Prologue
Grace Cullen
1950

"Sister, Edward, have either of you seen Esme recently?" Carlisle asked us as Edward and I sat at the piano bench plucking through his newest composition.

"She went hunting with Rosalie and Emmett. They just left an hour or two before you got home." I told him. "You're early getting off of your shift." I noted he was several hours early getting home than he usually is.

"Yes, I had a long surgery this morning and the chief decided to let me come home early." He explained. "What are you two up to?" He asked, noticing Edwards compositions spread all over the piano top.

"I wrote a new piece, but it still needs a lot of work. Mom is helping me sort out the scrambling of notes in my head." Edward explained.

"Well, dont let me stop you then." He chuckled, messing up Edwards hair. "Carry on."

"You know, it's really remarkable how alike you two are at times." Edward noted as Carlisle shut his office door behind him upstairs.

"I would hope so." I laughed at him. "We are twins after all."

Carlisle and I were changed after successfully hunting down a coven of vampires. Our father's mission as a preacher was to find and expel evil, and so he forced his two children into his work as well. Carlisle was put into schooling to succeed our fathers role as the preacher of our congregation while I was forced into work as a nun as a teenager. When our father called upon us to join the hunt for vampires, we had no choice but to answer.

Our father was largely unsuccessful when it came to finding definitive proof of vampires in our village, but he made the mistake of underestimating his children. Carlisle and I were quite intelligent humans, and were able to find a coven of vampires living in the sewers of our small village. After leading a hunt into the dwellings of the coven, Carlisle and I were both bitten. 

Except, we were separated in the chaos, and had no idea the other had been turned until many years later.

I had discovered early on into my new existence that I was gifted. I'm able to create very convincing illusions. Most of the time I use it on myself to appear as a different person. During my brother and I's separation, I used my gift to appear human as to not cause any suspicion.

When we were finally reunited, I was in Chicago at the time, working as two different nurses. One by day and one by night. A woman I had come to really admire was quickly approaching the end of her time when she begged me to save her sons life anyway I knew how. She knew something was different about me as she suspected I was the same nurse she saw during the day. I had been lonely for so long, and her teenaged son had such a pull on my heart, that I found myself listening to her plea. When Elizabeth Masen passed, I took her son Edward down to the morgue as well before sneaking him out of the hospital. I took him to my home and changed him before going downstairs...where Carlisle was waiting in my living room.

I was so thrilled to see him that I couldn't help but wrap my arms around him tightly. He was just as excited to see me as he refused to let go of me for several long moments. He had seen me leave the hospital with Edward and had come to investigate. I had dropped the illusion when I returned home and so he was quite surprised to see his twin sister coming down the stairs. Obviously, after being apart for so long, we weren't going to be separated ever again. So, he decided to stay and help me with Edward. We settled into a nice routine and before we knew it our coven began to grow.

Carlisle found a wife in Esme not long after Edward adjusted to our diet. Then came Rosalie, who Carlisle found bleeding to death after being attacked late one night. Next was Emmett, who Rosalie found while hunting deep in the woods of Tennessee. She felt their mate bond and traveled many miles to reach me at the house. She pleaded with me to save him, I couldn't deny my niece her chance at love, and so I changed him. Carlisle was quite surprised when he arrived home from the hospital that evening.

Edward and Emmett became fast brothers, even if it didn't technically matter who they were changed by. Carlisle and I decided to operate under one coven, sharing the responsibilities of leader, just as we had always done.

Carlisle changed Esme and Rosalie while I changed Edward and Emmett, and so we're even in everyone's eyes. Our lives are uncomplicated and completely peaceful.

A knock on the door brought me out of my daydreaming and Edwards mind off of his sheet music.

"I'll get it." He held his hand out for me to stay seated, suddenly on edge as he went to the door and opened it.

He snarled and leapt at one of the vampires standing on the front porch, and I rushed out to see what was going on.

"Grace!" A petite vampire with short dark curls and wide orange eyes cried in relief. "Please, you have to make them stop. They'll kill each other." She begged me.

Edward was fighting a long blond headed vampire covered in scars from previous fights. My heart sunk down into my stomach as I panicked over Edwards safety, until I remembered he was the aggressor in this.

"Edward Anthony Cullen!" I barked at him and the two boys paused their fighting, hands still on each other's throats. "You let go of him this instant. These two are our guest, we promote peace not hostility in this family, and so they will be treated with the utmost respect. Do you understand me?" I snapped at him.

"Yes ma'am." He nodded, slacking out of his defensive stance as the two vampires mutually let go of each other.

"Get in the house." I ordered him and he marched pass me, looking like a sulking child. "Or better yet go and get everyone else. Tell them we have guest." I stressed to him.

"Thank you, ma'am." The blond headed vampire nodded at me, sounding very southern. "I didn't want to fight."

"Edward was just trying to defend you." The girl told me. "He was afraid Jasper was here to hurt you all."

"I'm sure he was." I shook my head, feeling a little bad for punishing Edward so harshly. "Why don't you two come inside and we'll get to know each other, hmm?" I ushered them in.

"Edward told me we had guest." Carlisle smiled as we all entered the living room. "Welcome, I'm-"

"Carlisle!" The girl smiled excitedly, wrapping him in a tight hug. "It's so good to finally meet you."

"Alice." Jasper warned her and she dropped back to her feet.

"Sorry, I get over-excited sometimes." She apologized, a wide smile still on her face. "Hello Esme, Emmett, and Rosalie." She greeted the others. "And don't worry Edward, we're not here to cause trouble. Nothing is going to happen to your family." She promised him.

"Alice, may I ask just how you know so much about our family?" I questioned her, a little unnerved by her knowledge.

"Oh, I see the future." She chirped happily and Carlisle and I gave each other a surprised look.

Alice and Jasper requested to join our family after Alice explained she had been seeing us in visions for years. And so our coven of six quickly became eight.

That night, after getting Alice and Jasper settled into a room, I joined Carlisle in his study.

"Can you believe it? A seer and an empath." He chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief.

"And two new kids just like that." I laughed with him, sitting on the couch across from his desk. "Do you ever stop and question what we're doing here, brother?" I asked, suddenly feeling the weight of responsibly on my shoulders.

"Sometimes." He agreed surprisingly. "It seems absurd, two twins carving an existence of peace in a dangerous world by looking after others of their kind. But then I remember that I have you and Esme on my side." He smiled at me. "And I feel less alone and less insane with my sister following my same path. Or, I look at you, a woman denied the right to have the child she wanted as a human now has the opportunity to mother lost souls for the rest of our existences. I find some comfort in knowing that we've been rewarded, in small but significant ways, for the pain we've endured."

"Ever so wise." I giggled. "I suppose you're right." I smiled, thinking back through some of my favorite memories of my family. "I wouldn't trade them all for the world."

"Carlisle, are you coming to bed?" Esme purred, opening the door. "Oh! Grace, I'm so sorry I-" She stuttered in embarrassent as I laughed.

"Esme, calm down, I'm more than used to it at this point." I snickered. "We'll only be a few moments longer and then I'll make sure he puts his books down." I winked and she shook her head as she left the room.

"You embarrassed her." Carlisle frowned, trying not to laugh with me.

"Everything embarrasses her." I retorted, smiling fondly over my sister-in-law.  "I'm glad you found her, you know, she makes you so happy."

"Thank you, Grace." He smiled sweetly at me. "You'll find your mate, I know it." He promised me.

"I think I must've missed him altogether, Carlisle." I sighed. "Do you think that can happen?"

"I think that Fate finds a way of making things happen when they need to. Look at us for example. If we hadn't have been separated, would you have changed Edward?" He asked me.

"No, not if I wasn't so lonely. I suppose not." I shook my head. "I don't want to picture a world without Edward in it."

"Exactly." He nodded. "Fate waited and found a way to bring your son into your life. So I'm sure it will wait around for your mate as well." He smiled.

"Thank you, brother." I smiled back, feeling better (as always) after talking with him.

"Of course." He nodded, standing from his desk and walking me to the door. "Now, get out of here and go find Edward." He chuckled.

"You're just anxious to get laid." I rolled my eyes playfully, drifting down the stairs to the living room.

"Hell yeah, Mom!" Emmett cheered as I walked in. "Lay it on him."

"I'm about to lay it on you if you don't get out of this house and go hunting with your brother." I warned him. "You haven't been in a week and your eyes are getting dangerously black, young man." I ushered him out of the house.

"Love you too, Mom!" He laughed loudly, rushing to catch up with Edward.

Yes, I think Carlisle was right, Fate does have a way of waiting for the right time. I thought to myself as I listened to my boys playful banter from the back porch.