Chapter 33: Ivy's Entrance and Hoarding "Gold"

Ivy! You're awake!

"Yeah, I am. Wait, What is that awesome smell?"

Oh, Robin and Rosalie made French toast for us.

"And you didn't wake me up for this deliciousness?! How dare you! I thought we were sisters, comrades, partners in crime!" Ivy exclaimed, launching into one of her exaggerated rants.

I chuckled, taking another bite of the warm French toast as Ivy paused mid-rant, finally tasting it. She groaned in delight, muttering something about "unfair tactics," which made me smile.

Just then, I felt a gentle squeeze, pulling me back to reality. I looked up to see Emmett and Rosalie watching me with worried expressions.

"Are you okay, baby bear? We called your name, but you didn't answer," Emmett said.

I nodded, my tail giving a small wag in happiness. Turning to Robyn, I said, "Yeah, I'm fine. Someone important just woke up."

Robyn's eyes widened with realization, her face lighting up. "She's awake?"

I nodded again, and Robyn beamed. Emmett and Rosalie exchanged puzzled glances.

"Who's awake?" Rosalie asked.

"My wolf guide," I replied simply, taking another bite of French toast as Ivy begged for more, making her groan in appreciation.

"Wolf… guide?" Rosalie repeated, still looking confused.

I nodded as Robyn reached out to Ivy through their mind link, asking how she was doing. Ivy's response came swiftly, laced with mock irritation: that she'd feel better if they had woken her up for food, which in turn made Robyn chuckle. I could see Emmett and Rosalie look at her in confusion.

"What's so funny, little bird?" Rosalie asks squeezing Robyn's side lightly to get her attention. Robyn blushed looking down and shaking her head. "It's nothing. Faye's wolf said something funny, that's all. Oh… what day is it?"

I could see their eyebrows lift to their eyebrows in surprise. Rosalie's brow furrowed as she glanced between me and Robyn. "It's Saturday. What do you mean, 'Faye's wolf said something'? You can hear her?"

Robyn rubbed the back of her neck, a small smile playing on her lips. "Yeah, she can be pretty dramatic sometimes. She's upset with us right now because we didn't wake her up for French toast. As for why I can hear her, it's because Faye linked our minds so we could share our thoughts."

Emmett's face lit up with excitement as he looked down at me. "That's so COOL! Can you guys talk over long distances?"

I paused for a moment, considering. "I'm not sure. We've never tried it."

Emmett's eyes sparkled with curiosity. "Can we meet her? What's she like? Does she have a name?"

Before I could answer, Ivy's voice echoed loudly in my mind, demanding and pleading to switch so she could talk to them herself. She rattled off a long list of questions she wanted to ask, her excitement overwhelming me until my head began to ache. I groaned, pressing my palms to my temples.

Hearing my discomfort, Ivy quickly quieted, whispering apologies. "I'm sorry, Faye. I got carried away."

It's okay, I get it you just got excited. I replied, trying to soothe the sharp throb in my head.

Suddenly, a cool hand pressed gently against my forehead, and I let out a relieved sigh. I opened my eyes to find Emmett watching me closely, his face etched with concern. "You alright, little bear?" he asked softly.

I nodded slightly. "Yeah, I'm okay. She just got a little too excited and started yelling."

Emmett chuckled softly, the sound rumbling on my back as he brushed hair from my face. "Sounds like you've got your hands full with this wolf guide of yours."

I smiled faintly, the throbbing in my head subsiding a little. "You have no idea. I wouldn't trade her for the world though." As soon as I said that I felt Ivy rub against my mind and give me a whine.

Ivy, whispered in my mind, "I wouldn't trade you either, Faye. I'll be more careful next time. Promise."

Thanks, Ivy. I know you will, I replied, my lips curving into a soft smile.

Emmett piped up again. "When you two figure out the whole long-distance talking thing, we need to test it. Think of the pranks we could pull! We can also play cops and robbers!" He winked at me, and I couldn't help but laugh.

Rosalie shot him a look, but there was a playful glint in her eyes. "Don't give them any more ideas, Emmett."

"Too late," I teased, catching Robyn's knowing smile as she nodded in agreement. My tail gave a small wag, the shift in the atmosphere instantly easing the tension. The warmth in the room settled around me, and with it, my headache melted away completely.

Rosalie smiled warmly. "You never did tell us her name or what she's like."

"Well, her name is Ivy, and she's really sweet," I said, smiling as I thought of her. "She's the opposite of me in so many ways—she's loud, full of energy, and not afraid to speak her mind. She's always up for trying new things, especially different foods, hunting different animals, and meeting new people."

I paused, laughing softly at the memories. "She'll say whatever comes to mind, even when it's a little… over the top." My grin widened, thinking of her playful dramatics. "But she's incredibly caring and loyal. When I'm by myself and anxious or overwhelmed, she's the one who keeps me grounded."

Rosalie's eyes twinkled with amusement. "She sounds like a delightful handful."

I chuckled. "Oh, she is, but in the best way possible. Ivy's the kind of person who, just by being there, makes you feel like everything's going to be alright."

Emmett jumped in, his excitement bubbling over. "She sounds awesome! She loves to hunt, just like me! I've got so many questions—what's her favorite thing to hunt? Can we meet her? Do you want to link minds with us, or should we meet by shifting instead?"

I shook my head, smiling at his enthusiasm. "No, I don't have to shift or mink-link. If we want to make it easier, Ivy and I can switch control of my body so you can actually talk to her directly."

Emmett's eyes widened in surprise, and he exchanged a glance with Rosalie, who looked equally shocked. "Wait, you can just… switch like that?" he asked, his voice a mix of excitement and disbelief.

Rosalie raised an eyebrow, her curiosity piqued. "You mean, Ivy can take over your body, and we could have a conversation with her, just like we're talking to you right now?"

I nodded, trying not to laugh at their stunned expressions. "Yeah, it's not as weird as it sounds once you get used to it. Ivy and I share everything—our thoughts, senses, and other things."

Emmett grinned, clearly thrilled by the idea. "That's insane! So, if we talk to her, will you hear everything too?"

I gave a small shrug, a hint of a smile playing on my lips. "Pretty much. We're never completely separate, even if one of us is in control. Trust me, Ivy's definitely excited to meet you both."

Rosalie's gaze softened, intrigued. "Well, we'd love to meet her. How does it work? Do you just… let her take over?"

I nodded. "It's kind of like… handing over the reins. I'm still there, just more in the background, watching. It doesn't feel like losing control, more like sharing it. I can hear, see, and feel everything, but it's Ivy calling the shots. It's like we're two sides of the same coin."

Rosalie leaned forward slightly, her expression thoughtful. "It sounds like a lot of trust goes into it—letting someone else take control of your body."

I smiled softly, thinking of Ivy. "It does, but Ivy and I… we've been through a lot together. She knows me better than anyone other than Robyn, and I trust her completely."

Emmett practically vibrated with excitement, "Okay, I've got to see this. Let her take over!"

I nodded and closed my eyes.

Are you ready?

I could practically feel Ivy vibrating in excitement.

"Am I ready? Of course, I am! I'm so excited, Faye!"

Wait, before we switch there is something I wanted to ask you.

She let out a whine. "Can't it wait? I'm about to meet our bonds for the first time."

No, not really. I wanted to ask, why do I have wolf ears and tails? Is there any way to put them away?

"Oh, that? I'll keep it quick. You were unconscious when Robyn asked you to shift back once we got to the Cullens'. She couldn't reach you, so she asked me to do it instead. I shifted you human, but since I didn't have your permission, well… that happened. The good news is it's easy to fix. Just shift into your wolf form again, and when you shift back, it'll be gone."

Why would I need to change into our wolf form?

"It's to show that there are no hard feelings about me not following your rule. Apparently, the rules for shifting between human and animal form are really important."

How do you know this?

She tilts her head with a thoughtful look before shrugging. "I… I don't know. It's mostly instinct. Now can we switch? Pretty please?"

I chuckle softly, mentally filing away that little detail for later. Yeah, we might need to adjust my rule about asking permission—to avoid this, I say, playfully swishing our tail. In the future, but we can figure that out later. I give a slight nod. Go ahead. You've got my permission to switch.

"Yes!"

In an instant, I felt Ivy's energy surge through me, attempting to take control. I could sense her excitement bubbling beneath the surface, eager to take over. I relaxed my grip on my consciousness, allowing her to step forward.

Ivy sat up on Emmett's lap, her blue eyes flying open as she surveyed the room. A wide grin spread across her face, and her voice burst forth, vibrant and animated. "Heya, everyone! I'm finally here! What's going on? Oh! Faye left me some French toast!"

She turned to Robyn, casting a playful mock glare and pouting just enough to be charming. "At least someone cares about me!"

Robyn rolls her eyes playfully. "Nice to see you too, Ivy. You know, I would never forget about you. I love you and would have woken you up for French toast if I could. But it's not my fault Faye didn't want to share or you overslept." She smirks, crossing her arms with a mock-serious expression. "But you know, if you keep pouting like that instead of eating, I might just eat it all myself!"

I let out a chuckle as Ivy let out an offended gasp. She pulled the plate of French toast close to her as if she were a dragon protecting their gold. "Don't you dare. It's bad enough that Faye ate half of this deliciousness! The rest is mine!" She began devouring the rest of the French toast on the plate and turned to Robyn with a smug look and playfully stuck her tongue out.

Robyn chuckled, shaking her head as she glanced over at Emmett and Rosalie, confusion etched on her face. "Are you two alright?"

Ivy followed her gaze, raising an eyebrow at the couple. After a moment of silence, she turned back to Emmett, waving her hand in front of his eyes with a playful grin. "Hello? Earth to Emmett! Is anyone home? Are you both still with us?"

It was silent for a few moments before Emmett snapped out of it and when he did he became excited.

"That is so COOL!" He said lifting us up and spinning us around like a helicopter blade.

Ivy began giggling. "Weeeee!" She put her hands out to the sides like an airplane, her tail wagging excitedly. I could see Robyn cover her mouth stifling a giggle. Hearing Ivy giggle made Rosalie snap out of it. She smiled, shaking her head fondly.

"Emmett, that's enough. You're going to make her dizzy or worse motion sick."

Emmett and Ivy pouted but Emmett sat down regardless. Making Ivy direct her pout towards him. Emmett noticed and playfully whispered, even though it was pointless because he was in the room with vampires with supernatural hearing, "Don't worry little wolf. We can do it again later!"

"I heard that!"

Emmett let out a chuckle and winked at Ivy making her giggle. She was having fun, but me on the other hand. I let out a groan making Ivy pause.

Let's say we did and don't. I feel motion sick.

Ivy let out a pout hearing what I said drawing the attention of Robyn.

"What's wrong, Ivy? Are you still pouting because your helicopter ride got cut short?"

Ivy shook her head.

"No, I'm not. Faye doesn't want to do it again. She got motion sick."

Rosalie gave Emmett a pointed look making him look down and rubbing his neck nervously. "Okay, maybe you were right."

Let him know I don't mind doing it again, but I'd appreciate a heads-up next time—and preferably not right after we've eaten.

Ivy brightened up and repeated what I said to Emmett making him agree, happily.

"So, little wolf. What is your favorite thing to hunt?" Emmett asks excitedly giving his full attention.

Ivy thought about it for a moment.

"Well, I enjoy hunting rabbits, but we've never gone after anything larger. We didn't want to risk depleting the food supply too quickly or drive the bigger animals out of our hunting grounds. There were not many large animals there—just two boars, one bear, and four foxes."

"That shouldn't be a problem here. I'll take you on a hunt sometime and even teach you how to hunt bears!"

Ivy nodded excitedly before pausing and sniffing the air.

Ivy? What's wrong?

"Nothing, someone is coming. It kind of smells like warm laundry, house cleaner, and cinnamon."

Oh, that's probably Esme.

Ivy started to reply when Esme came in from the kitchen. She looked at us with a shocked expression.

"Oh, hello, dear! I was planning on making something for you and Robyn to eat, but then I noticed a stack of dirty pans on the stove. What happened in there? It looks like a small tornado went through my kitchen!"

I glanced over at Robyn and Rosalie, Robyn was wearing a sheepish expression. Robyn shifted a little before speaking up, "Sorry, Esme. Rosalie and I made French toast for breakfast, and, uh… I guess we kind of forgot to clean up afterward." Her voice trailed off, as Rosalie gave a small nod agreeing but didn't look sorry at all.

Esme looked surprised.

"Rosalie cooked something? Rosalie? The person who always said that cooking is a waste of time and that she would never use it? That Rosalie?"

Rosalie shot her a sharp look, her arm tightening around Robyn as she pulled her a little closer. In response, Robyn instinctively leaned further into her. "Alright, fine, I did say that," Robyn admitted, her voice softening as she glanced between me and Robyn, "but things are different now."

Esme glanced at Robyn with curious eyes but chose to let it slide for now. Instead, she smiled gently. "Alright," she said, her tone light, "you'll fill me in later, won't you?" Rosalie gave a small nod in response.

"Well then," Esme continued, "how about I handle this mess? You four go relax in the living room. But next time you use my kitchen, be sure to clean up afterward." Her voice carried a playful scolding tone as she waved them off with a smile.

"No need to tell me twice! I'll show this little lady my unbeatable video game skills," Emmett said with a grin, quickly standing up with Ivy over his arms like a sack of potatoes. He strode confidently into the living room, Ivy giggling as she clung to him, while Robyn and Rosalie followed close behind, amused by his antics.

And that's how we found ourselves leaning against Emmett as he enthusiastically explained the controls for what he called Sonic. As I glanced at the screen, I noticed it was on the title screen called Sonic Advance 3. It looked old. I hummed in mild interest, then I decided to ask Ivy.

What is Robyn and Rose up to?

Ivy turned her head so I could see, only to find Rosalie casually flipping through a car magazine, while Robyn leaned her back comfortably into her side, absorbed in a comic book in her hands. When did she get that? Oh well, it doesn't really matter. Now that I think about it, it was most likely Emmett's. The room felt serene, the atmosphere calm and inviting, wrapped in a sense of warmth and comfort.

Soon Ivy and Emmett finally began playing with Emmett picking Sonic and Ivy picking Tails. After a lot of levels, Ivy was tired of playing and decided to do something else. She stopped playing and walked over to Rosalie and plopped on her lap and cuddled into her neck. I felt Rosalie began to play with our hair.

"What's wrong, little pup? Tired of playing games?" Ivy nodded into her neck. "Yeah, I think I'm almost ready to switch back and I think Faye is too. I just want to cuddle a bit before we do."

I felt Rosalie tug us closer so the side of our head was under her chin. "That's perfectly fine with me, little pup."

"Is that okay with you, Faye?"

That's totally fine with me. I can feel it when you're cuddling, so I never feel left out. Whenever you're ready to switch back, just let me know.

"Thanks, Faye. I know it's not easy to share a body. I really appreciate it."

No problem, Ivy. I know it gets boring being stuck inside my head. Maybe one day I can make a spell to help with that.

"That would be amazing."

We both stopped talking and enjoyed the moment. I could feel Robyn move every once in a while to get comfortable. Emmett was still playing Sonic while it seemed like Rose had one arm around us and the other keeping Robyn close.

I wished this moment would last forever.

Unfortunately, I heard footsteps heading this way with some speed. Apparently, Ivy did too by the way our ears moved around trying to figure out who it was. Ivy took a big whiff of the air only to catch the smell of jasmine, peaches, and sage. I quickly understood who it was.

It smells like it could be Alice. I wonder why she's speed walking so fast.

Just then, Alice burst into the living room. She looked around frantically before yelling. "Family Meeting!" Hearing her yell made Ivy tuck her head deeper into Rose's neck while Robyn jumped slightly making Rosalie rub her arm to help Robyn relax. She quickly glared at Alice. "Really, Alice?"

"Okay, I think I'm ready to switch back now."

I understand. Ready?

"Ready."

I felt myself being pushed forward as I took back control. Once I was back, I peeked up at Rose to see her still glaring at Alice who was still looking slightly panicked but now hiding behind Jasper. I gently tugged on her shirt to get her attention, and the moment she saw my brown eyes, her eyes softened. "Welcome back, little bear."

I hummed softly, tightening my grip on her shirt as I glanced around the room. The rest of the Cullens were sitting on the couches, and Emmett was leaning against the wall beside us. When he caught me looking at him, he flashed me a warm smile which I returned.

"Hey Faye?"

I glanced over at Robyn and noticed her shifting uncomfortably, her body tense and her eyes avoiding direct contact. She fiddled with the hem of her shirt, clearly trying to mask her unease, but the subtle furrow in her brow gave her away.

Yeah, Robyn? What's wrong?

"Is there any way we can switch spots? I'm feeling a bit uncomfortable with Carlisle's and Jasper's questioning and curious eyes."

I glanced over to see Jasper and Carlisle looking at Robyn with scrutinizing eyes, most likely trying to figure out why she was leaning on Rose and why Rose was allowing it.

I nodded my head slightly. Yeah, I don't mind. Let me let Rose know. Her grip is very strong, right now.

I noticed Robyn give a small nod, and then I turned to Rose, gently tugging on her shirt to get her attention. Once she looked at me, I glanced between her lap and Robyn before silently mouthing the word "switch."

She turned to Robyn, and the moment she saw how uncomfortable she was—and why—she gave a small nod of understanding. Gently, she loosened her grip, and as I moved to take Robyn's place, Rose pulled Robyn into her lap. Robyn quickly buried her head in Rose's neck, letting out a soft, relieved sigh. As I leaned into Rose's side, I caught the sharp glare she directed at Jasper and Carlisle, her protective instincts flaring.

I could see them flinch slightly and Carlisle gave an apologetic expression. "I'm sorry, Rosalie. I was just wondering how did this happened?" He gestured towards Robyn on her lap. Rose glared a bit more.

"Not that it is any of your business, but Robyn is also our bond child."

As she said that she pulled Robyn a little closer. I could see the surprise on Carlisle's face. He put his finger on his chin with a thoughtful look. "I see. When she said her string changed color. It was attached to you and Emmett." Rose nodded her head before turning to Alice. "Now Alice, what was the meaning for this very important meeting?" She said with a slightly sarcastic tone.

Alice perked up, her shoulders were still tensed but Jasper rubbing her shoulder helped her relax a bit. She took a deep breath before starting.

"Well, I've got semi-bad news and worse news," Alice began. "First, the semi-bad: Robyn has to go back to Charlie tomorrow." I noticed both Emmett and Rose tense at the mention of it, worry flickering across their faces. Alice pressed on, "We can't keep her out of school any longer without raising more suspicion, and Charlie's running out of patience. I had a vision of him storming over, demanding to take Robyn home, and possibly banning her from seeing us for a while. It'd be better if we take her back ourselves before it comes to that."

I watched as Emmett's and Rose's eyes darkened to nearly black at the thought of losing time with Robyn. Emmett's fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white, tension radiating from him. Rosalie instinctively pulled Robyn closer, taking a subtle breath of her familiar scent, trying to calm herself down as the protective instinct flared within her.

Once Rose had steadied herself, she lifted her gaze to Alice, her eyes still tense with slight anger and concern. "If that's the semi-bad news," she said, her voice tight, "what's the worst news?"

Alice took another deep breath like she was going to tell us the world was ending. I felt the air in the room grew thick with tension. Her eyes flickered with hesitation before she finally spoke. "There's no easy way to say this, so I'm just going to come out with it."

"Just get on with it, Alice," Rose said, her voice low and tight, teeth clenched in frustration.

Alice quickly blurted out.

"Edward is coming back on Monday."

Hearing Alice's words, I noticed Robyn tense up, her body going rigid. I could hear her breath hitch slightly.

"I'm not sure what time, but I do know it will be dark when he arrives."

That is when everything went from bad to worse.