"Let's go join the rest of the group," I suggested, after a few more minutes of catching up with my best friend. I was curious what Jasper would decide about the threat the half-vampires posed.

"Great, a leech party," Jacob grumbled.

"Even Romeo went to a ball at the Capulets' house," I pointed out.

"And look how well that turned out for him in the end."

"Just don't get involved in any duels," I advised.

He reluctantly followed me back to where everyone else stood, and I surveyed the situation.

Jasper was chatting one-on-one with Serena. From their body language, it was a casual conversation, but I knew he would be probing for emotional reactions that could indicate any danger from her.

Maysun and Jennifer were exchanging anecdotes with Miranda. From what I could tell as I approached, the half-vampires had each noticed occasional gaps in their memories, and were horrified to learn that these deletions might not be so benign as Joham had claimed.

But Jacob had eyes only for Anna. He stood frozen at my side, staring intently at her.

I wasn't the only one who noticed his strange reaction. Edward and Jasper both snapped their heads around to look at the werewolf. Slowly, the whole group turned to see what was going on.

Jake still stood stunned. His eyes were wide and his mouth gaped slightly, giving him the look of a man seeing the sun for the first time.

I gently nudged him to remind him to breathe.

When Anna made eye contact with him, he broke out of his trance. He stepped forward and offered a hand. "Hi, I'm Jacob," he said with uncharacteristic nervousness.

She shook the proffered hand. "Anna," she replied, looking surprised but not repulsed. Evidently, the wolves didn't smell as bad to half-vampires as they did to us.

Jacob bit his lip. "Um, I'm not sure how to explain this, but, uh…"

Anna smiled gently. "Imprinting, is that right?"

"She reads memories," I explained. Oops–I probably should have thought to fill Jacob in on the powers at play before we joined the group.

"Oh," he said. "I suppose that saves some time."

"The more recent ones are easiest," Anna elaborated. "It would take me a bit of digging to find all the context for what this means, and I won't do that if you don't want me to."

"I think I'll explain it the old-fashioned way, then. I guess you already know that I can turn into a giant wolf?"

"So I gathered, but I'm a little unclear on how that works. Your whole family can do it?"

Jacob glanced around nervously at the rest of us, evidently concerned that he might be revealing pack secrets. Anna seemed to understand his hesitation. "Let's talk privately," she suggested, gesturing to the side with her head.

Jacob assented, still wearing a starstruck expression, and they wandered away from the group.

The rest of us exchanged I can't believe that just happened faces. Once the pair was out of earshot, everyone started talking at once.

"Did he really–"

"Is she going to–"

"What does–"

"Won't he–"

"–genetically compatible?"

"The pack–"

Edward held up a hand for silence. "I think I can answer all your questions." He quickly summarized the concept of imprinting for the three sisters. "I've never heard of a wolf imprinting on someone who wasn't fully human, but it makes sense, in a way… the next generation of wolves would be even stronger and more durable with some vampire blood in the mix. Anna isn't sure how she feels yet, but she's open to giving it a try." He paused for a moment, sorting through the questions he could hear in our minds. "Werewolves don't age as long as they're transforming regularly, so there's no incompatibility in their lifespans. The pack will probably be as surprised as we are, but they treat imprints as sacred–so long as Anna continues eating human food, they will likely be accepting."

I grimaced at this last observation. I remembered Joham mentioning that one of his daughters had been experimenting with whether it was possible to survive on human food. Was it purely scientific curiosity on Anna's part, or had she developed a conscience in her time away from her father? And even if she had changed her diet for the right reasons… the wolves saw themselves as protectors of human life. Would they really find it so easy to overlook the hundreds of murders Anna must have committed before she started consuming human fare?

Well, that was Jacob's problem, I supposed. If some mystical force had declared that Anna was his soulmate, I was sure he could find a way to make it work.

By the time Jacob and Anna rejoined us half an hour later, we were on half-decent terms with the other sisters. If I hadn't seen it, I wouldn't have believed they were the same people we'd been fighting earlier that day. I expected that Carlisle, with his genuine sympathy and regret over the conflict, could befriend almost anyone… and it didn't hurt that Jasper was working his magic to instill feelings of trust and friendship into everyone.

"I always knew that someday, Father was going to pick a fight with someone he couldn't handle," Serena admitted. "But I'll need some time to grieve."

Carlisle nodded. "Of course. We'll leave you and your siblings to mourn in peace."

"We're very sorry for the damage we've caused your family," Esme added. "Don't hesitate to contact us if there's anything we can do to help you."

"If you want documents forged so you could settle in the human world, for example," Alice chimed in. She said it with such confidence that I assumed she'd had a vision of exactly that, until I remembered she couldn't see any of us with Jacob around.

"I already have some documents, personally," said Anna. "I do think the rest of you should try living near humans–there's a lot more to the world than running around with Father."

"Sure," Jennifer shrugged. "Could we join you in New York City for a while?"

"Not an option." Anna said firmly.

"Why not?" her sister asked, stung.

"For starters, last time you visited, you ate my next-door neighbor!"

"I said I was sorry! And that was twelve years ago," Jennifer replied, crossing her arms.

"Give us another chance?" Serena interceded, laying a silencing hand on Jennifer's arm. When her younger sister continued to hesitate, she added, "We promise not to hunt in your apartment building."

"Well, there's one other reason I can't host you in New York…" Anna took a deep breath, biting her lip.

Her three sisters looked at her expectantly.

"I'll actually be moving to La Push," Anna admitted, the words tumbling out in a rush. "Jacob's still in high school, so it doesn't really make sense for him to join me in the city."

"That was fast," Maysun observed, nudging her playfully with a shoulder.

Anna smiled. "There's no harm in giving it a shot, right? From what I've seen in his memories, all the other imprinted couples are really happy."

"I think it's a great idea," Jennifer congratulated her. "The rest of us could join you there, then?"

I caught the barest glimpse of Jacob's horrified face before Anna replied. "Definitely not!" she responded, laughing. "Don't you dare live any closer than Seattle."

My best friend relaxed at that, and I turned to speak with him one-on-one. "So. Found your Juliet at the Capulet ball, huh?"

He rolled his eyes. "Why do I have the feeling you're going to be teasing me about that for centuries?"

"Well, you did make the mistake of telling me you'd read Romeo and Juliet."

"If we cover any Austen novels in class, I'll make sure you're the last to know."

"That would give me near-infinite ammunition," I agreed. "Best not to risk it."

"It's funny," he mused. "When I first heard about imprinting, it sounded crazy. I thought, I hope that never happens to me. But now… it feels like everything is right with the world."

I smiled. Leaving Jacob behind had been one of my biggest regrets about becoming a vampire; I was delighted that he had found his own happy ending. "Congratulations," I said, holding my breath and pulling him into a hug. It was unsettling how warm he was against my ice-cold skin.

Jacob yelped and swatted at me. "Yuck, vampire cooties!"

I laughed and released him. "Stay in touch," I demanded. "I have to know what the pack thinks when they meet Anna."

"I will," he promised. "Thank you, Bella–from what I heard while captive, if you hadn't stopped that vamp, he was going to kill not just me, but all of us." He shuddered. "We owe you one," he finished with an unusually serious face.

"Don't mention it," I said awkwardly, a little embarrassed by his genuine gratitude. I had only done the obvious thing to do. "From what I heard from Billy, you only got in trouble in the first place because you were out looking for me."

Jacob's jaw dropped. "You talked to Billy?" He stared at me, gauging whether I was serious. "He collaborated with a vampire?"

I wrinkled my nose. "Reluctantly."

He burst out laughing. Remembering the tone of Billy's voice when I'd called him, I had to join in. It all seemed much funnier now that Jacob was safe.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Cullens were discussing our next steps.

"Shall we head back to the house in Ithaca?" Esme asked. "It only has four bedrooms at the moment, but I'd been meaning to add another wing anyway."

"I want to stop in Forks while we're nearby," Rosalie noted. "I left a lot of my clothes there when Emmett and I left for college–I didn't realize we wouldn't be coming back."

Most of the family assented to this plan, but one was conspicuously silent.

"Edward?" Carlisle probed. "Are you coming with us?"

"I'm going to Denali," he replied darkly. "I have unfinished business with Laurent."

I sighed. I had unfinished business with Laurent, too–and I should really go repay the favor I owed him sooner rather than later–but I had a feeling Edward's purpose ran directly contrary to my own. "I'll go with Edward," I announced glumly.

"It's been a while since I saw our cousins," Alice said brightly. "I'm coming too."

"Why don't we all go?" Esme suggested. "It's past time for a visit. We've got two new members of the family whom they haven't met yet."

"That's not necessary," Edward said through gritted teeth. "I'd prefer to deal with this privately, in fact."

"Too bad," said Alice. "You're stuck with us."

After decades of living with his psychic sister, it seemed Edward could tell this was a fight he wasn't going to win. We said our goodbyes to Jacob and the half-vampire girls, and the nine of us set off running toward Alaska.

2025-01-01 A/N: I'm leaving for my honeymoon tomorrow, so this week's chapter is early. Happy New Year!