Uhhh... Surprise? I live? Kinda. I know I told you all I was going through some irl stuff, I just didn't expect it to take so much out of me. I've spent the last month trying to do this chapter, between work and sleep. I actually scrapped a half a chapter because of how much I ended up hating it. I'm starting to get some flow again, though. I'm going to try my hardest to keep updating. I can't promise anything, because my life is so crazy right now, and I know that's disappointing for a lot of you. The only real thing I can promise to do is try. This story is an amazing outlet for me. I'm having some trouble keeping myself writing, and I've actually been rereading this story a few times and I'm contemplating rewriting it. Nothing major, but more like fixing some errors and adding some bits here and there that deserve more justice. I'll have to see. But, for now, chapter! Thank you all so much for sticking with me.

Chapter 19

"Dustfinger inspected his reddened fingers and felt the taut skin. 'He might tell me how my story ends,' he murmured.
Meggie looked at him in astonishment. 'You mean you don't know?'
Dustfinger smiled. Meggie still didn't particularly like his smile. It seemed to appear only to hide something else. 'What's so unusual about that, princess?' he asked quietly. 'Do you know how your story ends?'
Meggie had no answer for that."

- Inkheart, Cornelia Funke

I tapped my finger against my thigh, swallowing tightly as I watched the woman in front of me chatter away. The beat of her heart was distracting, drawing my gaze from her eyes to her neck, and I knew I either looked like a creep or like I was damn near constipated. The dryness in my throat was furious, prickling and stinging with each swallow.

Jasper's hand felt heavy in mine, our fingers threaded together and his thumb gently gliding across my knuckles.

"It's really a wonderful movie though, I couldn't not comment when I saw your shirt!" the girl gushed animatedly, gently pushing her glasses back up her nose and adjusting her apron.

Jasper gave my hand a squeeze, and I realized I wasn't breathing. Or, at least attempting to make it look like I was breathing. I quickly moved my chest in what felt like an exaggerated movement, making it look as though I were a normal, breathing, human person.

I blinked a little dumbly, eyelashes fluttering against my cheeks, but then my mouth stretched into a toothy grin, saving me from looking like a total space cadet. "It's one of my favorites. I'm a sucker for good merch, so I had to buy it when I saw it."

The barista nodded emphatically, hands practically on auto pilot as she prepared my cappuccino. "Oh, I don't blame you! I may not get much pay working here, but I'd drop whatever was in my account for good merch. My mom always says I'm too much of a spender, but I figure I've always got instant ramen to get me by when I'm running short. But, here I am, running my mouth, and you're probably ready for your coffee! Here you go, ma'am!"

I chuckled, reaching for the to go cup outstretched in her hand. I tried to ignore the visible shock in her eyes as she felt my chilled skin brush against her own, and I quickly drew the warm cup close to my chest. "Thank you. It was nice talking to someone about my nerdy stuff, he doesn't always understand," I whispered traitorously as I took a sideway glance at Jasper, who mock frowned in response.

The earth, deep smell of the coffee was a good distraction from the sweet smell of her blood, and I placed the cup to my mouth and mimicked taking a sip, but just let the liquid brush up against my lips as I deeply inhaled the rich scent.

She giggled, cheeks flushing as she glanced at Jasper. "No, my boyfriend doesn't always get it either."

"Well, we best be off. Enjoy the rest of your day," I told the girl, releasing Jasper's hand to fish into my pocket, producing a bit of money and tucking it into her brightly decorated tip jar.

I heard her thank us as we turned to leave, and Jasper's hand found my own once more. I saw a couple people glance at us as we exited the coffee shop, and felt a bit of discomfort settle into my stomach. I'd been used to people staring when I thought I was sick, but it had been because they were curious as to why I nearly looked like a walking corpse. Now, they looked like they were almost dazzled just looking at me.

They're looking at Jasper, I argued weakly. Anyone would get dazzled looking at him.

And he's mine.

Hush, you.

As Jasper and I walked down the sidewalk, I looked up at the cloudy sky. If even just the smallest ray of sun poked through, we could show the whole world what a set of walking disco balls looked like.

I could steadily feel the coffee losing its warmth in my cold grasp. My eyes glanced to the gentlemen Jasper and I had spied before we'd walked into the shop. His cardboard sign was nearly unreadable, due to how crumpled and dirty the surface had become. The poor man had obviously had a hard run of it, for he was staring emptily into his lap.

My dead heart clenched in my chest, and I felt a sad frown touching my lips.

Fishing in my pocket once more, I curled the last of my bills around the cup and I left Jasper's side. The man's dark eyes found mine, and he flinched as I knelt down to his level. "Oh, I'm sorry, sir. I don't mean any harm. It's a cold day outside, why don't you have this?"

He looked at me disbelievingly as I held the warm cup out to him. His eyes glanced at it, almost like he expected it to be empty, but his eyes saw the warm steam rising from the small mouth piece.

"Th-thank you, miss," he said softly, and his eyes nearly bugged out of his head as he felt the bills wrapped around the cup touch the palm of his head. He looked from the mug, to me, eyes clouding with tears. "A-are you angels?"

I grimaced but gave him a small smile as I drew myself back up to my height. My throat felt tight as I joined Jasper in walking back to the truck, and I couldn't tell if it was from emotion or because I was so damn thirsty.

"That was very kind of you," Jasper said quietly, so soft no human would hear. "You won't be able to help everyone, though."

"I know," I whispered, my voice wavering on the edge of tight and joking. "Carlisle and Esme would be so furious if they found out I was constantly withdrawing their money to give it to homeless people."

Jasper snorted out a laugh, bumping his shoulder against my own.

"You're doing amazing," he told me, and I brightened at the compliment.

My throat was on fire, but I couldn't deny his comment. Weeks ago, I would have never believed that I would find myself able to walk down the street again. That I would ever be able to talk to human face to face and actually enjoy the conversation. In my head, I'd believed any sort of interaction with them would've ended up in utter bloodshed.

I smiled as I spied Peter and Charlotte, the two leaning against the truck, giving the two and happy wave. Their eyes were no longer golden, but more of a blood-orange color. The two had switched their diet back a week ago, feeding off any human scum they could find in the city about an hour's drive away. Soon, they'd turned ruby red.

I couldn't say I hadn't thought about trying it, just toyed with the 'what if'. But I was too disgusted by the idea of killing any human, even the bad ones. While I didn't disagree that they deserved what they got, I didn't fancy the idea of being their executioner. It fit for them, but wasn't something I was willing to try myself, nor would it be the path I would force Jasper down. His power made feeding from humans too painful and haunting of an experience for him, and I wouldn't ever think of putting him back in that kind of environment.

So, while their eyes drew redder, mine turned amber.

Peter and Charlotte ran back while we drove, ready to get home and meet up with Tanya and Kate once more. The two had opted to stay at the cabin and hunt, so that I would feel less pressure on our venture into town. This hadn't been my first time, but each time was just as nerve wracking. But I was becoming much more confident in my restraint.

"Honey, I'm home!" I sang as I swung the front door open.

Kate chuckled, flipping a page over in her book. "Yes, yes. You do this almost every time you come home."

I pouted at her, throwing myself onto the couch as softly as I could. "It's just because I love you so much, Katie-cat."

Her golden eyes rolled at the nickname, but she shook her head with a small smile.

"Where's Tanya?" Jasper questioned as he hung his leather jacket up at the front door.

"Eleazar and Carmen called, and they wanted her to come back and speak with Irina. She's becoming a little unhinged about Laurent leaving," Kate explained, her voice concerned for her sister. "She does end up frustrating me a little, so we decided I would stay with you all a bit longer so that the situation doesn't get worse. Tanya can calm her much better than I can."

I hummed in thought, frowning. "I'm going to call Bella. She should be off of school about now."

Laurent, I learned, was part of coven that had attacked my cousin before the Cullens had left Forks. Jasper told me he had seemed interesting in becoming vegetarian, so they'd sent him up to Denali to attempt changing his diet. He'd disappeared, however, after Victoria had started showing herself around Forks and La Push.

To put it plainly, I was worried for Bella's safety, which was a little silly. The rest of the Cullens and a whole pack of wolves were near to help protect her, but my cousin was still a fragile human. Just one mistake, one moment for Victoria to slip in, and Bella could end up dead.

Just as I reached into my pocket for my phone, it started to ring. Bella's name flashed across the screen, and I felt a smile touch my lips.

"Bella!" I chirped, throwing myself onto my bed. "How are you?"

"Gwen! It is you, you're alive."

My brows furred in confusion. The deep voice that came through the receiver was not Bella's, nor was it any of the Cullen males. I'd heard all their voices over the phone before, and it definitely didn't match the unique tones of Edward, Emmett, or Carlisle. It was husky, but familiar. Something about it rung bells in my head, told me I should remember it.

What's the name?

I know this voice.

"Jacob?" I whispered softly, eyes widening in realization. I sat up straighter, not bothering to care about the rip I heard from the blanket beneath me as one of my nails cut through it. "Jacob is that you?"

My door creaked open, and Jasper stood in my doorway. We shared a look, and he leaned against the framed with his arms crossed over his chest. He stared at the wall as he listened closely to the phone, his face unreadable.

"Jacob, goddamn you, give me my phone-"

"How could you keep this from me?!" Jacob shouted back, his voice over powering the angry shout of Bella in the background. "Bella, I thought it was my fault. I thought she was going to die alone and it was going to be my fault. How could you not tell me?!"

My eyes flashed to Jasper as I heard the smallest growl emitting from the pit of his throat, his eyes dark. An unhappy look was spread across his face, and he was glaring at the phone.

I reached for him, and he instantly was at my side, settling against me so that I was tucked under his arm. The comfort soothed us both, and his growl slowly died in his throat as he pressed himself against my side.

I listened to the two argue back and forth, a frown on my lips. I was trying to recall the nagging in the back of my mind.

"Gwen, where the hell did you go? How did you get away from the vampires? Charlie's going to shit bricks when he finds out you're okay-"

"No!" Bella and I shouted in unison, and Jasper's arm tensed around my shoulder.

"Jacob, you cannot tell Charlie I'm alive," I ground out into the phone, feeling a pang in my chest. "As much as I love him, he absolutely cannot know. Hell, you shouldn't know."

"I'm sorry, Gwen, he saw your name in my texts and took my phone!" Bella's voice crackled in the background, sounding thoroughly upset.

"What the hell do you mean? Listen, Gwen, if this has anything to do with what I said," Jacob said softly, his voice dampening. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it, really. I meant none of it. But Sam and the council were on a power trip, they were nearly going to kill you. I meant for you to go home to Montana… but you got kidnapped. I thought you were dead, I thought the vampire's killed you…"

Peter scoffed in offense downstairs, obviously able to hear every word being said, but I ignored him.

My eyes softened, and I remembered.

I remembered many afternoons spent in Jacob's garage, with Bella, Quil, and Embry with us. So much laughter, and so many blurred memories. Jacob had been my friend, one of my best. I remembered when he yelled at me, that fateful night when Peter and Charlotte took me from Forks to save me from the wolves.

The wolves. Jacob was a shapeshifter.

"Look, Jacob," I began slowly. "I can't come home."

"Bullshit! Do you know how hard everyone took you being missing? Your adopted family even came down to visit Charlie. They looked awful, Gwen!" Jacob growled, and I heard a quiver of anger in his voice.

I flinched, and Jasper tensed against me, his hand gently rubbing my shoulder. My free hand busied itself in my hair, parting ringlets into two and untangling curls. Soon Jasper gently pulled it away and captured it between both of his large palms. He soothed his thumbs across my palm, and his pointer finger began tracing the wrinkles of my palm. It was distracting, but it was better than me snagging my own hair repeatedly.

"Gwen, he-… He knows. He knows about Edward. And the Cullens," Bella explained.

"Why are you telling her that?!" he yelped, and then went quiet.

"Gwen…" he began softly. "Don't tell me."

I closed my eyes.

"Don't tell me you're one of them."

Sierra Johnson

I am not stupid.

I may be young, but I am not stupid.

Gwen had been the model older sister for as long as I could remember. No matter what Eric and I needed, she had been there for us, even when she'd been the one needing support. She'd go out of her way to cheer us up, make us laugh, and even to slap some sense into us if it was needed. She was nearly more of a second mother than she was a sister.

It'd been hard, knowing she was destined to die young.

I couldn't even fathom a life without Gwen in it. My goofy, smart older sister who took every punch the world threw with a goddamn smile on her face. It was almost harder to think about losing her than it was to think about losing my own twin.

But I'd come to accept it. I didn't like it. Not one bit. But I wasn't going to snivel and cry when she needed me to be strong. If she didn't allow herself to cry about it, I sure as hell didn't have a right to. Gwen had promised she would be with me, with us, until the bitter end. She was adamant she'd be there for me until her last breath.

So, when Charlie had called, in the middle of the night, and told my mom that Gwen had left to go die some righteous lonely death on her own, I knew something was wrong.

Gwen promised. My sister didn't break her promises, not if she had something to do about it.

Through tears and sobs, my mom had held onto Eric and I and had tried to create an explanation. That maybe Gwen didn't want us to see her that way, see her weak. Soon, someone would call and have us identify and come for her, and she could be peacefully buried in Forks with her own birth mother.

But not a single bit of that made sense. Gwen didn't care if we saw how her body acted, hell, we'd all taken a part in helping her around the house.

Eric had seemed to accept it just as blindly as Charlie and my parents had. He'd closed himself off from everyone, even me, his own twin. I knew he'd taken up smoking and that his grades were comparable to something found in a toilet, something Gwen would've beat the utter shit out of him for. She'd wanted us to grab the world by the balls and reach our damn dreams, not close off and start habits.

I wanted to throttle him, but I knew there was no point in trying to change his mind. I'd tried once to point out the inconsistencies to him and I nearly thought he was going to about kill me with the fury he'd come at me with. We hadn't physically fought in years, not since we were children, and it had never been that bad. Our parents had to literally pry us off each other, in which he got away with a black eye and myself with a puffy split lip.

I was alone in a house of mourning people, but I didn't always myself to mourn. Because I knew that somewhere out there, my sister was hurt or hiding for some reason.

It was the dead of night when I started hauling my bags out of my room. I'd been subtly packing two bags and hiding them under my bed for the last couple of days.

Plucking nervously at the multitude of buttons and pins stuck in the face of my backpack, I eagerly waited for the text to let me know I was in the clear and could confidently leave the house.

After a few moments, my phone vibrated, and I made my move.

Quietly, I left my room, closing my door softly behind me. I glanced at Eric's door for a few moments, both backpack and duffle bag slung over my shoulder. After a moment, I shook my head and silently descended the stairs, making sure to skip the stair that always groaned whenever it was stepped on.

Gwen had been the one to show me the step and had taught me how to skip it so that we could sneak into the kitchen pantry for snacks at night.

Outside, a black Taurus lingered across the street from my house. I made quick work of shutting the door behind me as quietly as I could and then booking it across the silent street. The only thing I heard was the sound of crickets and my converse hitting the concrete.

I opened the back door, tossing my bags inside, and then dove into the passenger seat. "Okay, I'm ready."

My best friend, Marnie, sat in the driver's seat, looking tired and concerned. She brushed her bangs from her face, before resting her hand on the steering wheel. "Are you positive about this Sierra? If they put out a report they might find you before you even make it to Forks. Besides, you don't even know this guy who's supposed to take you the rest of the way."

"He's my friend, I've known him for a year and a half," I defended, my brows furrowing in frustration.

"You met him on the internet!" she whispered furiously. "You don't have a clue who he is! I don't feel comfortable leaving you with some stranger."

"Marnie, please," I whispered. "You don't understand. I have to get to Washington. The longer I wait, the longer it'll take for me to find out what happened."

Marnie's lips pursed, but she started driving. I mentally sighed, watching as my home faded from the distance, and soon we were on the interstate and under the cover of a sky full of stars.

"It's been months," Marnie whispered, and I groaned, slumping in my seat. "Listen to me, Sierra! What are you going to do when you get there? Her uncle and cousin obviously don't know what happened to her, and they tried looking for her. What makes you think you can find her?"

"They don't know her like I do," I whispered, drumming my fingers against my knees. "There's a lot they could've missed."

Marnie's dark eyes glanced at me doubtfully, and then back to the road.

"Look," I ground out, irritated. "Even if she is dead, I'm not going to wait. She didn't deserve this, Marnie. Dying is one thing, dying alone is another. Say I'm wrong, I don't care! I just want to know what happened to my sister! I'm not going to sit down and just take it like everyone else is."

Her eyes softened as tears started to fall from my eyes, and I furiously wiped at my face with the sleeve of my hoodie, one Gwen had given to me a long, long time ago. "I… I'm sorry, Sierra. I know that if it was my brother, and I was in your place, I'd be the same. I shouldn't be so hard on you. I just don't like going behind our parent's backs like this."

We fell into silence, and I plugged my phone into her car charger. I pulled up my discord app so that I could message my friend, the one who at the border of Montana and Washington.

'We are on our way now. My friend is a little upset with me.'

'Okay! I'll be ready. And don't worry about her, you're just worried about your sister. She should be more understanding.'

'I understand where she's coming from, though. She's just concerned.'

'Of course. I am, too.'

I smiled softly and glanced back up at the road. We had a long journey ahead of us.

"Sierra, wake up," Marnie whispered harshly.

My vision blurred, and I yawned loudly as I uncurled myself from the ball I'd formed in passenger seat. It was dark, but we were parked in a nearly empty Walmart parking lot, right at the back.

"This is it?" I asked sleepily, grabbing blindly for my phone.

"Yes," she answered tiredly, and I felt a little guilty as I noticed the bags beneath her eyes.

I squinted as I unlocked my phone and was nearly blinded by the screen, quickly lowering the brightness and tapping on the chat with my friend that was supposed to meet us here.

'We're here. Black Taurus, like I said.'

It took a moment, then there was a reply.

'I'm in the blue van, just a few rows ahead.'

Glancing out the window, squinting into the harsh darkness ahead, and quickly spotted the vehicle. "Okay, that's him. I guess this is it… Thank you so much Marnie, I am sorry for dragging you into this. But I'll never be able to thank you enough for helping me."

Marnie didn't say anything, her lips frowning as she glanced at the van. "Sierra… are you sure about this?"

"Of course," I said confidently.

She locked eyes with me, and I was surprised to see the intensity in her look. "I… Look, I don't like this. This feels wrong. You should come back home with me. I know you wanted to get to Forks, but I really, really don't like this."

"I'll call you if anything happens, I promise," I swore, grabbing her hand tightly in mine. "Look, I'm not a total airhead. I brought pepper spray, I have it in my bad and I'll make sure to put it in my pocket before I get in. I trust him Marnie. I know, stranger danger and all that, but I don't think he's going to hurt me. He sincerely wants to help me. Hell, you've been with me when I've talked to him."

She bit her lip, before sighing. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I know, I've heard him and talked to him too. My mom just has it drilled into my head that every person you meet on the internet is some creepo out to steal you."

I chuckled. Marnie's mom was always an intense woman. "Momma Wheeler is a smart lady, but we know him. I know him. He'll get me to Forks, like he promised."

Marnie threw her arms around me, and I was quick to hug her back just as tightly.

When I got out of the car and had my pepper spray in the pocket of my hoodie and my bags across my shoulders, I felt a lot less confident. Obviously, this was better than hitchhiking. I'd talked to Ethan for the last year and half, and he'd been a huge comfort for me with loosing Gwen. He'd talked to me while I cried, and was always supportive.

But standing on the damp concrete, with the cold night air nipping at my fingers and nose, I felt much less confident.

I couldn't show it, though, or Marnie would try to take me back. Or, even worse, call my parents and tell them what she'd helped me do.

Walking across the lot, I could see his outline as I approached the van. He turned on the light as I got within sight, and I breathed a sigh of relief seeing the same, young face I'd seen in all the selfies he'd shared with me. Cropped brown hair, bright baby blues, and a lovely smile.

Gwen did always say to go for the guys with good smiles, I thought wryly, a shy smile crossing my face and I opened the passenger seat.

"Hey," he greeted, his smile meeting his voice. "Ready?"

I glanced over my shoulder at Marnie's car, then gave her a wave in farewell and let Ethan pull my bags into his car and put them in the back seat.

"As ready as I'll ever be," I stated, clicking my seat belt tight and closing the door behind me.

He started the vehicle, soft jazz playing from the radio as the van came to life. I watched Marnie's car in the rear view mirror, and she didn't start driving until she saw us pulling out of the parking lot.

"It's nice to finally meet the world's best team healer," Ethan joked, giving me a sideways grin.

The air got less tense as he joked, reassuring me more and more that he was the person I knew him to be.

We fell into avid conversation as he drove, talking about our favorite games and everything else under the sun we'd discussed before. It was a nice distraction from my mission, and Ethen made me feel a lot more comfortable as time went on.

Gwen Swan

We all sat together in the living room, a deck of cards scattered across the table top as we laughed and joked around together. It was moments like these that made me forget I was a vampire. That any of us were actually different. We were just people, friends, having a good time together without worry.

"Man, you may be good at video games but you sure as hell ain't got luck with the cards, little one," Peter chuckled, playing his hand.

I glared at him.

"He's not wrong," Jasper muttered softly from my right.

I swung around to face him. "Hey! No need to be rude! I don't tell you guys that you suck when I kick your asses at video games."

Jasper leveled me with a look, and I could feel the waves of amusement coming off of him. "Yes, you do."

I faltered, scowling, and Charlotte and Kate laughed at the look on my face. "I'm going to tell the others you're all bullying me. I feel personally attacked."

Jasper chuckled, his hand reaching out to tuck my hair behind my ear. "Don't be a sore loser, angel."

I attempted to frown at him, but the gentleness to his touch had melted my insides to mush. My chest felt warm from his affection, and I too eagerly leaned into his touch.

The sun was coming up, peaking through the curtains of the backdoor. The beam of light that peaked in was causing several of us to glitter wherever it hit us, and I had to hold in the laughter that threatened to bubble out of my throat. Nothing like a room full of blood sucking disco balls to really make it a party.

We continued having a good time, with several instances of me swearing that poker was a rigged game and shouldn't be played, until Jasper's phone began to ring.

"I needed a break, anyway," Kate said, standing as Jasper fished into his pocket for his cellphone. "I'll be back in a bit, I want to get some hunting in today."

She was nothing but a blur as she disappeared out the backdoor, and I watched with amusement as Peter slowly reached a hand out to the cards she'd laid face down on the table once she was out of ear-shot.

"Peter," Charlotte chastised, slapping the back of his hand.

"Hey!" he pouted, "I think we all deserve a little advantage. She's kicking all of our asses, even the major, and he can literally feel us bluffing!"

Jasper scowled at him as he finally answered his phone call. "Alice? Everything okay?"

"Hi everyone!" The pixie chirped, obviously knowing that Jasper wasn't alone in the room. Something about her tone was off, though. While still cheery and bright, it sounded like there was a note of irritation in her voice.

"What does the great magic eight ball have to say today?" Peter asked

"I wish it was better news, honestly."

We all straightened a little, and I was suddenly anxious. I hoped nothing had happened to Bella, who I'd been worrying over ever since I finally got clued in on Victoria still hanging around, even after she'd been chased off from our car crash encounter. Alice had been regularly checking on Victoria's future, trying to see where she was or get some sort of idea as to what she was planning.

"I'm not going to beat around the bush, guys… I finally got some clear sights of Victoria, and it looks like she's made a newborn army."

The growls that left the other three vampires in the room made me jump, the hairs on the back of my neck raising. I felt a little sick to my stomach. A newborn army? Just like what Maria had done with Jasper, Peter, and Charlotte? Jesus.

"When is she coming, Alice?" Jasper asked, and his body had gone completely rigid at my side.

I frowned softly, and took his spare hand into my own. His grip on me bordered on painful, but it slowly softened as I soothed my fingers across his palm and knuckles. I could feel the thanks he pulsed my way, and continued my ministrations to keep him a little calmer.

"She'll be here at the end of the week. I know Gwen's still a little weary about coming home, but we really need your guys' help. I've looked and I don't see anything bad happening with you all returning early. Kate will come, too. It'll be helpful. But, look, the wolves in La Push have agreed to help protect Bella. But they don't know real fights like this, Jas."

Alice's voice was tight as she fed us what she knew, but my mind was reeling. Was I ready to come back? Even though the Cullen's home was a ways out of town, it was still so close. And I would be right up and personal with Bella, who I'd been warned before smelled extremely good. What if I attacked my cousin? One of my best friends?

And the wolves? After my phone call with Jacob, I couldn't really fathom seeing him again. He'd sounded so awful when he'd asked me if I was a vampire, like it was an insult. He'd hung up on me just after, my silence confirming his worst suspicions. Bella had called me a half hour later, spewing apologies.

Then, there would be a battle. Jasper had been taking great care in teaching me how to fight from my first few waking moments as a vampire. The last week, everyone had been helping take part in helping me hone not only my fighting skills, but also my power. Kate had proven to be an immense help in that. She'd taught me how to use my power much quicker and more fluidly, turning her power on and off like a light switch until it was practically second nature.

And then second chord, the one I'd felt pulling in my stomach. The second part of my power that had lingered in the recesses of my mind. She'd help me not only activate it, but work on strengthen it.

It'd be a useful tool in a fight, but who knew how I would actually react on the battle field. I'd not actually fought anyone. Even while training with the group, I knew they wouldn't really hurt me. This would be different. These other vampires would be trying to kill me, and my friends. Trying to kill my mate.

"We'll come home," Jasper agreed, his eyes glancing at me and holding onto my gaze.

The trust and reassurance in his eyes made me feel almost guilty that I felt so nervous about returning. He believed in me a hell of a lot more than I believed in myself.

He pushed out some feelings of comfort, along with a gentle squeeze of one of my hands in his.

"Those reservation kids will need proper teachin'," Peter muttered, seemingly half talking to us and halfway to himself. "I doubt they've encountered that many vampires, much less a whole group of newborns."

Charlotte nodded, but looked uncomfortable. "How do we know that they won't attack us? They know Peter and I are human drinkers."

"We swore that you wouldn't feed anywhere near Forks or La Push. I'm sorry, you guys will have to go all the way into Seattle to feed. It was the only way to get them to agree to have you two around."

Peter had tucked Charlotte under his arm, looking pretty grumpy about working alongside the wolves, but accepted Alice's instructions quietly.

"Give us a few hours to pack. We'll make it back in time to start some sort of training," Jasper muttered, removing his hand from mine to comb it through his hair. "Have you seen where the battle is going to happen, Alice?"

"Yes. Emmett and Rosalie scoped it out and found the clearing. We know where they'll emerge from, but that's where most of my information stops. I can't see much with the wolves involved, and Victoria isn't making many choices for me to properly look for. It's like she's found a loophole in my power," Alice snapped, her voice more irritated. It was more than obvious that she wasn't very used to going into things blind, so the wolves causing dark spots was probably very frustrating.

I didn't like this, not one bit. None of it sounded right. We'd been standing on the precipice of this, we knew Victoria wouldn't just stay hidden forever, but she'd picked just the right time for herself. She probably had no idea the Cullens had changed me and that they'd have a few more vampires on their side, and that gave us an advantage, but I was also still a newborn.

I've trained for this. I haven't pretended to drink nasty coffee multiple times just to fail.

"You guys should arrive in good time. But… there is one more thing. I'm sorry, it's a terrible time to bring it up but I know Gwen will hear it one way or another," Alice trailed off, her voice sounding unsure.

"Gwen, I'm sorry, but I had a vision. In two days, your sister is going to show up at Charlie's. She ran away from home and she'll make it here in the early morning."

Of course, she would. Sierra was more stubborn than a bull. I could remember her beautiful drawings, and all the laughter and tears we'd shared together. While I loved my siblings equally, Sierra had been the most dependent on me and in turn had shared a much deeper connection with me than Eric. But I couldn't see her. It wouldn't be possible.

"Okay," I breathed, feeling my dead heart clench in my chest. My baby sister would be just within my reach, and I wouldn't be able to see her. Better yet, I could end up being a danger to her.

"It's not just that… Gwen, when she arrives, she is going to show up with a vampire."

Alright! We're progressing with the story. I know you all would love more Gwen/Jasper fluff and I fully intend to get to that. But, we had to transition some more of the plot! I hope you all enjoyed it, and I thank you all again for sticking around this long. Hopefully, I'll have another chapter up for you all sometime soon.