Pairings: Kagome/Carlisle, Kagome/Emmett, Kagome/Jasper, Kagome/Peter, Kagome/Garret, Kagome/Alistair, Kagome/Eleazar, and Kagome/Marcus

A/N: Post – Breaking Dawn people. But it's been slightly altered – hence the AU at the end. Oh and, I kind of have a back-log for this. So expect updates. Kinda.

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight nor Inuyasha.

Chapter One – Timing

Three months into the new year, things in the Cullen household got...weird.

For the longest time, Bella never really understood why Alice just up and left two weeks after the whole fiasco with the Volturi – an empty closet and a single note saying she'd "call two weeks before she came back." Of course, when she found out, she'd been heartbroken and confused for days on end. Wondering, worrying, contemplating what Alice's reasoning was for suddenly leaving the family with no further explanation other than some tattered piece of paper with five words written on it in neat script.

Sure, it hadn't exactly been the first time something like this happened. But when she looked at Jasper, for a second, Bella swore he almost looked relived. Happy, maybe. And that bothered her, a lot.

'Then again, it could just be me.'

And it wasn't like her and Jasper had much of a relationship anyway for her to know what he was feeling. Not a sibling one, at least. Hell, they weren't even considered friends, or acquaintances.

But it was weird. And she knew something – she didn't know what, was wrong.

From the beginning, her and Jasper never had any real footing. After the whole 'birthday incident', she never much talked to Jasper. It'd been even worse than before; now it was just quiet. Like a silence she couldn't bare with.

Second glances were exchanged and the bout with Victoria's Newborn Army had honestly been the first and last time she ever really spoke to him face to face. And that made her question herself and make her really, really curious about who Jasper was as a vampire.

Newborn or not, Bella had a feeling something strange was going on between the Cullen's.

The others, when she asked, were quiet. 'Typical.' Smiling, putting up a front and often tip-toeing around her despite her being well-integrated in the family already. Rosalie regarded her sometimes, seeming like she was going to spill the beans but Edward always intervened before she spoke more than two words.

None of them seemed particularly worried – which was unusual, even if it was Alice. Everyone knew how sporadic her visions were and it was possible she had one that seemed to affect the family, in particular. 'Maybe.'

When she confronted Edward about it, he was cryptic, only telling her she shouldn't worry about it and just leave well-enough alone. Alice would, in his words, "come back when the time was right." And that they'd be long gone afterwords to Alaska anyway.

Well, that had been the plan.

Bella never understood that part. It was like he meant just the two of them (minus Ness, since she would probably stay with Charlie and Sue to stay near Jake when she looked humanly grown ) – weren't the whole family coming along?

Edward had always been cryptic in his words, but for some reason, Bella couldn't discern whether or not he was serious this time.

Internally, she sighed. 'I wish he would just tell me instead of leaving me guessing all the time.'

She just couldn't see why the family would chose to keep a secret from her. It couldn't be that bad, right?

'Right. It's probably nothing to worry about anyway.'

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Before she even entered the house, Bella could smell the stink of food burning above the wet dog stench that permeated the Swan Residence – god, no matter how many times her and Jake hung out, she could not get over the wet dog musk that seemed to surround him. And the rest of the pack as well. They stunk, period. She held her breath, walking at a human pace ( she had to practice, damn it ) up the stone side walk until the front door opened and Nessie flung her arms around her mother's waist.

God, she was nearly up to her shoulders already. In a couple more years Ness would look fully grown even though she was really only ten years old.

"Hey, sweetheart, where's your grandpa?" Pulling Nessie into her side, a burning, rotting stench immediately filled her highly sensitive nose that was wafting softly from the kitchen. "Never mind, I think I found – dad, what're you doing? It smells like someone died in here!"

Honest to god everything smelled bad to her now but it smelled even worse as soon as she stepped out of the car and onto the property.

"Bells! Oh good, you're here. I need you to try this for me. It's called...U-down – U-udun – "

Nessie corrected him. "Udon. It's pronounced, U-don, Grandpa Charlie."

Bella rose a slender brow, trailing her eyes from Charlie and back to the contents burning over the stove where a billow of dark smoke began to form. "Uh, dad, I don't think it's supposed to...burn."

"Shit!" Charlie cursed, moving over to grip the handle of the pot but flinched away when the heat burned his hand.

"Dad, the handle is hot, so of course it'll burn you. Run your hand under cold water before it puffs."

Bella wasn't quite sure what...Udon was supposed to look like in the first place but she knew human food was meant to at least look edible. If she'd been human, she might have been inclined to sigh but the notion was foreign to her now. Instead, Bella busied herself with turning the stove off before placing the burned pot to the side.

The burn wasn't too bad and it felt marginally better under the cool water but it still made him want to curse to kingdom come. Still, he might have forgotten Nessie was still in the room so he sent a silent apology to her and Bella before moving to grab the cold compress that was handed to him.

"Thanks bells, looks like your old man is still horrible at cooking."

"You were always horrible at cooking, dad."

Nessie giggled, bouncing over to Charlie where he kissed the top of her head and pulled her into a side hug. She laughed at his attempt at a joke and it made Bella smile at the picturesque scene the two made.

Though she retained most of her human memories, there were still some gaping holes that were just so obvious. Even the little things. But Bella was sure Charlie had been horrible in the kitchen and making jokes.

Looking at them now, laughing and making cheesy human jokes, made her soul warm just the slightest. Edward often remarked that vampires had no soul's whereas she never believed that in the slightest. These were the moments she lived for; Bella couldn't imagine a world where neither Nessie nor Charlie were in it.

"God, you're getting bigger everyday kid! ~"

She smiled, her thoughts from earlier forgotten. Yeah, they were all going to be just fine.

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The gray clouds hanging overhead provided them with the perfect coverage. Forks was usually sunny five times out of the year and even then, the mass of forestry was more than enough to shield them from prying eyes. Still. At the moment, it wasn't the sun he was worried about. Bella had gone to get Reneesme a little while ago but she'd be back from dropping her off at Jacob's any minute.

Even though he'd be able to hear her thoughts before she broke through the trees, Edward was still slightly on guard since Bella could put her shield up at any moment now.

His eyes looked back into Alice's mind once he deemed the surrounding area safe and immediately he was swallowed in the vision she had three months ago.

'There was a boot, a familiar looking faded brown boot followed by a pair of dark trousers that seemed to belong to the vampire next to him. They were both male, that much he was sure of but the vampire on the right seemed vaguely familiar by the husky, southern chuckle he gave to his companion.

The man with the dark trousers and matching soles wore a long, tattered trench coat that nearly pooled at his feet if it hadn't been for his tall stature. In fact, the vampire beside him seemed marginally shorter and Edward could barely see the back of his head but he recognized that shade of silver-blond curly locks anywhere.

The second vampire, his face and upper body still not visible to his eyes asked,"Do you believe what she said? The Cullen, I mean."

There was a pause, before,"Ali's visions are sporadic – it ain't ever definite until you make a choice. But I jus` gotta feeling that tells me she's right this time."

"It has been long since I've even entertained the idea of a mate – much less the thought of a shared mate ~"

The other vampire shook his head, laughing with that southern lilt again before he replied in a friendly disposition towards his obvious traveling companion. "Does that bother you?"

"Does it bother you?"

"If I'd met her at any other time in my long life, then yeah, it might have. But now? Well..."

Just before he could feel the vision beginning to fade, Edward caught a glimpse of brown, nearly auburn, locks that flowed down in messy waves to broad shoulders. He could barely make out the ruby red eyes set against a strong jaw and the slight stubble upon his chin but the rangy looks were unmistakable.'

Edward's brows furrowed in confusion once the last vestiges of the vision faded from his mind. He didn't see how it was possible for the two vampires in Alice's vision to be related to the Cullen's predicament.

Alice gave him a stare, the one that said she'd clearly been down this road before. "I know, Edward. I thought the same thing when I saw it three months ago. I would have told you before I left but I looked into your future and saw too much conflict, so I left and told no one."

"Do they know? About her, that is."

Alice nodded her head and proceeded to show him all that transpired from when she first left Forks and when she first headed down to Texas. "They were mostly accepting of it, of course. 'He' had a feeling I was coming and – "

Edward was alert the moment Alice's sentence trailed off and immediately another vision filled his eyes. But this time, he could see the accusing amber orbs of that of his wife and the scowl that was planted firmly upon Rosalie's face as they traded insults. It wasn't long before a fight broke out and he noted idly the somber faces of his family as they watched the two vampire female's crash through the patio.

When it ended, he barely spared Alice a glance before he was running through the forest at top speed and towards the back of the house where he could hear his family gathering in the living room. Alice appeared by his side not a moment later and they went through the glass door silently where the matching gold eyes of his coven looked upon him.

Carlisle and Emmett sat at the lone table across from the piano; Carlisle with his laptop and Emmett with a magazine in hand. Jasper was looming near the window, a placid but curious lilt upon his face while Esme and Rose sat at the lone loveseat, their knees barely touching but otherwise complacency normal.

Ten minutes away, Edward could hear the familiar sound of his silver Volvo coming up the long drive-way and it seemed the others did as well because in a second everyone had switched places around the room.

Rose moved into Emmett's lap, like she normally did when Bella was around as to not arouse suspicion . She looked comfortable but her thoughts told him otherwise; clearly, she wanted to mutilate his body in twenty different ways and make Jasper hide his dick somewhere in the wilderness.

Carlisle gave him a look when the curve of his lips upturned just the slightest, his arm draped over the back of the couch but enough that it looked like he was touching Esme. That familiar smile lilt his face like it usually did when Bella's light footsteps bounded up the steps and her pale face popped out from the corner.

She smiled, brilliantly, and Edward was once again lost in the feeling of euphoria before it was replaced with a sense of emptiness that he thought he'd never experience again. His gold gaze flitted over to Jasper, where he had Alice's arm tucked into the crook of his elbow near the table.

And though he seemed mostly apathetic, like he normally did, Edward could see the discomfort evident in Jasper's eyes. He conveyed his apologies through his emotions and a barely there smile tugged at the corner of the empath's lips before it was gone altogether. He and Jasper may have never truly 'bonded' like Alice wanted them to, but they both shared the feeling of loneliness once so it was enough to fill the gaping spaces between.

Still. It didn't make what each of his family had to go through any easier. He honestly couldn't imagine having to 'pretend' to be someone's mate. It was one thing to be a companion and another thing entirely to keep up the pretenses of being mate's.

'Don't act like you know what it's like, Edward. I can see it all over your face. If you don't tell her now, I will.'

Rosalie was never subtle in her threats and he knew from past experiences that she always meant what she said. But he couldn't risk telling Bella at the moment when things were finally going right for her. Perhaps it was selfish of him to do so but his mate's need overrode anything else in his life. No matter how loyal he was to Carlisle.

Sensing the tension between the two, Emmett quickly intervened before they nuked it out in the living room. "How's Ness, Bella?"

She smiled, slipping her arm through her husband's, oblivious to the anxiety growing in the room."She's fine~ I dropped her off at Jake's for weekend."

Emmett wiggled his brows in that familiar human fashion of his, flashing Bella his dimpled smile in the process. "Ahhh, alone time for the two love birds, huh~"

"Emmett, no."

Despite saying that, there was mirth in her amber orbs as she glanced up at Edward and it was then that she saw the thin line his lips formed. Unease flooded her body. "Edward, are you alright?"

Immediately, her gaze shot to Alice just in case she was having another vision that Edward was seeing but when Alice averted her scrutiny, Bella visibly frowned. "Is there something going on that I don't know about?"

When no one answered her obvious question, Bella turned back to her husband and gave him a pressing stare that was full of question and discontent. Was she wrong to place her earlier worries at the back of her mind? Had Alice really seen something all those months ago that once again affected the entire family?

"Love, I need you to have an open mind. Can you do that for me?"

Bella opened her mouth to speak but nodded when she noticed the adamant look in Edward's eyes.

There was a long silence and it seemed Edward was trying to think up the words he could say in order to better explain the situation to his wife but Rosalie was mentally tired of all the tip-toeing. "Oh, for the love of – save it Edward. Its clear that Bella is more concerned about herself than she is about every other person in this family."

Anger filled her amber visage and Bella formed a fist with her free hand before she stepped forward, intent on punching Rose through the window in defense of herself and her mate. Honestly, the ice-bitch was asking for it.

Edward stepped within Bella's line of sight, hands on her shoulders as his gaze peered down at her through gold irises, imploring her to calm down and see reason.

"Rose, please. Edward, calm your mate." Carlisle, ever the mediator, stepped between the girls and placed a comforting hand upon Rosalie's shoulders. Bella might have not known it but it was Jasper's gift that prevented the two from pummeling each other through the nearest window. He conveyed his thanks to Jasper who, in turn, nodded his head before training his eyes back onto Bella's quivering form.

Despite being in the last few months of her newborn year, Bella was still the strongest one in the entire household. She may have been partially trained, but Edward wouldn't be able to handle her once she got angry. It was second nature that made him focus his attention on the single threat in the room. He didn't do it to 'protect' anyone, per say, despite the familial bonds he formed with the Cullen's. It was just who he was as a vampire and the fact that he'd be glad to not have to keep up pretenses around...Bella.

"No, Carlisle. I'm tired of pretending every time she comes around. No one's happy with it and Edward hasn't gotten any closer to telling her." she made a motion of pointing in Bella's direction, where Edward was still trying to calm her down but the sight of Rose set her off again. "Not everything is about you, Bella. Tell me, do you realize the world you're living in now is a lie?"

She paused. "W-what? I-I don't know what the hell your even talking about. Me and Edward worked hard to get to where we are I – "

Rosalie stopped her, pressing forward even when Esme shot her a pleading look to stop. Emmett was quiet from where he stood near Alice and for once there wasn't a jovial smile stretched across his face. This had to happen eventually. No need for him to butt in since everything would work themselves out in the end anyway, right?

"I'm not talking about that – I'm talking about what Edward told you about us four years ago. Bella, none of us are mated. We're companions, first and foremost but never have we ever been mates. Believe me, if any of us were mates we'd never get a private moment to ourselves."

The end of her sentence was supposed to be suggestive and at any other moment in time, the family might have been more inclined to laugh at Rosalie's attempt at a joke. But the situation was far too serious for laughs and everyone knew that since Alice didn't say or do anything, then this was supposed to happen.

Sometimes, things don't always work out like they want you too. Carlisle learned this lesson a long time ago. Still, patience was a virtue few of his kind practiced and it was important to him as the patriarch to take control of any given situation.

But other times it was best to let things take its own coarse. He could only hope that Alice only bore them good news about their mate. At this point, that's all that mattered.

Like they say – mates come first.