later with an armload of clothes. She giggled. These should come in handy.

"Thanks, Alice," I commented, smiling at her. She waved and went back inside to join the other females.

I'm a wolf! I have a tail! I can run and jump and bite! I can't wait to test out my new skills! Quil was positively ecstatic.

Finally, I'll be able to join in with everybody else. I haven't enjoyed being in the human group. It made me feel left out, especially since my sister got to join the Pack before I did. I am so totally going to kick butt in the canoe paddling competition! Seth was pleased as well.

"Relax, Sam. They already knew what to expect, so they're not scared. In fact, they're both thrilled and ready to try out their new skills," I declared calmly, wanting to help put Sam at ease.

Embry, Jared please escort these two into the woods and help them test their skills appropriately. I'm going to join the talk with Sam and Carlisle. Jacob requested. He didn't like using the Alpha command unless absolutely necessary. He wanted his wolves to do things of their own free will, rather than feel forced to do their duty. He was a smart boy. He would earn their trust and loyalty much more quickly by using the Alpha command sparingly.

Embry and Jared nodded their huge wolfy heads and stalked over to stand next to the young wolves.

All four of them took off into the woods.

I saw Sam staring after them. "Don't worry, Sam, they're in good hands…er…paws. When they get back in an hour or two, Jasper will help them phase back to human form if they have any difficulty."

Jasper? How will Jasper help? Sam thought in confusion, staring at my brother.

"He can help calm them to the extent it's easy for them to phase," I explained. Jacob phased and got dressed from the heap of clothes on the bench.

Jacob is the true Alpha, but he's so young. Is he really ready to lead the Pack? Sam thought, watching Jacob carefully. We went inside, where Sam was relieved to see Emily curled up on the sofa speaking animatedly with Bella and Kim.

Carlisle rose from his position beside Esme and asked us to join him in the dining room. Jasper, Bella, Leah, and Emily joined Carlisle, Sam, and me at the table. The rest stayed in the living room where they would hear everything, but would be less intimidating to Sam. Carlisle cleared his throat to get everybody's attention. He turned to face Sam. "How would you like to start, Sam? Would you like to ask questions, and we can answer them?"

Sam nodded thoughtfully. I could hear him trying to prioritize his list of questions. "Why have you had Emily here? Why did you fix her scars?"

"We felt it would be a good faith gesture to your Pack to show that not only do we not wish you any harm, but we would like to share a mutually beneficial relationship. Good relationships are based on give and take, on compromise. It's the basis for the idea of 'You scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours.' There is no need for us to be enemies. We'd prefer to be friends, family even."

Jacob was mentally picturing us all scratching his back when he was in wolf form. He was enjoying it and wished we'd do it for real. He saw me looking at him and grinned, knowing I was reading his mind.

"So what is it you want from us?" Sam asked cautiously. This is the catch, the fine print.

"Well, besides your friendship and companionship, we would appreciate your help fighting off rogue vampires that pass through this territory. You can continue patrolling La Push, and we will patrol the area around Forks. You are welcome to cross the border onto our land any time you wish, as long as you do not mean our family any harm. We would request permission to cross your border only under three conditions: The first is if we have been invited by someone who lives on La Push, and we are willing to inform you in advance and have a wolf escort the entire time. The second is if I am requested to perform emergency medical services for any of the wolves or other members of the tribe. Once again, I would be willing to have a wolf escort and would do my best to provide as much advance notice as possible. The third is if we are in active pursuit of a human drinking vampire, our intent being to prevent loss of human life at the hands of said vampire. We would be willing to break off pursuit as soon as your pack takes up the chase, but would not want them to get away while waiting for you. We would then return to our lands as soon as you were in pursuit of the vampire. Would these conditions be acceptable to you?" Carlisle extrapolated.

Hmmm. All of that sounds completely reasonable. It's well thought out and offers solutions to any objections I would have raised. I'm still having difficulty reconciling these guys with the Cold Ones of our legends. Can they really be that different? Emily seems to think so. Sam wondered. He was clearly undecided and looking for the hidden catch.

"Why don't you spend a few hours getting to know us this afternoon? I think you would be better able to make an informed decision after watching our interactions with the other Quileutes and interacting with us yourself," I suggested. He looked relieved.

"That sounds like a good plan to me. I still have a few questions though," Sam replied. Carlisle gestured for him to continue. "Why is Bella Swan here? Why was she making out with a vampire?" I'm really not cool with that. What if he slips and bites her?

"She's my soul mate," I declared. I squeezed her hand gently and lifted it up to kiss her knuckles while smiling at her. "I would never hurt her."

"How can you be soul mates with a human? You're not even the same species!" Sam complained.

"We vampires were all human once, before being changed. Bella will be transformed one day too, but we are not in any rush for that to happen," I answered.

What? They will break the treaty if they change her! This must be the catch. Sam turned to Jacob. "And you are okay with that?" he asked skeptically.

Jacob gave him an absolutely serious look, and spoke with authority. "We have already discussed the issue. Vampires imprint like wolves do. He could no more stay away from her than you could stay away from Emily. It would be devastating to both of them to separate them. I would never want to do that to anyone. "