Chapter 22

Carlisle's POV

The morning came and with it a powdering of fresh snow. The kids except Hope were bundled up for a trip down in the mountain in one of the rental tubes the resort offered. Tubing was not anything I'd ever done. Sledding, yes...Tubing, no... I looked around at my family as they pulled on boots and scarves. Jacob hadn't been the least impressed at the idea of having to adorn snow gear neither had Bree for that matter, but we needed to keep up appearances even if we didn't require the extra layers.

A tug at my sleeve drew my attention downward to Emmalyn who stood there with her boots on the wrong feet and a stuffed panda hat atop her head. I chuckled at the sight of her, my heart filling with warmth. I couldn't remember that last time the child had gone a day without a costume from her dress-up box. Dress-up at this age was a normal act of expression, but every day seemed a bit much. Jasper and I'd spoken about it at length. He didn't seem too concerned so I wasn't going to allow myself to worry; however, I couldn't help but wonder if the world of make believe was more of a coping method to help her deal with the reality of life. "Well, look at you!" She'd been dead set on getting dressed by herself, I was actually quite surprised the shoes were the only malfunction. "You look like a little snow bunny."

"Not a bunny...I'm a panda!" she laughed, pointing at the hat.

"Oh, yes, of course. My mistake," she shrieked when I lifted her up from the ground, setting her down atop the counter before fixing the offending boots. "There ya go. All ready!"

"Let's go...Let's go!" Dillan's voice came from across the room where he was pulling on Emmett's arm.

I could read the amusement on Emmett's face as the child attempted unsuccessfully to move him. "Hold up, bud," he said.

"All ready?" Esme asked as she joined us followed closely by Bree and Renesmee. The girls looked quite excited to model the new outfits Alice and Rose purchased just for the trip.

"You ladies look very nice," I complimented, my years of experience kicking in. Their cheeks filled with color as they blushed at the attention. "However, that doesn't save you from a trip down the hill."

"Are you kidding?" Of all the teens, Renesmee seemed most excited about this trip. "I'm dying to fly down that mountain."

"Hope's not coming," Jacob reported.

"Shocker," Bree said under her breath.

"Brianna Marie Cullen," I warned not ready to allow that to go unaddressed.

"What?" Bree asked, defensively. "It's not like she's left that room except to use the bathroom since we arrived. I was just stating a fact."

"I am only going to tell you this once," I pointed toward the bedroom. "That child in there is hurting, and we are NOT going to add to that. She deserves our respect, our patience, and our kindness. That is all we are going to give her. Understood?"

The girl looked at the floor, "Yes, sir."

"Very good," I lifted Emma from the counter and lowered her to the floor so we could walk. "Let's get moving."

Dillan's POV

"Whooohoooo!" I screamed as we rode down the hill, our tubes connected by a series of handholds. Beside me Emmett echoed my exclamation. Emmett was really cool. He and Jacob never made me feel like a "tag along"' instead, they treated me like one of the guys. I liked that. We reached the bottom too quickly for my taste, but regardless, I'd had fun. Grabbing my tube, I ran to the side where you tie in and ride the tube up the lift to the top. "Come on!"

The grown-ups chuckled softly, but I could see Jacob, Em, and the girls had the same idea. I watched from a distance as Carlisle kissed his wife and Emmalyn goodbye before they departed to the lodge for Emma's nap. The little girl's eyes were red, and she had her thumb characteristically popped into her mouth. At the top, I gave Em and Jacob a michivious look before running and jumping onto the tube, face first on my belly. "Bet you can't beat me!" I challenged back much to the dismay of the angry safety monitor at the stop. There was no way they could reach me, not now. I had a lead. Leaning slightly, I shifted my body off-course forcing myself into the treeline. Hopelessly, I attempted to slow my speed; it was useless, I was going to crash.

The hit came hard and fast as I tumbled through the snow before coming to an end in a heap. Then there was pain.

"Dillan!" I could hear the others calling as they ran toward me.

"Hey," Emmett was to me first. His hand felt like ice through my snowsuit when his hand rested on my shoulder, "Buddy, you OK?" His eyes were concerned as he glanced over me.

My head was ringing a bit, but I shook it off before nodding. Reaching up, I touched my nose as I felt something wet and warm run down across my upper lip.

Jacob was beside me now, the girls not far behind.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Bree move like a flash, and I could have sworn I heard her growl. Before I knew what was happening, Jacob had crossed the space between us and had his arms around the girl who appeared to be struggling against him.

"Get her away from here!" Emmett ordered through clenched teeth. "Nes, you too!"

His response didn't make any sense, but I was too focused on the blood streaming from my nose to give it much thought. Suddenly, Carlisle was at my side with a hand on my shoulder. "I've got it," he seemed to be reassuring his son as he pressed a cloth to my nose, pinching carefully as he ordered me to lean forward. "Go with them."

The others disappeared leaving me with the doctor who tended me with ease. "I'm sorry," I sniffled, my blood forming bubbles as it left my nose.

"Not at all," Carlisle touched my head carefully, looking for any injury. "Did you hit anywhere else?"

"Nope," I shook my head.

"Good," he stood before taking my hand and pulling me up. "Let's go get you cleaned up."

Bree's POV

The moment the blood began to run, I could smell it from where I rode on my own tube. The burning in my throat came without warning and I could feel my body reacting. A growl escaped my throat as a body slammed into me like a brick wall.

Jacob's arms wrapped around me like a vise, pulling me into the forest against my will. He was stronger than I'd expected and since Jasper refused to train me for combat until I had more control over things, Jacob was able to take me down with little effort.

"Let go!" I fought hard against him, but he held me tight.

We were several miles in when he stopped. Nessie was with us though she kept her distance. We'd barely taken a breath when my adopted father appeared before me, my vision hazy with bloodlust.

"Hey...Bree," Dad took my face in both hands, "You can control this."

"Ugggggghhhh!" I growled, angrily. The desire was so strong and despite my attempts at freedom, it wasn't being granted. "Let me go!"

"You've got to control this," Dad's grip was firm, but I knew he wouldn't hurt me. "Now, there's a deer about a mile down that way...You're gonna come with me and we're gonna drop that sucker."

"Em?" Jacob watched, carefully. I knew he didn't trust me.

"She won't try to run," Dad assured him. "You can do this, Bree."

It was a moment before Jacob willing released me, but when he did, Dad took my hand and we ran toward the clearing where the buck stood. I had him down in seconds. The blood soothed my throat, but it didn't fulfill the desire completely. I startled slightly when Dad's hand rested on my shoulder. I looked up to see him watching me carefully. I knew he was worried, but I could also see the pride in his eyes as he watched me wipe the liquid from my lips.

"It gets easier," he promised, pressing a kiss to my forehead.

I knew he was probably right, but I had a hard time believing it.