**Warning**

Xenia left Damian's study close to tears but held them back determined to find her mother. She found her mother Renesmee sleeping, thanks to Haydee's serum, and her father holding his baby girl.

"Hey where did you run off to Xeni?" Jake asked looking up from the sleeping baby.

"I just had to talk to Damian…" she said, a tear slipping down her cheek.

"Baby what's wrong?"

"Daddy, everything's wrong," she cried unable to hold it in any longer falling to her knees at her father's feet.

Immediately Jacob rested Jasmine down in the crib that was directly to his right and joined Xenia on the floor, "What happened baby?" he asked bringing her close to his chest as she sobbed.

"Damian… he doesn't… he…"

"Oh, Xeni honey…"

"Why doesn't he love me? I don't know what I did wrong… doesn't he know how much he means to me? He has to know…" she sobbed between breaths. "I don't know what to do, Daddy."

"Baby, I can't say I know exactly what you're feeling, but I know the desperate fear that the one you've imprinted on doesn't want you…"

"Really?" she sobbed looking up into her father's loving eyes.

"It's the scariest thing in the world isn't it?" he asked sympathetically.

"It's horrible," she admitted, "I know he knows, that's why he stays away from me… he's leaving again for New York."

"He just got back," Jake said in disbelief.

"We talked, but he's hiding from me. There's this girl he has in the city. A human and she means nothing to him, he just keeps her around for entertainment's sake…" Xenia complained.

"Jacob, may I speak with you a moment," Edmond asked peeking his head in the room, which was extraordinarily out of custom for him "it's important."

"Sure, go ahead dad, I'll be fine," Xenia said sniffing when her father gave her a pained look. "I'll look after Jasmine."

Edmond led Jake to the other side of the mansion down a dark corridor to his laboratory. "What's going on?" Jake asked in confusion.

"There's something you should see," he said pushing a microscope toward Jacob.

"Am I supposed to know what I'm looking at?" Jake asked looking through the lens.

"You are looking at a sample of Xenia's blood," he explained, then switched plates with another and had him look again. "This is Jasmine's."

"Ok…" Jacob said stepping away.

"Do you notice any difference?" Edmond asked, watching for Jacob's reaction.

"Besides the slight difference in color?"

"That slight difference means everything. I've constructed what their DNA samples look like here," Edmond said turning a screen toward Jacob. "I suppose in short I can say what I've suspected all along, Xenia and Josiah while carrying your gene, also have the genes of a vampire that isn't Renesmee." Edmond began typing furiously and another image came up "This is Renesmee's DNA…Her strand has less vampire traits than the twins. But I am assured because looking at Jasmine's the vampire strain is exactly like Renesmee's… no variation."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that when Michael raped Renesmee while she was already pregnant with your children, it seems that at whatever the stage they were at when he first assaulted her, it was early enough for his sperm to influence the development of the eggs. I can't say that I know how that's possible, but then again how are any of us 'possible'."

Jake ran his hand through his hair in shock, wonder and disbelief.

"Jasmine's DNA structure has far more human characteristics than her siblings," he said bringing up another set of images, "here is Jasmine on the right and a human on the left, there are definite differences because of her genetic makeup with her mother and your active shifting gene, however, it's nowhere near as drastic a difference as the twins have. I've kept track of their growth as you know, and wanted to show you as well…" Edmond said opening another window on the screen. "I can now conclude that while you were right in your theory about their growth being connected with their shifting gene, it took so firm a hold so fast because of the force compatibility of their shifting gene and their vampire gene… I've tried to map it for you this way, their DNA would mutate every few days as one pair of traits would try to dominate over the other. Usually genes will simply be recessive while the other dominant. Between the shifter and the vampire gene… the only way I can describe it is that they battled… this is Josiah's solidified strand now… it seems it has ceased its mutation, while this is Xenia's," he explained opening opposing windows on the screen showing two different spinning strands of double helix.

"Aren't they supposed to be the same because they are twins?"

"They are, but as you can clearly see they aren't. Josiah's DNA looks more like yours Jake than anything, while Xenia's seems to be more evenly mixed with elements of human and vampire, however there are definite shifter traits… though not nearly as dominant as they became in Josiah."

"Is that why Xenia hasn't shifted yet?"

"Probably."

"So you don't think she will then?"

"I can't say that," Edmond said enlarging the pictures, "If you look here, you will see the elements that all look like this are in constant flux in Josiah, that's his active shifting element. While here," he said switching screens, "Xenia has the same element but see here… it's not in a state of fluctuation."

"So her shifting gene is dormant," Jacob concluded.

"That would be my guess… I don't have anything to compare it with though."

"So what about Jasmine?" Jake asked releasing a gust of breath.

"Well, it's still too early to tell, but with the definite absence of so strong a vampire presence in her gene pool, I would say it's safe to say her growth pattern will differ from her brother and sister. But you will notice that already her genetic structure looks a lot like yours, though not absent of traits that are singular to vampires. I can't be positive, but my preliminary findings show that her shifter gene is dominant, but not in the constant mutating state like yours and Josiah's…Jasmine is definitely more than human… it will be interesting to see how she grows…" Edmond murmured partially to himself turning his attention back to his screens. "That's all I had to show you…" he said dismissing Jacob.

"Thanks so much for everything you've shared with me, and thank you as well for your generous hospitality." Jake said offering the doctor his hand, "I want to tell you personally, I'm taking my family home."

Edmond swiveled his chair around in shock, "why so suddenly Jacob?"

"Xenia and Josiah have never even seen their home for one, and Renesmee really needs to get back… I think she's suffering a lot more than she's letting on. I wanted her to be settled while she was pregnant, but I think it's time for me to take care of my family. We'll deal with Aro if he decides to do something… but I want to thank you and let you know you'll always have my respect and friendship."

"What about Rosalie?"

"Rosalie is her own woman, if she wants to do some work with you, then that's up to her. I have to do what's best for my family and my children."

"Well, of course, you must do what you think is best. Shall I have the jet standing by?"

"That's not necessary, we have one," Jake said shaking his head.

"Oh please it's the least I can do." Edmond insisted.

"No really, Carlisle is already in transit somewhere, he can stop over to get us; please don't trouble yourself," Jake insisted then, after shaking Edmonds hand again, departed to go gather the family to talk.

After being assured that Jake was gone, Edmond's brow darkened as he reached for his phone.

"Hey, we have a problem…" he said bitterly.

During the course of this conversation if the reader will allow, we will go find Damian who is sitting alone in his idling car in the garage where Edward finds him.

"Edward…" Damian said aloud when Edward had entered the garage.

"Damian."

"I know what you're going to say."

"Do you?"

"I do in fact."

"Well humor me anyway," Edward said curtly, "whatever you have going on inside of you, you have no reason, not to mention any right to speak to my granddaughter the way you did."

Damian smirked, "Actually I didn't 'speak' to her at all."

Edward was instantly at the car door having opened it and grabbing Damian from the car he shoved him against it holding him with fists full of his shirt at his neck. "Don't get smart with me. I don't know who you think you are or what rights you think you have, but don't make the mistake of pissing me off," he said releasing him roughly. "If you ever treat her in such a disrespectful manner again, I promise you, I will personally dismember you."

Damian shoved Edward back and stared at him hard, "you don't know anything about me!"

Edward's eyes narrowed as he gazed into Damian's eyes and began to pick his mind apart.

"Stay out of my head…" Damian warned.

"Why are you doing this to her?" Edward asked softly.

"She'll get over me… I'm no good for her, she could never understand me… my world, or my life… my decisions or my compromises…" he said in a foreboding tone, straightening out his collar and getting back into the car. "You'll thank me one day," he scoffed. "Do yourself a favor and get out of here… while you have the chance." Damian said starting the car and glancing up he added, "Heed my advice Edward. Take your family and run… and never say I didn't do anything for you." The wheels of his metallic grey Pinifrina Maserati Coupe squealed as he slammed on the gas leaving the house and all its inhabitants behind.

Edward's brow furrowed in confusion at the warning and the implications of it, but he immediately disappeared to find Jacob who was looking for him as well. Edward was met by Jacob and Alice outside of Renesmee's room where she was still sleeping.

"Edward, we need to go home," Jake said seeing him from down the hall.

"I was going to say the same thing," Edward admitted.

"Good! I'm SO glad," Alice smiled.

"Why?" Edward and Jake asked in unison.

"Because the shit's about to hit the fan," she said with a warning in her eye. "Carlisle will be here in an hour."

"When did you know?"

"I saw us home after Xenia went to go find you Jake and I called Carlisle."

"What about his shadow?"

"What about him? There's one of him and how many of us?"

Jake smiled eyeing Edward who had a similar smug air, "True, true."

"What about Rose?" Alice asked, the smile dropping from her face.

"Let's go talk to her…" Edward offered, "On second thought, I'll go… but first I should tell you…" he said looking around briefly, "Damian left again, but before leaving he told me we should get out while we have the chance… I can't be positive about what he meant because he began to block his thoughts as he sped out the garage down the driveway, but he told me to heed his 'warning'…"

"So you think we're in danger here?"

"That's what he was implying…" Edward sighed.

"Well, we'll figure it out. Let's just get ready to go, as quickly and quietly as possible…" Jake said opening the door to his room where he found Xenia asleep with the baby in her arms and Nessie resting comfortably, propped up on pillows.

"Nessie," Jake said sitting gently on the bed. The gentle rising of her chest calmed his immediate fear when she didn't awaken right away. "Nessie love," he said again, leaning closer to her ear.

"Ummm?" she mumbled with a gentle smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"Hey love," Jake smiled kissing her cheeks and her forehead, "how would you like to go home?"

Renesmee's eyes popped open at the suggestion as she sat up and immediately grimaced in pain. "Ohhh, guess I'm not done mending yet," she smirked pressing lightly against her abdomen.

"Carlisle's coming. He'll be here in an hour… it's time we left and went home."

"Really, why?" Nessie asked with a yawn.

"Simply because it's time. There are enough of us to protect you… and there's something that just doesn't feel right about Edmond."

"He's so wonderful…" Nessie defended.

"Hummm…" Jacob contemplated, "a little too wonderful… for what reason, for what benefit? What's he getting out of it?"

"I don't know…" Nessie admitted.

"The science I think…" Jake said looking into Nessie's eyes, "he showed me some stuff this evening and it's all very intriguing, but why is he so interested…. I'm not gonna let you be his science project," Jake said as a sort of shadow fell over his brow.

"Well aren't we so very protective this evening," Nessie smirked with a twinkle in her eye.

"I'm gonna go get the guys and tell them to get ready," Jake said leaving the room, kissing his wife and two daughters before he left.

Meanwhile Edward was explaining the situation to Rosalie and Emmett.

"Edward what are you saying?" Rose asked, "Do you think there is a danger here?"

He glanced at his feet taking a moment to gather his thoughts, "I haven't seen anything alarming, but maybe that's it. Maybe we're just missing it… Damian was very clear. He said to 'get out while we had the chance'. Why would he say that unless there was a danger we were unaware of?"

"You said that before Edward," Emmett said pacing the floor, "what aren't you saying? What do you think, or rather, what do you feel?" he clarified.

"What do I feel? I feel there's something underlying going on… I never was inclined to trust Edmond, but there was no reason not to trust him… I know he's hiding something, I just can't figure out what it is…" Edward said pacing opposite Emmett.

"Maybe I can help," Xenia said from the door way.

"Xeni baby, how are you?" Rosalie asked extending her arms.

"Fine, happy to have a baby sister," she smiled weakly, "I think I can help you grandpa."

"Maybe…" Edward mused. "We need to find out what's going on with Edmond…what's his endgame. I can read his mind, but I've never been able to figure out what he's after…"

"Damian used to teach me how to 'wander' through someone's thoughts, remember?"

"I do. He showed me a few times as well…"

"Well, I would always get a lot further with his prompting me… maybe we can do it together…" Xenia suggested.

"He's too far out of range for me," Edward admitted.

Xenia concentrated for a moment, "I can hear him…" she said entering the room and sitting on the couch.

"Won't he feel you in his mind?"

"I don't think so...I've been practicing…" she replied.

"Can you be sure?" Emmett asked sitting on the couch next to her.

"Well let's try it," she said dropping her eyes to the floor. The room fell silent for a few moments before she spoke. "Auntie is concerned about having a baby and if we leave will she lose her chance, Emmett's thinking about… never mind," she muttered clearing her throat. A few moments later she spoke again… "Grandpa is worried about what Damian said… and Damian warned you because, he feels badly about what… about everything that's going on here." She murmured slowly…"I can hear Damian's mind," she said looking up into her grandfather's eyes in disbelief. "He left though right?"

"I'm sure he's halfway to Montreal by now judging from the car he left in…" Edward said in awe.

"Well I guess she passes the test, now get to Edmond," Emmett prodded.

"Start with what we know of him now and work your way back Xenia…" Edward began as Xenia crossed her legs in a lotus position and began to concentrate, breathing deeply.