40. Inviting Emily

BPOV

I checked in with Alice and discovered she had another home video to share. She also let me know Charlie had asked for me to spend the night with them. Yippee! I passed the news on to the others and they decided they wanted to join us, since it wasn't late yet. Quil called Jared and Leah called Kim. Both of them wanted to come over also. So I picked them up from their houses. On the way back to the Cullens' house, Quil let the others know Carlisle's decision about performing plastic surgery on Emily. They were all ecstatic.

The atmosphere at the Cullen house was boisterous, to say the least. It felt like a cross between a wild teenager party and a family Thanksgiving. Edward opened my door as soon as I came to a stop, lifting me out and carrying me inside. I gave him a passionate kiss, only to be stopped by a multitude of catcalls and wolf whistles. I flushed red as expected. I really hated that annoying habit.

Emmett arrived a few minutes later with ten large pizzas. I couldn't believe they had ordered so many, but I was surprised to learn just how much werewolves and almost werewolves ate. Amazingly enough, there weren't any leftovers. We all sat around laughing and joking, though only half of us were eating. I absolutely adored the easy atmosphere. Leah was messing around and flirting with both Jacob and Embry. She seemed to have them both wrapped around her little finger. Jared was sitting comfortably with Kim, his arm on the couch behind her. I wouldn't be surprised if his hand drifted down to her shoulder before the end of the night.

Esme made giant bowls of popcorn for me and the Quileutes. Emmett made numerous derogatory remarks about the smell of it, until the wolves held him down and shoved a handful into his mouth. He started gagging and spit it out on the carpet, which made Esme angry. Then he had to clean the carpet, and the smell of the carpet cleaner was even worse.

"Congratulations, Emmett. You managed to fill the air with something worse than the combined odors of wet dog and buttery popcorn," Rosalie complained, grimacing in disgust.

"Maybe we should spray some Lysol," Kim suggested. The vampires and wolves immediately started shaking their heads and begging against it. Poor Kim was confused. "It smells good to me."

"Headache," Jacob groaned. The others nodded in agreement.

"The combination of scents in here is bad enough already without adding to it," Embry added. Kim shrugged.

Alice finally put on the video for us to see. I couldn't help laughing most of the way through, and I was in good company. Poor Jasper was so overcome with the combined hilarity of the whole crowd that he was curled up in the fetal position, with his eyes closed, rolling around on the floor, laughing maniacally. Emmett and Jacob started rolling him back and forth between them, like they were two toddlers playing ball. Those of us who could produce tears had them streaming down our faces, as we laughed so hard we cried.

After the video, the others wanted to hear about our conversations on the rez.

"I made my peace with Sam," Leah informed them. "This was the first time I was actually able to sit and listen to him, knowing what really happened. Knowing that both he and Emily actively tried to fight it to keep from hurting me helps me to forgive. After all, neither of them chose it. It was just meant to be. Knowing that somewhere out there is someone who is meant for me helps me to let go. Knowing I have friends and a whole new family and pack to belong to helps me to learn to live again. I have hope now, and I don't feel so lost and alone anymore. I belong, even if it is to a family full of freaks and misfits. Really, Carlisle and Esme, who did you cross to deserve all of us?"

We all started laughing. Carlisle smirked. "I'm not sure, but it must have been somebody fairly high up in the chain of command. Vampires and werewolves and humans, oh my!"

"I thought that was supposed to be lions and tigers and bears, oh my!" Jared protested.

"Stop! You're making me thirsty!" Emmett cried, making a big show of smacking his lips. "Lions…and tigers…and bears…yum yum."

Jacob threw a pillow at him, but Emmett caught it and returned it faster than we humans could even see. It looked really strange, like Jacob started to throw the pillow, but hit himself in the face with it instead.

"Learn to keep up, Wolfman!" Emmett taunted cheerfully.

"Oh, I will, Dracula," Jacob threatened back playfully.

I let Quil explain about the conversation we had in the deserted town square to confuse Paul. Jasper was alarmed at first at the content of our exchange, but I assured him there were no other humans around to hear our conversation. Quil carefully explained how he had chosen to respond the way he would have before he met the Cullens. He knew how Paul would likely have spoken in the conversation, and he deliberately tried to answer accordingly. He didn't want to call attention to himself or all of us before the time was right. I had understood what he was doing at the time, so it hadn't bothered me.

After discussing our options of what to do next, we all agreed we would like to help Emily. Leah decided tomorrow was as good a day as any to reestablish a relationship with Emily. Carlisle agreed to perform the reconstructive surgery the following evening, if Emily was amenable.

"Friday night is the slumber party!" Alice sang. She looked around at Leah, Kim, and me. "Remember your promises!" We all nodded and agreed to submit ourselves to her mercy, as per our agreement. Actually, I was really looking forward to it, and I could tell the others were too.

Thursday afternoon

EmilyPOV

I can't believe Leah has finally forgiven Sam and me for our betrayal. Neither of us had wanted to hurt her, but there is a whole other world out there of which she is blissfully unaware. Sam had imprinted on me, and that was all she wrote. End of story. Now he and I had an important mission in life—protecting our beloved tribe from attack from the Cold Ones. So far, only Paul had joined Sam's pack, but they were watching several others. It wouldn't be long before our pack had new members, and my home would be filled with laughter and camaraderie. I would be able to guide new imprints. I had made sacrifices for this life, and so had Sam, but our overall purpose was greater than any individual's sacrifice.

I tried not to mind the scars on my face that marred my natural beauty. I tried not to mind people's curious stares. I tried not to see the sorrow and guilt on Sam's face every time he looked at mine. I tried, but I couldn't succeed completely.

Leah had asked me to stay with her until Monday morning, and I had agreed, though I would miss Sam something fierce. I hated the wedge between me and my cousin, my best friend. I would do whatever I could to ease the tension between us and regain her love and support. I needed her. I was so lonely, though I tried hard not to let Sam know. There were no other females in my position. No women, other than Leah's mother, knew what had really happened to me. Sue was the one who had taken care of me after Sam's accidental phasing. I couldn't wait until there were new imprints who could share my fears and frustrations. In the meantime, having Leah to talk to, even though I couldn't tell her the truth, would help a lot.

Ah, there's Leah now. She looks so different. She's taller, more mature looking than the last time I saw her. She's more confident too, but her eyes hold an air of mystery, an allure, and her hair is so short now, though the style looks good on her.

I opened the door and welcomed her into my home, the home I share with Sam. She smiled tentatively and I responded with a warm smile of my own. I wanted to embrace her, but could tell by her body language she wasn't ready for that yet.

"Thank you so much for coming, Leah. I know it can't have been easy for you."

She smiled as she took a seat on the sofa. I sat at the other end of it. We both turned to face each other.

"It's okay, Emily. I forgive you. I wish you two had told me the truth from the start, but perhaps it was better this way. I can see now that he is your soul mate, not mine, and I'm willing to wait however long it takes until I find the one who completes me."

Wow. I didn't expect that. She has come a long way and sounds so mature. What happened to her that helped her gain this insight? I had to ask. She grinned at my question.

"A very wise friend of mine helped me work through my feelings of betrayal, showed me how things could always be worse, and helped me understand that both you and Sam had no real choice in the matter and never intended to hurt me. She pointed out how lucky I was it happened before Sam and I got married and had children, and helped me believe there is someone who is made just for me waiting to shower me with all the love and affection you and Sam share. Another wonderful friend helped me overcome my feelings of self-loathing, shame, and doubt. She showed me how beautiful I am, helped me determine a new look for myself, and filled me with the confidence I had been sorely lacking. Yet another friend helped me learn to love and trust again, showing me not to believe what other people tell me, but to judge people and situations based on their own merit, instead of preconceived notions. She helped me to overcome blind prejudice and learn to trust my heart and my own observations. She unknowingly taught me about unconditional love, simply by example."

"Wow, Leah, you have some really awesome friends!" I exclaimed enviously. "I'd love to meet them."

"I'd love for you to meet them. Today, in fact, if you're willing," she offered eagerly. I can't believe she's offering to share them with me. A tear ran silently down my cheek.

"Emily," she began hesitantly. "I know someone who could help with your scars, a very talented surgeon who could minimize the damage so it's not so noticeable. He has volunteered his services, so money wouldn't be a problem. Would you be interested in having him do some plastic surgery on your face, or would you prefer to leave things as they are? I don't know whether or not you think the end result would be worth the additional pain."

I froze like a statue in shock. Was she really offering me free plastic surgery? A way to recover some of my former beauty? To significantly reduce the curious stares? To take away some of Sam's guilt and pain? And she was worried I wouldn't accept a little pain? She started to fidget, which broke me out of my trance.

"Oh, Leah! Really? Please tell me you aren't kidding. I would do anything to make these scars go away. I don't care about the pain."

"The scars won't go away completely, you know. But the lines will be much thinner," she warned me, eyeing me cautiously.

"I know, I know," I assured her. "Oh, Leah. I can't believe you set this up for me. Thank you, thank you, thank you! You are the best friend and cousin a girl could ever have." Tears were freely running down my cheeks now.

Leah pulled out a cell phone, making a quick call. "It's a go… Got it."

I wondered when she had gotten a cell. I noticed all her clothes were new too, and obviously high quality. Had she come into some money somehow? She stood up and began pacing, full of some kind of nervous energy. "Okay, do you have a bag packed?"

"Not yet," I admitted with a blush. I hadn't really believed she had forgiven me. I had secretly been expecting her to come today and cuss me out.

"Well, get cracking. Our ride will be here in ten minutes," she ordered. When did she get so forceful? Her words motivated me, and I jumped up, rushing to my room. I had all my necessary belongings ready and by the front door when an expensive looking SUV pulled up in front of the house. Leah led the way and loaded my stuff in the back, while I settled on the seat.

"Hello, Emily. I'm Bella Swan. It's so good to finally meet you," the driver introduced herself warmly, offering me her hand. I smiled and shook it.

"Hello, Bella. I'm happy to meet one of Leah's new friends."

"I hope you enjoy meeting the rest of them," she countered enigmatically. Leah slid into the passenger seat just then, before I could ask her to tell me more about them. She and Leah exchanged a speaking glance. How odd. I had a distinct impression questions had been asked and answered, on both sides, even though neither had spoken a word.

I was surprised when we stopped in front of Kim's house, and she climbed in beside me.

"Hello, Emily! I'm so glad you could join us!" she squealed excitedly. Weird. I always thought she was so shy. I smiled back hesitantly, feeling like I was missing out on something the other three knew.

"Hi, Kim. I didn't know you'd be joining us, though I'm happy to see you of course," I replied, not wanting to sound rude. I was strangely nervous.

"Oh, yes, we'll all be there," she answered cryptically. I couldn't take the strange tension anymore.

"Who's we? What's going on, Leah?" I demanded anxiously. She turned and smiled at me.

"I'm going to introduce you to my new family. We're really all unrelated, except for me and Seth. Oh, Quil and Jacob are actually cousins too. But the rest are not blood relations." Kim snorted and Bella stifled a quick chuckle. Leah smiled at them. "Some of them are married to each other. But basically, we are a group of friends ranging in age from fourteen to twenty-six. The two oldest act as parents to the rest of us. They're just naturally gifted that way. We are a large group of people who choose to be a family, despite our differences. They are all willing to welcome you too, if you're willing to accept."

Kim and Bella nodded, watching me.

It sounds just like what I want for the pack. Sam described for me from the legends how close the pack gets, how it is one big, happy family, though not without the occasional fights and disagreements. I couldn't wait to meet this family.

"I'd like to meet them," I answered honestly. They all relaxed a bit.

We pulled up in front of a gorgeous three story house. I couldn't help gawking. I guess we had found the ones with all the money. The door opened and people started pouring out. A pale bronze-haired boy opened Bella's door, Jacob opened Leah's, Jared opened Kim's, and Embry opened mine. We got out, and I gawked at the crowd of people all lined up in front of the house. I turned back to look at my companions. I did a double take when I realized the very pale boy had his arm around Bella, Jared and Kim were holding hands, and Leah stood in between Jacob and Embry.

"Some of us you already know." She beckoned Quil and Seth over. They stopped rough housing with two tall pale boys and walked over to shake my hand, smiling at me.

Leah pointed to the pale boy next to Bella. "Edward, Emily. Emily, Edward." He nodded graciously to me from where he stood. "He and Bella are soul mates, like you and Sam." I nodded, seeing them sharing the same kinds of looks Sam and I did. "Okay, left to right. The blond, gorgeous father figure," she laughed, "is Carlisle. He's the head of the family, and his word goes. Don't worry if you have a hard time thinking of him as a father at first. That's perfectly natural. Give it a few days, and you'll start to feel it. Besides, he's utterly and completely devoted to his wife and soul mate, Esme. She the one standing right next to him, who instantly makes you think of princesses, tea parties, and milk and cookies. She's mom to all of us." Now that I could totally see. I had the strangest urge to just bury my face into her shoulder and tell her all my worries, frustrations, and fears, while she would rub my back, stroke my hair, kiss the top of my head repeatedly and keep murmuring that everything would be okay. My fantasy was so strong in my head that I actually took two steps toward her before I caught myself. I blushed and heard somebody chuckle. By the time I had raised my eyes to find out who, they were all impassive again. Leah continued her introductions.

"The tall blonde guy is Jasper. He's the strong, silent type, except when he is trash talking with his brothers over some silly game or competition." He grinned widely, but didn't say anything. "The short, black haired girl is his soul mate, Alice. You'll get used to her, but I'll warn you now she's a force to be reckoned with. The family motto is 'Never bet against Alice'. She's always right."

Alice was bouncing up and down in place, quivering with excitement. "Oh, Emily, you're going to be so happy!" Well, I certainly had no desire to bet against that.

Leah grinned and continued her spiel. "The huge muscle man is Emmett. He looks scary, but he's only dangerous to people who try to hurt his family. Otherwise, he's really just a five year old trapped in a man's body."

"Hey, you are going down, Little Bitch," Emmett growled. I stepped backward in surprise. I thought only Sam and Paul could growl like that.

"Who are you calling little?" Leah demanded indignantly, hands on her hips. Huh? She objects to little but not bitch?

"I am. Come and get me, pup," Emmett sneered.

"I am so going to kick your ass on Dance Dance Revolution later," Leah threatened.

"Bring it, babe," he challenged with a smirk. Both of them laughed, while the beautiful blonde girl beside him just rolled her eyes.

"Saving the best for last, this is Rosalie," Leah announced, smirking at Rose. Rose smiled warmly back. "Rosalie and Emmett are soul mates. Rose has a full time job trying to keep Emmett in line. Alas, it's too big a job for one person, but she does her best."

The whole family started laughing at that, while Emmett crossed his arms across his chest, looking smug. There was so much love here. I could feel it and see it. The groups converged together again, mingling comfortably with one another.

"I'm very pleased to meet you all. I can see how much you all love each other." My statement was met with cheering and whistling, mostly from the other Quileutes. The group dispersed, and Carlisle and Esme made their way over to me. Leah, Bella, and Edward stayed by my side. Once Esme was close, the urge to hug her was almost overwhelming. I intuitively felt she would understand if I poured out my heart to her. She seemed to read something in my eyes, because she opened her arms to me with a look of maternal love written all over her face. I fell into her arms and started sobbing. I was embarrassed, but not enough to pull away, because she was indeed comforting me just like I had wanted. I was surprised by how cold and hard her body was, but I wasn't uncomfortable. One of her cold hands gently rubbed circles on my back, pressing me closer in a hug. Her other hand caressed my head, face, and hair. She murmured soothingly to me while I sobbed helplessly. I sensed the others move away to give us this moment alone.

After I finally cried myself out, I pulled back. I saw how wet her shirt was and felt guilty. "I-I'm sorry about your shirt and about losing it like that."

She smiled so lovingly at me, lifting my chin to look into my eyes. "My shirt's not important, but you are. You've been through a lot of difficult changes and have had to bear the burdens of so many secrets. You've been bottling it all up inside, trying to present a brave front to the world. I am deeply honored that you would allow me to comfort you in your time of need." I gazed into her honey colored eyes and read the sincerity there. How did she know? All of a sudden my brain started working , cold, hard, yellow eyes. I gasped and jumped back. She watched me with sadness and hurt in her eyes, but made no move to come closer.

I grabbed Leah's arm, my fingers trembling. We were all in danger!

"Leah!" I shrieked. "She's a Cullen! A Cold One!"

Leah rolled her eyes at me. "Yeah, I know."

She didn't understand. The legends were real. I had seen it firsthand. "The legends are real, Leah! She's a–"

"Vampire. Yes, I know." My jaw dropped this time. How could she be so calm about this? We were all in danger!

"If we had wanted to hurt you, we would have done it already," Edward mentioned calmly. I saw that several of the others had joined us. Jacob laughed.

"Relax, Emily. I've seen them around injured humans, with open bleeding wounds, and they didn't attack," Jacob promised.

"Me, too," Kim added. "Alice saved me from two men who had captured me intending to rape me." I looked at her in surprise and read the truth in her gaze.

"Carlisle really does perform surgery on a regular basis at the hospital. I've seen him do it. He never loses control, and his technique is flawless," Embry contributed.

"Rosalie and Edward both have medical degrees," Bella mentioned, looking at both of them proudly.

"They really don't drink human blood, Emily. There are evil vampires like the ones in our legends, but our ancestors were right to make a treaty with the Cullens. They are people just like us, trying to make the best of the hand fate has dealt them. They all have good hearts, even if they don't beat," Jacob informed me calmly.

"Carlisle has volunteered to perform the reconstructive surgery on your face, here in the privacy of his house. Since he can use his vampire speed, it won't take long. Perhaps an hour at most," Leah reminded me. I needed a few minutes to process all this information.

"Take your time," Edward offered. "We'll all give you some space and privacy to think it over. Then, if you want to go, we won't stop you or pressure you." They all nodded and backed away, even Leah. Good vampires. Was such a thing even possible? I thought about what Kim had said. There were certainly good and bad humans, and vampires were made from humans. I watched the vampires and the Quileutes interacting. These vampires could certainly pass for humans. They had fooled me at first. I wondered how long it would have taken me to figure it out if I hadn't hugged Esme.

I thought about Esme's embrace. I realized how much better I felt, having let out all that emotion and having her strong, loving arms soothing me. I thought about how close I had been to her, how easily she could have killed me. I couldn't even picture her biting me though. She could have, but she didn't and she wouldn't. I thought about Sam attacking Esme and was horrified. It would be a tragedy to lose her. I had just met her, yet even I would mourn her loss if something happened. My heart proclaimed what my head hadn't wanted to admit. Yes, there are good vampires, just like there are good people.

"Hey, Blond Bombshell," Jacob taunted Rosalie, "Good job finishing that jigsaw puzzle in only six months. The box said 2-4 years!" Quil and Embry snickered. Rosalie raised her eyebrow in disdain.

"Hey, Mangy Mutt," she responded. "I just realized which superhero you remind me of: Underdog!" There were a lot of "oooo's" after that. Rosalie and Leah exchanged high fives.

Emmett scooped up Bella in one arm and Kim in the other and began spinning in circles. I heard Bella yell that she was going to hurl. He set them both back on their feet and stepped back, watching them. The both took a few crazy steps, then crashed into each other and fell to the ground groaning. I heard an echoing boom as Emmett hit the ground, laughing uncontrollably. I watched as Edward, Jacob, and Jared snuck up on him. Edward grabbed his feet, while Jacob and Jared each grabbed an arm. They picked him up and started swinging him. They let go at the top of the arc and he flew thirty feet through the air into a tree. The tree snapped in half and fell on his head. The tree broke again when it hit his head. Wow, he really is hardheaded, isn't he? He stood up, shook himself off, grabbed the giant tree trunk, hefted it, and threw it like a javelin. It flew through the air and crashed to the ground somewhere out of sight. Emmett held his arms out, mimicking the stance of an Olympic gymnast who just completed his routine. Then he bowed to us all solemnly.

"Thank you, thank you. Yes, you are all in the presence of greatness." We all started laughing, including me. Yep, he was a big kid at heart. I really liked this family. I could get used to spending time like this, in their company. It was just like I had imagined the pack would be. I had made up my mind. I wanted Carlisle to do the surgery. I stood up and walked over to meet him. He was smiling at me, ready and waiting. I looked at Esme and realized there was something I needed to do first.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. She smiled and opened her arms. I threw myself into her embrace, hugging her as tightly as I could.

"It's okay, honey. I know you were taken by surprise. Thank you for choosing to come back to us. It means more to me than you know," she murmured against the top of my head. I finally stepped back and turned to Carlisle. He was beaming at me with love and pride. I felt my heart swell.

"Carlisle, I would be honored for you to perform surgery on me, and more thankful than I could put into words. I trust you with my life and my future," I stated honestly.

"My pleasure, my dear," he replied, beaming broadly. "Everything is already set up, so let's go inside."

Leah and Esme walked me inside and gave me a tour, trying to increase my comfort level. Alice gave me a different top to put on, just in case. I was amazed when I saw the mini-hospital they had set up in the guest room. I decided to call Sam quickly to tell him I was healthy and happy and would be unavailable for the next few hours while we were watching a movie. I reassured him that Leah had the best of intentions, and we were friends again. I let him know I really liked Leah's new friends, though I didn't give him any details. I told him I loved him more than anything and hung up. I was ready. I climbed up onto the bed and rested on my back. Carlisle set me up with an IV and injected something into it with a syringe. Less than a minute later, the blackness swallowed me, and I knew nothing.

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OMFG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

YOU GUYS GOT ME TO 416!!!!!

Thats like Super super super super super super super super super super super super super super SUPER AWESOME!!!!!!

Wow....

Thanks a lot!

Can we get into the 300s? :D

I would LOOOOOOOOVE that...

So...... GOALS!!!!!!!! You guys got to 30! Wow.... When i checked the first time you were 24 so i started writing and today morning it was 29! Thanks tons...

Goal- 30 is when i start and post after i finish

32- is IMMEDIATE upload the moment i see it... :)

SO VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!!!!!!!!!

<3 Y