A/N: Since yesterday was such a weird posting day for me, maybe make sure you don't skip the last chapter. And, as always, thank you all for reading and reviewing:)

Love and Family

It turned out to be a good thing the Volturi sent a private plane, rather than everyone having to fly commercial, because Lilly did not enjoy flying. At all. She spent the entire flight either crying or napping in fits and starts. Going by her level of discomfort, Jasper thought her ears were probably hurting.

Not only did a private plane mean no one else was on board who'd bitch about a screaming baby, but it meant only one takeoff and one landing.

Everyone took turns holding her and walking up and down the aisle, because that kept her at a medium volume of crying, rather than the screaming cries if she was sitting in a lap.

Lilly's distress caused Bella distress, which meant she spent a good portion of the flight in tears also.

It was a long eleven hours, and everyone's nerves were a little ragged by the time they landed in Pisa.

"Oh dear," Esme said as she watched them all walk down the stairs to the tarmac. Jasper had managed to shoot her a quick email from the air and she'd done her best in a relatively short period of time to try and ease the strain on everyone. Felix and Demetri had kindly dropped off two SUVs at the airport for them to use.

"Okay. Peter and Charlotte, the first SUV is for you. The address of the villa is already programmed into the GPS. There are also some warm blood bags courtesy of Aro. If you need some time alone, we'll all completely understand. Just join us as soon as you're ready for company again. Emmett, Rose, the second SUV is for you. The GPS is programmed with both the villa's address and the general location of the forest where I've found the best hunting to be. Take some time to recharge and meet us when you feel ready," she said, hugging all four of them.

Once they were taken care of, Esme turned to Jasper and the two tear-stained humans. "You three are with me. Bella, there's a hot cup of coffee in the car for you, and there will be a meal waiting for you at home. Jasper, now don't laugh, but I may have had William running all over the place to find you a meal so you didn't have to leave your family to hunt if you didn't want to. There are currently two deer corralled on the property," she said with a little laugh as she ushered them to the car. "There are also some blood bags at the villa, also courtesy of Aro, if you'd rather drink that. And if you don't want either of those options and you'd rather hunt for yourself, you're free to do that as well, of course."

Jasper buckled Lilly into the car seat Esme had already installed in her SUV, and then helped Bella get settled next to her. She was practically dead on her feet and lunged for the coffee with the same kind of desperation Jasper used to lunge for human blood.

He climbed in the front with a smile and they headed for the villa.

"Have you got William cooking now, too?" Bella asked once she was a little more awake. Not by much, admittedly, but enough to try and hold a conversation. "Corralling deer for Jasper and whipping me up a meal?"

"No," Esme laughed. "And that's all I'm prepared to say. My lips are sealed," she said and mimed zipping her mouth shut.

Bella was a little confused, because she didn't think any of the Volturi knew how to cook, but she was also still tired enough that she let it go. The flight had thoroughly drained her. She looked at Lilly, who was finally sleeping peacefully, though she still had dried tears on her little cheeks. Poor thing had been so miserable and there wasn't much Bella could do for her. She'd nursed her as often as Lilly would go along with it, knowing the act of swallowing would help relieve some of the pressure in her ears, but otherwise she was helpless.

It was an awful feeling.

She and Jasper had briefly - very briefly - considered him using his gift to calm her down a little, but both had dismissed the idea after only a few seconds. Neither felt it was safe or appropriate to use his gift like that on a baby. The only time he ever used it with Lilly was to let her feel a little bit of his happiness or love. And even that was pretty rare.

Bella snapped out of her mental fog when she realized the car was coming to a stop. Glancing out the window, it registered that their surroundings were beautiful, but it was a different beauty altogether that had her grinning.

"Emily!" she exclaimed happily as she stumbled out of the backseat. How had she managed to forget that Emily was in Italy? It wasn't like they hadn't spoken to her since she'd gone back with Marcus. They had a long video call every couple weeks. Bella shook her head at her absentminded baby brain. It was a good thing she had Jasper for a husband because the man was always on top of things.

"Bella!" Emily laughed as she hugged her tightly for a good few seconds. "I've missed you!"

Lilly woke up with a little cry at her mama's loud voice, but Jasper was there in the next instant to soothe her. "Shh, I know you weren't ready for your nap to be over but look, it's your Auntie Emily," he whispered as he picked her up out of her car seat. "You remember her from the computer, right? She sings you some of your favorite songs and tells you some of your favorite stories. She's been so excited to see your sweet little face in person, so let's greet her with a smile, huh? What do you say?"

Lilly gave her daddy a gurgling laugh as she kicked her legs.

"That's my girl," he smiled and gave her a kiss on her cute little nose.

"Hi, Jasper! It's good to see you again," Emily said as she gave him the best hug she could while he was holding a baby. "And look at you, little Miss Lilly!" she said with a huge smile. "Aren't you even more adorable in person!"

Lilly gave her a smile and happily went into her arms once Emily checked with her parents that it was okay to hold her. Being a baby, she was curious about the scars on Emily's face, but Emily didn't seem at all bothered when Lilly gently touched her cheek.

"Are you hungry, Bella?" she asked as she led them in the house. "I wasn't sure if you'd want a big meal so I put together a salad for you, and I've got some pasta that's just about ready if you want that. If not, it can just go in the fridge. Pasta's great for quick reheats so you have something easy to grab."

"I know it's not spring, but what are the chances—"

"The chances are good," Emily laughed. "The vegetables are slightly different, but you didn't really think I'd cook for your first night in Italy and not make your favorite pasta, did you?"

Jasper actually laughed at the level of happiness and pleasure in his wife at that news. When everyone looked at him, he just shook his head and shrugged, not willing to spill about her emotions.

Bella, on the other hand, had no shame in spilling. "I'm pretty sure he's laughing at just how excited I am for this pasta. So, you keep cuddling that baby and tell me how I can help."

Emily told Bella what little was left to be done, and the two chatted while Emily bounced Lilly on her hip.

William walked in the kitchen and greeted Jasper and Bella with hugs, and gave Lilly a kiss on her cheek. "Thirsty, Jasper?" he asked.

"A little," Jasper nodded as he put the bowl with Bella's salad on the table. "I hear you're the man to thank for my dinner?" he asked with a smile.

"I am," William laughed. "I'd almost admit to having fun with it. I may not like how animal blood tastes, but it was fun chasing those guys down and bringing them here. There was one casualty, though. Fella's heart gave out. I felt pretty bad about it, too, so I drank him. Figured he shouldn't die for nothing just because I scared him."

"And how was it?" Jasper asked with a grin, already knowing the answer. Not only was deer blood particularly unappetizing, but William's emotional palette was almost entirely made up of disgust.

"Awful," he laughed. "Possibly the worst thing I've tasted since I came into this second life."

Jasper laughed and nodded his agreement. "I'd advise you to never try coffee. Deer blood is pretty nasty but it's the nectar of the gods compared to coffee with these tastebuds. Which is stupid, because it doesn't smell half bad."

William still mostly drank human blood, though he very occasionally hunted with Esme. Animal hunting in Italy was nothing like in the States, and when he'd been in Montana visiting, the two men had gone on a hunt together. He was surprised to find he liked the mountain lion he tried.

Big prey like that, however, was quite rare over here. After getting frustrated with how far she was sometimes having to travel to hunt enough to keep herself from getting too thirsty, Esme had begun supplementing her diet with human blood. She couldn't bring herself to kill humans, even though she didn't hold any judgment for those who did, and Aro had been the one to tell her she was always welcome to come raid their 'wine cellar'. Which was what he called the room in the castle where they kept their blood bags because he thought he was hilarious. She typically had one every week or so.

Checking that his wife and daughter didn't need him, Jasper walked to the far end of the property to drink his distasteful dinner. He had a feeling he'd be sharing in the blood bag diet while they were here. He'd only resorted to that a few times in the months since Peter and Charlotte had stolen a refrigerator's worth of blood just before Lilly was born, but he was also pretty spoiled for choice where they lived. Jasper couldn't remember the last time he'd had to settle for an herbivore, and the thought of a diet of deer for two or three weeks was less than pleasant.

He was glad for all their sakes that Carlisle Cullen was nothing more than a bad memory now. Everyone should be able to choose their own diet without the threat of being asked to leave their 'family' or coven if they made a choice that didn't align with the coven leader's own ethics.

Family was family, in Jasper's opinion. You didn't all have to believe the same things or agree about everything. All that truly mattered was loving each other. When you loved someone, showing them respect and kindness and being thoughtful of their needs tended to happen naturally. Which isn't to say they didn't get on each other's nerves from time to time, because they definitely did. And it's not to say there weren't ever any heated arguments, because there definitely were.

But by and large, the Whitlocks worked as the big, weird, multi-species family they were because they all genuinely, truly loved each other. None of them were perfect, all of them had flaws, but they loved each other. At the end of the day, that was what mattered.

Jasper always showered after hunting before being around his daughter, so when he made his way back to the house, he went in through the door that led straight into his and Bella's room, which William had kindly pointed out to him.

Stepping into the bathroom, he immediately started laughing. Sitting on the vanity was a still-steaming mug of coffee, and beside it was a note in William's handwriting.

A palate cleanser. Just in case you want to get rid of one foul taste with another.

Jasper was just pulling on a sweater when he heard a car approaching. Reaching out for the emotional signature to see if it was familiar, it took him a moment to place it, but then he broke into a smile.

"What's got you grinning?" Bella asked as she walked in the bedroom with Lilly.

"Company's coming," he laughed as he leaned down to kiss her. "How was dinner? Better than mine, I assume?"

"It was delicious," Bella nodded, but she had a little frown on her face. "Why don't you make use of the Volturi's wine cellar while we're in Italy, hon? I don't like the idea of you eating shitty meals for the whole time we're here. That's no fair. Especially because I get the joy of ridiculously good food."

"I may just do that," Jasper agreed. "I was already considering it. I hadn't realized just how long it had been since I'd eaten an herbivore and… yuck," he said with a dramatic shudder that made Lilly laugh. "That's as polite as I can be with my little miss right here. Just so completely and thoroughly yuck."

"Want me to have Esme or William heat you some now?" she asked, not liking the idea of her mate having such a gross dinner. "I know they have some."

"No, I'm fine, honestly. I wasn't all that thirsty to begin with," Jasper smiled as he wrapped his arms around his girls and just held them for a minute. "But thank you for loving me enough to be concerned."

"Of course I love you enough to be concerned, Jas. You're half of my whole," she said. Lilly reached for him so Bella handed her over with an eye-roll and a smile. "Some days I think she likes you better than me. Not that I can blame her. I like you better, too. So who's the company coming?"

"Come find out for yourself," he said as he heard the front door open.

Bella stopped in her tracks when she heard a deep laugh. "Is that…?"

"Bella! Jasper!" Marcus greeted them as he popped his head around the corner. "And Lilly! We finally meet in person after all this time."

Lilly gave him a gummy smile and kicked her little legs. She really was an awfully happy baby when she wasn't on an airplane.

Marcus hugged Bella and Jasper, who were both still a little blown away by the complete and utter change in the man. He was so blissfully happy that he looked lit from within.

"May I?" he asked, holding his arms out a little.

"Of course," Bella nodded. "She still sometimes isn't so sure about cold vamp bodies so if she doesn't want to, it's not…" she trailed off with a laugh when Lilly eagerly reached for the king. "…personal," she finished.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Lilly," Marcus said as Lilly played with his long hair. "Would you like to hear a secret?" he whispered, smiling at her babbling. "I was one of the first people to know you were growing inside your mommy. I might have even known before your daddy. But shh, don't tell him. I don't want him to be jealous."

"No jealousy here," Jasper laughed. "You knowing meant Bella got to leave Volterra with me."

"True," Marcus nodded, then broke out in a huge grin. "Best decision I ever made," he laughed.

"What is?" Emily asked as she walked into the front hall and tucked herself under the arm Marcus held out for her.

"Allowing Bella to leave Italy with Jasper last year. Well, this year, I suppose," he corrected. "They left on January 1st. And the two of them leaving are the catalyst to me finding you."

Emily smiled and nodded her agreement. "Yes, it was an excellent decision."

"Shall we join Esme and William in the living room?" Marcus asked, bouncing Lilly a little. "We can get caught up before I steal Emily away for the night."

After everyone was settled, Bella asked a question she always forgot to ask Emily. "We still call you Emily. What do you go by these days, Emily or Didyme?"

"Both," she answered with a smile. "I'm honestly perfectly comfortable with both. Most of the Volturi call me Didyme, but not all. Especially those I met before I remembered who I'd been. I still keep in touch with my Quileute friends and they still call me Emily also because it's what they've always known me as. So you can use either, it just depends on whatever is comfortable for you."

"Have you remembered any other lives?" Esme asked curiously.

"No," Emily shook her head. "I don't know if that means there haven't been other lives, or if I only remember my life with Marcus because it was my first, or the one I was always meant to go back to. We've debated it around and around in circles, but I don't think I'll ever know the answers."

"It's made me question all of my beliefs about mates," Jasper admitted. "The grief and despair that leads us to acts of revenge or seeking our own death. If there's the possibility of reuniting with our other half, there's reason to go on."

Bella reached over and took his hand, the thought of being separated from him enough to make her heart ache.

"I've thought of that often as well," Esme nodded. "It's a little unsettling to have beliefs that have been so widely accepted for thousands of years turned upside down. I find some comfort in the thought that when a vampire follows their mate by seeking death, both of their souls are free and they have the possibility of reuniting in another human life."

"Has it been difficult adjusting to being a queen?" Bella asked Emily.

She thought on it a few moments before answering. "I wouldn't say difficult, but there was definitely a period of uncertainty where who I was as Emily conflicted with who I was as Didyme. My life before seeing Marcus was a pretty simple life. Being a queen is anything but simple," she laughed. "Some of the guard who joined us after my death are a little awkward around me, but reuniting with Sulpicia and Athenadora has been wonderful."

Bella nodded and tried to stifle a yawn, but of course Jasper noticed. "Ready for bed?" he asked.

"As much as I'm enjoying this and hate to break up the party, yes, I really am. It's been a long day and I want to feed Lilly before she goes down."

Esme stood up and waited for Jasper and Bella to say goodnight to everyone, and to let everyone say goodnight to Lilly, and then showed them where the nursery was. "I put her in the room next to you."

"Thanks, Esme," Bella said as she hugged her goodnight. "For setting up the nursery, but also for inviting us here."

"You're always welcome wherever I am, Bella," Esme answered. "Just as Jasper and Lilly are. Distance doesn't change the fact that we're all family."

Bella smiled at the words she'd heard so often from her husband. Near or far, they were all Whitlocks.

"You look better," Rose said to Bella the next afternoon. She and Emmett had arrived at the villa sometime while Bella slept, and seeing it was a cloudy day, Bella had rallied everyone to go for a long walk.

"I feel better," Bella laughed. "I had a nice meal when we got here and then Jasper kept me asleep all night. When Lilly woke up hungry he fed her with one of the bottles of breast milk I'd pumped so I got a solid eight hours. It was heavenly."

"She took the bottle without a fuss?" Rose asked with a smile. The bottles were a new addition to their lives and it was a little hit or miss if she'd take it or not.

"She did. She was more worn out from the flight than I was, so she was still half-asleep. She only drank half before she was conked out again. What did you guys do when you left the airport?" Bella asked. "You both look a lot less stressed out, too."

"Honestly, we didn't do much of anything," Rosalie laughed as she took Bella's hand to steady her as she walked over some rocks. "Found a quiet area where we wouldn't be disturbed and reveled in the silence."

Bella cringed a little as she nodded. "Yeah, that had to be pretty brutal on your ears. Thanks for not getting angry. Or outwardly angry, anyway."

Rose gave her a little bit of a weird look. "Why would I be angry? She certainly couldn't help it. And like Jasper always says, her cries are just the way she tells us she needs something. I'd cry too if I was hurting and didn't have the words to bitch about it," she laughed.

"It was a pretty awful feeling to be helpless to make her feel better. And she's such a happy baby most of the time that I'm not used to hours of uninterrupted crying. I'm already dreading the flight home."

"We have a few weeks still. Maybe I can do some research on ways to make flying easier on babies," Rosalie offered. "Lilly can't be the only one uncomfortable all the way up there with the noise and the pressure."

"Thanks, Rose," Bella smiled and squeezed her sister's hand. "Sometimes I'm still a little boggled by how parents managed before the internet," she laughed. "I couldn't even begin to count the number of times I've typed in 'how to' or 'what is' when I'm at a loss about something."

"I know," Rosalie agreed. "Even reading all the books in the world isn't preparation for everything that crops up. You know how much I admire you, right? I hope I tell you often enough that you never forget it."

"You do," Bella assured her. "You always make sure I know it. And it means the world to me, Rose. Truly. I know motherhood and babyhood are different from what you expected, and I can't tell you how much it means that you've always been one of my biggest supports. And a cheerleader when I need it," she added with a laugh.

Rosalie gently bumped Bella's shoulder with her own. "It's true, I had a very narrow vision of what being a mother was like. I had pretty limited exposure to babies when I was human, and virtually none since I was changed. I had a very… I don't know, idealized image of all the cuddling and kissing and cooing. I never thought about the sleeplessness and sore nipples and explosive poops to clean up," she laughed. "I'm glad I can be there for you when you need to lean a little."

"Or lean a lot," Bella laughed. "I'm not sure I would've survived that first month without you and Jasper. The Hale twins didn't just let me lean on them, they completely propped me up and kept me from falling flat on my face."

"We all need to lean sometimes," Rosalie smiled. "I'm just grateful I could be there when you needed propping up."

Jasper smiled as he listened to the conversation like the nosy snoop he was. He was proud of Rose for how far she'd come. She'd gone from focusing on the baby to focusing on Bella, and her words were completely honest and genuine. She was glad she'd been a solid person for the stressed out and sad new mom to lean on. Even felt a little bit of pride about it. Some days it seemed like there were an infinite number of arms to hold the baby, and only Jasper's and Rose's to hold Bella.

He walked back to where the two of them had lagged behind everyone else and Lilly started trying to reach for Rose as soon as she could see her. "Someone's looking for some Auntie Rose cuddles," he said as he transferred Lilly to her arms.

"Look at that happy smile, flower," Rose laughed as Lilly kicked her chubby little legs and tangled her fist in Rosalie's hair.

Jasper took Bella's hand and leaned down to drop a kiss on her head. "Have I told you yet today how much I love you?"

"No," Bella pouted. "Not even a single time and I've been awake for hours now."

"Uh, I think maybe that flight messed with more than our flower's ears because I recall saying it at 9:52, 11:47, and 1:08," he laughed.

"You and your weird vamp brain," Bella smiled. "You may have perfect recall but I'm only human. You can't blame my human brain for forgetting things."

"Human brain or baby brain?" he asked.

"Both," Bella laughed. "No one prepared me for feeling slightly stupid the first few months and that my short-term memory would be riddled with holes. Do you know I forgot Emily was in Italy when we got in last night? Esme mentioned dinner and I couldn't think who might be cooking aside from her."

"I felt your confusion," Jasper nodded with a smile. "That was just stressed out exhaustion so you're excused for the mental lapse."

"Have I told you today how much I love you?" Bella asked as she looked up at her too-tall mate.

"As a matter of fact, you did," he laughed. "At 9:52, 11:47, and 1:08."

"Oh, then I probably shouldn't tell you again. It would be a real shame if it went to your head."

Bella let out a squeal of laughter when Jasper swooped down to pick her up and threw her over his shoulder. Her laughter caught Lilly's attention and she looked over from her auntie's arms and started doing her own squealing and gurgling.

"Daddy and Mommy are silly, huh?" Rose laughed as she tickled her tummy. "But look at that smile on Mama's face. Isn't it pretty? That smile means she's happy, happy, happy. You really lucked out on the parent lottery, kid."

Jasper's chest warmed a little at that, and going by the beaming smile on his wife's face, hers did too. Some days parenting felt like a breeze and some days it was just muddling through and making it up as you went along. It was a wonderful feeling to know that the person in their family who tended to be the hardest to please thought they were nailing the whole mommy and daddy gig.

Even through disagreements and differing personalities and even different species, love was definitely what made the huge, weird Whitlock family a true family. Jasper felt lucky beyond belief that they'd all somehow found each other.

Life was good. It was by no means always easy, but it was always good.