Bella's POV

I waited nervously on the couch with Edward while Carlisle went to the front door to let in the wolves. The guys themselves didn't scare me; their possible reactions to the new me scared me.

Emmett and Jasper moved into a protective stance behind me, arms crossed over their chests as they tried to look intimidating.

"Give it up, you guys," I grumbled, rolling my eyes as I looked back at them. "They aren't gonna hurt me."

"They just want to show the wolves you have the entire family's support," Edward murmured, his eyes flickering to his brothers and then back to me.

Oh. I nodded to show I understood and then turned back to the entry. I appreciated their support—it felt good to have the family at my back if I needed them—but this time, it was unwarranted. These guys were my friends; they would never hurt me.

"Hello, Jacob," Carlisle said from the foyer. "You must be Seth, Quil, and Embry. Please, come in."

"Thank you, Dr. Cullen," Jake said.

There were mumbled greetings from Quil and Embry—including an introduction since they hadn't met Carlisle personally—and an enthusiastic "Hi!" from Seth, just before Carlisle stepped around the doorway, the guys all falling in behind him.

"Bella!" Seth called, rushing over to me.

Emmett and Jasper grumbled, making moves to come around the couch, but they stopped when I jumped out of my seat and threw myself into Seth's arms.

"Hey, Seth," I mumbled into his shoulder as he hugged me tight. Then, I pulled away and laughed. "Man, you reek."

I hadn't noticed it with either Jake or Seth before. I suppose I'd been too caught up in everything else going on. But now, with four wolves in one small room, it suddenly smelled...overpowering, almost.

Seth chuckled and took an exaggerated whiff of my hair. "You aren't coming up roses, either, Bells."

Pulling away, I looked at Quil and Embry, who were hovering in the doorway, warily watching the gathered vampires. My eyes stung as I blinked away the tears that would never fall, and I smiled, waving. I wasn't sure how they would react, and I didn't want to push by launching myself at them like I had Seth.

"Hey, Bells," Quil said, giving me a nervous smile. He glanced around at the Cullens and their visitors before asking, "How are you, honey?"

"I'm...hanging in there," I said honestly. "Thank you guys for coming. I've missed everyone."

Embry stepped forward tentatively. "We've, uh...missed you, too, B," he said, opening his arms.

I moved to him and wrapped him in a hug, trying hard to temper my strength so I didn't hurt him.

Quil must have felt better about approaching me, because when Embry stepped back, he pulled me in for the kind of hug only Quil could give. Even Jake's warm hugs weren't like Quil's—all heated cotton and muscle. Something about it had always been different, since the first time he'd hugged me after Lizzie was born. I didn't know what the difference was, but his hugs always made me feel better. If he'd been a vampire, I think he'd have been similar to Esme—not really a talent, per se, but a general feeling of empathy and compassion. It almost radiated from him, even as a wolfy human.

Carlisle made introductions for the visitors from Denali. "Eleazar, Carmen, this is Jacob Black, Alpha of the local shape shifter pack, Bella's stepbrother, Seth Clearwater, Quil Ateara, and Embry Call." Turning to the wolves, he gestured to the strange vampires. "This is Eleazar and Carmen Denali. They'e friends of ours from Alaska and have come down to help answer some questions regarding Bella."

The wolves looked nervously at Carmen and Eleazar, who looked just as tense as they watched the huge young men; everything appeared to be at an impasse. However, after a moment, they all nodded to one another, and I led the guys farther into the room.

"Emmett, Jasper," Esme started, "could you please grab the chairs from the dining room? There's no need for everyone to have to sit on the floor." She smiled at the wolves in a friendly, welcoming manner, attempting to ease the tension in the way only she could. "Please, make yourselves comfortable."

Seth followed me back to the couch and shook Edward's hand, saying a quiet hello, before sitting down on the other side of me. Quil and Embry kept standing near the doorway, obviously still a touch uncomfortable being surrounded by vampires, but Jake took one of the chairs from Emmett with a nod of thanks and settled in on the far side of the room.

Once everyone was situated, I couldn't wait any longer. "How's Lizzie? Charlie?" I asked, looking at Jake.

He smiled gently. "They're okay, Bells. Lizzie's being well cared for—Sue and Emily have both been great with her."

I smiled in relief, hearing what I'd already known. Still, it was a comfort to hear it again.

Jacob continued, "Charlie is... Well, Charlie is Charlie. Since he saw your note and heard about your phone call, he hasn't been as panicked, but he's still worried and scared for you."

"Mom says he's sleeping a bit at night now," Seth said, joining the conversation. "At first, he wasn't really sleeping. When he wasn't out searching for you, he was home, holding Lizzie."

I nodded, worrying my bottom lip with my teeth. That sounded like Charlie. I felt terrible at how worried my dad must feel, and I wondered what he must think about me...how I'd simply taken off, leaving my newborn daughter. As my stomach churned, I silenced it. I couldn't worry about that, though; I had so much more I needed to face right now than my own guilt.

"Try to make him take care of himself," I begged softly, my feelings plain to be seen in my expression as I looked at Seth. "I'm sure your mom's on it, but tell him he needs to do it for her and Lizzie. If he doesn't..."

He picked up my free hand and squeezed it gently. "I will, Bells. I promise." Then, as if he wanted to take my mind off Lizzie and Charlie, he grinned and said, "Guess what happened to Leah?"

I raised an eyebrow in question. Leah had never been one of my biggest fans—although after the rape and Lizzie's birth, she'd been slightly less snarky.

"Just a couple of days after you went missing, when Charlie was bringing in extra people to help look for you, she was in on a search party with a cop from Seattle. One look, and she was a goner," he explained.

"She imprinted?" I gasped, my hand flying from his to my mouth.

Leah had been sure she would never imprint, since it was believed imprinting was only done to help further the wolves' legacy, and as a shape shifter, she couldn't shift and carry a baby. Sue had told her never say never, because God worked in mysterious ways.

"What's he like?" I asked. "What's his name?"

Seth laughed. "Well...her name is Jamie."

I felt my eyes nearly bug out of my head. "Her name?"

He laughed again. "Yeah. Cute little redhead, twenty-eight years old. Jamie Simmons."

Shaking my head, I opened and closed my mouth a few times before finally asking, "Leah never said anything about being gay, did she?" I mean, it wasn't a big deal or anything, but...

"Nope," Jake said. "I don't think even she knew she could feel that way about a woman until it happened. It threw everyone for a loop, that's for sure."

I looked around the room, and most of the Cullens were either listening or talking amongst themselves quietly. I had no doubt that neither Rose, nor Alice or Jasper cared about the news at all. Emmett looked mildly interested, but I had a feeling it was just the thought of Leah and her new girlfriend together that had him half-listening to us and half to Rose. Edward was shaking his head as he looked between Emmett and the wolves, making me wonder what was going through their heads. Carlisle, Esme, Eleazar, and Carmen were simply listening, but not with any interest other than general politeness.

"What's that do to all the theories about imprinting?" I asked, still trying to wrap my head around Leah's situation and imprinting in general. "And what did Sam think?"

"He... You know, I don't know," Jake said, shrugging. "He and Emily are away, but I know they know. Sue called Emily, and I'm sure she told Sam. He doesn't shift anymore, so we haven't heard through the pack mind."

"Wow," I breathed, letting the whole thing absorb. "Well, if she's happy..."

Seth beamed. "She is. I was worried, but it's like a whole different Leah."

"Has she told Jamie about the whole—" I waved my hands at the four of them "—werewolf thing?"

"Yeah," Seth answered. "Leah told her yesterday. She apparently took it pretty well. She was best friends for a long time with a girl who's from the Puyallup Tribe in Tacoma, where Jamie's originally from. Even there, they have legends of shape shifters—although there aren't any there anymore that we know of. So she wasn't terribly surprised."

"What about you guys?" Alice asked curiously, looking at the wolves. "Have any of you...imprinted?"

Quil flushed, and even with his dark copper skin, it was clear to me. "I, uh...I have," he said.

"Ooh, tell us about her!" Alice said, smiling excitedly. "I love a good love story!"

I knew what was coming, and I wasn't sure how they would react, so I thought maybe it would be better coming from me. "Do you mind if I tell the story?" I spoke up quickly, looking at Quil.

He shook his head, motioning me to go ahead.

"First, you have to understand what the imprinting process is all about," I started. "It's definitely a love story, but not how you're thinking..."

I explained about how it wasn't necessarily a "romantic, fall immediately in love and lust" thing, that especially at first, it was about just being the person your imprint needed you to be, however they needed you—whether that's a protector, or a lover, or a friend, or a brother. "It can develop into something more if it didn't start out with the love and lust, but there's no guarantee. It's a driving force that tells you it's right, the need to be connected...showing you that person is yours to care for."

I paused. "When Quil met Emily's niece, Claire, he imprinted on her. She just turned three and a half, so right now, their relationship is nothing but brother and sister, or even best friends."

I could see the shock on everyone's faces. Jake obviously did, too, because he jumped in defensively to explain, "There isn't a toddler on the planet that will be more carefully looked after than that little girl will be. And then, when she's older and needs a friend, he'll be more understanding, trustworthy, and reliable than anyone else she knows. He'll be her perfect match. Like he was designed for her alone."

We lapsed into a sort of awkward silence after that. None of the vampires seemed to be sure of what to make of the idea of a teenager imprinting on a toddler.

"You should see him playing dress up and tea party," Embry finally said, grinning.

That broke the tension, and everyone laughed as Quil blushed even more and shook his head with a wry grin.

Carlisle finally spoke once the laughter had all died down. "How's your dad, Jacob? Is his diabetes still under control?"

I knew from talks with Jake that Billy wouldn't see Carlisle when they were living here, but I was sure Carlisle had found out about the disease and Billy's condition through word of mouth, since Billy saw a doctor there at the same hospital Carlisle had worked at.

"It is," Jake confirmed. "He has his bad days, but overall, he's doing well."

"Good," Carlisle said, smiling. "Dr. Porter is excellent at helping diabetic patients, so your father's in good hands."

I let my mind wander as conversations began flowing around us. I was beginning to feel a little overwhelmed. There were just so many people, so much noise, and I wasn't sure how to handle it all.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Edward look at Jasper and then over at me. He leaned over and nuzzled my neck before whispering directly into my ear, "Are you all right, love? Jasper said your emotions just kicked into high gear and you're feeling anxious."

"Mmm," I hummed. "Just...a little much."

"Want to get out of here?" he asked quietly, pulling away slightly to look into my eyes.

I did—I really, really did. "Yes, please," I said, feeling the tension ease slightly simply at the suggestion.

Edward smiled slightly and then stood, pulling me to my feet. "If you will excuse us," he said to the group.

"I need a break; it's been a huge day," I admitted, chewing softly on my bottom lip. "It was great to see you guys," I told Quil and Embry. "Thanks for coming over."

They immediately came over to me and wrapped me in quick hugs before pulling back.

"It was good to see you, too, Bells," Embry said. "We're only a phone call away if you need us, 'kay?"

I smiled and nodded. "Thanks, Em," I said, turning to Quil. "Give Claire a kiss for me, okay?"

He nodded before moving away so Seth could wrap me in his arms.

"I'll keep an eye on Charlie for you, I promise," he murmured into my ear, "and we'll talk soon."

"Thanks, Seth," I said in a choked voice.

"Call us if you hear any news, Bells," Jake said, tilting my head up so I was looking him in the eyes. "And call if you need anything. Like Embry said, we're just a phone call away."

I nodded and then watched as they all thanked Carlisle and Esme for having them and said goodbye to the rest of the group.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Edward wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me toward the stairs. "Come on, love. Let's go up to my room for a while."

Until his touch, I hadn't even noticed I was trembling, shaking from stress and anxiety—which I didn't realize was even possible for a vampire; I guess I was just breaking new ground in all sorts of ways.

With a nod, I walked with Edward up the stairs, my fist clenching his shirt, as if to hold myself upright. Yeah, a break was definitely needed.