𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑, 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐎𝐧𝐞:
Quality time

"FUCK OFF, EMMETT!" Cordelia shrieks as Emmett runs towards the clearing in the woods with Cordelia hanging on his shoulder, with Cordelia banging her fists on Emmett's back.

"Fuck off, Emmett!" Emmett mimics, his voice pitched, as he jumps up and down, trapping Cordelia's legs with his arm as he skips around the clearing.

Eloise laughs softly with a shake of her head, shoving a hand in her jean pocket, her other hand wrapped around Jasper's arm as the rest of the family followed the hyper-energetic Emmett and an annoyed, not-so-really annoyed Cordelia.

"Emmett being a sugar-high kid as always." Christopher chuckles with a lopsided grin.

Esme smiles as she looks up to meet her husband's amused eyes.

"The kind of kid you leave at the supermarket," Cordelia shouts. Emmett halted his skipping, with a tantrum-like expression on his face, suddenly dropping Cordelia towards the ground with the woman landing with an 'oomph' escaping her thin lips.

"You are mean. I officially hereby send you to the nearby adoption agency." Emmett announces as he points his finger toward Cordelia, who is now sitting on the ground fighting off a smile.

"Fine by me. You'll never pull successful pranks without me." Cordelia half-shrugs as Alice helps her stand, brushing off the dirt on Cordelia's clothes with her fingers.

Emmett gasps somewhat exaggeratedly loudly.

He places a hand on his chest, feigning offense as he puts a hand on his jutted hip. "I so pull off pranks successfully even without you, Lia." Emmett then looks pointedly at his family, them agreeing in a hesitant joking manner.

Eloise feels herself slowly warming up towards the Cullen family.

"Bullies! All of you, you should be ashamed of yourselves!" Emmett stomps his feet on the ground.

Jasper rolls his eyes playfully, lifting Eloise's hand as he places a kiss on the back of her hand, a simple gesture of affection that she loves.

They didn't have to hide their affection from one another anymore, Maria was gone, and she was never coming back.

Jasper strolls towards the middle of the clearing, his hands clasped at his back, his expression stern and commanding.

Eloise couldn't help but recall that the same expression he always used when he trained the newborns back then.

It was hard for the both of them to have a repeat what they had tried to escape from, a vengeful lover, a collateral damage second-in-command, and an unlucky newborn army that was turned for selfish reasons.

Peter and Charlotte immediately and respectfully declined to join the fight. They've been away from all the bloodshed and death.

They didn't want to be thrust into another after decades of peaceful living.

Eloise and Jasper understood where they were coming from, and they didn't push them further.

"How about a head start? Emmett?" Jasper asks. He stretches his arms and legs as if warming up to an exercise, cracking his knuckles.

"Hell yeah! You don't even have to ask." Emmett exclaims excitedly as he fist-bumps his hands in the air.

Emmett then meets Jasper in the middle, giving Jasper a playful grin. Jasper waved him forward as Eloise and the rest of the family, except Edward and Bella, observed them.

Alice told Eloise that Emmett was the strongest one in the coven. His strength didn't differ from a newborn vampire.

They started, quick, fast as if in any human eye, a blur, but Eloise could see their movements clearly.

Eloise watched with an observing gaze how Emmett fought. Eloise thought that Emmett relied too much on his strength; for a vampire that fighting is a natural given skill, he was careless with his moves.

And forty-five seconds later, Jasper had him from behind, his teeth an inch from his throat.

Emmett groans in annoyance, a curse escaping his lips as he exclaims, "What the fuck, man! Are you fucking serious! That's not so fucking fair!" Jasper lets him go with a big grin on his face.

"Oh, stop being a sore loser, Emmett!" Rosalie teasingly exclaims as Emmett extends his middle finger toward her.

Rosalie sticks her tongue out playfully.

Eloise felt relieved that a part of Jasper was enjoying this. She, too herself, wants to know how much the Cullens felt so at ease.

"Emmett looks like a bear cub throwing a hissy fit," Thalia laughs. Emmett pouts in her direction. Carlisle chuckles, wrapping an arm around Thalia's waist.

"Enough with the swearing." Esme lightly scolds Emmett.

"Fuck. Fuck. Fuck." Christopher jokes. Esme gives him a disappointing look as she gently slaps his chest. "I got you, Emmett," Christopher says.

"Thanks, man!"

"Again! Again!" Cordelia exclaims as she claps excitedly. Alice laughs. Even though she had seen how the warm-up would play out, it was still hilarious for her to see Cordelia's reaction. "Beat his boulder ass, Jasper!"

"You wish you had my ass!" Emmett raises an eyebrow as he dramatically spins, his back facing them as his ass jutted out, playfully slapping his ass with both of his hands.

They hear a car approaching. Bella and Edward. Jasper walks toward Eloise taking her hand in his, squeezing it as a sign of assurance.

Eloise then tiptoed her feet, reaching his height as she whispered in his ear, "You should be the one who does the talking. The shifters might have difficulty controlling themselves from attacking me. They didn't appreciate me provoking one of their little band members."

Jasper chuckles as he suddenly spins her around, with Jasper's front touching Eloise's backside closely, and wraps his arms around Eloise's torso. Eloise felt flustered by the action. She took a breath as Jasper tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

Eloise felt Jasper's face move closely towards the side of her face as he whispers back, voice deep, rich. "They wouldn't do something stupid that could break their ancestor's treaty. If they did, it wouldn't play out well for them." Jasper then places a peck on her shoulder blade.

"Making threats now, are we?" Eloise asks as her eyes meet his, a hint of amusement and something more flared between them. Jasper gives her a boyish grin, "If it means for your safety. I'll do more than threaten; it's my turn to protect you now."

"Sorry to break your little bubble of sexual tension, but it's my turn to fight?" Edward approaches them with a grin, Bella tucked to his side, shyly looking at them as if embarrassed that Edward disturbed them.

Eloise winked at Bella as she untangled herself from Jasper. With Jasper internally groaning and cussing Edward in his mind, with Edward chuckling at his reaction, he couldn't help himself but feel eager to fight Eloise or Jasper.

"And who would you want to fight?" Eloise asks Edward, crossing her arms to her chest as she cocks her head to the side.

Eloise knew the moment they caught her standing at the side of the ravine that Edward tried to read her mind as if someone was continuously banging the barrier of thoughts in her mind.

"You," Edward answers, too fast and too eager for her liking, but she'll play along.