Author's note: A bit of a fun filler for the Cullens, since they deserve a break while we find out what's going on elsewhere...

"Who'd have thought a girl like you could eat as much as I do?" Jake laughed as he shoveled a bite of pasta into his mouth, completely missing the flash of apprehension that crossed Jess' face at his offhand question. Angie, sitting at the table beside the girl, casually sipped her soda and placed a hand easily on Jess' arm, her wordless support giving Jess the steadiness needed to keep her voice flippant.

"A girl like me, eh?" she said, letting her voice sound insulted and indignant. "And what exactly do you mean by that?" Jake almost choked on his meatloaf, hurrying to swallow to reply.

"I just meant, you're so much smaller – hey, that's not funny," he finished in a mock growl when he looked up to see both Jess and Angie chuckling at him.

"I dunno, I thought it was." To Jess, the entire day had been a bit surreal thus far, and thus she felt perfectly fine with chucking a piece of bread at him before taking another bite of her meatloaf, deliberately keeping her expression neutral. Angie just sat there and laughed as the startled boy plucked the errant crust off of his lap and looked it it, puzzlement turning to wickedness when he dipped the end of the bread in pasta sauce. The dark-haired girl decided to just keep quiet when she saw him grin, only to break her silence as, with a yelp, Jess jumped out of her chair and swore loudly, trying to not flash the room while attempting to dislodge the cream-covered bread from where it had sailed with perfect accuracy in through the v-neck of her shirt to land in her bra. Jake couldn't hold back his laughter, going so far as to push his chair back slightly and high-five Emmett who had just wandered into the kitchen.

"Great shot, man," the boisterous onlooker said gleefully.

"I know. That was awesome," Jake replied, grinning as the blonde girl glared at him.

"Awesome, was it?" she sniped, then grinned. "Then this should be stellar." Reflexes notwithstanding, Jake found himself unable to move out of sheer shock when, in one quick movement, she grabbed her half-full glass of water and flung the contents across the table. Emmett chuckled at the sight of a stunned, dripping werewolf standing in his kitchen, but it was the vengeful grin that suddenly lit the wolf's features that made the vampire howl with laughter.

"Jess, I'd run if I were you," he said, totally enjoying the interplay between the two teens. With a gasp and a squeak, the girl made as if to do just that, bolting for the patio door, Jake hot on her heels...only to come to a screeching halt as Carlisle and Caralla, deep in conversation, stepped onto the porch to head inside. Her sudden stop was her downfall, though, as in the next moment she was drenched by the entire contents of the pitcher of ice water. Her shriek echoed through the house, drawing everyone not already in the kitchen into the room. Jake, seeming suddenly contrite, took a couple of steps back, gently placing the pitcher on the table as his victim turned slowly to face him. Her expression was a mask of shock, her eyes beginning to fill with what could only be described as evil amusement. He kept his own expression contrite – until a lone slice of lemon slid from the top of her head down her hair, landing on the floor with a 'pthp'. By this point everyone else had gathered around to see what the ruckus was, and the silence was broken by Alice's voice.

"Well, that escalated quickly," the pixie giggled. At exactly that point the patio door opened.

"So, Jacob, it seems you've earned yourself payback," Carlisle said, amused. By this point everyone in the room was chuckling or laughing outright, and it didn't take long for the two feuding teens to join in, the entire room filling with mirth and warmth. From her place beside Carlisle, Caralla laughed along with them. It made her happy to see the obvious camaraderie, the sharing of good feelings within the group. As Alice led Jess upstairs to get her into some dry clothing, as Jake volunteered to clean up the mess, as everyone else began to head back into the living room now that the show was over, Caralla hummed to herself.

~They're bonding already. This is good. They'll need that, and likely sooner than they know.~

They made their way through the woods, her paws making no more noise on the soggy ground than he was making in his incorporeal state, not touching as they once would have, but without that bubble of hurt between them that had been present recently. It had all but dissolved two days ago when Lili burst into their house through the back door and shouted for him. He'd raced downstairs only to have her lunge for him, her anger at him obviously not enough to supersede her need to inform him of her discoveries. Rarely did they truly need physical contact to share thoughts, but the events of the past weeks had put a distance between them that had not faded yet, so it was with no small amount of shock that he felt her forehead pressed to his chest as her thoughts of the day flooded into his mind. The explosion, her quick conversations with the girls, and her exploration of the disaster. It didn't take long for him to put two and two together, but rather than jumping to conclusions – regardless of how right he knew they were – he pulled back gently, tracing one hand through her hair.

"A Hellbound. This makes things so much worse." No need to tell her who the other of his kind was, not yet. "Will you take me there?" She nodded, but pulled back completely.

"There are officials and people all over the scene right now."

"That's okay. We can go as mist. They'll never notice." She turned her head away slightly, and he could see something was troubling her. "Lili, what's wrong?"

"I...I am having a hard time going to mist. I almost didn't manage it when I was at the school. And a little while ago, I was...well, I had difficulty then as well." She looked up at him, large eyes shining. "Do you think it might be because of, well, whatever is happening to me?" He reached out and stroked her cheek gently, comforting her.

"I'm not sure. It could be. Have you tried to change lately?"

"Change? Oh, you mean -"

"Yes, into your other form." She shook her head. "Why not? I'd have thought you'd be testing your new limits."

"It...it scares me, a little. Everything feels so different...so much more – well, more. I can't explain it. It's like – kind of like finally coming out into sunlight after being underground for years. It's all so bright, so fresh, and it's a bit scary." She looked so unsure that he couldn't help but pull her into a hug.

"That's because it is kind of like that. Lili, love, you weren't meant to be confined to human or mist. You, just by virtue of your...creation..." he said softly, expecting to feel her wince and pull away, and very surprised and pleased when she did neither, "...you are born to more than that. You've just now broken free of the shell you were bound in." He pulled her closer, for the first time being able to hold her tight without feeling the sorrow he'd been carrying, without mourning the loss of what they'd had for so long. It puzzled him, this lack of sadness, but he chose to leave his own pondering for later. Petting her silky hair, he kissed her head.

"Lili...we should go out. Into the woods. I'll go with you, if you want, but you need to test yourself. You need to see what you have become, what you can do. Okay?" She sniffed a little, refusing to move away from him, so with one finger under her chin he coaxed her into looking at him. "I will be there with you, the whole time. But you need to know. Who knows where or when the Hellbound will choose to strike next? Any advantage we have could make the difference. Don't you agree?" Reluctantly she nodded her head.

"I'm just scared," she murmured.

"And that's okay. No one would ever tell you that you are not allowed to be frightened. It's what you do with your fear that matters. You can use it, or you can let it use you. And you, Lili, are far too strong to let anyone sell you to slavery – especially yourself." His voice was confident, and he felt her straighten up a little, saw the fire slowly begin to burn within her again. "There's my girl," he whispered happily before kissing her forehead. "Let's go."

That evening they'd found a spot far away from the town, fully surrounded by trees, and he watched as she, for the first time, made the decision to shift forms. It was magnificent. Pure white, her fur was long without being shaggy, and tipped with a silver sheen that shimmered in the dappled moonlight. She stood almost six feet at the shoulder, and her eyes were a deep burnished copper, the irises ringed with a dark black. The fur around her eyes was tinged dark grey, lending an aura of mystery to her appearance. She shook her head, her ruff shifting, fur glimmering, and he thought he'd never seen anything so amazing, either on earth or in the heavenly realms. And then she stretched her wings open and he gasped aloud. From silver tip to silver tip the span had to be fifteen feet at least. Closed, her wings had blended in with her fur, obviously there but no different in coloring or texture. Open was another story entirely. The undersides were white, true, as white as the rest of her fur, but the ridges that marked the bones were a shining, startling silver color, the bottom tips edged in a red-gold that was nearly the same color as her eyes. He didn't realize he was crying until he blinked and felt the moisture drip from his cheeks. She stretched, limbs flexing as she tested the flexibility of this new form, and he was completely and utterly awestruck.

For the rest of the evening she tried little things – walking, running, jumping – but it wasn't until dawn was pinkening the constant clouds that she seemed to feel confident enough to walk out through the forest to the cliff's edge. He followed silently, not wanting to sully this night of discovery with sound, and stood in the treeline a few feet away as she sniffed the salt air, the continual breeze from the sea making her shining fur seem to ripple with every gust. Closing her eyes for a moment, he could tell what she planned. Her eyes snapped open and she gathered herself, the powerful muscles in her haunches bunching and releasing as she propelled herself off of the outcropping. He darted to the edge, watching her plummet to the sea below. At the last moment, her wings snapped open and she skimmed the surface of the water before beginning to rise once more, strong, steady wingbeats lifting her gracefully into the air, her white form standing out brightly against the dark cloudy sky. Luc watched as she wheeled, learning this new skill, and after a short time she returned to the clifftop, landing gently and folding her wings shut. A moment later and her form blurred, fogged, and then she was crouching on two legs with her long hair falling over her shoulders and hiding her face. He wanted to rush to her but held his ground, waiting for her to make the first move.

"Luc?" she whispered, not yet standing.

"Yes?" he replied just as softly.

"I understand." With that she stood and walked over to him, eyes full of...something he couldn't place, something that wasn't there before. She reached her hands out and placed one on each of his cheeks, letting her fingertips wipe away the fading tracks of his tears. "I forgive you." And then she kissed him, sweetly, gently, a kiss full of complete acceptance and love, a kiss free of lust yet filled with compassion. And for the first time, he felt peace.

They went home after that, curled up on the bed together like the brother and sister they'd been portraying to the townsfolk, and as he drifted off to sleep to the sounds of her quiet breathing he felt once more the wonder, the awe, that he'd felt watching her become what she was meant to be.

Waking up the following morning found her awake first, alert and eager to begin the day. And now that they were heading from their house to the school, wolf walking with mist, he couldn't help but feel calm and happy regardless of what he knew they would find when they arrived.