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.

158. Chapter 158

Chapter 158

Bayaq and Taraq were anxiously waiting for mid-August when the next half-moon would be. They kept in contact with Oscar who acted as their go-between for the whole period. Since moving to Phoenix, Travis had moved into Oscar's apartment and started looking for work right away and affirmed that the moment he was a few paychecks in, they would be looking for a different apartment.

"I don't know why you hate this place so much," Oscar said one evening while the two were having dinner together. "It's not so bad."

"It's run down," Travis said, "Also your upstairs neighbors fight a lot. And I don't mean they argue, I mean I've heard physical altercations."

"Yes, I know; I saw the cop cars when I got home the other day."

"Calling the cops was the least I could do. At least since I did that, it's been quiet. I went upstairs to check on her and the wife was black and blue. Honestly, I don't know why she stays."

"Don't get too involved, Travis. Last thing we need is the husband coming back and misconstruing your concerns," Oscar said.

"All the more reason to find a new place," Travis said. "On the bright side, I have an interview tomorrow."

"With who?"

"CopperPoint's the name of the company," Travis said.

"They do insurance or something, right?"

"Yeah; figure I should stick with my field," Travis shrugged.

"Curious; how old do they think you are?"

"Edward helped me get updated paperwork and identification, so as far as they're to be concerned, I'm 35," Travis answered and Oscar huffed a small laugh.

"Hell bent on making me a cradle robber are you?" Oscar teased.

"I figured you wouldn't mind the idea of dating a younger man," Travis said and winked at Oscar, making the man laugh.

"Not at all," Oscar said.

"So how was your day today?" Travis asked.

"Nothing special happened at work today," Oscar said. "The girls are getting ready for their move up north. Honestly, the sooner the better. Oliver has done what he can to keep people from being nasty to them but he can't exactly stop them from gossiping."

"Are we going to the weddings?"

"I can't. I've already taken off way too much time from work and I can't take off anymore. Hell, I'd wanted you and I to have a nice vacation together when you moved here, but alas, it'll have to wait until next year when I have the vacation time again. I'd venture to guess if you get this job it won't look good if you ask them for time off right away."

"I guess," Travis said. "Will Uilette and Cidelle be upset with us not being there?"

"They won't care," Oscar waved his hand dismissively. "They know grandpa sends them his love and honestly, that's all they need. Besides, I'm still not too happy with Taraq if I'm being blunt."

"I know, but try not to dwell on it too much. Just remember how you feel for me. I mean, you'd do the same for me wouldn't you?"

"Knock you up and embarrass you in front of the whole tribe? No, I can't say as I'd do that," Oscar said flippantly.

"I mean that you'd have tried to be with me no matter the consequences. Hell, you already did that to some extent. Imagine what would have happened if we'd ever been caught together in those utility closets."

"The shower, one of the tanks," Oscar continued, giving Travis a seductive smile. "Best one was the middle of the forest of France. Now that was hot," Oscar said.

"My point is Taraq never meant for this to happen. He's in love with Uilette and he wanted to be with her. Hawk's the one that blew the whole thing up anyway. Taraq was just retaliating," Travis said.

"Don't you worry; Hawk's on my shit list too," Oscar said. "I don't think I've ever seen Takara so angry and if Genevieve isn't making much of an effort to calm the man down, she's in full agreement with his feelings on the matter."

"Just try to breathe and be happy for them," Travis said. "Bayaq and Taraq will be good husbands, I promise. I realize the start of one marriage is a bit of a catastrophe but he loves Uilette and she'll be well taken care of."

"Fine," Oscar groaned and poked at his food.

"And hey, you're going to be a great grandpa," Travis smiled.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, seventeenth verse is same as the first," Oscar said. "Just add it to the list of children spawned in my family."

Travis laughed a little, "Alright, forget I said that. How about after dinner I give you a back massage or something. Help you relax."

"I'll accept a massage, but I don't want it on my back," Oscar said and finally smirked a little, "if you catch my drift."

"Yes, Oscar, I catch your drift," Travis smiled.

Back at the tribe when the children from the Tistilal arrived, Jacob and Renesmee focused their efforts on first getting the children to their assigned rooms. For the time being, they went only by their first names. Obtaining a surname could wait until the process of obtaining their legal documentation began though Renesmee encouraged the children to think long and hard over what they would like their names to be. Renesmee helped the children learn to spell their names so they could find their rooms easily which would have their names on the door. Any personal decoration the children were encouraged to do over time. Once they had their room assignments, the assigned chaperone, a member of the tribe named Mindy – or Mrs. Lake to all the children – was given her own apartment in the dormitories where she and her husband would stay and the kids were given the night to finally sleep off their long trip.

Wanting to make sure all the kids had a chance to get to know each other and to help the Tistilal children feel welcome, Renesmee and Jacob with the help of her family arranged a big cook out on the beach with grilling and, once it was nearing nightfall or had reached nightfall, they would roast marshmallows for s'mores and encourage the kids to talk and maybe even tell stories. The parents were informed of the arrangement and warned in advance that the newcomers currently did not speak English so they needed to be respectful and please speak entirely Quileute so they could understand one another. Alice made swimsuits available for the children and passed them out while they were in the cafeteria of the school having a big breakfast.

"It's freezing here," Shyann said to her brother Dakota and a few other kids that were sitting at the table with her.

"Yeah, I don't think it ever got this cold at night in the desert much less during the day," one girl echoed.

"Hey, you'll grow some thick skin and get used to it," Ahiga, who was helping pass out the suits, echoed Kevin's words. "So how are you liking breakfast?"

"I don't know what these are, but I like them," Dakota said about the waffles that were slathered in syrup and butter.

"They're called 'waffles'," Ahiga said. "May as well get your English lessons started now."

"Isn't English really hard?" one boy at the table that was about eight said.

"Extremely. So we'd better get you guys started now," Ahiga said and continued handing out the suits. "Shyann, you want white, blue or pink?"

"I'll take blue," Shyann answered and Ahiga sorted through the size appropriate girl's suits and handed Shyann the blue one piece.

"What about you, Dakota?"

"Blue," Dakota answered and accepted the suit once Ahiga handed it over.

After the kids all finished breakfast, they were directed to the locker rooms so they could change into their suits and by the time they were outside, so was nearly the whole tribe. It wasn't raining but it was over casted. It was completely different from what they were used to and in no time they were asking for blankets to keep over themselves. Sadly Kevin, Amber, Heather and Levi couldn't be at the tribe and neither could Embry or his brothers, but Gaeli was able to drive the twins over so they could enjoy the festivities and also just so Tristan and Lilliana could visit with Lee. The kids had been thoroughly enjoying their summer vacation despite the stress of what was happening with the Tistilal and most of the older members of the pack being gone. Now that they'd returned, everything could go back to normal.

Having hatched a plan with Lee beforehand, before leaving the house Tristan stopped in his parents' closet and searched until he found what he was looking for and then stuffed that into a duffle bag. The duffle bag had a logo of a kid's hockey team that Lee had begun playing for about two years prior. Lee had expressed a great deal of interest in the sport after watching a game, so Lee begged (and Illyana helped convince) Boris to let him play and so they got him registered with a team in Port Angeles. While Boris had initially been rather annoyed with it claiming it was a big waste of money and so on and so forth, he'd since turned around completely on it. After the coaches had gotten Lee comfortable skating on the ice and practicing, he took to the sport like a fish to water and was actually very good. Boris had never thought the idea of watching a bunch of uncoordinated children play a sport to be worth watching, but watching Lee on the ice doing his best and continuing to get better – it made him proud of the boy. That day, however, It was one of the few days that summer when Lee had a day away from the ice rink so Lee and Tristan were going to have a lot of fun. They all met at the beach in La Push where the party was being held and both of them had their duffle bags.

"I've got my dad's uniform. What about you?" Tristan asked Lee.

"Got it right here," Lee said, presenting his own duffle bag.

"Why do you have daddy's uniform?" Lilliana asked.

"We're just playing, Lili. So don't tell dad!"

"Can I join you?" Lilliana asked.

"No, Lili, this is boys only," Tristan said.

"And what are you two doing that your sister can't join you?" Edward asked, suddenly standing behind the three children, regardless of already knowing the answer.

"We're just playing Red vs. Red, White and Blue," Tristan said.

"With your dad's uniform?"

"I'll make sure nothing happens to it!" Tristan insisted.

"You really think you're not going to get it dirty?" Edward asked. "And for that matter, young man, where did you get a gun?"

"They aren't real, grandpa!" Tristan insisted. It was true; they weren't real guns. Just metal replicas he'd burrowed from a friend at school. "Come on, Grandpa, you already know the answer to what I'm telling you, so please just let us play!" Tristan pleaded.

"Alright, fine," Edward said, "but Lilliana gets to come with you if she wants."

"But grandpa!"

"No buts," Edward said firmly.

"Okay," Tristan and Lee said indignantly and Lilliana smiled and gave Edward a hug then followed after Lee and her brother. Once they were in the woods in the cover of the trees, they put down their duffle bags and opened them.

"You have no idea how hard it is to sneak out with your dad's clothes when he's a vampire," Lee said as he pulled out the hat of his father's old uniform and put that on his head. It was an ushanka with the hammer and cycle branded a red star on the front and the uniform was a heavy, more formal coat. Not necessarily something he'd have worn out in the field of battle. It seemed to be his father's home uniform when he'd worked for the government after the end of the war. "This thing's really heavy."

"It looks warm too," Tristan laughed a little as he was putting on Kevin's hat and uniform.

"Yeah, I think I grabbed my dad's winter uniform," Lee said, finishing buttoning up. The outfits basically swallowed them both whole. They were far too big, the sleeves needed to be rolled up in order for them to hold anything and the bottom hem of the coats reached down nearly to their knees.

"It's okay. So long as they stay on. And as Grandpa so kindly brought up, I brought the toy guns I told you about." Tristan pulled those out once he'd put on Kevin's coat. He handed one gun replica to Lee. They were pistol replicas – hardly anything the Russians or the United States would have used in the heat of battle, but it would have to do.

"Okay, on the count of three, we'll start fighting."

"Wait, what should I be?" Lilliana asked.

"You can be the nurse," Lee suggested. "So if one of us is injured, you need to come and help us, okay?"

"Okay," Lilliana said with excitement.

"Okay, good. 1, 2, 3," Lee said and the two of them bolted into the woods in opposite directions and then went parallel to one another aiming their fake guns and making little gun noises at each other while Lilliana followed after.

Lee pretended to be shot in the shoulder and called for help and Lilliana ran to him, patted his shoulders a few times to proclaim him cured and then he got back up to continue the fight. They kept on like this for a few minutes, the boys 'shooting' at one another and Lilliana healing whoever was pretending to be wounded. To make things a little more interesting, Lilliana announced that the boys were out of bullets. Going along with the scenario, the boys dropped the toy guns and ran to each other beginning to wrestle. Lilliana kept running after them as the two of them got into match after match going further and further into the forest. While they were fighting, they came across a small recession in the land that dipped down in a small cliff. They weren't paying attention and Lee lost his footing on the edge. Tristan realized Lee was falling and pulled on him as the two of them fell and landed on the slope. The two of them kept rolling and rolling until they both slammed into a tree. They both heard bones cracking and both of them screamed and Lilliana came rushing to them.

"Lee? Tristan? What happened?" she said and did her best to get down the slope.

"I think I broke my leg," Lee said, trying his best not to cry now that the initial pain had stopped and it was a consistent radiating sensation. Since Lee wasn't crying, Tristan was also making a point not to cry but his arm hurt so, so badly.

"I think I broke my arm," Tristan said. "Lili, get help." Lilliana nodded frantically and ran up the slope slipping a few times but eventually managing to get up but she didn't get very far before she saw help.

"Grandpa!" Lilliana screamed and kept running to Jacob when she saw him, "Grandpa, help! Tristan and Lee fell and they're hurt!"

"Emmett and I will get them," Edward said and rushed where they heard the boys.

Lilliana was crying, so Jacob lifted her in his arms to calm her down while Edward and Emmett got the boys, lifting them as gently as they possibly could and rushing to the hospital. Illyana and Boris ran after when they'd heard Lee's voice and met the group at the hospital on tribal grounds. Kyle and Carlisle were called and they were downstairs to meet them moments later while Naevia and a few other nurses were already getting the boys set up in a room. When Kyle arrived, he opened his mind to find out what happened and then got right to work.

"I'll get these in a splint and then we'll take an x-ray," Kyle said while he and Carlisle were already putting everything together.

"Ли, что случилось?" (Li, chto sluchilos'? / Lee, what happened?) Boris asked once he was able to get around to the gurney holding his son.

"Мы играли и упали со скалы. Моя нога болит," (My igrali i upali so skaly. Moya noga bolit / We were playing and we fell off a cliff. My leg hurts) Lee answered still trying his best not to cry but a few tears still falling.

"Ты сломал ногу?" (Ty slomal nogu?/You broke your leg?) Boris asked.

"да," (Da/Yes) Lee answered.

"Oh well. Ильяна, нам нужно бросить его в груду картофеля и попробовать еще раз," (Illyana, nam nuzhno brosit' yego v grudu kartofelya i poprobovat' yeshche raz / Illyana, we need to toss him in the potato pile and try again) Boris said.

"Нет! Нет! Не бросай меня в кучу картошки!" (Net! Net! Ne brosay menya v kuchu kartoshki! / No! No! Don't throw me in the potato pile) Lee cried and Evalina gave Boris a mean look.

"For God's sake, Boris, don't tease the poor boy," Evalina said.

"What's wrong?" Kyle asked.

"Boris said they needed to toss Lee into the potato pile. He's making a morbid joke; I told him to stop," Evalina said.

"Don't worry, Lee. Your parents aren't tossing you into the potato pile. It's a broken leg, so you'll be out of commission for a while but it's nothing you can't bounce back from," Kyle said as he continued to work.

"Дразнить твоего отца. Все будет хорошо," (Draznit' tvoyego ottsa. Vse budet khorosho / Your father's teasing. Everything will be alright) Illyana said as she held Lee's head gently to comfort him.

"Carlisle, you take Lee and I'll take Tristan," Kyle said and the two of them got the boys to another room so they could be x-rayed for the damage.

Afterwards, they numbed the area so they could make any adjustments they needed to the bone based on the scans and then got the boys in their casts. Tristan's arm had swollen pretty badly but they managed to get Kevin's coat off him without damaging it and Boris took the hats and uniforms for safe keeping while also calling Kevin and Amber to let them know what happened. By that point, both of the boys had calmed down since they'd been given plenty of pain killers. Once the cast was on, Tristan was able to get up and walk around of course, but Lee now had to walk around with crutches.

"This is really uncomfortable," Lee said after trying to move with the crutches.

"You'll get used to it," Kyle said. "Don't worry; as long as the bone heals on schedule, you'll have that cast off in about two months. Just don't be afraid to ask for help if you're having trouble moving around. I think it goes without saying you'll have to sit out from Hockey for a while, but I promise your coach won't be too hard on you."

"You are still going to practice. You learn by watching for how much it cost," Boris said.

"Don't be so hard on him, Boris," Illyana said and patted Lee's head.

"I am not being hard on the boy; I only say he still need to practice somehow," Boris said. "Tristan, I called your parents, so one of them will be here. Consider yourself lucky there is only blood on your father's uniform."

"I got blood on it?!" Tristan said, freaking out.

"Yes, but is okay. It was not much," Boris said.

"Dad's going to kill me," Tristan groaned.

"Relax, Tristan. So long as you're alive, that's all that matters," Kyle said. "The way the two of you tumbled down that slope, you're lucky you didn't crack your skulls." Not long after, Amber rushed into the hospital and found them all in the waiting room.

"Tristan?! Tristan, honey, are you okay?" Amber asked as she rushed to him and began fusing over him.

"He's alright, Amber. Just a broken Radius on his left arm. He'll need to have that cast on for two months and when the bone's healed, we'll take it off."

"Your husband's uniform, Mrs. Black," Boris said, extending the coat and hat to Amber that she accepted awkwardly.

"Tristan, did you steal your father's uniform?"

"We just wanted to play is all," Tristan said and Amber sighed.

"You should know better than to take something without asking. Come on, Tristan. We're going home. Lilliana, do you want to come home or stay for the party?"

"Can I stay for the party?" Lilliana asked.

"We'll make sure she gets home tomorrow," Jacob said.

"Thank you, Jacob. You have fun Lili. Come on, Tristan," Amber said and led Tristan with her out to the car so they could drive back.

Although they'd heard about the spectacle, the Tistilal children and the other school kids stayed on the beach playing in the water and playing games together while the parents got plenty of food ready. It did wonders to help the kids feel welcome and grow accustomed to their new surroundings. After being released, Lee still wanted to try and enjoy himself, but the crutches made it virtually impossible to move on the beach and he ended up getting sidelined. Lilliana saw Lee sitting by himself on one of the picnic benches that had been brought out and ran over to take a seat next to him.

"How's your leg feeling?" Lilliana asked.

"It's really sore, but it's better than it was," Lee said.

"The foods almost ready so I can grab us something and we'll eat together," Lilliana suggested.

"You don't have to sit with me. It's fine," Lee said.

"No, I want to. You're clearly not in a good mood so I think you need cheering up," Lilliana said and hoped away from the bench and sprinted to where the food was being served. Lee managed a small laugh at what she'd said and waited for her to return with some food. For Lee a plate of some ribs and macaroni salad and for her a burger with cheese and ketchup.

"Aren't you going to have any ribs?"

"It's pork," Lilliana said.

"Oh, right; sorry. I keep forgetting your more strict than Tristan is," Lee said.

"He won't eat pork either," Lilliana said.

"Oh no, he'll eat it and every time he does, he makes me promise not to tell your mom," Lee laughed. "I'll tell you a secret: your brother eats shrimp too."

"Mom won't be too happy," Lilliana said.

"Come on, don't say anything," Lee said. "He'll be really mad if he finds out I told you."

"Fine, I won't tell," Lilliana said.

"You want to try some? It can be our little secret," Lee said.

"No way. With my luck, someone would see me and tell on me," Lilliana said.

"Alright, suit yourself," Lee laughed a little and bit into the rib.

"Can I try out the crutches?" Lilliana asked when the devices were in her view.

"Go for it," Lee said and handed them over to her and then continued eating. She tried to use them, but the way they were adjusted, they were too tall for her. Even only being a year older than her and Tristan, Lee had a few inches on them.

"They're too tall," Lilliana lamented and stared at the notches to see if she could adjust them.

"Leave them be. Those needed screws to be adjusted," Lee said.

"Okay," Lilliana said and put them back beside him then rejoined him on the bench to start eating her burger.

While eating, her hair kept getting in her face, so she pulled the band off her ponytail and brushed her fingers through her light brown hair to pull it back to tighter form so her hair was out of her face. Lilliana sat with Lee enjoying their lunch and convinced him to join the kids in a game of bag-o since it was something he could do in a stationary position. They brought the game closer to the sitting area to make it easier and, although Lee couldn't understand a word anyone was saying since it was all in Quileute/Tistilal, Lilliana did her best to keep him in the loop.

Once Amber had brought Tristan home, the first thing she did was find the blood stains that had gotten on the inside of Kevin's coat and worked to get it removed and called Kevin's office to let him know she'd brought Tristan home. Heather, already home from work that day having done the early shift at the donut shop, took care of dinner for Amber since she was occupied with cleaning. Kevin returned home around the usual time and went to Tristan's room where he'd been sent.

"How's your arm?" Kevin asked once he was in the room. Tristan was playing with a few of his car and truck figures with one hand but was not playing with much enthusiasm.

"It hurts," Tristan said.

"I bet it does," Kevin said and sat down on the floor with Tristan. "So your mother said you took my uniform?"

"We were just playing Red Vs. Red, White and Blue," Tristan said. "I thought it would be fun if we played wearing your uniforms."

"Ah," Kevin said. "So Lee in a fuzzy hat with a hammer and cycle and you in a brown hat with the American Flag?"

"Yeah," Tristan said. "I'd even gotten my friend to let me burrow his toy guns, but I lost those."

"You'll have to replace them then," Kevin said. "Tell his parents to get in contact with me and I'll take care of it."

"Are you mad at me?"

"I'm mad you took my uniform without asking. I'd have let you wear it if you really wanted. It's not a huge deal. Sure, you might get it dirty, but it can be cleaned," Kevin said.

"I'm sorry," Tristan said.

"Hey, it's fine," Kevin said and gave Tristan a hug. "Don't take anything without telling me, okay?"

"Okay," Tristan nodded. "Lee broke his leg. I guess he can't play Hockey now."

"He'll get back in the rink in no time," Kevin said. "So your sister's making dinner. What do you say we go downstairs and you can help me get some work done while we wait."

"Okay," Tristan said, perking up a little and following Kevin downstairs to his office.

Embry ended up coming over shortly after Kevin had returned home bringing Anatoli and Ivory with, so they had a pretty full house. Anatoli went to Kevin's office once he saw Tristan there in an effort to help soothe the boy's bruised arm and ego, getting a small laugh about the boys taking Kevin's and Boris's uniforms. Ivory leaned against Kevin's desk while the guys all talked and Embry went to the kitchen where Heather was.

"So what's for dinner?" Embry asked.

"I'm making that chicken in wine dish that Ashley's grandma makes. I got some cheap white wine and chicken thighs, so those are cooking for another 20 minutes before I add the cream. I've got some potatoes in the oven too, so we'll each get a baked potato with dinner."

"It smells amazing," Embry said and walked over to her. "So I hear Tristan broke his arm?"

"Playing in the woods with a toy gun wearing daddy's uniform no less," Heather said. "He's alright but mom's mad at him for stealing."

"Yeah, I bet she is," Embry said. "So when's your next day off? I thought we could go so a movie together. I hear Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is pretty good."

"I'm off Sunday and Monday this week. How about we go on a Saturday night? Dinner and a movie?"

"Sounds good," Embry said. "You're still working the early shift at work right?"

"Yeah, so I'll be out by 1 come Saturday."

"Alright. I'll pick you up at six, we'll get dinner and then we'll go to the theatre," Embry said.

"I can't wait," Heather smiled and grabbed her glass of wine for a sip. "Oh, did you want any? There's plenty left."

"Sure," Embry said and accepted the glass of wine once it had been poured. He brought the glass to his lips and took a sip, taking a moment to taste it. "Oh wow. That tastes like shit."

"No it doesn't!" Heather said, laughing a little.

"It's really bad, Heather," Embry smiled and took another sip. "Yeah, that's awful."

"Fine, Embry. Next time I make braised chicken, you can buy the wine," Heather said.

"I will and it'll be good wine. I just hope this doesn't ruin the chicken," Embry teased.

"You will eat what I put on your plate and you will like it, you freeloader," Heather said and Embry laughed.

"A freeloader am I? Resorting to name calling now?"

"You bet your ass I am," Heather said and the two were laughing.

"I love you," Embry said through his laugh.

"I love you too," Heather answered and accepted Embry's kiss when he leaned forward to give her one. "So how has our latest project been going since you got back?"

"Alright," Embry said. "We pulled up that fucking carpet."

"You mean the shag carpet that you called equal to a crime against humanity?"

"That thing was an eyesore, so yes," Embry said. "I don't understand what people see in shag carpets. They're fucking hideous. Although the hardwood underneath isn't really anything to ride home about either. We may have to replace that entirely. So long as nothing else goes wrong with that house, I'll want to get it on the market towards the end of August."

"Just in time for me to get back my money for my textbooks," Heather smiled. "I'm committing myself to getting a business degree."

"That's fantastic," Embry said. "Do you think you'll have it by '73?"

"More likely I'll graduate in '74," Heather said. "Don't worry, Embry. I'll graduate eventually. Of course, if you really wish to press the matter, you can always make me a bracelet now."

"You know what, maybe I will," Embry smiled. Heather and Embry smiled at one another. Although he was teasing, they'd discussed marriage at length since they began seeing one another officially. They'd agreed it would wait until after she graduated, but didn't stop them from planning. "Do you want a ring with your bracelet?" Embry asked honestly.

"I want gold bands, but you don't have to get me an engagement ring," Heather said. "The rings can wait until the wedding. The question is what are we doing for the ceremony? Besides the Quileute ceremony I mean."

"Well, we can't have a Jewish ceremony," Embry said. "The Rabi that married your parents made an exception for your dad, but I doubt we'll be awarded the same luxury."

"Yeah, I wouldn't count on it," Heather said. "We can always get a non-religious officiant. How many people would you be alright with inviting to the reception?"

"Do either of us really have a choice in the matter?" Embry asked.

"Sure we do. We're the bride and groom," Heather said.

"Let me rephrase the question: will Alice allow us a choice in the matter?" Embry asked.

"If I have to put my foot down with Aunt Alice then trust me I will," Heather said.

"Don't hold your breath on that, Heather," Embry smiled. "Once that woman gets into wedding planning mode, she's unstoppable. When your parents were planning their wedding, I would ask Kevin how wedding planning was going and he'd always tell me, 'Fuck if I know. Ask Alice and she'll tell you. It's getting done and that's what matters'."

"While I'm sure mom and dad's wedding turned out wonderful, I'd like a little more control over ours," Heather said.

"I'd settle for knowing what cake flavor I agreed to," Embry laughed. "Kevin had signed a check for the baker and then realized he didn't remember what flavor the cake was. At least that's what he'd told me. That was when your mom was still working at Kevin's law firm. He'd asked if Amber knew the flavor he'd signed off on and she'd said, 'I think it was the vanilla cake with the strawberry filling'."

"Is that what you guys got?"

"Yeah, but that doesn't change that until the wedding day, they weren't positive the flavor of their wedding cake," Embry smiled. "On the bright side, the cake was great."

"I'm sure it was," Heather said. "For the record, our cake with be chocolate."

"Okay," Embry chuckled, "I'll agree to that. You're wearing your mother's dress?"

"Yeah, I am," Heather said. "At least for the ceremony I will. I don't know if I want to wear that dress for the reception, though. I'll have to think about it."

"We've got time," Embry shrugged. He gulped down the rest of his glass of wine. "Christ almighty that's bad."

"Do you want a beer to wash out the taste of white wine?" Heather asked with a mean smile.

"That'd be great," Embry said and opened the fridge.

"Freeloader," Heather poked fun.

"Hey, I bought this box of beer for your dad, so I'm allowed to have some," Embry said.

"If you say so," Heather smiled. As Embry reached for a beer, he noticed something that caught his attention.

"You made egg salad?" Embry asked.

"Oh, right, I forgot to tell you," Heather said. "I made that last night so it's had time to sit. You can take the container home with you."

"I'll do that," Embry said and put his beer on the counter, went to get a spoon and then took out the large container of egg salad and dug in.

"Embry!"

"What?" he asked.

"Don't eat that now. You'll spoil your dinner."

"It won't, Heather," Embry said and took a big bite. "God damn it, that's good."

"Embry, please, put that back? Save it for lunch tomorrow?"

"Alright, I'll put it back," Embry said, but he couldn't help take one more large spoonful before he returned the container to the fridge.

Just then the front door of the house opened and Anna stepped in going straight to Tristan in Kevin's office to check on him. She fussed over Tristan speaking entirely in German. In recent months especially, Anna had begun speaking less and less English and more in German, especially if she was having a hard time remembering something. For the immediate family, it wasn't an issue to accommodate her and just speak German, but for Anatoli it made things more challenging and anyone else in the family that didn't speak German had an extremely hard time communicating with Anna.

"How's Anna been feeling?" Embry asked Heather.

"I don't know," Heather said in a lamenting voice. "We had taken her to Kyle for a checkup and he thinks she suffered a small stroke."

"Hold on; wouldn't she have needed to be rushed to the hospital if she had?"

"Apparently you can suffer a stroke without realizing it. You'd only find out after a scan is performed and when Uncle Kyle performed the scan, it showed evidence of it. We think it may have happened while daddy was away in Arizona. That's when she started speaking almost exclusively German."

"Is there anything Kyle can do?"

"She's on medications and it's been helping, but Kyle's put grandma on a very strict diet to help prevent another stroke," Heather said. "Daddy's still trying to convince grandma to live with us so we can keep an eye on her, but she really doesn't want to leave hers and grandpa's house. Too many happy memories I guess. We're playing with the idea of hiring a nurse to help her but she needs to speak German. Obviously that limits our potential candidates."

"I can imagine so," Embry said.

"And as much as either Levi or I would be happy to move in with her and take care of her, we're both out of the house too much for that to be feasible. Between school and work, we'd be out of the house most of the time leaving her alone most of the day anyway. Aunt Evalina offered to reach out to her grandparents to see if Heidi might be able to move here and stay with her, but daddy's not keen on keeping an aging woman alone with a vampire."

"I agree," Embry said. "Are you or Levi planning to move in with her anyway?"

"Levi's planning to, yes," Heather said, "But grandma keeps insisting it's not necessary. 'Du musst mich nicht babysitten,' she says."

"What does that mean?"

"'You don't have to babysit me'," Heather translated and then rubbed her eye a little. "She misses grandpa a whole lot."

"Of course she does. Those two were together over sixty years. That's a long time to be with someone just to lose them suddenly."

Heather nodded and started getting teary eyed, so Embry walked to her and gave her a hug. When dinner was finally ready, Amber extended their table to accommodate all the guests and they sat down for dinner together, keeping a plate aside for Levi when he returned home from his afternoon shift at the grocery store. All through dinner, Anna kept fussing over Tristan helping him cut his chicken and potato and made sure he ate the carrots despite not liking them.

"Oma, ich mag keine Karotten," (Grandma, I don't like carrots) Tristan complained.

"Du isst alles auf deinem Teller, Tristan. Karotten sind gut für dich," (You eat everything on your plate, Tristan. Carrots are good for you) Anna said in a grandmother's authoritative yet simultaneously loving voice. Tristan finally complied and when he did, Anna gave him a kiss on the head.

After dinner, knowing what had happened that day, Anna asked to put Kevin's hat on Tristan's head to see him and when he was wearing it for her, she smiled, pinched his cheeks gently and told him he looked handsome like his father. That seemed to bolster the boy's confidence quite a bit and the events from that day continued to melt away. Around eight, Amber and Heather walked Anna back to her house so she could get to bed and stayed after to do some light cleaning. Anatoli, Ivory and Embry left shortly thereafter and Levi finally returned home around 9:30.

"How was work today?" Kevin asked Levi from his office once he stepped into the house.

"It was fine," Levi said. "I got a couponer."

"You did, huh?" Kevin laughed, his son having explained these types of customers before.

"Yeah. Lady had a cart filled with at least $50 worth of food. Had her coupons ready and made me spend about ten minutes entering the coupons. She ended up spending about $20. Rest of the line wasn't too happy with her, but I've got to give the woman credit for quality frugalness."

"Nothing wrong with a woman that knows how to stretch a dollar," Kevin said. "So your little brother 'burrowed' my uniform and while he and Lee were playing he broke his arm."

"Geez," Levi said, "How's he feeling?"

"He's alright. Kyle's given him some medication for the pain and your mother's making sure he's keeping it dry, so on. Your grandma was doting on him the whole time she was here so Tristan's feeling better."

"How's grandma feeling?"

"She was alright today. Your mom and Heather are still over at her house tidying up I think."

"Have you or mom heard anything new about getting grandma a nurse?" Levi asked when he grabbed his plate of food and brought it with to Kevin's office, placing the plate on Kevin's desk and sitting to his lift in a spare chair.

"Not yet," Kevin said. "So far we've only received one candidate that spoke German and when your mother and I tried to speak with her, it turns out her German is very basic. We need fluent. The agency told me to expect a call again tomorrow with an update."

"Do you want me to ask for fewer hours at work?"

"No, Levi, don't," Kevin said. "I know you and Heather want to help and I really appreciate it, but you both need to focus on school and work. Let your mother and I worry about taking care of grandma alright?"

"Okay," Levi said. "Well, if you change your mind, just let me know."

"I will," Kevin smiled and patted Levi's back. "One more thing now that I'm thinking about it. You get another letter from your pen pal."

"Nadja wrote?"

"Yep; I put it on your desk in your room," Kevin said.

"Great, thank you," Levi said.

Levi finished his dinner in Kevin's office and was cleaning his plate just as Amber and Heather returned home. Once he'd put the dishes away, Levi went upstairs and just as Kevin had promised, on his desk was a letter from Nadja covered in English stamps. He smiled and opened the letter then sat on his bed to read it.

Dear Levi,

By the time you receive this, July the 18th will have passed, so Happy Birthday! I believe that would make you 17 now, am I right? I hope you had a good birthday. Please forgive me for not sending you a gift, but I am hoping waiting will be worth it. Surely you recall The Devils of Loudon by Aldus Huxley? I hope so, because I've heard some exciting news! There is now a movie depicting the book and I hear it's absolutely scandalous! I can't wait to see it. Based on the reviews, I have a sneaking suspicion it will be censored before it reaches the US assuming it reaches the US at all, so the moment I can get my hands on a reel, I will send it to you. Consider it my belated birthday present.

I didn't end up getting the part I was telling you about, but I'm already trying out for another role. Although, I've gotten a job at a Pub in Chelsea (super nice place!) and I wait tables and sing. It's The Pointer, so if you're ever in London again, come have a drink and cake on me okay? Just the other day, I waited a table for a couple that worked as real estate agents and talked about their dinner Saturday night with the Duchess of Kent; very exciting! And they were a lovely couple; very kind and polite.

I finally rented myself a flat! I will send you pictures as soon as I have everything settled. It's a long commute from my apartment to the Pub but I'm close to the theatre that I work with and my parents are just a few blocks away which is nice.

The remainder of Nadja's letter relayed day to day events, more information about another role that she would be trying out for that was a musical (she was extremely excited about that) and anything else that she wanted to talk about. Once he'd finished reading, Levi got to work on his reply and had that mailed out come morning and included a small present from him. Nothing spectacular – just a star pin that he'd found in one of his crackerjack boxes. When Salem and Yvonne as well as Desarae and Blu Jae returned to Washington from their honeymoons, the family got together at Jacob's and Renesmee's house for dinner as a welcoming party. Emma Leigh and Jae Sun came down with Kevin and his family so they could visit and also to enjoy the festivities. Tristan and Lee, both being unable to engage in more rambunctious play, played some card games together and any board games that the Cullens had on hand.

Yvonne expressed to Emma Leigh her desire to cut her hair and asked for a day she was available. Emma Leigh suggested that she and Salem come visit her in Seattle so she could cut her hair but also so they could have a night on the town; get Yvonne properly introduced to Washington and all the fun things she could do. Salem relayed to Jae Sun Andy's advice about making his own 'Betty Crocker' and also relayed the offer about sending him to Florida for some training whenever Jae Sun could get time off assuming he wanted to. Not one to turn down an opportunity, especially if it involved a beach, Jae Sun agreed that he'd love to work something out to that effect.

The next day, Yvonne and Salem visited Arturo at his apartment so Yvonne could finally meet his business partner. Esparenza kept dinner simple: arroz con pollo cooked just the way Arturo liked it with plenty of chilies included. Yvonne kept her hair up in a bun that special way that Salem had created from their very first photo op to keep her hair out of her face and they stayed well after Emilio's bedtime enjoying coffee with run and cream, some coffee cake and listening to the radio play music. Arturo had Salem help him with cleaning the dishes while Yvonne and Esparenza sat on the couch together talking and when they were alone, Arturo glanced at Yvonne again then turned his attention back to the dishes.

"She seems really nice," Arturo said. "Esparenza definitely likes her."

"I'm glad you like her," Salem said. "It feels really good to settle down."

"I can tell you're happy," Arturo said. "If the two of you are planning to start having kids right away, you may want to get a bigger apartment. That one bedroom of yours isn't suitable for a family."

"I'll start house hunting soon," Salem said. "I don't want to make Yvonne move too soon but the moment I know we're expecting, I'll get more serious about getting us a house."

"I'd say you should get serious now, honestly," Arturo smiled. "I'm happy for you, Salem."

"Thanks, Arturo," Salem said. When Salem and Arturo finished the dishes, they rejoined Yvonne and Esparenza on the couch to talk a while longer until they had to call it a night. "How about I show you the Tattoo shop before we run home?" Salem asked once they'd gotten back to the car.

"Sure," Yvonne smiled and Salem got them on the road. "Arturo and Esparenza are very nice. I like them. Their son is precious."

"Emilio's a good kid," Salem said. "I'm glad Arturo made a good impression."

"Indeed he did," Yvonne smiled. "I get the feeling he wasn't too fond of me at first though."

"It's not you. He was apprehensive because he thinks we married too quickly. Andy made the same complaint and I just told them I'd just known and wanted to marry you. After finally meeting you and getting to know you, though, they both said they like you."

"Oh," Yvonne said. "As long as I didn't say or do something to offend them."

"Not at all," Salem smiled and took Yvonne's hand to give it a kiss. His tattoo had already healed completely and Yvonne stared at it with a smile.

"I love this tattoo so much," Yvonne said.

"Good," Salem smiled, "me too."

Not long after they'd left Arturo's apartment, they arrived at the tattoo shop and all the lights were off which was to be expected. Salem let them in with his key and locked the door up again once they were inside. He turned on the lights and the shop lit up to show all the artwork on the walls. The front desk was to the left of the entrance and on that desk was a large binder. She went to that binder to look at all the pictures in the portfolio of people that had gotten their tattoos at this shop seeing several that she really liked.

"Is any of this your artwork?"

"No, I can't draw to save my life," Salem said. "I handle the books. Arturo's the artist. We have another guy that works for us too: Jess. The first part of the portfolio is Arturo's work and the second part is Jess's work. Once Jae Sun's ready, we'll add a third part for Jae Sun's work. We have a portfolio behind the desk that has all of the tattoos Jae Sun applied to pig skin. If you look at them in sequential order, the improvement over time is obvious." Salem went around the desk and grabbed the private portfolio to show Yvonne. She opened it and was immediately taken with it.

"Oh wow," Yvonne said. The first tattoo was very simple: a black and grey koi fish swimming around one another to form a peace sign, but it definitely didn't look complete. On that page were several other tiny tattoos of varying images each looking clearly better than the one from before. There were three back to back pages of pictures of those sort of tattoos and then she reached the page that had Jae Sun's first large scale tattoo: the sailor pin up girl. She was certainly pretty. All the features of her face were beautiful, the hands looked perfect (evidently one of the hardest things to get right) and her proportions were appropriately exaggerated to be a proper sex symbol but there was something….generic about it. "I can see why he didn't like the pin up. There's nothing special about it."

"Jae Sun was saying much the same thing," Salem said. "He's too hard on himself. That pin up was good."

"Would you wear this?" Yvonne asked.

"I've already got my perfect pinup on my body. Besides, I don't really want a sailor girl tattoo. I'd bet you anything there are plenty of men that would happily get this on their body, though."

"I'm sure, but I agree with Jae Sun that it's not unique at all."

"Fine, you don't like it," Salem said with a light chuckle and took back the portfolio and returned it behind the desk. "Regardless, I'm looking forward to Jae Sun feeling comfortable enough to apply a tattoo to human skin. His passion is cartoons, but he's a gifted photo realistic artist too. He just needs to build his confidence."

"Would you be his first client?"

"Gladly," Salem smiled. "It'll be my only free tattoo and I'll promise you it'll be one of my best."

"What would you ask him to give you and where?"

"I'd need to think about it."

"Would he give me a tattoo?" Yvonne asked, taking Salem by surprise.

"What would you want him to give you?"

"Something colorful," Yvonne said. "For so long, I couldn't see the world. Now that I can, everything's so bright and pretty. I'd love to have something pretty like that on my body. And I want something that makes me think of you."

"Really?" Salem asked with a smile and took her in his arms as her hands trailed up to rest on his shoulders. "What makes you think of me?"

"Polaroids for starters," Yvonne smiled and then she started to contemplate.

"Good, you're thinking about it," Salem said and pressed a kiss to her lips. "It'll be a while before he's comfortable I suspect, so keep thinking it over. I'm all for you getting a tattoo, but I want you to be sure and I want you to be happy with it. You'll have this piece of artwork on your body forever. You need to love it."

"Okay," Yvonne nodded.

Salem gave Yvonne a more thorough tour of the shop and once she'd seen everything, they left to return home and enjoy the remainder of their night. Come Saturday, Salem and Yvonne made the drive to Seattle so they could go to Emma Leigh's apartment for Yvonne's hair appointment. Salem went to Jae Sun's apartment in the same building so Emma Leigh could give Yvonne one on one attention and once Salem was gone, Emma Leigh got straight to the point.

"So how much do you want to cut off?" Emma Leigh asked as she was removing bobby pins and undoing Yvonne's bun and braid.

"I just don't want it dragging behind me when I walk," Yvonne said.

"That's a given. But how long do you want to keep it?" Emma Leigh. "Do you want me to cut to your knees or shorter?"

"Maybe shorter?" Yvonne said but then, "No. If I go too short, Salem will be heartbroken."

"Hey, Salem will live. This is about you and what you want. What do you want?" Emma Leigh asked.

Yvonne continued to think about it and looked at herself in the full length mirror trying to picture what length she wanted. She imagined it reaching only to her knees and Emma Leigh held the hair aside to accomplish the illusion of the length. She didn't like it and said so. They tried bringing it up so it rested just under Yvonne's hips. She asked Emma Leigh to go just a tiny bit lower so it rested about three inches down her thighs and this time, she smiled and said she liked that length. So Emma Leigh used a tie to section off the hair and made the cut. Then she brought Yvonne to the bathroom to get her hair washed and once she was washed, Emma Leigh returned her to the room so she could begin styling the hair, giving it layers so it had more dimension and looked fuller. Once she was done, she blow dried the hair straight and finally let Yvonne look at it in the mirror.

"It looks so pretty," Yvonne smiled and then twirled around. "It's not getting caught on my feet!"

"It's still long but should be considerably more manageable," Emma Leigh smiled. Yvonne gave her a big hug that she returned.

"Thank you, Emma Leigh."

"You're welcome," Emma Leigh said. "Come on. Let's go to Jae Sun's place and show Salem your new look."

When Salem saw Yvonne with her cut hair, it didn't scare him as much as he'd thought it would. It was still silky and full and beautiful, only now it wasn't dragging behind her and if she wanted to she could actually wear it down. No braid required. Salem affirmed he loved it and thought she looked stunning and the rest of the afternoon Yvonne kept playing with her hair. Poki was also very fond of Yvonne's hair, swatting at it like he would to string and Jae Sun did what he could to get Poki in line. Thankfully, Poki shifted his attention to Jae Sun by rubbing against him purring loudly and then using his little nose to lift Jae Sun's shirt and get snuggled under Jae Sun's shirt. Once Poki was comfy, it was like seeing a beer gut that was clearly breathing and making loud purring noises. The site struck everyone as especially comical.

For the rest of August leading up to when the half moon was expected, the tribe started getting everything ready for the double wedding. Taraq especially was calling Oscar constantly hoping for updates on Uilette and how she was feeling. Thankfully, the pregnancy was progressing normally according to Owota. Kyle would, of course, give Uilette a checkup as soon as she arrived so they could get an idea of how the baby was progressing. Uilette was living with her parents following the divorce and had not spoken with or even seen Hawk. When it was the day she and Cidelle were leaving with her parents to go to Washington, she went to the house to make sure she didn't forget anything and Hawk was there. At first it was horribly awkward and they didn't say anything to each other. However the silence became too much for both of them and Hawk ended up breaking the silence.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"I've been feeling sick on and off, but most of the time I feel fine. I can't eat anything spicy anymore. It just makes my stomach hurt so bad. Mother says she suffered the same ailment with each child."

"Yeah, I've heard that's not uncommon," Hawk said. Another awkward silence passed between them as Uilette kept gathering the last of her things, but eventually she ended that silence.

"I'm sorry about what happened. I never wanted to hurt you."

"Don't apologize," Hawk said. "I'm not innocent in this. I should have told you when my feelings were changing. If I had, maybe we could have fixed things or at least ended this amicably." Hawk was quiet again and then said, "I'm sorry about what Desarae said to you."

"No, I deserved it," Uilette said. "Regardless of why I did it, I still had an affair behind your back." A brief silence passed before she said, "Can I ask you something?"

"What's that?"

"Cidelle…..she said you had approached her once asking for a baby…did you?"

Hawk was quiet a moment before finally admitting, "Yes, I did. I'm sorry. I should never have done that." Uilette nodded her head. She wasn't even mad. She couldn't muster it.

"I think we both made a big mess of this," Uilette said.

"If I can give you and Taraq a word of advice: be honest with each other. Don't be afraid to talk to each other. Otherwise, this happens," Hawk said. Uilette finally smiled a little and so did Hawk.

"Do you think we could still be friends?"

"I'd like that," Hawk said and, in an act to cement the truce, Hawk came to Uilette to give her a hug that she reciprocated. "Good luck to you. I wish you and Taraq the best."

"Thank you, Hawk. You too," Uilette said.

Having made arrangements previously, Oscar drove Uilette, Cidelle and her parents to the airport and guided them around until they reached their dock and when they finally landed in Washington, Taraq and Bayaq were there to greet them, going right to Uilette and Cidelle to hug them tight and welcome them. Bayaq took Cidelle and her parents to Embry Sr.'s and Caevia's home where they would stay until the wedding while Taraq took Uilette to the hospital to see Kyle. They waited for about an hour before he was finally available.

"Are you comfortable speaking English?" Kyle asked Uilette once he had the couple in a room.

"Um….my language easier," Uilette managed.

"Okay," Kyle said, "We can worry about getting you proficient in English later. First, Uilette, can you lay back for me and we'll begin the ultrasound?"

"What is an ultrasound?" Uilette asked as she laid back on the gurney as instructed.

"It just allows me to see the baby," Kyle said.

"You can already see the baby?" Uilette asked.

"Yeah, we can," Kyle said to her with a smile and lifted her smock that she'd put on so that her belly was completely visible. "When we got this thing, it was possibly the greatest thing to happen for our moms. We can find out immediately if there's a problem and address it or we can know right away if there are multiples. Does wonders to make planning easier."

She had round bump that had been gradually forming on her belly that by now was easily noticeable. When she noticed it for the first time, she'd actually started crying a little. She wished Taraq could have been with her when that happened, but he would be with her for the rest of the time and that's all that mattered. Kyle used some gel on her belly, turned on the machine and then started rubbing a wand over her belly. Then a little black and white image appeared on the screen. It was definitely a baby. She could see its head, it's little nose, it's body, arms and feet. Kyle moved the wand around so he could get a good view of every part of the baby including the top of its head, the baby's back and so on. One place he'd rested the wand even made it possible to see something moving rapidly in a pulsing movement.

"Do you want to hear the baby's heartbeat?" Kyle asked. Uilette nodded and Kyle turned on another bottom that made the room fill with this loud, pounding beat that seemed so fast to her. She started crying the moment it sounded and Taraq held her in his arms.

"That's our baby, Uilette," Taraq said which made her cry harder, but she was overjoyed. "That's our baby," he repeated to her and then kissed her. "So does everything look okay?" Taraq then asked Kyle.

"Everything looks as it should for approximately 21 weeks," Kyle said. "Do you want to know the gender?"

"We can learn the gender?" Uilette asked with amazement, then exchanged a look with Taraq.

"Do you want to find out now?" Taraq asked. Uilette looked back at the image of her little baby on the screen. Since Kyle was keeping the wand stationary, she could actually see the baby moving a little: rubbing it's little face and then sucking on its thumb. It was so surreal. For a moment she thought she wanted to know but then she changed her mind and shook her head.

"No," Uilette said. "I want to be surprised."

"Alright, we'll find out come baby's birthday," Kyle said. He moved the wand around a little more while looking at the screen and once he was satisfied, he took the wand away. "Alright, Uilette. Everything looks great. Baby's developing right on schedule. I want you to keep drinking the herbal tea you got from Owota and once you've run out, I'll give you some more remedies to help with any sickness. It should pass once the baby's born, but avoid spicy food. I know you've noticed the pain, but I want to make sure it's clear. It's giving you something called heartburn."

"Is that dangerous?" Uilette asked. "I heard it happens to a lot of women so I thought it was normal."

"Heartburn is an extremely common symptom yes, but you should make a point to avoid eating food that causes it," Kyle said and started writing a few things down. "Like I always tell mothers, eat plenty of variety, colorful fruits and vegetables, healthy fats like olive oil and protein. Taraq, make sure you have all this sort of thing supplied in your house so you'll be prepared once you're married and moved in together."

"Alright," Taraq said and took the paper once Kyle had finished filling it out. "So when is the baby due?"

"Since she conceived in June, the baby will be due end of February or beginning of March at latest. I'd say February is the best bet. She's around 20-21 weeks based on the baby's measurements."

"I'll get to work on this," Taraq said, referencing the paper Kyle had handed him. "You don't mind having future appointments later in the day do you?"

"I'll work with your schedule and the drive out here; don't worry," Kyle said.

"Do you live far away?" Uilette said.

"He lives in the city. Don't worry, once the baby's on the way, I'll be to your house within two hours at longest to help you deliver. We have the same practice of the baby being born in the home," Kyle reassured.

"Okay, good," Uilette said. Kyle finished cleaning the gel off Uilette's belly and once it was gone and the medical gown was brought back down, she started rubbing her belly. "Taraq, give me your hand," she ordered suddenly and took the hand Taraq offered and placed it on her belly. She took a few seconds to get his hand in the right spot and once there, he felt a tiny kick. He'd felt this kick many times from his childhood when Caevia would become pregnant and he'd felt this once or twice when Natalie had been pregnant with JJ, but feeling his own kid was so much more special.

"I don't think I've ever enjoyed feeling that so much," Taraq said.

"It's always different when it's yours," Kyle said and stood up, patting Taraq's back. "Congratulations you two. If I don't see either of you beforehand, I'll see you again at the wedding. Go up to the front desk and they'll get you down for another ultrasound appointment. And like I'd said before, Uilette, once you run out of Owota's herbal supplement, just give me a call and I'll give you my own. I'm just a call away, so if anything else happens, just call me okay?"

"Thank you," Uilette smiled and finally Kyle left, leaving Uilette and Taraq alone. "I guess I should go to your mother's home now."

"We can wait a bit," Taraq said, continuing to rub her belly hoping he'd feel another kick. It seemed like the baby was relaxing so it wasn't kicking. Taraq wheeled the chair closer and pressed his ear over her belly and Uilette laced her fingers through his short hair as he did. He could hear the baby's sped up, tiny heartbeat. "I used to listen to mom's belly when she was pregnant. Sometimes I'd poke her belly trying to make the baby kick and if it didn't, I'd get so bored. But this? I could do this all day."

Uilette smiled, "The first time I felt the baby kick, I actually didn't realize that's what it was. I'd told my mother about this weird sensation I'd felt and she explained that was the baby kicking. I was so mad; I'd felt the baby kick and I hadn't even stopped to appreciate it. Now that I know how it feels, I make a point to enjoy it." Taraq listened to her belly a moment longer until he felt a kick against his cheek. It made him smile, but then the kicks continued and he laughed a little as he lifted his head.

"I think the baby got annoyed with me," Taraq said.

"I don't know why. The baby's usually active around this time," Uilette said and rubbed the spot. That seemed to make the baby calm down a little.

"We'll be in my apartment for a while longer," Taraq said, "But right now we're making improvements to a house. I'm going to ask Embry if I can buy it off him instead of putting it back on the market. It'll be ready to move in before the baby's born and we can get settled."

"Sounds like a plan," Uilette smiled.

They finally left the ultrasound room going to the front desk of the hospital to get themselves in for another appointment making sure it was a day Taraq could take the whole day. Then he drove Uilette to his parents' house and helped her with her things. Taraq and Bayaq stayed over to have dinner together and all their brothers and sisters, even Rae (though her son stayed at home – they'd get to meet Wren come wedding day), came over to get acquainted with Cidelle and Uilette. Everyone asked to touch Uilette's belly but since the baby was apparently napping, there was little to no kicking save for a jerking movement here or there. Regardless, Caevia and her daughters were already plotting for the baby shower. The remainder of the time up to the weddings seemed to drag by. It was only a few days, but it felt like forever. Taraq talked with Embry about him buying the house they were currently flipping and Embry (ever the generous and loving older brother Embry made a point to say, Taraq doing his best not to roll his eyes) agreed to sell the house to him for a good price and Taraq would waive his share from the sale. They had a few more things that needed to be fixed up, but they would have the house done by beginning of September.

Finally, it came the day of the weddings. The tribe was in full form getting things ready for that evening. A bonfire was set up, food was being prepared and Uilette and Cidelle were being prepared. Cidelle wore the white rabbit fur dress and Uilette wore the fox fur that Takara and Genevieve brought with them, though it needed to be let out just a bit to accommodate the baby.

"You know, I'm glad we could have our weddings together," Cidelle said as they were getting sewn into their dresses.

"Me too," Uilette smiled. "I'm sorry how the first date ended, but everything turned out okay in the end."

"You did make my first wedding day go up in flames," Cidelle teased then rubbed Uilette's belly, "But I'm finally getting a niece or nephew, so all's forgiven. Although I'm sore with you that you didn't jump on the opportunity to know now if it's a boy or girl."

"I want to wait," Uilette said. "When you and Bayaq have a baby, you can find out right away to your heart's content."

"I will," Cidelle said holding her head up high and Uilette laughed.

The beach was packed with people by the time it was nearing nightfall. Evalynn was, sadly, not there but she did make a point to send a wedding gift/baby gift. It wasn't much - a Crockpot for Cidelle and Bayaq and some baby toys for Uilette and Taraq – but they were certainly appreciated necessities. This was a bit of a first for the tribe to have two weddings at once, but the way of the ceremony allowed for the arrangement to be effortless. Kyle and Jacob, in line with Quileute tradition, told the story of their ancestors but as a special addition, they also relayed the story of the falcon from the Tistilal tradition making a comment that the once broken tribes had reunited and were now stronger than ever for it. Women of the tribe with very young or infant sons performed their dance to encourage fertility and good health to the baby that was already on the way and once the bonfire was lit, everyone got up to dance around the fire to seal the union. Uilette and Taraq kept their dance rather brief since Uilette was getting extremely tired, so after a few loops around the fire, the two of them sat down and had some food. After a moment, Blu Jae and Desarae left the bonfire after their own dance.

"I will be back, alright?" Uilette said to Taraq.

"Are you feeling alright?" Taraq asked.

"Yes, I'm fine. I just need to make amends," she said as she stood. Taraq looked in Desarae's direction.

"Do you want me to go with you?"

"No, Desarae and I need to talk alone," Uilette said and made her way to Desarae and Blu Jae. Desarae did not appear keen in the least to speak with her when she noticed Uilette approaching. "Desarae?"

"Yeah?" Desarae asked.

"Do you mind if we step away to talk?"

"Whatever you have to say, Blu Jae can be with us for it," Desarae said. Blu Jae rubbed her back silently encouraging her not to raise her voice.

"Alright, so long as Blu Jae doesn't mind," Uilette said.

"I'll stay if you want me to," Blu Jae said to Desarae and she nodded affirming she wanted him to stay. Uilette got to her knees planting her hands to her belly out of instinct and Desarae noticed. Her expression didn't change but Uilette could tell Desarae was extremely unhappy with her presence.

"I had a chance to talk to Hawk before I left," Uilette started. Desarae didn't respond. "We apologized to one another. We had a heart to heart and we're finally friends. It feels like years since we've been friends much less in love. But we're finally back on good terms."

"Good. Is that all?" Desarae said. Blu Jae rubbed her back again.

"I guess I was just hoping we could patch things up too. I know you're angry with me and I don't blame you, but we should move past this."

"I'm happy Hawk forgave you and I won't take that from you. It does not mean I'll forgive you so easily," Desarae said.

"If you don't want to forgive me, I'll accept that, but the least we can do is be cordial."

"We are being cordial," Desarae said calmly. "I've not said a negative thing towards you no matter what any of the others among the tribe said, but trust me that it was no easy task not to say anything when you were called a whore."

"You already called me one," Uilette said.

"Because my brother was going after Taraq in a fit. What else was I supposed to say?" Desarae asked and Uilette just held her head down without an answer. "Look, I get it. I know you and my brother were not happy. I just thought you'd wanted to fix things so after what you did, I got really angry with you. Your sister certainly didn't need to push me."

"She was just defending me. You were doing to same," Uilette said and Desarae sighed.

"Fair enough," she said.

"Desarae, please. We all used to be really close. I would like us to be that way again," Uilette said.

"I can't do that. Not right now," Desarae said honestly. "Especially not with Cidelle."

"Can we at least call it truce?" Uilette asked.

"Truce is already called," Desarae said. "Maybe one day we can be friends again, but I don't know if we'll be the way we were."

"I'd like it if we could at least try," Uilette said.

"Give me time. We'll try some day. Just not now."

"Okay," Uilette relented. "Well, thank you for being here. It means a lot."

"You're welcome," Desarae said and Uilette finally stood and walked away. Once she was gone, Blu Jae held Desarae a little closer.

"Do you think you'll be able to patch things up with Uilette and Cidelle?" Blu Jae asked.

"I'll try, but I need space right now. After all these years of Cidelle badmouthing my brother and then all this, I can't right now."

"I get it," Blu Jae said and rubbed her arm comfortingly.

"You knew about all this, didn't you?" Desarae asked after a brief silence and looked up at him. Blu Jae's shoulders slumped a little with a nervous sigh.

"I knew that Taraq had imprinted on Uilette and I knew about the two of them sleeping together. The pack has no secrets from one another. We can hear each other's thoughts when we're in wolf form. But I didn't know about Uilette wanting to have a baby and her reasons for starting an affair with Taraq. As far as he'd known and by virtue as far as we'd known, Uilette had feelings for him but she wanted to save her marriage. I swear, I didn't know about the baby until that day."

Desarae looked at Blu Jae a moment and then finally sighed a little, "Don't hide things from me, okay?"

"I promise I wasn't trying to hide anything from you," Blu Jae said.

"I know," Desarae said. "I'm not mad at you. Honestly, it's probably best that you didn't say anything. If you had, it would have given Chief Barka cause to force you all to leave and we would all be dead now."

"Can you forgive me?" Blu Jae asked.

"There's nothing to forgive," Desarae said and finally smiled lovingly at him. Blu Jae smiled back and held her close, kissing the top of her head.

"I love you," he said.

"I love you too," Desarae said back. "Do you think anyone would miss us if we went home? I think I've earned you playing for me."

"Absolutely," Blu Jae said and the two of them went back to his house hand in hand.

It was extremely late before Bayaq, Cidelle, Taraq and Uilette left. They left in separate cars but promised they'd see each other again after their three days of solitude. The tribe continued to enjoy the party well into the night and everything was more or less at a standstill the next day recovering from the festivities. Emma Leigh and Jae Sun needed to get back into the city, so Gabriel drove them home and stayed the night with Jae Sun. Emma Leigh had offered for Gabriel to stay the night with her, but Gabriel explained sorrowfully that if Emmett found out he'd skin Gabriel alive, so he had to decline, but he promised they'd all hang out the following day for breakfast before Emma Leigh had to return to school. Gabriel slept on the couch in Jae Sun's apartment and was left undisturbed. Jae Sun had no such luxury. As he slept, early in the morning (far too early) he felt tiny paws poking his face and a sandpaper-y tongue licking his hair.

"Fine, Poki, I'm up," Jae Sun groaned and got out of bed making the walk to the kitchen to make Poki's breakfast all while the cat looped through his legs purring loudly. He was just relieved Poki's purring didn't wake Gabriel. He went back to bed the moment Poki's food had been laid out but it wasn't long before he felt Poki on top of him purring and resting, so Jae Sun took his hand out from under the covers and started petting Poki. "Sometimes I think you're actually a dog," Jae Sun mumbled in a groggy voice.

Gabriel woke up eventually and got started on making coffee. Once it was brewed, he went outside to his car to grab something and then went upstairs to Emma Leigh's apartment letting himself in with the key she'd given him. She was getting ready when he entered, so they went downstairs to Jae Sun's apartment together. When they arrived, she could see Jae Sun in bed from the front door with Poki on top of him, both of them having fallen asleep and Emma Leigh giggled.

"I see Jae Sun may have partied a little too hard," she said.

"I think we all did," Gabriel said. "Did you want coffee or just water?"

"Just water," Emma Leigh said.

"So how much longer do you have of school?"

"Just another few weeks. I'm fortunate the instructors were willing to give me private schooling after missing all my classes end of the semester, although I guess daddy throwing some money their way influenced their generosity."

"Hey, whatever works," Gabriel said. "So are you planning to find work up here or back home?"

"Once I'm licensed, I'll find work either in Forks or Port Angeles. I'll keep doing hair for everyone in your tribe, but I will start charging a little fee. I'll still cut your hair for free though," Emma Leigh smiled.

"You're a life saver," Gabriel smiled.

"Speaking of, you may be due for a cut soon," Emma Leigh said and ran her fingers through his hair. "I'll have to touch up my roots soon too."

"Given no one sees your roots where your hair's bleached you can take your time at least," Gabriel said, running his fingers through her hair as well. Her bangs had grown out but they were still shorter than the rest of her hair of course. Now they just looked like long pieces that framed her face. As he looked at her, he suddenly got a little nervous. "So let me ask you something?"

"What's that?" Emma Leigh said.

"What would you say if, after you get your license and move back to Forks, I asked you to marry me?"

"I'd ask if you've talked to daddy," Emma Leigh said with a smile.

"I'd say that I did," Gabriel said. "I'd say that he said if you say yes, then we have his blessing."

"In that case," Emma Leigh said, "I would say I'd love to marry you." Gabriel glanced into Jae Sun's bedroom to make sure he was still asleep and once he knew, he returned his attention to Emma Leigh and grabbed a box out of his back pocket. This time Emma Leigh looked really surprised. "Wait, you're…."

"Yeah, I was being serious. I'll be honest: waiting for you to get your license had been the original plan, but I'm afraid I've gotten a little impatient," Gabriel said and opened the box. There were two things inside. One was the bracelet he'd made for her. He'd not made it by himself. He'd had a lot of help from the jeweler who'd constructed a gold woven band that he'd designed and the jeweler helped him put together. The second item was a ring. A square cut solitaire diamond ring that he'd saved up for months to get. It was only 1 diamond, but it was a full karat and he was rather proud of it.

"Gabriel," Emma Leigh said in a soft, airy voice – now taken by surprise.

"Emma Leigh McCarthy, will you marry me?" he asked.

She nodded with tears in her eyes, "Yes," and then she waited while Gabriel slipped the ring on her finger and wrapped the bracelet around her wrist before finally falling into his arms in a hug and the two shared a kiss.

"She say yes?" Jae Sun called, sleep thick in his voice, from his bed under the covers.

"Yes, she said yes," Gabriel said.

"If any slap and tickle is necessary, take it upstairs, okay?" Jae Sun said and Gabriel laughed.

Emmett and Rosalie had known previously that Gabriel would propose, so when Emma Leigh called them with the news, they told her they already had a little party planned for her. When she'd gone to school that day, Emma Leigh showed off her ring with pride and showed off her bracelet all the more so, bragging about how her fiancé had designed it for her and everything. That following weekend, Emma Leigh went to the Cullen house and the whole family was there to celebrate hers and Gabriel's engagement. Alice already had Emma Leigh sat down so they could start talking about what she wanted for the wedding. She agreed that she and Gabriel would have a Quileute wedding but she also wanted a big wedding. They got their moon ceremony completed and determined their Quileute wedding needed to be on the crescent moon, so whatever day they picked for their other wedding, it would need to be either right before or immediately after their Quileute wedding. She only determined that she for sure wanted a summer wedding but wasn't positive about the day. Come end of August, Emma Leigh completed the weeks her instructors had outlined for her and with one last test on a real person, she earned her license and could start working right away.

"It'll feel so lonely without you just upstairs," Jae Sun said after she'd gotten all her things packed and he was helping her, Rosalie and Emmett move her things.

"I know, but we'll still see each other whenever you come back home. Make sure Poki knows I'll miss him."

"I'll tell him," Jae Sun said with a small laugh.

That month, the school year for the tribe's school began and the Tistilal children fit right in having spent the better part of a month getting familiar with their new environment, becoming comfortable in with their living situation and personalizing their rooms, and getting to know the other kids. Nesia and Suerro were their primary instructors as previously agreed with Blu Jae acting as their music teacher once a week. Nesia continued teaching Ahiga how to read and he eventually got his documentation including a social security card, a birth certificate for approximately his time of birth and a Driver's license. He'd not taken the name Barker. He wanted nothing to do with his father and that included taking the surname that Oscar had created for himself based off their father's name. Instead, he decided he wanted to take the name of where he was making his new start: Washington. When he had his documentation, he was legally known as Ahiga Washington. It felt really good to see that name. With that, he started applying to jobs in town. Thanks to Caleb putting in a good word for him, Ahiga started working at the logging company in town. His reading was finally proficient, but he would still need to read things slowly at times to make sure he fully understood something, but the heavy lifting and hard label did a lot to help him relax remarkably. After his first two weeks when he came home with his first pay stub, he was so proud of himself. He'd returned back to the house he was sharing with Nesia and before she could ask him how his day was, he lifted her into his arms, spun her around and gave her a kiss.

"I got my first paycheck today," Ahiga said.

"That's great!" Nesia smiled.

"How much do I owe you in rent?"

"Ahiga-"

"Please, Nesia, I want to do this right. How much do I owe you?"

"Let's call it $100 dollars for the three months you've been here and going forward, you can pay me $35 a month," Nesia finally suggested.

"You've got a deal," Ahiga said, kissed her again and then put her down. "I need to use this to make cash, right?"

"Yes, but we also need to open a bank account for you," Nesia said. "We'll take care of that tomorrow."

"Sounds good," Ahiga said. "In the meantime, we need to celebrate."

"That's true: we do," Nesia said. "How about we go into town and have some drinks together at Ada's bar? My treat?"

"Shouldn't it be my treat?"

"No, I insist. It's my treat," Nesia said.

"Alright, if you insist, but next time I get paid and cash my check, it'll be my treat," Ahiga said and the two of them went back to the car and drove into town. When they got to the bar and told Ariel why they were there, Ariel gave them both a beer insisting they were on the house and they could pay for any other drinks they had after that.

"Congratulations and your first two weeks," Nesia said as they tapped their bottles together.

"And cheers to a brighter future," he answered and they took back a sip of their beers. "I wonder how long it will be before I can afford a place for mom to come stay."

"If you rent an apartment within the tribe, it won't cost too much," Nesia said. "Last I checked, I think Embry charges about $75 for the three bedroom apartments so a single room would be in the $50 range."

"That should be feasible," Ahiga said.

"You'll continue to live with me right?" Nesia asked hopefully.

"As long as I'm paying you rent, I'll stay," Ahiga smiled. "Shit, we should have invited Caleb out with us. He's the one that helped me get the job."

"He's not 21 yet, so he can't drink," Nesia said. "It used to be that you could buy alcohol at 18 and it wasn't likely you'd get in trouble, but shops and bars are a lot more strict these days. You can buy him his first drink on his 21st birthday as thank you."

"I'll do that," Ahiga said. "I'd thought the drinking age was 19."

"It depends on what state you live in. As I recall, the drinking age in Arizona is 19. I know the drinking age in Connecticut is officially being lowered to 18 come 1972, but Evalynn's been to parties where they'll let her drink and not say anything."

"Why doesn't every state have the same laws?"

"It's part of being a democracy the way the US is. There are Federal Laws that each state much follow, but States are given authority to make their own laws where it applies."

"Okay," Ahiga said with a small shrug. "So I hear the phone lines have finally been installed so we can call the tribe directly instead of making Oscar the go-between."

"Yeah, grandpa is ecstatic," Nesia said. "Most of Saturday was spent with the kids on the phone with their parents one at a time to let them know how they're doing. All that's left now is to square things away with the State of Arizona. Uncle Kevin will make sure that goes smoothly."

"I hope so," Ahiga said. "Oliver damn near shit himself when he found out the state was getting involved."

"Well yeah, you guys were a previously unmarked settlement. I can't believe you guys had gone this long without being noticed."

"From what I know, whoever had crossed our tribe's paths were killed and could never report back. Supposedly, that's how Oscar and Oliver got their names. There were two frontiersmen that lasted longer than their other companions when the flock attacked, father got their names somehow and admired their longevity. Hence Oscar and Oliver."

"Where did he get the name Owen?"

"Pulled it out of his ass for all I know," Ahiga said. "Let's not talk about my father."

"Absolutely," Nesia said and took his hand. Barka was still, and probably always would be, a very touchy subject for Ahiga. They changed the subject talking instead of their work and their days getting three drinks in before driving back home.

Ahiga, having never really drank before much less had three beers, was feeling loopy and once they were back inside the house he was all over Nesia. She eventually got him upstairs and a quick, passionate end to their night. Through the night, Ahiga's head filled with memories from his childhood. He remembered being a small boy, still short in height, extremely scrawny in stature from poor food supply and rough hands from manual labor. Although despite the hardships, he had a happy life with his mother. It had been a hot autumn afternoon when Ahiga was playing outside with some other children. Ahiga had seen the Thunderbirds many times before. They walked around with authority, some ignored them while others took what they wanted then ignored them. That day in particular, though, Ahiga had been out playing finally having a moment's rest from some labor when a man he didn't recognize grabbed him by his wrist. Barka had been near and looked upon Ahiga once the boy was restrained. He'd grabbed Ahiga by the jaw and started at his face noting each and every feature before releasing his face forcefully.

"Throw him from the Pedestal," Barka had ordered.

The rest of what happened was a blur to him. He'd fought and screamed for Haseya. She chased after him crying only to be restrained herself as the man given the order dragged Ahiga through the slums past the Tistilal tribe center and to the Pedestal. He was crying, kicking and screaming to make the man let him go but he wouldn't. He remembered hearing his mother the whole time. He remembered hearing her swear she didn't know his father's identity and he was not a bastard of the Thunderbirds, but her pleas and cries were ignored. Ahiga remembered being carried up the Pedestal by his arm and being absolutely terrified. He'd never seen children thrown from the Pedestal, but he remembered one or two occasions of mothers screaming, the sound of a baby crying and then that baby's cry being suddenly silenced. Now here he was screaming at the top of his lungs but unable to get away from who was holding him. He remembered finally making it to the top of the Pedestal and mere moments later being tossed off. He remembered the feeling of falling fast and that's when Ahiga woke up with a jolt and a yell.

"Ahiga?!" Nesia said, his sudden outburst waking her. He was sitting up in their bed breathing heavily and shaking when Nesia took him in her arms. She brought his head to her chest and petted his head to calm him and he eventually wrapped his arms around her waist. She could hear his heart pounding as she got the two of them laid back down. "It was just a nightmare, Ahiga. Everything's okay," Nesia said soothingly.

"It happened, Nesia," Ahiga got through and Nesia kept cuddling him, kissing his head. "I'm sorry," he said.

"For what?"

"For waking you," Ahiga said. "I haven't had that nightmare in so long. I still remember it so well." Ahiga took a moment to keep breathing and calm down. "It was when I'd been thrown from the Pedestal." Nesia didn't make him talk further and kept holding him and comforting him. When he'd finally relaxed a little, Ahiga sat back up in bed with Nesia following but keeping her right hand on his back and holding his left hand with her own.

"Do you want anything? I can get you some chamomile tea," Nesia offered.

"No, I'm alright," Ahiga said while he continued taking some deep breaths. "I think I'm okay now."

"Are you sure you don't want something?"

"Yeah, I'm sure," Ahiga said and finally looked up at Nesia. When he did, he felt much better. "Thanks for helping me."

"Of course," Nesia said and rested her head on his shoulder. He let go of her hand so he could bring his arm around her waist.

He finally got back to sleep and there were no further nightmares that night but Ahiga found the memory was lingering in his mind and it was bothering him, so he did everything in his power to keep himself busy that weekend. Happier news came in the form of Cidelle experiencing symptoms that she recognized immediately. She'd told Bayaq who called Kyle, they set a date to drive down and with a simple blood test, Kyle confirmed she was pregnant and estimated the baby would be here by May. Yvonne began experiencing very similar symptoms of sickness through the day and drowsiness, but didn't catch on right away what it was until Esparenza asked her in private if she was pregnant. Yvonne realized she wasn't sure, they went to see Kyle as soon as possible and he confirmed she was also pregnant and should expect the baby around May. The news was met with great enthusiasm.

"You know what we should do?" Yvonne said after the two had been lying in bed together after their lovemaking.

"What should we do?"

"We should document the baby's progress while I'm pregnant. Take a picture of my belly every week and include that with all our child's other pictures."

"Want to start now?" Salem asked, but he was already getting out of bed and going to grab his camera. "I'll need to get more materials for this thing soon I think, but I can get one more picture out of this."

"Let me get into something," Yvonne said and slipped her panties back on. She found a pair of shorts that she'd gotten while she'd been out shopping with Emma Leigh and got it on and then put on her pink bikini top.

"That's perfect. Do you want to do this in our room or out in the living room?"

"Right here," Yvonne said and went against one of the white walls. She stood in such a way that she was standing to the side. Her hands were on her hips, her belly was completely visible and still flat. Salem found a good angle and took a picture of her, catching the photo once it was released. "That may be the most conservative picture you've taken of me," she joked.

"This picture is meant to be shared. The others are just for us," Salem smiled and placed the picture on the dresser. "I'll buckle down and find us a house. By the time our baby is born, he or she will have a back yard."

"Taraq and Uilette moved into their house right?"

"Not yet," Salem said. "I think they're installing the new appliances and then it'll be done. At the rate they're going, I'd say Uncle Taraq and Uncle Embry will settle on a price in another week or two then he and Aunt Uilette will move in." Salem thought a moment and then laughed. "It's weird calling Uilette my aunt. I'm pretty confident her and Cidelle are all younger than me."

"They're definitely younger than me," Yvonne said and removed her shorts so she was in her bikini top and panties. "So we might have a Mae in May?"

Salem chuckled, "Jae Sun was born on Christmas Day, so who knows. Maybe our kid will have a corky birthday too."

"That would be fun," Yvonne smiled.

"I just remembered the 12th of May is Mother's Day," Salem said. "You think our kid might be born on Mother's Day?"

"There's a holiday for moms?" Yvonne asked and glanced down at her belly and started rubbing it. "I guess we'll have to see."

Word got back to Evalynn about all the babies that were going to be due next year. Jokingly, Kyle suggested that maybe Evalynn could come home for two months and get some firsthand experience in delivering babies. Her answer was to say she hoped that a woman wouldn't deliver a baby in the courtroom and the two of them had a good laugh. Evalynn and Caroline picked a day to go shopping together that weekend at which point she told her about all the new babies being expected in the family.

"Sounds to me like you'll have a lot of new family members to visit come Christmas. Or are you staying here for Christmas gain?"

"I'm staying but I'll go back home for the summer next year," Evalynn said.

"I'll miss you while you're gone," Caroline smiled and made a kissing sound with her lips in lieu of actually giving her a kiss. "So my school is hosting a pre-school program this semester. I told you that right?"

"Yes, you did. You said you're assigned to a little boy named Danny you said?"

"Yes," Caroline smiled. "Oh, Evalynn, you should meet him. He's just the sweetest thing in the whole world. Every day when I see him, he always gives me a big hug when he comes into class then gives me a big hug when he's leaving with his mom. And every day, he's so excited for his lesson plan. He really likes animals and always wants to play with the class bunny."

"He sounds like a sweetheart," Evalynn smiled and pulled out a shirt to look at it. While she did so, Caroline looked at her for a moment and then sighed a little which grabbed Evalynn's attention. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Caroline said. "I just…..I'd love kids some day." Evalynn was a little stunned by the change of topic. Moreover, she was taken with Caroline's expression of sadness at the statement.

"I mean….." Evalynn began, thinking of how to answer, "I think it would be nice to have kids. When the time is right, though."

Caroline looked at Evalynn with a hint of skepticism, "You mean us having kids? How?"

"There are ways," Evalynn said and scratched the back of her head. She was getting slightly uncomfortable with the conversation. "Now's not the time, though. I really think I'm better off getting my medical degree and law degree before there's talk of having kids."

"But….by then you'll be, what, 29? That's a bit late to start thinking of getting pregnant."

"I'm not the one carrying it," Evalynn said bluntly, "Carrying a baby means maternity leave and that means 2 months at minimum of no income. It's not happening." She'd not meant for it to sound so harsh, but when she saw Caroline's reaction, she realized how she'd come off. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say it like that." Another silence passed with Caroline looking a little sad before Evalynn said, "Let's talk about something else, okay?"

"Okay," She said and, desperate to change the subject, grabbed a orange shirt and presented it. "So what do you think about this color on me?"

"It's a little too bright an orange. I'd suggest a more reddish orange."

"Like a burnt orange," Caroline said and put the shirt away then walking off to keep looking.

Evalynn watched after Caroline as she wandered through the racks looking for the color she'd just suggested while Evalynn stayed back. Caroline eventually picked out all the clothes that she wanted to try on as did Evalynn and the two of them grabbed a dressing room together. They avoided their previous topic and focused entirely on picking clothes out for themselves. Then they went out to get lunch together until it was the agreed time when her father came to pick her up. When Evalynn returned home, her grandparents were out. She figured they'd run off to go hunting – it was about that time of month when they got thirsty. She knew they'd be gone at least two days since they always went further north to hunt. What happened that day was still bothering her and when she tried doing some homework she had a hard time focusing. She glanced at the clock to see what time it was: four o'clock. It would be two in Washington and her father was likely at the hospital. She did her best to focus but it just wasn't working, so she stepped away from her homework and stepped out again to buy something for dinner. She was in line waiting to check out when she felt a familiar presence behind her and looked over her shoulder to see Luke.

"Hey," she said to him with a pleasant smile.

"Hey," Luke said, "what are you getting?"

"Just the turkey sandwich on rye. You?"

"The club sandwich," Luke said. "We missed you at our study group today. How was your day?"

"It was fine," Evalynn said. Luke noticed the lack of enthusiasm to her answer.

"Everything alright?" Luke asked.

"Yeah, everything's fine. Just a rough day," Evalynn said.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Luke asked. Evalynn thought for a moment trying to think if she could possibly confide in Luke. At first, she thought better of it, but then her shoulders slumped.

"I think I could use a friend to talk to," Evalynn agreed.

"How about we pay for our food and sit down?"

"Sounds good," Evalynn said. Once they'd bought their dinners, Luke and Evalynn walked to a table outside and took a seat.

"So what's on your mind?" Luke asked once they'd found a table. Evalynn hesitated a moment as she thought of how to express the problem without giving herself away.

"It's about my….boyfriend," Evalynn said. "Carl," she made up the name off the top of her head.

"You're seeing someone? When did that happen?"

"It hasn't been very long," she lied again. "Caro….Carl and I were out today shopping and he brought up kids."

"Kids?"

"Yeah," Evalynn said. "He wants kids and….I'm not opposed to kids. It's just I want my career; you know what I mean? I don't want to deal with pregnancy and leaving work for it and all that shit. If we had kids, I'd rather sh-, I mean I'd rather not have to be the one to actually have the baby. If that makes sense."

"Who else would carry a baby except you?" Luke asked, confused.

"Someone else," Evalynn said.

"Honestly, it sounds to me like you don't want kids at all," Luke said. "May be for the best to make that clear from the start; you know what I mean?"

"It's not that I don't want kids," Evalynn said. That was the truth. She wanted kids eventually. Just because she wouldn't be able to marry Caroline didn't mean she wouldn't want to start a family with her. "I think the issue is…he," she remembered to say, "wants kids much sooner than I do."

"I get you," Luke said. "The only advice I can give you is to be direct about it. Tell Carl that you're not interested in kids right now and he can either respect that or find someone else. What you're striving for is no easy task. You're trying to earn a medical degree and law degree. That's hard enough to do with no other obligations. Imagine trying to do that with a child that relies on you."

"Exactly," Evalynn said. "I'm just scared about what happens when I put that line in the sand."

"If he loves you, he'll understand. If he doesn't, that's his loss," Luke said and Evalynn smiled a little.

"Thanks, Luke," Evalynn smiled.

"Any time," Luke smiled back.

She'd felt better for a moment while she and Luke were talking but when they'd parted ways and she walked back home, she started to feel apprehensive again. Luke was right: she needed to be clear with Caroline, but she was so scared about what would happen if she was. What if she wasn't willing to wait for her? It wasn't as though Evalynn couldn't understand why Caroline might feel that way. Caroline didn't have endless time on her hands. With that thought, a realization hit her. She couldn't even be honest with Caroline about what she was and what her family was. She couldn't be honest with her about her about the pack, the coven of vampires in her family, her immortality: any of it. How could she think along these lines when, realistically, there was no way their relationship could last? Moreover, how was it fair of her to keep seeing Caroline in such a serious light knowing all that? She didn't sleep well that night, that's for sure. When she got to school the next day and went to her first lab, Luke was there and when she saw his face, she could tell she must look awful.

"You alright, Evalynn? No offense, but you look like shit," he said.

"I just didn't sleep well," Evalynn said. "I've been thinking about what we talked about yesterday and I know what I need to do. I just don't like what I need to do."

"What do you mean? Did you and Carl talk?" She looked at Luke strangely, then remembered the name she'd given her 'boyfriend' then shook her head.

"Not yet," Evalynn said. "I guess I'm working up the courage. It's my first real relationship and I really do love he….him," she corrected herself. "I don't want to end things, but it might be for the best that I do."

"Don't give up so quickly," Luke said. "Talk to him and hear him out. Maybe he didn't even mean to pressure you into having kids so soon. Like I said: if he loves you, he'll understand. But he can't very well understand if you don't talk to him first. You know what I mean?"

"Yeah," Evalynn said solemnly.

The school day dragged by and she felt like she wasn't contributing like she should be during her study group. Her thoughts kept wondering back to Caroline. It was another day or two before the two of them talked again over phone and when they did they set up a day for them to spend time together. Wanting the privacy, she asked Heidi and Dimitri if she could have the apartment to herself for a few hours. Saturday came and Caroline showed up at Evalynn's apartment right on time.

"Do we have the house to ourselves?" Caroline asked as she stepped into the apartment.

"Yeah, my aunt and uncle are out and aren't going to be back until tomorrow," Evalynn said and closed the door. She looked down to see she was carrying two grocery bags. "So what's all this?"

"I thought I'd make us some lasagna for dinner," Caroline smiled and kicked off her shoes before going to Evalynn's kitchen to unpack the groceries. "I hope I can live up to your mom's cooking."

"Trust me, that won't take much," Evalynn said. She walked over to the kitchen ready to bring up what she'd wanted to talk about but instead she said, "What would you like me to help with?"

"Can you get a pot filled with salt water and set the oven to 350℉?" Caroline said. She got out a cutting board and started prepping the onions and garlic while Evalynn filled a large pot with water that she supplemented with a lot of salt.

"What else can I help with?" Evalynn asked once she'd gotten the water on the stovetop and the oven turned on.

"Can you get the cans of tomato open for me?" she asked. "Then start browning the ground beef."

Evalynn helped Caroline with dinner continuing to avoid the topic she'd wanted to talk about. Caroline made a tomato sauce from scratch with the tinned tomatoes and folded in the cooked ground beef and cooked the lasagna noodles. Once everything was prepared, the next step was to assemble the lasagna which didn't take very long. Caroline finally got the lasagna in the oven so it could bake and the two of them sat on the couch together watching a Green Acres rerun. They'd talked about their weeks, how school had been for the two of them and anything except what Evalynn knew they really should talk about. While they were sitting together on the couch with her arm wrapped around Caroline's shoulder, Caroline turned her head to start kissing Evalynn's neck.

"Caroline?" Evalynn said.

"Hm," Caroline uttered.

"There's something I've been wanting to talk about."

"What do you want to talk about?" Caroline asked.

"It's about what happened while we were out shopping the other day," Evalynn said. "I'm sorry I upset you. I didn't mean to."

"You mean about kids?" Caroline asked.

"Yeah, that," Evalynn said.

"I'm not mad at you," Caroline said. "I wasn't saying that we should have kids. I'm not naïve."

"But…you said you want kids."

"Well, yeah, but that'll be after I get my teaching credentials and get married."

"Hold on a second," Evalynn said and stood up from the couch.

"Evalynn, what's the matter?" Caroline asked.

"I'd thought….you're talking as though you never took our relationship seriously."

"Of course I take it seriously," Caroline said. "But I also know that I can't keep lying to my parents about this forever. We're safe now. My parents aren't chomping at the bit for me to get married and have kids, but once I graduate, that'll change."

"So what? You were going to just end things once you're out of school like I'm just a college experiment?"

"No!" Caroline said. "Evalynn, it's not like that."

"What is it like, then?"

"You made it possible for me to explore a part of myself that I never would have been able to experience otherwise. I love you and I always will, but I can't lie to myself and act like we can be together forever."

"Who says we couldn't?" Evalynn asked, completely forgetting for the moment her own reasoning.

"Evalynn, do you realize what will happen if my parents find out about us? If they found out, they'd demand I end things, and that's just daddy. My mother will drag me to meetings and book studies or, worse, never speak to me again. The fact that I didn't want to be a Jehovah's Witness already put a huge wedge between us. Can you imagine what would happen if she found out I'm bisexual?" Evalynn was about to argue with her, but it occurred to her she was fighting for something she'd already accepted that she couldn't keep anyway. "Evalynn, please. I don't want you to think I don't love you. I do."

"I love you too," Evalynn said. "That's why this hurts so much."

"I know," Caroline stood and went to her. She wrapped her arms around Evalynn's waist and rested her head on Evalynn's shoulder. Evalynn wrapped her arms around Caroline in return.

"Maybe we're better off ending this now," Evalynn said.

"Evalynn," Caroline whimpered.

"Please Caroline," Evalynn said. She was barely holding it together. "I understand what you're saying. I don't want to tear your family apart and If we keep seeing each other like this, that's what'll end up happening. You need someone that you can bring around your family and I'm not that person. And I can't deal with the idea that I could be replaced, especially by a man."

"I could never replace you, Evalynn," Caroline said, but she didn't argue with Evalynn about breaking up. "Can we still be friends?"

"I would like that," Evalynn said and the two continued hugging one another. By the time dinner was ready, they'd both lost their appetite and Caroline called home to request a ride, claiming that she'd finished the studying Evalynn was helping her with. As it was time to leave, Caroline looked up at Evalynn while they stood at her front door.

"Don't be a stranger, okay?" she said.

"Likewise," Evalynn smiled, but it was a sad smile. "And thank you for dinner."

"My pleasure," Caroline said. They wanted to kiss each other but both knew that it wasn't a good idea. It wasn't fair to the two of them. "Good night, Evalynn."

"Good night, Caroline," she answered and Caroline walked out of the apartment.

Once she was gone and the door was closed, that was when Evalynn finally let herself cry. She sat on her couch and just balled her eyes out. When she was able to stop crying, she was desperate for someone to talk to. She looked at the clock to see it was 7:30. She went to her phone and dialed her parents house trying make sure her voice was even in case the person she wanted to talk to didn't answer.

"Black residence," came Caleb's on the other line.

"Caleb, it's Evalynn," she said. Despite her efforts, her voice cracked a little.

"Hey, what's wrong? You sound upset," Caleb asked.

"Just heartbroken if I'm honest," Evalynn said. "Is daddy home?"

"He's still at the hospital right now. What did you want to talk about? Maybe I can help," Caleb offered and Evalynn smiled a little. "So what happened?"

Evalynn started from the beginning, telling Caleb about their shopping trip the previous week in which children came up and Evalynn unintentionally said – too harshly – that she would not be the one to bear children and the reasons why while also mentioning the simple fact that she didn't want kids until after she'd gained her desired career. As she spoke, she realized she sounded exactly like their father and Caleb kindly pointed it out. She told him about how that incident had her thinking about hers and Caroline's relationship and then finished with explaining what happened that night. Caleb listened quietly until she'd finished her story.

"Do you think I did the right thing?" Evalynn asked.

"Honestly? I think so," Caleb said. "You deserve someone that wants to be with you despite the obstacles. You know what I mean? I don't think Caroline was trying to string you along or anything, but she should have relayed to you how she was feeling."

"I guess," Evalynn said. "I was just hoping that…..I don't know what I was hoping for."

"It's your first love, Evalynn," Caleb said.

"Ashley's your first love and the two of you are engaged already," Evalynn said.

"Ashley's also my imprint," Caleb said. "Caroline wasn't your imprint. That doesn't mean you didn't love her or she didn't love you. It just means that she's not your mate."

"You think I could be as fortunate as Travis?"

"I don't see why not," Caleb said. "Just don't give up. She's out there, Evalynn. And when you find her, she'll have been well worth the wait."

Evalynn took a deep breath, "You're right. Thank you Caleb."

"Any time, sis," Caleb answered. "So when are you coming home?"

"I'll come back for Christmas," Evalynn said. "So make sure there are presents under the tree for me."

"You bet," Caleb said with a laugh.