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.

161. Chapter 161

Chapter 161

"So wait, she's just not coming back?" Nadeshka asked Ariel as they were cleaning around the bar. Ada María had returned to work after hearing from Nathan and Scarlet had come to the bar so they could all talk.

"That's what dad said," Ariel said. "Jaedynn told dad she loves Alex and she's staying in New York with him."

"Is she insane?" Emma Leigh asked. She'd swung by to come see Gabriel about something wedding related and had walked in on the conversation.

"As it was explained to us, Jaedynn got caught up with this guy while she and Ivory were on vacation. When dad started asking questions about this guy, his whole narrative fell apart and dad told Jaedynn he didn't want her speaking with him anymore. She tried calling Alex, but got a girl that said she was his girlfriend and we didn't hear from him for months but he came to Washington, convinced her to meet him and he convinced Jaedynn dad was lying about him not calling, claimed he'd already broken up with this woman and convinced her to run away to New York with him. Now she'd refusing to leave and has already dropped $450 on him to post his bail," Ariel said.

"$450?!" Nadeshka said.

"Yeah, dad said he was going to add that to Jaedynn's final pay but after that….well…she's on her own," Gabriel said.

"No way; daddy wouldn't do that," Scarlet said.

"He doesn't have much choice," Ada María said solemnly. "Whatever Alex has told her, he's got her in his clutches. The harder your father fights, the more she'll fight back and insist she loves him. She needs to learn for herself that Alex isn't good for her and she made a mistake. Your father told her we'll all be here when that finally happens and we'll accept her back and put this behind us."

"You don't think he's dangerous do you?" Scarlet asked. "I mean….like do you think he'd hurt her?"

"I don't know, Scarlet," Ada María said as she rubbed her face. She'd been crying about this whole situation since Nathan confided in her and told her what happened. She knew as well as Nathan that Alex was trouble and that he'd manipulated Jaedynn. That was the worst part: seeing this guy for what he was and being powerless to make Jaedynn see it. "I do know if he harms a hair on her head, Nathan will have him six feet under in the blink of an eye."

"Why bother waiting?" Gabriel muttered and Emma Leigh rubbed his arm soothingly. "I'm saying this now: this mother fucker isn't allowed at the wedding. Jaedynn's welcome and if he joins her, he can wait outside in the rain like the dog he is."

"Agreed," Emma Leigh agreed. "Maybe give us a chance to reason with Jaedynn."

"Hopefully," Nadeshka said. "I don't know if this question is allowed but….what happens if she never realizes she made a mistake?"

"She will eventually," Ada María promised. "This started because Jaedynn thinks this guy loves her and she's in love with the idea of love. The moment she sees him for what he is and realizes she's not really in love with him, she'll drop him like rotten meat: I'd bet on it."

"I hope you're right," Ariel said. "Do you think it'll happen before dad leaves New York?"

"No," Ada María said. "The girl's stubborn, so it might take time, but if she's still in New York come December, I'll go there and get her myself."

"Likewise," Ariel said. "Has anyone told Ivory?"

"I called and told her," Ada María said. She'd called Ivory shortly after speaking with Nathan and Ivory hadn't taken the news well at all. Back in Seattle, she was staring at the coffee table holding her emptied glass of Rosé and Argo sat on the couch with her with his head resting in her lap. Somehow Argo could tell there was a problem and had stuck to Ivory like glue over the past few days. Anatoli came home to see her on the couch visibly distraught.

"Any news?" Anatoli asked.

"Nothing good," Ivory said and grabbed the bottle and poured herself another full glass. "Daddy found Jaedynn and tried charging Alex with kidnapping. Jaedynn made daddy drop the charges and even paid the bastard's bail and she's said she's not leaving New York and is staying with him."

"She can't be serious," Anatoli said.

"Nope, she's serious," Ivory said and gulped down her drink. The fog of drunkenness was setting in and rather than be mad at Jaedynn, she started feeling sick to her stomach and started tearing up. "This is all my fault."

"This isn't your fault," Anatoli said as he came to the couch to sit beside her.

"No, it is," Ivory said. "I'm the one that suggested we go to New York for Christmas. This was all my idea. If we'd gone to California or just stayed home, none of this would have happened."

"Ivory, don't blame yourself for this," Anatoli said. "She'll come back home. Soon she'll realize she made a mistake and she'll come home."

"I'm scared she won't, though," Ivory said. "She was so jealous of the lot of us finding our imprints and she tried not to let it bother her, but it did. I think when Alex started showing her that same…passion as we all have, she fell for it hook, line and sinker. Men like Alex don't hide their true colors for long, but he'll hide them long enough to ensure she's locked in his clutches."

"Don't say that," Anatoli said and wrapped his arms around her shoulders to bring her close and placed the glass on the coffee table. "She'll be alright, Ivory. I promise," Anatoli continued and kissed Ivory's head. By now she was crying, still feeling responsible despite Anatoli's assurances.

Back in New York, Nathan was in Kevin's apartment at a loss. He kept staring at the phone in the vain hope that Jaedynn would change her mind. He was so desperate for it, but it stayed silent save for a call from Kevin. The week crawled with silence and at the end of it, Nathan felt like a failure. He tried using the operator to find out the number to where Alex Vayez lived, but the operator didn't have a number to give him. He spent the last day searching up and down Harlem hoping to see Jaedynn. As he was passing the old buildings, he saw a pale woman with black hair and thought it was Jaedynn for a moment, but then he realized it wasn't her. He continued searching until he was stopped by a guy in front of a jazz club holding a saxophone and smoking a cigarette.

"Sir?" he said and got Nathan's attention, "Correct me if I'm wrong but I must have seen you walk down this street about a dozen times. Maybe I can help; what are you looking for?"

"I'm looking for someone's apartment," Nathan said. "I don't suppose you know where an Alex Vayez lives do you?"

"Wish I did," the man said bitterly. "I'd have a few strong words with him if I did. He screw you too?"

"You could say that. He ran off with my daughter," Nathan said, approaching the man.

"Sounds like something he'd do," the guy said.

"Forgive me for asking, but what did he do to screw you over?"

"He stole some valuables from this place including my saxophone. Found them in a pawn shop after tearing this club apart looking for my instrument."

"Why didn't you report him?"

"Man, I can't prove he did it," the man said in a frustrated tone. "I tried to and the cops didn't do shit. There was no proof he stole it and all any of us could say was we'd seen him perusing our things just a little too closely, but that's it. Nothing for the cops to go on and the owner of the Pawn Shop claimed the items were purchased from a Raymond something. Dead end; sneaky bastard."

"So he's a petty thief," Nathan said with frustration that matched the sax player's. "Great." Thinking a moment, Nathan asked, "He can't possibly afford the nicer apartments here. Do you happen to know where some poorer apartments are in Harlem?"

"Try the housing projects uptown," the man suggested and gave the directions to the neighborhood he was referring to. "It's brought daylight, so you should be fine, but get out of there before nightfall."

"Got it," Nathan said. "Thank you."

Nathan followed the directions he'd been given and eventually found the neighborhood he'd been told about. It was a visibly poorer area of Harlem. There was no two ways about it. As he was walking down the street, a woman stepped outside of an brick apartment building with her dog on a leash.

"Ma'am?" Nathan said and got the woman's attention. "I'm sorry to bother you, but I'm trying to find my daughter's place. She's staying with a guy named Alex Vayez; would you happen to know him and where he is?"

"I don't know the name, but describe this man to me and I'll tell you if he's in this building."

"I actually don't know what he looks like. I haven't met him. I can show you a picture of my daughter," Nathan said and was already pulling out his wallet and then Jaedynn's picture to present.

"Ah, yes, I've seen her. Lovely young woman," she said. "She hasn't been here long but I got a chance to speak to her and she's living in the ground floor unit at the end of the hall. I know she's living with someone, but I haven't met him."

"Do you think you could let me into the building so I could see if she's home?"

"There're buzzers over here that you can use," the woman said and pointed at a wall of buzzers. His eyes scanned over the plates that were all handwritten but none of them said Alex Vayez.

"I don't see his name. Which one is the one that's at the end of the hall?" The woman pointed at the buzzer in question. He didn't get an answer at first so he buzzed it again and finally a voice came.

"Who is it?" Alex's voice came from the speaker.

"Nathan Black. I want to see Jaedynn," Nathan said. He didn't get an answer after that but he waited a few seconds before buzzing again. When there was still no answer, he buzzed again. The little bastard wouldn't be rid of him by just ignoring him; that was for damned sure. Then finally the door opened and Jaedynn stepped outside.

"Daddy!" Jaedynn said and went to him. "How did you find this place?"

"I searched," Nathan answered. "I couldn't leave without talking to you."

"I should have called you sooner but I knew you were really upset," Jaedynn said. "I'm really sorry about the other day."

"I'm sorry I snapped at you, Jaedynn," Nathan said and took Jaedynn into a hug that she reciprocated. "You really scared me."

"I know," Jaedynn said. "I'm really sorry." The two of them kept hugging until Nathan heard the door to the building open and a man stepped out. Even having been given no description of the man before, he knew it was Alex.

"Is this Alex?" Nathan still asked Jaedynn and she turned to look.

"Yeah," Jaedynn said and went to Alex to have him step forward. "Alex, this is my father, Nathan Black. Daddy, this is Alex Vayez."

"Good to meet you, sir," Alex said. He smiled, but it was insincere.

"You're sure you're alright? We can still go back to Washington if you want."

"She already told you she's staying with me," Alex said.

"I wasn't asking you," Nathan said and looked at Jaedynn who was already stepping between Alex and Nathan.

"Daddy, please," Jaedynn started. "I promise, I'll be alright. Alex, what's the number to the apartment?"

"And don't bother trying to give me a fake one," Nathan said.

"Daddy, stop," Jaedynn said.

"Let me grab a pen and paper," Alex said and returned inside the apartment.

"Daddy, please don't be mean to Alex," Jaedynn said. "If you give him a chance, I know you'll like him."

"He's not getting a chance after taking you to the other side of the country," Nathan said and then he held up his hand to stop Jaedynn from talking. "Remember: you're always welcome home."

"I know," Jaedynn said, giving up on what she'd been about to say.

"And if he ever does anything, and I mean anything, to hurt you, you tell me okay?"

"I will," Jaedynn said, deciding not to argue anymore. Alex came back outside with a small piece of paper that had a number written on it.

"Jaedynn, honey, do me a favor and go back inside and I'll call you from the payphone on the corner," Nathan said.

"What? You don't trust me?" Alex said, his tone humored but Nathan could tell he meant it.

"No, I don't," Nathan said bluntly. "Please Jaedynn? For my piece of mind?"

"Sure," Jaedynn said and returned inside.

"Come with me," Nathan said to Alex.

"If all you're going to do is call then get going, I'd just as soon rather stay inside," Alex said.

"I'm not leaving right after this; I'm just testing the number. I'm dragging you with me 1) so we can chat but 2) so that if I find out this number's fake, I'll give you a beating your daddy would feel," Nathan said and then grabbed a hold of the back of Alex's neck to make him come with.

"You don't need to fucking drag me; I'm coming," Alex said and got out of Nathan's grip.

"I'll be blunt with you," Nathan said as they kept walking, "I don't like you."

"I'd have never guessed."

"You're in no position to be sarcastic or backtalk me you little brat," Nathan said. "You know full well you only called the house once."

"No, I called a few times and you wouldn't let me talk to her," Alex said.

"Don't try to bullshit me, boy," Nathan said. "Jaedynn might not see you for what you are, but I do. I've met people like you and I've worked with people like you: you're a run of the mill smooth talking con-artist with a good smile and pretty face."

"I'm not a con-artist."

"Oh really? So explain to me why the Jazz club in West Harlem has you banned from the premises because you stole their things and sold them to a pawn shop?"

"I didn't steal or sell anything," Alex said.

"I repeat: don't try to bullshit me," Nathan said. "You stole that shit and sold it to a pawn shop with false identification. You're talking to a man that's played your game and is a cop to boot. You're not going to get anything on me, boy."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Alex said. He was remarkably calm despite the accusations Nathan was throwing at him. He looked into Alex's eyes to see if there was any fear or nervousness. Not to determine if he was guilty. That was plain as far as Nathan was concerned. But he saw nothing. It was bizarre. It was like looking into emptiness, soulless and void of anything resembling humanity. Once they reached the payphone, Nathan dialed the number he was given but kept his eyes on Alex. The phone rang once before answering.

"Daddy?" Jaedynn's voice came and Nathan felt a wave of relief.

"Yeah, it's me," Nathan said. "Go ahead and hang up. I'll be right there."

"Okay," Jaedynn said and they disconnected.

"I told you it was the right number," Alex said.

"It better stay that way," Nathan said. He walked past Alex and started walking back to the apartment with Alex following behind him. Once they were at the entrance, Nathan looked at Alex. "While I've still got you alone," Nathan said as they approached, "I may be leaving today, but no matter what, I'll be a phone call away. That means if you ever hurt her, you'll have me to deal with."

"Is that a threat, Mr. Black?" Alex asked challengingly.

"Not at all. I don't make promises I don't intend to keep," Nathan said. The two stared one another down, but Alex didn't appear scared of Nathan. He wondered if Alex was even capable of fear. "I'll be hanging around for a bit," he finally continued.

"Don't you have a plane to catch?"

"I'm in no rush," Nathan said pointedly. Alex hesitated briefly but eventually let them into the building and led the way to the apartment at the end of the hall. They stepped inside and Nathan took in the studio, immediately unimpressed. The fridge he had wasn't even a full fridge: it was a mini-fridge you would find in a dorm room and it was on top of a free counter right next to the stove. "You don't have a fridge?"

"Alex doesn't eat so we only need enough fridge for what I need," Jaedynn said and went to it. "I have some beers in here if you want some."

"I'm fine," Nathan said and kept looking around. With nowhere to sit but the bed, he instead chose to stand. "How long is the lease on this place?"

"It's another ten months right? The lease should be for a year," Jaedynn said.

"That's right," Alex said.

"Well, get out of here sooner if you can," Nathan said.

"What's wrong with it?" Alex asked.

"It's a space barely suitable for one person much less two," Nathan said. "Have you started looking for work yet?" Nathan asked.

"I'm getting my résumé together and then I'll start looking. You don't mind if I use you as a reference?"

"Not at all," Nathan said. "Put Sally and Jenna on there too and I'll let them know so they're prepared."

"I appreciate it," Jaedynn said. "Are you sure you don't want anything to drink?"

"I'm alright, honey," Nathan said. "Do you want me to call your uncle and see about getting you work at the Law Firm?"

"I don't have the training to do that kind of work," Jaedynn said.

"Your uncle will find something for you to do; trust me," Nathan said. "Let me use the phone; I'll call him now."

"Are you sure Uncle Kevin would want me working there?" Jaedynn asked while she took the phone off the wall.

"Of course he will," Nathan said and accepted the phone. He called Kevin's office first and thankfully he was in and answered right away. "Kevin, it's Nathan. Can I ask you a favor?"

"Sure, what do you need?"

"Jaedynn's going to start looking for work and I was hoping she could get work with you," Nathan said. "Do you think there's a position at the firm here in Manhattan that you could give her?"

"Let me call the office and work something out. Tell Jaedynn to come to the office at 9:00 on Monday and I'll make sure there's work for her," Kevin said.

"Great, thank you," Nathan said. "I'll see you when I return home." Nathan ended the call and then looked at Jaedynn. He looked around hoping to find closet doors but there were not. "Where are your clothes?"

"I didn't bring them with," Jaedynn said. "I got some clothes from the thrift store in town but nothing office appropriate. I can get some today."

"Do you need money?"

"I've got my checkbook," Jaedynn said. "I checked with a local bank in town and they said they could help me transfer everything."

"Okay," Nathan said but still took out his wallet and pulled out $20. "Take this anyway. Get some work clothes and make sure you're at the law firm early."

"You don't have to give me money, daddy; I've got enough to get clothes," Jaedynn said.

"Please, Jaedynn; just take it," Nathan said and finally Jaedynn accepted the money. "In fact, how about you and I go to that thrift shop together."

"Sure," Jaedynn said and looked at Alex. "Dad and I will be back before nightfall okay?"

"Have fun," Alex said, his arms crossed and a charming smile. It was a clear difference compared to how the man had looked at Nathan. What struck him about it, though, was the sparkle the man seemed to have in his eye. However, that sparkle still came off as an empty void to him. There was something fake about it and Jaedynn not seeing it was extremely frustrating. He couldn't get him and Jaedynn out of that apartment quickly enough and was so relieved once they were outside.

"I don't think I've ever seen an apartment that small," Nathan said.

"I guess studios are really popular in New York," Jaedynn said. "It's definitely not intended for more than two people, but we're making it work."

"I say don't bother waiting for the end of the lease; just find a new place right away."

"We shouldn't break the lease daddy; it'll be bad for Alex's credit score," Jaedynn said.

"Trust me: that kid doesn't give two shits about his 'credit score'," Nathan said. "If you were the one who's name was on the lease I'd agree but it's not." Jaedynn didn't answer this time, likely to avoid an argument. "So….how do you like this neighborhood?"

"It's rough, but our neighbors are nice," Jaedynn said. "Martha lives a door down from us and she's really nice."

"Is that the woman with the dog?"

"Yeah, a little scraggly thing; he's basically her shadow. His name's Cole. Such a sweet dog. I met her my second day at Alex's place when we got back from the store. She's widowed and her son visits a lot. I haven't met him yet, but he works as a crane operator I think she said."

"Is her son single?" Nathan asked, half joking.

"Daddy, stop," Jaedynn said. "And no, her son is married and they have three kids."

"I'm glad your neighbors are nice at least," Nathan said. "You said the neighborhood is rough. What do you mean by that?"

"It's nothing too serious: usual crime you'd see in a city like this," Jaedynn said. "I would like to get into a nicer part of Manhattan but I need work before we can do that. I knew Manhattan was expensive, but I underestimated how expensive."

"It's a sad reality about this city," Nathan said. Before long, they arrived at the thrift store and Jaedynn was able to buy some office appropriate dresses, dress pants and dress shirts as well as a pair of dress shoes so she would be prepared when she arrived at Kevin's office on Monday. After shopping, they stopped somewhere to eat dinner together before finally walking back to the apartment. "You promise you'll be alright?"

"I promise, daddy, I'll be fine," Jaedynn smiled. "You're sure Uncle Kevin's alright with giving me a job?"

"Of course he is," Nathan said. "And don't let Alex dissuade you from working for your uncle. Don't let him try to tell you that you don't have to work or any shit like that. You need to be self sufficient."

"Daddy, he doesn't want me to be a housewife," Jaedynn said with a small giggle. "Me not working was never an option. It was just a question of what work I would get."

"Good," Nathan said. "Just don't become dependent on him."

"Of course not," Jaedynn agreed.

"Remember: if you ever need anything, I'm just a call away, alright?"

"Thank you," Jaedynn said and the two of them hugged. "I love you, daddy. Thank you for understanding."

"I love you too, Jaedynn," Nathan said and kissed the top of her head. "I'll give you a call as soon as I've returned home, okay?"

"Okay," Jaedynn said and waved goodbye to Nathan as she walked inside.

Nathan finally walked away from the apartment after staring at the door for several minutes. He didn't want to leave her, but he needed to trust that she would eventually come back home. Until then, he and Kevin and everyone else would help her as much as they possible could. Nathan returned to Kevin's apartment to return the spare key to the front desk and then made his way to the airport to return home. When Jaedynn stepped back into the building, she walked to the end of the hall and let herself into the apartment.

"You're home late," Alex said once she was inside.

"Daddy and I went to get dinner after shopping," Jaedynn said. "I have some nice clothes at last; so my state of dress will be the least of my concerns."

"I guess so," Alex said. "Do you really want to work for your uncle, though? I mean, you don't have a degree in law; what could you possibly do?"

"He'd likely have me working reception or something," Jaedynn said. "And if there's nothing they can have me do, then I'll find work elsewhere."

"You really don't have to work, you know," Alex said. "I can take care of you."

Jaedynn realized his tone sounded offended. "Are you alright?"

"I just don't think you need to waste your time working; least of all when it's for your uncle. I mean, come on. The moment word spreads that you're the boss's niece, all your coworkers are going to be assholes to you," Alex reasoned. "Do you really want to deal with that?"

"If it happens, then I'll deal with it until I can find another job," Jaedynn said. "Alex, we already agreed that I'd find work as soon as I could. I can't sit around doing nothing and contributing nothing. I'm fortunate enough that a job is literally falling into my lap and it'll be a job where I'm paid well. I can't turn my nose up at that."

"Alright, fine," Alex said, exasperated.

"Alex, why are you being like this?"

"I'm sorry," he finally said, "I'm still a little irritated that your uncle had me arrested is all."

"Alex, the charges got dropped, so let's put it past us, okay?" Jaedynn said and approached Alex wrapping her arms around his neck trying to calm him down. "I had a chance to talk to daddy and he's accepted that I want to stay here with you."

"He hasn't 'accepted' anything," Alex said and brought his arms around her waist. "The only reason your uncle is giving you work is because it'll make it possible to keep shit talking me."

"Alex, if they do, I'll just defend you: plain and simple," Jaedynn said. "Can we please drop it?"

After a thoughtful look, he said, "Alright. But if they start putting ideas in your head about me, I want you to quit. Can you do that for me?"

"I promise," Jaedynn said, though she was lying. She knew he was upset about what happened and expecting him to just get over it wasn't reasonable. She just needed to give him time and eventually everything would be forgiven. Even if she got negative feedback about Alex, how would he know? She'd stand up for him and when she returned home, she'd not bring it up and leave Alex none the wiser.

"Good," Alex smiled and pressed his lips to hers. "I'll tell you what: I'll even walk you there your first day. You know what building it is?"

"Yeah, I know," Jaedynn smiled. Alex then pressed a kiss to her lips and for the remainder of the night, it felt like all upset was forgotten and they had a lovely rest of the night.

Back in Washington, life for the family had to go on. Nathan returned home with a heavy heart. The whole time he was in the airport and on the plane, he kept thinking he should go back to New York and make Jaedynn return home. He'd have given anything to bring her back home. When he returned, he went back to the house and Ada María was there to welcome him home and hugged him. She promised that everything would be alright and that Jaedynn would come to her senses eventually. She promised that if she wasn't home by Christmas, Ada María would go to New York herself to talk to Jaedynn hoping that maybe by then they could convince her to return home. If they were right about Alex, that would be enough time for him to show his true colors and for Jaedynn to want to return home. Nathan was just hoping that was true. Ada María eventually left for the bar after Nathan insisted he was alright. Once he was alone, he went outside on the porch to get some air. He leaned on against the rails staring out onto the ocean solemnly and silently wishing there was something more he could do to make Jaedynn come home. Then he heard a bird singing and looked to his left, seeing Blu.

"Good. I could use someone to talk to," Nathan mumbled. "I don't really know what to do. Jaedynn's hell bent on staying with this guy. There's shit that's off about this guy and I know it. I just can't prove it." Blu tilted his head like a bird might do and Nathan smiled just a little. "Maybe you could fly to New York. Knock some sense into her when I couldn't, eh?" Blu tweeted and did a small dance before flying away. "Worth a shot I guess," Nathan said with a groan.

By then, Levi had received letters from the colleges he'd applied to and he was shocked to receive an acceptance letter from Princeton. He'd not thought they would accept him. He'd assumed he'd be accepted to New York University which he had been, but the acceptance to an Ivy League school like Princeton had Levi rethinking his plans. He wasn't initially positive he'd accept it, but Kevin convinced him otherwise.

"I was accepted to Yale because I saved a man's life," Kevin had said, "But you've been accepted to Princeton by proving you're smart enough to be there. Don't throw that away."

It was hard to argue with that logic. So Levi decided to take the next steps so he'd be prepared to start at Princeton come the fall. In the meantime, he would need to focus on finishing high school and his graduation. He wrote Nadja as soon as he received her own letter and let her know he'd made a decision of where he'd be going for school and, once he had his new address, he'd send it to her and that any letters she sent him in the midst of his move would be forwarded to him. Around the time when Nathan was expected to return home and Kevin had placed the call to his office in New York advising Jaedynn would be starting Monday, Embry and Heather went out to finally go see The Godfather after both of them heard raving reviews.

"So what did you think?" Embry asked Heather once they'd exited the theatre.

"It was alright," Heather said. "It was certainly intense."

"Yeah, that's one way to put it," Embry said and then thought back to when Levi had seen the movie and chuckled a little. "You know, I'd asked Levi how he and Caleb had liked the movie and according to Caleb, he'd asked Evalina if she knew whether or not mobsters are actually like that."

"Yeah, she'd said 'Of course not! They are all criminals and goons – and Sicilians!'" The two of them laughed. "I think that last part she was just joking. Although daddy said that if anything depicted in that movie were accurate, the mobsters of New York would likely be on his list of clients because they could afford his services."

"I like to think your dad would never defend mobsters but then he's defended money laundering, so who knows," Embry said. "No offense to Kevin of course."

"What was it that daddy said about being a lawyer?"

"That it's worth it to defend criminals if it gives him the power and clout to defend the tribe legally?" Embry smiled. "Yeah, I think your dad's looking forward to allowing some young kid to manage the business while he 'retires' and all the money gets 'bequeathed' to someone. Or whatever his plan is for when he can no longer tell people he's just naturally gifted when it comes to aging."

"Sometimes I think daddy would sooner admit he's immortal before he retired," Heather said. "Speaking of: daddy is giving Jaedynn a job at his law firm in New York."

"Yeah, I heard," Embry said. By then, they'd made it to Embry's truck and got in together.

"The consensus on Alex seems to be that no one likes him," Heather said.

"He ran off with Jaedynn without so much as a phone call, so I'd say it's justified," Embry said. "I just hope Kevin's right."

"Right?"

"He thinks that Alex wants to seclude Jaedynn from us and make her dependent on him. Obviously if she's working for Kevin and making good money, that won't happen. The hope is, one way or another, the relationship will dissolve and Jaedynn will come home."

"I hope so," Heather said. "I can't believe she ran off with this guy. I mean, if he was her imprint I might be able to get why, but he's not even her imprint. He's some guy she screwed around with while she was in New York."

"The only explanation I can think of is he's charming," Embry said. "Charm goes a long way."

"I guess so," Heather said. "I guess we'll know when we meet him at Gabriel's and Emma Leigh's wedding."

"Last I heard, this guy wasn't allowed at the wedding. Jaedynn certainly is so we'll enjoy some time with her when she comes to visit," Embry said. "Speaking of the wedding, I'm planning to book a hotel room for the night." Heather was quiet a moment and looked at him with a small blush starting to creep onto her cheeks.

"Are you?"

"Yeah," Embry said. "I intend to have a good time, so I need to make sure I don't drive until I've slept it off."

"It would be for the best," Heather agreed, crossing her legs and trying not to look like she expected anything. "You'll be my date for the wedding right?"

"Of course I will," Embry smiled. "We'll dance, eat some cake and have a good time."

"I can't wait," Heather smiled. Embry couldn't wait either. He had some very special plans for that day. He'd already spoken with Kevin about it and received his blessing. The bracelet was made and he planned to make it special. Obviously after they'd left Gabriel's and Emma Leigh's wedding. "Do you think we'd be able to sneak away to your room together?"

"I'm counting on it," Embry said. They reached a red light then, so he took advantage and leaned over to press a kiss to Heather's lips. He kept it brief since they were at a light, but there was still passion behind the kiss. Once they made it back to their neighborhood, Embry drove up to Kevin's house to drop Heather off. "You're working in the morning tomorrow right?"

"Yeah," Heather said, "But I leave at 1 if you want to do something."

"I actually need to buy some marble tomorrow; a new shipment came in. Did you want to come with me?"

"I'd love to," Heather smiled. The two shared a kiss goodnight and Embry remained outside waiting for her to make it back inside before finally driving off to return home.

Back in New York when Monday finally came, Jaedynn made sure she was dressed nicely in a long bell sleeved royal purple dress that cuffed at her wrists and, to give the dress more shape, she wore a dark brown belt around her waist and she wore black pumps. She had her long hair curled and put on some lip gloss so she wasn't completely void of makeup and when she stepped out of the bathroom, she twirled around for Alex who'd finally gotten out of bed and was making her coffee.

"So? How do I look?" she asked.

"You look beautiful," Alex said and put down the coffee pot so he could approach her. "In fact, you should just stay home and let me admire you."

"Alex," Jaedynn smiled when he grabbed a hold of her and started kissing her neck, "I need to be there by 9. I don't know how long the train will take and I need to make sure I get there early."

"Alright, alright," Alex said, releasing her and locating his pile of clothes. "Give me a moment and I'll get dressed."

He grabbed some clothes and Jaedynn expected he'd change right then, but instead he went into the bathroom and she heard the shower start. She looked at the clock: it was 7:55. She decided she'd give him another ten minutes hoping that he knew best how long it would take to get to the Upper East Side. Then when it turned 8:05, Alex was still in the shower. So Jaedynn went to the bathroom door and knocked.

"Alex? Are you almost done?"

"Give me a minute," he said. Jaedynn sighed but gave him some more time, but when five more minutes passed and he'd still not come out, she knocked again.

"Alex, I need to go okay? I'll take a taxi this time and you can show me the subway route tomorrow," she said.

"I said give me a minute and I'll be out!" she heard Alex say. This time, Jaedynn didn't listen and grabbed her purse so she could leave. She was fortunate that a Taxi was nearby and she was able to wave him down.

"I need to go to Heidelberg and Black's offices?" she gave the driver the full address.

"Right away, ma'am," the man answered, turned on the meter, and then started driving. With traffic, she narrowly made it by 8:55, paid the driver and went into the building and rushed into an elevator that was about to close and pressed the button for the correct floor. By the time she got to the office, it was 9:00 on the dot.

"Can I help you, miss?" the woman at the front desk, a middle aged blonde woman in a pink silk long sleeved blouse and black dress pants, said.

"My name is Jaedynn Black. I'm here for my first day," Jaedynn said. The woman glanced at the clock and stood.

"Made it by the skin of your teeth I see," she said. "My name is Elizabeth King; you can call me Liz. I will be training you."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Miss King," Jaedynn said and shook the woman's hand but then realized she had a gold band on her left hand. "Or….Mrs. King I mean."

"Please, call me Liz. And don't be so nervous. You make mistakes when you're nervous. Pull up a seat and sit beside me. Once you've been trained and you know the ropes, you'll receive your own desk and supplies." Liz returned to her desk and Jaedynn followed after her grabbing a seat and sitting beside her. "Do you have any experience working in a law office?"

"No," Jaedynn answered. "My previous job was working as a dispatcher for a police station."

"How long were you doing that for?"

"About 7 years," Jaedynn said. "I started working as a dispatcher when I was 19."

"Why did you leave?"

"I moved to New York to be with my boyfriend and was fortunate enough to get a job here," Jaedynn answered. "How long have you been working here?"

"23 years," Liz answered.

"Oh, wow," Jaedynn said. "So you know this job like the back of your hand."

"Indeed I do," Liz said. "So I was a little surprised when I got word I would be training a new girl."

"Yeah," Jaedynn said, "My move to New York was rather sudden and my uncle was kind enough to give me work."

"So long as you're not here to replace me," Liz said jokingly and even smiled at her. "Let's go ahead and begin with the basics."

From there, Liz walked Jaedynn through the normal day to day. The plan would be for Jaedynn to eventually work the same hours as Liz while taking separate lunch breaks to ensure there was always someone at the phone, but for now they took lunch at the same time and went to a restaurant that was two floors down. It was a little bistro style place that sold sandwiches and soups. Once they ordered, the two of them found a small table near a window so they could look out onto the city.

"So you said you moved here to be with your boyfriend?" Liz asked.

"Yeah," Jaedynn said.

"What did you mean by the move being sudden?"

"Basically, Alex – that's his name – and I met when my sister and I came here on vacation and we kept in touch over phone. But we had a miscommunication where I'd thought he was seeing someone else and he came to Washington to explain and once we reconciled, we decided to run away together."

"Runaway together?" Liz asked, raising a brow.

"Yeah," Jaedynn said. "Alex doesn't have a regular nine to five job. He does a lot of contract work and my father thought it was unconventional and didn't want me speaking with Alex anymore."

"What does he do that's so unconventional?"

"The bulk of his income comes from helping clients raise money for projects," Jaedynn said. "He also refurbishes things people have thrown away and will sell them."

"So he organizes fundraisers? For paying customers?" Liz was briefly quiet as Jaedynn nodded. "I can't say as I've heard of such a profession. It sounds more like fundraising for charities and that doesn't generally pay anything. It's charity after all."

"It's not for charity, it's for people that need money for an invention or idea they have," Jaedynn said.

"Ah," Liz said, "I see. So he raises money for these people and gets a percentage of that?"

"Yeah," Jaedynn said.

"Who has he helped raise money for?" Liz asked.

"I don't actually know; I never asked," Jaedynn said. "I admit Alex doesn't really like talking about work. My dad had accused Alex of being a criminal, so he explained in more detail what he does but that aside, he doesn't talk about his work."

"Does he not like what he does?" Liz asked.

"As far as I know, he likes his work fine. He certainly doesn't complain about it. He just doesn't really talk about work."

"Hm," Liz said and took a spoonful of her soup. "So where are you currently living?"

"We're in a studio in Harlem," Jaedynn said.

"What part of Harlem?" Liz asked and when Jaedynn said where, she looked concerned. "That's not a good part of town, dear. You're not staying there long I hope."

"At most, we'll complete the lease and then we'll move," Jaedynn said. "I just need to contribute financially for that to happen."

"I see," Liz said. "So how much does he make yearly? If you don't mind my asking."

"I actually don't know," Jaedynn said.

"You don't know?" Liz asked. "And you're moved in with this man? Are you two getting married?"

"We haven't discussed marriage. It's too soon in my opinion," Jaedynn said and Liz sighed remorsefully.

"When I was a girl, living with a man you weren't married to was a social death sentence," Liz said. "I doubt living together would improve your father's opinion of this man."

"Daddy is being supportive," Jaedynn said. "I know once he gives Alex a chance, he'll come to like him."

"Well," Liz began, "If he's a good young man, your father will come around."

Jaedynn smiled appreciatively, "Thank you for saying."

Once their lunch hour was over, the two of them returned to the office and continued with training. By the end of the work day, Jaedynn was feeling a lot more comfortable and Liz seemed like she had grown to like her, making training considerably easier. Some of the lawyers left about that time, but most remained in the office as well as any legal assistance that were working there including some young men and women fresh out of law school. The two of them left the office together after getting everything in order for the following business day.

"How did you like your first day?" Liz asked as they were entering the elevator.

"It was nice," Jaedynn said. "I admit I was terrified that you would think less of me because my uncle gave me the job."

"I confess I was beginning to feel that way earlier. I was only told a new girl was starting, they gave me your name and that I needed to make sure to find things for you to do and my first thought was 'oh great: I'm training an entitled brat that batted her eyelashes to the right people to get the job.' And when it was approaching 9 and you'd not arrived, my opinion was starting to fester but from what you've told me, that's not the case. It sounds more so to me that your father and uncle just want to make sure you're not out in the big city with no security blanket. New York can be really intimidating if you're not used to it."

"I've started getting used to it," Jaedynn said. "At least I'm getting used to Harlem. I'm already friends with a neighbor of mine."

"Good; keep it that way. I realize it's due to being affordable, but that part of Harlem is not a place you want to be if you can help it. If you want to stay in Harlem, I hear good things about West Harlem and Manhattanville. The closer to Colombia U. that you are, the better," Liz said.

"Where do you live?"

"We're in lower Manhattan," Liz said. "Lovely collection of neighborhoods with plenty to do. I highly recommend it. A little on the pricey side where we live but there are some less expensive parts of town. I'm sure there are studio apartments in the area too, though assuming you marry and start a family, you'll need to find a bigger place."

"Talking about marriage is a little soon," Jaedynn said.

Liz giggled a little, "Kids these days and your free love. If I let my eldest get away with it, he'd have never married. Thankfully, I've knocked some sense into him. He's married to a wonderful young woman. He complains that I must love her more than him which is silly of course, but I'm entitled to love my daughter-in-law very much. No children yet, though. They're saving up for a bigger place right now."

"How long have they been married?"

"About a year and a half," Liz said.

"I hope this doesn't sound wrong; you seem so old fashioned in some ways. I'm a little surprised you chose to work instead of being a homemaker."

"I was a homemaker when my son and daughter were babies," Liz said with a gentle smile. "My husband and I married young. He was 19 and I'd just turned 18. High school sweethearts. About four years in, my husband lost his job and had to change careers on a whim to make sure we were taken care of, but it hurt our income quite a bit, so I applied to ever job I could imagine. I only had a high school diploma to my name and no work experience, so I didn't think I would get anything spectacular, but the employment agency that I gave my credentials to was able to get me an interview with Heidelberg and Black LLC and I couldn't believe it."

"I assume Uncle Kevin interviewed you?" Jaedynn asked with a knowing smile.

"Oh yes," Liz said. "I admit, when I met your uncle, I found him so dazzling and charming. I told myself after that interview 'there is no way I will get this job.' So when the agency called and told me Heidelberg and Black wanted to make an offer, I couldn't believe it. George, my husband, was apprehensive at first, but within a year of me working and bringing home good money, he turned around on it. My husband's an engineer by training and he was able to find a job in his field again about two years after I started working here. By that time, though, I'd come to love my job and didn't want to give it up. It's a good thing I didn't. Thanks to my salary and my husband's salary, we have enough put aside to have a lovely vacation. Once our daughter graduates high school, George and I are going to have a second honeymoon in Cyprus."

"Oh; sounds fancy," Jaedynn smiled.

"Fancy and romantic. Just the sea, some drinks and a little bungalow with nothing and no one to bother us," Liz said and sighed longingly. "She graduates in a year."

"Congratulations," Jaedynn said. "Just out of curiosity, what made you choose Cyprus?"

"My mother-in-law is Greek and George always wanted to go to Greece. His mother moved to America when she was….two I think. Yes, I'm pretty sure she was two. I know she was born June of 1910, so they came to American 1912."

"With the last name 'King' I assume his father's English?"

"Northern English/Scottish to be precise, though there's some French in there," Liz said. "I'm Polish on the other hand, full blooded. My parents came to this country from Warsaw back in 1927 and I was born the following year. I'm told I was conceived in Poland, born in New York. My parents put Elizabeth on my birth certificate because it was more 'American' but as far as the family was concerned, my name was Elizaveta. I was thrilled to marry someone with such a simple last name. I spent years of no one knowing how to spell Dobrzynski." The elevator finally reached the ground floor and they stepped out together.

"D-O-B-R-A" Jaedynn started guessing.

"Nope," Liz smiled, "D-O-B-R-Z-Y-N-S-K-I. Like I said: King is far simpler to spell especially for English speakers."

"So you speak fluent Polish?"

"Yes, I do," Liz said. "Now, I know you're Native American but you look very…European. Your uncle does too, but from what I've seen of pictures, his brothers look far more Native American than Mr. Black does."

"My birth mother was French," Jaedynn said.

"Was she?"

"Yeah, my father met her during the war but it had been a one night stand after he'd gotten drunk. I'm named after a close friend of his that died during the liberation of Paris and he was devastated by the loss. I guess he and my birth mother were so drunk that one thing led to another. She'd written my dad, told him she was pregnant and that she was releasing me to a convent once I was born. Daddy was able to return to Paris and they worked it out to have her sent to America to give birth to me. Once I was born, she went to Canada."

"So you never knew her?"

"No," Jaedynn said. "I've always known Ada María as my mother. She and my father married after he returned to America."

"Do you ever wish you could have known her?"

"Sometimes," Jaedynn said. "Daddy says she was an activist and Ada says she was highly educated, used to work for a journal in Paris but had planned to move to Quebec. Then the war started and she stayed to fight in any way she could. So the prospect of coming to America and retreating to Canada after I was born was an attractive prospect, especially since Paris was liberated and her work was done more or less. She'd never really wanted to marry or have kids according to Ada so when she got pregnant with me, it was quite a shock for her. Based on what I've been told, trying to find her and start a relationship with her would be inappropriate. Anyway, that's why I'm so pale compared to my other siblings. My eldest sister Scarlet is two thirds Native American and so is my sister Ivory. Both my brothers are predominantly Native American and on Ada's side, they're Peruvian, so all my siblings are tan skinned. I'm the odd one out. My sisters used to call me Snow White."

"I can see why," Liz smiled. "Put on some red lipstick and your fair looks would be enough to make any evil queen viciously jealous."

"I'll pass on that prospect," Jaedynn giggled. The two of them finally made it outside. "Are you going to the subway?"

"Yes," Liz said.

"Could you help me figure out the best way to get home? I had to take a taxi this morning," Jaedynn said.

"Oh, dear, you'll want to make that a luxury; cab drivers will bleed you dry if you rely on them exclusively," Liz said. "Come on; I'll get you a map and show you how to get where you want to go."

"I appreciate it," Jaedynn said and followed her in the direction of the subway, but they were intercepted by Alex. "Alex?"

"Hey," Alex said. "How was your first day of work?"

"Good," Jaedynn said, still stunned to see him here.

"Is this your boyfriend?" Liz asked.

"Yeah," Alex answered for Jaedynn. "Alex Vayez. Are you a coworker?"

"Yes, Liz King," she answered. "I had the pleasure of training her. So are you here to pick her up?"

"I am as a matter of fact," Alex said with a charming smile.

"Are you using the subway? I was about to show her the way and let her know the best stops."

"That won't be necessary, Miss King," Alex said. "I had meant to take her this morning but I got caught up and she left without me. I'm just making up for it."

"In that case, I'll leave you to it," Liz said and smiled at Jaedynn. "I'll see you tomorrow, Jaedynn."

"Absolutely," Jaedynn smiled back and Liz walked away in the direction of the subway. Once they were alone, Alex took Jaedynn's hand (his grip extremely firm) and led her to the road where she saw her blue car parked.

"Get in the car," Alex said and went around to the driver's side while Jaedynn got into the passenger's side.

"Alex, what's wrong with you?" Jaedynn asked.

"What the hell, Jaedynn?" Alex went right into it cutting her off as she spoke. "I'd told you I'd take you to work and then you leave without me this morning."

"Alex, you were taking too long in the shower and I needed to get to work," Jaedynn said. "What was I supposed to do? Keep waiting and be late? I said you can show me the way to work tomorrow; I don't understand why you're getting so upset about this."

"I'm getting upset because you couldn't wait five minutes for me to shower and walk you to work."

"Five minutes nothing; you were showering for 15 minutes by the time I told you I needed to leave!" Jaedynn said, sighed and then took a deep breath so she wasn't yelling anymore. "Look: I'm fortunate to have gotten this job and I can't throw my credibility into question by showing up to work late."

"What does it matter? You got this job because your dad wants you under the family's thumb so they can monitor you. It's hardly credible if the only reason you got the job is because you're the Boss's niece so who cares if you show up late? You're not doing any actual work anyway."

"Oh wow," Jaedynn said and then got out of the car.

"Where the hell are you going?" Alex asked from inside the car and then stepped out so he was looking at her.

"I'm taking the subway back," Jaedynn said. "I'll figure it out myself."

"Jaedynn, you're not going into the subway yourself. It's dangerous," Alex said.

"I'm sure I'll be safe during rush hours," Jaedynn said and Alex stopped her running up to her and getting in her path.

"Jaedynn, get in the car and I'll drive you home," Alex said.

"No, I'm taking the subway. I need some space," Jaedynn said and walked past him but Alex grabbed a hold of her hand.

"Jaedynn, I want you to get in the car."

"And I want you to let go of me," Jaedynn said firmly. "Either let me go and I'll go home or keep arguing with me and I'll pack my things and move into Uncle Kevin's apartment. It's your choice." Alex finally let go of her hand and when he did, Jaedynn walked away from him and followed the path she'd seen Liz taking.

It took her some time and asking directions, but she walked down 77th street until she eventually made it to the Metro that she needed to go to. She grabbed a schedule while she was going down to the subway and reviewed it while she waited. She asked someone about a train to Harlem and the person explained she'd need to stay on the subway until she reached her stop and pointed it out to her.

"You're not from around here I see," the man she'd requested assistance from joked.

"No, I'm from Washington. I moved here recently."

"Well, welcome to the Big Apple," he said. After the exchange, Jaedynn started memorizing the route from Harlem to the Upper East Side so she would be prepared to take the subway herself in the morning. It was mercifully simple now that she'd really taken a moment to study it.

She realized as she studied the map that going forward she would be much better off walking up 5th Avenue and left on Central Park North until she reached 110 St. – Cathedral Parkway Station which would take her right into the heart of Hamilton Heights and Sugar Hill. She went ahead and took the line she was on now deciding that she could use the extra time to get home, but she felt much better knowing the best way to and from work. She'd just need to allow herself plenty of time to walk around Central Park to reach the office. Because of the weird route she'd taken, it took nearly an hour to make it back to Harlem and she ended up walking most of the way home. It had been exactly what she needed and gave her time to calm down and clear her head. By the time she made it back to the neighborhood, it was nearing nightfall. Martha stepped outside of the apartments with Cole at her feet just as Jaedynn was approaching.

"Good evening, Martha," Jaedynn said with a smile.

"Good evening, child," Martha said pleasantly. "Where'd you run off to this morning?"

"Work," Jaedynn said. "I got a job at a Law Firm up town."

"That's marvelous to hear," Martha said. "What work are you doing?"

"Front desk," Jaedynn said. "Nothing spectacular but I'm happy to have work."

"Nothing spectacular is better than no work at all," Martha said. "Well good for you, honey. How was your first day of work?"

"Lovely," Jaedynn said, excluding any mention of Alex. "The woman training me has worked there for 23 years and she knows the job in and out, so I've got a great teacher."

"That's wonderful, dear," Martha smiled. "I hope everything works out with this job."

"When I get my first paycheck, I'll treat you and Cole to dinner," Jaedynn said.

"Oh, honey, you don't need to do that," Martha said.

"Please, I insist," Jaedynn smiled. "What do you say, Cole?" The scraggly dog gave her a dog's grin with his tongue out.

"Cole would eat paper if I let him, so he says yes," Martha smiled. "Well, dear, I had better get back inside. I've got food in the oven and if I stay out here chit chatting too long it'll burn."

"Let me walk you in," Jaedynn said and she walked back inside with Martha and to her door. They said goodbye and Jaedynn finally went to the room at the end of the hall. When Jaedynn stepped inside, Alex was there with a woman with black hair that looked up at her when she came inside. The woman had bright red eyes and was slightly pale compared to Alex, but a few features of her face made her think of Alex. "Hey," Jaedynn said as she stepped into the apartment.

"Hey," the woman answered and looked at Alex. "¿Supongo que esta es ella?" (I assume this is her?)

"Sí," Alex said. "Jaedynn, this is Rita. Rita, this is Jaedynn."

"You're Alex's mother, right?" Jaedynn said as she approached.

"Yes, I am his mother," she answered and accepted Jaedynn's hand to shake. "¿Dijiste que ustedes dos discutieron antes?" (You said the two of you argued earlier?) she said to Alex and he nodded. "¿Qué pasa?" (What about?)

"Evidentemente, existe un delito contra tomar una ducha antes de salir del apartamento," (There is evidently a crime against taking a shower before leaving the apartment) Alex answered. Unsure what they were talking about, Jaedynn stood back and waited for them to return to speaking English. "Fui a buscarla y, en lugar de estar feliz de verme, se enojó conmigo y viajó el metro." (I went to pick her up and instead of being happy to see me, she got mad at me and took the subway.)

"Hm," Rita replied dismissively. She looked at Jaedynn up and down then shrugged. "Si te molesta tanto, manejarlo." (If it upset you so much, handle it.)

"Is everything okay?" Jaedynn asked, feeling the tension in the room.

"Otro que no habla español," (Another one that doesn't speak Spanish) Rita said as she gently shook her head.

"Necesito un poco de privacidad," (I need some privacy) Alex answered.

"Sí, estoy seguro de que es por eso," (Yes, I'm sure that's why) Rita answered back with sarcasm in her voice.

"Chingarte, Rita," (Fuck you, Rita) Alex replied bitterly. Rita released a breathy, condescending huff of a laugh. Finally Rita looked at Jaedynn again and then patted her shoulder. She gave Jaedynn a knowing smile that made her extremely uncomfortable.

"Welcome to New York," was all she said and then she left the apartment. It was an extremely bizarre interaction. She was taken out of her surprise when she felt Alex walk up behind her and hug her.

"I'm sorry about earlier," he said and started kissing her neck. "I shouldn't have snapped at you over this morning."

"No, you shouldn't have," Jaedynn said but still placed her arms over his as he hugged her. "I'm sorry if I upset you, but I really needed to leave so I could be on time."

"I know, but I was almost done in the shower," Alex said. "Tomorrow, just wait for me and I'll take you."

"It's alright; I know the way there now," Jaedynn said.

"You promised to let me take you; can you keep that promise?" Alex asked. He started kissing her neck again and the irritation with how he'd worded his request melted away. "Please?" he said between kisses and Jaedynn sighed.

"Alright," Jaedynn said, "but we absolutely have to leave no later than 8, okay?"

"Absolutely," Alex said between kisses as his hands were already trailing down her body.

"Alex," Jaedynn began, "I'm really not in-" they were interrupted when the phone rang.

"Ignore it," Alex said ignoring both the phone and what she'd been about to say. He eventually grabbed her dress and was able to lift the hem up so he was touching her thigh.

"Alex, it's been a long day," she said.

"How do you think I feel?" Alex said. Before she could respond, a voice came through on the voicemail.

"Jaedynn, it's your Uncle Kevin. I'm just calling because I wanted to check how your first day went." Jaedynn left Alex's arms and went to the phone to answer it and stopped the machine.

"Hey Uncle Kevin," Jaedynn said with a smile.

"Oh, good, you're home," Kevin said. "So how was your first day? How'd you like working with Liz?"

"It was great; Liz is really nice," Jaedynn said. "Thank you so much for letting me work for you. I'm really sorry about the other day."

"Don't worry about it; so long as you're enjoying work," Kevin said. "Did you talk to HR about your pay and benefits?"

"Yeah, I had a chance to speak with them this morning," Jaedynn said. "Thank you again for being so generous."

"Absolutely," Kevin said. "So how are you doing otherwise? How's your commute?"

"I took a taxi this morning and I used the wrong train getting home, but I've got a map now so I think I have it figured out. I'll have a routine by the end of my first week," Jaedynn said.

"Good to hear," Kevin said. "Keep your car obviously, but for work it'll be much easier to take the subway."

"We can't all live down the block from work," Jaedynn teased and made Kevin laugh.

"When it works out, it works out," Kevin said. "So how are you liking New York?"

"I'm still getting used to it, but I like it so far," Jaedynn said. "Levi's going to start coming here for school in the fall right?"

"Actually, he'll be going to Princeton," Kevin said with pride. "He'll be in New Jersey, but he'll be about 2 hours from the city, so it won't be so bad. Same thing with Evalynn, so if the three of you want to hang out or spend time together, definitely do so. The three of you are welcome to use the apartment."

"Thank you so much, Uncle Kevin," Jaedynn smiled. "When is Levi getting here? Maybe the three of us can meet right before school gets back in swing."

"School starts beginning of September, so Evalynn and Levi will go east right after Gabriel's and Emma Leigh's wedding. You're still going, right? The three of you can plan; by then, you'll be familiar enough with Manhattan that you'll know the best places to go."

"Yes, of course. I wouldn't miss Gabriel's wedding for the world," Jaedynn said. "You can all finally meet Alex too."

Kevin was quiet for a moment before saying, "You'll want to talk to Gabriel about inviting Alex. Last I heard, he and Emma Leigh only wanted you there."

"I'll call Gabriel tonight," Jaedynn said. "I don't want there to be hard feelings. Things got off on the wrong foot and I want to give everyone a chance to get to know him."

"Like I said, Jaedynn, Gabriel is the one you'll want to talk to about Alex being invited to the wedding," Kevin said.

"Alright," Jaedynn said, "I'll talk to him."

"Check the house first, but I suspect he's at Grandma and Grandpa's place," Kevin said. "It's getting down to the wire and Alice has the wedding party hard at work whenever there's a free moment. Last I heard, the latest project has been making grape jam, homemade lavender soap and lavender candles."

"They're making all that themselves?"

"Alice and the others are helping, but yeah," Kevin said. "Emma Leigh wanted to give the guests favors they could actually use but she couldn't decide between a jam, soap or candles so she decided she wanted all three. Means three times the work obviously, but don't say that to Alice or Emma Leigh."

"Sounds like I dodged quite the bullet," Jaedynn joked. "I assume the color is purple?"

"That's a safe guess," Kevin chuckled.

"Don't tell anybody I said this, but the white and gold was my favorite. Remember? From Ivory's wedding?"

"It suited her; that's for sure," Kevin said.

"I like it better than purple if I'm honest."

"Hey," Kevin said, "Purple and yellow were mine and Amber's wedding colors, so watch what you say kid."

Jaedynn giggled, "I can't believe you still remember your wedding colors."

"It was one of the happiest days of my life; of course I remember my wedding colors," Kevin said. "Listen, Jaedynn, I'm still at the office so I need to finish a few things before I leave. I'll talk to you again later alright?"

"Alright, I'll talk to you later, Uncle Kevin. And thank you again for everything."

"Think nothing of it; I'm happy to have you," Kevin said and the two of them said goodbye before disconnecting. Jaedynn put the phone on its mount then lifted it again dialing Nathan's number.

"Who are you calling?" Alex asked.

"Gabriel," Jaedynn said. "I want to talk to him about you coming to the wedding with me."

"You don't have to; I don't really want to go if I'm honest," Alex said.

"Come on, Alex; it'll be a great opportunity for you to meet everyone," Jaedynn said, continuing to dial the number. "You have to admit us running off without a word has left a bad taste in everyone's mouth. I want a chance to make things right."

"Jaedynn, I don't care what they think about me," Alex said, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Well, I do," Jaedynn said and the phone began to ring.

"Hello?" she heard her father answer.

"Daddy! It's Jaedynn; would Gabriel happen to be home?"

"Nope, he's at grandma and grandpa's place," Nathan said. "What did you want to talk to him about?"

"It's about Alex coming to the wedding," Jaedynn said. "I just spoke with Uncle Kevin and I guess Gabriel said he didn't want Alex there. I was hoping I could talk to him."

"I can tell you right now, Jaedynn, you're not likely to change his mind," Nathan said. Even if Gabriel would be willing to change his mind on the matter, Nathan certainly wasn't. "I know you're trying to give Alex a chance to meet everyone, but this isn't the time. I'm not the only one that's angry with Alex about what happened and that's not likely to change by him coming to the wedding."

"Daddy, please? Alex can't make amends with everyone if he doesn't meet them."

"I'll tell you what," Nathan said, "talk to Gabriel and if Gabriel's alright with it, then I will be too. Regardless, though, it's Gabriel's and Emma Leigh's wedding, so if they're not comfortable with Alex being there, I need you to respect that. I understand you're trying to give Alex a chance to make things right, but part of that is giving the dust a chance to settle."

"Alright, I understand," Jaedynn sighed a little.

"Before you go, how was your first day at work?" Nathan asked.

"It was great," Jaedynn said. "I was apprehensive that I wouldn't be qualified, but Liz made everything easy to understand."

"That's great," Nathan said. "Did you get your final pay from the station?"

"I checked it Saturday," Jaedynn said. "Did you give me a bonus or something?"

"Yeah," Nathan said. "You shouldn't have had to pay that kids bail; I wanted to make sure you got that back."

"Daddy, you didn't have to do that," Jaedynn said.

"Well, I did," Nathan said. "Use it to help get you out of that shoebox."

"It'll certainly help," Jaedynn said. "The moment I'm able to, I'll pay you back."

"Unless Alex mans up and pays you back for having to post his bail, you don't owe me a cent," Nathan said.

"You wouldn't have had to post my bail if your uncle hadn't had me arrested," Alex said.

Nathan overheard Alex and said directly to him, "If you hadn't made Jaedynn run off with you without a word, we wouldn't have had to file kidnapping charges. You ever think of that?"

"That's enough," Jaedynn said and got out of Alex's arms to step away enough so she and Nathan were speaking without Alex hovering. "Daddy, please, don't argue."

"I'm sorry, Jaedynn. You're right: I shouldn't let him provoke me," Nathan said. "Regardless, don't worry about paying me back. You don't owe me a cent. Although if Alex wants to do the right thing and reimburse you for the inconvenience, then we'll entertain you paying me back."

"Daddy," Jaedynn said.

"Just saying, honey," Nathan said.

"Just hang up on him, Jaedynn; he's being a shithead," Alex mumbled.

"What did he just fucking say?" Nathan asked, overhearing Alex again.

"Nothing. It must have been a neighbor or something," Jaedynn quickly tried to deflect. "Someone upstairs is named Haden or something. Weird coincidence."

"Jaedynn, it's not your responsibility to speak for him," Nathan said. "If he has something to say to me, he can say it himself without putting you in the middle."

"Put him on the phone," Alex said.

"No," Jaedynn said. "I'll talk to you later, okay daddy?"

"Alright, I'll talk to you later, Jaedynn. Remember: I'm always a call away."

"I know. I love you."

"I love you too, honey," Nathan said and the two disconnected. Jaedynn put the phone down and didn't bother calling Gabriel.

"Alex, please don't hover over me like that when I'm on the phone," Jaedynn said.

"Please tell your dad not to shit talk me behind my back," Alex said with an exasperated sigh. "I'm going out. Don't wait up for me, okay?"

"Where are you going?" Jaedynn asked.

"I need to get some work done," Alex said. "This 'shoebox' doesn't pay for itself."

He stepped out of the apartment and slammed the door behind him, making Jaedynn jump a little. She sighed heavily and went to the bed to lay down. Maybe Nathan was right about putting off introducing Alex to her family, Jaedynn thought. If the two of them were arguing over the phone with her in the middle, there was no telling how they'd interact in person. She'd just go to the wedding herself. Truthfully, the prospect of some extended time away sounded really nice. At this point, she was happy to keep Alex and her family separate if only for the sake of Alex returning to his usual self. She'd give just about anything for that to happen.

About four hours later, Alex still wasn't home, so Jaedynn took a shower, got her hair in some curlers and ate a sandwich while she waited for her hair to dry enough that she could go to bed. She made sure her alarm was set and eventually made it to bed. By morning Alex wasn't home. She got herself ready for work and by the time she was done, Alex still was nowhere to be found. She waited until it was 8:00 but when he still wasn't home, she went ahead and made the trip to the office taking the commute she'd reasoned was the best route. This time she made it to work early, even before Liz, so she waited at Liz's desk for her to get in.

"You're early," a voice came and she turned to look at Mr. MacArthur.

"Yeah, I found a commute that seems to work," Jaedynn smiled. "I hope it's no trouble being here this early."

"Not at all; early bird gets the worm as they say," Mr. MacArthur said. "It'll definitely impress Liz to see you here this early."

"I hope so. I want to actually be of help to her," Jaedynn said. "I didn't get a chance to thank you for your help at the police station the other day."

"No need to thank me," he said. "I'm just pleased everything worked out alright."

"Yeah," Jaedynn said and then the door to the office opened.

"You're early," Liz said with a smile. "Good: punctuality. I love it."

"Good morning to you too, Liz," Jaedynn smiled back.

The rest of the day went by normally. She stayed beside Liz for training, they had lunch together and talked pleasantly, and when the day ended, they left the office building together and finally parted ways so they could go to their respective stations. By the time she made it back home, Alex still wasn't home. Exasperated, she changed into some jeans and a t-shirt and then took a walk until she found a little café on the corner. She went inside and sat at the little bar table that overlooked all the cooks.

"Evening, miss. Welcome to Louis Ann's. My name is Gerome and I'll be your server for today," a young black man said to her. He looked like he was still in his early twenties at best and he had a sweet, kindhearted smile. He grabbed a menu and handed it to her. "Can I get you anything to drink while you peruse through the menu?"

"Some water, please," Jaedynn smiled.

"Right away, miss," he said and walked to the back where the majority of the kitchen hid. She skimmed through the menu: Cajun. She'd never had Cajun food and based on the menu options, it was a terrible shame. The young man returned with her glass of water. "Anything striking your fancy, miss? Or do you need a moment?"

"Actually, I had a quick question. I've actually never had Cajun food before so this all looks a bit foreign to me," Jaedynn said jokingly and Gerome smiled back kindly. "What's your favorite?"

"My favorite?" he asked. "If I'm being completely truthful, miss, my favorite is the Gumbo of the Sea, but that's mighty pricey."

"Indeed it is," Jaedynn said when she found it under 'Gumbos'. "It does look delicious, though. Is it spicy?"

"No ma'am, it's mild," he answered, "but there's plenty of Tabasco sauce to make it as spicy as you want. Whenever I have it, I always add it generously, but if you want just a gentle kick, one or two shakes of the bottle would be plenty."

"Hm," Jaedynn said and looked over all the gumbos. "You know what: I'll have the Gumbo of the Sea."

"Absolutely, miss," he smiled and wrote down her order. "That comes with a side of red beans and rice and some fresh cornbread. Are there any other sides that you'd like?"

"I'll tell you what: some mac and cheese sounds great," Jaedynn said.

"I'll tell you what: I'll add it to your order," Gerome said. "And just because it's your first time here, the mac and cheese will be on me."

"Just for that, I'll need to make sure I come back," Jaedynn smiled and Gerome chuckled. "You know what? Can I also get a Long Island Ice tea?"

"You got a way to get home safely?"

"My apartment's just a block away; I'll be alright," Jaedynn said.

"Okay, miss; just make sure to pace yourself. It's good, but the ice tea will knock you on your ass."

"Gerome!" a woman yelled from the kitchen and the young man jumped.

"Excuse me: it'll…really do you in," he said and Jaedynn giggled.

"Mother?"

"Aunt, but good guess," Gerome laughed. "I'll put in your order, miss. Oh! That ice tea: do you want peach, pineapple or strawberry?"

"Peach," Jaedynn said.

"Absolutely," Gerome said.

"Thank you," Jaedynn replied and Gerome walked away to get the order in. Shortly thereafter, Gerome brought Jaedynn her ice tea.

"Remember: pace yourself," Gerome smiled. Jaedynn took a sip and squinted.

"Jesus Christ," Jaedynn said, "You weren't kidding about this drink."

"It's not for the faint of heart," Gerome chuckled. "Your food should be out in a few minutes."

"Thank you," Jaedynn said.

Another ten minutes later, Jaedynn received her dinner and it was a lot to get through. It looked designed to eat some today and have the rest the next day. Although, when Jaedynn tried it, she wasn't sure it would last to the next day. She saw people come and go from the restaurant, but the majority were people that were picking up an order to bring back home as opposed to sitting down for dinner. They'd sit down to have a drink while they waited and leave as soon as they had their food and paid their bill. She didn't finish all her gumbo, but it wasn't for lack of wanting to.

"Gerome?" Jaedynn said when the young man was walking by.

"Yes, miss?"

"Could I get a to go box for this?"

"Of course," Gerome said and finished with another customer before returning with a box. "So how did you like it?"

"Delicious," Jaedynn said. "I think next time I will add some Tabasco – see how it changes the flavor, but on its own it's fantastic."

"I'll make sure I tell Aunty," Gerome said. He saw her empty glass of tea. "And you're alright to walk home? I can get you some coffee if you need it."

"No, I'm fine," Jaedynn smiled. "It was definitely strong but it was delicious."

"Can I interest you in dessert?"

"I remember the menu having pie," Jaedynn said.

"We've got apple and rhubarb," Gerome said.

"I'll take the rhubarb to go," Jaedynn said.

"With or without ice cream?"

"Without," Jaedynn said.

"Absolutely. I'll bring that and the check for you in just a moment," Gerome said and walked away.

She said goodbye to Gerome once she'd paid her bill and gave him a good tip for being so nice and walked back to the apartment. When she returned, Alex still wasn't home. Now she was starting to get worried. She tried to relax but couldn't help looking at the front door on the chance that he would come through, but he didn't. She was alone when she went to bed that night and was still alone when she woke the next morning, so she went to work like normal. When she returned home, Alex sitting on the bed polishing a few things including but not limited to jewelry, a jewelry box, and a lamp.

"You're home," Jaedynn said.

"Yeah; I finally have enough to sell to Murphy," Alex said.

"Who's Murphy?"

"He owns the Pawn Shop in Brooklyn," Alex said.

"Brooklyn? Why do you have to go to a Pawn Shop all the way in Brooklyn?"

"The rates are good," Alex said. Jaedynn looked at all the jewelry on display as well as the large jewelry box.

"Someone threw out their jewels and jewelry box?" Jaedynn asked.

"Yup," Alex said. "This will give us a nice payday to be sure."

"Why would someone throw all that out?" Jaedynn asked.

"Don't know; not my problem," Alex shrugged. He looked through all the jewelry and grabbed a ring that made him smile. "This one you keep, though." Jaedynn accepted the ring: a gold band with a cluster of diamonds at the top and when she tilted it in the light, she could tell they were real diamonds. There was absolutely no way someone threw this out.

"Alex…these must have been thrown out on accident. You should take these to the police so they can be returned," Jaedynn said.

"Buttercup, these were found in the trash; if it were really that important to the previous owners, they wouldn't have thrown them out."

"Alex," Jaedynn said more firmly, "Promise me you'll bring all this to the police."

"Fine," he said and took back the ring. "I'll do that first thing in the morning."

"You promise?" Jaedynn said.

"I swear on almighty God," Alex said and collected everything to be put back in the jewelry box.

"Thank you," Jaedynn said. She watched him put all the jewelry away. He said that he'd found it in the trash, but the more she looked at the box itself, she wasn't sure she believed it. The box was in immaculate condition; not a single scratch or stain to indicate it had been in the trash. Alex noticed she was staring eventually.

"What?"

"Alex….did you really find that in the trash or did you.."

"Did I what?" Alex asked, standing from the bed. "Are you asking if I stole it?" Jaedynn didn't even get a chance to answer before he continued. "I can't fucking believe this. You really think I stole all this?"

"Alex, the box looks too….nice to have been in the trash. I'm just asking because-"

"Because you don't trust me," he completed the sentence, "Is that it?"

"That's not what I said."

"It's what you were about to say," Alex said. "Come on, Jaedynn. Would I really agree to take this shit to the police if it were stolen?"

"No, but-"

"But nothing," Alex said. "Three days of hard work and when I return home, I get accused of theft. That's just great."

"Alex, I'm allowed to ask questions about where you got all this jewelry," Jaedynn said.

"Fine, fine, you're right," Alex said, his demeanor changing suddenly as he held up his hands defensively. "I guess this does look a little suspicious. I swear to you this was all taken from the garbage, but if it'll make you feel better, I will turn this over to the police."

"Thank you; that's all I'm asking," Jaedynn said.

"Good," Alex said. "Now can I hug you? I haven't seen you in days and I've missed you a lot." Jaedynn eventually nodded and approached Alex so the two of them could hug. Once she was in his arms, he started swaying with her from side to side. "When was the last time I told you 'I love you' Buttercup?"

"It's been a while," Jaedynn said.

"Well, I love you," He said and kissed the top of her head.

"I love you too," Jaedynn said, beginning to feel better. "I feel like we've done nothing but argue these past few days."

"We've had nothing but people bugging us the past few days," Alex said, referring specifically to Jaedynn's relatives. "I really don't like the way your dad and Uncle talk to you."

"You have to understand why they're upset," Jaedynn said. "Please, I don't want to argue. Please?"

"Alright," Alex said. "I really did miss you." Alex started kissing down her face until their lips were close. "Do you miss me?"

"Yeah," Jaedynn said. She'd missed this tenderness from him. She'd missed this feeling of being wanted and desired.

"Give me a kiss, Buttercup," Alex said and their lips finally met and in his own way, Alex made up for all the arguing they'd experienced over the past few days.

Things went on this way. Jaedynn continued working at Kevin's law firm and while Alex persisted with his complaints about it, she didn't let it deter her. She was constantly reassuring him that her uncle wasn't at the office shit talking him (which wasn't a lie) and she always made sure that she called Nathan or other family when Alex wasn't home. Given she was the one placing the majority of the calls, she completely took over paying the phone bill, making her calls home that much more of a non-issue. He was out of the apartment with more frequency so whenever he wasn't in, Jaedynn would go to the Cajun restaurant up the road and call home once she was back at the apartment. She quickly became a regular of this place and consequently became good friends with Gerome.

In the meantime, the Tistilal children were bused to Arizona for their summer vacation and Evalynn returned home to visit and would be there until after the wedding. With only a few more weeks to the wedding, Alice and Rosalie made the final adjustments to both Emma Leigh's and Nadeshka's dresses. The royal purple Nadeshka wore matched the wedding colors perfectly and Emma Leigh's dress – a full ball grown with lace all over including long sleeves and a turtle neck – made her feel like a princess. During her final fitting, Emmett felt like he might get teary eyed were he capable and insisted the two of them dance together: practice for their father/daughter dance.

"Are you excited for the wedding?" Nadeshka asked Ariel as the two of them were doing inventory on a Tuesday midday.

"Yeah; I'm excited for it to be done," Ariel said and Nadeshka giggled. "I'm serious: I never want to see the color purple again in my life after this."

"I love the color she picked," Nadeshka said. "Have you and Gabriel had a chance to try on your suits?"

"Yeah, they fit," Ariel said. "I will admit I love the vest. It looks really good on me if I do say so myself."

"I can't wait to see it," Nadeshka smiled. "Everyone had better love all that grape jelly and the soaps and candles."

"Thank goodness Aunt Amber was kind enough to carve the soaps into hearts with Gabriel's and Emma Leigh's names and the wedding date on it."

"Don't worry, Mrs. Black was paid handsomely for her kindness," Nadeshka said.

"I certainly hope so," Ariel said. "That was..what? 200 bars of soap?"

"250," Nadeshka said matter-of-factly.

"Christ almighty," Ariel said.

"Yeah, papa heard that number and whispered to mama, 'королевская свадьба или что-то?'" (korolevskaya svad'ba ili chto-to?) she said with a giggle.

"What?" Ariel asked.

"He said, 'is this the royal wedding?' He was being facetious."

"I just assume that's your dad's natural disposition," Ariel teased and Nadeshka swatted at his arm.

"Papa isn't used to this kind of flashiness. In the Soviet Union, a marriage is rather simple. At least Mama's and Papa's wedding was. They'd dated for a few months, had gone to the courthouse for their license and had dinner at his family's house after everything was signed. Straightforward."

"That might be a little too simple for my taste, but to each their own," Ariel said as he marked down the bottle count for the tequila.

"Well, according to Papa, my babushka had given them the closest to a religious wedding as was possible, but it was in her kitchen after the courthouse appointment and he claims the whole time he kept telling babushka, 'Mama, you are not a priest'."

"I imagine that would be problematic," Ariel smiled. He glanced at Nadeshka between jotting down notes on the inventory list. She was dazzling. Pale skin, black hair and the sweetest brown eyes he'd ever seen. A little button nose, a delicate round face with full lips and her hair had a natural waviness to it that complimented her. Sometimes it seemed like just yesterday that she was coming to the bar for the first time mistakenly asking for a glass of blood. Even now, the memory made him smile. Now? She was grown and a stunning woman in every way. "So did your parents ever have a first dance or something like that?" he finally asked.

"Not that I know of, but apparently on their very first date – and by 'date' I mean both their fathers introduced them over dinner – Mama's dad suggested she sing and she did."

"What did she sing?"

"You would know it as 'Those were the Days'. You know? That song sung by Mary Hopkins?"

"You mean the one you said was the world's most inaccurate translation of a song?"

"Yeah, that one," Nadeshka giggled. "The name of the song is actually Дорогой длинною (Dorogoi dlinnoyu). It means 'By the Long Road'. It's a love song, but the translation makes it sound like it's a revolutionary's song or something."

"Honestly, from what I know of the Soviet Union, that makes a lot of sense," Ariel said. "So it's kind of like Katyusha? That's the name of that other song, right?"

"Katyusha is about a woman that's writing letters to her lover that's fighting in lands far away. Dorogoy Dlinnoyu is about lamenting a lover that's leaving and not about revolutionaries."

"So written before the fall of the Czar?" Ariel teased.

"That part I don't know," Nadeshka said. "Contrary to what Americans think, Russians can be very romantic."

"Is that so?" Ariel chuckled.

"Yes it is so," Nadeshka said with her hands on her hips.

"I'll believe you," Ariel smiled. "How are we on Gin?

"We're down to ten bottles," Nadeshka said and Ariel wrote it down.

"That should be enough until next week," Ariel said. He finished filling out the inventory sheet and brought it to Ada's office, then when he returned, he went right behind the bar and grabbed the bottle of tequila. "This is our little secret, okay?"

"You drinking the tequila you mean?" Nadeshka asked.

"I always pay for what I use, so it's okay," Ariel said as he poured himself a shot. "But still; keep this between us. Even if I'm paying for it, mom would throw a fit if she knew I was drinking it. Would you like a shot?"

"No, I'm fine," Nadeshka said but she did come to the bar taking a seat and leaning on the table. Ariel poured himself a shot and put the money in the register to pay for it. "It's such a strong smell."

"But it pairs well with so much," Ariel said, "The aged stuff is the best."

"I don't know how you can stand drinking alcohol. I thought you only like blood," Nadeshka said.

"I don't like much food, but I appreciate the taste of alcohol. I am my mother's son in that respect," Ariel said and took a sip of his tequila. "So are you or your parents planning to get a room at the hotel for the wedding?"

"I'm pretty sure Sergey will get a room for the night that he and Lee are going to share, but mama and papa will return to Forks after the wedding. I'll be staying in the same room we'll get ready in," Nadeshka said.

"Same," Ariel said. "After the reception, Gabriel and Emma Leigh have a honeymoon suite to themselves and the bridal suites we'll have to ourselves." Nadeshka smiled at the idea. "So what does your dress look like? Besides royal purple?"

"Lace with an empire waist and it's floor length," Nadeshka said. "Tasteful but nothing too spectacular. I begged Alice not to put me in anything hideous and she came through."

"I can't wait to see it," Ariel smiled.

The two of them would be walking down the aisle together last they'd been told, but the proper rehearsal would be the day before. Gabriel's and Emma Leigh's Quileute wedding would be on a Thursday to keep with the cycle of the moon and they would be able to have one day to themselves before they had to be separated after the rehearsal dinner before their wedding that Saturday. The bar would be open but in the hands of other staff members to make sure things went smoothly while the family was occupied with all the weddings. While they would technically have three days off work, there would be no relaxation through any of it to be sure. Ariel glanced at the clock and they had another hour before the bar was scheduled to open. Ariel finished his shot and washed the glass then put it on a mat to dry.

"You got the inventory list from the chef right?"

"Yeah, I put it on Ada's desk," Nadeshka said.

"Okay, good," Ariel said. "Let's get some last minute cleaning done."

"Whatever you say, boss," Nadeshka smiled at Ariel and went to grab the cleaning supplies. Ariel smiled at her and followed after to help.

As the wedding date approached, nearly every free moment for Emma Leigh and Gabriel were consumed with making the final details for the reception. Jaedynn had already accepted that she was going to the wedding by herself and never called Gabriel to try changing his mind about letting Alex come. A few weeks before the wedding on a Saturday, she went to Midtown Manhattan where Liz told her the Macy's was located and got herself an appropriate dress. She was thankfully not restricted to a specific color like Ada María, Rosalie, Nathan and Emmett were, but she still wanted to make sure she picked something that wouldn't clash, so she chose a hunter green dress that was on sale. She knew Ada María's dress was going to be a burnt orange and Nathan's tie would match while Rosalie's dress was a chocolate brown and Emmett's tie would be as well, so green seemed like it would fit into that motif nicely. When she returned to the apartment after her day of shopping, she was surprised to see Rita there standing by the counter sorting through some cards.

"Rita? Was I supposed to meet you here?"

"No," Rita said and continued sorting through the cards. They all had the same color and similar codes.

"Is there something I can help you find?"

"No, I'll find it," Rita said.

"What are you looking for?"

"Something business related. You wouldn't understand," Rita said and the…frankly rude assertion took Jaedynn off guard. Not wanting to interact with the woman anymore, Jaedynn just ignored her and pulled her dress out of the bag. "That's awfully fancy. What's that dress for?"

"My brother's wedding. I'm going to Washington in August."

"You run that by Alex first?"

"Excuse me?"

"Did you run that by Alex first?" Rita repeated.

"I don't need to 'run it by Alex'. He already knows my brother's getting married and he already knows I'm going."

Rita shrugged, "Didn't say anything about it to me."

"It was my understanding the two of you don't talk much at all."

"We talk more than you think," Rita said and finally found what she was looking for. "Bueno," she said mostly to herself and then put the card down, picked up a big envelope and put the remaining cards inside then approached the bed. Getting on her knees, she pulled something out from under the bed and put the envelope inside it then pushed it back under the bed.

"What was all that?"

"Did you not hear what I said before?" Rita said. "It's business related."

"Excuse me, Rita," Jaedynn said under her breath and put her dress back in the bag for safe keeping. Rita walked back to the counter to get the card and put it in her pant pocket. While she did, Jaedynn noticed a ring on her finger that she realized she recognized. "How'd you get that ring?"

"Why's that your business?"

"Because Alex offered it to me before I told him to bring it to the police; he said he found a jewelry box full of valuables and I told him to take it to the police. That ring was in that collection."

Rita stared at Jaedynn a moment before she burst into laughter. "Dáselo a la policía; eres muy estúpido," (Take it to the police; you're so stupid) she said through her laughter and just walked out of the apartment without another word. Once Rita was gone, Jaedynn went around the bed to pull out whatever Rita had been messing with but it was a briefcase that had a code and was locked.

"Damn it," she said and kicked it back under the bed. Then she took a deep breath. Don't jump to conclusions, she told herself. Maybe Alex had brought everything to the police but Rita had nabbed something for herself beforehand. She'd met the woman twice since moving in with Alex and Jaedynn had no trouble believing she'd do something like that.

Sadly, Alex didn't come home that night and her concern started to fester. When it was late enough her time, she called home to talk to Nathan and then called Ivory so they could talk. Jaedynn made no mention of that afternoon or about Alex, only saying she'd bought a dress from Macy's. Their conversation turned into playful bickering when Ivory revealed she too had bought a green dress for the wedding. They discussed what their dresses actually looked like and were able to agree their dresses were different enough that it wouldn't be an issue. They stayed on the phone together until it was about nine Jaedynn's time and promised to see Ivory at the wedding. She finally went to bed around ten with Alex still not returning home and fell asleep alone. She was woken up in the middle of the night to a tickling sensation on her neck that startled her awake. She realized Alex was in bed with her his arms around her with a hand between her legs and his lips against her neck.

"Alex? When did you get home?" Jaedynn asked when she finally woke up enough to say something.

"Twenty minutes ago," Alex answered but did not stop what he was doing. She could feel his erection against her back but she was too tired to reciprocate even if she wanted to.

"Alex, please, I'm not in the mood," Jaedynn said.

"Is this about Rita?"

"No, it's not about your mother, but while we're on the subject, she was looking through a bunch of cards when I returned to the apartment," Jaedynn said.

"Yeah, I know; I needed her to get me my ID," Alex said and was still not stopping with his touching.

"There must have been twenty cards she was sorting through. How many IDs do you have?"

"As many as I need," Alex said and Jaedynn was about to ask him to explain when he slipped his fingers inside her, interrupting her train of thought.

"Alex, please, I said I'm not in the mood," Jaedynn said.

"You feel like you're in the mood to me," he said, feeling around her inner walls and feeling the dampness. While she was indeed having a natural response to his touch, she still didn't want it.

"I'm not," Jaedynn said and grabbed his hand so she could pull it away but she kept his arm around her waist.

"Jaedynn, don't blue ball me like this. I've been out all day looking forward to coming home to you," Alex said.

"Alex, I said no," Jaedynn said more firmly. Alex groaned irritably and released her, turning over in bed. He didn't say anything else to her so she fell back to sleep and didn't wake up until morning. When she did, she smelled pancakes of all things. She opened her eyes and saw a plate of pancakes on the bed where Alex would usually be.

"How'd you sleep?" Alex asked once she'd opened her eyes and noticed the pancakes.

"Um...alright," Jaedynn said as she sat up. "You made me pancakes?"

"No," Alex chuckled, "I went to a local café and bought them for you. You know I can't cook, Buttercup." He walked over and sat on the edge of the bed beside Jaedynn and gave her a quick kiss. "I'm not working today, so I'm all yours." Jaedynn didn't answer and Alex kissed her again. Then he pulled the plate closer and put it on Jaedynn's lap handing her the fork.

"Can I ask you something?" she finally said as she started cutting the pancakes with her fork.

"What's that?"

"Yesterday when your mom was here, she was wearing that ring you wanted to give me," Jaedynn said.

"Jaedynn, I'm not responsible for what Rita decides to take," Alex said. "I handed the box over to the police like you asked me to. Can you not bring it up again?"

"It just took me by surprise," Jaedynn said. "And when I brought up she was wearing one of those jewels you'd returned, she started laughing at me."

"Rita's a cunt, Jaedynn; I don't know what else to tell you," Alex said and Jaedynn just gawked at him a moment. "What?"

"Nothing," Jaedynn mumbled and took a bite of her breakfast.

"So what did you get at Macy's? Something for me?" Alex smiled at her.

"It's a dress for my brother's wedding," Jaedynn said. "I talked to my sister yesterday and figures Ivory bought a hunter green dress too. Even when she's not stealing my clothes, she's stealing my color," she continued with a humored smile. "When she and Anatoli went on their first date, she wore my dress to that and even spilled ketchup on it. I was so mad at her."

"Glad I'm an only child," Alex said.

"I'm fortunate; Ivory didn't irreversibly ruin my dress. On the other hand, she burrowed our sister Scarlet's favorite blouse and spilled wine on it. She could never get the stain out. Scarlet will never let Ivory live that down."

"I don't really like Ivory if I'm honest," Alex said and stood from the bed to get a mug he filled with coffee. Jaedynn was speechless as he walked back and handed her the cup. "I thought we weren't going to your brother's wedding."

"Alex, I'm not missing Gabriel's wedding," Jaedynn said. "I know you didn't want to go and you don't have to, but I'm going. I'll be leaving Wednesday the 2nd and I'll come back Sunday the 6th."

"I was hoping you'd stay home with me."

"Alex, I won't even be gone a week," Jaedynn said and started poking at her pancakes. "Alex, your mom said something that kind of upset me. She asked me if I'd run this wedding by you. I don't like how she implied I'm some kind of child that needs permission to go see my family."

"Already told you, Jaedynn: I'm not responsible for Rita whether she's said or done something," Alex answered and sat back down on the edge of the bed by her. "I'll talk to her; tell her she needs to watch how she speaks to you. Don't let her get to you, Buttercup," Alex said and brought his hand to her cheek and ran his thumb back and forth over her skin. "Let me make it up to you, baby. I didn't get to last night."

"Can I ask you one more thing?" Jaedynn asked and she felt Alex get tense.

"What's that?"

"Why do you have so many IDs and why are they being kept in a locked briefcase?"

"They aren't all IDs," Alex said. "I have a Social Security Card, bus and train cards, credit cards; I just keep them all in that briefcase for safe keeping. I mean, that's normal isn't it? Keeping personal information under lock and key?"

"Yeah," Jaedynn mumbled. "From the back, they all looked like Driver's Licenses."

Alex shrugged, "I guess it's just the way New York cards all look." Alex scooted a little closer to her so their noses were touching. "Better?" he asked. Eventually, Jaedynn's only answer was to nod and when she did, Alex smiled at her. "So how are the pancakes?"

"Very good," Jaedynn said and took another bite and then sipped her coffee. "You pick up the best pancakes."

Alex chuckled, "I do what I can." He pressed another kiss to Jaedynn's lips. "Finish your breakfast and then you and I will take a shower together. We've never done that."

"Alright," Jaedynn smiled back at him.

She finished her breakfast and coffee and then they went into the bathroom together to shower. Jaedynn got the water hot and stepped in, Alex following after her. He wasted no time, turning her around, pressing her against the tile and began kissing her. He remained tender and gentle as they kissed. This was the side of him that she loved: this tender, attentive man that made her feel wanted and beautiful. Alex had her pressed against the shower wall for several minutes as they kissed and touched one another until he lifted her leg around his hip about to enter her.

"Alex," Jaedynn stopped him, "Can you get a condom?"

"Oh, right," Alex said without argument and left the shower to grab one. He ended up taking about a minute to come back and when he did, the condom was out of its packaging and in his hand. "Turn around for me, Buttercup," he said and guided her to turn so her hands were on the tile. She waited a moment for Alex to get their protection into place before he grabbed a hold of her hips, slipped inside her and started to move.

They finished several minutes later and Jaedynn started to actually shower while Alex tossed the condom. Then he returned to the shower to wash up but fondled her the whole time so that they were sleeping together again and like last time, Alex had Jaedynn facing away from him on all fours and they proceeded. Leading up to her leaving, Alex was completely insatiable. He was home more often and insisted on sex as often as possible which in itself didn't bother her. What started to bother her was his constant demand for reassurance.

"You'll come back after your brother's wedding won't you?" he'd asked her after the second time they'd slept together that Sunday.

"Of course I will," Jaedynn had answered, taken by surprise that he'd ask her something like that at all. He'd persisted requesting this affirmation, but it changed from 'coming back from her brother's wedding' to, 'you'll never leave me right'? 'You won't leave me will you?' 'You promise you'll come back?' Over and over and over again.

The Monday before she was about to leave for Washington, he asked her again, "You promise you won't leave me?" and her answer was, "If you keep asking me that question, I won't come back." She'd said it in a harsh tone, extremely frustrated and tired of him asking her that question. On Tuesday, she and Liz talked while they worked and at lunch, she confided in Liz about what had been going on. She never really talked to Liz before about Alex; she didn't talk to anyone for that matter. She'd become accustomed to her family being forthright with their opinion of Alex and she'd just refused to talk about him, but she needed to talk to someone.

"So he's been groveling for you to not leave? What gave him the impression you would leave at all?" Liz asked as they were going down the two floors to the café.

"My family really doesn't like Alex," Jaedynn said. "He and I started talking a lot over phone but daddy eventually determined he didn't want me talking to Alex anymore. He felt like Alex's work was suspect. A few months later Alex came to Washington, we reconciled from when I'd thought he was cheating on me and then he asked me to come with him to New York. I did, but I didn't tell anyone."

"You left home without telling anyone?" Liz said, wide eyed. "I know you said you two ran away together, but I'd assumed you'd just packed your things, told your father you were leaving and then didn't allow him to object. Either way I understand them being upset but if he just whisked you away without a word….dear, that's not right."

"I know," Jaedynn said with a sigh. "In retrospect it was really stupid, but I loved Alex. I thought it was romantic."

"Thought?" Liz said, catching her use of past tense.

"I love Alex," Jaedynn corrected herself. "He's just….he's sensitive."

"Yes, I'm gathering that," Liz said. "So what have you been telling him when he asks?"

"I just tell him I'm returning," Jaedynn said, "But yesterday, I told him that if he asks me again, I won't come back." Liz was quiet a moment and then the elevator door opened to the correct floor so they stepped out and went to the café. They ordered their food, found their seats near a window and started eating. Liz did anyway. Jaedynn was poking at her food rather uninterested.

"Are you not hungry?"

"Not really," Jaedynn sighed. "I feel sick to my stomach. All Alex's questioning me is stressing me out."

"Jaedynn?" Liz said and she lifted her head to meet her eyes. "Do you really love this man?" Jaedynn stared into Liz's eyes a moment before finally answering.

"Honestly, it depends on the day," Jaedynn said. "When he's kind and attentive, I love him. But when he's mean, if he's talking about his mom or he gets mad at me over little things, I feel like I don't love him." Another silence passed before Liz ended it.

"There are days," Liz began, "when I'll be so angry at George, I'll feel like I want to smack him. He'll forget to buy eggs even though I put it on the grocery list, he doesn't notice if I changed my hair or won't say anything about a dress I got; the man has a PhD but he can be so unobservant. I'll point out that he forgot something or didn't notice something and George will say, 'I'm so sorry, Liz,' and I just can't stay mad at the man because when he apologizes, he's so sincere and sweet. Truthfully, George is a big teddy bear. I'll think about him or look at him and think to myself, 'I love this man'. No matter how mad I am, I always remember that I love him and why."

"That's all I want," Jaedynn said. She felt her eyes burning and rubbed them. "Both of my sisters have met the loves of their lives, daddy is still happily married after 20 plus years and my brothers found love and one is getting married in a few days. All I want is to be loved. Is that so wrong?"

"Not at all," Liz said, "you deserve to be loved, but part of being loved is loving in return." Jaedynn sighed a little and rubbed her face.

"I'm just getting frustrated is all," Jaedynn reasoned. "I think the time apart will help. When I get back, we'll have missed each other. Absence makes the heart grow fonder right?"

"True," Liz answered hesitantly. "So are you excited for your brother's wedding?"

"Yes, I am," Jaedynn said. "Best part is I didn't have to help plan it like I did when my sister Ivory got married."

"Ah, yes, it is nice not being a bridesmaid," Liz giggled.

"I was maid of honor, so it was worse," Jaedynn said.

"Oh, that's the worst," Liz said and the two of them shared a good laugh, reminiscing about their respective experiences of being Maid of Honor to the bride and the good/bad times that entailed.

After work, Jaedynn said goodbye to Liz promising again she'd be back Monday and returned to Harlem to do some packing. Alex was walking out of the house with a large bag in hand when she returned.

"Where are you off to?"

"Selling some things," Alex said. "I'll be back tonight."

"Okay," Jaedynn said. "You'll drive me to the airport tomorrow?"

"I can't; I've got a job in the morning," Alex said and Jaedynn's shoulders slumped.

"I thought you said you were….never mind. It's alright. Will you be there in the morning before I leave?"

"I doubt it; I'm leaving early," Alex said. "Don't worry. I'll be back before it's time for bed and I'll give you a proper send off." Alex gave her a kiss and walked out of the building.

She got her things packed and, as he promised, Alex was back by ten and they slept together as had become the ritual: Alex would be home by a reasonable time, he would be affectionate and sweet, and they'd sleep together. He didn't even ask her to promise she'd return like he'd been doing, making the night that much better. He was even home in the morning when she woke up and gave her a loving kiss before he had to leave.

"I love you, Buttercup. I'll count the days until you're back home," Alex said before he left the apartment.

When it was time, Jaedynn got her things, hailed a taxi and went to the airport for her flight to Washington. She'd already called ahead to say when her plane was expected to land so she knew there would be someone there to pick her up. She got her luggage and came outside where Ivory was waiting for her and she ran up to Jaedynn to hug her the moment she saw her.

"Jaedynn! I missed you so much!" Ivory said after they started to hug.

"I missed you guys too," Jaedynn said.

"Here, let me help you with your bags," Ivory said and took one of the suitcases and brought it to her car. Then they got into the car to drive home. "So how is New York?"

"It's actually a really nice city once you're used to it," Jaedynn said.

"How do you like working for Uncle Kevin?"

"It's been great. This woman that trained me, Liz, is really nice. She's been there for over twenty years, so she knows her shit."

"That's great," Ivory said. "So, um…how's things with the shit-stain?"

"What?"

"The guy," Ivory said.

"His name's Alex, Ivory," Jaedynn said. "Come on; be serious."

"I know, I know," Ivory said.

"And to answer your question: things are great. We're very happy," Jaedynn answered irritably.

"Okay, good," Ivory said but was unconvinced. "So why didn't he come? Or at least try to convince Gabriel to let him be there?"

"He didn't want to come," Jaedynn said. "Based on how you asked, it's no wonder why."

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry," Ivory said. "Well, what matters is you're home. We really miss you."

"I miss you guys too," Jaedynn said. "Maybe you can come to New York again and visit me one of these days."

"I'll gladly visit you," Ivory said.

"Ivory," Jaedynn said firmly but all Ivory did was shrug.

"Hey; at least I'm being honest," she said. "Oh, you're staying with me and Anatoli, right?"

"Yeah," Jaedynn answered.

"Good. When we get home, we'll put on our dresses and just make sure they look nice beside each other."

"And if they don't?"

"Then you'll just have to get a different dress," Ivory smiled and Jaedynn shoved her shoulder making her laugh.

"Like hell I'm getting a new dress! You get a new dress!" Jaedynn said through her laughter.

"Nah uh, Jaedynn; I bought my dress before you. I get to keep it," Ivory argued. Thankfully, once they were back at Ivory's place and tried on their dresses together, they looked pretty together. The colors matched and their respective dresses complimented their figures, so no one had to buy a different dress, though neither would have likely done so anyway.

As soon as Anatoli returned from work, he welcomed Jaedynn back with a big hug and they all drove to the tribe so Jaedynn could visit with everyone. It felt so good to be home. They stayed the night so they could all help set up for the Quileute wedding and stayed at Nathan's house. Gabriel welcomed Jaedynn home with a big hug. He didn't say so, but he'd been terrified that Jaedynn might not come for one reason or another. Her being there really meant a lot to him. The following day, Nadeshka, Renesmee, Rosalie and Alice were with Emma Leigh helping sew her into her rabbit skin dress and keeping her out of site while the rest of the tribe set everything up. Gabriel eagerly waited for nightfall and was getting jittery the closer it came to sundown.

"Are you alright?" Ariel asked Gabriel once everything was set up and they were waiting for nightfall.

"Yeah, I'm great," Gabriel said, "just waiting for nightfall."

"I know what you mean. I'm anxious for Saturday personally."

"Yeah, I know," Gabriel smiled. "Just remember: anything you do waits until after the wedding."

"I know," Ariel chuckled and patted Gabriel on the back. "I know Embry has plans for that day too."

"After the wedding's over," Gabriel said again firmly but was still smiling.

Finally, nightfall came and Gabriel waited at the unlit pyre while Kyle and Jacob were on the other side waiting for the bride. Emma Leigh was walked out in her dress and she sat down beside Gabriel giving him a smile and her hand so the ceremony could proceed. Jacob and Kyle recounted the story of the ancestors who wished to be human and created the Quileute people, a dance of fertility was performed and lastly Emma Leigh and Gabriel lit the pyre to begin their marriage. The party lasted well into the night and they ran off to have at least a little alone time but come morning, everyone had to go into the city for the rehearsal and their rehearsal dinner. The next day, Emma Leigh and Nadeshka stayed at the hotel to have their hair and make-up done with a photographer there taking pictures the whole time. Another photographer was with Gabriel and Ariel who were getting ready but it didn't require nearly so much effort.

After her makeup was on, Emma Leigh's hair was put into an up-do with purple flowers in her hair while Nadeshka's hair was down and teased to be extremely full in a style reminiscent of Raquel Welch. When 4 o'clock rolled around, pictures continued with the separate wedding parties and their parents, aunts, uncles and cousins. When it was finally five, the ceremony began. The guests were downstairs in the dining area where dinner would be served. Eun Mae and Mae Yon acted as mutual flower girls tossing the flowers onto the aisle and Tristan had kindly agreed to be the ring bearer and had walked down the aisle after the flower girls before sitting with their parents, then Ariel and Nadeshka walked down the aisle together arm in arm. Nadeshka held a small bouquet of purple roses while Ariel wore a purple vest under his suit with a purple rose in his lapel. Gabriel came down the aisle with Ada María at his side and sat beside Nathan once Gabriel reached the altar. Then finally, Emma Leigh began her walk down the aisle with Emmett at her side. She held a bouquet of purple roses, white roses and lilacs that matched the flowers in her hair and her full dress trailed behind her in a long, beautiful lace train.

Emmett gave Emma Leigh a kiss on each cheek before handing her over to Gabriel and the ceremony proceeded. It wasn't more than thirty minutes. The two wrote their own vows and shared a kiss when the officiant declared them husband and wife with the room filling with applause. Jaedynn got teary eyed seeing her little brother so happy. The head table consisted of the bride, groom and their bridal party, so it was a small table at the front of the room overlooking all the other guests and dinner was served immediately after the ceremony with an open bar. Seeing as neither of them were eating anyway, Gabriel and Emma Leigh enjoyed their first dance while the guests enjoyed dinner. Then Emma Leigh had her dance with Emmett all the while a camera was on them at all times. Another camera man was going around the room taking pictures of the guests and the festivities.

"Thank you for only having one favor for your wedding," Jaedynn said to Ivory when she moved the soap, jam and candle aside off her plate so she could receive her dinner.

"Bet you feel bad for all the complaining you did," Ivory said.

"No, I feel no shame for that. I just see that it could have been much worse," Jaedynn said. "Your husband agrees with me. Tell her, Anatoli."

"Leave me out of this," Anatoli chuckled.

"Вы жаловались больше, чем она," (Vy zhalovalis' bol'she, chem ona / You complained more than she did) Boris said with a laugh.

"Shut up, Boris," Anatoli said and Boris just laughed harder.

About an hour after the start of dinner, the cake was brought out so Gabriel and Emma Leigh could cut it and feed a piece to one another. Cake was served along with some ice cream and the open bar continued for the guests that wanted it. After dessert, Gabriel and Emma Leigh made their rounds to thank people for coming and Gabriel started with the table his sisters were at.

"So how are you enjoying the wedding?" Gabriel asked everyone.

"Is no courthouse ceremony, but it will do," Boris joked and Illyana patted his shoulder with a gentle smile.

"It's beautiful, Gabriel," Jaedynn said.

"Congratulations: the hardest part is finally over," Anatoli said and made Gabriel laugh.

"Thank God. If Emma Leigh and I have a daughter, I'm telling her she's having a Quileute wedding and that's it. None of this; it's too stressful to plan."

"Oh, but doesn't the day of make it all worth it?" Ivory asked with a smile.

"Yeah," Gabriel sighed and looked after Emma Leigh who was welcoming the Cullen's friends that had come in for the wedding. "For all the stress of getting everything ready, it's really been a great day."

"There you go; it's all worth it in the end," Ivory said.

"And Jaedynn," Gabriel said and took her hand, "I know I already said this, but thank you for being here. It means a lot."

"Gabriel, I wouldn't miss your wedding for the world," Jaedynn said and leaned forward to give him a kiss on the cheek. "I hope you and Emma Leigh have a wonderful honeymoon and give me a niece or nephew very soon. Lord knows Ivory's been lacking in that department."

"Hey, you want kids so damn bad..." Ivory began but then she stopped, "Never mind. Gabriel, get to work on making a niece or nephew."

"I'll talk to Emma Leigh about it," Gabriel chuckled but lost his laugh when he realized why Ivory had stopped in her tracks before. "I'd better start welcoming some more guests. The dance floor will be open soon, so go hog wild."

"You bet," Ivory said and Gabriel walked away to start welcoming other guests.

When the dance floor was open, Embry got Heather out on the dance floor with him. They blissfully could just enjoy the wedding and leave whenever they pleased, but Embry wanted a dance before they ran off together. Emmett was in a suit as were most while Heather wore a tea length pink dress that was sleeveless but she was wearing a white cardigan over it since it was a little cold.

"I brought a change of clothes just so you know," Heather said.

"You did?" Embry asked. "Okay, good. You're alright with us spending the night together?"

"Of course I am," Heather smiled. "I can think of no better time than after a night of dinner and dancing."

"True," Embry smiled back at her. "There should be a bottle of champagne upstairs for us too."

"Really? Going all out are we?" Heather giggled.

"You could say that," Embry said. "I just want it to be special."

"I know it will be," Heather said and Embry gave her a quick kiss without disrupting their dancing.

He didn't have the bracelet on him at the moment, but knowing where it was and that it was ready had him feeling anxious. After dancing, Heather retrieved her large purse and retreated the wedding with Embry as discreetly as possible. They walked together hand in hand to the elevator and rode up to the right floor then continued to the room Embry had reserved for the night. He wasn't the least bit drunk. He'd had one beer the whole night and had taken forever to finish it. He couldn't stop thinking about his plans for the night and kept willing for time to pass so he could sneak her away without anyone being concerned with their absence. They reached the room together and were finally alone, a bottle of champagne ready and waiting for them in a bucket of ice with two champagne flutes beside it.

"Do you want champagne?" Embry asked.

"I'd love some," Heather smiled and Embry went to open the bottle and filled their glasses. She was biting her lip and swaying side to side while she waited. In an attempt to ease her nerves, Heather approached and took the flute after it had been filled and waited for Embry to fill his own. "Cheers to Gabriel and Emma Leigh."

"Cheers to the happy couple," Embry replied and they clinked their glasses together and then drank. "Speaking of happy couples," Embry said once he'd sipped his champagne. The nerves were getting the best of him and he wanted to ask while he still had the strength to be smooth and calm. "There was something I wanted to talk to you about."

"What's that?"

"Well," Embry started and walked over to his overnight bag, "you'll be finishing college next year."

"Yeah," Heather said and started to follow him but did so very slowly. Embry grabbed what he needed and quickly slipped it into his pocket before turning to face Heather again. He just stared at her for a moment. She was so beautiful and when she smiled, his heart skipped a beat. Her shoulder length brown hair was gently curled and she wore pale pink lipstick and a skin tone eye shadow with black, full lashes. He'd lost his train of thought but took a deep breath to regain his senses. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm great," Embry said. "You look beautiful. It was a little distracting."

Heather giggled, "Thank you. You look good in a suit."

"Thank you," Embry smiled and then took another deep breath. "I love you, Heather."

Heather blushed with a smile, "I love you too, Embry." He started to walk up to her. He gulped down the champagne and put the glass on the dresser so his hands were free. Heather did the same and put her glass on the same dresser so she could approach Embry. She wrapped her arms around his neck and was about to kiss him.

"Just a moment, Heather," Embry said, "I'm sorry. I'm taking too long."

"What are you so nervous for?" Heather asked with a gentle smile. "I know I'm being impatient; I've wanted this for a long time."

"Me too," Embry said and finally gave her a kiss. They kept kissing passionately and Embry nearly forgot all about the bracelet, but when Heather's hands started trailing onto his shoulders, down his chest and over his stomach with the aim of going lower, he pulled his lips away.

"Embry?" Heather whispered longingly and he nearly forgot about the bracelet again, but he took a deep breath.

"One more thing, Heather," Embry said and got down on one knee. This got Heather's attention and she stared at him with shock in her eyes.

"Embry," Heather said, beginning to cry.

"The reason I brought you up here – You know, besides some good old fashioned consummation –," Heather giggled at his joke while he reached into his pocket to pull out a square box, "is I wanted to ask you something." Heather stayed quiet while Embry opened the box so she could see the bracelet he'd made her. It was a beaded bracelet made from black and white marble and a thin gold plate that would rest atop her wrist which was textured so it looked interesting. Embry took her left hand in his with the bracelet presented to her. "Anna Heather Renesmee, will you marry me?"

"Yes," Heather cried with a moment's hesitation and stared at the bracelet as Embry put it on her. Then he stood up and lifted Heather in his arms in a tight hug. "Oh, Embry, I love you."

"I love you too," Embry said.

He brought his lips back to hers so they could return to their passionate kissing they'd started. He pulled his lips from hers to start kissing along her chin and neck. Heather moved her head aside so he could continue and looked at the bracelet, marveling at its splendor. It was so unique and special; she absolutely loved it. It was a perfect representation of them. She whispered I love you in his ear and held on tight as he placed her down on the bed, reaching behind her so he could unzip her dress. When he pulled down the dress, he realized she wasn't wearing a bra. He wondered how on earth he'd not noticed that but then realized there was padding in the dress.

"Not wearing a bra to a wedding; for shame," Embry teased.

"It's all the rage now," Heather smiled. "Besides, I thought you'd appreciate it." She used her arms to press her breasts together in a sultry manner and made Emmett chuckle a little.

"Indeed I do," Embry answered and started kissing her again.

Heather kicked off her high heeled shoes then lifted her knees up so she was cradling Embry's hips. He kissed his way down her neck over her shoulder until he reached her breasts. He squeezed them in his hands tenderly and kissed each breast before taking one of her nipples in his mouth. Heather moaned and lifted her chest up to meet his mouth. She used the grip her thighs had on his hips to make Embry move his hips back and forth over her which he took over before long. Then Embry stood up suddenly so he could take a hold of her dress to pull it off her. She wasn't wearing pantyhose which he was extremely grateful for. He'd have probably ripped them otherwise. Instead she just wore white lace panties that were partially see through. There was something so sweet about seeing her this way and he didn't want to disrupt the image just yet. So he occupied himself with removing his jacket, his tie and his dress shirt.

"Can I ask you something?" Heather asked as she laid back on the bed watching him remove his shirt.

"As me anything," Embry said.

"There's a fantasy I have," Heather admitted with a full blush. "It's silly."

"It's not silly," Embry said and came back to her so he was hovering above her. "Just tell me and I'll make it happen, Heather." Heather bit her lip a little and touched his face tenderly.

"Could I ask you to wear your uniform for me?"

"I'm afraid I don't have it with me right now," Embry said.

"I know," Heather said. "I should have said something but I was too embarrassed to ask. I just thought…..I know it's not your first time, but it is mine. I thought it would be amazing to….you know, recreate your own."

"You mean pretend you're a French hooker?"

"Just this once," Heather said, her blush deepening even more. "I know we can't now since your uniform isn't here but….I thought it was something we could do one day." Embry was quiet, trying to think of the length of the commute.

"Would you be alright with waiting about a half hour for me?" he asked.

"You…you mean it?"

"Yes," Embry said and gave her a kiss. "I promise. Give me thirty minutes and I'll be right back."

"Okay," Heather said, her face practically beet red about that time. Embry kissed her one more time and then grabbed his dress shirt to put it back on. Then he grabbed his keys.

"Thirty minutes," he promised again and then left the hotel room sprinting to the elevator.

When the elevator was taking too long to reach his floor, he found the emergency stairs and went down as fast as he could and sprinted to his car. He was very fortunate a cop wasn't out on the road or he'd have been pulled over in a heartbeat for how fast he was going. He made it to his house, went to his room to locate his uniform and get changed as fast as possible. He took a moment to look in the mirror and make sure his uniform looked right. It wasn't his nice uniform. It was his uniform that he'd wear when out in the field. He'd not worn it since he got off the train returning from Germany after the war. Getting the buttons done up on his boots was easily the most infuriating part. He'd forgotten how long they took to get on. Once he was ready, he was about to leave but then remembered a very important detail and went to the kitchen to get some bread. He had some left over bread rolls that were a little stale but that was fine. If anything, it would make the exchange more authentic.

Having the form of payment, he got to his car and drove back to the hotel like a bat out of hell. He returned with just moments to spare and ran up the stairs as fast as possible then ran down the hall until he finally reached the door to the hotel room, fortunate that no one from the wedding had seen him. The moment he opened the door, music began playing. He didn't recognize it, but it was French. Probably a record Heather had gotten during her Bat Mitzvah trip to Paris. However, what had his attention was seeing Heather still in her panties but with a few more additions. Her breasts remained in full view, but she now wore a little white hat that he couldn't believe she'd managed to find. It fit over her head like a winter cap like what was popular back in the 20's with her hair curled underneath resting at her shoulders and she wore white high heeled shoes. She held an unlit cigarette that rested in a fancy cigarette holder that used to be so popular and her makeup was a little different. She now wore bright red lipstick but the rest of her face had stayed the same.

"Bonsoir, American," she said, trying to pull off a French accent.

"Bonsoir," Embry replied at a loss of anything else to say. She looked like one of the pinups that would be under just about every soldier's pillow down in the trenches.

"How can I be of service, brave soldier?" Heather asked with that same accent.

"I heard around the trenches that a man could get a big favor for some bread," Embry said and presented the roll he'd brought. Heather smiled sensually and batted her eyelashes.

"You heard correct, monsieur," Heather smiled. She pretended to put out the cigarette and approached him with a sultry walk that seemed to be just for him. "Payment, please," Heather said, holding out her hand to accept the bread Embry had brought. Embry handed it over and Heather pulled off a piece to have a bite. After she swallowed, Heather smirked at him and put the bread on the nightstand. "Merci beaucoup," Heather said. She approached him and started unbuttoning the shirt of his uniform. "You must be so homesick; poor darling."

"I certainly am," Embry played along. "I'd give anything for a little comfort so far from home."

"That's what I'm here for, monsieur," Heather said sweetly and pushed the jacket off him after all the buttons were undone. He'd put on a white shirt underneath as would generally be done and it was tucked into his pants, again according to dress code. She undid his belt and pulled it from the loops. Then she brought that belt behind his neck holding both ends so she could lead him. "Follow me, monsieur," she said and Embry followed her.

"I've never done this before, Miss. What should I do?" Embry said.

"You sit back, monsieur, and let me do all the work," Heather said. "You work so hard out in those trenches. It must be so, so scary."

"It is," Embry said. He could still remember those trenches so vividly but right now, Heather was all he was focused on. It really was the comfort he wished he could have had back then. "What's your name, miss?"

"You can call me Heather, dear soldier," Heather said and pushed him to sit on the edge of the bed once they'd reached it. Once he was seated, Heather went onto her knees before him and started unbuttoning his pants so she could then pull the white shirt out from under it then pull it off. "What do I call you, monsieur?"

"Embry," he answered.

"Embry," Heather whispered sweetly as her hands trailed down his bare chest. The feel of her nails going down gently tickled and made him shiver with pleasure. Heather giggled and started kissing his neck. "Do not be nervous, monsieur Embry," Heather said. "I promise I will take very good care of you."

"I know you will, Heather," Embry said.

Heather continued kissing down Embry's chest and over his stomach as her hands were rubbing over his erection. She then brought herself back up to him, staying on her knees, so she could give him a kiss while she unzipped his pants and dipped her hands inside to touch his erection. It made Embry groan and wrap his arms around her so he could bring her against his chest. He pushed his tongue past her lips to meet hers and she moaned into the kiss, tilting her head to deepen the kiss and began stroking his erection. Embry brought one of his hands down to touch the full, rounded flesh of her ass and squeezed it tenderly. She moaned again and, never taking her lips from his, she got to her feet and stepped out of her shoes before climbing onto his lap. Embry reached his other hand down so he was holding her ass with both hands and guided her hips to move against him even though her hands were in the way. It didn't matter.

"Does that feel nice, Embry?" Heather asked. She wasn't speaking in a French accent anymore but he didn't care.

"It feels great," Embry said. Then he brought a hand around between her arms so he could dip his hands under her panties to touch her intimately. Once his fingers rubbed her clitoris, she whimpered against his lips. "You feel so nice, Heather," Embry said through their kiss.

"Too small a reward for your bravery, monsieur," Heather said, remembering their play and using a French accent.

She tightened her grip on his erection ever so slightly and it made him groan again. Heather stepped away from him and then got back on her knees. She began unbuttoning his boots and tugged them off along with his socks. Then she grabbed his pants and pulled down. Embry lifted his hips so she could remove his pants and once he was naked, she took a hold of his erection again, stroking it tenderly. She kept doing that for a moment a little nervous.

"You don't have to do that, Miss Heather," Embry said, noticing her hesitance. "You've been so kind already."

"Don't be silly," Heather managed and maintained the French accent, although she was blushing deeply. "I must thank you properly, Embry. You are the reason our home is safe from the Germans."

"It's my pleasure to protect you, miss," Embry played along and gently pulled her hat off her head. It made her hair a little messy, but it just made her that much sexier. She smiled at him and his heart skipped a beat.

After giving him that gorgeous smile, Heather rubbed her lips together as she breathed and finally brought her head down over his erection, taking him into her mouth. He groaned and swore all at once as she lowered her head. At first, her mouth was slow and timid; focusing almost entirely on the head of his erection while her right hand stroked him up and down and her left hand cupped the fullness below. She swirled her tongue around and then sucked, proceeding with a pattern until she finally had enough confidence to do more. Breathing through her nose, Heather started to dip her head lower and lower until she was practically choking then sucked has hard as she could as she started lifting her head. Once she was back at the top, she returned to the pattern she'd been doing before.

"Fuck, Heather," Embry groaned and started to guide her movements once she was more comfortable, but when he was getting too close, he pulled her head up and away from his cock. "I would like another reward, Miss Heather."

"Anything, monsieur Embry," Heather said, catching her breath.

"Get on your back," Embry said then picked Heather up so he could turn around and place her back down.

He grabbed her panties and pulled them down so she was finally naked before him. He grabbed her thighs to spread her legs and rested them on his shoulders before dipping his head between her legs. Then he brought his tongue to her clitoris doing to her what she'd done to him. She cried out from the spark of sensation and laced her fingers through his short hair. Any time she'd pleasured herself was nothing compared to what Embry did to her now. She felt light headed as his tongue pleasured her, bringing her closer and closer to climax. She felt her body tightening and Embry slipped his fingers inside her moving them in and out to intensify her pleasure. He didn't stop until he felt her walls crush around his fingers and Heather's cries and whimpers rang through his ears and even then, he kept up his movements until she came down from her high.

"Embry," Heather whimpered as he pulled his fingers and lips away so he could climb back atop her.

"May I grab something, Miss Heather?" Embry asked.

It took Heather a moment to finally nod and Embry went to his overnight bag so he could grab some protection. He got their protection in place and returned to bed and got onto his back. Then he took her hand to pull her to him so she was on top of him. Heather moved back and forth over his erection before going between them to put him inside her. She lowered herself onto him slowly and she cried with pleasure the further down she went until she was sitting comfortably on his hips. She moaned his name and he lifted his hands to touch her breasts. She was a vision. An angel fallen from heaven masquerading as a whore. She was anything but. She felt so warm and tight around him that his own mind went completely blank with pleasure. He resisting the need to make her move and instead enjoyed the view of her on top of him with a look of sheer bliss on her face.

"You're so beautiful, Heather," Embry said. Heather looked down at him and smiled.

"You flatter me, monsieur," Heather replied and placed her hands on Embry's chest.

Once she had the leverage, she began to move her hips up and down on him. She was slow at first, the pleasure too much for her, but then Embry started to ease her along so that she was moving faster. Then he turned around so Heather was on her back and took full control, moving with intensity that left them both breathless. Heather grabbed a hold of the iron rails of the headboard whimpering Embry's name over and over as the passion built between them. The French music, the bright red lipstick on her lips, her messy waves and the French accent she'd managed to mostly maintain brought him back to when he was young. Had his first time really been this wonderful, he'd have given up every loaf of bread he received with a big smile on his face.

"Embry," Heather whimpered as he continued to move, losing the French accent again, "I think I'm getting close."

"Tell me what you need Heather," Embry said and kissed her knee as he continued.

"Harder, Embry," Heather cried and he fulfilled her wish, going harder than he'd been doing before.

She reached a hand between them so she could touch herself to bring herself to her climax. The harder and faster Embry moved, the closer she came until she felt that same burst of ecstasy she had felt before. She cried out his name and moments after she'd experienced her orgasm, Embry soon had his, holding her by the hips tightly as he pulsed inside her. He ended up biting her knee in his fit of passion, but it wasn't hard enough to break her skin. When he was spent, Embry rolled onto his back trying to catch his breath while Heather turned and placed her hand on his chest.

"One second," Embry said through deep breaths. "I need to get rid of the condom."

"I'll do it," Heather said, returning to the use of the French accent. "You relax, dear soldier." She removed the condom and went to the closest trash bin to be rid of it then returned to the bed taking her spot beside him again. "How did you enjoy yourself, Embry?" she asked.

"Magical, fulfilling and over too soon," Embry said with a smile. Heather smiled back and pressed a kiss to his lips. Embry wrapped his arms around her to hold her tight and she rested her head on his shoulder after their lips parted. "How do you feel?" Embry asked.

"Like I've entered heaven," Heather sighed. "You promise this was better than your first time?"

"By a long shot," Embry said and kissed her head. "Thank you for suggesting that, Heather. That was incredible."

"It really was," Heather sighed and then started looking at her bracelet. "Should we hold off on telling everyone? Out of respect for Gabriel and Emma Leigh?"

"We can tell our parents right away," Embry said. "Telling everyone else can wait if need be."

"We'll do that," Heather smiled and kissed his chest. "I love you, Embry."

"I love you too, Heather," Embry said.

For Ariel and Nadeshka, they could not sneak away so easily. They were at the party the longest out of any of the other guests helping to get some things cleaned up and getting the gifts into Gabriel's car as well as any cards the couple had received. It was midnight before they were able to finally leave and by that time, Gabriel and Emma Leigh had run off to their honeymoon suite to consummate their marriage for a second time. The two of them were absolutely exhausted by the time they could finally leave and when they did, they went up in the same elevator.

"Now that it's all over," Ariel said once the elevator doors had closed, "how about one of us gets our things and we'll share a room?"

"Does your room have two beds?"

"Yeah," Ariel said.

"So does the bridal suite," Nadeshka said. "What about a hot tub?"

"Ours does not have that," Ariel said.

"Mine does," Nadeshka smiled and then the elevator reached her floor. "I'll see you in a bit?"

"Absolutely," Ariel said as she walked out of the elevator. She smiled and waved at him before walking off and the elevator doors closed behind her. Ariel could barely contain his excitement. His grogginess passed and he felt a renewed energy as he reached his floor and went to the hotel room they'd used to get ready. He grabbed his bag and returned to the elevator to go down a few floors. He found the room and knocked waiting just a moment before Nadeshka opened the door, still wearing her dress.

"Come in," she said and stepped aside so he could enter. "Are you thirsty?"

"No, I'm alright," Ariel said and put his bag on one of the beds. "So tonight was crazy wasn't it?"

"Insane," Nadeshka said. "So guess what I found."

"What did you find?"

"Some of my parents' old records from Mother Russia," she smirked and pulled out a record with Cyrillic lettering. "You know what song's on here?"

"Those Were the Days?"

"No. Dorogoy Dlinnoyu," she corrected. She pulled out the record and put it in the player and took a moment to find the correct song. Once she had it, an accordion began to play along with a few other instruments playing a tone he recognized, but instead of English, a woman began singing in Russian. By that point of the song, Nadeshka reached him and put her hands on his shoulders. "Dance with me, Comrade?" she asked and Ariel laughed a little.

"I'd love to," Ariel said and they began to move along with the music. "You know what: it sounds better in Russian."

"Of course it does," Nadeshka smiled and then started to hum along with the song as they danced. When the tone sped up, so did they until Nadeshka had them practically hoping around in a circle before slowing down again along with the music.

"Moscow Nights is your favorite love song isn't it?"

"Yes. It's the one mama sings to us the most," Nadeshka nodded. "That's about a moonlight stroll through Moscow with a lover."

"Sounds romantic," Ariel said. "Maybe one day we could go to Moscow together."

"I would love that," Nadeshka said. "We may need to wait until the Soviet Union and America have improved relations."

"Sooner rather than later," Ariel said. They continued dancing to the music and Nadeshka let him know when they were reaching the end of the song. Following the flow of the song, he slowed then sped up his tempo along with the singer and at the final note of the song, Ariel got Nadeshka into position so he could dip her and she giggled when he did. Then he lifted her back up and just as another song was about to play, Nadeshka went to the record player and turned it off. "Can I ask you something, Nadeshka?"

"Sure," she answered.

"Have you enjoyed spending all this time with me?" Ariel asked.

"Very much so," Nadeshka said and even blushed a little.

"Even when we were helping plan a wedding?" Ariel joked.

"Yes," Nadeshka smiled, "Even then. Have you enjoyed spending time with me?"

"Very much so," Ariel echoed. "In fact, I was hoping that, maybe some time soon, you and I could do something together. Maybe go see a movie together, go hiking or bike riding; anything you want."

"You mean a date?" Nadeshka asked.

"Yeah," Ariel said with a charming smile. "Maybe on a Sunday or Monday when the bar's closed, we can go do something."

"I would like that very much," Nadeshka said.

"How about tomorrow?" Ariel suggested.

"Of course," Nadeshka nodded. Ariel came forward and leaned his head down to give her a kiss which she reciprocated at first. Then Ariel pushed his tongue forward and Nadeshka pulled away with a mischievous smile. "Slow down there, Ariel. We haven't even had our first date."

"You're right," Ariel said with a sad but accepting smile, "I should give you a chance to decide if you like me or not first."

"Indeed," Nadeshka said but she did give him one more tender kiss. "Perhaps we should turn in for the night. We need to be downstairs by eight for family breakfast."

"God damn it. I forgot about that," Ariel sighed heavily. "At least I remembered it before the start of the ceremony. The wedding coordinator confirmed everything's set up."

"Okay, good," Nadeshka smiled then turned around pulling her hair aside. "Can you unzip me?"

"Miss Aleyev, we've not even been on one date," Ariel teased.

"Please?" she asked after a gentle laugh. Ariel unzipped her dress as she asked. "Thank you." She grabbed some pajamas from her overnight bag. "I'll change in the bathroom."

"I'll change out here," Ariel said. The remainder of the night was uneventful. They wished each other good night and went to bed, but Ariel woke up as early as possible to triple check everything was all set for family breakfast that morning. Though while he was down there, he made arrangements to have flowers sent to the room. Nadeshka was woken by knocks at the door and she answered to a man offering her a bouquet of sunflowers.

"Compliments of a Mr. Ariel Black, miss," the man said and handed them to Nadeshka.

"Thank you," She said with a bright smile and smelled them as she closed the door. As she was getting dressed to go downstairs for breakfast, she kept stopping to smell the flowers she'd been sent and smelled them one more time before leaving. When she got downstairs, it was early enough to beat the other guests and she met Ariel down there who smiled at her.

"Did you get the flowers?"

"I did," Nadeshka smirked and approached. "Very good, Comrade. Very good."

Ariel chuckled, "Glad you liked them. May I steal a good morning kiss before everyone gets down here?"

"You may," she answered and they shared a brief but loving kiss before they had to return their focus to getting breakfast ready.

_Earlier that Year_

Tehran, Iran

The Bazaar was packed that morning. The weather was wonderful; a comfortable spring breeze flowed through the streets that lifted the spirits of merchants and customers alike. A man walked through the streets with his mother at his side. Some women wore their hijabs, some wore chadors and some woman were dressed in Western fashion. Similar could be said for the men. His mother, ever the pious and faithful woman, wore a long colorful dress that covered all of her body except her hands and her hijab that covered all her hair and her mouth for modesty's sake. Yet even her conservative dress could not protect her skin from its reaction to the sun, so she also carried an umbrella over herself. Her eyes stayed closed. An unfortunate necessity for all except her son – the only one safe from her power. They were in the market together preparing to leave for the Caspian. It was that time of year when they left the city of Tehran to retreat to the sea for the summer.

"I am here for the 100 kg of tea I ordered," the man, Roshad, said to the shop keep once they arrived.

"Yes, of course," the merchant said and waved to the young man working with him to retrieve the enormous trolley. "Is it time to run away to Chalus again?"

"Yes, and I'll not return until September," Roshad answered the shop keep with a smile. "As always, you are invited to come visit us."

"No, please, I could never be so rude as to impose on you, Mr. Javadi."

"Don't be ridiculous. I am inviting you. I insist."

"No, no, you are far too kind," the merchant said.

"I'll not hear a peep of objection. In fact, I am hosting a dinner for some dear friends and employees tonight. I insist you be there."

"Why, I can't make you invite me to such a fine Mehmooni," (gathering/party) the shop keep said.

"I am making you attend. Please. It would be a great honor to me. I will expect you there no later than six," Roshad said, knowing full well the party was not until eight. He'd spent decades telling his guests his party was at six when in actuality it was eight, and without fail his guests arrived at 8:30 just in time for food and tea to be served.

"Well, if you expect me there, how could I say no?" the merchant smiled.

"That's the answer I wanted," Roshad smiled and the young man came out with all the tea just as they finished their conversation. "I believe we agreed on 1,000 Toman?"

"Mr. Javadi, I could never take so high a price. One might accuse me of robbing you blind," the merchant said, beginning another round of ta'arof that kept them there for another five minutes before the merchant finally accepted payment and Roshad left with his tea.

"We had better leave now if we're to reach Chalus," the woman, Ashti, said to her son.

"No need to worry, Maman," (mother) Roshad said. "Bastet and Rashida have everything under control."

"Yes, I know, but it is improper for the host to be late to his own party," Ashti said.

"Indeed, Maman," Roshad answered with a smile. "Although I think this will be my last for a long time. I need to get away."

"Roshad, why would you want to leave?"

"Lack of fulfillment I suppose," Roshad answered.

"Roshad," Ashti said, "I know you said you are not open to a wife but-"

"Maman, please, don't start that again," Roshad said. "I've married already."

"I know," Ashti said, "and when you were married, you were happy. Now if we can find you another young woman like Aida that would be wonderful."

"Maman, please don't imply any of my late wives could be replaced," Roshad sighed.

"I meant no such thing," Ashti said. "She was simply my favorite. Aida was a wonderful woman."

"Yes, I know," Roshad said solemnly.

He missed her dearly. He missed all his late wives dearly. Yet after the third loss, he simply couldn't stand to do it again. He'd been given ten wonderful children, 9 sons and a daughter that had been his treasure. Now? They were all long gone. Passed away from old age after living long, fulfilling lives with families of their own. He'd taken joy from that, but his daughter, the youngest of his children, died nearly 200 years before. Losing all his sons had been painful to endure, but losing his daughter had been the dagger through his heart he couldn't bear. After he'd lost his third wife, he'd not wanted to marry again, especially when it became clear his children had not inherited his immortality. While he was half vampire, all his wives and by virtue his children were human. His children lived longer than an average human, but he'd still lost them. He'd been alone save for his mother, Bastet – who was more a father to Roshad than his birth father could have ever hoped to be – and Bastet's mate Rashida ever since his daughter died.

"Perhaps we could find you a vampire," Ashti suggested.

"Maman, I do not wish to marry a vampire," Roshad said.

"A woman of you heritage then? Surely you are not the only half human half vampire in the world."

"If I find such a woman, maman, then you have my word I shall marry," Roshad answered half heartedly. Ashti continued trying to convince Roshad of the merits of remarrying when he felt this strange chill go down the back of his neck. He felt like he was being watched. He turned around trying to find who it was. He gawked at the site of a man wearing an American's military uniform covered in blood from wounds to his neck and chest.

"Roshad?" Ashti said, hearing her son's heart rate accelerate abnormally fast. "Roshad, what is the matter?" Roshad looked at his mother than back at the man, but he wasn't there anymore.

"There…" he started but shook his head rubbing his temple. "Forgive me, maman. It must be warmer outside than it seems." Ashti looked where her son's eyes had gone but saw nothing.

"Are you sure you're alright, Roshad?"

"Yes, maman, I'm alright," Roshad said. "Come; we need to get to Chalus. It's rude to be late to my own party remember?"

Once they found Roshad's large cargo truck, he got the tea in the back and then walked back to the merchant's shop to return the trolley reminding him again of the party to ensure he knew he was invited and started walking back to the truck where his mother waited. He felt that chill as he walked and then saw the man again. This time, he walked faster positive he must be seeing things and was going crazy. From there, it was a three hour drive from Tehran to the summer home in Chalus. It was a house that had been built about 100 years ago. His main home – a palace if one was being completely honest – was in Tehran and was inherited through his marriage to his second wife. His family had stayed in that house for centuries through good and bad, war and peace and everything in between. The palace in Chalus was a rather recent building and was his favorite place to stay. Bastet and Rashida loved the home so much they decided they would stay there permanently while Roshad and Ashti came every spring and stayed through the summer. It was a three hour drive but well worth the time it took. When Roshad saw the sea side, the greenery and lush flowers, it never failed to make the long trip well worth it.

"Finally, you've arrived," Bastet, an Egyptian who's life began with the Ptolemy density and persisted well into the modern day after he was changed to a vampire, came to greet them. "I see you have enough tea to quench the thirst of every Persian in Iran."

"I could buy 500 kg of tea and it would not satisfy such a thirst," Roshad chuckled. "So is everything prepared?"

"Yes. The chefs arrived a moment ago and will be getting to work right away."

"Good," Roshad said.

Bastet helped Roshad bring the tea in while Ashti went inside to relax with some reading. Rashida was outside under the canopy of a decorative cover basking in the breeze in little more than shorts and a tube top. Ashti loved the woman dearly but always considered her dress vulgar. She would dress more conservatively when it was time for the party, but Rashida was a lovely woman that knew of her beauty and felt no harm in showing it off. Roshad kept feeling that horrible chill on his neck but ignored it and focused his efforts on preparing for the Mehmooni.

With two hours before everyone would arrive, he bathed and prepared his hair and beard. He kept his hair mostly short, same with his beard. It never grew too long and he made a point to keep it in immaculate condition. Ashti always told Roshad he must have his father's nose and based on how his mother looked, he was certain that was true. Bastet always called it a 'Roman Nose' but he was not Roman. He was Persian through and through. Truthfully, his nose had more of a smooth curve rather than a bump on the bridge. He had hazel eyes, thick but clean brows, a strong triangular jaw that was framed by his facial hair and full lips. Save for his nose, Roshad looked very much like his mother. He was very tall – exactly 6 foot. In recent years whenever Roshad would host a Mehmooni, he'd overhear his mother bragging endlessly about how handsome he is and that, should a young woman express interest, he would make a wonderful husband. It was driving him mad. It was part of the reason he wanted to get away for a while.

Finally, at 8:30 just as he predicted, his guests arrived in droves and the food was ready, the tea was hot and people talked and had a wonderful time. Ashti made her usual rounds of trying to find an eligible young woman while Roshad did his best to avoid said women. It was a lovely dance he'd come to master over the decades. Through the party, he kept feeling that chill and it was bothering him. He'd catch a glance of this American but as soon as he saw him, he was gone again. It was deeply unsettling.

"Roshad?" Bastet grabbed his attention after his latest spell of delusion. "Are you alright? You've been on edge all night."

"I'm alright," Roshad said and, rather than admit to what he'd been seeing, he only said, "Maman seems especially determined tonight." Bastet found Ashti and he saw her speaking to a group of young woman (conservatively dressed of course – women of western dress simply would not do) regaling them with tales of her son from how smart and handsome he is, to how successful he is, and what a wonderful husband he would make should one of the young women be so fortunate as to win his heart and Bastet just laughed.

"She just wants you to be happy, Roshad. You've been melancholy for a long time. Too long in my opinion," Bastet said.

"When you've lost everything that matters, melancholy is the best you can hope for," Roshad answered.

"That was your past life. Perhaps now it's time to start anew. You may not be entering the afterlife, but you can still have a second chance."

"My first chance was everything I could hope for and more," Roshad said. "My point is I don't want another three decades of devotion and love only to lose her and watch our family wither away and my great grandchildren forget me."

"You created a legacy, Roshad. That is nothing to sneer at," Bastet said.

"You are supposed to die before your legacy goes on long enough for you to be forgotten," Roshad said. "I have no such luxury."

Bastet sighed and patted Roshad's shoulder, "Perhaps this calls for desperate measures."

"What?"

"I must pray," Bastet said.

"Who shall it be today, Bastet? Ra or Isis?"

"You mock, but the Gods are generous if you show them gratitude."

"I'm barely a practicing Muslim; why do you always assume I will see your Gods any differently?" He groaned the moment he realized his mistake when his mother stopped talking to the young ladies and she turned her head in his direction. Her eyes might not be open for the sake of the guests, but he knew his mother's scolding stare. She tolerated her son's feelings but she was most certainly not happy about them.

"You don't need to," Bastet chuckled. "All that matters is one of us believes." Bastet removed his opal necklace and presented it to Roshad. "If you please?"

"Who shall it be?"

"Hathor," Bastet said. "If prayer to her does not find you a wife, than nothing will."

"If you say so," Roshad sighed and took the large opal in his hand. He cupped the jewel picturing what it needed to be and when he opened his hands, the opal had changed to the visage of a golden cow with the disk of the sun secured to its head.

"Perfect," Bastet smiled and took back his necklace. "Perhaps pomegranates will make a suitable sacrifice. What say you?"

"I just assumed you should offer her a dove at least," Roshad said sarcastically.

"You laugh now, but just you wait," Bastet smirked and said again, "Just you wait." Then he walked away with his altered necklace to do whatever ceremony he needed to do.

From there, Roshad focused on amusing his guests with small talk, politics, business and anything else they wished to discuss all while proceeding with his avoidance of bachelorettes his mother had deemed particularly suitable. The party went well into the night and Roshad wished all his guests a good evening when they had to leave. After all the guests were gone, he accepted his mother's scolding for his aloof behavior and for his blasphemy all with an endearing smile before he retreated to his bedroom to finally sleep. While he was preparing for bed washing his face and changing out of his dress clothes, he looked in his mirror and saw the American again.

"Who are you?!" Roshad yelled as he turned around but when he turned, no one was there. His heart and his head were pounding.

"Roshad?" Rashida's voice came from the other side of his door. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine. I thought I saw something but it was nothing," Roshad said.

"Alright," Rashida answered hesitantly. "Do you want me to bring you tea?"

"No, it's too late for tea," Roshad said. "I swear I'm alright. I will see you in the morning."

"Alright. Sleep well," Rashida said and finally walked away from his door.

Roshad took several more deep breaths trying to get a hold of himself. Whatever was happening was almost certainly due to stress. That must be it. He just needed to get a good night's sleep and he would feel good as new by morning. As he went to bed, he continued to feel that horrible chill on his neck and had a very hard time falling asleep. When he finally did, it seemed as though he was woken by the sound of a car horn of all things. Yet when he'd opened his eyes and looked around, he realized he was not in Chalus. He wasn't in Tehran either. He saw all the signs in English and realized he wasn't even in Iran. In a panic, Roshad looked around and saw the American again.

"Who are you?!" Roshad screamed at the man, this time in English.

Finally, he received an answer, but it was only in the form of a gesture. The man pointed to something and Roshad turned around to see what the American was pointing at. What he saw was the last thing he'd expect in a city such as this: a flawless white cow with utters clearly filled with milk and a disk of the sun between her horns. It couldn't possibly be, Roshad thought to himself. The cow mooed and began walking away. He turned around but once again, the American wasn't there. He stood there wondering what was happening when the cow mooed again. He wasn't sure how he could tell, but it was clearly ordering him to follow her, so finally he did. He followed the white cow through the city taking in the sites. He saw all the roads and signs then finally realized where he was: New York. Last he'd been in America it was shortly after the second world war. It looked so different now, but all the roads were the same names that he remembered and Central Park hadn't changed a bit. But the cow led him down a strange path away from Central Park and into a neighborhood he didn't recognize. The cow looked back periodically to make sure he was following and would continue once she was assured that he was.

After what seemed like forever, they finally arrived in front of a little restaurant: Louis Ann's. He could smell the spices from outside but it was a combination he wasn't familiar with. The cow mooed one more time and then walked into the restaurant and Roshad followed. When he stepped inside, the cow was gone. In fact, the whole restaurant was completely empty. The lights were on as though open for business but there was no one there. Then he heard someone crying. He turned around and there was a young woman sitting at a table alone with her hands over her face. Her skin was pale and her hair jet black, but that was all he could see at the moment. As he was staring at her, a jukebox turned on suddenly, playing New York by Frank Sinatra. What shocked him, though, was the woman standing beside the jukebox was wearing traditional ancient garb worn by the Gods. Her breasts were on display while she wore a sheer red silk empire dress with her feminine attributes easy to see. Her hair was that of a traditional wig and atop it was the sun encased in horns. She walked to the table where the young woman sat to stand behind her and began playing with her hair.

"What is all this?" Roshad asked mostly to himself.

"There is an ache in your heart," the woman answered. "There is an ache in hers as well." Roshad stared at the young woman again and finally she took her hands away to rub her eyes. She didn't seem to notice him. "Now, now, dearest, do not cry anymore," the woman directed her words to the young woman and brushed her hands over her cheeks, expelling the tears and the redness, leaving behind the young woman's natural face. When Roshad looked into her eyes, he felt a sense of longing he'd not known in a long time if at all. He could not recall such an intensity occurring before. "You feel it don't you?" the woman asked of Roshad, making him take his eyes away from the young woman.

"I…." he couldn't finish and the woman smiled.

"There is a people far, far away from Persia; they have great power. The wolf is their ancestor. This young woman is a spawn of such lineage."

"I don't understand."

"They bare immortality," the woman answered, continuing to rub her hands over the young woman's cheeks. "She is no exception."

"What?" Roshad gawked at her and the woman smiled.

"Roshad?" the woman mouthed, but his name escaped the young woman's lips. She had an angelic voice, sweet and loving. It tugged at his heart and he stared back at her. Have brown eyes ever been so stunning as this?

"Go to her," a man's voice came and Roshad turned around to see the American from before.

Then he heard a crow outside and he looked back at the young woman. As soon as he did, they were no longer in that little restaurant. They were at his home in Chalus sitting on the patio, the sun beating down with the canopy protecting them and she was offering him a pomegranate. In fact, she was surrounded by pomegranates, dates, almonds and flowers. She smiled at him as she offered the fruit and like that, he fell to his knees.

"A name," he begged, speaking in Farsi without really thinking, "Please." Her smile became impossibly brighter at his question and she blushed.

"Jaedynn," she answered and like that, Roshad was startled awake. It was still nighttime and he was in his bed looking around.

"Roshad?" he heard his mother's voice and she let herself into his room, rushing over to comfort him as she would when he was a small boy. "Roshad, what is wrong? I heard you wake suddenly."

"I….." Roshad began, but he couldn't gather his thoughts. It seemed like no matter what he said, he would certainly sound crazy.

"Roshad?" Bastet said, entering the room and turning on the lanterns. The house did not have modern lighting, only lanterns; a feature Roshad deeply appreciated. Lamps made him think of his youth and they comforted him. "What's wrong?"

"I had…it was just a dream," Roshad said.

"What of?" Rashida, who'd also come into the room, asked.

"I was in New York. I don't know why, but I was near Central Park. An American soldier pointed at a white cow and I followed it."

"A white cow?" Bastet asked and then smirked. "Did I not tell you? What instruction did Hathor give?"

"Bastet, don't be ridiculous," Ashti said.

"Allow him to speak, Ashti," Bastet said. "Go on, Roshad."

"She…this cow took me to a restaurant and there was a girl there. She was crying, but another woman appeared and she made her stop. She said my heart ached and so did hers. The American appeared again and….."

"And what?" Bastet pressed.

"Stop, please," Ashti said and opened her eyes looking at Roshad. Her bright red eyes were a vision only Roshad had ever seen without pain. Only he would ever see her red eyes with any ounce of comfort. "It's alright, Roshad. It was just a bad dream." She took Roshad's head in her arms and pressed him to her shoulder and began to sing a Persian lullaby.

"Maman," he started calmly but then took a hold of Ashti's shoulders to push her away and look at her. "I need to go to New York."

"What?" Ashti asked in a state of shock as Roshad leaped from his bed and to his closet. "Wait, what do you mean you have to go to New York? Roshad, it was just a bad dream."

"It wasn't a bad dream, Ashti; it was a message from the Gods," Bastet insisted. Ashti closed her eyes before turning to face him.

"There are no messages from Pagan Gods," Ashti insisted then ran after Roshad who was already pulling out every suitcase he had and getting them packed. "Azizam," (dear/term of endearment) Ashti said, "Please reconsider. At least wait until morning."

"No, maman, I need to go," Roshad said. "I swear I will send you word the moment I've made it to New York."

"Roshad," Ashti pleaded again and then ran to his suitcases unpacking what he'd already packed, "surely this is silly! You cannot just leave suddenly because of a dream!"

"A message from the Gods!" Bastet corrected again.

"Bastet, enough with your Egyptian black magic!" Ashti scolded then continued to put things away until Roshad grabbed a hold of her shoulders.

"Maman," Roshad said, "Please, I know this all sounds absurd. Believe me: I know. But you don't understand. That woman I saw….I can't explain it. I just know I need to go to New York."

"He's been wishing to travel anyway," Bastet said with a smirk and a shrug.

"You're not helping!" Ashti said. "Azizam, I beg of you to at least wait until morning."

"Maman," Roshad said comfortingly, "I know this is sudden, but please understand. Just allow me a year. One year and I will return with news."

"Roshad," Ashti said sorrowfully but finally sighed with acceptance, "If you must go, then you must go."

"Thank you, maman," Roshad said and kissed his mother's cheek before returning to packing his things. "Bastet, can you bring me the safe?"

Almost as soon as he asked the question, Bastet returned with the safe in question that held all their money. If there was one thing Roshad learned from living so long: banks come and go. If you want your money to be safe, it needs to stay with you. He still had old currency from his youth, but those were keepsakes now. What mattered were Rials and gold which he had in abundance. He took what amounted to a fortune with him is as many brief cases he could fit into two suitcases and by the time he was ready, he carted eight bags of clothes, money and other necessities along with his most recent passport to his truck outside. He got the bags arranged in such a manner that they all fit snuggly in the bed and he secured them.

"You swear you will only be a year?" Ashti asked as they saw him off.

"You have my word, maman," Roshad said.

"If my prayers were answered, you will welcome a new daughter-in-law," Bastet said confidently while Ashti just ignored him.

"Be safe, Roshad," Ashti said.

"I will, maman. I will contact you the moment I've reached America." He kissed his mother one more time then hugged Bastet and Rashida goodbye before getting into the car and making the three hour drive to Tehran. As they watched the car go off into the distance, Bastet remained rather pleased and looked at the visage of the cow Roshad had made earlier.

"And you doubt the power of the Gods," Bastet chuckled.

"I do not doubt the power of God," Ashti said, "Only pagan ritual. Seeing as you saw fit to pray, I shall make my own prayers. Save my son from certain destruction."

"Do as you see fit, Ashti. You can always thank me later," Bastet said. Ashti glowered and walked back into the house leaving him and Rashida outside. She took a hold of the cow around his neck and smiled.

"Hathor?"

"She seemed the most appropriate to entreat," Bastet said. "She answered my prayers to find you after all."

"Still a charmer after so long," Rashida smiled and the two kissed. All they could do now was wait to hear from Roshad.