AN: The reviews have dropped off a bit- is everybody still hanging in with me? There's actually not a lot left, maybe 3 or 4 chapters. Let me know what you think so far!

Oh- I am also posting the first outtake from this story. I have several more I will add later, but if there is something specific you want to read about, let me know and I'll work it in!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story line, SM owns the characters I'm just having fun with them.

Bella POV
We played around more as we ran back to the house. The boys encouraged me to test my speed, agility, strength; I loved jumping as high as I could into the trees and jumping back down on my mates when they weren't watching me. So far, being a vampire was every bit as good as I had imagined. The thirst wasn't too bad, except when I first woke up. Now it was manageable, but I knew I would need to feed more often than my boys did, at least in the beginning.

My boys. That was another revelation. I may as well have been blind for the past sixteen years! They were the perfect combination of beauty and danger. I knew their scars would scare other vampires, but they made me feel safe. I had two of the strongest vampires in the world as my mates and protectors. What more could I ask for?

As I thought about how and why I became a vampire, I couldn't find much to be upset about. Yes, getting mauled by a werewolf after watching the same werewolf tear your mate to shreds was not ideal; but I know Peter, and I know he would have stalled my change as long as he possibly could. Jasper thought the threat to our coven was gone with Alice's death, but I didn't think we had seen the last of Carlisle yet. If danger came to us, this time I would be ready to stand alongside my mates and defend our family. I couldn't wait to show Jasper all of the fight training I'd had with Peter, and I couldn't wait to put those moves to use in my new, stronger body.

I had apparently retained most, if not all, of my human memories. Jasper and Peter were shocked when I told them, and Peter had even started quizzing me on random events to see what I remembered. Jasper thought it might have something to do with my shield- that my mind had been protected during the change. I thought it had more to do with preparation. I had known exactly what was coming; I even knew what venom felt like running through my veins, and I knew I needed to focus and not get lost in the fires of the change. Peter's voice was a lighthouse, a beacon of light in my suffering, and every word he spoke triggered another round of memories for me to hold onto.

I think Jasper felt closer to me now, either through the memories he learned while I was changing or the fact that it was mostly his venom in my veins. Either way, I was happy. I was glad I had figured out how to let him under my shield, now we were waiting to see if they were blocked from Edward as well. That gave me an idea.

I jumped out of my tree and landed on Peter's shoulders, balancing carefully on my feet like an acrobat. Jasper threw his head back and laughed at the picture we made but Peter just lifted my feet and tossed me up a bit, before catching me in his arms. "What was that for, little one?"

"You're never gonna give that up are you?" He just smiled and leaned down to kiss my nose. "Ok, anyway, I had an idea. I wanna see if we can sneak up on everybody. Peter, tighten your shield and if I've got y'all covered, they shouldn't be able to sense us at all. What do you think?" Peter looked over at Jasper, who had a look of concentration.

"It's worth a shot! Can you tell if you have us both covered, Bella?"

"I don't know. I guess you are since you can feel my emotions again. I don't know about Peter. How would I know?"

Peter looked at me and said, "Well, my shield kinda feels like a second skin. I can feel when it's stretched over y'all but it doesn't take any effort, it seems to do it on its own. When I shield others, it takes concentration and it feels like I'm strainin' to cover them. I would guess your shield would fit closer, more inside your head. So I'm not sure how that would translate to shieldin' us. Can you feel anything like that?"

I thought for a minute and then closed my eyes. I tried to feel for anything that was connecting me to Jasper, aside from our bond. I couldn't find anything to grab hold of. "Try to visualize it. Like a shower cap or somethin'" Peter offered. I tried that and still couldn't feel anything I could work with. Jasper could feel my frustration growing and sent me some calm. As he did I realized his emotions seemed more channeled than usual. There was a direct line from his mind to mine. I got an idea and hopped down out of Peter's arms.

"Grab my hands, and each others. Make a circle." They looked at me curiously but did as I asked. I closed my eyes to concentrate. "Ok, Jasper, send Peter an emotion, just Peter. I'm gonna see if I can feel the shield around him." Jasper did as I asked and I could feel the connection between them as well. "Ok, I think I have him covered. What did you send him?" I opened my eyes to see Jasper looking amused and Peter with black eyes staring him down.

"Oh, just some lust." Jasper winked at me, before Peter growled and attacked him.

"Uh, Pete, go easy on him. There aren't any dead drug dealers laying around to get more clothes from." I teased him. Jasper must have dialed back the lust because Peter stood up and held his hand down to help our mate up. "So, are we ready?"

"Yeah, I've got us locked down. Let's go." We ran back to the house, and stuck to the woods until we came up behind the majority of the group in the backyard. I looked around and then bent down to pick up a pinecone laying on the ground. I aimed and tossed it directly at Eddie's head, and then fell over laughing at his look of shock when he spotted us.

"You did it, Princess! I knew you could! I can't hear a thing from any of you! How did you figure out how to shield them?" He was bouncing up and down, holding my hands, and looking remarkably like an excited child. I wanted to blush as I thought back to the moment Jasper could feel my emotions again. He must have seen something on my face because he said, "Why do I get the feeling I'm really glad their thoughts are shielded?"

"Don't worry, Eddie, it's nothin' you haven't seen before. Well, we were standin' up this time, and Jasper and I swapped places, but-"

"NO! NO MORE! La la la la la! I can't hear you!" By now everyone was laughing at Edward dance around with his hands over his ears. Like that would help with his vampire hearing. I think I have the dorkiest brother on earth.

"Ok, ok. While I love everyone jokin' around, we're kinda under the gun here. We need to get movin'. Is everyone all packed up?" Damn, my major is sexy when he gets all authoritative and stuff. Yum. He shot me a wink when he felt my lust and Peter wrapped his arm around me and squeezed to let me know he agreed.

"Yes, we have everything from the Cullen house loaded and we brought Jasper's truck over to put the rest of your stuff in. Edward and Victoria packed for you while you were hunting and we left Bella's Mustang open for the three of you to take." Rose answered, and then turned to me. "Bella, you look stunning! I'm so glad you are ok. I was absolutely sick when I saw what that filthy mutt did to you. Jasper did a good job fixing you up though, you have very special mates."

I nodded to her and pulled her in for a hug. "I know I do. They're the best. Thank you for your help too, and for taking care of Jasper all these years. I doubt he would have let anyone else near his mates, so he must really trust you. I hope you and I can be sisters as well." Her smile was blinding as she squeezed me tight and nodded.

Esme came up to us then. "Um, Bella, I know we haven't spoken much, but I would love to be your sister as well, if you'll give me a chance." I glanced at Jasper and he nodded, we had spoken about Esme on the way back.

"Well, Esme, I don't think that will work for me." She looked down and nodded sadly. "See, I already have a couple of sisters. But I've never had a mom. Jasper tells me you're a pretty good one, maybe you can take the job?" She looked shocked before she jumped and pulled me into her arms. I was surprised at how comforting it felt. Maybe this really was something I needed. Her scent had changed slightly since she had hunted with Edward, and it struck me as oddly familiar somehow. I sifted through my human memories but couldn't quite figure out what it was. She pulled back and kissed my cheek before glancing over at Peter.

"Sorry, sweetheart. I done raised up two of your kids, I ain't gonna be callin' you Ma anytime soon. You'll have to make do with my mates and my brother, here." We all laughed and Esme just shook her head.

"It's ok, Peter. You're too old to be my son anyway," she replied with a saucy wink, before her mood became more serious. "I wanted to give you something. I checked the safe in Jasper's room when we were clearing out the house and I found something that I believe belongs to you. Edward told me what it means to you so I took it and had it cleaned and the latch repaired. I put a photo inside as well. I think everyone here will agree with me when I say that you have earned this. You've earned it a thousand times over. You have cared for your family, and your mates, in a way most would not be strong enough for. We all see you as a leader and we will gladly follow you and Jasper anywhere."

Peter was frozen as she reached in her pocket and pulled out an old pocket watch. He took it reverently in his hands and looked between me and Edward, who nodded at him, smiling. He glanced back at Jasper and pulled him close as he opened the watch. I looked over and saw a picture of the three of us. Edward had snapped the picture before we left for school together, and it was the only picture I had with both Peter and Jasper while I was human. It truly was a priceless gift.

Peter looked at Esme with tears in his eyes and his voice was rough when he finally managed to choke out a thank you. He pulled Jasper and me close to him and began sobbing in our arms. We soothed him and rocked him until he could compose himself again. He finally straightened up with an arm around each of us and said, "Ok, well, that's enough of that for today! I think we better move out. We're pushin' our luck with the wolf pack here and I'm ready to get my mates back home." He looked at Jasper, who nodded and added his two cents.

"Yeah, let's load up and get outta here. Is everybody drivin' or what?"

Edward spoke up then, "Rose and Emmett are driving their cars, Esme is riding with me in Jasper's truck, and I think James and his group are runnin' back to get the house ready and warn Garrett. I figure it will take you three the longest to get there since you'll have to stick with back roads for Bella. We'll try to have everything ready for you when you get there. I assume the three of you will be in Bella's room, since it's the biggest? We'll have to do some rearranging to fit everyone in."

"Yeah, sounds good. Y'all can work it out between you when ya get there. We may make a couple stops along the way." Jasper winked at us when he said that. Stops sound good. May take us a month or two to get home...

"Just don't stop too much. We'll need you there soon. Oh, and you might want to call Sam before you leave. He really wanted to meet Peter and Bella but I told him they may not want to do that. I wouldn't let him come here though- meet somewhere neutral. He doesn't need to pick up on the human scents here." Edward added.

I glanced at Peter; I wondered what he was thinking. I was torn. On one hand, I wanted to meet the man who had been such a good friend to my mate. On the other hand, he was a wolf; brother to the wolf who attacked us and ended my human life. He had seen the attack through that wolf's eyes and hadn't been able to stop it. I knew he probably felt some responsibility for what happened and he wanted to apologize in person. I also didn't know how he would feel about Jasper's new red eyes. His instincts would probably push him to attack, like that other wolf had attacked Peter. I finally decided it wasn't my place to decide. It was up to Jasper, and Peter, if he wanted to give his opinion. I would do what they wanted.

Peter was staring hard at Jasper, who wouldn't look at either of us. Finally he sighed and said, "Look, Jasper, I can feel your guilt. It's not necessary. If you want to see your friend, go see your friend. If you want us to meet him, then we'll meet him. I don't hold him responsible for our attack, and I doubt Bella does either." They both glanced at me and I shook my head no. "It's up to you, just let us know what you're thinkin' please."

Jasper brought his hands up to cover his face before groaning and turning to face us. "I'm thinkin' I'm the world's biggest hypocrite. Sam told me one time that I was his friend whether he had skin or fur, and he would be my friend no matter what color eyes I have. Well, I'm sure Edward told him I hunted with y'all, but he still wants to see me. And I'm the one that can't get over the fact that a member of his pack attacked my mates. That wolf didn't look anything like Sam, but I can't get past the fact that Sam is still a wolf. Hell, I killed one of his brothers but he's still the one seeking out my friendship. I'm a shitty friend."

"Jasper, listen. You can't judge yourself like that. You have absolutely no idea what Sam would be doing if the situation was reversed. If Peter had attacked one of Sam's wolves without provocation, do you think he would still be this open to you? I doubt it. But the thing is, I think he knows that. He knows that this is harder for you. He knows how personal this attack was- hell, he watched the whole thing! He's reaching out to you because he knows that you can't reach out to him. Whether you meet him halfway is still up to you. Nobody is telling you what to do, he was your friend- the decision is in your hands whether or not you will continue that friendship." By the end of my speech both my boys were staring at me, Jasper in wonder and Peter with pride.

"Darlin', I don't know how you got so smart but you're definitely the brains of this operation. I'm not sure how we made it so long without you. We would have saved a lot of trouble if we'd had you with us from the beginnin'." He pulled me in for a hug and then straightened up to say, "Ok, I'm gonna call him. Now, are y'all gonna be ok meetin' him? He smells like a wolf, but it should be easier for you since he'll be in human form. Bella, you'll have to keep a tight grip on your instincts. Keep close to Peter and I'll keep an eye on your emotions too. Ok?" We both nodded and he pulled out his phone.

Hello?

"Hey Sam."

Jasper! I'm so glad you called me! Are your mates ok now? Is Bella awake? God, Jasper, I'm so sorry! I feel like the world's shittiest friend. I mean, I'm a protector, and I couldn't protect my best friend's mates!

"Sam, it's ok. Well, it's not ok, but I'm gettin' there. Peter is still not back 100%, but he's a lot better than he was. There must be something toxic on your claws or somethin', I've seen Pete with some bad wounds before and he always bounced right back. His scars ain't healing as well this time and his venom ain't replacin' itself as fast. I'm hopin' once we get him home Bella and I can get him fixed up good again."

I'm so sorry. I had no idea. And Bella? How is she?

"She's perfect. She didn't make a sound durin' her change, and her scars mostly went away, at least they aren't as bad as Peter's. It obviously wasn't our ideal circumstances for changin' her, but she's taken to it like a pro. We're all glad to have her more durable now."

Yeah, I bet. No details please Sam laughed. So, can I meet them, or do they hate me?

"No, they don't. Bella actually talked me into callin' ya. You wanna meet in the woods behind the Cullen place- like we used to?"

Sure. Sounds good. Twenty minutes?

"We'll be there."

We arrived at a spot in the woods that smelled faintly of Jasper and wet dog. I didn't smell the wolf before the attack, or didn't notice with my human senses anyway. Now I couldn't stop my nose from wrinkling, which the boys found adorable.

"Sugar, he might get offended if ya keep turnin' your nose up when he gets here." Peter teased me. Just then the wet dog smell got stronger and both my boys stiffened. Jasper pulled me behind him and Peter came up right behind me so I was sandwiched between them. Not a bad place to be, but I knew they were both doing it for my protection.

"Uh, guys? You do realize I'm the strongest one here don't you?" I laughed when they looked at each other over my head, apparently this hadn't occurred to them. Jasper shook his head and looked back at me.

"Doesn't matter, darlin'. Pete has always been stronger than me but he let me protect him without complainin' about it. You wanted me to find my balls, well you pointed them out to me rather nicely. Now be a good girl and let your mates keep ya safe, ok?" Damn, I couldn't even be mad when I knew he could feel my lust. I was cut off from answering by a rough voice laughing in front of us.

A tall copper-skinned man with short, spiky black hair stepped into view wearing nothing but some cut-off jean shorts. I know Jasper told me he was 18 but he easily looked 25 or more. He wasn't bad to look at but the smell was horrendous! I know my nose was wrinkled again but I just couldn't help it.

"Am I interrupting anything, Jasper?" he laughed.

"No, Sam. Just bein' a bit overprotective, accordin' to my little mate." He called me little just to piss me off, I know it. "Can I introduce ya?"

"Sure."

Jasper stepped to the side and wrapped his arm around my shoulder but Peter was still glued to my back. I felt him tense up as Jasper moved away, exposing me, and I reached back to lay my hand on his thigh and squeeze to encourage him. Glancing back, I saw his face in a hard mask and he had stopped breathing. Jasper finally noticed and he whispered, "Pete" and must have sent him something to calm him because he finally took a deep breath and closed his eyes briefly before stepping forward to my other side with his arm tight around my waist.

"I'm sorry. This is harder than I thought it would be. Your smell, it's what I smelled when... when my Bella.." He stopped and cleared his throat, not meeting any of our eyes. "I'm sorry. Sam, I'm Peter. Nice to meet ya. I'm glad you've been here for my mate, he said you've been a good friend." He finally looked at Sam by the end of his speech but his face was still more stern than I had ever seen it. It was obvious, he wasn't ok with this.

Jasper was looking at him sadly, not seeming to know what to say. So I smiled at Sam and said, "Hi! I'm Bella. It's very nice to meet you. As Pete said, I'm glad you were here for Jasper when he really needed a friend. Thank you for that." I smiled at him and he looked a little less stunned than he had after Peter spoke. Jasper patted my shoulder and sent me his pride, while Peter pulled me closer to his side and wrapped his other arm around to grasp my hand.

Sam took a step back and bowed his head slightly, trying to look as submissive as possible. "Peter, I just want you to know how deeply sorry I am for this whole thing. I don't know how much Jasper has told you, but I was physically unable to move beyond our borders. He was alpha by blood, I was just holding the position by default because I phased first. My body could not physically disobey him. I was in his head screaming at him the entire time. I told him if he even looked like he would attack that Jasper would kill him. Nothing I said would stop him. When he hit you, I was on the ground screaming. When he.. when he got... Bella, I was sick. I literally vomited all over the forest floor.

"I don't expect you to understand or forgive me, I just needed to ask. I need you to know just how much I respect your mate, and I hate that these are the circumstances we had to meet under. Jasper, I'm going to miss you. I hope you have a long life with your mates, you deserve to finally have your happiness. Good luck, my friend."

Peter's head was now buried in my neck, where it had been since Sam said my name. Jasper let go of me and stepped forward to shake Sam's hand, causing Peter to growl against me and hold me tighter. He glanced back at us and sighed, stepping to stand in front of us with a hand reaching back to touch each of us.

"I'm sorry too, Sam. I don't hold you responsible and Peter doesn't either, it's just still too fresh. I'm sure you can understand? I'd like to keep in touch- you have my number, and if it changes I'll send you my new one. Take care of your pack, I think you'll be a good leader. Let me know if you have trouble with vampires and I'll come back and check it out, ok? Call me if you need to talk. I'll miss you too, my friend."

With that we all stood silent for a minute or so, Peter still hadn't moved other than to tighten his grip on me even more. Sam finally nodded and turned to run back into the forest, surprisingly silent for his human aspects and his size. We still didn't move until Jasper turned to face us and Peter shuddered and raised his head to meet his gaze.

"I'm sorry, Jas. I thought I would be ok, but when I smelled him I was right back there again. I was layin' there helpless, watchin' my poor baby girl get torn apart right in my arms. Her blood was all over me and I couldn't even help her. She wasn't movin' or cryin' and I couldn't do a damn thing. I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough for you, Bella. I'm so sorry I let you down." Jasper and I caught him as he went to his knees. I felt myself purr for the first time as I cradled his head to my chest.

"Peter, don't do that. Don't blame yourself, please! You did absolutely nothing wrong! You defended yourself against something you had never seen before and had no idea how to fight. You kept yourself from getting killed long enough to let Jasper get in and help you. You didn't attack me, you didn't hurt me. You were just as much a victim in this as I was- maybe even more. I don't think you have accepted that yet. You need to be open with us, let us help you. Jasper knows you're still in pain physically, but we didn't know what you were thinking. You have to tell us these things; we're your mates. This will never, ever work between us if we aren't completely honest with each other, ok? Let us in; we love you, Pete."

I concentrated on my love for both my mates and asked Jasper, "Show him, please?" He nodded and I felt his power move through my shield. Peter shuddered and began sobbing against me, pouring out all the pain and guilt he'd been holding in the past few days. Jasper cringed when he felt Pete's emotions; he must have been keeping them locked down tight. I knew this was hard for them but it was necessary for us to begin moving past it. I had a feeling that Peter would never be quite the same as he was before the attack; it had shaken him to his core and beaten him both physically and emotionally. We had a long road ahead of us.

It was almost two hours later when Peter finally raised his head to look at both of us. He started to apologize again but Jasper cut him off with a kiss. "No, Pete. No more of that. You don't apologize to us for that anymore. We love you, end of story. Now, it's been an incredibly long and insane day, but I think it's best we get some miles between us and this fucked-up town. Ok? Let's go home."