Wolves of the Pacific

by greenpeach20

In 1902, Renesmee Cullen grew tired of the tedious life of moving around with her family and decided to make the journey west as a mail order bride. Yet a chance encounter with a reddish brown wolf would change her life forever.

41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

As they had done with Kevin and Kyle, when Natalie and Nathan were born Renesmee's family started making arrangements to go to Hoquiam for the children's baptism. Although, given the circumstances, a lot of care needed to be made in traveling. Embry and Caevia were still happy to be the godparents, but given that they were now the proud parents of three newborn babies, they needed all the extra help they could get. Esme and Rosalie were readily able and willing to perform additional services of course. Natalie and Nathan were 2 ½ weeks old by the time they were finally able to make the trip to Hoquiam and save for Renesmee's family, everyone slept through nearly the entire trip. When they finally arrived, Miss Karen Paisley, or Mrs. Karen Jameson as she recently became, welcomed them all with open arms and already had rooms ready for them so they could all rest. While she was shocked by the number of children, she saved her cooing for the next morning when everyone had been able to rest.

"These were sent fresh this morning," Karen said when she walked to the table they sat at with plates of muffins and pastries. Another employee came with several mugs of coffee. "Mr. Locksley heard you were all in town and sent these to welcome you."

"If he'll have us, I'd like us to make a point to visit Cory and his family before we leave," Jacob said, more to Edward, but Karen stepped in.

"They'll be happy to have you," she said. Then she finally got a chance to look at all the children. "There's certainly several new babies."

"I'd had twins and Caevia had triplets," Renesmee answered with a smile.

"Gracious," Karen said. "That must have been quite an experience."

"It was rough to say the least," Caevia said.

"So what are their names?" Karen asked as she walked around the table so she could better see the children.

"This is Nathan and Natalie," Renesmee said presenting each child respectively.

"And here I thought little Kevin looked a lot like his daddy, but these two are no less than mirror images," she teased as she placed a finger near Natalie's cheek and brushed it back and forth. "Speaking of whom, you've certainly grown since I last saw you, young man?" she said to Kevin, then she looked at the rest of the children. "You all seem to have shot up."

"This stuff is bitter!" Aidie yelled when she tried taking a sip of the coffee near Embry Sr.

"Oh, darling, coffee is for adults. Little kids don't usually like it. Janet is already fetching you guys some apple juice."

"Thank you for that," Esme said to Karen and patted Aidie's head. The waitress finally came with the apple juice for all the children and all the kids started eating eagerly.

"And who are these three little angels?" Karen asked about the children Caevia and Embry were holding.

"This is Sharisa," Caevia said, nodding her head towards the baby in Embry's arms. "This is Rae and this is Jae."

"They're beautiful," Karen cooed. "And they're so tiny!"

"That's not unusual for multiple births," Carlisle said. "But they're all very healthy, so they'll grow up to be the same size as any other person."

"Oh I'm sure," Karen smiled. "Mr. Locksley let me know you were all welcome to come to the bakery whenever you were ready."

""Thank you for all your help Mrs. Jameson. And congratulations on your recent marriage."

"Thank you," she smiled and left to get some work done throughout the inn. After all the children and finished their breakfast, they all went to Mr. Locksley's bakery and were greeted by his granddaughter, who looked as though she'd sprouted into a woman.

"Good morning, Sherry," Carlisle said. "I can't believe how much you've grown."

"Good morning, Mr. Cullen," Sherry said in a chipper, now deeper, voice. "It's been so long."

"It has," Carlisle said. "Thank you for all the pastries you sent this morning."

"Cory was the one who made them," Sherry smiled, then she looked toward the curtained doorway. "Cory! The Cullens are here!" A moment passed and they heard something that sounded like a pan going into an oven. Then Cory stepped out and smiled at everyone, but then looked stunned.

"Jesus, how many did you make?" he asked.

"Jacob and I had twins and Caevia and Embry had triplets," Renesmee smiled.

"That's a lot of babies," Sherry said. Mr. Locksley finally stepped outside to greet the Cullens and was just as stunned when he saw all the babies.

"I'd thought you only had twins," he said to Renesmee.

"My daughter had twins," Edward said. "Caevia and her husband had triplets."

"You were certainly busy," Mr. Locksley chuckled and came over to see the babies. "And are these the two getting baptized?" he asked looking at Natalie and Nathan.

"Yes," Renesmee smiled proudly. "This is Nathan and this is Natalie."

"They look exactly like their father," Mr. Locksley praised. "We can bring them to the church to set up the date any time you want."

"If we could arrange it for this Sunday, that would be wonderful," Renesmee said.

"Of course," Mr. Locksley said as he petted Nathan's head. "There's plenty of time for that."

"And thank you for the muffins, Cory," Jacob said. "The kids really liked them."

"The blueberry muffins are Jojo's favorite," Cory smiled.

"I liked the apple!" Embry exclaimed regarding the muffins.

"I want another apple muffin," Kevin said, looking up at Renesmee simultaneously asking for permission, pushing the request directly into her mind.

"I've got some in the oven now," Cory smiled. "If you're willing to wait another 15 minutes, you can have one that's nice and hot."

"How much are the muffins?" Carlisle asked.

"For you, it's on the house," Cory said. "Also, Jacob, you and the family are welcome to our tribe for dinner while you're here."

"I was going to ask about that, actually," Jacob smiled back. "When would we be able to go?"

"I'll let Lisa know you've arrived and we can see about setting something up for tomorrow night," Cory said.

"That works for me," Jacob said. As they talked, Embry and Kevin left the group and ran into the kitchen where they could smell the apple muffins baking. Cory went after them and chuckled when he saw the boys staring at the oven as if willing it to bake faster.

"I told you both, it'll be another 15 minutes or so," Cory said.

"Can't it be sooner?" Kevin asked.

"Not unless you don't mind undercooked muffins. I'm sorry to say they aren't very fluffy when they're undercooked." Never one to be left out, Aidie came running into the kitchen and stared at the oven as well.

"Are they almost done, mister?" Aidie asked Cory.

"15 minutes," Cory smiled. Jacob stepped into the kitchen right after Aidie.

"I'm sorry about them. They're very inquisitive."

"That's a very kind way to put it," Cory laughed. "No worries, my kids were like this too. Jojo's still like this."

"How old would he be now?"

"He'll be 9 this year," Cory answered. "And my daughters are already teenagers."

"Weren't they toddlers the last we say them?" Jacob joked.

"Jojo was," Cory said. "My daughters were a little older. Patricia's 15 and Leslie's 13."

"They definitely weren't that old the last time we were here."

"That's how kids are, Jacob. One minute they're small and cute and staring at the muffins because they're impatient," Cory raised his voice a little while staring at the kids, making them laugh, "and then the next minute they're getting older and don't need you anymore. Won't be too much longer before some kid will start asking to marry my oldest." Jacob shuddered a little at the thought.

"Thankfully, it's too soon to worry about that."

"Enjoy it while it lasts. That's all I'm saying." Cory walked over to the counter and started getting out more ingredients. "Hey kids, how about you do something while you wait and help me knead some bread."

"I know how to knead bread!" Kevin said proudly. "Grandma Esme says I'm the best at it!"

"How 'bout you prove it then?" Cory teased and Kevin ran over to the counter, hindered only by the counter being far too tall. Kyle finally came into the kitchen to be with the other kids since Mr. Locksley and the rest of the family had sat down talking more about the baptism and getting caught up and Kyle was finding he was becoming bored. He went up to Jacob and patted his leg, making him look down.

"Mommy and Mr. Locksley are talking about the baptism. It's boring." Jacob chuckled and kneeled down to pick up Kyle.

"Yes, I'm afraid it's terribly boring," Jacob said. "You know, Cory's working on making some bread. And Kevin over there said Grandma Esme said he's the best at kneading bread." Having already overheard the conversation anyway, Kyle just shook his head.

"Nope, Grandma says I'm the best at kneading."

"Oh, we have a challenger?" Cory joked and out got out more ingredients and started a second batch of bread. "How about I start two loaves and we'll see who's bread turns out the best?"

"I'll win, Kyle," Kevin challenged.

"No!" Kyle said right back and gently pushed on Jacob's chest until he put him down. Cory did most of the mixing until all the flour and wet ingredients were mixed for both loaves, got two chairs next to the counter and Kevin and Kyle started kneading their respective dough balls. It was difficult for the two of them since the counter was still a little high despite having the chairs for assistance. They both finished kneading to Cory's standards around the same time and both did a good job.

"They're both perfect," Cory said, stepping away to get the muffins out of the oven. "I say we call it a tie and you all get muffins."

"Yay!" all the kids screamed and swarmed Cory for more muffins. Jacob started laughing and silently apologized to Cory.

They all stayed at the bakery for another hour before the family finally went to the church to meet with Father McKay to make arrangements for the twins' baptism. He was just as stunned by all the new babies as everyone else had been. Renesmee let Father McKay know they wanted the ceremony to be Sunday and he confirmed the church would be free by 1 in the afternoon after Sunday service. They all went over what they would do for the ceremony before they left and returned to the hotel. Since they only had four cribs at the hotel, Caevia opted to have two of her babies share. She noticed that Rae and Jae seemed to sleep better when they'd shared a crib as well. She woke up in the middle of the night when she overheard Renesmee's baby, it sounded like Natalie, start crying. She knew one of the triplets would likely start crying too, so she got out of bed and walked around trying to stay quiet. She and Embry were sharing a small twin bed while Aidie and Embry Jr. were sharing the other and all were still sound asleep. She went to the cribs and noticed something different. When she'd placed Jae and Rae in the crib, she'd placed them in the crib with their feet touching. But now, when she looked in the crib, Rae had somehow moved herself around until she and Jae's cheeks were touching. She kept watching with a smile until Sharisa started whimpering and she went to her to attend to her. Embry finally woke up and looked in Caevia's and Sharisa's direction.

"Do you need any help?" Embry whispered trying not to wake the kids.

"The twins aren't crying yet, but if they start, I'd appreciate the extra help." Embry nodded and got out of bed ready to help. He went to the crib and saw Rae and Jae, still in their cuddle puddle, and smiled.

"How'd they get like that?"

"I don't know, but they managed it," Caevia smiled. "You know, Carlisle's met some twins, delivered twins and so on. Sometimes, what he'll notice, is the twins will like being near one another. He remembered a set of twins that long after they were born, one of their favorite games they would play is they would both go on either side of a curtain and place their faces together."

"That's weird," Embry chuckled.

"According to Carlisle, it made a lot of sense. As it turns out, twins sometimes share a sack in the womb and other times, they're divided by the sack that surrounds them in the womb. That curtain, he guessed, was mimicking when they were in the womb."

"That's weird," Embry joked again.

"Spoken like a true only child," Caevia teased.

"I thought you and your brother were never close."

"We weren't, but that doesn't mean we wouldn't have been under the right circumstances." Caevia kept rocking Sharisa until she finally stopped crying. Embry kept looking at the twins, but even when Sharisa cried, all they did was stir just slightly.

"Do you suppose Sharisa would sleep better if she shared a crib with them? They always seem to sleep fine when they're together in the basket."

"Possibly. We'll get Sharisa in there with them and see how she sleeps." After Sharisa was attended to, Caevia put her in the crib with Rae and Jae and she seemed to instantly relax. "Well, now we know." Embry smiled and took a hold of Caevia from behind and kissed her neck while they looked at the babies. "Are Embry and Aidie still asleep?" Embry looked over his shoulder and saw the kids were still asleep, or at least weren't moving.

"They're still asleep."

"Good. We should get back to bed too."

The two of them returned to bed and weren't woken up again until early morning when all the babies began to cry for their milk. Renesmee and Caevia both remained upstairs breastfeeding while the rest of the family came downstairs for breakfast. For breakfast, Cory had brought over the bread Kyle and Kevin had kneaded the day before and sliced it thickly so they could all spread jam on top. Afterwards, they went back to the bakery to find out when they could go to Cory's tribe. He insisted they could go now and spend the day there and he'd be back for dinner. So that's what they did and they spent the rest of the day at Cory's village. After the initial shock of there being five children born between two women, Lisa cooed and cuddled each baby individually while Jojo played with Renesmee's and Caevia's children.

"They're all beautiful," Lisa finally said after she'd cuddled each of the children. "My sincerest condolences for when you two were giving birth." Caevia and Renesmee giggled.

"It wasn't much worse than when I'd delivered Kevin or Kyle. Kyle was the hardest, hands down."

"He was the one that didn't want to come out, correct?" Lisa giggled.

"He wouldn't come out for nothing or anyone," Caevia laughed.

"By comparison, the twins were nothing," Renesmee agreed and Lisa laughed.

"I'll trust you," Lisa said laughed with them.

That was how the rest of the week played out for them. Most of their time in Hoquiam was spent at Cory's tribe enjoying their company. Under the circumstances, Jacob asked Cory and his family to join them at the baptism, which they readily accepted. When Sunday finally came, they all met at the church at one like Father McKay had said and Renesmee's family held the triplets while Father McKay initiated the baptism and recited all the vows and scriptures as he'd done twice before for them. Back in Forks the day before the baptism, Hailey met with the mayor regarding the house that had been up for sale for the past several months. It was one of the only houses in town that was a small, single bedroom home. All the other homes were two bedroom meant for families and it far exceeded what Hailey and Leah would need. The little house up for sale, on the other hand, was sweet and small and homey. He knew Leah would love it.

"Well, Mr. Dauer," the Mayor said while he took out the paperwork for the house, "I have to say I'm surprised you've put up an offer for this house. It's a little small to be starting a family, wouldn't you say?"

"I'm not very concerned about that," Hailey said frankly. "It's all the more I need."

"Well, Mr. Dauer, surely you'd rather stay with your uncle for free," the Mayor rationalized.

"I've tired of sharing a home with him," Hailey said. "I'm a grown man and I'd rather live on my own like I did when I was back in the city. I'm sure Mitch will understand," Hailey answered, grabbing a pen. "So where do I sign?" The Mayor looked at him a moment, shrugged, and placed the paperwork in front of Hailey.

"Just sign on the line at the bottom and the house is yours," he said. Hailey took the papers, skimmed through it, and signed at the bottom of the page. "Alright, Mr. Dauer. The house is yours." The Mayor opened his drawer and rummaged through it a moment until he found what he was looking for. He finally pulled out a little envelope with the street name of the house written on it that contained two keys. "Here are the keys: one for you and one for just in case."

"I'm always pleased to have a spare key," Hailey answered cryptically and stood from the chair. "It was a pleasure doing business with you, sir."

Without another word, Hailey left the office with the deed he signed and his keys. He knew it wouldn't be long before Mitch found out about Hailey buying a house, but he still wanted to tell Leah first. So he got on his horse and went in the direction of the Cullen house, then swerved back once he was out of view so he could make his way to the tribe. Everyone was eating dinner when he finally arrived and Leah was sitting with William, Sara and Seth. Leah saw him and smiled, waving for him to come over.

"What's he doing here?" William asked. "I thought he would be coming tomorrow."

"I notice he didn't bring the potatoes," Seth teased and Leah just stared meanly at him.

"Leah, there's nothing wrong, is there?" Sara asked.

"Not that I'm aware of," Leah answered. She looked at Hailey again and saw the proud look on his face and the envelop and papers he was holding and knew nothing was wrong, but she wasn't sure what was going on either. "You're visiting early," Leah said when Hailey came over. He sat down next to Leah and kissed her cheek.

"I have a present for you and it couldn't wait," Hailey said. He unfolded the papers and handed them to Leah to see. "I finally bought that little house I was telling you all about."

"You bought it?" Leah smiled. Sara smiled too.

"Kayechiwetchwe, Hailey finally has that home he's been telling us about."

"Does he now?" William said.

"It's official and I can move my things there at any time. Which means you can come live with me any time."

"Might we see it?" Sara asked.

"If you're alright with seeing it tonight, I can certainly arrange that. I only have the one horse, though."

"I can see it later," Leah said. "You can see it first," she said to Sara.

"If it wouldn't be too much trouble," Sara answered, finishing the last bite of her potato cake and standing up. "Kayechiwetchwe, I'm going to go see the home Hailey has. I will be home soon."

"Is Leah not going with you?"

"Hailey only brought the one horse, so only two of us can go. I'll see what it's like and come back with a description."

"And if we like it?" William asked and Leah looked on hopefully.

"We'll see," Sara answered, though it was directed mostly at Leah. "Alright, Hailey, let's go see this house."

Hailey smiled and placed the envelope and deed in his pocket and led Sara with him to the horse. He did not bother with the long route since it would take them through town. Rather, he went the route he took from the General Store and kept them in the trees until they reached the back of the little house. Hailey tied the reigns to a tree when they arrived and led Sara to the back. No one saw them as Hailey unlocked the back door of the little house and let himself and Sara in. When they stepped inside, the house was completely bare, but it was clean. The room they entered into seemed to be a parlor/patio area with several windows and there was an archway that led into the kitchen/dining room area. Two doors were tucked into that small hallway, one that led to a little bathroom and another that was a small linen closet. The walls of the patio were covered in a pale floral wallpaper.

"The walls are lovely," Sara said.

"You like them?" Hailey replied, then shrugged. "I'm not too keen if I'm being honest. If Leah likes it, I'll keep it this way, but I'd rather just paint it."

"It's certainly humble compared to the Cullens' home."

"The God damn White House is humble compared to the Cullens' home," Hailey joked. "I'm afraid such a lavish abode is a little beyond my means."

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite understand that."

"I can't afford such a big house," Hailey clarified.

"Ah," she said. "Such a fancy way to say that."

"There's always a fancy way to say everything," Hailey smiled. "So through here would be the kitchen," he finally continued and walked down the hall. Sara followed him and the kitchen/dining room area was a different color scheme but it was still wallpaper. This wallpaper was a red and yellow color scheme but it was still flowers. "Flowers everywhere in this house," Hailey sighed.

"You do not care for flowers?"

"I have nothing against flowers. I just don't want them on my walls," Hailey said. "Although, aside from the wallpaper, it's a nice little house."

"Is this the first time you've been inside?" Sara asked.

"Yes," Hailey admitted. "But I'd seen a floor plan of the home and had an idea of what it looked like." Hailey took a moment to locate the stairs and finally found them and the far end of the large room. "There they are," he said.

"What?"

"The stairs to the bedroom. According to the floor plan, it just leads up to a bedroom without a door." Hailey went to the stairs and climbed up. Sara followed after him. Just as the downstairs, the flooring was all wood. To Hailey's relief, the bedroom bared no silly floral wallpaper. Instead, it was just a single, cream color. The bedroom wasn't huge, but it was suitable for him and Leah. And a little door to their right revealed a door leading to another bathroom. Hailey went over and took a peek inside. It was nothing special, but it had everything that was necessary. However, the cursed floral wallpaper was there too. "This floral wallpaper is beginning to drive me nuts." Sara laughed.

"I suppose it'll be a project," she said.

"I suppose it will be," he replied. Then he looked at Sara and became serious. "What is your opinion of the place?"

"Well, given that it'll remain just you and Leah, I'd say it's plenty. She'll certainly have warmth from the cold." Sara looked at Hailey after looking around the room. "You did promise she would be able to come back whenever she pleased?"

"I'll leave the horse here for her," Hailey confirmed. "This place is close to the store, so I can walk to work, no trouble at all."

"Good," she said. "I can imagine it might get lonesome here during the day." Sara took a deep breath. "Does this mean everyone is aware of you and Leah?" Sara asked.

"Not at this time, no," Hailey admitted.

"You seem to be putting that off," Sara said.

"Because I want to make this a smooth change," Hailey said. "I'm more concerned about what you and your husband think of me. I'd rather not have people telling me Leah and I shouldn't be together."

"Will their opinion be so different when you do marry her?"

"There'll be nothing they can do about it," Hailey said and Sara sighed.

"I'm sure they'd think of something," Sara said.

"I can promise you, Sara. They'll accept her. I'll make sure of it. Above all, I want to make Leah happy." Sara finally smiled again.

"I know you do," she said. "I'll talk to my husband about this. If nothing else, it's a step in the right direction."

After having shown her the house, Hailey brought Sara back to the tribe and requested he be able to show Leah the home. Sara agreed and went to talk to William while Hailey and Leah went back to the house the same way he'd taken previously. Before stepping inside, however, Hailey smiled at Leah, reached into his pocket for the envelop, and took out the second key and handed to it Leah.

"Your copy," he said. Then he unlocked the back door and they stepped inside. The first thing Leah saw was the wallpaper.

"You can change this, right?" she said, pointing at the wallpaper. Hailey laughed and brought Leah into a hug and kissed her.

"I love you," he said.

"I love you too," she smiled back. "But seriously, you can change that right?"

"Yes, I can change it," Hailey chuckled. "Your aunt thought they were cute, but I told her I'd wait for your opinion."

"Change it," Leah repeated with a laugh.

"I will. I think a pale yellow would be nice. Or a really pale green."

"The green might be better. It's not as though light's getting in here."

Hailey chuckled, "That's true."

"Does the rest of the house have this wallpaper?" Leah asked.

"Most of it has a floral pattern that differs from room to room. The bedroom upstairs is the only room that's just a painted single color."

"Well," Leah thought a moment. "Maybe the other room won't be so bad," Leah smiled and Hailey smiled back.

"On to the next room, then," Hailey said and they proceeded through the small hallway through to the kitchen/dining room area. Leah took a quick look around and signed.

"It's slightly less unpleasant, but I can't say I'm a fan."

"I'm not either. My house back in Port Angeles was basically cream colored throughout the whole house, so this is a little odd for me."

"Do you still have that house?"

"No," Hailey gently shook his head. "I'm afraid not. I sold it when I was getting ready to move here. Made a nice enough profit off it, but I miss it."

"Do you ever miss Port Angeles?"

"All the time," Hailey admitted. "I miss no one caring about what I do," he joked. "Here, you can't so much as sneeze without the whole fucking town knowing about it. Back in the city, I could have had a murder house and no one would have noticed or even cared."

"I remember Renesmee saying she met a man that had a murder house or something."

"I beg pardon?" Hailey said, raising an eyebrow.

"It was when they'd been in Chicago during the World's Fair. There was a man with a Murder House and he was famous." Hailey looked at Leah strangely a moment.

"You said Renesmee remembers that?" Hailey asked suspiciously.

"Yeah, why?"

"How old is Renesmee? The Chicago World's Fair was 17 years ago, wasn't it?"

"She would have been young," Leah hurried, finally realizing her error. "I imagine her mother and aunts remember the incident more clearly."

"I suppose," Hailey raised an eyebrow. "You're talking about H.H. Holmes," Hailey said. "I remember reading about that in the paper when I was a kid. I think I was 12 when that happened….no, I was 13. I was 13 by then."

"Ah, yes, you're 30 now," Leah teased. "So old," she continued. Hailey chuckled and grabbed a hold of Leah from behind while she laughed and kept looking forward.

"And how old would you be now, Leah? 25?"

"I'm 26," Leah corrected with a smile.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," he teased and kissed her neck. "So aside from the wallpaper, how do you like the kitchen space?"

"It's a kitchen," Leah joked. "It appears as though it will function."

"Please, Leah, contain your enthusiasm," Hailey joked right back. The two laughed and shared a kiss. "Only thing left is the upstairs." Hailey took Leah's hand and led her upstairs to the door-less bedroom. Considering it would be just them, Leah didn't mind. In fact, she thought it was rather cute. And she was far more pleased with the look of the bedroom.

"It's a Christmas miracle, Hailey. There's no wallpaper." They both laughed again.

"In here," Hailey said. "I'm afraid the bathroom has that damned wallpaper too."

"How long will it take to remove and clean?" Leah asked.

"By myself? I might be able to do it in a weekend. I might reach out to the Cullens and ask them for some help."

"I would," Leah agreed. "You'd be surprised what they can get done with little time."

"The Cullens seem to have many talents," Hailey replied. Hailey pulled Leah so she was looking at him again. "So how do you like it?"

"I love it," Leah said. "What did my aunt think?"

"She seemed to like it. Do you suppose they'll finally let us get married?"

"We're certainly that much closer," Leah smiled and closed the distance between them and kissed Hailey again.

They wrapped their arms around one another and continued a passionate kiss. All they did for several long minutes was kiss one another. Eventually, Leah's hands traveled to Hailey's chest and she began to daintily unbutton his shirt. Hailey resorted to moving his hands down her hips and started bunching the fabric of her dress until he was finally touching her bare skin. Their kisses continued to intensify and Leah's hands rubbed Hailey's chest and scratched as well. Each touch was enough to drive Hailey mad. They continued to kiss until the spell was broken by a loud knock at the door. They stopped suddenly and pulled away from one another. Hailey took a moment to calm down and button up his shirt.

"Stay up here. I'll see who that it," he said to Leah and went down the stairs once his shirt was completely buttoned up. Leah got herself out of site, going straight to the bathroom. When in there, she saw a tub, but there was no curtain. To be safe, she planted herself in the corner where the door opened to the room. When Hailey got downstairs, he saw Mitch waiting at the door and opened it for him, ensuring he didn't look surprised. "Evening to you, uncle," Hailey said.

"Evening to you too," Mitch said, stepping inside. Hailey allowed it and closed the door behind him, but remained cautious. "So you really bought this place?"

"Yeah, I did."

"Why didn't you say you were looking for a place?"

"It never came up," Hailey answered. Mitch looked at Hailey strangely.

"You're buying a house and it 'never comes up'?" Hailey shrugged. "I guess I'm curious why you bothered. It's not as though there's no room for you in the store. It's certainly more convenient."

"It' not about convenience, Mitch, it's about being on my own. I had my own house back home and sharing a house with a parental figure was driving me up a wall. I moved out of mother's house for a damn good reason. Not that I don't love mother, I just didn't want to live with her. And not that I don't love you, I just don't want to live with you."

"Well, it'll be interesting news to tell your mother I suppose," Mitch said. "Please tell me this is because you've finally met a girl to marry. She's already upset about Bernice."

"What?" Hailey asked.

"Bernice Marshal. She got married this past spring, remember?"

"Yeah…what about it?"

"Your mother was hoping she'd be a good match for you," Mitch said.

"Oh," Hailey said, then shrugged again. "I'm sure she's far better off with…..who did she marry again?"

"Donald Bryton," Mitch said in a slightly exasperated tone. "I've told you at least twice."

"I'm not sure I've met Donald, so I wouldn't remember."

"Of course you've met Donald!" Mitch said, slightly raising his voice, yet chuckling a little. "Honestly, boy, you're hopeless. But anyway, please. Please tell me you bought this house because there's a nice girl you bought it for."

"I imagine a nice girl would like this place," Hailey said, dodging the question.

"I can't say it's good for children," Mitch said. "Hardly a space in the house that can be for the children. And no door upstairs means no privacy for you and your wife."

"Don't worry so much, Mitch," Hailey said.

"Oh well, it could work well enough." He looked around the place a moment. "Your mother will adore that wallpaper."

"It's not staying, I'm afraid. I plan to remove it and paint."

"That's a shame," Mitch said. "You're mother always complained your last house was so bland."

"It wasn't bland, Mitch. It was simple."

"To Kathy, it's one in the same. Do you suppose I could look around?"

"I say give me time to get the place cleaned up and furnished," Hailey rushed to say. "It's a blank canvas at the moment."

"I know, but perhaps I can offer ideas." Mitch started going to the back of the house and Hailey followed after. "This is a lovely little parlor room."

"Yeah," Hailey said. "I figure it'll be nice for Sunday mornings drinking coffee and reading the paper." Hailey went to the other room, finally starting to relax. "And I'll put a little desk over here. I'll put in a bookcase for my books and my watches. I can even have my clock tools here."

"That's a great idea," Mitch agreed. "And you know what, you can put a child's bed here later on." Hailey said nothing while Mitch started looking out the window. "The view of the woods is quite pleasant."

"Yeah, I'm rather happy with it too."

"You'll need a stable for your horse," Mitch pointed out. "The poor dear's fine now, but she'll get cold in the winter."

"I'll have that done before winter," Hailey confirmed. "I wondered if I might be able to leave her in your stables until it's done."

"Of course, no trouble at all." Mitch stepped away from the window and went into the little hallway and checked the two doors. The linen closet was empty, but looked spacious. The powder room was very small, but it was certainly functional. No bathtub though. "It's a shame this is only a half bath. Perhaps we can make it a full."

"No need," Hailey said. "I'd rather keep the improvement projects to a minimum. The more improvements there are, the longer it'll take for me to be able to move in. I'm already going to have to take a weekend to fix that dreadful wallpaper."

"I'll give you a hand," Mitch said. "I think I've got some neutral paints at the shop we can use. I can grab some remover for the wallpaper too. If we work fast, we may be able to have the house painted by the end of the day tomorrow."

"Great," Hailey said. Mitch returned to the front and started to look around the kitchen. There was a little stove with a hearth in the corner. A small sink with some cabinets and a little pantry.

"The kitchen has plenty of room," Mitch said. "You'll have no trouble there."

"And I can put a small table here."

"That just leaves this corner spot," Mitch said, going to the other side of the house. "Perhaps you can place your little office space here instead," Mitch suggested. "That back room can be strictly a parlor room."

"That's not a bad idea," Hailey agreed.

"It'll make this room feel less empty." Mitch seemed as though he was about to go upstairs, but Hailey came to his side to stop him.

"Mitch, would you mind terribly going to the shop and getting that paint and wallpaper remover you were telling me about? And bring some food too. We can talk more about any improvements once we've had dinner."

"Might I at least see the upstairs first?"

"The upstairs is the only room that isn't changing," Hailey said. "We can see it later. Bring some paint and food. I'm eager to break in the kitchen." Mitch smiled and finally agreed. Hailey led Mitch to the front and said their goodbyes and that they'd see each other shortly. When Mitch was out the door, as calmly as possible, Hailey ran upstairs to the bedroom and was a little stunned when he didn't see Leah. "Leah?" Hailey called and Leah came out from the little spot behind the bathroom door.

"Is he gone?"

"Yeah, but not for long," Hailey said sadly. "He's coming back with dinner and paint."

"Okay, I'll walk back."

"No, you're not walking. I'll get you back as fast as possible, don't worry."

"So, does this mean I won't be seeing the house again until it's done?" Leah asked.

"Mitch and I might be able to get it done tomorrow, so I wouldn't worry too much about that," Hailey said. Hailey took Leah's hand and led her back downstairs and outside and helped her onto the horse. He brought the horse into a full gallop and got her back within minutes. Once they returned, he got off the horse and helped her off. "If Mitch and I can get the house finished tomorrow, then I'll come back to get you. Either that, or we can wait until Monday night?" Hailey asked.

"If I don't see you tomorrow, then I'll see you Monday," Leah nodded. Hailey gave Leah a kiss and finally left to return to the house before Mitch returned. It was late, so Leah returned to the tent she shared with Seth. He seemed as though he were asleep, so she stayed as quiet as possible, but as she got into bed, Seth turned so he was looking at Leah.

"So how's the house?" Seth asked.

"Aside from some ugly wallpaper Hailey said he'd be able to fix, I love it. It's cute and small. Did Aunt Sara say anything to Uncle William? About whether or not they might finally let me and Hailey get married?"

"I haven't heard anything," Seth said. "You got back sooner than I was expecting."

"Mitch stopped by," Leah said. "I had to wait upstairs while Hailey got rid of him. Hailey brought me back before Mitch returned with food and paint."

"So he's still not told anyone about this?"

"I'd rather he didn't for the time being," Leah said.

"Enjoy it while it lasts I guess," Seth replied and turned over to go back to bed.

The next day, as they discussed, Hailey and Mitch worked through the day to remove the wallpaper. Unfortunately, they weren't able to start painting. Removing all the wallpaper revealed additional wall repairs they needed to address before they could start painting. Before it got too late, Hailey said goodbye to Mitch and told him he wanted to see what he could get done on his own and may spend the night at the house. When Mitch was gone, Hailey went on his horse and made his way to the tribe, sure to bring the 2 bags of potatoes he'd had at the house, claiming to Mitch that they were for him. When he arrived, he saw Leah at the shore cleaning some clothes. A few people looked like they were eating or finishing dinner. To be respectful, Hailey went to Sara and William first to say his hellos and placed the sacks of potatoes near them.

"We missed you today," Sara said when Hailey came over. "Leah said you and your uncle were fixing up the house?"

"Yes," Hailey said. "We got down all the wallpaper, but it looks like we'll need to fill in some cracks in the wall before we can paint. It looks like one more full weekend of work and Mitch and I will have it done."

"That's good news," Sara said. "Leah missed you today, so how about you go talk to her?"

"Thank you, Sara," Hailey replied and made his way to the water where Leah was. When he was gone, Sara looked at William.

"He said he's still working on the home but that it will be done soon," Sara said and William sighed.

"So should we wait until he's finished the home before we let them get married or should we let them have the moon ceremony now?"

"I say we wait until the home is finished," Sara said. William agreed and returned to his dinner. When Hailey reached the beach, he sat down next to Leah and they shared a kiss.

"So were you and Mitch able to get the walls done?"

"I'm afraid not," Hailey said. "We need to make some repairs to the walls before we can paint. I think I can have that done by next weekend, though. When it's done, I'll bring you over again to see it. You still have your key, right?"

"It's in Grandma's bible for safe keeping," Leah confirmed and they kissed again.

"That's a good place to keep it," Hailey smiled. "Once the house is finished, then we'll furnish it. Mitch had suggested the back room you saw first remain just a patio and I could have a little desk near the front of the house on the other side of the kitchen. I can keep all my watch tools there."

"How about we get the Cullens to make a display case for your family watch?" Leah suggested. "If you'll be using that desk for repairing watches, it's a great desk decoration."

"How much do you suppose that will cost?"

"Nothing," Leah said. "It can be a wedding present."

"Even better," Hailey smiled and they kissed again. "The rest of my watches can be on a little book shelf. I think that should stay in the back room, though."

"I agree," Leah said. "That room will be perfect for reading." Hailey wrapped his arm around Leah and held her close.

"I'll wait to pick out some furniture until we can do it together," Hailey said. "Otherwise my taste will be really plain."

"I can't say my taste will be much different," Leah smiled. "I'm certainly not asking for the sort of furniture the Cullens have."

"Jesus, no," Hailey said. "They have lovely taste I guess, but that's too expensive. One thing I will need to do is make a stable for the horse. I'll get that done as fast as I can." Leah rested her head against Hailey's shoulder.

"Once we have the moon ceremony, Carlisle said he'd be able to witness us signing the marriage license. He's ordained, thankfully."

"Is he?" Hailey said. "When did that happen?"

"When he was young," Leah said. "His father was a priest if I recall correctly."

"He seems to have lived a full life at his age," Hailey said. Leah just shrugged. She felt weird not just telling him about the Cullens, but it wasn't her place to tell him and, in all honesty, it just wasn't all that important. At worst, Hailey just thought they were weird.

Jacob, Renesmee and the rest of the family made the journey back to Forks the following Tuesday after the baptism. They said their farewells to everyone and promised they would make a point to visit someday just to visit since there would no longer be any more children from Jacob and Renesmee needing baptisms. While they were on their way back, once everyone was asleep, Edward woke up Jacob so they could talk privately a moment.

"Wake up, Jacob," Edward said. "There's something I've been meaning to discuss with you."

"What's that?" Jacob said with a yawn.

"It's regarding the house," Edward said. Finally, Jacob finally woke up completely and Sat up. "It's almost done," Edward said.

"Really?" Jacob said. "That didn't take long."

"I said it wouldn't. Once we have the home furnished, it'll be ready. Do you still want to wait until September for Renesmee's birthday?"

"Yeah," Jacob finally said. "Yeah, we'll wait for her birthday. Can I see it first once it's done?"

"You will," Edward agreed. "You will finally have plenty of room for you and the children. That little tent of yours is far too small. Especially since Caevia's children are always spending the night with you two. And as you know, if anyone else in the tribe wants a house, we'll build them one. Although, that will mean we'll have to clear some spots."

"Use the wood you clear," Jacob said.

"Of course," Edward agreed. "Renesmee will love the house. We've given it that look we'd talked about."

"As long as Renesmee loves it, that's all I care about."

A few more weeks went by with Mitch and Hailey working on the improvements to the house until it was finally a mostly uniform cream color throughout the house with the exception of the bedroom upstairs. Hailey was quite proud of the house once he and Mitch were done and, dare he say, he even liked it better than the house he'd had back in Port Angeles. Maybe that was because he and Leah would be sharing this house. He was excited to get it furnished and make it ready for him and Leah to move in, especially since he'd not been able to see nearly as much of Leah due to the house project. He'd wanted to pick furniture with Leah, but that proved to be rather difficult. He had to arrange an alibi where he was getting advice from the Cullens and Leah just happened to be tagging along. That little plan worked perfectly and the two of them were able to pick furniture they both liked. Leah mentioned to the Cullens the idea for the display case for Hailey's old watch and they agreed it would be the perfect wedding present. Whenever that ended up being. Mitch ended up coming over after the furniture was brought to the house to help him set things up.

"Ah, Miss Jaeger," Mitch said when he saw Leah. "It's a pleasure to see you. How've you been?"

"I've been well," Leah said briefly.

"I expect you to stay nice to her," Mitch said to Hailey as he picked up one of the chairs for the kitchen. Hailey took advantage of Mitch taking his eyes off them and just smiled at Leah.

"As long as she behaves herself," he teased. Leah smiled back.

"Bite me, City Boy," she teased right back.

"That's enough, you two," Carlisle played along. "Honestly, the way you two bicker."

Hailey and Leah tried not to laugh and went to gathering and moving the furniture. The Cullens took care of the bed frame and putting the bed and mattress together, managing to get it done in no time. He'd already moved all his things from the General Store to the new house, so once everything was set up, everyone helped him put things away, including little things that were given to him as house warming gifts or other household items he'd bought since getting the house. Hailey made sure to hide the rings he'd bought so Mitch wouldn't see them while putting things away. After they all finished moving everything, Mitch excused himself to return to the General Store despite Esme offering to make them all dinner. He argued that his old bones were simply too tired and he just wanted to plop into bed.

"And Hailey," Mitch said as Hailey walked him out. "I realize you've had a long few days, so don't worry about coming into work tomorrow. Go ahead and take a day to yourself."

"Really?" Hailey said. "That's awfully nice of you."

"Well, it was far more work than you're used to," Mitch teased. "So I'm sure you could use a day to just relax. But I expect you back to work Tuesday. 8 O'clock sharp, do you hear?"

"8 sharp it is," Hailey smiled and said goodbye to Mitch before retuning inside. As he walked in, the Cullens were getting ready to leave as well.

"Would you like us to leave you, Leah?" Carlisle asked.

"If you don't mind," Leah said to Hailey.

"I was going to ask if you'd stay," Hailey said. "I'll make sure she gets back by tomorrow. Mitch is letting me take tomorrow off, so it'll be a perfect time to speak with Sara and William."

"They'll be pleased to hear this place if finally done," Edward said. "In fact, I dare say you two will be married by next week depending on what the Moon Ceremony says."

"Do you really think so?" Hailey asked eagerly.

"I'd bet on it," Edward replied reassuringly. When the Cullens finally left, Hailey looked at Leah and the two of them smiled. He walked over to her and gave her a tight hug. Leah hugged back and they finally shared a kiss.

"Welcome home, Leah," Hailey said.

"It's good to be home," Leah said. "How about I make us some dinner? It's been a long day."

"Yeah," Hailey agreed and kissed Leah again. "I have potatoes in the pantry. It's not much, but I'll get this place stocked up properly soon."

"I know," Leah said. "Potatoes will be plenty."

Leah got a pot of water ready and started boiling the potatoes for dinner while Hailey sat at the new table talking to her. After they finally had dinner, Leah asked if they could go to the back room and just look outside with the lights blown out. Hailey obliged, blew out all the lanterns in the house as they went to the back, and the two of them cuddled on one of the couches while staring out into the woods. Leah and Hailey cuddled up to one another as they relaxed. At first, that's all they did. But soon, Hailey kissed Leah's head, then she kissed his neck and stayed there once she started until Hailey brought Leah onto his lap and made love to her. They fell asleep on that couch and had coffee back there the next morning with some bread for breakfast. Wanting to remain alone with one another just a little longer, the two of them stayed at the house until well after midday before Hailey finally rode Leah back to the village. Leah left Hailey's side to go right to Sara and tell her that the house was finally done and, if William and Sara would permit it, they could get married and she could move in with him right away. They seemed to talk a moment while Hailey made his way over and, finally, when he was close, Sara looked right at Hailey.

"Hailey, if you would not mind, please come with me to our tent. I think it's time you, my husband and I had a talk." Hailey nodded and Leah just looked at Hailey with an encouraging smile. On their way, Sara grabbed William and they all went to the tent and sat down together once they were inside. "Hailey finished the home," Sara said to William. "Leah said it's very lovely and suitable. If we permit, she would like to get married and move in right away."

"Are you satisfied to do that?" William asked, leaving the final say to Sara.

"I think he's done well. I admit I've grown fond of him. And he's proven he's good to Leah and can provide for her."

"Then tell him they can meet with Sokajili today," William said. Sara looked at Hailey and smiled.

"My husband and I have decided you've proven a good match for Leah. You two can meet with Sokajili and he'll help you determine the best night to get married."

Hailey was nearly speechless. He'd been working for six months to win their approval and he was so relieved to finally have it. He almost didn't know what to say.

"Thank you, Sara, William," Hailey finally said. "I promise, I'll make her happy."

"I know you will," Sara replied. "Go grab Leah and she'll take you to Sokajili for the Moon Ceremony."

"Thank you," Hailey said and left the tent to find Leah, feeling as though he was floating on air. Hailey went right to Leah and the two shared a hug and kiss. "They said we can have that Moon Ceremony thing," Hailey said.

"Finally," Leah replied. "Let's check if he can see us now."

The two held hands as Leah led Hailey to Sokajili who was in the middle of treating a little boy with a small cough. He provided the mother with a mixture to put in hot water to help soothe the boy's throat and another herbal mix to fight his small fever. When the mother finally left with her little boy, Leah told Sokajili they were finally given Sara and William's blessing and wanted their moon ceremony. Sokajili congratulated then and got the appropriate mix of dried herbs together to toss into the fire. Sokajili threw the herbs into the fire, told them to place their hands above the fire while he chanted only removing them once he was done, and kept his eyes closed just a moment longer until a cycle of the moon appeared to him.

"For greatest happiness and prosperity, you must marry under the light of the next half moon," Sokajili said.

"What did he say?" Hailey asked Leah.

"He said we need to marry under the next half moon," she said.

"When will that be?" Hailey said, remembering the moon had seemed as though it was waning the previous night.

"How long will that be?" Leah asked Sokajili.

"Four days," he said.

"He said four days," Leah said. "So Friday."

"That's perfect," Hailey said and gave Leah a kiss. "I'll come here right after work. Is there anything else in particular that I need to do?"

"Just be there Friday before sunset," Leah answered. They smiled at each other and shared one more kiss before they said goodbye to Sokajili. They went to tell William, who announced to the tribe that in four days, Leah and Hailey would marry and to begin preparations for the wedding in four days. Hailey and Leah were elated. That is, until William pulled Leah aside a moment to ask her to relay a message to Hailey.

"Tell him to invite his uncle," he said. "This is a family event, after all." Leah nodded and looked at Hailey nervously, telling him what her uncle had said.

"Son of a bitch," was all Hailey said.

"What do you think he'll say?"

"At this point, I haven't the slightest idea," he answered honestly.

For the remainder of his time at the tribe and the remainder of the night when he returned home, Hailey was ill-at-ease and didn't sleep well. He wasn't sure what Mitch would say at this point. He knew it wouldn't be Leah he'd take issue with so much as the situation he was fairly certain. He recalled Mitch Hailey was the 'last thing the poor girl needed', but who's to say his opinion hasn't changed? When he returned to work the following day, he remained rather quiet, not saying much of anything to Mitch or any of the customers. He wanted to wait to talk to Mitch until the shop was closed and they wouldn't have to worry about anyone barging in on what he was sure would turn into a heated argument. Mitch noticed Hailey seemed distant, but didn't say anything. When the time came to be six in the evening and Mitch said farewell to their last customer for the day, Hailey took out the books and began working on inventory.

"I'm making some lentil soup if you're interested," Mitch said when they were alone. "I'll even put in too much onion, just the way you like it." Hailey smiled and nodded.

"I'd appreciate that." Mitch went to the back and started prepping the veggies he had, put the lentils in with water and tinned tomatoes, and brought everything to a boil. Once he had the water boiling and the pot covered, Mitch returned to the front where Hailey was still working on the books.

"So what's the matter with you?" Mitch asked. "You've been rather glum all day. Don't tell me you miss home already," Mitch chuckled.

"No," Hailey said calmly. "Let me finish this and we'll talk."

"So be it," Mitch replied and returned to the kitchen. Hailey found himself dragging through all the numbers. Usually, he got this done so quickly. But he soldiered through the rest of the books, finished inventory, and got everything locked back up before he finally went to the kitchen. He sat down at the table with Mitch and looked at him. "You didn't manage to get yourself in trouble since I saw you Sunday did you?" Mitch teased.

"No, not at all," Hailey said as he started rubbing the back of his neck. "I just have…news for you."

"Good news, I hope," Mitch said.

"I think it's good news," Hailey said. "I've been brownnosing the aunt and uncle for the past 6 months, so it's damn good news."

"I'm sorry, Hailey, but I don't follow." Hailey stared at Mitch a moment in silence. "Boy, if it's good news, this shouldn't be so hard to tell."

"You're right, it shouldn't," Hailey agreed. So he took a deep breath and just said it. "I'm getting married Friday." Figuratively speaking, Mitch's jaw damn near hit the table where they sat. The man just stared at Hailey a little stunned and unsure what to say.

"This Friday?" he asked. Hailey nodded. "Well….I wasn't even aware you were seeing anyone. And here I've been telling your mother you still haven't found a nice girl."

"Quite the contrary, Mitch. I met her a while ago. And her family is finally letting us get married. So we're getting married Friday."

"Well, that's wonderful," Mitch said, finally smiling. "I don't know why you couldn't have just said something to me. Your mother would've certainly been in a better mood if she'd known you were at least interested in someone. So who is it? I must say, whoever it was, I'm shocked the two of you managed to keep your relationship so out of sight," Mitch chuckled.

"She doesn't live here, so it wasn't terribly difficult." Mitch went quiet a moment.

"You're seeing a girl from the city?" Mitch asked.

"No, she's from here." Mitch and Hailey stared at each other in silence a moment. "It's Leah," Hailey finally said. Then, Mitch went pale.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Leah," Hailey repeated. "Leah Jaeger?" Mitch remained stone silent, so Hailey just continued. "She kept pestering me last summer when I was fishing and…I don't know…we started getting to know one another. We started meeting while I fished, I'd see her while you were gone on Wednesdays, I started teaching her German and….one thing just led to another and before I knew it, I was giving her a bronze bracelet and asking her to marry me."

"You're marrying Leah?" Mitch asked again as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Yes, Mitch, I'm marrying Leah."

"I asked you if there was anything going on between you two and you told me there wasn't."

"Yeah, well, I lied, Mitch," Hailey said. "I knew if I told you, you'd tell me to stop seeing her."

"You're damn right I would have," Mitch practically hissed. "It's enough you lied to me, Hailey, but to see her in secret? What exactly were you planning to do, Hailey? Just keep her to yourself as if she were a common whore?"

"It wasn't like that, Mitch," Hailey defended. "I started seeing Leah because there was something special about her. And I was right about that, I'll have you know."

"It's not Leah I'm questioning, Hailey. It's you. She returned to her mother's family and it was for the best. They treat her well there. She should marry a young man within that tribe where she could be happy. What exactly do you think the town will do when she comes to live with you? Embrace her with open arms? She's technically a murderer, Hailey."

"She defended herself, Mitch. You've yelled as much to me on several occasions, if you recall. If anything, the girl's a hero. She saved herself and her brother from the wrath of a drunkard." Rather suddenly, Mitch stood as he slammed his fist on the table, making Hailey jump in his chair.

"You watch your tongue!" Mitch yelled back. He stood there a moment until he calmed a little and finally sat back down. Hailey stayed quiet while the man seemed to ponder. "How long has this been going on? Since Summer last year you said?"

"Yes," Hailey said. "Her family found out and I asked Jacob what I could do so they would let me see her again. He told me their people's marital traditions and I followed them exactly until they finally said yes."

"So, basically, what you're telling me is you would have never married her if her family hadn't found out?" Mitch asked pointedly.

"I asked Leah to marry me because I love her and she loves me, faults, quarks and all. Frankly, I was more concerned about the townspeople butting in on our relationship. Besides, she didn't want too many people knowing about us either. She was scared her family wouldn't let us be together. It took a while, but I finally proved to them I love her and they have deemed me worthy of marrying her."

"That doesn't exactly solve the issue of people in town," Mitch said. "Regardless of whether you and I know Leah acted in self-defense, I can think of plenty who won't see it that way. And that's to say nothing of children." Mitch stopped a moment. "Oh Jesus, the children," Mitch said.

"There won't be children, Mitch," Hailey said frankly. Mitch looked at Hailey as if he were insane.

"What are you talking about? Of course there will be children. That's what happens when two people have sex, Hailey. I was under the impression you knew that."

"Yes, Mitch, I'm well aware," Hailey left that point at that. "What I'm saying is I can't have kids."

"What do you mean you can't have kids?" Mitch asked. Hailey took another deep breath.

"Do you remember that day the Cullens gave me a ride back home and I was limping?"

"Yes," Mitch said. "I recall you claiming Leah did that. So did you two have an argument that day?" Mitch said, somewhat sarcastically.

"Actually, no," Hailey said. "You see, Dr. Cullen is aware of a rather simple procedure that makes a man infertile. I told him that I didn't want to have children and he eventually agreed to perform the surgery. And Leah stood by me the whole way. She and her family are aware I can't have kids and Leah's content with it just being the two of us."

"You.." Mitch was struggling to find words. He seemed as though at any moment he might have a panic attack. "You INTENTIONALLY made yourself sterile?!"

"Yes, Mitch, I intentionally made myself sterile."

"What in the name of Jesus, Mary and Joseph is wrong with you?! Why would you do that?! Do you have any idea what your mother will say when she finds out? The poor woman might drop dead!"

"Relax, Mitch, Leslie already gave her two grandkids. I'm sure she can stand me not having any. Besides, you know mother. She has a fancy for the overdramatic."

"Yes, and who do you suppose will hear the load of that 'overdramatic' fancy? Me, that's who! It's enough you're marrying Leah, but now you're sterile?! The woman will come down on you like the Plagues of Egypt!"

"Well, Mitch, if it's worth anything, she can have my first born son."

"Oh, shut up!" Mitch yelled and rubbed his temples. "Your mother's going to have a fit when she finds out. I already know she'll have a load to say when she reads my letter about the house."

"Mitch, I'm a grown ass man. I don't need her permission or yours for that matter to buy myself a house and get married to a woman of my choosing. The reason I'm telling you about this now rather than later is because I was told by her family that I needed to invite you."

"What?"

"My thoughts exactly," Hailey said. "But I was told this is a family event and so I needed to invite you. So I'm inviting you to the wedding Friday. I go to the tribe right after work and we're getting married under the half moon. Or so the Medicine Man said. And as luck would have it, Carlisle's ordained, so he'll witness Leah and I signing our marriage license." Mitch held his face in his hands a moment while he tried to calm down.

"Hailey," he finally said. "I want you to think, really think, about what you're doing. You're about to marry a young woman who, let's be realistic here, shot her father point blank when she was 11 and bring her back to the town where she is, technically, a criminal. Never mind the children, or lack thereof," Mitch sighed heavily and rubbed his face again. "I still can't believe you did that. But anyway, think about Leah. Do you really think she'll be happy here?"

"She'll be spending most of the day with the tribe anyway, so I don't see why that matters. Hell, I would honestly have preferred we built out home on her tribal grounds, but obviously that's not quite an option at this point, so I bought that little house near the woods so we could have our home together. And she can and will return to the tribe whenever she pleases. She'll have her family and she'll have me."

"Hailey," Mitch raised his voice a moment, but then faltered. "At least push back the wedding until we can get your mother here. She might not be happy about this, but she'll want to see you get married I'm sure."

"And have her ruin the whole thing? Over my dead body. I want mine and Leah's wedding to be a happy day for both of us. I don't want my mother kicking up a fuss the whole day."

"She'll be kicking up a fuss no matter when you tell her," Mitch pointed out.

"Better on a….I don't know, a Tuesday, than our wedding day. Mother wants me married so God damned much, she'll see me married to whom I damn well please. As far as children go, she has Leslie. I'm sure she'll pinch out a daughter soon enough."

"You're missing the point, Hailey," Mitch said while rubbing his face.

"No, Mitch, I'm not. I never really wanted to get married and I certainly never wanted kids. Leah's different, though. Honestly, Mitch, what other woman would ever support my decision to not have children? Who else would be happy with just me? What other woman would ever love me the way she does? No one. And I'll not have anyone else. Leah and I are getting married Friday. You can either accept the invitation and support us or you can reject it, not come, and live under your little rock having a pity party."

Mitch just stared at Hailey a moment trying to rationalize everything in his head. He couldn't believe he was having this conversation again. He'd already had it 27 years ago. He knew their circumstances were different, but he still had his own upsets regarding the matter. It really wasn't Leah he had a problem with. She'd always been such a sweet girl. Granted her disposition became rather moody and sour after her mother and father died, but how could be blame her? While he thought about it, it really began to done on him that Hailey and Leah being together was rather obvious. They both just seemed happier and even when he would hear them bicker or hear Hailey 'complain' about her, it was so halfhearted and even loving. Hailey had promised nothing was going on between him and Leah, so he'd taken him at his word, ignoring all the signs to the contrary. Rather than answer Hailey, Mitch glanced at the clock and saw that 40 minutes had passed since he'd put the lentils to boil.

"The lentils are done," he said while he stood from his seat. He took out two bowls and filled them up, then placed them in front of Hailey and himself and handed Hailey his spoon. Hailey brought up a spoonful and blew on the soup so it would cool and took a bite.

"The soup's good," Hailey said.

"Hmhm," Mitch muttered. Several more minutes passed without either of them saying a word. Mitch wasn't even eating his dinner. He was just staring at his bowl while he poked at the contents. Hailey just finished his dinner as quickly as he could. When Hailey finally finished his dinner, he went to the sink and cleaned the bowl.

"Thank you for dinner, Mitch," Hailey said.

"Hold on," Mitch said sternly. "Sit down." Hailey took a deep breath and took his seat across from Mitch again. Mitch plopped his spoon in his bowl and looked at Hailey seriously. Yet, as he stared at Hailey, he wasn't sure what else to say. When Mitch remained quiet, Hailey spoke up.

"You don't have to come to the wedding, Mitch. I'm just telling you I'm getting married to Leah on Friday and I'm asking you to either accept it or, failing that, deal with it." Mitch didn't say anything. "Will you say something?"

"Such as?" Mitch finally said. "Nothing I say will make you change your mind."

"I was thinking more along the lines of a 'congratulations' or some sort of word of marital advice. I'd prefer you not bother trying to change my mind."

"You want advice, Hailey?" Mitch said and Hailey nodded with a shrug. "Be prepared for a bumpy ride." Mitch stood from the table and went upstairs. Hailey heard the man slam his bedroom door shut once he was upstairs. Hailey left everything as it was and locked the front door of the store as he left and went back home. When Hailey returned home and he was unlocking his door, he was surprised by the sound of a feeble, kind hearted voice from behind him.

"Mr. Dauer," the voice said. Hailey turned around and saw a little old lady holding what looked like an apple pie. "I'm terribly sorry I've waited so long to say hello. I'm Mrs. Campbell. I live in that house just down the road from you."

"Yes, Mrs. Campbell, I know you. You come to the shop every other Friday for cinnamon." For a moment the woman looked slightly embarrassed.

"Ah yes," she said more so to herself. "Well, anyway, I wanted to welcome you as my new neighbor and give you a little pie. It's not much, but it will do a young man like yourself a lot of good. I keep hearing you're not married, poor dear. So I know it can be tricky without someone to cook for you."

"That's very kind of you, Mrs. Campbell," Hailey smiled and took the pie. "I wouldn't worry too much about my lacking a wife, though. I'm sure I'll have one very soon," Hailey said rather knowingly.

"Oh, I do hope so. You're such a handsome young man. I'd say you deserve a lovely wife to come home to after a long day at work. All the same, if you ever need anything, I'm just down the road."

"I appreciate that, Mrs. Campbell. Might I walk you back home? It's rather late."

"Oh, no need, dearest, I'll be fine. You have yourself a good night, now, Mr. Dauer."

"You too, Mrs. Campbell," Hailey replied. Though she said she'd be fine, Hailey stayed on his porch and watched the woman walk back to her home. He could see where she was going, so he waited until he saw her enter her home before he finally went inside for the night. The following day when Hailey arrived at the General Store, he saw Mitch carrying beef out back. He ran up to him, a little surprised.

"Mitch, what are you doing?"

"I'm getting the beef ready," Mitch said. "It's summer is it not?"

"Yeah, but we aren't supposed to go until late June."

"Well, we're going early," Mitch said. "I already have the sign on the door, so get on the cart and let's go."

"Mitch," Hailey said, going around to the front with Mitch. "If you're upset about me and Leah, fine, but don't make a spectacle."

"Spectacle?" Mitch said with a laugh. "You're one to talk!"

"I mean it, Mitch, don't do anything to compromise this. I worked hard to win her family's trust and I'll be damned if you undo all my hard work."

"Relax, boy, I won't 'compromise' anything. What I will do is have a little heart to heart with Leah."

"Why?" Hailey asked.

"Well, Hailey, whether she thinks so or not, I do care for her and her brother. Their father was a good friend and I owe it to him to make sure his daughter is happy."

"If you say so," Hailey signed and sat back. "For the record, Mitch, when I proposed, she was very happy."

"Then my having a little chat with her shouldn't be so bad," Mitch said and hit the reigns to make the horses start moving. The rest of the trip, they both remained quiet. By the time they arrived at the village, everyone was engrossed in their chores for the day. They were surprised when they saw Hailey and Mitch approach.

"What are they doing here?" William asked Jacob after finding him.

"Looks like they're here to trade."

"Already? We haven't even started fishing for salmon yet."

"I'll talk to them," Jacob said and went up to the cart. Mitch reigned in the horses so they would stop when Jacob approached. "A little early, aren't we Mea Monger?" Jacob said.

"Yes," Mitch sighed. "It's been brought to my attention that there's going to be a wedding. Evidently, Hailey and Leah are getting married this coming Friday."

"That's when Sokajili said they should get married. And you are welcome to come in case Hailey didn't tell you."

"No, no, he told me. That's actually the reason I'm here." Mitch cleared his throat and got down from the cart. "Would you mind letting me speak to Leah?" Then Mitch looked at Hailey. "Without you if it's all the same." Hailey just shrugged.

"I can go get Leah for you," Jacob said and walked away to grab Leah.

"Stay at the cart," Mitch said as he followed Jacob. At the moment, Leah was holding Natalie while Renesmee fed Nathan. She'd already had her breakfast and was sleeping it off.

"Leah," Jacob said when they were both standing near her. She looked up and was surprised to see Mitch.

"What?"

"The Meat Monger said he wanted to talk to you."

"About?" Leah asked.

"Please, Leah, if you would be so kind," Mitch interrupted.

"Alright," Leah said and got on her feet.

"I'll take her," Jacob said as he took Natalie. Once in his arms, he sat next to Renesmee and started to coo her. Now without Natalie, Leah led Mitch to the shore where they could speak more privately.

"Leah," Mitch started when they were at the shore, "According to Hailey, and your cousin now, you and Hailey are getting married this coming Friday?"

"Yes," Leah confirmed and crossed her arms. "Has he said anything to anyone else?"

"No, just me," Mitch said. "Though it won't be long before the whole town knows."

"I'm sure they'll wonder why I moved in with him," Leah said, though she was smiling now.

"Indeed," Mitch sighed. "Would you mind telling me how this all started?"

"I caught him fishing," Leah said briefly.

"Yes, so he said," Mitch said. "I'm wondering how the two of you went from bickering like children to being engaged to be married Friday."

"Honestly, I'm not sure," Leah said. "He just grew on me, I guess. Honestly, whenever I nagged him about fishing at that bluff, he seemed rather amused by it. Then one day, he told me to just sit down with him and talk since I was clearly not getting anywhere with nagging him, so I did. We got closer from there."

"What would the two of you talk about? I suppose I'm curious to find what you two had in common as far as interests go. You're both stubborn as mules, that much I know."

Leah smiled, "We talked about a lot of things. We talked about Port Angeles, we talked about previous relationships, we talked about his old job, his family and mine. If I'm telling the truth, he's the first person I've ever really opened up to about what happened to daddy."

"That man adored you, Leah," Mitch said. "I know it might not seem like it, but he loved you."

"I know," Leah said. "I never really talked about it with anyone besides Hailey. I even told him I missed daddy. I've never admitted that to anyone else."

"I miss him too," Mitch said. "Hailey tells me he's teaching you German?"

"Yes," Leah said, finally smiling again. "He says I'm doing well and he's teaching me how to read in German too."

"Did he give you your grandma's bible?"

"Oma's bible? Yeah, he did. I started telling him about it and he remembered you'd had it."

"He said you'd stolen it," Mitch said and Leah laughed.

"I know, he told me," Leah said. "Thank you for everything else, by the way."

"You're welcome, Leah," Mitch said. "So he's been teaching you to read German?"

"Yes, but mostly from the Grimm book we've been reading."

"Ah, yes, the fairy tales. How do you fancy those?"

"I enjoy them," Leah said. "It's a pleasant way to learn. Nothing's ever boring."

"Leslie will be fond of you, then," Mitch chuckled.

"According to Hailey, she seemed less than enthused when he mentioned me."

"Wait, he…" Mitch stopped suddenly. "Of course he told Leslie. Speak to each other in German so damned much we'd never know what they're talking about. I'm surprised she didn't say anything."

"Hailey asked her not to, or so I was told. If I recall, she'd told him to stop seeing me while he was ahead," Leah said the last bit with a hint of bitterness.

"I was actually going to give you that suggestion," Mitch said. "Hailey tells me he can't have children."

"I'm aware," Leah said. "I was there when he woke up from surgery."

"His mother will have a fit," Mitch said, rubbing his temples. "I suppose the only bright side is at least she won't be nagging you."

"Hailey doesn't want kids. I already knew that and accepted it. I've got plenty of cousins, and Embry and Caevia aren't stopping their baby making operation any time soon. I'm sure by the time those two finally quit, I'll feel as though I had kids of my own."

"How many children do they have?"

"Five," Leah said. "And they're already talking about more. Caevia said it won't be until next year that they start thinking about having another baby."

"Good Lord," Mitch mumbled. "Do they know how many children they want?"

"I'd thought it would cap at five, but Caevia decided she wanted more."

"I would think 5 is plenty," Mitch said. "So you're alright with never having children?"

"Perfectly happy," Leah answered.

"Well, I suppose that's fine. Still…..Kathy."

"Is that his mother's name? It was Kathleen right?"

"Yes, her full name's Kathleen. But she's been getting on Hailey's case for years to get married and have children."

"He's doing one at least."

"Yes, but this won't be exactly what she had in mind. I know you're a good girl, Leah. I've known you since you were little and as far as I'm concerned, Hailey's the one I'm worried about, not you. But Kathy won't see it that way. She'll already be upset when she finds out her son is marrying an Indian. When she finds out she won't even get grandchildren to show for it that may be the straw that breaks the camel's back. And not a word about my niece already giving her children. That's beyond the point."

"I wasn't going to say that," Leah said. "I'm sure Hailey already did."

"Yes, several times," Mitch muttered. "I told Hailey to be prepared for a bumpy ride. I suppose all I can do is tell you the same."

"I'll hardly be in town. I'll be here most of the day. Besides, what can they say about me that they haven't said about my mother?"

"That you're a murderer," Mitch said bluntly. Leah didn't say anything. She just looked sad. "Leah, I know what happened wasn't your fault. But…..we can't pretend everyone else will treat you the same."

"I suppose all Hailey and I can do is take it as is comes," Leah said. The two of them ended up staring at each other a moment before Mitch finally spoke.

"You really love him, don't you?"

"I do," Leah said. "I can't believe it either, but I do," she managed to joke. "He told you you're invited right?"

"Yes, he's told me," Mitch said and then he sighed. "I suppose I should handle the business of the beef in the back of the cart."

"We don't have any salmon yet. It's not the season."

"Oh, no, I don't need it. Think of it as a contribution to the wedding. Or you can do what you normally do with it. It's up to you."

"Do you….." Leah was about to say, but stopped.

"What?"

"Is there enough that I can make Sauerbraten?"

"You remember how to make it?"

"I watched Oma make it a few times," Leah said. "I might be able to remember."

"Well, Hailey will remember. My niece makes it for Christmas every year."

"Do you suppose Hailey would like it if I made it?"

"I think he'd ask you to marry him all over again," Mitch said with a smile and finally walked away. Hailey stayed at the cart as Mitch has asked, keeping an eye on the beef they'd brought.

"Did you and Leah have a nice conversation?" Hailey asked.

"Yes," Mitch said. "Let's bring the cart further in so they can take the beef. I told Leah to consider it a gift for your wedding."

Hailey smiled, "So we have your blessing?"

"I suppose," Mitch said. "But," he said rather pointedly, "You are telling your mother about this."

"Alright," Hailey said.

"You say that calmly now," Mitch sighed. "But you wait until you actually start writing that letter. You'll be shaking in your boots."

"I don't have anything to be shaking in my boots about. Once Leah and I are married there won't be much she can do about it."

"That won't mean she won't try. You mark my words, she'll be nagging you until the day you die."

"She would have found a reason regardless," Hailey sighed. "Hell, it wouldn't have mattered if I'd married Patricia. She'd have found something to nag me about."

"Don't be so mean, Hailey. Patricia was a sweet woman. It's just a shame you ruined that."

"I didn't 'ruin' anything, Mitch. I was honest and told her I didn't want to marry her."

"Well for Christ's sake, boy, if you didn't want to marry her then-" Mitch stopped suddenly when he had a realization. "Of course that's all you saw her for."

"That's not the only reason," Hailey said. "I just didn't want to marry her and she said there was no point in us continuing to see each other if that were the case."

"You're damned lucky your mother thinks it's just because you were taking too long to propose." Mitch sighed heavily. "Let's just give them the beef."

Mitch directed the horses further into the village and Jacob met them, Natalie still in arm, and let him know that the beef was a gift for the wedding. Jacob thanked Mitch and everyone took some beef and went right to work on turning it to jerky. Leah stepped by Sara while she worked and asked her to keep some aside so she could bring it to the Cullens. Wrapped in clothe and on her back, Leah carried the beef to the Cullen house and made it there by the end of the day. When she stepped onto the porch, Esme met her with a smile.

"Good evening, Leah. What brings you here?"

"I have some beef I wanted to turn into Sauerbraten," Leah answered.

"I'm afraid I'm not familiar with how to make that. I'm sure I could send Edward to look into it when he gets back."

"I want to make my Oma's sauerbraten," Leah said. "I remember bits and pieces of how to make it, but the sides I don't remember as well. You've heard Hailey and I are getting married right?"

"Yes, I recall hearing that from Claire," Esme smiled. "I believe congratulations are in order. And no worries about the marriage license. Carlisle already has one upstairs, so come Friday, all you and Hailey need to do it sign."

"Thank you, Esme. Now, about the beef," she said.

"I'll have Edward find a recipe for you as soon as he gets back. He and Bella should be back in another hour."

"Okay, good. I remember it needs to marinate for 3 days. And I believe it needs pickling spices. Oma used to make it with noodles and red cabbage."

"That's nothing we can't arrange," Esme said and led Leah into the house so she could put the beef in the kitchen. An hour later, Bella was the only one to come into the house and let Leah know that he'd run off to find a Sauerbraten recipe and that he'd be back in a few hours.

By the time Edward came back, Leah was sound asleep. So he waited until morning to give her the recipe. He let her know he'd found the recipe and got her everything she needed. So she got to work right away. When she saw the recipe and started working, she instantly knew something was missing. She wracked her brain to remember what it was that made her Oma's sauerbraten different. She remembered it was a little bulb, but she couldn't quite think of it. She remembered the taste and the smell, but not the name.

"Garlic," Edward said suddenly and Leah looked at him.

"What?"

"What your grandma used to use," Edward clarified. "You're thinking of garlic."

"Is that what it's called? I don't suppose you have any do you?" Edward smiled and looked through the pantry until he found a head of garlic.

"If your memory service right, she used about four cloves for the whole recipe."

"I hope I'm remembering it right," Leah said. "Daddy said it was a weird ingredient she used because she wanted to be different." Edward chuckled.

"You certainly have fond memories of it, all the same. Might I recommend crushing the garlic with your palm first and then mincing it. You'll get a finer mince that way. It gets more flavor."

"Thanks," Leah said.

Now having garlic on hand, so mixed everything together according to the recipe and Esme helped her get the meat covered properly and kept it in a cool place where it would stay for until the wedding. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be able to marinate for 3 days, but Leah desperately hoped that wouldn't matter too much. Edward confirmed they would worry about the cabbage there would be plenty of potatoes to go around. He also promised he'd think of a way to help the meat marinate more effectively so it would be ready for the wedding. The Cullens returned her to the village so she could rest for the wedding the following day. The next day, when Hailey came to the General Store, he made sure he had a nice thing to wear with him to change into before he left. He figured he didn't need to dress too formally, but it was still his wedding day. He should at least dress up. By the end of the day when the last customer left, Hailey plowed through the books and inventory as fast as he could.

"Are you excited?" Mitch asked while he scooped himself a bowl of left over soup.

"I can barely wait," Hailey said while he worked. "I wouldn't bother eating anything. There's going to be plenty of food. Speaking of which, how about getting dressed? If I have to dress nice, so do you."

"I'll dress, don't worry. And for your information, I'm hungry now." Mitch finished his soup in a large gulp and eventually went upstairs to put on something nice while Hailey finished accounting.

When he was finally done, he went upstairs and changed in the dressier suit he'd brought with him. Mitch was already downstairs waiting when Hailey finally came downstairs. The man even smiled at him.

"You look good, Hailey," Mitch said.

"Thanks," Hailey answered. "I'll take my horse, you take yours."

Back at the village, Leah spent most of the day with Sara while everyone else worked to prepare for the wedding. Renesmee and Caevia were even trained in the fertility dance the past several days. First, they practiced with just the baskets on their backs. The days of, they practiced with their sons in the baskets. As it turns out, they needed all the practice with their sons on their backs as possible. That left Embry and Jacob looking after the girls throughout the day. Kevin and Embry Jr. stayed close but play wrestled through the whole day. Aidie would sometimes step in and wrestle with Embry while Kyle stayed to the side and would count how long someone was pinned down. The one pinned down for 10 seconds was the loser. Aidie managed to win 2 matches against her brother, but Kevin always managed to get the best of her. When she lost her last match, Kyle teased that Kevin was just too big for her to overpower with her piggyback tactics. In response, Aidie ran over to Kyle and started wrestling with him. Kevin and Embry Jr. watched as they fought and Kevin momentarily took over the role of playing mediator.

As they played, Jacob and Embry Sr. rooted the children on, voicing tactics to get out of whatever hold they were in at the time. At one point, Aidie began to cry while Kyle pinned her down and Embry Sr. was quick to action, gently placing Rae and Sharisa down to help. But when Kyle loosened his grip and asked Aidie if she was okay, she turned around and grabbed Kyle and pinned him down, who began to protest and proclaimed Aidie a cheater. Kevin agreed and, when she had Kyle pinned down, proclaimed the match forfeited. Aidie argued but ultimately ran to Embry Sr. who was already chuckling at the whole thing.

"Daddy! Kyle called me a cheater and Kevin said my match didn't win!"

"Yes, Aidie, I heard,"Embry replied in Quileute and kneeled down. "Kyle wasn't actually hurting you was he?" Aidie started at Embry a moment and proceeded to pout.

"No," she mumbled in English.

"So, Aidie, pretending to be hurt to get the upper hand is cheating. Try another round with Kyle and give it your all, and I know you'll take him down."

"Okay," she said more chipper this time and went right back to the group and tackled Kyle, starting another round. As they played, Embry rushed back to Sharisa and Rae and picked them both up so they were no longer on the ground. He did his best to keep them together and it calmed them, but without Jae being there, they were both rather fussy. From what he could hear, Jae was being fussy in the basket too.

"I see Aidie's a cheater like her daddy,"Jacob teased when Embry was situated.

"You're no one to talk. You cheated all the time. As I recall, you kicked me in the groin once to get the upper hand. Had me nearly in tears,"Embry recalled.

"And you were pulling on my hair. So we're even." Jacob and Embry chuckled at the memory.

"I'd hardly call that even,"Embry said. They continued to watch the children play and, finally, fair and square, Aidie pinned Kyle down for 10 seconds, winning the match. "Kyle's not much of a fighter, I see."

"Not really,"Jacob agreed. "Renesmee thinks he'll prefer medicine like her and Carlisle."

"When do you suppose Renesmee will start teaching him the craft?"

"I would imagine once she's officially the new Medicine Woman. As it is, she hasn't been able to be quite as invested with the kids. Once they're older, she'll dive right back into it."

"That'll make her happy,"Embry said. Then he looked at the little girls in his arms. They were asleep now and in a better mood. "You should hear the three of them when they cry. Sharisa always cries first. Then Jae will cry and Rae will cry. Every single time."

"And yet you want more,"Jacob teased.

"Not right away. Just when these three are a little older. They're a lot to handle as it is."

"I'm aware," Jacob said.

"Edward said that home they're building is almost done, right?"

"Yes, it's almost done. I haven't had a chance to see it, though. Honestly, I'd almost rather wait until I can see it with Renesmee." Jacob looked at Embry with a humorous tone. "The way you and Caevia are going, you'll need a home bigger than what the Cullens have. I can ask them to do that for you if you want." Embry looked like he was thinking about it a moment until he just shrugged.

"I'd rather talk to Caevia first,"he finally said. I would assume we'd have a room for our daughters and a room for our sons and that would be sufficient."

"It would be if you two stopped now, but you aren't."

"That's what the Cullens are doing for you is it not?"

"For now, Nathan and Natalie will share a room, then when he's old enough, he'll move in with Kevin and Kyle. The boy's room will be the biggest. And Natalie will have a little room all to herself." Jacob said the last part while looking at Natalie with a kind smile while she slept without a care in the world.

"Spoiling her rotten,"Embry said.

"Likewise,"Jacob said and the two of them laughed. Back in Sara's and William's tent, Sara was getting Leah ready by sewing her into the rabbit fur wedding dress the all wore. While she worked, she seemed to smile a bright smile.

"I remember when I was sewing Rachael and Rebecca into their dresses. I always wished it could've been a happier event."

"They're happy now,"Leah said.

"I know, and I'm relieved. But the day of the weddings, they were both so glum. They hardly knew Quitahka and Paul. Poor things were scared to death."

"I'm not scared, Aunt Sara,"Leah said.

"I know and that's why I'm happy. I was so scared when you told me you were in love with Hailey. I thought he'd take you away and I'd never see you again."

"I told him that's not an option and he would never think to do that anyway. He understands the situation."

"I know he does. I know that now anyway. I have to say I admire how hard he worked to win our approval. He really could have just taken you and left, but he didn't. Or worse, he could have washed his hands of the matter and never seen you again. In truth, I don't know what would have been worse."

"His sister had actually told him to do that. Stop seeing me that is. You know what he told her?"

"What?"

"He told her that even if we stopped seeing each other, it wouldn't last. He'd marry another woman that made his mother happy, but he'd never love her and even start to resent her. Then he'd try to rekindle our relationship. Assuming I'd allow it, anyway."

"I'm sure the lack of children would just make the whole thing worse. So his mother still doesn't know about you?"

"To my knowledge, Mitch is the only one that knows."

"Leah,"Sara said sternly.

"Don't worry about it, Aunt Sara. After today, everyone will know. I assume the Meat Monger will make Hailey write to his mother about this, so she'll know before long."

"It's the fact that you two are getting married today and she still doesn't know. The man's had since winter to tell his mother about you."

"She does live far away,"Leah defended. "I'm sure she'll know before long and once she does, I'll deal with it. Just trust that Hailey and I are taking this at our own pace."

"Fine,"Sara said, less than satisfied with that answer but not wanting to ruin the moment. A moment later, Jacob patted on the door and let himself in when Sara said it was okay.

"Leah, the Cullens are here. They said something about Sauerbraten?"

"Oh! Yes. They were keeping that cool to marinate for me."

"What the hell is Sauerbraten?"

"Jacob," Sara said sternly, looking at Natalie who was still on his shoulder sound asleep.

"She's asleep, mom. She can't hear me anyway."

"It basically means pickled meat," Leah said. "But it has my Oma's secret ingredient." Just then, Seth poked his head in.

"Leah, did you see the Cullens brought Sauerbraten?"

"I made it, they were just looking after it for me. I did it just the way I remembered Oma making it."

"It still won't be Oma's," Seth said and stepped out. Jacob laughed.

"This had better be good the way he's talking about it."

"He'd better like it or I may just knock his teeth in!" Leah yelled so Seth would hear her. Sara swatted Leah's shoulder. "See if it isn't possible to bake it here."

"Alright," Jacob said and finally stepped out.

Since Leah was consumed with getting ready, the Cullens took care of preparing the Sauerbraten alongside all the other food that was being made. More interested in the baby girl they finally had, Rosalie and Alice practically kidnapped Natalie from Jacob and focused on playing with her and dressing her up. She slept through most of it, but there would be times where she'd wake, realize Rosalie and Alice were still playing with her, and then went right back to sleep or would start whimpering. Jacob spent more time with Rosalie and Alice in those past several hours than he'd had since he'd met them as he watched them torment his poor daughter. He glanced over at Renesmee while she and the others practiced and smiled. He saw Nathan in the little basket on her back and he didn't look terribly pleased with his situation either. He would calm down when Renesmee touched his head, undoubtedly reassuring him somehow, though the effect didn't last very long. The moment she would bend backwards, Nathan would start fussing again.

When the moon finally showed in the sky, the food was ready (including the sauerbraten), the bonfire was prepared, and all in attendance waited for the groom to arrive for the wedding. This sort of thing was a first for them, waiting for the groom to arrive. Even if it was a wedding to someone from another tribe, the bride and groom were always present the day of. Hailey arrived with Mitch via horseback shortly after sundown and they were stunned at the reception. Food was everywhere, there was a huge pile of wood near the shore and he saw a band of half-naked woman dancing an erotic dance with baskets on their backs.

"So this is a Quileute wedding," Mitch said.

"It's quite a party," Hailey said and they both got down from their horses. Jacob approached them and went straight to Hailey.

"Come on, Hailey. Get to the bonfire. We're running behind as it is." Then Jacob looked at Mitch. "And welcome Meat Monger."

"I don't suppose you would call me Mitch from now on would you? We'll be family after all."

"Alright, Mitch the Meat Monger it is," Jacob teased and motioned for Hailey to follow him. Mitch chuckled a little as they went. Hailey looked around for Leah, but couldn't find her.

"Where's Leah?" Hailey asked. "Do you have a 'walk down the aisle' structure too?"

"No, you both just sit by the pyre. She'll be out in just a minute. Once you're both seated, I'll go get her. We'll start once you and Leah are ready." Once among the group, Jacob told Mitch to sit where he pleased and then led Hailey to the pile of wood. Then he went to his parents' tent to grab Leah. "Your groom's here," he said after letting himself in.

"About time," Leah said with a smile and stood.

Sara gave her some final words of encouragement before they stepped out of the tent and started going to the pyre where Hailey was already waiting. When she saw Hailey and he smiled at her, her stomach turned to knots and she felt weak at the knees. She couldn't seem to get to him fast enough. Leah sat by his side as all couples were to do, and Hailey took a hold of her hand.

"Du siehst wunderschön aus," (You look beautiful) he whispered to her.

"Wie tun Sie," (As do you) Leah teased and Hailey chuckled and she had butterflies in her stomach again.

Following that, the ceremony finally commenced. Sokajili and William told stories of the wolves that birthed their tribe and their subsequent marriage. They told of how a couple should be and warned of things to avoid. All the while, they danced and music played. Finally it came the time for the mothers to dance to offer Leah luck for fertility. Renesmee was not at the front. That honor was reserved for the daughter of the dance teacher. She had recently had a son herself and was finally able to be a part of the dance and would remain so until she retired, as was tradition. Renesmee was to the leader's right and Caevia was to the left. For Caevia, it was a strange and, somehow, gratifying experience. She recalled when she was young. Only Thunderbirds were allowed to perform this dance. Yet her she was: a bastard child that found a better home and was dancing the fertility right embraced by her new family. Renesmee was so bashful when she'd started. She recalled this dance when she and Jacob got married and during all other weddings that followed them. It had always managed to make her blush. Though now, she found herself finally being comfortable and even feeling undeniably sensual. She glanced at Jacob from time to time, seeing him hold their daughter and their two older boys sitting on either side of him with Embry Sr. and Caevia's children near. When they would lock eyes, they would smile at one another.

"What's this little number for?" Hailey whispered his question to Leah.

"It the fertility dance. It's supposed to offer us good luck before we secret away for three days to make babies." Hailey just smiled and gave Leah a kiss on the cheek, continuing to watch. Regardless, it was an entertaining show. After the dance, Hailey and Leah were given fire to light the wood, igniting the beginning of their marriage, after which everyone was instructed to dance.

"Are there steps I should know?" Hailey asked when they stood to dance around the pyre.

"No. You just need to dance. It's bad luck if you don't," Leah answered and she led him in a circle around the bonfire not in any particular pattern. Mitch was still a tad confused about what was going on and when Hailey saw him, he stopped Leah.

"Get off your ass and dance, old man. You're dooming my marriage from the start." Hailey chuckled when Mitch looked stunned, and then got up to give Hailey a piece of his mind. Then he and Leah started dancing away and Claire grabbed Mitch by the hand and led him with her and Quil as they danced. Once everyone went around the pyre a few times, Mitch stepped away, a little tired.

"That's quite the exertion," he mumbled mostly to himself. Then he was surprised by the sound of a violin playing a song he remembered from when he was a kid.

"Perk up, Meat Monger," the little voice came from Claire. "Don't you want to keep dancing?"

"Well," he took a moment to catch his breath and turned around to see Claire. "You've certainly improved since the last time I heard you play. Isn't that the song I taught you?"

"Sure is!" Claire smiled and kept playing. "I can do a few other songs if you have any requests. Bella taught me a bunch of Highland classics."

"You mean Scottish music?"

"You bet," Claire proclaimed proudly and stopped the song she'd been playing and started playing another song that Bella had taught her. Quil stood back and listened to Claire play as she danced around to a song that, as far as Bella recalled, was best when played on the bagpipes, but a violin did just as well.

"I have a surprise for you," Leah said when she and Hailey finally stopped dancing around the fire.

"What's that?" he asked.

"I made sauerbraten." Hailey stared at her at first.

"You did?"

"I remembered it was something my Oma used to make and Seth always loved it. She used to make it a very special way."

"Define special," Hailey asked a little nervously.

"She always added garlic." Hailey looked at her a moment.

"Garlic?"

"Yeah. That's how we always loved it. And I worked hard on it, so you'd better like it." Hailey chuckled and gave Leah a kiss.

"Well, plate some up for me and I'll try it." They went over to all the food and Leah grabbed some of the sauerbraten for Hailey. He was disappointed to see no gravy or spätzle noodles, but when he had the meat, that concern melted away and, as Mitch predicted, he asked Leah to marry him all over again. She was rather proud of herself.

"It's still not Oma's," was all Seth said, even though he'd taken his third helping.

Mitch retreated earlier than anyone else insisting that he was exhausted. Hailey was sure to tell Mitch, eagerly recalling Leah saying they needed to retreat for 3 days, that he would be out Monday. He didn't want to upset tradition after all. Mitch agreed and told him to consider it his honeymoon vacation but he was to be back at work by 8 sharp come Tuesday. While they enjoyed their dinner, Carlisle came over with the marriage license, had the two of them sign it, signed it himself, and handed them their copy while he saved the other copy for safe keeping. As the night wore on, Hailey noticed Jacob, Embry Sr. and Quil go into the woods suddenly and realized, at least two hours later, that they still weren't back.

"Where'd your cousin and his friends go?" he finally asked.

"Pardon?"

"They went into the woods hours ago and I haven't seen them since."

"Oh," Leah said and wracked her brain for what to say. Ultimately, she decided to tell a half truth. "They're….on guard for the night. They patrol the village to keep away….enemies."

"What enemies? I was under the impression your tribe was on good terms with the other tribes."

"We are, at least for the most part. The Hou tribe is bound to us by marriage, but the Makka don't have that agreement with us. There's points of contention from time to time. I doubt they would ever actually attack, but Jacob and the others keep guard just in case."

"They're not your tribe's only soldiers are they?"

"Of course not, they're just the strongest. Most of our soldiers are archers."

"I would think your people are ambushers."

"I'm afraid I'm not terribly familiar with the intricacies of how my tribe conducts war. I know when Sgt. Lovejoy came to take Renesmee, we had archers in the trees just in case. Same thing with when he came to take Jacob."

"Oh, yeah. Whatever happened to him? I heard he'd come to town to arrest Jacob and he never came back." Leah was a little stunned and looked up at Leah. "Ah," Hailey said, immediately knowing what happened. "So you guys did kill him, then?" Leah was relieved he seemed so calm, but she didn't want to risk saying anything she shouldn't be.

"I don't think I should talk about it," Leah said.

"No worries, I won't tell anyone. Honestly, as far as I'm aware, everyone in town assumes you guys did something, but since Edward swore up and down you guys couldn't have been responsible, they let the matter go. I wouldn't worry about it."

"I'd prefer not to," Leah agreed. "He deserved what he got anyway. The man shot at Leah while she was pregnant with little Embry. Embry sr. actually took the bullet for her." Hailey raised an eyebrow.

"No shit?"

"No shit," Leah responded.

"What a hero," Hailey said. "Well, whatever happened to him, nothing we can do about it now. No one's looking for him anymore anyway."

"I'm relieved to hear it," Leah said.

They smiled at one another and hugged a moment. It was shortly after that Hailey took Leah with him to his horse and they rode back to their house. But only after Sara helped her out of the rabbit fur dress and let her go in normal clothes. When they finally arrived at the house, Hailey helped the horse get settled into a makeshift stable he'd constructed and would inevitably be added to and improving before the weather got bad. Hailey unlocked the back door and opened it before turning to Leah.

"It's the back of the house, but I'd say we're still going over the threshold." While Leah laughed, Hailey lifted her up into his arms and carried her into the house, closing the door with his foot once they were inside. He rested Leah on her feet and locked the door behind them before finally turning his attention fully to Leah.

Leah's things, albeit minimal, weren't at the house yet, but the Cullens promised they would bring them over the next day so she could get all her things incorporated into the house. But that wasn't important now. At the moment, Leah was more concerned with Hailey, who'd wrapped his arms around Leah's waist and started kissing her neck. Leah moved her head so Hailey could kiss her neck with greater ease. He started moving his hands tenderly over her body while he kissed and Leah started to sigh. But then, suddenly, he stopped what he was doing and Leah felt his lips smile against her skin.

"We haven't had sex upstairs," he pointed out sensually. Leah smiled and gently pushed herself away from Hailey so she could run upstairs. Hailey followed after her eagerly.

When they were upstairs, Hailey took a moment to remove their marriage license from his pocket and got it hidden in one of the drawers in the dresser. He'd arrange to have that framed before long. Leah, meanwhile, hopped on the bed and turned onto her back resting on her elbows looking at Hailey as he put the license away. When it was put away, Hailey came over to the bed, grabbed her legs, and pulled her roughly against his hips earning a giggle from Leah. Hailey leaned down, rested between her thighs, and started kissing her. Leah wrapped her arms and legs around him as they kissed. She tried to pull off his Jacket, but to do so, he had to released her, but he never removed his lips from hers, and pulled off his coat and wrapped his arms back around her. She brought her hands to his chest and started unbuttoning the shirt until she could touch his bare skin.

She ran her fingers over his light chest hair and it made her quiver. He had much the same response and thrust against her roughly. Hailey finished unbuttoning his shirt, finally removing his lips from hers, and threw the shirt at the other side of the room. Then he grabbed the hem of Leah's dress and just pulled it over her head so she was naked and eager for his touch. Leah sat up and grabbed for his belt and hurriedly unbuckled it, then unfastened his pants. She took a hold of his erection in her hand while Hailey leaned back down and started kissing her again with his hands on the bed on either side of her. Leah stroked him while they kissed each other. She continued until Hailey brought his hands up under her arms and gently tossed her further onto the bed. He removed his pants completely and came onto the bed after her. Once he was on top of her, he started kissing her neck and began to rub the folds of her entrance with his fingers. When he felt her wet skin, he slipped his fingers inside and kissed down her body until he reached her breasts.

Leah moaned and ran her fingers through Hailey's hair while he touched her intimately. Hailey licked and sucked each nipple once he reached her breasts and kissed a portion of her midriff before finally coming back up and entering her. They both signed from the feel of one another before Hailey finally started to move. Hailey kept thrusting until Leah pushed Hailey onto his back and rode him eagerly, flipping her hair whenever it got in her way. Watching Leah flip her hair may very well be one of the sexiest things he'd ever seen. Leah remained on top until the two of them crumbled and reached their climax. Leah rested her head down on Hailey's chest and he held her close, kissing her head.

"Have I told you I love you today?" Hailey asked, making Leah smile through her haze.

"Actually, I can't say you have," she teased.

"I love you, Leah," Hailey said and placed a finger under Leah's chin so she would look at him and kissed her. "Are you happy to be Mrs. Dauer?"

"Absolutely," Leah answered and the two shared another kiss.

"So, technically, we aren't supposed to leave the house for three days, right?"

"That's the tradition. It's meant for making children, though. So I suppose we can leave the house if we need to."

"Hold on, now. Let's not be so quick to dismiss tradition," he joked. Leah laughed and was silence when he kissed her again.