"Mooooooom!" Physically, Izzy was a 24-year-old apex predator. Mentally, she was Bella's baby.

Her 18-year-old mother rolled her eyes as Bree threw the magazine she was reading up in the air with frustration. Grabbing the daughter next to her, Bella wrapped her arms around Izzy and coddled her like a toddler. "Shhh, shhh, there there baby."

"They're just so annooooooying. I feel itchy! Itchy, mother! They're always near each other and looking at one another, it's exhausting! And they hardly spend any time with us… These two weeks have been absolute torture!"

Bella could only agree. Unable to take the angst coming off of the two frustrated unmated-mated vampires, Bree left for a midnight stroll.

"How are you being so patient?" Izzy asked a few minutes later.

Bella had been purring in that odd vampire way they only did alone in their coven. It was a habit they had picked up from the mountain lions when they realized it acted as a way to establish a live connection between them, like a heart beat.

She started smiling as she thought about her answer. "Well, every time I walk away from an interaction with Rose, I learn something new. It's feeding my beast in a way, but I let myself ask a lot of curious questions, then I wonder about the answers and go to the library and dig up information… then I guess I give myself time to arrange all of that information around Rosalie, almost as though it's stuff regarding her because I know it's info to do with things she's mentioned in passing or has a known interest in."

"So the obsession with cars and automotive engineering and production and so on-"

"It's really all about Rose, yes."

Izzy shook her head. "You're so weird, Mom."

Bella grinned. "But it's working out great for me!"

Izzy huffed and changed her position on her mother's lap so her head rested more easily on her shoulder. "You know, getting to know the Cullens more has indicated to me that some of the ideas about animal blood diets vs. human blood diets might need reconsideration."

"Yes, I have been reconsidering it more. And having learned that Edward's abilities did not change at all for the few years he spent on his own drinking humans made me start paying more attention to the differences and similarities I was noticing myself. Any ideas?"

"It's a more abstract theory and ties in accepting there are things we don't perceive or understand fully happening all around us at any given time." Bella nodded and she continued. "Perhaps human blood is imbued with preconceptions and emotions in a way that ferments beliefs and feelings and knowledge. With animals who's consciousness isn't as deep and internal as humans, their spirit is more wild and adapt to reacting from the environment rather than on creative or emotional desires. I would also guess the more analytical way the Cullens behave has benefited them socially as they have such a large coven, with two adopted members as well. And Jasper has discussed what a relief it is to feed on something that's not filling him up with the emotional response death has, something he never enjoyed."

"An interesting idea." They sat and discussed it more deeply, but Bella had nothing interesting to add or refute the idea with. Mostly, she was just open to understanding anything about existence.

"I don't want to keep waiting around for things to change, Mom."

Bella nodded, still running her hand through Izzy's hair. "I know." After a moment she continued. "What do your instincts tell you to do? Mine are telling me to stay back and support and embrace from afar, to wait for Rose to come to me. I'm meant to attract Rose, not chase her."

Izzy huffed. "I'm meant to challenge Emmett. But I don't want to piss off Rose, Mom! She's so scary!"

Bella laughed and nodded. "She did have a bit of a reputation for being able to cut someone to pieces with her tongue when we were human. I'm not surprised it's become more powerful over time. She'll grow to love you soon enough, dear."

"For now… can we update the blueprint plans for their spaces in the caverns? I just had a few ideas and learned some things about Emmett that I want to incorporate…"

Smiling and excited by the prospect of working on their "mate's nests", Bella happily agreed. These little sentimental projects were the only thing relieving the aching they felt not satisfying the bonds their hearts were yearning for. It wasn't much, but it was enough to keep them from meltdowns. For a few more days, at least.

The weeks were passing slowly. Far too slowly in Bree's opinion. Bella and Izzy would be comical if they weren't so endlessly whiny about their situation. Since Bree had been spending so much more time with Alice and Jasper, she had convinced Bella to talk to them about their issue.

"And they've only been getting more and more trapped, emotionally, as the semester passes?" Jasper asked Bree sympathetically. Pouting her bottom lip out she nodded and he winced, looking toward Alice. "What are you thinking, darlin'?"

"Well," she started, her gaze going in and out from the present to the future. "I'm glad you trust us enough now to tell us something so big. And congratulations on finding your mates! Yes, it is so exciting!" She was clapping but it did nothing to brighten anyone's disposition, save her husband's. "Right," she amended, looking sheepish and settling down. "Now, you're right that it would not go well and would be super damaging to Rose and Emmett and both covens in general if we were to just announce all of this. So! Now's the fun part- what to do?"

"Well, things haven't been smooth as ever with Emmett and Rose, I feel like a gossip talking about our Coven this way."

Alice patted his shoulder comfortingly. "Yes, but this isn't something we should stay out of, Jasper. We love Emmett and Rose and they have been so confused, I think they'll understand if they find out we meddled a little bit."

Jasper nodded and cocked his head to the side, thinking out loud. "We've never been sure how human blood and animal blood effects our vampirism, Carlisle is convinced it dilutes the intensity of our more violent and murderous tendencies… When Alice and I met, we had not yet met the Cullens. The mate bond we felt was instant and intense. From what we understand about Rose and Emmett, there was a desire for her to change Emmett but it took years for them to physically attempt to be together and at that point they had developed strong emotional feelings for one another as well. I just assumed, since the feelings were strong by the time we met, that it was indicative of a mating bond, though the emotions are no stronger than what you, Bree and Izzy share for one another."

While everyone thought about it, Jasper looked at the hopeful Izzy and Bella. "Rose is one of the most stubborn vampires I've ever met, with her and Carlisle and Emmett being the only vampires I've ever met who haven't taste human blood. Even Esme had had a slip up and tried human blood before we found them. As it stands now, we're six weeks into term, the week long break is next week for Thanksgiving. Bree, maybe you can offer to come along with Alice and I with Edward and Esme and Carlisle to the Isle of Esme and act as a vocational buffer so Edward can bond with the family without anyone stressing about their thoughts. I know you offered to do that previously and since then, we've all spoken about it as a coven as something that might be nice to experience."

Alice was bouncing on her chair, eyes going between being distant and far off and looking around at them. "Rose has been making a list of car lots across the US that she wanted to check out during the break and make some purchases from. If we can create a scenario where Bree wants to spend a vacation with us on an Island and you two want to just let loose and run around America for the week, then it'll probably naturally happen that Emmett suggests you go their route and you all travel around together to gather the cars Rose is looking for."

Bella and Izzy were looking more like typical Alice, practically buzzing in their excitement. Bree gave a big dramatic sigh. "This better work, Major Whitlock."

The southern general frowned. "I didn't hear you giving any suggestions."

Alice slapped his arm. "It better work, Major Whitlock."

Jasper grinned at her. "Yes, ma'am."

Alice and Bree smiled at one another. "Much better."

Bella kept her composure, though she wasn't sure how. All at once she realized that this was the biggest gamble she had made in a long time, the risk of being sussed out by Rose. "Maybe you wouldn't mind doing a bit of covert spying on the Ford manufacturing in Detroit if you're planning on being in the area?" She thought it sounded very casual, an off-handed offer that she'd be interested in bringing any friend of hers on. Bree hiding her mirth at the display of cool composure only further steeled her nerves. She was such a little-

"Covert spying?" Rose scoffed, her face betraying a rare moment of incredulity. Her expressions were only observed to be so free when she thought she was alone with her coven. Seeing her reveal more and more of herself in front of her filled Bella with pride.

"Yes, I'm very interested in using the best manufacturing machines and techniques in my own processes, so I've found it very helpful to poke around and do a bit of off-hours operations when the opportunity has come up. It's a bit childish, sneaking around like a spy stealing notes, but I'm harmless and usually the conditions the human works in are much worse than any damages I cause to the owners."

"Oh, so you're just a modern Robin Hood, stealing from the rich and giving back to the poor?"

Bella blinked. "Well, I hadn't actually considered giving the information back to the poor, though it's a good socialist, even communist idea to consider if the goal is to improve the quality of life for all people and not just the ruling/owning class…" She laughed when she noticed Rose's face contorted into disbelief and something akin to horror. "Oh, come on now, Rose! You know I've always been a sneaky mysterious rebel! You must have heard the rumors that went around about what I got up to."

She scoffed again. It was like the rest of the vampires around them had become background noise in the moment. "No one with a half working brain would believe those rumors!"

Bella was still chuckling. "No, it must have taken a full brain to realize that I was the mysterious figure that climbed on the rooftops near my house and would sneak into the windows at the library at night and sit in trees staring at the moon. Far too many parents passed by late in the evening seeing me for all of the rumors to be fake."

"The witchcraft?"

That brought back her laughter. "I didn't cast any spells or anything, but I definitely practiced praying to entities like Hekate while I waited out the years until my eighteenth birthday. Given what my youth had been like, you can imagine it was difficult for me to accept praying to a Son or a Father or a vigirin mother when there were goddesses just as, if not more, worthy of my time."

That admission sobered both of them and Bella looked around the room to gather the reactions to this information. Her daughters looked supportive as ever. Emmett was looking thoughtful. Jasper and Alice, who knew a bit more about her history given how much time they had spent getting to know Bree, looked sympathetic. Esme looked confused but determinedly open-minded. Carlisle and Edward had very similar expressions of consideration and curiosity, though Edward looked like he might be displeased by the idea of her not being fundamentally christian.

When she turned her attention back to Rose, she was grateful she couldn't blush. Her look was almost tender. "It might be fun to sneak into the famous assembly line at Ford." A thrill of sparks ran through her. Idly, she wondered if Rose was having the same feeling. The blonde gave her a small smile when she saw her own, back straight and body leaning against the huge vampire next to her staring at Izzy with his own excited boyish grin.

Her insides twisted. There was so much she wanted and she had no idea how to go about getting it.

Bella didn't think she had the vocabulary to define how she was feeling as she waited with Izzy for Emmett and Rose to arrive. They had made extra reinforced packs for the other two. Alice and Esme had gone off together to gripe and reflect on their own feelings of insecurity after the Swans told them about how they often experimented with different materials and techniques and would update and enhance new designs and materials they came across when they wanted to bring it into their own house or life. Between the clothes they wore and the tools they used, they had completely different set of casual things they used that were more durable and practical for their vampire lives than anything humanity could yet make or would ever need given the limits on their physical abilities.

"I'm going to need you to update the tools in my garage at some point," Rose had told her.

"I've already started," Bella had confessed, causing a brief moment of quiet between the two.

And now here she was, waiting for the blonde. She and Izzy sighed at the same time when they finally heard the footsteps in the forest around them. She was unprepared to see Rose dressed in the formfitting leather shorts and clinging leather vest she had gifted to her. Her own vest was similar in design but had dozens of pockets and straps and zippers and buttons holding various things and pieces in place. They were the best designs they had for long distance travel and extended use. Even as a vampire, it took hours to craft all of it together, the impressive stitching meticulous and double seem supported. The leather had been perfectly made from the hide of one of the sick cows they had come across weeks prior. Everything had been cut exactly to the dimensions that Bella thought Rose fit…

But seeing her in it filled her with butterflies. Her smile was probably too big, but she couldn't help it. "That fits you perfectly!"

Rose gave her a small smile and flipped her hair over her shoulder. "It's perfectly made, thank you. I don't know that anything has ever fit me this well."

Emmett and Izzy were having their own conversation about how Tarzan he felt in leather clothing. Before long, they took off through the woods, Izzy convincing them to go the long way and stopping to greet her favorite trees she knew of, introducing Emmett and Rose to them.

After the second tree, Rose slowed down the pace and held back with Bella. "Not that it isn't endlessly entertaining, but how many trees is your daughter friends with?"

Bella chuckled. "There have only been a few trees Izzy has met who she hasn't liked. It's true."

"But we're stopping to talk to them, why?"

Bella slowed to a gentle walking pace, enough for Izzy and Emmett to realize they had slowed down but hadn't stopped. "Rose, do you feel at all connected to the other living things around you?"

When Rose's expression became blank, almost panicked. Bella wanted to reach out and embrace her, but Rose was much like a startled animal in front of her. Slowly, she eased them to a stop. "We're going to look around for a minute, we'll catch up," she called, turning away from Rose. Izzy's voice echoed back a "Good call, I'm going to introduce Emmett to Brian."

Brian, a giant oak tree besat on a cliffside. Her attention turned fully to Rose then and she relaxed her body in front of the other woman. She let her eyes widen and she subtly tilted her head so that she was exposing her neck and looking down at the ground or up at Rose. Her hand slowly held itself up and out toward Rose. "It's okay. It's difficult to trust connection sometimes, isn't it?" Rose just blinked, as though she were surprised the conversation was still happening. Like she were in a dream and the events were unfolding in front of her. Bella wanted to shake the woman, to bring her into the present- no, she wanted to hold her, really.

Not today, though. Today, Rose needed something tender and gentle and… soft. "How about we help each other, then? I'd imagine you'd feel much more comfortable letting all of your guards down if you felt protected, right? And I happen to be the best natural shield quite possibly in the world…" She gave Rose a small smile before looking at the ground and then around them in the woods. "And you're probably the most genius and capable engineer/technician Vampire… So I could really use your help developing some vampire-based tech that isn't meant for human use but our own, and I'd much rather work with people who are at least somewhat interested in the work we're doing together."

There was a long pause, and in that time, Bella only continued to hold her hand out toward Rose. Finally, in a way that would have been awkward by anyone elses standards, Rose's hand laid flat on top of Bella's, only barely resting their palms and fingers on one another. "Your offers have always been tempting, Swan. Agreed."

Bella grinned and embraced Rose with her shield, causing the blonde to blink at her and then smile, hand withdrawing. Bella turned and nodded toward the direction Emmett and Izzy had run. They took off and started running again.

"Tell me about the plans you need help on?" It was almost a demand and almost a request. Bella wanted to giggle but settled on allowing a small excited smile as she gained a pep in her step.

"Well, honestly, I understand modern chemistry and engineering pretty well and have mastered not only the design theory but the entire process of extracting, smelting, and assembling the strongest steel tools, simple and machine. I've moved on to figuring out how to find and extract tungsten from California without harming the mountain or ecosystem around it… It's frustratingly difficult and painstakingly slow-going at the moment."

They picked up speed to clear a long jump and for an exhilarating moment, they soared in the air from one mountain's ledge to another. She laughed as she caught Rose's face, the Sun peaking out from around the clouds and warming them without the crazy glint of the unnatural beauty they possessed.

"Once I have more tungsten available, I'm going to attempt building a sort of mesh-like micro chain-link sheet material and stitch it over a baseball and see what our strength does to it."

Rose blinked. They had run for almost an hour through the mountains, catching up to Izzy and Emmett who had listened to the tail end of the answer.

Emmett looked at Izzy. "I have no idea what that could mean?"

Izzy laughed and shrugged. "Honestly, neither do I."

Bella rolled her eyes and smiled at her daughter's easy acceptance of her unique ideas and pursuits. While they enjoyed the fruits of her passions, neither Izzy nor Bree had any real interest in her scientific curiosities. Seeing Rose's similar interest and Emmett's lack, she wondered if this had been an effect of their being changed by Carlisle, and Izzy, Bree, and Emmett being changed by herself and Rose.

Their journey around America continued on much like this, with Emmett and Izzy talking about cartoons and superheroes and games, and her and Rose talking about science and technology and engineering.

It was three days in when they ran into a snag.

Nothing gives me more joy than when you show me you trust me, Rose. It had been on the tip of her tongue following the exhilarating experience that was infiltrating Ford operations. The intensity of her physical needs were growing to rival her desperation to find Izzy after she was born.

They had made it back to an abandoned, very well built house from the decade prior. Alice had made a long list of places that were good to stay at throughout their travels, weaving little trails for them throughout America. At Bella's suggestion, Jasper had begun making a book of the GPS coordinates because 7/10 times a new safe spot could be generated from the list of the old ones in a given area. Bella's comments on what computers would be able to do and hold for them in the future only increased the quick scribbles she heard coming from the other end of the phone.

The excitement had left all four of them grinning. Rosalie's smile was wild, her eyes sparkling in a way that had Bella reconsidering what an Angel could be. The gorgeous gold, like fine champagne, seemed to catch on her own as they ran and laughed and listened to Emmett and Izzy retell their favorite parts of the "information heist".

"Mom?" Izzy asked, an odd timber in her voice. "Do you think it's time you and I bathed in that lake we saw?"

Bella's skin had prickled. Her thoughts immediately went to Rosalie and if the other woman would be bathing, naked, with them. The idea of Rosalie washing in front of her ran off on its own and she looked out of the window toward the woods. She felt tense and looked at Izzy. They must have mirrored each other as her daughter's reflection smiled in that painful way. "Great idea, babe." She turned to Emmett and Rose while Izzy ran off and found the towels and spare clothing they had seen. Fortunately, there was some soap and shampoo ingredients which she made quick work of gathering. "We'll be back in an hour or so, if that's okay? Or, we could spend a bit longer out there if you-" there was a brief, minute, awkward pause that Bella felt she might gulp at. Venom started pooling in her mouth in distaste but she shrugged and flashed an awkward smile. "-if you'd like some alone time together…"

From what Bella understood about Emmett, he was a very sexual, not at all shy man. As Izzy awkwardly fumbled things in an odd moment of clumsiness, his grin seemed to stem from a cringe of sorts. Rose's eyes were a little bit wider than normal. "Thoughtful, yeah, thanks, Bella!" he cheered, but it was, as the conversation had become, awkward.

Izzy grabbed her mother's wrist. "Great! See you later!" she called, pulling them out the front door and nearly making them stumble as she started a ferocious pace, jumping from the furthest distance she could rely on and leaving the bag of their things on the path Bella ran.

By the time she got to the lake, Izzy was throwing the wet clothing onto an old, reaching oak tree, the branches nearly dipping into the calm edge of the water. She watched her dip beneath the water and felt more than heard her daughter scream ferociously, trying to rid herself of some of her frustrations. She went to her, not minding the dirty clothes that clung as she scooped her up in her arms and held her under the water.

The minutes passed, Bella's own body shaking once or twice. Finally, they emerged, standing in the chest deep edge. Bella stripped the clothes from herself and stretched out languidly beneath the stars, looking up at them while her limbs moved to keep her suspended, as close to floating as she could get in her vampire body.

"It's been a wonderful trip…" she finally sighed, looking at her daughter in the water. Their eyes connected and she smiled in a way that conveyed the deep ache she felt. "Jealousy… It's so hard to wrap my arms around it. I'm proud of both of us for being able to accept our situations as they unfold, though, Izzy."

"I don't trust them not to leave us," Izzy finally said. She was shaking a little, but otherwise composed. "It is as though they are capable of having the emotions and the depth we do but are unaccustomed to wrestling with being affected by emotions? Or connections?" She huffed, her fingers flexing quickly and splashing water about them. "I don't understand how we can spend all of this time with them and they still don't seem to understand how easy it is between us! The flow, the energy of destiny and fate pulling from within and around-" she groaned.

Bella sighed. "We just need to find ways to have fun and enjoy being their friends… I do not think there is a universe in which Emmett does not fall head over heels in love with you if you end up being best friends."

Izzy purred at the idea and offered her own encouragements. "And it seems like Rosalie is far more quick to smile when she's chasing after her Wild Swan."

Bella purred as well, remembering the moment fondly. She had stopped Rose to pull a stray leaf from her hair, discreetly pocketing it and tapping the blonde on the forehead with her finger. "Tag!"

"Oh no you don't, you Wild Swan!" she had yelled, taking off after her.

As the minutes passed and they relaxed, they began talking about what they could do with the stolen manuscripts and manuals they had been able to flee with. "I'm sorely tempted to find some of the more corrupt and knowledgable men in the company and pick through their knowledge of the matter."

Izzy sighed deeply at the thought. "I don't want to feed while on this trip… I know they are accepting of the fact, but a part of me fears they themselves are not accepting and that they just accept their Coven's position on the matter."

Bella agreed. As they rinsed the soap from their hair, she heard movement on the side of the lake. Looking at the large deer, Izzy's head turned to her. "Shall we try venison this evening, then?"

Bella whined quietly, grimacing. "I suppose we shouldn't get too thirsty."

Deer was not as clean to drain as humans, the fur making messy work of it and the awkward position they fed from further frustrating them. They taste was like a sulfur water when you grew up on fine mineral tap.

They hadn't dressed, a decision they found to be for the best as the blood and fur was all over them. The sun was just beginning to rise when they scattered pieces of the drained carcass throughout the edge of the woods and went back to the house where they had left both of their mates.

As they arrived, they found the tense and awkward couple stoicly sharing the loveseat in the library. "How was the lake?" Emmett had asked them.

Bella smiled and Izzy, smelling the faint residual pheremones from sex on them, had just excused herself to go work on her notes. "It was nice. We were alone, except for a deer with poor instincts that we decided to snack on in your honor."

They blinked at her. "Did you think we would continue our traditional diet while crashing your vacation?"

"I don't know that either of us thought much about it… but that is… kind. Thank you." Rosalie's head tilted as their eyes met, a smirk coming to her face. "Deer? How'd you like it?"

Bella grimaced. "I'm not used to dealing with fur…" Emmett laughed at that while Rosalie nodded sympathetically. "But, blood is blood. I am grateful for the gift of life. And now that I've drank directly from the source, I think the next time will be far- cleaner."

"Do you think you will continue the animal diet after our vacation?"

Bella looked at them, making sure to turn her attention to Emmett as well, though the becon that was Rosalie was forever distracting. "I wouldn't mind going hunting with you, if that's an offer, but…" Her lips pursed. She did not want to disappoint Rosalie. "I am far more comfortable as a coven leader operating from the mindset I maintain with the traditional diet. And besides that, I fear that the uniqueness of my coven's abilities is somewhat reliant upon a particular energy we get feeding from humans, something not considered to be nutritional or physical, but maybe something that occurs from the psychic connection of the moment. To disrupt the flow of that process would fracture a necessary defense that we rely on for our safety and security. So yes, I can see myself including animals in my diet, but no, I do not think I will ever consider myself a vegetarian vampire."

Emmett nodded, easily accepting the answer for what it was. Rose looked like she wanted to be more judgemental. She looked away from Bella, who hoped she didn't have a pleading look in her eyes. "I enjoy the control over my own personhood that the animals give me," she revealed. Emmett's eyes moved to her and widened but otherwise he remained perfectly still. "It seems as though other covens are kept small because they can't control the rage and the jealousy that comes with feeding on humans, whereas I can coexist with coven members as infuriating and intrusive as Edward for decades."

Emmett laughed and Bella smiled at her. She looked between the two. "Do you not feel as though you are the coven leader for you and Emmett?"

Emmett's eyebrows arched and Rosalie shrugged. "I hadn't considered it. I suppose I can see how Emmett is as reverential to me as we both are to Carlisle. But we both changed Emmett. I bit him when I came across him and ran him home to Carlisle, begging him to ensure the change. So, both of our venom affected Emmett."

Bella nodded, filing away the questions and answers this revealed. She smiled at them. "Thank you for sharing that, Rose." The other two vampires smiled at her. A grandfather clock that Izzy had apparently become distracted by fixing absently chimed from the far recesses of the house. Bella's eyes went to the watch on her wrist. It was nearing eight in the morning.

"Shall we get ready to head to the car show?" she asked.

Rose and Emmett were still very wary of going out in public in the sunlight, despite Izzy and Bella's reassurances. They brought umbrellas and large brimmed hats with them, just in case. Where Emmett's excitement seemed to grow, Rosalie's wariness increased. "I promise, it will be great! And it will be so much more fun going all together!"

All she got was a nod, but that was enough.

Their trip was a huge success, so when Bree was anxiously awaiting them at their shared dorm room, both Izzy and Bella were concerned. "I hate being the messenger," Bree whined, obviously displeased that she was the one in the know.

Bella rubbed her arms and drew her into a hug. "Bree, darling, relieve yourself of this burden."

She sighed and seemed to crumble a bit, pulling away from Bella. Bella frowned and joined Izzy on the couch, both of them watching Bree as she began to pace.

"I know you had a great time with Emmett and Rose, but now that they are back, the decisions they made out of fear and confusion for the future are going to be aggressively pursued…"

"Decisions of the future…?" Bella asked, trying to follow.

Bree huffed and threw her hands up. "It's an intimacy thing, or an emotional disconnect or- I don't know! But Rose and Emmett apparently feel like they need some time alone together to sort their feelings and desires and figure out their future. They're going to finish the semester and spend the following weeks alone working on their relationship without the influences of the rest of the coven."

Izzy and Bella were still for a very long time, just processing. Finally, Izzy rose and went to her room, laying in the bed there. Bree, unable to gain Bella's attention, went to her sister as Bella sat for hours alone on the couch.