6. REUNION

THE WEEKS PASSED BY RATHER UNEVENTFULLY UNTIL THE WEEK BEFORE THE MUCH anticipated Carlisle-Esme Ninetieth Anniversary Gala. This was bigger than the Prom -- well at least to us, as we had attended a few dozen proms between us throughout the years. Alice, of course, had taken the lead on the event planning, but everyone had their share in the preparation for the occasion. We were taking a road trip up to Tanya's in Denali and staying with her family the night before the actual anniversary. We were going to hunt some of the wildlife that was not as plentiful in Washington: there were the smaller but equally as fierce game such as the wolverines, harvest foxes, and lynxes for Edward (though he preferred the larger mountain lions, lynxes were faster and somewhat harder to catch), the occasional hunting grizzly bear for Emmett -- fresh out of hibernation -- and the arctic wolves, which I was looking forward to pursuing. Then Alice and Edward had selected, according to them, the "most beautiful spot" about twenty miles outside Denali for the festivities the day of. Alice was sure it was going to snow, and the gorgeous clearing in the rare area of thick woods would be a winter wonderland; a flurry of snow and black and white spruce and early-blooming golden Arnica. I hadn't seen the location myself yet, but the way Alice and Edward described it, it sounded amazing. Just the place for Carlisle and Esme.

So on Wednesday, the day we were leaving for Alaska, we piled the lights and the sound system and the generator and the mountains of suitcases and the boxes upon boxes of decorations into the cars and loaded ourselves in for the trip. Jacob, truly family now, was coming along (the only non-vampire in the company). He and Renesmee were riding with Bella and Edward in the Ferrari. Alice and I were to be in the back of Emmett's Jeep, with Rosalie in the front seat. We were going to be the slowest, as we had to lug a trailer on the back of the vehicle to fit the folding tables and piles of "necessities" Alice insisted we bring. Emmett had sighed, suggesting hopefully that maybe I might want to drive his car while he and Rose took Alice's Porsche, but Bella, always the practical one, insisted so many cars would be ridiculous.

"You guys could always ride with Carlisle and Esme," I suggested, grinning sarcastically. Emmett and Rosalie looked over at our "parents" who stood facing each other, hands tracing the other's face, staring into each other's eyes meaningfully. It was such a deeply personal moment we all felt awkward seeing it. There had been a lot of these moments lately.

"I think I'll pass," Emmett grumbled as he rolled his eyes and swung lightly into the Jeep.

"So we'll see you there, ok?" Alice hinted, trying to break Carlisle and Esme out of their reverie. Carlisle just nodded, not taking his eyes away from Esme's. I shook my head, chuckling softly, and climbed into the Jeep too.

"So you sure we have everything?" Rosalie asked as Alice slid in beside me.

"Better hope so -- I don't think we'll make it up the hills if we have to stuff anything else back there," Emmett griped as he jerked his head toward the over-laden trailer. "Ugh," he groaned as he revved the engine and began to pull out of the garage. The extra weight was obvious. "This is gonna suck."

"Oh, get over it. It's for Carlisle and Esme." Alice purred, undeterred.

"Well, if we want to get there before spring, we'd better get this show on the road," Rosalie said to Emmett. Even the sarcastic snarl to her lips was stunning. How strange it must be to always look perfect, I mused. I was glad Alice had more to offer than simply beauty. She had that too, though it was a different, more profound kind of beauty than Rosalie's. But there was so much depth to Alice, so many facets. She was brilliant and kind and compassionate and funny... I squeezed her tiny hand in the darkness of the tinted car. She squeezed back and beamed at me.

"Oh, I'm so excited! This is going to be so wonderful!"

And it would be. I didn't need Alice's sight to tell me that. Our entire family and extended family would be together celebrating the love that we all shared and the immortal love Carlisle and Esme shared. As gag-inducing as some of their recent "moments" had been, honestly it was mostly just ... wonderful. It was amazing that after nearly a century they still felt the exact same level of commitment and passion and true love for one another as they had the first moment they had set eyes on each other. Carlisle had saved Esme out of love, inexplicable and sudden as it had been. And in a way, Esme had saved him. Not as literally as Alice had rescued me, for Carlisle had never struggled with the base demons I had, but Esme saved him from a life of emptiness and pointless existence. She had given his life meaning, and the whole world ought to be thankful for that. There were never two more incredible people in this world than Carlisle and Esme. The way Carlisle could see the sides to every issue and yet, somehow, always seem to choose the right path. The way he could resist all temptation and be utterly selfless and courageous and noble. And Esme, with her amazing ability to just love -- to love all of us no matter what we might do, to be willing to do anything for any of us, regardless of the costs to herself. They were incredible. If I didn't adore and respect them so much, they might give me a complex.

The blaring bass and piano refrain of "Werewolves Of London" made us all look up as Bella's Ferrari flew past us, passing on the left. Renesmee and Jacob howled out the lyrics at the top of their lungs as Bella waved and Edward shook his head in annoyance. Emmett grumbled something about "if we didn't have that damned trailer" as Rose and Alice waved back. I laughed softly to myself. This was going to be a long trip for Edward!

The scenery flew by as the Jeep, despite the weight of the trailer, raced along the highway. Most of the conversation centered around rehashing the details of the party as Alice and Rosalie animatedly described everyone's outfits, the decorations, the music -- all the "girly things," as Emmett said, that were not quite as interesting to us. Emmett and I each had our parts to play, but we didn't feel the need to describe them in endless detail. After a while Emmett and I left our wives to their girl talk and began a discussion of our own about the possible prey we might find in Denali. Emmett was eagerly hoping to find a few grizzlies that had slumped out of hibernation already. Though it was still a little early for the bears to emerge, there were always a handful that were hungry enough to brave the cold and sparse prey before spring. But the hungrier they were, the meaner they were, so this suited Emmett just fine. I was looking forward to stalking some of the wolves -- they would not be as large or strong now as they would be in a few months when food was more plentiful, but just like the bears they would be meaner. I was toying with the idea of trying to take on a whole pack at once. I knew they couldn't hurt me; the challenge would lie in trying to get them all before they dispersed. I wasn't sure if I could do it or not, but I was certainly looking forward to the challenge.

"Do you think Jacob will get pissed if you kill a wolf?" Emmett asked, vaguely contemplative.

"Hmm, I don't know. Do you think I should ask him?" My face fell at the thought. I was really looking forward to hunting wolves. But, I supposed, if it would upset Jacob...

"Nah, what he doesn't know won't hurt 'im." Emmett shrugged off the idea. I was sure Jacob's feelings were not as large a consideration for him as they were for me. But maybe Emmett was right. Jacob didn't need to know what I was hunting...

It was a long trip. Emmett could only push the Jeep to about a hundred miles an hour before the trailer would start swaying ominously. Though the drive from Forks to Denali would take two days by the posted speed limits, we usually made it in nineteen hours or so. This time it took us a whole day. Emmett was cranky to say the least by the time we finally reached Tanya's. I had employed a little of my calming influence through the last leg of the trip just to make it bearable for the rest of us. I promised him we would hunt as soon as everything was unpacked to assuage his temper a bit. Maybe I would even offer a wrestling match, to let him work out some of his frustration.

Everyone else was, of course, already there by the time we arrived. Tanya, Kate, Carmen, Eleazar, and Garrett came out to greet us, followed by the rest of my family. Tanya's strawberry blonde curls blew in the crisp wind as she glided out, barefoot, to embrace us all in turn. Kate was just behind her, her stick-straight blonde hair, as smooth and fine as a baby's, brushing against my cheek as she hugged me. Carmen kissed my cheek lightly, her olive skin looking almost tan -- for a vampire -- against mine. Eleazar patted me roughly on the shoulder as he put one arm around me, smiling in welcome.

Garrett was last. He shook hands with us all, a little awkwardly, though he had a huge grin across his carefree face. He always looked somehow weather beaten, a wanderer, though this only served to make him appear ruggedly handsome. Garrett was the newest addition to Tanya's family and the most recent to attempt "vegetarianism." Although I had not spent much time with him since he had gone to live with the Denalis, I had always liked him. Maybe it was a comfort to know I wasn't the "greenhorn" anymore, as we said in Texas, to know that Garrett had difficulty with the way of life we had all chosen, just as I did. Maybe it was because he was an adventurer, a rover, with fascinating stories to tell and a lighthearted personality that you couldn't help but be drawn to. Or maybe it was because, like me, he had set aside his darker days and baser ways for the love of a woman, just as I had. He hadn't been nearly as troubled by the morality of feeding on humans as I had been, but still, to give up one way of life, the only way you had known, to be able to spend it with someone else -- I felt a certain connection to him. He was a kindred spirit in a way.

"Welcome back," Garrett grinned at me, "It's been a while, Jasper. I've been looking forward to some games..." He glanced to Emmett too, and both of us returned his grin. Garrett was more fun to fight with than Edward, and it would be nice to scrap with someone besides each other for a change.

"Say the word," Emmett beamed. His sour mood already seemed to be forgotten.

"Well let's spend a few quality minutes together before you try to rip each other's throats out," Tanya chuckled, leading the way back into the house. Maybe house wasn't the right word. Tanya's place was an enormous wooden cabin, more like a ski lodge than a house. The floor plan was simple; the place was one enormous rectangle, only separated into rooms -- by walls -- upstairs. The entire first floor was one open space except for the staircase. There was an immense living room with a thick shag area rug and two plush couches arranged in front of an immense stone fireplace; in the south corner was the small and unused kitchen; there was a huge coat closet under the broad straight staircase; and there was the dining room, denoted only by the gigantic oval pine table and the exquisite crystal chandelier that somehow seemed to fit the decor. I remembered the first time I had been here I had thought a tacky creation of compressed antlers would be more appropriate, but knowing Tanya and her sisters now, as I did, that idea was ludicrous. Though the place might look like a ski lodge on the outside, the Denali clan's tastes were just as refined as Esme's in their own way. Their interior decorating had certainly been inspired by the Alaskan countryside, but there was still an elegance about it all. They had not taken the beauty and grandeur of Alaska and reduced it to some touristy caricature. Somehow they had encapsulated all the majesty and magnificence of the land around them into their home. A very different style from Esme's soft, muted, color palette, but striking all the same.

Tanya situated herself cross-legged on the floor in front of the fireplace. A fire was raging, more for ambiance than warmth -- none of us needed the heat.

"So come tell me what you four have been up to. I've already heard the details of Renesmee's wonderful news," she shot an amused glance at Edward before turning back to us, "I can't believe we'll have another wedding to celebrate!"

Alice pulled me over to one of the oversized couches in front of Tanya. We sank down into the plush cushions as Alice began describing various unimportant events in our lives. Carmen and Eleazar sat down on the other couch, Kate next to them. Garrett moved to stand behind his mate, one rough-looking hand on her shoulder. The rest of my family milled around, some finding seats, others standing close to the rug. No one really needed to know the minute details of Alice's life, but it was nice to be here together, immersed in small talk. Like a human Christmas or Thanksgiving. We were a family, and it was very pleasant to be here like this.

"So how's the hunting been?" Emmett asked, as soon as there was a break in Alice's narration. She shot him a quick glare. I knew she had been about to regale the Denali family with the details of the new Spring line for Perrine Bruyere -- the designer who had made Bella's wedding gown -- but Emmett was incorrigible. I had to admit, I was more interested in the hunting prospects than the gowns. I patted Alice's thigh placatingly.

"Well, we have seen a few grizzlies," Kate chuckled, "They weren't too big, but boy were they angry!"

"Excellent!" Emmett crowed. "What about wolves?"

It was my turn to glare at him now. Jacob looked up, his eyebrows raised. He was feeling a bit uneasy, but I couldn't be entirely sure why. Maybe, I thought hopefully, he's just concerned that we might feel awkward...

"There was a rather large pack here three days ago, actually," Garrett shrugged, when no one else answered. "They were headed north, but you'd have to do some tracking to find them now."

I looked fixedly at the ground, not wanting to see Jacob's expression. If I didn't really know how he felt, maybe I could pretend I was oblivious to the distress he would feel if I killed his ... kindred.

"I want to catch a moose," Renesmee said, a little too enthusiastically. It worked, though. Everyone laughed.

"A moose?" Edward raised an eyebrow.

"Sure, those things are supposed to be giant. They might be herbivores, but did you know more people are killed by moose every year than by bears? Thinking about changing your prey, Uncle Emmett?"

We all laughed at the expression of disgust on Emmett's face.

"I'll hunt moose with you, Ness," Jacob said. He felt happy again. Maybe all the concern about the wolves was silly. They weren't actually his brothers, after all.

"I swear I'm getting you a ticket to the North Pole for Christmas, Emmett," Bella said, chucking a throw pillow at him. He caught it easily and threw it very hard, not at her, but at Edward. Edward, of course, was not taken by surprise. He smiled wryly, holding onto the pillow ... for now.

"I finally get to meet Santa, huh?" Emmett's expression was overly-enthusiastic. Alice's mouth twitched grudgingly.

"No, then you can hunt some real bears. They have polar bears at the North Pole, you know."

"Aren't polar bears an endangered species?" Jacob asked with mock disapproval.

"I'd better get up there before they go extinct then!" Emmett began his booming laugh when the pillow smashed into his face with the force of a Buick. Everyone roared in laughter at his bewildered expression. Slight chagrin flitted across his face, but it quickly changed to a mischievous smile as a thought occurred to him.

"Bella would never," Edward said, shaking his head, but he shot his wife a wary sidelong glance. We all laughed again at this. Bella was the only one who could surprise Edward, and every so often we were able to talk her into doing us a favor and getting some payback for the decades of "cheating."

"Better stay on my good side," Bella giggled.

"So, what's for dinner?" Renesmee asked her mother in answer to the rumble in Jacob's stomach.

"Sorry," he mumbled, looking embarrassed. That kid still had the biggest appetite. Bella had packed an entire trunk-full of snacks and sandwiches and sodas for him for the drive up. How could he be hungry already?

"That's what I wanna know," Emmett grinned, patting his belly. "I think grizzly's on the menu!"

"We can hunt," Jacob said, looking at Renesmee, "No one has to cook anything."

"'Atta boy!" Emmett thumped Jacob on the back, almost knocking him over. I sighed. I guessed I would just stick with bears and lynxes for now. Renesmee could have the moose.

"Well, let's go then," Garrett smiled appreciatively. "How 'bout a bet?"

Emmett's brow raised in interest.

"Whoever kills the biggest bear names the match."

"Deal," Emmett grinned. I was sure his choice would be wrestling. When he wasn't fighting me or Edward, he almost always won at that.

"I'm in too," I said, rising from the couch.

"Boys," Alice shook her head in mock bewilderment. Rose and Bella looked like they agreed.

"We could always make a side bet," I said quietly, winking at her. She rolled her eyes and danced toward the door, her hand outstretched for mine. I took it and we all filed out the door -- all fifteen of us -- to hunt. It was a good thing Alaska was so big -- and we could run so far -- otherwise so many vampires (and a werewolf) in one area might decimate the wildlife population beyond repair. Everyone darted their separate ways, Alice leading me northeast.

"There's a huge bear about forty miles away," she whispered as we began to run. I grinned broadly. Alice wasn't above cheating.