It was originally my intent to have some semblance of a plot to this fic… but judging from my story plans it's going to mostly be just a lot of partying for a while. You know, why not? I think at this point, the cast of all three of these stories have earned the right to party.

Chapter 8: Good Times

JACOB BLACK

Okay, first, let me say what an honor it is to be the first person to narrate two chapters. How awesome am I?

Okay, so I was playing on the monsters' Wii. Wii Music. It has a lot more depth than people give it credit for. "Hey, Jacob," said a voice.

"Oh, hi," I said. "Uh, Link, right?"

"That's right."

One of the bird people joined us, the blonde guy.

"Hey, who have we got over here?" he asked.

"Jacob," I told him, shaking his hand.

"Whoa, are you sick?" he asked.

"Nah, I'm a wolf-man," I said. "We all run a real high temperature."

"A wolf-man?" he said, frowning.

"Yeah," I told him. "Like a werewolf. Technically not a werewolf, more of a shape-shifter, but… to hell with technicalities. I'm a werewolf."

"I'm Iggy," he replied. "I'm the head chef and pyrotechnics guy."

"Fancy," Link said.

"So, you guys have been in prison for a long time, right?" Iggy asked Link.

"They let us go for beating the aliens," he confirmed. "Man, let me tell ya, it is good to be free."

"Yeah, they used to keep us in prison too," Iggy said. "Tiny little cages. At least you got food and entertainment and exercise… and names. Us bird kids? They made us run through mazes and crap… I personally lost my vision in an experiment made to enhance it. How much does that suck? And Max won't even let me drink champagne."

Link and I looked down at our glasses of champagne and passed them to him.

"Sweet," he said, snatching one in each hand. "How about you, Jacob? Anything government-y happen in your life?"

"No," I told him. "My people and the vampires rely on secrecy. We're magical; no government intervention."

"Lucky," Iggy said.

"Well, I had some experiments done on me," Link offered. "You know, DNA stuff, to find out what I was, how old I was, how smart I was. It took a year for me to learn American Sign Language, and another four to learn English. Take that, Koko the gorilla. Eh? Anyway, I'm loving the idea of this Monster Convention. What do you guys think? Just our family, the flock, the packs, the Cullens and maybe their cousins. Ooh! Hey, Dr. Cockroach!" He scooped the bug-headed man out of thin air. "How about we make the annual Monster Convention the day of my birthday? December eighteenth!"

"Your birthday's not the eighteenth," Dr. Cockroach said, rolling his eyes.

"You don't know that."

"Neither do you."

"Sure I do," Link said. "I know I was born in early winter. We didn't number the days back in the Ice Age, wise guy. I like the eighteenth. Anyway, we can have a little party with all of our human friends, and then we can slip off to the top-secret Monster Convention!"

"Your birthday?" I said. "How old are you?"

"243," he said promptly.

"Also completely made up," Dr. Cockroach retorted.

"Not completely, Doc," Link growled. "I know I had done at least two hundred migrations before I was frozen, I didn't age while I was frozen, and I unfroze forty-three years ago. I'm probably not 243 on the dot, but WHO GIVES A DAMN, DOC? I'm a freaking fish-man. I can have whatever damn birthday I want."

"Wow," I said. "So, how long did your species usually live?"

"Well, like I said, we didn't keep much track of time," Link admitted. "I know my dad survived about five hundred migrations before he passed, and he was a pretty old dude. I'm not as rugged as my ancestors, but I do have better health care. My doctor says that if I keep exercising, eating right, and don't start smoking or anything I may have another eight hundred years left in me." He pounded his chest. "So, I'm gonna be with these guys for a long time. I'm the only one who ages, you know, but not much!"

"Cool," I told him. "My pack doesn't age either, unless we give up the gift, then we go back to being human. Vampires don't age at all, and Nessie will stop aging as soon as she hits adulthood."

"Man, we're lame excuses for monsters," Iggy said grimly. "With what happened to most of the other recombinant life-forms, I'm remarkably lucky to be fourteen."

Dr. Cockroach's eyes wilted, and he gave Iggy his champagne. "Thanks, Doc," he said.

"Oh, Link," Dr. Cockroach said. "Can I borrow your iPod?"

"What for?"

"Oh, just to integrate some components into… you know. I'll just take out some spare parts; it'll work fine."

"Parts for the Love-bot?"

Dr. Cockroach grabbed Link by the scruff of the neck. "Listen here, pal," he snarled. "Stop mocking my invention. Susan and I are in love and we want to express ourselves. Unless you have a better idea, Project L will commence."

"Project L?" Link repeated. "I mean… no, I don't have a better idea. You… you go get 'em, doodlebug. Do what you gotta do." Dr. Cockroach went back upstairs, glaring.

Edward approached with Renesmee. "Hey, Ed," Link said. "Hey, Nessie."

"Hi, Link," Nessie said. "Hi, my Jacob."

"Hey, pal," I said to Edward.

"Hi, son-brother-thing," Edward replied. "Man, this family is messed up. So, Link, you want some help with a birthday party/monster convention?"

"Yeah, could you?" he said.

"Alice likes to party," Edward confided. "She'll be so ticked that she missed this party, she'll never forgive us until she gets to plan a party of her own with all the same people."

"Is she good at it?"

"The best," Nessie said. "Auntie Alice is a killer party planner! This will be the best birthday party anybody's ever had… well, except for me."