Author's Note: Wow. I realize that I haven't updated in forever and I'm really sorry (although I know I say that a lot). I didn't think it'd be possible, but my life has only gotten about 20x crazier than it was the last time I gave you a little update; I'm sorry.

I would also like to say THANK YOU for being such patient readers and putting up with me, and thanks for the positive reviews! If not for them, I would have postponed this update even more. You guys make my day!

It was huge and immensly old-fashioned, despite evidence of being brand-new. It looked as if it had come straight out of the book Gone With The Wind; it was white, at least three stories high, and complete with large white stone pillars strung with ivy in the front.

"Renesme - my mom - loves history and old-fashioned things," he explained, "Hence the house and even our names."

I laughed breathlessly.

Matthew hit the button on a remote and a garage door opened. I hadn't even noticed the huge five-car garage until it the motion of the door had caught my attention. We slowly pulled into it and I was blown away; three other fancy, expensive cars and a boat inhabited the other spaces in the full and new-looking space.

"Wow," I said.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"I thought you said your dad was a mechanic?"

"Yes... but my mother is a doctor. And we - sort of - came into money as well," he answered, trying to shrug off the conversation.

"I didn't know your mother was a doctor. And what do you mean 'sort of came into money'?"

"Well, I was sort of born into a rich family."

"Oh. Okay."

He hadn't ever mentioned that before, though I suppose I was stupid for not making the connection between his car and the nice clothes him and Lorraine always wore. The bits were just now falling into place.

"Well," he said, shutting the engine off, "Shall we go inside?"

I took a deep breath, and felt my nerves flutter again. I closed my eyes tightly, "I guess," I whispered.

"Paige," Matthew murmered in my other ear; he'd gotten out and opened my door for me in record time and was now close - very close - to me. I jumped. Would I ever get used to his ability to instantly transport from place to place?

"Yeah?" I whispered, opening my eyes a crack. There he was, his perfect face mere inches from my own. I looked over his celestial features and wanted to cry. My aunt had been right; how had I managed to land a guy like Matthew Black?

"Just be yourself," he murmered, his voice soft, low, sexy, and persuasive, "They'll love you."

I tried to resist believing that was true, but I couldn't not believe him when he talked like that, in that voice.

"Okay," I whispered again, and felt my fears - once again - melt away.

He took my hand and pulled me to my feet; somehow I'd become unbuckled.

"We can go meet them first and have dinner, then come out and get your things," he suggested. I agreed and he led me to their door. Even the garage door and its doorframe looked expensive.

I swallowed, and my hands shook.

He opened the door and led me, still holding my hand securely in his, into the house.

I gasped. The entryway was the epidome of extraordinaire - several stairs laiden with stone-style tiles led up and gave way to a hardwood-floored symphonic masterpiece of living room furniture. A huge and immensley extravagant chandeliear hung from the detailed cealing which towered at least fifteen feet above the floors. A grand piano in the far corner perched majestically on its own stage-like pedestal. A lavish, carpeted spiral staircase crept up to the unknown across the room from the muscial masterpiece. Tan, beautiful sofas semi-faced each other in front of a huge stone fireplace. A glass coffee table decorated with a quaint floral arrangement appeared to hover over a tan, cream, and white rug, complimenting the cream-colored streaks in the tan, beige, and white stones of the fireplace. A huge and intricate display of pictures and plants filled the shelving units above the hearth. The entire back wall of the room appeared to be made entirely of glass, displaying a breathtaking view of the forest and creating the peculiar illusion of being immersed in the deeps woods whilst still dwelling in the grandeur of the house itself. Dark wooden double doors on the adjacent wall marked the front door.

I'd expected him to have a nice house, I guess; I hadn't really imagined what it would be like, but not even in the farthest reaches of my subconciousness would I have imagined it to be this grand.

"Renesme, Jacob, Lorraine," Matthew called just slightly louder than his normal speaking voice, "We're here."

The figures appeared so suddenly from around a corner that I was pretty sure they'd already known of our presense.

I gasped again, and found it suddenly very diffucult to breathe normally.

For the second time in my life, I was shocked at the perfection in someone's appearance. I'd never in my life felt so self-concious as I did in the presence of Lorraine... and now this woman.

The woman that had to be Renesme Black, Matthew's mother, stepped forward first, a warm smile beaming accross her face.

She was gorgeous. Lush, beautiful rings of bronze-colored hair lay in perfect, intricate waves down her back. It was Matthew's hair, but beatiful and feminine. Her eyes - Matthew's eyes - looked me over, long, perfect lashes framing their deep brown sparkling depths. Her skin was perfect and smooth, and the same creamy snow-white as Lorraine's. What made this woman's complexion so much more beautiful than the latter's was the slight and very becoming flush in her cheeks, suggesting a warmer aura about her. Her features were celestial; small, petite, and soft, in an adult way.

Then the man - Jacob Black - stepped forward, and the missing pieces in the siblings appearances were answered. I felt my eyes widen. He was tall; he was about the same height as Matthew. Matt had the same large hands and muscles, the same sharpness of jaw and intense shape of the eyebrows. Lorraine's intense, sharp features came from him; as did Matthew's, though Matthew's were somewhat softened by those of his mother. Jacob was not nearly as perfect-looking as the rest; he seemed slightly out-of-place among them, but some strange part of him fit in more completely than the rest. The feeling was hard to discribe.

"Paige," Renesme announced affectionately, her eyes glimmering merrily, "It's so nice to finally meet you!" Her voice was even more musical than Matthew's. I felt as if I should applaude.

Based on the loving expression on her face, I half expected her to launch herself at me in a hug. Instead, she held out her hand, and touched my elbow welcomingly.

You're very welcome here.

I jumped. The words had popped into my head of their own accord, and in a voice not unlike that of Renesme. I certainly hadn't thought them, yet they'd resounded solely in my brain; I was sure of it.

Matthew's hand squeezed mine reassuringly.

"Matthew," Renesme said slowly, turning her now-full-of-reproach gaze on him, "Did you not -"

"No," he answered, smiling slightly.

"Whyever not? She knows about -"

"Yes."

"But -"

"It never came up, I guess."

The vagueness was killing me.

"What?" I demanded.

Matthew's eyes now possed the sparkle that had been in Renesme's moments ago. He grinned.

"Renesme," Lorraine cut in unexepectedly, "Has the opposite of my little gift." I blinked in surprise. Lorraine's tone had been - decent. Friendly even. It was the nicest she'd ever talked to me.

Why? Then the meaning of what she was saying penetrated my skull.

"Wait..." I started, "What do you mean?"

"Lorraine reads thoughts, anybody's thoughts," Matthew explained, "Renesme puts thoughts into people's heads."

I didn't know what to say. Would I ever get used to the weird things this family could do?

"Probably not," Lorraine answered, smirking.

I jumped and shot a stern glance at Matthew. Wasn't he supposed to be keeping Lorraine out of my head?

"Sorry," he said, "I was curious. I swear I won't let her in again."

"And now I can't hear you anymore," Lorraine verified, and sighed rejectedly, "Annoying as that is."

"Well, most of us can't hear anyone ever," Jacob reminded her. I jumped again. They probably all thought I was spastic. It was the first time I'd heard him speak; his low was impossibly low and I saw where the sexy edge came into Matthew's voice.

"Well," Renesme chipped in cheerily, "Time for supper."

Matt grinned and squeezed my hand again. Despite my lack of apetite, I was immensly curious; what did a family of werewolves eat for dinner?

We followed her bouncing red curls around a corner and I felt myself gasping, once again, as I stepped right into a magazine-like kitchen of perfection, complete with a full-blown fiest and fancy napkins.

"Wow," I breathed.

"You like it?" Matthew asked, "Renesme designed it, with the help of a few other relatives. They designed the whole house."

"It's - amazing."

"I'm glad you like it, dear." The sparkle was back in Renesme's eyes.

"Well, enough chit-chat; let's eat!" Jacob announced merrily.

We all grabbed and filled our plates and filed around a large, elaborate dining room table, Matthew attempting to shoo away my hesitancy the entire time.

"So," I said quietly to Matt once we were seated, "Chicken, mashed potatoes, corn, and gravy?"

"Yes," he said smoothly, not looking me in the eye.

"That's my favorite meal," I commented matter-of-factly. Not to my surprise, this didn't appear to be news to Matthew.

"And?" he asked, raising an eyebrow in amusement.

"And... I think you knew that."

"I did."

"How?"

"You told me."

I blinked. I was certain I had never told him that this was my favorite meal of all time.

"Yes," he prompted, "Ages ago. A few days after we first met, when I was determined to know more about you and asked you all those questions. I asked you what meal you would choose if you were forced to only eat that meal for all eternity. You chose this."

The vague memory stirred somewhere. I was touched that he'd remember a tiny detail like that, and sat in silence for a moment.

"So, Paige," Jacob started, "You live with your aunt?"

"Um, yes."

"And what's she like?" Renesme chimed in, "We should invite her over sometime."

"Oh, um, that's - er -"

"Maybe," Matthew cut in smoothly, winking at me, "But we can discuss that at a later date."

"Oh, alright then," Renesme answered softly.

"This is delicious!" I told her animatedly after trying my potatoes; it really was amazing.

"Why thank you," Renesme answered warmly.

"You're not eating any?" I asked unthinkingly, noticing Renesme's empty plate.

"Oh, I'm not hungry. I already ate."

"Oh. So you made this all, and you're not even going to enjoy it?"

"No. I love to cook, but am not a fan of my own cooking," she grinned.

"Your cooking is amazing, Renesme," Jacob told her, "I think I would die without it."

She laughed her musical laugh.

The thing that astounded me most about Matt's home life was the utter and obvious love and deep connections his family had for each other, and the happiness he was constantly surrounded by. The affection and happiness, in fact, that I was suddenly met with. I couldn't get past the illusion of being in the middle of a magazine; the perfect, smiling family sitting at their perfect dining room table. It had been many years since I'd felt so - cared for - and the sudden onslaught of emotions was overwhelming. Part of me wanted to back away, to distance myself. Another part of me wanted to stay forever, and knew that going back to my usually empty house would never be the same again.

Amiable conversation flowed throughout the dinner. Jacob and I were the only one's who ate potatoes and corn; Lorraine and Matthew ate only chicken. I couldn't believe how much chicken Jacob and Matthew were capable of eating.

"Well," Jacob announced, wiping his face on the golden cloth napkin, "Matt, why don't you give Paige a tour of the rest of the house?"

"Be happy to," he said, and turned his grinning face to mine.

"Shall we?" he asked, standing and extending his hand to me.

I took it, grinning, and let him pull me out of my chair.

"Sure," I answered brightly.

He laughed at my enthusiasm and led me out of the kitchen back through the exquisite living room.

"You've already seen this," he informed me matter-of-factly.

"I have," I acknowledged.

"But," he started, pulling me past the grand piano stage down a grand hallway I hadn't noticed before, "...you haven't seen anything else."

"True," I stated, and then gasped at the next room we found ourselves in.

It was a library. A huge library. The glass wall continued from the hallway, but the other three walls were covered in shelves of books upon books, minus a large window on the otherside of the room, under which lay a very comfortable-looking window seat.

"Wow," I breathed, "I don't like to read... but this room might make me want to reconsider."

He grinned again, "We all like to read and can read fast - we've got to keep it interesting."

"I see."

"Well come on then," he said, pulling me along the glass wall and through an unnoticable door.

I didn't even bother gasping this time. The glass wall continued, and wrapped around the other walls. I'd call it a sun-room, but it had a ceiling and the view was of the forest. Lush sofas furnished the rooms, and a large green rug adorned the hardwood floor.

"A bit unneccessary, I know. We never use this room; we just go outside."

We circled back around to find a crystal-clean kitchen and no sign of the rest of his family. We ascended the staircase.

Matt took me through unbelievable room to unbelievable room. He showed me an office, a music room, a home theater, and an entertainment room before bringing me up another flight of stairs.

"Our bedrooms are on this floor," he explained, "I'll show you mine and the one you'll stay in..."

His bedroom was small, and cozy. Navy blue walls and a gray-carpeted floor held a twin-size bed, a television, and several books and movies strewn about the floor.

"It's not the cleanest..." he started apologetically.

"Or the biggest," I teased.

"I like it cozy," he said defensively, "My closets in there." He motioned towards a door in the wall.

"Ah. It's cute," I said honestly.

"Well, now to see your bedroom," he said, grinning, "I think you'll love it."

I was sure I would.

He led me across the hall and opened the white double doors.

I couldn't resist letting out another gasp as I beheld the space within.

The walls were creme, white, gold, and very intricate. A huge queen size bed decorated with a flowing canopy of the same color scheme dominated the scene. At its foot lay a quaint little loveseat. A flat screen television donned the wall above a beautiful stone fireplace.

"Bathroom and closet," he said, motioning for me to explore on my own. He could hardly contain his grin, "I'll be right back,"

I turned around to ask him where he was going, but he was already gone. I shook my head in amazement. This was how they treated guests? I'd had no idea of the extent of the richess that Matt's family possessed.

Then he was back, my luggage in tow.

He set them down easily on the loveseat.

"Well?" he asked, "Did you explore?"

"Uh... yeah," I lied - I'd do that later, "So... wow."

"Wow?"

"Yeah. This is - amazing."

"Glad you like it." His eyes sparkled.

"What time is it?" I asked softly.

His image seemed to flicker for a moment before he answered, "Quarter to eight."

"So," I said, stepping closer, "What are your plans for tomorrow?"

He shook his head, "Still a surprise. And I thougth we'd have time to watch a movie, but I guess that's going to have to wait until tomorrow. I'll leave you to get settled then...?"

"Oh. Um, okay... So then do these plans involve awakening early?"

"Yes."

"Ah."

Matt inclined his head, "Well, if you don't need anything... goodnight then."

"Goodnight," I whispered, but Matthew was already gone.

I plopped down on the bed and sank into its fluffy depths. Wow. I doubted I would ever get off of the heavenly mattress again.

But I still hadn't explored the bathroom, and I had to go, so I eventually pried myself out of it and towards the adjoining bathroom. A luxorious-looking, stone hot/bathing tub sat in the corner, unlit candles decorating its ledge. A double vanity sink area covered the space opposite the tub. I used the porcelain toilet and started a bubble bath without further ado.

I took my time prepping for bed, enjoying the petty luxories I was offered, and climbed into bed around nine-thirty.

I couldn't sleep; even the rediculous comfort underneath me couldn't take my mind off the fact that Matthew Black was sleeping just acoss the hall.

It took forever for me to finally, finally drift off to sleep.