AN: I feel guilty. Apparently the last chapter was confusing for some readers. As a result, I posted the new chapter with plot relevance earlier than anticipated.

Meeting Benjamin & Tia was another slap in the face reminder that the movie world and my new reality were distinctly two separate entities. I imagined meeting this world's Avatar Last Airbender resembling something like the acting God Rami Malek. You can imagine how I was utterly taken aback by the baby face teenager that was smiling at me.

"Hello, I'm Benjamin! It's nice to meet you, Carlie." He smiles at me, his good mood infectious and bright. Benjamin bent down, squatting on the floor so he could look me properly in the eyes.

I blushed, twisting my leg and looking at the floor, "hello," I mumbled back.

Benjamin looked like a young Dylan O'brien. Smiley, boyish, and charming in a dorky kinda way. His mate, Tia, stood next to him. She was obviously older than Benjamin, more woman than girl. She looked like a Disney Channel character. 17 and young.

Undeterred by my shyness, Benjamin pressed on.

"What's your name?"

"Carlie"

"How old are you, Carlie?"

I lift my head in confusion, I honestly have no idea how to answer that.

"1?"

Tia smiles gently at me, eyes warm, "you are very mature for your age."

I sure hope so, I'm mentally much older. I smile back, liking the older female vampire already.

"Um," I start off hesitantly, "Would you like to watch a movie with me and Renesmee? We're going to watch some Pixar."

Benjamin and Tia both exchange confused looks.

"We do not know what this movie is," Benjamin slowly says.

"It's okay! We'll show you. It's like a show~" I grab Benjamin's hand, eager to drag him to the entertainment room so he could marvel at modern technology and the awesomeness of Pixar movies. Both child and adult appropriate, no one can refuse the might of animated classics.

Renesmee was already in the living room with Jacob queuing up Toy Story 2.

"We have some newcomers, can we watch Incredibles or Monsters Inc instead?" I ask

My sister studies Benjamin and Tia carefully. "Nemo is probably better."

I bob my head up and down, "I bow to your superior knowledge."

Benjamin and Tia look amused as I shoo them to sit on the couch. Edward made an appearance, probably nervous about leaving his children with two strangers and Jacob. Carmen and Elezear follow behind him closely.

Carmen reaches out to me eagerly, wanting to hold me. I reach out my arms to hug her. She kisses my cheek and I lean forward to give her one as well. That's right, I gotta give some fan service to my followers. Carmen coos and begins to babble happily in Spanish.

Sitting on the couch, she adjusts me so my head faces the TV screen. I snuggle into her.

"I feel abandoned," Edward dryly comments.

"What are you talking about, Papa? You still have Renesmee." I retort. Edward simply raises an eyebrow as Jacob carries Renesmee with one arm.

In a high voice, Renesmee teases Edward, "Momma still loves you"

We all laugh at that.

When the lights dimmed and everyone settled in, I had to admit Renesmee made a good choice. Nemo had an easy plot to follow and was uncomplicated by new fangled technology or political concepts. After all, most of the story takes place in the Ocean. At the "fish are friends not food" scene, the vegetarian vampires cracked a smile. I cringed when the giant shark Bruce went apeshit with bloodlust. Damn, this is probably a little too real to be funny.

I peak up at Benjamin & Tia. Drawn to the movie, Benjamin appears deep in thought. He laughs at the shark scene and smiles at the turtles, but for most of the movie his mind seems elsewhere.

At the end of the movie Benjamin gets up from the couch. "Excuse me," he murmurs, face blank. I internally start fussing.

"Papa, is Mr. Benjamin upset?"

Edward immediately replies, "No. Don't be anxious. He isn't angry at you in any way"

Way to evade the question bub. I huff in response, leaving Carmen's arms to load Toy Story 2.

Benjamin found this Nemo quite insightful.

The parallels were not lost on him. A young boy trapped in his home by an overprotective father. Their relationship begins to fracture as the boy demands to leave his cage and explore the outside, the allure of freedom impossible to ignore. At the same time Benjamin begins to understand Amun a little more. His creator had suffered deep losses since his coven was destroyed utterly by the Volturi. His first son, Demetri, abandoned Amun to join the ranks of the vampires who took everything from him.

I am not Demetri. Benjamin contemplates.

When he enters their shared room, Amun gestures imperiously outside.

"Have you come to your senses? We can leave tonight."

"No," Benjamin sighs, "I am here to talk to you."

"Very well. Speak."

He doesn't want an audience and gestures to Kebi, "In private, please, somewhere in the forest perhaps." Kebi lets out a noise of protest, reaching out to touch her mate's forearm. Amun pushes her arm aside.

"The boy clearly wants to speak man to man."

Kebi bows in deference, but glares at Benjamin. Some things never change, Benjamin thinks wryly.

Amun and Benjamin leap out the window, running deep in the forest until they reach an empty clearing.

"Well? What is it that you wish so desperately to talk about?" Amun demands

Benjamin considers Amun, weighing his words carefully.

"I want you to know that I will never leave you in spirit. We will always have ties together, regardless of distance."

Amun is taken aback, face angry. "What foolishness are you spouting now! Are you leaving the Coven? Have the Cullens stolen you away from me?"

"No. My time with the Cullens have taught me much. I understand that you are afraid of losing me and losing my power. But I realize now that you are afraid of losing me because you also care for me as a son. I know about Demetri. I know you do not wish to lose me the same way you lost him. But I am not Demetri. You are my father. If I ever leave, know that I will always try to return home."

Amun looks resigned, centuries of weighing upon him.

"Then you are aware that once you leave, forces will conspire against you. Vampires all around the world will curry for your favor. You are too kind and trusting. They will take advantage of this and bind you by force or reason. My bonds with Demetri were not strong enough," Amun spat on the ground, "And then that witch Chelsea took him away."

"We have strong bonds, Amun. She will not succeed."

"The world is still dangerous, my son. We should return home where you are safe."

At this, Benjamin disagrees. Nemo has imparted him many lessons. "You gave me new life so I could live and grow my powers. You must let me take risks and grow outside our home otherwise I will always be this kind and trusting. Have faith in me, not the outside world. Have faith that your lessons will help guide me. Have faith that I will always be your son, and that I will return home to defend you in times of harm."

"You protest becoming a weapon," Amun points out.

Benjamin smiles wryly, "I have no intention of becoming a mindless weapon for anyone. But I believe in training my powers. I believe in defending my family. Is that not enough?"

At this, Amun turns his head away in disdain, "Are the Cullens your family now?"

"Of course not."

"Then why stay here and fight for them?"

The younger vampire struggles with his next words. He doesn't want Amun to fly off the rails again. "I have been speaking to Elezear, the male from the Denali clan. He has served in the guard for many years and he speaks with great insight. He says the Volturi frequently initiate attacks on Covens for the purpose of obtaining gifts."

Amun explodes.

"More the reason to leave!"

"Father," Benjamin pleads, "the Volturi will be made aware of my existence sooner or later. If we return home, they will come to us. You know we cannot fight them alone. An allegiance with the Cullens and other vampires provides us a better chance of survival. Their cause is legitimate, anyone can witness that."

"You wish to fight"

"We have to win the right to be free. If it comes down to it, now is the best time to fight the Volturi," Benjamin argues.

Amun is silent, closing his eyes. He thinks about the glory of the Egyptian coven, a pinnacle of ancient civilization reduced to one vampire. They had no gifted vampires to match the Italians. The remaining Egytpian Coven could not fight Volturi in their current state. The Volturi would also not leave them alone. Benjamin is right in this aspect. The gathering of gifts and numbers in Forks pale in comparison to the Volturi, but it is much better than anything Amun could organize alone. If more gifted and skilled vampires arrive, Amun would be persuaded to join the cause.

"...I will be more patient these next few months. If this alliance proves worthy, I will support it."

Benjamin smiles in relief, reaching out to hug him. Stiffly, Amun accepts the younger vampire's affection.

"Can I ask what brought this conversation?"

"Ah," Benjamin laughs, "the younger twin, Carlie, blessed me with an entertaining show on fishes. It was quite insightful."

"..."

"It makes sense if you watched it."

"I can imagine," Amun dubiously comments. "Perhaps I should speak to this...Carlie. She seems to have imparted more wisdom into you than I could over hundreds of years."

"Please, father. Be nice to the girl. She is quite shy."

"Hmph," Amun grumbles.

I look up in utter confusion. A middle aged vampire looks down at me stoically. It's not the usual curiosity or confused gaze that vampires grace me with. His stare is evaluating, heavy, akin to a person judging whether he found a pile of gold or a pile of trash.

Towering at six feet, the vampire has an olive pallor and intense burgundy eyes. This for all intents and purposes, must be Amun.

"Girl," he begins, "I understand that you are learning the art of chess."

"Uhh...yes?" I squeak out.

He levels me an unimpressed look, "Even if you are only half vampire, you must carry yourself with the dignity and grace of a superior race. Stand up straight and cease your stuttering."

Jesus, this guy is intense.

"Yes, sir!" I salute sloppily.

"So irreverent," he grumbles underneath his breath, "just like the boy." At this, he nods his head imperiously toward me. "While chess is a lesser game of strategy compared to the ancient and noble game of senat, I will play a game with you. Bring the board and pieces to the dining room." With those words, Amun swept away, gliding towards doorway.

Um. What just happened?

"Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy," Amun tsks.

I moan in pain. I take back every complaint about Jasper. He was ruthless, but he wasn't unnecessarily cruel.

"You lose too much material in the endgame. Your technique is lacking in this area. Pawns must be sacrificed to gain initiative, yet you recoil from doing what needs to be done." He narrows his eyes at me, "you try too hard to make your pawn into a queen."

I shuffle nervously, I really liked the idea of a lowly pawn becoming a queen. Two queens on a board is super cool.

Amun waves his hand toward me, "It's obvious what your goals are. The consequences are dire as your opponent easily knows how to counter you. Keep your hand hidden, leave your opponent guessing. Strike aggressively when they stumble."

"During his next match," Amun declares, "I will give you options as to how you move your pieces. You will choose an option and explain why the other options are poor. This will force you to consider new strategies."

Nodding in agreement, I set up the board.

Garrett, Mary, and Randall arrived with little fanfare. They listened to Renemee's story and stayed as witnesses. The newcomers, like the Denalis, discussed among themselves what they would do if the Volturi did not pause for explanations and decided to launch an offensive attack. Justifiably, none of them wanted to fight Volturi. Edward had to reassure them that the Cullens had no intention of making them fight. They were only there to act as witnesses. Each time Renesmee, Edward, and Bella did the whole shindig, I went somewhere else in the house. The whole immortal children/hybrid routine was repetitive and boring.

I spent my free time with the other vampires. Sometimes I played chess with Amun, watched TV with random vampires, or answered Q&A sessions.

I wish I could post a most FAQ page somewhere in the house: Yes, I can eat both human food and blood. Yes, both food and blood taste good to me. Yes, I mainly drink animal blood. No, I don't know how long I can go without food or blood. Let's not try to figure that out. Some of the more interesting questions came from Peter. Honestly, there wasn't much to say. Jasper is a hardass teacher, sweet scary protective Uncle, and madly devoted to Alice.

Jacob, Leah, and Seth got increasingly unhappy as the house filled with vampires. They began keeping a distance away from the house, choosing to spend most of their time elsewhere. However, Jacob's pull to Renesmee was too strong and brought him back to his personal hell. He tried to organize trips outside the house so they could both get away. Sometimes he just whisked Nessie off to La Push.

As I began pondering what I should do with my free time, a booming voice called out.

"I'm back, squirt!"

"Uncle Emmett!" I scream, dashing to the front entrance.

The big burly vampire grins at me. "Heya, Carlie. Look at you so big and tall. I won't be able to carry you around anymore."

I laugh in delight, "That's okay, Aunt Rose will carry me." I tilt my head to look around his large frame, "Where is Aunt Rose?"

"I'm right here sweetheart," she calls out, stepping into the front door. The Beautiful Goddess graces the house with her presence. She picks me up from Emmett's arms, lifting me so I could rest my head on her shoulder. Rosalie shakes in happiness, breathing the scent of my hair.

"I've missed you so much."

"Welcome home~"

Author's Notes:

This is my attempt to make sure Amun and Carlisle don't friendship break-up. Carlie also really needs to get better at chess before Jasper returns.

I got a few complaints that I kept Jacob/Renesmee a thing. I am not agreeing that Meyer made the moral/right decision. However, I respect it from a plot perspective. Not keeping them imprinted causes wayyyy too many problems. If Jacob didn't imprint on Renesmee, he would have killed her. If Jacob didn't kill Renesmee, then the rest of Sam's pack would have killed her. Also Bella/Edward accepted Jacob's imprint because it meant extra protection for their daughter via Jacob & Jacob's pack...otherwise why would Jacob give a flying fig if the Volturi came to kill the Cullens?

Personally, I try to imagine Jacob as an overworked free babysitter. Hopefully, this translates to Carlie's perspective as well. If I was ever going to develop the romance aspect of J/R, Renesmee has to grow up and mature in another state far far away from Jacob. She has to spend some time away from Jacob. It's one thing for Renesmee to fall in love with her hunky male nanny. It's another thing entirely if Jacob watched Renesmee grow up from fetus to mature adult and develop lustful feelings...Like an angry guest commented, "it's GROOMING." So, yeah, some J + R fics scare me. Hopefully my work can maneuver around this whole imprinting business in a reasonable way.

(Someone also asked about Carlie's love life. Got any ideas how she meets her love interests?)