Aurora Borealis

by Star-Of-Radiance

Bella's 'perfect slice of forever' slowly unravels, piece by piece. Months after the confrontation during Breaking Dawn, all the devastating consequences of crimes, both forgotten and overlooked, reveal themselves, and the criminal trials and sentencing of Edward Cullen and the Volturi unfold- along with its equally devastating aftermath. Think carefully before you choose to act...

52. Family Relationships

"Family is supposed to be our safe haven. Very often, it's the place where we find the deepest heartache."

Iyanla Vanzant

Eleazar tapped his fingers against the armrest. Siobhan and Maggie looked at each other.

The Cullens had yet to arrive with Renesmee in tow. While they had spoken to the others, they hadn't yet spoken to Bella. And no one knew how Renesmee would be taking things. They could only feel sorry for the girl.

Outside of Marcus, Sulpicia and Athenodora's rooms in the hospital wing, members of the new governing council, Siobhan and Maggie from Ireland; Tanya and Eleazar from Denali in Alaska; Amun and Benjamin from Egypt; Charles and Mackenna, the latter of whom was Maltese; Zafrina, Senna and Kachiri from the Amazon rainforest... the only ones missing were Carlisle and Esme from the Olympic Peninsula.

Garrett lounged restlessly on the sofa, scowling. He had an arm around Kate's waist. "Why do you guys even want to see them?" He demanded. "I mean, I get that you feel bad for them, and so do I, but they're sick and in need of recovery and we also don't know for sure if we can trust them not to seize power."

Amun looked like he wanted to agree. Benjamin frowned.

"Not Marcus, I think," Eleazar murmured thoughtfully. "Sulpicia and Athenodora... but that is part of the reason as to why we must see them. We have to know."

Garrett looked thoughtful. "You don't think that Marcus would want to seize power? Or Sulpicia and Athenodora?"

Until previously, the others had only ever referred to the two females as 'the Wives'. These days, Eleazar thought it might have been too insulting and outrageous, considering what Aro and Caius had willingly did to them.

Not too different from how Carlisle and the others admitted Edward behaved towards Bella and the things he had done.

Eleazar shook his head. Slowly, Maggie, Siobhan, Amun and Mackenna did the same. The Amazon sisters also looked thoughtful before shaking their heads.

"He was never interested in all the years I and anyone else had ever known him, and while we can assume that this was due to the effects of grief, both he and Didyme wanted to leave," Eleazar said quietly "they weren't satisfied with how the Volturi were ruling. The only reason they didn't succeed in leaving was because Aro tricked them by feigning compliance and respect for their wishes, then used an attack as a cover to murder his own sister so as to not be deprived of Marcus."

Garrett scowled. He once had a younger sister. "Why though? Why spare Marcus but not his sister?"

"Because Marcus was one of the ruling triad." Eleazar replied seriously. "And his gift was more useful. Yes, Didyme, like Jasper, could make others feel happy. But unlike Jasper, that was the only emotion her gift was capable of. Meanwhile, Marcus' gift was more useful. In fact, it's extremely useful in the hands of someone who knows how to utilise it to its fullest extent." Eleazar frowned as he said this. "For example, imagine Marcus in a battlefield: he can see the binding ties within the enemy forces, and he can tell who the leaders are just by watching and observing the others who are tied to any of them. He and the guard were able to destroy the resistance merely by picking and taking out a few key individuals. Romantic relationships, family and friends, who gravitates around whom, who did they trust the most, how strong and likely were they to attack or disperse and how loyal they were to each other or to whoever led them and how that could be broken. In times of peace, he was able to use his gift in diplomatic endeavours, and Aro needed him present in case anyone's loyalty had begun to waver, or if they were becoming too close or admiring of someone else."

Eleazar looked worried as if he feared someone else would try to use Marcus. Particularly one among them, like Amun. Meanwhile, the others absorbed this in silence.

"Marcus' skill was valuable, but that was not all there was to him. He was one of the ruling triumvirate. The Volturi's entire image was built around the trio," he continued slowly. "Take one out of the equation, even Caius who had no special gifts and abilities, and there was a risk that the pyramid upon which they stood would crumble. And if one left willingly because he felt disillusioned with the other two and their way of ruling, this could shake the faiths of many who were loyal whilst striking fear into the hearts of others, and opportunists would be eager to grab onto such a chance for power or vengeance.

"I suspect that Aro, unwilling to lose or risk losing the power the Volturi had come to possess, felt he had to make a hard choice: Marcus' gift was more useful to him and Caius and their rule than Didyme's gift, despite its benefits. He must have felt it a hard but necessary sacrifice."

Tanya sighed and pursed her lips. "But... his own sister?" Garrett sounded disgusted. He wasn't the only one. Benjamin, Mackenna, Maggie, Liam and the Amazon sisters all looked equally disgusted.

Eleazar shrugged. "He must've loved power more than he loved her. Or Marcus, otherwise he would not have consigned his so-called 'brother' to such a state and as a prisoner of enchantment for a millennia." He frowned.

"As a matter of fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he loved power more than he loved Sulpicia, his mate. Or Caius with Athenodora."

A stunned silence ensued. But before Eleazar could elaborate, the doctor- or healer as the wizards insisted- appeared.

Witches and wizards still termed their medical personnel as healers, and their medics as mediwizards or mediwitches since they had long separated themselves and their society from non-magical humankind, long enough to remember only the crude non-magical practices such as leeches, blood-lettings and amputations with unwashed saws and no anaesthesia that were in use prior to modern medicine. Apparently, there was still a general belief that these primitive methods were still in use by their non-magical counterparts and they had never been anywhere near a non-magical hospital or clinic, so witches and wizards tended to look at doctors with suspicion.

A pity Carlisle wasn't here to explain otherwise. But now was not the time.

The healer was obviously human and completely unafraid of them, despite the fact that they were all vampires and until, recently, most of them had sustained themselves on human blood. But even without the treaty between both kinds or the new food source, which satiated each vampire's thirst far better than even human blood, Eleazar supposed that these wizards were more than capable of defending themselves from any harm. He was fully aware of just how easily the Volturi had been taken down: in less than an hour.

He would have never believed it had he not seen the evidence.

"They..." he paused, hesitating. "They will be able to see you, but only for a short time." He warned them. "It's a long way to recovery."

Eleazar frowned while Tanya spoke up, "Will they recover, though?"

The healer fought a wince. "We have yet to find out. They have been under enchantment for millennia," he insisted "unable to function as they normally would have. Now they've gotten so used to and dependent upon Chelsea and Corin's abilities that without them it feels not only disorientating and sickening- especially as Corin's power is addictive- it feels like they have lost an integral part of themselves, like a limb, some bones or organs. They can't seem to focus and are not used to being free from the mental ability of Chelsea either and are terribly disorientated and confused. A human would have undoubtedly been unable to survive the withdrawal process, even if they hadn't been under both enchantments for millennia... and there's the fact that that there were two of them casting their enchantments..." he paused, trailing.

"Gabrielle Delacour best summed it up as being like Muggle drug addiction," the healer explained. "I fear I haven't had as much experience or knowledge working with Muggles- non-magical people- but according to her the process is very much similar- only worse." He added grimly.

Eleazar looked at the others with unease. Many of them bore similar expressions, with the exception of the stoic Amazonians, although their eyes bore looks of grimness and pity.

"So whatever it is, please make this quick," the healer urged. "They are able to withstand, focus and force themselves to act normally, but only for a short time and even then it causes great strain. If they were not vampires, the amount of disorientation, nausea and vomiting would have been so violent I suspect none of the patients would have survived. Even as vampires each of them are still fighting a difficult battle. So please keep that in mind." He opened the door and proceeded to show them in.

Eleazar's eyes softened in pity at the mention of what Marcus, Sulpicia, Athenodora and the guards who had been enslaved had gone through. So did many of the others. Even Amun. It didn't mean that Eleazar was fool enough to trust Amun: he seemed too opportunistic, yet he remembered he was among the first to leave.

At least Alistair never tried to defend himself by making excuses, wasn't a greedy opportunist and had never attempted to gain power, and had been willing to speak up for the Cullens in their defence earlier on. And loathe as Eleazar may admit, Alistair did have a point when he left: Edward had first risked their lives by stalking and trespassing into Bella's father's home, and he was the chief of police in that town and the Cullens were only able to live there by making a treaty and forging a fragile peace with the Wolves. Then the absorbed, irresponsible brat had proceeded to bring Bella into their world while she was human, attempting exposure and risked everyone's lives and safety solely because he could not live with the consequences of his own mistake, and after knowing all that he had done, even if Carlisle and the others hadn't known, he later asked them to stand with the Cullens when Victoria and her newborns attacked precisely because he had brought Bella into their world in the first place... And then he had again proceeded to ask them to risk their lives by incurring the Volturi's wrath to stand by the Cullens' side. Despite all this, Eleazar and the others were certain that Edward was highly unlikely to be willing to place not only his but his wife's life in any danger to do the same for them, just as Alistair alone had suspected even before all of Edward's doings had come to light. Alistair had gotten along reasonably well with Carlisle, but he had mistrusted Edward once the latter had asked him to risk his life, not because it was for his family's personal safety but because the entire mess was Edward's own doing, largely if not solely. As guilty as Alistair later felt, he still didn't think that Edward would have been willing to risk not only his but his family's lives, including his mate's, for any of theirs had their positions been reversed with anyone who came to their aid on New Year's Eve. Alistair simply never trusted Edward to be worth all the trouble, although he later regretted leaving Renesmee and the others to save themselves.

Now Eleazar and everybody else, while not regretting that they had come to Renesmee and the other Cullens' aid and and stood against the Volturi, acknowledged that Alistair had had a point. Now he knew that Edward had betrayed everyone, including his own family and the ones who had supported and stood by his side, even when the Volturi were threatening to attack. This was especially bitter and hard to swallow, after having met and known Edward for decades and been close enough to not only respect but like him. Eleazar wasn't sure if he could forgive Edward for that betrayal, especially after what had happened to Irina. Laurent he had never trusted or truly liked, but Irina...

Edward knew they would have felt guilty for refusing to stand by the Cullens when Victoria and her newborns threatened them. Just as he knew that Jasper would have felt immense guilt and shame once he had come to his senses after the birthday party they threw for Bella. And just as Edward had manipulated his entire family into abruptly leaving and ensured no contact details or farewell messages were left for Bella, even if he believed it was for her own good (and solely for Bella's own 'good' rather than any other's), he had used their feelings of guilt to manipulate them to risk their lives after he had already put them at risk. It was unforgivable.

Even if he could forgive Edward, Eleazar would certainly never trust him again. Unlike Renesmee who was completely innocent, and even Bella and the other Cullens who were also victims of Edward's machinations, Eleazar would never wish Edward anywhere near his family or himself... unless it was to tell him what he thought of him and to make certain that Edward knew he would never again find help or welcome from any of them. The only reason neither he nor anyone else would go so far as to kill Edward was out of respect for Carlisle, Esme, his siblings, Bella and Renesmee, all of whom must have still cared for him despite everything he had done, including to them.

That and they were no longer permitted to kill another vampire, Eleazar thought. One of the new laws they had also immediately agreed upon: since killing another vampire was more likely to incur the vengeance of another, and Victoria herself had raised a newborn army for the sole purpose of being a diversion, just so she could sneak around and kill Bella, they could no longer take the risk even with their newfound magical allies hiding their tracks. Regardless, Edward Cullen would simply have to be imprisoned, then banished and forever shunned from their society for the rest of eternity.

Suddenly, they were interrupted by the arrival of Carlisle and Esme heading into the corridor.

"We apologise for our tardiness," Carlisle said urgently. "We've only just arrived and been told where you all were." Eleazar raised an eyebrow.

"I assume that you've settled your affairs in Forks?" Carlisle nodded curtly.

"We have."

"Renesmee?" Tanya questioned. The others raised their eyebrows. Carlisle exhaled, seeming to have been rid of an invisible weight on his shoulders. Likewise, Esme also looked relieved.

"Well and safe. The bond has been severed. There were no ill effects."

At that everyone, with the exception of the healer who did not know what they were talking about but wisely stuck to his own purposes here, exhaled in relief. Even Amun looked disturbed and had shuddered at one point when he heard how Jacob and Renesmee were connected.

"So why is everyone insistent upon disturbing Marcus?" Esme raised a delicate eyebrow. "Or Sulpicia and Athenodora? I'm certain the three of them and the guards who were under Chelsea and Corin's spell will need a long period of recovery."

"There are some things we must know," Eleazar explained patiently. "Such as the matter of whether or not Aro and Caius- and Marcus- knew about the existence of wizards and witches along with the other species and the Confederation."

Carlisle furrowed his brow. "I assume that they didn't. Otherwise they would not have risked transforming Alec and Jane."

Instantly, the mood turned sombre. "Or perhaps that event was allowed to occur because this was prior to the creation of an international magical society separate from the non-magical world." Carlisle conceded. "But a lot of things also doesn't make sense. How is it that the Vampire Confederation were unaware of our existence and we of theirs? Many things would never have happened had our species been in contact with one another."

"Like the Southern Wars and the Plague of the Immortal Children." Tanya murmured. The others agreed.

"Biting underage children seems to have been prohibited for many centuries," Eleazar mused "not just toddlers and infants. And they seem to forbid the transformation of a human without permission and authorisation for a certain individual to turn them. So they must have been aware of the risks and everything that could go wrong."

The mood of the air turned grim. The party headed through the corridor, while Kate, Garrett, Carmen, Tia and Kebi and the families of those who came with them stayed in the lounge.

Eleazar's brow furrowed. "I've requested an audience with the Vampire Queen. But for now the question on how and why the Confederation never knew of our existence until... all of this will have to wait."

There was a crash to their right and a loud moaning sound that sounded like an animal or a ghoul. The healer pursed his lips. "It's Felix." He informed them. "He isn't reacting to the withdrawal very well, nor the emotional shock and devastation that he has been enslaved by enchantment and a member of his fellow guard, by individuals whom he trusted." The healer paused. "Heidi is reacting to this significantly worse, since the Volturi were responsible for falsifying charges against and executing the members of her own family in order to gain her as one of them. Even though she knows she was enslaved, she still bears a terrible burden, knowing that she served and did whatever the murderers of her family had wanted her to do for roughly six centuries."

Carlisle winced and the healer added, knowingly, "She also knows what happened to her sister Victoria. She blames herself for not being there so that Victoria would never have ended up in the path of James."

That caused more wincing. "It also doesn't help that she believed Victoria may have hated her since she was unlikely to have known that Heidi was under Chelsea's enchantment."

Eleazar grimaced. Despite knowing that Aro and Caius along with Chelsea, Corin, their mates and the most guilty of their accomplices and guards had died a gruesome and painful death, far worse than anything that they could have thought up of, he wished the judges had allowed them to execute the Volturi themselves. Yet the part of Eleazar that understood politics and how those in power worked and thought, understood that if the judges had permitted the use of 'mob justice' and allowed all of the Volturi's surviving victims and their families to tear them apart and set them on fire, they would never allow room in their new society for the rule of law, rather than retribution and violence... and that could also inevitably lead to not only internal strife and chaos, but exposure to the non-magical human world.

Besides, their punishment was terrible enough.

"Five minutes for each patient," the healer warned "that's all we can afford to give you. They are under medication until they can be slowly weaned off of it so as to function as they normally would have without all these enchantments." He opened the door. "The lighting is purposefully kept dim so as to not disturb them."

"We understand," Carlisle said hastily. "Thank you." The healer nodded and moved away.

In the dark, their immortal sight could easily make out Marcus' figure slumped across his hospital bed, but he was sitting up. His restraints had been moved, Carlisle noted, so they could at least be assured that Marcus had a minimal chance of harming himself. He looked up and blinked weary eyes towards the party entering the room.

"Why are you here?" He asked blankly. Carlisle sighed. "This was not my decision." He looked pointedly at the others.

Eleazar sighed and stepped forwards. So did Siobhan. "Marcus, we are truly sorry we have to disturb you. But there are some things we need to know about Aro and Caius. And the Romanian coven."

Amun nodded crisply. "Until recently it was believed that none of us knew about the existence of the Vampire Confederation, or even about other species of vampires, along with witches and wizards, although we knew about the Children of the Moon. Personally, I am not convinced. Stefan and Vladimir and the other Romanians were more than likely to have come across them. Aro must've known something."

Marcus scoffed. "Aro knew a lot of things he had never bothered to share with anyone, even Caius, unless it benefited him and kept the trust between them."

Silence. The Irish vampiresses, Siobhan and Maggie, looked at one another. Although Marcus' words were undoubtedly filled with bitter loathing and resentment, there was undeniably a truth to them.

"So you've never come across them?" Benjamin sounded surprised.

Marcus scoffed again as he shook his head. "Never."

"What about the Romanians? Did Stefan and Vladimir ever hint-"

"Do you think that the Volturi and the Romanian coven would have ever been able to stand within earshot of one another for long enough in a single moment without trying to kill each other?" Marcus interrupted. "Even if they did know, and they likely did since since they lived in and around the same area as this massive coven, we will never know their secrets. The last of the Romanians are now dead. Aro sent Santiago, Felix and Demetri after them as soon as the rest of you were as far away as possible, knowing that they were the easiest to pick apart and take out. I informed them that they were the ones least likely to be missed by any of you. He then proceeded to send the guard after Joham although he kept his word not to harm his daughters, so as to not alert Nahuel and his aunt, the Amazons and the rest of the witnesses on either side, but that was done solely out of spite and wounded pride on both their parts." Marcus shrugged. "Personally, I couldn't care less whether our coven kept its power."

"Who else did you pick out?"

Marcus shook his head. "There were none at that point, although they were certainly planning to pick a few of you apart, one by one, before making a grand strategic plan to catch you off guard and trick you into breaking another vital law, possibly by making it look like the Cullens had betrayed some of their friends and therefore staining your reputation in the eyes of your allies-" he ignored the slight flinch on Carlisle's face "-whereupon the Volturi would again come to Forks along with the same witnesses who had came with them on New Year's Eve, and this time there would have been no doubt of your guilt." His lips twitched. "Aro was most displeased with Caius' hasty order to execute Irina for an honest but dutiful mistake in front of so many, including those we had brought with us. He knew it was a public relations blunder and a stain upon their reputation, therefore, a threat to 'our' rule." He sneered the penultimate word. "The plan, before the wizards and Death Dealers came knocking upon our front door- quite literally; they knocked on the doors of the citadel and politely requested an audience-" Benjamin and Maggie's lips twitched in suppressed amusement "-had yet to form into something coherent to be agreed upon by the two of them- and the superfluous addition of myself although that had only ever been for show ever since..." he trailed off.

Pain spasmed within his features. Marcus' face was the very image of agony and anguish. In fact, it might not be enough to describe his expression.

Eleazar closed his eyes. "I'm sorry," Benjamin said softly. But Marcus didn't hear him. He was busy inhaling and exhaling deeply. His hands clenched the sides of his bed. He let out a long, low but loud moan and doubled over, as if to futilely halt a physical injury, but there was none. There was no injury just as there was no cure.

And there would never be.

Marcus kept doubling over. Instantaneously, Carlisle was at his side. Doctor's instincts, Eleazar guessed correctly, as Carlisle, aided by Esme on Marcus' other side. Together they supported Marcus and tried to calm him, but ultimately they knew that Marcus would never heal.

Not truly.

It was excruciating even to watch. Eleazar turned away, once again astounded that Aro could have ever done such a thing to both Marcus and his own sister, or that Caius even allowed and possibly participated or aided him to do so. Did Caius at least not fear for his own wife's safety and his own since, unlike Marcus, he had no talent? Or was he so addicted to power?

Did either of them even genuinely love Sulpicia and Athenodora?

"We should go," Siobhan said softly. Benjamin nodded, and the rest of them filed out of the room.

"Should we interview Sulpicia and Athenodora?" Eleazar wondered. "I can't imagine..."

Tanya shook her head. "They wouldn't have known anything, being prisoners in their tower for so long. I also doubt Aro and Caius ever shared anything of importance with them, much less taken any advice that they had, for their own safety and for fear they might intervene." She scoffed.

"If he was willing to go as far as using Chelsea and Corin, I have no doubt the two of them were nothing more than tools to fulfil their own desires, fantasies and purposes. No matter how much either claimed to have loved them."

"You never know," Benjamin pointed. "I watched a documentary once, about psychopaths. They are capable of love, just a selfish, unhealthy love. Caius might not have seen what he was doing to his own mate as being wrong, or maybe it was but it was necessary to him. Still, I do wonder why, after all this time locked in their tower, they not only allowed the two of them out they also took them all the way to America to confront the Cullens on New Year's Eve. As I understand, they never did such a thing." He shared a glance with his mentor.

Amun grunted. "Never. Although that can be easily explained: the Volturi did not think that the Cullens could possibly pose any threat to their safety, unlike the Immortal Children and those who guarded them, or the newborn armies and their commanders during the American Southern Wars."

"But why now?" Benjamin insisted. "Why take them all the way to America just for a show only to come right back? If they had Corin to keep them content with being prisoners there was no need to take them since they were most definitely safer in their tower and-" he nodded to Tanya "-you said it yourself: the two females had absolutely no power or influence over the pair or their decisions."

Eleazar frowned. "I suspect we may have executed Aro and Caius too quickly."

"Or not." Esme emerged from the room. "There is still someone who can tell us why the Volturi did all that they did, and whether anyone within the Confederation knew about our species and vice versa. Someone who can pull out the secrets of the past."

They all blinked. "The Vampire Queen." Esme stated shortly. "She can See the past as well as the future. And they say she is able to be in many places at once. She's able to separate her consciousness and manifest herself in many places at once. She should have been able to discover and learn about our existence a long time ago. But she didn't. And she claimed- in passing and only for a brief moment-" her voice lowered "-that it was Viktor. The third High Elder, the one who's currently buried in his crypt."

Eleazar frowned. "We need to have an audience with her. As soon as possible. And we must keep every discussion about Viktor private and avoid mentioning him in public where anyone might hear us. I hear he has many fanatically loyal supporters." He warned darkly.

"Sulpicia and Athenodora first," Amun reminded him quietly. His eyes had a flicker of something, perhaps guilt. They searched throughout the corridors, and Eleazar wondered if Amun had pangs of conscience towards or still cared about Demetri whom he had created and mentored only to surrender him to Aro and Corin and Chelsea's spells. But it disappeared and a hardening emerged in its place.

They reached Sulpicia and Athenodora's room, which they shared with each other to provide some sort of comfort through familiarity, the healer explained.

Once again, when they entered the lighting was dim but it was of no consequence. Sulpicia's dark curls tumbled messily to her shoulders, and despite having been given potions for sleep, her eyes were rimmed and the circles beneath them were darker and larger. Her eyes could have been blood-shot had she been a human. Athenodora appeared even thinner than usual, her ash-blonde hair equally messy, her skin ashen and eyes blank with the exception of a haunted pain.

Sulpicia was turned away. "Sulpicia, Athenodora," Esme said quietly.

"Why did you come?" Sulpicia's voice sounded far away. She spoke without turning.

"Please. We need to ask you something." Esme said softly.

"We won't bother you for long."

Athenodora's eyes were painfully blank with the sole exception of pain and betrayal... and something else. Eleazar realised it was guilt and knew, despite knowing everything her mate had done and feeling completely betrayed, she not only still loved him she felt guilt at her part in how he came to be executed and the way they parted. Feelings that she undoubtedly shared with her sister.

After a long pause, Sulpicia asked "What do you want?"

"To ask you whether Aro or Caius ever mentioned anything, even in passing, about the existence of the Vampire Confederation or the other species," Esme said softly.

"And why you came to America just to confront us on New Year's Eve."

For another long moment, Sulpicia did not speak. Silence reigned within that dimly lit room. Then Athenodora raised her head. Her pale haunted eyes were horribly blank.

"I did it," she said in a voice that was naturally soft and sweet, so unlike Caius' hard tones. "I persuaded Caius by mentioning it in mere passing. I flattered his ego, convinced him there was no threat. There were only eight of the Cullens, after all, along with the child. I even made light of the entire situation.

"Our aim was to break free. Corin's power was not always as intense nor as strong as it usually was. Even the most powerful among us have weaknesses, limitations to their abilities. Despite their paranoia, both our husbands were arrogant. All we had to do was to sneak away, even if we had to make it seem like we were kidnapped. We planned to lure Demetri and the others they sent after us into a trap, although it was equally likely that our husbands would also come after us, and if there was a conflict- which would have been possible since Jasper was an efficient commander and the guard had mused to Aro, Caius and each other as to how the Cullens were able to take down an entire army of newborns single-handedly. However, they also suspected that the Cullens may have had help, yet they could never have imagined that they were not the only inhuman inhabitants of the Olympic Peninsula. I strongly believed it to be so, but Caius believed the Cullens had won through trickery and deception. After all, every vampire knows that we are flammable and the guard had smelled the scent of the bodies being burned as they just arrived. So I suggested the idea to Caius and after some time so as to not arouse suspicion, Sulpicia did the same to Aro. We, especially Sulpicia were very careful not to allow Aro to touch our hands in case he found out."

The audience stood, stunned. "You wanted to escape." Esme realised, her eyes widening. "You knew you were under a spell. Two spells."

"No," Athenodora's fair hair wafted about her face like a cloud as she shook her head. "Only Corin's. Aro and Caius both assumed that our love for them was enough to stop us from disloyalty. The guard undoubtedly were under the influence of both Corin and Chelsea, but Sulpicia and I were only under the spell of Corin, whereas Marcus was only placed under Chelsea's spell after Didyme's death to stop him from leaving to avenge her murder. He refused to have his grief alleviated by Corin as a means of compensation, I suppose, for failing to find and take vengeance upon her murderer."

"So it was enough for you to try to break free, find a way out," Eleazar breathed.

Then, suddenly, Sulpicia spoke again. "It took a long time for us to come to terms and accept that our husbands had made us prisoners by the use of someone else's power, I assure you." She mentioned bitterly. She still did not face them. "But we had all the time we needed during the span of three millennia, a decade and four years to come to terms with what they had done and what they were."

Eleazar struggled not to wince.

"As for other vampire species, we did not know of them." Sulpicia finally turned to face them completely. Her eyes were dark, like volcanic rock. "I suspect that the Romanians must have known, but we hardly shared secrets with one another. Aro knew about witches and wizards, however. Or for a time, he suspected that they existed, or at least that the vampires who possessed abilities were witches and wizards. He did not encounter any of them face to face, and only heard whispers and rumours. Until the day of our arrest, none had entered our citadel. But he had heard of them. He hinted that he would have liked to have turned some of them, and he suspected that the twins were from their kind since, unlike many humans we came across, whose powers lay dormant and were only awakened as vampires or showed a limited range of abilities, they were capable of doing a large variety of things. But when Alec and Jane turned they could only cause pain and cut off everyone's senses. He assumed they were not among them after all. I believe he sought them out, for a time, but as was with the Immortal Children and his attempts to find some way to keep them docile and obedient, he thought it was futile and ultimately discarded the idea or any rumour of their existence as mere heresay and superstition."

A pause, before Sulpicia added in an afterthought, "I suppose that living entirely separate and being so removed from humans and their society must have helped for both kinds. Ours could hardly be considered a society thanks to the strong drive and competition for more blood rarely allowing such large numbers to live alongside and in close proximity to each other. I suspect that without Chelsea or Corin the Volturi would have fallen far sooner. We were no pacifists unlike the Egyptians."

"But the Romanians..." Esme exchanged suspicious glances with Siobhan. "They were no pacifists."

"No. And they must have known." Sulpicia sounded like she could hardly care less. "And now it's our turn. What do you intend to do to us?"

Eleazar looked at the others. "We swear we have no intention of ever harming or keeping you as prisoners." Eleazar spoke.

Silence reigned as both Sulpicia and Athenodora gazed at them, mostly expressionless but with suspicion.

"You have our word." Carlisle insisted. He looked at the others. Slowly, they each nodded, although Amun eyed them with equal amounts of suspicion. "So long as you do not make an attempt to harm a single vampire, break any laws or overturn our species' government's rule, then we will have peace between us." Amun said finally, slow and clear.

"And the laws are mostly the same, with a few exceptions: some new additions," he continued. "The first is that you are not to harm any humans, magical or non-magical, otherwise we would be compelled to punish and find the transgressor. Second, you are not to harm or kill any vampires. Since we are aiming to not only separate our entire species from their dependency upon or going anywhere near humankind, but to unite our species, for the first time in our history the competitive drive and thirst for more blood and prey will disappear. On one hand, we have a new food source, one much better than human blood, I must admit, with no need to kill anyone or act like animals which would consequently make others look down upon us." He said regretfully. "On the other, our species has never had so many individuals living together, with the sole exception of those who wished to rule and dominate- and those living under Chelsea and Corin. An uneasy truce lies upon all of us since we are, for the first time, coming together and uniting as a society. We have been invited to stay in this coven, which is more like a city, for one year, to see how we can function as something akin to a functioning nation."

Benjamin agreed. "We really need to learn how to live alongside each other in close quarters. Or else we could expose ourselves. Any violent conflict within our species or with the others would surely attract attention, especially in the modern age. So you see, we can't take the risk."

"I see," Sulpicia stated softly. She and Athenodora looked at each other. "Very well, then. You have our agreement." Athenodora nodded beside her. "Neither my sister nor I were ever fighters in any case, even during the times the Volturi were in conflict or rising to power. Aro and Caius wouldn't let us." Her lips twitched. "I assumed it was done out of love. We both did. And then Corin happened along with our imprisonment. And we learned that most of the people living within the citadel, the guard as well as Marcus and the two of us, were always within Chelsea or Corin's control- or both. And still then it took much too long for us to see, beyond the haze that Corin granted us, that despite our immortality we were slowly dying."

Carlisle pressed his lips together. "I understand." Sulpicia looked ironically amused and embittered. "Do you?" She questioned.

"Yes," Carlisle stated quietly "or at least Bella and Renesmee would. Edward did the same to them both, almost to the extent that Aro and Caius had. He even manipulated Jasper into keeping Renesmee docile and content when she showed signs of wanting more freedom, until Renesmee confronted him and Jasper realised what he was doing."

"And he stopped?" Sulpicia's voice was incredulous. Carlisle nodded tightly. "Yes. My son is a good man. He realised what he was doing and not only was he ashamed, he refused to be manipulated or coerced by Edward any longer, even when the latter became furious with him." His voice brokered no room for argument.

Both Sulpicia and Athenodora gazed at him, absorbing this in silence. "Then perhaps there is hope for both of them." Sulpicia said softly, her voice so low a human would have never heard. "Unlike us. Roughly three millennia, a decade and four years, Carlisle. That was the span of not merely our imprisonment in a tower, but under the complete control of our husbands, whom we loved and still love, even though we realise that their love for us may not be genuine. Or perhaps they were simply more twisted. Do not ever let that happen again."

"We won't." Carlisle said, just as soft. "I promise." Benjamin nodded his agreement.

---

"Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten."

David Ogden Stiers

Leah's insides twisted themselves into knots as she saw Emily staring out at the sea on the horizon. Her eyes were blank and she was sitting on a rock wall, uncaring of how the wind swept strands askew and particles of sand lingered.

She also hadn't put on the cream that Leah gave her and Gabrielle brewed, Leah noted.

She swallowed. Leah knew that this would have to be done, but it was still nerve-wracking.

The last true conversation either of them had, that wasn't stilted, awkward or rushed in any way, or filled with selfless acceptance and guilt on the part of both parties, was at the hospital. Leah had rushed over as fast as she possibly could once she had heard that Emily had been 'mauled by a bear' feeling fear beyond measure for her sister's life- and left once she had learned that said-sister, or rather someone she saw as her sister- had been seeing her ex-boyfriend and that was the reason why Sam dumped her.

Nothing had ever been the same since. And both felt that nothing would ever be the same between them again.

Leah took a deep breath. She knew she needed to do this, to mend things between them. Perhaps they would never be the same as they once were, but Leah wasn't the same either. And hearing Bella's story, and the stories of Rosalie and Esme Cullen made her realise that there were some things and people you simply could not take for granted without regret when looking back. Bella had a mountain of regrets, Leah was certain. She couldn't allow the same thing to happen to her.

"Emily," she called out. Her cousin's eyes flickered. Slowly, she turned her dull and deadened gaze towards Leah. Leah fought the urge not to cringe when she saw her expression.

"Leah," her voice was equally dead and blank. Leah took another breath and momentarily squeezed her eyes shut before forcing them open just as quickly.

"I need to talk to you," she said, her voice faltering but ultimately becoming firm, yet gentle. "It's important."

Silently, Emily nodded. Leah walked over to the wall and sat down next to her.

"Why are you here?" Emily asked blankly "what do you possibly want to talk about with me?"

Leah sighed. "To tell you that I don't hate you. That I've never hated or blamed you."

Emily shifted. Leah sighed again and turned to face her fully. "I hated myself. I blamed myself and I listened to everyone when they hinted that there may have been something wrong with me... and for the longest time, I thought there was. I was the only female Wolf, as far as I knew back then. I didn't know why that was, or why I suddenly became menopausal..."

"...What?" Leah cringed. This had been so easier to talk about when they were just girls. Before Sam.

In hindsight, she should've known. Sam and the others, even if the others did tend to talk and spread the word about her personal life, had been incredibly uncomfortable with her body issues.

"Yeah. At first, I freaked. Thought that I was pregnant, especially since I started having mood swings. But it shouldn't have been possible because I hadn't been with anyone, but before I could go to a hospital or anything to have a checkup..." Leah sighed. "I put off going to the hospital. Admitting a bunch things, like the biggest reason why I was so hurt and angry, even after I'd learned the truth. Yes, I loved Sam and I had my heart broken by him." She turned to face Emily and look her in the eye fully. "But I loved you more and for far longer than I had known Sam."

Emily was silent.

Leah took another breath. "You were my sister," she confessed, opening her heart to the girl who had broken it "you are still my sister and you will always be. No matter who comes between us. Yes, I loved Sam, but I was a girl. A teenage girl. Still am, but..." she hesitated "maybe being a Wolf ensures that you grow up faster physically, so maybe while I did have wild hormone mood swings, after a while, it calms down. You on the other hand," her eyes softened "you are my sister. Family. And family takes care of one another no matter what. I wasn't just upset and heartbroken that Sam dumped me and got together with you. I was upset and heartbroken because you'd chosen Sam over me."

Emily stared, stunned. Leah took another breath.

"I started having wild mood swings." She admitted. "Gabrielle and Vivian... the Luna of the Vermont pack, admitted that Loup-Garou Wolves tended to have wild mood swings, and often became confrontational- you know that would've helped a lot if I wasn't so alone, as the first female, and had other people to warn me about all this- but after a while, around the time we split from the pack, I decided enough was enough. I decided to to go for meditation and yoga to help with the mood swings, but Mom wanted me to go for counselling too." She cringed.

"I was extremely reluctant. Not just because I could expose myself and everyone else, including the Cullens who we had a treaty with, and who the majority of- with the exceptions of Edward and, back then, Bella- I could respect, but because it just sounded so..." she cringed. "I didn't want to talk about it, especially since I'm telepathically linked with and forced to hang around a crowd of testosterone-fuelled macho boys or oversized man-kids-" Emily's lips twitched but otherwise she remained stoic "-and this would've made me look bad if I'd admitted to needing or asking for counselling. I had to carry and prove my own weight, especially since everybody was talking about me behind my back. I'm sure Jacob and, well, maybe not Embry or Seth, or even Quil, but the Wolves in Sam's pack would've laughed if they knew I'd asked for it or even just went for it."

Emily cringed. "That's stupid. They're... we all need..."

"Yeah." Leah's shoulders slumped. "It was. But you know, someone said, 'A woman has to work twice as hard as any man to achieve half the credit.' I couldn't afford to look soft and weak, especially as people already thought I was the pathetic, pitiful, broken-hearted schmuck who was so wholly lacking and inadequate her boyfriend dumped her for her cousin," Emily flinched, like she'd been struck "and so unlucky, her father died too. Probably even a hermaphrodite, or sterile, or both, since she was the only girl who phased. People were already talking about it behind my back. Heck, Jacob even told Bella about what happened between us and Sam, and she wasn't even an imprint, nor was she going to join the tribe or our inner circle, and somehow Wardo Cullen-" she scowled as she uttered Charlie's degrading nickname for Edward "-found out, probably by going through people's heads or because Bella couldn't keep this a secret from him, and made it his mission to have an opinion and a judgement of me and everything that had happened, even though he sure as hell wasn't there and he certainly has never walked a single mile in my shoes. Plus, no one asked me if I wanted to join or anything; I was stuck and telepathically linked to a group of guys who made it their mission to spread the word about me and my heartbreak, and everything else that was meant to be private. And there was the fact that my dad's death was my fault and I really didn't have the time to process anything or mourn."

Emily looked like she was about to protest, but Leah shook her head. "Don't. I've made my peace. My dad wouldn't have wanted me to blame and hate myself. But it didn't help that I couldn't mourn or say goodbye or sorry to him, not just 'cause of how he died but because of my mood swings, I was often... short with him, and I didn't understand why." A tear glimmered within Leah's eye. "I never got to apologise and explain to him about all that, and now that it all finally makes sense, I never will. And now, after all this time, I was thinking there had to be something wrong with me. Even when I got defensive and I started thinking about uncomfortable topics, like Embry's mystery dad, just to give them a taste of their own medicine and make them understand how it felt like to be me... well, I didn't do myself any favours. Maybe that's why everyone was willing to hold Jacob's hand when his heart got broken, even now after they'd learned he was about to kill Renesmee just before he imprinted on her." Emily's eyes were wide.

"That was true?" She was sickened.

Leah pursed her lips, nodding tightly. "He was in too much pain... you didn't see him, Emily. I think Sam kept the worst of everything that's happened from you. One moment, when he heard that Bella had returned from her honeymoon and that she was 'sick', and he thought it meant that Edward had changed her, he wanted to attack. Seth confronted him, demanding to know what he would do once he got to the Cullens' house. Would he kill Bella? Could he bring himself to do it or would he just have one of the others do it for him and hold a grudge against that person for the rest of his life? Jacob hesitated, but when Seth also told him he wasn't ready for this, he got provoked and tried to attack him." Emily's eyes widened. "Afterwards, he was worried whether he would lose all sense of reason if anything happened to Bella and he would begin attacking all the Cullens, regardless of whether or not they were innocent or guilty. Seth told him he would remind Jacob, but Jacob was worried about whether or not he would even listen to Seth." Leah took a deep breath.

"We were fools to not have spotted this any sooner, to not have seen the signs and the obvious," she admitted bluntly "though I doubt Jacob would've listened or agreed to go to therapy. No one wants to admit that they may have something wrong with their heads. And what was the result? He redirected all the blame and hatred and rage he felt towards Edward and Bella, towards their unborn and later newborn baby. He went closer to kill her and something in him made him imprint, to save her innocent life and to stop him from taking revenge on an innocent and doing something he knew was wrong but was too much in pain and anger to care. We should never have expected imprinting to cure all of his problems. Especially when he looked into the baby's eyes and saw it was Bella's. What if it had been Edward's? What if Renesmee had been a boy?" Leah shook her head.

"There were so many things we should have and could have done better." She stated bluntly. She looked at Emily again. "Jacob's case really got to me. But even though I felt excruciatingly bad and empathised with what he was going through, I also realised everybody seemed so eager to hold his hand. Perhaps it's because I'd been driving everyone all away with how I've been behaving, but even before I made them uncomfortable because of that and lashed out at everyone I could, they seemed... well, I had to face the facts: I was never a part of the pack. Part of the family."

Emily looked upset. "Leah-" but Leah shook her head. "You know it's true. Or maybe you don't, but that's because you weren't there when the pack was in action and when everyone interacted with one another telepathically and all. People just wanted to get away from me. They were uncomfortable, even if I turned away while they were phasing back and didn't have any clothes, or when I changed out of their view. They weren't used to having a girl around, especially someone with that kind of personal baggage tied to their leader. It was uncomfortable, but how they treated me was just as inexcusable as what I did." She said bluntly. Emily winced.

"Once I was away from Sam... I could begin to process and heal. The distance helped. I was no longer linked to and stuck with, not just him, but almost everyone who talked about, gossiped and snitched on the details of my personal life to people who either just wanted to give me pity or had opinions and judgments when they didn't have a damned clue what it was like to live my life for the past year or so, like Wardo Cullen." She scowled and rolled her eyes. "He's lucky he's not here. It was then, away from Ed-Weird that I began to dig deeper. Ask myself things. Especially once I'd had counselling. It was tough to admit. Not just... heart-wrenching, but humiliating. I couldn't deny I was broken up about Sam, so there was no way to avoid and deny that to myself and to everyone else." She admitted. "But since I wanted to see the cause of these mood swings, or rather to sort out my feelings which would've at least helped me to control my emotions better, the counsellor forced me to dig deep and confront the fact that it wasn't all about Sam." She inhaled deeply, then exhaled, sighing.

"It was the fact that the girl I loved and thought of as my own sister had gone behind my back and chosen her newfound love and loyalty to Sam rather than me." Leah said quietly, but she forced herself to be clear enough for Emily to hear. Emily's scarred but beautiful face glazed in pain, and tears filled her eyes, but she allowed Leah to continue. "Even after I'd learned about the imprint, I still felt hurt and betrayed. Part of the reason why I suppose I disliked Bella so much, wasn't just because of how she treated Jacob," She sighed again "but the way she treated Charlie. How she chose Edward over, not just Jacob, but Charlie. Her own father. And how I'd also lost my father and I couldn't cope with that either. I didn't have the time. No time to grieve, mourn and process all of that properly, or to forgive myself and come to terms with how I treated everyone, including him, just before he died and the part I played in his death, regardless of whether it was my choice, before I was thrust into pack life and stuck with a bunch of testosterone-fuelled, bone-headed dudes without my consent. How I was telepathically linked to them, and how- to top it off- I'd seemingly mutated. Maybe if I weren't the only girl, but I wasn't just the outsider in a group of dudes who couldn't wait to get away: I was the first girl to phase and that friggin' scared me 'cause I didn't know why." Leah confessed, feeling ashamed. She forced those feelings aside. She sighed. "No one did. Not even Mom."

Emily looked ashamed. How could she not have known or noticed this sooner? How could she have possibly left Leah to deal with all of this on her own? But Leah gave her no time to apologise.

"My body had changed. My sister and the guy I'd loved seemingly changed and abandoned me- either that or I'd never known them- not truly," she admitted "my father was dead. And I was forced to hang around everyone who couldn't stand the sight of me. I hated everyone and everything." She took a deep breath. "Including myself. Even when I loved you- and when I still loved Sam- I hated you guys. I hated everyone. Bella Swan simply reminded me of the worst traits and parts of everyone who had ever wronged me... and like Renesmee with Jacob, before he imprinted, because I wasn't attached to and I didn't have any kind of relationship with her before-" she waved her hand "everything that happened to either of us, I think I understand why I hated her so much." She sighed. "She reminded me of everyone who had ever hurt me but since I didn't know her or loved her before, it was easy to hate or dislike her. And there was the fact that she just seemed so pathetic to my eyes." She shook her head. "She turned into a vegetable and then a zombie, and got Jacob attached all because her boyfriend of less than a year dumped her. And then she also couldn't seem to let Jake go. Unlike Sam, though, she had no excuse.

"I shouldn't have judged her so quickly." She said softly. Leah paused, staring at the horizon and listening to the waves crash onto the shore.

"But if I had known..." she trailed off, her eyes filled with pain. Leah forced herself to continue. "If I had just stopped for a moment and thought about how Jacob also wouldn't listen to her and didn't know the meaning of the word consent enough to sexually assault her by forcing a kiss... If I had just stopped to think and realise when I'd learned that Sam stalked you all the way from La Push to Neah Bay, and wouldn't leave you alone like a creep..." Leah shook her head in shame and disgust. "I couldn't see how either of them- Jacob or Sam- how they were behaving, how so many of the others were behaving was wrong. It was easy to hate Bella Swan and to feel sorry for Jacob. It was easy with a broken heart to see your situation, and that of Kim and Rachel's as being ideal. Something to aspire to and envy. I knew you had scars but in the end you and Sam seemed so happy together. I couldn't see that Kim was feeling bothered and Rachel was all stressed. How Paul was becoming irrationally aggressive- yeah, he'd always had a short fuse but this..." she paused. "It was crazy. And I didn't see it.

"I only started seeing it when Renesmee started acting up, reacting to Jacob always wanting and needing to be close to her, never letting her out of his sight and making all the decisions for her, just as Edward did. Even though I was horrified and maybe even mad about Claire being imprinted on, I'm ashamed to admit..." Leah took a shuddering breath and closed her eyes for a moment. "I'm ashamed to admit, while I did feel sorry for Renesmee, it took Charlie voicing or unloading his concerns to Mom, Seth and myself to see that Nes- Renesmee wasn't happy. So I reached out to her, lent her a sympathetic ear since she also didn't seem to enjoy spending time with her parents anymore than she liked spending time with Jacob. And when I realised that Jacob was wrong and I had my strong suspicions that they weren't actually soulmates..." Leah looked down, ashamed. "I still didn't speak up. I didn't think anyone would want to listen. Not to the shrew who was bitter about her cousin being soulmates with her ex-boyfriend. They wouldn't want to believe me; they'd only point out- the way Jacob did- that I was still bitter and heartbroken, and I was only saying this, sowing chaos and the seeds of doubt within the packs, because I couldn't bear to see anyone else happy when I wasn't." Emily winced, realising this.

"I also knew that while you and Sam tolerated having me around- don't deny it, I know you guys felt bad-" she cut Emily off when the latter opened her mouth "-I knew that you also wouldn't want to listen. Neither of you would."

She sighed again. "It took a complete outsider, a witch who was apparently part faerie, to point out the faults and ask for help from more outsiders: Wolves like us. They confirmed everything. Quil asked for his bond with Claire to be reversed." Leah bit her lip. "He has more courage and honour than I had. I don't know whether I'd be able to do it. But Quil, even though he felt sick and feverish, and was so anxious, desperate, experiencing panic-attacks to the point of freaking out and asked to be chained to the bed-" Emily's eyes widened "-and asked Gabrielle to do things quickly before he could change his mind or lose his nerve, he still went through with it."

Leah took another deep breath and sighed deeply. "He gave me the courage to continue. But even then... I admit I didn't want to tell you that Sam and I were related." Part of Leah wanted to cringe at the memory and the realisation that she'd been dating and planning a future with her cousin, while the other wanted to flinch and recoil because of the pain she'd caused Emily- and Sam. "Because then... I was scared that you'd figure out the dots. Gabrielle and Dr Cullen figured out pretty quickly that since we were so similar and not just in appearance..." Leah looked pained, while Emily looked like she'd been stabbed.

"I didn't want to make it all for nothing," Leah whispered. "I realised I didn't love Sam anymore, and I'd moved on, but I also knew I still loved you. And I panicked at the thought of causing you pain and making it seem like Sam's attack and your scars, the people who turned their backs on you because of this, including family, me being estranged and... just everything, and finally finding out that your 'soulmate' might not actually be your soulmate and that he only imprinted because I was his cousin..." she felt ill.

Emily closed her eyes. A tear ran down her face. And then another.

"I suppose, especially once I'd found out the truth and knew you weren't really to blame, part of me felt bad and wished I'd never turned my back on you, even if it was understandable and despite the fact that I was in pain," Leah whispered "I didn't want you to suffer only for it to be all for nothing. You'd been rejected by family and friends, in part because of me, because I'd dated my cousin-" Leah still felt queasy when she said that "-and you'd been scarred. You'd been in an emotionally abusive relationship with Daniel for so long and when you finally broke free, I could see you were needed someone. Maybe if I had been there and taken time off for you more than just sticking around Sam-"

But finally, Emily cut her off. "That wasn't your fault, Leah." She whispered. Emily rubbed the tear tracks from her face. "And if it was, you did what everyone would expect. We were both to blame."

Emily sighed, drying her damp face and turning back to face the horizon. "What happened to it all?" Leah asked, numbly. "The plans that we had... to be each other's bridesmaids or maids of honour, college, godmothers to each other's kids... the trips that we'd go on, the gap year we'd planned... all of it? How could we have let it all disappear seemingly overnight?" Her voice cracked. Sorrow showed through her face.

More tears ran down Emily's face. "I don't know." She whispered. "But I wish... I wish I'd chosen you over Sam." She forced down a sob. "You were right. We were sisters. And we will always be sisters." She rubbed away her tears roughly, angrily and forced her voice to remain steady. "Neither Sam nor anyone else should've ever come between us. But I let that happen. And so did you. And now..." she threw her hands into the air.

Leah shook her head. "None of this was Sam's fault, either." She said numbly. "You know it wasn't. He didn't know we were related anymore than I was. And maybe Mom was at fault for that, to some extent, but only 'cause she'd listened to some idiot relatives who brushed it off and said it was okay. Seth and I are descended from Taha Aki three times over." She confessed to Emily, causing her to blink and widen her eyes. "It's true. We inherited the gene from the three main families who were descended from Taha Aki." She cringed. "There was no way that Sam and I could've made things work and been happy in the end. Least of all with kids." She felt like throwing up.

"But Emily... you weren't a replacement for me. Maybe to the gene, but not to Sam." Leah insisted, looking her cousin in the eye. "And you sure as hell weren't a substitute. Maybe the imprint did make Sam go after you and do all these crazy things- and I'm still not saying that it's good or I approve- but what the other Wolves and Gabrielle's told me is that imprint-couples are potential soulmates. This means you had a good chance of being soulmates from the start Emily, not that everything was a mistake. Yeah, Jacob's was, but the imprint-connection between them broke pretty easily for something that was supposed to be strong and stable. Sadly, Renesmee was only ever a replacement for Bella because of his pain, and a place-holder I suspect, for him to hold onto until the time Jacob's true imprint comes along. The Vermont and Appalachians Wolves said that the connection wouldn't have broken so easily if the imprint was real. And maybe if Quil had been able to wait and imprinted on Claire once she's old enough, they could've make things work. As a matter of fact, it could still work so long as she's old enough and they're both emotionally, mentally and physically ready. The reason why Quil's taking no chances and making certain he won't see Claire ever again until she's at least twenty-one-" because even eighteen didn't work. Ask the Cullens. "-is 'cause there's a chance he could imprint on her again. He was just curious to see and secretly longed for someone and the kind of relationship he saw that you and Sam had together; he just felt he wasn't ready for that just yet, so the gene chose someone who might've and could've been the right person for him, but was too young, so he could have all the time he needed." Leah grimaced.

"Unfortunately, it also didn't work that way. And it would've endangered Claire's natural and healthy development, just as it endangered Renesmee's. But my point is that Quil saw Sam and you and saw that you both felt... whole." Leah insisted. "You know you felt that way. I do think that Sam imposed himself on you, and that I should've noticed and helped." She shook her head, chastising herself. "But not only did we both let Sam come between us... you felt whole when you were with him, so while it might just be Stockholm Syndrome-" Emily's eyes widened as Leah said this, but Leah held up a hand. "Let me finish," she warned gently. "It might also be true love as well.

The Wolves from the Appalachians and Vermont packs said that true love isn't something- or someone you'd suddenly find." Leah insisted. "You have to build it. Gabrielle said the exact same thing. And you did build it, Em. You and Sam both built and developed your relationship together and forged it into something really strong. Something that worked well and flourished. The two of you thrived; both as a couple and as separate individuals. And while he felt overbearing at times- and I can see that- you were also patient." She pressed. "And he needed that. You gave him what he needed. And he gave you what you needed. And if that's not the definition of a loving relationship, maybe even true love based on what everyone says, I don't know what is. True love or care isn't giving something the other person might want." Leah paused.

"But what they need. Even if they don't know it or won't acknowledge it."

Silence reigned as Emily absorbed all this in silence. The only sounds were the waves crashing onto the shore and the seagulls cawing up ahead.

"Who knows?" Leah continued. "Maybe I'm wrong and things might not work out between you guys. But maybe what you've built together after the mess of your early relationship is stronger than the bad, messed-up beginning, especially as Sam's instinct might have pulled him to obsess over you, but it might not be the reason why the two of you became so happy." Leah's eyes softened. "In fact, it definitely wasn't. He did everything he could to be a better person, the man that you deserved, the way Daniel or the others never did. The man his father never was. He was still smotheringly protective, but he didn't hover over you as much as Jared did with Kim or Paul did with Rachel. Or worse, Edward and Bella or Jacob and Renesmee." Her expression showed disgust.

"So maybe you might be able to work things out," Leah suggested "maybe it might not be all for nothing. After all, you've already started to build your relationship and your future together, and live together happily, and that was a brave step, Ems. He made steps to become a better person, to not crowd or hover over you, and you were so patient with him... Yeah, things have a chance of not working out between the two of you. But they also have a chance of working out. Just like everybody else."

Leah sighed. She looked back at the horizon. Emily gazed at her, simultaneously both moved and stunned. The seagulls crowed and the music of the waves was calming. Suddenly, she noticed just how clear the skies were, and how bright this day had begun.

"You'll never know until you try." She said finally. "You found home, didn't you? With the pack? Even when everybody or nearly everybody else turned their backs, the pack didn't. I never had a place, and don't you dare say that you took what should've been mine," Leah said warningly. "I'm not gonna let you say that after all we've been through. I never wanted to be stuck with those guys, and while I had my points, my reasons behind everything, I don't want that future with Sam, even if we weren't... you know." She felt sick again. "I don't think I'm going to get over that any time soon." She shuddered. Emily grimaced, understandingly.

"But I think I've finally found my place. I just have to see for myself. And I think you did already. Who knows? If you feel it can't work out, then I'm not going to push you," Leah said firmly. "The reason why Gabrielle Delacour offered to fix us up, and go over the imprint bonds is so that if either you or Sam feel like it can't work out between the two of you, then you can leave. You can both leave and rebuild your lives after all that. I fully support you, Emily." Leah insisted.

"Just know that no matter what your decision and what you ultimately decide to do... I'm here for you. Fully this time. I'll be there for you every step of the way, regardless of whether you and Sam can make things work between you two." Leah swore.

"Always, Em." A tear glinted in Emily's eye, but for different reasons this time. She realised that she'd missed Leah, her company, everything about her. And now, Leah was back. Even if they weren't the same they could always build something different. Stronger. Ultimately, they were family.

For the first time in nearly three years, the two sisters embraced. Emily inhaled Leah's scent deeply, allowing it to warm her heart and swearing to herself that she would always cherish this moment, this memory. Even when she was grey and old. Leah did the same. And for the first time for so long, she suddenly felt like she'd been cold all this time only to be warm again. Like she was a cracked plate that somehow mended itself.

It felt great to be with family. To be a part of family. She didn't know why she never saw it before.

When the sisters finally pulled away Leah took a deep breath. "I need to go talk with Sam." She grimaced. "It's gonna be awkward between us, especially now, but... I can't run from all this. Not anymore." She tilted her head curiously. "Do you remember that tub of cream I gave you?"

A spark of recognition entered Emily's eyes. "Yeah. Why?" Then she remembered. "You said it could-" Leah nodded. "Try it. Just a thin layer over every scar. Wait four hours and cover with bandages. Then open it up and see.

"In the meantime, I have to ease Sam's burden a bit." Leah sighed. "Where is he, by the way?"

Emily shrugged helplessly, brows furrowing. "He just... he hasn't returned since... since we left the Cullens' house." Leah frowned. She worried that Sam might try to hurt himself.

"I'll go look for him." She stated, standing. "Just wait."

She then looked back down at Emily. "One more thing," she insisted "You guys need to go to counselling. The Wolf centre from Canada... it definitely helped for me, but the counsellor didn't and couldn't know about the supernatural."

Emily's brow furrowed. "I don't know, Leah. I'm okay with it, but I don't think that Sam-"

Leah shook her head. "Sam needs it." She stated bluntly. "And he's going to need it. Whether he and you both decide to move on or stay together, it's best if you lose and sort out all this baggage between the two of you, even the ones you don't know you had. Like me." She gave Emily a knowing look. "And I think strong as you both are, you're not infallible. You both will come out stronger for this, both as individuals and as a couple."

"Really?" Leah nodded.

"Yeah," she said softly. "It's not shameful to admit you need help. Or to ask for it. Just try it." She inhaled deeply, luxuriating in the fresh sea breeze

"For the longest time... I tried not to think about you because it seemed, quite clearly, that you didn't care about, didn't love or are loyal to me as much as Sam. But it turned out that by denying all this, I was doing the exact same thing." She inhaled the scent of the sea again. "Trying to find things, acknowledging your faults and learning to do better... it's worth it. It doesn't make you weak or wrong. It makes you stronger and wiser.

"Just remember, however it ends, whatever you decide you will always have a place in the pack, Emily. You are one of us."

---

"In every conceivable manner, the family is link to our past, bridge to our future."

Alex Haley

"What?" Tiffany Call demanded weakly, hand clutching the surface of the table to keep from keeling over.

Embry winced. The Council of Elders looked at each other.

Billy sighed. He gave Quil a poignant look.

Quil sighed. He was currently in his Wolf form, having phased in front of Embry's mother to prove the truth of what the council members and Embry were both saying.

Meanwhile, Gabrielle Delacour was in the Clearwater house where she was doing another soul-link. After the shock of everything that had happened, Paul and Rachel agreed to a soul-link. As did Jared and Kim, although Jared needed some persuading. No one, he was assured, would ever break his bond with Kim, just adjust it so that in case things go wrong, neither of them had to die or go insane.

Soon, it would be Emily and Sam's turn.

Gabrielle had initially been reluctant to reverse the bond entirely between Paul and Rachel, simply wanting to modify and adjust it and the instincts of each Wolf so as for them to be able to break up with their imprints themselves if need be or vice versa, and heal on their own since she couldn't personally be there for them every single time an imprinting failed to fulfil its promise. But both Billy and Sue had pointed that this wasn't a normal imprint-bond, similar to what the other Wolves possessed. They couldn't take the risk. Not now.

"it's true," Collin Littlesea said softly. Jacob and Rachel's cousin was present, knowing perfectly well that his parents and his younger sister were next to be told. Amber hadn't yet phased but Gabrielle had strongly suspected, based on what she found in their DNA samples, that Amber would be the second female after Leah Clearwater to phase.

And suddenly, everyone was fully aware of the momentous occasion this was. How it would not only be told and retold around the fireplace by the members of their tribe for generations to come, but around the hidden world of supernatural beings, including Wolves. Loup-Garou.

Leah was the new Luna, and the first female Alpha that the Quileutes had ever had.

"Oh my Go-" Embry's mom choked before she could finish her sentence. Her eyes fell on her son who was wincing and staring at his feet. Embry couldn't meet her eyes.

"So this is why you kept disappearing and sneaking out your window?" She demanded. "This is where you've been all this time?"

"He was out patrolling," Old Quil said gravely. "Protecting the tribe's boundaries. He's a Quileute, Tiffany. We've always accepted and looked at him as one of our own, but none of us ever thought he would phase as well."

"As we-" again she seemed to choke on air, her voice a hoarse squeak. "How many of you- how often-"

Billy sighed. He looked at Sue. "Our grandfathers were the last to phase," she informed Tiffany "before Sam and his generation. Ephraim Black- Billy's grandfather- was the last Alpha of the pack. Levi Uley, his second. And Quil Ateara the Second-" she nodded to Quil "Quil's great-grandfather and-"

"My father." Old Quil said gently. Wolf-Quil nodded beside him.

Tiffany was hyperventilating, taking deep breaths and clutching the table beside her. Embry kept wincing. He still wouldn't meet her eyes.

"Tiffany," Billy said softly, his voice sad. "I know you need to get used to this and it's going to take time. But Embry isn't going to be anything other than your son. He's scared-" Billy sighed. "He doesn't want you to reject him for something he can't help."

Tiffany's head snapped towards Billy's direction. "You think I'll reject my son?" She exclaimed angrily. She shook her head, stood up and marched in front of Embry. "You stupid, stupid boy. I love you more than anything in the world and I might yell at you but only 'cause I'm mad because I'm worried. Don't ever dispute that." She took his face in her hands, hard but gentle. Then she pulled him into a hug.

Embry stood stunned. Quil gave a wolf-grin. Then after the shock of everything that had happened, Embry found himself embracing his mother.

"I'm sorry, Mom." He whispered. "Sorry it took so long for me to tell you. I just... I didn't..."

They finally pulled away, Tiffany sniffed and wiped her eyes.

"You don't need to explain," she said, more quietly. "You're young and while I'm hurt that you didn't trust me with a secret all this time, I know you're still learning." Then her voice hardened. "But you have to promise me from now on that you won't hide this sort of thing from me." Her voice left no room for argument. "Got it?"

Embry nodded fiercely and the two of them hugged. Everyone else felt themselves relax and warm at the sight.

"One more thing," she warned as they pulled away a second time "how is it you phased? Yeah, I'm part Quileute, but..." she shook her head. "I'm mostly Makah." Her brow furrowed as she looked at the council. "How is this possible?"

Billy sighed, wincing slightly. Sue did the same. "We suspect the gene must've been carried by Embry's father." The former said gravely.

Tiffany stared. "What?!"

"Mom," Embry shuffled uneasily, not wanting to ruin this moment, but knowing it was necessary. "I know my father was a Quileute. That's why you came here, isn't it? When you were pregnant with me." He took a deep breath.

"There are only a handful of families who are descended from Taha Aki and are able to shift," he admitted. "The gene can be carried and passed by both parents... We discovered that Leah and Seth are descended from Taha Aki three times over, from both parents." He forced himself not to cringe, remembering the relation between Sam and Leah. Sue did the same.

"I don't know whether I'm descended from Taha Aki through you," Embry said slowly "and since you're mostly Makah and no one there has phased... then the only explanation is that I'm a Quileute Wolf because of my dad." Embry said finally.

For a handful of seconds, no one spoke. Only the sound of the fire crackling in the living room broke the silence.

"So who was he?" Embry said finally. He looked his mother in the eye. "It can't be Quil's dad, or Billy, since Billy said it's not him and both of them were happily married. So it's Joshua Uley, isn't it? Sam's dad."

Tiffany looked gob smacked. "Embry," she finally managed to choke out.

"I don't know how you think it's him... but I swear, your father was not a married man."

Baffled looks arose on every single member of her audience. "And certainly not Joshua Uley," Tiffany looked incredulous. "Wait- wh- did you think I came all this way and moved here just so I could find and wait for a sleazebag who was already married with a young son and constantly cheated on his wife?" She demanded.

"I know I was young but... did you think I would go for someone like that?" She shook her head. "Maybe by accident, but... I would never go after him." She sounded disgusted. "And I certainly wouldn't have stayed and waited for years around this place, close to where he lived, for the day he would come back and acknowledge his own child if that was your dad and I found out he was already married and had a kid, but cheated constantly and hardly ever saw his son." She scoffed at the idea.

"I came to La Push and stayed because... well..." she looked strained and sighed. Tiffany looked down. "Because my family didn't accept my pregnancy. They were very angry." She confessed.

"I wasn't married, but I never had a happy home life to begin with. So I knew neither you nor I would ever be welcome at my parents' place. So I moved here, found work to start over. I was part-Quileute, from my grandmother's side. She was half-Quileute. We were close when I was small, and she often took me into her house while my parents were fighting or out doing who-knows-what." She made a scowl of disgust. "She would feed and tuck me into bed at her home, and I used to listen to all the stories and songs she'd heard from her Makah father and Quileute mother. So, why not? If I couldn't have my real family with me, because she was dead, I could find some way to be close to her and start over. Build a new life for myself and my baby. So I left and I never looked back." She explained.

Everybody blinked. No one knew that Tiffany was part Quileute. No one in living memory, that was. Her great-grandmother was Quileute, so it was Embry's great-great-grandmother, not someone anyone would've lived long enough to remember, or at least identify her as being Tiffany's great-grandmother, nor did they identify the Calls as relatives with anyone on the rez.

"I didn't come here looking for your father, Embry. I know he wouldn't be here because he's not Quileute." She insisted.

Embry took a step back. He paled. "What?!" He choked.

Tiffany shook her head.

Everyone froze. Embry took several steps back.

Billy's eyes were wide. "Then who was he?" He breathed.

Tiffany looked down with regret. "He was from Louisiana." She confessed. "At least, that's what he told me. I don't know if it's the truth, and I didn't find out which tribe he came from, but... he used a pseudonym during the brief period of time he knew me. I saw his ID card, but I also saw something else." She hesitated

"It was a piece of writing. He said it was private, something his cousin gave to him, a message of some kind... I dropped it, but I'd learned that, for some reason, he was on the run. I didn't catch his entire name, and his first name looked Native, but I saw his surname looked French." She looked anxious, twisting the fabric of her skirt. Her brow furrowed thoughtfully.

"I think it was Labonair."

---

Surprise.

The official Twilight guide listed Embry on the list of Uley family members, just as it claimed that Seth and Leah were descended from the three main lines of descent coming from Taha Aki, which was how they inherited the gene, but it never explicitly stated that he was Joshua Uley's son. Maybe like Emily, or maybe it was Seth and Leah's side of the family which blended both Quileute and Makah descent, and there must have been intermarriage between the tribes. Someone with Emily's surname, Martha Young, was married to Ephraim and was consequently Jacob's great-grandmother. Doesn't mean that Emily herself was in any way related to Sam, least of all directly. But it definitely confirms that Sam and Leah were too closely related (gross).

But it doesn't make sense for Tiffany to move to La Push from the Makah Reserve and stay there permanently if she doesn't have any remote connection to the Quileute tribe, as was previously assumed. It seemed so random. People assume that she'd gone searching for her son's father, but she found work and Joshua hasn't been seen around the place much. Plus, it seems pathetic. She built an entire life and a home for herself and her son, so she seems like a strong person. Would she go after and- most importantly- wait for someone who was undeniably such a weak loser, like Joshua, who left because he couldn't handle the responsibility of having a family and committing to a permanent relationship, always hoping that today would be the day when he finally returned, noticed her and acknowledged their son? Especially after seeing that he couldn't give less of a damn to his wife and other son? I don't buy it.