Disclaimer: I own everything that the USA and Stephanie Meyer don't. (AKA: The Davenports and ALL other peeps from their home...world.)

Okay, so I'm a liar. I said this would be up quickly, but obviously, that didn't happen. (Might have something to do with the lack of reviews.) I am so incredibly sorry.

I was out of town all weekend, and just finished this chapter this morning. I hope all my fellow Americans had a good Fourth of July! I certainly did.

I hope everyone enjoys this chapter. It has loads of fluff in part two, but it's necessary. This chapter is in three parts, and two of them are from the POV of Edward!!!

Happy Hunting...err...reading.

Dinner

Chapter Eleven

Part I: Pre-Dinner Blues

Edward Cullen

I can't believe Esme was making us do this, dinner, at a human family's house. Apparently, Esme had met Mrs. Davenport in the grocery store while shopping with Nessie, and they had become friends. Esme had even told us that she had met with the woman and had coffee. Carlisle did nothing but encourage Esme's new friendship.

"Why, Esme?" My Bella asked, her lip poking out in a most adorable manner.

Esme let out an exasperated sigh, "Because we were invited, and it might do you all some good. It's been a while since you've had to fake eating, and practice makes perfect, so just go with it." She straightened Carlisle's already perfect tie again, "Besides, I think you all will get along wonderfully with Anna's children. You've met them already anyway."

Jasper gulped animatedly, "Yeah, I don't think we'll be socializing. I think they're all a little strange. The older girl is really volatile, the boy seems to feed off her emotions, and the other girl is probably the most depressing kid in the entire school. She's filled with self-loathing. I haven't felt that much since I was around Edward after I almost hurt Bella." Jasper looked at Bella and smiled crookedly, "Sorry about that again."

Jasper couldn't stop smiling and I knew it was because Alice was happy that she had a reason to dress everyone up. Actually, he was heading out the door to get something that she had to have before dinner. She wasn't thrilled about having to eat, but leverage to turn Bella into Barbie-Bella had made it okay.

I kissed my Bella on the head and did the same to Nessie. Alice screeched about me messing up their dresses, but I ignored her. Alice whisked my girls up the stairs to do make up, and I wandered into the living room.

I looked at the sofa and wondered idly if I was the only person that wanted to strangle Seth. Lilly had invited him to dinner, and had left Emily's house at three to get ready. Unfortunately for us, that left Seth two hours to stress about meeting his imprints family.

Right now he was forcing Emmett to listen to his rambling, and my brother looked like he wanted to strangle the crying wolf, "What if they don't like me! It could ruin everything."

I put a hand on his shoulder and Emmett shot me a grateful look before jumping up to find Rose.

"Edward, you'll tell me what they think of me won't you?"

I laughed at him, "Seth, you shouldn't worry. I think you're fine as long as Lilly likes you." I frowned, "And you know I don't enjoy mind reading. Unless she plans to murder you or something, her thoughts are staying between her and I."

Seth spent the next half hour whining at me. I didn't budge, and Alice finally told him that he was numbing her visions and needed to calm down.

Finally Jasper came back, and I ushered him into calming Seth down, taking the plastic bag he had, and taking it upstairs to Alice. She snatched it from me and disappeared back into her room with Bella and Nessie.

Part II: Uneaten Food Club

Holly Davenport-Turner

I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying desperately to dissipate the growing headache. Jason laughed melodically at my gesture, "Sweetie, it will be fine!"

I growled at him, my mood darker than usual, "No it won't. How is it supposed to be okay? My mother sprung this dinner on me, and you and Sander are here and I really just want to spend time with you and Lilly is going to get killed and…"

Jason wrapped his arms around my waist, making me lose my train of thought, and he put his chin on my shoulder, "Hells Bells," He nibbled on my jaw and I couldn't resist moaning, "Sander and I will leave as soon as they get here. The Cullen's are nice people."

I sighed, "That's wonderful, but do you have any idea how they move? Silently, that's how. It makes me nervous. I am so glad that I can see a little of them. That makes it a little better." He squeezed and let me go just as the doorbell rang. "Good timing." I added starkly. Jason was always saved by the bell, damn him.

He smiled at me, his blue eyes bright, "I do try." He gently scooped up Lysander, and strode back to me. Tucking an errant strand of hair behind my ear, he whispered, "Hollyhock, I'll be here if you need me. You only have to say my name. Just remember to be yourself around the Cullen's. They'll notice if you aren't. Keep your mind off anything but dinner and school." I chuckled scathingly and he put a finger to my lips, his patience obviously waning, "As I was saying, wear something other than black, and be nice." I grudgingly pulled on a different shirt, that was evilly blue, while he kept babbling, "Keep in mind, that they don't like food anymore than I do. We're all in the 'Waste hundreds of dollars on uneaten food' club." I laughed again, and this time he kissed me, "Hush woman. You can laugh when I leave in about forty seconds. Sander and I will see you in the morning." He kissed me again, and I kissed my sleeping son, accidentally rousing him enough to get a bleary baby smile.

Jason stepped away from me, and in an instant, the only thing in his place was a small amount of dirt. I sighed. Leave it to me to have the husband that left dirt anytime he came or went. The one downside to his teleportation gift.

I wanted to cry when I realized that he'd left me alone with my family that included poor basket case Lilly. She'd been running around the upstairs for the better part of two hours, and was now hopping down the stairs in one high heel, trying to put on the other one. Following the terrible noise she was making, I grabbed her by the shoulders and guided her to sit on the steps, "Lilly, fix your shoes, and then go down the stairs. You can't very well impress the boy with a broken neck."

Lilly laughed and hugged me as I tried to walk past her, "I'm so proud of you." I cringed, knowing what was coming, "You're not wearing black!"

I hit the back of her head and stepped over her, hoping I wouldn't step on her, but secretly hoping the opposite.

Amazingly enough, I missed her, and I was the second person to the door. Anemone was already shuffling the vampires in. Really the woman was so naïve, letting our worst enemies into our home with out batting an eye at it.

"Hello." I said quietly, letting my voice take on its musical tone, the one I kept suppressed. I held out my hand to the father of the bunch, and he took it. I saw the surprise in his eyes as he registered my abnormally low body temperature, "I'm Holly."

He smiled, "I'm Carlisle. It's a pleasure to meet you. Esme has told me so much about your mother."

I smiled back, taking my hand back, "She's not my mother."

Anna groaned in displeasure, "Holly, go find Gerry and the twins."

I felt a vein in my forehead tick. Did she have any idea how hard it was to find them? Even when you had your sight? "Yes, mum."

It actually wasn't hard to find them. I didn't even make it past the front threshold before little Gerry slammed into me. She was hiccupping in fear and I scooped her up. My connection to the little girl had always been strong. We'd always been the two little oddballs in a perfect family, "Ger, what's wrong?"

She sniffled again hiding her face in my shoulder, "Moss and Ivy were chasing me." I really didn't want to know what with. Knowing the twins, it could be anything from a bug to a ball of fire.

I laughed, "Oh, we can't have that. It's okay. I'll scare them away. Do you want to go meet our guests?" Gerry giggled, and wrapped her arms around my neck, knotting her nimble fingers in my hair.

Part Three: Hello Heartbreak

Edward Cullen

Esme was having a fit over the house. It was pretty, I had to admit, and the Victorian architecture was very natural, almost as if the brand new house was actually a restored original. Nessie was clutching one of my hands and one of Bella's.

Seth was standing behind Nessie, still needlessly worrying about Lilly while the girl in question was doing the same about him, and by her sister's audible protest, almost tripping down the stairs.

The woman that opened the door must have been Anna, because as soon as the door was open far enough, Esme had engulfed the human in a hug. Holly was standing behind her mother, took Carlisle's hand, snapped something at him, and then followed her mother's instructions to find the younger children. A little brown haired girl raced into the room, running into Holly. I expected Holly to lash out at the girl, but she surprised everyone, her mother included, by picking up the little girl and smiling at her, before settling the girl on her hip and whispering in her ear. What she said made the little girl laugh, and she walked back to us.

She stood in front of me, "Gerry, this is Edward. Say hello, Ger."

I was shocked, when the eyes that peeked over the black hair, were violet, "Hello, Edward." It was strange, the girl sounded old, her words crisp and concise. The pale violet of her eyes were disconcerting, and I found myself dazed.

By the time I'd regained my grip on reality, Holly was already introducing the shy little girl to Alice, who was instantly enamored by the child, "She's so cute!" Holly had smiled and passed her sister to mine, "How old is she?"

"She's eight and a half. She's going through a bit of a quiet stage."

Alice looked at the little girl in awe, "Eight? She's tiny."

Anna grinned, "Yeah, but in another year or so, we're hoping she hits the same growth spurt her sister's did. Lilly looked like Gerry when she was little."

Alice marveled at her eyes, "You have such pretty eyes. How does that happen?"

A tall blond man walked into the room, wiping soil off his hands. He looked surprised to see us, "Uh, runs in the family." He looked desperately at his wife, "Anna, why didn't you tell me we were having guests?"

She laughed, "I did, Chrys. Not half an hour ago, I told you to come in from the garden."

The man smiled, scratching the back of his head bashfully. 'Bloody hell, I thought she was joking', "Oops. I guess I'd better take a quick shower."

Anna smiled and shoved her husband towards the stairs. I watched through his thoughts, trying to figure out the outlay of the strangely old house. As he got to the stairs, Lilly bounded past him, clipping him with her shoulder. He slammed into the wall with a grunt, "Excuse me, baby doll. I do believe we taught you manners."

Lilly looked at him, "Did I run into you?"

'No I just slammed myself into the wall.' "Yes."

She hugged him, "Sorry, daddy."

'Awe, she hasn't called me daddy in years.' "It's okay, my flower, go get your boy." 'If I don't castrate him first.'

I laughed and Bella elbowed me in the side, bringing me back to the entryway. Lilly had arrived, flustered and she tripped on a rug, right into Seth's arms. He clutched her to his chest and they both dissolved into laughter.

He helped her stand up straight, "I'm so sorry." She smoothed out his dress shirt, "Are you alright?"

He smiled, his eyes sickeningly glazed over, "I'm good."

She hugged him, "I'm glad." She looked at her mother, "Why are we all still standing around? Isn't dinner ready?"

Anna rolled her eyes. 'Insolent child.' "Lilly, can you tame your hunger for once?"

"No, not really." Lilly furrowed her eyebrows and looked around, "Where is everyone?"

Anna shrugged, "I'm not sure. I think the boys are out back and I saw the twins last in the kitchen." She slapped a hand to her head. 'Damn girls have probably destroyed dinner.' "I'll go check. Lilly, Holly, please show our guests to the dining room. Gerry, dear, could you come help me?"

The stoic child looked at Alice sweetly, a smile still not gracing her face, but the expression was cute, "I need to help my mom. I'll be back, Alice."

Alice squeaked joyfully, and let the girl down. When Gerry and her mother were gone, Alice looked to Lilly, "She is adorable."

Lilly and Holly laughed, their distinctly different voices blending. "I think it's safe to say she likes you Alice. She hasn't talked that much in forever."

Lilly took Seth's hand and let us into an ornate dining room, equally as Victorian as the outside.

Moments later, Anna walked in. A hand on each of the little girls she was guiding. "These rascals are Ivy and Moss." She leaned to whisper in their ears, "Please, be good, and don't set anything on fire."

One of the girls looked particularly bashful, so I listened to her. 'I didn't mean to. Why couldn't she just let me wallow on my own?'

Oliver slid into his chair just before his father, they had raced, and the son had beat the father. They spent several minutes glaring at each other.

The rest of us sat down, and in minutes the enormous table was filled, save one chair. The oldest wasn't there. Esme noticed, "Anna, I was hoping to meet your adult son. Where is he?"

Chrys was impatiently eyeing the food, and ready to eat, "Nigel will come if he wants to. Maybe he got a job."

'Not likely. Pervert probably found a shag.' Came in unison from Lilly and Oliver. I fought not to laugh, and felt Jasper send me a sobering wave from his faithful place at Alice's side.

The dinner itself was a strange and oddly rehearsed, tense event. Watching the Davenport kids eat was like watching the pack eat. Granted, the pack had no manners, and we generally weren't there, but Lilly, Oliver, and Holly ate far more than humanly possible, with incredibly proper manners.

One particular strand of conversation caught me as odd:

"Could someone pass me the pepper?" Oliver asked. All to absorbed in their conversation, no one responded. Lilly and Alice were closest to the pepper shaker, so he chose his sister, "Lilly." She chose to ignore him, "Lilly!" She didn't even blink his direction, talking animatedly to Alice, "Wolfe!" He yelled in frustration. Half the table went silent. The younger children stunned by his tone in reference to his twin.

Lilly's gray eyes flicked to her brother and then to Seth, her mind curiously blank. Her back tensed and her nostrils flared, Oliver's body slumped as he looked away from her scathing gaze in a submissive manner.

"You know better." Were her hard words as she passed the pepper to her brother.

"Thank you, sister." He said in his equally formal voice.

Anna stood, clearing a few empty plates, and attempting to do the same to the awkward silence, "Now, kids, don't fight. It's not becoming."

'Yes, Mum.' They all responded sarcastically in their minds.

Lilly's mind was open for the rest of the night, mostly her immortalizing Seth's every feature and movement, but I couldn't forget the blank minute. Something was going on. Something with the kids.

Right now, we had all moved into the large living room, and I was talking to Chrys and Esme about Calystegia macrostegia.

Lilly was holding Seth's hand, and both of her parents were internally agonizing over their daughter's closeness to the boy they just met, Anna more than Chrys.

"I'll be right back." Lilly announced before jumping up and loping towards the stairs. She was going to the bathroom, so I regressed to paying sole attention to Esme and Chrys.

"Do you smell that?" Bella hissed into my ear a minute or so later.

I inhaled, trying to pinpoint what had alarmed my wife. I smelled blood. It smelled like Oliver, whose blood I recognized from the locker he had punched, but it was mixed with another person's blood. My eyes locked with Bella's. It wasn't just any blood, it was Seth's.

Tehee. Hope you liked it, and I'm sure the next one will be up waaayyy sooner than this one was.

Thanks to my lovely reviewers: Lairoloko, Penguinbabe, and returning again to review once more, Ms. Jacob Black and PurpleReader29,. I love you guys, and I want you to know that your reviews mean a lot to me.

Thanks for reading. Next chapter is BIG!!! (Well, all of them after this one are, and PurpleReader is the only person that knows how!! Heart!!)

-Jenn

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P.S.S. K!!! You got another disclaimer!!! Good job with the Ruby Choker. (You people should check it out. She's Purple Reader29.) Can't wait for more! I should be posting the next chapter of Finding Yourself (On my fictionpress, same username.) soon. Promise!!