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She felt the blood go cold from the young man's body, considering his body was nearly empty, she forced herself to finish her meal quickly and then she released her teeth from his throat. She wiped her mouth with her gloved hand then wiped that on his shirt. Cleanliness is a virtue after all. She then dropped his body where it was behind an outcrop of rocks on the banks of the river. With her hunger now satisfied she decided to continue on her way. She actually wasn't even planning on that meal, but she was not one to turn away a perfectly good meal when it came willingly.

When she continued on her way she heard his friends calling him while laughing. She could hear their calls saying they saw him following a beauty and asking if he had gotten lucky and was now ready to share. She was full, but she still decided killing them would be the best option. Better to not have any witnesses, plus she could tell the world wouldn't really be at a loss without them. So she walked behind a set of trees at the edge of the banks of the river not too far from the body where she laid in wait while casually leaning against a tree.

The footsteps grew closer and she could faintly smell them too. It made her sick so she decided to stop breathing for now. At least the one she fed from had bathed more regularly than these two. She already had her mind set on immediately snapping the one on the left's neck. He didn't seem as disgusting as the one on the right yelling for his friend to share his spoils. She wanted that man on the right to suffer for being a pig. She stopped picking her nails as she heard them get even closer, but she was still waiting for her signal.

Then she heard the screams. They finally found their friend. She grinned to herself and as she was about to make her dramatic appearance, she heard movement from a distance. She paused, knowing this wasn't a normal human. She could sense something speeding towards the men. She was puzzled then heard more screams and what sounded like a struggle before nothing. She took a sniff and it was almost an instinctual response. She could tell it was one of her kind. She had never met one before and was curious. But it was loud and clumsy so she figured it probably wasn't worth it to meet. She sighed, turning around to continue on her way. She didn't even have a destination, but found she enjoyed walking the riverbank late at night.

The newcomer raced ahead of her. He was a rather large, burly and tall man with short dirty blond hair, prominent brow, square jaw with stubble with a straight, albeit somewhat large, nose and thin lips. Handsome but in more of a rugged and tough type of way. He looked down on her with his bright red eyes. She could actually see him flexing and puffing his chest out a bit.

"What's a pretty little thing like yourself doin' out here?" he licked his lips and put on a grin and drawled on with his southern accent, "On the hunt? Want a friend? Must be hard bein' a woman on your own out here. You make it worth my while and I'll be your muscle. We can share this territory right? Just us. What's your name little lady? I'm Red. Red Donovan. I was headin' down south to try to join that female coven I'd heard about in Mexico. Heard they were a trio of beauties. But I have to say, you are the most beautiful woman I've ever had the pleasure to lay eyes on." He paused a moment, waiting only a second before asking, "Well? Cat got your tongue?"

She stood still attempting to reel in her anger. Face stoic. Her right hand fingers twitching in a reflex. She didn't even bother to look him in the eyes, keeping her sight straight to his chest and through him as though he weren't there. "Are you done?" she gritted through clenched teeth. She could literally feel herself heating up. Her fingers twitched some more. "I don't even know where to start. But why would I join you for anything you annoying piece of..." she inhaled and inwardly counted to 10. She knew she couldn't handle his nonsense so she side stepped and kept walking in the same direction as before.

Red then became annoyed, following right behind and jerking her left arm causing her to face his direction. She kept her eyes straight as before looking through him as if he was air and clenched her fists. Red raised his voice at her, "Hey! What is your problem little lady? I was just playin' with ya sweetheart. We don't gotta do nothin'. Well, I mean, not yet anyways. We can work up to it after gettin' to know each other. I mean, I'm pretty sure you ain't my mate, but that don't mean we can't relieve our urges right? Basic animal instincts and all that. Better than bein' alone. My right? Now come on, what's your name?"

"Red was it? You better let go of my arm now. Or else I won't allow you to keep yours," she breathed out feeling herself heat up more.

He didn't relinquish his hold immediately but could sense something was wrong. He slackened his hold for her to need no effort to pull free. If he could sweat he swears he would've been. Since he had started this new strange life he had never felt fear as he had just now, but he didn't understand why. She didn't do anything, but the temperature did increase around them. He recalled his sire mentioning that some others had abilities and he should do his best to stay in those that did's good graces. He was curious but knew not to ask. He decided to play it safe and apologize first, "now I'm sorry for offendin' ya little lady. I didn't mean nothin' by it. It's just rare to meet our kind ya know? Just want to make friends is all. Can I please know your name?"

She had already been turned in his direction from his yanking but now decided to speak to him face to face. She saw that he had backed away a bit and even somewhat shrank himself with palms up and out in a display of submission. At least as much submission as an apex predator can show. It was slight, but she saw it. The animal instincts he had mentioned before were showing themselves. Even he could tell who would win if something should happen so was showing respect and making himself less of a threat. Whether subconscious or not, she didn't care. Knowing he was at least attempting to show her some respect she calmed herself down. Without changing her expression she simply answered, "my name is Serafina Hart. Now that you know your place, I actually have some questions for you Red. So let's go for a walk."

Red swallowed out of fear, then nodded and walked with her to her left and a bit behind knowing he wasn't equal to stand beside her. He knew better now not to judge from looks alone. Even if he was at the top of the food chain normally, you never know if there might be someone out there stronger. Who would've thought this tall, beautiful, pure looking woman could give off such a heavy killing intent. He glanced at her profile and thought she was an angel. But from his fear, all he could think was vengeful.

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They continued walking along the banks for a while longer before Red could no longer contain his curiosity and just decided to ask.

"Now Miss Serafina, why are we walkin' exactly? Why don't we just run? I have to say, it has to be one of my favorite things 'bout this new life. I'm gettin' kinda fidgety at this pace."

"Miss Serafina? No, I think you mean Miss Hart. Now hush. We're walking because I happen to like this outfit. I don't want it to get snagged or scuffed while running. You found me on a feeding night. What better way to lure the most worthy meals than with a pretty outfit? So we'll walk."

Red couldn't help but nod when taking a slight glance at the woman in front of him. She was very alluring. Hell, that was why he approached her in the first place. But he could tell she didn't like to be looked at. It was as though she did everything to get you to look, but just so she could gouge your eyes out when you did. He didn't understand why. Didn't girls just doll themselves up to get men's attention? He didn't understand, but just averted his eyes from her figure and continued following.

"Where we goin' anyways?" he asked.

Serafina rolled her eyes and sighed. "Red, stop talking. I like it quiet. It's more relaxing. You don't need to know where we're going anyways. You'll see when we get there."

Red was about to ask another question but felt the air get warmer so immediately shut his mouth. Feeling the temperature go back to how it was before, he let out the breath he had been holding. This woman was terrifying without even trying. He was pretty sure he couldn't take her. Not that he'd try. But it was a big blow to his ego. He was taken out of his thoughts when he saw her turn left away from the banks and down a small road.

Serafina took a slight glance back at Red. She could see his eyes darting around more after they had turned onto the main road to the village she currently lived in. Serafina's eyes rolled again, she felt she would probably do this a lot while with this annoying man. "You can relax. I live in a normal town with normal people. I'm the only demon here and if I wanted to kill you, I would've done it when you first laid hands on me back by dinner."

He looked at her in surprise. "You live in a town? But my sire said it's dangerous for us to be near people. They can figure out what we are. That'd be bad! You can't let them know what we are!" He had begun to get a little overexcited and sped up his pace to walk beside her. She raised her eyes in a slight glare at him and he immediately fell back to his previous position. He was a big man, he knew. He actually felt somewhat ashamed for how she intimidated him. But he shut up and kept following.

He looked around some more at this village's outskirts. The farmland was pretty rich. He could tell this village was becoming somewhat prosperous. He looked to the horizon and discovered it was starting to lighten. He looked at Serafina and noticed she didn't seem to care, so he tried not to show his unease either. While walking he noticed the people watched them pass by while slightly bowing their heads with looks of reverence. This is how he'd heard people describe royalty, he wondered if she forced them to worship her. Maybe that's why she wasn't afraid of living among them. She didn't look at them while passing either. More just looked through them like she had done to him before. Red felt better. He wasn't the only one she treated as being beneath her.

They made it through the town center and just towards a large grove of orange trees. Just past it was a rather large pretty home that appeared to be well-maintained. They made it to the doors just as the sun finally rose. The inside of the home was just one room but sectioned very well. Simple but clean with random pops of color from girly fabrics. She guided him to the table to the right, then took her seat at the head. Once comfortable, she offered him a seat to her right.

Red took his seat and then awkwardly scratched his head. He was nervous but figured he would rather sound stupid than accidentally offend this angry angel. "Uh, Miss Hart?" he stuttered while peeking up at her.

Serafina was slightly amused and felt a small upward tug at the corner of her lips. She knew he was afraid and really enjoyed it. She just found out that there were others of her kind and didn't know that she could cause this deep of fear in them too. There was a pretty deep sense of satisfaction there. This put her in a pretty good mood so decided to treat him a little better. "Yes?" she responded.

He saw her smile and wasn't sure if it was a good sign or bad sign but pressed on. "Miss Hart, it ok if I look at ya while we talk? It's just how I was raised. I was told it's rude not to and I mean no disrespect. But I don't know if you would be more offended if I did or didn't. So just thought I'd ask." He continued taking slight glances.

She put her elbows on the table, held her cheeks in her hands, and leaned forward with a full smile now plastered on her face. "Sounds like you were taught well. Yes, you may look at me while we speak." Her smile disappeared as she soon got serious and leaned back, "now Red, I mentioned I had questions. I've never met another of my kind before. I don't even know what I am. Though I'm assuming demon due to this fire I hold. But you mentioned sire. What is that? Is that the type of devil you sold your soul to?"

Red was stunned. "You don't know what you are? No wait, what do you mean you never met one of our kind before? I mean I'm pretty new to all this, but my sire at least explained it before he took off on his mission to kill some womanizer who has a thing for human women. Hope he gets that sicko. Oh but uh, he said we can only be made. And my sire is the guy that made me. I don't remember his name cause it was a pretty weird name. I even told him I'd just call him Sire cause I knew I wouldn't remember. I mean, he laughed, but didn't say I couldn't. So he's just Sire to me. But I didn't sell my soul to him? He actually tried to kill me. No wait? He did kill me. We're dead now after all. But I fought back when he came at me. I mean now after turnin', I now know he was just messin' with me. But I think he liked that I fought back."

Serafina was amused and confused by his ramblings, he just jumped all over the place with his story. She tried to get clarification. "Your creator is currently on a mission to kill some womanizing demon and he made you because you fought him? Why did you fight him? Are you friends with the womanizing demon?"

"No! I mean, I believe people should be able to have their dalliances as they please. But only when they both want it. From what Sire said, it doesn't sound like that guy always does. Now that ain't right. No, I fought Sire cause he slaughtered the group I was travellin' with when he was chasin' that piece of shit. I guess the pervert slit one of the guys' in our caravan's throat just to distract Sire. I mean, I guess Sire hadn't eaten for a couple weeks cause he was always trackin' the pervert. So the blood caught his attention. He couldn't help himself and just ripped through everyone. I had a torch and didn't freeze like some of the others, so I kept using it to try and fight him off me when he had finally turned on me. Guess he finally came to his senses when I lit his shirt on fire. But he felt bad. Instead of killin' me, he turned me. After those brutal few days of pain when I was changin', I finally came to and he said I was now a uh."

Red had a very confused look on his face. Serafina could tell he was thinking. This brought her smile back. She could tell thinking was hard for him.

Red snapped his fingers and yelled in excitement, "vampire! He said I was now a vampire! I think it's some sort of European thing? I think that's why we twinkle in the sunlight." he had a large smile on his face for having remembered and looked back at Serafina. "Oh but yeah! Vampires is what we are. Not demons. Sire said we're dead but can keep livin' by drinkin' blood. That's why you're a vampire and not a demon. You didn't sell your soul. Just so you know, vampires are really strong, really fast, and really durable. He said we pretty much won't die unless we're ripped apart and burned. Don't think anything is really strong enough to do that either? So I guess we can only kill each other."

Serafina didn't know how to take all of this. There were others. She was made. Someone made her. But then who made her? She was going to need some time to process this. She had some more questions too.

Chapter Text

Serafina sat with her brows slightly furrowed in thought looking down at the table. While Red stared at her unsure if he should speak or not. He was uncomfortable. But just decided to look around a bit.

"Nice place you got here," he finally mustered up. Red wasn't one for silence.

Serafina looked up into his eyes and simply responded with a "thank you" before she pushed her chair back a bit and crossed her legs placing her hands in her lap. "Red, you mentioned before about animal instincts when you tried to talk me into sleeping with you. Also, mates. What were you talking about?"

The fear spiked in his non beating heart. Red panicked and immediately stood up knocking over his chair and slammed his hands on the table apologizing. "Miss Hart, I swear I meant nothin' by it! Please, you have to believe me! It was an accident! You are just so beautiful, and everyone always tells me I just talk before thinkin'. So I'll just start ramblin' sometimes without readin' the room. Sometimes it gets me punched in the face or almost killed. But I still haven't learned my lesson-"

She couldn't hide the slight shock from her face, "calm down Red! Why are you so scared? I told you before, if I was going to kill you, I would've done it already. If it would make you feel better- I'll tell you if I'm going to kill you. Also, I for sure won't kill you in my own home. So, you're safe. But pick that chair up now. If you broke it, you will make me another exactly the same. Or get me a whole new dining set that's better than this one." She put her expression back to her usual calm mask.

Red froze, then picked up his chair and sat back down. He had gotten scared thinking she was going to settle accounts with him for his initial offense when meeting. He swallowed and felt slightly embarrassed and didn't want to make eye contact anymore.

Serafina grinned and tapped the table getting his attention. "Now, I really am curious about what you meant before. I know now that you're an idiot so I'm more than willing to forget out initial meeting. You're forgiven. So please explain the animal instinct and mate thing."

Red looked up again, "Oh right right," he cleared his throat, "so uhm. I guess it's cause we were made into vampires? Sire said that even he wasn't sure 'bout everythin' when it comes to our kind. But, from what he was told by his sire and what he learned from talkin' to others of our kinds, he thinks it's cause of the venom."

Serafina waited for him to continue but they stared at each other for about a minute when she remembered he wasn't very good at telling stories. She tilted her head back to face the ceiling, sighed, and closed her eyes. "Red, you're bad at explaining things." She finally let out while massaging her temples, opening her eyes to look at him again, "what about this venom, what venom?"

Red then remembered that she literally knew nothing of their kind and gave her a sheepish smile, "sorry, I forgot. To get made, we gotta get bit. Vampires have venom. From what Sire said, it's worse than a rattlesnake. It causes a terrible amount of pain that'll kill ya in about three days or so. But kill in the way that makes people into vampires. Wait, is that really worse then? Cause a rattlesnake bite will just kill ya dead. But a vampire bite kills ya into vampirin'. This doesn't seem so bad now that I-"

Serafina snapped her fingers at Red, "hey, no. Stop that. You started rambling off-topic. Back to the venom. Vampires have venom and when a vampire bites a living person, it will turn them into a vampire too. Got it. What does this have to do with animal instincts?"

Red nodded, "yeah! You're pretty smart Miss Hart. It took me a while to get this stuff when Sire first told me. To be honest, I still don't really get it, but it's slowly startin' to click. So this venom. When it's turnin' us into this, it causes a lot of pain right? I just remember feelin' like I was burnin' alive. I didn't even know I was like that for a few days, to me it felt like forever but I was pretty out of it. Sire says what most vampires believe is that with all this pain and venom coursin' through us, it messes with our brains. Kinda makin' it go back a bit to, I don't know how he said it? Our basic animal instincts? All I got outta that was eatin' and fuckin'. Sorry for my language. We also get pretty territorial over our feedin' grounds and things. He said we pretty much are usually only willin' to share with our mates. That sometimes there are bigger huntin' teams but that if there are others besides mates, that it can be kinda tough. Usually there's a boss that the others listen to but that there can be some infightin' if it's a bad leader."

Serafina had been listening but wasn't sure if she was misunderstanding some things. She uncrossed her legs and braced her forearms on the table leaning towards Red. "Did you say you only burned for three days?"

"Only three days? Miss Hart, those three days were hell. I wouldn't say only. Wait, why?" he looked at her in confusion.

"I still feel the burn now. I just learned to get over the pain." She calmly said, "but I suppose this isn't normal from that expression on your face."

Red realized he was being rude. He had felt his jaw drop when she said it. He shook his head and shut his mouth, "you, you still feel the burnin' even now? How long ago were you turned?"

"Don't you know it's rude to ask a lady her age? Vampire age or not." she cocked her eyebrow at him.

Red immediately began to apologize again when Serafina stopped him with a chuckle and her hand up in a stop motion. "I'm just kidding Red, I don't mind. But I don't even know what year it is, so I can't answer. What year is this? Also, if you're asking my age, I'm expecting you to tell me yours. Just curious." she shrugged.

"It's the year 1830 ma'am," he answered, "I'm technically 24 this year. But I been this way for a good two years now. Was turned at 22."

"It's 1830? Well then, I'm 30, easy math luckily. And I've been this way for 12 years then. The burn never went away. Like I said though, it doesn't even bother me anymore." Serafina stated calmly while leaning her face into her left palm while looking at him.

He gave her a sympathetic look, "I'm so sorry Miss Hart, that sounds horrible. I hated those days I was changin'. Worse pain of my life. Or death? Anyways, now I only hate when I'm hungry, cause then my throat starts to burn pretty bad, almost like those days when I was changin'. Sire says we have to stay fed or else the burnin' can make us lose our minds again like those changin' days and we'll do anythin' to feed. Includin' tearin' through an entire town until we're not hungry no more. That's pretty much what happened with Sire and my group. He hadn't eaten in weeks and the blood triggered him. From what I can tell, I figure I can usually go a month before I start losin' control and just want to attack any human I see. Hey, wait! So if the burnin' feelin' never stopped does that mean you're hungry all the time?"

"I don't think so. I didn't even know that my throat would burn if hungry. I burn all over inside. I usually only eat every 3 months or so now. But now that I think about it, I do usually lose control when it happens. Not from pain, I just assumed it was my temper getting the best of me. I would just go on one of my walks and if I got any bit of disrespect or noticed an injustice, I would usually lure them to a secluded space to feed. I thought they were just demon mood swings or something. I started dressing up for the occasion when I started to notice I felt moody."

"Miss Hart, Sire also mentioned there were some vampires that had special abilities. When you were gettin' angry before, I felt it get warmer in the air." Red was hesitant about if he should continue to ask. His Sire had told him that there were some of their kind that didn't like to disclose their abilities in case their enemies tried to find a way to counter them. But he realized Serafina didn't seem to be the type to have enemies so he thought she wouldn't mind, so continued. "Do you have abilities? Is it somethin' to do with fire? You said you thought you were a demon. Was it cause of that?"

"Not everyone has abilities? I'm guessing you don't, otherwise, you probably would've used them on me back when I first scared you. Yes, I suppose I have abilities. It is fire, you're right, but I think I see where you're going with that. You think I feel the burning constantly because of my abilities? Something like a bit of give and take? I have a strong ability, so it might have a downside, I get it." she responded without leaving her leaning posture where her face was in her left hand, she lifted her right hand from its position on the table and pointed her pointer finger up.

Red was confused for a moment until he saw a flame flicker on her fingertip. She then uncurled all fingers and pointed them all up and they all blazed with flames. She began to make them flicker one at a time and her grin grew into a smile. Red was terrified for a moment until he saw her smile while looking at the flames. Her eyes had gotten an orange glow just around her pupils. She was beautiful. Still scary. He still maintained she appeared to be a vengeful angel. But she wasn't as mean as she put off. Nothing like a demon at all. He smiled too.

"Miss Hart, I said it before, but I'll say it again, I am more than willing to sleep with you until you find your mate. Real lucky guy. Oh, but I mean this in the most respectful way! I mean no disrespect at all." Red had a lovestruck look on his face while saying this.

She extinguished her flames and her smile slowly receded back into a grin. She now knew he was an idiot so wouldn't be offended by his remarks anymore. She knew he meant it as a compliment in his own rude way. "I'm assuming mate then is my future husband? You said before that you were sure I wasn't yours. How did you know?"

Red's big smile started to waver, "I'm sure you're not. Sire said it's obvious when it happens. You'll feel every which way about that person. They'll be your everythin'. I look at you and I just wanna take ya to bed. No offense. But that's all I feel. No, I'm pretty sure my mate passed away five years ago." His eyes began to glisten but no tears fell, "She was my late wife. Golly she was my everythin'. My beautiful Ethel. We grew up together. I was a year older than her. We married when she turned 17, but it took a while to actually get pregnant. Not from lack of tryin'! So when she finally got pregnant we were so happy. But it was a tough pregnancy. She passed durin' childbirth. Both of them. I didn't even ask what the kid was. Pretty sure it would've hurt more to know what it was. No, Ethel was it for me. I would've gone too, but I knew she'd never forgive me." He had a small smile left, but she could tell it was forced.

"I'm sorry Red." Was all she was able to say. They both sat solemnly in silence. Both thinking about different things.

Chapter Text

They both sat in silence until they heard hurried steps coming up the path in the orange grove. They both looked at each other, then at the door. Serafina didn't typically get guests unless there was trouble in the town that needed her assistance. Usually, it was just to see if it was alright if a family were to move in. The people of the town did leave her gifts on occasion, but they usually left them when she was out. So she knew this was different. She got up and went behind her changing screen in her bedroom area to speedily change into her black dress, it had long lace sleeves that kept her completely covered. Then she grabbed her black lace gloves and her black hat with a veil. She looked as though she were a widow in mourning, it's how she always dressed in town during the day. She then went to the door to open it just as the woman was calming her breathing after having just run up.

The fear was obvious on the woman's face. But she knelt in front of Serafina to beg with tears in her eyes, "¿puedes ayudarnos por favor Doña?"

Serafina calmly looked at the woman. She appeared to be in her early thirties. A bit tired with a heavy tan after working the fields, but still pretty. She remembered her as the first that arrived with her husband about ten years prior with two young daughters. They had asked her if able to set up a farm past her grove after their own town was raided and settled by a gang roaming the area. Her family had fled with hardly anything. So, Serafina allowed them to move over out of pity. They always treated Serafina respectfully as their benefactor and deferred to her when others asked to move near their farm after seeing how peaceful and prosperous they were. When others began to move over, even they began to treat her as a type of village head or mayor.

"Quizás. ¿Qué pasó?" she calmly asked in perfect spanish.

"¡Los hombres fueron a comerciar en el este cuando fueron atacados por bandidos! Normalmente no te molestaríamos por algo como esto, pero había niños con ellos. Este viaje suele ser seguro, por lo que no vieron el daño, ¡pero ahora se llevaron los niños! ¡Por favor, ayúdanos!" she rushed out clasping her hands together in front of her.

Red had no idea what they were talking about and being as nosy as he was, he decided to come over to see. "Miss Hart, what's goin' on?"

"It seems there are some bandits kidnapping children on the roads near my town." She responded with a hint of annoyance in her whispered voice. "I'm going into town to ask a few more questions before I go. Care to join? If you can't control your hunger near these people, then stay near the town entrance until I'm ready to go for the children" She ordered.

"I'll wait," he responded then pulled his leather work gloves from his back pocket and grabbed the cowboy hat hanging on the wall that Serafina had up as decoration to block his face from the sun as he walked with head down to the other end of the grove near the path to the entrance that led to the next town over.

"Levántate," she helped the woman up. "Llévame a hablar con los que regresaron."

"Is he coming también?" she asked in her heavily accented broken English. Her confusion was written on her face as she had never seen the Doña with anyone before. Nor had she ever seen that man in general around the town. She didn't even know the Doña spoke English since she and her husband only ever spoke Spanish to her.

"No, él me va a esperar." She responded as she followed her to town.

The woman tried to run but didn't want to force Serafina to as well, so she slowed her pace and did somewhat of a strange gallop. Serafina finally couldn't take it and told her to go ahead and run. That she'd be right behind her. The woman finished running back into town. When others noticed her, she turned her head to look back at the Doña and was shocked to see her standing just behind her as though she was always there. She felt a chill go down her spine, but she knew that the Doña was benevolent, so she calmed herself quickly.

Most of the townspeople hadn't actually spoken to the Doña before, just seen her walking alone through town. But she was especially kind to the children, sometimes bringing toys for them to play with or reading them a random book every now and then. Most of the men who had left were the older family men from the town. But there were still younger men such as late teens and early twenties who were single who couldn't help looking her over. Even without seeing her face they were drawn to her perfect figure alone. She ignored their gawking as she walked to the injured man she recognized as the woman's husband.

"Hector ¡nos conseguí ayuda!" the woman rushed over to her husband.

"Josefina ¿qué hiciste? ¿Molestaste a la Doña?" he whisper shouted to his wife. He stole a glance at Serafina and couldn't help but feel fear. "Doña, lamentamos mucho molestarla. Por favor, olvídate de esto y regresa a casa." He tried to apologize.

"No Hector! If she can help, we should ask her to help! You always say how she protects us, well let's see it!" another man yelled and stepped toward Serafina.

He was injured. All the men who returned were injured. She could smell the blood on all of them. One of the men she couldn't even see was bleeding out not too far away from these men around a corner. The man who argued with Hector went to grab Serafina but before he was able to make contact, Hector pushed him back. "Albert no! Don't touch la Doña! Do not offend her!" he glared at the townsfolk present while putting himself between them and Serafina. He then looked back at her and went to his knees as his wife had done before. "Please forgive him. He's upset. We all are. The bandidos robaron nuestros niños! We don't know why! It was supposed to be a safe little trip pero they just came out of nowhere and took them! We don't mean to bother you with this, but we need your help. There were too many and they had guns. We still tried to fight them off but couldn't. They shot Diego. He was just a viejito who went with us for the ride and now we don't think he's going to make it."

Diego must've been the man bleeding to death out of sight she thought. She then heard more thuds and looked up. Most others were now on their knees. Seeing Hector on his knees, the other parents had decided to drop to their knees as well, including this aggressive Albert. They all begged in either Spanish or English, sometimes a combination of the two. She was actually mildly annoyed. She didn't want this, she just wanted them to get to the point. She needed the information on what she would be facing. She could feel herself warm up a bit.

"Hector, how many children were with you?" Serafina asked while looking down at him, "and how many bandits were there? Which direction did they go? These are the things I need to know if I'm going to help you. Now get up and speak." She stated folding her arms across her chest and stepping back from their encirclement. She was glad she had her veil because she knew they would probably soil themselves from the glare she had on her face. She clenched her fists to calm herself.

Hector got up and provided the details of their encounter with the bandits. They were heading east to a town about two hours away when they were attacked about an hour into the trip. Hector provided how many men, guns, and horses the bandits had. He confirmed seven children were with them. Four girls and three boys. The girls were actually older with Hector's two daughters being the oldest at 12 and 13 and Albert's son being the youngest at four. Then he told her they had actually stolen one of their carts that had their goods and money to store the children and then started heading south. But that was all they knew. They attempted to chase the bandits, but the bandits had beaten them when they resisted and then killed two horses and stole the rest. It took the men a few hours to get back to town injured and walking while carrying a nearly dead Diego. They didn't know if she would even be able to catch up.

The sun just set when he finished providing the information. Serafina no longer had to hide. She didn't care if they saw her eyes or not, she was fairly certain they knew. She just didn't want them to see her glittering skin. Even she found it strange. But at least the children had seen her eyes before when she read to them, so she was sure they had told their parents because it was a strange thing for a child to see after all. It would be strange if they didn't tell their parents about the beautiful, red-eyed woman. Serafina removed her hat and veil, then used a decorative ribbon from her dresses' waist to tie up her long, thick, dark hair. When the people saw her face, they gasped at her beauty but immediately put their heads down when they saw her vibrant red eyes.

"I will do my best to get the children back. And you won't have to worry about those bandits again. That I can guarantee." She smirked before she sped off. She could hear the gasps at her sudden disappearance as she was nearly at the entrance with Red. "You heard where we're going right? If you don't think you can control yourself around the children, then just go straight for those bandits. But don't kill them all. I want to speak with them."

"You got it Miss Hart." He replied. Then they followed the trail of blood from the injured men to the horse tracks to find the missing children.

Chapter Text

It didn't take long for them to catch up. They noticed that they set up a camp near the river just near a crossing that heads further south. There appeared to be more bandits than what Hector had initially told them though. But there also appeared to be more prisoners tied up too, not just children. Some men and women as well. It was possible they split up attacking different traveling parties in order to meet back here with everyone else they kidnapped.

The smell of blood was pretty heavy. But there was also the smell of urine and feces. It appeared that some of the children soiled themselves in fear. The women had also done so in fear and self-preservation, hoping if they did so then they wouldn't be violated. They didn't even know what the bandits were after. Serafina and Red both stopped breathing since the smell was just too much at this point.

"Rich, you sick fuck!" they heard a man yell as he kicked another smaller weaselly man on his knee hard enough to knock him to the ground. The man Rich slowly came back up with a grin. The man who kicked him down had a disgusted look on his face, "From what I heard from your team, you had a decent-sized group but you only went for the kids. What the fuck is wrong with you? We need everyone! Benny isn't gonna go for this trade unless we have more people! I don't give a shit if you're a fucking pervert for little girls. But this is for the gang!" he kicked him down again, "and you better not take one of those little girls into your tent again! You killed the last one you sick fuck! I'd kill you myself if you weren't the boss' brother."

Serafina and Red looked at each other. Both could see the hatred on each other's faces after hearing that conversation. "Save him for last," Serafina said in a low voice, "But check the tents quickly and quietly. If he's as sick as he sounds. He probably already has a girl in there. And I don't trust the others either so check them all. If there are any kids in these tents, tell them the Doña sent you- if they're one of mine, that should calm them down. Say it again to the kids with the other prisoners before getting into position by that wagon over there" She gestured to a wagon in the shade near the back that had a clear line of sight through the whole camp. She then paused for a moment looking around, "I think I want them all to suffer. I'm going to make a bit of a show. The moonlight tonight is too good not to use so stay in the shadows and wait for my mark."

Red was confused, "But, but what do you want me to do? What mark? I'm sorry Miss Hart, I don't understand." He shuffled his feet looking at her with uncertainty.

"Help me scare them. I want them to feel the fear these people felt, and I want them to feel it tenfold. Just watch me for my signals. Wait, are you able to kill without feeding? You'll ruin the effect if you just start feeding off them on the spot. I don't need you ruining my performance." She said looking up at him while leaning her shoulder against a tree with her arms crossed.

She looked very young and innocent with her beautiful almond eyes looking up at him. But she spoke about murder as if it were nothing. It made him nervous and he'd killed many people himself already in this life. "No, I'm pretty full. Pretty sure I can handle it. If it turns out I can't, I'll do my best to at least wait until you give me permission after your show." He assured her. Even if he couldn't control his hunger, he knew he'd be able to show restraint just from his own fear of Serafina.

"Good," she straightened herself out, "now when I give the signal, just start cutting throats, then get out of sight. You have to be fast and accurate. They can't know you're there. Oh, but try not to kill any near the kids. Just push them away. I don't want any of that filth near them."

"Understood, I'll go check the tents first. It'll take me maybe 5, but give me ten in case I have to escort anyone to where they're holding the other prisoners." Red said as he zipped away.

She stuck to the shadows and casually made her way over to the edge of the river, there was the perfect spot that was more elevated, not enough to be considered a cliff. But enough for her to think of it as a stage where all eyes would be on her. She waited ten minutes, then glanced towards the opposite end near a wagon's shadow where Red gave her a nod to continue. Then she strode into the moonlight with her back to the men, facing the river. Her figure was obvious due to her elongated shadow moving through the camp. It drew all eyes to her, then the bandits began shouting that a prisoner had escaped. But they still hesitated to capture her. She was too calm after all. It was eerie.

The man who had kicked the weasel Rich to the ground earlier, came out of his tent to see what was going on. He seemed to be in charge. He could see a woman near the water. He grabbed the nearest man who was standing near him and shoved him in her direction, "Go get her! Put her back with the others!" he shouted.

The new man did some hand gestures. He appeared to be giving himself the sign of the cross attempting to bless himself from the evil he perceived in front of him. "¡No! ¡Renuncio! ¡Renuncié, ya no quiero ser parte de esto! ¡Te dije que necesitábamos pasar el río antes de noche! ¡Ya La Llorona nos va a matar a todos!" his legs began to tremble.

The leader looked at the others, then shook his head. "Son of a bitch. Speak English!" he smacked him on the back of the head, then looked to another man nearby, "What the fuck did he say?" He asked.

Many of the other men knew Spanish, or at least enough to understand what he said. The man he had looked to had begun to tremble as well, the fear on his face evident. He swallowed then stuttered, "she's, she's not real. She's not supposed to be real. She's a ghost story. She's, she's La Llorona, you know! The weeping woman! You ain't heard of her?" he saw the confused expression on his leader's face so explained, "These greasers tell her ghost story 'round the fire every time we tell stories! She drowned her children to spite her husband after he cheated, then killed herself cause she felt so guilty for doin' it. Now she's cursed and her spirit is trapped on earth until she finds her children. So she wanders up and down the riverbank searching for her kids. But she's really just lookin' for other kids to kill. You just hear her wailin'. Then she'll lure men over, asking for help, then she kills them too." He glanced back in the woman's direction, "let's give her the kids and make a break for it" he whispered.

"Your story is wrong!" A young girl around thirteen yelled from her bindings within the group of prisoners. Serafina was surprised, she recognized the girl's voice. She was one of hers from her town. Hector's eldest- Juana. Juana was very smart. Serafina had started reading to the children early on and discovered how smart they were so had taught them all to read and write. She wasn't very bright herself, but she at least knew enough to teach them that. She favored Juana after discovering she had a very active imagination and loved weaving stories for the other children. Serafina began to get her writing supplies so she could write those stories down. Writing came very easily to her. She was curious about what Juana would say. But kept her aloof appearance with her back to everyone.

The bandits all glanced toward Juana but kept their main focus on the mysterious woman. Many reaching for weapons. Juana rocked herself forward to stand herself up since she was still bound, then continued, "La Llorona was married with children, yes. But she didn't murder her children. Her pig husband went astray and got his mistress pregnant! In order to be with this new woman he killed his own children, then told the village that his wife had done it. He had framed her in order to be with his mistress with nothing holding him back. La Llorona was so upset after what happened. Her children were murdered by the love of her life. So she killed her husband in a blind rage, then killed herself before she could be arrested by the other villagers. She wasn't cursed. She just refuses to move on until she finds her children. She will only move on once they're all together again. She walks the riverbanks in silence. She doesn't wail. She just bares her tears in silence and continues her search night after night. And if she finds children, she doesn't hurt them. No, she protects them. But she no longer trusts men. And she will kill anybody she believes may hurt children. Or any adulterers." She calmly looked at all the bandits present. A smirk growing on her face.

The leader looked at her with furrowed brows, disbelief written on his face. He sneered at Juana, "Cute kid, but I call bullshit. Someone shut that kid up! Now!" he yelled to the men.

Two of the bandits nearest Juana began making their way to her. The other prisoners looked at Juana in awe after her story then looked over at the woman they could vaguely see near the water's edge framed in the moonlight.

"Wait!" Juana shouted, "I didn't even get to tell you the best part." Her smirk was wider, no sense of fear on her face at all. "My version of La Llorona is more truthful than yours. Do you want to know how I know?" Juana looked at Serafina with playfulness in her eyes. Serafina was so happy her back was to everyone as Juana's story had brought a full-blown smile to her face. The child was good after all. She set her stage beautifully.

The two men were very close to Juana now but still stopped and looked to their leader. He rolled his eyes and then begrudgingly asked, "How?"

"I know because she has been protecting our home for as long as I can remember. She is very kind to all of us. But we don't call her La Llorona, we just call her la Doña. And I think you made her angry by taking us from our home and families." Juana looked back at the other prisoners near her with her own proud look.

The other children from town were no longer upset and even cheered for la Doña. The surrounding bandits were unnerved by the giggles and cheers coming from the children. They could see they were relaxed at the thought of this woman being here. They could feel the trust they placed in her to rescue them. They again looked to their leader for guidance.

He glared at Juana, "So she's from your home? Guess she's not a ghost then, just a nosey bitch. Now I told you idiots to shut that kid up! Do it already! And the rest of you need to stop being a bunch of little girls and get that bitch already! She thinks she can just show up here willy-nilly like this? I don't think so! Now do your jobs and get it done."

"She is from our home. Not sure if she's a ghost or not. But you shouldn't disrespect her!" Juana yelled back at him. The two bandits getting closer.

Serafina was listening, she could hear the men, and from her estimation, they should be just at Juana.

Red confirmed her thoughts, "they're almost at your girl."

"Good work," she whispered back, "don't forget to just throw these two back. I don't want the children to see what we're going to do to everyone."

"Yes ma'am," he answered.

"I wouldn't even think about laying a hand on that girl." Serafina yelled out and then slowly turned back giving them her profile. No expression on her face. She saw the men keep going towards Juana so she intentionally allowed her anger to build internally which she knew would cause her eyes to glow with their orange tint, "I warned you." She stated, then subtly glanced at Red.

Red took his cue and sped to the men, grabbed them both by the collars and threw them back. They flew several feet and started rolling. They both gasped for breath as they had the wind knocked out of them. There were exclamations of surprise from the other men. Several others began doing signs of the cross like the first man who noticed Serafina. Some went to their knees to pray for forgiveness right then and there.

Serafina then faced them all head-on and looked to the prisoners, her eyes back to normal. "Good girl Juana! You know, I like your version of La Llorona better! You should write that one down when you get home!" Serafina yelled out with a gentle smile on her face. She almost always had it when speaking to the children, it always calmed them down. "But for now, I need you and the other niños to close your eyes for me alright? I don't want you to have nightmares later. This actually goes for all of you tied up over there." She then waited until she saw them close their eyes. Juana had even sat back down to wait for their rescue to finish up.

Serafina waited for them to close their eyes and then she continued. Her smile now completely gone and a glare was now evident on her face, "To the rest of you cabrones. I would normally give you a chance to ask for forgiveness and spare your lives. But I don't think I can after seeing how many people you've taken from their families. You even took the children from my town and hurt their fathers. I don't think you deserve forgiveness. Remember, you did this to yourselves."

Her eyes glowed and she clenched her fists in preparation of what was to come. They would regret messing with her children.

Chapter Text

The leader had finally had enough, he pulled his pistol and started firing on Serafina. She easily dodged the shots and made sure to do it with as little movement as possible, as quickly as possible when needed. To the other bandits, she was practically at a standstill, they were shocked she wasn't hit. For them, they figured it was proof she was actually a ghost. Several dropped their weapons and attempted to make a break for it.

"You think you can get away? How cute." She laughed with a small nod no one noticed except the man lurking in the shadows.

Red took that as his signal and began cutting the throats of the ones attempting to run. As quickly and efficiently as possible and there were 8 bodies on the floor with stunned expressions and hands clasped to their gaping necks trying to stop the bleeding. They had failed in their escape. Soon their bodies lay motionless.

More men began firing on her. So she decided to join Red. It was quick work for the two of them. Red just went as quickly as he could so he still wouldn't be seen. Serafina stopping just in front of them so they could see into her eyes just before she went for their throats, then quickly dodged the spray of blood. She only did this to leave them with that last bit of fear before their deaths. Now there were only about 5 left; they had slowly huddled together out of that instinctual need for comfort. Those were their thoughts, but really, Serafina and Red had herded them there like cattle.

"Come here," she motioned to the leader to come to her. The fear was too much, and he was frozen in place. She raised her brow in her surprise at his neglecting to fulfill her command and snapped her finger and pointed down in front of herself as though summoning a dog. This woke him up and he slowly walked towards herself back at her "stage", almost completely opposite the prisoners.

Once he was fully in front of her, he took her features in. At first, shock from her natural beauty, then as he went over her features a bit more and looked into her eyes, that shock turned into anger. Serafina had seen the changes in his expression. She wasn't sure what caused the anger; she much preferred the fear. She cocked her head to the side, "don't look at me like that." She simply stated.

The leader's face turned red and contorted in anger, he pointed straight at her face, "You're one of his freaks! You're one of Benny's freaks! That son of a bitch went back on our deal! I knew he would! Shit! I thought I had more time." He began breathing heavily.

She smacked his hand away from her face and stared him down, "I don't know this Benny. So I can assure you that I'm not one of his." She crossed her arms looking him in the eyes. "But you only assumed I was one of his after looking into my eyes. Does Benny have eyes like mine?" she asked.

His breathing slowed and his coloring began to return to normal, "you're not one of his?"

She slowly shook her head 'no' in response.

His body slowly relaxed from his aggressive stance, "yeah, his eyes were red like yours. His people were quick too, like you. They were monsters that started rippin' people's necks open and drenchin' themselves in blood. Guess you are different now that I think 'bout it, not a drop on you. I remember it pretty clear, it was a nightmare. But Benny grabbed a good chunk of our crew and their families before they were ripped apart like the others and told us if we wanted them back we'd have to make a deal. They have my family." He whispered the last bit, eyes red. He was tired and resigned himself to his fate.

"So the deal was to trade strangers to have your people released?" she asked. She watched him nod with his head down, not even looking at her anymore. She felt bad, but they were still in the wrong. She sighed, "You said they were monsters. I'm sure you already know that your family and friends are most likely dead already, right?" she looked at his head nodding in agreement. "But you were still going ahead with their deal? They were just making you do their dirty work and were more than likely going to kill you too." She noticed how still he was.

Her eyes widened in realization, "Oh, you knew. This was a suicide mission. Did your men know?"

The leader began to shed tears, he kept his jaw clenched to keep back the sobs, "most knew." He finally choked out. He wiped his eyes, cleared his throat, and looked back up at her with a pained smile on his face, "Most knew the score and were pretty much in the same mindset as myself. There's nothin' else for us here. But we were gonna try to at least cause a diversion with the prisoners. Maybe make some of them bleed. I noticed the monsters were pretty normal up until Jamison cut himself on his knife when trying to defend himself. That was when all hell broke loose. The monsters just started to swarm and just ignored Benny's immediate orders. So we were gonna cut a prisoner or two and have half the men try to sneak in from the back of the town to try and see if there was anyone from our crew or families they might be able to sneak out."

She was surprised they noticed the difference when blood was involved. He was fairly clever. But she shook her head, "I could almost respect you and your men for this plan. But you involved innocent people. Now I'm no saint and have killed plenty before. As you saw, it comes pretty naturally to me. But to knowingly throw children to the monsters. That's disgusting. Now I'm sorry, but obviously, I won't allow you to go through with your plan. I'm pretty sure your people are dead anyways if that's any consolation."

He nodded and hung his head down again, "Now Ms. Doña, I'm not sorry for what I've done and what I was plannin' to do. I know I'm not a good person. But I was more than willin' to do anythin' for my little boys. My brothers here would do the same for their young'uns. I know I have no right to ask you for anythin' but I'm gonna. Please, please go down south and see if there's anyone left and save them. You like kids right? There were a bunch before. From sweet baby girls to some boys barely startin' to grow their whiskers. Please! I'll take my punishment. Send me to hell where I belong. But please promise you'll go look!" He dropped to his knees, clasped his hands in front of him and bowed his head on his hands on the ground at her feet.

His men had overheard everything, and their leader was right. They knew the score; they were willing to do all they could to save their families and friends. So they immediately ran over and dropped themselves in front of her as well. All except the disgusting Rich. He looked confused as though he wasn't aware of any of what they had planned. She narrowed her eyes at him with her lip curled showing her contempt for him. "You." She called, staring at Rich. The men at her feet looked up at her to see who she was calling; when they saw her looking past them, they all turned their heads and saw Rich. Their own disgust and hatred for the man littering their faces.

Rich dropped to his knees and started to crawl forward. He even grabbed her feet attempting to kiss them, she kicked him away in disgust. "Now when I said you all were disgusting for throwing the children to monsters, I didn't just mean the red-eyed ones. Why should I save your children when you knowingly allowed this disgusting beast near them? I shouldn't have to protect them when you allow this filth near them." She directed at the leader.

"No! No one likes that piece of shit! But he's our boss' little brother. Boss always held him in check so we never had to worry. But Boss was one of the ones who was captured early on when he was tryin' to get the kids out. We try to keep this piece of shit in check, but he's not really scared of us. He knows we won't kill him since we have too much respect for Boss. If you killed him, no one would give a shit." One of the men blurted out.

"That's not true! They're lying! I'm a good man!" Rich argued while standing back up.

"No, no that's pretty much it. We fuckin' hate your perverted ass. We thought of 'accidentally' shootin' you in your head while sleepin' many times. I had to stop several of our guys from doin' just that, but damn was it temptin'!" the leader responded. Annoyance shown in his furrowed brows. He kicked Rich back down.

"Prove it," she calmly interjected. Looking the leader in the eye.

The leader simply raised his gun, extended his arm towards Rich, and shot him in the head without looking away from Serafina's face. "Boss would understand." He shrugged, justifying his actions. The remaining 3 men nodding in agreement.

"I don't know Miss Hart, I mean, he said monsters. Maybe we should see how many they have before headin' out? We're supposed to be harder to kill right? Better to know how many other vamps we're dealin' with," Red said from his spot sitting back against a tree in the shadows past the prisoners. No one else able to hear him.

"You're right. I have a soft spot for children. I'll go meet this Benny and see what I can do about getting any children out of there. How many monsters should I expect?" she casually asked.

"I don't know. Maybe a hundred? They just rolled into town and took over. Slaughtered just about everyone. There were more than three hundred living in that town when they went in. My gang ran the area closer to here, we ran the north of town. I think only our group of forty and the thirty they held hostage were left." He responded.

"Good to know," she said leaning back a bit. "We have a deal. But it's going to have to wait until after I get my children home, just so you know. I'm sure their families are missing them after all. Also, this doesn't mean I'll let you live. It's the principle of the matter at this point. But I'll give you a choice. You can take care of it yourselves," she stated looking at the leader's gun in his hand, "or I'll take care of you all like I took care of your friends. So figure it out. I'll give you 5 minutes to decide." Serafina had a blank expression, arms still crossed, looking down on them.

The men looked to each other, their fear melting away. They nodded in silent agreement, then looked to their leader once more. "We have your word right? You're not just sayin' this? You'll try to get our families out?" the leader asked Serafina.

"I have no reason to lie to a dying man." She responded.

"Thank you," he responded. Then lifted his pistol to his own temple and fired. His men repeating his actions from 'thank you' to the gunshot.

She didn't hear anymore heartbeats from the men near her.

Red quickly went over to her, "so you're gonna go against a hundred other vampires?" she could hear the hesitation in his voice.

"Yes, but thank you for your help with this. You can go now Red. I appreciate it. I owe you one." She smiled at him.

His shock was written on his face. "But Miss Hart, I can help! I mean, I don't know how much. I don't have abilities like you do. And there are a lot of them. Oh! Tell me what to do like we did now! I'll do whatever you say! We make a good team, don't we?"

"We did make a good team. But that's alright Red! Seriously. I don't know what's going to happen either. But if anything- I can defend myself. But it's just that if that happens, I may lose control and you might be killed too. So it might be best if we go our separate ways." She replied.

"Well be careful! If so many vamps are slaughterin' towns and lettin' the regular people know monsters are around, it might bring down those vultures from Italy! They don't mess around! Only law I remember Sire tellin' me was to never expose ourselves to people. I told him I don't go 'round flashin' myself to people but then he smacked me upside my head and explained it to me! He said we can't let people know monsters exist. That if we did, the vultures would come down and kill us. So he said if we ever did somethin' in front of people with our speed or strength, or somethin' that's more than normal, then to leave no witnesses. Now I think you're good, cause these people all think you're a ghost, not a vampire. But I don't know 'bout that Benny fella. So many groupin' together doesn't seem like a good idea. A whole town disappearin'? Nah, that looks pretty bad." Red rambled on.

"Vultures? Are they like the vampire police?" she raised her brow in question.

"No, I think, I think they're like. Huh. Like the bosses of vampires? The kings? I don't know. I just know we have to make sure we don't break their rules and we need to stay out of their way." Red said, scratching his head in his own confusion.

"Understood. I'll be careful. Thank you Red." She had a soft smile on her face.

Red swallowed, this was the first time she looked at him like this. "So uh, that favor. How 'bout we just try sleepin' together just once?" he asked.

She raised her brows in surprise, then sighed, "Red, you were doing so well." She shook her head in mock disappointment, "Now the favor is gone, you just traded it in for your life. See, I was going to kill you for that comment, but with you cashing in the favor now I don't have to. You are so very welcome! We're now even." she grinned back at him.

"Right! Sorry Miss Hart! It just slipped. You know how I am. Meant nothin' by it." He gave her an innocent smile and put his hands up and slowly started walking backward away from her. "It was nice meetin' ya though." Smile only getting wider on his face, "I'll try to be more respectful to the people I meet and I'll try not to be so cocky. Next vamp I offend might not be as understandin' as you."

"Before you go, I think you're forgetting something," she calmly replied.

He gave her a confused look. So she pointed up at her own head and cleared her throat.

"Aw, you sure? I think I look good in it, plus it's hard to find a cowboy hat in this color. A nice white." he pouted.

"Give it, it's mine. And it's cream thank you very much." She responded.

"Whoa, really? You have a big head Miss," he gave her an incredulous look.

"It's because of my hair, you idiot!" she laughed, "Now hand it over!"

He gave it back, then did a little bow, "you're a lot prettier when you smile" he winked at her and finally left.

She put the hat on her head and watched the direction that Red had left. She'd actually miss that idiot. He was just starting to grow on her. But at least she now knew she wasn't a demon and that there were others. She hoped that she'd get to hopefully speak to some smarter vampires in the future.

But she needed to get back on track. The children needed to go home before she got down to business. She was going down south to visit this Benny after all. She'd rather do it sooner than later.

Chapter Text

She untied Juana first and asked her to help untie the other children. Then she had all the children work together to untie the adults while she stood back. "Ya niños, vengan aquí," she called when she saw everyone was untied.

The children from her town all went running to her and forced her into the middle of a group hug. She couldn't hold back her laugh. But she noticed about a dozen or more other children standing still. While maybe only four or five went over to the adults who were released. She finally looked to the adults. She could hear their heartbeats accelerate due to her looking at them. She picked up a young boy from her town and had her other arm around Juana's shoulder to hopefully make them realize she wasn't a threat.

"I'm taking my children home. But do you know them? Are any from your towns?" she raised her chin towards the group of children who stood together, afraid and confused.

"No, I don't recognize them." One man spoke up and she noticed the other adults shaking their heads as no.

"Then I'm taking them with me. You, children, come here." She called. The group of children looked to each other. Then back at Serafina and the group of children she had around her. "It's alright," she told them, "I'll take you to my town. You'll be safe there. Then we'll look for your parents, está bien?" She pushed Juana forward a bit and she understood.

"Really, it's okay! She's really nice and she'll protect us from all the bad people!" Juana excitedly yelled.

"Juana, you and the others find the cart and horses from town. Do you know how to get the horses ready? And stay on that side! Don't look past these tents, alright?" Serafina called, she had to quickly stop the children from going to the side of the tents where the bodies were strewn about.

"¡Sí, Doña! ¡Mi papá me enseñó!" she responded, gathering the other children to help and staying towards the backs of the tents near the carts, supplies, and horses. Serafina watched them get everything ready. Juana was a very good leader, and they were done very quickly. "Doña, mi papá only puts two horses to pull the cart. But we have three horses that we still need to bring home. I don't know what to do with them." Juana informed Serafina.

"Who here can ride a horse?" she asked all the children. There were two young boys, about fourteen or fifteen, from the new group of children who raised their hands along with Juana and her younger sister Teresa. "You young men, get a horse and ride alongside the cart, or behind. Your choice. Teresa, you take the other horse and lead, it's a straight drive home for the most part, I'll tell you when we need to turn but I think you'll recognize it by then. Juana, you'll be responsible for the cart and all the little ones alright?" The children nodded in agreement.

"Aren't you coming with us?" one of the young men asked with a confused expression on his face, "I thought you said she'd keep us safe?" he directed at Juana. He was frightened, but he felt better knowing the ghost would be with them; when she no longer was, he didn't like the plan anymore. His friend, the other young man, didn't seem to care either way.

"Animals don't really like La Doña now that I think about it," Juana said with her own confusion showing now after the realization.

"They don't, I think I scare them," she smiled. Casting a quick glance to the adults. Bringing chills to all of them when they realized she could tell they were afraid and that even animals were afraid of her too. "But don't worry. I'll be right behind you all. You'll be safe. If you feel I'm not there and want to make sure you can always just call out to me. I'll answer."

"¿Podemos ir a casa también?" one of the men asked, avoiding eye contact.

"I don't care what you do." She said, "Help yourselves to whatever is here. Now that my children have their things, we're going to leave. Adiós." Then she nodded to the children to start. "Not too fast, be careful," she shouted as they left the rest of the rescued prisoners behind.

They had been traveling for several hours, but Serafina noticed the children had gotten sluggish. "¡Ay niños, lo siento mucho! Olvidé que ustedes no han dormido. Sigue adelante y acomódate cerca de esos árboles. Let's stop to rest by those trees down that path!" she called. Startling the children due to the sudden sound in the silent night.

"Doña we can keep going!" Juana insisted, followed by a yawn. She blushed in embarrassment when she realized La Doña probably saw, even if she was far away.

Serafina had seen it, and it brought her smile up, "No, stop. The little ones are already sleeping. You need to sleep as well. You're still growing, and you only grow in your sleep!" She teased.

Serafina had chosen that particular set of trees due to hearing the gurgling of a creek nearby. The children pulled over to the side of the road and walked up to the creek bed and tied the horses nearby allowing the horses to drink freely. When one of the children bent over to drink, she stopped them. She got the cooking pot they had from the cart, filled it with water, then boiled it with her abilities. Once it cooled, she allowed everyone to drink. She had to fill it about three times before their thirst was sated. She still filled some canteens for later. Thankfully, the cart also still had the goods that they were going to trade, which included dried meats. So she had the children eat that before sleeping.

In the middle of the night, one of the older boys who had ridden the horses got up and slowly crept to the cart, pocketing some trinkets he had seen. Then went to the horses to untie the one he had ridden before to make his escape. Just as he lifted his foot to leave, he heard a voice from the shadows.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Serafina whispered from her spot on a branch way above his line of sight. He froze. Then drew his eyes upward to see her lazily lying on the branch. She was laying on her back, one leg bent, the other dangling off the edge, and her hat blocking her face from the moonlight.

He shook but then forced himself calm. Attempting to feign bravery, he replied with only a slight shake to his voice, "you don't hurt children." He attempted to act as though he were untouchable because of her personal morals.

She sat herself up and scooted back so her back was against the tree, legs in the same position, but tilted her hat up and then looked him in the eye, "Do you know why I don't hurt children?" she asked with a mischievous smile on her face.

Staring into her red eyes and seeing her smile, the fear in his heart intensified, and he couldn't utter a word. He shook his head no.

"Because children are pure. They're innocent. They don't have fear of someone's eyes a different color than their own. Or distrust of someone whose skin is a different shade than they're used to. They don't have the greed that adults have. That greed that makes them want to take what isn't theirs. Even ignoring the kindness given to them, they have no problem spitting on that kindness to get what they want. Children don't have that. Do you remember what I called you before?" she continued to question.

He shook his head no again.

"Young man," she whispered, smile disappearing. "I don't really consider you a child anymore. If you keep doing what you're doing. I'll treat you as a young man. A young adult. A greedy one at that." She dropped from that branch and landed on her feet with her legs bent. She never averted her eyes as she dropped and stood up straight. She was tall for a woman, always had been. So even on the ground she was still looking down at him, even with the distance between them. She was a fair distance away so as not to frighten the horse after all. "I like giving people a choice. So will you return the things you took from the cart and retie that horse? Or will I have to do it? The first option has you going to town where I'll ask the people there to send you on your way if you should wish. While the second option has you never seeing sunrise." For emphasis, she allowed her eyes to glow.

"I'm sorry! I choose option one! Please!" he began crying.

"Good, I'll be watching. Try to make better decisions in the future. It's good to look out for yourself, but you don't have to be ungrateful to those that are only trying to help you," She smiled again, glow in her eyes dimming, "now go on and put things back. I doubt you can sleep now, so just wait patiently for sunrise. Should be in an hour or so. Enjoy it. This could've ended differently." She walked back towards the cart to wait for the children to wake up.

She had gotten the water ready for them to drink when they got up. Once they did, they ate more goods from the cart, then left. The children began speaking about their town to the new children. Serafina could hear the chit-chat and laughter. She smiled as they rolled into town.

The townspeople must've heard it as well. They all began leaving their homes to the sound of the horses and cart entering town. She heard the exclamations of "it's the children!" being shouted from the townspeople. More and more people came out. They seemed surprised at how many children were actually there. But she enjoyed the happy reunion. She had found some shade where she could watch the whole thing. She overheard all the different children's versions of what happened start to come from their little mouths. But then she heard a couple start to say that Juana should tell the story. That La Doña had specially praised her storytelling skills. Juana was so proud of herself that she got up and started to recount the whole thing from the beginning for everyone to hear.

When she got to the part about her telling the story of La Llorona and it being La Doña, she heard several people gasp. They asked how she knew of the story. Serafina spoke up from the shadows near the building where she was standing leaning back with arms crossed, "children hear everything. Just something to think about when you think you're being quiet, gossiping with your neighbors." She smirked, "I hear it too, but I like hearing the gossip. Especially about myself. I find it entertaining, so don't worry." She nodded to Juana to continue telling her story. Ignoring the blood draining from the townspeople's faces.

"But what happened to all the bandits?" One of the younger men asked. The older crowd gave each other a look, fairly certain of what happened to them, but still looked to La Doña to hear her response.

"I said you wouldn't have to worry about them anymore. Just think of it as retribution for what they did to Diego," Serafina grinned, "Oh, before I forget! I'm going to be leaving soon. I promised those bandits I'd look for their children. So I want to get these children, here settled, for now, then I'm going home to bathe and I'll be off."

They expressed their shock, "why would you help them?"

"Because the children are innocent. I don't know if they're alive or not. But I promised those men just before they died that I would look. It wouldn't be right to ignore the wishes of the dead." She replied as though it were obvious.

The people shivered in their fear, realizing she had actually killed all the bandits by herself in a matter of hours. Josefina remembered La Doña had a friend, but she was still terrified, remembering how even he deferred to La Doña's judgment. But even if they were afraid, the people were grateful. They began thanking her. Then they listened to her instructions for the new children. They were to set up a shelter for them, help them all get cleaned up, and let them rest comfortably. Then she asked them to take the children to the next town over to see if they could find any relatives. If not, to spread the word of where the town was and how to find them.

Serafina realized she was asking a lot, so she offered them all the money she had pickpocketed from the bandits while killing them. She was skilled when alive; she had only gotten better after death. She knew the money would come in handy. This situation proved her right. But just in case, she also offered a few homemade gold coins.

Her father had a large sum of gold bars and cash put away for her and her brother for when he passed away as an inheritance. It would've been enough for her and her brother to be considered well off after dividing. But since it was just her, she could now be considered filthy rich. She made some coin molds and melted a couple of the gold bars down herself. The money her father had obtained wasn't obtained legally so she thought it best to melt the bars down so there was no way they could be traced. She etched a design with her nail. Her father had drawn up the design when she was younger, and she never forgot it.

Angel wings around a small flame for Serafina with a heart around it, obviously for Hart. Her brother's was just angel wings with a halo for his middle name, Angel and a heart around it. The front of her coins had the flame and angel wings, and the back had the heart by itself. Her father made the designs for them when he made them their own brands for their horses' years and years ago. She shook her head to get rid of those memories. Then offered the money to the townspeople.

The townspeople refused to accept her money at first. But she demanded that the shelter they made for the children be made of the best quality. At least as good as the homes the townspeople lived in. Separated for boys and girls. She also reminded them that they would also need to clothe and feed the children. She also reminded them that she was actually on her way to look for more children so they would need to make the shelter bigger than what they initially were thinking about, just in case.

The people readily agreed after hearing her requests. La Doña called Teresa over to give her the money. She turned herself from the townspeople so they could only see her back and pulled the bills and coins from her secret pocket sewn in her bodice. She gave Teresa the shush gesture and winked. Teresa just giggled and went back to her parents.

Then Serafina gave one last look to the young man that she had brought, "remember what I said? Show these people respect; they're my people," he shrank his neck but still nodded. "Good," she smiled. With that done. She sped through the shadows home. To the people- she vanished into thin air again.

Although she was careful to avoid the blood in her massacre, it seemed she wasn't careful enough. She could smell some droplets of blood and even a bit of saliva and sweat on her outfit, so she decided to bathe and change prior to heading out to meet the other vampires. She thought it was best to make a good first impression.

She then settled in the tub, which was just an overly large barrel she made, and allowed the heat to escape her into the water. The water boiled, and although she knew she couldn't sleep, she still closed her eyes to relax for the day to come. She wasn't even sure how far south she would have to go, but she figured it would be like when she met Red; she'd somehow sense them when she arrived.

She looked forward to it and dreaded it at the same time. She wasn't sure how this meeting would go. But if anything, she was prepared to just burn them all.

Chapter Text

Serafina traveled quickly back to the site where she had saved the children. It had been picked clean by the other rescued prisoners, with only the bodies of the bandits remaining. As a courtesy, she summoned her flames and released them onto the corpses. All except Rich, she'd rather he be eaten by the desert and rot in hell.

She felt herself relax instantly and knew her eyes were glowing. She did notice before that the pain would lessen when she used her abilities, but she never really thought about it. After speaking with Red, she now thought the pain was tied to her abilities. Not a punishment from God like she used to think. But the flames were still strange to her; it felt to her as though they were rampaging inside her, trying to escape. She didn't understand if the flames were like pets living in her heart that had minds of their own but were smart enough to obey her commands. Or if the flames were actually just part of her heart, always doing what she secretly wanted deep down inside whether she asked it to or not. She hoped the former and treated it as such because she feared the latter option; if the latter was true, then she may be a horrible person.

She calmly watched the flames burn brighter with a smile on her face until she knew the bodies were done. It had only taken minutes. Leaving what appeared to be full human skeletons behind, but then a gust of wind hit, and those bones actually broke down, revealing they had actually been turned to ash as they blew away. She recalled her flames. The flames danced around her arms as though expressing their happiness before disappearing. To anyone watching it looked as though the flames just disappeared, but she felt the flames return to her body, slowly circulating through where she assumed her blood used to. Since the fire had a chance to vent, her pain was almost nil; she sighed in relief. It had been too long since she'd allowed the flames out to do what they craved to do. No wonder they were restless. She apologized to the flames in her heart but continued on her journey south.

She sped to the bridge for the Río Bravo nearby and just stood there staring for a while. It's not that she was afraid because fire can be extinguished by water. That's silly, the fire was inside her. She wasn't afraid of drowning even though she couldn't swim. She no longer needed to breathe, she'd just sink to the bottom and walk her way out. No big deal. What she was afraid of? It was that wet rat look anyone would get if they had gotten wet fully clothed. She'd be able to dry herself off fairly quickly with her heat, but what if someone had seen her? It was an embarrassment she refused to endure, so she typically avoided crossing rivers. Even in her many years of travel, she merely walked along the banks. She had roamed the country many times, as soon as she hit a body of water, she went around or turned around altogether. So standing at this fairly long bridge, she was pretty uncomfortable. But she took a breath and reassured herself that the bandits were planning on riding over with their carts and horses. So her alone, she'd be fine with no chance of falling through. But she still walked, she felt more comfortable walking.

Further south, she skidded to a stop when she came to a fork in the road. She was unsure of which way to go for a moment. She stood still looking towards the left. She didn't really feel anything, no gut instincts telling her to go in that direction. Looking straight ahead felt the same. To the right, she felt a certain desolation. It was in the air, a stillness, a literal chill blew in the air. She cocked her head to the side while she thought about it for a few seconds. The most haunted looking route seemed to be the best route. She nodded her head in agreement with herself and took the route to the right.

About twenty minutes into her run she could hear the town and she slowed down to a walk. The town was very lively. It reminded her of the good times she would have with her family in their saloon. Bottles breaking, yelling from arguments, fighting, cheers from the spectators of said fights. Fun. She smiled to herself in her nostalgia, but quickly cleared her face of all emotion as she walked forward. As soon as she passed the 'Welcome' sign to the town her presence immediately attracted the attention of the others. It was almost as though they were willing to ignore her until she stepped foot into the town. She supposed it was those animal instincts again, as soon as she stepped into their territory, they could sense it. She never slowed her steps even while all eyes were on her. Walking with her eyes straight ahead and shoulders back, as if she owned this town.

The whistles and cat calls came from most men and some women. The calls from women did actually surprise her a bit. Until she noticed what was actually going on in the town. There were all out fights and brawls going on between men and women. Some fair one on one fights and some where several ganged up on a single person or couple. She could hear the bets being placed on the side. There was senseless destruction of property and things left by the townsfolk were just thrown about as if trash. It became more and more shocking the more she looked, there were also quite a few openly kissing, groping, and possibly going further from some rather unpleasant sounds she could hear from further away. Men and women, women and women, along with men and other men, even groups. Everyone present behaved as if they had no inhibitions. It was disturbing. She continued walking forward, ignoring all the chaos around her. But all while keeping her flames at the ready since she knew there was a possibility that some of these vampires may have abilities as well.

A young fit man not much taller than Serafina walked straight to her with purpose, red eyes never leaving hers with his brows furrowed. He had long brown hair tied back; his brows were pretty thick but neat, a slightly hooked nose, and his lips were thick but with what looked to be a permanent frown. He was dressed professionally in his dark slacks and white buttoned shirt. He was a very pretty man but serious; she could tell just from the way he held himself. "Who are you, and what do you want?" he asked with slight hostility.

"Are you Benny?" she calmly asked.

"Why are you looking for Benny?" he immediately became more defensive, eyes searching hers.

"So, you're not Benny. What are you? His guard dog?" she asked with a small grin on her face.

He began to get angry. He grit his teeth and clenched his fists, but his anger was still making him tremble slightly, with a particularly large vein popping in his forehead. "I wouldn't make me angry if I were you. I'm second in command for a reason. I won't tolerate anyone who chooses to attack Benny so tell me now if you're here for trouble. I'll end you quickly."

Serafina felt some slight déjà vu and a small sense of kinship with this little ball of anger. She could see some of the other vampires come over to get a better look calling the others to watch the upcoming fight. She heard little bits here and there about how Danny was going to destroy another one.

"I'm not here for trouble. I just want to speak with Benny. Calm down Danny boy." She cooed, intentionally pushing his buttons just to see what would happen.

Danny became more enraged and slowly, his muscles began to expand, he physically became larger right in front of her eyes. Serafina was amazed, her surprise only showing in her rounded eyes as she tried to keep her expression in check. She didn't want them to mistake her surprise with fear. The cheers and jeers became more pronounced from the crowd they had drawn. Serafina didn't want to show her abilities if she didn't have to, but she would never back down. Just before Danny raised his hand to Serafina, there was a hand calmly gripping his shoulder. Danny immediately stopped and deflated back to his normal size. While he looked back to the man who just arrived.

"Oye, ¿qué están haciendo?" A tall, large man with broad shoulders came up. He looked to be in his late twenties or early thirties with short black hair, large mustache, square jaw, and a friendly smile on his face. He gave off a very masculine energy with his well-tailored slacks, button-up, vest, boots, and sombrero. Even the way he carried himself showed his self-confidence to the extreme. An obvious leader, making her think she finally found this Benny. "Danny, ¿qué estás haciendo? ¿Es esta alguna forma de tratar a una hermosa jovencita?" he asked, eyes traveling over Serafina, lingering slightly on her face and chest, making her anger begin to bubble, which caused Danny to turn his head to her with a glare.

"But Benny-" he started but was immediately cut off by Benny with a simple disapproving look, smile gone.

He turned back to Serafina, "please forgive him; he's like my little brother. I saved his life when I turned him into one of us and he's been overprotective ever since." He said, smile coming back to his face, "but where are my manners? My name is Benito Hernandez. Everyone calls me Benny. I think you were looking for me. How can I help a beautiful young woman such as yourself? Please, come to my office. We can speak more freely there Miss?" He gestured for her to walk with him.

"Miss Hart, and thank you," she gave a fake smile and walked with him in the direction of the town hall. Danny walking behind with his jaw clenched. Serafina could feel him glaring into her back as they walked. Which brought her a small amount of pleasure, she couldn't lie. But she hid it well. She had to be professional after all. She was here for business.

Chapter Text

They walked through the middle of town. It used to thrive; she could tell. It was much larger than her home. Much more developed. With a town square leading to the city hall next to the mayor's office. She was sure it used to be beautiful, but now it was a mess. The vampires just reaped destruction for fun. It actually made her a little sad, but she didn't reveal it. She just walked with Benny until they reached the mayor's office. Where the rest of the town was in shambles, this building was pristine since it was now his. She bet the mayor's home was the same. They made it to the door where he stopped with Serafina allowing Danny to open the door for the both of them.

They walked into a fairly large office where Benny offered Serafina a seat and placed his sombrero on the desk. She thanked him and accepted, sitting across from him. Her posture erect with her legs together and crossed at the ankles. Hands overlapping on her lap. Small professional smile on her face. Dignified. He liked being in charge; she could tell. She wanted him to think that they were equals so she maintained eye contact and never once lowered herself to him. She wasn't like the other vampires in his group who looked up to him and obeyed. She was his better, but he didn't know that yet. She was alright allowing him to at least believe they were equal for now. She could play nice.

Benny couldn't remove his eyes from her as she sat. He had watched her movements from when she entered the town. She was stunning. He always enjoyed adding the more beautiful humans to his army. Once they turned, they were just ten times more beautiful, just flawless. He figured if they were all good-looking, then it would be a lot more satisfying to enjoy those carnal pleasures of the flesh with them. He wasn't wrong. He enjoyed it very much. But even so, this woman was magnificent in both her face and body. She must have been flawless in life. The fact that she was so prideful brought him an immense need to conquer. He really wanted to have a taste. His eyes burned with obvious desire as he attempted to maintain his friendly smile.

"Miss Hart, that's a lovely name. But what's your first name? I'm sure it's just as beautiful, if not more so, than Hart." He asked, sitting forward with his hands clasped on the desk, expressing his interest.

"Serafina," she responded. Though she felt her smile twitch slightly. Her anger was building with his lustful gaze. But it was strange. Danny's glare on her back would intensify whenever she felt her anger rise. She was beginning to get suspicious of his ability and did her best to suppress the anger. Was he able to tell she was getting upset? She couldn't show her hate now; she instantly calmed her inner frustration.

"Serafina Hart, it is beautiful. I knew it. But isn't that Spanish? Your last name is white though isn't it?" he asked with slight confusion while giving her his full attention.

"My mother was Mexican, while my father was American. But please. Call me Miss Hart, we don't know each other very well, and it's been a long time since I've allowed anyone to call me by my first name." She smiled while calmly and politely distancing themselves with her words.

"Lo siento. Your name is just tan hermosa, it rolls off the tongue- Serafina. Muy bonita." He smiled, "but you're right. We don't know each other too well yet. I'll keep calling you Miss Hart until you give me permission to call you Serafina. I'm pretty confident we can get close enough that you'll give me that honor." He toned down his energy and smile, now seeming to get serious.

"Now, Miss Hart, what can I do for you? Why did you enter my town? Are you trying to join? Or did we wipe out your coven, and you're here for revenge? I hope it's not revenge, I really don't want Danny here to have to destroy you. You're much too pretty to kill." He said with a teasing lilt to his voice. Smile back up. No longer being as upright as he slouched a bit putting his face in his hands as he leaned on his elbows towards her. Professionalism gone. He was openly teasing her.

She raised her chin a bit and spoke up, "I'm not here to join and I'm not here for revenge. Before I tell you why I came, I just have to ask. What are you actually doing? I heard you had nearly a hundred vampires with you. But I thought it was difficult to maintain such a large group? How do you do it? Why are you doing it?" she asked, feigning interest.

"This is none of your business!" Danny growled out, stepping forward towards Serafina.

"¡Cálmate Danny! She's just curious." He scolded Danny. Then turned his attention back to Serafina, "but he's right. I don't need to tell you this." He smiled.

"True, I was just very impressed when I heard you managed to make all those vampires follow you. It must take a very powerful man to make them obey. I wanted to hear more," She said, leaning forward while pressing her breasts together a bit, drawing his eyes to her chest. Her seductive eyes staring up at him. She gave off the impression that she was in awe of his achievements. Playing to his vanity.

He couldn't look away. But his smile turned into a bit of a smirk. Believing that she was falling for his strength in leading his army, he straightened up and looked back into her eyes, "You know, not anyone can lead this large a group of newborns. But I have a way with words. It's been pretty easy for me to build my army. People can't help but want to follow me." He shrugged. His smile deepened as he continued, "With them, I will wipe out all covens who get in my way. All countries will fall to me. I will have the largest territory where I can do whatever I want and feed whenever I want. My army will get me there. You know, puedes quedarte conmigo as I become a god."

"Hmm, that is tempting." She said, nodding back at him, "but no thank you. I was just curious." She sat back, no longer allowing him a peek at her chest. Face blank. "But let's get back to why I'm here. I heard you had hostages. Some children and maybe their mothers if you haven't eaten them yet. I want the children. I'll let you keep the mothers." She paused for a moment in thought, "Actually, some children may be fairly young, and I don't want to take care of them. I want all of your leftover hostages." She smiled at him.

Benny's confusion was written on his face at her quick about-face. But his expression turned serious as he stared at Serafina with his furrowed brows. He immediately jumped up and slammed his hands on the desk, he held his strength in check so as not to break it. But raised his chin and sneered at her. "You're making demands of me? Me? ¿Quién te crees que eres?" he attempted to calm himself down, but his friendliness was gone as he stood looking down at her. "No, they will stay where they are. These hostages have loved ones outside this town who are working on bringing us more prisoners to feed from. If this is why you're here, then you should go." He looked over at Danny, giving him a nod.

Serafina never even flinched during his outburst. Always calm. Danny was more than ready to get Serafina out of the office. He quickly made his way over, clearly agitated. Before he could grab her shoulder, she stated, "do not touch me." As she stood up with her smile still on her face.

Danny looked to Benny for confirmation. Benny shrugged and nodded in acquiescence. But still looked at Serafina, "good, you should know your place. A lone woman in my town. I can make it so everyone here can have a go if they please. After myself, of course. Just join and it will be just you and me. I'll forget your silly little request. A clean slate. Ven." He held his hand out to her with a new smile.

She looked down at his outstretched hand, then looked back up at Benny. Anger and disgust were visible on her face as she folded her arms across her chest, "I wasn't taking back my request. I just didn't want your boy Danny here to touch me. And you think you can threaten me? Ha!" Her anger was building, and Danny immediately took a defensive posture in front of Benny.

Benny scoffed at the situation. This rebellious woman was refusing him. And Danny actually thought that she was a threat. Danny was attempting to protect him from her. This whole thing was ridiculous. He would make her follow him just like the others. He couldn't wait to see her beg for his attention. "Sígueme," he said as he grabbed his sombrero from the desk and walked to the door.

He walked to the town square and jutted his lower jaw out a bit, releasing a loud whistle. Serafina followed behind, watching with interest, while Danny just kept his focus on Serafina. Within moments, the other vampires began to gather in front of them. Serafina was grateful that it was an overcast day, she thought with all these vampires gathered together, she may have been blinded.

The other vampires' eyes shifted between Benny, Serafina, and Danny. But Benny stepped on the wooden stage where hangings typically took place. It hadn't been used for hangings in a long time, but it was still a spot that easily drew all eyes, which was what Benny wanted.

"¡Ahora todos se reúnen alrededor!" he shouted, causing everyone to step forward, including Serafina. She was confused and wanted to see what he was going to do. She uncrossed her arms and let them hang at her sides while she listened. He seemed to puff up his chest a bit and threw his arms open as though addressing his audience and yelled into the crowd, "As you've all noticed there is a newcomer in town." He gestured towards Serafina, "isn't she beautiful?" there were mumblings of agreement among the crowd. "I asked if she's beautiful, well, is she? I can't hear you!" he yelled back a certain tone being used that Serafina found oddly charming. They yelled back in agreement, getting more and more excited.

"I agree. She's stunning. But she doesn't want to join us. In fact, she actually made demands of me." He made an exaggeratedly confused face, causing the crowd to laugh. She had to give it to him, he knew how to play to his audience. "I think she just needs a good understanding of what we're doing. Once she hears, she'll join the rest of our familia! What do you think?" More cheers. Serafina had actually found herself a bit closer to the stage to have a better view. He turned his head to Serafina with his wide smile again. He knew she was hooked already like the rest. But turned back to address the whole crowd.

"As you all know. We have a goal. We march north! Why? To build our territory. We are stronger and faster than humans. This is fact. Why do we need to hide from them? We don't! So what if they fear us? ¡Deberían tener miedo! They are nothing but livestock to us. Un aperitivo." He yelled jokingly. Getting laughter and agreement from the crowd. Serafina agreed but didn't yell it out. "We will never die. They should be worshipping us like gods! Me, I will lead us to that godhood. No one will stand in our way! Just listen to me! Follow me! I will make it so all the humans know to fear us. They will bow at our feet and send their people to us willingly so that we may feed whenever we please!" More cheers. Serafina believed he could lead them to that end. He seemed to be a good leader. He had led them this far. "I am the only one who can lead you there! There will be no rules to hinder us. Once we expand, we will do as we please. Indulge in all our pleasures. What we have now will continue. Our good fun will never stop. I won't let anyone ruin this! Not even other covens. Los destruiremos si no quieren unirse a nosotros. It can only be us at the top! Follow me. Only look to me. You want to be with me. Never against me." he looked towards Serafina with expectation, hand extended to her in offering once again.

She reached out about to fully agree with him, but then her old pain flared up in her head. She froze with her hand partially towards Benny. But this pain was strange; if she vented her abilities, the pain was usually gone for days, sometimes weeks. Even when it started coming back, it was a slow build and then stayed at a manageable dull burn that felt more like an ache after all the times she'd had to endure it. But this was just a huge amplification, like a white-hot flame that she wasn't used to. She couldn't hear, she couldn't think, but she was furious. Why did her flames hit her like this? As she stood there in thought, she realized what was going on. Her fury disappeared, but the pain was still there, not as bad as that initial shock but still high enough to keep her mind focused on the pain. She realized her flames were shielding her. It was a horrible way to protect her since it felt like torture. But she knew it was protecting her mind from being manipulated. Her feelings and thoughts had been being manipulated. This was Benny's ability. He was able to twist these people's minds with his words. Made them believe in his words. Made them believe in him.

Everything she figured out was realized in a matter of seconds. She narrowed her eyes at Benny and brought her hand back. Folding her arms across her chest as she raised her chin in defiance. His smile dropped as he cocked his head in confusion, glancing at Danny. She wasn't going to fall for his tricks now. Now she was mad. Mad that she almost fell for it, if her flames hadn't flared up, she would've willingly joined this false god. This fool. She didn't care if Danny could tell she was mad anymore either. She was done playing nice.

Chapter Text

Danny had been watching Serafina throughout the speech. He felt the sudden spike in her anger, and then he felt its sudden disappearance. As soon as she raised her chin to Benny, he knew she had to be taken care of. Benny's glance just confirmed it. He stepped towards her. But Serafina had expected it. She quickly turned around and punched him square in the face. He wasn't expecting it and hadn't braced himself. There was a loud crack, and he stumbled back, holding his nose in shock.

"Do you think my father never taught me to defend myself? Please. As soon as I was ten years old, he had seen the way some men looked at me. He knew it would be dangerous for me and taught me to protect myself in case he or my big brother weren't around." She stated while giving Danny a contemptuous glance before looking at her nails. As if thinking they would've been chipped or damaged during the punch, even knowing that they wouldn't have been. She only did it to annoy him.

It worked. Danny's anger built up again. Serafina looked back at him to see him getting bigger in size right before her eyes. From where he was only a bit taller than her before and fit, now he was about a head taller than her with a bodybuilder-type physique. He was heaving with his hatred. His hands clenching and unclenching as though he were trying to get a physical grip on his own emotions. She was still surprised that this was an ability. She was impressed, but she still didn't care for the hostility he always held toward her.

She didn't react to his change. But she just continued, "As I was saying, my father taught me to fight. But my big brother was still worried. He said there may be a time when my opponent was bigger than me or stronger than me, so I had to be prepared. I should do whatever was needed to make sure I stood a chance," She felt Danny's approach and immediately struck out again. Using her open palm to slam into his neck, he was really not expecting this; although he didn't need to breathe, it was still painful, plus it was instinctual to grab his throat to protect it and attempt to ease the pain. As soon as he did grab his own neck, she reached out, grabbed his shoulders pulling him down a bit, and kneed him in his groin, throwing his body down face first. "My brother said to never be ashamed to fight dirty. Then he gave me a dagger and told me that if needed, it was alright just to flat-out cheat." She finished.

She looked back up to Benny on the stage and dusted her hands while looking him in the eye. "I'll warn you right now; I no longer need the dagger. I have something better that tips the odds in my favor, even with your numbers. So I suggest you do what I asked and get me my hostages."

Something caught her eye past his shoulder, she couldn't help but take a look. There appeared to be three women standing on the small mountain range that was nearby just looking down at them. She was about to ask Benny who they were when he immediately lost his temper while looking at Danny's downed body and shouted for his vampires to "get her" referencing Serafina. She immediately forgot about the women and gave him a look of surprise. As the other vampires neared her, loosely surrounding her.

"I came to your town and spoke to you directly. I didn't show any hostility, did I? I didn't even kill your second-in-command when he was openly showing me hostility and even attempted to inflict bodily harm on me. I let him live. I'm not without mercy here. He'll be fine. It's not my fault if you're embarrassed your right-hand man dropped so quickly. Just do as I asked, and I'll take them away. But if you go this route, I will defend myself. Benny, think about it. I don't want to be enemies. Hell, I actually want to learn more about our kind from you. I'm just going to take the prisoners to a safe place and come back so we can speak more." She stated, attempting to be reasonable. Causing the vampires to pause and look to Benny. This seemed familiar. It seemed not even vampires were willing to think for themselves.

"I told you they serve a purpose! I won't let you take them! ¡Cómo te atreves a venir aquí y avergonzarme frente a mi propia gente!" he snarled back.

"There's no one coming with extra prisoners Benny. How do you think I heard about you? I came across your errand boys, got the information, then killed them. No one is coming. They are dead." She slowed down her speech at the end as though he were a child.

If Benny could change colors, Serafina was sure he'd be red at this time from his anger. She could see the veins throbbing in his neck and forehead as he took in her information. She raised her eyebrow as she watched. She suspected she knew how this would play out, so before he could say another word, she allowed her eyes to glow and spoke directly to Benny, "I've warned you enough, but it seems you still don't believe that I have the upper hand here. Then I'll show you and let you decide how you want to proceed."

Benny's anger disappeared while he stared in her eyes. Nervous about what would happen next. Had he underestimated this woman? "Espera," he hurriedly called out.

"Tsk tsk tsk," she clicked her tongue at him while shaking her head as in no. Giving him a sinister smirk, her eyes bursting with its vibrant orange around her pupils. She threw her arms out, releasing flames around the vampires in her immediate vicinity but not allowing them to burn just yet. She was herding them into six specific positions surrounding herself. "You're quite the showman Benny! I enjoyed your performance on stage when you gave your speech. You almost had me. But I'll give you a real show!" she added, smirk gone revealing a beautiful yet horrible smile.

She moved her arms as if commanding an orchestra, her flames obeying her elegant movements. It was all show causing the flames to encircle the vampires more tightly, still not burning them. Then she dramatically threw her arms up, and the flames around the vampires erupted into giant pillars of fire. Swirling taller than the buildings around them and engulfing the vampires that had been trapped. The heat was intense. Even the vampires usually unaffected by intense heat or cold, backed up, shielding their eyes from the heat and brightness of the flames. The screams from those engulfed in flames were loud and full of pain but very brief. She recalled her columns of fire, and there was nothing left.

Aside from the other vampires, even Serafina was impressed. "Wow," she took several unnecessary breaths as she calmed down her own excitement. "Vampires are very flammable! There is nothing left! I didn't know this. Even regular human bodies take longer to burn. Why is this?" she began mumbling to herself and put her hand to her chin in thought, elbow held by her other hand as she looked at the empty spaces where only black scorch marks were left on the floor. It had taken only a minute for their bodies to turn to nothing in her flames. She did increase the intensity since she knew the hard vampire skin would be tougher to penetrate even with her flames. But as soon as their hard flesh was melted away, it was instantaneous.

Benny looked to her with fear but could tell she was legitimately confused. He saw her get a certain look in her eye and saw her hands twitch as though wanting to go again. He didn't want her to try again just to sate her curiosity. "It's the venom," he quickly answered her. She turned her head back up to look at him. "It's very flammable." He continued, "If a vampire were actually to manage to burn their skin on the surface, they would still be fine. It would hurt. I mean, if something was hot enough to actually damage our skin, I bet it hurts. But they wouldn't die; they'd just heal. That's why you rip apart a vampire and burn the pieces to kill them. You rip them apart, not just to weaken them or inflict pain but also to expose the venom from their veins. It's like adding dried brush to the fire. It feeds it. You light it, and it'll burn faster than anything you've seen." He quickly explained.

She looked back down at the scorch marks. It made sense. She was curious about how hot her flames needed to be to get the job done, and she raised her eyes to glance at the crowd of vampires. Many gasped and stepped back. That woke her up. She felt kind of bad, she actually considered experimenting on them, and not all of them were bad. She was sure most were just misguided. She dispelled her cruel thoughts and looked back up at Benny. "That was my final warning to you Benny. As I said, I hope we can speak like adults now. After I take them away, I would like to come back to ask you some questions. Would that be alright?" she asked, bringing back her small professional smile. No more glow to her eyes. Stance relaxed.

"Yes," he managed to squeak out. He dropped from the stage in front of her and lowered his head, clearing his throat. But brought his face back up with a large smile on his face as he smoothed out his mustache as if trying to look his best, "But please, don't damage my army anymore. Lamento haberte faltado el respeto antes. I didn't know how powerful you were. You know, you really should join! We could use someone like you!"

She raised her eyebrow with her amusement looking at him. He acted as though she didn't just kill six of his people. Serafina's smile turned real as she listened to him get more excited at the thought of her actually joining his army. He had turned from a showman to a salesman, trying to win her over for his army.

"No thank you," she stated. "Just show me where I can find the hostages."

"Sí, sí, de inmediato. Sorry, let's go get you your humans." He gestured for her to walk beside him as he walked. Signaling the other vampires to clear a path for them to pass. They cleared instantly, unsure if they should follow. So he ordered them to go back to what they were doing before, which they graciously accepted. Fleeing away from the terrifyingly strong woman. All except Danny, who was just now recovering. He still cupped himself as he slowly followed.

He had shrunken back down after witnessing her abilities. He wasn't a fool. He knew he wouldn't stand a chance, even with his enhanced strength. He was furious with himself for being weak. But realized that she was right. He and Benny were the instigators; she had only ever tried speaking with them. She could've just blown in and destroyed them all to take the prisoners, but she just attempted to calmly make her request. While all they did was insult her in trying to take over her mind and body. Threatening her. He followed behind. No longer glaring at her. He just looked ahead, lost in thought, not wanting to draw her wrath again. he knew he was lucky she only humiliated him and didn't actually use her abilities. He was used to being the strongest, even among the newborns. It was sobering. He had to learn to calm down. He would. He would learn from Miss Hart he thought to himself.

Chapter Text

Serafina noticed she enjoyed speaking to her own kind. She didn't have to hide her looks, strength, or speed. It was much more comfortable. It was like she was normal because they were just like her. There was a bit of friction between her and these new people upon meeting. She believed they were trying to show their dominance. She wasn't sure if it was because they were vampires or just because they were men. At least once they realized they couldn't beat her, they became much more amiable. She was much more willing to speak with them after she knocked them down a peg. Serafina looked back at Danny, satisfied with his pensive appearance. She slowed her pace so she could speak with him, "your abilities are tied to anger?" she asked.

He caught up, still keeping a respectful distance behind and to her right. "Yes. I've always had problems with my anger, even when young. I may have learned it from my father. I'm not sure. He would just get angry and start beating my mother and me. He beat my mother to death. Told the people in our village she ran away because she was a whore. No one questioned it. I'm sure they all knew the truth but just didn't want to get involved. I hated all of them. So when I grew up and became strong enough, I ran away. Became a boxer. I would have these outbursts in my matches. They were always surprised when I managed to take down men twice my size. I would just explode with strength beyond my normal limits. I made a lot of money betting on myself when others wouldn't. My father found me. He had heard I was successful and wanted money. I was still afraid of him." He looked down in shame, "He beat me badly, robbed me, and left me for dead. My own father. Then Benny found me. Turned me. Saved me. Before I joined him, I decided to pay a visit to my father. All the hatred I had for the man burst out like my fights, but this time, I also grew physically. The fear on his face was the best. I got to beat him for once. I beat him for days. Drawing it out. Torturing him. I think I broke every bone in his body. My hate allowed me to ignore the blood that covered him. He got what he deserved." He looked back up. Nodding to himself, "everything he deserved." He glanced back at Serafina with a businesslike expression, "But that's how I realized I had my ability. It's not just changing into a giant monster with extreme strength either."

"You can also tell when others get angry as well." She guessed.

He nodded in confirmation. "It's like I feel it when it hits people around me and it amplifies my own anger, which helps my strength. So it's good for my abilities, but not my temper. I have a short fuse. I'm sorry." He told her, then paused while his seriousness slipped as a small smile grew on his face, "You knew I knew when you were angry. You kept hiding it." He smiled, "You're a very angry person too. I could sense your fury. You're like myself."

She smiled back, "I don't think I'm as angry as you. But yes. Many things make me angry. But I really need to hold back or else I might lose control and set everyone around me on fire."

"You're bonding! This is good!" a voice interrupted from her left. Her smile grew as she looked over to the voice. She could tell Benny didn't like being ignored. "If you stay you can get to know us better. We can be good friends! You two, like an angry brother and sister. Me, your much more handsome man friend. But remember! You two should be more like siblings. Nothing more." He added seriously as they neared some homes. She shook her head and rolled her eyes. He was ridiculous.

They walked towards a nice large house that was very well maintained. But there was also a smaller home nearby that was also untouched with a guard in front. She looked at both. "Is that the mayor's house?" she asked, gesturing to the larger home.

"No! That's my house." He smacked his chest and raised his chin as if wanting praise. "Nice, isn't it? I knew I would need a place para relajar when I wasn't working. I can show you around if you'd like. It has everything. Even a bed." He added seductively gesturing for her to proceed to his home.

She raised her eyebrow at that and looked at him.

He cleared his throat and changed his destination from his home to the other residence with the guard in front. "But you were here for the children! Don't get distracted. Look. They're in there. You know if you prefer to feed from children, I don't care. We could even get you more if you'd like. But I think you should consider feeding from adults. It would require less. You probably go through many children just to get full." He stated, trying to hold back the judgment from his own face but failing so he just averted his gaze.

She stopped and looked at him incredulously, "you think I'm going to feed from them? I said I would take them somewhere safe away from here."

He shrugged, "I thought you were a shy eater. You ladies son tan delicadas when it comes to feeding."

She shook her head and continued toward the home that held the children. Benny dismissed the guard and then went to the door and swung it open in a dramatic manner entering with arms raised and a large smile, "Hello everyone! I have some good news for you!" he yelled to the people in the room. Children immediately burst into screams and tears while the women attempted to huddle the children behind them. Serafina scowled at Benny and he gave a sheepish grin and mumbled an apology as he stepped back, allowing her to enter the home.

"I'm sorry for the rude entrance. We didn't mean to scare you. I'm actually here to save you." Serafina explained, looking down at the children. A gentle smile on her face so as not to scare them.

Children always liked pretty things. They couldn't help but look to her, wanting to go with her. But then they looked to the adults that had been taking care of them to see if able to proceed. Only then did Serafina look to the women. She could see the fear and distrust in their eyes, but they were mostly focused on Benny and Danny.

"Go outside and wait," Serafina told Benny and Danny. Danny immediately turned around to exit. Benny wanted to protest but Serafina just gave him a look and he shut his mouth and went outside to wait. "I know you're afraid. But I won't hurt you. Any of you." Serafina stated as she took a seat on an empty chair nearby, crossing her legs as she leaned back a bit more relaxedly.

"Your eyes are just like the rest of those monsters," one woman whispered.

Serafina sighed, "yes. But I'm not like them. I wasn't involved in what happened here. I only came here to rescue you."

"Why?" the woman asked, stepping forward, gaining confidence from Serafina's lax stance.

"I met a gang kidnapping innocent men, women, and children on the other side of the river. When I stopped them, they told me why. Apparently, it was to save you all. So before I punished them, I promised to save you in their stead." She stated while smoothing her dress over her knees.

One of the women further back spoke up, "punished?"

Serafina looked at the woman making her flinch, "Yes. They had kidnapped some children from my town and beat their fathers. They had to be punished. So no, they won't be joining us. But don't worry, I promised to save you all and that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to take you to my town where you can either stay or get a ride to another town from the townspeople."

The woman who had spoken and another from near the children began to cry but tried hiding it. They nodded to show they understood. Soon all four adult women walked forward more but signaled for the children to stay back. "How are we going to leave?"

"Are there any horses in this town? Carriages or carts?" Serafina asked.

"I don't know if those monsters killed the horses or not," one woman shivered not looking Serafina in the eye.

"Miss Hart, we never touched the horses. But it looks like several escaped when we first took over the town. There are maybe six left. The carts and carriages are a different story. It looks like many were broken for fun. There are only two carts left untouched. It's enough to get your prisoners out." Danny stated from outside the house.

"Don't worry, we'll be fine," Serafina assures the group, "I'll have Benny and Danny get us a safe way to travel. They'll also ensure those other monsters give us space when we leave. If any come within twenty feet of our group, I'll kill them myself. We'll leave tomorrow morning so get some sleep. Remember you're safe now. Just wait for me to wake you all up at sunrise."

"Thank you," the women said as Serafina stood and walked out the door.

"You heard me, right?" she asked Benny and Danny as she walked over to them.

"Of course we heard you, but how are we supposed to get the horses here? You know how they are around us. You're going to need to get those women to get them over here tomorrow morning." Benny huffed.

"Alright. But make sure the carts are here and ready to go tomorrow morning." She said to no one in particular.

"Yes Miss Hart." Danny gave a curt nod of acknowledgment and left to prepare the carts.

"I guess it's just the two of us now hermosa," Benny said to Serafina while leaning close to her ear. He then thought for a moment when it appeared inspiration struck him, "Ven! I'll show you what you can get if you join us! There might be something pretty for you somewhere!" He stated excitedly as he began to walk over to the mayor's home.

She reluctantly followed him since she had nothing else to do until morning.

As they neared the home, they could hear movement inside. When they entered, they immediately heard some giggling and slight gasps from the bedroom. Serafina glanced over to Benny whose mustache twitched as he gave her an embarrassed smile. "My friends must be visiting," he attempted to laugh it off.

Serafina raised her brow to express her disbelief. But held her tongue.

He cleared his throat and smoothed his mustache as he called to the other room, "ladies, we have company. Make sure you're decent." He smiled back at Serafina as they walked towards the room.

"No, please. Don't stop their fun on my account," she responded as they walked in to see three women fully dressed standing with their hands behind their backs attempting to show their innocence. It would probably work if they were human. But being vampires, they could smell the sex in the air.

The women looked Serafina over and smirked, "Are you a new friend?" a petite brunette to the left asked looking up at Serafina.

"We're not that good of friends yet," she laughed knowing what the brunette was implying. The brunette pouted in response. "Aw, I'm sorry, you are all very beautiful. But I'm here for business, not pleasure." She cooed as she stepped to the brunette, caressing her chin before looking over to Benny who was narrowing his eyes at Serafina.

"Why were you so nice to them? You were mean to me and Danny when you first met us!" he said indignantly. Grabbing a rather large and heavy looking chest with ease from the corner of the room and following Serafina out.

"Now that's a lie. I was nothing but pleasant to you and Danny. Even with the disrespect I was shown. Do you really want to bring that up again?" she asked exiting the room and returning to the front room. Taking a seat at the dining room table.

"N-no." He stuttered. Following. He seemed somewhat upset that she took the head seat at the table, but still took the seat next to her and sat the chest in front of her on the table. The table rattled under the weight.

"Good," she smiled, "But seeing those three reminds me. When you showed me your ability on that stage, I saw three women watching us from quite a distance away. More friends of yours?" she asked him while lazily resting her head on her hand leaning on the table.

Benny looked to be trying to recall them but shook his head as in no, "I've made many friends on this journey. But a group of three women? I don't know. I know I left some women alone after I destroyed their covens, but I never left a group of three." He began fiddling with the chest clasp.

"Why did you destroy their covens?" she asked.

"Did you not hear my speech? It's either join or be destroyed." He shrugged opening the chest and making a 'tada' gesture for her to look.

She didn't lift her head but still looked towards the chest. Seeing her lack of interest, he reached inside to show her some jewelry and money he had. Still trying to impress her.

"But if those are your rules, then why did you leave some women alone?" she asked.

"Were they beautiful women?" he asked, rifling through the chest.

"Ah, I understand. Do you always think in that direction? What if you're just setting yourself up for more enemies? I mean, if you destroyed their covens, weren't the ones you destroyed most likely their mates?" she asked not really interested in his treasures.

"I'm a man." He stated as if that were the obvious answer to all of her questions, brows furrowed, while digging deeper into the chest to see if something could catch her eye. "What is a lone woman able to do to me?"

"A lot," she reminded summoning a small flame and flicking it at the stack of banknotes in his hand, setting them on fire before his eyes. Causing him to toss it aside quickly and glare at her. She laughed at his reaction.

"Well not everyone is gifted like you. I don't think any of the three women I left alone had abilities. But there was a somewhat scary one." He paused his movements as he thought, "You're right; I did kill her mate." He laughed, "She was furious. But she didn't try to attack me like the other two women when I had attacked their covens. No, this one was more calm. Her name was Maria. She stole my heart the moment I saw her. Knew I had to bed her, so yes. I destroyed her coven, killed her mate, and offered her a chance to join. But before I could talk her into joining, she fled. If they run, I don't chase. As long as they stay out of my way I don't care. Those other women had fled too." He shrugged and dug back into the chest showing her some gold nuggets and even a gold coin.

Her eyes lingered on the gold coin, recognizing the design as her own which brought a small smile to her face as she reached for it. "You have good taste, pirate gold. Not sure where the design came from, but it is muy hermosa y rara. Como tú. Much different from other gold coins I've gotten over the years. Rumors say coins like this one once belonged to a pirate queen. I've kept it for luck. My gift to you." He stated as he handed it over.

"Thank you," she responded as she accepted the coin. She couldn't control her smile. Rumors were they once belonged to a pirate queen? Must be because of her beautiful artistic abilities. She couldn't help but chuckle to herself.

"I could always get you more. If you like gold so much, here." He emptied a small sack and filled it with all the gold items from the chest, "Mis disculpas por cómo te traté antes. ¿Amigos?" he asked.

"We are good Benito; you're forgiven. We can be friends. But I won't help your cause." She stated as she leaned back and continued "I'll stay out of your way though. Maybe go with you for a bit so I can ask you questions."

"Do you have questions now?" he asked leaning towards her.

"Yes, but it's going to have to wait until after I come back." She stated as he nodded in understanding.

"What do you want to do in the meantime?" he asked glancing towards the room with the women.

"Not that," she stated laughing again. "I'll just wait outside until Morning. You can do as you please," she stated as she walked outside and found a good tree with a sturdy branch for her to lay on. She ensured she was out of earshot of the mayor's home just in case. Then she just closed her eyes and waited until morning.

Chapter Text

Sunrise came all too quickly. Serafina could feel the sun's rays as it came up but kept her eyes closed for a while longer. By waiting she was hoping the prisoners inside would sleep a little longer. She knew the children were alright but the women, not as much. They didn't sleep until fairly late. Her tree was closer to the building they were kept in to ensure their safety, but she could also hear the conversations going on inside. When she had finished speaking with Benny the night before, she could hear the women attempting to discuss herself. They waited until all the children were asleep before going more in-depth. Lucky for Serafina, the children didn't fall asleep until she was comfortably in her tree so she could listen in.

Serafina heard it all. The children seemed happy; they seemed to believe in the beautiful angel who came to save them. But the women were still terrified. This new monster admitted to 'punishing' their friends and family. This new monster could command the hundred other monsters who had destroyed their town into doing as she wished. The monsters were scary but if the monsters were scared of her, what did that say about her? There was no trust for herself but they didn't want to be left with the monsters that slaughtered their entire town. They were always on edge wondering when they would be next. They didn't know if they were swapping one cage for another but at least this beautiful new monster seemed to have a soft spot for the children. Her word that she would get them to safety was of course met with suspicion but they knew they didn't have a choice. They debated running from her once they were out of town but ultimately squashed that idea once they remembered that she was still a monster. They knew they would be caught. They were worried but still prayed, hoping for the best before bed.

Serafina decided to get up once she heard movement inside the house. Danny had been standing sentinel across the street in order not to disturb her. As soon as Serafina dropped down from the tree, Danny sped over to ask if she'd like the carts now. She agreed. Danny raised his voice a bit and yelled "Bring them" causing two random vampires to walk over two large carts. They gave Serafina a nod and then gave Danny a nod as well before leaving. The noise they caused seemed to have roused Benny from his home since he walked out barefoot in only slacks and his button-up wide open with his chest hair on full display showing his muscular figure. The sight made her grimace slightly. Benny didn't notice as his eyes were narrowed on Danny. His mustache twitched as he saw Danny reporting to Serafina, but quickly put on a smile as he turned to Serafina.

"Good morning! I see you're getting ready to go. Danny helping you out?" he asked as he smacked Danny on his back, then grabbed his shoulder pulling him back a bit away from her. Danny gave him a confused look but still complied in allowing himself to be pulled away. "I'll allow it. He can definitely help you when you need him. But I should be the one you come to when you need something. Then I'll tell him." He stated smiling at her. Putting himself between them.

Serafina and Danny both cocked an eyebrow at each other. Serafina was fairly certain Benny was getting jealous. She wasn't going to say anything now. She could tell Danny was legitimately confused. He had a bit of innocence to him that she found endearing.

"Isn't that just a waste of time? She can just come to me directly." He turned to Serafina, "I am more than willing. I will do my best to help you!" he stated to her with a determined expression as he stood at attention.

"You were just a boxer?" Serafina asked suspiciously as she looked over at him, "you take things very seriously. Like a soldier."

Danny was about to reply when Benny quickly pushed him back again and stood in front of him, "of course he does! I trained him to be my second after all! I am a very good jefe. You should be able to tell. You've seen the size of my army. I keep all the newborns in check because I'm very good. So, he is very good because of me. Now Danny, go and get everyone to get far away from this home. It's been a while now since they've fed and we're about to release the humans to Miss Hart here. I don't want them to get any ideas. You know what? Send them north to the next town to feed."

Danny nodded as he retreated to complete his task.

"Wait." Serafina quickly said after thinking a moment. "You're taking your army north, why?"

"Miss Hart, I will claim my territory and I'm going to make my hometown part of that territory." He stated.

"Where's your hometown?" she asked.

"Well, it was just a part of Texas, Mexico. Think the Americans are starting to call it Dallas, Texas though." He stated.

"Yes, we do. Actually, if you're heading north toward Dallas, then you'll have to pass my city. I don't feel comfortable with that. I think you should go south." She calmly replied.

"I can assure you; we will not hurt your town." He smiled while dismissing what she said.

"I don't want to risk it. The cities are still very spread apart anyways. Why don't you claim a more heavily populated area for your territory? We're still expanding in Texas. But Mexico City is already flourishing I've seen. Why don't you go that way? The bigger the city, the more food for yourselves don't you think?" she argued.

Benny furrowed his brows obviously not liking how she was telling him what to do, but stopped to think. He remembered when he was growing up his town was fairly small. But he had been to Mexico City; it was one of the biggest cities he had ever seen. His mouth watered at the thought. It seemed he needed to hunt soon as well. "Haces un buen punto Miss Hart. I like that idea. You know, I've been at this for years. Just going back and forth destroying a coven or town here and there. Getting a feel for how to command the army. Learning the best way to keep order. Switching out the old for the new. The weak for the strong. This time I finally decided I was going to rule," he laughed, smile now wide, "This was going to be my final push to find a place to settle down. I was only heading home for old times' sake. Pero this is much better. Much more food down in Mexico. If I wanted more food north, I would probably have to go northeast. That'll take longer. No tengo tiempo para eso. Yes! Vamos south!"

Danny seemed hesitant. But calmly asked, "are you sure this time? We've changed directions a few times now."

"Since when do you question me?" he asked glancing at Serafina. She pretended not to notice.

"I'm sorry Benny. I wasn't questioning you. Just making sure. I'll make sure everyone understands and heads south to feed now so Ms. Hart can get her prisoners out." He hurriedly stated while slightly bowing his head and turning to complete his task.

As soon as he was gone Serafina turned to Benny with a mischievous grin, "what exactly are you jealous of Benny? Of how he waits on me or of how I allow him to?"

"Jealous? Me? No no no. You are mistaken. I am jealous of no one." He laughed it off while walking home, "I'm going back to get dressed and tell the ladies to head out with the rest of them."

She couldn't hold back her laughter as she watched him walk away. Then she inspected the carts while waiting for the vampires to clear out. As soon as they heard they were allowed to go out to feed, they jumped at the idea and cleared the town quickly. Benny and Danny were both back and waiting for her further back. So she walked to the door of the prisoner's home and knocked.

The women had been waiting since they heard the carts being pulled over. They had all the children ready to go holding hands. When the door was opened and the children saw the sunlight, they had to blink several times and cover their eyes a bit. When the children saw Serafina they smiled and said hello.

"¡Buenos días niñitos!" she stated bending over to smile at them at eye level. "Did you eat breakfast? Are you all ready to go now?"

Shouts of yes came up from the children's smiling faces. One little boy about five or six came up and with his big brown eyes looked to her and asked what the women had been wondering, "are we going to a new home?"

"Yes," she answered, "I know a lot of you don't have your mommies or daddies anymore. But we will do our best to take care of you in my town. You will be safe there."

"Can we play outside there?" a different little boy asked.

"Yes," she laughed, "You can all play outside with the other children. But you will also need to remember to be respectful and to help if you're asked. Alright?" she added.

They shouted yes in response and Serafina couldn't help reaching for the heads of the little boys who had spoken and ruffled their hair. She grabbed their hands and walked them over to a cart. She lifted them both up in each hand causing the boys to squeal in excitement. They sat giggling in the cart asking to go again while the other children ran up to Serafina asking for a turn. The women had looked to each other after seeing her play with the children a bit. They gained a bit of courage and decided to ask their own questions.

"Are there more like you in your town?" one woman asked stepping forward a bit.

"No," she replied, "I'm the only one with red eyes in my entire town. Don't worry. As I said, you'll be safe there. If you decide to stay."

"If we decide to stay? So, it's either stay or be 'punished'?" she asked, obvious fear in her voice she tried to mask.

"I'm sorry for the way that sounded." Serafina sighed. "I meant; I can guarantee you'll be safe in my town. I know my people. They're kind. But of course, you're allowed to leave if you'd like. I won't stop you. My people won't either. But I won't care for you once you leave. You will be on your own. What did you all do in this town anyways?"

"I was a teacher, and she was my assistant." She said gesturing to another woman towards the cart.

"I'm just a mother but sometimes I would help my husband in his bakery." A woman stated holding the shoulder of a young child.

"I'm just a mother too, but I helped at the bakery as well. Her husband was my older brother." The last woman stated.

"I let the ones who I thought could take care of the children live," Benny stated.

The women immediately looked to the ground once they heard his voice. They had forgotten Benny and Danny were there since they had been looking to Serafina. The fear they held was melting away watching her interact with the children but hearing his voice and how he casually mentioned allowing them to live brought the fear back. Serafina knew it too; she heard their heartbeats pick up.

She couldn't help giving him a look. He simply shrugged. She turned back to the women. "Ignore him. Anyways, look. As you can see, there are no horses here. I hope at least one of you knows how to handle a horse." She stated, looking from face to face.

"We do," the sisters-in-law said raising their hands slightly, "we used to help set up the wagon for bread deliveries to our regulars."

"Good! Then I will take you all to get the horses. We'll bring them back here to hitch to the carts, then you all can go." Danny stated, stepping forward with his hands clasped behind his back.

The women immediately took a step back.

Serafina looked to them, "you don't have to worry about Danny. He won't hurt you. Right Danny?" she asked turning to him.

"No ma'am." He immediately shook his head full of seriousness.

"I will stay here with the children, and he will take you all to get the horses. He knows you two are his responsibility, so you are perfectly safe. Should something happen, it won't be pleasant for him. He knows I'm serious when I say this too. You are all under my protection now." She added arms crossed while leaning against the cart.

Danny immediately nodded, "They will be perfectly safe."

They left to get the horses and Serafina finished getting all the children into both carts. She stepped away and to the side to have a word with Benny.

"So you're heading to Mexico City?" she asked.

"You know I am. It was your idea." He responded, "Are you still going to join us?"

"After they're settled, then yes. It may take a few days to get to my town from here at their pace. I don't know when I'll be able to make it back with you all." She stated.

"It will probably take a month and a half to get to Mexico City from here," he calculated in his mind.

"Why so long?" she looked to him with confusion.

"We need to feed and switch out the old vampires for some newborns. I'll need my army at their best when we invade." He smoothed his mustache, "plus, it will give you time to catch up. You can see what we do. Maybe join in?" he raised his brows repeatedly as though trying to tempt her, even throwing in a wink at the end.

"I won't join," she rolled her eyes, "don't wait for me. I'll meet you in a month. If it's before you reach the city, I'll watch how you lead your army. If it's after, I'll congratulate you on your victory. Oh, I have one question for now. You keep saying newborns. What are you talking about? Just new vampires you have joining you, are they that easy to find?" she questioned.

"Yes, they are new. Newly-made by me and sometimes Danny. We'll give some people the bite to make them newborns. They'll be new and join my army." He replied. When he saw the confusion still on her face, he elaborated, "ah, you don't know much about us I take it? You must have had a bad sire. When we're made, we're called newborns. I mean, we're new to life as a vampire. Things are very different from when you're turned, we're almost like babies. Having to relearn everything. Walking, running, holding back your strength so you don't break everything. We have to get used to our senses all over again because they're much better than before! But these are obvious. You don't notice how strong you are though. Because even now we're much stronger than humans. But a newborn is much stronger than even us older vampires physically. You're strongest when you're a newborn; your strength just goes down after your first year. But you're also the most difficult to control at this time because all you really care for is feeding. Aren't you even more impressed with me now that you know how hard it is to raise an army of newborns? I think I'm very impressive." He stated smugly, puffing his chest out for praise.

"Very impressive." She said with a smile. Deciding to finally give him the praise he practically begged her for.

His smug grin turned into a wide smile as he finally got some attention from Serafina. He was about to start his flirting again when they heard the group returning with the horses. His smile dropped as he hung his head in exasperation letting out a loud groan. Serafina began chuckling as she put her attention to the group.

"¿Listos?" she asked.

"Once they have the horses hitched, then yes. I got all the food that won't go bad on a long journey and threw them into the carts so they won't go hungry on the trip. Threw blankets in there too to keep warm." Danny reported.

"Thank you," she smiled at Danny then looked to the women. "Now when we go, we're literally just going straight north from here. Go at your own pace. We can stop to rest or eat when you feel you need it. I'll tell you when we'll need to change course. Don't worry if you don't see me. If you ever get scared or just want to confirm if I'm there, call out. I'll respond."

The women nodded then settled themselves two per cart with the sisters-in-law at the reins of each. They began their trip north.

Serafina watched them go then turned back to the two men. "Thank you, I'll see you in a month and we can talk more."

"No, we should thank you for not destroying us for our disrespect." Danny stated and nodded to her.

Benny pulled him back again and stood in front of him, "I will miss you terribly when you are gone. My heart will ache without you." He had an exaggeratedly sad look on his face as he reached for her hand. "Of course, if you just join us we can rule together. I'll allow you to lead half the army while I lead the other. No one will stand in our way!"

She gave his outstretched hand a disgusted look and smacked it away, "you'll allow me to?" she finally looked up to him with brow raised.

Benny cleared his throat, "what? I don't know- look! The carts are nearly out of sight!" he pointed in the direction the carts had just left, "You should go catch up to them. We can discuss things when you catch up with us later. But goodbye for now Miss Hart."

She narrowed her eyes at him and nodded her head, "right, well goodbye for now you two. Hopefully, I'll catch up sooner. But I need to make sure the town will be alright in my absence. Who knows how long I'll stay with you all later." She waved goodbye and sped off to catch up to the carts.

Danny was waving to her as she left. Benny smacked him on the back of the head and signaled for him to follow. There was much to do before their trek to Mexico City.

Chapter Text

They traveled for a good week since they cared for a group of children's needs along the way. From what she learned from speaking to the women, there were many more children ranging from infants to late teens when their town was first taken over. But the older teens decided to try to run with some of the older children a couple of days into their imprisonment against the adults' wishes. From the screams, they knew it didn't end well. The group of nearly 30 children was now down to their group of twelve. The oldest children in their group now being two boys aged ten. Serafina felt horrible at the thought. Perhaps if she'd been faster? She shook her head at the thought. It wasn't her fault. It was because of Benny. She decided to burn more of his treasures later to vent her anger.

She hadn't been gone long but there was a lot that had changed she noticed when returning to her town. Serafina was impressed by the sight of a large gazebo built more toward the town center with some seats inside. She noticed it was built just to the right of the entrance to the grove of trees that led to her home. There was also now a beautiful white fence that blocked her grove. It was all new. She knew they had built the gazebo to give her a shaded area to sit in during the day. She supposed they noticed how she avoided the sunlight in their presence and wanted to give her a spot just for herself. She loved it. The orphanage she asked to be built wasn't too far away from the gazebo either. She never realized how talented some of the townsfolk were. Her gazebo was beautiful; they had even incorporated her designs from the gold coins into it, along with different flowers. She noticed the designs in other places as well around town and especially on the orphanage. It seemed the townsfolk prioritized completing the orphanage and gazebo for the town while she was away.

She told the women to meet at the gazebo more towards the orphanage. As soon as the carts entered the town, many children ran screaming and cheering from playing nearby. The children in the carts were excited and wanted to get down immediately but were told to wait. The women were surprised. It looked like a normal town. But it was very beautiful and busy. Of course, it wasn't as big as their old home but the natural beauty of the grove, farmland and the intricate designs on the buildings were impressive. They didn't know what the flame, wings, or heart stood for, but it was pretty. They acknowledged that. When they pulled up to the gazebo, they weren't surprised to see the monster waiting for them. But they were shocked to see the children running to meet her and hug her. They heard shouts of "la Doña is back" from many of the people who also showed up with smiles.

La Doña? They heard many villagers call her that. She had a small smile and thanked them while taking a seat in the gazebo. They reported to her as though she were in charge of the town. They announced the completion of the orphanage. They also told her that several older widowed women and spinsters had agreed to run it together, but the townsfolk all agreed to do their best to provide for them. But they would also have the children help with minor jobs in the shops doing non-physical work. Once they were older, they would allow them to help in the fields or do more labor-intensive work in shops, depending on their skills.

Serafina was okay with how they worked things out. She honestly didn't care. As long as the children had food and shelter and were safe from any harm, she was fine with it. She complimented the gazebo's designs. Unable to conceal the pleasure she got from seeing her design built into it marking it as her own. The townspeople pushed forward a young man. They gave him credit for the work. When she got a better look, she recognized him as the young would-be thief she had set straight. He was nervous with her eyes on him. He shuffled a bit and shrank himself. The people complimented his work and kept pushing him forward.

"You did those designs?" she asked him.

"Y-yes ma'am," he stuttered.

An older man came forward, "I'm a master carpenter; I noticed this young man whittling some little toys for the children, so I brought him to my shop. He's very talented. I decided to make him my apprentice. But it won't be long before he's better than me. He's like the son I never had, and it feels good having a young talent like this to help out." He smiled while clapping his hand on the young man's shoulder.

The young man felt a bit braver with the older man's support, "thank you Doña, for giving me a second chance. I promise I'll do better. I'll work hard for the town to show how thankful I am. It's nice earning what I get and it's nice being good at something. Thank you!"

She was still surprised. "You're the one who made these with the designs from the coins?" she asked again while running her hand along the post, tracing over the design and flowers.

The young man nodded yes.

Then the old man patted him again, "he didn't just make them. It was all his idea. The gazebo, the details on the orphanage, even adding little details to the rest of the town to update everything. He thought you'd like it."

The young man blushed, "I- I uh. Well, I mean. Everyone likes pretty things, right?" He asked, looking around at all the people around him as if looking for someone to agree. Many did. He sighed in relief and decided to try to change the subject, "you managed to rescue the other kids you said?"

She confirmed that they were the ones she had managed to rescue. She announced the women's professions but told the townspeople to let the women relax before giving them the chance to decide if they wanted to stay or leave. She said she would ask them if they would like to stay or not before she left. The townsfolk agreed but were stunned to hear that she would leave again. Asking if she was off to rescue more children. They believed more and more in Juana's story that they thought she was off to search for more children in need as a type of guardian spirit. She denied it, stating that she would just be traveling for a while but would come back regularly when able to make sure the town was doing well. She also informed them that she would provide more gold for them to expand the town before she left. She gave them ideas about how to improve and expand the town and decided to make some rules. Considering how big the town was becoming, she thought it was time. She pretty much just had one.

"No churches or preachers," she stated becoming serious. Eyes glowing as she was unable to conceal her hatred. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm herself down.

The more devout wanted to question her but either stopped themselves or were stopped by their friends and neighbors. They didn't want to offend their Doña. Some suspected she was against churches because she didn't want to be exorcised. One still couldn't help himself and asked if still alright to believe in God in general, more than willing to give it all up if asked. She confirmed it was alright if they wanted. That she didn't care what they believed in or practiced. She admitted to believing in God herself. But explained she did not believe in church or men claiming to be the mouth of God. Serafina then excused herself to go back home and rest. Although she didn't need it, she still thought the new women would feel better if she were to leave.

After she left the townspeople introduced themselves to the women and children. Allowing the children to play while they gave the women a tour. They explained how everyone there was either saved directly or indirectly by la Doña. How she had recently saved their own children from the men who had kidnapped them. The adulation they spoke of her with was a bit concerning. The teacher decided to just ask if they worshiped her. If they did worship her, they may need to leave because they weren't comfortable with that. The townspeople told the women that the town only existed because of la Doña and they were grateful but not to the point of worship. They just respected her. They also conceded there was fear as well but still believed la Doña was benevolent to those who were kind to women and children. The part about women having been added by some of the spinsters to make sure the men behaved themselves. It was working.

Several days went by and Serafina kept to herself for most of it. The new children enjoyed their time in the town playing with the other children. They were already settled in at the orphanage. The women were pleasantly surprised by all the town had to offer. They discovered there was no school or bakery. They townspeople taught the children what they knew and traded their fruits, vegetables, and handmade goods for other necessities from other towns. The sisters-in-law decided to open their own bakery together as a family with their children. They had done most of the baking before anyways. The teacher and her assistant figured they would stay as well. Open up a school and properly educate the children in a structured environment. The townspeople had gone to Serafina for her blessing and once they had it immediately began building a school, bakery, and a large home since the women were afraid to be on their own. After everything they went through together, they all considered each other sisters and preferred to stay together.

Serafina had spent most of her days behind closed doors melting down the gold Benny had gifted her and making new coins from them. She didn't want to go to her secret stash to get her ready-made ones and she never kept much on her or in her home in the first place. When she wasn't home, she was in her gazebo listening to the children's stories from when she was away and playing games with them. She was happy the women decided to stay. They told her while she was with the children one morning. Serafina thought they would benefit the town. She also hoped the town would benefit them, but only time would tell. She mediated small disputes among the townspeople and gave input on some design features they had on updating the aesthetics of the whole town. She definitely wanted them to add more flower designs and gardens. She couldn't help it. The young man wasn't wrong; everyone likes pretty things.

It had been a bit more than three weeks when she decided she was going to head out. She distributed all the coins she had to those she trusted to keep the town running properly and said her goodbyes to the children. The people waved to her as she disappeared before their eyes but then got back to work. They knew what la Doña wanted and would do their best to deliver.

Serafina sped her way to Mexico City; she'd get there fairly quickly but paused when she saw smoke. She wasn't close to the city, so it couldn't have been from the invasion. But there was a lot of it and not too far from the city either, just several miles out and on the way. She hesitated but still went towards the smoke. She wasn't afraid of a little smoke after all nor the flames that caused it. When she arrived, she noticed several pyres ablaze and many people in cloaks of red feeding more items into it. She stared at them quizzically but didn't say anything. Just watched.

"Is this the one?" a young voice called out from further back where a dilapidated building sat alone.

"The one the loud-mouthed fool stated would avenge him? I hope so. I've grown bored of waiting." another young voice added.

"I told you; she won't avenge him. She didn't care for him enough to avenge him. She barely tolerated us." A voice she recognized answered.

She decided to see what was going on and walked forward. All the people in cloaks feeding the fires ignored her as she walked to the voices. When she made it to the building she saw Danny on his knees, his clothes torn and appearing very disheveled. Not the professional, serious, angry, put-together young man she had first seen. Not even the calm facade he tried to portray after trying to imitate her. No, he just seemed tired. Considering they don't sleep; this was quite a feat. What was more interesting for her though was the fact that his arm was separated from his body at the moment, but it didn't seem to bother him so much.

She looked to where Danny's arm was- currently in the hand of an incredibly large, muscular man who had a big cocky grin on his face. He actually waved it at her. Meanwhile, there were two beautiful but very bored-looking children sitting on a broken wall behind them. With a smaller man than the first leaning against the wall next to them.

"Here, put this back on yourself. It stopped being fun when you stopped getting mad. Now fighting that big guy you turn into was fun, but you like this? Not so much." The large man said dropping the arm at Danny's feet, "but her, I would love to get my hands on her. She doesn't seem scary at all. I bet we can have a lot of fun together." He licked his lips while stepping forward towards Serafina.

"Cheat Miss Hart," Danny said, looking up into her eyes with a frown.

"So, this is the one we've been waiting for." The young girl stated dropping down from the wall, "let's see what she can do." She nodded to the large man.

"Are you the vultures?" Serafina asked with a raised brow looking up at the group behind Danny. Causing a small smile to erupt onto his face and scowls to form on theirs. It seems she may have said something wrong.

Chapter Text

"Vultures?" the man leaning against the wall scoffed, "are you stupid? It seems as though you want us to kill you on the spot for the blatant disrespect."

"Is it possible she doesn't know who we are?" the boy sitting on the wall asked while kicking his legs in a carefree manner, "but that's not right. Shouldn't her sire have explained things? She should know better."

"No, she has to be insulting us. I'll teach her to respect her betters," the young girl stepped forward angrily.

"Sister, you should leave her for now. It's best to see what she's capable of before trying anything. Throw those who are disposable at her first to test the waters." The boy called out to his sister with a small smile on his face. She seemed reluctant but still listened to him and stopped, crossing her arms with a deep scowl on her face, glaring at Serafina.

"So, do you always speak as though others aren't standing right in front of you?" Serafina asked with her head slightly tilted to show her confusion. Crossing her arms due to her own annoyance, "I thought you were honestly called vultures. I never met my sire. This is what I learned from a random passing vampire, and to be honest, he wasn't all too bright. I should have taken his teachings with a grain of salt. I meant no disrespect."

She hoped she would see Red again to beat him for embarrassing her in front of this group of vampires. She seemed to have already gotten on their bad side and this was after only fifteen minutes of meeting each other. She kept her arms in their crossed position but sighed, "It seems we may have gotten off on the wrong foot. Is there any way of fixing this?" Serafina gestured by bringing her hand up and pointing back and forth between them and herself.

"No," the large man grinned, "Jane basically wants you to die now. Maybe she'll let me play with you first." He began laughing while looking back at Jane.

The man at the wall also grinned, looking her up and down. Not as obvious or disgusting as the large man, but still just as unwanted. The man at the wall quickly turned away to look at Jane to see her verdict.

Jane had a sadistic smile starting to form on her face and was about to open her mouth when the boy on the wall spoke up, "remember, according to the fool and that angry man on his knees in front of you- she's powerful. Master would want us to test her first and see if she can be saved." He seemed to be a voice of reason that she respected. Because that wiped the grin from her face immediately.

She closed her eyes and took an unnecessary breath before she spoke, a small frown now on her face, "Alec's right. We should test her abilities first. There wasn't really anyone else in this joke of an army that was worthwhile. Except for him." She nodded to Danny on the floor, "let's see if she can also be taken to Master. Step back, Felix; we'll call a pawn to test her in case she actually has an offensive ability."

"Do you think I'm afraid of her? I'm sure she's just a pretty face." the large man named Felix replied, frustration showing since he couldn't play with the beauty. Refusing to step back as his gaze was drawn back to Serafina as he began to glare at her.

"Step back, Felix," she repeated, giving him a pointed look, "why haven't you already gotten my pawn?"

"Why do you never have Demetri go?" Felix growled as he finally moved his eyes from Serafina.

"Because I actually have an ability that makes me useful," Demetri smirked from his position leaning against the wall, "you're just the muscle-brained warmonger we keep around to run our little errands."

Felix instantly turned around and sped to Demetri, grabbing him by his cloak, slamming him against the wall, and bringing his fist up. Threat obvious. But Demetri didn't even flinch, just keeping his grin while looking into Felix's eyes.

"Felix," Jane stated, rolling her eyes. Not even bothering to look at them as though used to their behavior. Felix reluctantly let go and begrudgingly left to complete her request.

Alec began snickering from his position on the wall, "must you always antagonize him? He is a valuable member of Master's guard."

"I know," Demetri chuckled, "but he doesn't need to know that. It's more fun this way."

Both males stopped their snickering when they noticed the tension in front of them. Both females had their arms crossed and were glaring at each other. Well. Jane's stance was aggressive, and her glare was obvious. But the woman stood with her arms crossed but in a more relaxed stance. As though just lazily waiting for the outcome, with no fear at all. This is what seemed to be annoying Jane the most. Jane seemed to be getting ready to burst from her annoyance.

"You mentioned you never met your sire," Alec called from the wall. His voice seeming to relax Jane a bit.

"That's right," Serafina answered.

"How did you know what you were or what to do?" Alec questioned.

"I didn't," she replied, "I destroyed my town in a fit of uncontrollable rage, then locked myself away as punishment. When I didn't die after trying to slit my own throat, shooting myself in the head, or starvation after staying there alone for a year- I left. I walked away from my self-given solitary confinement. When I did, a sort of instinct came up and I drained a bandits' den that had set up not too far from my cave. I just assumed I was a demon that whole time. Never met another of our kind or even knew what a vampire was until a few months ago."

"A demon?" Demetri mocked, "Just because you drank a bit of blood when destroying a town? A bit exaggerated don't you think?"

"I didn't drink a drop of blood when I destroyed the town. I destroyed it with-" She tried to explain.

"You just crushed everyone in the town?" Demetri interrupted a bit of shock showing which he quickly tried to mask.

"We might get to hear the full story if you stop interrupting," Alec said, kicking his legs while rocking on the wall.

Before she could continue Felix returned with another man more than six feet tall, still much shorter than Felix but taller than Serafina. Felix had a large grin as he stared Serafina down and brought the man to report to Jane. Jane glanced at Felix for his choice, knowing the man was trained by Felix to be especially brutal in hand-to-hand combat. Felix having taught all with no abilities but boosted strength, like himself, personally. But she didn't say anything, just nodded and dropped her arms as she stepped back towards the wall to give them space.

The man stood in front of Serafina waiting for her to begin.

Serafina still hadn't dropped her relaxed stance and looked to the others. Alec rocking on the wall, Demetri and Jane leaning against it, and Felix standing with his wide cocky smile and arms crossed next to Danny who was still kneeling on the floor in front of the others. She cocked her head at them, "what's happening?"

"Fight," Jane said as though obvious.

"Oh, no thank you." She replied waving them off.

"It wasn't a request princess," Felix smirked, "Fight or we'll just destroy you here and now."

She raised her brow at that, "Am I allowed to kill him?" she asked Jane while gesturing towards Felix.

"Your target is the man in front of you. And yes, you can kill the target." Jane replied.

"If you can anyways. He's one of my best-" Felix started but Serafina immediately lifted her hand and tossed a small flame at the man which immediately engulfed him and turned him to ash within seconds.

"Ha! A fire manipulator! We waited all this time for a fire manipulator!" Demetri laughed.

Even Jane had a small sneer growing on her face. Felix was upset at first but soon realized this meant he would get to play with her after all. They already had a few fire manipulators in their army; they didn't need another.

The only one without a smile was Alec who immediately frowned after seeing her abilities. His brows furrowed as he thought about what he just witnessed. It was true, they had a few fire manipulators in their army, but they could only manipulate existing flames. They still needed tools to start the fire. She didn't use one.

"We have enough fire manipulators as it is. Felix, take care of her." Jane taunted with a smile.

"Wait," Alec stated coming down from the wall and walking forward to stand with his sister who looked at him quizzically, "Bring more pawns, at least one fire manipulator." He ordered. Now full of seriousness which made the others look back to Serafina with a bit of uncertainty. This time Felix left without complaint and returned immediately with three different guards.

"You, fire manipulator." Alec gestured to a man in a red cloak, "are you able to summon the flame from this distance?" he looked to a pyre quite a distance from them.

Serafina wasn't sure how he knew that man was a fire manipulator. They all looked the same to her in their cloaks. But she stood waiting for the response. She was curious if she was just like their pawns. She didn't think so. She was pretty sure Alec didn't think so either. That's why he seemed so suspicious of her.

The man immediately shook his head, "it's too far. I'd have to make a new flame here."

"Try," Alec demanded.

The man raised his hand up and aimed towards the pyre in the distance as though trying to call out to it. Nothing happened. He seemed to try concentrating harder, a small vein popping out on his forehead and a small shake to his raised hand as though using every fiber of his being to make the flame come over.

"Enough, stop," Alec ordered a slight annoyance in his tone. Lost in thought he ordered the man to make a new flame and to keep it in place for them to see. Wanting to see if how he manipulated the flame was at least the same as her movements.

The man took a specialized steel and flint tool from his belt and struck it, quickly starting a spark which he aimed at a piece of dried brush at his feet. Once it ignited, he put his tools away and used his hands to pull up the flame as though it were on a string to have it float up and in front of himself, finally settling over his hand. All of this was seen by the other three who seemed to have just realized why Alec was so wary of Serafina. She didn't do any of that for her flame. The three looked at her again.

Serafina had been watching intently. She was very confused by what she witnessed and had a frown on her face, "Is that how you manipulate fire?" she finally asked, "Seems very tedious. I would not have the patience to do that whenever I wanted a flame." She finally admitted shaking her head and putting her hand out calling the flame over from his hand to her own which seemed to surprise the fire manipulator a great deal. He tried to pull it back, but it didn't budge.

Alec was silently watching the whole thing. He saw the orange glow around her pupils. The fire manipulator on their side didn't have that. He also saw how shocked the fire manipulator was when she had taken the flame from him. How frustrated he seemed that he wasn't able to bring it back though seemingly trying very hard to do so.

"Fight," he ordered, "and I wouldn't take her lightly either. She killed Isaiah within seconds," he told the guards present while watching in all seriousness. They seemed shocked by his words about Isaiah; she supposed that was the last man she killed. They immediately took fighting stances.

Serafina wasn't sure what he was doing by ordering another fight. Unsure if he was trying to see all of her tricks. But Serafina knew better than to show her full strength so just decided to end it quickly just like before. Not even summoning a new flame just amplifying the one she had stolen, dividing it, and quickly throwing it at the new three. Same thing. Destroyed quickly. Not even the fire manipulator was able to stop the flames from destroying himself. But what surprised Alec even more, was when she summoned the flame back to herself. Where to most it would seem she simply extinguished it, he was watching very closely and was fairly certain she had absorbed it.

"Enough," Jane stated stepping forward, "she ends it too quickly, we can't even see if she can take as good as she can give. Pain." She said looking Serafina in the eye with a smirk. Jane didn't even care about testing her anymore. She was making them look weak. She wanted her to suffer for her insubordination.

"Jane!" Alec hurriedly started looking quickly from her to the woman. But stopped when noticing no immediate change from the woman in front of them.

They all looked over to her. She wasn't writhing on the floor in pain like anyone else would've been. She stood the same as before except now she seemed confused. The confusion was very prominent on her face. Causing her to drop her arms from across her chest and bringing both hands down to her stomach, "sorry, I just used my flames so it's not that. I think I might be getting hungry. It's strange, it hit me so suddenly. What were you saying about pain?" she calmly directed at Jane.

Demetri and Felix immediately burst into laughter at the realization that Jane's pain didn't seem to affect the woman very much. The woman only thought they were hunger pangs. While they laughed Alec let out a sigh of relief. He didn't know what this woman was capable of but didn't want her to test her abilities on his sister. Jane, on the other hand, was shocked. Her mouth immediately dropped open. But she turned a glare to the two laughing. When she looked back at the woman, she tried to intensify the pain she gave.

Serafina realized the pain intensified. It was still nothing compared to the pain she'd feel when she didn't vent her flames. But it was there. After looking at the four in front of her she noticed their reactions. "Is this you?" she asked Jane with furrowed brows, "stop, it's annoying."

"Jane, stop," Alec ordered his sister. She immediately gave a small scream of frustration as she stomped her foot, crossed her arms, and pouted like the child she was.

This brought a small smile to Serafina's face. These two children were cute. They may have been in charge, but they were still children at heart. Jane couldn't even stop herself from having a small tantrum from not having her way. She found it adorable.

"Wait, one final test. How about it?" Jane finally composed herself and offered, "try my brother's abilities. See if you can endure that." Her smile was back on her face, proud of herself for thinking of this.

"Why am I having to do these tests in the first place?" she responded, "What's happening?"

Alec stepped forward and put his hands behind his back in a professional manner, "sorry for how rude we've been. We are the Volturi Guard. I'm Alec. That is my sister Jane." He gestured to the young girl. "The big oaf is Felix and the one who can't keep the grin off of his face is Demetri." Felix frowned at how he was introduced while Demetri's grin grew wider at the jab Felix was thrown. "We keep order for our kind." Alec continued, "We came here on orders from our Master because we found that a certain Benito Hernandez threatened to expose our kind to the humans. This could not be allowed. We were curious about his ability. But when he used it against us, he had to be stopped. While in the middle of his destruction, he kept shouting that his angel would avenge him. That she couldn't be stopped, not even by our guard. That one on the ground" he nodded to Danny, "said that wasn't true. That she would not avenge him. But we still thought we'd wait to see this angel. We were more curious about your abilities than anything and jumped into the testing. It's just habit. Sorry. But that's what this was. Just trying to see what you could do and I have to say I'm impressed. Our Master would love to meet you, I'm sure. I believe the one on the ground called you Miss Hart, is that right?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered, "Serafina Hart. But call me Miss Hart."

"Well Miss Hart, our master is very talented. He may be able to track down your sire and punish him for his neglect on your behalf." He offered, "we can also teach you a great deal about our kind. They're basically the experts on us vampires. Very wise and just."

"Is that where you're taking Danny?" she asked.

"Yes, we could tell he was just being used by Benito. We're fairly certain he will be forgiven for his crimes but may need to show his sincerity by joining our guard for a bit." Alec nodded.

"I'm pretty sure Benny was using everyone in his army. Why wasn't anyone else given this opportunity for forgiveness?" she asked in confusion.

A second of hesitation but Alec soon spoke up again, "because they were taught improperly right from the start. They know nothing else. We wouldn't be able to rehabilitate any of the newborns because of that. But Danny here, he already knows right and wrong in regard to our laws. He was just led astray by Benito after the fact. After Benito became greedy. It's much easier to rehabilitate an older vampire such as Danny here."

Serafina wasn't sure if that was true or not. But it seemed as though it could be true. She chose to believe and nodded, "Alright, I'll go with you. I was only meeting up with Benny to learn more about our kind anyways. But stop messing with Danny. He's not that bad."

"Of course, that was just Felix. As I'm sure you can tell by now, he's kind of an-" Alec started.

"Asshole?" Serafina finished causing a growl to come from Felix as he glared at her.

Demetri began chuckling. Felix shoved him in annoyance and took a step toward Serafina again. Jane tried to hide her own smile. Not wanting to smile at anything Serafina said, now having decided she didn't like her. Even though she didn't like her she still put herself in front of Felix to stop him from getting to her.

"You heard Alec, she's coming with us to meet Master. Her and the angry man. They're off-limits Felix. Now it's time to split up. You and Demetri stay with the majority of our guard to clear up the rest of Benito's trash and any traces of him. We'll go ahead with everyone else back to Volterra." She commanded.

Although he wanted to argue, he saw Alec seemed to agree with her order so gave a small nod of acknowledgment and turned to leave with no comment, only a small glare directed at Serafina.

"Don't worry, we'll make sure no one escapes. It was nice meeting you Miss Hart. No hard feelings I hope?" he smirked with a small joking bow and followed Felix.

"Come," Jane ordered and zipped off with half of the guard quick on her heels. While Alec lingered a bit.

"Both of you should follow us. We'll leave some of the guard to follow behind. It's safer to travel in numbers after all." He smiled, then followed after his sister.

"So, you're a prisoner too?" he mumbled to Serafina as he slowly lifted himself up.

"They wish," she said, waiting to ensure he was fine. Once she saw he was up, she immediately followed the children. Danny not too far behind.

They traveled for a while but stopped at the ocean. Jane and Alec waiting just at the water's edge. Serafina immediately becoming wary.

"Everyone here?" Jane asked after having waited.

"Appears to be so," Alec responded with his small smile.

"Then let's go." She began walking into the water. The guard immediately following.

"No boat?" Serafina questioned.

Both siblings looking at her with confusion.

"No, it's faster to swim. We'll get a boat closer to Volterra to keep up appearances, but that's it." Alec answered while looking up at her with his confusion on his face.

"Then we have a problem," she answered crossing her arms looking down at them, "I can't swim."

"You must be joking," Jane wailed, throwing a small tantrum again, glaring at Serafina.

Chapter Text

They landed ashore after several weeks of travel. Serafina and Danny were given cloaks of their own in black to be easily discernible to the guard. Jane was still annoyed with Serafina for extending their trip by refusing to swim. Serafina had even refused to be taught when Alec offered to teach her. Jane was offended. How dare this nobody refuse the graciousness of her brother? Throughout their trip, Jane would say things to Serafina in hopes of offending her. Serafina was never bothered and would simply laugh it off, only angering Jane more to the point where Jane would purposely stay away from her.

They sped through the beautiful Italian countryside until they reached a large city surrounded by enormous walls. Serafina and Danny were in awe, staring up at the large walls. She was excited to take a look at the interior of the city, so began to make her way to a large open gate where travelers were already making their way through. When she was suddenly stopped by Alec.

"We have our entrance further back. Just follow us." He stated, speeding towards the shadows at the opposite end.

Serafina and Danny followed. Then, as Serafina watched, Alec disappeared. She wasn't able to hide her surprise. Jane smirked. Serafina quickly hid that surprise after realizing she had been seen. Then paid more attention as Jane soon disappeared as well. She reached her hand out to where they had disappeared and realized it was just the way the wall was laid out. She shifted herself more to the left and was able to see it for what it was. A narrow passageway. The wall was positioned in a way that it hid the passageway unless you looked at it from a very specific angle that no one would typically bother looking for. She stood marveling at the ingenuity when she heard a sigh from the passage.

"Yes, yes, it's impressive. Now hurry up! We've already been delayed enough as it is due to yourself! You should be more self-aware!" Jane scoffed after popping her head out from behind a turn in the wall to glare at Serafina.

Serafina rolled her eyes but followed with Danny still walking next to her but still partially behind. The passage was small. She figured it barely allowed the army to walk two at a time to fit through when traveling through it. She comfortably walked through the maze-like passage that slowly elevated to some back alleys. The back alley was much wider and had a spectacular view of the city, but she noticed that while it seemed very open, it was actually hidden in the shadows. Technically the citizens of the city couldn't actually see them. Not unless they were knowingly looking for them, even in broad daylight they wouldn't be seen. She could only assume that it was because they didn't want to have the people aware of what they do behind the scenes in their quiet city. She thought it was very clever. She considered making some type of secret passage for herself in her town. Then she remembered she didn't actually have to hide anything so quickly dispelled the idea.

They made it towards the end of pathway that led them further into the center of the city. They made it to a gorgeous building's back courtyard. The building was tall. She wasn't sure but believed it may have been a clock tower. Once they all made it the army lined up in formation and at attention.

"Disperse," Jane stated causing them all to leave.

It was only the four of them left as they entered the building. It was even more beautiful inside. She looked around where she could, but they weren't given an actual tour. They simply walked down several corridors until they made it to a grand room. There was an enormous portrait about eight feet tall on the wall of three men. One man standing in front of the center throne and two men sitting on the thrones just behind him. There were lit sconces on either side of the portrait. The sconces themselves were beautiful with intricate leaf designs all made of gold. Alec pulled on a lit sconce, and they heard a rumble. The wall holding the portrait opened up to darkness. Luckily, with their eyesight it was very easy to see the staircase that led downwards.

The walk down was very long but she discovered it looked a bit like a sewer at the bottom. Serafina wasn't happy with that. The expression on her face was nonplussed after the magnificent architecture above. She literally stopped.

Jane pursed her lips. Wanting to make a snide comment but not wanting to seem childish now that she was back home. She wanted to seem more mature, but Serafina seemed to bring out the worst in her.

Jane stopped. "It's not a true sewer any longer. We've long since renovated. It's just another passageway now. The sewer was diverted long ago." She sighed without turning back to look at Serafina.

"If I go down there and it smells like shit, I'm going to be very upset," Serafina stated while crossing her arms and passing Jane down the stairs.

Jane gritted her teeth and clenched her fists together in a motion as though she were strangling Serafina. Unable to hide her glare.

Alec smiled softly to himself at his sister's behavior. He understood completely. Serafina managed to rile him up on occasion as well. But he actually realized it was intentional. She didn't like that they behaved so much older than their physical age. She was very stubborn in her belief that they were children. They constantly reminded her that they were actually much older than herself, but she didn't seem to care. Constantly teasing them and tricking them into showing their childishness. He knew Jane was doing her best to hold it in. He patted her shoulder to gain her attention.

"Calm down sister, we're home. Let's report to Master. He may have a reward for us." He appeased her and continued walking.

She regained herself and followed her brother.

Danny slowly followed them all. Not feeling he was actually equal to anyone in this group to walk with any. He knew Serafina was only staying with him to be nice. She was the strongest vampire he had ever met, but she could be nice too. She was being nice due to his nerves. He was nervous about meeting the Volturi in person, not sure how they would react to his having participated in Benny's army. He watched their guard destroy so many vampires, including Benny. Benny was the only family he had. He knew what they were doing was frowned upon by the Volturi, but he was willing to follow Benny wherever he asked. He saved him after all. He owed his revenge and second chance at life to him. He wondered if they would forgive him or if they were just bringing him to their palace to destroy him in front of everyone as an example. There was no use fighting it, he simply continued following them several paces behind.

At the bottom Serafina saw another passage. Many recesses built in the walls with lit braziers. She was actually getting pretty annoyed now. She scowled to herself looking at the passage. While she stood looking forward Jane came up behind her and intentionally bumped her with her shoulder while she passed her.

"You should pay more attention to your surroundings. Now come," she happily stated with a small skip as she continued forward past Serafina.

That brought a small smile to Serafina's face as she followed Jane. No longer as upset with the distance she was forced to travel anymore. Not too long after she noticed much more light entering from the end of the corridor. Serafina paused and soon Alec passed her to join his sister entering a large domed room. Serafina waited for Danny then slowly followed. Marveling again at the architecture, the columns, floors, and domed ceiling were magnificent. She assumed the dome at least reached the surface due to the natural light able to make it through. She could see it was somehow tinted though as she wasn't being blinded while in the room from the vampires around her.

"Ah! Jane! Alec! Welcome home! We were so happy when we heard of your arrival. We had been quite worried. We were expecting you weeks ago, when you didn't come, well. We didn't know what to think. Come. Let me see what you've been through and then you can make your report to the hall." A rather jovial looking man with a smile on his face rose from his throne at the end of the room and descended some steps to meet Jane and Alec who had already made it to stand at attention a few feet from the steps. Danny and Serafina waited more towards the entrance unsure if they were to follow or not.

Serafina recognized the men in front of her as being the ones from the painting. She guessed they were the kings Red had mentioned before. Jane's and Alec's masters. She wondered what he meant by wanting to 'see' what they went through. But she was sure to pay attention to figure out what he meant.

She saw him grasp Jane's hand. Then glanced up at Danny and then herself. "Interesting," he muttered, "let's see things from Alec's perspective next." He stated as he reached for Alec's hand, "I see, I do trust your judgment." He stated while making brief eye contact with Alec, smile much wider, "you two did very well." He laughed loudly then returned to his throne, once comfortable he looked back to the children, "report."

Alec walked over to the side of the thrones and turned to face his sister while standing with his hands to his sides. No expression on his face. Fully showing his aptitude as a Volturi guard and looking to his sister for her to make her report.

Jane put her hands behind her back and informed them of all that happened while they were away. Serafina noticed that most of her eye contact went to either Aro or her brother as though she felt more comfortable speaking with them. She heard how when they first approached Benito's army that they offered amnesty to those few who were willing to surrender. But that Benito had used his ability to steel their resolve in fighting against them. That he used his ability against the guard. That if Jane, Alec, Felix, and Demetri hadn't taken two shields with them at Aro's insistence, that they would've been brainwashed as well. Luckily they were immune due to their shields. Both shields had made sure to keep hands on both sets of their leadership when approaching the enemy army for just such a situation. Due to the nature of Benito's ability, they were forced to end him quickly in order to get their own guard back under their own control. But when destroying him he mentioned Serafina and how she would avenge him. Jane told them how once Benito's ability had cleared his army's minds with his death, that most of the enemy army fled. Jane sent their guard against the ones who stayed. That Danny was grief stricken, grew into a giant, and fought back with a small battalion of their army. That they were impressed with his ability and loyalty and thought he was deserving of being pardoned with a bit of training. That she had left Felix and Demetri to hunt down all those who fled from the army to ensure there was no trace of Benito's army left. She described meeting Serafina, discovering her ability was fire, and was sure to emphasize how their being late on their return to Volterra was fully Serafina's fault. Then she stood next to her brother with arms relaxed at her sides.

Serafina couldn't help rolling her eyes at the last bit.

"There are no other ties for the young man. Only a small link of mentor and pupil growing between him and this young lady. He has admiration for her. The young lady has no ties or loyalties to anyone." The disinterested looking man to the left of Aro stated.

"Marvelous," Aro clasped his hands in front of his face as though trying to conceal his smile which was impossible. "Welcome you two. As I'm sure you've already surmised, we are the leaders of the Volturi. I am Aro. These are my fellow leaders, brothers if you will, Marcus," he gestured to the bored looking man who had just spoken.

"Charmed," Marcus stated in a bored tone not even looking at them.

Aro's smile disappeared for a split second with Marcus' response, but it was quickly back on his face as he continued gesturing towards a blond man to his other side, "and this is Caius."

"Enough of the pleasantries, let's see if these two actually have any worth." Caius stated aggressively.

Serafina crossed her arms across her chest and raised her brow at Caius, "are you qualified to judge someone's worth? What gives you the right?" she started to become agitated. Feeling her anger rising from his tone alone.

Danny felt her anger and cleverly took a step away from her just in case. The movement didn't go unnoticed by Jane and Alec who glanced at each other before Alec stepped in front of the thrones. He was fairly certain his abilities would work against her. Jane's abilities worked after all; they were just labeled as ineffective due to Serafina's high pain tolerance. Even if the pain was imaginary, it works based off of people's pain tolerance, that's why it didn't work on her. If her actual pain tolerance was high, her mental pain tolerance would be as well.

Serafina's reaction drew the rooms attention as the guards who stood at attention now considered her a threat due to Alec's stance and they all readied themselves for any command to attack. Marcus actually looked at her, a small smile just at the corner of his mouth. Almost unnoticeable, but he quickly averted his gaze again letting the smile slip. Caius had his eyes narrowed at Serafina in disdain. Aro was slightly uncomfortable, it was visible due to a slight waver to his smile, but he brought his smile back and attempted to ease tensions.

"Please, calm down everyone." He stated smiling, "he didn't mean worthy. He's simply curious about your abilities. Caius just expresses himself in a very harsh manner. Some might find it a bit abrasive or blunt. He means nothing by it. But I agree with him in that I am curious to see your abilities for myself. Please. Step forward young man and introduce yourself and your ability to us. We would also like a demonstration if you will." He gestured for Danny to step forward.

"My name is Daniel Benoit. I was born in Louisiana but moved around a bit. I've been a vampire for twenty years now. I can turn anger into power. It doesn't even have to be my own anger. I was a boxer before I was turned, so I knew how to use my power with my previous skills. That's why I was able to hold off your big guy for a while until Ms. Jane stopped me." He stated, muttering the last bit while avoiding looking anywhere near Jane.

Jane had a smirk on her face as she glanced back towards the thrones. Aro had a prideful smile on his face as he glanced at Jane as well giving her a nod, "Well, she is very good at what she does. You had no hope of winning the fight with her there. Don't be too hard on yourself Daniel. Now let's see this strength."

Serafina allowed the anger she was feeling from having heard Caius speak before to come back to her mind so that Danny could tap into it for his demonstration. She wasn't sure if he would have performance issues since he was being ordered to do it after all. Her anger Caius caused hadn't receded yet anyways. Danny could feel her anger and couldn't hide his small smile knowing she was trying to help him. So, he used it and his own anger to turn him into his monster alter ego.

"Incredible," Aro gaped with wide eyes.

"He's only slightly bigger than Felix. It's not that impressive," Caius scoffed.

"Still much larger than yourself," Marcus muttered after only looking up at Danny for a moment. Earning a glare from Caius.

"You saw him actually fight on equal footing with Felix, Jane? Alec?" Aro turned to them.

"Yes," Jane simply stated.

"Felix enjoyed sparring with him a great deal. Though they fought in a restrained human fashion. If trained properly, he would be able to fight in a more vampiric way should the situation require it and become a single man battalion." Alec stated after some thought.

"How do you fight like a vampire?" Serafina asked.

"Did you not watch the newborns fight while you were with them? All the biting, ripping, and shredding? Are you blind?" Caius spat impatiently.

"Can you leave? I really don't like you. Almost every time you open your mouth, I am filled with rage. Ask my associate there and he will tell you, it's not good for my temper." Serafina stated signaling Danny to speak up.

"I can feel her anger, I'm sorry, but it does spike when you speak." He stated looking down.

"Really? I'd like to see how you know. You know my ability allows me to see every thought you've ever had. Come. It's time to see if you can be saved. Give me your hand Daniel," Aro stated, an excited glint in his eye as he got up and walked down his steps towards Danny.

Every thought someone ever had? Serafina was impressed. It seemed you couldn't hide anything from Aro. She watched as he grasped Danny's hand for a while. Much longer than he did with Jane, but she assumed when he reviewed Jane's thoughts, he only had to go back a couple of months versus Danny's entire life. After a couple of minutes, he looked up with wide eyes and looked to Serafina.

"It seems you were holding back when you showed your abilities to our guard. Why? You made a bit of a show when you demonstrated for Benito and Daniel here." Aro stated as he dropped Danny's hand and brought his hands up tapping his fingers together in excitement as he looked to Serafina, "my dear, I cannot wait to see what you can do. But first." He turned his back to them and looked to his fellow leaders, "I have seen into Daniel's thoughts." He announced to everyone in the room, looking around. Then looked over at Danny, "You had an immense sense of loyalty to Benito. Benito used that. Even knowing you were breaking our laws. You stayed loyal. That man led you astray. You were used. I believe you can obtain redemption. Join our guard, I'd say as a proper punishment, it should be a century. See, only temporary. It's to ensure you are retaught properly. We can keep an eye on you and make sure you take to your lessons well. But this will only work if you say yes. Though I think you know the alternative. What you did was punishable with death of course." Aro added with a sympathetic look.

"Join or die, it seems all vampires have the same mindset huh?" she aimed to Danny with a smile. He just grinned back at her.

"It's much better to join us. We keep order for all vampires. We ensure all our kinds safety. It's not as simple as join or die as you stated." Aro stated gesturing with his hands outspread.

"He broke the rules. That was already punishable with death. He should be honored to be given the opportunity to join even after his transgressions," Caius added snidely.

Danny thought for a moment, looked to Serafina as though asking her opinion. She was about to nod to him, but suddenly there was a far off look in his eye, a split second of confusion, but then Danny turned away and looked back to the three on their thrones, "I will do my best to make up for my past mistakes. I will do my best for the Volturi from here on." He added as he shrunk down and took a knee in front of them with head down.

"You made the right decision," Aro stated with a smile, then looked to a random guard off to the side, "go get Daniel here situated with the rest of the guard. Show him around and make sure he's comfortable. His training will begin tomorrow. Now, why don't you step forward my dear?" he then looked to Serafina with that same smile.

Serafina frowned as she watched Danny leave without a goodbye. She guessed he was making a clean break. She wouldn't complain. She was nervous he would be a little attached to her. She guessed she was over-thinking it. This was going to be his new home for the next century, she hoped he would try to make the best of his current situation. She looked away from his retreating figure and turned to the three on their thrones and stepped forward as well.

"My name is Serafina Hart, born and raised in Texas. No accent because my father and his associates were from everywhere but Texas. I've been a vampire for 12 years. My ability is fire. Alec and Jane thought a fire manipulator. But I don't think it's as simple as that. I don't think Alec does either." Serafina stated looking up to the three seated above herself.

"Serafina, a beautiful young lady with an ability related to fire. How apropos of your parents to name you that. I wonder if they knew?" Aro couldn't help the chuckles her name gave him, "You weren't actually a part of their army. So have done nothing wrong. But, may I still see?" Aro stood and took a few steps towards Serafina with an outstretched hand. But stopped a foot away, giving Serafina the chance to decline.

"I have nothing to hide," Serafina stated, stepping forward closing the distance and grabbing his hand.

Chapter Text

Aro grasped her hand in both of his and held eye contact. Although he seemed to be looking in her eyes, Serafina noticed he wasn't actually focusing on her. So, she surveyed his appearance. He appeared to be in his mid to late twenties, not much taller than herself, if at all, long black hair, and an impish grin almost always plastered to his face. She supposed he was attractive, but not to herself. Aro began to chuckle and his eyes regained focus and looked into her eyes.

"My dear, your thoughts are mine to read while we hold this contact. Including any new thoughts you are having. Though, it's good you don't find me attractive- my wife may try to kill you if you did." He chuckled as he looked her face over.

"Sorry," she shrugged.

His smile began to fade as he grew serious and looked into her eyes again, "What happened wasn't your fault. Your sire failed you. You were taught nothing, and your abilities were enhanced tenfold upon your creation into a vampire. With no one to guide you and your emotions going haywire with your confusion at the change, what happened to the town wasn't your fault. If I were able to find your sire, we would punish them for their failure in educating you."

"If? If you were able to find my sire? I thought you would be able to find them?" Serafina questioned with a small glance to Alec.

"Normally I would by looking into your thoughts. Even if you only caught a glimpse, I would normally be able to tell. But if you never saw them, why would you think about them? The only thoughts of yours I saw about them was your confusion on who they may be after you learned of their existence a year ago or thoughts about why they changed you in the first place. I am sorry my dear, but you never saw them before or after, therefore had no thoughts about them for me to piece together and find the truth." He stated with sympathy as he let go of her hand and looked back to the others as he began walking away from her. "But that doesn't mean I'll stop trying." He added as he came to a stop.

"Why are you willing to help me with this?" Serafina innocently asked while keeping her distrust from her face.

"Well, my dear, because they broke the law." He stated looking back at her, "but the main reason, is because they caused you a lot of pain with their negligence. After seeing all you've been through, I simply cannot allow them to go without punishment. No. You suffered alone for too long. Stay. We will do our best to find them together."

She was incredibly suspicious of his concern but knew better than to show it on her face so decided to ignore the comment about staying and ask some questions, "what law did they break?"

"If your creator failed to educate you of our laws upon your awakening as a vampire, then your creator broke the law. A creator is responsible for their newborn's behavior and education for the first several months." Caius stated from his throne, "Allowing newborns to run amok may draw unwanted attention from the humans. We can't allow that."

"Exactly," Aro nodded, "Also, I like the word amok. I think I'll use that too," he mumbled more to himself while looking down for a moment, before looking up and addressing Serafina, "If a newborn runs amok without ever having been educated by their creator, then both newborn and creator will be subject to death as punishment. If after they were educated the newborn ignores what they've been taught, well, that would only result in the newborns' death. But the creator would be pardoned."

"There are also instances though, where an uneducated newborn will still be punished with death even if they didn't cause much trouble," Caius added with a smirk gracing his face. After only having viewed his glares and looks of disdain, the smirk appeared very sinister to Serafina. Others would normally take it as a threat and express their fear accordingly. Serafina merely rolled her eyes and ignored him. Turning Caius' smirk into a frown.

"This is also true, but! Serafina was always very good at ensuring there were no witnesses. Even the people who suspect that she is something unnatural, simply believe her to be a specter haunting their town." He hooked his hands into faux claws and teased them as though they were children, "ooooh, scary!" Aro giggled.

"Are you sure she never slipped?" Caius asked ignoring Aro's childishness.

"Looking for any excuse to kill me are you Caius?" Serafina asked with a small grin.

He ignored her and continued to question Aro, "No slip ups for a vampire who was never educated by their sire? After so many years? How is that possible?"

Aro turned back and gave them a disapproving look Serafina was unable to see from her position, "Serafina is very gifted in her abilities, yes. But also, her self-control. She hardly used her abilities but if she ever did in front of humans, all humans present would die one way or another. So, no witnesses. She never allowed any humans to see her skin in sunlight either. It seems she's a bit self-conscious about the sparkling. And anytime she used her normal increased vampiric speed or strength, she simply played her part as a ghost. So, she has not broken any laws in her vampiric existence." He explained to the other leaders with shrug of his shoulders and chuckle, "It's actually quite amusing. The people in the town she lives in believe her to be La Llorona, also known as The Weeping Woman. The vengeful ghost who haunts bodies of water mourning her dead children. Though in the normal story, she was the one who killed the children. But in the story her town tells, she mourns her children who were killed by her unfaithful husband. I agree with you my dear, your town's version is a lot better." Unable to control his chuckles, he brought his hand up to cover his mouth.

"You seem fairly impressed with her abilities. When will we be able to see for ourselves?" Caius asked Aro.

"Maybe if you ask nicely." Serafina answered Caius in Aro's stead.

Aro winced a bit knowing the type of reaction this would cause Caius. He quickly brought his own smile back and just before Caius was able to say whatever disdainful remark he was about to make, Aro interjected, "Please my dear, just show them. I want them to see how amazing your abilities can be."

Serafina and Caius locked eyes as though about to enter battle. Glare intense on both. Due to her anger, it didn't take long for her eyes to glow just around the irises which caused Caius' glare to falter, "sure, no problem. I'll show everyone here my abilities." Serafina finally uttered.

Aro let out a breath of relief, "thank you. And although I know you said you had nothing to hide, I know you were in fact attempting to hide how strong you are. I would like you to please show a bit of your abilities first, but then show your best! Do that fun one you did that time when you were in that cave with your treasure," he said with increasing elation as he raced back to his throne for a better view, large smile from his excitement.

Serafina was sure now that Aro had, in fact, seen all of her thoughts. It just seemed he was more interested in the thoughts she had after she turned into a vampire. Possibly because that was when her abilities manifested in the way they did. She simply nodded then lifted her hand, doing the same trick she had done for Red when she lit her fingers on fire. Then she summoned three larger flames and threw them at the three on the thrones, stopping them just before their faces. None flinched though Caius was very angry at the perceived threat. Although the leaders didn't flinch, the guards did in fact take a step forward, but Alec and Jane just shook their heads as they seemed to understand Serafina's character by now and knew she wouldn't attack for no reason. Serafina pulled the flames back and then she summoned all the fires from the braziers nearby to make an even larger blaze in the center of the room. Throwing the whole room into darkness. Although all vampires were still able to see clearly, it still set the mood. Aro could see Serafina's own dramatic flair. He thoroughly enjoyed it. She moved her hands around a bit as though shaping the flames. Once satisfied, she dropped her hands and stood back. Aro immediately began clapping as the flame began to move around in the shape and mannerisms of a jaguar. It even pawed the air as if threatening them all and when it opened it's mouth to growl and roar the sound of flames crackling actually intensified giving understanding to the phrase "roaring fire". But the fact that it no longer looked like Serafina was controlling the fire was what impressed Aro most. Because he recalled her thoughts- She wasn't sure if the flames had a mind of their own or not. He believed they may. He found it fascinating. She would be an amazing new addition to their army. The fear she would inspire in their enemies was something he was greatly looking forward to.

While all eyes were on the jaguar, Serafina was watching everyone important in the room. She saw the greed in Aro's eyes, boredom in Marcus', and slight fear and awe in Caius. When she glanced over to Jane and Alec, she saw jealousy in Jane's after Jane looked from the jaguar to Aro and she saw calculations in Alec's eyes. She knew she was brought here for a reason. It wasn't them wanting to help her like they claimed. Alec seemed a lot smarter than his pure innocent face conveyed. He planned it out to bring her to Aro. Aro seemed to be the unspoken leader of all the Volturi and although he was incredibly nice- Serafina knew greed when she saw it. He coveted her like everyone else. Though not for her body as she was used to. He seemed to want her power. She was grateful for her family's teachings, they taught her to read people, at their saloon it was to figure out who would be an easy mark. She was always in the shadows of the saloon keeping watch and she was pretty good at it. She could tell if someone would drop more money on alcohol, gambling, or women and all within the first three minutes of watching them. It took her a while to get a read on these Volturi, but she believed it was due to their age. They more than likely had many years of practice in hiding their true natures. She would do her best to protect herself.

She clicked her tongue as though recalling a pet. The jaguar stopped and slowly turned back and walked to herself. Stopping to sit just at her side. "Good girl," she whispered. The fire jaguar actually leaned against her side as though it had a physical form and was asking for attention. She complied. As she pet the flames, they slowly disappeared back into her body. But she was sure to put some of the flames back where they came from, reigniting the braziers of the throne room.

"Bravo! That was amazing! My dear, you should consider joining us as well. You can be near your friend; we can help you learn more about us and help you hone your abilities. I saw before in your mind that you, on occasion, lose control of your abilities if you lose control of your emotions. Is that right?" he asked standing and looking at her with sympathy and hands clasped together as he cocked his head to the side, "we can help you with that. We can help improve your abilities, emotional control, help you find your sire to punish him for the pain he caused you, and help your understanding of our kind all at once. It would be much easier if you join. Come Serafina. We can be your new family."

"You'll only help me if I join?" Serafina asked.

"Of course not my dear! But it would be a lot easier for you to learn if you simply join our guard, it would be much easier for you to learn from the other men and women who serve under us. Even if you didn't join, we would of course still help. That's the type of people we are. Always willing to help our kind, this I promise you." He stated with benevolence.

Serafina knew he was just sweet talking her. She was just about to politely decline his offer when she felt something different. A feeling in her heart began to sprout. Why not? She had been alone so long. Yes, she had some children to speak to, they weren't afraid of her yet. But that would end soon. They would grow up and come to fear or revere her like everyone else wouldn't they? But she could be herself here. Being with her kind was much better. They could speak and joke around. She wouldn't have to hold back even if she was just going to pat someone's shoulder. Plus, this was her kinds' royalty and they wanted her to join. That was impressive. She'd be more than comfortable here. She liked teasing Jane and Alec, she could bother them all the time from here. Aro wasn't too bad, a little strange, but who wasn't? Marcus seemed the easiest to get along with. She liked him very much. Yes, she'd probably have to deal with Caius on occasion, but it wasn't like she hadn't dealt with jerks before. This seemed like a great idea. Just as she was about to swear her loyalty to the Volturi her internal pain flared up again. She didn't even need to think about it this time, someone present was playing with her mind. She clenched her jaw and glared up to the throne. "No thank you, to the joining. But I would like to stay a bit to learn more about our kind and possibly find my sire. I appreciate your help. Also, please don't call me Serafina. I would prefer if you called me Ms. Hart, you've seen my thoughts. I'm sure you know I will feel more comfortable that way." Serafina stated after calming herself down. Putting a fake smile on her face.

The whole room was engulfed in silence. Unconcealed surprise on everyone's faces. The only one present who didn't have a surprised look on their face was Marcus who then began chuckling. It sounded strange and dry, as though he hadn't done it in a very long time and could hardly remember how. Marcus stood up and announced, "it seems we don't have a new member to our guard, but a guest who will be staying with us until she is satisfied with all we have to offer. We'll have the guest wing prepared in the main castle. We'll do our best to help you with all Aro promised." He chuckled, "now, if that will be all, I shall retire for the day." He then turned around and calmly walked out of the throne room with two guards following.

"Yes, yes of course. Complete all Marcus stated and escort Ms. Hart to her guest wing." Aro stated while still trying to collect himself, "Now we are very busy my dear so it may be a while before we are able to educate you. Please be patient with us." He smiled as he gestured with his hands to behind the thrones to the exit that Marcus had just taken where two guards were waiting to escort her to her wing.

"Thank you," she stated as she calmly walked over to the waiting guards and followed them out.

There were several more moments of silence while they walked away. No one dared to say a word. Aro slowly sat back down but his smile was gone, "Chelsea." He called.

One of the regular guards walked over from their inconspicuous spot in line behind the thrones and walked to the front where they kneeled and removed their red hood revealing a woman with light brown hair, "I did as usual, I don't know how she was able to resist." She stated after standing.

"Did you notice anything different when attempting to bind her to us?" Aro asked.

"I don't know how to describe it. It was like the tie I made was," she hesitated a moment looking down as though looking for the right words.

"Was what?" Caius snapped.

"Was burned away." Chelsea finished looking back up to them.

"She was able to resist Benito's ability now that I recall her thoughts." Aro muttered with his hand to his chin in thought, "remarkable, she will be an amazing addition to our guard." He finished with a grin.

"She can't be controlled, she's too dangerous to keep close. What if she turns on us?" Caius argued.

"She's not the type. What about you two, you spent the most time with her. What do you think about her?" Aro asked Jane and Alec.

"She's strong, now seeing more of what she can do, I think she would make our guard unstoppable. She can even resist Jane, but I do think she would succumb to my ability if needed," Alec answered.

"She doesn't listen! She won't do what we want." Jane added, trying to calm down her anger at the thought of Serafina joining.

"She could lead. If she believes what we're doing is right, she may listen and work with us. Plus, she appears to have a soft spot for children, Jane and I may be able to talk her into compliance?" Alec added.

"But she's annoying," Jane muttered under her breath.

"It seems we may have to have her join the old-fashioned way. We'll show her this is the best place for her." Aro decided.

"It can't be too obvious. She's already suspicious of us after Chelsea's attempt at the binding." Caius added.

"Agreed," Aro nodded, "Jane, you and Alec will be responsible for showing her around and trying to show her all the good joining has to offer. We'll take our time with the educating. The longer she's here, the better to show her the benefits of being part of the Volturi. Now as a reward for all you've done, you two are free to go out as often as you like this month to feed. Those who served under you will be allowed two ventures outside the walls to feed this month instead of their usual one. I'm sure you'll be discrete." He added.

"It seems this meeting is adjourned, farewell," Caius stated as he stood from his seat and retreated to his quarters with his personal guards following.

"Farewell," Aro responded before he walked over to the twins, "well done. Remarkable finds." He smiled as he ruffled their hair before leaving with his guards as well.

"You heard master. We want her to stay, so try to be nice." Alec told Jane as they watched Aro leave.

Jane rolled her eyes, "yes I heard, but I'll only be nice if she's nice." She mumbled with a small pout on her face she wasn't even aware of.

Alec smiled at his sister, "of course, that's all we ask."

Chapter Text

"No! It's mine!" Jane screamed as she ran from Serafina full speed through the castle and to the courtyard.

"You lost! Give it to me!" Serafina yelled back as she chased her through the courtyard while the guard were training.

The guard couldn't help their laughter. This was a usual sight over the years. They initially found it very strange seeing Jane and Alec playing anything. They were always so serious. But they got used to it quickly. They were children after all. This actually made them see them as they truly were. At least until they got serious with training or work. Then the fear and respect came back immediately.

Alec had circled from the other direction and managed to cut off Jane's escape route. She paused, debating which direction to go, but this small pause was enough for Serafina to tackle Jane to the ground. "Give it!" Serafina yelled as she reached for the ruby clenched in Jane's hands.

"No!" Jane yelled as she brought the ruby down to her belly, under her body away from Serafina's reach.

"Fine, then I'll just sit right here until you decide to give it to me." Serafina said as she turned around and simply sat on Jane's back.

"Get your fat arse off of me you cow!" Jane yelled kicking her legs to try and push her off. Her accent always coming out a bit when her anger flared.

"Not nice," Serafina mumbled as she put her hand to her belly with brows furrowed.

"You lost Jane, you know the rules." Alec stated arms crossed looking down at his sister, "You would've taken her gold if you won, wouldn't you? I told you we should just play for fun like we usually do. You're the one who said you were an adult and could handle playing for treasures." He shrugged.

"But she cheated," Jane muttered.

"How did I cheat?" Serafina asked.

"I don't know, but I'm sure you did!" Jane growled back.

"You can't accuse someone of cheating without proof," she retorted.

"Fine! Take it! Just get your fat arse off of me!" Jane yelled as she handed the ruby to Serafina.

"Thank you, that's very big of you" Serafina stated, accepting the ruby as she stood up, "and I want to tell you a secret now." Serafina looked to the twins as Alec helped his sister up. They both looked to her questioningly, "I did cheat." Serafina smiled as she ran off in the opposite direction. Jane let out an angry shriek as she began chasing Serafina again. Alec chuckled to himself as he followed along.

In a tower of the castle overlooking the courtyard there were four standing at a large window looking down at what was happening below.

"The twins love her," Sulpicia chuckled while looking down into the courtyard at the three playing.

"Do they? Majority of the time, they seem to want to kill her. I don't blame them. I still think that would be best." Caius muttered while looking down on them with disgust.

"Yes darling, you just don't understand because you don't like anyone but me. But when we invite Jane to come up for girl time, she always asks if alright to invite Serafina as well. She says it's so Serafina can see how beneath us she actually is. But we know it's because she wants her around," Athenodora chuckled taking Caius' hand and drawing his attention from the window to herself. His scowl immediately turning into a soft smile.

"I suppose we do forget they are children with how mature they are and what responsibilities we place on them," Aro said while smiling at his wife putting his arm around her waist as they looked down together.

"She's been with us so long, why hasn't she accepted the offer to formally join?" Sulpicia questioned.

"She refuses to accept orders, it's almost as though we have to ask her for a favor whenever we'd like her assistance, which is beneath us. But Aro here still believes she may join us." Caius said feeling his anger rise. He attempted to calm himself down by looking away from Serafina and only putting his attention on his wife. This did work a great deal. Her presence alone usually did.

"She can't really let go over her ties back home. She keeps going back to her town to ensure things are going well. We had to consistently set up transportation for her to go back almost every two years since she had arrived. But she does keep coming back. She also agrees to help the guard on occasion, so I suppose we should be grateful." Aro muttered. He then sighed, "it's very unfortunate but any abilities that affect her mind or heart, she can sense. The way her ability works, it will burn her to keep her sane with pain. So, if she senses someone attempting to influence her in a negative way, she becomes incredibly angry from the internal pain. I had to forbid Corin from using her ability on her just in case her ability found it to be negative. Wouldn't want Serafina's rage to kill Corin even by mistake as she did that group of guards when she first arrived."

"I don't recall either of you mentioning her killing a group of guards when she first arrived?" Athenodora questioned looking to Caius.

"It was Eros and his groupies." Caius answered.

"Ah, I think I know where this is going. I told you he should have been gotten rid of centuries ago. Vile man." Sulpicia scoffed.

"So, what happened?" Athenodora asked curiously.

"Apparently Serafina had wandered around and found a calm scenic place to relax near the mixed bathhouse. Eros and his goons saw her and were captivated by her beauty," Aro started.

"She is very beautiful," Sulpicia sighed.

"Nothing compared to you my love," Aro turned her, grabbing her forearms and sliding his hands down to hold her hands and looked her in her eyes, then softly kissed her lips.

"Mm, good answer, but continue with the story." Sulpicia grinned looking into his eyes.

"Well, they went to her, Eros used that vulgar ability of his to arouse Serafina sexually in hopes of having her agree to lay with the four of them. In her fury, she destroyed them slowly, piece by piece." Aro continued.

"I'm sure you can guess which piece she started with first. The reports we had from those in the bathhouse said the screams were deafening. When they went outside to investigate, it was a disgustingly horrifying sight. But only the men present at the time believed she had dealt with them excessively," Caius added.

"Eros always was a disgusting brute," Sulpicia said with a frown.

"Which is why she was not punished," Aro smiled while tilting her chin up to look at him, bringing a smile back to her face.

"Good, it sounds like she did the guard a favor," Athenodora stated.

"Agreed, men like Eros give the rest of us a bad name," Caius smiled back, "Darling let's no longer speak of such unpleasant things. Come, it has been too long since we've had some alone time. I wish to shower you with love, starting with a massage." He kissed her on her forehead and grabbed her hand walking out of the tower. "Farewell," he called out.

"Goodnight," Athenodora giggled as she allowed herself to be dragged away by her husband.

"Shall we?" Sulpicia asked as she then took charge and grabbed Aro's hand leading him out following them but turning in the opposite direction after reaching the bottom of the tower.

"Yes, my love," Aro grinned as he followed.

"I lost her," Jane sighed as she stopped her chase in front of her quarters.

"You can get her tomorrow," Alec soothed her as he chuckled to himself.

"It's not funny! She admitted to cheating!" Jane shoved him angrily.

This caused Alec to laugh harder, "she always cheats! She practically robs the rest of the guard blind. You've seen it. Felix is always her biggest source of income. Now go relax for the night. I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight," he smiled to his sister and went to his chambers for the night.

"Goodnight," she pouted returning to her own chambers.

When she walked in, she noticed a paper on her chaise lounge chair. "Just kidding Janie, we'll start playing for real later once I teach you how to cheat." Signed with her symbols of the flame with wings in the heart surrounding it. She looked to what was underneath the paper and found her ruby. Jane picked it up and smiled to herself. Then relaxed for the rest of the night.

Serafina was all the way on the opposite side of the castle walking up to a desolate door. She knocked quietly.

"Come in my dear," a slow voice responded from the other end.

"Hello Marcus," Serafina said as she walked in and took a seat at the table opposite him.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" Marcus asked never averting his eyes from the book he was reading. Both now accustomed to their random late-night discussions.

"Just hoping I can get more information. All these years and we only just finished going over another rule this week. I believe we are at six out of eight now. I suppose when you live forever, you don't need to rush. But I was hoping you can just tell me the other rules." Serafina stated.

"Hmm, I suppose so. Which do you know of now?" he asked.

"The first I learned when I arrived, that a creator is responsible for their newborn's behavior and education for the first several months of their existence as a vampire. The second law I learned not long after arriving, no hunting in Volterra. Considering your kingdom lies in the center of the city and the majority of the underground, this makes sense. Third, hunts can't be too obvious so leave no witnesses and destroy all evidence. Fourth, interactions with humans can't reveal what we are to the humans. If a human were to know of vampire's existence, they must be killed or turned. Fifth, no allowing humans to see us in sunlight. You'd think this one would just be part of the fourth rule? But you guys make the rules, not me. Sixth rule, no bearing false witness. Lying is wrong anyways so I understand. Pretty much all the rules I've learned so far relate to keeping our secret from the humans. I'm guessing the last two do as well." She stated looking to him.

"The seventh but possibly the most important law is to not make immortal children," Marcus stated.

"What are Jane and Alec?" Serafina questioned crossing her arms with brow raised.

"They were nearly thirteen when Aro saved them. He wanted to wait until they were older before turning them, but the town left us no choice. They were to be burned at the stake, Aro barely managed to save them though they both still suffered a bit from the fire. We believe this may be where their abilities manifested. From their suffering." Marcus stated looking up to her, "but when we say children, we mean younger than ten."

"Why is this the most important rule?" she asked.

Marcus looked back to his book, "because they cause immeasurable harm whenever they are created. Jane and Alec are old enough to know right and wrong. Yes, they will occasionally throw their fits, but the most you'll get is a bit of attitude. Or for yourself, actual physical violence," he chuckled to himself before continuing, "but an actual immortal child, they are not old enough to know right from wrong. When they have a fit, they may actually throw a physical tantrum and harm others. They can't control their strength or speed. Their tantrums mostly flare when hungry and children are almost always hungry. They appear so pure and innocent many will do whatever they can for them, it is an innate charm all these children have. Possibly a defense mechanism? We are uncertain. But this charm will cause adult vampires to indulge in the children's appetites. Whole towns have been wiped out by these children. Then when we are forced to put things right, the vampires who have been enchanted by the child will fight to the death to protect it. Small wars have been fought for these children in the past. This is why this rule is so important."

"Alright, I guess Jane and Alec aren't that bad. Well Jane is almost that bad but still not really." Serafina muttered.

Marcus chuckled, "You get along very well with the twins."

"I only ever had an older brother. But he was quite a bit older than myself, so we didn't play much. My father's work associates and employees were all older too. Everyone looked out for me, and I never really had anyone to play with. You can say I was the baby, but I prefer princess. Anyways, I like children, I enjoy playing with them. I enjoy being the big sister and looking out for them." She smiled softly to herself.

Marcus had glanced up from his book to see her smile to herself. This brought a small smile to his face as he went back to his book.

"What about the last rule?" she cleared her throat, bringing herself out of her brief nostalgia.

"No dealing with the Children of the Moon, unless exterminating them." Marcus calmly replied.

Serafina looked at him quizzically. Marcus, sensing her confusion, answered without even looking up, "werewolves."

"Werewolves? Aren't those half man, half wolf beasts from fairytales?" Serafina questioned.

"They're real, they've been enemies of our kind for millennia. When they nearly killed Caius, we made an order to eradicate all werewolves on sight. They are nearly extinct if not fully extinct by now." Marcus informed her.

"Caius was almost killed by werewolves? Well, that makes sense now." Serafina sighed.

"What makes sense?" Marcus asked looking up at her.

"Why Caius is so angry all the time. He must've been so scared when he was almost killed. This must be why he fears those who go against you all. He doesn't want to go through anything like that again." She sighed, "well at least I know all the rules now. All rules are to keep our kind safe from exposure to the humans. But why would it be such a big deal? They wouldn't be able to stand against us if they knew anyways."

"We don't just keep our existence from humans my dear." Marcus answered putting down his book and looking towards her seriously, "Now you know werewolves exist, but there are others. If the humans knew of our existence, the word would spread quickly. If the other supernatural forces knew of our rise, they may rise against us just to watch us fall. Witches, Shape-shifters, Old gods, these are only some of our potential enemies. Some fight against us to compete with us in order to prey on the humans. But there are also some that fight against us to protect them. We don't want to draw any unnecessary attention to ourselves just in case. Please keep that in mind."

She looked at him incredulously, "I will. I promise, I'll follow our laws seriously."

"Good, but when are you going home my dear?" he asked casually as he looked back to his book.

"Now that I know all the rules, maybe soon. It's just going to be hard to leave the twins." She stated putting her cheek in her palm and leaning on the table.

"You can visit whenever you like, but I think it's best you leave. Aro and Caius are repeatedly asking you to assist the guard and it is not your responsibility. I fear you are falling into their trap of joining. You've already been here longer than I know you intended." Marcus stated.

"True, you warned me decades ago and yet I'm still here. Alright! I think I'll leave within the next few months. I'll need you to remind me if I'm still here at that time." She pointed at him.

"Of course, you shouldn't be trapped here like the rest of us. I'll remind you, but it's getting late. Go rest in your quarters until morning. Until next time my dear." Marcus said dismissively.

"Goodnight Marcus! Thank you again for your help." Serafina waved as she went back to her quarters for the night.

Chapter Text

Demetri and Felix were overseeing some sparring matches between some ability users. They noticed a large crowd off to the side circling an individual and decided to investigate after dismissing those who were sparring. They found Serafina standing in the middle of the fire manipulators with a smirk and arms crossed. Jane and Alec were not too far away, organizing bets amongst a larger group of worked-up vampires.

"What's the action?" Demetri asked, bouncing over to the twins to join in.

Most noticed that gambling increased a great deal when Serafina arrived, but they found it increased morale among the guard, so they allowed it. They found it to be somewhat of an equalizer. Especially in situations like this, with their leaders joining in, it amped up their fun. The guard hoping to win their superiors' valuables.

"We have all fire manipulators trying to steal the flame from Serafina. If any manage to either steal or extinguish the flame, she loses. They have five minutes. Care to join?" Alec asked with a smirk.

"That's a fool's bet-" Demetri began.

"A gold ingot says she loses," Felix immediately slammed the ingot on a planter nearby, cracking it in his excitement.

"See," Demetri sighed dramatically.

"You do understand that you bet to win? You don't just bet for your wishful thinking." Jane chuckled, taking Felix's bet.

"What if everyone betting against her makes her lose focus under pressure? What if that lapse in focus causes her to lose? That I want to see. She needs to be knocked down a peg." Felix stated, standing up straight and folding his arms across his chest.

"You're not the only one who thinks so. Everyone here is betting against Serafina. Only three are betting for her to win." Alec said with a knowing smile.

"Really? Everyone here thinks she'll fail? A gold ingot says she wins," Demetri immediately brought out his own ingot.

Jane accepted his bet, then announced, "Betting is closed! Let's begin in 3, 2, 1." she counted down with her own knowing smile.

Serafina raised one arm from its crossed position, partially extending it with her palm up and a fist-sized flame floating above it. Her other arm remained where it was holding up her elbow. Smirk still on her face. The fire manipulators began trying to move her flame, some trying to extinguish it. After three minutes of no movement from her flame, the manipulators stopped. They huddled up and appeared to make a plan. They broke apart, and all seemed to focus intently on the flame.

"Clever; they believe if they all focus on the same thing, they can overpower her with their numbers," Alec muttered while looking over his pocket watch.

"Hmph, they can try. But fire seems to love Serafina for some reason. Our fire manipulators are horribly incompetent in comparison. No wonder they hate her so much," Jane shook her head in disapproval.

"Aro making Ms. Hart leader of their squad without her ever having been a member of our guard and you all encouraging little bets like this aren't going to help her get them to like her," Demetri grinned.

"Ms. Hart doesn't care if they like her or not. I'll bet the whole thing was her idea." Danny's large form grunted out from his sparring position, charging another man and ramming him with his shoulder sending him flying several feet away. The other large man slammed his fists to the ground in frustration, slowly got back up to his feet, nodded to Danny, and retreated. Danny grinned back then turned around and walked over to watch the show with the rest of them, deflating to his normal size.

"He's right; it was her idea," Alec smirked, no longer looking up from his pocket watch.

"But only four of us are betting for her to win? Who is in favor of her?" Demetri asked in confusion.

Alec ignored his question and nodded to Jane, who then announced, "Time's up. Serafina wins."

Serafina extinguished the flame on her own. There was a large group surrounding her; all she heard were groans and moans of disappointment as they cleared a path for her. She calmly walked through to meet up with the twins, "How did we do?" she asked them as she put her arms around their shoulders.

"It would've been a better cut for each of us if Demetri didn't bet with us," Alec said, giving Demetri an annoyed look.

"You didn't bet on Ms. Hart?" Demetri turned to look at Danny.

"What could I bet? She cleaned me out last week during a poker match." He said exasperatedly, "I would be without money until next month when I get my next pay. But I just sparred with Boris and thankfully won. He bet he could withstand my charge in my other form. If he won, I had to volunteer for every sparring match against Felix next week since he usually picks Boris when no one volunteers. But if I won, I'd get his last month's salary. He's going to pay me later," Danny said, with his spirits rising at the thought of getting paid. Alec, Jane, and Demetri looked at him with sympathy. Serafina bit her lower lip to keep herself from laughing.

"You know your men won't like you if you embarrass them like this," Demetri turned to Serafina as he accepted his cut of the winnings from Jane.

"My men? I don't know why Aro told me to lead them. I'm not part of the guard. I go to help out when it sounds like it'll be troublesome for these two." She gave the twins' shoulders a small squeeze, "Plus, it lets me make sure they don't cause too much trouble either. I've only gone out a handful of times. I think they were some of your bigger troubles though," she said, a little unsure as she complained.

"Whether you want them or not, your Seraphim are held very highly in the guard now. Even if they hate you, they can't complain. Their standing in the guard is just below us." Felix said gesturing to their group.

"Seraphim?" Serafina questioned.

"Did you know that the fire manipulators have a new name among the guard and vampire world ever since the first time you led their squad decades ago?" Jane asked Serafina, looking up at her.

"Oh yeah? Seraphim?" Serafina asked with a raised brow.

"The Seraphim, yes," Alec nodded in confirmation.

Serafina looked down at him with confusion, "Are they trying to play off my name?"

"The guard don't even know your name. We told them to call you Ms. Hart, remember?" Jane replied.

"Then why-," Serafina started.

"Because of your beauty. You never wear your hood, claiming it will ruin your hair. So, when you lead the fire manipulators into battle and just have the flames surrounding you all, it makes you look like an actual seraph. An angel." Demetri acted lovestruck with his hands to his heart, "Personally, I'd say the devil. But that could be because I know you." Demetri dropped his act with his smirk coming back up.

"Apparently you inspire fear of holy fire. That if you and the other seraphim show up with our guard, then there may be a type of holy cleansing occurring. It's almost as though you and your squad are recognized as the harbingers of their apocalypse." Alec added.

"I guess you're good for something. The fear you inspire might be worse than Jane at this point. Respect for the Volturi and our laws is at an all-time high. No one wants a visit from Jane and our Seraphim." Felix laughed.

"They should respect the Volturi," Jane smiled. Looking up she noticed Serafina seemed to be lost in thought. She looked over to Alec who seemed to have noticed the same. They looked at each other with slight worry.

"Serafina?" Alec asked with concern looking at her. Snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Hmm?" she shook her thoughts away and looked down at Alec, "Yes?"

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm fine. I'm just thinking about what I will do with my winnings. I claim Felix's winnings as my own." She answered with a small grin, "but I'm going to have to leave you all early this evening. Just leave my share in my room please." She said and brought the twins in her arms closer in a small hug before she turned and left.

Serafina made her way to the tower where she asked the guards for permission to go up. One guard went up to relay the request. After a couple of minutes, he returned and gave her a nod. Once permission was given, she made her way up and knocked on the door.

"You may enter," Sulpicia called from inside.

"Hello Serafina; what brings you up to our lovely tower?" Athenodora called from her position lying lazily on her chaise lounge armchair.

"I came to ask for your help, please," she honestly answered as she sat in her usual seat.

Both women looked at each other in confusion, then looked back to Serafina. Sulpicia had been organizing her jewelry at a desk in the corner; she immediately pushed it to the side and brought herself to her seat at the table Serafina was currently sitting at. Athenodora put down her book and put all of her attention on Serafina.

Serafina sighed, "I think you know I don't want to join the guard."

"Was it a secret?" Sulpicia asked with raised brow.

"If you were to join, you would've joined ages ago," Athenodora added giving Serafina an incredulous look.

Serafina gave a small smile, "You're not mad at me for not joining?"

"None of our business," Athenodora shrugged.

"We've been pretty sure you were just staying to play with the twins for a while now. It's fine. The only ones who still believe you'll join our guard are Aro and Caius," Sulpicia chuckled, "we told them not to expect you to join, but they still believe they know best. We always bring it up and ask them when you'll join or why you hadn't yet for fun. Getting ready to throw in their faces later."

"I told you so," Athenodora moaned in amusement as she slouched on her seat lazily again, "my favorite to tell Caius after he was so sure he was right." She began chuckling with Sulpicia grabbing her hand as they both were in fits of giggles.

Both women had grins on their faces as they looked at each other before looking back to Serafina, "when will you be telling them? Sometime soon?" Sulpicia asked, eager to mock her husband.

"This is where I need your help," Serafina said pleadingly, "I don't know everyone's abilities here, but I think someone will try to make me or the twins try to forget each other. I don't want that. Please, don't let them."

Both women gave each other a knowing look, "It's not that you'll forget each other," Athenodora started with a small sympathetic smile letting go of Sulpicia as she looked to Serafina. Smile turning into a small frown.

"It's that you've made a bond, a bond that has tied you all together. This person will unravel the tie. Or cut it. Just know you'll no longer care for each other the way you did before" Sulpicia finished.

"Why don't either of you say who it is?" Serafina questioned.

"You're not part of our core leadership, not even part of the guard, and this person is a very important member. We won't betray our husbands and reveal that to you. Sorry." Sulpicia shrugged.

"Fine, but can you still help me please? Don't let them unravel the tie like you did Danny," Serafina practically begged.

"How did you know?" Sulpicia questioned.

"Please, he was like a baby chick following me before. I hoped he was just trying to make a clean break when we first arrived, but over the years I noticed he wasn't the same to me. He respects me of course. But it's not the same." She answered shaking her head.

"From what Aro said, the tie was weak. It would be more difficult to unravel the tie between you and the twins. Of course, it can still be done." Sulpicia said.

"Do the twins even know yet?" Athenodora asked.

"I'll speak to them tomorrow, but I was hoping for your word that you would help me first." Serafina explained, giving them her best sad eyes she could muster.

"I'm sure they have their suspicions," Sulpicia said. She then looked over to Athenodora who nodded, "we'll help."

"We enjoy your company; it would be a shame to no longer have a tie with you either. Of course, we'll help you!" Athenodora happily stated as she got up and hugged Serafina, "but you have to promise to come back and visit us!"

"It won't just be for us, but for the twins as well," Sulpicia added as she got up to hug Serafina with Athenodora, "We'll be feeding tomorrow afternoon; announce it then. Be sure to inform the twins beforehand. I don't think they'll like being surprised when you announce it to Aro, Caius, and Marcus."

"I will. Thank you! You know I'll visit!" Serafina said with a smile as she got up to leave.

She waved goodbye as she walked back down the tower and crossed to the desolate end of the castle she was used to visiting. She knocked, and once given the go-ahead she met Marcus in his usual spot with a new book.

"Is it time?" Marcus asked, "what made you realize?"

"Did you know the squad Aro assigns me when I agree to go out with his guard has a name?" she asked.

"The Seraphim, did you not know?" Marcus asked looking up with slight surprise.

"No." She sighed slumping on the table looking up at him from her folded arms, "it's a name that apparently inspires fear in the vampire world. All know them as an elite kill squad of the Volturi. People are equally as scared of seeing them as they are of seeing Jane show up. And I've seen Jane work. She's pretty terrifying when she gets into it. You know she kept practicing on me so much that it increased the potency of her ability? Usually, people would immediately fall to the ground and writhe in pain, but now. Now, they are in so much pain that they don't even drop immediately anymore. They kind of stand there frozen in their pain for a while before they drop. It looks like it hurts a lot. I don't know. Feels like my hunger pangs after about three months or so." she muttered more so to herself, "But it's pretty scary looking!" she said regaining herself, "But still, The Seraphim are apparently the scariest squad of the Volturi. To others, I'm part of the Seraphim. So, I'm Volturi. I refuse. But I don't want the twins to hate me," She pouted, "So I've asked Sulpicia and Athenodora for help."

Marcus looked at her, "why did you go to them?"

This brought a small smile to her face, "I grew up in a saloon with a brothel. After my mother passed, my father raised my brother and me there with his business partners. He ran the saloon, and a business partner named Madam Delphine ran the brothel. Because he thought I needed to have strong women to look up to, he let me work closely with the Madam in management. I called her my Tía Delphine. She taught me much about getting what I want and standing up for myself. Those were the big things, but she also taught me about reading people, manipulating men, and self-protection. Manipulation was one of the easiest ones for me to learn." Serafina's smile turned into a smug grin, "Men can be very easy to manipulate. Just bat your eyelashes a bit." She winked at him, "But another thing I learned was to take advantage of pillow talk. She taught me how to prepare for when I got married. I know you three run this place. But I've heard how mates work, and I've seen how Aro and Caius act with them. I'm sure those ladies can get their way."

"Clever," Marcus said with a sad smile, "You know I will help you. I'll assist the ladies should they need it."

"Thank you, Marcus! For all the help you've given me all these years. Don't worry; I'll be back to visit." She told him as she got up and gave him a hug before leaving for the night.

"I'm sure you will," he smiled.

She returned to her quarters but found it wasn't empty. The twins sat sitting on her over-sized chaise sofa. They looked up at her with their big sad eyes that she had taught them to use against Athenodora and Sulpicia, the same ones she used against them herself.

"You know," she sighed.

"We're not stupid," Jane responded.

"But are you sure you don't want to stay?" Alec asked, "What if we make a bet? If we win, you join and stay. If we lose, you leave as you wish."

She gave them a sad smile, "It's just time for me to go. I'm sorry. If you guys wanted to leave with me, you'd be more than welcome. But I know you won't. So just know I'll come to visit you two when I can. And you guys can visit me too! I can show you guys around my town." she tried to appease.

Both twins gave each other a look, "we would if we could." Alec said looking back to Serafina with a frown.

"Please don't hate us if we don't treat you the same after you tell them you want to leave," Jane said looking at Serafina with glistening eyes.

Serafina frowned, "I won't hate you, and you won't treat me differently." She said walking over to the twins, and putting a hand on each of their heads, "scooch." She said as she sat on her over-sized couch laying comfortably and pulling the twins to either side of her as she got comfortable. Cradling both to herself. "I'm telling them tomorrow. But trust me, we'll be fine."

She was sure she asked the right people for help. She hoped so anyways.

Chapter Text

They had played games all night, ranging from poker to chess. Alec had taught Serafina to play chess in the past and thoroughly enjoyed beating her. She was at least willing to play the whole match through and attempted to beat him. Unlike Jane, who would usually quit after she thought she might lose. They had fun and joked and laughed as though everything was as always. Then the twins left for their duties at sunup.

Serafina packed what little belongings she had and tidied up her room. Once done, she bathed, got herself dressed, and then went to the throne room. She knew they'd be finishing up their meal. Her timing was perfect as they were clearing the remnants when she walked in.

"Ah, Miss Hart, my dear, just the one I wanted to speak with. It seems there's a bit of trouble in Paris. We suspect an immortal child. If the reports we've had are correct, she's an intelligent child with followers. What was the name again?" Aro suddenly asked, looking at Caius.

"Claudette? Claudia? I don't recall. It doesn't matter anyways. If she's an immortal child, then she must be destroyed." Caius answered.

"I suppose you're right. Ms. Hart, please lead the fire manipulators. We must send our full force for an immortal child. This is to ensure others understand we are serious about this law especially. You and the other leaders shall investigate first but keep your forces ready if she does exist. The others already know their mission; you all may leave tomorrow." Aro happily ordered with a smile.

"Actually, I'm ready to go home. I appreciate all you've done to accommodate me while I've been here, but this is it. I've already packed. Thank you!" she smiled.

The room grew quiet as all eyes went to Serafina. Her face was masked from emotion as she didn't want them to see her fear. It wasn't fear of the Volturi, it was fear of losing her new siblings and friends. She was very uncomfortable, but she hid it well.

"My dear, you've been here so long. Enjoying the luxury of the castle. We've allowed you to lead your own squadron without having joined our guard. We've treated you exceptionally well. Why would you want to leave?" Aro questioned with confusion written all over his face.

"Everything has been amazing. I appreciate the trust I was given in leading too. But I don't think I'm up to joining." She shrugged innocently.

"How dare you! It would be best if you were grateful for all we've done-" Caius started.

"I am! I am very grateful for all you've taught me. For how you allowed me to stay here. For the friendship. Well, not necessarily from yourself, Caius, but just about everyone else." Serafina stated honestly.

"Do you think we'd simply allow you to leave?" Caius stood to his feet and glared down at her.

"Yes," a voice called from further back.

"And you will thank her for all the work she has done in the past for us. As you said, she led our guard without actually being a part of it. She technically never had to do a thing but still did. Very kind of her, don't you think?" another voice added.

Athenodora and Sulpicia walked into the throne room side by side with their personal guard following.

"If everyone will kindly remove themselves from the room, we'd like to speak with our husbands and Marcus if you'd please," Sulpicia announced to the room.

Serafina nodded and began exiting the room with the twins. Noticing no one else moved.

"Did the rest of you not hear my wife?" Aro hissed to the rest of the guards still standing in their places. He wouldn't allow anyone to disrespect her, "Go and close the door; this will be a private conversation."

Everyone waited at a respectable distance to where they couldn't even hear through the doors. But still close enough to be called back if any of their leaders called loudly enough for them.

"I wonder why Sulpicia and Athenodora came back? They usually wait for Aro and Caius in the courtyard after feeding." Jane questioned while leaning against the wall mimicking Serafina's casual lean.

"They did take longer than normal since they were explaining the new task to Serafina. Maybe they grew impatient?" Alec shrugged while standing in front of them.

Twenty minutes later they surprisingly heard Marcus call them back.

The queens sat on the thrones in their husbands' stead with smirks next to Marcus who had a small smile on his face. Both Aro and Caius stood next to their respective wives with different expressions. Aro appeared annoyed but did attempt to keep a small smile on. Caius just appeared furious.

"Ms. Hart, we've come to an agreement. You have obeyed our laws and even helped enforce them. You have our blessing in leaving. Thank you for your service," Aro graciously announced.

"But your strength, well, it is cause for concern. Should you ever betray the Volturi or our laws, we need to be sure that you can be stopped. This is our compromise. You must submit to a test to see if we can stop you in the future," Caius added with his glare now focused on Serafina.

"Should the need arise, of course. As I'm sure you understand," Aro agreed.

"I wouldn't go against you all. Well, again, I don't care for you much Caius. But I don't think I can dislike you enough to betray everyone else here. Plus, what you all taught me makes sense. These rules are important." Serafina argued.

"So you say, but it's just to be safe," Caius said, then looked over to the twins, "Alec, if you please."

Both twins had small frowns, but Alec stepped forward and faced Serafina.

"I guess we'll finally see if your ability works on me or not." Serafina teased, "it's alright; I've been curious anyways."

Her words relaxed Alec and brought a small smile to his face. Then she noticed black smoke coming from Alec. She was confused but watched as it came toward her. As soon as it touched her, her eyes turned pitch black, and she seized up. Serafina was confused; she couldn't see, hear, or move. She thought it was some type of sneak attack that killed her instantaneously for a moment. But she recalled the hesitation in the twins. She knew their bond hadn't been broken from herself just yet. If his ability could kill her instantaneously, he wouldn't do it. So, she stood there waiting for it to clear.

"So, it does work on her. Good," Caius smirked at knowing they could subdue Serafina if they ever needed to in the future.

"She has suspicions about her ability. I do now as well." Aro said, unable to relax. He looked to a guard who he recalled had no abilities, only extra strength, "you, I want you to attack her."

Everyone looked to Aro in shock at the command, except for the guard that was ordered to do it. He walked forward to stand in front of her first. Looking to Aro for a nod to proceed. Once received, he sped forward, and just before his hand could grab onto her, two large flames erupted from Serafina. It looked as though she had sprouted wings of fire from her back before the flames then closed around her in an inferno. The vampire whose hand was just about to grab her was caught in the blaze, he screamed in agony, but he was too slow to retract his hand. Luckily, he was still fast enough to pull it back and snuff out the flames to stop them from spreading. He cradled his stump and looked up to the thrones while his wrist healed without his hand. He was dismissed.

"I believe in her thoughts. I believe her flames may have a mind of their own. Fascinating. The flames reacted to a force that threatened her even though she was unaware of it," Aro exclaimed while looking at the flames engulfing Serafina.

"Then she's too dangerous to let go!" Caius retorted. That same awe and fear from the first time he met her back with this demonstration.

"She doesn't want to stay here. Her ability is powerful enough to protect her even when she's technically unaware of her surroundings. What do you think we can do to her?" Athenodora asked her husband, holding his hand to calm him down. Where to others he just seemed angry, she could sense his fear and did her best to make him feel better.

"It's better to make friends with her than enemies," Marcus stated as though a matter of fact.

"You know how we feel about severing ties with her. You mustn't use Chelsea. We've already taken measures, so we'll know if you do. I have no doubt she has taken measures as well. She'd be furious if she knew Chelsea was used on any of our ties." Sulpicia said, turning to Aro.

"We would be furious as well," Athenodora added.

"Think about it; she would never turn on the twins. As long as the twins believe in what we do and live here with us, the Volturi will always be safe from Ms. Hart. She doesn't care much about taking sides but does believe in our secrecy, good enough." Sulpicia explained.

"She's pretty lazy. Too lazy to ever intentionally cause trouble. And she says she doesn't like using her abilities when near humans. She fears she may hurt them by mistake." Jane added, taking a knee in front of the thrones, "please let her go without using Chelsea."

"Even Jane makes a good point here. Perhaps the ladies are right?" Marcus said.

"I agree," Aro said, looking over to Caius, "If we don't make a fuss, she should have no grudge against us. We would have no reason to fear her."

Caius begrudgingly nodded, "I can see I'm outnumbered here anyways. Are we all in agreement? She is free to go without needing to use Chelsea?"

Nods and mutters of agreement rang out among the leadership including the queens since they were present.

"Excellent, release her Alec," Aro directed to Alec.

As soon as his ability was released, Serafina regained herself. She blinked several times and then realized her flames were surrounding her. She was confused but recalled her flames anyways. "Did I bring my flames out?" she curiously asked.

"You did. We were going to run an experiment to see if able to harm you while trapped in Alec's ability. We were unable to do so. It was almost as though a trap was triggered. Or your self-defense instincts kicked in. Either way, it was very impressive." Aro grinned, "my dear, though it pains us to do so. We are alright with saying goodbye. Since you are such good friends with most here, feel free to visit whenever you like."

"But we will no longer assist you with your travels. If you plan to return to the states, find your own way." Caius callously added, "also, if you are going. Leave immediately."

Athenodora pinched Caius' hand. He yelped and looked over at her as though heartbroken. She felt somewhat guilty, so rubbed his hand in apology. But she still refused to look at him for his rude behavior.

"Though he could've been a bit more delicate, I agree with Caius. It's best to make a clean break. If you are planning on leaving. It's best to do so now. It's nearly sundown. The best time for a vampire to travel. I'll have the guards bring your things," Aro said with a nod to two guards who disappeared.

"Well, if this is all. I shall retire. Until we meet again Ms. Hart," Marcus muttered. No one paid him any mind as he got up. But Serafina saw him give her a wink before he turned to leave with a small smile still on his face.

The guards returned with all of her belongings. It was mostly just clothes that Sulpicia and Athenodora had gifted her and all her winnings. She typically took some home on her trips throughout the years, so she never had too much to take home. But this was the stash she had built up in the last two years. It was substantial. They left the trunk just before her and went back to their positions.

Sulpicia and Athenodora stood and gave their husbands a look. Their husbands rolled their eyes, said their goodbyes to Serafina, and retreated to the hall to wait for their wives. They signaled all guards to retreat completely with them. Proof that they were not going to try anything funny.

Athenodora moved forward and embraced Serafina whispering low just in case, "don't worry. Our ties are safe."

"But the sooner you leave, the better. Both parties must be present to get rid of the tie. It takes time when they're as strong as we all have them now. This is why killing one of the parties connected to the tie is easier if you want to remove it. Obviously, no one here will be killed. But we don't want to give them the time to break the ties." Sulpicia explained in her own whisper after hugging Serafina too.

"Aro and Caius promised not to, and as additional proof, they said they would allow you to leave immediately. It's more of a sign of good faith to us." Athenodora continued.

The twins looked to the queens with stars in their eyes, both in awe at their ability to get their way. They both ran up to them and hugged them, surprising both into laughter. Serafina jokingly feigned being upset and cleared her throat to gain their attention, "Excuse me, but I'm the one who's leaving." She said with both hands on her hips. They switched targets and hugged Serafina, "I told you we'd be fine." She whispered.

"You won't forget us, right?" Jane asked, looking up at her.

"How can I forget you mean kids? And I'm going to come to visit!" Serafina told them.

"We're not mean. We just really enjoy our work," Alec shrugged.

"It's not our fault if others aren't as strong or smart as we are. If they don't respect us, they'll respect our power," Jane continued.

"Exactly! Words to live by," Serafina laughed, "this is why you will always be my favorite kids! Don't get me wrong. I like other kids. Only for a little bit, though, then I grow bored. But it's never boring with you two!"

"Although we can't provide the transport for you anymore, you should be able to find a boat at the same docks we usually take you. Around this time of year, there wouldn't be many going to the states, but you might be able to get one to southern Mexico," Alec informed Serafina seriously.

"This is why you're the brains of the operation. Thank you!" she gave Alec a kiss on the top of his head. Jane pouted without realizing, "but your sister is the heart. That's why she's in charge right? So, you be a good adviser to her when she needs you." This brought a small smile to Jane. Serafina winked at Alec as she kissed Jane's head too.

"You better visit us," Jane mumbled.

"Of course. I have to make sure you two use those skills I've taught you." She grinned.

"Skills? You mean pickpocketing and cheating at card games?" Athenodora giggled.

"Skills all young ladies and gentlemen should know," Serafina scoffed, narrowing her eyes at Athenodora.

Serafina had said her goodbyes to her favorite people and forced herself away from them all. Asking them to say goodbye to the others on her behalf. She discovered early on that the looks she had received from Felix weren't lustful. Well, it was lust. But battle lust. Apparently, he enjoyed fighting a great deal. Although she didn't care for Felix's need for constant battle, she knew he was committed to the Volturi and getting the job done. He had even taken Danny under his wing and made him feel comfortable. It was mainly to have a strong sparring partner. But if Danny didn't mind, she didn't either. It was a lot easier to get along with Demetri though. He was always up for teasing Felix with Serafina and the twins, and they had been very good at spreading the gambling spirit together. She'd miss them all.

She headed down to the docks and stashed her trunk in a secluded area while she looked around for a suitable ship. She wore her hood to be inconspicuous even though she hated it. She didn't hear any English being spoken or references to America. But she did hear some Spanish being spoken towards the end of the dock. It was a rather large ship but a bit older. She listened as she heard them discussing how they had sold a lot of cigars and would be heading back to Cuba to restock. She figured close enough and made her way over to the captain, who she saw alone on deck.

"¿He oído bien? ¿Vas a Cuba?" she asked the captain.

He heard a woman's voice and looked up to see a tall figure in a cloak. He was surprised. But answered, "Sí, ¿hay algo en lo que pueda ayudarte, señorita?"

"¿Podemos llegar a un acuerdo? Necesito un pasaje a México y ya te diriges en esa dirección. ¿Qué es para ti ir un poco más allá?" she brought out two gold ingots.

The captain's eyes widened as he saw them in her well-maintained hands.

"¿Es seguro decir que tenemos un acuerdo?" Serafina grinned.

Easy to hook. But soon, she saw a glint in his eye she fully recognized. "¿Es solo usted, señorita?" he asked. Her grin turned into a frown. She might have to kill him at some point. She rolled her eyes to herself; she would deal with it at that time.

"Sí. Necesitaría mi propia cuarto, como estoy seguro de que entiendes. Pero, ¿tenemos un trato?" she asked again.

"Sí, déjame mostrarte tu cuarto." He said as he led her through the ship to a storage room, "Lo siento, pero esta es la única cuarto que nos queda. Haré que mis hombres lo limpien y traigan una cuna para ti. Nos vamos en unas horas. Por favor, vuelva en ese momento."

She nodded and then left to go retrieve her belongings. When she returned an hour and a half later, she speedily left her trunk in her room without any of the crew realizing and then doubled back. Everyone saw a stranger in a cloak approaching, and their captain immediately went to greet them.

"Bienvenido de nuevo, señorita." He called as he led her toward her room. His small announcement drawing all eyes toward her. She could feel their disgusting stares as though they were trying to see through her cloak, which they were probably trying to do. He led her to her room and handed her a key. She thanked him and entered her room, listening to the conversations surrounding her. There were some normal talks about the upcoming trip. She ignored those and listened to other conversations. Some were whispers about a woman on board. Even this was normal. She didn't care about these conversations. Then she heard it. A small group speaking to the captain. He told them to wait a few days until they were further into their trip and farther from shore, then he wanted them to attack her. He didn't care what they did to her. But they had to strip her first before taking her to their own cabin. Only one man questioned why but was immediately told to shut his mouth by the others who were happy enough to get the woman.

Serafina smirked to herself. The captain would send his men to overtake her, strip her, and take her from her room. All so he could go through her belongings in hopes of finding her treasures. She decided to have a talk with the captain before that happened. But she apparently had a few days to prepare. So, she laid back in her cot and closed her eyes in an attempt to relax while thinking about how she would handle the situation.

Chapter Text

The next day she got a knock on her door asking her to go out for breakfast. She declined. The captain then asked if she would feel more comfortable eating with him in his quarters. She declined again. The same thing happened every breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Three days into their trip, she decided to have a word with the captain. She made her way through the ship late one night. Perfectly avoiding everyone while staying in the shadows. She knew the captain was out speaking with his small group of men; she had heard them speaking about setting up their trap for the next evening. The trap they were planning for herself.

Because it was already evening, she wore her white dress to play her character. She sat in the chair in front of his captain's desk with her back facing the door on his entry. Legs crossed and lazily leaning on the arm of her chair with her face in her palm and eyes closed as though resting.

She heard him enter the room, "¿Señorita? ¿Cuándo llegaste aquí? ¿Está todo bien?" he asked in his surprise, making his way around the desk to his own chair. His breath hitched when he saw her. This was his first time seeing her without her cloak, and she was stunning.

"Conozco tus planes." She said without opening her eyes. Before she could continue, he interrupted her.

"¿Qué planes?" he laughed it off as he sat down in his chair.

"No me mientas." She then opened her eyes to look at him, making him gasp and immediately stand from his chair, "Sé todo lo que has estado planeando. Después de la amabilidad que te mostré también. Muy decepcionante." She shook her head in her disappointment.

"¿Qué, qué eres?" he asked, cowering against the wall behind his chair. Trying to put as much space between them as possible.

"¿Realmente necesitas preguntar? Creo que sabes lo que soy. También creo que sabes quién soy." She smirked making her eyes glow, "Me mantendría fuera de mi camino si fuera tú. Tú y tus hombres. Si no lo haces. Te arrepentirás. Solo llévame a México, y tomaremos caminos separados. ¿Tenemos un entendimiento?"

He merely whimpered.

"¿Qué fue eso?" she mocked.

"¡Entiendo!" he choked out.

"Bien. Ahora, para demostrar que soy misericordioso, me guardaré para mí mismo en mi cuarto." She said as she stood up and smoothed her dress. "Pero si alguien me molesta, los mataré." She calmly walked to his door. Still playing herself up as her terrifying self, she turned back to look at the captain. Her smirk turned into a sinister grin as she engulfed herself in flames and put her hand to his door, burning her symbol into the back where he would always see it. In fear, the captain shut his eyes; she whispered, "Has sido advertido." She then used his fear to quickly make her escape.

When he opened his eyes, he discovered she was gone. He didn't notice her leaving as his fear was too much. He took a shaky breath but looked to his door and noticed the burn in the door was still glowing around the edges. He hid under his desk and wept. Praying it was all just a dream.

The next day Serafina lay calmly in her cot. She didn't hear anyone greet the captain all day. But many whispers said the captain wasn't feeling well. She wondered if he heeded her warning and told the men that the assault was canceled. She had her answer when she heard a soft knock on her door. She threw on her cloak to avoid their sight and possible touch.

"Señorita, el capitán está solicitando hablar con usted en su camarote. Me pidió que te acompañara allí." One man called. But she could hear others standing on either side of the door as well.

She decided to play the part and opened the door just a crack, and just as she suspected, three men pushed their way inside. She guessed the captain was too afraid to leave his quarters to give anyone else her warning. He allowed his men to their fate. She didn't mind. It would be a long trip, and she would rather feed now. She quickly killed the more disgusting men and, before he could scream, covered the mouth of the last man and went for her meal.

The captain had been holed up in his quarters since Serafina's visit. Whenever he tried to talk himself into believing he had hallucinated, he'd look up and see the burn in his door. He ended up sitting at his desk, staring at it all day and night. He had finally fallen asleep sitting at his desk when he heard shouts of panic coming from the deck. He didn't want to go. He no longer wanted to leave his room. He just wanted to keep as much distance from the demon as possible, but he knew he couldn't. He opened his door to figure out what was going on when he saw his men looking in his direction. He turned his gaze to what they were all looking at and saw three dead bodies beside his door. He recognized them as the men from his plan and knew they were placed there as a reminder to himself. He paled and ordered their cleanup.

Serafina had no more problems after that. The captain had initially told her before their trip that they would make a few stops before actually going to Cuba, then after all of that was done, they would take her to Mexico. After she had visited his quarters, things changed. She noticed no stops. They were just on a direct course to Mexico. They wouldn't even stop off in Cuba first. The men were confused, whispering that they believed the captain had lost his mind or might have been cursed. The consensus was split down the middle. He never clarified what happened to the men who were killed. That was why the cursed rumors started. They thought they were threats to the captain. He rarely left his cabin unless to eat, always wore a cross, and was just a lot jumpier since the day they saw the bodies. Most left him alone but talked about looking for a new ship to sail on at the port.

When they landed on shore, it was nightfall. She snuck off the ship with her belongings and hid them somewhere safe for when she was ready. She didn't like carrying her belonging in front of others. It ruined the character, in her opinion. Once her things were safely hidden, she returned to the ship in secret.

The captain nervously knocked on her door the next morning and announced their arrival. She slowly opened the door, and the captain bowed to avoid meeting her eyes.

"Nuestro negocio está hecho. Ya no necesitas temerme." She told him as she walked past him to leave.

The sigh of relief from the captain was huge as he fell to his knees and prayed again, thanking God for his life. He promised God to change his ways if he survived. He was planning on returning to Cuba and settling down.

She didn't recognize the port she landed on. She realized that when she was hiding her things the night before. She decided to leave her things for the moment while she just wandered, trying to find the way back to her town. She was pretty confident if she just went north, she'd get there. But the port she was used to already had a road she could travel, while this one didn't have any obvious roads. It led into a rain forest which she'd never traveled through before.

Serafina didn't mind. She had all the time in the world. She walked into the rain forest and decided to enjoy herself exploring. Several days into her travels, she discovered an indigenous tribe of the area in chaos. She stayed back and watched as several jaguars surrounded a giant beast of some type. She didn't even know that jaguars hunted in packs. That didn't seem right to her; she thought they were solitary animals. It was strange. She quickly and quietly jumped up a tree as she stood and watched. The beast was massive, bigger than even Danny in his other form. She thought it could've been some mutated bear or wolf. But she had never seen anything like this beast. She watched as it tried to attack the people of the tribe, but the jaguars would constantly attack it. Almost as though distracting it.

Deciding to let nature take its course and leave, she turned away, but she stopped when she saw the beast catch one of the jaguars. The others became more agitated and anxious in their assaults on the beast. But it wasn't enough as the beast decided to bite the neck of the jaguar, separating the head from the body and tossing them aside. Even Serafina winced at the gory sight. The other jaguars seemed furious as their assaults became more aggressive but sloppy. Then Serafina noticed the dead jaguar's body turn into a dead man.

Was that a shape-shifter? So, the others were shape-shifters as well. What was the beast? She looked up and noticed a full moon. Interesting. This changed things. She only didn't interfere so as not to expose herself to these people. But if they were also monsters, she was fine. She looked back to the tribe. Several injured or frightened people were attempting to huddle together for safety. She heard cries from men, women, and children. Fires were burning in random places, including people's homes. She took her cloak off and left it on the branch as she dropped from the tree and slowly walked into the chaos.

She decided to help the jaguars out but still decided to keep a bit of distance from everyone. She formed the fire jaguar and sent it to attack the beast with the others. There were many gasps of surprise at the sight of the fire jaguar. The most significant reaction was from the beast. But it didn't seem to care about the fire jaguar heading toward itself. It sniffed the air and became infuriated as it looked around for something. Its gaze finally found the source of the scent as it glared at Serafina. Its hackles rose. It seemed that it was fighting and killing for pleasure before, but her presence aroused its hatred. It turned its focus on herself and charged. She knew her jaguar would get the job done but decided to do a little more to protect the people in front of her. She used the fires from the village to build a flame wall to stop it while the jaguars did their thing.

She could tell the people were frightened of her, but they also realized she wasn't aiming for them. They were in awe of her beauty, mastery of flames, and protection of themselves. They looked at the flame wall. Still able to see a bit through it and hear what was happening on the other side. The beast roared its frustration but felt the flames on its body when attempting to go through the wall and halted. Wanting to go around to get its enemy, but it was stopped by the jaguars. The flame jaguar caused significant damage and without the distraction of their people being in danger and the new help, it didn't take long for the jaguars to destroy the beast. Serafina dispelled her flame wall and allowed her jaguar to destroy the beast into nothing. She then recalled her jaguar to her side.

The shape-shifters turned back to their normal forms and walked toward her. Her jaguar hadn't returned to her body even when she had asked it to and stood in front of her protectively. They immediately dropped to their knees in front of her, bowing religiously while chanting something that sounded like "Chantico." She wasn't sure what that was. But her jaguar seemed to like it as it soon sat in front of her and began to flick its tail playfully, then it leaned back into her and dissolved.

She didn't care about what was happening. She tried to speak to them in Spanish, but it seemed they didn't understand her. They didn't speak a language she understood either. They presented the bodies of their fallen friends and families; she wasn't sure what they wanted her to do. But decided to burn the bodies. It seemed the right decision as they soon presented her with gifts. She allowed their worship, accepting the jewels and gold they presented, but soon left. She wouldn't learn anything from them, so she wouldn't bother trying. She continued north after retrieving her cloak.

She finally got out of the rain forest, and to the terrain she somewhat recognized. She continued her walk home. On her walk through an unfamiliar town, she sensed others of her kind. They sensed her too. Soon a man tall and lean showed up in front of her. He had shoulder length shaggy blond hair and a few scars on his arms, "Who are you?" he asked.

"I am someone you don't want to interfere with," she answered.

Soon three women joined the man and stood in front of her. One brunette, and two blonds of different shades. The brunette gently rubbed the man's shoulder as she leaned against him, "what have you found my love?" she asked him.

"A trespasser in our territory. You should know better," One of the blonds directed to Serafina.

"We don't allow trespassers to live," The other blond woman said.

Serafina removed her hood. The women seemed familiar, but she wasn't sure from where. She wanted to get a better look and see if they possibly recognized herself. As soon as she removed her hood, the women stiffened as they did recognize her.

The man felt their emotions. He sensed the new womans' confusion. He sensed the three women on his side's confusion, hatred, but eventual fear. He stood in front of the women protectively.

Seeing his stance Serafina cocked her head to the side looking at him. But she had noticed the women's reaction to her face. They did recognize her, "Have we met before?" she directed to the women.

The brunette pulled the man back and decided to just answer, "weren't you part of Benny's army?" she attempted to hide her hatred at the name, but Serafina caught it.

"I was never part of his army. But I remember you three now. You were the women on the mountain I saw that one day when I put him in his place," Serafina smiled, "we never actually met, I'm Serafina Hart. But call me Miss Hart."

"I'm Maria, that's Nettie," she gestured to the woman with the paler blond hair, "Lucy," she motioned towards the other blond woman, "and Jasper. My mate." She finished grabbing the man's arm.

Jasper felt confusion from Miss Hart at his introduction. He watched as she looked at Maria somewhat questioningly. He felt annoyance from Maria.

"Your mate?" Miss Hart hesitatingly asked.

Jasper felt a slight spike in annoyance before he felt the feeling of love come from Maria as she pulled him closer to herself.

"Yes. He is my love. My mate. We will be together for the rest of our existence," she smiled lovingly at him and brought him into a kiss.

Serafina remembered what Benny had told her. He killed all three of these women's mates. She didn't think it was possible to have another mate from what she heard. It wasn't her business though. But she still felt somewhat bad so thought she'd ask, "Jasper, was it? Is that how you feel as well?"

He felt Miss Hart's confusion again. Slight fear from Nettie and Lucy. But confidence from Maria. Yes, she was confident in their love. He should be too, "Of course, I love her just as much if not more. We'll be together for the rest of our existence. That's why she made me after all. She couldn't be without me." He smiled while putting his arm around Maria's waist, giving it a light squeeze. He didn't notice the smug smile Maria gave Serafina.

Serafina merely nodded, "well alright then. As long as you're happy."

Jasper felt sympathy for a moment from Miss Hart, but it disappeared into indifference.

"You were never part of Benny's army?" Maria asked trying to change the subject.

"But you didn't destroy them all when we had seen you with them." Nettie accused with a slight edge to her voice.

"You seemed to make friends with him and his faithful guard dog," Lucy spat.

Jasper felt the hostility building from the women but no difference from Miss Hart. She was very calm.

"No, I didn't destroy them all, but that doesn't mean I joined them. I had only met an idiotic vampire before I met Benny and Danny. I just wanted to speak to them to learn more about our kind. I only killed some of their newborns to prove my superiority. Then I just spoke with them after that. Nothing more, nothing less." She shrugged.

"He is dead right?" Lucy asked.

"Of course. He drew too much attention to our existence so was destroyed by the Volturi," Serafina answered.

Jasper felt an immense happiness coming from the women. He wondered what Benny had done to cause that much hatred from them. So much hatred that they would become elated at his death. He'd ask them about it later.

"Why were you not destroyed?" Maria curiously asked.

"Because I did nothing wrong. Like I said, I wasn't part of his army," Serafina grinned, "that, and apparently they couldn't hurt me anyways. They tried."

Jasper felt Miss Hart's pride but the other women's fear. He decided to bring her down for Maria. He attempted to flip their emotions. He tried to put fear into Miss Hart with his ability. But soon felt pain and anger from Miss Hart.

"Do not try to play with my mind or heart," she said through gritted teeth with her eyes shut. She suddenly opened them revealing their glow.

Maria squeezed Jasper's arm and hissed for him to stop. He did but looked back up to Miss Hart. Unsure of what her ability was to cause such a fear from them. Why did her eyes glow like that? How was she able to resist him?

"I'm sorry," he muttered.

Serafina didn't want to deal with them anymore. She calmed down. But raised her chin as she looked down on them with arms crossed, "you mentioned no one was allowed to enter your territory. I'll just remind you. You know why Benny was destroyed. I personally don't care what you do. But I'd just remember to keep your army under control. Don't draw attention or the Volturi may come back to finish you all off just like him. As for myself. I'll go through any territory I damn well please. And I'll kill any who get in my way. I'd warn your army to stay back if I ever decide to pass through. Also, stay out of Texas. We can just say that's my territory." She then proceeded forward. Walking past them on her way home.

Once she was gone the women let out growls of frustration. Upset at how they were spoken to after they had already shown other vampires of the area that they were the ones on top. But they had seen her abilities before. If even the Volturi couldn't stop her, what could they do?

"What can she do?" Jasper asked curiously. He had felt all of their emotions and was just curious now.

"She controls fire. She can kill us all in a matter of seconds. Make sure you warn our newborns to just allow her to pass if she comes through. Go train them now. We need to speak." She ordered him. She noticed him hesitate, "Please my love?" she cooed.

He froze a moment, then softened at the term of endearment as he nodded and went to teach the newborns.

"He didn't suspect a thing. You are too good at faking it." Lucy acknowledged after they knew Jasper was well out of earshot.

"I don't know how you do it," Nettie sighed in appreciation.

"It's hard, but a necessary evil. He's a good tool." Maria said with unconcealed disgust.

"But what about this Serafina Hart?" Nettie asked, "It seems she knows the truth and I don't think we can kill her. Jasper can't even affect her emotions."

"I don't think she'll be a problem so long as we stay out of her way. I don't think she cares one way or another what we do." Maria said.

The others nodded in agreement. They then decided to get back to work in their territory expansion.

Serafina herself made it back home to her town. She always enjoyed seeing how things changed in her absence. She decided to settle down here for a bit just overseeing the town from the shadows as usual. Speaking to the townspeople on occasion, playing with the children, and traveling when she wanted. But still mostly alone. She missed the Volturi already. But she refused to be a tool.

Chapter Text

Serafina enjoyed seeing the changes in her town over the years. She enjoyed bringing talented individuals in to help speed up its modernization. It had grown to a decent size. She even allowed them to upgrade her home in the past several years. It was no longer that sizable single-roomed building. It was now a rather sizable two-storied mansion. She felt she earned it, and the townspeople insisted. She loved it. It was a two-story white Greek revival architectural style home with columns and giant windows with black shutters. Although the people believed she would never need them, they still made it to usual living standards with restrooms and a kitchen. Most of her time was spent at her home, but she would occasionally be seen around town. In the day, dressed in black, covered from head to toe. But at night, in a simple white dress revealing her arms and legs, but still with a hat and veil. Just in white. Everyone knew it was for her eyes. They didn't question it anymore.

Late one morning, she left her home and made it into town. Sitting in her gazebo, she watched the hustle and bustle of the town while relaxing. Some children made their way over from the orphanage to play near her. All understood the children would be safe if she were sitting outside. The children always ensured to take full advantage of her protection to play outside their orphanage's walls. She would even sometimes play with them, so they always asked her to join. Hoping that would be a day where she would agree. This time they were successful. She agreed and played hide and seek with them when the town's mayor approached her. The mayor was a woman named Juana, who happened to be a great-granddaughter of the Juana she had rescued decades before. She greeted Serafina with her entourage of assistants and guards and asked her to follow them to their town hall to meet with a guest that may have some big business. Serafina agreed. She escorted the children back to the orphanage and followed the mayor to the town hall.

Walking through the town square and past a statue erected only a few years previously, she couldn't help but turn her head to look at it as they passed. Serafina couldn't hold the smirk back from her face. They had made the statue an angel with large wings holding a flame in her hand as though using it to lead the way while the other arm wrapped protectively in front of two children. The angel had her likeness. New rumors about her were that she was a fallen angel. That she was hinting at her history with her coin designs. They also believed this was the reason for her dislike of the church. They thought it wasn't hatred but maybe remorse for having been banished from the light of God. She always found it funny. Just because she did a few good deeds, she was now an angel in their eyes. She knew she was just a monster. But she wouldn't correct them. It was better than them knowing the truth.

Together they walked into the town hall and made it to the meeting room. Serafina was no stranger to the meeting room. She was asked to sit in on town matters many times. She was even given a special entrance and throne-like upholstered chair in the corner where she could observe should she want to. It was to the right and behind the mayor's seat, so everyone else technically looked to the both of them. Serafina never sat in on meetings unless asked, not wanting to interfere so much in their decisions. When she walked in, she noticed an older woman she didn't recognize sitting with a couple of young muscular men on either side at the opposite end of herself and Juana. Although she was in a dark corner where people typically wouldn't notice her entrance, the new woman kept her eyes on Serafina the entire time.

All council members stood up upon Juana's entrance and sat when she did to show their respect. "Thank you for waiting," Juana said as she sat opposite the strangers, "you asked that all members be present, and we now are. You had mentioned building a hotel in town and expanding roads to help in getting more tourists. Is that correct?"

The strange woman didn't even acknowledge Juana and kept her eyes on Serafina. It wasn't a kind look. Even the council members felt uncomfortable. Serafina didn't like the feeling this woman gave her. She was very suspicious of her actual reason for being there. She raised her brow at the strangers questioningly.

Juana cleared her throat to gain the stranger's attention, "Miss Goode, is that correct?"

"You're correct. That's what I said. But I'm sure you know by now that it was all just a pretense to lure your monster out. The bigger the project, the more likely the monster would have to hear the terms. We'll free you all from her corruption. She will no longer impose her rule on your town." Miss Goode and the two men immediately stood and threw little pouches at Serafina.

Serafina stood and easily caught them. Upon her inspection, she noticed they were sachets with a strong scent she hadn't smelled before. It seemed to be a combination of different herbs. She couldn't help herself and took a sniff to try and figure out what it was. That was when she realized her mistake. She felt different. She began having a coughing fit and felt dizzy. She wasn't sure what was happening and swayed on her feet. Stopping herself from falling by gripping the arm of her seat, she dropped the sachets to the ground. But she still couldn't control her coughing.

"Hurry and finish her! It won't last long!" Ms. Goode ordered the two men, who immediately went into action and headed toward Serafina while pulling hatchets from under their suit jackets.

"Stop! What do you think you're doing?" Juana shrieked, "guards! Police! Help!" she and the other council members immediately stood and tried to block them with their bodies to protect Serafina. Juana ran back to Serafina to help her escape the threat in the room.

"What are you doing? The herbs' effects won't last long! We must destroy her now while she's weakened! This is the only way we can get rid of her!" Miss Goode argued.

Juana ignored her and helped Serafina exit from her separate entrance, "Doña, are you alright? I'm sorry. I didn't know she wanted to hurt you. I promise. We would never allow someone like that into town." She stated while gently holding her arms and walking her to a safe spot towards the back of the building. She sat La Doña down in a chair and carefully moved her veil from her face, "Doña, can you hear me?". She was going back to holding her hands while she waited for a response.

Serafina gritted her teeth, her flames had burned the foreign substance from her system fairly quickly, but she didn't want the people to see her eyes. They had seen them glow in the past, but they believed it was a sign of her anger. She wasn't upset with the council. She knew it wasn't their fault. She didn't want them to fear her, thinking she would harm them for this incident. She waited, then once she knew her eyes were fine, she opened her eyes. She looked Juana in the eyes and smiled, "it's alright. I'm alright." Although the people knew of her red eyes, they were still startled at the sight, so Serafina used one hand to put her veil back down and patted Juana's hands to signal her not to worry. She then stood and started making her way back.

"Wait, what if she tries to hurt you again?" Juana tried to stop Serafina.

"The police subdued them," she smiled to Juana as she kept walking.

Juana looked at her, confused, unsure how she knew. But soon, an officer came over and announced the same. That all three had been subdued. They walked back into the meeting room, and the council was glaring at the trio. They had been cuffed with their hands behind their backs to the chairs they were currently sitting in and dragged away from the table. The police removed any possible weapons from the men and placed them on the table away from the trio. But the male officers stepped back, unsure what to do about the woman. None felt comfortable frisking her, especially in front of La Doña. They looked at each other, confused about how to proceed.

"I'll make sure she doesn't have anything else," Juana announced, walking over and roughly patting down the older woman. Upset at having been tricked and endangering their town's guardian. She pulled more sachets, different containers of herbs, and an old book which she placed in the middle of the table.

"We're just trying to help you!" one man yelled while desperately trying to get the manacles off, just like the other man. But the woman never struggled or removed her eyes from Serafina.

"So, your ability makes them loyal to you," the woman stated while narrowing her eyes at Serafina.

"Everyone, leave us alone for a moment," Serafina said, never averting her eyes from the woman and sitting in the mayor's seat at the head of the table where Juana had sat previously.

"Doña, are you sure? We don't want anything to happen to you. We wouldn't forgive ourselves." One of the council members tried to persuade her.

"I'll be alright, don't worry," she smiled and made herself comfortable, crossing her legs and looking over at the strangers.

"Call for us if you need us. We'll be outside," an officer stated. She nodded to them in agreement.

"You know what I am?" she asked the trio after everyone else left the room—removing her hat and veil.

"A bloodsucking monster," one of the men spat.

"Disgusting leech," the other answered.

"Yes, we know you're a vampire," the woman answered, glare still present.

"If you know, then you shouldn't be alive. But here you are. And you also had that sachet that weakened me. I didn't care for that." She answered while leaning back, "so I guess I need to ask what you are. You can't be normal if you had that."

"We won't answer any more of your questions. Just kill us now, monster," the woman said.

"I don't want to kill you," Serafina shrugged.

The room was silent as they all stared at each other. The three strangers were slightly surprised at her response. If they failed to kill a vampire in the past, there was always a fight after. It was expected, and they were prepared for it. She wasn't acting according to the script.

"Are you afraid?" one man taunted.

"First bloodsucker we met who was a coward," the other needled.

The woman remained silent as she looked over the vampire opposite them. She was too calm. She wasn't sure if she knew of their trick, but the fact that she wasn't acting as others typically did, unnerved her. She wanted her boys to shut up. They were being too obvious. But she didn't know how to warn them without the vampire being suspicious.

Serafina grinned in response, "You caught me; I'm a coward. Because I'm a coward, I think I'll kill you from here. Better to be safe than sorry." She allowed her eyes to glow, causing the three to gasp, "But wouldn't this ruin whatever sneaky plans you all are trying to kill me with?"

"I thought your ability was some type of mind manipulation?" the woman questioned.

"I don't need to answer your questions since you won't answer mine. But I think the truth will scare you more, and I like the thought of that. So, no. I have no mind manipulation abilities," she answered with a mischievous smirk.

"Then why are the people so willing to protect you?" one man questioned.

"Because I've protected and played with almost everyone in this town when they were children. Hell, half of this council descended from orphans I've sponsored and supported. The mayor wouldn't have even been born if I didn't save her great-grandmother more than a century ago." She shrugged, "I suppose it's just gratitude?"

The three were surprised. Unbelieving until she brought her hand up and held a flame while maintaining her calm posture. They couldn't help jumping when they saw it. Frightened but also confused. From their investigation, they believed she was controlling the people of this town somehow. They were sure that once they incapacitated her, the people would regain themselves and possibly even help them. They didn't expect the people to protect her. They had never been in this situation before. They were not prepared for this situation at all.

Serafina lightly flicked her flame at the younger of the men. It was a small flame. She had also practiced enough with the Volturi to have it burn just the way she wanted. She was allowing it only to burn his coat. But his screams were real as he felt the heat against his skin.

"Stop! Leave him alone!" the other man begged.

"Ready to talk now?" Serafina asked.

"Yes, please! Please don't hurt my boys!" the woman also began to plead.

Serafina couldn't help chuckling, "he's alright. It was just his coat. Maybe I singed his arm hair as well. But he'll be fine. Now tell me how you know about vampires. Are you something unnatural as well? You smell human to me. Your hearts beat like normal humans too. They're beating very fast now. I'd try to relax; I don't think that's healthy for you."

"We're human. Normal humans," the woman stated.

"You know what vampires are. You came to a town with sachets able to incapacitate a vampire. We can't forget your hatchets. I'm fairly certain you were ready to hack me to death after I was powerless. I'm slightly confused about how those hatchets would've worked, though." Serafina thought aloud, getting up and walking over to a hatchet on the table, running her finger over its edge, and noticing blood. She inhaled sharply and watched it heal. How was this possible? She looked up to the three with brows furrowed in confusion.

"We're normal humans. We know about your kind so that we can exterminate your kind." The woman said, "we're exterminators, or sometimes we're called hunters."

"You exterminate vampires?" Serafina asked in surprise.

"Not just vampires. Any monsters that get too full of themselves and impose their evil selves on good honest people," the younger man without a coat proudly announced.

"Never heard of a good monster living in a town full of people unless they were using them as cattle." The other man said.

"They have no idea what you are, do they?" the woman asked.

"No," she shook her head while inspecting the hatchet further. She was running her finger along the side, noticing the difference between the edge and the hatchet itself. She only now realized that the sharpened edge was white. She saw it in the beginning but only believed it was discolored from sharpening. Now she realized it was a different material altogether.

"And you never had an incident near them?" the woman questioned.

Serafina walked over with the hatchet. The men began struggling at her approach, but more so when she approached the woman. She ran the hatchet along the woman's cheekbone. Not hard enough to hurt, but enough to draw blood. The older woman never flinched, meeting Serafina's eyes the entire time. Serafina grinned as she sat on the table just in front of the trio. To prove she did break the skin, she ran her finger along the tiny blood trail and held it in front of them so they could see. Then she sniffed it, "ooh, that does smell good." She stated while observing the blood, "so inviting." She swallowed the saliva pooling in her mouth at the thought of feeding on this deliciously scented blood.

The trio kept their eyes on her with bated breaths.

"That must be the trick. Did you do something to your blood beforehand? Is it tainted in some way?" she chuckled. Wiping the blood droplet on the woman's coat, "you almost had me. But as you can see, I have restraint. So, to answer your question- no. I never had an incident near them."

The trio froze. They had no other backup plan. They looked up at the vampire, unsure of how to proceed. But she was looking back at them. She wasn't slaughtering them, as her kind would typically try to do.

"I'm assuming the name you used was fake. Why would they suspect someone with a name like Goode?" Serafina chuckled, "Can I get your family's name? You all can call me Miss Hart, or you can call me Doña; I don't mind either one," she winked at the woman.

The young men gritted their teeth and glared at Serafina. But the woman knew they were in no position to be rude, so she calmly responded, "We're the Hellsings. I'm Vera, and these are my boys, Vincent," She gestured to the young man to her right, "and Vance." She gestured to the young man who no longer had a jacket, "It seems we were given false information for our hunt. I'm sorry. Can we discuss things in a civilized manner, Miss Hart?"

"Isn't that what we've been doing?" Serafina grinned and sat back at the other end of the table. She kept the hatchet with her, enjoying playing with it, "Now, I'm more than willing to let you all go, but I want to discuss your line of work a bit more. I also want to know what information you were given about me. And from who."

"As long as you know, not all trade secrets can be revealed," Vera answered.

"We'll see," Serafina answered with a grin.

Chapter Text

Serafina continued playing with the hatchet, spinning it in her hand while looking at the Hellsings. They just watched, unsure if this was some threat. Serafina also eyed the other items on the table but knew better than to go near the sachets again. She was curious about the book, thinking they might be those trade secrets mentioned before. Although she was interested, she left it alone for now.

"These look pretty old." Serafina finally said, in regard to the hatchets.

Vera nodded, "They've been in our family for centuries. Our ancestors brought them when they immigrated from Europe to America. Even when they took our family's original surname of Van Helsing, they still allowed us to keep those." she proudly informed her.

Serafina nodded, slightly impressed, "What do you have as the edge on these? I thought a vampire's teeth, but it looks like one solid piece."

"They're werewolf claws. Teeth were tried in the past, but it didn't work out. They're too small to work with. But werewolf claws can rip through vampires too, and they're a lot easier to file down to the shape you want." Vincent answered with a smile, seeming to enjoy discussing weapons. Either that, or he just liked the thought of harming vampires.

"The sachets?" Serafina asked. She noticed their silence, "Are these those secrets you can't share? I'll have you know there's a retired botanist who tends the gardens in town to pass the time. I could always ask him. Walter loves anything to do with plants. I'm sure he'd enjoy it," She shrugged.

"Then do that because that is a secret we can't divulge. We swore. Even if you have a botanist, it's unlikely he can identify everything. Even if he did, you'd never be able to duplicate it." Vera answered. All three with stoic faces to show their determination in staying silent.

"What if I just went over to that book and read about it for myself?" Serafina gestured to the book on the table. Standing up and making her way over to it.

"No, please don't," Vance's eyes lit up as he watched Serafina approach the book with her hand outstretched. A small smile flickered on his face before an exaggerated look of worry replaced it.

She grinned at his eagerness. "Your boys are so innocent; they can't lie to save their lives. Literally," She shook her head with amusement. She stopped and retracted her hand from the book. She was instead leaning casually against the table.

"They're young. They'll learn." Vera said with a loving smile while glancing at her boys. The young men were confused and couldn't help looking at each other.

"Can you tell me how you turned a book into a weapon?" Serafina decided to ask.

"We didn't. It was gifted to our family by witches; it's just as old as our hatchets. Maybe older. To be honest with you- almost everything our family knows about your kind was taught to us by witches. They gifted us the book with a unique protective charm and basics on the most troublesome monsters of the time: your kind and werewolves." Vera informed her, "Everything else was added after that and learned by trial and error in our family. We've killed many other monsters as well."

"We're good at killing you monsters," Vance smirked.

"I'm sure you usually do a good job," she winked at him, causing his smirk to drop immediately. "Why do you kill us monsters?" Serafina asked Vera, disregarding Vance altogether.

"Because you murder innocent people," Vincent answered in annoyance.

"Those I go after aren't innocent," Serafina scoffed, "I warn them; it's not my fault if they don't listen. But vampires police themselves. Why are you going after them too?"

"The vampires don't care. You're a bunch of selfish pricks!" Vincent growled.

Vera hushed her son, knowing it was a challenging subject for her boys. She looked to Serafina apologetically, "Your kind police yourselves, yes. But only to keep your existence a secret. But what about those vampires who prey on others without drawing attention? We understand you have to eat. But some vampires keep multiple human prisoners. Treat them as livestock. It's cruel. But as long as we humans don't realize what's happening, your police don't care. And they definitely don't care about other species hunting us. I think the only reason they began going after werewolves is that the werewolves were making it harder for them to feed. Werewolves either drew too much attention to the unnatural or killed off too many humans in their full moon rampages. But we look out for humans. We'll hunt things that come after our kind."

"Your boys seem to really hate my kind, though. I'm guessing you've all lost someone," Serafina asked.

The young men glowered at her, unable to hold back their anger, while their mother looked sad, "too many," she whispered, eyes a bit distant. She cleared her throat as she looked back to Serafina, "comes with the job. But we mainly have trouble with your kind. Even werewolves are easier to kill. They're just mindless beasts when they turn. It's like putting down a feral dog. But you vampires are smarter and so much tougher to kill. Some even have abilities like yourself. Two years ago, we lost my husband and my eldest, their big sister, to vampires. We were prepared for one, but we didn't know he had recently found his mate. We weren't ready for two. That's why I make sure we do a lot of research on our targets now. But this time, we had bad information. We'd used him before; I don't understand." She shook her head in frustration.

"The name of your source?" Serafina asked.

"We can take care of our own problems," Vera answered.

"If I allow you to leave, you can. But what if I don't? How will you know you got your vengeance for this trap you were led into?" Serafina reasoned.

"Benjamin Morris!" both young men growled out simultaneously.

"Boys!" Vera reprimanded them, but when she looked to apologize to Serafina, she saw her deep in thought, "What?"

"That name," Serafina couldn't help the frown on her face, "it seems familiar, but I don't remember why." She stood and began to pace.

"No, you couldn't know him. You may have heard of his cousin Quincey Morris. He's a big-shot businessman here in Texas." She explained.

"Businessman?" Serafina mumbled more so to herself, "Juana!" she called, turning to look to the door.

Not a moment later, Juana pushed the door open and came in. She glared at the trio but still turned her attention to Serafina, "¿Cómo te puedo ayudarle, Doña?" she asked under her breath, unsure if the trio was allowed to overhear.

"Juana, do you know a Morris? Time escapes me. I'm unsure if I met him while you were mayor or when your mother was." She asked at average volume while tapping her chin in thought.

Juana thought for only a brief moment, wondering what she was talking about. Then she remembered, "Doña, those were the men who had business with us before. He tried to buy our entire town. Quincey Morris sent his cousin Benjamin to try to talk us into selling. You sat in on that meeting. When we declined, he threatened us." She hesitated a bit, then lowered her voice, glancing at the trio, "but then you threatened him."

"Yes!" Serafina thanked Juana and asked her to leave them again for a moment. She recalled the interaction. The man seemed terrified when he saw her eyes. More than even others. She usually saw confusion, surprise, and then fear. But this one had a bit of recognition before the fear, and he withdrew immediately. So, he had known what she was all along, "You heard all of that, right? I'm sure all your training helped you enhance your hearing a bit, plus her whispering isn't too low, especially in a quiet room." Serafina leaned against the wall as she looked at the trio.

"That greedy son of a bitch," Vincent muttered with unconcealed anger.

"What if he just thought she was controlling the town? It could still be that he honestly thought she was controlling them," Vance argued.

"Do you see that painting on the wall? The one of the flowers?" she gestured to the opposite wall, where there was a painting of a field of flowers. She walked over to it and gestured to the left of it, "your friend stood right here when I threatened him. I keep it simple when I threaten people. Just bring up a flame and hold it in my hand. Easy. Scary. But for added emphasis, I snuffed out my flame right next to his head," she removed the painting, revealing a scorch mark on the wall in the shape of a handprint. She put her hand over it to prove it matched, "he knew I had a fire ability. Your friend was hoping you'd kill me quickly so he could get his way with this town for his cousin." She couldn't help chuckling, "you guys seem good at telling good from bad," she mocked.

"So, you're a good vampire?" Vance looked at her incredulously.

"Oh no, I'm very bad. Terrible even. I've killed so many people. They deserved it, though. But I'm not doing anything to this town. I live here." She shrugged, "With your line of work, I'm sure you still don't believe me. So," Serafina looked to the door again, "Juana, can you and the council come here?" she shouted.

Juana and the others came in again and saw Serafina leaning with her arms crossed against the wall right next to the scorch mark they usually had covered. It seemed each person who came in had to glare at the trio before they gave Serafina a nod, "yes, Doña?" Juana asked as they stood not too far from her.

Serafina gestured with her chin for the others to take their seats, "sit down; these people want to ask you all some questions about me. When they're done, let them go."

"Let them go?" the council began to question.

"We tried to kill you, and you're gonna let us go?" Vincent asked, stunned.

"Yes, but I'll let you all question my people first. Hopefully, you won't want to kill me after you speak to them. But just in case, I'm leaving town for a bit." Serafina announced.

"Doña, don't leave! We can lock these people up! Throw them in jail for attempted murder!" one of the council members argued. Serafina just shook her head.

Vera was stunned, "You were serious when you said you would let us go?"

"You didn't even ask us a lot of questions," Vance added with brows furrowed.

"I asked all I needed to ask. You told me how you all are hunters. You said you would take care of your own problems. That should mean Morris will be dealt with, right?" she asked, looking up at them.

"If you let us go, hell yeah, we're gonna deal with that son of a bitch!" Vincent agreed.

"Then I'm fine," she uncrossed her arms and stood up straight, "speak to my people here. I'll be far away, so you'll know they're being honest, and I'm not brainwashing them. Do business here if you want. I'd recommend the bakery just outside. It smells delicious; I can't tell you if it is or not. But it's been open for over a century, so I think they're doing something right." She turned to the council, "now I know you're all upset that I want to let them go. But there's a reason for it." She looked away from them and to the trio, "I leave town now and then; I hope you three can check on the town to ensure there isn't any other corruption during those times I'm away."

Juana began to understand. The trio did know how to harm their Doña, which they all thought was impossible. Their Doña called them hunters. Now she wanted the trio to look after the town when she was gone. Were there other ghosts that wandered the world? Did these people hunt them? "Doña, are there other spirits who can harm us normal people?" she hesitantly asked.

Serafina looked at her, happy that her family line was still pretty quick with their understanding. The rest of the council had shocked expressions but soon understood and looked to Serafina, who nodded, "yes, when I'm here, you're all safe from others like me. But as you all know, I sometimes leave for some time. To me, it feels like nothing, but sometimes I'm gone for years. These three can check in on you all when I'm gone to ensure nothing happens. But they don't believe me when I say I've never harmed any of you. They think I've forced you all to be my slaves, and you're terrified of me."

The council first had looks of fear about the revelation of others spirits but began laughing unrestrainedly at the slave and fear bit. Serafina gave them a small smile and then looked up smugly at the trio. She dropped the hatchet on the table with the other things. But then had a thought she wanted to ask before leaving, "are there many other hunters out there?"

"Not many. A few larger families keep the tradition, and many lone hunters pick up the trade due to unforeseen circumstances or unwanted encounters. But when there's a big problem, we know how to mobilize all hunters together and can get help from those who helped us make those sachets." Vera answered cryptically so as not to reveal anything to the human council. But it was enough for Serafina to nod in understanding.

"Well, I'll be on my way," Serafina said with a smile while grabbing her hat and veil, "Oh, and Juana, keep a couple of those sachets. Give one to Walter to try and figure out what everything in it is. It doesn't sound like he'll be able to, but I bet he'd have fun trying. Keep one here in case of an emergency and if you know anyone else that can figure its ingredients out. Be my guest." She looked over to the trio, "it was nice meeting you, Hellsings. It was a learning experience. I hope you take care of things and know that this town accepts the unnatural. So, if you could give them some tips to protect themselves, I know they'll jump at the opportunity. They won't dismiss your words. But listen to them too. I'm not that bad." she added with a devilish smirk, "Unless you cross me."

Serafina was true to her word and left town, heading south on a leisurely walk. She became much more comfortable with crossing the river over the years. While taking her usual route, she felt another's quick approach.

"Hello Jazz, how's my favorite escort doing?" she asked, never changing her pace or even looking at him.

"Good evening, Miss Hart," he answered with his southern drawl. Slowing down to match her step. After the years, they'd come up with this routine. Jasper was to escort her through Maria's territory if Serafina crossed it. He enjoyed it. She was so indifferent to everyone and everything that it was like a break for his ability.

It was a rocky start; they used to send some newborns to check on the trespasser, and whenever it was Serafina, she would destroy them if they weren't careful. Most newborns were cocky and would be disrespectful to her. It was rare for any to survive an encounter with her. After a few years, they realized she always took the same route, so when they noticed someone crossing from that entry point, they would immediately alert Jasper to escort her. It was for the newborn's safety, but they didn't know. And Jasper didn't care if they knew or not. They didn't need to know. They just had to obey him.

"Where's your buddy?" Serafina asked after a while of them walking.

Jasper inhaled sharply, "gone," he muttered.

"Why did Peter have to be destroyed? Didn't you talk Maria into keeping him years ago?" she asked.

"He wasn't destroyed. He escaped." Answered nonchalantly.

This caused Serafina to stop and look at him. Her curiosity was piqued. She knew Jasper was good at what he did. She wasn't sure about the specifics of his ability but knew he had one since he did attempt to use it against her once. He was so good at what he did that she knew he ran Maria's army. No one could escape. No one could mutiny. She recalled the downfall of Nettie and Lucy. Jasper told her they tried to rebel against Maria, so she him destroy them. She found it unlikely that he couldn't tell if his friend was going to run. She arched her brow in question to him. Never actually asking. But he knew what she was asking with that look.

"I never told you what my ability is." He sighed, "I can feel people's emotions. All the time, without even trying. I can also alter people's emotions if I focus hard enough. I can feel the newborns' anger, sadness, and aggression. I felt malevolence coming from Nettie and Lucy." He took an unneeded breath as he closed his eyes, "I felt love from Peter when he found his mate. But it wasn't just love. It was love, lust, possessiveness, protectiveness; it was so many different emotions that I was stunned for a moment. But it didn't just come from him. It came from her too. I tried to help them, but Maria wouldn't let us keep her. When I was about to destroy her, Peter stalled me, and he yelled for her to run, and she just did. The trust she had in him-" He opened his eyes and looked Serafina straight into hers, "I've never felt any of that for Maria. Or from her."

Serafina gave him a sympathetic look.

"That, you feel sympathy for me," he gave her a look of sudden realization, "You felt sympathy for me the first time we met too. When she told you I was her mate, I told you how much I loved her. Have you known this whole time that I'm not her mate?"

"Yes," she answered.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Jasper asked, looking at her with furrowed brows.

"You were happy. At least that's what you told me. Who was I to ruin your happiness?" she cocked her head to the side as she looked at him.

He remembered then. She had asked him about his feelings for her, and when he agreed that he was also in love, she said, "as long as you're happy." He felt like a fool. He wasn't sure he was ever happy. But he couldn't blame her. She was doing him a kindness at the time. He couldn't help his frown.

She watched him. She knew he wasn't blinded by Maria's false love anymore. There was so much going wrong with their territory. She could see everything crumbling around them. She didn't want to get involved, but she still decided to speak up, "be careful. From what you and Peter have told me over the years, Maria's becoming increasingly paranoid. You already had to destroy her two closest allies. Now you let Peter and another newborn get away. She's probably already questioning your loyalty."

He could feel her concern. He hadn't felt that from anyone in a long time, "I'll be careful. Thank you, Miss Hart." he nodded to her as they turned and continued walking in silence. They reached the end of Maria's territory, and he watched Serafina continue walking as he stood there stuck under Maria's thumb as he had been since his creation. He knew Serafina was right. He had to watch his back. Maybe his only way out was by killing Maria first. But he didn't want to do that. He would have to try and figure out a way to save himself.

Chapter Text

Serafina sat in a dark corner of the smoke-filled club, enjoying the music. She had begun frequenting places like this while traveling with Jasper for the past year—at least once a month. However, Jasper didn't trust himself to enter most places like that since he didn't trust himself not to attack any of the people inside. He would wait in a place where he could enjoy the music while still keeping himself away from people. Then once Serafina had her fill of either music or atmosphere, he'd rejoin her after she left, usually after waiting a bit to see if any would attempt to harass her. It was one of the only ways he would feel comfortable feeding. Serafina had begun using herself as bait, and although she didn't like Jasper "rescuing" her, she still knew he felt better about feeding if he felt they deserved it. It was something she had taught him after noticing his guilt. She knew he still felt it but would at least feed this way.

Serafina remembered how their little partnership started. She still couldn't believe she was traveling with him. Once she learned about his ability and how he knew Maria was never his mate, she felt bad for him, a little guilty. It turned into a bit of a soft spot for him. She wished him well, but even then, she didn't intend to do anything about it. After she had given him a bit of a warning years before, she just left things alone as usual before going off on her own.

It wasn't until the past year, when she ran into him, Peter, and Peter's mate Charlotte, that she allowed him to travel with her for a bit. It's not that she wanted to. But she could see the strain on the couple's relationship from Jasper's presence. She didn't want his friendship to break apart when he was learning to exist without Maria's lies. So, she invited him to join her. He knew she was only being nice again. He would feel annoyance from Charlotte and Peter on occasion; he didn't want to do that to them. He left his friend to save their friendship. He was grateful Serafina was willing to put up with him.

Jasper knew he was a bit of a downer. Although he was free from Maria, that didn't make him happy. Without his work, he was able to think more and that wasn't a good thing. He thought about all the suffering he had caused in the past. Now he didn't have to destroy any more newborns. But he was still killing innocent people when he fed. The emotional toll his feeding took on him caused him to exude guilt and sadness from his pores.

Serafina noticed he'd go longer and longer without feeding. She left it alone, wanting to see how far he would go. He lasted three months. About as long as Serafina was willing to go without feeding. But he wasn't able to withstand it as well as she did. He only got moodier and more aggressive as his instincts began to take over. They were traveling pretty close to a town when he snapped and went straight for an older man just outside town who was leaving flowers in the cemetery. Jasper fed, and once his thirst was sated, it was as though he woke up. The guilt he felt was visible on his face and hunched frame. He could feel Serafina's gaze, so he tried to shrink away.

"We need to talk," she told him as she kept walking, "Come on."

He stood straight and stepped back as Serafina burned the body, removing the evidence. Then saw that she stopped not too far away, so he began to follow with his head hung low, knowing he shouldn't have done what he did. He allowed himself to lose control. He murdered another person. He knew she probably wanted them to part ways from then on. He wouldn't blame her.

"You feel their pain and fear when you feed. So, you tried to go as long as possible without feeding. How did that feel for you? Do you feel better now?" she asked while continuing her walk. Jasper was always a step behind.

"No, I murdered that old man. I'm sorry," Jasper said with a pained expression.

"I don't care if you killed him. You needed to feed. But why did you wait so long? If you do that, your instincts kick in, and you lose yourself. You would've killed anyone. It's smarter if you stick to feeding once a month. But if you feel guilty about it, choose your meals carefully." She explained.

He looked at her with confusion, "what do you mean? How can you speak about people like that?"

"Easily. Jasper, you're not human anymore. You didn't choose to be this way. But you need to learn to deal with it. You know I have no remorse when I feed. But did you ever notice my meal choices?" she asked diplomatically.

He knew she never felt remorse when feeding. He usually felt her satisfaction while feeling her prey's fear and regret. Regret? That was right. Her targets usually disrespected her beforehand. She would even tell them that it wasn't wise to offend her. She would tell them to leave and stay away from herself, or they would suffer. She warned them. The ones she usually fed from were the ones who ignored her advice—generally attempting to corner her alone. He felt their lust and determination as they cornered her. They set themselves up perfectly for her to feed. They were deserving of what she gave them. Was that what she meant? Feed from the ones who deserve it. He still didn't like it. But he at least didn't feel as guilty if he got rid of some poor excuses of men. He knew she didn't need the help. But he was grateful she allowed him to feed from those who would typically try to harm her.

Once a month, they would go fishing for prey at the clubs. Serafina catered to his feeding time frame. That was how they ended up at this jazz club. Jasper was enjoying the music from the rooftop when he could sense her leaving from the front. Before she left the lights of the front of the club, several men stopped her, asking if she would need a lift. She told them she wouldn't, that she was fine and would walk. Several offered to walk her home. She declined them and kept going. Once far enough away from people, a couple of men with ill intentions decided to follow her. Jasper was also following them.

"End of the line," Serafina called as she stopped at an abandoned house near where construction was happening for the subway. Due to the time of day, it was even more empty than usual. The desolateness enabled her to focus. She had her part to play, "thank you, gentlemen, for walking me home. But as I said before, I'm fine. You can go ahead and be on your way." She smiled warmly at them.

"Well, we walked you all this way. Shouldn't you invite us in for a nightcap?" one of the men asked as he stepped forward.

"Sir, I told you both I didn't need any help. I'm doing you both a favor. Trust me. You want to leave." She said as she walked up to the door. She put her hand to the door and turned the doorknob. She noticed it was locked but decided to use her strength here and continued turning it, quietly breaking it to enter. Neither man noticed.

"The favor would be the nightcap, sweetheart," the other man said as he rushed to the door, shoving it open as she attempted to close it from the inside. Serafina allowed herself to be knocked back as she played the damsel in distress.

"Please, no," she said as she walked backward, leading them more into the building. She had already heard Jasper make his way through the back door. She stopped further into the room.

"Come on. It would be best if you were thankin' us. If you don't have a nightcap, I can think of another way you can thank us," the first man said as he followed his friend.

Once both were inside and closed the door behind themselves, she stopped her act. She had no more fear in her body language as she straightened herself out and stood up. The men stopped and looked at her with confusion.

"I did warn you," she said as she removed her hat and partial veil to reveal her eyes with a smile, "dinner's ready, Jazz." She called.

Once both Serafina and Jasper stood before the men, the men panicked. But it was too late. Both vampires sped to a man and fed. It had taken Serafina several months to teach Jasper to feed without making a mess. He never had to worry about it with Maria. It was more of a struggle to feed within the frenzy of the others. He never cared about the blood he was usually drenched in after feeding before. But being with Serafina was different. She demanded he feed cleanly and tried to teach him how to do it with minimal mess. He did his best, and she was proud of his improvement. She could only smell a few droplets that were on his shirt. But they weren't visible to human eyes, so she patted him on the shoulder and told him they should head out as she burned the bodies and made her way out the door.

As they walked, they heard thunder and noticed the clouds rolling in.

"Maybe we should go back to that abandoned home to stay out of the rain," Jasper suggested. Knowing she didn't care to be out in the rain.

"I'm not going back there. It was filthy. Let's head over to that diner over there," she gestured to a diner a street away, "and we'll wait out the storm with some coffee. Just a few sips. Sometimes sacrifices have to be made." She sighed; nose scrunched at the thought of the coffee. Jasper nodded in agreement.

As they neared the diner, they felt another of their kind. Serafina was hesitant. She did not want to deal with another of their kind. There was always posturing to show dominance, and she was annoyed at the mere thought. But Jasper was different. She noticed a particular curiosity and eagerness she wasn't used to from him. He was the more timid of the two. Not from fear, he knew how territorial their kind could be and didn't want to feel that aggression. She found his behavior strange.

He paused for only a bit before he began moving forward. Serafina grabbed his shoulder to stop him, "are you sure you want to deal with them?" she asked.

"I think we should see. I mean, they can't be too bad. They're sittin' in a diner, after all." He answered, never looking at her but keeping his eyes on the diner ahead.

He made a valid point. She let go of his arm and continued to the diner. Jasper waited and kept just a step behind as she led the way. But he did increase his pace in hopes Serafina would as well. She wasn't sure why he was so eager. They entered just as the raindrops began falling outside. They got a welcome from the waitress behind the counter, but a lighter, friendlier voice from the back secluded corner drew their attention: "you sure kept me waiting a long time. I'm glad you finally decided to show up." She chuckled.

Serafina frowned. Unsure why this vampire was speaking so familiarly with them. Until Jasper walked past her and to the woman at the table, where he sat in front of her as though they had an appointment, Jasper had awe on his face as he looked at her with a shy smile growing. He was removing his hat and sunglasses to see her better. On the other hand, the woman had a giant smile and a slight bounce from her excitement. Serafina had a suspicion about what was happening. She smiled to herself at the thought as she turned around to leave.

"Wait! I've been waiting for you too!" the woman yelled as she ran over to Serafina and grabbed her arm, dragging her back to the booth Jasper was waiting at. Serafina frowned at the contact, eyeing the woman with a raised brow. Jasper immediately stood up and gently grabbed the woman's arm to have her let go of Serafina, then helped her sit in her old seat. He then grabbed an extra chair from an empty table and sat it at the open edge of the table. He knew Serafina wouldn't want to sit next to either of them in the booth if she had the option not to. Serafina sat in the chair, leaving her hat with a half veil on.

Serafina crossed her legs, leaned back, and averted her gaze to give the two privacy for their first meeting. She could not help her slight frown as she felt like she was intruding on their moment. But it was while she was looking away from them that she noticed there were three coffee cups on the table. Almost as if she knew they would be there.

"Now, ma'am, I'm sorry for makin' you wait. I didn't know we had a prior engagement. You best believe I'd have gotten here early if I'd known. May I get your name?" Jasper asked her, a small smile back on his face. Full attention back on the woman. Serafina was incredibly confused but slightly impressed; she didn't know Jasper could be smooth like that.

The woman smiled, "I'm Alice. Just Alice."

"Beautiful name. I'm Jasper Whitlock." He smiled a bit wider. His confidence building as he grew more comfortable with her.

"I know your name Jasper," she said shaking her head with a smile, "and I know you're Serafina Hart." She directed at Serafina.

Serafina's frown deepened as she eyed the woman suspiciously. She was short, petite, and cute, with a colorful skirt and top. Her hair was short to medium since it was uneven. And she had very strange orange eyes. She was pretty sure the woman and Jasper were mates. It was an instantaneous connection. But she didn't know how this unknown woman knew herself.

"Who told you that?" she asked.

"You told me," Alice smiled.

"No, I've never met you, so who told you about me?" Serafina questioned.

"Oh, no! I mean, you told me in my vision. You both did! That's how I know who you are." She stated.

"You have visions?" Serafina questioned.

"Yes! I can see the future. That's how I knew you two would be here. That's also how I know we'll keep traveling together, and we'll meet our family together!" She squealed excitedly, reaching across the table to grab Jasper's hand.

"Family?" Jasper asked with confusion. But even his confusion couldn't wipe the smile off his face as he looked at their clasped hands on the table.

"Yes, our family! I know how you feel about feeding. But there's another way! Animal blood," she said thoughtfully.

Serafina couldn't help the look of disgust that graced her face at the mention of animal blood, "I'm guessing your visions are wrong sometimes." She answered.

"Sometimes, but you're in a lot of my visions. True, you're not always on the diet. But you're still usually with us!" Alice gestured to herself and Jasper, "I get why you don't like the sound of the diet. It's not easy to stick to; that's why my eyes are this color. I've had a couple of slip-ups. But I'm confident it'll be easier once we join our family!" she nodded.

"Your eyes are that strange shade because of the animal blood?" Serafina questioned.

"They're not strange. They're lovely!" Jasper said to Serafina.

She just raised her brow at that. She was getting closer and closer to smacking him. But she decided to leave him alone since he was in front of his mate.

Alice giggled at his words, giving his hand a slight squeeze. But put her attention on Serafina, "that's exactly why they're this strange shade. I managed to get them gold! But I had a slip-up and fed from a vulgar man a few weeks ago. But I'm back on my diet! So, they're slowly returning to gold!" she said happily.

"Gold seems a strange color for eyes, doesn't it?" Serafina questioned.

"Stranger than red?" Alice asked with her head tilted to the side.

"True," Serafina smiled, "you said I was in a lot of your visions, and sometimes they were wrong. Why is your ability so," she paused, unsure of how to phrase it, "flawed?"

Jasper glared at her. But Alice just nodded in understanding.

"I can see the weather easily enough. There are rarely things that change that. But people's futures are tough to predict!" she pouted, "Right now, the future is there because things are just naturally flowing that way. But once you start making conscious decisions about things, you change it. Think of it like there are three roads in front of you. Each road has your future. Each road is a different future. As soon as you pick one, you block off the others. But! Maybe later on, it branches back to one of the others. You never know! It's pretty hard to navigate," she argued.

"That sounds complicated. It's mighty impressive you're able to sort through all of that. You're incredible," Jasper told her with adoration.

"It is pretty impressive," Serafina mumbled.

"So, do you believe me now when I say you will join us?" Alice asked.

"Why do you think I will be a part of your family? I'm not one to stay with others for long." Serafina asked with furrowed brows. She felt Alice was being a little pushy, and she was beginning to get annoyed. But she found she could still indulge her more than others who behaved the same way. She suspected it was because she didn't feel any malice from her. She just seemed overly familiar.

Even Jasper had his doubts. He knew Serafina was more of a loner. He was shocked when she had offered him to join her before. Even when they traveled together, there was still a gap. She wasn't much for talking. But neither was he. They could travel comfortably this way and it brought a certain closeness. Plus, she was always looking out for him in little ways. Although he doubted her willingness to join their supposed family, he still hoped she would, "why do you keep sayin' she'll join us?" he asked Alice.

"I've seen it! In most futures, she's with us. More futures than without us anyways! Trust me!" Alice pleaded. She then froze, her eyes glazing over.

"Alice?" Jasper asked concernedly. He reached over and hesitantly put his free hand to cup her cheek as he tried to look into her eyes.

"Maybe she's having one of her visions?" Serafina posited as she slowly reached over but stopped when she heard a snarl from Jasper as he bared his teeth to her. Serafina cocked her head to the side at that. Not a fan of threats directed at her, her eyes glowed from her anger. But then remembered how protective mates could be. Although Jasper knew she wouldn't do anything, since he wasn't sure what was wrong with Alice, his instincts were screaming for him to protect her at all costs. Even his friend was a possible threat. Serafina stopped the glow from her eyes and put her hands up in surrender as she leaned back to her original position so he would calm down.

She looked around and confirmed that the waitress was assisting the only other customers at the other end of the diner, so they were fine. The whole ordeal lasted only about a minute before Alice came to. She saw the worry on Jasper's face. She used her free hand to hold the hand he had cupped to her face as she gave him an apologetic smile, "sorry, I worried you. I'm alright. It was just another vision." She then looked to Serafina, "I'm sure you'll join us eventually. Are you sure you won't join us now?"

Serafina was slightly surprised. She hadn't planned on going with Jasper and Alice. But she hadn't told them yet. And it seemed Alice was a lot more okay with her refusal than her pushiness implied. She guessed Alice's new vision was of her making this decision. Either that, or she was giving this adorable tiny woman more credit than she deserved with her flawed ability. Serafina smiled at her, "I think it's best to give you two some time to get acquainted, that's all."

"Thank you. I guess you're right. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable," Alice nodded, "but if we ever meet again, we should travel together. I don't want this to be the end. I know we can get along. I've seen that much. Please?" she begged as she gave Serafina her big sad eyes.

Serafina felt it unlikely to meet again in the future, so she decided to give her the answer she wanted, "of course, I promise," she smiled, "But it looks like the storm is letting up. I should take my leave. It's been a pleasure meeting you. I'm happy for you both." She said honestly as she stood up from her seat.

"Stay safe!" Alice said as she got up and hugged Serafina. Serafina stiffened for just a moment before patting her awkwardly on the back.

"Thank you, Miss Hart, for everythin'," Jasper said as he stood and nodded to her. Knowing how uncomfortable she was from Alice's sudden physical contact, he held back from shaking her hand. Serafina appreciated that and smiled at him giving him a nod back.

After Serafina had left, Jasper looked at Alice with amusement, "How are you not afraid of that woman? Why do you want her to join us so badly?"

"Because she's our family! I'm not going to be afraid of my future sister," She scoffed. "I know you two think my ability doesn't work properly. But it does! That's how I know we'll meet up with her again, and she's already agreed to go with us when that happens too. I have it all planned out," she insisted with a big smile as she grabbed his hand and pulled him to sit in the same booth seat next to her. She draped his arm around her shoulder and cuddled into him as she began to tell him her plan. He smiled at her and nodded along while basking in the happiness and excitement she was radiating. He was grateful for this trip.

Chapter Text

Alice and Jasper had enjoyed each other's company for more than a year, just learning more about each other while traveling. Jasper noticed he felt better when traveling with Serafina, but it was almost as if a switch was flipped when he met Alice. It was easier. She had even taught him the animal blood diet, and although he struggled if exposed to human blood, it was already a big step in the right direction for him. He no longer had to murder to feed. He wasn't surrounded by negative emotions from his victims anymore. Now he spent his days and nights with a little ball of sunshine. He now knew he was capable of happiness, and he loved it. He loved her.

While practicing the diet, they ran into Peter and Charlotte. Jasper was sure it was intentional on Alice's part. He didn't mind; he was happy to see his friends again. They loved Alice; she got along well with both of them. But what they liked about her most was how she had brought Jasper out of his depression. The only thing they couldn't agree with was the diet. Alice did try to get them on board with it. But it wasn't for them, so the deal was when it was time to feed, they would split up and meet back together afterward. At least for a while because they knew Alice's goal of meeting with their family. They didn't want to hinder that goal and made the most of traveling together until then. They all waited for Alice to get another vision of her future family to meet up with them soon.

This night was a feeding night. Their evening ended with them meeting up at a bar near midnight. Alice and Jasper coming from the woods, and Peter and Charlotte coming from the opposite direction after hiding the bodies of their meals where they wouldn't be found. As long as Alice stayed close to Jasper, he felt strong enough to endure the emotions and scents of the humans enjoying themselves around them. They were all sitting in a booth when Alice stiffened. Jasper felt her anger after she cleared her mind of the vision. Peter and Charlotte were skeptical of her ability at first, but after seeing it firsthand, they knew she was the real deal. They were curious about what she saw this time that upset her.

"What did you see?" Charlotte hesitantly asked, noticing the furrowed brows on Alice's always smiling face. She found it strange.

Jasper attempted to soothe her to calm down.

Alice took a breath to try and ease her anger, but she still couldn't help thinking about it again and getting angry, "she's going to cheat!" she finally gritted out.

"Who's gonna cheat?" Jasper asked, bringing more calming emotions to his favorite girl.

"Serafina! I can't believe her!" she scoffed.

"Who's Serafina?" Peter asked.

"Ms. Hart," Jasper answered him.

"You call her Serafina?" Peter asked incredulously, looking between Jasper and Alice for an answer.

"Aren't you scared of her? She's so intimidating," Charlotte added.

"No, I agree with you completely. I find her terrifyin', so I call her Ms. Hart. Only Alice here is brave enough to call her Serafina," Jasper grinned proudly, "but what do you mean she's gonna cheat?" he directed to Alice.

"I saw her. She'll be in New Orleans and meet a very attractive vampire. They're going to sleep together! I can't believe her," Alice shook her head in disbelief.

"Darlin', I'm pretty sure Ms. Hart doesn't have a husband or mate. It's not really cheatin'." Jasper reasoned.

Alice scoffed at him, pushing him away from herself, "she's going to be our family because she'll fall in love with our new sibling when we find them. They're mates!" She crossed her arms and couldn't help the pout on her face.

Jasper hated the push he had gotten. He knew she wasn't upset with him. But he didn't like the gesture and immediately tried to scoot closer to her pleadingly, "darlin', you never even told me who she's gonna fall in love with. Maybe if you did, I could try to help. How 'bout it?"

"No, the less you know, the better. I don't want to ruin it by accident," she said, welcoming his presence near her again, "I know they're not together yet. So, you're right. It's not cheating. But I know what will happen later with her and our sibling. I don't want her to have dalliances now," She frowned.

Her frown caused Jasper to frown; he put his arm around her to let her cuddle into him. "Well, how far into the future was it? Maybe we have time to stop it?" he asked.

"We can help," Charlotte chimed in.

Peter looked at her, nervous about looking to stop a dalliance Ms. Hart might be having and not wanting to offend her. Charlotte also seemed slightly nervous, but she shrugged and gestured to Alice. Peter cleared his throat, "that's right, maybe we can help find her with you all. The more boots on the ground, the better."

Jasper nodded to them in thanks. Grateful for their help.

"Really? You'd help?" Alice asked, perking up and looking at her friends.

"We'll try!" Charlotte smiled.

"Let's head out now, darlin'," Jasper said as he exited the booth and held his hand out for her. Peter was doing the same on the opposite side with Charlotte.

Louisiana 1950

Serafina wandered Bourbon Street listening to the music flowing around herself. No one had bothered her due to the excitement in the air. Many just passed her by. It may have been the weekend. Serafina wasn't sure. Days were blurred together for her. She hardly ever even knew the year she was in. While walking down an empty alley, she felt another's presence. It was too sudden to be human; then she sensed her kind. She rolled her eyes as she prepared for the usual threats. But froze when she heard the distinctly feminine voice.

"Now, baby girl, I don't share my feeding grounds. What do you think you're doing here?" a soft voice called out with a hint of attitude.

"Just passing through," Serafina answered when she turned to look at the woman.

Both women looked each other up and down. The woman opposite Serafina was African American, in her late twenties, with medium-length black hair in very well-put-together victory rolls. Her makeup was exquisite, highlighting her plump red lips. She wore a tight, fashionable short-sleeved dark green dress that went a little past her knees. The dress had a white collar, white buttons, a white belt, and white sleeves. The whole ensemble showcased her curves very well. She also wore white gloves, white stilettos, and green sunglasses, which she took off and held in her hand, not needing to hide her eyes from another vampire.

Serafina always enjoyed fashion after her time in Volterra. Although Sulpicia and Athenodora were mainly confined to their tower or the castle grounds. It didn't stop Aro and Caius from indulging in their fashion pleasures. They would allow some vampires to review the fashion spreading throughout Europe and have them make custom designs for their wives inspired by what they'd seen. And they were very skilled at it. Sulpicia and Athenodora also enjoyed playing dress up with Jane and Serafina, so they'd have some made for them as well. They mainly focused on the cute for Jane and the sexy or elegant for Serafina, depending on their mood.

Even though Serafina constantly traveled alone, she always dressed fashionably. Simply but fashionably. Her dress this evening was a sleeveless white dress with black polka dots. Her accessories included short black gloves, her black hat with a partial veil over her long, loosely curled dark hair, and tall, chunky ankle-strapped heels. Due to how much she walked, she preferred the chunkier heel so they wouldn't wear down as quickly or snap.

"That better be the case; I'm not one for sharing. You should make sure this trip is quick, or else," the stranger said, still allowing her eyes to wander over Serafina's figure.

"I'm not one for threats. So maybe I should extend my trip?" Serafina questioned with her brow raised in defiance.

The woman chuckled as she looked at Serafina, "baby girl, do not test me. You're lucky I didn't kill you on sight. But being another woman, I didn't deem it necessary. I thought you'd have more sense than some of these male vampires who invade my space. But maybe I was wrong. Maybe I should show you some manners?" she asked as she sauntered towards Serafina.

"I'm so scared," Serafina responded without changing her face.

The woman flung her arm out towards Serafina. Suddenly Serafina was thrown back into a wall. The air was knocked out of her with the impact. With her shock, she couldn't catch herself and embarrassingly fell to her hands and knees. Looking up at this strange woman who had begun to laugh, she felt her anger rise, but she calmed herself down. She narrowed her eyes at the woman, "so you have an ability?"

"Oh yes, I don't have to get my hands dirty to show you who's boss," she grinned, "such a shame too." She mocked, "such a pretty outfit."

Serafina stood back up and dusted herself off, "you know, I have an ability too," she said as she allowed her eyes to glow, bringing a flame to her hand as she smirked at the woman, "how do you want to die? Should I make it quick? Or should I make you suffer?"

The woman was shocked after seeing the flame but cooled her expression as she made a grabbing gesture with her hands as she looked at Serafina. Serafina's arms were thrown down to her sides against her will. She allowed her flame to extinguish when it happened. She struggled as the woman smirked, "you're full of surprises, aren't you?" she asked, impressed.

"Sure am," Serafina smirked, "You too. But you know, I still have another surprise for you." She gestured with her chin, "look behind you."

The woman kept her arms as they were to keep Serafina in place but turned her head to look behind her. When she did, she looked back at Serafina in defeat, "You're good." She said as she dropped her hands to release her. She was nodding her head in approval.

"Thank you," Serafina responded. A certain appreciation for the strong woman in front of her.

"So, you don't need your hands for your fire? Your little hand gestures make people think they're the source of it, but that's all just show. Am I right?" the woman asked with crossed arms as she looked back at the fire jaguar behind her as it slowly walked past her to stand beside Serafina.

"Exactly," Serafina smiled as she petted the flames until they disappeared, "I'm Serafina Hart. I go by Ms. Hart, and you are?"

"Yvonne Banks," she answered, extending her hand to Serafina. They shook hands, "Sorry about the throw. I've been getting some riff-raff trying to horn in on my territory. I won't allow it. But I respect another strong woman. Welcome." She smiled, "Why are you traveling alone, Ms. Hart? No partner yet?" she asked, releasing her hand after holding it a little longer than necessary.

"Haven't found him yet. Haven't been trying to find him, though." She shrugged, "you?"

"Just me. I'm the same. I haven't really been trying. I prefer working alone. But it's good to have friends, I think." She said as she smirked at Serafina, "if you're staying for a bit, you can stay with me. My home isn't too far from here. Won't need to move for a few months, so it's nice and comfortable. I can show you around. And with the two of us walking together we'll have meals lining up the block to be fed from us."

Serafina grinned, "you know, I'm actually pretty full. Tell me more about your place though, I might need a place to stay."

Yvonne smirked knowingly, "oh, it's very comfortable. Hope you don't mind sharing a bed."

"Strange, we don't sleep. Guess we'll have to figure out something else to do in your bed," Serafina innocently said.

Both women laughed as Yvonne gestured for Serafina to follow her toward the alley exit. Too caught up in their joking to notice the vampires nearing. Their confidence in their abilities also blinding them for the moment.

"What a coincidence!" a voice Serafina recognized shouted. She looked up to see Jasper in front of her, "Darlin' Ms. Hart is here!" he called. Serafina felt several others approaching. She was confused as she was only expecting Alice if Jasper was there.

Soon she saw Alice, Peter, and Charlotte.

"Yeah, no. This is not okay," Yvonne suddenly said, crossing her arms over her chest, "you said it was only you. I'm alright with letting you stay in my feeding grounds, but you can't bring a group. Baby girl, get them to go." She said, shaking her head.

Alice soon jumped in her excitement and took off quickly to Serafina, where she hugged her tightly, "Serafina! I missed you!" she said.

Serafina awkwardly patted her back, "you really aren't afraid of me, are you?" she asked.

"Nope," Alice smiled happily, letting her go and stepping back.

"Maybe I should fix that," Serafina said as she allowed her eyes to glow. Getting a small flame onto her hand and flicking it at Alice.

"No!" Jasper shouted, about to rush forward.

"Stop! It's okay, Jazz!" Alice said, making a stop motion with her hand. Her smile was even more prominent as she had already seen this happen in her vision. She was excited.

The flame engulfed Alice's hair, and the smell of burnt hair lingered in the alley before the fire was extinguished.

"I can't believe you allowed her to be out in public with that choppy hairstyle. You all should be ashamed of yourselves. Don't worry. It's fixed, Alice. I know it's short, but it looks good now that it's even. Trust me." Serafina said, crossing her arms and looking at the group before her.

Yvonne nodded next to her, "thank you. That was bothering me like nobody's business. It looks much better this way." she looked to Serafina with a smile, but then looked contemptuously at the others, "Now when are they gonna leave?" she asked, bristling with how uncomfortable she was feeling with so many others invading her territory.

"We can be on our way now, but Serafina is coming with us!" Alice happily exclaimed.

"Why would I do that?" Serafina asked curiously with brows furrowed.

"Because you promised," Alice suddenly looked like a kicked puppy as she looked at Serafina, "I thought you kept your promises?" she was using her big sad eyes.

"Can't even stay the night?" Yvonne asked, already knowing the answer after seeing the face the tiny woman was making.

"Afraid not," Serafina answered, "I did promise after all. But I didn't say how long I'd travel with them. So, I may go with them for a bit and come back to visit. Would that be alright with the boss of this territory?" Serafina asked with a seductive smirk at Yvonne.

"Baby girl, as long as you leave your friends, I'll welcome you with open arms," she grinned back, "it was nice meeting you, Ms. Hart." She winked.

"Likewise, Yvonne," Serafina grinned. Then she looked at the group, "where are we going anyways?" she asked as she walked toward the exit, leaving Yvonne behind.

Alice froze for a moment. Jasper held her hand and felt her joy; he was confident he knew her vision. Alice cleared the vision from her mind and looked at them with an even bigger smile, "Pittsburgh!" she said excitedly.

Serafina was unsure why she was so excited but nodded as though she understood, "well, alright then, but I'm just going with you all there. Then I'm gone, just to be clear."

Peter and Charlotte knew what Alice saw as well. They looked at each other and turned to Alice and Jasper, "actually, we're going in a different direction. It was nice traveling with you two," Charlotte said as she hugged Alice.

"Don't be a stranger," Peter added as he clasped forearms with Jasper in a sign of brotherhood, "and it was nice seeing you again, Ms. Hart." He said with a nod. Charlotte mimicked the gesture with a timid smile at Serafina. Then the two zipped away.

Serafina was still skeptical of Alice's ability. She didn't even consider that this meeting was staged, "lucky for you two, you found me when they left." She said as she turned at the end of the alley heading north to Pittsburgh.

"I agree! I'm so happy things worked out this way!" Alice said with a slight skip to her step as she looked back at Jasper and gave him a quick wink. He shook his head with a smile from his amusement.

"Why Pittsburgh?" Serafina asked, looking down at Alice.

"I'm pretty sure our family will be there," Alice said as she held her hands behind her back and slowed to walk beside Jasper.

"Oh, so your ability decided to work again?" Serafina asked jokingly, never looking back and just continuing her walk.

The couple behind smiled knowingly to each other, "We hope it'll work this time." Jasper said with a shrug, "you never know; maybe this is it."

"I'm sure it will be," Serafina nodded to appease them, all while unbelieving. She would take them to Pittsburgh, then be on her way.

Chapter Text

They didn't travel long, as Serafina considered just dropping them off, so she was willing to run more frequently than usual. But she still preferred walking. She couldn't help herself. She would slow, and Alice enjoyed it because they would get to speak more. She enjoyed asking Serafina questions about herself. It didn't mean Serafina always answered her questions, but sometimes she would.

They had just heard how she began learning about being a vampire from Red. Serafina had just finished telling them about how Red's sire was chasing a pervert south when Red had met up with her. They couldn't help laughing at how difficult it was for Serafina to learn from him and how he still set her up for failure when meeting the Volturi by telling her they were called Vultures.

A comfortable silence engulfed them after their laugh. Alice complimented Serafina's outfit. Serafina asked why she didn't have more modern clothes since she had good taste in fashion. Alice mentioned that they were still practicing their diet while traveling, so they weren't very good at being near people and tended to stay away from the busier areas. Being away from people, they didn't need money. Their clothes were a bit out of date, but they were at least clean.

Serafina wouldn't have that. She had seen how they were getting more comfortable around people. They still had their moments, mostly Jasper, who sometimes became too overwhelmed if near too many people. Alice and Serafina believed it was more due to what was happening to draw so many people. An example was how he was okay if it was just a group enjoying themselves in a park. But if it was some rowdy event, they believed being surrounded by those aggressive emotions became too much for him. And if any blood was around, even Alice's hunting instincts were triggered. Otherwise, they were fine. Serafina decided to reward them. So, she took them shopping. She wouldn't buy them a wardrobe since they were technically homeless and had nowhere to put it. But she would buy them a new outfit to make a good first impression on their new family.

Entering the shop, all patron's eyes were on them. They could hear the whispers about how beautiful they all were. Jasper felt uncomfortable, but it was more at the fact they even considered him 'beautiful,' which he wasn't called until becoming a vampire. Back in his day, he used to be handsome. He still heard handsome, but when a few younger children called him beautiful, he couldn't help but sigh. On the other hand, Alice would ignore everyone around, focusing on the clothes, pulling Jasper and Serafina to look at whatever caught her eye. Serafina couldn't help smiling at her excitement.

Leaving the shop, they all looked much sharper, in Serafina's opinion. She and Alice had agreed on a lovely mint green knit pencil skirt for Alice and a matching knit top. She accessorized with darker pink heels, a belt, and a handbag. Serafina thought the pink was a bit much, but she had to admit Alice pulled it off well. As for Jasper, well. A military uniform was as flashy as he was ever willing to go before. If he got to pick his outfit, he preferred to keep it simple—pleated grey trousers, white button-up, and white bucks. Serafina and Alice had tried to talk him into a plain white shirt, but he was self-conscious about revealing his scars; he had many more from when Serafina first met him. Although he knew the humans couldn't see them, he didn't want to intimidate the vampires they were trying to join. He didn't want to ruin things for Alice. Serafina did manage to find a mint knit vest to match Alice. Jasper initially wanted to say no, but when he saw Alice's eyes light up at the sight, he immediately agreed. As for Serafina, she was happy with her outfit, and nothing stood out to her except for a new hat. This one was in the pillbox style and white but still had her signature veil. She thought it was cute. But she had to change up her other accessories to match now too. Which she did, and she felt it was worth it.

Once they looked good, they went on their way. Serafina allowed Alice to lead since Alice stated she knew precisely where they needed to go. Serafina didn't entirely believe her, but she had nowhere else to be, so she just enjoyed the trip. But she began questioning things when they started heading away from the more populated town and towards the Allegheny National Forest.

"You know, we met you here in Pennsylvania before. Why didn't you stay if your family was here?" Serafina questioned.

"They weren't here at the time. I saw they only just bought this home recently. This is some good timing on our part," Alice smiled at her while walking backward, "I'm so excited!"

They neared a long driveway that led more into the forest itself. Many twists and turns, but soon Serafina felt the presence of her kind. It was always uncomfortable when you didn't know the other vampire. Your nerves were always on edge, fight or flight instincts kicking in. She looked to Jasper, who felt the same as they both halted. Serafina never hesitated at those instincts before. She only developed that hesitation when traveling with Jasper and now him and Alice; it was more a sense of responsibility to ensure their safety. She would never allow them to get hurt when traveling with her. If a coven leader had to deal with this regularly, she was not one for that responsibility.

"No, it's okay! It's them! Watch: you won't feel any hostility when we get there. But I'm sure they're nervous, so we can't show aggressiveness." Alice assuaged.

They both relaxed at her words and followed her down the driveway further into the forest, where they soon saw a massive Tudor-style mansion with many custom windows built in.

"I guess this is goodbye," Serafina slowly said as she stopped.

"What? Why?" Alice asked as she stopped and turned suddenly to face her.

"I said I would only bring you guys here. We're here. I should be on my way. Good luck with your new family," she smiled.

"But you need to meet them!" Alice anxiously said, grabbing onto Serafina's hand.

Serafina couldn't help looking at her questioningly.

"She wants to make sure you meet them all so that you don't accidentally kill any in the future," Jasper interjected, "it works both ways. This way, they'll know who you are and won't offend you in the future."

Alice was relieved; Jasper's words made sense. She was grateful for her clear-headed mate. He knew how to reason with Serafina well. She nodded to Serafina, then turned to Jazz, "Please don't change their emotions. They'll know." He nodded in agreement.

Serafina nodded. Meeting their new family made sense. She tried to keep her temper in check, but it didn't always work. She might feel a little guilty about killing a member of Alice's family.

"I'm guessing there's one in the group that might be annoying. I doubted you before, but considering we found a group of vampires, I guess you have an ability." Serafina smiled at Alice as though appeasing a child, "Did you see me hurting them in the future? Let's meet them then so we don't have any problems later," Serafina said as she gestured to the house, "lead the way."

They neared the home, Alice in the lead, but didn't reach the door when a man suddenly opened it and walked out, meeting them halfway, "Hello, is there something I can help you with?" he calmly asked. His voice seemed oddly soothing to Serafina. She looked him over—mid-twenties, tall, blond, fit, and beautiful like all other vampires. But there was something about him; he seemed kind, which was strange—no aggressiveness. She was suspicious of his attitude but didn't get to dwell on it when two others exited the home to stand not too far away—a sign of solidarity. The first was a woman also in her mid-twenties. She was a beautiful, shorter, slim, curvy woman with light brown hair and a gentle smile. Then another male exited the house. He looked around her age, tall, fit, and beautiful, but with reddish brown hair that seemed even more prevalent with his pale skin. All with the strange golden eyes Alice and Jasper had been working towards. And all were dressed casually as if they had been relaxing at home before their visit.

The way the younger male looked at them made Serafina narrow her eyes at him. He appeared condescending. 'Look at the attitude on that one. Is he the one Alice is worried I'll kill in the future? If he keeps looking at me like that, I might,' she thought. The male tried to fix his face, so it didn't look how she thought, but he wasn't sure how. It was just how his face looked when actively concentrating on everyone's thoughts. He tried to relax his face.

"We're not here to cause trouble. We're here to join!" Alice happily said as she hopped closer, extending her hand, "I'm Alice; that's Jasper and Serafina." She then looked to the younger male, 'I know you can hear me, don't worry. You can trust us. We're going to join your coven and be a family. Just don't annoy Serafina.'

Serafina's brow twitched at Alice's words, "they're here to join you; I'm just delivering them. Call me Ms. Hart." She sighed. Correcting the overexcited Alice. 'I already know their faces now. I know now not to kill these three in the future. That's enough, right? I should be able to go now.'

"We've already been practicing the diet. I've seen us all in the future together, getting along well." She smiled, pulling Jasper next to her.

Jasper nodded and gave a small smile to the strangers before him. He wasn't trusting of their kind and was overprotective of his mate. But he knew this was what she wanted. And while he didn't trust them, he trusted Alice and her ability. He made sure to use his passive ability, though. He could sense the older couple's hope mixed with concern. He could feel the younger male's distrust and confusion. 'Don't use your ability on them. Trust Alice. If her vision was wrong, Ms. Hart will save us.' Jasper kept repeating to himself almost as though it were a mantra.

The young male had furrowed brows as he listened to their thoughts. He focused more on Alice, who seemed to be actively speaking to him in his mind. He saw her thoughts as soon as she mentioned seeing them in the future together. He saw them laughing and joking around as a family. It was clear as day and incredibly detailed. She even envisioned his two other siblings, who weren't even present. The older male turned to look at the younger male, 'is she telling the truth?'. The younger male nodded to him to signify she was telling the truth.

"I'm Carlisle, and this is my wife Esme and our adopted son Edward. Our other children are currently hunting. I should call them so you can meet." The older male said, happily shaking Alice and Jasper's hands. He wanted to shake Serafina's hand, but she immediately shook her head. He stopped, then looked at them apologetically, "I'm sorry, but I'll be raising my voice to call them back." He stepped back and then yelled, "Rosalie, Emmett! We have company! Please come back!"

Serafina stayed where she was. She didn't like the silent communication between Carlisle and Edward. 'If they're calling backup thinking they can get the drop on us, they are in for a surprise. I'll destroy them all before they can do anything. I hope I don't have to. Alice has been looking forward to joining them for a while.' She thought. She cleared her throat, "I'm just warning you all. We'll be civil if you are. But only these two are joining, as you can see by my eyes. I haven't been trying your little diet-" Serafina stopped talking. She felt something, an anticipation she hadn't felt before. If her heart could beat, it would've been beating like crazy. She didn't understand what was happening but cooled her expression. But she couldn't help looking in the direction of the approaching vampire.

'This is it!' Alice began getting excited as she held her breath, noticing Serafina's reaction to the vampiric presence approaching. This was just like what she saw. She felt something was off but couldn't quite grasp what. She didn't care much; she still knew this was it.

Jasper felt her excitement. He squeezed her hand to calm her down but knew that wouldn't work. He then felt the older couple's concern as they looked from Alice excitement to Serafina, who seemed to have stopped speaking mid-threat with a stoic face for some reason. He then felt Serafina's nervousness. He had never felt that from her before. 'I guess we've been waiting for this, Emmett?' he thought.

Edward hadn't stopped being confused since they were introduced. He didn't like hearing everyone's thoughts. Sometimes it was overwhelming. He only knew that all three of these vampires had abilities. The small female could see the future, the male could sense emotions, and the tall female, Ms. Hart, was the strongest somehow. Jasper seemed to think Emmett was Ms. Hart's mate. But Edward saw a peek at Alice's thoughts. He was only more confused after what he had seen in her thoughts but directed his eyes on this Ms. Hart as he felt Rosalie's approach. He wanted to see who was right.

Serafina couldn't help gazing into the forest in anticipation. Soon a woman walked out of the woods. She was tall and voluptuous, with long blond hair in a ponytail. Even dressed casually, she had to be the most gorgeous woman Serafina had ever seen. Serafina managed to keep her face stoic while her thoughts couldn't stop racing, 'Rosalie, she's stunning. Muy bonita.'

Rosalie glanced at her adoptive parents first. She saw they were fine. She wasn't sure why she was so nervous but knowing they were alright, she thought she would relax. But she didn't. She glanced at the newcomers keeping her expression aloof. She saw an excited petite brunette up front with a somewhat intimidating tall blond male vampire. She had to admit; they were dressed very well. But then she looked past them to a tall, beautiful brunette dressed even better than them. She couldn't help holding eye contact with those shockingly red eyes. 'She's beautiful.'

Jasper felt all the emotions he had felt when he met Alice from both women, who appeared to be looking at each other indifferently. What was happening? 'Two women? Is her mate a woman? We've been waiting for Rosalie, not Emmett,' he reasoned, 'How does that work?' Jasper didn't dwell on it. He knew this was what Alice was waiting for. He was happy for Serafina. He wanted her to be happy, but he wasn't sure why neither woman looked as happy on the outside as they felt on the inside.

'It's happening!' Alice was internally screaming, 'why does this feel different, though? Something is off. No, it doesn't matter; this is it.'

'Uh oh, Rosalie doesn't look happy. I hope she doesn't offend them for ruining her hunt. I hope we don't have to step in,' worried Esme.

'These two look like they're getting ready to fight. Do we need to step in, Edward?' Carlisle thought.

Edward was still trying to process what he had heard. Mates? But they were women. He looked at the women's faces; his parents were right. They both looked as though they were glaring at each other. But he couldn't help hearing their thoughts. Both were admiring the other. He gave his mind a quick reset with a quick shake, then looked over to Alice, staring at him excitedly with a big grin and nodding her head at him. Edward immediately turned to look at Carlisle and shook his head no in response to his question.

'I want to speak to her. I haven't introduced myself yet. Should I introduce myself? Why am I so nervous? I don't get nervous. Stop it. Go up to her and say hello.' Serafina argued with herself in her mind, all without changing her face.

'Did they tell me her name already? Did I miss it? I wouldn't miss it. I might need to ask her. I should go over and ask her. Shit, you better not be reading my mind right now, Edward. I will kill you.' Rosalie immediately thought.

Serafina had just about talked herself into going over when she suddenly felt another presence approach.

"Rosie! You cheated! I would've beaten you here if you didn't trip me back there! I ended up losing my shoe in the mud. But I knew you'd make fun of me more if I returned without it, so that's what took me forever. Don't think you're so much faster than me cause of this! I demand a rematch!" a large man said as he lumbered out of the woods and stood beside Rosalie to look at her annoyedly.

'No! This wasn't in my vision! Why did he go with her? Did he change his mind at the last minute? He was supposed to be inside!' Alice panicked and looked to Edward as if pleading for help.

Edward got the message and stepped forward immediately, "this is our brother, Emmett."

Emmett just realized the others were there and looked over, "Sorry about that, hi, I'm Emmett!" the man said with a friendly smile as he wrapped his arm around Rosalie's shoulder, "Rosie here is a cheater though, just so you know!" he laughed showing his dimples.

Jasper couldn't help his frown; he felt Serafina's emotions dim. It was almost as though she was drenched with cold water. That's how quickly her mood dropped. It was as if she was drowning in sadness, then anger began to bubble, but she immediately calmed back to the indifference he remembered from when he first met her.

Serafina broke her gaze from Rosalie. She looked to Alice, "I've met them all. Now I won't kill any in the future. Promise!" she said with a forced smile. 'But I have to go now, or I'll kill him. I don't want Rosalie to hate me for killing him. I should have known she had a beau. A beauty like herself? Of course. At least he's handsome.'

Rosalie frowned, 'why isn't she looking at me?' "aren't you staying too?" she asked.

Esme and Carlisle were surprised at Rosalie's sudden interest. They looked at each other and thought they might need to reevaluate the situation.

"No, I was delivering them. But it was nice meeting you all," she gave a small smile to Rosalie as she turned around, about to make her getaway.

Alice sped over and hugged Serafina before she managed to make her escape.

Carlisle thought he'd try, "if you decide to change your mind, we usually try to stay in the same spot for a couple of years. We'll be happy to have you!"

"Thank you," she said with a grateful smile to Carlisle as she patted Alice's back during their hug. She wasn't as awkward hugging Alice anymore. Even in their brief travels, she discovered how much of a hugger she was and had lots of practice. Jasper walked over to peel her away from Serafina and shook her hand before she set off. Serafina waved goodbye as she quickly sped away.

Rosalie's sadness brought up her anger as well. She grabbed Emmett's arm and tossed it off her shoulder, "I didn't cheat. You tripped over your own feet."

"You know, you're mean. But that's okay; we still love you. You're like the moody big sister I never wanted," Emmett joked, causing a small smile to show up on Rosalie's face, "but who was that beauty that left? I didn't even get her name. I would've loved to invite her for a good romp in the forest." He grinned.

The smile slipped from Rosalie's face. Before Esme could scold Emmett for such foul language, a growl ripped from Rosalie as she angrily grabbed him by his throat. Emmett, Carlisle, and Esme were shocked.

"Rosalie, let him go. Please calm down," Carlisle soothed.

Jasper suddenly assisted with his abilities, helping Rosalie to snap out of it.

"I'm sorry, Em," she said as she released him, "I don't know what came over me."

"Don't you?" Edward asked, looking at her.

Rosalie averted her eyes, embarrassed. She remembered that Edward was likely listening to her inner monologue before.

"What did I do?" Emmett asked, still surprised at her outburst.

"You spoke poorly about her mate," Alice chimed in.

"What do you know?" Rosalie glared at Alice.

"I can see the future. I've known you two were mates," Alice said, "I was hoping she'd stay, but sometimes my visions aren't exact. Like if someone decides at the last minute to join a hunting trip with his sister!" she said, turning a glare to Emmett.

"She thought you two were together," Edward spoke up.

Emmett held his hands up in surrender, "I'm sorry! I didn't know! I didn't know any of that!" he said, turning to Rosalie, "I didn't know I ruined it for you, Rosie! And I didn't mean to talk about your lady like that. I'm sorry! What if I catch up to her and tell her it was a misunderstanding? You're just my sister."

"Everyone calm down!" a soft authoritative voice called out. They all looked at Esme, "Let's go inside and talk about this more. We need to do proper introductions anyways." She smiled at them all and gestured to the house.

"You heard your mother. Let's go," Carlisle called out with a clap of his hands.

All the teens quietly entered the home as their adoptive parents stayed back.

Carlisle smiled as he walked over to his wife, wrapped his arms around her, and kissed her forehead, "I know you're happy our family is growing, but are you ready for more teens?" he whispered in her ear low enough that no other ears could hear.

"More than ready," she answered quietly, "it sounds like we might be getting another daughter soon too."

"Hopefully soon. I can't imagine how Rosalie feels without her," Carlisle sighed.

"You don't find it surprising her mate is a woman?" Esme asked Carlisle.

"After what she's been through, I don't see her with a man now that I think about it," Carlisle admitted, "do you find it surprising?" he flipped the question back to his wife.

"I find it surprising, but I don't care. I want her to be happy, so this Serafina better get her act together and stop hurting my daughter, or else she and I will have a serious problem," Esme stated.

Carlisle couldn't help his chuckles, "don't mess with mama bear. I got it. Well, mama bear, let's meet our new children." He said as he gave her another kiss, and finally released her from his hug and walked her over to the full house. They could already hear the teens arguing over each other to try and find a way to help the situation. Carlisle and Esme smiled, knowing this would probably be a common occurrence in the future.

Chapter Text

When they walked into the home, Alice made a beeline for a love seat, where she immediately sat down. Rosalie curled up on one end of a sofa, and Emmett sat on the other end. Edward sat on the floor between them, leaned back against the couch, and looked over at Jasper, who stood by the door unsure of himself.

"You can come inside and make yourself at home, Jasper. Alice already did," Edward shook his head at Alice in exasperation. She already considered it home. He had seen her visions of the future, he saw them getting along, but he still found it all surreal. Neither of them appeared aggressive. Jasper was a bit defensive. But when he had read their thoughts, it did appear that they wanted to join. He decided to watch for now.

"Thank you," Jasper said as he made his way over to Alice and sat down. She held his hand to make him feel comfortable.

"So, you're Alice and Jasper? Nice to meet you!" Emmett grinned as he got up and leaned over to shake their hands before sitting back down.

Rosalie looked away from them all, looking at her nails, pretending she wasn't paying attention. But she couldn't control herself and asked, "what about your friend? What's her name?"

Emmett looked over at her sadly, then turned back to Alice and Jasper, "did I really ruin it? I'll go get her right now. I'll carry her back if I need to!" he said, getting to his feet.

"I think she'll kill you if you try to touch her. That's the vibe she gave off. Am I right about her?" Edward asked Alice and Jasper.

"Yes," Jasper answered Edward.

"Her name is Serafina Hart, and she just needs time," Alice said, looking over to Rosalie.

"She just left," whispered Rosalie, still refusing to look at anyone.

"No, no time. We have to tell her she was wrong," Emmett said seriously after looking at his sister.

"Even if we could catch up to her, it shouldn't be you," Edward told Emmett, "She left because she almost killed you for touching Rosalie. She only didn't because she thought if she killed you, it would upset Rosalie." He finished looking at Rosalie.

This bit of information did cause a small smile to appear on Rosalie's face.

"Wha- Really? Don't think I don't see you smiling over there, Rosie! How can you be alright with that?" Emmett questioned, "She didn't seem that tough." He mumbled as he slowly sat back down.

"She doesn't listen," Edward said in annoyance, "I told her you were our brother."

"She was very upset at the perceived situation," Jasper spoke up for his friend.

A small argument went off between the teens about Serafina's behavior. Edward and Emmett were upset with her for leaving Rosalie after finding each other. Jasper tried to explain her actions while Alice slipped into a vision that no one noticed due to the arguing.

Rosalie sat silently. Upset due to what had happened but also upset that her brothers were speaking badly of Serafina. Although she was upset with her for her leaving, she still wanted her. This confused her to no end. She knew Alice mentioned mates, but they were women. She had been waiting for her perfect family: a husband and children. After death, she still hoped she could get some semblance of that after finding out about mates. But it turns out her mate was a woman. Her sadness and confusion turned into denial. They had to be wrong.

Carlisle and Esme entered and stopped the arguing, but they looked over at Alice, whose eyes were somewhat dazed, "is she alright?" Esme asked as she took a step closer.

Still unsure of these vampires and no longer having Ms. Hart's protection, Jasper couldn't help the growl that came from his mouth as he stood in front of Alice.

Carlisle pulled Esme behind him while Emmett stood and made his way to stand in front of her as well. Rosalie was still upset and stood angrily before her family, looking for any excuse to fight and release some steam against the newcomers.

Edward stood in front of Jasper and Alice. Shielding them from his own family, "Everyone relax! It's alright; he still doesn't trust us. Alice is at a disadvantage right now. Weak. She has visions, but she gets somewhat lost in them for a bit while reviewing them. He's just protecting her." He told his family.

"Sorry, Jasper," Carlisle said as he put his hands on Emmett's and Rosalie's shoulders to relax them, "let's all sit down and wait for Alice, alright?" Carlisle said as they slowly and unassumingly sat away from Jasper and Alice.

Jasper relaxed his aggressive stance and thanked them all while he waited for Alice. He was somewhat concerned with how long she was taking this time.

"Don't worry; I think she's just checking on Serafina. It's strange; she's focusing on random things with the vision. Like the surroundings and not the people." Edward tried to explain.

Jasper nodded in understanding, "she does that when she's fairly confident in what will happen. She'll start looking at the surroundings to try and figure out the when. The people in the visions don't tell her when it is. So, she uses the surroundings to try and figure it out. She'll look at the weather, city, and people. Sometimes she'll get lucky and find newspapers or calendars around."

Alice snapped out of it and immediately looked at Edward, "you saw that, right? Please don't say it out loud! We might affect how things play out if more people know. But I would love to hear your ideas about it later. I can never explain it right when it's something I can share; having someone else help is going to be so much easier!" she said excitedly with a large smile.

Edward nodded his head in agreement, still slightly confused.

"You have visions? Of what?" Carlisle asked curiously.

"The future!" she answered happily.

They all looked at her incredulously, "when you said you saw us all getting along together in the future. You were speaking literally?" Esme asked, impressed.

"That's right! I saw Jasper first but couldn't find him for a while. While searching, I saw visions of you all! I saw your diet, so I started practicing it. I knew Jasper didn't want to feed from people either, so when I found him, I taught him the diet. Luckily, I had a vision of you all where we could find you. Now here we are!" Alice explained.

"You have an ability as well, don't you?" Edward asked Jasper.

Jasper nodded, "I can sense emotions; it's just something that happens without trying. But if I focus, I can also change people's emotions."

"Wow, both of you are amazing!" Esme said, impressed.

Jasper felt uncomfortable with the praise. Were they already planning on ways of using them for their abilities?

"Yes, it's very impressive that you two were able to find each other and us from visions, and we can see you've been doing well with abstaining from human blood. Your eyes are almost there," Carlisle praised with a smile, "Edward also has an ability; I'm sure you've guessed it by now. He can read minds."

"They won't ask you to use your abilities against your will. I can honestly tell you that they're just impressed with how you found us. They aren't planning on using you for anything unseemly; you can relax," Edward said as he leaned back to a more relaxed position.

The rest of his family looked at Edward, shocked by what he said. They couldn't believe these newcomers even thought they would use them. What had they gone through to be so suspicious of people?

"Oh, my goodness, no! Neither of you ever has to use your abilities again if you don't want to. We ask that you stick to the diet if you stay, that's all," Esme said with her hand clenched over her heart, wanting to reach out to them and hug them but knowing they weren't comfortable with that. She suspected Alice might be alright with it, but considering Jasper's uncertainty, she thought it best not to approach.

"That's right. I work at the hospital in town. I can support this family. Just do your best to fit in and stick to the diet," Carlisle said, nodding in agreement with his wife.

"They can say they have these abilities all they want, but can they prove it?" Rosalie asked from her seat.

"Oh, oh, oh! Practice on me! Do it! Predict my future! Or uh. Do something to my emotions!" Emmett said as he jumped up excitedly.

"I don't think that's how it works, Em," Carlisle said, looking at Emmett with a smile.

"Aw," Emmett sat back down dejectedly.

Edward couldn't help thinking of Serafina, "what about Serafina? You were hoping she would protect you three, Jasper. I even heard her thoughts; she was wary of us and prepared to kill us if necessary. How?"

Rosalie stiffened at the mention of her name but did her best to relax. She just hoped no one noticed. She glanced at the others but saw Jasper and Edward look at her, quickly looking away. She sighed. She was starting to believe Jasper had an ability. He seemed to feel her longing before she tried to hide it.

"Fire," Alice answered.

"I've seen fire manipulators before; they have a weakness." Carlisle said thoughtfully, "if we would've seen her bringing up her tools, we could've stopped her."

"I don't know what kind of fire manipulators you've seen before, but you wouldn't have been able to stop her," Jasper retorted, "she would destroy the newborns I worked with so quickly. I was ordered to escort her anytime she came around to ensure the safety of everyone else. Thankfully she's reasonable. If you don't offend her, you'll be fine."

"Sound like someone else we know? Match made in heaven," Emmett mumbled under his breath, but his family could hear and couldn't help the chuckles.

Rosalie rolled her eyes at the remark, "that's not true. I'm not attracted to women. You're wrong." She said pointedly.

"Rosalie, it's alright. Your mate is a woman. It's okay, be happy you found her." Esme softly said.

"No, it's not normal! I'm normal," Rosalie argued, "the vision Alice mentioned about Serafina being my mate must have been wrong."

"You haven't been normal since your heart stopped beating," Emmett said with his head tilted, visibly confused.

"I like men," Rosalie stubbornly huffed.

"If you liked men, you would've been all over me. I'm kind of the epitome of what a man should be," Emmett explained as though a matter of fact.

Edward snorted, trying to hide his laughter. He looked over and saw Alice and Esme nod slowly, agreeing with a shrug. Both Jasper and Carlisle frowned at their mates' responses. They looked at each other, equally unimpressed, and crossed their arms to look at their ladies. Carlisle cleared his throat while looking at his wife. Both Alice and Esme laughed at their reactions.

"That's obviously not what we're attracted to," Esme chuckled.

"But! Objectively speaking, tall, musclebound, with curly hair and dimples? Physically, he's kind of perfect. I'll bet he turns women's heads wherever he goes," Alice shrugged.

"I do," Emmett nodded in agreement.

The other men present had to admit it was true. They turned heads as well, yes. But it was different with Emmett. Most human men felt emasculated just from his presence. They didn't, but they could understand why others would.

Rosalie choked on a response. It was true. She'd seen how women reacted to him. She never reacted that way.

She was the one to save him when she had seen him being mauled to death by a bear. She had carried him for miles to Carlisle to turn into a vampire. But she was drawn to his childishness when she first saw him. His dimples and curls reminded her of her old friend's child. Never once was she thinking of him sexually. After she saved him, he did flirt with her. All she initially felt was fear. But when she told him she wasn't interested, he immediately stopped. For Emmett, no meant no. Once they explained how they were a coven who treated each other as family, he immediately treated her as a big sister. He felt it was his duty to annoy her constantly to try and make her relax when he noticed how uptight she was. She ended up enjoying his presence. He made her feel safe. But that was all.

"Maybe-" Rosalie started.

"No, there is no maybe. She is your mate," Alice said, hands on her hips, "how would you feel if you never saw her again?"

She felt devastated at the thought but tried not to let it show.

"You can't hide your feelings from me, ma'am," Jasper said calmly.

"Or your thoughts," Edward chimed in.

"Rosalie, you can't help who you love," Carlisle said, walking over to her and pulling her into a loose hug, "no one here thinks any less of you for this. We're happy for you." He signaled for Esme to take over as he knew she wasn't too comfortable with male physical contact when she was emotional.

"We want you to be happy. We don't care who brings you that happiness," Esme whispered as she took over the hug, "you both seem to have similar personalities. She's probably confused too. She'll come around."

Rosalie's tears wouldn't fall, but her dry sobs were there. She clutched onto Esme as though she would disappear. She was so confused but couldn't deny that she wanted Serafina. She missed her even now. She was grateful her family still accepted her. The others felt bad noticing how upset she was. Alice couldn't help herself and hugged Rosalie from behind, causing the woman to laugh, "I don't even know you. Why would you think this is okay?"

"Because we're going to be sisters! And I can tell you that Esme is right! Serafina'll be back," Alice said, hugging tighter.

"You have to be the most positive person I've ever met, and Esme is pretty up there," Rosalie said, calming down.

"She is," Jasper said with a small smile, "but you forgot something."

"Alice can see the future," Edward finished, unable to hide his smile, "she's not being optimistic. She's pretty sure of it."

"That's right! This is great!" Emmett said, joining the hug and managing to wrap his large arms around all three women, lifting the three of their feet in his excitement.

"You're crushing them, Em," Carlisle chuckled.

"Sorry, I got carried away," Emmett said embarrassedly, letting all three women down.

"Thank you all," Rosalie said with a small smile. She went to a seat and dragged Esme, making them both sit. Rosalie cuddled into Esme. It was rare for her children to show this kind of fragility, especially Rosalie. But Esme loved the closeness and loved being able to comfort her daughter. She was happy her presence brought Rosalie comfort. It felt good to be needed. Although they were forever teenagers, they always tried to act their age, so she hardly ever got to mother them. She cherished the times she could.

"That's what family is for," Carlisle said, smiling at Rosalie and Esme on the couch. He knew how much she loved being there for them, "and now we have two new members to our family. How about we go back to those introductions? We'd love to learn more about you two. And we'll tell you about ourselves, so hopefully, you feel more comfortable. Sound good?"

Everyone agreed and went back to their seats. They talked a bit about their pasts. Not going over everything. Just briefly. There would always be time in the future to go over some of the tougher topics. They kept the conversations light. Constantly getting sidetracked and going off on tangents due to Emmett and Alice randomly getting excited at things mentioned by the others. They had fun.

Edward didn't think they would have any problems. Alice already considered them all family. Jasper was slowly trusting them. But Edward was impatient. He had seen Alice's vision. He knew Serafina would be back. But he was curious about when. When would she figure things out? He wanted to go over it with Alice. He didn't want to ruin things by mistake like she had said was possible. He wouldn't do that to Rosalie. It looked like he would have to wait.

Chapter Text

Serafina didn't know what to do after leaving Rosalie. She had no one to speak to about what was happening or how she felt. She wandered near her town for a few days, not wanting to go inside in case she lost her temper with someone. She was sad, confused, and furious. Her fury was most noticeable as many things near her would randomly burst into flames. She decided she would seek advice from immortals older than herself. She immediately took a cruise liner and went straight to Volterra.

That was where she had found herself now. She was looking to the courtyard, where she found Sulpicia and Athenodora relaxing. The twins, Demetri and Felix, were quite a distance away. They were the only ones allowed near the leaders' mates when they were outside the tower. Aro and Caius considered them additional protection. The ladies' usual guards oversaw the entrances to the yard, so Serafina walked over to one of them to ask for entry. They relayed the request, and Serafina was soon called over.

Serafina stood next to the two women who didn't even get up or look at her, "so, no hello for me? I haven't seen you for a few years, and it's as though you've forgotten me." Serafina said with a slight grin.

"A few years? Didn't we see you last week?" Athenodora asked, lazily looking up.

"I could've sworn it was just a few days ago," Sulpicia said, slowly doing the same.

"No, it's been a few decades," she laughed.

"How odd, well welcome back," Athenodora said as she stood up, removing her sunglasses and hugging Serafina.

"Forgive us. Even a few decades are only a drop in time for us," Sulpicia said as she stood up and hugged her.

Seeing the movement from the corner of her eye, Jane smacked Alec, who turned his head to look, and soon they both sped into Serafina. Two small torpedoes nearly knocked her to the ground. Their reaction caused all three women to laugh. Demetri and Felix noticed their move and saw the twins greet Serafina. They waved over to Serafina and went back to what they were doing before. She waved back and then hugged the twins harder.

"Finally, you've come to visit!" Jane said with a slight glare.

"We were starting to think you would never come back," Alec added, glare matching his sister's. This was one of the few times she saw the twins' similarities. She felt guilty.

"I'm sorry; I'll try to visit more often in the future," Serafina smiled.

"What's wrong?" Jane asked, looking Serafina over.

"You look different," Alec added. Both twins noticing a slight nervousness or agitation in Serafina but were so unused to seeing that on her, believed it to just be something off.

"I have to ask Sulpicia and Athenodora a question," she said hesitantly.

"Oh?" Sulpicia asked with a raised brow.

Serafina sat on a lounger with the twins on either side of her. Athenodora and Sulpicia sat opposite her, now sharing one of their loungers. Expressions were bored, but they both feigned interest. Serafina looked at the twins, unsure if she should talk about her mate with the twins there. The ladies saw her questioning look at them, drawing their attention. They were getting curious.

"How did you know you had found your mate?" she asked.

Both women's eyes lit up with excitement at the thought of gossip.

"Did you find your mate?" Athenodora asked while scooching forward in her seat.

"No, then he would be here too," Sulpicia answered Athenodora, turning her attention to Serafina, "Why do you ask? Do you think you may have met him? It may have been lust if he's not here with you. I'd get your fill of random affairs out of your system while you can. Once you find your mate, it will be you and him for the rest of your existence. So, if I were you, I'd sleep with the man that caught your eye now."

The twins scrunched their faces in disgust as Serafina smashed their heads against her sides to try and protect them from hearing such talk. But both twins giggled at Serafina's reaction.

"We know about sex. We're older than we look." Alec chuckled.

Serafina was almost afraid to ask, "but you two haven't-"

"Of course not! That's disgusting!" Jane retorted with brows furrowed.

Alec nodded, agreeing with his sister, "I'd rather be destroyed than be close to a girl. I can only tolerate being near Jane because she's my sister."

Serafina sighed in relief, then couldn't help her chuckle. She loved that while they acted so mature, they couldn't completely erase their immaturity, "maybe it's best if you two go back with Demetri and Felix. We're going to continue discussing adult topics." She said as she pushed them up.

"Well, alright, but you can't leave while we're gone! We've gotten much better at our sleight of hand! We want to show you!" Jane insisted.

"I won't be leaving Volterra for a while, I don't think, don't worry. I'll be able to test your skills later," Serafina agreed, smiling as she kissed their heads.

Once the twins left, Athenodora turned back to Serafina, "was there a man that caught your eye?"

"Not exactly," she sighed, "can you please tell me how you knew you found your mates?"

"We locked eyes, and that was it," Athenodora said, smiling fondly at the memory, "love at first sight is real. Even for humans, but it's a lot harder for them to tell. They could look their mate in the eye and still question themselves. More than likely chalking it up to a simple fancy. For ourselves, think of it as our sharper instincts, allowing us to tell immediately."

Serafina couldn't help the sharp inhalation at realizing that was how she had felt. But she wanted to deny it. Both women looked at each other in worry. Serafina noticed and cleared her throat, "is that how it was for you, Sulpicia?"

"Not necessarily," she answered, "I was human when I met Aro. He tried to stay away from me. But it was almost as though fate kept bringing us together. He then began to court me. I accepted. Then he told me what he was; this was all before the laws were in place. He offered me immortality. I wanted to be with him, and so I accepted. When I was turned and saw him with my vampire eyes for the first time, it clicked immediately. The love I felt for him was immediate. Instinctual, as Athenodora said. But Serafina, do you think you met your mate?" Sulpicia asked with a slight frown. She was concerned. If she was here alone, did her mate refuse her?

Serafina looked down.

"Come, let's discuss this in the tower," Sulpicia said as she stood and grabbed Serafina's hand, pulling her to the tower. Athenodora following.

The twins looked over, concerned.

Athenodora waved them off, "don't worry, we're just going to go into more detail on the sex. You wouldn't want to hear it, so we'll discuss it in the tower. She's not leaving yet!" she yelled to the twins.

The twins both had looks of horror on their faces. Alec began fake gagging as Demetri and Felix laughed.

As they made their way to the tower, she called over a guard and asked him to take them a bottle of wine and three glasses. Serafina looked at them questioningly. Anything not blood tasted horrible. She couldn't believe these two would be willing to drink swill that tasted of dirt. She scrunched her nose in disgust at the thought.

Athenodora chuckled at Serafina's look of disgust, "what? Have you forgotten what it tastes like?"

"Wait, I don't think she was here for the last batch we had gotten! Lady D only sends us a batch every century and a half. This batch came in a month or two ago. We usually run out within a few months, so your timing is amazing." Sulpicia explained.

They made it to the tower, and just as they entered, a guard arrived with the requested items. Athenodora and Sulpicia both grabbed something and entered with Serafina. They sat in their usual spots and passed out the glasses. Sulpicia poured them each a glass of wine as they made themselves comfortable. Athenodora was on her regular chaise lounge chair, and Sulpicia sat near the large window so she could still look out.

"Now tell us what happened," Sulpicia ordered, "did you meet him?"

"Not exactly," she said, taking a test drink of wine, "oh my god, that's delicious!" she couldn't help but exclaim.

"Sanguis Virginis, virgin's blood wine, now you can see why we finish these so quickly. Even if only leadership is allowed to drink, we can't control ourselves," Sulpicia said, taking a drink herself, "you know what, you're a guest, and you seem to be having some troubles. What kinds of hosts would we be if we kept this at just one bottle? Thena?" Sulpicia asked, looking towards Athenodora.

"Truer words were never spoken," she chuckled while ordering another bottle from a guard, "now, why do you keep saying 'not exactly'? Was he not what you were expecting? I'm sure he would be incredibly handsome if he were your mate. But if he refused you, he might not be too bright. But you can work with that. They're easier to handle if they're not too bright."

"That's right, just bat your eyes at him, and he'll come around. You probably didn't make proper eye contact anyways. You would feel the pull if it were a one-sided sight, but it wouldn't click until his eyes met yours. Don't worry; I'm sure that's all it was," Sulpicia reasoned while emptying her glass.

Serafina finished off her glass, trying to delay saying it out loud. She closed her eyes and exhaled, "it wasn't a he." She finally said.

"Really? That makes sense. You never did seem interested in meeting any of the men in our ranks," Sulpicia said, nodding, "was she gorgeous then?" she asked.

"If she isn't as pretty as you, then we can try to give her a makeover to see if that at least evens things out," Athenodora added, finishing off her drink and signaling Serafina to pour more wine for everyone.

"This doesn't bother you? Isn't it strange that it's a woman?" Serafina asked.

"Don't say strange. That sounds negative. I'd say rare," Sulpicia said thoughtfully, "wait, is this why your mate isn't here? Did you begin questioning things? Did you refuse your mate?" she asked, raising her voice a bit with a look of disbelief beginning to show on her face.

"It's not that simple," Serafina said while pouring them all a refill, "it's just that there was a man with her." She said with a frown.

"Did you two make eye contact?" Athenodora asked with brows furrowed.

"Yes," Serafina answered.

"Who was this man? Are you sure they were there together?" Athenodora asked.

"Well, I don't know. I didn't ask. I think someone mentioned him being a brother, but he had his arm around her!" she growled. Not noticing her anger was causing her wine to boil in its glass as she quickly drank it.

Both women looked at each other knowingly. Athenodora got up and walked over to Sulpicia, "how did he have his arm around her?" she asked as she and Sulpicia set their glasses down and stood beside each other.

"Did he have his arm around her like this?" Sulpicia asked as she pulled Athenodora by her waist closer into herself.

"Well, no," Serafina answered.

"Like this?" Sulpicia asked as she put her arm around Athenodora's shoulder but caressed her shoulder while pulling her into herself.

Serafina wanted to say yes, but it didn't seem right now that she was thinking back to that meeting.

Athenodora glanced outside the window momentarily but paused, "or was it like that?" she gestured for Serafina and Sulpicia to look.

All three women looked down into the courtyard, where they saw Alec with his arm loosely around Jane's shoulder as he whispered conspiratorially while glancing at Demetri, who had his back to them. Both with evil grins as they seemed to nod in agreement. Jane then went over to Demetri, where she began to seriously discuss something with him while Alec went behind him and quickly attempted to pick his pocket but was soon caught by Demetri. Both twins quickly fled as Demetri and Felix laughed. Then they noticed Felix pat his belongings and seemed to see they were gone as he gave chase to the twins. Demetri laughed alone while he watched Felix trying to catch them.

Sulpicia couldn't help her chuckle, "they always try to pickpocket Demetri. They have no problems with Felix, but it's almost as though they feel Demetri is the only way to prove themselves. I suppose they're right. They haven't been able to steal from him yet. I suppose they need more practice."

Sulpicia and Athenodora were laughing but noticed Serafina's silence and looked at her questioningly.

"He was holding her similarly to them," Serafina said in realization, a look of horror on her face.

"Oh no, you thought that was them being together? That amount of contact?" Sulpicia asked incredulously.

"You might be a bit more possessive than usual," Athenodora said sympathetically.

"I shouldn't feel this way about her at all; she's a woman," Serafina said, trying to deny it.

"Don't do that," Athenodora retorted, "it's alright for your mate to be a woman. As Sulpi said, it's not strange. It's rare, but it does happen. Take it from us. We've seen a lot of it in our time. Men and men, women and women, as long as it's consensual- it shouldn't be anyone's business. It was never really a big deal until religion got involved, now that I think about it. Then it became a sin." She scoffed, "don't tell me you're that closed minded."

Sulpicia nodded in agreement, "now be honest, did you refuse your mate?"

"I didn't say I refused her," Serafina said, looking down, playing with the empty glass in her hand.

"But you're here with us right now instead of with her," Athenodora shook her head, "was it because of her brother or because of these doubts of yours."

"Everything! There was so much; I'm not used to feeling anything. There was too much going on. I didn't know what to do, so I left," she huffed.

"You hurt her," Sulpicia scolded, "you need to fix it."

"How?" Serafina asked.

"Apologize and then court her. It will make her feel wanted," Athenodora answered.

"How does a woman court another woman?" Serafina questioned.

"I suppose how a man would but dressed better?" Athenodora answered questioningly.

Sulpicia giggled at Athenodora's response, then turned to Serafina, "use what men have used on yourself in the past," She suggested with a shrug.

"Most men went straight to my father and tried to buy me from him. I would ask my father never to allow them near me in the future, and he obliged," Serafina said with furrowed brows as she thought back to those times in the past.

"You don't have much to work with there, so we'll just tell you what we like. Gifts- Flowers, clothes, and jewelry." Sulpicia offered some ideas.

"Take her out and enjoy yourselves. Maybe some music?" Athenodora added, "but do it soon. I'm sure she's distraught right now."

"You better pray she's not like us," Sulpicia said with a shake of her head.

"What do you mean?" Serafina asked.

"If she's like us, yes, she'll be sad. But she'll also probably be furious," Athenodora said as she raised her glass to Sulpicia.

"Which means she'll more than likely make you suffer a bit. So good luck with that," Sulpicia said as she clinked their glasses and took a drink.

"Don't keep her waiting too long," Athenodora said as she put her drink down.

"Thank you for helping me see things clearly," Serafina said with a smile.

"You're welcome," they both said simultaneously, causing them all to giggle. They stayed drinking wine and talking about her mate. She described her. They asked what her coven was like, but she wasn't too sure. It was almost as though nothing else mattered as soon as she had seen Rosalie, so she forgot what her coven was like.

Serafina stayed a week to play with the twins who she hadn't visited in a long time. She also spent time with Marcus, telling him about meeting her mate. He was happy for her, but she could tell he didn't like speaking about mates in general. He still scolded her for abandoning her mate and made her swear to return to her and beg for forgiveness. Never once questioning the fact, her mate was a woman. Reaffirming to her what she had been told by Sulpicia and Athenodora, that it wasn't strange. Then he told her she should never bring her mate to Volterra. He explained that if she were to bring her mate, they would force the tie onto Rosalie to bind her to Volterra, ultimately trapping Serafina as well. This roused her vigilance and anger. She would never allow them to force Rosalie into anything. But she thanked him for his advice and prepared for her trip back home. She had to fix things with Rosalie soon.

Chapter Text

Alice and Jasper explained to the family how their abilities work. Alice told Edward it was better not to inform the people involved in some situations in case they changed it by mistake. He understood and agreed. He also understood from Jasper's explanation that Alice was often pretty confident in what would happen, so she would then try to figure out when. With the two of them able to review the visions, they could discuss them to figure things out much faster now.

Edward also explained to them his ability. How, no matter what, he was still able to overhear all thoughts. But he explained that he could somewhat tune people out naturally after spending enough time with them and treating it as background noise. The only problem was that it took him a few years to get used to the thoughts of his current family members, so he thought it would more than likely be the same for them.

Alice and Edward began discussing Serafina away from prying ears. They knew Serafina would be back and were trying to figure out when. It didn't take long for them to realize it would be soon. They didn't see any specifics on it. It seemed she couldn't decide how she should apologize.

The Cullen household could sense a human approaching two weeks after obtaining their new family members. They were confused but just played their part and waited to see what they wanted. Soon the human rang their doorbell and waited for someone to answer. Emmett was waiting by the kitchen doorway to try to time it for a normal human interaction, then opened it, "hello, how can I help you?" he asked with a smile.

On the other side of the door was a young man, quite a bit smaller than Emmett, holding a rather large bouquet. The young man's smile fell as he looked up at the large man who opened the door, 'Jesus, please don't be this Rosalie's husband. If he knows she has an admirer, I don't want to be around for how mad he'll be,' The young man brought his smile back up, "Uhm, sorry to bother you, sir. But I was looking for a Rosalie? I have a delivery here for her," he mentioned as he held up the large bouquet in front of himself. This brought a frown to Emmett's face. Frightening the young man a great deal, but his professionalism wouldn't let his smile drop again, no matter how shaky it was.

Alice and Edward gave each other knowing looks. They knew Serafina would come back soon. They were excited but bit their tongues and acted as usual to avoid suspicion. Edward relayed the young man's fears in a soft voice only the vampires in the home could hear. Then he and Jasper continued their game of chess. Jasper, trying to block his mind so Edward wouldn't cheat, but failing.

"Emmett, get the flowers for your sister.," Esme said as she patted Emmett on the shoulder. He didn't want to take the bouquet at first but took it at Esme's request and returned to the kitchen. Esme took his place in the door with a kind smile and offered the young man a tip so he could be on his way. The young man immediately refused.

"No, thank you, ma'am! I was already given my tip in advance by our customer. But I hope you have a great day!" he said, tipping his cap in farewell and jumping onto his bicycle.

Carlisle and Rosalie had been reviewing some medical journals in the study when they heard the commotion but decided to ignore it to continue their studies.

"Rosie, it looks like one of your admirers from town found out where we live. We'll probably be getting more of these in the future," Emmett said with a raised voice. He knew Rosalie liked having these suitors before, but it was only a slight boost to her ego that quickly dwindled. He knew she wanted Serafina. She wouldn't care about any suitors anymore. Emmett was momentarily silent while looking over the bouquet but noticed something off. He expressed his confusion out loud, "what a weird bouquet, though." He mumbled after a while.

This drew the attention of the others in the house. Even Carlisle and Rosalie looked at each other, curious about what was 'weird' about the bouquet.

"Rosie, this guy might not actually like you all too much. He didn't even get you roses. I mean, they look like roses. But I don't think they are," he continued rambling.

"What are you going on about, Emmett?" Esme asked as she went over to look at the bouquet as well.

"Look at them! They're fake roses!" Emmett gestured to the flowers, "what a bum. He couldn't even get her roses."

Esme looked over the flowers for a while, then smiled broadly as she pulled a card out of the bouquet Emmett missed while reviewing the flowers themselves.

"Well, you're right and wrong, Emmett. They're not roses," Esme said, "these are much rarer and more expensive than roses. But you're wrong about these being from an admirer in town. These are from a Miss Serafina Hart." She grinned.

Rosalie looked to Carlisle, and he nodded to signal they could end their studies. Rosalie quickly approached the kitchen where the others were, "how do you know that?"

Esme smiled at her, "well, there was this," she said, offering her the small card she had found. Esme quickly dodged Emmett's hands to give it to Rosalie safely.

Rosalie took the card and couldn't help a small smile as she read it to herself.

"Hey, read it out loud! I didn't see it before!" Emmett whined, bouncing up and down.

"Yeah, read it, read it!" Alice joined them all in the kitchen, excitedly looking over the bouquet.

Rosalie dropped her smile as she read the card out loud, "I'm sorry beautiful. Please give me another chance." Rosalie crossed her arms, forcing a scowl onto her face. She didn't want her family to know how easy it was for her to forgive Serafina. She already did, and the note made her happy. She was happy she might be coming back. But she felt she should still be mad. She was faking her anger now just for show, "We don't know if this is even from her; they didn't sign it."

"Oh, it's her," Esme grinned.

"I mean, I guess it should be her. I don't think anyone else left you. But how are you so sure, Esme? That card was pretty lame," Emmett asked in confusion while leaning on a kitchen table chair and not noticing the glare he was receiving from Rosalie for his nonchalant attitude at her abandonment.

"Well, I've studied flowers. Did you know there's a whole flower language?" she asked excitedly, "these happen to be red camellias. They stand for love, passion, desire-"

"So do roses. They're more obvious too!" Emmett argued.

"Maybe that's why she didn't pick them. I'll bet all your suitors get you roses, don't they, Rosalie?" Alice asked Rosalie, emphasizing the Rosa in her name. Rosalie nodded in agreement.

"Because all women love roses," Emmett shrugged, "and exactly! It matches her name too! Even better!"

"Will you two let me finish?" Esme chided, looking over Emmett and Alice with her hands on her hips.

Carlisle chuckled as he came to stand behind her. Edward and Jasper also quit their game to join the fun. Edward was besting Jasper anyways while using his abilities. Jasper stood beside Alice, and Edward leaned against a far wall. Alice pretended to zip her lips, and Emmett mumbled an apology as he quieted down.

"Thank you, now as I was trying to say, red camellias mean love, passion, desire, and my favorite meaning is from the Victorian flower language where the red camellia means 'you are the flame in my heart' and if I'm right, I'll bet these are Middlemist Reds which are so rare, they are very expensive," She finished explaining with a smile. Giving a sigh as she admired the bouquet.

"Yes!" Emmett yelled as he pumped his clenched fist, "you guys said she has a thing for fire! This is it!"

"Were you all still questionin' if it was Ms. Hart or not? I could've told you it was. It's obvious. That card there has her scent," Jasper noted while watching Alice with a smile as she was practically bouncing with excitement.

This caused the entire kitchen to look at him strangely. Rosalie frowned as she looked at Jasper with a raised brow. Alice grabbed the card and took a sniff, "I can't believe I missed it, he's right! That's her perfume! She must have dabbed a bit on it. It's Serafina, all right!" she said with a large smile, handing the card back to Rosalie who took a sniff at the card as well. She noticed it was a light floral scent. She liked it but didn't like it at the same time. She wasn't sure why. Then she realized the scent she liked more was being hidden underneath. Serafina's natural scent from handling the card.

"So, how do we tell her that you forgive her?" Emmett asked, plucking the card from Rosalie's hand and looking it over to try and find any more words.

"How do you know I've forgiven her?" Rosalie asked, crossing her arms after taking the card back.

"Well, if you don't want her, can I have her?" Emmett asked jokingly, earning a smack from Rosalie and Esme.

"I wonder when she'll be back," Carlisle said with a smile, "but no use worrying about it now. At least we know she will be back. That's already a good start, isn't it?"

"But I want to know now," Emmett said, noticing Alice, "you know, don't you?" he asked narrowing his eyes at her.

Everyone looked over to Alice, who had a mischievous smirk on her face, "maybe, maybe not."

"She knows, but she won't say. She's enjoying this too much. But I will say it'll be soon." Edward said while avoiding a smack Alice tried to give him.

"What about your flowers? Do you want me to put them up in your room?" Esme asked Rosalie as she did her best to arrange the bouquet in a lovely vase.

Rosalie did want them in her room, but she could see Esme was also enjoying them. She had to admit; they did look very lovely on the table with how Esme had arranged them, "no, I think the lighting is better here. I hope they'll last longer with the lighting here in the dining room." She said, bringing a smile to Esme's face.

"I will make sure to keep them alive as long as possible! If you permit me, I can even try to get some trimmings to try and grow them in the garden," she looked over to Rosalie excitedly, who smiled at her and nodded in agreement, "would you like to help me?" Esme offered.

"Sure," Rosalie smiled, "I'll get dressed in my gardening clothes." She left for her room to get dressed.

Everyone took this as a sign to disperse and do their own things. Jasper still felt everyone's excitement at the prospect of Serafina showing up soon. Even after they all left, it was as though everyone was just in a happier mood.

He was enjoying his time with this strange new family. They reminded him of his human life with how they interacted. It was drastically different from his life with Maria and the newborns. If he could sleep, he'd probably have nightmares of that time. This family dynamic was helping him with avoiding those thoughts. It was as if they sensed it when he spiraled into those negative memories. He knew Edward for sure knew on some occasions when he was; it was usually when Edward would challenge him to a chess match. When playing with Edward, he would feel Edward's annoyance. It was always on Edward. Jasper understood, though. It was likely from hearing the buzzing of others' thoughts constantly in his own mind. He liked Edward; he felt they were similar. Both suffering from abilities they were never able to turn off. They would occasionally sit together playing chess, and where Jasper would try to keep his mind blank, Edward would also try to relax his emotions. Almost as though they were treating each other.

Alice noticed Jasper warming up to everyone. She loved that, but she loved it all. Her new home, her new family, and how Jasper seemed able to relax now. She already got along well with everyone, and he also got along well with them. He was still shy, but he was making progress. Alice loved that he was trying for her, he thought he was doing it only for her, but Alice knew it would ultimately help him. Alice would constantly invite him to join in on their family activities. Some nightly debates about politics or science. Alice and Jasper even made Rosalie smile or even laugh occasionally. Alice was delighted with how things were going, and the thought of Serafina joining soon was icing on the cake. Although Jasper didn't say it, she knew they had somewhat of a bond, and she knew he worried for her. Alice already knew Serafina was going to join eventually. It was only a matter of time. Thankfully they had plenty to spare. A positive was how it wouldn't take long for Serafina to show up at least. Alice grinned to Edward as she couldn't help the thought, 'she'll be here tomorrow!' Edward had a small smile as he nodded back to her in understanding. Tomorrow Serafina would be back.

Chapter Text

Although no one slept, they still went through the motions to keep things as normal as possible. This meant they all retired to their rooms at about eleven at night. Pajamas and all. They usually read books and studied medicine or music. Alice had begun making clothing sketches of outfits for herself and everyone else in the family. Her drawings weren't too good yet. But she knew with practice; they'd look how she saw them in her mind. Esme was currently attempting to sew the newest sketch she received from Alice. She was skilled in life; now, her speed and accuracy were off the charts. She just needed a little explanation from Alice to understand the drawing. Their teamwork turned out very well; this would be the second dress for Rosalie. She had gotten the first sketch the second night of Alice and Jasper's arrival. It had been finished for a few days, but Alice kept telling her they couldn't give it to her yet. Now Esme suspected she knew what the first dress was for. Or rather, who it was for. She smiled to herself at the thought of Rosalie's happiness.

Rosalie was still in a good mood from the bouquet, but more the fact of what it represented. She wasn't rejected or abandoned. Serafina would come back. It was strange to her. For how much she fought it initially, the thought of her never returning hurt her significantly. Since turning, she sometimes forgot she had a heart since it no longer beat. But the thought of Serafina not wanting her made her heart feel like it was slowly being crushed into nothing. It was a constant pain, a throbbing in her chest. It was unbearable. This hope she was given alleviated some of that pressure. She felt she could breathe so much better. But she knew it wouldn't completely go away until Serafina was back. She hoped the others were right, and it would be soon. But they were undead. Frozen in time. What if 'soon' was longer than she hoped? She shook her head in frustration. She shouldn't think that way. She should be positive and enjoy the thought of her return.

The following morning Rosalie was lying in bed, turning through the pages of a medical journal, when she got a knock on her door.

"I'm indecent. Wait a moment," Rosalie called while slowly sitting up.

"It's alright. It's just me!" Alice yelled out excitedly.

"Oh, well, then come in," Rosalie said as she laid back on her side. She propped her head on her hand as she returned to the medical journal. She was not bothering to hide her form in her nightgown from her new sister, who had a mate. She watched Alice walk into her room and close the door behind herself, "what do you need, Alice?" she asked, putting her eyes back on the journal.

"What are you going to wear today?" Alice asked eagerly as she ran for the bed and jumped on, causing Rosalie to bounce awkwardly from the impact.

Rosalie glared at Alice; she knew the bounce she did was not graceful at all, "I don't know, probably some shorts and a blouse, just some house clothes. I was thinking of gardening with Esme again out back. If she wants, of course," she answered as she sat up and put the journal away on the nightstand to protect it from Alice.

"No, no, no. No gardening today. Esme and I have a surprise for you!" Alice said, growing more excited.

Rosalie just looked at her, confused.

Esme called from the other side of her door, "knock, knock."

"If it's just you, come in," Rosalie answered.

In came Esme with a smile on her face holding a dress. Not any dress. Esme held a beautiful red, short-sleeved pencil dress with a more open rounded collar that would reveal more than just a peek at her collar bones. Rosalie couldn't help a soft gasp as she stood up to admire it.

"That is beautiful! I thought you didn't like me having the more open collars?" she asked, "I believe you said that they were a bit too revealing and not very lady-like," she quipped while taking the dress from Esme and holding it to her body while looking in the mirror.

"Revealing yes, I still stand by that," Esme said with a pointed look, "but Alice designed this. I don't know. This does seem to be the style for you young ladies nowadays." She shook her head, not understanding this new fashion craze of revealing more skin the youth had.

"Try it on!" Alice said excitedly.

"Be right back," Rosalie sped to her ensuite and dressed quickly. She admired herself in her bathroom mirror first. Satisfied, she left and stood in front of her mother and sister, who both expressed their admiration bringing a satisfied smirk to her face as she stood in front of her full-length mirror to see the full effect—testing all different angles.

"Alice, you were right. That looks amazing on her," Esme praised.

"No, it was all you! Look, you got her measurements perfectly! Rosie, you look incredible! You should wear this today!" Alice said, looking from Esme to Rosalie with excitement.

"No, it's too nice. Do you want me to wear this just around the house? Don't be ridiculous," she scoffed, smoothing the dress more as she repeatedly turned to admire herself.

"You should wear this dress today," Alice insisted.

"I don't think the weather is too nice for gardening today. Maybe you should wear that dress. We don't always have to go out to look nice," Esme added.

Rosalie finally looked up at her mother and sister from the mirror's reflection. She noticed more excitement than usual, even from Alice, who usually hummed over nothing daily. She wondered why they were so insistent on this, and then she remembered her flowers. She felt an illusory throbbing in her chest, "do you think so?"

"Yes," both women nodded with matching grins while looking Rosalie in her eyes from the reflection.

"Can you both excuse me? I should get ready for the day," Rosalie said with growing joy.

Both women left with excitement. Esme to try and clean the house for the expected company. While Alice went to see if there would be any issues she could try to stop in advance. The men of the house had, of course, heard everything. All except Emmett, who had gone out early to hunt. Carlisle and Jasper looked at Edward, thinking, 'is she coming today?'

Edward gave a small smile and a single nod as he turned to go back to play on his piano. Carlisle and Jasper decided to join their mates. For Carlisle, it meant helping Esme clean their home. For Jasper, it meant sitting next to Alice and soothing her if she needed it, but it was mostly for himself. He felt she was safer with him next to her, making him feel better.

When Emmett returned home, he saw everyone behaving normally, in his opinion. He didn't notice an increase in the intensity of Carlisle and Esme's cleaning. He missed that Esme had even lit the living room fireplace to try and make the home appear cozier. He didn't know that Alice had been trying to initiate her visions for an hour more than she usually did daily. He didn't know Rosalie was getting herself ready with a bit more 'oomph,' either. He just laid himself in the parlor on a sofa next to Edward and started asking him to play something a little more current than the Franz Liszt he happened to be playing. Emmett lay there, repeatedly asking while tossing a baseball in the air in boredom. Edward shook his head unbelievingly at the annoying man-child but still changed to playing more current jazz tunes they had heard on the radio recently. Just as he was about to play another note, they all felt a vampiric presence enter their territory.

They heard a knock at the door. The fire in the fireplace increased in intensity upon the visitor's arrival.

Serafina stood on the other side of the door with another bouquet of Middlemist Reds and another small bouquet for the adoptive mother. She wanted to make it up to Rosalie, so she thought she would suck up a bit to the family. She thought it would help if she could win over the parents especially. She tied her hair in a high ponytail and did very light makeup. She figured parents would want a sweet or innocent partner for their daughter. So, she changed up her attitude to play the part.

"I'll get it!" Rosalie yelled from up the stairs. Serafina couldn't help but smile as she heard that beautiful voice again. She thought her heart might be beating again but knew it wasn't. She was just that excited.

Emmett noticed how dressed up Rosalie was. And everyone began to gather in the living room for this visitor. Emmett grinned. Only then did Edward realize Emmett wasn't taken outside and warned of what would come. It seemed that in Alice's excitement, she forgot to do that. He tried to grab him but was too late.

The door swung open, and Serafina's smile fell as her whole face dropped at the sight of the large man, "well well well," he said with arms crossed as he stood in front of the doorway glaring down at her, "look who finally decided to show up." He finished. Ignoring the complaints of 'Emmett move' from Alice and Esme while receiving smacks on his back from Rosalie.

The fire in the fireplace grew even more in intensity as it began to rage in the fireplace with Serafina's annoyance. Jasper started to watch the fire, noticing the correlation between Serafina's mood and its rampage. Edward heard his thoughts and began watching the fireplace with him, causing Carlisle to join in.

"May I please speak with Rosalie?" Serafina asked, narrowing her eyes at Emmett.

"I don't know. You could've spoken to her two weeks ago." Emmett said while looking down at her with furrowed brows. This caused a spike in the fire in the fireplace.

"That is something I'd like to speak with her about, actually," she said while attempting to reel in her anger at having this brought up immediately upon her arrival. The fire began to die down a tad with her trying to reign in her anger.

"Don't do it again, or else I'll make sure you regret it," Emmett said with a face full of seriousness as he flexed his muscles even while his arms were crossed. He intentionally paused, but a smile quickly grew on his face, "now that's a warning for the future. But I'll forgive you this time since you're finally here!" he exclaimed excitedly as he embraced her in a bone-crushing hug causing her whole body to freeze as he lifted her off the ground. The flames erupted from the fireplace burning a bit of the mantle as she held her fire within her body, not wanting to kill Emmett by mistake.

"Get him, get him, get him," Edward muttered under his breath to Jasper as they sped to Emmett to save him from Serafina's wrath. Each grabbed an arm and dragged him to the backyard. Carlisle raced to the kitchen for water to put out the fire in the fireplace that seemed to be wanting to spread. Alice and Esme looked on with concern. Alice was unprepared for Emmett's spontaneity and decided to follow them out as she hissed at him about how Rosalie and Serafina hadn't even gotten to speak yet under her breath. Everyone inside the house could hear the siblings scolding Emmett as he was dragged outside.

As Emmett was forced to let go, Serafina stood there dumbfounded about what had just happened. Her fingers twitched as she clenched the bouquets in her hands, which were now ruined from Emmett's embrace. Rosalie took Emmett's place in front of her as she saw Serafina's eyes glow as she stared blankly and gritted her teeth, "hey," Rosalie soothed as she reached out to her and grabbed her hands, "are these for me?" she asked while holding onto Serafina's hands. She was forcing Serafina's eyes onto herself.

Serafina's eyes stopped glowing at the contact. Her anger immediately gone. Rosalie let go of her hands once Serafina regained herself. Serafina looked up at Rosalie with a small smile, "well, the red ones, yes. And the others were for your mother, but" she sighed, "I promise they looked better when I got here." She said sheepishly, beginning to hand them over. Only then did she notice Rosalie's outfit. Her breath hitched, and her hands stilled as her mouth hung open while she openly gawked at her.

Rosalie received the reaction she wanted and couldn't help her smirk. She cleared her throat, "do you like my dress?" she asked innocently.

"It's stunning, just like you," Serafina said, looking into her eyes after admiring her glamorous makeup, "Si la belleza fuera un pecado, tu no tendrías perdón de Dios."

"What does that mean?" Rosalie asked with a raised brow. Serafina couldn't help her teasing smile. Both women stood at the door, looking at each other with grins.

"If beauty were a sin, you would not have God's forgiveness," Jasper said lowly as he walked back into the house with the others after they scolded Emmett.

Esme, Alice, and Emmett couldn't help the awws that came from their mouths.

"Olvidé que estabas aquí guero," Serafina muttered, slightly embarrassed.

"Rosalie, aren't you going to let her in?" Carlisle asked from his position next to Esme.

"Right, sorry. Come in," Rosalie said as she stepped back. She was somewhat embarrassed that her adoptive family had been present for their exchange. But she still couldn't drop her smile after hearing the translation.

"Hello again," Serafina said to Rosalie's parents with a small smile. She then remembered she never gave Rosalie the flowers, "Rosalie, these are for you." She said, handing them to her; then she walked over to Esme and handed her the other bouquet, "and these are for you."

"White and pink carnations and some purple tulips, how thoughtful of you. I see you're versed in flower language. Trying to make a good first impression?" Esme asked with a teasing smile at Serafina.

Serafina's smile faltered. Not many people studied the flower language or even knew what it was. That was precisely what she was trying to do with those flowers. She was even more embarrassed since someone else knew, so she denied it, "what's a flower language? I just thought those looked pretty together."

"She's lying," Edward announced, "she's just embarrassed."

Serafina frowned, looking at Edward, "I remember you now." She averted her eyes, 'the brother with the condescending face. Or, as my apa used to say, a very punchable face. Don't kill him or the big buffoon.' She repeated in her mind.

Edward's brows furrowed as he turned to look at himself in the mirror, then began attempting to relax his face, "what's wrong with my face?" he asked more to the room than Serafina herself.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Serafina answered, looking back at Rosalie.

"It's the second time you mentioned my face," he mumbled.

"You have a very handsome face," Esme soothed.

'Of course, his mother would try to make him feel better. What's the saying? A face only a mother could love,' Serafina began to smirk at her mean thoughts. Edward scowled at Serafina.

Rosalie couldn't help her smile, watching her smirk and seeing Edward's reaction. She had a feeling Serafina didn't know Edward could read thoughts. She began wondering what she was thinking to annoy him so much. She wanted to know what she was thinking.

Jasper felt the confusion from most of the room, but he felt maliciousness and joy from Serafina as Edward became increasingly upset. He couldn't help it. He decided to help the poor man, "Ms. Hart, I don't think you were told before, now that I think about it. Edward has an ability; he can read minds."

Serafina's smirk slipped as she slowly closed her eyes in regret. She didn't know he could read her mind. She wouldn't have thought those things if she knew she could get caught. She wanted Rosalie's family to like her. She opened her eyes and couldn't help rolling her eyes as she knew she'd have to apologize now, "I'm sorry I thought those things about your face."

All the teens, minus Edward, immediately burst into laughter. Emmett's the most raucous of all as he clasped his hand on Edward's shoulder, "you gotta tell us what she thought," he pleaded.

Edward shrugged his hand off his shoulder as he turned around to leave the room. Now annoyed at the teasing he knew would come from his siblings. He knew it was over anyways. He didn't think Serafina could take any more family time.

"Rosalie, I thought I could speak with you with your family present and be fine. But so many things are going wrong. May I talk with you alone, please?" Serafina nervously asked.

"I know a spot further in the forest if you want to go. I'm not dressed for the trip, though. What if I were to fall?" Rosalie jokingly asked.

"I could always carry you if you like," Serafina grinned.

"You might need to, but not right now," Rosalie answered, "come on, let's go." She said, grabbing Serafina's hand and heading towards the door, "we're going out." She called out to her parents.

"Stay safe, you two," Carlisle responded with a smile.

"I'd never let anything happen to her," Serafina said determinedly as she tightly clasped Rosalie's hand back and followed her out the door.

Chapter Text

Rosalie wasn't lying. They weren't dressed for a trek through the forest. But due to their naturally enhanced abilities, they made it quickly to the middle of the woods without breaking their heels or tearing their dresses. They made record time and all while holding hands.

Rosalie looked at her spot; it looked even more beautiful than usual. But it could have been because she was in a good mood. She looked over at Serafina and couldn't help but admire her there in the lighting. The sunlight was streaming through the trees, which were much more sparse in that area. Her diamond-like skin was so eye-catching. While looking, she noticed something odd, a tint to her sparkle that she had never seen before on any other vampire. A slight shade of orange. She looked like she was engulfed in flames, just standing still. Rosalie looked down at their hands, still clasped together, and noticed a heat she was unused to. Even if she had felt a slight warmth while holding hands with Esme or Alice, it was nothing to the heat radiating from Serafina. It felt good. She couldn't help but rub her thumb against Serafina's skin, drawing a hand squeeze from Serafina as a response that made her smile.

"This place is beautiful," Serafina told her while admiring the location, "but I shouldn't be surprised. You have excellent taste."

She surveyed the area; some sizeable flat stone slabs and some boulders were near a sheer cliff face with a small waterfall. The water coming down the cliff face was from a small stream further up. It was such a gentle and slow-moving stream that it made it very relaxing to sit near the fall. But due to the small amount of water, once it fell, it just trickled into some cracks and crevices at the base of the cliff. That was why they weren't sitting in a lake and could sit and enjoy it from a few feet away.

"I'm sorry," Serafina finally admitted, looking over at Rosalie with a frown.

"For what exactly?" Rosalie asked, wanting Serafina to say it.

"Everything. Leaving and not even speaking to you properly. I was so confused, and then Emmett popped up, and I thought you were together, and I became so overwhelmed. I had to leave." She hurriedly explained. As soon as she mentioned Emmett, the heat in her body began to act up in response to her anger at the memory. She was still upset with Emmett for being so intimate with Rosalie, causing her to become so upset that she had to leave, and finally, for the hug. She still couldn't believe he had done that.

Rosalie felt the increase in body heat and rubbed her thumb against Serafina's skin again. Serafina squeezed back in response. Rosalie liked how Serafina did her best to respond to her even without vocalizing it. She also liked how she could soothe Serafina with just a simple touch.

"Don't blame Emmett; he's just a bit overexcited. He's a nice guy. He's been one of your biggest supporters," she said, feeling a slight spike in body heat again, "what happened when we first met was all you. But it's alright. If you were like me, you must've been confused about your mate being a woman. I forgive you," Rosalie said while looking away from Serafina with a guilty conscience for how she felt before. She had felt the same way. If Serafina had stayed, she might have refused her outright before coming to terms with herself.

"You were confused too?" Serafina asked.

"I didn't even know you could be with another woman," Rosalie admitted, "I still don't fully understand how it works."

Serafina nodded in understanding. She walked them over to one of the slabs. Rosalie was about to sit when Serafina stopped her.

"What?" Rosalie asked.

Serafina momentarily let go of Rosalie's hand while she sat on the slab where Rosalie was initially trying to sit. This action caused Rosalie to frown until she heard Serafina's words, "come sit. You can't go sitting on these rocks. You'll dirty your dress." She said while patting her lap.

Rosalie raised her brow but smiled, "you're wearing white."

"I have many white dresses. But that dress is too pretty to be dirtied," she answered. While patting her lap again.

Rosalie rolled her eyes as she lifted herself but gave a slight squeal when she received additional help from Serafina, who raised her onto her lap—earning a small smack in the process.

"Sorry," Serafina laughed as she held her in her arms as they sat beside the minor falls. Rosalie leaned back and enjoyed the heat as she put her hands over Serafina's that were around her waist.

Serafina felt so happy holding hands with Rosalie but holding her felt much better than that. Having her close allowed her to relax from her scent. Feeling her cooler body temperature against her skin was soothing to the fire burning in her veins. The sparkle she always found odd on other vampires looked so impressive on Rosalie, as though it belonged. Of course, normal pale skin wouldn't have been enough for Rosalie; she deserved to have her skin encased in diamonds. They sat in silence, enjoying each other's company.

"Rosalie?" Serafina spoke up.

"Yes?" Rosalie answered.

"May I court you?" Serafina asked.

Rosalie adjusted herself so she could turn to look at Serafina, "don't you have me? Isn't that what the mate bond means?" she asked with a smile.

"I'm not like your family; I have no problem killing people. I've killed so many over the years I've lost count. I'm a bad person. What if you don't like me? It would be best if you weren't forced to be with me. Let's get to know each other, and you can decide for yourself," Serafina said lowly. Unable to hide her sadness at the thought of not being wanted.

"You could stay away from me?" Rosalie asked with apparent confusion. She didn't think she could now that they were together. Would it be so easy for her?

"I'd try if you asked," Serafina whispered.

"I've killed before," Rosalie admitted as she cupped Serafina's face with her hand, "not even to feed. It was for revenge, and I don't regret it. If you think I won't want you because you've killed before, you're wrong. But you can court me anyways." She grinned, "what are you going to do? Leave my room every day and knock on my door to ask me to go for a walk with you?" she laughed.

"About that," Serafina hesitated, "I don't think I can stay with you just yet."

The look of hurt on Rosalie's face was instantaneous. Her eyes glistened as she tried to pull away from Serafina's grip causing Serafina to tighten her hold.

"Let me go," Rosalie she said while trying to loosen Serafina's arms from her waist.

"No, please let me explain!" Serafina begged, refusing to loosen her grip.

Rosalie crossed her arms and turned away. Allowing Serafina to keep her hold for the moment.

"I can't be near your family for too long. Every instinct in my body screams that they are a danger to you and me. I will kill them if I live in your home, and they make sudden movements towards you or myself. The only other time I've been around, so many vampires was when I was with the Volturi, but even then, I took comfort in knowing I could destroy them whenever I wanted. I did destroy many of their guards while I was there. But they don't care much about their underlings, so it was fine. But I know you would be upset if I killed your family," Serafina quickly explained, "I won't be far away, though! I can't do that again. I bought a home just at the edge of the forest. It's more of a shack, really. But I don't care. This way, I can slowly get used to their presence and still be near you. I will visit you every single day! I'm willing to start your family's diet to make you happy too. Please look at me." She pleaded, her own eyes glistening at having hurt Rosalie.

Rosalie turned back, saw the sincerity in her eyes, and slowly relaxed, "is it that bad?"

"Yes, it's a distrust ingrained in my bones. I had never felt that uncomfortable near others of my kind until now. I think it's just because I know I can't kill them," she tried to explain her feelings that even she wasn't entirely sure of.

Rosalie uncrossed her arms and relaxed again, "can I see your shack?" she asked. Wanting to make sure she would be close.

"Of course! But you can't judge me when you see it. You and your family live in the middle of nowhere, and it was the only building nearby. I have to be close to you, so I'll stay there and do my best to get used to your family as soon as possible," Serafina rushed, so much happier that Rosalie seemed to understand.

"And you're willing to try our diet?" Rosalie asked, getting happier at the thought of her trying to assimilate into their family for her.

"I'm not too excited about that part, but yes. I'm willing to try your diet," Serafina said with a smile. Her grip loosened a bit after feeling Rosalie relax in her arms.

With her grip loosened, Rosalie used that timing to pop out of her arms and began walking away. Serafina was devastated. She thought she would understand.

Rosalie noticed the lack of movement from Serafina. She stopped and looked back. She only saw Serafina's glistening eyes, and Rosalie walked back to her and offered her hand, "Hey, don't just sit there. You need to take me to your shack. I need to know where you'll be staying." She said with a smile.

Serafina grabbed her hand, and Rosalie helped her up. She never let go of her hand as they began walking back towards Rosalie's home through the woods. Once they reached the house, Serafina took the lead and started walking toward town in the opposite direction of where they came. Before they even reached the end, they came upon a very rundown shack. It was still in the small sphere of the Cullen's territory. Rosalie could still sense her family, which meant she could feel Serafina from home. But she was not a fan of the shack. It had broken windows and even holes in the roof. She didn't want her mate to suffer in a place like that when she was more than willing to let her stay in her home.

"I shouldn't be staying here long," Serafina said after looking at the dissatisfaction on Rosalie's face, "I'll spend most of my time with you. A bit with your family. Hopefully, I'll resolve my unease quickly, and we can burn the shack down together." She added jokingly.

"Please do so that you can stay with me," Rosalie said with a frown.

Serafina brought their clasped hands up to her lips, giving Rosalie's hand a small kiss, "I will do everything I can to be with you sooner. Now let me take you home."

They returned to the Cullen home, and Serafina walked her to the door. Rosalie hugged her and said goodnight. Serafina went on her way back to her new home, but the Cullen residence needed clarification.

"Where is Serafina?" Esme asked with concern.

Carlisle hesitated but still asked, "Is she not staying?"

"I warned her," Emmett said, getting ready to follow after Serafina and drag her back.

"It's okay," Rosalie said with a smile, "she's not comfortable with so many vampires yet. But she will be close. Can't you sense her? She'll stay in our territory to get used to your presence, so she doesn't kill you by mistake."

"That might be best," Jasper said, walking into the room with Alice, "I am still somewhat uncomfortable near you all. But at least I don't have an offensive ability that could kill you in an instant."

"Yeah, she's pretty impressive," Rosalie said dreamily, "she said when she spent time with the Volturi, she killed many of their guards. The Volturi didn't care, but she doesn't want to upset me by killing any of you." The smirk on Rosalie's face after saying all of that was almost as if she was boasting.

"She stayed with the Volturi before?" Carlisle asked with surprise, "I wonder why she didn't stay. As far as I know, they don't like letting talents like Serafina go. I'd love to speak with her about her time there at some point."

"Maybe she'll tell us about that time later when she's more comfortable," Esme responded to Carlisle while Rosalie merely shrugged.

Emmett still had furrowed brows, "are you sure you're okay with this?" he asked Rosalie.

"Yes, she asked to court me while getting used to you all," Rosalie grinned.

"Court you?" Emmett laughed, "aren't you guys meant to be together? What a waste of-" he began.

"It's not a waste of time. It's sweet. Carlisle courted me," Esme cut him off.

"Jasper courted me too, but I had the same mindset as Emmett. So, I didn't let him court me long before I let him-" Alice said, but Jasper immediately covered her mouth with his hands.

"Darlin', they don't need to know so much about our personal lives," he said with embarrassment. He would have been as red as a tomato if he could blush.

"Yeah, I don't need to read minds to know where that was going. But Alice is still thinking about it, and now Emmett's trying to think about it. I'm going hunting," they all heard Edward complain from the opposite end of the house as he left to avoid any thoughts he was forced to listen to.

Emmett stiffened at being called out, "I was not," he mumbled.

Carlisle smacked him on the back of his head and reminded him, "sister."

"Yeah, I know, it's still new," he grimaced, "never again!" he shuddered as he shook his head, "I better get in the same mindset for Serafina too."

"Yes, because it sounds like she'll be joining soon," Esme said with a smile.

Rosalie grinned at that.

"Well, tell us what happened!" Alice said, running over to Rosalie and taking her to the sofa.

"Yes, how was it?" Esme asked as she sat opposite them.

"Don't you already know?" she asked Alice.

"She tried to see it," Jasper said.

"I can only see the future. You guys randomly went to the middle of the woods right then. So, no! And I want to know what happened, so spill it!" Alice said excitedly.

Rosalie spent the rest of the night describing what happened when she and Serafina went off alone. It was then they realized Serafina was still in their territory. It showed that she was being honest, making them all feel better about the situation. They were curious about how Serafina would court Rosalie. Alice already had a plan to help her plan a proper date. But that would have to wait, in the meantime, they would see what Serafina had up her sleeves.

Chapter Text

Serafina sat in her new home and meditated on how it felt to be near her mate. She could sense Rosalie. It was a presence that should calm her. It had calmed her before when it was just the two of them. But now, she felt anxious. She felt that way because she could sense the other vampires near Rosalie. She knew her mate was surrounded and wasn't there with her. It was an uncomfortable feeling. She didn't charge over and destroy every vampire near her because Alice had repeatedly told her how peaceful the Cullens were. She trusted Alice. But she didn't like it.

Several hours later, she could tell it was getting closer to morning, so she bathed herself in water from a well behind her shack, allowing the water to boil around her to relax. She soaked for an hour and then went to the Cullen home in a new clean dress at dawn. She knocked on the door with a slight grin. She was eagerly awaiting Rosalie to open it for her.

"I'll get it!" Rosalie yelled from upstairs.

Serafina's grin grew as the door slowly swung open.

"I knew you'd be back. I knew you couldn't resist me from the first moment you saw me," a low, seductive voice said.

Serafina was stunned but didn't drop her grin. She felt God must be testing her restraint. She would have to hold herself back. She couldn't give in to her urges. Rosalie's family lived here. She had to make a good impression. What would her mother think if she gave into those urges right in the doorway? But she couldn't help the fire from rampaging inside her in excitement. She felt herself heat up.

"Emmett, move!" an annoyed voice yelled from behind the hulking man leaning seductively against the opened door's frame. He was hardly moving from the shoves he was receiving from his sister, "I will kill you if you don't back off!" Rosalie growled at him.

Serafina's fire calmed itself, knowing Rosalie was also there. It seemed she wouldn't indulge in her urges to kill the man. Lucky Emmett.

"I know you pretend to be here for her but are actually here for me. It's okay. I understand. I don't think I'd be able to resist me either," Emmett winked at her, following it up with smoldering eyes as he puckered his lips at her and blew her small kisses.

"Esme!" Rosalie whined, causing her mother to rush into the room.

Emmett had a slight trace of fear as he let out a gasp, "tattletale!"

But Esme was already there and grabbed Emmett by ear to pull him from the room, "I told you to leave your sisters alone. You can't keep instigating Serafina. You heard your brothers. They said she had almost killed you before. You can't keep testing her patience like this."

Rosalie and Serafina heard Esme scolding him as she dragged him from the room. The sight was hilarious to them both as the large man was hunched over, pleading with his tiny mother to let him go as they walked out. Apologies flying from his mouth left and right.

"I'm sorry about him. He's the most immature person ever," Rosalie said, smiling at Serafina.

"It's alright. He's helping me get used to you all. I think," Serafina smiled back as she opened her arms for Rosalie to hug.

"She gets it! I'm trying to help!" they heard Emmett yell from the back of the house.

Rosalie couldn't help her chuckle as she embraced the woman, "fine, I guess he's helping." She pulled back a bit and looked at Serafina with surprise, "he was really making you mad, huh? You're still hot."

"How do you know that heat wasn't caused from yourself?" Serafina grinned back.

"Sweet talker," Rosalie smiled as she patted her cheek. She then grabbed her hand and entered the house. She walked her over to the back of the home, where the others were waiting in their living room.

Serafina looked at them all questioningly but then turned to Rosalie with a raised brow.

"Carlisle's idea," Rosalie said as she walked over to a sofa to sit with Serafina.

Carlisle sat on a large, elegant lounger with Esme propped, sitting on the arm of it. Emmett sat on another single lounger but didn't sit properly. He was leaning back with his feet up on the coffee table. A Cheshire grin was prominent as he watched both women enter. Alice, Jasper, and Edward sat more towards the back in a far corner to not overwhelm Serafina.

"There have been talks about a possible therapy for fear and anxiety. Only whispers now, but I think some papers may be published in years to come—exposure therapy. You are already doing it by staying close to us to get used to our presence, but I think sitting in our home and spending time with us will help ease you into the family a lot faster," Carlisle explained calmly, "I know this fear is an instinct for our kind. Our family is odd for all vampires. We manage to trust and live happily with each other. No infighting, no ability to force our allegiance to each other. I like to think there's love here. I like to think we're a true family." Carlisle said, somewhat embarrassed, putting his thoughts into words. Esme grabbed his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"There is love here," she said, smiling at the teens.

Carlisle gained some confidence from her words, "I think it might be due to our diet. No other vampires are like this. Well, I do know of another family similar to ours. They taught me a lot when I began our little family. I like to think of them as our cousins. Maybe you'll meet them when you're more comfortable."

"Why do you think it's the diet?" Serafina couldn't help but ask.

"Well, when you're turned, you only think of two things," Carlisle hesitated—coughing to clear his throat as though unsure how to proceed.

"Feeding and fucking," Serafina said, rolling her eyes at how puritanical these Cullens could be.

"You know it!" Emmett winked, pointing at Serafina with a wide smile.

The other teens chuckled.

Esme and Carlisle exchanged looks, but Carlisle shrugged, "to put it bluntly, yes."

"Serafina dear, please watch your language if we were to have guests, please. I'll allow it when it's just us, though," Esme said sternly.

"Do you get guests-" Serafina began to ask, but with the look Esme gave her, she shuddered. It had been a very long time since a motherly figure scolded her, not since her Tía many years ago, "sorry." She apologized to Esme.

Her reaction caused Rosalie to smile adoringly at Serafina. She looked like she might be getting used to them already. She looked to the three with abilities who sat further back to see their opinions on this thought. Edward met her eyes, wrote her question on a piece of paper, and showed Jasper and Alice. They huddled together to read her question, and all three gave her nods in agreement. It was working. Even just speaking with her was allowing Serafina to get used to them.

Carlisle didn't even notice the silent conversation his teens were having. He continued his thoughts, "the human blood we crave drives us. Yes, we need blood to survive, but the way human blood affects us." He stopped to think, "it's almost as if we become dependent on it, almost as though it's a drug. The only other thing that can even enter our minds aside from that is sex. If you have your mate, it's you two against the world. They would be the only other person you would be willing to share with. Other vampires give in to that mentality. They become more; I don't know?" he stopped again. This was the first time he ever vocalized his thoughts on vampirism with others. With his family, they were easy to talk into the change to animal blood. But he was also their sire. There was an innate trust. But he felt he needed to explain himself to these older vampires who knew nothing but human blood for food. Alice and Jasper seemed willing to fall in line with the animal blood to avoid harming humans, but Serafina was different. And she was the one he needed to convince.

"Animalistic? Victims of our baser instincts?" Serafina posited. Thinking back to when she first learned about what vampires were, "the pain caused by the venom could have burned away a bit of our human nature to bring out those animal instincts was one theory I'd heard."

"Yes! I like that; that would make sense," Carlisle said, standing in his excitement at having someone to review vampire theories with. His sudden movement caused Serafina to narrow her eyes at him as she tensed in preparation for defending herself and Rosalie. Everyone froze at her reaction. Rosalie squeezed her hand and rubbed her thumb over her hand for comfort, and Carlisle put both hands up in surrender as he sat back down, "Sorry. Let's continue." He said, watching her relax, "When we feed from animal blood. It keeps us alive but doesn't affect us to the point of addiction. We are still able to keep some semblance of humanity. No problem interacting with humans. No problem in interacting with each other. No fighting over food because we don't treat people that way. No fighting over leadership because we can have civilized discussions as a family. These are the benefits of feeding from animals, in my opinion. Thankfully, my family started on this diet early on after their creation. Of course, it can still be tough when blood is involved, but thankfully, there have only been a few slip-ups."

Edward shifted uncomfortably in the corner. Alice and Jasper gave him some looks of confusion, while Esme and Carlisle gave him a sad reassuring smile. Rosalie and Emmett pointedly avoided looking in his direction. Serafina was also watching the vampires in the room like they were watching her. She guessed Edward may have had a few more of those slip-ups compared to the others. As soon as she had her thought, Edward stood up, "I think I'm going out to hunt for a bit. It was nice seeing you again, Ms. Hart." He nodded to her as he began walking out.

Emmett's grin fell as he gave a worried look towards Edward's retreating back, "You know, I could eat," Emmett said as he followed after him, "bye, Seraf-" he noticed a glare directed to himself from Serafina and cut himself off, "Ms. Hart! Bye, Ms. Hart!" he corrected as he followed after Edward. He signaled to Jasper to join him.

Jasper got the hint and kissed Alice on her temple before getting up to follow, "see you later, Ms. Hart." He nodded to her. Once they were out the door, Alice ran to Serafina's other side. Serafina was already used to her presence and scent and felt no threat. She didn't even flinch or acknowledge her approach as she plopped down.

"Edward had a bit more trouble with it than the others. But since then, his restraint has been a lot better. It's no consolation for him, though." Carlisle sighed as he massaged his temples, "Serafina, what I've been trying to get at, is I think you should try our diet. Please. It could help with your emotional control. I've seen that your abilities could be affected by your emotions. We want you to join us as a family as soon as possible. We won't force you to do it, but I think it will also help you feel more comfortable with us."

Serafina looked over at Rosalie, who quickly looked away. She felt embarrassed, thinking she had been caught staring at her. Serafina squeezed Rosalie's hand, "you didn't tell them?"

Rosalie looked back at her questioningly. Then she remembered, "oh! Right, I forgot to tell you. Serafina already agreed to practice our diet." Rosalie said with a big smile as she scooted closer to Serafina.

"That's great!" Esme said, genuinely happy. She had noticed all their touches and looks. Listening to Carlisle explain things; it did make sense. She hoped his reasoning would reach Serafina and convince her to try their diet. But she was more satisfied knowing that Serafina had already agreed to try for Rosalie's sake and not from Carlisle's explanation.

"It's so great! We will make you feel like part of the family in no time!" Alice cheered, grabbing Serafina's other hand, bringing everyone's eyes to her. They knew she had been holding herself back from interrupting Carlisle's explanation. They weren't surprised by this behavior at all. They were all immensely proud of her for holding herself back for so long, "I think we should do this by doing some activities with just you, Rosie, and one other family member. Not the whole day, obviously. You and Rosie need alone time too." Alice said, speaking rather quickly due to her excitement.

"I like that idea! We can make a schedule. Every day Serafina spends time with a family member. Rosalie will be the buffer, so Serafina doesn't hurt anyone!" Esme clapped excitedly, joining Alice. She paused as she looked towards Alice, "But she's already comfortable with you and Jasper. Would you even need-" Esme began.

"Jasper and I still get time too!" Alice huffed.

"It seems you're quite popular," Carlisle chuckled, "I agree with them, though. It would help you. Half the day with a family member. The other half, you and Rosalie, to unwind from family time. We can have a family day once a week. But it would be the same. You would only spend half the day with all of us, the other half with Rosalie. Does that sound manageable?" he asked.

"Yes," Serafina nodded.

Carlisle and Esme both smiled, seeing the determination in her eyes. They knew she was doing what she could for Rosalie and were very happy for her. They wanted Serafina to be comfortable with them as soon as possible. They wanted her to feel safe with them. They wanted her to be family.

"Well, we've already had family time, so it's my turn to have Serafina to myself now. We're going out," Rosalie said as she stood up, holding Serafina's hand and pulling her up. She tried to pull Serafina with her but noticed she didn't move. Looking back, she saw Alice still holding Serafina's other hand.

Serafina rolled her eyes as she looked up at the ceiling, "yes, Alice?" she asked patiently.

"I call first on your schedule," she said earnestly, "and I think it should just be the two of us."

Rosalie scoffed, "the fact you want to be alone shows that she's already used to you, and you shouldn't have a turn in the first place." Rosalie knew she was being selfish, but she couldn't help herself. Serafina just got there; she wanted as much time with her as she could get. Either she went or she would push for Alice to not have a turn at all.

"I agree," Carlisle added, "we should start with Esme. She doesn't seem likely to hurt her. But she's still not entirely comfortable with her. She seems to be the safest bet. You, on the other hand, Alice, are too safe. You don't really need this time to get her used to you because she already is," He chuckled.

"Fine," Alice deflated as she let go of Serafina's hand and threw herself back onto the sofa to lie down. Small pout visible to all with glassy eyes. Esme's thought her heart would break; she was just about to cave in and tell Carlisle to give her spot to Alice when Serafina spoke up.

"Oh no, I am not falling for that again," Serafina gave a small smack to Alice's thigh, causing Alice to grin, "faker," Serafina said as she shook her head and walked away with Rosalie.

Alice couldn't help her giggles, "I got her to cave so many times with that. She looks tough, but she's a big softie when she likes you." Esme and Carlisle both gaped at her for her skills in acting. They thought she was upset, "alright, I guess I'll wait for my turn." Alice said as she sat back up and looked at Esme and Carlisle, "you guys, this is so exciting! She's going to get used to us so much faster this way! This was a perfect idea, Carlisle! Well, I'm going to go catch up with the boys and see what they're doing." Alice said as she hopped up and skipped outside.

Both parents looked at each other, "we're going to have to keep an eye on Alice. I think she and Emmett will cause us a bit of grief." Carlisle sighed.

"Sounds fun," Esme smiled at him, "I don't know, I'm looking forward to our new larger family. I'm so excited for my date with Serafina and Rosalie! Maybe we can garden together! I can't wait!" she excitedly squealed as she left Carlisle alone in the living room.

Carlisle chuckled lowly to himself at his wife's excitement. Smiling fondly after her as she practically floated away from how elated she was. He guessed it did sound fun.

Chapter Text

On the next visit, Serafina had no expectations for Rosalie being the one to open the door and begrudgingly made her way up to the front door to knock with a deep frown on her face. As soon as she knocked, the door swung open to reveal the giant toddler with a large smile. Serafina didn't even change her face, nor did the large man.

"Why, good morning, Miss Hart! What a surprise to see you here today!" He leaned against the door frame again, looking down at her, "so, how have you been?" he asked her, gesturing with his hand encouraging her to answer.

"Fine," Serafina answered perfunctorily.

"Anything new?" he continued.

"Since yesterday? No," Serafina responded. Her eyes began to narrow at how he kept speaking to her. She hadn't even felt Rosalie come for her yet. She figured this must be some test, so she tried to remain calm.

"Okay, enough of that. Let's cut to the chase," Emmett said seriously, "they make you sound like your ability is different from others that make fire. I haven't even seen someone who could make fire. That's pretty neat. So please show me. Now. And what makes you different? Do you turn into fire or something? Because that would be so fun to see, and I would very much like to see it," Emmett began rambling.

"Maybe I'll show you later," she answered.

Emmett made a face that looked as though he would begin arguing.

"Maybe I'll show you later today if you let me in." Serafina corrected.

"Deal!" Emmett moved, allowing her to enter.

"Where is everyone?" Serafina asked him.

"Don't pretend. You don't care where anyone else is," she heard a voice from the living room she had been in before calling out. She thought it was Edward, "glad you remember me," he answered her thought.

"Rosalie is in the kitchen with Esme and Carlisle," Alice happily chirped.

"Don't be embarrassed, Miss Hart," Jasper began. She could hear the joking in his voice, and it began to annoy her.

"I didn't even need to hear your thoughts to know," Edward finished.

"Everyone leave Serafina alone. You're only brave now because you know she won't do anything to you," Esme said exasperatedly.

"Just because she won't, doesn't mean she can't. And Rosalie won't want to hold her back if you all deserve it. So, it would be best if you didn't aggravate her. You should try to make her like you." Carlisle warned as he sidestepped Emmett and Serafina and left the kitchen. He gave them both a nod of acknowledgment before going out the door to head to work.

"She won't do anything to us; she's our new sister!" Emmett said. Casually slinging his arm over Serafina's shoulder as they entered the kitchen.

Rosalie was already excited to see Serafina, but to see her now. The fury burning in her eyes made her want to laugh out loud. She bit her bottom lip to keep from doing just that. Esme, next to her, looked somewhat nervous. She liked to think that Serafina wouldn't do anything, but she didn't know her that well. She had only heard she had a temper and could easily kill them all.

Serafina saw Rosalie holding back her laughs. She couldn't help but feel slightly betrayed. She hadn't even rescued her from Emmett yet. What was she waiting for? Rosalie watched her face, and seeing the aggrieved look on Serafina's face was too much that she couldn't help but release her laughter, causing Serafina's jaw to drop. Before she could question Rosalie's loyalties, Emmett hugged her tighter, causing Serafina to grit her teeth. She couldn't help her fingers twitching, so she had to clench her fists to keep herself in check. Esme relaxed somewhat since Rosalie was laughing. She took it as a good sign but couldn't help giving Rosalie a look to help soothe Serafina.

"Alright," Rosalie said when she finally stopped laughing, "Emmett, stop. Let her go. She doesn't like that." She said as she went over and pulled Serafina from his arms to hug her. She directed Serafina's face to her neck, knowing her scent relaxed her. She didn't pull away until she felt her body cool down. She then looked over to Emmett, who still stood there as if it was nothing, "I'd stop. You have a habit of pushing her buttons." She laughed.

"Why do you insist on irritating her? She's your sister. Be nice to your sister," Esme said, shaking her head.

"But that's exactly why I do it. Because she's my sister," Emmett answered her, "I'll bet she secretly loves it!"

"She really doesn't," Edward answered from the other room.

"She actually hates it," Jasper added.

"She'll warm up to you eventually, so don't give up!" Alice laughed while imagining the look on Serafina's face.

"How does that not drive you crazy?" Serafina asked those in the kitchen.

"Who said it doesn't?" Rosalie answered with an eye roll.

"Oh yeah!" Emmett exclaimed suddenly, causing all three women in the kitchen to jump. Serafina grabbed Rosalie and flipped their positions, shielding Rosalie with her own body, "you said you'd let me see your ability! Come on! Show me!" he shouted.

Serafina couldn't help herself; the sudden shout frightened her a bit. Not enough for her to fire at him. But sufficient for her to be incredibly annoyed, "Fine, you want to see it? Here," she said as she threw a flame at Emmett. He threw his arms up in front of his face to protect himself. Serafina allowed her flames to engulf him. Esme screamed for her to stop. But soon, Emmett lowered his arms and looked at his body, which was covered by fire.

"Oh, that's so cool!" Emmett whispered while reviewing his hands, which appeared to be on fire. He then looked down and saw the flames had engulfed his whole body. Suddenly the fire was extinguished, leaving Emmett standing there in the nude.

Rosalie burst into laughter. Once Esme calmed down, she couldn't help but chuckle as she looked away.

"Leave me alone, or I will do that to every outfit you own," Serafina laughed as she covered Rosalie's eyes.

Emmett knew he was naked, but his smile never wavered, "joke's on you. I'm very proud of my body. You ladies are very welcome, by the way," he said with a wink as he began to sit at the kitchen table.

"Uh uh uh!" Esme tutted, "You will not sit naked at my kitchen table! Go upstairs and get dressed! We're going outside, and it seems Serafina's already had enough of you for today, so no, you can't join us." She said as she began making her way to the backyard. Rosalie and Serafina followed her.

Serafina couldn't help noticing the other three sitting in the living room as they walked through the living room. Edward sat near the piano, reviewing sheets of music. Jasper sat on one end of the sofa with a book, and Alice leaned against him while sitting with her legs crossed on the couch and drawing on a piece of paper. As soon as the three women fully entered the room to pass through, the other three suddenly began to smirk, infuriating Serafina. She knew why they were grinning.

"If you know he's going to annoy me, why don't any of you open the door for me instead? It would save me the headache," Serafina growled.

"If you can handle Emmett, the rest of the family will be a breeze!" Alice reasoned.

"Alice's idea. It makes sense. Although Alice is very excitable, she tries to hold herself back. She can't, but you can at least see the buildup. Emmett does not hold back at all. If he gets an idea, he'll somewhat explode with his excitement, and it's very jarring for everyone else. I hated him quite a bit when I first got here. He would constantly startle me," Jasper mumbled while continuing his reading.

"I just want you to suffer," Edward shrugged. Esme walked by and lightly smacked him upside his head. Edward knew she would and didn't dodge. He just chuckled and continued reviewing his music.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Serafina, would you like a change of clothes before we go outside? I wouldn't want you to ruin such a beautiful dress; you can borrow some of Rosalie's clothes. I'm sure she wouldn't mind," Esme offered.

"I don't think the clothes would fit right," Emmett said as he walked to the living room, "Rosie's chest is bigger than Miss Hart's. But that butt on Miss Hart," he let out a low whistle, "she's definitely got Rosie beat." He said after looking both women over. When he looked up, he saw both women with nonplussed faces. He looked over to his siblings for support, both men ignored him completely, but Alice couldn't help laughing.

"It's true, the fit wouldn't be right," Alice grinned, "I'm glad you listen when I give you fashion advice!" she nodded in approval to Emmett.

"Well yeah. I look so much better in this shirt than in my others. You were right. That fit before was holding me back," Emmett said as he headed for the radio.

Both women eased up after hearing Emmett had been learning about fashion, "that shirt does look nice on you." Serafina admitted.

"Enough to fall in love with me?" Emmett asked with a smolder and kisses to Serafina.

Serafina gagged exaggeratedly, "Esme, I don't need a change of clothes. I'm fine as I am but please. Please let's head out now, or I will kill him."

Esme understood, and they walked to the backyard and garden. Serafina couldn't help complimenting the garden. There was a lot of variety. It was almost as though the flowers were enclosing the yard except for an opening that led into the woods. Several planters with larger and more beautiful bunches of flowers were there as well. Tastefully placed. There was even a new pot with some of the flowers, she had given to Rosalie. She stopped to look at them.

"They're beautiful," Esme said, "red camellias. I'd think they were Middlemist Reds if I didn't know any better. But that would be ridiculous." She laughed while shaking her head.

"Why would that be ridiculous?" Serafina asked.

Esme couldn't believe what she was hearing, "are they?"

Serafina smiled. Esme looked back at the flowers in awe. Conversely, Rosalie was confused, "What are Middlemist Reds?"

Esme snapped out of her daze, "they're an incredibly rare camellia species. They are pretty much extinct where they originated from in China. I thought the only ones left were in New Zealand and the UK. How do you have them?"

"There was a botanist in my town. He retired there. But he brought his love of flowers and taught many people there for free, including myself. He was such a well-known figure in the field that he was given some Middlemist Reds. He was so skilled he managed to get them to grow in the greenhouse in town and taught the students enough to help them thrive before he passed. They don't advertise it much because they didn't want strangers poking around town for them." Serafina explained, "but I have privileges others don't have when it comes to them." She shrugged.

"You gave me some of the rarest flowers in the world?" Rosalie asked with a smug grin, "Do you like me that much?"

Serafina tried not to smile, "Maybe."

"I would love to see that greenhouse," Esme sighed dreamily. She couldn't hide the want on her face.

"We can do that," she answered.

All three women smiled at each other and began to work on the garden. Esme had new flowers she wanted to plant, and they had to take care of the others, whether trimming or watering. The three of them worked together without using their enhanced vampiric abilities. Almost. Rosalie did have to use her enhanced speed to grab a planter Serafina dropped in her fear. Emmett had snuck up on her while intentionally trying to scare her. She set him on fire in self-preservation, but when she noticed it was Emmett, she stopped it from destroying him altogether and only burned his outfit. But Emmett was still upset since it was the new shirt Alice and Esme made him with the perfect fit.

Esme didn't make Serafina apologize as she was happy she managed to control herself from killing him. Emmett was scolded instead. Serafina stuck her tongue out at him as he returned inside, grumbling at his misfortune. Rosalie couldn't help laughing. This was what she wanted. For her family to get along with Serafina. She could see them spending time with Esme like this on weekends. Serafina and Emmett getting into arguments. Serafina was actually very warm personality-wise as she became more comfortable. She wanted to see more of her that way. They would keep up with the schedule and help her relax step by step. The sooner she could be a part of the family, the better.

Chapter Text

A new day would bring a new Cullen. Serafina went to their home and prayed it wouldn't be Emmett's day. She still really disliked him but not because of the first meeting. She got over that after seeing him and Rosalie interact. He was the epitome of an annoying little brother. She mainly saw annoyance on Rosalie's face when dealing with him, which made her incredibly happy. What she disliked about Emmett now was how he intentionally annoyed her in some of the worst possible ways that put himself in danger. She didn't understand. It was as though he had no fear. She didn't know if he was brave or stupid. She was leaning towards stupid.

She got to the door and sighed. No matter what, she knew she would have to deal with Emmett anyways. She knocked and waited for him to answer. But even waiting, she began to get annoyed. He was usually right at the door for her knocks. He must've been playing mind games with her now. Her brows furrowed as she glared at the closed door in front of her. She knocked again, and still no answer, but she knew vampires were there. Of course, she did. She could sense them. What kind of game was he playing? She felt herself heat up, and she pinched the bridge of her nose with her fingers as she closed her eyes. If she kept glaring, she might set the door on fire.

The door swung open, and she let out a shaky breath as she tried to calm herself down, "You're lucky you opened when you did, or I would've burned that door down and blamed it on you. Now get out of my way, or I will kill you." She gritted out as she extended her arm and pushed him out of the way. As soon as her hand made contact with the figure in front, she froze and opened her eyes.

There stood the father figure with a look of surprise as he looked down at her hand spread on his chest after he was pushed to the side a bit. Thankfully she stopped the aggressive motion as soon as she noticed the difference in the man's slimmer physique. She immediately withdrew her hand. But aside from feeling horrified at having done that to Rosalie's father, she was also incredibly disgusted at the fact she touched him in general. It seems she was getting used to Emmett but not the others yet. She lit her hand on fire behind her back to disinfect it. Then gave an apologetic smile to Dr. Cullen, who began chuckling at her actions.

"I am so sorry," Serafina began.

"It's quite alright. I'm sorry it took me so long to get the door. We discussed last night that we would have someone else open the door for you, but it still took us a while to keep Emmett in check, as you can see." He gestured behind himself where Serafina could see straight through a window to the backyard where she could see the siblings trying to restrain Emmett. Alice had Emmett in a choke hold while dangling from his neck while both brothers had one of Emmett's arms. But Emmett still managed to drag them continuously closer to the house.

"They made a bet to see who could get a deer first. Emmett can get pretty competitive. They managed to get him a good distance away before he remembered you were coming. As you can see, they did their best to hold him back. But Emmett is powerful," Esme said with a loving smile as she watched the teens try to keep Emmett outside. While they all looked out, Rosalie slowly crept over to Serafina and held her hand as they stood at the door, looking towards the window.

Emmett managed to drag all siblings inside with a grin. The others finally let go knowing there was no use trying anymore. They just looked at Carlisle, "at least you managed to get to the door instead of him." Edward shrugged as he turned around to leave. Alice and Jasper also took their leave after giving Serafina an excited wave and a brief nod, respectively.

"Drat! Opening the door is my favorite part!" Emmett remarked after seeing Serafina standing at the door, "Oh well. Did you see how I managed to overpower the three of them? Impressive, right?" He asked the room while flexing his arm muscles.

"Very," Esme nodded in agreement, "but now I need your help."

Emmett eyed her suspiciously, "Really? Or are you just trying to get me to go to leave Miss Hart alone?"

Esme laughed, "Both! Carlisle's day is today, he traded shifts at the hospital, so he won't need to go in until tonight. So, yes, I was hoping you could leave her alone. But I also need your help, please. You, Alice, and your brothers. Carlisle and I have an idea we want your help with."

"Sure, what is-" Emmett began.

"Yes! It's going to be so much fun! Let's go now!" Alice said excitedly as she ran into the room and skidded to a stop in front of Esme.

"If Alice's vision pans out, it does look like fun. Let's go," Edward said as he walked into the room behind her.

Esme looked over to Carlisle with a surprised look. They both chuckled, "I don't know if we'll get used to that. But I'm glad you two like the idea."

"That isn't fair!" Emmett scoffed, looking at his siblings with envy, "What is it? Tell me!"

"We're destined to forever be in the dark. The only thing I know is they're excited." Jasper said as he entered.

"It sounds like it's going to work, but I still want it to be a surprise, so please help your mother," Carlisle said to the teens. They nodded and left, following Esme to the woods. Then Carlisle turned his attention to Serafina and Rosalie. He only just noticed Rosalie snuck over to Serafina's side. He didn't mind; he just thought it was cute how their relationship was still developing. He remembered how it was with Esme; once things settled, he'd take her for a trip just for the two of them. She deserved it for putting up with a house full of teenagers.

"Now I want to know," Rosalie mumbled as she watched her family leave.

"Me too," Serafina nodded.

Carlisle chuckled, drawing both women's attention as they had momentarily forgotten about him, "Now Serafina. I was hoping to speak with you if you don't mind."

She looked to Rosalie, who nodded as she released her hand. Serafina was apprehensive as she thought about what this talk would be about. Didn't fathers typically threaten their daughter's suitors at some point? Her father had. Was this that talk? She didn't like the idea of anyone threatening her, but she couldn't kill Rosalie's father. She would probably be upset. She had to deal with it.

"Oh no, Rosalie, it's alright. You can come along too. She'll probably feel better with you there since I'm taking her to my study. Being surrounded by my scent will probably put her on edge. But once she's over that and we speak briefly, I hope she gets used to my presence quickly. Then we can join the others," Carlisle smiled at the two women as he gestured for them to take the lead. Rosalie nodded and retook Serafina's hand as she led her to his study and took a seat on a sofa he had in the corner that was usually reserved for Esme.

As soon as they entered, Serafina was immediately on alert. Carlisle was right. His scent was overpowering in the study. At least for the rest of the house, it had everyone's scent mixed in everywhere, so none overshadowed the other. But in this room, it was as though it was his alone, and she bristled at the thought of being surrounded by his scent in his territory. But then she caught a slight scent of Rosalie near a desk with two chairs. One chair was more prominent and plusher, the other smaller but still very comfortable looking. She assumed Carlisle's and then a smaller chair next to it might be Rosalie's. She wanted to sit in the smaller chair, but Rosalie had taken her to the sofa. She did relax a bit after noticing Esme's scent on the couch, but when they sat down, she couldn't help but look at the chair.

When Carlisle followed them into the office, he saw them on the sofa but noticed Serafina staring at Rosalie's chair until he thoroughly walked in, and she focused on him. He could tell she felt somewhat cornered from how she was clenching Rosalie's hand, and Rosalie also tried to relax Serafina subconsciously while looking at him. "I have an idea," he said as he walked to his chair at the desk and put it in front of the sofa. Then he grabbed Rosalie's chair and sat it next to the couch opposite his chair. "Serafina, please take that seat. Rosalie, move to the end of the sofa beside your chair, and you can still hold Serafina's hand. You'll also be beside the door, which we'll leave open." He finished while looking at Serafina with his gentle smile.

Serafina immediately felt guilty for forcing him to rearrange his office to accommodate her, "sorry for the trouble." She mumbled as she moved. But she did feel so much better being engulfed by Rosalie's scent from the chair, still holding her sweetheart's hand, and right next to the door, able to scoop her away at a moment's notice if necessary.

"No trouble at all," he smiled back, "now Serafina. I'm told you have incredible restraint when it comes to human blood. For our cover, we do put you all into school. I already spoke to Jasper and Alice. Alice does think she can handle it but is still a little unsure. Jasper doesn't trust himself at all yet. Do you think you'd be able to handle it?"

"If you're asking if I can be near a large group of humans and not attack, maim, or kill from draining them on the spot. Yes, I can do that. No problem. But if you're asking me to go to school, I don't know. Education was vastly different from when I was young. I only learned to read, write, and do some basic math. I don't think I could keep up with modern education now." She answered, somewhat embarrassed. She tried to avoid Rosalie's eyes as she spoke. She could tell Rosalie was brilliant just getting her scent in this study. She must come here often. She didn't want Rosalie to know she was a fool. But here she was, only a few days into their courtship, and she already knew. She slackened her hold on Rosalie's hand in case she wanted to let go. But she received a tighter grip from Rosalie in return.

"No problem, we can teach you if you want," Rosalie said as though it were no big deal. Serafina looked at her in surprise. "We can home-school. Esme can help teach you primary and middle school education to help you build a solid foundation. Then Carlisle can guide you with the more complicated stuff like high school and college. I can help too." She spoke confidently, even though she never consulted with Carlisle or Esme to see if they were available.

Carlisle smiled proudly at Rosalie. It was simple and well thought out. He could see Serafina's embarrassment at her lack of education, but Rosalie treated it as no big deal. She did not want to hit Serafina's pride. But still tried to cheer her up, knowing she felt terrible about this. She was very much aware of her partner's feelings. Rosalie didn't like to dwell on emotions, whether hers or someone else's. But she was very good at it now that she had a mate. She catered to her without even realizing it. "She's right. We could. We could do home-schooling if you want for a few years." He said with a gentle smile back on his face as he looked at Serafina.

"Yes, please," she answered firmly. Although she was terrified at the thought of them knowing how far behind she was, she knew she needed to do this. She wanted to be on equal footing with Rosalie. She didn't want to cause her mate embarrassment from her lack of schooling.

"Then that's settled. Home school it is," he said with a large smile. He thought momentarily, and his face turned a bit solemn, "We will still have to go to town on occasion. Brush our faces with the townsfolk. Due to the circumstances, we may need to give you a bit of a tragic history. We don't want them to raise too many questions. I am sorry about that. But it will be the safest bet."

"That's alright. We can think something up later," Serafina nodded, not caring about a fake past she'd only have to remember for a few years.

"Now that that's out of the way. Let's go meet the others, "Carlisle said with a mischievous grin. Both women looked at each other and then back at him as he sped from the house, "Beat you there." They heard just as he exited the house. Both women dropped their jaws as they got up and raced after him.

They trailed behind him for a while until they picked up on the presence of the others and made a beeline for them, barely beating Carlisle as they did so.

"Looks like we beat you, old man," Serafina laughed as she skipped over to Alice to see what she was doing.

"Oh ouch," Carlisle feigned hurt as he looked at Serafina but couldn't hold back his smile for long.

Esme smiled at the interaction as she walked over to him. His arm naturally hugged her shoulders as she put hers around his waist. He gave her a quick kiss on her temple, "You alright, old man?" Esme whispered low enough for only him to hear as she looked up at him with a smile. She then turned her attention back to the teens explaining what they had been doing to Serafina and Rosalie.

"Yes, she's getting there. She'll get more comfortable with the family sooner than we thought. And for sure, they're good to each other. They don't even realize they're opening up to each other more and more. It's natural." Carlisle whispered back.

Before they could continue, Rosalie sped over to them excitedly as she looked at them. "You're making a baseball field?" Rosalie couldn't help her excitement. Serafina was watching her from afar with a smile. But as she watched, she noticed the smile slowly slip from Rosalie's face, "Can we play?" she hesitantly asked, gesturing to herself, Alice, and Serafina.

Edward heard her thoughts. Rosalie's parents were pretty strict with gender roles. Sports weren't very ladylike, so Rosalie wasn't allowed to play or sometimes even watch. Carlisle had remembered meeting Rosalie and her family while she was human and had a faint guess in his heart why Rosalie suddenly asked. When he looked at Edward, he saw him nod and couldn't help but want to sigh. He refrained from doing so as he didn't want Rosalie to know that he and Edward were discussing her in their thoughts, "Of course. We're making this so we can all play as a family!" he said with a smile.

"Teams would be a little uneven if you didn't play," Edward said snarkily, hoping to bring her out of that vulnerability he didn't like to see on her, "You know what? I'll bet you're trying to get out of playing with us. You don't want us to see how horrible you are at playing baseball."

Rosalie flared up as she took the bait, "You know what? I bet I can play so much better than you!"

Serafina saw the vulnerability. She knew Edward had seen whatever caused it and was doing what he did to bring her out of that dark place. She was grateful. She could tell that Rosalie's current family tiptoed around some things with her. And all had different methods for getting her out of her dark thoughts. She wanted to be able to help, but she didn't know what triggered her. She wanted to ask but didn't think it was her place to do so just yet. She could only provide comfort with her presence for the moment, but she didn't think it was enough. Little did she know that was all Rosalie wanted. So, when Serafina instinctively returned to her side and held her hand, she was already much better.

"I'll help her beat you! You're going to wish you never messed with us! But you all have to teach me to play first," Serafina said with a fierce look as she glared in Edward's direction. She could not keep up the aggressive look as she realized how ridiculous she sounded, "please," she added with an eye roll.

Everyone burst into laughter at her. Rosalie, Alice, Jasper, and Esme admitted to not knowing the game well, either. They agreed that once they finished the field, they would learn the rules and teach each other to play before becoming more competitive. Emmett volunteered to do the teaching, but Carlisle assigned Edward to assist. Then they began to clear the field to Esme's specifications since she had done the research for the field beforehand. Carlisle smiled as he watched them all help each other, including Serafina.

Chapter Text

The next day, Serafina went to the Cullen home earlier than expected but didn't feel the usual packed house. She calmly walked to the house and knocked on the door, hoping the presence she felt was at least the one she wanted. But with her luck, she figured it wouldn't be. Considering her unease, she knew if confirmed it wasn't who she wanted—but knocked anyways.

"Oh, you don't want to spend time with me? Too bad for you. You came a little earlier than usual today. We have maybe ten minutes before they come back. Come on in." Edward said as he moved out of her way and went to the living room.

Serafina scoffed as she closed the door and followed him into the living room. She calmed herself down by looking at the bright side. At least it wasn't Emmett who opened the door. She breathed a sigh of relief as she continued to think of that bright side.

"I don't know why you dislike him so much. He has the biggest heart out of anyone you'd meet. Has to. It's the only way it'd match his freakishly large body," Edward said as he sat at the piano.

Serafina couldn't help chuckling at that, "I can see that. But it doesn't stop him from being annoying."

"Very annoying. But it's because he's already counted you as one of us. As soon as he found out you were her mate, it made you family to him. Don't get me wrong. I'm trying. We all are. But just as you're wary of us." Edward said as he played a few notes; he looked up at her, "We're just as wary of you. Perhaps more so." He said, finishing off a quick melody.

"You had two vampires show up telling you they saw the future and were going to be part of your family," Serafina looked at him incredulously, "that wasn't more troubling to you all?"

He smiled, "Well yeah, that was bad. But at least their abilities aren't offensive. I think every one of us accepted them pretty quickly, except Emmett. He didn't trust them immediately. It took a good week before he felt comfortable around them. But as I said, he didn't question anything for you because of Rosalie. He still annoys you, even knowing you can kill him with a snap of your fingers. Because he trusts you wouldn't do anything to us because of your affection for Rosalie. I can read your mind, and I still don't have that kind of confidence in you." He said, playing the same melody at a different pace.

Serafina frowned. Perhaps she was judging Emmett too harshly. She could tell he was trying to help her. It was working too. She wasn't nearly as disgusted at the thought of physical contact with him as with any of the others. But the only physical contact she ever thought about with him was violence, so she wasn't entirely sure if it was the same. She began to reflect a bit more. For Emmett, she was willing to beat him silly, and her mind no longer went straight to murder. But when she thought of killing Edward or any of the others, she thought of killing them with her flames. Quick and with no physical contact at all. She supposed it was working after all. Serafina didn't notice Edward hitting the wrong key on his piano as he eyed her at her revelations.

"This right here is why I have no confidence in you as a member of this family," he said, shaking his head at her, "you make me nervous."

She looked at him, momentarily confused, before remembering he was in her mind. She couldn't help the smirk that appeared on her face as she shrugged. Unbothered by the look he was giving her.

They soon felt others approach the territory. They could recognize them and knew they were the other Cullens. Serafina stared towards the door. Unable to keep the name from her mind. Edward had a small smile staring at her back as he heard Rosalie on her mind. He wiped that smile from his face as soon as the door opened, and Rosalie entered. He didn't need to. Rosalie didn't even spare him a glance as she walked in and stared straight at Serafina. Serafina opened her arms for her.

"You're early," Rosalie said with a smile as she put her arms out and walked toward her. But soon, a blur sped past her and took her spot in Serafina's arms.

Serafina tried to remember what Edward said and tried to be more patient. But she began to get upset. Emmett hugged her tightly while lifting her off the ground, and she just stared miserably at Rosalie. Rosalie was impressed that she hadn't done anything to him and gave her a reassuring smile.

Serafina awkwardly patted his back, "You're just milking it now." Esme called from the door. She entered with an amused smile as she saw Emmett hugging Serafina.

"I'm trying to see how long it takes until she goes off. I bet it won't take long; she's pretending to be calm," Emmett laughed.

"You're making bets on my temper?" Serafina asked, clenching her fists. She felt herself heat up, but instead of her usual fire. She used a different tactic that surprised everyone. She looked at the mother figure, "Esme?" she pleaded, looking towards her with big sad eyes. She knew it worked on everyone.

Everyone froze. None as noticeable as Emmett, who immediately gasped, "Tattletale!" Before he glared over at Rosalie, who he blamed for teaching her that cheap trick. Rosalie didn't bother hiding her grin as she gave him an exaggerated shrug with her palms up.

Esme had a small smile before she turned her mothering face on as she looked over at Emmett and sped over as she grabbed his ear. He immediately let go of Serafina and pleaded with Esme for forgiveness as she walked him out while scolding him. Serafina had a smile on her face as she watched them leave the room.

"You don't play fair. You're learning Rosalie's evil ways," Edward said as he nodded approvingly and began playing an actual song.

Serafina ignored him as she stared at Rosalie, who took Serafina's prior posture and opened her arms to wait for her hug. Serafina eagerly obliged, squeezing her a bit too tight. But Rosalie chuckled at her behavior. They couldn't help looking each other over when they pulled back from their hug—appreciating the other.

Edward slammed his hands down on the keys creating a loud annoying sound as he sighed in frustration. He was glaring down at his piano.

The sudden sound caused both women to flinch as they looked at Edward, unsure of his problem. Serafina couldn't help but frown as she saw his face. Edward looked her straight in the eye and asked, "What's a 'cara de fuchi'?"

Jasper began laughing, causing all three to look in his direction where he sat with Alice. She smacked his shoulder as she complained, "Darn it, Jazz, they wouldn't have noticed we were here if you didn't laugh!"

Edward looked over at Jasper, caught a glimpse of his mind, and immediately knew it was about his face again. He glared at Serafina, "really? My face again? What? What is wrong with my face?" he asked exasperatedly.

Rosalie grinned as she eyed Edward from behind Serafina's back while Serafina glared at him back. Rosalie squeezed her hand, causing Serafina to look back at her. The glare was gone, nothing but pampering on her face as she looked at Rosalie. Rosalie dialed down her grin and had a small, sweet smile as she asked her, "What is a 'cara de fuchi'?"

Jasper burst into a fit of giggles, causing Serafina to smile and Edward to turn his glare to him while Alice waited for the answer.

Serafina calmly looked at Rosalie as she explained, "It's just that look he gets on his face. The one where he looks disgusted or doesn't like something or disapproves. He has it all the time. It's like we're all beneath him." She began to get annoyed just thinking about his face again. She started thinking about how she would like to punch him in the face.

"I don't look like that!" Edward argued as he unknowingly glanced at her clenched fists.

"Yeah, you do," the others chorused after giving him a blank look.

Serafina crossed her arms and raised her chin as she gave him a smug look.

He scoffed, "Well, maybe I do, but you would too if you heard some of the things you were thinking about each other just now. It's not just you. I hear some pretty unpleasant things that I wish I didn't all the time. And you know what?" he asked, directing his attention to Jasper and Alice, "You guys aren't even supposed to be here. It's my day." He said, dismissing Jasper and Alice. They sighed as they said goodbye and headed out, "Now, you two." He ran both hands down his face in frustration, "We're just going to sit here and listen to music. Hopefully, it'll help us relax."

Both women got comfortable on the sofa. Serafina grumbled about how she was perfectly relaxed and that he needed to relax. Rosalie giggled at her ability to annoy Edward. She enjoyed his discomfort.

Rosalie and Edward had a strange relationship. They disliked each other immensely. It was borderline hate. But both grew to care for each other as siblings.

Most of the hatred came from Rosalie. She blamed Edward for her creation. She hated his ability. She hated that she wasn't good enough for him. Not that she was interested, but she couldn't stand the thought of him not even finding her attractive. That alone was unacceptable. Although she was mean to him, she always knew the limits. She respected him; he was intelligent and skilled and did an excellent job as the eldest. She knew he looked out for their family. But the satisfaction she got from Serafina teasing him was incredibly high.

Edward tolerated all the hate; he blamed himself for her creation too. He also knew he had hurt her feelings when he said he was not attracted to her. But he wasn't. She was incredibly conceited. But he did admire her confidence, strength, and bravery. He felt guilt for her, so he didn't react too much when she was particularly mean to him. He treated her as an annoying younger sister and figured it was par for the course. He was happy she found her mate. He was surprised it was a woman, but he felt it was right when he thought about what had happened to her before her death. And although Serafina made him incredibly nervous, he liked that she was powerful. If he were to pick a partner for his younger sister, he would choose someone with the strength to protect her. Where she wasn't as physically strong as Emmett, no one was a match for her ability.

Edward played several songs that just sounded beautiful. Serafina did find herself relaxing even more with the music. She was impressed with his playing. She and Rosalie snuggled into each other. Rosalie felt Serafina relax; she liked it at first. But then she couldn't help but be somewhat jealous. She enjoyed being the only one able to calm her before. Now Edward was able to? Was he always able to do everything? Always the golden boy? The piano didn't look too hard. Rosalie decided to learn so that she could play for Serafina as well.

"You know, you're not too bad," Serafina said.

"I know, I'm very talented," Edward answered as he stopped playing. He normally never bragged, but he could tell that the pride and confidence were high for both women and they respected the same in others, "years of practice. I could give you some lessons if you'd like." He mentioned, mainly to Rosalie.

"No, thank you. I don't think I have the patience for it," Serafina answered honestly. Rosalie was annoyed, knowing that Edward heard her thoughts. Her selfishness. But she still accepted his offer in her mind. Serafina didn't even consider that he was also asking Rosalie. She just noticed a lull in the playing and was somewhat confused. She looked over at Edward, "Well?"

Edward was more concerned about Rosalie's thoughts, so they didn't realize it was a moment without music. He heard Serafina, though, "Well, what?"

"Play us a song. You're the piano man. Play us more songs tonight," Serafina urged him. She was enjoying the ambiance the music and cuddling were creating. She was getting more and more comfortable in their home.

"I guess you do have us feeling alright. Play for us some more, please, mister piano man," Rosalie smiled as she looked at Edward. Who nodded in acquiescence and continued playing into the night for the couple on the couch.

Chapter Text

Serafina made her way to the Cullen residence. She knew it would be a long day when she saw Emmett waiting in front of Rosalie, who was leaning against the home behind them. Emmett was bouncing on the balls of his feet in his excitement. He wanted to rush up to her but knew he didn't need to, as today would be his day to spend with her. He had plenty of time to get her used to the family. He smiled widely as she slowly approached them. But he groaned in annoyance as she completely sidestepped him and made her way to Rosalie.

"Come on! It's my day! Be excited!" Emmett said as he turned to the two women embracing behind him, "You guys can hug later. Stop wasting my day." He said, putting his hands on his hips. "Now come on, let's go!" he said as he sped away.

Serafina didn't move from her hug with Rosalie, "do we have to go?" she whispered.

Rosalie grinned, "If we don't go, he'll probably come back and carry you wherever he wanted us to go."

Serafina sighed, "Guess we have no choice." She said as she finally pulled away. Never letting go of Rosalie's hand as she walked her toward the forest. "Ready?" she asked as they entered the tree line.

"Yes," Rosalie answered just before she released Serafina's hand and began running, still at a slower pace, until Serafina joined her. Once they were at the same speed, they accelerated until they were racing to Emmett.

It didn't take long for them to reach the deepest part of the forest that Serafina had been to yet. Emmett was waiting impatiently with his arms crossed in the middle. He glared at them and then threw his arms up in exasperation as soon as he saw them, "It took you guys long enough!" he yelled.

"Yeah yeah, what do you have planned for us today?" Serafina asked as she rolled her eyes in response.

"You're going to love it!" he smiled as he stepped closer, "We're going to fight!"

Serafina cocked her head to the side with a raised brow, unsure if he was being serious or not. Even Rosalie looked at him slack-jawed. The two women looked at each other as they looked back at him.

"What do you mean you're going to fight?" Rosalie questioned.

"Exactly that," he looked at her as if she were crazy, "like a good old-fashioned brawl. What else would a fight mean?"

"No," Rosalie said, standing firm.

"Why do you want to fight me?" Serafina asked, putting a hand on Rosalie's shoulder to calm her down.

"Well, for one, it'd be fun. But two, it'll let you release some of your anger toward me. You'll like me after, you'll see," he answered, bouncing up and down as he began to pump himself up.

"No," Rosalie repeated.

Serafina smiled at Rosalie's reaction. But she was somewhat curious about how he thought this would be a good idea, "how exactly did you want to do this? Vampire rules or human rules?" she asked. Rosalie looked at her questioningly. Serafina shrugged.

"What are vampire rules?" Emmett asked as he stopped due to his confusion.

"It doesn't matter; I prefer human rules. If I were to go vampire rules, I would just cheat and kill them immediately." Serafina said, shaking her head.

"No, come on. I want to know. Just tell me," he said thoughtfully.

"It's more of a no holds barred type of fight. They rip limbs off, throw each other, bite, or use abilities. Things like that," Serafina explained.

"That sounds barbaric," Rosalie said, obviously unhappy.

"That sounds fun! Can our bodies withstand that kind of beating?" Emmett asked excitement building again.

"If you were to pull off a limb, it'd hurt for a bit, but as long as you put it back where it should be quick enough, it'd reattach itself. Throwing is more of a defensive move. It can disorient your enemy and give you the distance you need to prepare for your next move. Biting hurts like a motherfucker, especially since they tend to bite chunks off. But it's mostly the venom that causes an immense amount of pain. It even leaves scars. Abilities are just the icing on the cake if you have them. They can be defensive, offensive, or supportive." Serafina explained as soon as she saw Emmett's curiosity.

"Have you had these things happen to you?" Rosalie asked with worry. Her eyes trailed Serafina's figure as though looking for wounds.

"No, sweetheart, don't worry, it's never happened to me. I have an ability; I usually killed the others before they got close. But I did go out with the Volturi several times to take care of trouble. I saw how they fight. Much of it looked very painful, so I carefully ensured I didn't get mixed up in that type of fighting." Serafina told her. She then got a mischievous grin, "I can show you later if you like. Prove there are no scars." She winked.

Rosalie's breath hitched as she froze and looked at Serafina's grin. She was so happy she could no longer blush. But she was still embarrassed. She feigned anger, pushing Serafina away. But Serafina knew the truth, she knew she embarrassed her, and only laughed while allowing herself to be pushed away.

"Hey hey hey, enough flirting! Vampire fighting sounds brutal. I want to try. But I think Rosie would kill me if I did. So, we'll stick with human fighting," Emmett interjected. Both women became embarrassed, but Serafina decided to give it a shot. She nodded at Emmett in agreement, but Rosalie gave her a look of worry, shaking her head as in no.

"I don't like this. I don't think you two should do it. Emmett is freakishly strong! Carlisle says newborns are the strongest vampires, but he thinks Emmett's strength is equal to theirs." Rosalie said, shaking her head even more emphatically.

"He does!" Emmett stated proudly. Then he looked at Serafina, "he thinks that everyone gets enhanced with the change into a vamp. Some get abilities. But others get regular stuff enhanced too. He thinks his tolerance or restraint was enhanced, which is why he has such a high tolerance for the presence of blood. He thinks Esme's compassion was enhanced. My strength. Rosalie's beauty. Different things like that. Pretty neat, huh?"

"Very. And I'd believe it too; I mean, look at that face," Serafina said, staring at Rosalie. Rosalie smiled. She subconsciously raised her chin in self-satisfaction. She was enjoying the boost to her ego.

"I'll show you my strength too! Look!" Emmett said as he walked over to a boulder conveniently placed in the middle of their clearing. The boulder made it to his waist. He had to punch down, but it didn't stop his momentum as the boulder practically exploded from the impact.

"No!" Rosalie said again.

"It'll be alright," Serafina soothed, but Rosalie gave her an incredulous look, "I trust him." She shrugged.

Rosalie still wanted to argue, but she looked past Serafina to Emmett, who made cheering gestures behind her back. He had heard her too. She trusted him. Serafina didn't even realize she had said it. She was tying her hair up and out of her face walking away from both as she prepared herself for the scuffle they'd have. Rosalie bit her tongue but she still worried.

Serafina stretched but noticed Emmett hadn't gone over to get ready yet. She whistled to call him over, "Weren't you the one who wanted to fight?"

"I'm ready!" he said as he sped to her. "Just some light boxing, right?" he asked as he began practicing his footwork.

The two began throwing light punches. Nothing serious. The footwork was impeccable for both. They would throw taunts at each other for fun. Then the moves for both began to intensify without them realizing it.

"I didn't think you knew how to box; it's impressive," Emmett grinned.

"Please, with these good looks and raised by my father and older brother. Of course, they taught me to box," Serafina laughed in response.

Rosalie smiled at that. But it didn't make her feel too much better. She crossed her arms to hide her clenched fists as she watched them. At least they weren't aiming for each other. The fighting was mostly dodging. But as their fighting intensified, they began to land pulled punches on each other. It made her antsy, so she began to pace a bit. "When do you think you'll be done?" she asked.

Serafina couldn't ignore her, so she was going to answer her. She focused on Rosalie but didn't signal Emmett to stop momentarily. While she turned her face to Rosalie, Emmett had gone for a full force cross. The impact caused Serafina's face to crack as she was cratered to the floor. Emmett immediately pulled back the punch when he realized, but the damage had been done. Rosalie saw her mate on the floor with a crack in her face as she appeared somewhat dazed, and Rosalie panicked. She didn't even realize she had sped to Emmett and grabbed him. She tossed him as hard as she could, and he barreled through several trees with a yelp. She then knelt to check on Serafina, who had already recovered enough to witness Emmett being chucked into the woods.

"Are you okay?" Rosalie asked as she softly held her jaw on the side where she had seen the crack.

Serafina sat up with a shy smile, "I'm alright; I just got a little distracted. I'm sorry. But can I say something?"

"Sure," Rosalie said, not removing her hand from her face as she looked her over to ensure she was alright.

"I found that to be incredibly attractive, and I would very much like to kiss you right now," Serafina said honestly. The concern Rosalie showed her expressed how much she cared. She had even thrown her brother across the forest to protect her. She loved that she cared for her safety. She looked at Rosalie but switched from looking to her eyes and lips.

"Why don't you?" Rosalie began to joke but was immediately stopped by a pair of lips softly kissing her. She initially froze. But she found she didn't feel uncomfortable at all. She liked it a lot. She closed her eyes and not only accepted the kiss but also reciprocated it.

"Holy shit, that was insane! Did you see how far she threw me? I went pretty far. It hurt, but not that bad." Emmett rambled as he made his way back to them. He was dusting himself off. He only looked up as they were separating, both with giant smiles. He stopped, "wait, was that the first kiss? Aww! That's great!" Emmett walked over to them. Rosalie gave him an annoyed look but could now think clearly and knew he wasn't a threat, so she didn't react to his approach.

"That's none of your business Emmett," Serafina practically sang. She was still floating from her high from that kiss and never removed her eyes from Rosalie. Rosalie felt her eyes and looked back at her. A shy smile now replaced the annoyed look she had just given Emmett. She stood up and then helped Serafina stand.

"Oh, sorry about that hit, by the way," Emmett said to Serafina, "You didn't call a time out, so I just followed through. I stopped as soon as I felt that impact, though! I swear!" he tried to explain.

"No, I know, it's alright," she answered, finally looking at him, "how did you like that trip Rosalie sent you on?" she grinned.

"Not going to lie. That was pretty epic," he said excitedly, "She's not even as strong as me, but she threw me really far. And that was through all those trees! It made me think. What if I threw someone as far as I could? Like Alice? How far do you think she'd go? I wouldn't throw her through trees, though. Rosie!" he accused with a glare at his sister, "but I bet I could throw her home from here." He finished with a faraway look in the direction of the Cullen house.

"I didn't even realize I did it. Sorry, but I'm not sorry," Rosalie said with a shrug.

Emmett looked at her incredulously while Serafina chuckled and hugged her from behind. Rosalie melted into her hold as she gave him a condescending grin. Both women felt much closer than before now. He saw that they were but decided not to comment on it. Yet. He figured he'd make fun of them later and let them have this moment for now. But he still wanted to throw someone.

Serafina's grin disappeared as she rolled her eyes at him, "You can't throw either of us."

Emmett looked between them before settling on Rosalie, "You know it hurt quite a bit when you did it. I think it'd only be fair." He said, attempting to make himself look pitiful while rubbing his lower back as though he was still in pain.

Rosalie scoffed, "Did you think that would be an option? That either of us would let you? There's no guilt here. I'm not going to let you throw me as an apology. Stick to your original plan. Throw Alice. I bet she'd actually like it."

"You know, she probably would. And with her petite frame, you could probably throw her really far." Serafina thought out loud.

Emmett nodded at her seriously, "I could. We should do that. We should do that now. I'll go get her!" he said as he sped off.

Both women chuckled as they watched him leave, but then Rosalie turned in Serafina's arms so they could now face each other. They leaned in and gave each other a soft peck. Softly putting their foreheads together as they kept their eyes closed, "You know they're all going to come out for the Alice throwing and ruin this moment." Serafina whispered, causing Rosalie to chuckle.

"Then keep holding me until they do," Rosalie whispered back.

And Serafina did. They reluctantly separated when they heard their approach, but even then, Serafina held her from behind as they watched the fun the family was having. Jasper and Esme were trying to talk them out of throwing Alice. Alice reassured them it would be fine as she eagerly ran to Emmett to see how far she could go. Edward immediately called dibs on the next throw. Serafina and Rosalie just watched from a distance enjoying each other's presence.

Chapter Text

Serafina tensed while bathing as she felt a vampiric presence quickly approach her shack. But relaxed as she recognized it was one she already knew. But she groaned when she noticed that the one presence was actually two.

"I'm naked. Any men out there better stay outside," Serafina called out. She heard one figure skid to a halt quite a distance from the shack while the other continued. Serafina lazily leaned back and closed her eyes to enjoy her hot bath. "Thanks, Jazz," she called outside while the other presence opened the door and entered her home.

"Your mate is unreasonable," Alice said as she walked in and dragged a chair over to sit beside the bath.

This remark brought a smirk to Serafina's face, "She's pretty impressive." She sighed dreamily.

Alice rolled her eyes, "if you say so. You know she refused to give me any alone time with you. And when I pushed to have it, she cut my time short! That's why Jazz and I are here together. We have to share time." She pouted.

"Actually, that doesn't explain why you're here. It would explain why I'd be spending my day with you later. But not why you're here now. Invading my space. Watching me take a bath," Serafina answered, never opening her eyes.

Jasper chuckled from outside, "She still wanted that alone time, so she thought she'd steal your alone time."

"It's not like you're doing anything," Alice said as she looked at Serafina. She noticed the water boiling in Serafina's bath. She reached over and stuck her finger in the water to test the temperature, "Oooh. That's really hot. It feels perfect. Can I get in?"

"No. Now why did you need alone time so badly? I think I remember you telling mi hermosa Rosa that you wanted alone time before," she muttered. She heard rapid and brief rustling noises and then felt Alice enter her bath. "Alice, I said you couldn't get in," she whined as her legs were pushed to the side and glared at Alice, who had begun leaning back with her eyes closed to relax at the other end of the small bath.

"This is nice. Since turning, I haven't been able to enjoy a hot bath. You don't feel it the same way. Now, you can only really enjoy it when it's boiling. But the pipes can't get it there. You should let me bathe with you more often. The tub at the Cullen household is bigger than this. You won't even notice me when we do!" Alice offered in a sing-song voice.

Serafina's temper flared. Jasper felt it from outside, and while a bit concerned, he still knew Alice was safe. He knew if he reacted and entered to check on things, he would be the one in danger. Serafina would probably kill him as soon as he entered. He decided to wait but didn't have to wait long before confirming his mate was alright.

"Oh, did the water get hotter? Oh, that's heavenly," Alice moaned, never opening her eyes.

This extinguished Serafina's anger as she chuckled, "You know, if you were human, this would've killed you a while ago, boiled to death. It would be the opposite of heaven. Wouldn't you think you were being tortured in hell?"

The three began to chuckle at that. Serafina closed her eyes to relax again and ignore Alice. Both women sat there and enjoyed the hot water.

After he no longer heard anything from either woman inside, Jasper assumed they were really enjoying that bath. He threw his head back as he looked to the sky, asking himself why the two inside were the way they were. He cleared his throat, "Miss Hart, we came to give you an idea for a date with Miss Rosalie."

"Oh yeah! I want to tell her! Thank you for reminding me, Jazz!" Alice said as she jolted upright from her relaxed state, "Serafina, I know something Rosie would like! You can take her on a date there!"

Instead of being annoyed at the sudden jostling from Alice, Serafina just eagerly looked at her, "What is it? What would she like to do?"

"There's going to be a car show next week in Pittsburgh! Two days, only on the weekend. It's partially indoor and outdoor, but it will be bleak and gray out, so not many people will want to go. Because of that, Carlisle will get free tickets from work for the second day because they want more people to show up. But! You can get tickets for you and Rosie for the first day! Rosie will love it!" Alice said excitedly, "And don't worry about the rain. Not even a drop until Monday, so you'll both be fine to dress up how you want."

Serafina had a look of confusion on her face, "does Rosa like cars?"

"I think so. She looked pretty interested in my vision. It looked like she kept asking for information on different models," Alice shrugged, "she seemed very excited and was smiling a lot." She decided to add.

"Alright! Then I will! I'll take her to the car show, just the two of us!" Serafina said, wanting nothing more than to make Rosalie happy, "Thank you, Alice! I never would've thought about a car show. I never even think about cars in general. I've never even been in one before. I should learn more about them too. They seem to be all over the place nowadays." She remarked.

"I've noticed that too. They seem pretty convenient. Wish they had them when I was human." Jasper commented, "Carlisle drives one to work, doesn't he? I think I'll ask him to take me for a ride sometime."

"I want to go too!" Alice exclaimed.

"Well, now I do, too," Serafina said, "but now there are too many people going, and I don't want to be crowded with you two." She mumbled the last bit.

"What was that?" Alice asked as she looked at Serafina.

"Nothing. I said I'll wait until another day to ask," she smiled.

Jasper sat on a tree trunk outside the home while the women inside relaxed in the hot bath. The couple decided to check on Serafina's mental health. Trying to make sure she was getting used to everyone in the family. Serafina confirmed she was getting used to everyone and was doing fine. She described her time with each family member so far.

None of the three realized that they were taking longer than usual. But one woman a good distance away noticed. She didn't see the couple was missing but noticed one woman hadn't arrived yet and soon grew worried. Although she knew she was alive, she couldn't help wondering why she hadn't shown up yet and decided to check things out. Rosalie headed for the shack.

When Rosalie arrived, she saw Jasper outside and immediately understood what had happened. Jasper gave her a small wave and grinned. Rosalie gave him a questioning look before rolling her eyes, "Really, Alice? I said you didn't need alone time with her, so you just come and stop her from coming over altogether so you can be alone?" she asked as she walked into the shack. She didn't bother with knocking or asking for entrance. She was already upset that Alice got to see the shack's interior before herself. She froze when she walked in and saw Serafina in the bathtub.

"Good morning, mi hermosa Rosa," Serafina grinned as she saw Rosalie enter. Her eyes shone brightly as she saw her favorite person.

"I'm so sorry for walking in on your bath," Rosalie somewhat stuttered as she turned to look in the other direction. But then realization struck. Wasn't Alice there? Where was Alice? She looked over and saw Alice also in the bathtub with Serafina. She scoffed as she put her hands on her hips and glared, "Alice, what are you doing in there?"

"Relaxing, this feels really good, Rosie. You should try it sometime," Alice answered, never opening her eyes.

Serafina loved that idea, "If you want, I will throw her out right now so you can try!" she said excitedly.

Alice's jaw dropped in disbelief, "I was here first! That's not fair. I know you guys will take lots of baths together in the future. Just let me keep enjoying this one now." She pouted, looking between both women.

Rosalie was embarrassed at that. But she couldn't help being excited at the thought too. Would she bathe with Serafina often in the future? She looked forward to it but didn't want to show that enthusiasm now. So, she turned her whole body to look in the opposite direction.

Serafina put her hands on the tub's edge and couldn't help laying her head on them as she stared at Rosalie's back with a lovestruck smile. She knew she was being shy again. She wanted to tease her but knew she would get angry since the others were present. Alice watched Serafina and had a small teasing smile of her own. This now embarrassed Serafina as she wiped the expression from her face and immediately stood up. This made Alice laugh. Rosalie had heard the water slosh around, so she knew not to turn around but was curious why Alice was laughing and asked, "What?"

"I just think it's cute how shy you two get," Alice sang as she stood up.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Rosalie said as she turned towards the door, "I'll wait for you two outside."

After drying themselves and getting dressed, Alice and Serafina exited the shack and met the other two outside. Serafina had gone straight to Rosalie and hugged her, giving her a small kiss on her cheek. Then she grabbed her hand and looked at the two before her, "so what are we doing today?"

"Jasper thought you might have had a long week and would want to unwind by walking through the forest." Alice said, "I think it's pretty boring. But you have been dealing with a lot this week, so why not?" she shrugged.

"You like going for walks that much?" Rosalie asked, turning to Serafina as they walked behind the other couple.

"Yes," she nodded in response.

"I noticed she rarely really runs if she doesn't have to," Jasper added.

"If I didn't care to run when alive, why would I willingly do it now?" Serafina asked with furrowed brows.

The other three laughed at her answer, "It's not the same, and you know it." Alice said.

"It's exhilarating. Freeing. So much better than running when human," Rosalie said, swinging Serafina's arm happily as they walked.

"It can be fun. We're fast," Jasper agreed, "I don't get why you don't like it, Miss Hart."

"Well, I never had any people or places I needed to get to quickly," Serafina shrugged, "plus, I'm never going to die. There's plenty of time to take it easy." She added, swinging Rosalie's arm just as happily.

"Well, even though you're walking, you still keep a swift pace," Alice acknowledged, "And you run a lot when a certain blond is around or at your destination." She added teasingly.

"I think I noticed a bit more running now, too," Jasper agreed jokingly while looking down at Alice. He then snapped his fingers as though struck by a sudden realization, "I think I may have seen that blond you mentioned too. Yes, Miss Hart is constantly on the run with that blond or chasing after her," he and Alice both laughed as they looked back and saw the expressions on the two women's faces—Rosalie's small smile and Serafina's glare.

"Mi hermosa Rosa, I agree with your previous thoughts. I think I'm too comfortable with these two. We should go off on our own," Serafina said seriously to Rosalie.

"Actually, I'm enjoying this. Jasper, what does mi hermosa Rosa mean?" she asked the man in front.

"My beautiful Rose," Jasper answered.

Serafina gave him a slight shove from behind, causing him to stumble a bit as he laughed, "Stop giving away all my secrets!"

"They're not secrets! Even I knew that!" Alice laughed.

"You should teach me Spanish! Please!" Rosalie asked Serafina.

"If you want, of course," she answered.

"Once you understand more, ask her to sing to you," Jasper said to Rosalie.

This brought all three eyes to him. They all looked at him questioningly. Alice and Rosalie looked at Serafina incredulously, "You can sing?" Alice asked.

"No, I don't know what he's talking about," Serafina looked just as confused as they did. So, they looked to Jasper again.

He stopped, causing them all to stop as he looked back at her, "Are you serious?" he asked. Seeing her confused face, he realized she was being serious, "Well, I noticed it when we traveled together. We'd go days without speaking on occasion. Even though you could sense me following behind, I think you would still forget I was there and start humming. After a few hours of humming, it'd turn to you singing. Always in Spanish. Never too loud, but I could still hear. You sing beautifully. I liked hearing it. If I accidentally stepped on a twig or something, you'd stop. I learned to walk carefully when you sang so I could listen to you longer." He smiled as he looked over at her. He thought momentarily, "Actually, there was one song I hated when you sang." He shuddered as he thought back, "But it was pretty helpful. I could usually tell you were getting hungry when you sang it. You would sing a song about La Llorona under your breath. It gave me chills every time." He shook his head as if physically removing it from his mind.

"What's La Llorona?" Rosalie asked.

"The weeping woman. She murdered her children by drowning them in the river because she was upset with her cheating husband. After her death, she was cursed to wander the banks of the river to search for her children's souls. She's a horrible ghost story," Jasper said.

"That's horrible! Why would you sing that?" Alice asked.

"Because it's unnerving. I couldn't get rid of it from my mind when I heard it while traveling through Mexico. It's hauntingly beautiful," Serafina shrugged, "but that's not how the story goes where I'm from." She finished with a small grin.

"How does it go where you're from?" Rosalie asked.

"I'll let the people in town tell you the story when you visit," Serafina said as she squeezed Rosalie's hand in anticipation, "you'll like it! I'm sure you will!"

"Who said I'd go with you?" Rosalie asked, holding back her grin.

"Please? I'd love for you to see my home!" Serafina begged.

Alice began exaggeratedly clearing her throat.

Both women's faces turned blank as they looked at each other, "If Rosalie is okay with you going too, then you guys can go as well." Serafina compromised.

"Yes, you guys can go too. It can be a family trip or something with everyone," Rosalie rolled her eyes as she began walking again with Serafina and passing the couple in front. She began to swing their arms again as they went, "When are you going to sing for me?" she asked.

"I don't know," she answered honestly, "I didn't even notice I sang. Guess I'm used to being alone."

"You won't be anymore!" Alice said as she jumped onto Serafina's back, causing the women to release their hands so Serafina could hold Alice's legs.

Rosalie wanted to get mad at having been forced to release their held hands. But she was grateful because that remark made Serafina smile as she laughed at Alice. She smiled at the two's interaction while now walking next to Jasper.

They continued walking through the forest. Talking, joking, and laughing. Rosalie noticed the three were comfortable together, and they always included herself. She never felt uncomfortable or left out. She wasn't sure if Jasper somehow affected her emotions, but she doubted it. She thought it was just a natural reaction due to them not needing to be too restrained. Even though she noticed that Serafina tried to make herself out to be a bit nicer or more respectful with the rest of her family, she never did with these two. She hoped she'd relax a bit more with her family, too. They weren't as uptight as she probably thought they were. She was sure she'd get there eventually. She'd help as much as she could. Alice was right. Serafina wouldn't be alone anymore. She had her now and her large annoying family.

Chapter Text

Emmett happily walked behind the other men as they made their way to the baseball field. He wasn't even a little uncomfortable carrying a large canvas sack on his back that looked as though it could hold a couple of grown men. He didn't even know what was in it. He just knew he was asked to carry it by Alice. But he would shake it around occasionally to figure out what was in it, knowing Alice wasn't around, so she wouldn't yell at him for it. But he still had no idea.

Once they arrived, Emmett immediately dropped the sack, and he could distinctly hear what sounded like wood. Everyone looked at him strangely. He just shrugged and told them it was Alice's. Once they heard that, they just ignored it. Alice did odd things on occasion. Carlisle handed over the baseball bat he was carrying to Emmett, who began some practice swings. Carlisle then began tossing the ball around with Jasper and Edward.

"Where are the girls anyways?" Emmett asked.

"I don't know; they tried hard not to think about it. It was almost as if they wanted to surprise us or something?" Edward speculated.

"They were all very excited about it," Jasper nodded.

When Emmett heard Jasper's voice, it was as though he just realized he was there. He decided to check with him, he was always with Alice so he should know, "What's in the sack?" he suddenly asked.

"Do you know Jasper?" Carlisle also couldn't hold back his curiosity.

"You can open it," he smirked, looking at Emmett.

Emmett eagerly made his way over and opened it, revealing dozens of baseball bats and baseballs. He was baffled, but so was everyone else except Jasper. He just shook his head as he chuckled to himself.

"Why?" Carlisle asked him.

"I have no idea. She said we would need it for the game," he shrugged.

"She doesn't know the rules yet; maybe she thought we would need multiple for each of us?" Edward posited.

"This is too many for even that theory!" Emmett said while rifling through the sack to see if there were different types or all the same. He discovered they were identical and dropped them back in the pack, immediately losing interest, "when are they going to get here? They're taking forever."

"It's been thirty minutes since we left home. Be patient," Carlisle said.

They heard rustling from the direction they had come from, and all turned their attention that way. Esme took the lead in capri pants and a pink flowy short-sleeved top. In contrast, Alice and Rosalie followed in high-waisted shorts and sleeveless blouses.

Esme approached Carlisle, who embraced her while looking at his daughters, "And Serafina?"

Rosalie smirked at Alice, who had a large, excited smile, as they both stood to the side and allowed Serafina to walk out. She wore longer high-waisted shorts than the other two and a shirt similar to Esme but in black. She was incredibly uncomfortable because it was the first time she wore shorts. Even as a child, she wore her princess dresses. She couldn't help crossing her arms as though trying to block them all from viewing her.

Carlisle gave her a loving smile, "You look lovely no matter what you choose to wear. But you'll see this was the best outfit for what we will be doing today."

Emmett gave a low whistle, "The legs on you and Rosie." Both women glared at him while he spoke but softened their expressions after hearing his following words, "You two are going to be putting me to work. I bet I'll put on my threatening big brother act a lot in the future." He finished while shaking his head.

"They finally got you out of white. This color suits you better. I've seen your mind. The pure innocent white you throw on is false advertising," Edward said.

Serafina narrowed her eyes at him but then sharply turned away, repeatedly thinking, 'I'm ignoring you.' While Edward chuckled to himself.

"You look great, Miss Hart," Jasper smiled.

"Wait, how did you know her size?" Emmett asked, "I've checked her out loads of times, but with her dresses, you wouldn't think you'd be able to guess her size so well."

Rosalie was embarrassed but didn't show it on her face, "Esme is good at sizing. Even just looking Serafina over, she got it right." Rosalie wasn't going to admit that all the times she hugged, was held by, or even held Serafina had helped her to figure out her size. She felt somewhat like a pervert at that. She couldn't admit it out loud. She glanced at Edward, but he was grinning at Serafina. She breathed a sigh of relief, it seemed they may have been having a conversation and Edward didn't hear her thoughts.

Esme was confused. Although she had a general idea about Serafina's size, when she had given the possible outfits to Rosalie to double-check, it was Rosalie who had told her the dimensions were off. Rosalie was the one that gave her the proper measurements. But when she was about to say something, she saw a distinct look in Rosalie's eyes, "Lucky guess." She shrugged. When she turned to look at Rosalie, she definitely noticed she mouthed a thank you to herself. She didn't understand but didn't give it much thought as she turned her attention back to the family.

Before anyone could say anything else, Emmett sprang forward, "Who cares? Let's play some ball! Oh, but before we do, Alice, what's with all the baseball bats and balls?" he asked, turning to look at Alice.

"You'll see!" she gave everyone a mysterious smile and skipped to stand beside Jasper.

Everyone huddled up and listened to Emmett explain the game. He used many terms they didn't understand, and Edward would pop up and clarify when he heard anyone's confusion. Once they finished explaining, they decided to play a game or two with no enhanced abilities, just like a human.

Serafina was the first up to bat. She swung and hit the ball on the first pitch. When running, she accidentally took the bat to first base with her in her excitement. When the ball she hit straight up came down, it was caught by Emmett. In her anger, Serafina set the baseball bat on fire. All men had eyes on her and gave a loud "Oh" as they realized there was a reason for the large number of baseball bats in the sack.

Alice just giggled and said, "You're half right." Before taking her position as the next up to bat.

After the first game, they got the hang of things but were quickly bored. It wasn't until the second game that Alice suggested using their enhanced abilities to play. They all had a lot of fun just racing around the bases. But they noticed with their enhanced strength; they went through many baseball bats and balls.

Serafina didn't help. She had a habit of burning her bat whenever she was caught out. She had finally decided to cheat, and whenever she hit the ball far and out of sight, she would burn it so that they would never have a chance to catch it. But Edward heard her thoughts and tattled on her. They tried to make her pitcher, but the ball would habitually catch on fire mid-throw. She admitted she thought it would be faster if it were on fire which only made them laugh as they explained that wasn't how it worked. By the end of the day, she was furious. And they were all completely out of bats and balls. Everyone laughed at her while Rosalie held her hand to calm her down.

"I don't understand how you can be so bad at this game. You know it's easy for us to catch if you hit the flyout ball, yet you keep doing it," Emmett laughed as he carried the empty sack.

"You know what? I don't even like baseball. It's boring!" Serafina glared at the large man.

"You only don't like it because you're horrible at it. What happened to you helping Rosalie beat us?" Edward mocked.

"I didn't mean in baseball. I meant I would physically beat the shi-" Serafina began as she moved as though about to break away from Rosalie to harm Edward physically.

"I'm going to be honest; I don't care much for it either," Esme piped up, giving a bit of a grimace at admitting it out loud. Her timely honesty drew everyone's attention, "Don't get me wrong. I love our family time! And I most definitely want to be involved. But is there a position I can do where I can still be there but not playing?" she hesitantly asked.

"You can be a catcher! Or umpire the game," Emmett said excitedly, "Or a catcher who umpires the game! Perfect!" he said as though everything was solved.

Carlisle just smiled at his son, "You can." He said, turning to Esme. "And Serafina can cheer us on from the sidelines." He added.

"Cheer you all on from the sidelines. Hmph," she grumbled, "I'll only cheer for mi hermosa Rosa."

Although she said it very lowly, they all still heard and couldn't help laughing. They were discovering Serafina could be very childish and petty. But it was good. It meant she was willing to show her true self to them, so they didn't mind. They all kept up the teasing as they went to the Cullen residence. Serafina had calmed down and joked back. She was still somewhat restrained, but everyone saw her loosening up. It was a successful family day, in their opinion.

Only a couple of days later, they found out that hikers and hunters were traveling through the woods when they were playing. They had told the townspeople of strange loud noises they had heard. They weren't entirely sure if there was an earthquake as they could've sworn they listened to what sounded like boulders crashing down and lots of trees breaking. They said it eerily echoed through the forest. But the strange thing was they didn't feel anything. When trying to find the source of the sounds, they came up empty-handed and figured it must've come from further in. Carlisle heard the gossip from people in the hospital and told the family. They decided they would have to be careful when playing in the future. They also decided to look into other stronger items to possibly use as bats. They'd figure something out.

Chapter Text

Serafina continued her rotation. She spent time with each family member and slowly got used to everyone. Still not comfortable but no longer as jumpy. It was progress.

When the weekend was approaching, and she was leaving Rosalie at her door for goodnight, she held her back before she could open the door. Rosalie gave her a confused look but followed her request and didn't go in. She held her hand and stood outside.

"Rosalie, will you go on a date with me tomorrow? Just the two of us?" she shyly asked.

"Yes!" Rosalie exclaimed excitedly, "But wait, isn't it Alice and Jasper's day tomorrow?"

"They're fine with it," Serafina explained.

"Of course, we're fine with it. It was our idea!" Alice said to Jasper inside the house. Serafina and Rosalie were able to hear it from outside. Serafina rolled her eyes.

"Oh yeah? What are we going to do?" Rosalie asked, excitement building back up.

"There's going to be a car show in Pittsburgh this weekend," she smiled, "a little birdie told me you would like to go."

"I've heard of that car show on the radio! I want to go!" Emmett exclaimed from inside just when Rosalie was about to respond.

"You can't go on their date with them," Edward admonished from the same room.

Serafina began to get a little annoyed with the interruptions. Rosalie brought her into herself for a hug when she felt the increase in body heat. Nothing else was needed. The fire was extinguished before it had a chance to turn into anger. Serafina slowly exhaled, not even realizing she was holding her breath.

"You're all being too much! At least pretend not to listen in," Esme chided all the teens inside, "It's alright dear, you keep going over your date. Just pretend we're not even here." She continued.

Serafina clutched Rosalie tighter after hearing the mother. More so out of embarrassment. Rosalie couldn't help her soft chuckles.

"The weather doesn't look too good, but it should be fine if this was Alice's idea. I can't wait! I'm so excited for tomorrow! I heard about the car show on the radio, too. I was going to ask Carlisle if that could be our family day with you, but this is better!" Rosalie practically squealed. She pushed Serafina back to look at her properly, but then she suddenly gasped, startling Serafina, "What am I going to wear? What are you going to wear? Your dresses are beautiful, but it's not the time for that flowy style."

The door swung partially open as Rosalie began to overthink how to dress for the next day. Alice stood there, "I forgot to tell you! We have two new dresses for you both!" she exclaimed as she pushed the door open, revealing Esme carrying two clothing bags.

"If you liked the dress I made for Rosie before, you'll love these! Alice's designs were amazing. I can't wait to see them on you both. I've been around Rosie so long now. Her sizing was easy. But even though I got Serafina's sizing right for those casual clothes," she said, giving Rosalie a look that caused her to avert her eyes, "it's different for dresses. So how about we try these before you leave so I can make adjustments if needed?" Esme explained.

The four walked inside and went to Rosalie's room to try on the dresses. Alice and Rosalie sat on the bed. Esme hung up the dresses on a hook Rosalie had up specially to put up outfits when she needed to dress up for some occasions. She unzipped it and revealed a gorgeous black dress with a plunging neckline and off-the-shoulders but with short sleeves. Rosalie's eyes lit up at the sight; they looked just like the movie stars wore. It was very Hollywood, which was very much what Esme did not like her to wear. But it looked like Alice was turning her onto it. She put her eyes expectantly on the other bag. She wanted to see what she had prepared for Serafina.

"Now, I know we usually put our Rosie here in red, but I thought we could switch it up this time. Be a little adventurous and put Serafina in red. I think you would look stunning!" Esme stated as she unzipped the other bag to reveal it to everyone.

Serafina wasn't prepared for it. It was beautiful. It had a lower neckline than she was used to, but she wasn't afraid to show a little skin. She loved dressing up. She only got nervous with casual wear because she wasn't used to it. But this dress, while still glamorous, maintained a bit of elegance as it was a bit longer than Rosalie's and had long sleeves.

"Now we know Rosie's is a bit more revealing. But! I remembered you had that white fur shawl. I figured you could cover yourself up with that and wear some gloves," Esme explained, "but you, my dear," she said as she looked at Serafina, "I know you won't be cold, but we still have to look normal, so I talked Alice into giving you long sleeves in her design, and I think it works well."

"Come over tomorrow to get ready! I'm sure we can doll you up real nice between the three of us," Alice said excitedly, "we can go through all the jewelry, accessories, and shoes between our three closets. It'll be fun!"

"How were you planning on getting there?" Esme asked.

"I could take you two, if you like, on my way to work," Carlisle called out from downstairs as he walked out of his study.

"Can I go to drop them off with you? Please? I at least want to see the outside since I can't go in," Emmett asked, "I'll be good, and I'll just run home after."

"Only if the girls say it's okay," Carlisle answered, "we don't even know if she'll accept my offer yet."

"Yes, please. And thank you, Carlisle," Serafina graciously accepted the offer, knowing her other option was just running there with Rosalie. She hadn't thought about that part at all. It wouldn't have been fair to Rosalie to run in her heels, make up and dress on their date. She decided she'd have to make a phone call tomorrow to ensure their ride back.

"Now that that's settled, you can change in the bathroom. We'll see if I need to make some corrections tonight," Esme urged while handing her the dress.

"Please, we're all women here," Serafina laughed and began to take off her dress. But stopped when she felt a cold gaze coming from the bed.

"You're very casual with being naked around other women," Rosalie commented. She couldn't help it. She was furious when she had seen Alice in the tub with her but chalked it up to a one-time thing. She assumed it was Alice just being Alice. But Serafina willingly undressing in front of Alice and Esme had her curious if it was Serafina. If she were okay with being naked in front of other women, she would have to stop it. She knew Serafina was possessive. She was too. Just not as much. But she didn't want others to see her body at will.

Alice and Esme looked at each other. Both could feel the tension in the room from that simple comment. They both wondered how Serafina would handle it.

Serafina could feel the danger, "not anybody. This is your mother and sister. People who have partners and who have no interest in me. And who I have no interest in. I am only for you. If you don't want these two to see my body, I'll change in the bathroom." She calmly explained, looking Rosalie in the eye.

"No, you're right. They're my family and have no bad thoughts towards you," she admitted.

"You know I'm family too. I think it would be fine if- ow!" Emmett suddenly exclaimed. They had all heard a smack.

"Sisters. Not okay," they heard Carlisle scold him the next moment.

"I was kidding!" Emmett innocently answered.

The women ignored the men. Although Serafina had gotten the green light to change in front of them, she still carried her dress to the bathroom and changed. She only came back once it was on. The fit was almost perfect. Esme noted where corrections were needed, and Serafina returned to the bathroom to change. She said her goodbyes and returned to her shack for the night.

The next day, everyone knew the plan, and Serafina met up with them to get ready. Alice took her to her room to surprise Rosalie with her result while Esme helped Rosalie. Once finished, Alice called out to Rosalie, who confirmed she was also ready. Both rooms were down the hall from each other. Rosalie opened her door while Serafina opened hers. Both women's eyes lit up at the sight of the other. Broad smiles on their faces that they both tried to pull back but failed.

Where Rosalie's outfit was technically more revealing, with the fur, she was very much covered to give her a more mature look. But she did nothing to cover her face. Her long golden blond hair was styled and left down. Her makeup was flawless. Serafina's outfit showed off her figure while maintaining its elegance. But she still had to wear her partial veil because of her eyes. Her long dark hair was half up with a small headpiece across the top that had the partial veil. It covered her eyes, but you could still see part of her beautiful face. Both women looked like movie stars.

Serafina rushed over, holding her hands and looking her over, "You're beautiful."

"Why does that sound different from 'you look beautiful'?" Emmett asked after opening the door from his room.

"Because she means all of Rosalie is beautiful. Not just her looks. She's just too embarrassed to say her full thoughts," Edward said while opening his door, "if you could hear everything she was gushing about Rosalie in her head, it would make you want to throw up."

"You telling everyone her thoughts doesn't help her be any less embarrassed," Jasper called from downstairs.

"I know. It's more fun this way," Edward answered as he walked by the couple to make his way down the stairs, stopping just before he made his descent as he looked at Serafina glaring at him, "Her thoughts about you were just as vomit-inducing, if not more so." He said with a slight grin as the glare now came from Rosalie. He then continued on his way down the stairs as if nothing happened.

"Did you know I dislike him?" Serafina asked Rosalie.

"So do I," she answered. She then put her eyes back on Serafina, "You're beautiful too." She grinned. Serafina smiled back. They then walked down the stairs together.

"You both look great!" Carlisle smiled. He then thought for a moment, "I think there's still film in the camera!" he quickly sped away and returned with a large camera. It took him a while, but soon a picture was taken of them. Both with their heads held high and close together.

"Before we go," Serafina called out, "may I use your phone?"

They looked at her questioningly but took her to the back living room. The phone was tucked into a corner. She thanked them and then made her call. The call was in Spanish. The only one able to understand didn't even get much from it. But he didn't care. It was none of his business.

Carlisle drove them to the venue. Emmett was in the front so the couple could sit together in the back. They all found it pretty amusing how excited Serafina was. It was her first time in a car. She was looking around at everything. Emmett would point things out for her, as would Rosalie. Carlisle would join in on occasion. All of them were very patient in explaining what they knew about the car. But all of their knowledge was limited. So, they were only able to point out the basics.

Carlisle stopped at the venue entrance, "have fun, you two. Do you think you'll need a ride home?"

"Thank you again, Carlisle, but that won't be necessary. I'll get her home safely." Serafina said as she opened the door. She just put her foot out the door, and that was enough to grab many people's attention.

Soon a young man ran over and offered his hand to her with a charming smile, "Allow me," he smiled.

Serafina refused. She didn't want to touch him. She didn't want him to feel entitled to pester her further for helping her up, "No, thank you. I'm fine." She said while avoiding his hand, "Excuse me."

The young man refused to move, "I insist."

The car immediately burst into heat. Before anyone could say anything, the front door had already opened.

"My sister said, 'No, thank you.' Please respect that." He said as he stood up from the car. His massive frame shadowed the man waiting at the back door. He looked up and saw Emmett with furrowed brows staring at him. The young man was tall and fit but could not compare to Emmett's large, muscular frame. The young man's legs shook as he stumbled over his apology and practically ran away to return to his friends.

Emmett then walked over to the back door and offered his hand to Serafina. She accepted and allowed him to help her. She smiled at him and pulled away her hand as she turned around to help Rosalie.

Emmett was happy she had accepted his help, but he noticed she had left something in his palm when she released his hand. He opened his hand, and his eyes nearly popped out of his skull as he looked at the five dollars she had left in his hands, "Did you tip me?" he asked Serafina.

"Yes, thank you for your help." She smiled back.

"You know you don't have to tip me. A simple thank you is enough, we're family," Emmett said.

"It is? Oh, well, thank you," she said as she held her hand up to accept the money back.

"No, I'm keeping this. It was a gift, after all. But still! In the future, you don't have to. But I'll accept if you do." Emmett grinned as he got back into the car.

Serafina couldn't help rolling her eyes as they left them alone at the venue. Rosalie chuckled, "That's a lot of money you lost just now,"

"He earned it," she shrugged.

As they walked to the entrance, the two had lots of eyes on them. But when they reached the gate, they were asked for their tickets. Rosalie looked at Serafina expectantly but then realized she had never noticed Serafina leave their sphere of territory. When did she have a chance to buy tickets? The expectation turned to worry. Serafina saw it all and squeezed her hand in reassurance.

A man in a costly-looking suit and hair slicked back walked over with two large bodyguards and walked to the two women, "¿Doña?" he called.

"Sí," Serafina answered. Rosalie noticed a seriousness come over Serafina. A majesty as though speaking to her subjects, "Are you the one who will be assisting me?"

"Yes, ma'am, my name is Robert Snyder," he eagerly responded. Happy she spoke English, "I understand we'll go through the car show. If anything should catch your eye, just let me know."

Serafina nodded at him, "Keep your distance; I'll signal you if I need you. But first. We need tickets."

"Of course," he answered, purchasing tickets for all five to enter.

They kept a distance but couldn't help looking at the two beautiful women in front with curiosity. She was a crucial client of his firm. Their firm originated in Texas but was so strong and successful that they made branches nationwide. Mainly major cities. Their new offices in Pittsburgh had just opened a few years before. But all were told in every branch upon hire that they had a major client to whom they all had to be very respectful. She was called La Doña. When he had gotten a call from their home office telling him to meet her at the car show and do whatever she wanted. He knew he had to bring his A-game. He brought a lot of money in case she needed it and had brought two of the firm's bodyguards to protect it. He would make sure she was taken care of.

Rosalie led the way through the car show. She stopped at nearly every stall to hear everything about the car it advertised. Several times young or even older men would go over to chat them up. Serafina would not have it. She looked back at Snyder. He took her signal and would have the bodyguards sweep the strangers away. It reached the point where Snyder understood when to send those men away without being told. Most venue people knew these women weren't to be approached casually. But it still didn't stop them all, but that was when Snyder stepped in.

They made it inside the building to where sports and luxury cars were being shown. Rosalie's eyes lit up as she eagerly made her way through. Dragging Serafina to point out everything she liked about the vehicles and excitedly listening to the salesmen. Anytime she walked up to a salesman, they would get overly excited and not from the prospect of selling a car. The sports and luxury car salesmen seemed more confident than those outside the facility. Serafina was somewhat irritable. Rosalie didn't notice her glaring at the men because she was too excited to learn about the cars.

Snyder noticed. He noticed the unusual relationship the two women in front had. No matter how strange he found it, he would never comment on it. But he felt sorry for all the men who never had a chance. He knew they all had eyes for the young women in front.

They soon came upon a Jaguar stall, and Rosalie practically swooned at the sight of the car. The salesmen didn't even explain anything to them about the vehicle. He just asked them where their husbands were so he could talk to them about the car. This immediately brought a frown to both of their faces. Rosalie didn't even want to hear anymore. But Serafina could feel her disappointment. Serafina looked to the other side and saw a beautiful BMW.

The BMW salesmen had been watching the two gorgeous women as they made their way through the venue. While most other salesmen would still keep their professionalism, he knew the one at the Jaguar stall wouldn't. But to hear him outright ask to speak to their husbands. He couldn't help but shake his head at his stupidity. These women were not ordinary housewives. For one, he could see they were closer than ordinary friends. Two, they had someone, possibly a butler, not too far away, who would direct their bodyguards to protect them when needed. These women had money. He wasn't a fool. If he played his cards right, he might have a sale.

As soon as he caught the brunette's eye, he put on a decent smile and pointed to the BMW convertible he was advertising. He assumed he had caught her eye, but it was covered with a veil. He wasn't sure until he saw her whisper to the blond, who excitedly turned around and led the way to his stall—dragging the brunette by hand. But the brunette had a loving smile while being dragged over. He was successful. He gave the blond a pamphlet and began explaining the vehicle in detail. The blond was eager to learn. He supposed because of how helpful he was being. She liked him. Because she had even given him their names, so he knew the blond was Rosalie and the brunette was Serafina. He answered every question she asked. Rosalie expressed her appreciation for his help and admiration for the car.

Serafina stood a bit behind Rosalie because of how enthusiastic she had gotten at how this man was answering her questions, being professional and courteous. He never once glanced at their chests or any part of their bodies. He made sure to maintain eye contact. Once Serafina heard Rosalie's appreciation and admiration, she turned to Snyder and signaled toward the car. She then gave him another look and signaled to her dress color. She finished by putting her finger to her lips in a shush gesture. Snyder nodded in understanding.

It was already late in the evening when Rosalie finished speaking to that BMW salesman. Serafina led them out and then turned to Snyder, "You're going to take us home now."

"Yes, ma'am." He nodded. Ordering one of the bodyguards to the front with the driver as he opened the door for the women to enter the back. Before he closed the door, he told Serafina in a low voice he didn't know Rosalie could hear as well, "You can trust them. While they take you home, I'll take care of what you requested." He then raised his voice to a normal volume, saying, "I hope you ladies have a wonderful night." Before closing the door and turning around to go back inside with the remaining bodyguard.

Rosalie gave Serafina a questioning look. She just shook her head as they began giving directions to the driver to take them home. The bodyguard opened the back door and offered his hand once they made it home, "No, thank you. I'm fine." She told him. The bodyguard immediately brought his hand back with no hesitation. The driver and guard waited until the women entered their home before leaving.

"Guess what!" Emmett said, jumping down the stairs, "Carlisle got tickets for all of us to go to the car show tomorrow! We get to see it too!"

"Really? That's great! It's so nice! I'll show you all my favorite stalls!" Rosalie said as she ran over to him.

Serafina had turned around to leave when she felt a hand grab her by each arm, "Oh no, you don't. Tell us how it went! What can we look forward to?" Emmett said as he held one side while Edward grabbed her by the other.

"I want to know how it went too. And I want to know if what Alice saw is right," Edward added.

Both men carried her to the family room where the rest of the family was waiting, including Rosalie. She patted the sofa seat next to her. Serafina happily took her spot beside her, and they told the family about their day. They then discussed their plans for the next day together.

Edward saw her mind and knew Alice's vision was correct. He was impressed. A tiny bit jealous too. But he still wanted to hear more about what they would see at the car show, so he didn't dwell on it much. He knew he'd get to see the vision come to life soon and he was excited to see Rosalie's reaction. Serafina wasn't that bad he supposed.

Chapter Text

Everyone had dressed in their Sunday best and gone to the car show together. It was very cramped in the car, but no one complained. Once they arrived, Rosalie led the way while dragging Serafina along. Serafina had no complaints and just smiled the whole way. She didn't even care that she was pulled along like a rag doll.

Those in the outdoor area of the car show looked over at them. And they recognized the two young ladies in front. They were kicking themselves for having disregarded them the day before. Although they remained professional and introduced the vehicles to the two, they didn't try very hard. They had heard from the inside vendors that the brunette had purchased a luxury sports car on the spot the day before. They couldn't believe their bad luck. Seeing the two again leading a group of other seemingly well-off individuals, they thought their luck had turned and they could redeem themselves.

The salesmen were sorely mistaken. The two women would, of course, hold a grudge. They all listened to the pitch but left immediately after the introduction of the vehicle. No questions would be asked. Rosalie would ask questions the day before, but they would direct her to the pamphlet or even say it would be too difficult to explain. She wouldn't bother today. The family could tell the attitudes of the two women and followed their lead.

They eventually made their way inside and completely bypassed the Jaguar stall. The salesman knew the ins and outs as well. He gritted his teeth as he watched the family ignore him altogether. The other salesmen inside were much more courteous to Rosalie the day before. There were a few that stood out significantly. But she still enjoyed the BMW stall the most.

They all gathered and spoke with that salesman about the vehicles. But the cars currently there were more on the sporty side. Carlisle decided they needed another family vehicle, so he wasn't interested. Rosalie understood his wants and took them all to the Mercedes stall. Mercedes was her second favorite stall of their trip yesterday. But while leaving she saw the BMW salesman give Serafina a wink. Her curiosity was piqued, but she had to ignore it to head to the Mercedes stall. It didn't mean she would forget. She would ask later. She had several questions for the Doña after all.

"Aren't the cars in here a little too eye-catching?" Edward complained, "Shouldn't we try to blend in better?"

"He's a handsome doctor slash surgeon that is wealthy enough at a young age to take care of six adoptive teenagers with his beautiful wife," Serafina looked at Edward as though he was stupid, "it would be weirder if he drove a regular car like everyone else."

Edward rolled his eyes at her response while the other teens nodded their agreement with Serafina. Carlisle and Esme just chuckled.

"He already drives a Mercedes; it's a bit on the older side but still good. He might as well stick with what he knows," Rosalie commented.

"He can just give that one to Esme and get a new one. His and hers!" Emmett suggested.

"His and hers was my intention," Carlisle smiled, "but the new one will be for Esme. As Rosie said, I'll stick with what I know and am very comfortable with my car. But I would like for Esme to have a vehicle as well. Then we don't have to pile on each other like we did to get here."

"That would be nice. I really disliked having to cram together like that," Edward whispered.

"I didn't mind," Alice and Rosalie said simultaneously.

"Yeah, well, you two both had custom seating in the forms of Jasper's and Serafina's laps," Emmett laughed.

"Yes, well, their seats had some very inappropriate thoughts that I don't want to hear ever again," Edward complained.

Jasper and Serafina looked at each other but couldn't help awkwardly looking away. Alice began giggling while Rosalie just smirked.

"What did they think?" Emmett asked, trying to be nosy.

"You better not say anything!" Jasper threatened. Serafina stood behind him and glared at Edward as well. She slid her finger across her throat in a menacing threat.

"I want to know too!" Alice couldn't help rushing over to Edward.

The attractive group of teens began getting a little rowdy. It drew too much attention, including a few other doctors and surgeons from Carlisle's work who had also been gifted tickets. Esme hushed the teens and then joined Carlisle's side for greetings. Many of his coworkers had seen Esme occasionally taking Carlisle lunch and spending breaks with him. They had even seen Rosalie, Emmett, and Edward before. But now there were three new beautiful teens. Some of his coworkers couldn't hold back their glances.

Edward began to clench his jaw and huff a bit in his anger. When saying hello to Carlisle's coworkers, he had heard their thoughts towards the women in his family, and he was not okay with it. But he also knew he couldn't act on what he had heard in their minds. But as soon as one of those coworkers headed toward Rosalie, he couldn't help the glare he threw in his direction. No one seemed to notice, or so he thought.

Serafina had not only seen the look Edward had given to that man. She had also seen the way he looked at the others. She saw it too. She saw how those men looked toward them all. Of course, she recognized that lustful gaze. It left an awful feeling on her skin. She looked at Rosalie and saw her prior relaxed posture from joking with the family tense. She began to give off the cold superior feeling as her natural defense against men like him. But the ego of the younger doctor wouldn't let him turn around.

When Serafina saw that man heading towards Rosalie, she narrowed her eyes at him. She then walked over, and just before the man got close enough for Rosalie to have to shake hands out of courtesy, she quickly went over and grabbed Rosalie's arms giving the man a fearful look before turning to Carlisle. "Carlisle, estoy tan incómodo. Lo siento. No estoy listo para estar cerca de tanta gente después de todo. Supongo que iré con Rosalie sola por un tiempo," Serafina whimpered.

"Carlisle, she's not ready to be around so many people yet. She said she was sorry but would feel more comfortable going around with Rosalie and Alice until we can keep looking around together." Jasper translated.

'Oh, that liar, I didn't say anything about Alice. But I guess these guys were giving some looks to her as well. Hmm. Well, how can we get Esme to go with us too?' Serafina thought.

"Esme, maybe you should go with them too. It might make Serafina feel better," Edward suggested.

Carlisle and Esme gave each other a questioning look, but Esme understood Edward's intentions. She didn't know why. But she trusted him, "Yes, that's a good idea. Alright, dear. You stay with your friends," she said, kissing Carlisle on the cheek, "I'll check on the girls. Please excuse us." She smiled as she headed towards the girls lingering just at the edge of another stall waiting for her arrival.

"What lovely ladies," a coworker commented, his eyes lingering on Serafina and Rosalie. Edward had a bit of a scowl on his face. He ensured to turn away so the men couldn't see. He knew now from Serafina that he tended to display his emotions on his face from his mind reading. He knew what these men said was not what they thought.

"That tall brunette, she's Hispanic? Maid?" another man from the group questioned.

Another joined in, "New maid? Now, Cullen, you can't go around having a pretty young thing like that as the help. And bringing her out like this with the family. The missus will get suspicious." He joked. This banter caused the other men in their group to laugh.

"Send her my way. I have an extra room and no missus," another joined, "I'm sure I can find something for her to polish."

The group of men laughed raucously at their jokes. Emmett clenched his fists as he turned away so they wouldn't see his glare. He couldn't react. These were Carlisle's colleagues. His eyes met his brothers, who were equally upset and unsure how to vent their anger.

Serafina and the other women didn't go too far. They could hear everything that they were saying. Esme gave Serafina a concerned look as she rubbed her arm, cursing those men in her heart. Alice swore under her breath as she scowled in those men's direction before averting her eyes. But Rosalie couldn't hold back the low growl that began to come from her throat. Although it was low, the others could hear and feel it—the anger it represented drawing their attention. The humans couldn't hear the growl but could feel something that caused them immense fear. They instinctively avoided the small group of women due to that fear while never understanding why.

Serafina hugged Rosalie from behind and put her head on her shoulder as she whispered in Rosalie's ear, "It's okay, hermosa. Shh. It's alright." She was attempting to calm her mate down.

The small gentle smile that usually graced Carlisle's face disappeared. He looked over to his colleagues coldly, and the aura that emanated from him gave each of their spines a shiver. "That is not my maid. That is my daughter—the newest addition to my family. Never speak about my family in that way again. If you ever speak about anyone in my family like that again, you will wish you had never met me. I don't believe in violence. But I protect my family. I will ruin you." He said in a tone so deep, threatening, and very unlike how he usually speaks that everyone couldn't help but gape.

One of the older doctors who hadn't spoken tried to save the situation, "We're sorry, Carlisle. We were very disrespectful before. We may have had a few drinks before coming to enjoy the car show. Please don't take it to heart. We'll be on our way. I hope you and your family have a good rest of your evening." He said as he hurried away and signaled the others to follow him. The other men muttered apologies and bolted behind him.

"That was amazing!" Emmett said as he shook Carlisle by his shoulder in his excitement.

The women had joined back up with them after Carlisle's colleagues left.

"I didn't know you had it in you," Alice said, giving Carlisle an impressed look.

"I may have amplified their fear because I wanted them to suffer now. But I didn't have to do much," Jasper admitted, giving Carlisle a nod of approval.

"I think when we drop the children off at home, we should go back into town and rent a hotel room," Esme whispered to Carlisle, who quickly nodded his agreement, much to the horror of the teens present who could still hear what they were saying despite their whispering.

"Thank you!" Rosalie said with a smile, ignoring her mother's comment.

"Gross," Serafina muttered. She shuddered in disgust and shook her head to get rid of the thoughts beginning to invade her mind after hearing what Esme said, "Thank you, Carlisle." She said gratefully, turning to Carlisle.

"You're welcome. And I meant it. You're part of our family now, Serafina. We protect our family," Carlisle told her seriously.

"We really can ruin them," Edward said to Serafina with a smile. He then turned to look at Carlisle. His brows furrowed as he said, "Carlisle, I think you should ruin that one that had the hat. I'll tell you why later."

Carlisle nodded in agreement to Edward. He then tried to save the evening by directing them to continue browsing the Mercedes stall. The man there remembered Serafina and Rosalie as well. He enthusiastically went into detail on the vehicles they were advertising, and Carlisle immediately placed an order for one in white for Esme. But afterward, he took them all home.

Everyone said their goodbyes to Serafina, but she stopped them all. She had been thinking about what Carlisle had done and how the Cullens reacted to those men's comments. They cared about her. She was beginning to like them. Edward smiled as he heard her thoughts. Serafina glanced at him, and he gave her a nod of encouragement.

"Carlisle, I know I already thanked you, but really. I appreciate how you defended me earlier. You and Esme have welcomed me into your family with open arms. I am grateful. But I'm hoping you can do me a favor," she said, looking at the parents, but she couldn't help but glance at Rosalie. Rosalie looked at her questioningly. But Serafina turned back to the parental figures.

"Of course. What is it?" Esme asked in concern.

"Would it be alright with you two if I stayed here with you all? I think it would speed up my warming up to you all," she asked, looking at them. But then she looked to the other teens, "Only if you're all alright with it too."

Esme smiled as she squeezed Carlisle's hand. Her smile was inferior only to Rosalie's. She watched as Rosalie happily threw herself at Serafina to hug her tightly. Carlisle's gentle smile was wider as he looked to his family, who began nodding their consent.

"Yes, our home is your home," Carlisle smiled, "I'm sure Rosie will be happy to show you the rest of our house." He said, looking between the young women embracing, "Now, your mother and I are going to grab a few things before we head out. We'll be staying in town tonight."

The teens groaned at being reminded of their parent's plans for the evening. They trudged back into the house, the joy of having Serafina live in their home sapped from their being. Carlisle and Esme chuckled at their reactions. Rosalie kissed Serafina before separating from the hug, but she kept their hands clasped as she began to take her toward the door.

Serafina stopped, causing Rosalie to look at her with concern. Serafina pulled her into another hug and kissed her cheek before she whispered in her ear, "Come with me for a moment before we go inside."

Rosalie agreed and called out to the house, "We'll be right back."

"Be careful! If we're not here when you get back, remember we love you, and goodnight!" they heard Esme respond from inside.

"Goodnight," the two women responded as Serafina led Rosalie toward town.

Rosalie didn't take long to realize they were heading to the shack. She had almost forgotten that they needed to grab Serafina's things. When they arrived, Rosalie saw Serafina didn't have much, only a trunk of clothes. It was a quick process. After they were done, they headed out, and Serafina stopped Rosalie again.

"Do you not want to live with me?" Rosalie laughed, "Why do you keep stopping me?"

"I very much would like to live with you," Serafina grinned, "but there's one more thing we need to do. Give me your hand."

Rosalie looked at her skeptically but gave her hand to Serafina with her palm up. Her smile never faltering. Serafina stood before her and grabbed Rosalie's hand with her left, "now trust me," she said, looking Rosalie in her eyes. Rosalie nodded, and Serafina raised her right hand to cover Rosalie's and lit a flame. Rosalie's eyes widened as she felt the heat. But she never flinched. She looked at Serafina, who smiled lovingly as she released Rosalie's hand—giving her complete control of her flame, "I said we'd burn it down together, didn't I?" she smiled.

"You did," Rosalie answered. She looked back at the shack she despised and tossed the flame at it. She grabbed Serafina's hand and leaned her head comfortably against her shoulder. They stood together and watched it burn.

Once done, the flame happily took shape and strolled back to the two women. Much to Serafina's and Rosalie's surprise, the flame jaguar leaned against Rosalie to ask for affection. Serafina cocked her head as she watched Rosalie pet the flames.

"It's beautiful. Strange too. It feels like an actual animal, a very hot animal. I don't feel heat anymore. The only time I ever really feel significant temperature differences is when I'm holding you. You're on the warmer side. It's nice. This fire is hot, but I'm not burning or in pain. It feels like I'm petting a big hot cat. It's so strange yet oddly relaxing." Rosalie admitted in awe.

"She likes you," Serafina smiled.

"I like her too. What's her name?" Rosalie asked.

"Paprika," Serafina laughed.

"Really? Why?" Rosalie joined in her laughter.

"Because I never actually thought of naming her until now, and for some reason, that's the first thing that came to mind." Serafina shrugged. She looked at the flame, "Would that be okay with you?"

The flame jaguar nodded slightly before returning to Serafina's body.

"Well, I think that was a yes," Rosalie said as she straightened herself up and looked at Serafina, "Shall we go home?" she asked, offering her hand.

"Let's," Serafina nodded as she grabbed her trunk and accepted Rosalie's outstretched hand with her other. The two happily swung their arms as they returned to the Cullen household, where Serafina would be staying with Rosalie from then on.

Chapter Text

After a week, the car Carlisle ordered for Esme showed up. Everyone gathered and took turns riding in it with Esme to get a feel for the new vehicle. It was beautiful. There were only praises being thrown out about it. Mostly from Rosalie, who thoroughly enjoyed inspecting it and getting rides with Esme.

Serafina held in her bitterness. She ordered the car for Rosalie first. Why wasn't it there yet? She had seen the happiness on Esme's face. She had seen the hug and kiss she gave to Carlisle in gratitude. Esme even knew about it in advance, and she was still excited! It should have been her and Rosalie. The happiness would have been so much more because it would be a surprise. It wasn't fair.

Serafina tried to minimize the chances of Rosalie finding out she was upset and jealous by telling her she didn't care for car rides as much. Rosalie was disappointed, and when she tried to tell Serafina that they didn't have to go for a car ride, Serafina would push her to the vehicle and ask her to enjoy herself. Although she tried to hide her jealousy, she couldn't hide it from her two new brothers. Edward and Jasper cornered her on Serafina's third day of her, making Rosalie go alone with Esme.

"What are you doing?" Edward asked.

"You're makin' her sad when you tell her to go alone," Jasper said, "You've been upset for a while now. What's goin' on? Who are you jealous of?"

"Jealousy?" Edward thought momentarily, "Carlisle and Esme. The car they ordered got here before yours. Really? Because of the car?" he asked incredulously.

"I ordered mine first!" Serafina finally complained, "It should have been here by now! It's been two weeks! Carlisle's came last week! This is ridiculous. Don't they show those cars off because they already have some built and ready for sale?" Serafina's fingers began twitching from her anger.

"Why don't you call and find out? Maybe the order wasn't placed properly?" Edward asked.

"No, the car will get here. They know better." Serafina muttered. She glared at a fallen tree and finally vented her anger in the only way she knew how. She set it on fire. Edward and Jasper backed away as they watched.

"Tryin' to feel better?" Jasper asked, "Just give it time. I'm sure it'll be here if you trust you completed the order. Did you ask for any customizations? Maybe that's what's holdin' things up?"

Serafina looked up with a thoughtful expression. She did ask for red. Could that be the reason for the delay?

"It was probably that! Most cars nowadays come in those light pastel colors or black. Even the white was pretty rare." Edward expressed after reading her thoughts on the color.

"Rare, but it still got here pretty fast!" Serafina huffed, "Where is my Rosa's car?" she turned and threw her hand out in frustration as she burned another downed tree. They were near the area where she had sparred with Emmett before. Plenty of downed trees were nearby from when Rosalie chucked Emmett into the forest.

While Serafina released her anger upon the forest, Rosalie sat in the car with Esme. Not as happy or excited about the ride without Serafina.

"Are you alright, Rosie?" Esme asked, seeing that Rosalie wasn't as curious or happy about this ride as she was before, "you seem a little quiet."

"I think something's wrong with Serafina. But she won't tell me what." Rosalie sighed, "Do you think it's me? She only became this way when she moved in. Maybe she doesn't like staying with us? With me." She trailed off, crossing her arms and playing with her hair.

"What? That's crazy. Of course, she likes staying with you!" Esme comforted.

"Does she? Maybe she wasn't ready. She rushed to live with us because I was pressuring her. She probably hates me." She groaned, moving her hands to her face.

"She doesn't hate you. She can't hate you. Have you asked her what's wrong?" Esme asked.

"Yes, she keeps insisting it's nothing, and she'll put a big smile on her face," she explained, "but then she doesn't want to be with me."

"She says she doesn't want to be with you?" Esme asked, taken aback.

"Well, no. She told me to enjoy myself and pushed me to come with you. But she didn't come with me! She always comes with me. I like when she's with me." She finished sadly.

"I noticed. You two have been joined at the hip since she got here," Esme smiled fondly, "I'll check on her. See if I can find out why she's been withdrawn." She offered.

"No, thank you. I don't want her to think I'm gossiping about her behind her back." Rosalie answered.

Esme gave her a slight look.

"Well, I don't want her to know I'm talking about her behind her back," Rosalie rolled her eyes, "I think I just needed to get it off my chest. I'll try to speak with her again later."

The two sat in silence as they continued their drive. Due to Rosalie's dour mood, they were going around less than they had the days before. Esme was concerned but knew the two needed to figure things out independently.

Back in the forest, Jasper sat on a downed tree, and Edward leaned against a standing one as they watched Serafina raze the forest. She made a small trail and debated extending it to the Cullen residence. While she stood and debated with herself on whether to continue or stop, she suddenly remembered Jasper's words.

"I'm making her sad?" she suddenly exclaimed, startling the two men.

"What?" Edward asked.

She ignored him as she turned to Jasper, "You said I've been making her sad with how I've been acting?"

"Ye-Yes," he stuttered, looking up at her as she stood over him. He was slightly confused but still reasonably sure he knew what she was talking about.

Serafina hung her head. Upset at the fact that she hurt her mate's feelings. She raised her head and smacked her forehead, "I'm an idiot." She sighed, "I just didn't want her to know I was jealous. She's so smart. She'd easily figure out why if I told her. It would ruin the surprise! Ugh! What do I do?" she began pacing, trying to think of a solution.

"Are you burning down the whole forest?" a soft voice asked.

Serafina looked over and saw her beautiful tall blond mate coming out from the shadows of the trees. She got a smile on her face. The same one that always graced her face at the sight of Rosalie. Rosalie loved that smile. Serafina always reserved that gentle smile for herself. She smiled back.

"We'll leave you two ladies alone," Jasper said as he stood and left with Edward.

Rosalie watched them leave. She waited for them to be far enough away so they couldn't overhear them. Serafina was doing the same. As soon as they could no longer feel the men's presence, they turned to each other, "are you okay?" they asked simultaneously. Both voices were laced with concern. They both chuckled at the other. Serafina gestured to Rosalie to continue.

"I wanted to see how you were. You've been a little off lately. Are you upset with me? Did I do something?" Rosalie shyly asked.

Serafina's frozen heart ached. She didn't want Rosalie to feel that way. She could never be upset with her, "Oh mi hermosa Rosa. I'm not upset with you," she made her way over to her and grabbed her hands, looking into her eyes. "I was just upset because of something stupid. I didn't want to tell you because I'm embarrassed. It shouldn't upset me, but it does." She sighed.

"What is it?" Rosalie asked.

"Nothing," Serafina tried to skip over herself, "what about you? How are you?"

"Not good because you're keeping things from me," Rosalie brought her hands out of Serafina's as she gave her a hurt look.

Serafina watched as Rosalie took a step back from herself. Her fingers twitched as she stopped herself from reaching out to her, "Rosa, it's nothing bad. I'm just being childish. I don't want you to think badly of me. Please let me keep this secret for a bit longer. I'm trying to work it out of my system. But I promise to tell you why when I'm over it!" she decided to use her big sad eyes to try to help herself.

Rosalie was already weak to the big sad eyes. It wasn't fair. She rolled her eyes as she looked back at Serafina, "you're not upset with me?" she asked.

"Claro que no," she answered.

"You know I only got the 'no' out of that, but that's okay," Rosalie said as she slowly walked back over to Serafina putting her arms around her shoulders, "You promise to tell me what's going on when you can?"

"Yes. Then you can laugh at me for how stupid I was being. I promise," she answered, putting her hands on her waist.

"I won't laugh at you," Rosalie said.

"I know you won't, but I'll feel better if you do," Serafina said, giving her a quick peck to her lips.

"Is it that silly?" Rosalie asked. She then gave her a quick kiss back.

"So silly," Serafina laughed, squeezing Rosalie's sides while repeatedly kissing her face. Rosalie couldn't stop her laughter as she pushed Serafina away.

"Fine, I'll leave it alone for now," Rosalie laughed as she looked back toward the ashes on the forest floor, "but what was all this about?" she asked, gesturing to the smoldering ashes piled in a strange pattern.

Serafina walked up behind her, putting her arms around her waist and her chin on her shoulder. Looking at the destruction she had caused, "I was upset," she mumbled.

"This upset, and you can't even tell me about it," Rosalie shook her head as she put her hands over Serafina's that were wrapped around her.

"Yes," Serafina simply answered.

"Since I know you're upset about something. Even if I don't know what you're upset about," Rosalie hesitantly began, "does this mean you'll stop avoiding me? I won't ask if you're upset anymore." She finished, not noticing she had gripped Serafina tighter while asking her question.

Serafina noticed, "I'm sorry I avoided you. You're so smart; I didn't want you to know I was upset. But because you're a genius, you knew anyways. I hated being away from you." She said, planting a kiss on her shoulder.

"I missed you," Rosalie whispered.

"I missed you too. Probably more than you," Serafina said.

"Impossible," Rosalie answered, her mood picking up.

"I'm sure I missed you more! Because while you were apart from me. You got to spend your time with Esme enjoying her new car. While I was apart from you, I hid from your annoying giant of a brother. A brother who just repeatedly asked if he could call me by my first name." Serafina complained, "and he's very good at hide and seek apparently because that giant kept finding me!"

Rosalie couldn't hold back her giggles.

"That's not funny," Serafina whined.

"Did you give in?" Rosalie managed to ask after controlling her laughter.

"No, I just hid better," Serafina said proudly. But her smile soon disappeared, "are we okay?"

Rosalie turned in her arms and kissed her, "Better than okay." She smiled. She loosened Serafina's grip on herself as she grabbed her hand, and they walked home. Both women were smiling ear to ear from their being together again.

As both women entered the home, they were too lost in each other that they didn't realize someone was hiding a bit inside from the door. Emmett immediately jumped out from the other side just in front of them, startling them. As soon as he jumped out, Rosalie and Serafina slapped him in the face seconds after each other. But at the same time, Serafina shifted their positions, so as soon as her hand impacted Emmett's face, she managed to move Rosalie behind herself in the same instant.

"Ow! What is wrong with you? Why would you slap me?" he complained aggrievedly, rubbing his cheek to ease the pain.

"What's wrong with us?" Rosalie began to argue, stepping around Serafina as though about to slap him again.

"Emmett, leave your sisters alone!" Esme yelled from the other room.

"Why am I getting in trouble? They're the ones that hit me!" Emmett yelled back.

"Because I'm sure you deserved it!" Esme answered. Her response caused the other teens to laugh as he walked back into the room with them. Rosalie and Serafina followed behind.

"I warned you not to scare them," Alice grinned.

Emmett glared at her. The glare soon changed to a look of realization, "You saw that happen! Why didn't you tell me they'd hit me?"

"It was a group decision," Edward answered.

"After that result, I believe it was the right decision," Jasper added. The group burst into laughter again. Serafina and Rosalie had joined in on the laughter as well. They made themselves comfortable on the sofa opposite Esme.

"Stop teasing your brother," Esme said with a small smile.

"Thank you, Esme! I'm glad someone cares about my well-being," Emmett said as he went to sit next to her. Then he looked at Serafina, "Can I call you by your first name?"

"If I let you, I'll have to let the others. It'll be a whole thing. I don't think it's a good idea," Serafina lazily said, making herself comfortable using Rosalie's lap as a pillow. Rosalie began to massage her scalp gently as they just sat there together.

"Wha- Alice already calls you by your first name! And so do Rosie, Esme, and Carlisle. It's just us that can't!" he said, gesturing to himself, Edward, and Jasper, "Is it because we're men? I'm starting to think you hate men."

"Does Carlisle not count as a man?" Rosalie pointed out.

"Well, he is, but he's an old man. So I thought that was why he got to say her name," Emmett answered, "Respect for your elders and all that."

"He's not an old man," Esme scolded as she glanced over at him from browsing her furniture catalog.

"Wasn't he born in the 1600s or something?" Emmett asked with slight confusion.

Esme put her catalog down and looked at him, "Yes, but he was only 23 when he was turned. So he's not old."

"He did not age very well while human, did he? He looks like he's 26 or 7. No more than 30, but I would not have guessed 23," Serafina mumbled. This caused Esme to toss a throw pillow at her, which made Serafina laugh as she apologized.

Edward sighed, "Are we having this debate again?"

"I don't remember how old I am," Alice randomly chimed in. A brief awkward silence ensued.

"I think we're as old as we were when we were made. I'll forever be 18," Rosalie stated, continuing her massage for Serafina.

"So, we are having this debate again," Edward rolled his eyes, "the years still pass. We still have birthdays. We've had a lot of them."

"You, Esme, I'd guess 23," Serafina said, ignoring the conversations around herself.

"Not exactly. I was 26," she smiled.

"How do you not remember how old you are?" Emmett asked Alice.

"I don't remember much from when I was human. I just remembered my name," she shrugged, not even being bothered by it.

"Well, you're tiny. You were probably 16 when you were turned," Emmett suggested.

"No," everyone said at once.

"She's petite but doesn't look young young," Serafina interjected.

"I'm petite and am definitely not young. I can tell she's the same," Esme pointed out.

"I agree. She was probably 17 or 18 when she was turned," Rosalie added.

"That sounds about right. Maybe even 19," Jasper said, agreeing with Rosalie.

Emmett put his hands up in defense, "It was just a thought. Calm down."

"You wanting her to be 19 is just wishful thinking since you were 19," Edward grinned.

"I was 20! So far, I'm the third eldest in this family. Remember, you have to respect your elders, Serafina," Emmett said with a grin, looking at Serafina, who was still enjoying her massage. Her eyes shot open as she turned a glare at Emmett for calling her by her first name.

"You don't know how old Ms. Hart was when she was turned. She could be older than you," Jasper said.

Serafina didn't want Emmett to have been older than her when she was turned. She thought about lying.

"She was 18," Edward said, giving Serafina a wink as she glared at him.

"Who brought up this old debate?" Carlisle said, walking into the home and making his way to the other side of Esme. Kissing her on her temple as he sat and made himself comfortable.

"Do you count seniority by age when turned? Or just by counting time as usual?" Serafina asked.

"Well, physiologically speaking. Our bodies are the age we were turned. Did I hear right? You were 18 when you were turned?" he asked Serafina. She nodded. "Well, then you are 18. When were you born?"

"1800," she answered.

Emmett let out his low whistle, "Sorry, grandma."

Carlisle reached behind Esme and smacked him upside his head, "That's rude. You don't comment that way about a lady's age." He scolded, allowing his arm to settle around Esme's shoulder. He then looked back at Serafina, "Do you feel 150 years old?"

"No," she looked at him incredulously.

"And you never will. You'll just be 18 forever." Carlisle shrugged.

Rosalie and Edward seemed a little down after hearing it. But they didn't comment. Serafina didn't notice since she was looking over at Carlisle and Esme. But the parents had a good view of Rosalie's and Edward's expressions. Although small, they still noticed the slight frown.

"Can I get all ages from everyone, please? I'm curious about everyone's date of birth and age when turned. Plus, I think it'll help us familiarize ourselves with each other. It can also help us figure out ages to express to others when we move to new towns," Carlisle stated, starting for everyone with his date of birth and age when turned.

They continued debating age well into the night. Emmett finally gave up on trying to get permission to say Serafina's first name by being older. He demanded he be allowed to say her first name just because he was bigger than her. She was so annoyed she gave in and allowed everyone to say her first name all they pleased before she retired for the night with Rosalie. Although everyone was given permission, Emmett took it as a personal victory and gave everyone else a bow before going to his room.

"You shouldn't be so proud," Edward scoffed, stopping before he entered his room, "you only got your way because you're annoying."

Emmett tutted him as he stopped from entering his room. He walked over to Edward and clapped his hand on his shoulder, "Edward Edward Edward. You're wrong." He said, looking at him disappointedly, "I'm not proud because I'm annoying." He shook his head, "I'm proud because I'm the most annoying." He said, turning the look of disappointment into a large grin. This caused Edward to chuckle as he shoved him back toward his room.

"Claiming to be so old, and you're one of the most immature of the bunch," Esme complained from the opposite end of the house, in her room with Carlisle.

"Huh, older but still immature. Sound like someone else you know, Jasper?" Edward called out from his room.

"I may know of someone else like that," Jasper agreed from his room with Alice. Everyone could hear her giggling.

"Who?" Emmett asked.

"Oh, you weren't there, were you, Emmett? Alice probably saw. But yeah, our new sister threw a small tantrum earlier and almost burned the whole forest down," Edward answered.

"Shut up, Edward," Serafina warned.

"For a ridiculous reason, too, huh Jazz?" Edward continued.

"Wait, you know why she was upset?" Rosalie questioned. Her question brought the house into total silence.

"Oh shit," Jasper muttered, "Ed, I don't think she told her."

"Yeah, I know that now," Edward answered, "Sorry! Goodnight!" he called out.

Emmett's and Alice's laughter rang through the house.

"Oh my god, she is going to kill you two tomorrow!" Emmett laughed.

"Emmett, it's no fun if you warn them! Didn't you learn anything from your surprising them earlier?" Alice joined in.

"Hey, that's right!" Emmett answered, remembering his slaps, "They deserve it!"

Serafina and Rosalie had stopped listening as soon as Rosalie heard that her brothers knew why Serafina had been upset earlier in the day. She gave Serafina a look as she crossed her arms and turned away from her. Serafina began whispering low so only the two could hear, apologizing and letting her know they had guessed why she was upset while she didn't actually tell them. All while murdering the two in her head and trying to think about it loud enough for Edward to hear.

Chapter Text

"It seems you're comfortable with us now," Carlisle commented after seeing Serafina playing chess with Edward in the living room. It had been a month and a half since Serafina had moved in. She was, in fact, very much comfortable with them now.

"Sweetheart, I didn't take you for a chess player," Esme said in surprise.

Serafina calmly continued playing with Edward as she responded, "I have a couple of years of experience playing with a little genius back in Volterra. I had to play while entertaining a bossy little thing who still wanted attention, so I'm pretty good at playing without thinking."

"Multitasking," Esme nodded, "that's very impressive!"

Edward had his brows furrowed as he concentrated on the match. He would glance up at Serafina now and then as she spoke to the others. She was even braiding Rosalie's hair at the same time. Rosalie sat on the floor in front of Serafina so that she could reach her hair. The game was on the table to Serafina's left, so she could turn to the side and play when needed. Edward was incredibly frustrated. She was talking to the others while keeping her mind solely on Rosalie. She would pretty much only play in response to his moves. She was never thinking ahead, which he found incredibly annoying.

Jasper could feel his frustration. It was radiating from him. But he didn't even need his ability to know. He could just look up and see the glare he would shoot at Serafina. He felt immense satisfaction seeing Edward struggling at a game he typically dominated. Everyone else did too.

"Just admit you can't win unless you cheat!" Emmett called out while looking for a good station on the radio for them to enjoy. He was very much into jazz at the time. He settled on a station currently playing Nat "King" Cole. He danced back to his spot on the couch next to Jasper. His remark brought stifled giggles from everyone else in the room.

Everyone but Rosalie. She didn't even bother trying to hide her laughter.

"I don't cheat!" Edward growled back. He thought a moment before making a move that brought a smile to his face, "Check."

Serafina glanced at the board and quickly made her move, undoing his work in a matter of seconds, "Checkmate." She called.

"That's my girl!" Rosalie called, pulling Serafina's face down to give her a hard kiss. She ended it by giving Edward a mocking look, "Guess Emmett's right. You can't win unless you cheat."

"A genius and a bossy little thing?" Carlisle questioned, "You can't possibly mean-"

"Do you know the twins?" Serafina wondered out loud. She reluctantly turned her attention from Rosalie to Carlisle.

"Yes. They're not the friendliest of the Volturi, I noticed. Were you close to them?" Carlisle asked.

"Mhm. I guess you could call them my adoptive younger siblings. You guys should understand that considering how you all live," Serafina answered with a slight grin, "I love those kids. They're so fun."

"Aren't they the sadists you mentioned before?" Edward asked. He glared at the board, trying to see if Serafina somehow cheated.

"She didn't cheat! We all sat around you two and watched her make a fool of you," Rosalie argued. Upset at the insinuation. She stood up and took a protective stance in front of Serafina, "If anyone here is a cheater, it's you. Reading people's minds when playing so you always win."

"I never said she cheated," Edward replied, "and I don't cheat."

"You didn't have to say anything! Look at you-" Rosalie began.

Serafina could see Rosalie getting worked up. It seemed she was even protective of her honor in a small game against her brother. She reached out and pulled Rosalie to sit on her lap, holding her tightly around her waist until she finally relaxed.

"They're not sadists. They take pride in their work," Serafina defended the twins, "it helps that they enjoy what they do. I'm glad they like their work."

Everyone present, minus Alice and Jasper, had heard of what the twins did for the Volturi. They couldn't help but look at Serafina a little strangely. But they looked at each other as though unsure of how to proceed.

Serafina had seen their hesitation, "It's just a bit of torture. They hardly kill as much as Felix or Demetri while working. Hell, I may have killed more than them in my short stints with their guard than them. The twins don't like to get their hands dirty. They're usually the intimidation to get the ball rolling. See, they're not that bad." She shrugged.

This did not make the others feel better, but it did bring up more questions for the family.

"If you stayed with the Volturi, how come it took you so long to get used to us?" Emmett questioned.

"I didn't stay with them long. They didn't make me stay with their guard. I had my suite in the castle, away from everyone. When the twins were too busy with work, I'd usually leave. If I stayed in the castle when they were away, I'd usually kill some of their guards that bothered or startled me. I never really got in trouble for it. But after a while, Aro encouraged me to explore Europe alone when the twins were too busy for me." Serafina explained.

"How many people do you think you've killed?" Emmett asked curiously.

"Emmett! That's not exactly appropriate. I'm sure Serafina doesn't like remembering those things," Esme scolded lowly.

"Doesn't bother me. Hundreds. Maybe a thousand? I had no problem killing groups when necessary. If you count vamps and 'others' as people, we're certainly over a thousand now." Serafina answered.

Although most of the family frowned upon murder, Rosalie was impressed. Serafina didn't seem to murder for fun, so she believed she had done it for a reason. She also knew a good amount of the kills had to have been from feeding. This new train of thought caused her to grow concerned. Serafina hadn't fed in the time she'd been with her family. It had been almost two months now since she came back. How could she broach the subject?

"You hungry Serafina? When was the last time you fed?" Edward asked. This brought a glare from Rosalie. But Edward didn't care. She was a danger to the town if she hadn't been feeding. A possible exposure risk. He had to think of the family.

"I'm alright. I don't need to feed as often as you all. Not entirely sure why. But I'm good, don't worry. It's more likely that you'll get a massacre from Jazz over there than myself," she gestured with her chin in Jasper's direction.

"It wouldn't be a massacre. Possibly just a small killin' spree until my thirst is sated," Jasper answered with a slight grin. His answer made everyone but Carlisle, Esme, and Edward chuckle. He noticed their reactions, "I'm sorry. I was kiddin'. I think I'm good. I think my thirst is under control." He reassured them.

"He's much better! I don't see him hurting anyone anytime soon. Serafina, either!" Alice chimed in.

Alice's sudden exclamation startled everyone present. She had been reticent lately, and they weren't entirely sure why. She especially disliked being in the same room as Edward recently. Edward knew she was hiding something but couldn't figure out what.

Carlisle asked, "Now Alice, you've been quiet recently. Is everything alright?"

"What? Quiet? Me? No, that's ridiculous," she chuckled awkwardly.

The family couldn't help but give each other unbelieving looks.

"Alice, you know I find you adorable," Rosalie started.

"Annoying," Serafina corrected.

"But adorable!" Rosalie nodded seriously.

"Horrible liar, though. I can help you with that," Serafina offered.

"Girls," Esme chided. She gave both women a stern look. But she smiled lovingly at Alice, "Is it something dangerous? Or bad?"

Alice shook her head as in no.

"Is it a good thing?" Esme continued.

Alice couldn't hide her smile and began to nod vigorously.

"Then it's a surprise! Everyone, leave Alice alone. Let her enjoy her surprise," Esme nodded. Grabbing Carlisle's hand as she walked to the backyard—her word ending the subject.

"We'll be in the garden out back if you need us. You're all more than welcome to join if you want. Those Middlemist Reds are thriving. We're considering rearranging the layout to give them more of a central focus," Carlisle extended the offer to them while being led away.

As soon as the parents left the home, the teens turned to Alice.

"I'm not telling!" she yelled as she bolted out the back door and ran past their parents into the forest.

"Get her!" Edward called as the rest of the teens followed.

All teens followed, curious as to what Alice was hiding. Esme and Carlisle just shook their heads as they ran past.

"You really don't know what she's hiding?" Emmett asked Edward as they ran, "You losing your ability?"

"She must've had the vision while away from us. Otherwise, I see them the same time she does and would know. So, she probably saw it before and then did everything she could to think about anything else when around me." Edward defended.

"She's only been around you a few months, and she already knows how to avoid your invasion of privacy. I'm starting to like Alice more and more," Rosalie grinned. She then threw her attention to her mate, who was just behind her, "How are you doing, Sera?" she called.

Serafina had a branch smack her in the face as she ran behind everyone else. She disliked running. It didn't hurt. But it was still a literal slap in the face. She was furious. But she was curious about Alice and knew Rosa was interested too, so she hid her discomfort, "I'm fine. But the sooner we catch her, the better." She answered.

"What's the plan for when we find her? Torture? We'll make her listen to Edward play all that boring classical music he likes. I think that'll get her to talk," Emmett suggested.

"Hey! I like that music sometimes. It can be relaxing," Serafina argued.

"It's relaxing because you can't sleep. If you could sleep, it would put you to sleep," Emmett explained.

Serafina had to admit that made sense, but she didn't have a chance to dwell on it when they heard Rosalie, "She's just up ahead."

Edward and Emmett ran side by side, matching speeds. Edward wasn't going full speed, and Emmett was pushing himself to try and get to her first. But while running, Edward had a startled look on his face, "Traitor!" he yelled as he sped up, narrowly avoiding being tackled by Jasper. The tackle instead made an impact with Emmett, who crashed into several trees as Jasper quickly got up and chased the rest.

"Thank you, Jazz!" they heard Alice giggle in the distance.

"What the hell, Jasper?" they heard Emmett call from where he had landed. No one bothered to check on him as they kept running and began to listen more clearly to ensure Jasper wasn't on their trail.

"Don't worry, Rosa, he won't get close to you," Serafina promised, "you just keep pumping those gorgeous legs of yours."

Rosalie chuckled in front of her, "So that's why you haven't caught up with me. Enjoying the view?" she called.

"Please, for the love of God, stop," Edward groaned from ahead. But he sighed, "She's not wrong, though."

"What the fuck?" Serafina and Rosalie both asked at the same time. Anger in Serafina's voice, while Rosalie's only expressed her disgust.

"What?" he asked but heard their thoughts. He knew they misunderstood, "Wait? What? No! Ew! I meant Serafina is right that you would be safe. Jasper wouldn't go after you, Rosalie, not with Serafina so close. He wouldn't risk angering her. So, I'm going to have to step this up a notch. Don't worry. I'll get her." He said before he accelerated.

"Not if I make him feel he has no hope of catching her," Rosalie and Serafina heard from their right as Jasper began to catch up to them.

Both women laughed as they noticed Edward's speed slow down just before Jasper tackled him. The two women continued chasing Alice until she suddenly skidded to a stop. Rosalie crashed into her, with Serafina just behind as well. All three fell into a pile on the floor, laughing.

Rosalie smacked Alice's thigh, "We caught you! Now tell us what you've been hiding." None of the three bothered getting up.

"Did you catch me? I think I stopped because we finally reached our destination," Alice grinned.

"Our destination?" Serafina whispered, looking at Rosalie with confusion.

"Why did you make us go in a big circle?" Emmett asked. He ran out of the forest with the two other men, pushing and shoving while they laughed.

Only then did Rosalie and Serafina look up and notice they were back at their house. They looked at Alice, who had her little mischievous grin. Jasper walked over and helped her as Serafina got up and helped Rosalie to her feet.

"I just needed to waste time," Alice grinned, "this was more fun anyways! Right?"

"Hell yeah!" Emmett laughed as he bounced over, "What's going to happen? Can you tell us now?"

Then they all heard multiple cars with several people coming down the long driveway. Edward looked at Alice, and she finally allowed him to see into her mind. He grinned as he signaled for them all to go inside.

Esme and Carlisle had heard the cars as well. Although confused since they weren't expecting company, they still went inside to wait. Once they listened to the kids return home, they looked at them to see if they knew what was happening. Their faces landed on Alice. Seeing her excitement, they at least knew it wasn't anything bad. They relaxed.

The door was knocked. Emmett was always the one who was most excited about receiving company, so he immediately ran to be the one to open it—calming himself down before opening the door with an easygoing smile on his face, "Hello, how can I help you?"

"Good afternoon, sir. My name is Robert Snyder. I was hoping I could meet with La Doña. Speak to her privately," a man in a very well-tailored suit introduced himself.

"I don't know what that is," Emmett answered in confusion.

Jasper immediately ran over, "One moment, I'll get La Doña for you," he said as he put a hand on Emmett's shoulder to pull him back.

"Please let her know I will wait for her in the driveway," Snyder said, giving the two a small nod before turning around and going to the driveway.

Serafina ran upstairs to change and get a cover for her eyes. She saw the family curiously looking at her, minus Edward and Alice, "you guys can come outside," she said with a grin before going out.

The family immediately followed and waited near the door. They saw two nice black cars in front and a large truck where several men were working to unload a rather large item. Serafina walked over to Snyder.

They could all hear his accelerated heartbeat at her presence. He even gave her a small bow which was very strange to see. He was nervous as he whispered, "Doña, I'm so sorry for how long this has taken. When I phoned the home office and told them of your request, they insisted on sending some of their artists to the factory to customize your request further. They said you would like it. I explained it would be a gift, but that didn't stop them. Please forgive me."

"It's alright. They know me rather well. I'm sure they made it worth the wait," Serafina answered.

He sighed in relief as he pulled a set of keys from his pocket and extended his hand to Serafina. She didn't even put her hand out to accept. He was confused as he looked back up at her.

"I thought you said you knew it was a gift?" she questioned.

"My apologies!" he exclaimed as he stood up straight, walked straight over to Rosalie, gave her a small bow, and offered her the keys instead.

Rosalie gave Serafina a questioning look. Serafina smiled and gave her a nod of reassurance as she accepted the keys. She thanked him as he returned to the men at the truck. Rosalie looked at the keys in her hand and saw Serafina call her over to herself. She walked over and stood at her side and watched the men work.

The workers at the truck finally unloaded the large item and gave Snyder a nod as they began packing up. Snyder approached the covered item and signaled the men to remove the tarp revealing a gorgeous red BMW hardtop convertible.

The family gasped at the sight. It had a beautiful white interior, but a red rose was embroidered on each of the two front leather seats. Rosalie's jaw dropped.

"Please take a look and make sure it's up to your standards," Snyder gestured for the women to inspect the vehicle.

They went over and took a look at it in greater detail. Red exterior. White interior. Red rose designs on the two front seats and red trim were in the perfect spots to keep it classy. When they reached the back of the vehicle, they noticed a white design in the center of the back—Serafina's design from her coins. She couldn't hold back her grin as she ran her hand over it.

"It's perfect, Snyder," she grinned, "yes, it's perfect. You may go now."

He bowed again and signaled for everyone to leave. They hastily left, allowing the family to make their way over to the car.

Serafina looked over to Rosalie to see her reaction when Rosalie suddenly jumped into her arms and gave her a deep kiss. It turned into several kisses.

"Did you like your surprise?" Serafina finally breathed out, pulling back from the kisses Rosalie gave her.

"I can't believe you did this," Rosalie said, kissing Serafina all over her face as Serafina held her up.

"It's beautiful," Esme said, looking it over with the others.

"Let me take it for a spin!" Emmett shouted excitedly.

"This is Rosalie's car. You need to ask her permission first," Esme scolded.

Hearing the others fawning over her new car woke Rosalie up. She realized she was probably being too affectionate in front of them all. She became self-conscious and tried to get down.

"Oh no, I like this," Serafina gripped her tighter, "you stay like this, and I'll take you to look at the car again."

Rosalie laughed and pushed Serafina with a stern look until she was finally put down. She then ran over to the driver's side and sat down, turning it on. She remembered where everything was from when the salesman explained the vehicle to her. She got the top down, and she squealed in excitement.

"Too bad you can't take it for a spin since you don't know how to drive yet," Edward shrugged.

Serafina was confused. Didn't Rosalie love cars? Why would she love them so much if she couldn't drive yet? She gave Rosalie a questioning look. Rosalie didn't notice as she ran her hands over the steering wheel in awe.

"We did say we would start your lessons. Seems like the perfect time, right?" Carlisle said with a smile.

"And when he's too busy with work, I can give you lessons," Edward grinned.

"Or I could," Esme offered, causing Edward's grin to disappear.

"Ouch. You know she'll pick Esme over you any day," Emmett laughed as he clasped Edward's shoulder, "Looks like you'll never get to drive it."

"You either," Edward replied, smacking Emmett in his stomach.

"Hold on," Serafina finally couldn't stand it, "Mi hermosa, you can't drive?"

"Not yet! But you can bet I'll do my best to learn as soon as possible!" she smiled back.

Serafina was in shock. But she shook that from her thoughts. At least Rosalie enjoyed her surprise. Now everyone gathered around her car as they admired it. Rosalie was incredibly proud. But she would show her child-like excitement as she grabbed Serafina's hand and pointed out things in the vehicle that were upgraded from the stock version that they had seen at the car show.

Everyone was very happy for Rosalie, aside from when Serafina had moved in. This had to be the happiest they had ever seen her. It was good Serafina had moved in. She did everything she could to make Rosalie happy. What they found adorable was how seeing Rosalie happy made Serafina happy too. The family smiled as they watched Rosalie drag Serafina around the car excitedly. Carlisle offered to begin their lessons immediately. Due to Rosalie's excitement, those lessons started that day. It was a fun day for all.

Chapter Text

Rosalie's lessons started immediately that first day she got the car. She had the whole family as an audience. She loved her new car and quickly became obsessed. She made a schedule with Carlisle for additional sessions to happen every day. If she ever got too antsy waiting for him to return from work, she was given the go-ahead by Esme to ask her. It wasn't as though a lack of sunlight could hinder them. If she wasn't in the car taking driving lessons, then she could be found reading the owner's manual.

This behavior didn't bother Serafina. She found Rosalie incredibly cute while immersed in something she found genuinely interesting. She was always telling Serafina what she learned. She was proud of her mate. But while she was proud, she didn't like to be in the car with her anymore for these driving lessons. The first real lesson with just Rosalie, Carlisle, and Serafina was what made Serafina not want to be a part of it. Serafina found it somewhat traumatizing.

That first time, Carlisle offered for her to lean forward so she could also learn. She refused. She had said she would wait for Rosalie to know so that she could teach her alone. They all agreed. Then Serafina lay comfortably in the backseat, one leg bent and the other crossed over it. Her bare foot dangled in the air. She was listening to the lesson while not listening. She was focusing on Rosalie's voice, finding comfort in hearing her. They skidded to a stop a few times. She could feel the vehicle accelerate on occasion. After she had relaxed and managed to get herself into a meditative state, she heard an exclamation from Carlisle, and the car braked sharply, causing Serafina to fly into the back of the front seat and end up lying on the floor between the front and backseats.

"Sera, are you alright?" Rosalie quickly parked the car on the side of the dirt road and looked at Serafina stuck on the floor in the back, "I'm so sorry!" she said, leaning over the seat and helping to pull her upright.

Carlisle couldn't help his chuckles. Both women gave him an unbelieving look, and he cleared his throat, "Are you alright, Serafina?"

"Don't," Serafina answered nonplussed. Her eyes narrowed at the man as she realized the family no longer feared her. Her annoyance began to bring a slight glow to her eyes. Her reaction brought a smile to Rosalie's face as she grabbed her by her jaw and forced her to look at herself. She gave her a quick kiss. This immediately calmed Serafina down.

"I'm sorry, it won't happen again. I'm getting the hang of it," Rosalie said with a smile as she returned to sitting correctly in her seat.

Rosalie lied. It happened again. Serafina didn't want to lay in the backseat any more. She sat rigidly in the back. Nervous. She would watch the road and attempt to brace herself whenever she suspected Rosalie would hit the brakes too suddenly. She was agitated the entire ride because she soon realized she couldn't find a pattern for these stops at all. But whenever Rosalie looked back at her briefly or asked how she was doing, Serafina was all praises and never complained.

The next day, in preparation for their next session, Rosalie led Serafina by the hand to the car. When Carlisle had gone out to meet them, he saw Serafina's face and asked to speak privately with Rosalie. They went a bit away and lowered their voices for only the two of them, "I think we should just learn by ourselves," he said calmly.

"Why can't Serafina come?" Rosalie asked with confusion.

"I think it'll be a very nice surprise for you to show her how much you improve. Then you can teach her by yourself. I'll bet she gets bored sitting in that backseat with nothing to do but listen to my voice," Carlisle reasoned. He then saw the hesitance on her face, "We won't go far, and we won't be gone for long. We may have to do a few more lessons in total, but we can stick to an hour or two so you two aren't apart for long. I know your bond is still solidifying. I won't keep you two apart for long."

When they returned from their talk, Rosalie went over to Serafina and explained how she wanted Serafina to only ride with her when she was an expert. She asked her to stay in their territory until she came back. She promised to keep the time apart to a minimum. Serafina agreed. When Rosalie turned around, Serafina mouthed a 'Thank You' to Carlisle. He smiled at her as he returned to the car with Rosalie to leave.

"That bad?" Edward asked as he walked over with the others.

"She'll get the hang of it," Serafina answered.

"So it was that bad," Alice giggled, "don't worry. She will be an expert in no time!"

"Nah, she's too technical. She needs to drive with her heart, not her head. It's going to take her forever!" Emmett said.

"Miss Rosalie? Miss Rosalie doesn't use her heart? I can assure you; she lets her emotions reign majority of the time," Jasper replied.

"You drive with your heart and not your head? No wonder you crashed our last car," Edward shook his head. He looked at the others, "We would have a car for us to go out around town if he didn't crash it. I doubt Carlisle will let us get another car anytime soon."

"So, this is why you were so excited that I was getting Rosa a car," Serafina gave Edward a knowing look.

"There's room for six of us," Emmett sang before Edward could answer. Edward merely shrugged. Acquiescing to Emmett's response.

"It will be so much fun to go around town!" Alice added. She grabbed Serafina's hand to drag her away once the car was out of sight, "We can go shopping and hang out at all the spots that the other people our age like to hang out at!"

"Dances, movies, diners! It'll be fun!" Emmett said as they began walking toward the backyard.

Jasper immediately frowned, "I don't know. Maybe it's not such a good idea."

"What happened to your thirst being under control?" Edward asked with a bit of attitude.

"He's fine," Alice said, standing in front of Jasper. Although Edward's eyes had to go down to look at her, Alice's expression still managed to intimidate him. It was the protectiveness. Jasper smiled at her back.

"I'm just nervous. I should be fine," he agreed. If Alice believed in him, he could trust that.

All of them sat at the picnic table in the backyard. They just talked about nothing until Rosalie came back. She joined them, and they would continue talking about nothing.

This continued for a few weeks, but they all discovered something that concerned them all. Serafina started getting a little moody. Quiet. Aggressive. She stopped chatting with them and began walking in the forest to wait for Rosalie alone.

They expressed their concerns to Rosalie, but she didn't notice anything wrong. But of course, she wouldn't. Serafina could never turn that anger or aggression toward her mate. It was her presence that relaxed her. Rosalie only noticed that Serafina became a bit more dependent on herself. Clingy. Serafina didn't like to be without Rosalie. But Rosalie loved it.

One evening, it was just Rosalie, Emmett, and Serafina hanging out in the forest. Emmett thought it would be funny to threaten to throw Rosalie like he had thrown Alice before. He joked about how he was sure he could get her home faster that way. Rosalie laughed and told him he was stupid, but Serafina immediately became alert. As soon as Emmett lunged toward Rosalie jokingly, Serafina growled and shoved him backward. He had flown back several feet before he planted his feet to stabilize himself. She was crouching in a defensive posture and allowing her eyes to glow as her hands became engulfed in flames.

Emmett stood up and immediately put his hands up in surrender, "Hey Serafina, I was kidding. I wouldn't do that."

Rosalie was confused. But now she believed the others when they said something was wrong. She ran before Serafina and put her hands up, "Sera, it's okay. I'm okay. Look at me, baby, calm down. You need to calm down, please."

Serafina was glaring past Rosalie to Emmett. Her growls were still present but began lowering in volume. Then Rosalie reached for Serafina's hand. Out of instinct, the flame disappeared. This brought a smile to Rosalie's face. She still couldn't hurt her even if she weren't behaving normally. As soon as the physical contact happened, Serafina woke up.

"Sorry," she said, letting go of Rosalie's hand, "I think I need to go for a walk."

"I can go with you," Rosalie offered.

"Hey, I'm fine," Serafina said, smiling, "I just need to be alone for a bit." She moved forward to give Rosalie a quick kiss and then quickly retreated.

Emmett and Rosalie looked at each other with worry.

"Should we follow her?" Emmett asked.

"Yeah, but we need to keep our distance. It would be best if you stayed behind me," Rosalie said as she slowly began to follow.

Serafina wandered until she reached a large cavern. The cavern was pretty deep and very well hidden. She was in a lot of pain, so she didn't notice anything wrong with her surroundings. She didn't sense Rosalie or Emmett following. They followed through the tunnel and managed to hide behind some large boulders at the cavern. Serafina's eyes began to glow as she angrily threw fireballs at the cave wall. She soon allowed the flames to fully engulf her as she screamed and slammed her fist against a boulder. Once it shattered, she released shaky breaths as her flames extinguished, and she slowly sat near the back of the cavern wall. She began to meditate. But the fire came back.

Rosalie's heart broke. She wanted nothing more than to go out and comfort Serafina. She could sense pain, but she wasn't sure why. She also knew that Serafina wished to be alone. She tried to respect that, but she was worried. So, she kept watching to see if she could find anything out.

After an hour of meditating while on fire, Serafina's eyes suddenly opened. But her eyes looked blank as they glowed. Almost as though she were possessed. It was terrifying. But she blinked her eyes, and they turned back to normal. Only then did Rosalie notice her eyes weren't red at the time. The orange ring that usually circled her pupil seemed to dominate her eyes. It was strange.

"Alright, I admit it. Your mate is very scary. If she looked like that three months ago when she first showed up, I would not have messed with her at all," Emmett whispered to Rosalie.

Rosalie ignored him and continued to watch. Serafina sighed and lay on her back. She gently closed her eyes as she began to sing. It was hard to hear at first. Serafina seemed to be whispering. But her voice slowly rose in volume. Both Rosalie and Emmett stopped breathing to hear better.

"¡Ay de mí!, Llorona, Llorona / Llorona, mucho te adoro / ¡Ay de mí!, Llorona, Llorona / Llorona, mucho te adoro / Tú no sabes si te quiero, Llorona / Porque no sabes que lloro / Tú no sabes si te quiero, Llorona / Porque no sabes que lloro." Serafina sang. Her voice was so sorrowful but beautiful. Emmett and Rosalie were in awe. They had no idea what was being sung, but they didn't need to understand to know it was sung well. They heard her continue, "Si porque te quiero, quieres, Llorona / Que yo la muerte reciba / Si porque te quiero, quieres, Llorona / Que yo la muerte reciba / Que se haga tu voluntad, Llorona / Que muera por que otro viva / Que se haga tu voluntad, Llorona / Que muera por que otro viva."

She continued singing. She was repeating those two verses somewhat in a daze. The two decided to head back home to ask Jasper what she was singing. They hoped it would give them some insight into what might be wrong with Serafina. Rosalie thought a few words sounded somewhat familiar, but she couldn't remember from where.

When they made it home, they told the others what had happened in the forest and how they had followed Serafina into a cave. When they described the song, they turned to Jasper.

"Well, do you remember any of the words?" he asked the two.

Emmett shook his head, but Rosalie repeated the second verse she had heard word for word. She managed to memorize it, thinking she would need to tell Jasper. As soon as she started singing it, Jasper stiffened and gave her a concerned look.

"What? Is she okay?" Rosalie asked, the fear rolling off of her. She wanted to rush back right then to see if she was alright.

Jasper, of course, felt it. He tried to relax to put her at ease. But Rosalie had also seen Edward stiffen as he glanced at Jasper before looking in the direction Rosalie and Emmett had come from. He was deciding if he should go out or not.

"Please, Jasper, tell me," Rosalie practically begged.

"She's fine, Miss Rosalie. But I'm pretty sure she's hungry," Jasper finished.

The whole home was engulfed in silence. Rosalie felt horrible. She had been neglecting her mate and allowed her to suffer. Just as she was about to leave, they heard the back door open as Serafina walked in. They all got a good look at her. They noticed the makeup under her eyes and her somewhat disheveled appearance.

Serafina put a smile on her face, "you all didn't have to wait for me." She said as she approached Rosalie, "Let's go back to your room."

Carlisle quickly stood in front of her. Serafina's fingers twitched before she clenched her fists but immediately released them. She put her smile back up as she looked up at him.

"May I see your eyes, Serafina?" Carlisle asked as he put his hand out. As soon as his hand shot out, Serafina couldn't help her glare as she quickly stepped back.

Rosalie was immediately holding her hand, "You're alright. He won't hurt you. Not even touch you. He wants to look at your eyes." She whispered soothingly as she moved to hug her and held her tight.

Carlisle stood behind Rosalie as he looked into Serafina's eyes, "Remarkable, your eyes don't turn black like ours do when we need to feed. You do look a bit tired. But your eyes turn completely orange. I wonder if it's because of your fire? You seem able to control yourself, for now anyways, but you should have let someone know," he turned to the woman embracing her, "Rosalie." Carlisle signaled Rosalie to do as she wished. He already knew how she would handle things.

Serafina gave him a questioning look, unsure of what he was going on about. She was about to ask when she noticed Edward's glare. She glared back when he said, "We know you're hungry. Go with Rosalie."

As soon as his words came out, she froze and guiltily looked at Rosalie. Rosalie dragged her back to their spot. She turned around and pushed Serafina, "Why didn't you tell me you were getting hungry?"

"It's not a big deal. I can still control my thirst," Serafina tried to appease her.

Rosalie shook her head, unbelieving, "How long have you been in pain?"

"Not long, and it's not that bad," Serafina answered softly. She was still trying to make Rosalie believe it wasn't that bad.

"Stop lying and come on. We're going to get you something to eat," Rosalie said as she began walking into the forest. She noticed Serafina didn't seem to be following. She turned around and saw Serafina with a look of disgust on her face, "please, baby? I don't want you to hurt anymore."

Although Serafina was disgusted, she knew she needed to feed. Her mate was worried. Even the rest of the family seemed to be concerned. And even though she hated the thought of feeding on animal blood, she had already told Rosalie she would. She had to go out and do it. She approached Rosalie and grabbed her hand as she allowed her to lead her into the forest to hunt. She had been dreading this day and tried to hide her thirst as long as possible. But it seemed she had to face the music.

Chapter Text

Rosalie took Serafina to her favorite hunting spot. They ran the whole way, and getting there took longer than regular runs. Serafina didn't know where they were but knew it was many miles away from home. She hadn't sensed the other Cullens for the longest time while traveling.

Serafina looked around. They were at the top of a ridge. They were so far from civilization that there were many animals around. Not necessarily near them, being the predators they were, many animals fled the area as soon as they neared. But when she looked down to the bottom of the ridge, she could see some deer grazing. They were downwind from the deer, and since they were so light on their feet, their prey couldn't hear them. These were the perfect hunting conditions.

Rosalie walked behind Serafina, put her arms around her waist, and put her head on her shoulder with her mouth at her ear, "Just go when you think you're ready." She whispered.

Serafina frowned. She didn't want to drink animal blood. She knew she said she would, but she planned on waiting until she was absolutely famished and could no longer keep her monster locked within. It wasn't the best idea. A lot could go wrong. She could snap and attack an innocent human, true. But maybe she would get lucky, and the human she murdered would be someone who deserved it. Was she a lucky person? Not really, but people were never genuinely innocent anyways.

Rosalie could sense her unwillingness. She looked at Serafina's side profile and noticed a small pout that made her want to laugh. She held it back and kissed her cheek instead, "Please? You said you'd try."

Serafina deflated. She had to do it, but she had never actually hunted before. If she were to be technical, she would be more of a fisher than a hunter. When she fed, it was more like fishing. She was the bait, and her food came to her. She just had to reel them in and feed. She never had to chase her food. She didn't know what to do.

"Mi hermosa, I've never actually done this before. What do I do?" she hesitantly asked under her breath.

Rosalie was surprised but remembered that Serafina never went with her when she hunted before. She let go of her waist so she could stand before her but was pulled back by Serafina, "you can tell me from where you were. I'll still listen." Rosalie grinned but took her spot behind Serafina again to whisper in her ear but was stopped before she could when Serafina reached back and grabbed her arms and put them around her waist again, "alright. Now I'm all ears."

Rosalie giggled but whispered in her ears how to start. She decided to hunt with her to show her what to do. They started with the plan to capture the deer first. Rosalie then tied Serafina's hair into a ponytail and tied up her own hair, "Ready?"

Serafina nodded. Then the two took off quickly toward the deer. Prey's instincts are sharp. Although the two vampires are faster than most predators that typically go for the deer, the deer still sensed them. They may not have known what was going for them, but they still tried to leave the area as quickly as possible. Serafina managed to keep up with them. But was still a bit unsure of how to proceed. She saw Rosalie quickly and elegantly subdue one and managed to mimic her movements. But then she stopped. Rosalie told her exactly where she wanted to bite and then bit her own deer.

Serafina grimaced but bit exactly where Rosalie had said. She made a mess. Her face scrunched in disgust, but she kept her bite. But after that first taste, she released her jaw and gagged. Rosalie heard her and released her bite, "Finish it! It'll taste worse if you let the blood go cold. Just force it down." She scolded.

Serafina put her mouth back and tried to down it. If it tasted as bad as it did fresh, she wanted to avoid tasting it cold. She didn't think she would be able to take it. Once she finished, she dropped the deer and immediately stood up, looking at her dress which was now covered in blood.

Rosalie finished her deer and stood up to look at her. She had a giant smile on her face, "Are you keeping it down?"

"Barely," she complained, "but I'm more concerned about this dress. I did what you did. How did I get dirty when you didn't?"

Rosalie also frowned, "Years of practice. Follow me." She led her towards a crevice in the ridge's base, "I hope it's still there," she mumbled as she reached in. Serafina stood back and watched curiously. "Yes! It's still here. Here you go. I know it's not your size, but better than being covered in blood, right?" she shrugged.

"Why do you have clothes out here? You're pretty good at staying clean." Serafina wondered aloud.

"This is my favorite spot to hunt, but sometimes the others come too. Emmett sometimes distracts me or flicks blood at me when he's being really annoying. So, I started leaving spare clothes here just in case." She answered, handing Serafina the clothes.

Serafina felt a little playful since she was now full and in a good mood, so Serafina dropped her dress right there. She was not even giving Rosalie a chance to turn away. She thought she would do this to test her mate's reaction.

She found it odd. She was older than Rosalie but noticed Rosalie was a bit more uptight than herself about going further in their relationship. They would go to the ensuite or closet to change at home. All they had done was kiss so far. But when they were alone, and Serafina tried to get a bit more intimate, Rosalie would typically stiffen and stop all progress. So the most they had done was necking. It made Serafina feel like she wasn't attractive to her mate. Because Rosalie herself never tried to go further. But Serafina very much wanted to go further, so she wasn't sure what to do.

While only in her undergarments, she pretended to be focused on changing while keeping her eyes on Rosalie's reaction. She made sure to take her time. She could see Rosalie had stiffened but didn't turn away. She could feel her eyes on her body when she couldn't see her face. She glanced up and saw Rosalie clenching her fists. She pulled up the shorts and buttoned them, taking another quick glance at Rosalie's face this time. She could see the lust in Rosalie's eyes. She was even unconsciously biting her lip. When Serafina went to put the blouse on and blocked her face, Rosalie woke up and realized she had been staring. She quickly looked away. Thinking she was lucky and Serafina hadn't seen her.

Serafina was ecstatic. It seemed her mate was tempted by herself as well. But then, why was she holding herself back? She figured she would wait until Rosalie told her herself. It had only been a few months since they'd known each other. But if she saw an opportunity before then, she would take it.

Rosalie cleared her throat, "how do they fit?" she asked.

"Shorts are a little tight, but that just makes me look better. Don't you think?" Serafina asked, turning her waist so Rosalie could see her backside.

Rosalie couldn't hide her grin, "it does," she admitted, "are you ready to head back?"

"Do we have to? Can we travel alone for a bit?" Serafina asked, "We can go back tomorrow."

"But I bet the others are worried about-" Rosalie made the mistake of looking at Serafina and saw her using her sad eyes. She rolled her eyes and smiled, "Fine, but we go back tomorrow! The others were pretty worried about you too." she said, grabbing Serafina's hand to kiss it, "Please don't force yourself to endure the thirst. You know now that animal blood is not that bad. No, it doesn't taste good. But it's filling."

"I'm sorry I made you all worry," Serafina answered. When Rosalie dropped her hand, she grabbed Serafina's arm to hold onto her as they walked together.

The two continued walking in the middle of the forest together. They were heading closer to civilization again. The animal presence began to taper off. Of course, the animals avoided them, but they could still hear them around before. But now, there was almost nothing.

"Don't you get bored just walking through the woods like this?" Rosalie asked, "If we ran, we could've probably gone to see some interesting things in town."

"You can see some interesting things when you just wander the woods like this by walking. When you speed by, you sometimes scare the other things away." Serafina calmly answered.

Rosalie stopped at that, "what other things? The animals? They run from us either way." She scoffed.

"No, I mean the other unnatural things like us," she answered, trying to start walking again. But Rosalie pulled her back.

"The werewolves? Those mutts don't like us. It's best if you run, or else they try to kill you," Rosalie answered with annoyance at the thought of the werewolves.

"A werewolf tried to kill you?" Serafina asked, angered at the thought.

Rosalie was just as angry, "they tried." She then felt a rising heat from Serafina. She hugged her tightly and rubbed her back, "They didn't even touch us. Carlisle managed to talk them into a treaty. We don't cross the line into their territory and confirmed we would never bite or harm any humans in that town."

Serafina was in shock. Carlisle managed to speak with one of those beasts? She considered him the weakest of the Cullens. She had to re-evaluate the family power standings. Even Esme was higher in her mindset before. Her scolding managed to terrify which put her closer to the top of Serafina's list. She had a newfound respect for Carlisle and his ability to talk with a mindless beast like a werewolf.

"I didn't even mean a werewolf," Serafina said, "I agree. It's better to avoid those beasts. No, I meant you can sometimes see other strange things. Like, I've seen little fairies in the forest before. I tried to speak to them, but I don't think they liked me. At least they didn't do anything to me when I walked by. Very pretty. Or little gnomes. Those fuckers just tried to fuck with me. I'm pretty sure they would've robbed me if I didn't threaten them with my flames. They still fucked with me, though. I think they knew I didn't want to kill them. But they were curious about me, so they would walk with me and poke me a bit. I could not understand a word they said but they were cute. I actually like them more because they tried to steal from me. You can tell they're a fun bunch." Serafina commented with a small smile.

"You're joking," Rosalie gaped, "there's no such thing."

"What? I'm not lying. I've seen these things. It's not just us and werewolves. There are other things too. I've even seen some unpleasant things I don't know the names of too. Sometimes I've had to kill them." Serafina answered.

Rosalie seemed to be frozen in shock. Serafina was a bit concerned. She tried to get her walking again by tugging her hand a bit. It worked. She began to move. But she held Serafina's hand tighter than before as her eyes wandered her surroundings more enthusiastically.

It was now getting dark, and they could hear movement ahead. They debated going around but were curious about who would be out in the middle of the woods at night. They decided to go to the edge of the periphery to take a look. They could hear multiple people moving around. They whispered to each other as they went. The two women watched from a distance.

One man suddenly stopped and signaled the others to do the same, "We're not alone." He whispered a bit more loudly than before, allowing the women to hear. Though he probably didn't know that.

The women looked at each other with confusion. Had they heard them? Unlikely. They were innately nimble and stealthy creatures.

"Get ready. Who knows who the monster will go for? Everyone has to be ready," another answered in a similarly loud whisper.

Serafina was getting annoyed. Were they calling her or Rosalie a monster? What made them so special that they would feed from any of them? She was offended.

"I'm pretty full, thank you. I wouldn't go for any of you," she scoffed as she walked out of the forest to reveal herself to the group.

"Sera!" Rosalie rebuked as she followed.

"Wait-" a man exclaimed.

"It's not a wendigo! It's a leech! Huddle!" Another shouted.

Soon a small pouch was thrown at Serafina. She eyed it, and she remembered a similar situation. But Rosalie ran in front of her and caught it. She looked at it curiously and was about to bring it to her face to inspect when Serafina warned, "No, Rosa! Don't sniff that! Stop breathing!"

"Wait!" a woman's voice came from the back of the group. The men ignored it as they got into defensive postures putting themselves in front of her.

Rosalie had complete trust in her mate and stopped breathing immediately. She dropped the pouch and stepped back, wiping her hand on her pants. Serafina grabbed her arm and dragged Rosalie behind herself. She glared at the people in front of her with her glowing eyes. She calmly bent down to pick up the pouch, never removing her eyes from them, "did you just threaten my Rosa and me? I'll make sure you all die the worst death imaginable." She said burning the pouch with a more significant blue flame than necessary for intimidation purposes.

"Everyone calm down!" the woman yelled with a bit more authority than before, "Is that you, Doña?" she asked, pushing her way through the men. Two of the men recognized the name and looked toward Serafina. Some men tried to stop the woman from pushing through, but those two men told them to let her go.

Serafina's eyes stopped glowing at the name, "Do I know you?" she asked with a frown. But she still kept her flame ready. But it did visibly reduce in size.

"You probably don't remember me. But I remember you—the not-so-bad guardian of that small town in Texas." She smiled, "You let me and my boys go, even after we tried to kill you."

It took a moment for her to remember, but once it clicked, her flame extinguished, "Vera," she said. The older woman nodded, "the years have not been kind to you."

"We aren't all able to stay forever young like yourself, and I'm guessing your friend there," she scolded with hands on her hips.

The men were confused. There were about five in total, but two stepped forward to stand with Vera, "If it isn't our favorite leech." The younger-looking one said with a grin, "Do you remember us?"

Serafina flicked a flame at his jacket, which caused him to stumble around as he quickly took off his coat and tossed it to the ground to begin stomping it to try to put it out. Once he got it out, he glared at her.

"So you do remember us," Vincent laughed at his brother.

Once Rosalie saw that Serafina somewhat knew these people, she stepped out from behind her and held her hand.

"This is my mate Rosalie, but you can call her Doña too." Serafina grinned.

"But you're both women," Vance said with confusion. Causing both women to glare at him.

Vera smacked him on the back of his head, "That's none of your business. It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Doña. But Doña, when we spoke to your town before. They said you never hurt the people from town unless they deserved it. And you never went for children. Why would you go after those families camping out here? From our investigations, they weren't bad people."

Serafina initially smiled at the 'Mrs. Doña,' which sounded funny. But her smile slowly faded as she heard what Vera said.

"I never fed around here." The group's eyes automatically went to Rosalie, causing Serafina to scoff, "Do you not have eyes? Look at mi hermosa's eyes! Do you see the color?" Rosalie began to flutter her eyes for emphasis before she looked at them with wide eyes for them to see, "They're not red. My Rosa doesn't feed from people. She drinks animal blood. I haven't fed in the past couple of months, and my first meal was today, and it was a disgusting deer." Rosalie gave her an annoyed look, "it was a passably tasting deer." She corrected.

Rosalie shook her head in annoyance, "She's being a baby. Deer blood isn't even that bad. But she's telling the truth. I don't feed on people, and she just started my diet. It wasn't us." She shrugged.

The group was stunned, "You don't feed from people?" a man Serafina didn't know asked.

"Not anymore," Serafina said sadly. Bringing an adoring smile to Rosalie's face as she rolled her eyes at her mate's antics.

"Are there others like yourself?" Vera asked, "Vampires that don't kill people?"

"Yes," Rosalie answered.

"But not many. It's bizarre that my Rosa is like this. Actually," she paused, "your initial reaction where you threw your little witch pouch might be what you want to keep doing whenever you encounter our kind. But before you go hacking us to death, look at the eyes. Gorgeous gold like my Rosa's means they don't feed from people."

The group nodded. Vera had her hand to her chin as she looked the women over, "Then I think our initial thought was right. I still think it's a wendigo." She said, turning to the group.

"I don't know what it is, but I can tell it's watching us," Serafina said. Rosalie looked frightened, "You can sense it too, can't you? You've been holding my hand tighter since it started."

The group tensed, "Can you help us, please?" Vera asked.

Rosalie was tense as she looked at her, "What's a wendigo?"

"An evil cannibalistic spirit. It can never have enough human flesh. Some say they used to be people who had to feed on human flesh to survive famine but were cursed because of it," Vincent explained—earning a proud nod from his mother.

"How do you kill it?" Serafina asked.

"Fire," Vance answered with a small grin.

Rosalie visibly relaxed as she looked at Serafina, "Do you want to help?"

"Not really," Serafina answered honestly, "Live and let live, you know? It never did anything to me. But good luck." She said as she began to turn away. Rosalie shrugged at the group as she began to follow.

"Two families are missing: four adults, twin boys aged seven and a 12-year-old girl," Vera called out.

Serafina sighed as she stopped, "is there a chance they're still alive?"

"It's been a week already. But wendigos don't gorge themselves. There's a chance it started on one or two people. But they save their food for as long as they can before eating. There's a high chance they're alive and hidden in some cave somewhere in this forest." Vincent answered.

"Are you going to do a good deed today?" Rosalie asked with a smile. She liked that Serafina was willing to help the children.

"We are going to do a good deed today," she answered. She then focused on her surroundings, "Rosa, you sensed it before me. Where is it?"

"Three o clock, and very far," Rosalie answered. She asked the group, "Do they do anything we should worry about?"

"They're really fast and strong," one man answered.

"Then how come you said the worst thing you guys can come across is my kind?" Serafina questioned Vera.

"They're pretty much mindless monsters. They focus on getting their food. They're not that smart. Just smart enough to lure and capture their prey. And we don't have to subdue them or anything like that first. Just douse them in some gasoline and light a match," Vera explained.

"Even regular weapons work on them. They won't kill them but deter them at least. So, you see, much easier than your kind." Vance added.

"Fine, fine. We'll go after it and see if it'll lead us to the kids," Serafina said.

The two women went toward the creature that had been watching them. As soon as they had gotten close, the creature began to run away. It was humanoid in figure but very bony or gaunt. It only wore tatters that didn't cover anything anymore. Both women were very disgusted at the sight and scent of this monster. It smelled of death and filth. They immediately stopped breathing to avoid the disgusting odor.

"What does Doña mean? You've been called that before," Rosalie asked as they gave chase. Keeping a reasonable distance away to let the monster think it had a chance of escape so it would hopefully lead them back to the kidnapped families.

"It's a term of respect. Like madam." Serafina answered, then chuckled, "She pretty much called me madam, and because you're my mate, she called you Mrs. Madam."

Rosalie laughed as well, "How did you meet them? Why did they try to kill you before?"

"They're exterminators or hunters. They kill monsters that cause trouble to people. They thought I was using mind manipulation abilities on my townspeople. My people set them straight, though." Serafina answered.

"Your townspeople?" Rosalie questioned.

"I told you before about my town," Serafina said. Giving her a questioning look as they noticed the monster head toward the mountain.

"But it's your town? The people there listen to you?" Rosalie couldn't wrap her head around it, "Can I see your town?"

"Of course, I told your mom about it too. It can be a family trip now that I don't want to kill them anymore," Serafina answered with a smile.

"I'll talk to Esme so she can talk Carlisle into taking some time off of work!" Rosalie said excitedly.

"Sounds like a plan. But what's our plan for this? I think I've met one of these things in Europe. I don't think they speak. It just tried to attack me, so I killed it quickly. You're new to these things. Do you want to try communication or?" Serafina asked.

"If it's planning on eating little kids, I think there's only one way to deal with it," Rosalie said with anger that brought a smile to Serafina's face.

"As you wish, mi hermosa," Serafina answered with a pampering tone that Rosalie always loved.

They continued their pursuit of the monster.

Chapter Text

While tracking the monster, mistakes were made. The two got distracted while speaking to each other about their potential trip, and they lost it near the mountain. Rosalie suggested splitting up to find it or its hiding spot, but Serafina nixed that idea immediately. She refused to allow her to take the risk. She felt she had to always be with her to ensure her safety with a known dangerous monster roaming about.

Rosalie thought she was ridiculous but knew it wasn't Serafina underestimating herself. She could tell Serafina was overly concerned with her safety. She had to be grateful that she wasn't as paranoid as Jasper, who deemed it necessary to be a living shadow for Alice. Not that Alice complained. She seemed to enjoy it a great deal.

Both women circled the mountain twice before Rosalie realized they should use the one sense they tried to shield from harm the most. Both began tracking by scent, which made things much easier once they had. They found a secret opening in the mountain obscured by brush. They had to crouch a bit to enter the winding tunnel. They were incredibly uncomfortable. The monster's scent was everywhere. It was oppressing them from all sides. Rosalie squeezed a bit closer to Serafina without realizing it. Serafina was bristling at her surroundings. She couldn't help but place herself in front of Rosalie, reaching a hand back so Rosalie could hold onto herself. Both sought comfort in the other.

There were multiple tunnels once they got further down. They followed the tunnel that made them the most uncomfortable and continued traveling in that direction. This tunnel led into an enormous cavern. It was even more extensive than the one Serafina had claimed back home. They could hear low cries in the far right corner but muffled whimpering from their left. As the two stood and tried to decide which way to go first, they heard screams from farther in.

Rosalie ignored the screams of pain from the back. Serafina could tell that the crying had her full attention. She summoned her flame jaguar and ordered it to stay with Rosalie. Serafina was more concerned with the threat under the mountain. She wouldn't have to worry about Rosalie so much if she could kill it. While Serafina could tell what Rosalie was most likely to do, so could Rosalie. When Serafina began to move forward, Rosalie grabbed her hand and shook her head as in no. Serafina gave her a reassuring smile and a quick kiss on her hand before continuing toward the screams.

Serafina found another opening further back that led further down. It was like she was heading into the heart of the mountain. She did not want to go. It smelled disgusting, and now there was a feeling stuck to her skin the further she entered this creature's den. The feeling that she shouldn't be there. She wasn't scared, but it's uncomfortable when a predator senses another in their territory.

Considering Serafina was typically at the top of the food chain, she naturally thought the ground she walked on was her territory. As horrible as it sounded, it was true. She never felt uncomfortable in the presence of others of her kind or even in their territories, but she wondered if it was because it was a different type of monster from herself. Then again, she didn't feel uncomfortable with the shapeshifters, gnomes, or fairies. Maybe her increasing discomfort was because she could sense the other was a threat to herself. She also felt uncomfortable when near the werewolf and even predatory men. Maybe this was a type of sixth sense.

She stopped dwelling on it and followed the screams of pain. It was accompanied by some very disgusting crunching, squelching sounds and the smell of blood. She was never one to lose herself to the scent of blood. She was drawn to it, maybe. She did find it to be a pleasant scent. But she would never lose her self-control over it. So, she calmly followed the scent until she came to a horrifying scene. She grimaced.

"Oh, that's gross," she couldn't help mumbling, startling the monster from its meal. It shrieked at the sight of her and immediately charged. Serafina didn't expect it to stop eating and attack her. She was caught off guard, and the creature slammed her into the wall. It was pinning her as she put her arms out to defend herself as it began snapping its jaws at her. The monster's jaw seemed to have unhinged. It didn't look like a normal human snapping its teeth but like a monster from nightmares. Even its teeth were sharpened like an actual animal's.

Serafina knew other supernatural creatures could scar her, and this thing was getting dangerously close to her face. She wasn't afraid of the possible pain. What was a little pain? No, she was scared of scarring her beautiful face. How could she stand with her stunning Rosalie like that? She was infuriated, "You surprised me, that's all. Don't think you ever had a chance." She said as she lit the monster with her flames, causing an even louder shriek to come from it as it echoed throughout the mountain. The echo escaped into the wilderness, almost like a beacon for the hunters to track them. But she didn't know this.

When they had separated upon entering the cavern, Rosalie had her tasks to take care of. She had gone straight to the children. They were caged to the far right. She ensured they were unharmed and soothed them before checking on the muffled sounds they had heard on the other side of the cavern. She had found the women bound and gagged in a separate cage. No men. She wondered if the wendigo took care of the physical threat of the more prominent men first. She had asked Rika to inspect the cavern to make sure they were safe before she released the people from their cages. She had them huddle together when they all heard a shriek.

Rosalie clenched her fists as she waited for Serafina to come back. It had been a few minutes since she heard the shriek, but she hadn't returned. She couldn't help it. She told them to wait while she went to look for her. While heading down into the depths of the passage, she and Rika heard another louder shriek than the first, and she entered to see Serafina against a wall glaring at the empty space in front of her. Rosalie walked up to Serafina, held her cheek, and inspected her for injuries.

Serafina relaxed and smiled at her, "I'm alright."

They then heard movement in front; Rosalie immediately became defensive and stood before Serafina. Serafina grabbed Rosalie and had her calm down. When Rosalie calmed down, she looked toward the sound and saw the same grotesque scene that Serafina had seen. She turned away but looked back when she realized the man was still alive, "we should help him." She said.

"He's too far gone. I don't think he'll make it," Serafina muttered.

"We should try!" Rosalie said as she moved forward and inspected the man. She was nervous, unsure if she would lose herself to the blood. But she still went ahead. Once near the man, the monster's smell was all over him, and even though there was that sweet smell of blood, the monster's scent was overpowering. It disgusted her to the point where it allowed her to help the man.

The monster had begun eating the man while he was alive. He seemed to have started from the lower limbs. Maybe it was like the vampire and liked to feed on its prey while they were still alive. Perhaps it didn't matter; they had just stopped it before it got far enough to kill the man first. The man seemed to be going in and out of consciousness, whether due to blood loss or going into shock, Serafina didn't know. She just focused on that bloody, jagged, meaty stump where his leg used to be and couldn't help but want to gag. But Rosalie kept a level head, "Keep him awake," she directed to Serafina. "We have to stop the blood loss," she mumbled.

The man had been going in and out of consciousness for a while. He was terrified. But when two beautiful women replaced the monster, he thought he had gone to heaven until the brunette slapped him in the face.

"Hey! Wake up!" Serafina yelled with brows furrowed, "You and your family are safe now. If you want to get to them and get them to safety, you better stay awake! Do you understand?"

The man only heard her in an echo, but he focused on what she had said and nodded.

"He needs a hospital," Rosalie said in frustration, "I don't know how we can stabilize him to run him there." She looked up and saw Rika at the edge of her vision and moved her eyes to her, "burn it." She finally told Serafina.

"Really?" she looked to Rosalie.

"Yes, it's not going to fix it, obviously, but it'll let us move him to a hospital where they can hopefully save him," Rosalie answered.

The man heard what they said, but it was like a dream. He looked at them, confused.

Serafina ripped the man's shirt and twisted it, shoving it into his mouth, "Bite this. This is going to hurt like a bitch." She told him.

The women and children were huddled together at the entrance to the cave. They were waiting for the angel to come back to help them. She had told them to stay. But they didn't know what that last shriek had meant. Was she okay? Would they be okay? They couldn't see well in this dark cavern. There was only a tiny amount of light in the cave. They seemed to come from some glowing wriggling things that looked like worms. While unnerving, they still provided that little bit of light which gave them a little comfort. They just stared in the direction the woman left in and prayed for her return. They soon saw the familiar fire coming toward them. But the figure wasn't alone.

"Are you all alright?" Rosalie asked them.

They responded yes. Then looked to the other figure just behind her, "Rob!" one woman yelled, moving toward the prominent figure held in the other woman's arms. Seeing such a large man held by such a small woman as though he weighed nothing was strange. She slowed as she neared the other beautiful woman to stare at her husband.

"And Gary?" The other woman hesitantly asked.

"I'm sorry, there wasn't anyone else there," Rosalie answered, "but we have to leave quickly. Rob isn't looking too good."

Rika led the way out. As they exited, they soon found the hunters.

"Doña, we found you!" Vera said with noticeable relief. She could see the group but was surprised to see the Doña holding a man. She didn't think she would care enough to help so much. She soon realized she didn't, but she cared about what her mate cared for.

"Good, you're here!" Rosalie said, "Look after them." She gestured to the people behind her. They had been in the dark so long they couldn't help but blink at the moonlight. "We need to get this man to a hospital. Do you know where the nearest one is?"

They could see the man's poor state: "The only hospital with the equipment to maybe help would be in the larger town about 40 miles west from here." Vincent answered.

"Then that's where we'll dump him," Serafina told them.

"Wait," Vera shouted before they ran off. Both women turned to her, "I'm hoping we can meet again. We're going on vacation soon to your town. Perhaps we'll see you there?"

"Vacation?-" Serafina began questioningly.

"We're going to visit with others of my family in the next few months. So, we could. But we've got to go, sorry." Rosalie answered as she signaled Serafina to follow before they ran to town together.

The two women snuck into town and left the man outside the emergency room. Rosalie, the cleaner of the two, screamed and pointed toward him on the ground. She was calling attention to the man in horrible condition on the floor. Doctors and nurses immediately rushed from inside the building to assist. They saw the woman but focused on the injured man. They didn't even notice when she slipped away.

After their eventful hunting trip, they made it home at just after sunrise. The others felt their approach. It felt strange. So they went outside to greet them.

"Are you alright, Serafina?" Esme asked with concern.

"Were you able to keep it down?" Carlisle asked.

"Yeah, I'm doing fine now, and I managed to keep that disgusting blood down. Thank you all for your concern," Serafina answered with a smile.

As they neared the family, the others could tell something was wrong, "What the hell is that? What's wrong with you?" Jasper asked. Sensitive to the different feelings their presence was giving off. He began looking behind them as though thinking something might be following them.

"You smell like shit," Emmett told them.

"Gee, thanks for that," Rosalie rolled her eyes at Emmett.

"Don't worry, Jazz. It's dead." Serafina answered Jasper.

"What's dead?" Carlisle asked with concern. He had also felt the difference in their presence and wasn't sure what to make of it.

"What the hell is a wendigo?" Edward asked. He had seen their thoughts. Serafina began to think about what she had seen when confronting the monster. Edward listened intently. He didn't believe it.

Serafina vocalized her thoughts so the family could also know.

"So it's not just vampires and werewolves? Fascinating," Carlisle said.

"Who cares about the monster? Tell them what we're going to do!" Alice said with excitement.

"What are we going to do? Are we going to hunt wendigos too? I want to try my hands at that," Emmett said while doing some shadowboxing to show how he would take care of the wendigo.

"Can you beat a wendigo to death?" Jasper asked after seeing Emmett. He looked at the women in front. Serafina's clothes did seem a bit worse for wear. She was usually very much dressed to impress. She wouldn't typically allow herself to appear so embarrassed in front of people, making him think this wendigo caused her a bit of grief.

"They're just as strong and fast as us. But a bit wilder, and I don't know? Limber? We were told you can only kill it with fire." Serafina answered.

"Tell them about our trip!" Alice shouted, interrupting their conversation.

"Trip?" Esme asked with confusion. She was perplexed. She was only worried about Serafina's thirst and her start on their diet. But now there were monsters and a supposed trip. What was going on? She was getting frustrated, "Everyone calm down. Now I want you all to go into the woods for a while. Give us an hour and then come back so we can talk. Please. Everyone except for you two." She signaled Serafina and Rosalie.

Everyone looked at her with confusion—even Carlisle, who looked at her quizzically.

"You need to go too," Esme said to him.

Edward smirked as he turned around and left. The others saw him go but knew he wouldn't say with that little smirk. So they turned back to Esme.

"Why?" Alice asked with suspicion.

"Yeah, why can't we just talk about it now?" Rosalie asked.

"Because Emmett was right. You two smell horrible. I need you to strip and burn those clothes before you enter my house," Esme finally admitted.

Both women frowned as the others began laughing. They all nodded in agreement as they quickly ran to follow Edward. Esme immediately disappeared into the home and grabbed some flip-flops for the two. She then ordered them to strip. Rosalie was shy and looked to Esme pleadingly. Serafina didn't see. Esme understood her concern and acted as though she were uncomfortable with them both undressing together. She asked Rosalie to go first and for Serafina to look in the other direction. They took turns stripping and bathing. Serafina being last and with the fire, set the clothes and shoes ablaze before going in to get herself cleaned up.

It took a while for them to clean up, but they were both dressed comfortably and waiting in the living room for the family to return. Once they did, they gathered around and reviewed what had happened the day before, culminating in discussing a trip to Serafina's town.

Carlisle seemed to react like Rosalie, "and they listen to you?" he asked.

"Do you force them to?" Edward asked accusingly.

"Yes, I hold a flame to each of their heads and demand their submission," Serafina said with a straight face. Only Rosalie cracked a smile at her joke. This brought a frown to Serafina's face, "No, what? Why would I force them to do anything? That's too much work for me. I just live there. They do what they want." She huffed. Upset at their seemingly low opinion of her, "Listen, do you want to go or not? You don't have to."

"I want to go!" Alice immediately jumped up with her hand in the air as though asking to be picked. Jasper nodded in agreement behind her.

"You told me you'd let me see the greenhouse, so I'm going too," Esme said with a smile.

"I go where she goes. And I admit I'm very curious about this town of yours," Carlisle said.

"Road trip! I'm in!" Emmett added.

Edward shrugged behind the others. He readily agreed to the trip. But he did not want to admit his own curiosity about the town. He acted as though he agreed only because everyone else had.

"I guess it's decided. I'll ask for a week off of work sometime next week or the week after. Ever since we had Dr. Howard fired for his misconduct. The others are pretty afraid of me. They should agree fairly quickly," Carlisle announced, "we'll take two cars and head out-" he was immediately cut off by Alice, who began clearing her throat. Everyone looked at her.

"Three," Alice said. Carlisle looked at her in puzzlement, "Trust me. We'll need the three cars for this trip." She said with a nod.

Everyone looked at her, confused. But it was Alice. She probably had her reasons. They all agreed they would take a trip to Serafina's town as soon as Carlisle got the time off. There was a palpable excitement in the air. They all looked forward to their family trip to Serafina's town.

Chapter Text

Alice was right. Rosalie became an expert at driving in no time. She had been doing all of the braking to see how much pressure was needed on different surfaces. She had made it a very scientific process. A lot of trial and error was how Carlisle explained it. But he was delighted with her results.

Serafina sat in the front passenger seat with Rosalie in the driver's seat. They had gone straight from Pennsylvania to Texas without stopping unless they were stopping for gas. Esme and Carlisle were in his car behind them, while Edward, Emmett, Jasper, and Alice followed in Esme's. They probably could've gotten there faster if Serafina had known proper directions. But she could only describe the direction from how she remembered from her walks which was very different from the road. She had long known she wasn't giving the best guidance. She was pretty much going based on instinct. It was her home, after all. Rosalie didn't mind. She was patient. She considered it more time to be together.

They made it to a large sign that brought a smile to Rosalie's face, "did you name the town?" she asked.

Serafina didn't even notice the sign. She had never paid attention to it before, "no, why?" she asked with confusion.

Her response threw Rosalie off a bit. She had a strange suspicion and wanted to confirm, "Do you know the town's name?"

There was silence from next to her; she looked over and saw Serafina with her brows furrowed. She was trying to remember.

"No idea?" Rosalie laughed.

"I never had to say its name before. It's just home. Or my town." Serafina shrugged. She then continued giving directions until they reached a beautiful town square. It was well maintained with roses and other flowers. But strangely, to the Cullens, many large shades covered large swaths of the square. All three cars stopped, and everyone got down.

"Is there a reason why you had us stop here first?" Carlisle asked, walking up to Serafina and Rosalie with Esme, admiring the different types of flowers around.

Serafina had a small smirk on her face. Edward narrowed his eyes at her. He could hear her excitement in her thoughts at them seeing something. He averted his eyes once he heard Emmett exclaim, "Holy shit, is that you?"

He looked in the direction Emmett had begun going until they approached a giant statue in the center of the square. Everyone's jaws dropped.

"You've got to be kidding me," Edward said exasperatedly.

"That is, in fact, our Doña. The founder and guardian of our beautiful little town here." A voice came from the direction they had just come from. It was a professionally dressed, pretty young woman and her small entourage, consisting of the council. She looked to Serafina, "Doña, welcome home. After you called, we sent a cleaning crew to your home to clean up and left the gates open. Will you be going home from here, or shall we do a small tour now for your friends?"

"Maria? You're the mayor?" Serafina asked with confusion.

The young woman blushed, not because of infatuation. It was an incredible honor for her to be remembered by the Doña. But that wasn't how Rosalie had seen it. She stepped closer to Serafina and grabbed her hand. Almost as though she were claiming her. Neither Serafina nor Maria noticed. But the other Cullens did. They smirked to themselves just behind their backs as they listened.

"Yes, Doña, I hope you're not upset. Juana didn't want to be mayor. She didn't care about tradition. She wanted to be a doctor." Maria answered.

"Did she become a doctor?" Serafina asked.

"Yes, she's currently going through a residency program at Yale," Maria said proudly.

"No trouble getting in?" Carlisle chimed in. A Hispanic woman going to an Ivy League, he was surprised.

"Of course not. A member of the board is actually from here. He put in a good word and didn't allow anyone to deny her qualifications," she answered.

"But I thought you wanted to be a singer?" Serafina asked after a moment of thought.

"I also wanted to be a princess," she laughed, "I grew up. I still sing for fun! But I didn't want the mayor's position to leave my family. We were entrusted with looking out for the town and keeping in touch with you, and I won't let you or any of the people down!" she said happily.

"Well, good for you," Serafina smiled. Putting her other hand affectionately on her head as she looked down at her. It was a quick rub like when she was a child. Then she motioned to Rosalie, who held her hand beside her, "This is my very good friend Rosalie." She said while smiling affectionately at her. She didn't know if the hunters had explained mates to them and didn't want to confuse them. Just like usual, only Serafina's eyes were covered, so Maria could clearly see her smile. The Doña had never brought a friend to town before. She had even warned her ancestors to avoid others similar to herself. Her bringing these people to town showed the council their importance to their Doña.

"It's very nice to meet you, Miss Rosalie. If you need anything, just let me know. You can tell anyone you see to find me if I'm not around. I will do my best to help you." Maria said, now putting her eyes on Rosalie. She could see the Doña treated her exceptionally well. She was gorgeous. She wondered if she was another angel as well. She then glanced behind the two to the other Cullens, "and they are?"

"Oh, they're just her family. Treat them well too. I suppose," Serafina waved them off.

The Cullens couldn't help rolling their eyes at her behavior. They weren't surprised in the least. They knew they only had Serafina's tolerance because of Rosalie. But to hear her so obviously say it to others, they found her ridiculous.

Rosalie gave her a look, "be nice."

"I'm sorry. Please treat them well," Serafina tried to sound more sincere. The others shook their heads, still not believing she cared, until they heard her continue, "This is Carlisle. He's a doctor. Somewhat of a workaholic, show him the hospital, and I'm sure he'll volunteer to help without pay. That's just the type of man he is, very selfless." She then introduced Esme, "Take Esme to the greenhouse. Sign her up for some classes with some of our top botanists. She'll probably be able to teach them a thing or two. She has a green thumb." She gestured to Jasper, "Take Jasper here to listen to our town historian. He's an odd one but knowledgeable. Thankfully we haven't been impacted by war in our little town, but we've had some scuffles he may be interested in." She then walked over to Alice and put her hands on her shoulders, "This is Alice. Take her to our more upscale boutiques. She'll enjoy speaking with some designers and maybe enjoy doing some shopping." She looked to the man with an annoyed look, "Este hombre con su cara de fuchi es Edward. I'm sure he'd enjoy our music hall. We're a small town, but it's relaxing. We have a few retired musicians who enjoy playing for fun there. I bet Edward would enjoy showing them up." She finally turned to Emmett, "And this giant of a man will enjoy the orphanage." That brought a look of confusion from everyone, "these people know we're different, Em, the children do too. You can play with them as you wish. As long as you make sure not to break them. They like to play hide and seek, and when you appear as if from thin air to catch them," This brought a huge grin to his face.

This shocked everyone. The Cullens were especially surprised. They honestly didn't think Serafina cared for them too much. She never made it seem that way to them before. She made it seem as though their presence annoyed her and that she was only spending that time with them for Rosalie and couldn't care less about getting to know them.

Esme couldn't help it. Her eyes became glossy as she went over and hugged Serafina. Before she could say anything, Alice had joined. It was Serafina's turn to roll her eyes. But then her small smile turned into a frown as Emmett lifted the three off the ground. Rosalie had a loving smile as she watched.

"I knew you liked us!" he said happily.

"Down," Serafina said with a straight face, "and stick to the shade when you guys are out and about. I'm sure I don't have to explain why."

They nodded in understanding.

Maria and the council were shocked. These people were incredibly close to their Doña. It was almost as though they were family. But they knew the Doña had been alone for more than a century. Some legends had even said that she could be La Llorona which would make her family deceased. Who were these people? Did these other spirits find each other to be a family? Their Doña did seem happier. Who were they to question things? They kept their mouths shut and nodded in acquiescence to the Doña's arrangements.

Carlisle had a giant smile, "she knows us well. But! I think it would be nice to spend our time together. So let's spend each day doing what everyone likes together except for the hospital. I can do that at night. As she just said. We're a bit different. We don't need sleep."

One member from the council did step forward and looked to the Doña, "Doña, the hunters you had told us about before said that we had to be careful of having open wounds near you or blood. Will he be alright at the hospital?" he whispered.

Serafina lifted her veil, revealing her eyes. The Cullens were surprised, but these people didn't even flinch, "my eyes show that I'm not to be crossed. But do you see theirs?" she gestured to the Cullens, "that eye color means that they don't hurt people as I do. But the one with the most self-control will still be Carlisle. Call him Dr. Carlisle. He can be trusted to save lives and not end them. They're trying to teach me to be nicer like them. It's just taking me a bit longer to adapt." She said, putting her veil back down.

The council was in awe of these people for trying to change the Doña. Once they had her stamp of approval, they were perfectly fine with having these people here and notifying the hospital of an extra doctor in town should they need it.

"Before we do anything, can you tell us about this statue?" Rosalie asked. She admired the statue of her mate as an angel holding a flame while extending a protective arm around two children.

"I can read the plaque for you all," Maria said, walking a few feet from the front of the statue and reading a concrete slab with a bronze plaque at the top. Even though she stood before the statue, the distance didn't hinder their view of it, "This statue is called La Doña. It was inspired by the guardian angel who founded this town. By La Doña's grace, the people here found a haven to survive and thrive. Even now, she continues to guard and protect those who reside here. All children have nothing to fear so long as she is there to protect them with her heavenly flames. Those who wish evil upon the women or children in town, beware. La Doña doesn't show mercy to those who harm her townspeople. Due to her protection, the town has been named Guardian's Grace. All visitors, please show your respect for La Doña."

"I like it," Serafina said with a smug grin.

"Sounds like you," Rosalie said with a smile.

The other Cullens were disbelieving again. Serafina was full of surprises. They only realized they had no problem telling her about themselves and their likes while she was with them. They knew very little of herself. Only Rosalie seemed to be actively learning, which wasn't surprising. But they felt somewhat guilty.

"You said the gates to my home were open?" Serafina asked.

"Yes, everything has been cleaned. The power and water have been turned back on. Your grounds cleared and tidied. Let us know if we've missed anything, and we'll take care of it for you." A council member stated.

"Thank you all. I think I'll take them home first to get settled. Tomorrow we'll go as a group to the greenhouse. Please arrange everything for that." She said with a smile.

They returned to the cars, and Serafina directed them to the opposite side of the square. They saw a large gazebo just off the side of the entrance of a massive set of opened gates.

"Really?" Rosalie couldn't help looking into the distance. Past the gates was a large grove of trees with space wide enough to allow cars to drive single file up to a gorgeous mansion at the top of a cliff in the middle of town.

Once they got down, Emmett was the first to comment, "You know, coming up that driveway, through those trees, and coming to this mansion. It was like the start of a horror movie. Considering we're vampires. I guess that makes it true, huh?"

Everyone laughed while Serafina frowned, "does my house look like a haunted house?"

"No!" Rosalie and Esme said together.

"It's beautiful. He doesn't know what he's talking about," Rosalie continued, "is it haunted, Alice?" she turned to look at the petite brunette.

Alice looked at the two women with confusion, "How would I know?"

"Aren't you psychic?" Serafina asked.

Alice looked slightly offended, "I can see the future. I'm not psychic!"

"Potato," Emmett began and changed the pronunciation as he continued, "potato." He finished.

"Then tell us, will we be murdered by a ghost in the middle of the night?" Edward asked with a grin as he looked at the house in admiration.

"Enough," Carlisle lightly reprimanded the teens.

"This architecture, wow," Esme said as she walked up to a pillar and patted it, "look at the attention to detail they have on this place. They carved roses into it. There are even roses on the wrought iron balconies on your second floor! I'm in love."

"Had a thing for Roses even before you met Rosalie, did you?" Alice laughed, jokingly elbowing Serafina in her ribs.

"Don't embarrass her, love," Jasper grinned as he pulled her away. He was adding to her humiliation by letting everyone know about it.

"If I had a bad room in this house, I would make you two have it. Luckily for you, every room is excellent," Serafina mumbled, causing everyone to laugh.

"Come inside, mi casa es su casa," Serafina said, "The master bedroom at the top of the stairs to the left is mine and Rosalie's. I'll show you all around, and you can pick your rooms afterward." She finished, grabbing Rosalie's hand and leading her inside to show off her home. Secretly hoping Rosalie would be impressed. She wanted this town to feel like home to Rosalie as it did for her. She knew they wouldn't be able to stay there forever. But maybe she would like it as a vacation spot for them, at least.

Chapter Text

The following day Serafina got up a little earlier than usual. Serafina had her persona. She was covered like usual in town, so her makeup was light, and her outfit was picked out quickly. But Rosalie was starting to feel like the first lady and thought she had to dress herself up, so getting ready took a bit longer. She and the rest of the Cullens knew to cover their skin to prevent accidental exposure, but they didn't have to worry about their eyes as Serafina did, so Rosalie's makeup had to be spot on.

Once Serafina was ready, she went out to her gazebo to wait for the others to get ready. Carlisle, Emmett, and Edward joined her while Jasper waited for Alice and the others back at the mansion. Serafina enjoyed getting up early to watch the town wake up. She liked to observe the day's start, seeing how the people went about their day. The men stayed back a bit, mostly watching her. It was almost as though she was on autopilot. She was very relaxed in this little town of hers.

There was a beautiful hand-carved chair that looked more like a throne right in the back center of the gazebo. She went straight for it and lazily sat to watch the town. The men sat on some curved benches around the edges to look around as well. They glanced at Serafina on her throne and couldn't help but think it was so natural for her.

There was movement. People were walking around the square in front that they had been in the day before. They were greeting each other. Edward could hear Serafina's thoughts. She was happy the town could function well when she was gone. He could listen to her concern as she thought she probably hadn't been there as often as she should have been.

They heard a sudden cry of excitement as some children started to play in the orphanage's front playground. As long as they stayed in the fence's enclosure, they could play at will until their schooling began for the day. But the cry of excitement wasn't for this. The gazebo was typically empty unless La Doña was there. They had heard excitement because the children saw her sitting in her chair as usual. The gate to the orphanage swung open, and the children ran to the more extensive playground outside the orphanage near La Doña's gazebo. They were only allowed to play there with supervision which could be difficult for the orphanage. They only managed a couple of hours during the weekend to ensure the children's safety. But when La Doña was there. She was able to keep an eye on all. No one would dare to harm the children with her there.

Serafina smiled encouragingly at them. A few children didn't take long to walk up to her gazebo. They eyed the men warily but still mustered up their courage to approach her and ask if she wanted to play. Serafina introduced the men to them. She explained they were her friends and also very special. She told them they could play as well. The more, the merrier for the children, they readily accepted.

The men watched Serafina first to figure out how she played with them. It didn't take long for them to realize everything that typically terrified normal humans about themselves, like their speed and strength. Those were the things the children loved the most. During hide and seek, she would immediately pop up out of thin air, using her speed to catch them. Having the children burst into fits of giggles.

When the rest of the family came out and saw them playing with the children, they were stunned. They weren't hiding anything, but the children were having fun. There was no fear at all. They looked at Edward, who approached them after seeing their confusion.

"They think we're angels. Everything we hide from people, Serafina has shown them very clearly. To them, it's proof that we have magic. Proof we're angels. The kids love it." Edward said with a confused look on his own face.

Emmett soon walked over with several children hanging from his arms, "I know I can carry more. They just need to pile on better. Help stack them!" he called out to the others.

"They're children, not toys," Esme said as she smiled kindly at the children.

The rest joined in on the games the others were playing. They played for over an hour until the orphanage called the children back to start classes for the day. Maria and the council had been standing off to the side, waiting until they were done before they made their way over to take them to the greenhouse.

They discovered the greenhouse was right under the cliff where Serafina's home was. The cliff's direction put the greenhouse in a perfect position to have sunlight for most of the day. The greenhouse property was vast, and Serafina noticed it had a new building built with a bit more security than the last time she had been there. She was curious as to why but figured she would ask later.

Even wandering around outside the greenhouses, it was very green and well maintained. They soon found a group of people waiting for them. Serafina found they were the protégés of the old master botanist Walter that started the greenhouse. They had furthered their education abroad and returned to care for things at home after Walter's passing. Many had achievements of their own in the field now. But many people who admired these few didn't know that three were from the town. Not just that. They were former orphans. They succeeded due to their diligence in learning as much as they could from Walter while he was alive. Seeing how interested they were in these things, Walter taught them everything he knew. With his praise and La Doña's support, they could go to college. They, of course, would do everything they could to show her how they improved things.

Esme had the time of her life. She was going around admiring everything and questioning everything. She wouldn't just ask questions. When they told their methods of caring for the plants, she would chime in with her ways of caring for plants of the same type. They would begin discussing it and sometimes get lost in their conversations.

The Cullens all ended up splitting up to admire the different plants independently. Serafina and Rosalie went off on their own. They were holding hands near the camellias and roses. Neither one said a word and just admired the flowers together. Soon they were joined by Maria. Rosalie wasn't happy. She held Serafina's hand tighter.

"Doña, I was hoping we could speak with you and Miss Rosalie for a moment," she said, "Don't worry about the others. They'll be taken care of. We just wanted to let you know what happened recently with the greenhouse. I'm sure you've noticed the changes."

Serafina nodded as she followed her with Rosalie. They exited the greenhouse. They walked across the complex to the back and the other greenhouse. The guards at the entrance nodded to them as they entered. The council was waiting within with Vera Hellsing, which she found very surprising.

"Isn't that?" Rosalie began.

"I did say I wanted to speak with you again. I discovered you were here, so I hoped we could speak after this." Vera smiled.

"What is this?" Serafina asked.

"Doña, several years ago, you tasked Walter with finding out what was in the pouch. Even though the hunters didn't think he'd be able to do it, he did. He didn't just figure them out. He managed to grow them as well." Maria explained.

"I returned with a witch to see if the town was under your control, even though they assured me you didn't do anything to make them loyal. I had to be sure. I'm sure you can understand," she stated as she glanced at Serafina, "Walter showed us that he had figured out the pouch. He even showed us this greenhouse which impressed the witch a great deal. It had many herbs that we use against the things we hunt. So, we made a deal with the town. They grow us what we need. We check in regularly to make sure it's alright."

"Oh, you offered them what I had already asked you to do when I didn't kill you. How kind of you," Serafina replied snarkily.

"Don't worry, Doña, we're gouging them on prices. We know what they need these for. Considering how dangerous they are, we thought we'd up the price," a council member threw in.

"So you all did know the value of these herbs beforehand," Vera gritted. They did pay an incredibly high amount for supplies, but they couldn't get these anywhere else. They only had a minimal collection, so they had to use them sparingly. When they made a deal with the town, they had to accept the prices they were given because they had no other options. But they didn't know why they couldn't talk them down on pricing. Now, it seemed the town always knew they had something special.

"Our Doña doesn't employ fools to look after the town. Once she told us about your specialty, we did a lot of research. And Walter always knew the value of his skill. Not to mention price points on rare herbs and plants," Another member laughed.

Serafina smiled at the interaction. It seemed the hunters were regulars of her town after all. But the city only used them as an additional source of income. She had to applaud their ingenuity.

Vera rolled her eyes and looked at Serafina, "This isn't what I wanted to speak with you about. But they do go hand in hand. Is there somewhere private we can speak?"

"You can use the town hall. It is very secure there if you need to speak privately. We can look after your family here. Tell them where to find you. Would you like me to have Miss Rosalie wait with them while you two speak?" Maria asked.

"No," Serafina, Rosalie, and Vera said simultaneously. Serafina and Rosalie not wanting to be apart, and Vera noticed the Doña was a lot more amiable with her around.

Maria and the council looked at them questioningly.

"Miss Rosalie stays with me," Serafina smiled, "but please look after her family. Once they have had their fill of this place, if there is still light out, take them shopping for a bit. Or have them wait in the square. Whatever they would like to do. Treat them as you would treat me."

The council nodded. At the same time, Maria gestured for the three women to follow. She led them back outside and to a waiting car. They drove to the town hall, where two women seemed to be waiting for them.

Serafina got a strange feeling from these women. It made her uncomfortable. Her fingers twitched as her eyes glowed unconsciously. She immediately pulled Rosalie behind herself as she glared at the two.

"It's fine. They're fine. Trust me," Vera tried to keep the peace.

"Trust you? You've already tried to kill me before," Serafina glared.

"It's alright. We were testing you. I'm sorry." The older woman said.

Even Vera glanced over. Unsure of what she had done. But Serafina felt better. She didn't know what it was before but knew it was gone. She eyed the woman warily as she grabbed Rosalie's hand and pulled her into the building: Vera and the two strange women following.

Serafina immediately pushed the most comfortable seat at the head of the table to the right and had Rosalie sit down. Then she took a random chair from the side and placed it in the head position. There she took her rightful place. And she eyed the strange women as she gestured for them to sit at the opposite end.

Rosalie had felt the pressure the strange women had given off. Standing behind Serafina somewhat shielded her, but she knew Serafina was on edge. She didn't trust these women, but she thought Vera was alright. It could've just been her familiarity and trust in the name. She wasn't sure. But she believed if Vera was okay, these women should be too. She grabbed Serafina's hand to calm her down.

"We would like to discuss more cooperation between hunters and your town. To be more clear, adding witches to this alliance." The older woman said.

"Is that what you are?" Serafina whispered to herself in thought.

"You vampires can sense each other, right?" the older woman asked.

Serafina only nodded.

"You can sense other unnatural creatures as well, can't you?" she continued to ask.

"I thought you called us supernatural? I read that on the book cover, Vera owned," Serafina asked.

"Either or. You are unnatural and shouldn't exist after all," she shrugged.

"You shouldn't either. You're right. We can sense others. You two are in that other category," Serafina glared. This did make Vera take a glance at the two women.

"It's true. We are. Did you know the unnatural have always existed in peace? But then, some species were corrupted. Some believe some gods decided to have some fun, experimenting with the unnatural, and accidentally created the monsters who now roam the earth. Mistakes, if you will," she calmly explained, "my kind were gifted with the ability to fix these mistakes. The gods highly valued us."

"Checks and balances," Rosalie said out loud.

"Yes, you're a smart one, aren't you? Very pretty too. Even Aphrodite would approve," the younger woman nodded, "that's exactly why we exist. We were gifted with magic and knowledge to keep the balance of nature in check. But then the gods disappeared. The vampires began to police themselves and got rid of the children of the moon to boot. My kind was pretty at a loss. Do we keep the practice going? Should we let the art die and disappear as the gods did?"

"Some thought the vampires would change things for the better once they had gotten more organized," the older woman said.

"But we found the vampires couldn't control them all, though they tried. They couldn't destroy all of the children of the moon either. Then other unnatural creatures began to become corrupted as well. New species began to emerge as if from nowhere. Humanity would've suffered a heavy loss if we didn't step in to help," the younger one continued, "our numbers had already begun to dwindle. We found humans trying to fight the unnatural on their own. For them, we called you all supernatural to emphasize how much you shouldn't be underestimated. We taught them how to fight you all. How to kill you all. Now we work somewhat closely with them. Mostly just assisting on the sidelines. We only step in ourselves when things are particularly dire."

"When we were told that these particular hunters were let go by a vampire controlling an entire town. We were asked to investigate. We didn't detect any magic or abilities being used on these people. We spoke with them. Found that you looked out for them. Very different from others of your kind. Though you still kill, we were told. We heard you only killed those who deserved it. Is that true?" the older woman asked.

Serafina nodded again.

"Your kind is always changing," the younger woman shook her head, "It's remarkable. Even your young mate there has an extraordinary shade of eye color. Is it evolution? Another way to allow you to lure your prey in?" she began to speculate, "People would think it's strange, yes. But they wouldn't know to fear it instinctively like yourself, Miss Hart. Red is a natural sign of danger, after all."

Rosalie pointed to herself. Confused as to why she was being spoken about as if she weren't there, "This is because of my diet. I don't hunt people. I feed on animal blood."

"That's what Vera said, but we didn't believe it," The older woman said, "after watching you and the others interacting with the children. We're starting to believe."

"No," the younger woman said, "I believe them. This is great! I travel a lot but don't have a home base in America. I want to get a home here in town."

This caused all women to look at her questioningly.

"This is the cooperation you wanted to discuss? You moving in?" Serafina asked.

"Yes," the younger woman said.

"Why? Do you just want to get closer to us to kill us?" Rosalie asked.

"You can sense other unnatural creatures, right?" the young woman asked.

"Why do we keep coming back to this?" Serafina rolled her eyes, "Yes. You know we do. We already said that."

"Did you sense anything when you came to the town?" she asked Rosalie.

Rosalie had a pensive look on her face. But then shook her head as in no.

"It's because you're used to her presence now," she nodded.

"What?" Rosalie asked.

"Miss Hart's presence is very heavy all over this town. It could be from all the years she has lived here and walked through town repeatedly. It just saturated the earth with a mighty vampire presence," the older woman explained.

"Supernatural creatures with antagonistic relationships with vampires will instinctively keep away. Even other vampires can feel the difference in strength and will also avoid it. Unless wishing to challenge you for your territory. But vampires don't typically do that. There's always a small fear of Volturi, so most will avoid stronger presences thinking they are part of that organization." The younger woman said.

"What does that have to do with you moving to the town?" Vera asked.

"This town has a natural barrier to the supernatural. You called it a place where you can vacation. So even you hunters noticed that there were no evil presences around," the younger woman explained, "a natural supernatural barrier, a ready supply of herbs for charms, weapons, and potions, and people who understand that there is more than meets the eye but know not to question it too much. It's perfect."

"Our lady has been looking for a place to stay in America. It seems she has found it," the older woman said. She nodded her approval, "What do you say, Miss Hart? Think of this as additional protection for your town."

"That's your lady?" Rosalie asked suddenly. She was pointing to the younger woman in her shock. She did not think this pretty young woman with her emerald eyes was the one in charge. She felt the frumpy older woman with graying hair was the leader of the two. She looked more like a witch she'd heard of in fairy tales. She quickly put her finger down once she realized how rude she was being.

"This is Lady Morgana. She is one of our most powerful," the older woman smiled, "I'm Hazel. I'm one of her students. Or you can say, part of her coven."

"How do I know you won't do something to corrupt my people? Tú con tus brujerías," Serafina bluntly asked.

"How dare you! Witches stay neutral but aim more towards good! We help people! We wouldn't harm them!" Hazel jumped up in her anger, slamming her hands on the table.

Morgana raised her hand to calm Hazel, "It's a good question. What Hazel said is true. But there are legends of evil witches for a reason. I can only give my word." She said, spreading her hands out in a shrug.

"Did you know your friends here were trying to move into my town?" Serafina asked Vera.

"I knew they wanted to meet you to check you out. But that was it. This is news to me, too," Vera answered.

"What's your opinion on these witches?" Rosalie asked Vera.

"They're powerful. Helpful. We usually deal with Hazel. But when things get serious, and we can't handle it alone, Lady Morgana will come out to help." Vera explained, "To be honest, if she were here. It would make things much easier for the people in our line of work. Safer. Since I'll be retiring soon and leaving things to my boys. That would be a godsend."

"I won't stay here at all times. I want a home here in town to visit occasionally to do business." Morgana stated in a very businesslike manner.

"Will your being here attract unwanted attention?" Rosalie asked.

Serafina was impressed Rosalie asked that. She didn't think to. She looked at the two to wait for their answer.

"No, we can conceal our presence. We're human. You only felt me before because I let you," Morgana answered.

Rosalie nodded in understanding and looked at Serafina for her decision.

"No discounts on herbs. I want you more towards the edge of town, just in case. If you are here and something threatens the people, I expect you to do something to help. I'm pretty good at reading people. I think you're pretty arrogant and condescending, but not bad. I'll have the council find you a nice place. But you can't have it for free. The world runs on money, after all," Serafina finally said.

Hazel smiled, "We understand. Money won't be an issue."

Serafina looked to Lady Morgana, who had a smirk on her face, "I'm a lot older than I look. With age comes wisdom. I think this cooperation will be mutually beneficial. I can't see when. But it will. You two will like it."

Rosalie squeezed Serafina's hand. Why was it that when Alice told the future, it brought a feeling of excitement? But when this witch did, it was unnerving?

Serafina frowned. She knew Rosalie was nervous. She was not used to anything other than vampires and werewolves. She never really expressed fear for werewolves—mostly annoyance. But usually, once you branched off from those two, she got a bit of nervousness.

"Was this everything Vera?" Serafina turned away from Lady Morgana to look at Vera.

Vera was startled momentarily, unsure if she just heard some prophecy, "What?"

"Is this why you said you wanted to speak to me when we had met that wendigo?" Serafina asked.

"Oh, yes. That's all. Thank you, Doña and Mrs. Doña," Vera replied.

"Then adiós y adiós, brujas." Serafina said as she stood and helped Rosalie out of the room.

She told Maria what they had discussed, and they assured Serafina they would take care of the witches' matters. They then saw the family lounging outside in the square. The sun had already gone down, so they didn't have to stick to the shades. They occasionally spoke freely with the people before they left after closing down their stores.

Once they saw Serafina and Rosalie heading toward them, they appropriately turned their attention to them.

"Everything alright?" Carlisle asked.

"Yes, just taking care of business. Sorry we couldn't stay with you all at the greenhouse. How was it?" Serafina responded.

"Amazing! They told me they would give me some clippings and seeds of rare flowers I fell in love with that I don't have!" Esme said excitedly.

"They were very generous," Carlisle nodded with a smile.

"I'm glad. You can go check it out whenever you like, Esme. You're not limited to only going when I go. Remember that," Serafina told her.

"Let's stop hanging out here. I still have the creeps from earlier. I want to go back and take a shower," Rosalie shuddered.

The others looked at her in confusion while Serafina rubbed her back, "Alright, let's go back for now. You all decide what we're doing tomorrow."

Edward didn't know what a bruja was. But he didn't care. He liked this town. How the people reacted to their presence was interesting. He enjoyed hearing their thoughts. He couldn't admit this to anyone, though. It wasn't his style.

Chapter Text

They played with the children again the next day but eventually went to the town square, where they met with Maria and a darker complected older man dressed for a day outdoors and flanked by two younger men. The older man was enthusiastic and began waving immediately at the group as they approached, while the younger men also looked as though they wanted to burst from their excitement.

As soon as they got close, the older man took off his hat and slightly bowed to Serafina, "Doña, I was told you would like to teach your friends the history of our proud town. It would be an honor!" the old man said while looking at her. He then went into a whisper that the Cullens could still hear, "Don't worry. I'll keep it tame for the ladies." He then winked at her and looked to the Cullens.

"This is Henry, the historian in town," Maria introduced, "and those are his students Arturo and Jeremiah. They will eventually succeed him, so they follow him wherever he tours so they don't miss anything."

Henry immediately went into teacher mode and described how violent and bloody the wild west was when the town was first created. He did not spare the details as he said, or it may have been that he didn't understand what he described as something that could be scary to ordinary people. She always knew he was a little odd.

He wasn't around, though, at the very beginning. He lacked details. Serafina filled in the blanks. He, Maria, and his students were incredibly excited to hear this information they hadn't heard before. It wasn't like Serafina was ever asked to listen to the history of the town she had created. That would be silly; she knew what had happened. So hearing it now was her first time, and hearing how they lacked some information, she felt she should give them something.

Looking over, all three men were taking arduous notes. They were so excited to hear the truth from the horse's mouth. Even Maria would pitch in things she was told by her mother, grandmother, and even great-grandmother when she was still alive. She even pitched in tidbits of information from childhood, just playing around near the orphanage with la Doña and the other children. Serafina would remember some of these things and, with a small smile, nod in agreement. Or sometimes give Maria a small rub to her head.

Rosalie didn't like it. Her mood, initially high at the thought of hearing more about Serafina, was dropping dramatically with every smile or touch Serafina gave this woman. Serafina didn't notice that she had gotten closer to Maria and the others to ensure the notes were taken down correctly. She just felt obligated to give these historians the facts at this point, so she couldn't help reading their notes over their shoulders.

Jasper felt Rosalie's jealousy, and Edward heard her thoughts. Jasper looked over at Edward to see if he could listen to his concerns but saw a slight smirk on his face. As soon as Jasper saw, he knew Edward was enjoying Rosalie's discomfort. He kicked him to get his attention. Edward glared at him in response. But he eventually rolled his eyes as he walked over and nudged Serafina.

"You said your house was the first one here, but it doesn't look very old," Edward questioned. Very obviously to the Cullens to bring her attention back to them.

Serafina looked at him, discovered how far away Rosalie was from herself and approached to hold her hand. Rosalie's mood picked up just from this small action. Serafina then looked back at Edward, but Henry stepped forward before she could open her mouth.

"We begged Doña to allow us to build that for her in 1925. It took us three years to build. She had always had the same single-story cottage for years and years. Considering how much she had always helped us, we felt we had to show her our gratitude," he explained.

"But you said that the town came to be in the 1800s? So you lived in a shack for that long? No wonder you were alright with staying in that piece of crap back home," Emmett said in realization.

"If you were listening, you would've heard that the town was made in 1826. He also said 'cottage,' not shack." Alice chimed in. She then looked over to Serafina, "Don't worry. I'm sure you wouldn't live in a shack unless you had to like back home."

"Who made the cottage?" Esme asked Henry. She noticed Serafina's brows furrow, usually indicating she was about to become upset. She wanted to distract her.

But they were all surprised when they noticed Henry shrug. He looked at Serafina. They then looked at Serafina as well. She had a small smile.

"My father built it in 1797 for my mother," she answered, "Somewhat of a retirement spot, if you will—top of the cliff to ensure their safety in the middle of nowhere. No one would be able to sneak up on them. When she passed away before they got to use it, he had my brother, and I memorize its location for if we ever needed a place to lay low."

"To ensure their safety? If you needed to lay low? What were you? Criminals?" Edward asked in confusion.

"I think we should continue this discussion back at the mansion. Thank you so much for all the information, Henry, gentlemen," Carlisle said, nodding to the men. He felt if they continued, they might break the people's illusion about Serafina.

Everyone only remembered the humans still there at that time. They diligently scribbled away on their notepads, taking notes on everything said. This was information they had craved for. It was the actual start of the town. It alluded to their Doña's past. Although there were still many questions, they were grateful they had gotten this.

"Of course, of course! Anytime!" Henry said. Although disappointed that they wouldn't get anything else out of the Doña. He was very eager to compare notes with his students. They had the beginning, and he was excited to add to their town's history. Maria also said her goodbyes after escorting them to the mansion's gates and reminding them to seek her out if they needed her.

Once back at the mansion, they sat around the living room to hear Serafina's explanation. They were all a little thrown off by how she described what the cottage was for. It did sound somewhat strange.

Serafina knew what it sounded like. And they were right. She dropped herself onto the couch and lay down. She grabbed Rosalie's hand and pulled her to lie down with her.

"So? Criminal?" Emmett asked as he got a comfortable chair nearby. His eyes shone brightly with excitement at the thought.

"My father did what he could to provide for his people. If someone got hurt in the process, it's because they didn't make the right decision," Serafina said diplomatically.

"The right decision? Like, 'give me all your money, or I'll break your legs?" Edward asked with a stern expression.

"Yes. That's exactly it, actually. Well, that was how they started. But then they got their pistols and rifles and didn't have to resort to breaking anything anymore. People usually just gave them what they wanted once they saw the guns." Serafina replied. She was playing with Rosalie's hands as she held her in her arms.

"Really? Your dad was a thief?" Alice asked, getting excited as well.

"Not just my father," Serafina answered with a smirk.

"Thieves, Texas, and your last name is Hart," Jasper began to mumble more to himself.

This brought an immense amount of amusement to Serafina. She thought people had forgotten about them. But she wondered if this Texas native and history buff had heard of them. She looked at him expectantly.

He felt her gaze and looked at her. Seeing her expectant look, he felt that was the proof he needed, "Was your father, Luther Wiley Hart? Leader of the Heartbreaker Gang? One of, if not the most notorious gangs in the west?"

Serafina smiled broadly as she sat up, holding onto Rosalie, "They always got that name wrong. But close enough." She nodded happily.

"Wait, I've heard of the Heartbreaker Gang too," Carlisle couldn't help adding, "They were known as a very people-friendly gang. Almost like the English's Robin Hood. Well, with a little more bloodshed. But again, never hurting the working man."

"She just said they weren't called the Heartbreaker Gang," Esme noted, "Serafina, dear, what were they called? This is exciting! I'm curious now."

"My father never had a name for them. They were his friends and family. It was his men who named themselves. They called themselves Hart's Breakers. They would rob a bank, announce they were Hart's Breakers, and help themselves." She shrugged with a small smile at the memory.

"Is this where their hideout was?" Emmett asked excitedly.

Her smile slipped, "no, this was supposed to be where he and my amá retired." She brought her smile back. She didn't notice her smile faltered, but the others did, "We never had to hide. Please." She scoffed, "We had a town we lived in, a bit closer to where El Paso is now. The people in the cheap side so loved my apá. We never hid anything. Everyone knew exactly where to find Luther Hart and his Breakers. You needed them if you ever wanted to have a good time. He ran the saloon slash brothel in town. But it's not there anymore."

"Why not?" Emmett asked, not sensing Serafina's mood shift like the others.

Rosalie glared in his direction while Jasper shook his head from the other side of Serafina. Emmett saw their reactions but didn't understand.

"That town's gone," Serafina answered in a matter-of-fact tone. Smile on her face. She gently moved Rosalie to the side and quickly stood up, "It's been a while since I've gone and patrolled around town. I think I'll go for a walk." She stretched, and when she looked up, she noticed Edward looking at her with a frown. She averted her eyes and began walking out of the house.

"I'll go with you!" Rosalie said as she hastily ran to follow. She felt the unhappiness and wanted to comfort her. Serafina slowed and held her hand back so Rosalie could take it as they walked out the front door together.

As soon as they were gone from earshot, the others looked at Edward.

"When she talked about the town, I heard her think of a name. I think Jefferson? And when she said it wasn't there anymore, she thought, 'Because of me.'" Edward told them. Still unsure of what to make of that.

Jasper's jaw dropped, but not just his. Noticeable shock appeared on Esme's face as well.

"What is it?" Alice asked.

"Well, I've heard of a town called Jefferson near where El Paso currently is," Jasper said, making eye contact with Carlisle.

"Many years ago, I heard a story in church, I think it was meant to inspire faith, but it sounded more like a ghost story to tell people how not to behave. But it was also about a town called Jefferson," Esme added.

"Oooh, I want to hear the ghost story," Emmett said excitedly.

Esme had a bad feeling, "Actually, let's hear what Jasper knows first."

"I only know about a town that was very large and doing very well that was suddenly wiped off the map," Jasper hesitated with his following words, "From what I remember, everyone was killed in a fire." He finished looking around.

Esme looked confused and concerned as she thought about the ghost story she knew, "That somewhat matches what I heard: a very prosperous city was growing in the west. But it was rife with sin: alcohol, gambling, prostitution. But even in this filth, there was a woman the angels were tasked to look after. Incredibly beautiful and still pure even while living in a whorehouse. And although sin was rampant, the people were still generally good. They looked out for this woman that the angels protected as well. But then those who coveted the pure woman attacked. They murdered all who resided in the whorehouse. Including the innocent woman, who both man and heaven protected. Of course, her death was a mistake, but the angels didn't care. In their fury, the angels summoned their seraphim to punish those wicked people and rained down their fire to punish those who killed their charge. Wiping the town off the map." She looked between everyone's eyes. Everyone was shocked.

"Do you think angels are real?" Alice asked wide-eyed.

"I like to believe, but the truth is, I don't know. And I don't think we will ever know." Carlisle said.

"Do you think that's what happened?" Emmett asked, equally as stunned.

No one answered. They were all a bit sad, thinking that Serafina was probably thinking about these things even now. All except one.

"Poor Serafina," Esme said.

"What do you mean 'poor Serafina'? It sounds like it was her fault," Edward said with brows furrowed.

"It sounds like her friends and family were all murdered either way," Esme answered, looking at him sadly.

Edward's angry look softened as he realized the same.

"She might not be ready to speak to us about it yet. We'll wait. Hopefully, Rosalie can make her feel comfortable enough to tell us about it someday," Carlisle said while comforting Esme.

Chapter Text

Two women held hands as they walked down the road. No destination in mind. One rubbing circles into the other's hand to relax them. They slowed as they neared a still lively bar not too far from the town square. It had a large window that allowed them to look inside. They found their way to the front to take a look. They noticed many younger men and women enjoying themselves inside with live music.

"Do," Rosalie wasn't sure how to address what happened at the mansion. But she thought she'd ask, "Do you want to talk about what happened before?"

"No, not right now. I'm alright. I just want to look around town a bit," Serafina answered. She didn't like thinking about it. She knew she would have to tell Rosalie at some point, but she wasn't sure when. It wasn't like Rosalie was jumping to tell her about her past. She could only guess that it wasn't the best either.

Rosalie noticed that Serafina wasn't heading inside the bar they found. She just stood outside across the street and watched. With the music, they weren't able to hear much. But they could see that the people inside seemed to be enjoying themselves. Mixed company. They didn't seem to be having any issues, even with the involvement of alcohol.

They watched for maybe thirty minutes; then, a man seemed to have had too much. He forcefully grabbed a woman and pulled her over toward himself. Rosalie couldn't help her glare as she subconsciously took a step forward. Serafina held her back.

Rosalie looked at her in disbelief, "we should help her!"

"If needed, we will. But I need to see how my town has been doing in my absence," Serafina answered.

When the woman was grabbed, they saw she tried to fight him off first. She wasn't successful and ended up calling for help. The bartender jumped into action and separated the man from the woman. They could see arguing as the man was then pushed back. They saw punches thrown as more went to help the bartender. As soon as the man was subdued, he was hauled to the door and tossed onto his ass. Once he was tossed out, the bartender yelled, "Sorry about that, folks. The next round is on me!" followed by cheers from the other patrons. Before he turned to re-enter, he thought he saw something out of the corner of his eye. He turned and saw two beautiful women. One he thought he recognized. He tilted his head as he looked. She nodded to him. But then the two disappeared. Did he see the Doña? He couldn't help puffing his chest out with pride at having been seen helping someone else by the Doña. He turned around and yelled into the bar, "Make that the next two rounds on me!" he shouted to additional cheers.

"Well, the closer we are to the town square still seems to be fine," Serafina said as they stopped further from the town center.

"It's so fun playing these tricks on the people!" Rosalie couldn't help her giggle, "We can't do any of this in the real world."

"This is still the real world," Serafina said, looking at Rosalie strangely.

Rosalie pushed her, causing Serafina to lose the exaggerated expression and laugh, "You know what I mean! They don't know what we are, but we don't have to hide. It's nice."

"I know, I know. I'm just kidding," Serafina answered, "Come on," she said, gesturing for Rosalie to hold onto herself again so they could continue walking.

"Why do you do this? You said you're checking on the town. But how so?" Rosalie wondered out loud as she grabbed her arm, and they continued walking.

"Well, the town still grows while I'm away. So I walk from my home at the center of town to the outer layers to ensure they didn't let some undesirable people into my town," Serafina explained.

"Back at the bar?" Rosalie asked.

"If no one helped, I would have," Serafina answered.

"That's it?" Rosalie didn't think it could be that easy.

"Just seeing me is enough. Usually, if not, I have my ways," Serafina smirked.

Rosalie just hummed in acknowledgment as they continued walking together. It was pretty late in the evening, but as the bar showed, people were still awake. They could hear movement inside most homes. If they slowed enough, they could listen to conversations. But Rosalie could tell Serafina wasn't interested in what they were saying or doing. It was almost as though she were looking for something specific. She wasn't sure what until Serafina stopped and turned her head to look toward their right.

They changed directions to head that way. Rosalie was momentarily confused until she heard the raised voices coming from a home in the middle of the block. More like one raised voice while another cried and pleaded for the first to stop. It wasn't loud enough for the neighbors to hear. It seemed to be more toward the back of the home. Rosalie became upset again and wanted to help. Serafina walked her across the street under a streetlamp. She kissed her on the cheek and asked her to wait. Serafina didn't feel right having Rosalie do her job.

Serafina walked up to the home in question and knocked three times dramatically. The noise inside stopped. But they only seemed confused, believing they had misheard things since it was too late for the company. Serafina knew they were disregarding it and knocked again. This finally got their attention. She heard grumbling from inside. The man was swearing under his breath at her visit.

"Who the hell is it?" he asked, roughly yanking the door open.

Serafina didn't cover herself at night like she did in the day. Only her eyes. She looked at the man, "Hello, I'd like to speak with the lady of the home." She smiled.

"It's the middle of the night. Wait until tomorrow," he scoffed as he attempted to slam the door in her face.

She easily stopped the door with her hand, "You don't understand. I want to speak with her right now. Get her for me." She said in a more demanding tone.

"Who the hell do you think you are? Move!" he said as he tried to slam it shut again.

Serafina exaggeratedly sighed, "It seems I have to show you your place." She said as she caught the door again but forcefully pushed it into the man so he was knocked backward as she let herself in.

"What the h-" the man was cut off as Serafina grabbed him by his throat and lifted him into the air. He struggled as she shoved him against the wall. She found his struggling annoying, so she allowed her eyes to glow as she removed the eye cover. The man stopped struggling as soon as he saw it.

"I said I want to speak with the lady of the house. Call her," she said as she loosened the grip on his throat.

He called out for her. When she entered the room, she let out a small scream but didn't make a move to help him. She was more afraid and hung back, not knowing what to do. Serafina could see the bruises littering the woman's body. She was black and blue all over except her face. Serafina supposed the woman still had to keep up appearances when outside. Small mercies thanks to her husband.

"Are you alright?" Serafina asked in a soft voice.

"Of course she is. It's just a little discipline. She's my wife. It's my right," the man gasped out. Fully thinking what he was saying would appease the unknown woman.

He was wrong. Her grip tightened, "I wasn't asking you. I was asking her."

The woman didn't understand what was happening. She was afraid. But at this point, she was fearful of most things. Her husband glared at her, and she began to shake. She looked down, shrank herself a bit, and whispered, "I'm fine."

The man smiled triumphantly and looked at the woman, "I told you." He said.

"Do you know who I am?" Serafina ignored him.

The woman shook her head as in no.

"Have you ever been to the town square?" Serafina asked. She was pretty disappointed with her answer. Serafina herself knew she might be a tiny bit vain. But she felt a little better because she noticed that the man looked at her confused when she asked the question. It seemed it wouldn't take long for him to realize who she was.

The woman nodded but never raised her head.

"Look at me," Serafina raised her voice.

The woman flinched as she looked up.

"Have you ever seen the statue in the town square?" Serafina asked. The woman nodded. "Have you ever read the plaque?" Serafina continued. The man let out a gasp as he realized what was happening. As he looked at Serafina, the fear on his face made said woman smile. The woman nodded again. "Then, this time, answer me honestly. Are you alright?"

The woman shook her head as in no as tears sprang to her eyes. Was this the angel that the people spoke of? The one who protected women and children? Was this the Doña?

"Then how do you want to handle it? I like giving people choices." Serafina said as she finally dropped the man. He slid to the floor while gasping for breath. He couldn't move, though; he was frozen in fear as he looked up at the Doña.

The woman immediately began to cry, "I don't have any options. I can't do anything. I'm stuck with him." she cried as she put her hands on her tiny baby bump.

The gesture wasn't lost on Serafina. She sympathized with the woman, "The people here can help you. You don't have to suffer with this man. The choice is yours. I don't know how long you've been in town. I don't know how long you've suffered. So I will give you two options."

The man finally understood that his fate was in the hands of his wife. He turned his attention to her as he began to stand. But Serafina caught him easily again by the throat, "Don't try to intimidate her." Serafina chided. She looked back at the woman, "As I was saying. I will give you two options. I don't know how bad it's been for you. Maybe this was just a one-time thing? I couldn't say." She shrugged, "So the options you have are as follows. One. I warn him. He will be marked, of course, so everyone will know to keep an eye on him and keep an eye out for you. Or two. I kill him, and you take care of yourself from now on. You won't be alone. There are resources in town for our widows. They can help you."

The woman looked at Serafina, unsure if what she was saying was true. She looked at her husband, who was struggling in her grip as he would randomly glare at her. Could she be free?

"Won't I get in trouble if he disappears?" she asked timidly. Her husband struggled more fiercely after hearing her question.

"He's not going to disappear. I'm going to kill him. Then I'm going to tell everyone that I killed him. You won't get in trouble," Serafina smiled reassuringly at her, "It seems you've made your decision."

The woman nodded in agreement.

"Then pack up your things and wait outside with the beautiful woman waiting across the street. She'll protect you." Serafina smiled.

The woman did just that. She ran back to her room. She packed a suitcase and filled it with clothes and what she knew had value. Then ran back to the living room where Serafina still had her husband pinned but was stopped before she reached the door. The Doña handed her her husband's wallet and then shooed her away.

The man was terrified. How did she get his wallet? He didn't feel a thing. He was released and fell to the floor again. He looked up at her. But her smile was gone.

"I'm curious. Did you hit her because she was a woman? Maybe because she was smaller than you? Was it because you knew she wouldn't leave you because of the insecurities you drilled into her head with what you've been doing to her?" Serafina asked.

He stayed still on the floor, looking up at her, "I- I- I-" was all he managed to stutter out.

She struck out quickly and grabbed his wrist. He struggled as he tried to free himself. She punched him on his arm, mirroring where he had bruised his wife. She did not hold back her vampiric strength at all. The bone broke, and he screamed. He continued screaming as Serafina gave him what he had given to his wife tenfold.

The neighbors heard the screaming. The police had been notified. When the police arrived, they saw a beautiful woman standing outside with one of the town residents. Some people left their homes once the police arrived. They were standing near their front doors to watch. They saw the beautiful woman as well. Gossip spread quickly in small towns. They knew this was a special friend of the Doña. They also knew the woman standing next to her was their neighbor who lived next door. The police stopped. Unsure of how to proceed.

The screams lessened. Soon only whimpers and crying were heard. Finally, the home burst into flames as the cries ultimately ended. No panic came from the neighbors. If this was a normal situation, they might have feared the spread of the fire, but seeing the beautiful angel watching brought them some solace. They looked to where she was looking as the Doña emerged from the flames unscathed.

"When your face isn't enough of a deterrent for bad behavior, you resort to murder?" Rosalie asked as she wiped a drop of blood from Serafina's face. Thankfully, the smoke was enough to keep the delicious scent masked. She also began to tidy up her clothes.

"A necessary evil," Serafina shrugged, "the people in this town should know what I expect of them."

The two didn't lower their voices as they spoke. The surrounding police officers and neighbors could hear. An officer cleared his throat as he approached, "Is there something wrong, Doña?" he asked.

"Take this woman to the hospital. She needs to be checked out. Then I'll make a statement. I punished the man who lived in that house." She said.

The house was still burning. Not normally. It was a towering blaze; if anyone looked outside, it would be noticeable from even the opposite end of town. Even the patrons leaving the bar for closing time saw it. They stood together and watched, unsure of what was happening. It was intentional, of course. Serafina had to reestablish her dominance. The fact this couple slipped through the cracks annoyed her a great deal.

Once the woman was placed into the police car, Serafina extinguished the flames, and she and Rosalie did their disappearing act. They arrived at the hospital before the police car. The officer swallowed nervously as he opened the door for the young woman. He escorted her inside with the Doña and the other angel behind him. They found the woman was severely hurt, and to ensure the safety of the fetus, it would be best to stay overnight.

The officer frowned after hearing it. He understood more about why the Doña was there if what he knew about her was right. He noted it and left with the angels agreeing to meet them back at their station. He met them back at the station, where he took her statement. The other officers lingered close, trying to overhear what was being said. Their chief was part of the council. He took the notes and locked them in the cabinet on the Doña. So what if she killed someone? They must have deserved it, and it wasn't like they could do anything to her anyways. They thanked her and sent the two on their way. That was all they could do.

Rosalie was in an excellent mood. She swung Serafina's hand happily as they walked. She thought they did the right thing. A good deed. But she gave Serafina a knowing look, "The others aren't going to like to hear that you killed someone."

"It should be fine. I didn't feed from him." Serafina shrugged.

Rosalie knew where she was going with that and laughed, "That's not why they don't want you to kill people."

"What do you mean?" Serafina asked.

"It's not that they don't want you to kill people by feeding. For them, all killing is wrong," Rosalie said simply.

"You saw him! Did he deserve to live?" Serafina asked unbelievingly.

"No. But I don't have that big of a problem with murder," Rosalie shrugged.

"Oh. Well, then, I don't care what they think. Simple as that," Serafina relaxed as she answered.

Rosalie smiled. She couldn't help herself. She liked that Serafina only cared about her opinion, "are you feeling better?"

"I felt better as soon as you held my hand," Serafina answered honestly.

"Good," Rosalie rubbed circles on her hand.

The two returned to the mansion, where an overexcited Alice and Emmett greeted them. It turned out that Alice had a vision of Serafina setting a home on fire. When Emmett went outside to look, he saw the inferno. The whole family was curious about what had happened and patiently waited to ask. Although Carlisle and Edward verbally disapproved of what she had done. Even the disapproval was minimal. Carlisle only disapproved because he believed she could've just had him incarcerated instead of killed. While Edward had to admit that if he had no inhibitions, he'd probably murder the man as well. He was jealous of Serafina's lack of morals sometimes. But they were all happy that she was in a better mood. They had already agreed not to bring up what had happened before. So they just discussed what had happened after they left.

Chapter Text

The Cullens were midway through the second week of their little vacation. They all enjoyed themselves more than they had thought they would. Serafina was right. They didn't have to hide anything. It didn't mean they completely let loose (except Emmett, he very much did), but it was nice for them not to have to hold back. To have to try to look normal. These people knew they weren't normal. But their first thought wasn't a vampire. Their first thought wasn't to fear them. Their first thought was not to upset Serafina, their Doña. But that was it.

They split up most of the time. Esme was very interested in the greenhouse and playing with the children at the playground. It wasn't just the children from the orphanage anymore. Other children from the neighborhood had begun to join, so it was practically every child in town. Carlisle just liked being with her, so he did whatever she wanted, but he had begun moonlighting at the hospital like Serafina thought he would, only a few days into the trip. He even allowed some of their medical students to follow him on his rounds. The hospital was grateful.

The teens would typically go off on their own. They usually played with the children and indulged in their interests afterward. They did things like window shopping, actual shopping, playing music in the concert hall, or listening to Henry. They only separated when Serafina stole Rosalie away so they could explore alone. Even then, the other four stayed together.

One morning Rosalie decided her car needed to be washed. A brief shower had dirtied all three vehicles the day before. Only lightly, but it was considered filthy for Rosalie. Serafina promised to have a covered garage built for her in the future. Rosalie didn't mind that much but appreciated the thought. Alice reassured Rosalie there wouldn't be any more showers, so she would be okay to wash her car if she wanted. But once Rosalie walked outside with the necessities to clean her car, the other Cullens said their goodbyes, much to her chagrin.

Rosalie just rolled her eyes at them and got to work. She didn't believe in using her abilities to tend to what she enjoyed. That wouldn't be fun for her. She was cleaning alone when she grew somewhat annoyed because the song she was beginning to enjoy was suddenly changed from the radio in the car.

She let out a frustrated sigh as she waved the towel to smack Serafina's feet hanging out of the open door, "Why aren't you helping?"

"I offered to pay someone in town to wash it for you," Serafina said. Unfazed by the sudden attack. She continued to relax, lying partially on the front seat. Part of her legs dangling out of the open door.

"I'm not letting some stranger touch my car," she scowled. She saw Serafina smirk and smacked her again with the towel, "Come on! Do something!"

Serafina shimmied on the seat, "There."

Rosalie had a look of confusion on her face, "What was that?"

"I wiped off your front seats," Serafina grinned, "and this just happens to be one of my favorite dresses, so you're welcome."

Rosalie repeatedly smacked her with the towel as she laughed, "You're not funny! Come help me, please!" she whined.

Serafina chuckled as she got up from her seat and began to help. Once she was up, she took her job very seriously, knowing how much Rosalie loved the car. Despite trying, she hadn't done this before and wasn't doing well. Rosalie was very patient. She held her hand to show her the correct motions and strength needed to clean it properly without damaging the paint.

While cleaning, Rosalie suddenly remembered that she hadn't taught Serafina how to drive yet. She looked at her cleaning seriously. She had her brows furrowed and a small pout. Rosalie couldn't help thinking how cute she could look. Serafina felt her gaze and looked over. She cocked her head to the side, "What?" she asked.

"When do you want to learn to drive?" Rosalie asked as she kept working.

"I don't need to," She answered, returning to work.

"Why not?" Rosalie asked in surprise.

"I don't need to. I'll just go with you," Serafina answered, not even looking up from her work while Rosalie stopped to look at her.

"What if I'm not in a good mood to just go off to drive you somewhere?" She questioned.

"Then I wouldn't need to go anywhere anyways. I'd have to make you feel better first. But I'd bet just getting you behind the wheel would make you feel better anyways. Driving makes you happy," Serafina answered off-handedly and stepped back to admire her work.

Rosalie felt her heart race again. She got these phantom heartbeats a lot when speaking with Serafina. Half the time, she wasn't even trying to get a rise out of her. Serafina would speak without thinking and say the sweetest things. Rosalie approached Serafina to hug her from behind, "Not bad for someone who's never washed a car before." She said as she kissed her shoulder.

"I know!" Serafina said excitedly. Obviously proud of herself for not ruining the car.

"I'll trust you to wash my car yourself next time," Rosalie replied. She could feel Serafina deflate in her arms. She held back her laughter.

"I don't think I did that well," Serafina hesitantly muttered.

Rosalie couldn't hide her laughter after hearing, "Come on, let's clean ourselves up and join the others." She said after a brief squeeze to Serafina's waist.

"Ha ha," Serafina said as she carried some cleaning supplies back into the home, "You know we could always save time by bathing together." She offered.

The phantom beats were back. This was intentional on Serafina's part. She enjoyed teasing Rosalie. Rosalie liked to do the same. But Serafina was much better at it.

Rosalie wanted to give in. Just when she built up enough courage to try and tell Serafina about what happened in her past, the fear would come back. How would she explain that she's not a virgin? She was never married. That was important when she in her time, it should have been more so in Serafina's. She was older after all. She never told Serafina about her past. What if she was disgusted with her? It was embarrassing to speak about and scary. Sometimes when Serafina was a little too enthusiastic while they were necking and grabbed her a little too roughly, she would remember things she never wanted to think about again. She would freeze up. Stop everything and try to pretend she wasn't just remembering her worst nightmare. She knew Serafina would never hurt her. But all her thoughts would hit her at once in those situations, and she would panic. She felt guilty. She could see the disappointment in Serafina sometimes, but she would smile and pretend nothing had happened while holding Rosalie until the next day.

Serafina saw Rosalie lost in her thoughts for a moment. But she knew nothing would happen. She blew Rosalie a kiss and grabbed some clothes to shower alone.

Once the two were done, they walked to the town square, where they could see their siblings. Serafina let go of Rosalie's hand as she walked closer to Jasper, who was speaking to Henry. She just wanted to make sure they were getting the facts right again.

Edward had heard what Serafina was thinking just before she noticed Henry. He wanted to pull Rosalie away to warn her. But he heard Emmett's thoughts before he could and knew that problem was a bit more imminent. He quickly turned around and saw Henry leaving and Emmett approaching Jasper.

"You know, I'm surprised you're so okay with Henry," Emmett commented to Jasper.

Everyone looked at him, confused. Edward shook his head as in no to Emmett and signaled with his arms to stop. Emmett saw him but wasn't sure why he was doing it. He just tilted his head. But he refocused on Jasper after a moment.

Jasper could see Edward's movements from the corner of his eyes, "Why does it surprise you? He's a very knowledgeable gentleman. I also happen to love history. Sure, he's a little odd in what he thinks is graphic and not graphic content for his stories. But that part is pretty funny for me. I enjoy speakin' with him." Jasper answered.

"But I thought you were racist?" Emmett asked in confusion.

Edward hung his head and slapped his hand to his forehead. Rosalie had joined Serafina's side when Henry left and had a look of shock on her face as she looked between Emmett and Jasper. Serafina bit her lip to hold back her laughter as she looked between the two, squeezing Rosalie's hand in her excitement. But it was Alice who puffed up and placed herself in front of Jasper, giving Emmett a shove backward, "Emmett, you're wrong! Jazz isn't like that!"

Jasper softly pulled her back, happy the accusation against him offended her. Glad she was willing to defend him. She simmered down a bit as she relaxed into his side while she continued glaring at Emmett, "Why would you think I was racist? Because I'm southern?"

Emmett smoothed his shirt where he was pushed and looked at Alice in confusion, but still answered Jasper, "Well no, but I thought all Confederate soldiers were?"

Jasper sighed, "I didn't believe in their cause. They went through my town lookin' for able-bodied men to enlist. We didn't have a choice. It was either join willingly, be drafted, or run. I couldn't run. My family was there. I didn't want them to suffer from my runnin'. I was gonna have to join. I knew that if I had to be a part of it anyways, it would look better to move up the ranks if I had joined willingly." He explained. He then became somewhat stern as he continued, "But I never treated any of the men I fought with differently, no matter the color of their skin. And when I moved up the ranks, I never treated any men who worked under me differently. Hell, I made sure everyone was treated fairly in my squadron!"

Emmett nodded in understanding while still seeming a bit unsure.

"He's not racist, Em. He gets along with me, doesn't he?" Serafina added.

Emmett gave her an incredulous look, "You? You don't even look, Mexican. I haven't met many. But you don't look much like them. Aren't you half anyways?" Emmett remarked.

The others knew what was coming and immediately took a step back. Even Rosalie consciously released Serafina's hand as she stepped back too. Emmett didn't like their reactions but didn't know how to backtrack. All this occurred in seconds.

Serafina looked at him unbelievingly at first, but soon her eyes narrowed and glowed as she stepped to Emmett and began poking him in his chest, "¡Estúpido idiota! ¿Qué demonios quieres decir? ¡No todos los mexicanos se ven iguales! ¡Al igual que todas las personas blancas no se ven iguales! ¡Sigo siendo mexicana!" She began to pace in front of him and suddenly stopped as she turned back to him and threw her arms up frustratedly, "Dios mío. ¡Tienes suerte de que no te mate ahora mismo!" she growled.

Carlisle and Esme had walked up at some point. They were initially taking their time, but once they saw how animated Serafina was in her scolding of Emmett, they sped over to ensure everything was alright. They didn't interrupt, though, since they noticed the other teens weren't too concerned.

"I'm sorry?" Emmett attempted to respond to Serafina. He had no idea what she was saying.

Edward heard Serafina's thoughts suddenly go back into English. He could tell she was calming down. He decided to join with a thought Serafina had just before Emmett annoyed her. He was somewhat curious about it, "Jasper isn't racist. He had a Mexican girlfriend before."

Serafina completely cooled off when she heard that. She wasn't going to mention it; she just happened to think about it before she was going to use herself as an example. She looked at Edward wide-eyed before she looked over to Jasper, whose face seemed to harden as he was the one who appeared annoyed now.

"Maria?" Edward heard from Jasper's mind. Jasper turned a glare in his direction. Not liking that, he heard that from his mind.

"Is that why you don't like the Maria here in town? Her name is the same as your ex-girlfriend?" Esme asked out of curiosity.

"I never said I don't like her," Jasper answered curtly.

The others looked at each other, "Well, you didn't have to say anything. You can tell. Kind of like how everyone can tell Rosalie doesn't like her either." Alice awkwardly chimed in, "I knew it wasn't because she was part Mexican, though!" she quickly added to appease Jasper.

Serafina couldn't help the frown on her face, "Well, I always figured Jasper didn't like her just because of her name, but why don't you like her? She's a sweet girl." she turned to ask Rosalie.

Rosalie had heard her call her sweet and was immediately infuriated, "because of that! Because she's a sweet," she thought momentarily, "girl? She's a woman. A beautiful woman in her mid to late twenties. She's not a girl." She weakly finished. She began to look at Serafina with confusion when the realization hit, "You think of her as a child, don't you?"

Emmett suddenly appeared beside them as he smacked his forehead, "Duh!"

"It's cute how jealous you were. We were all waiting for you to realize," Carlisle chuckled.

Serafina's eyes glittered as she stared at Rosalie with a small smile. Rosalie tried to avoid her eyes—unbelieving of her stupidity. Of course, Serafina wasn't ever flirting with the woman. The touches were always innocent as though she were rewarding a child.

"She speaks to everyone in town as though they were children. But they don't act surprised in the least. It's adorable how they do everything they can to please her as though they were children trying to get attention," Esme added.

Serafina was slightly embarrassed now, "I knew them when they were children. I guess it's hard changing how I treat them. I suppose I should treat them as adults now."

"I don't think that's necessary. They seem to enjoy it." Carlisle noted.

"They actually do. They especially like when you praise them as though they were five." Edward shook his head in exasperation while Jasper nodded in agreement.

Alice stiffened, and Edward looked at her to see what she was seeing. His face showed concern, then a slight panic as Alice regained herself and looked at Edward with the same look.

"We have to go now!" Alice said to Jasper.

"Are you alright? Did you see something?" Jasper asked in concern.

"You have to go now!" Edward continued pushing Jasper and Alice.

The group suddenly heard an exclamation followed by a crash. Then a sudden sharp inhalation of breath followed by the smell of blood and people asking the person if they were okay.

The following events happened too quickly for Alice or Edward to react. Serafina had sped rapidly over to check if the person was alright, followed slowly by Carlisle. He went slowly to avoid startling the group, unlike Serafina, who didn't care. The others had frozen once they smelled the blood. Rosalie didn't have anything to mask the scent; she was tempted. As were the others, but they knew not to react. But Alice began to shake as a look of fear spread to her features. She weakly pulled at Jasper, but it was too late. He flew towards the scent, his golden eyes shifting to black.

Serafina felt his approach and knew he wasn't in control. Even Carlisle tried to turn quickly to grab him, but Jasper just slipped his grasp. There was confusion from the group as they felt danger approaching. Just as they figured out where the threat was coming from, their Doña stood, turned, and met Jasper head-on. Pushing him back by his chest, with a firm hold on his shirt but he was snapping his teeth at her as he tried to claw his way through her to get them. She was concerned he might get past her, so she erected a flame barrier. It somewhat blocked the scent.

When Carlisle saw the barrier, he called Emmett and Edward, knowing they wouldn't be able to get to the humans anyways. Serafina still held Jasper in place. He was too far gone to stop his actions at that point. His eyes looked everywhere, trying to figure out how to bypass the flames once he got rid of Serafina. Carlisle proceeded forward, calling Serafina. She allowed a small opening so he could walk through and tend to the hurt person on the other side. She sealed it again once he stepped through. Then Emmett and Edward made it over to grab Jasper and drag him back to the mansion.

Esme had already returned inside the mansion. Alice waited at the gate for Jasper. Rosalie stood with her as she waited for Serafina. Once Emmett and Edward approached, Edward saw Rosalie and knew this would be his chance to speak privately with her.

"Do you think you can get him inside?" He asked Emmett and Alice. They nodded in response as Edward let go. Jasper was already regaining himself, and the look of guilt on his face was significant.

"Rosalie, I need to speak with you," Edward said under his breath so only the two could hear.

"Can it wait?" she asked, not even looking at him. She was facing the direction Serafina was as she stood in front of her barrier protectively as though expecting Jasper to make another mad dash for them.

"No, I need to tell you now. It's important. It's about Serafina," he answered.

She finally looked at him and saw the seriousness on his face. She agreed and signaled to Serafina that she and Edward were leaving the area. Once Serafina nodded in understanding, the two set off from their family's superior hearing range.

"What?" Rosalie finally asked.

"You have to tell Serafina about what happened to you," Edward answered.

She stiffened and glared at him, "It's none of your business." She responded.

"She thinks you aren't interested in her. Sexually," Edward said, unable to hide the disgust from his face, "You and I both know that's not true. But she's okay with that."

Rosalie's anger disappeared, "What? Why did this even come up? When did you hear this?"

"Earlier! I guess she teased you again, and you didn't do anything. She's pretty much come up with an explanation. She remembered someone in Volterra named Sulpi telling her how there were many different mate bonds. She had told her men and women, women and women, men and men, but also told her that there was even a relationship between a man and woman who didn't have sex. That they had fallen in love with each others' minds. That was how their bond worked. She thinks you are like them since you two don't do much." Edward explained, "She doesn't care because she loves you. But she's not sure about herself not liking sex. She's pretty sure she likes sex and already thinks that if you and she have a relationship with you together everywhere except physically, then she'll have to look outside your relationship for sexual fulfillment. She thinks you'll be fine with it since you don't want her that way," Edward couldn't keep the grimace from his face as he spoke to Rosalie about this. But he knew he had to tell her.

Rosalie was enduring so many ups and downs from his explanation. The phantom heartbeats were back at the mention of Serafina loving her. She was ecstatic to hear that Serafina would be with her without sex. But saddened and furious at the thought of her looking elsewhere for it. Even so, she knew she couldn't be angry. She hadn't been forthcoming with her past. Serafina didn't know what to think and was trying to solve things independently.

Edward saw her expressions and heard her thoughts. He reached over and touched her shoulder, "she loves you. Tell her." He then let go and took a step back, "Jasper is pretty upset with what happened. He thought he could handle being around people. But an incident like that caused him to snap. He's more than likely going to want to be away from people for a while. I think the trip will be cut short. Stay here with her. Tell her." He suddenly paused, "Alice may have seen this when she said we would need the three cars. But she didn't see the incident before. She's pretty upset about it too. She thinks she should have seen it before to stop it."

"They're new to the diet," Rosalie managed to say as she looked at her feet, her mind elsewhere, "It could've happened to any of us if we were a little closer."

Edward sighed, "I know. We'll tell them when we go back." He said as he gestured for Rosalie to join him. He waited for her to catch up as they returned to the mansion together. Edward did everything he could to tune her thoughts out, knowing she was probably struggling with everything he had just told her. And was likely trying to figure out how to tell Serafina about her past. He was confident the two would be better once they were honest with each other. At least, that was what he hoped. He also hoped he would never have to speak to either one about sex again. God, was it awkward.

Chapter Text

"Jazz, it's not going to happen again." Alice tried to stop Jasper, who hurriedly zipped around their room, packing her things. He had already tossed his belongings haphazardly in his suitcase.

"You can't see accidents like that all the time. We know that now," Jasper answered, "do you want me to keep these outfits with the hangers or just fold them and keep the hangers separate when I put them away?" he asked. He was trying his best not to wrinkle or damage her clothes.

"The humans didn't know what happened. They only sensed danger. It's our prey's instinct. But I didn't let them see you or your face. It'll be fine," Serafina said as she lounged in the living room on the first floor. She lay on the couch with some magazine about housekeeping that she guessed belonged to Esme, but she didn't even look at it. She was too busy staring at the door waiting for Edward and Rosalie to return.

"A watched pot never boils," Esme said as she patted Serafina on her head and walked past her to head to the second floor to check on Jasper.

"It could've happened to any of us," Emmett tried to help. He was already in Alice and Jasper's room with them.

"But it didn't. Only me," Jasper mumbled. He was annoyed by his lack of restraint.

"I almost gave in too!" Alice admitted, tugging on his sleeve.

Serafina was mildly irritated. Not necessarily at them, just the fact that Rosalie wasn't there. Where did they go? She knew nothing would happen to them. But she'd rather be with Rosalie than with Rosalie's family while they were in turmoil. She hoped they didn't want her to try to cheer him up too. But they probably did. She could hear them all on the second floor as they tried to make Jasper feel better.

"I wouldn't let you hurt them anyways. As you saw, I'm pretty good at keeping you away. Hell, I held myself back since you're Rosalie's family. If you act up again, I'll sear you good. I know just how far to go so I don't accidentally hit the venom and light you up by mistake," Serafina called out. There, she did a good deed.

There was silence from the second floor.

"There! See, she won't let you hurt anyone," Emmett said happily as he clapped his hand on Jasper's back.

"That's sweet of you, Serafina," Esme said, shrugging to the others. She believed Serafina meant well but wasn't sure how to respond.

"Maybe if we left town for a bit to feed and came back, you'll feel better?" Emmett suggested, "Oh! We can feed in Mexico! I've never been, and I think we're close. What kinds of animals do they have down there?" he asked excitedly.

"Closer to here, mostly livestock, like horses, cattle, goats, and pigs on the ranches," Jasper muttered, "but that's Maria's territory." His hands tightened on the clothes he was trying to fold. Alice made her way over, pulled the clothes away, and held his hands. He relaxed as he held onto her.

Serafina couldn't help but perk up at that, "has Carlisle ever been to Mexico?" she asked out loud.

"I believe he mentioned traveling through Mexico before," Edward answered as he walked in the door with Rosalie.

Serafina began laughing as she pulled Rosalie to sit with her. Rosalie was somewhat stiff, but Serafina didn't notice.

Edward eyed the two sitting on the couch before he couldn't help asking, "What's el chupacabra?"

Jasper now knew why Serafina was laughing so hard downstairs and couldn't help laughing himself, "You-" he almost couldn't breathe since his laughter was too much, "you think he's el chupacabra?"

She continued laughing from downstairs, "Doesn't that make sense?"

"That it does," he agreed. He then addressed the others after feeling their confusion, "El chupacabra is some old folklore, mainly south of the border. It means the goat-sucker. Uh, it's a monster that sucks the blood from livestock. Serafina thinks that's Carlisle." He continued laughing at the thought of all the people's fears, having been the kind blond father figure of the family.

Carlisle returned to the mansion, and it was full of laughter. He was thrilled to hear it; he didn't think that would be what he returned to. He discovered they were laughing at him, and he wasn't sure how to feel but figured it was usual for the father to be laughed at by his family. He shrugged it off.

"Do you want to stay, Jasper? Or would you prefer we head back? We don't want you to be uncomfortable, and I'm sure Serafina will allow us to visit again. She seems to enjoy being in the town herself," Carlisle noted after he had made his way upstairs with the others.

"I'd feel better heading out," he admitted.

"Shotgun!" Emmett yelled out.

"No one fought you for shotgun on the way here. Why would anyone fight you for it on the way back?" Edward asked exasperatedly.

"You never know! Oh, wait! I'd rather go convertible instead! Can I go with you guys, Rosie?" Emmett called out.

"Sorry, Em, I think we're going to stay longer," Rosalie responded.

Serafina heard and hugged Rosalie tightly, "really? Just the two of us?" she asked with a wide smile.

"Really? Can I stay with you guys?" Emmett asked.

"No," Alice, Edward, and Rosalie chorused.

Everyone else was confused. Serafina gave Rosalie a questioning look, but Rosalie couldn't even look back at her.

"Are you alright?" Serafina asked, backing up to look at her properly.

Rosalie put on a fake smile, "Yes. We'll talk later."

There was a beat of silence as everyone felt the tension.

"You know, staying here a bit longer might be good for you two. Help strengthen the bond," Esme said. She clapped, "Alright, everyone, let's pack up so we can head out."

Serafina frowned as she looked at Rosalie, who pulled herself away from her and sat at the farther end of the sofa. She grabbed a magazine from the table and began to go through it. Rosalie tried to act nonchalant about it, but it hurt Serafina deeply. She couldn't help but think she had done something wrong.

The others didn't take long to pack up, but they admitted to wanting to go back to their favorite spots to say their goodbyes. All except Jasper, who stated he'd wait for them. Rosalie said she'd stay too, and when Serafina wanted to stay with her, Alice asked her for some help in town. So she reluctantly joined her.

The goodbyes in town went well. Serafina wasn't sure why Alice wanted to make a connection with the law firm. But she helped her with that contact before they returned to the mansion so they could load up the cars to leave. Esme and Carlisle hugged both women and reminded them to stay safe. The other teens also said their goodbyes but were strangely quiet, giving Serafina a look as though concerned for her. That's what everyone's expressions felt like to Serafina anyways. She glanced at Rosalie, who couldn't look her in the eye.

Once the others left, Rosalie seemed a bit fidgety. She couldn't help looking at her, but Rosalie continued to avoid her eye. She seemed upset.

"Did something happen?" Serafina asked. She grabbed her hand and pulled her to look at herself, "Did I do something?"

"We need to talk," she mumbled, "but it's hard. I don't." She breathed a little heavier as she pulled her legs up into her chest and curled herself into the corner of the sofa.

"You're alright, Rosa!" Serafina worriedly got up and knelt in front of her on the floor in front of the sofa, "Relax." She said as she held her hand, "You don't have to tell me if it makes you uncomfortable."

Rosalie had begun to regulate her breathing better as she looked at her, but she still had that uncomfortable look on her face, "I have to. You need to know why I'm like this." She couldn't help looking around themselves. Almost as though thinking someone might eavesdrop on their conversation.

"No one else is here. It's just us," Serafina tried to reassure her. But she could see she still wasn't too assured, "Come with me. Let's go upstairs to our room. You'll feel better there." She stood and held her hand out to help Rosalie up. They went upstairs to their bedroom. She made the bed extra comfortable for Rosalie to sit in the center against the headboard. She then turned on the bedside lamps and closed the curtains making the room feel more secure as she went back to lying next to Rosalie, giving Rosalie her full undivided attention.

Rosalie smiled as she watched Serafina flit about the room to make her comfortable. It disappeared as Serafina lay down. She knew she now had to tell her. She sighed, "I don't even know where to start."

"If it's about you, I want to know it all. Can you start at the beginning?" Serafina shyly asked. She tried not to look at Rosalie and lay on her back to stare at the ceiling. She felt if she looked at Rosalie, it would make it more challenging for her to talk about her past.

Rosalie nodded in agreement as she began her tale. She told Serafina about how she had grown up in the perfect family. Her parents were high school sweethearts. Her father couldn't go to college due to an injury that had ruined his athletic scholarship. But he was very charismatic and still got a well-paying job at the bank. Her mother was always beautiful and dolled up to the nines to impress anyone and everyone. She was always the dutiful housewife who cooked and cleaned for the family. And she had two protective younger brothers who she adored. She explained how whenever they went out as a family if she showed interest in something, her father would buy it to make her happy.

Serafina had a slight smile because of Rosalie's happy memories. She didn't think it sounded as great as Rosalie thought it was. But Serafina wasn't there, so she figured she shouldn't judge. But it sounded more like whenever Rosalie tried to spend time with her father; he would buy her a shiny bauble to keep their time together to a minimum. It sounded as though her father only wanted her and her mother to be at home. Her mother faded into the background. However, her younger brothers seemed to not want that for her. She described how they constantly snuck her out to watch them play sports. They had even stolen their father's new car to take her for a ride after their father had told her he wouldn't take her or her mother for a ride when it was new. They had only been thirteen when they had done that. Rosalie laughed at that story. She had said their father was furious and had grounded them. Refusing to blame his princess because she should know better.

She explained her family was very proud. They had to be the best dressed, the top performers academically, and the most envied by all. And they were. Rosalie couldn't help it as her chin tilted up with pride when she spoke about it. Her family, of course, were beautiful in general. Good genes. But she admitted that she was the best-looking in the family. That was why she was given everything. That was why she was favored. She owned it too.

Her friends loved and hated her. They had to be friends with her because she was the most beautiful which meant the most popular. She had all the boys' attention in school. Her "friends" wanted some of that attention too. That's also why they hated her. Jealousy. She had a very good friend who wasn't jealous, though. She cherished that friend a great deal. Vera. They were the same regarding their family background and grades, not necessarily looks, but their lives practically mirrored each other. One difference, though. Vera's family did not set expectations for her. Vera was the only friend that she envied.

After graduation, Vera married her high school sweetheart, who she had fallen in love with. Rosalie's father had said it was shameful that she had married someone beneath her. While Vera's family was happy she had a hard-working husband who doted on her. Vera's father doted on his only daughter, named after his sister. Rosalie was curious once and asked why she was named after her aunt. Vera had only heard that her aunt was a fearless woman who looked after her father. Her family could live happily because her aunt took over the family business, allowing her father to avoid that line of work. She didn't know what it was but heard it was dangerous. That was why her father didn't care who she married. He would always want their family to be happy and healthy in honor of his sister.

When Vera had her baby, Rosalie's father told her they should look for a husband for herself. She didn't think anything of it until weeks later when her mother gave her a packed lunch to deliver to her father. He had forgotten it that day. She would never forget her upbringing, so she had dressed up to deliver the lunch so as not to embarrass her father and doing so had caught the eye of one Royce King II, the bank owner's son. One of, if not the, wealthiest family in their district. Royce King II who quickly became her fiancée at the behest of her father.

Rosalie's mood became increasingly somber as she began to speak about her fiancée—the smile from reminiscing about her family and friend was gone. Rosalie began to curl into herself again as soon as she said his name. Serafina already had a frown. What did Royce do?

Rosalie's story continued. She had gone to visit Vera to see and play with the baby. They had offered to escort her home, but she refused. She didn't want to be a bother. She wasn't too far from home anyways. While walking, she ran into her fiancée and his friends. Rosalie could barely get out what had happened at this point of her story. She grabbed a pillow and hugged it tight. Finishing her story with her face shoved into it, not wanting to see Serafina's expression, but she still heard a sharp inhalation that forced her eyes closed as she waited to hear how Serafina reacted.

Rosalie couldn't see the look of horror on Serafina's face as her eyes glistened after hearing it. After hearing what those men had done to her. How they brutalized her and left her for dead in the gutter. Her eyes glistened with tears that would never be shed. But she shoved it down. She allowed another emotion to take hold. Anger. She clenched her fists to restrain the rage attempting to force itself out of her body.

"Mi hermosa Rosa, you said Royce King II. But what were the other men's names? Did you know? If you don't want to think about it, don't worry," she gritted out.

Rosalie heard the pet name Serafina always used for her. She heard her ask about the men who hurt her. She felt the heat rolling off of Serafina. She risked a peek to see her reaction now. She could see the fury as Serafina glared at the ceiling, teeth bared, eyes glowing, and her fists clenched.

"Why do you want to know?" Rosalie asked quietly.

"Their deaths will be slow and painful, I promise you," Serafina said, scrambling to sit beside Rosalie. She grabbed her hands and looked her in the eyes to show her sincerity.

Rosalie looked from her eyes to their held hands and couldn't help showing her confusion, "You don't mind touching me? I'm disgusting and weak. I was basically asking for it walking home alone like that." She looked down to avert her eyes, glaring at nothing as she tried to pull her hands away.

"No, no, no, you're my hermosa Rosa," she said, holding onto her hands more tightly. Releasing only to tip Rosalie's chin up to bring her eyes to her own again, but reclaiming her hands immediately after, "They're disgusting. Not you. You're not weak. And you didn't ask for that. Please don't think that way. Or speak that way about yourself. When you speak that way about yourself, it hurts me. You're speaking badly about the woman I love, and I can't stand it." She pleaded with Rosalie, "This is why I want their names. I think it'll do you good to see them die. Of course, if you never want to lay eyes on them again. Then it will do me good to see them die and tell you about it afterward." She continued seriously.

Hearing that did make her laugh, but then she thought back, "You love me, even after knowing this?" she hesitantly asked.

"Of course I do," Serafina answered. Unable to hide the offense from her tone at the thought that she wouldn't love her, "but you keep changing the subject. If it's too hard to think about, say it. I have my sources. I'll get the information."

"They're dead—all of them. I told you before. I've killed, and it wasn't to feed; it was for revenge. I made sure they suffered," Rosalie said with a small smile. She described how she had killed each one and mentally tortured her fiancée, saving him for last before finishing her revenge plot with him: wedding dress and all.

The rest of the Cullens didn't like to hear about this. They frowned on the murder of humans. They were forced into being monsters, but that didn't mean they had to behave as monsters. That was how they described their peace-loving attitude. She agreed with them to an extent. She didn't want to murder people by feeding from them. But she felt some people deserved death. The men who hurt her deserved death. Serafina didn't look at her differently. She laughed at her theatrics and applauded her planning and execution. She could see her relief at the fact that those men were dead.

She felt like a weight was lifted off her shoulders. But she wasn't done. She still had more to tell. She was now tucked into Serafina's arms. She felt safe. But she was still nervous about sharing her next bit of news, "You know what happened to me now. This," she hesitated again, and Serafina rubbed her arms in reassurance, "this is why I haven't been able to go further with you. In the bedroom." She blurted out.

"Don't worry about that, mi hermosa, that's fine. We don't need to. If you don't think you can, don't force it. I'll never force you," she cooed.

Rosalie remembered Edward's words, "If I can't, will you look outside of our relationship to get what you need?"

"I can," Serafina said. But Rosalie stiffened and tried to push her away.

"You said you loved me?" Rosalie questioned, "I thought Edward had misheard you. But it seems like he didn't."

"You heard from Edward?" Serafina looked at her quizzically, "Oh, he probably warned you. Don't worry! It's not like I'd do it in your mother's house. I can always come here to do that." She said with a slight chuckle as she tried to pull Rosalie back to herself.

Rosalie scoffed as she pushed her away again, this time managing to stand up, "how can you laugh about going out and sleeping with someone else? Just because you don't fuck them in my mother's house doesn't make it better!"

"Someone else? Fuck someone else? What are you talking about?" Serafina asked wide-eyed.

"Edward said he heard you were thinking about looking outside of our relationship to get what you're not getting from me," Rosalie said as she began to pace, "I'm sorry, I want to! I do! But I'm scared! Even so, I don't think I can take you being with someone else!"

"I knew you were uncomfortable. Like I said, I would never force you. I just thought getting some items to help would make it more enjoyable when taking care of myself. I heard a housewife the other day when I was going through town. She seemed to enjoy her dryer very much. I was planning to get a washer and dryer for here and see about taking care of myself that way. I never meant to look for another person!" Serafina explained as she sat on her knees on the bed to look at Rosalie. She was mortified at the thought of being misunderstood.

"You-" Rosalie immediately became flustered at what Serafina was talking about, "Yourself? You were looking for different ways of taking care of yourself?" Serafina nodded, "you weren't thinking of sleeping with another person? You were thinking of different ways to take care of yourself," she saw Serafina nod her head vehemently again. Rosalie felt her throat go dry. Another day with Serafina where she was very happy she couldn't blush. She cleared her throat, "That's not looking outside of our relationship." She said.

"It's not? I thought it was because it wasn't you. I guess I was phrasing it wrong in my head. I'm sorry!" Serafina said as she jumped up to grab Rosalie to bring her back to sit on the bed in her arms like before, "But Rosalie, you don't need to be afraid of sex. If you want to, we can. If you don't, we don't have to. I want to be with you. Just you and me for the rest of our existence."

Rosalie became shy again, shoving her face into Serafina's neck, taking in her scent. Relaxing in her hold but embarrassed to look her in the eyes as she said her following words, "I want to, but I'm nervous. I wouldn't even know what to do."

"I can teach you; we can go at your pace. Just remember, I'll never hurt you. I love you," she said as she rubbed her back soothingly.

"I love you too," Rosalie whispered back.

Serafina froze for just a moment before continuing her prior motions. She kissed Rosalie on her temple. Both women just stayed cuddled up that way. Rosalie told Serafina more happy stories from her childhood—most of her happy memories revolved around her brothers or best friend. Serafina liked hearing the happy memories.

She promised to help Rosalie with making more happy memories.

Chapter Text

The next day the two explored the town together. They were wandering near the outer layers of town when Rosalie heard firsthand what Serafina was talking about with the lonely housewives and their dryers. She was so embarrassed when Serafina stopped to point it out to prove her innocence. When Serafina reiterated that she had only considered getting her own to care for herself, Rosalie hastily pulled her away to avoid further talk of it.

The two sat relaxing in the gazebo watching the children play. The children soon invited the two to play with them, and Rosalie happily agreed. Serafina had refused to play with them to allow herself to think. She sat on her throne-like seat to oversee them all while doing so. She couldn't help thinking about what she had learned from Rosalie before.

After hearing about her past, Serafina knew that Rosalie wholeheartedly wanted a family to raise and love on her terms: a husband and a child. Serafina wasn't a man and couldn't give her a child, even if they were living. It wasn't that Rosalie had anything against adoption, but having been with her best friend during her pregnancy, she had heard all about how it felt to feel them grow. To have an innate love for someone you had never met. So a regret of hers was not having a child while human. Serafina wished she could give her what she wanted. She could tell she would be a good mother. Serafina could give her so much love but couldn't resolve that regret. She felt guilty but vowed to show her love without those things. To try to prove she could give her happiness.

She suddenly felt a presence in her gazebo, and her small smile turned into a frown, "how long have you been there?"

"Not long," the woman answered with a knowing smile. She had sat on a bench to Serafina's turned back, "You know you're pretty impressive. I didn't even let my presence be known. But you still found me out."

"Morgana, was it?" she asked in annoyance, "what do you want?"

"To observe you," she answered.

"Why?" Serafina asked as she continued to watch Rosalie.

"There's something about you: you and your pretty mate. I don't know what it is. But it's familiar, yet unfamiliar," Morgana explained, "even when I think I'm getting closer to figuring it out, it slips away. So I have to keep observing you until I figure it out."

"Can you not observe my mate and observe me from further away?" Serafina asked, brows furrowed, feeling herself warm up a bit in annoyance.

"I could. But I won't," Morgana answered honestly.

Serafina felt her eyes glow. She sat properly in her seat, no longer watching Rosalie or the children but looking at the strange new bruja in town. Glaring at her while the bruja just gave her that slight smile. Her eyes narrowed, "Why is it so important to you?" she sighed, forcing the glow to stop.

"I don't know. But I feel it's important. I don't know to whom, why, how, what, or even when. But I think it will be," She said mysteriously, "If it will be something of significance, I don't know. But I will try to figure it out. I just need to-"

"Observe us. I get it. You do what you need to do. But do it from outside of my gazebo. This is my space. You are invading my space. I don't like it. Go away," Serafina haughtily interrupted.

"Well, that's rude. When will that mate of yours be back? She seems to be the nicer of you two," she answered with a smirk while backing her way out of the gazebo, "fine, I'll keep my distance. But I'll let you know what I find out."

"I can't wait," Serafina said with a blank face.

Rosalie had noticed the confrontation between Serafina and the witch early on but had been preoccupied with the children and couldn't make her way over. As soon as she managed to get away, she saw the witch leaving. She acknowledged her but made her way over to Serafina, "everything alright?"

Serafina smiled at her as she stood to kiss her forehead, "Yes, but the bruja seems to sense something. Don't be surprised if she's eyeing us or anything. Don't be scared."

"A witch is keeping tabs on us. Of course, that's normal," Rosalie muttered, "Well, don't worry, I'm not scared. If you're not scared, I have nothing to worry about." She said as she hugged Serafina. The two rocked back and forth for a while before deciding to call it a night and saying goodbye to the children, waiting until they returned home before going back themselves.

When they returned to the mansion, Rosalie did what Serafina had done the day before. She made their little nest but sat Serafina in the middle this time. Serafina smirked as she watched, "what are you doing?"

"You know about my past. Now I want to know yours," Rosalie smiled as she became comfortable in Serafina's arms again.

"Are you sure? It's not very interesting," Serafina muttered.

"I already know you were in a gang and grew up in a brothel. It sounds fascinating," Rosalie scoffed.

Serafina couldn't help laughing, "Okay, where do you want me to start? At the beginning? Do you have any questions? Dime lo que quieres saber mi amor."

Rosalie gave her a questioning look, "what?"

"Tell me what you want to know, my love," Serafina repeated in English.

Rosalie couldn't help feeling a phantom fluttering in her heart at the new term of endearment. She quickly kissed Serafina before getting comfortable again, "I want you to start at the beginning but is your real name Serafina? It's weird that you have a fire ability and are named that."

"Yes, it's my real name. I know why they named me that too. My apá used to tell anyone and everyone who asked how he and my amá came up with it. Very embarrassing," Serafina rolled her eyes. Unable to conceal a small smile at the memory.

Serafina explained how she was born in December in Texas, but it was part of Mexico then. It was unusually cold. She was born frail and sickly. Her father didn't want to name her because he didn't think she would survive the winter. They just referred to her as 'the baby.'

The conditions were poor that year, so it wouldn't have been a surprise if she hadn't survived. There were already other small children who hadn't. The townspeople were incredibly stingy at that time since the weather was so strange that they had the unnatural chill following a drought that summer and fall. Crops were in short supply, and the animals hardly made it either. But her father didn't worry about that like everyone else. He was still able to provide and protect his family.

That winter, an older woman sought food and shelter from the townsfolk. All slammed the door in her face. When she reached the Hart residence, her father initially said no but was scolded by her mother, who was taught by her father never to turn away anyone asking for food or water. They fed her and gave her water and lodging for the night. The woman was grateful.

The next day she asked to see the baby to show her gratitude. Her father, again, wanted to say no. But her mother readily handed her over. She was curious about what the woman wanted to do and had a strange trust in her. The woman said she could sense el mal de ojo or the evil eye on the baby. She said she would dispel it as thanks to their family. The woman held her hand over the baby's forehead and repeatedly brushed el mal de ojo away. Each swipe of her hand raised the flame in the fireplace higher and higher. Then she stopped just as the fire in the fireplace extinguished and left.

The baby had visibly gotten healthier. Stronger. Her family believed she was blessed by an angel. And considering what had happened with the fire in the fireplace during her cleansing, they thought it was fitting to name her after the seraphim who saved her.

"Do you think she was an angel? Maybe a witch?" Rosalie asked, enraptured with the story.

"I didn't before. Now that I know brujas exist, maybe? But who knows? This world is full of unnatural beings. They could've been anyone. Anything," Serafina responded, just as curious now after knowing the possibility existed.

"So it was you, your mother, brother, and father. Why couldn't you guys move here together?" Rosalie asked.

"Because of me," Serafina said, shifting uncomfortably, displaying her unease to Rosalie, who switched places to embrace Serafina.

Serafina's father was a thief. His gang was full of criminals. In the beginning, to keep their families safe, the crew separated. They left some of their brothers to stay with their families as protection. He had often left her mother and brother alone for extended periods of time. He had even been captured and thrown in jail for a few years. He had the original home on the cliff in the town built at that time as an apology to his family. By the time his gang had broken him out, a lot of time had passed, but the home was built. They hadn't planned on leaving immediately but were waiting until after her brother's tenth birthday, which was only a few months away. But she was conceived on his reunion with her mother, and it was discovered not long after that birthday. After she had received the blessing from the angel and survived, he wanted to shower his princess with riches. More than what he had saved up. He now needed to provide for his two children. So he kept his gang intact and kept his family in that town longer.

It was when she was five that her mother was killed. Her father and brother were on a run with the gang when the local preacher scheduled to move decided to visit her mother. He wanted to fulfill his desire before he left. Her mother hid Serafina when she heard a knock at the door—surprised by the visitor.

Due to her father's career choice, they had a false wall built. If her father were home to answer the door, she, her mother, and her brother would hide in the false wall in case someone was after their father. If only their mother were home, the children would hide alone. This was in case something did happen. At least one parent would be left. Morbid but practical.

Serafina was hiding in the wall when the preacher attempted to force himself on her mother. She fought back and managed to damage his face. In his anger, he backhanded her mother so forcefully that she fell back and hit her head on the corner of the table. She didn't get up, and the preacher grabbed a lamp, dumped the oil over her body, dropped the lit lamp, and left.

The whole home had burned to nothing but the back wall when her father and brother made it home. She heard her father's and brother's cries and called for help. The fire miraculously left the false wall alone, leaving her unscathed. Her father asked what had happened, and she told him. He was furious. He had handed her over to her older brother to carry as they walked into town together. He confronted the preacher, who was shocked to know he was seen. When trying to refute Serafina, her father didn't even listen. He simply pulled his pistol in the middle of town and killed the preacher with a shot to the head. The townsfolk already knew he was a criminal. There were mixed feelings. Awe, and fear. But at that time, they feared him. Seeing him kill a man of God without hesitation caused them to retreat without trying to restrain or arrest him. After they buried what they assumed were her mother's remains, they moved to a town called Jefferson, where they would get a fresh start.

Serafina didn't even notice she was shaking. She didn't like to think of the past. But Rosalie had been honest with herself, telling the things she wanted to forget. Serafina knew she had to do the same. They had to understand each other. Carlisle and Esme kept mentioning that they needed to strengthen their bond. So she assumed it was with honesty. Rosalie had never seen Serafina upset like this. Rosalie hugged her tightly and cooed reassurances in her ears until she calmed down.

Rosalie learned Serafina had been taught pride in her family as well. Theirs came from having a chip on their shoulder. They refused to do as told. If they were told one thing, if they believed in another, they would follow their own beliefs. Fuck everyone else.

Her father fell in love with a Mexican woman—the gall. He was from a well-off family, a traveling merchant's son with a bright future. He was laughed at when he fell in love with her at first sight. She wasn't marrying material. But he did. He left his family and became a criminal to support his new wife and child. The best criminal. He was told he shouldn't befriend people of color. But he did. They became his best friends, his gang, and part of the family. After her mother died, he was told he wouldn't be able to live in the light after all the wrongs he and his gang had done. But he did. Because even when he broke the law, he never hurt anyone that didn't deserve it. He helped his community. To the working man, her father and his gang were heroes. Pillars of their community. With their support, they could walk through town with no fear because the people would protect them.

When her family moved to Jefferson, it was the same. Her father set up a large saloon on the cheap side using the money his gang had saved and deciding to make a new life and try to make up for his failure to protect their mother. He didn't want to do any more runs. He couldn't leave Serafina alone again. Her brother had felt the same. The two had been even more protective. They taught her self-defense, knife-wielding, gun handling, and horse riding because she was beautiful even at a young age, and they were fearful. But her father was at a loss when she grew. He didn't know how to explain anything to her about being a woman. He didn't understand himself. Around this time, he ran into an old associate he had done runs for in the past, Madam Delphine.

Madam Delphine was a ruthless older woman who ran a brothel in Louisiana. She would hire her father to rob some of her competitors. Sometimes for money, sometimes for alcohol, or even for women. While ruthless to her competition, she always treated her girls well. She set rules and boundaries for her brothel. The women were superior in looks which allowed her to do so. They had the right to refuse service even. Unheard of in their line of work. She fled west after one of those competitors attempted to have her assassinated. She had been tipped off in advance. Instead of allowing her hard-built brothel to be taken by the competition, she took her girls and destroyed her brothel with her own hands.

When she saw her father and the saloon he had built up, she decided it was fate. They became business partners. He converted the whole top floor into rooms for the brothel. Madam Delphine would handle the brothel while her father dealt with the saloon downstairs. Madam Delphine would pay him a fee for the space and extra for protection, but even how much he charged was negligible to Madam Delphine. The reasoning behind the discount was obvious to Madam Delphine. He wanted her to help him with Serafina. Teach her about being a woman.

Madam Delphine agreed. Serafina shadowed her while she conducted business. She was taught to read, write, and do basic math. Not long after, she handled the books for her Tia Delphine. The girls took care of her. They treated her as a younger sister or daughter. She learned how to get what she wanted and to protect herself even better. She was now taught to take pride in her looks and use those good looks to her advantage.

Sex wasn't hidden from her. She knew of it, hadn't seen it, of course, or experienced it. But knew of it. She wouldn't shy away from sounds she heard walking upstairs. Due to her size, she hid in the false walls for work. Once the men were satisfied, she would get a knock on the wall, sneak in and go through the men's wallets. They were taking extra when able.

Although her father's saloon and Tia Delphine's brothel were legitimate businesses, they still did some underhanded things in the dark. They were criminals, after all. They wouldn't stop. They cheated when gambling. They had pickpockets waiting around corners just outside the building. They had Serafina and other slimmer girls going through the false walls to pick pants pockets or wallets after the men were asleep. All in a day's work.

But as Serafina grew, she became more and more beautiful. More eye-catching. Men were flocking to her father to ask for her hand. He refused everyone and stated he would only allow Serafina to marry when she told him she wanted to. When she chose her husband.

She knew her father and brother were worried about her future. She never showed interest in any man. She refused any man who tried to court her. She wasn't able to cook, which was a requirement for marrying at the time. Anytime she stepped foot in a kitchen, the fire would grow in intensity, so she usually burned anything she attempted to make. The other women knew and kept her out. Her father and brother decided to raise her for life. Her brother had even repeatedly delayed his marriage, always concerned she wouldn't be looked after properly. They blamed themselves for her lack of interest in men, believing she now feared them after what happened to her mother. Her father always told her of the home on the cliff and her and her brother's inheritance which was hidden in another area from there.

Serafina admitted that when they had gotten a couple of new girls to work, one talked her into having sex with her. It was all in the name of practicing for when she had her husband. But she enjoyed it a great deal and they continued doing their practicing when able. It just solidified her thinking that she never wanted a husband. But she knew she couldn't admit it. That sort of talk was unheard of.

When she was eighteen, she was asked to run a delivery errand on the rich side of town. When she made her way back, she saw the saloon in flames. She could hear screaming from the inside. Cries for help. She had run over to help, but the sheriff and his deputies blocked her way. He grabbed her by her throat and told her it was her fault. It wouldn't have had to have been that way if she had only agreed to marry him. There was so much going on. She had, of course, heard him. She had also heard his deputies laughing. She heard the cries for help lessening. She heard the preacher in town praising the deputies for getting rid of that house of sin. She was so upset.

They had taken her to the woods nearby and ripped off her dress. The sheriff said he would return to town to ensure no one escaped the fire but permitted his deputies to warm her up for him. After he left, before any of the men hurt her, there were screams. Then she felt the burning pain. She had no idea what had happened. But she was deeper in the forest when she woke up than when she was first taken there. Her first thought was to get back to the saloon. She zipped back, not even noticing her speed. She didn't know how long she had been unconscious, but when she arrived, there was only a black charred mess left. She couldn't even cry though she tried.

Because she had gotten there so quickly, the people in the cheap side had only seen her appear out of thin air—a beautiful woman in a white gown. Serafina didn't even know how the dress had gotten on her. She had heard them call her a spirit or angel. Maybe they recognized her and assumed she had died with everyone else in the fire? Who knew. Then she listened to the sheriff's voice calling for order, and her anger exploded. She attempted to hold herself back and somewhat managed. She warned the people near her to evacuate the cheap side immediately unless they wished to die. The people fled. When the sheriff neared her after recognizing her back, she exploded literally as soon as he reached out to her. She burst into flames and burned him. But then she couldn't contain her anger and somewhat blacked out as she decimated the entire town. No one was spared. Only those few from cheap side who had managed to get the word out. She murdered hundreds instantly.

She locked herself away in a cave in the middle of nowhere in her guilt and sorrow. She endured the pain from the thirst thinking she deserved it. She sat unmoving for a year. When she decided to live, not knowing she was dead, she left—Fed on a band of thugs hiding in the nearby mountains. She then made her way to the house on the cliff to settle. She wandered the wilderness alone. She slowly allowed people to live near her home. Felt people down on their luck, like her old friends in the cheap side, deserved a fresh start. She decided to protect them.

She explained how, years later, she had met her first vampire, Red. After that she met the Volturi. Rosalie had heard a bit of that time already. They caught up to their time now. Rosalie was heartbroken. She now knew how Serafina felt listening to her past. There was nothing worse than hearing about the suffering the person you loved had to endure. Rosalie could only hold Serafina tighter as she sobbed into her arms. The only other person who knew about Serafina's past was Aro. But it wasn't as though she wanted to tell him. And it wasn't as though he actually cared about her pain. Serafina felt telling Rosalie was different. Yes, it hurt to relive, but was somewhat of a relief to have someone know.

Rosalie caressed her head and back gently as she appeased her lover in her arms. She had never seen Serafina this way. She peppered her with kisses. She soothed her as much as she could until the sobs subsided. She knew this was tough for her. This sharing was horrible but necessary. They both knew. They just had to believe it would get better and be better together because that was a blessing they had in this new existence. They had each other.

Chapter Text

Rosalie lay in bed in a daze. She couldn't believe that the two had gotten to that point. She never thought she would be able to get past her fear. She looked at the beautiful face so close to her own. The owner of that face hugged her tightly with her eyes closed. If Rosalie hadn't known better, she would've thought she was sleeping. It was strange; she didn't believe Carlisle and Serafina's conversation about animal instincts, but she believed it now. There was a low thrumming throughout the room. Both of them had been purring quietly in their contentment. She smiled lovingly at her mate.

Rosalie reached over and poked her in her face, "Why are you pretending to be asleep?"

"Because I can't actually sleep," Serafina answered with her eyes closed and a teasing smile.

"But why? Don't you want to spend time with me?" Rosalie pouted.

"I want to spend all my time with you." Serafina answered with open eyes and looked at Rosalie, "But I don't want to overwhelm you. You did so well just now. I'm so proud of you." She kissed Rosalie softly.

"Only because of you," Rosalie whispered, hiding her face in Serafina's neck in embarrassment, "thank you for being patient.

Serafina smiled at her and kissed her forehead, but she noticed Rosalie seemed to be a bit uncomfortable, "do you want to take a bath? I can get everything ready and change the sheets while you're relaxing." She offered. Rosalie nodded in agreement.

Serafina zipped into the ensuite and prepared a hot bubble bath for Rosalie. She returned to her beautiful mate, and when Rosalie attempted to get up, Serafina tutted her, slowly lifted her, and walked her to the ensuite. She gingerly placed her in the tub and zipped back to the bedroom, where she changed their sheets.

She put the dirtied sheets into her home's new washer. The new dryer was right next to it. They were installed the week before. The gentlemen who installed them taught her how to use them, but this was her first time using them. It was the strangest thing. Rosalie had a bit of animosity toward the washer and dryer. When she tried to use it, Rosalie immediately asked her to send their laundry out—not wanting the clothes to be damaged by mistake since she wasn't used to using it. She complied but was upset that she couldn't use her new items. But she could now.

She finished her tasks within a few minutes and quickly returned to Rosalie. She knelt next to the tub to ask if she would like her to serve and help her with bathing. Rosalie agreed, but only if Serafina joined so she could bathe her too. Serafina would always accept a request from Rosalie. She immediately joined, and Rosalie couldn't believe how far they had come. She thought back to the time after the family left.

The two had stayed an additional month after the Cullens left. But they made sure to call the Cullen residence from the town hall to check in now and then. For Esme's sake. And Rosalie's. Serafina didn't care either way. She liked it with just the two of them. Just the two of them exploring the city. Or her favorite, just the two of them exploring each other.

The majority of the month alone was spent in the mansion. The only time they left was when Serafina had taken Rosalie through town like usual and once to feed in Mexico for bragging rights to annoy Emmett. Jasper's Maria was not pleased since a handful of newborns were destroyed after going to investigate. When she had gone personally to see what was happening, she immediately backed off at the sight of Serafina. But she wasn't happy about it.

The two felt closer than ever after Serafina's and Rosalie's heart-to-heart. They even became more physical. Once Serafina knew about Rosalie's past, she changed her approach to intimacy. She vocalized what she would do more often and became much more gentle. Serafina never took it too far, paying extra attention to Rosalie's comfort. Any hint of hesitation would lead to her stopping her actions immediately. She would never push Rosalie too far, but she tried to help her.

Serafina had even made it a point to walk around the mansion naked to get Rosalie more comfortable with nudity. It was meant as a tease at first—a joke. And Rosalie was embarrassed, but when Serafina attempted to cover up, Rosalie told her to stop. That she would get used to it. That she wanted to get used to it. It didn't take long for Rosalie to feel comfortable doing the same, much to Serafina's enjoyment. Her comfort with this eventually led to now, their night together—their first time.

Now their bond was solidified. Neither other couple at home had told them how the mate bond worked. Not really. Carlisle and Esme would say they needed to deepen the bond. That was all the direction they were given. After their intimacy, the actual sex between the two. The true expression of their love. It was instinctual. They both knew the bond was complete. There was a connection between the two that was only slightly felt before; now, it was more pronounced. The two were very aware of each other's feelings. They also had a very high clinginess for each other before, possibly from insecurity at the bond not being complete. Now that they had the bond, it was a type of reassurance deep in the bones that allowed them to be comfortable even apart. Not that they wanted to be apart, but they always wondered how Esme and Carlisle could be apart so long when he was at work when Jasper and Alice had to be together constantly. Now they knew it was just Jasper's over-protectiveness. Rosalie and Serafina didn't feel that intense clinginess anymore; they knew they were only meant for each other. There were no doubts now.

After a good week of nothing but giving in to their desires at Rosalie's request, it seemed most of her fear was at initiating the action. With Serafina's constant reassurance, she quickly overcame it and was no longer afraid. She was upset with herself for not trusting Serafina sooner. They could have enjoyed themselves months prior.

After completing their bond, they decided to head back to the Cullens. Rosalie couldn't help peeking at Serafina as she packed up her belongings. She had a loving grin as she watched Serafina angrily try to fit some extra dresses in her suitcase. She could see she was annoyed at not being able to fit everything she wanted in it. She loved her so much. The love was much more intense now that the bond was complete. Her grin only grew at the thought.

Serafina felt her gaze and looked up. She thought the smile on Rosalie's face was teasing, and she couldn't help the pout, "Can I put some of my clothes in your suitcase, please?"

Rosalie walked up to her to hug her, "No." She answered.

Serafina's jaw dropped as she jokingly pushed her back but didn't let her go too far, "No, I don't want to hug you right now."

Rosalie grabbed her tightly and laughed, "Then why are you hugging me back," Rosalie grinned.

"Well, I said I didn't want to, not that I wouldn't." Serafina glared, "Why can't I throw some in your suitcase? There's still room in yours." She whined.

"Because I want you to start wearing other colors. Please? I know you're the scary ghost when you're alone. But you're not alone now." Rosalie explained, "We can get you some new clothes back home. And we could work on your schooling so we can go to school together later. But schools are pretty filthy. You can't go around in white there."

Serafina was quiet for a moment. She supposed she did need to blend in better when she was with the Cullens. And getting a new wardrobe put together could be fun. School, not so much, but it could be with Rosalie and the others. Her pout was gone as she released Rosalie and nodded in agreement. She then removed a few dresses from her suitcase. Rosalie smiled at her willingness to make that change.

The two said their goodbyes to the people they had met in town. Rosalie was much friendlier to the town's Maria than before. The people suspected the relationship between the two but didn't say anything. They just wished them a safe trip. Vera and the witches had stood with the council and gave them the same well wishes. But this small group reassured Serafina under their breath that they would watch for the town in her absence. Serafina nodded thanks as she entered the car with Rosalie, and they drove off.

They hit the highway and joked around. Rosalie then tried to talk Serafina into the driving lessons again. Serafina agreed just because she could tell Rosalie wanted to teach her. She still wasn't interested; she just thought she'd make her happy. And Rosalie was; she had a large smile as she continued driving. Her smile was infectious.

The two continued, but Serafina couldn't help expressing her thoughts, "I just think driving is kind of a waste," she shrugged.

"What do you mean?" Rosalie asked.

"Well, we can run everywhere just as fast. But we're more agile than these things," she answered.

"We don't need to be more agile. We need to blend in. We can't do that running. Only in your town can we do that," she chuckled and gave Serafina a wink, "plus, I think cars are as fast as us now. Don't you think? Maybe someday they'll be faster," she said mischievously as she accelerated.

The two had already made it to Pennsylvania. They were several hours from the Cullens at this point, and where they were was just an open highway, so Rosalie had no scruples when racing back with the top down. Both laughed out loud at their fun. Serafina ended up standing up and whooping in her excitement.

"Okay, this is pretty fun! Sign me up for your racing class Mi Hermosa!" she shouted over the wind.

"Shit!" Rosalie suddenly exclaimed. A dark mass entered their vision. The two's superior senses saw it enter, but although Rosalie attempted to swerve, the car could not avoid it as they made an impact with the giant bull elk that suddenly decided to cross the road.

Serafina went flying over the elk. It crashed and demolished the front of the car and it's corpse settled just on the windshield. Rosalie was splattered in some of its blood. But she was more concerned with the front of her car.

"See, if the car was more agile, it could've avoided that!" Serafina mumbled from off in the distance. Dusting herself off and pulling twigs from her hair.

Rosalie ignored her as she got down to inspect the damage. She put both hands to her forehead in frustration at the damage to her beautiful car. Rosalie furiously pulled the elk off and tossed it to the side of the road. Serafina came back up to her and saw the damage for herself. It was bad. She could see Rosalie was distraught.

"Let's push it to the next shop we can find, alright? It's going to be fine," Serafina said, rubbing her back.

Rosalie only nodded as they quickly pushed the car to the nearest shop. Considering the time of night it was, they figured they would have to wait until morning. Thankfully there was a small town off the highway. Suppose you could call it a town, anyways. It was tiny. But had a small motel that they decided to stay in until morning. It was decent. It was run by a kind elderly couple who were very worried about these two women's safety traveling alone late at night. They assured the two they were fine and would wait until the mechanic was available but did ask to use the phone to inform their family of the situation. They readily agreed, and then the two women left to find their room for the night.

The next day they showered, changed, and pretended to eat the breakfast that the kind old lady decided to give them. Then they made their way to the mechanic. After his inspection, he gave them the news. It wasn't fixable. He apologized but said the damage was too extensive. Serafina told him that money would be no object. He seemed crushed at not being able to accept that offer, but he said he couldn't lie. That it just wasn't fixable.

Carlisle and Emmett had arrived early and heard what the mechanic had said. They thanked him. The man offered to have the vehicle scrapped for them. Rosalie immediately declined. She asked him to tow it back to their home. He hitched it up and then followed them back to the Cullen residence.

During the ride, they didn't discuss their time in the town. Carlisle and Emmett were mainly confused about what happened during the ride back. They should have been able to avoid an elk on the road with their reflexes. Serafina smirked at that.

"You would think so," she grinned, "but my baby is a speed demon." She laughed.

"That is incredibly dangerous, Rosalie. You should be more careful," Carlisle scolded.

"We were fine. It's the car that couldn't handle it," Serafina explained. Rosalie was quiet throughout the conversation. She kept looking into the mirrors to watch the tow truck following them. They took the hint and kept quiet the rest of the way.

Once they arrived, the man unhitched the wreck, accepted his payment, and was on his way. Rosalie circled the car, mumbling to herself before she came to a standstill at the front.

"Mi amor, I'll get you a new one," Serafina assured.

"No, I'm going to fix it myself. Watch! It'll be good as new!" she said determinedly as the other Cullens greeted them.

"Let us know if we can help," Carlisle smiled. Sensing she meant to complete it alone. Once she set her mind to something, he knew there was no stopping her.

Esme and Alice ran to give hugs in welcoming the two women and immediately began asking questions about how their stay went. Rosalie asked Emmett to put the car in the garage for her, and Rosalie dragged the two to the living room to tell them about their trip. Alice didn't know the significance of the mate bond having been completed between the two. But Esme did. She was so happy for Rosalie. Happy that she was able to accept her mate wholly.

"Ever since this bond was completed, I've been feeling a little neglected," Serafina grumbled after having been left out of the conversation. Rosalie heard and ran outside to kiss her, as she grabbed her hand and brought her inside with the other women. The men looked to Edward to see if they should follow.

He immediately shook his head and ran away. He did not want to hear about any of their time alone. Emmett shook his head at his brother as he began to walk inside to listen to the gossip. Carlisle hesitated, but as soon as he heard about a lonely housewife and her dryer, he looked at Jasper, and the two immediately followed after Edward. They were happy for the two, but they agreed with Edward. They did not need details.

Chapter Text

"I don't want to hang out with you guys anymore," Emmett whispered as he glared at Serafina as she glared back.

"Do you think I want to be here? Shut the fuck up and do your job," she whispered back angrily.

Both were waiting in the garage for Rosalie to return from getting some additional items she needed to fix her car. They tried to keep their complaints quiet to avoid hurting her feelings. But neither of them wanted to be there. Rosalie used them, but they couldn't say no because they felt bad. They knew how much she loved the car, but they got bored very quickly, and when they tried to joke around, Rosalie would scold them for not taking it seriously. So they let themselves be used. Emmett was her lift, while Serafina was her torch.

"Why don't the others ever have to fucking help?" Emmett whined.

"Because those fucking cheaters bolt before my baby is ready to start her day! I bet Alice is getting visions to warn her and Jazz, and that fucking eavesdropper listens in so he can sneak away too!" Serafina complained.

"Well, you're her mate. Why can't you bail when you know she will want to work on the car? You should know by now how to tell when she'll want to," Emmett asked in confusion.

"Because she's my baby. She needs my help. I'm out of luck either way," she grumbled, "I guess it's love." She sighed dramatically as she rolled her eyes. But she couldn't help a small smirk that crept up on her face as she said it.

"Oh fuck you," Emmett laughed.

They continued complaining and joking and soon heard Rosalie return from the store with Esme. Rosalie raced to the garage to meet them, "thank you guys!" she smiled, "I think this is pretty much it. We should be able to finish the repairs today!" she said excitedly.

"That's great, mi amor!" Serafina smiled.

Esme then walked into the garage just behind her, "I hope you two got the f-word out of your system while we were out. I warned you before that you two need to cut back on it. I don't want to hear any of that shit while I'm here." She winked with a grin as she walked into the house. Emmett gaped at her receding figure while Serafina shook her head in amazement. Rosalie just laughed at the two of them.

Esme had finally had enough of the two of them swearing so much. Emmett would work Serafina's temper up to the point where she would start swearing, but the swearing would soon turn into Spanish swearing. This was his goal. He wanted to learn to swear in Spanish, but Jasper and Serafina refused to teach him, knowing he couldn't hold back. He had finally managed to annoy her so much that the two had gotten into a swearing match and were heard by Esme, who rescinded their swearing privileges. She now stated she would limit them to a handful a day. Emmett was resentful. In his opinion, she was ruining his chances to learn Spanish.

The two continued to joke while assisting Rosalie when needed. By the end of the afternoon, they had finished putting the car together, and Rosalie managed to start it up. After months of studying and working on the car, Rosalie fixed it. The others had all shown up for her success. They all clapped as she excitedly jumped out of the car after driving it around the driveway and threw herself into Serafina's arms. Never able to keep her excitement to herself.

Emmett cleared his throat exaggeratedly as he held his arms open with a large grin. The two women looked at him as he waved them over to himself. He was signaling them to embrace himself too.

Rosalie slightly moved about to head over to him but felt a pinch to her waist that pulled her back. She pretended not to feel anything but looked at Serafina as they had a brief conversation with their eyes. Both women held each other, and while Serafina brought her face closer to Rosalie's neck to hide in her hair, she kept her eyes on Emmett as she tried to hide her grin. The other Cullens held back their chuckles, curious about what they were doing.

Rosalie then gave Emmett a perfunctory nod, "Thanks, Em!" Then she gripped Serafina tighter, pretending he wasn't there, as Serafina shoved her face into her shoulder to stop herself from laughing.

Emmett's face dropped. He was about to whine when Rosalie finally gave in and started laughing. She then walked over and dragged Serafina so the two could hug Emmett briefly, "Thank you! I appreciate it. You were much more helpful than others who shall remain nameless." She said, and the three glared obviously at the other Cullen teens.

"We gave moral support," Jasper smiled, "One could argue that our positive thinkin' put it all together."

"It's always a matter of positive thinking," Alice agreed, nodding seriously in agreement with Jasper.

"You have to be present to give moral support," Carlisle said off-handedly as he and Esme walked toward the house, both snickering to themselves. He put his hand on Rosalie's shoulder as he walked by, "I'm very proud of you, young lady. You said you'd fix it, and you did. And it's impressive. Coat of paint, and it'll look brand new. Let me know if you want any help with that."

"Thanks, Carlisle!" Rosalie said with her chin slightly lifted, proud of herself as well.

"We can handle that ourselves, right, Rosalie?" Esme asked, giving her a look as though Carlisle's offer was a joke, "We've been getting everything in town together for the repairs. We've got this."

"You just help with the shopping part. We were here doing the hard work," Emmett mumbled. He looked at Serafina as though looking for support. Serafina looked at him wide-eyed and shook her head nervously as she stepped away from him.

"What was that, Em?" Esme asked with a raised brow as she sped over to him to put her hand on his shoulder.

"Nothing! I didn't say anything," Emmett jumped.

"Right," Esme grinned. She patted his cheek before she returned to Carlisle's side.

"I'll go with you two when you go for the paint!" Alice happily offered.

"No!" Emmett shot down her offer, offended.

Serafina smacked him, "I think that's a great idea!" she began.

Edward's brows furrowed as he tried to walk away, but Serafina quickly grabbed his arm.

"You know, fixing the car should be a family thing," Serafina continued. Edward struggled but couldn't pull her off, "It's almost done. Maybe Alice, Jasper, and our good old fuchi-faced Edward here can help. I know Emmett and I have been hogging all of Rosa's time with this. It'll let you all spend time together too." She said as she wrapped her arm around Edward's shoulder.

"No," Edward said as he kept trying to escape her grip.

"I think that's a great idea!" Carlisle said with a smile. Unsure why Serafina was pushing it but not seeing anything wrong with it.

"Sounds like a good idea to me, too," Esme shrugged, "Family time is good. Just let me know when you're ready." She informed Rosalie as they continued toward the front door. Esme suddenly turned, "And Rosie, I still think we need to follow through with that other thing we discussed in the car."

Rosalie nodded in thanks to the last thing Esme said. She turned to her two helpers, "You guys are okay with this?" Rosalie asked Serafina and Emmett. Emmett looked at Serafina with confusion.

Serafina smiled as she pushed Edward away from herself, causing a glare to be aimed at her from him, "Of course, hermosa! They need to earn their car rides anyways, right?" She said, making her way over to embrace Rosalie. She pushed some of her blond hair behind her ear and kissed her quickly, "Em and I'll leave you guys to go over the paint job plans."

Jasper was pretty confused at Serafina's gloating emotions. He looked toward Alice, who also shrugged. They then turned to Edward, who seemed very upset, "You'll see." He scowled as Rosalie grabbed him and Alice and pulled them into the garage. Jasper followed.

Serafina and Emmett managed to run away. It wasn't until they were far away that Serafina began laughing. Emmett finally had a chance to ask, "Why do you want them to get some credit for helping with the car now? They didn't do anything! It's done!" he complained.

"Do you not know Rosa?" she asked. He just shrugged, "She's such a perfectionist; it will take her forever to get the paint right. She'll probably yell at them a lot. At least Edward."

"Yes! Good idea! So what are we going to do now?" Emmett asked.

"You can do whatever you want. I'm going for a walk," she answered as she began to walk away.

He began to follow her. She rolled her eyes as she heard him lumbering behind her. She decided to ignore him as she continued her walk north. She didn't realize where she was walking. It was almost as if she were on autopilot. She was heading to the cave she had gone to when hungry before.

"This is boring," Emmett complained. Waking Serafina from her daze. She looked back at him, "Let's race! I'll race you to the next lake!" he said excitedly, walking just behind her to her left.

Serafina was now more conscious of her surroundings. She looked back at him, "Where is the nearest lake?"

"No idea. I say we keep going straight and see what happens," he said, pointing straight ahead from their current direction, "and stop when we hit the water."

"I don't like to run," Serafina answered.

"You're no fun, come on! Please? If you win, I won't speak unless spoken to for a week," Emmett offered.

"What if you win," Serafina questioned.

"I get why you want to know," he nodded, "I'm more than likely going to win after all."

Serafina rolled her eyes again. She couldn't help it when she was around the Cullens. Everyone got to her in one way or another, "Right, well?"

"Bragging rights. And I think you should teach me Spanish." Emmett said.

"Spanish or Spanish swear words?" Serafina asked.

"Swear words," Emmett admitted.

"Deal," Serafina agreed. She may not have been as fast as Edward, but she was faster than Emmett. Most of the Cullens were. The slowest in the bunch were Emmett and, surprisingly, Alice. Emmett was more than likely due to his large frame. His muscle mass slowed him down. And Serafina thought Alice was slower because of her more petite frame. She had shorter legs, after all. She never thought she would lose this race. She just wanted a moment of peace, so she agreed.

The two raced in the direction Emmett had pointed in. Serafina had left him in the dust until they reached the lake. Emmett huffed as he angrily approached, where she casually leaned against a tree at an overlook above the lake. She gave him a condescending grin.

"See you," Serafina grinned and waved as she began to leave.

"Fine! But!" he began, immediately standing before her.

"No! No buts! A deal's a deal!" Serafina sidestepped him as she continued.

"Wait, wait, wait! Let's be serious. I have one question for you, and then a deal's a deal," he said. His grin was gone as he looked at her with worry. Serafina looked at him in confusion.

"Why were you going to the cave?" Emmett asked.

"I wasn't," she quickly retorted.

"You were," he answered, "Rosie said you go there when you're hungry. Jazz said you might go there to vent your fire. Edward thinks you haven't been feeling well and thinking about blood a lot. And Alice has been seeing you surrounded by flames more often than not in her visions. Carlisle and Esme are worried. They think I don't pay attention, but I do. Which is it? Why do you want to go there?"

Serafina averted her eyes. She felt guilty. She was making them worry again when she was trying not to.

"When's my intervention?" she sighed.

"Before, it was probably going to be after the paint job. They wanted to see if you felt better after Rosie finished the car. They hoped her happiness would help you since it usually does." Emmett told her. He walked into the tree line, dragged a large log over, dropped it for a good lake view, and sat down. He then patted the seat next to himself so Serafina could sit with him.

"You ever feel like the animal blood isn't enough?" Serafina asked.

"No, I make sure to fill up when I feed. Wait, are you hungry? We can go hunting right now. I think there was a herd of deer a couple of miles back," he said, gesturing with his thumb over his shoulder behind them.

"No, that's not it. I don't know how to describe it," she sighed frustratedly.

"You tell Rosie?" he asked.

"I don't want her to worry," she answered.

"Oh yeah, you're doing a bang-up job with that," he said sarcastically. He then looked at her, "She's gonna be mad when she finds out you've been keeping whatever this is to yourself."

Serafina knew he was right. She was probably going to get an earful already. She had sensed Rosalie's approach since they made it to the lake. Since the bond was completed, it was much easier to perceive and find each other now. On the other hand, Emmett only sensed her after he said that.

Emmett quickly turned around to see Rosalie coming out of the forest. He stood and smiled, "Hey, Rosie! Your lady here admitted to feeling weird lately and was heading to the cave." He said quickly, jumping to avoid the smack Serafina was about to send him, and made his way around Rosalie, "but a deal's a deal. See you guys later!" he said as he quickly ran away.

"I knew it," Rosalie said incredulously.

"It's not that bad," Serafina soothed.

"Why can't you tell me these things? I knew something was wrong, but I didn't know what. I don't want you to hurt. I will do anything and everything to try to help you. You can count on me. Trust me," She said, taking Emmett's prior spot to sit next to Serafina and grabbing her hand.

"I didn't want you to worry. It's not that bad," Serafina repeated. She smiled at her and brought a soft kiss to her lips. She lingered and looked Rosalie in her eyes.

Rosalie was a bit dizzy after the kiss but noticed something she hadn't noticed before. She quickly snapped out of it and grabbed Serafina's jaw to hold her steady.

"Mi amor, you haven't been this aggressive before. What is the word? Dominant? I like it, but are you sure you're okay with doing this here?" Serafina's eyes sparkled with excitement, but she noticed Rosalie wasn't listening to her words. She was staring at her eyes.

"We need to see Carlisle," she finally said.

"Well, that killed the mood," Serafina grumbled—a look of disgust now on her face.

It was only then Rosalie noticed what was said. She gave Serafina a small shove, "Stop, this is serious. I think something is wrong." She said worriedly.

The two ran back, and the other Cullens seemed to have been waiting with Emmett. When he saw Serafina, he made a zipping motion over his mouth.

"Can we make this a permanent thing?" Edward asked, gesturing to Emmett.

"No! He's so boring this way!" Alice quickly interjected.

"I can go either way," Jasper said.

"I agree with Alice. Things aren't as lively as usual this way," Esme added.

Carlisle smiled at their interaction but noticed Rosalie wasn't even paying attention as she quickly walked over to him, dragging Serafina behind. Emmett had already told them that Serafina admitted to not feeling well when he asked. He knew Rosalie would ask. It seemed she may have already figured something out. He watched her as she approached him and waited for her to speak.

"Carlisle, look at her eyes, please. Do you notice anything?" Rosalie asked.

"Come to my study, please," he said. He was gesturing for them to walk in front of him.

They made their way to his study and left the door open. It wasn't that Serafina was nervous anymore. It was just that they knew the others were curious and would want to know what was happening.

Carlisle had her sit so he could look into her eyes. He looked surprised and looked at Rosalie. She knew he saw what she saw, "When was the last time you fed?" he asked curiously.

"Two weeks ago," Rosalie said with her arms crossed. She was standing right beside her.

Serafina felt like a patient going through a consultation with her doctor. She smiled to herself as she realized that was precisely what was happening. Her dutiful wife was going through it all with her.

"Do you remember when her eyes went fully gold?" He continued to question.

Rosalie was ready. She knew everything about her mate now. At least, she hoped she did. She answered quickly, "4 months ago. It took longer than the rest of us because she doesn't need to eat as often as we do."

Carlisle nodded in understanding, then looked at Serafina, "And how are you feeling?"

"Like I'm not full," Serafina answered.

"Like you're hungry?" Carlisle asked.

"No, I'm not hungry. But I feel like I'm not full. Like I'm missing something. And whatever is missing, I need it. It burns more than usual," she admitted, avoiding Rosalie's eye. Rosalie walked over and began to rub her back. She tried to be brave but was nervous inside.

"You mentioned before that you always have a bit of pain from the fire, but it's manageable when you're full and after you've released the fire. When was the last time you let out your fire?" Carlisle asked. He was already taking notes as he sat in his chair opposite them.

"She and Emmett demolished the kitchen two weeks ago. It was around the time she fed, remember?" Esme called out from the living room.

"That's right," Carlisle nodded, only now remembering.

"That was all Emmett's fault," Serafina said as she sat in her seat. She never changed her face.

Emmett scoffed from the living room as he repeatedly shook his head.

The other teens chuckled. They remembered what had happened at that time. Another case of Emmett annoying Serafina. He had burst into their bedroom to see if they wanted to play tag with him and the others and nearly saw Rosalie naked. Serafina managed to cover Rosalie in time, who was incredibly embarrassed. She didn't want to fool around with the family nearby, but Serafina had talked her into it since the parents were out. Serafina had convinced her that they wouldn't know if they kept quiet. Before anything good happened, it was ruined by Emmett.

In anger, Serafina chased him into the kitchen, throwing fireball after fireball. Not actually wanting to literally kill him but still needing to vent. He had managed to dodge, but the wall was destroyed. The other teens were waiting in the forest and didn't know what was happening inside. Esme was in town at the time with Carlisle. They had no one there to stop them. When Rosalie calmed down from embarrassment and went down to see what had happened, the wall separating the living room from the kitchen was missing altogether. Rosalie gasped, grabbing the attention of the two. But it was too late. That was when Esme entered.

Both had their ears pinched as they were dragged into time out by Esme, who looked like she might have a heart attack when she saw the damage. When she questioned the two, Serafina righteously pointed at Emmett and blamed him. Emmett was just as unbelieving of her throwing the blame at him at that time as he was now. How could she think anyone would believe that? The edges were still smoking. But she never once admitted fault for it. And if anyone were to look at the two, they would believe her. He was so upset. But the family still knew better, and the two were both punished.

It did give Esme a new hobby, though. She enjoyed remodeling the damaged spaces. She began to study more about architecture afterward.

Even Carlisle couldn't hold back his chuckles after hearing the teen's laughter.

"Carlisle! It's not hunger, and it's not her need to vent. What's wrong with her?" Rosalie asked impatiently.

"What do you guys keep talking about? What can you see?" Serafina finally asked. She was curious about what they saw that was causing them to worry.

Carlisle reached into a drawer and found a mirror, handing it to her. She began to look at herself when Carlisle started speaking up, "You always had an orange ring around your pupil when you used your fire. Or when you were angry. And you're angry a lot. The orange would take up most of your iris when you were hungry. But your irises managed to turn gold with the diet. It made the orange less noticeable than when they were red. I think that's why we didn't notice it before. But this is still different than before."

Serafina noticed her eyes had a strange starburst effect of the orange invading the gold. She hadn't seen that before. But it did look like she was getting hungry since it still took up most of her eyes. She didn't feel hungry, though. Just incomplete.

Carlisle frowned as he was in thought.

"Do you want us to clear out while you test your theory?" Edward asked.

"Please," Carlisle answered.

Rosalie refused to leave Serafina, but Carlisle told her it might be tricky. Serafina reassured her that she would be fine. That she trusted Carlisle.

"So, doc, what's wrong with me?" Serafina asked.

"You said you don't feel hungry, but not full either. Your eyes look like you're hungry too, but they still don't look how they did before when you were hungry. I think you might be hungry for human blood," Carlisle answered.

"No, I can get by with animal blood. My eyes turned gold. I'm fine," she argued.

"Perhaps I should be more clear. I believe the fire inside you might be hungry for human blood. I think it's also letting you know about it by making you uncomfortable," Carlisle explained.

"Well, then, I guess I'm out of luck. You guys said I can't go out killing people anymore. So, I have to live with it," she shrugged. Brows furrowed in annoyance.

"You don't have to kill people for human blood," he said as he walked over to a painting Serafina always thought was odd. He pulled it off the wall, but behind it was a safe. The thief in her became interested immediately. When he opened it, it was cooled inside like a refrigerator. It probably was, and he pulled out a blood bag, "I'll be honest. I've been bringing a bag regularly in case you or Jasper ever had an incident where you might attack a human. This way, I could distract you with it to allow the others to save the human. I return it before it expires, hoping it can still be used when switching it out for another," He said.

She was confused and looked at him questioningly.

"It's not that I didn't trust you two. It was just a safety precaution. I planned on keeping it up until you both managed to stay gold for a year. It obviously won't be as much as you used to drink before. I think this will be just enough to satisfy the fire," he explained.

Serafina was hesitant. But cut the tube on top and quickly drank the blood. The taste was so good. Just as good as she remembered. But this wasn't enough, at least for herself. But she noticed a long-lost satisfaction creep over her as she emptied it. She felt complete. The pain subsided.

"Destroy the remnants, please," Carlisle stated.

She quickly complied. Knowing he wanted all temptation removed from the home. The two confirmed it was clear, and the family returned. Rosalie was immediately at Serafina's side again, holding her cheek to look into her eyes.

"It worked!" she exclaimed with a smile.

Carlisle also moved over to look, "Her eyes are still gold. The orange is gone, though. It seems enough to feed the fire but not taint her diet." He said, "I'd like to keep you under observation to ensure everything is alright."

"You're going to keep an eye on me?" she asked, not liking the sound of that.

"Not me," he said with a smile to Rosalie, "I know she's more interested in cars now, but her studies in medicine were going well before. I'm sure she can keep an eye on you for me. And you two always know I'll be here to help if you need me."

"Thank you!" Rosalie said as she pulled Serafina out of the room.

The others were curious if there were still signs of the strangeness Carlisle and Rosalie were discussing with Serafina's eyes. But didn't see anything. But they didn't care. They were just happy Serafina was alright. They then began to mock Emmett while never actually directing any of the conversations to him so he wouldn't be able to speak. Annoying Emmett to no end. But putting the other teens in a good mood. Making it a very fun end of the day for them.

Chapter Text

The Cullens were currently traveling through Alaska to visit their cousins. They hadn't initially planned on introducing their new family members so soon, but an incident in their new town made them want to go to a more secluded place to ensure they were comfortable. They were currently filling up on gas before they continued on their way. The Denalis were already awaiting their arrival.

"I can't wait to meet our new family members! I bet it'll be nice to have a big family!" Alice exclaimed happily, bringing a smile to everyone's faces.

Jasper smiled sadly as he watched her, "I'm glad you're happy." He hesitated, "But I'm sorry we're in this mess in the first place." He directed to the others.

"You didn't do anything wrong," Esme comforted.

"But I wanted to," Jasper said with his head hung low, "if Edward hadn't grabbed me for Emmett to restrain me," he shook his head. Not wanting to think about what could have happened.

"You know, you held yourself back pretty well. I mean, if you were how you were ten years ago. We probably wouldn't have been able to grab you in time." Emmett said.

"As much as it pains me to say it, Emmett's right," Edward said. Nodding in agreement, "You hesitated. Even in your mind, you hesitated. That's why I was able to grab you in time."

"Well, they were pretty far away. If they were right in front of me, I might not have been able to stop myself. Even for a second. It's hard. Blood was everything when I was in Mexico," he admitted.

"And you're technically new to the diet. You've spent more years feeding on human blood than animal blood. Understandably, it would be harder for you," Carlisle reassured as he put his hand on Jasper's shoulder.

Jasper looked over to Serafina.

"No, Serafina's an aberration—a freak of nature. Don't compare yourself to her. Be proud of that. She's a horrible person." Edward said seriously. Emmett chuckled as he clapped a hand to his mouth to stop himself from being heard.

"Cállate idiota. Nadie te preguntó," Serafina said while leaning casually against Rosalie's car. She didn't even bother looking up from painting her fingernails. She began to blow them dry softly. Her response brought a smile to Jasper and Rosalie's faces.

"Maybe stopping breathing to reduce your sense of smell around people will help with your restraint?" Rosalie suggested.

"I don't know. Even though we don't need to breathe, it's still uncomfortable to go without. It's instinctive, after all. If you do that all the time, you'll look constipated. Like Edward," Serafina pitched in. Her response brought stifled laughter from the group.

Edward sighed as he rolled his eyes, "I've gotten better."

"You still can't beat Sera's poker face," Rosalie reminded.

This reminder brought a scowl to Edward's face. He couldn't beat her at chess. Now not even poker. He used to be the best at games at home. Now Serafina was the best. He didn't know that she was cheating. It became second nature to Serafina, so she didn't need to think about it. Rosalie knew. But she enjoyed seeing Edward lose, so she never brought it up. She just liked bringing up how he couldn't beat Serafina.

"Yeah yeah. Edward looks constipated. Everyone already knows this. Let's hurry up! It's been too long since I got to get together with the Denalis," Emmett said in frustration. He had already headed back to the car he was in before. He patted the roof, "Let's go!"

"Why is he so excited to visit your primos?" Serafina wondered aloud.

"He has sex with the sisters whenever we visit," Edward said with disgust.

Serafina froze, with her mouth in a pout from blowing her nails as her face slowly turned to a look of horror, "with your primos?"

Jasper frowned as well. He suspected they might not be related, but he wasn't sure about this family's dynamics. He was very uncomfortable with the phrasing.

Their thoughts then made Edward uncomfortable, "Oh god no! They're not actually our cousins! No relation whatsoever!"

Everyone now understood where the confusion lay. They were horrified as well.

"We met the Denalis years back. We discovered they were also on the diet, and we became fast friends. Remember how I told you it was easier to build relationships when not fighting over human blood? It's very true. There was no fighting over territory. We just spoke to each other. Each coven still sticks to and cares for each other more. But it was easy to learn to trust them and become allies, and we trusted each other enough to consider each other family after a few years together." Carlisle explained with a soft smile.

Esme hugged him as she smiled at Jasper, "We've missed them. Jasper, this was a blessing in disguise. We wanted you three to meet them for a while now. You'll like them. You'll see."

"Can you tell me more about them?" Alice asked while practically jumping up and down.

"Yes! They lived so long! Such exciting tales! I'll let them tell you more themselves. Still, I'll tell you about how many years ago they were considered succubus," Esme began, "Or is that succubi?" she shook her head with uncertainty, "And then years later, they met Eleazar and Carmen. Oh, I love Carmen. She is such a sweet woman," she moved from Carlisle over to put her arm around Alice's shoulder to calm her down as she walked toward Rosalie's car.

The talk of a succubus myth brought Serafina a bit of competitiveness: "Are they pretty?" she asked.

"Why does that matter?" Rosalie asked, beginning to glare at Serafina. Her jealousy was now aroused.

"You're right. It doesn't matter," Serafina nodded, returning to her nails and ignoring the others' conversation, "I bet we're prettier."

Rosalie's jealousy dissipated as she began to chuckle at her mate. She was looking at her with so much love.

Esme shook her head at the two, "Well, anyways, I can tell you more about them before we meet! Let's ride in the convertible."

"Too much talking, not enough driving! Let's go!" Emmett began honking the horn to the car to annoy everyone into action.

"Why aren't you as excited to see them, Edward?" Serafina asked, "Shouldn't you be just as excited as Em?"

"Get this. He's saving himself for his marriage." Emmett laughed.

"Aw, that's nice!" Alice exclaimed.

Emmett scoffed, "What? I don't know why he bothers. Tanya likes him. She always tries to talk him into giving her a chance. What did you say before, Sera? About what we're all about?" he directed to Serafina.

"Feeding and fucking!" she answered with a grin while finishing up the coat on her other hand.

Emmett snapped his finger just before pointing at Serafina, "Exactly! Don't you think he's being stupid?"

"No," everyone but Serafina responded. Their support brought a small smile to Edward's face.

Emmett looked at them all dumbfounded, "Sera?" he thought she was silent because she agreed with him.

"No, I agree with them. If he wants to wait until marriage, then good for him. I'm impressed a teenage boy has managed to keep it in his pants so long," Serafina said, briefly looking up to look in Edward and Emmett's direction, "but who knows how long it will take for you to find your mate, so you'll probably be a virgin for a very long time. Even though I'm impressed, you can bet I'll be making fun of you later." She directed at Edward, "I'm feeling a little lazy. Too lazy to bother making fun of you now. Pretend I said something mean, and I'll do it for real later."

Emmett grunted in disagreement. Edward rolled his eyes at Serafina's response, but his small smile didn't fade. He was happy his family supported his decision. He was sure he'd meet his mate someday. He was surprised Serafina didn't think he was crazy for not jumping at the chance to sleep around. Grateful. But he knew she was serious about mocking him later. She was like that. He could handle it though.

"I need to get him to shut up. We'll drive ahead," Edward shook his head while heading toward the car, "but thank you, guys. For understanding." He said before quickly jumping in and leaving with Emmett.

Esme and Alice made it to the convertible, and Jasper began following the two. Alice quickly turned around to stop him, "girl time!" she said. She did not want him to hear these things about a succubus. But she was still curious about it.

Jasper looked at her confused, "I want to know about these new relatives too." He said, not caring either way. Just not wanting to be apart, "And the guys just left. What do you expect me to do?"

"Carlisle can tell you more about our cousins! I'm sure he'll be happy to tell you things not as explicit as stories about any succubus." She said more so to Carlisle than Jasper.

Jasper frowned as he stood still and watched the women drive away. Carlisle walked over and put his arm around his shoulder as he led him to the car, "I know it hurts. But if they want girl time, who are we to argue?" Jasper just shrugged, "Is this more about safety? I know you're always worried about how she's defenseless she can be on some of those longer visions, but do you think she's at a disadvantage right now surrounded by those three?" he asked seriously.

Jasper relaxed. It was true. He was frightened of all three women sitting with his mate. But he trusted Alice's existence with them. He sat in the car and heard some of Carlisle's tales of their new family members.

In the women's car, the four spoke about the succubus legends and a bit about the individual coven members: the coven leader Tanya and her sisters from the same sire, Irina, and Kate. They talked about how they had expanded their coven with a mated pair that just happened to stumble upon the sisters and discovered they were similar in their not wanting to be the monsters they were told they were. That the two managed to integrate into their family seamlessly and had been together for a few centuries.

When the rest of the Cullens pulled up behind Esme's parked car, they could already see Edward and Emmett greeting the others. Rosalie jumped down quickly and ran toward one of the blond women. Serafina narrowed her eyes at the interaction but didn't move to follow. She saw Esme quickly make her way over to a brunette woman who she greeted. Carlisle then made his way over to one of the blond women, the one with a bit more aura than the others. She looked like a leader. She also appeared older than the other two blonds, but that didn't mean much in their world. The two then looked toward the car.

Alice was fidgeting next to the car with Jasper, while Serafina hadn't even gotten down yet. Even after Carlisle signaled them, Serafina still refused to move. She felt a bit uncomfortable. Not bad. But she didn't understand why she felt funny.

"These are the newest additions to our family," Carlisle said with a smile.

Alice had already sped over with Jasper calmly standing behind her as he smiled lovingly at his mate. His face turned serious as he looked at these new vampires, "Hi! I'm Alice! And this is Jasper! Don't worry, he's really sweet! What's your name?" she said while shaking the woman's hand.

"Hello, I'm Tanya. This is my family," she answered with a slight accent, "It's very nice to meet you two." She finished with a smile.

The blond that had hugged Rosalie gave her a small nudge as she gestured toward Alice. Rosalie rolled her eyes as she shook her head, "No, that's how she actually is all the time."

The woman smiled at that and immediately pushed Tanya out of the way, "You are the cutest thing! I'm Kate! Nice to meet you!" she said with the same accent as she began to shake Alice's hand just as vigorously as Alice had shaken Tanya's before. Both started giggling at that.

The introductions continued when the male of their coven walked over to Carlisle's side, "Now that is some incredible luck. Two of the three new family members of yours have abilities. Pretty powerful abilities too." He said in his Spanish accent.

While Serafina couldn't recognize the three blond women's accents, she at least recognized a Spanish one. She looked at the man curiously. She wasn't the only one looking at him curiously. The entire family stopped to stare at him with confusion.

"What is it?" Tanya asked. She had, of course, noticed the Cullen's bewilderment.

"Two of the three? Is your ability on the fritz," Emmett's voice boomed in the silence.

Carlisle gestured for him to be quiet, "what abilities do you sense?" he asked the man.

"This one can sense emotions and possibly affect them too," he said, gesturing toward Jasper. Who nodded in agreement, "And this young lady has," he had a surprised look on his face, "future sight?"

"Yes! That's us! You're right! But why can't you sense Serafina?" Alice asked.

Everyone then looked toward the car. Serafina still hadn't gotten down. She wasn't even listening to them anymore. Her brows furrowed as she tried to figure out what was happening.

"I don't sense anything from the young lady in the car ability-wise," he said, shaking his head.

The Cullens expressed their confusion, explaining how Serafina was very powerful in her ability—shocking the Denalis. All were discussing while sneaking glances at the car. All except one who hadn't stopped staring in the direction of the car since they initially greeted the Cullens.

Rosalie finally decided that leaving Serafina to leave the car on her own was a bad idea. She could stay in the car their entire visit if she didn't want to interact with the Denalis. But she didn't know why she didn't want to. Rosalie walked over and saw Serafina staring straight ahead with her brows furrowed in thought.

"What's wrong, baby?" Rosalie asked, leaning over the door and kissing Serafina on her temple to draw her attention.

"There's something strange. A strange feeling I have with these Denali," she mumbled. She was looking into Rosalie's eyes, taking comfort in them.

"Strange? Like you're afraid of them?" Rosalie asked.

Serafina laughed out loud at that, obviously taking offense. This brought some raised brows from the Denalis. And reassurances from Esme and Carlisle, who tried to smooth things over so their friends wouldn't immediately hold a grudge against Serafina.

Rosalie gave Serafina a look that she instantly knew meant to be nice. Serafina immediately stopped. Rosalie opened the door for her, "then why haven't you gotten down yet? They're our friends! Family even! I want you to meet them." Rosalie said as she offered to help Serafina out of the car.

Serafina walked over, holding onto Rosalie's hand tightly. Rosalie could sense the nervousness. It was beginning to concern her as she rubbed circles onto her hand. Serafina put a fake but believable smile on to greet the Denalis.

When they walked over, Kate stepped forward to greet them first. Meeting halfway but still keeping a respectable distance, she nodded in appreciation as she looked at Serafina, "Alright, I can see why you never gave in to your urges with us then. She is a beauty."

Serafina's fake smile dropped immediately, "did you try?" she asked.

"No, she's just messing with you," Rosalie soothed.

"Well, it's strange. We're beautiful. But we're only finding out that you play for the other team now. We could've played with you." The third blond Serafina guessed was Irina said, as she leaned on Kate's shoulder. The two were acting as though speaking to Rosalie but were obviously taunting Serafina.

"I'm not attracted to women, only Serafina," Rosalie explained as they began to walk past them to the others. But as soon as they stepped past Kate, they heard a gasp that caused them all to freeze.

"Dios mío, es ella," a woman with an accent whispered. She began tugging on the Denali male's arm as she stepped forward.

Both had slightly darker complexions than the others with dark hair. The fact they were a mated pair also made it obvious who these two were. The newer additions to the Denalis. The couple from Spain: Eleazar and Carmen. But the way the woman looked at Serafina made that strange feeling she had before in the car rise back up again.

Serafina tilted her head a bit. There was just something about the couple that kept nagging at her, "¿Nos hemos visto antes?"

The woman stepped toward Serafina. The other Cullens tensed, thinking she would upset Serafina with her quick approach but were shocked when Serafina didn't react aggressively. She just looked at the woman questioningly. She had even released Rosalie's hand upon her approach.

The woman slipped into her native tongue in this stressful situation, "Pense que estabas muerta," she whispered. She wanted to cry, and her eyes glossed over. She thought about what happened years ago, "Lo siento mucho. Todo es mi culpa. Te he lastimado mucho. Primero, te hice de esta manera. Entonces te dejé. Dios, debes odiarme." She said as she held onto Serafina's hands.

Everyone was shocked. After interacting with their family members over the years, all had learned at least a bit of Spanish—some more than others. Serafina, Rosalie, Jasper, and Eleazar were all stunned.

"Maybe we should speak about this inside?" Carlisle asked, looking toward Tanya, who immediately agreed—directing both families inside with Carlisle's help.

Chapter Text

As both families entered the home, the Denalis offered the Cullens seats before taking their own. Carmen had taken Serafina with herself to a sofa near the fireplace. Thankfully, no fire was lit. Otherwise, it may have been misbehaving due to Serafina's nerves. Eleazar followed Carmen. At the same time, Rosalie followed Serafina after seeing the discomfort in her eyes as they sat down.

No one spoke, and an awkward silence ensued when Rosalie couldn't take it anymore. "Why did you turn her and leave her alone?" Rosalie asked with a bit of attitude. She was hitting straight to the point, which Serafina questioned many times. Never in anger. Mainly confusion. She felt there was some connection between the sire and their sired, which may have been why the Cullens were so close. But she woke up alone. She just wondered why.

"It wasn't like that!" Eleazar immediately jumped to Carmen's defense.

"I didn't mean to!" Carmen pleaded simultaneously.

"Calm," Tanya shouted. She then looked at Rosalie and Serafina, "It wasn't like that. Please. Let them explain."

"I think that would only be fair," Carlisle agreed, looking to the two as well.

Rosalie pursed her lips, not wanting to argue but still unhappy, as she stole Serafina's hands from Carmen and pulled her toward herself on the sofa. Serafina felt much better and relaxed at a distance from her sire. Carmen frowned at the relief she saw. Eleazar held Carmen more toward himself to make her feel better too. Both mates feeling particularly protective of their loves in this uncomfortable situation.

"This should be good," Emmett muttered as he made himself more comfortable. His comment earned shoves from Edward and Jasper. Who shook their heads while mouthing to shut up.

Eleazar and Carmen both went into the story together. Interrupting each other only to bring up things they remembered from that time the other may have forgotten. They explained how the two occasionally took short trips when they needed a getaway—Spain, Russia, France, and other places to explore together. Never too long since they didn't like being away from the coven.

That particular getaway took them to Mexico. They enjoyed themselves on several beaches and traveled through the jungle to look around and explore for fun. Instead of sticking to the coast on their way back to Alaska, they decided to go through the middle of the states. Wanting to see the changes since they hardly ever visited the rest of the States.

They went through Texas but were surprised to find a reasonably large town. They did not want to deal with people, especially when it appeared to be some festival with a giant bonfire happening. They skirted the forest edges but came upon a group of people. They initially wanted to avoid them, but they overheard some unpleasant talk from one of the men and a woman's struggle. She begged them to let her 'save the others,' but the men only laughed. When they heard what the supposed leader had said about what he'd allow the others to do to her, they were disgusted and knew they couldn't let it happen.

The Denali threw concerned glances toward Serafina, not knowing about her life but suspecting what led to her death. The Cullens had different expressions: sadness and anger. The Cullens had now known about Serafina's past. They were upset for her.

Eleazar and Carmen continued the story. How they had heard clothing rip, and Eleazar sprang into action. He began to fight the humans, not wanting to kill them but wanting to hurt them. He thought he heard talk of angels. But he was more concerned about knocking them out without making any bleed to focus on what they were discussing.

Carmen went straight for the woman and was surprised at how young she was, which made her feel worse about the situation. She put one of her dresses from her case on the young woman to replace the ripped one. But after doing so, she caught a scent of blood. She looked closer. It appeared the young woman had grabbed a sharp rock to try and defend herself. It was probably why she now had a large knot on her head. They more than likely struck her after she tried to fight back. But her palm was cut from the rock.

Carmen admitted that she lost control when she put her palm up to her face to inspect. She licked the wound. She realized what she had done and immediately stopped. She had taken the young woman further into the forest for safety and immediately dragged Eleazar away. She was afraid she would be tempted to finish her off now that she had tasted the blood.

Instead of enjoying their return trip, they returned to the Denalis without speaking or stopping. Carmen was upset and refused to talk to Eleazar. He could sense her unease and didn't force her to say, waiting for her to tell him what was wrong in her own time. But she stayed silent even after their return. She went so far as to close herself into their room.

Carmen admitted to feeling that something was wrong. She chalked it up to her guilt over the lick. But she was also too embarrassed to say. That was why she had even shut out Eleazar.

When the other Denali quickly returned from their hunt after sensing their return, they asked Eleazar what was wrong, but he didn't know. They banged on the door until Carmen opened it for them, and they saw her vibrant red eyes. Tanya had asked what had happened. Carmen explained, and she admitted to the lick. But defended herself by saying she never bit the young woman.

Tanya had explained that the venom still more than likely entered the young woman's bloodstream, which could turn her. The unease she felt probably wasn't guilt. It was more than likely a concern for her potential sired. Her instincts wanted her to return to her. So they did, together, to cover more ground and hopefully find the newborn before she caused significant damage. Tanya noting the change typically took three to four days. So if they hurried, the young newborn should just be waking up.

But it was destroyed when they returned to the town halfway through day three. The whole place had gone up in flames. They saw charred remains everywhere. Nothing was left. Even the part of the forest where Carmen was sure she had left the young woman was gone. They searched for a week with no results. Tanya finally speculated the young newborn probably didn't get to complete the change due to the fire.

Carmen refused to stop the search. Therefore Eleazar followed her in her quest. They expanded it and searched for a year in the surrounding area but had no reports of any suspicious deaths that would lead them to a newborn. They gave up. They returned to the other Denalis and tried returning to their everyday lives. But Carmen was a little quieter after that.

Carlisle felt horrible after the story. He couldn't imagine what it would feel like to lose his sired. He looked over his family in gratitude. But he did know what it felt like to wake up alone. So he always felt a little more soft-hearted to Serafina. He knew how traumatic it could be to wake up alone after the change. The only difference between them was that he at least knew what he had become. She knew nothing, and it wasn't her fault. He made eye contact with Tanya across the room.

Tanya always hated thinking about that time. She knew there was a connection between a sire and sired. She loved her sire so much that she and her sisters considered her their mother. The sisters also had a special relationship, but it came from the same place—their sire bond. She always assumed the sense of loss she could sometimes see from Carmen was just a wish for what could have been. Now she knew it was an actual loss of their bond. It existed, but neither knew. They both probably just felt incredibly alone. But even then, Carmen had Eleazar. It sounded like Serafina had no instinctive bonds until she joined the Cullen coven.

Carmen and Serafina received pitying looks from everyone. They didn't even notice, staring at each other and trying to gauge each other's reactions. Serafina was thinking about the story. She believed them. Carmen hoped she could be forgiven but didn't believe she should be.

"Thank you for saving me," Serafina finally said. She didn't ever really have a grudge against her sire. Even when the Volturi offered to punish her sire, she didn't care either way. She just wanted to know why she was changed and left alone. Now she knew. It was all an accident. All stemming from that horrible day when her family and home were destroyed. She still blamed the men who attacked her. She had no blame for this seemingly kind woman. She reminded her too much of Esme, and she could never be mad at Esme.

Serafina had already felt better after hearing the story. Carmen and Eleazar both relaxed after hearing her thanks. Carmen's eyes were on Serafina, while Eleazar's were solely on Carmen.

"I'm still sorry," Carmen said.

"You thought I was dead." Serafina shrugged. She then fidgeted a bit, "As for the town. Well. That was me." She said, looking up innocently. She looked like a child admitting their mistake and hoping they wouldn't get into trouble.

This caught all the Denali's attention. They remembered what the Cullens had told them outside when Eleazar didn't sense an ability from Serafina.

"Impossible!" Eleazar exclaimed, subtly pulling Carmen back.

But Serafina still saw the fearful act and pouted subconsciously. Rosalie saw her reaction and glared at Eleazar. Carmen noticed it too, pushed Eleazar back, and returned to her original position so Serafina could see she wasn't afraid of her, making the pout disappear.

Eleazar realized he had hurt her feelings and tried to calm down. He looked toward Serafina again, "I don't sense any ability from you. You're just as normal as my wife or your young mate." He said softly.

Emmett perked up at this, "You know, it's not crazy that her sire is someone we know—billions of people in the world and compared to them. We're like a drop in the bucket. There's what? Thousands of vampires? And we know a few. So this isn't unbelievable. We should question why Eleazar can't sense her ability when she has the coolest ability ever."

Serafina found it somewhat strange. She thought Emmett was an idiot most of the time, but sometimes she thought he was smart, like an idiot savant. But then she heard Edward burst into laughter from across the room; she grew worried about where this conversation would go. She wondered if she could ignore them and speak to Carmen again.

Emmett glared at Edward, "It makes sense!"

"It does!" Edward answered. Pretending to cough to stifle his laughter, "No, I was thinking of something else. I agree with you! It makes sense! You should tell everyone else. I'm sure they'll agree." He said, turning serious as he snuck glances at Serafina with a slight smirk.

Serafina frowned at that. Edward smirking would more than likely make her angry. The others were confused but looked toward Emmett.

"Yeah?" Emmett asked, believing Edward too easily and happily standing to explain his thoughts to everyone else, "I know why you can't sense her ability!"

Rosalie didn't like where it was going and looked worriedly at the others. If Serafina got mad, she'd probably scare the Denalis.

"Why?" Kate asked, eyeing Edward. She could sense a playfulness she wasn't used to from him and wanted to see it play out. Edward was too serious to joke with them usually. This was why she preferred Emmett. He was fun. She had no idea why Tanya wanted Edward so badly.

"Think about it. She's not a vampire. That's why you can't sense her ability," Emmett began.

"We literally just heard about her having been infected with venom," Rosalie argued in confusion.

"No, wait for it!" Emmett shushed her, "Maybe the venom woke up her actual form." He paused for dramatic effect, "What if she's a dragon?"

Serafina's frown deepened, "What?"

"It makes perfect sense!" Emmett continued, "You like caves, love treasure, and breathe fire! You're a fucking dragon!" he said excitedly.

The Cullens laughed, Edward the loudest, while the Denali looked at Serafina with confusion.

She could feel her fingers twitch in her anger, and her eyes began to glow. The Denalis gasped as they watched. But the collective gasp calmed Serafina down. She slammed her eyes shut and started to count in her head.

"You're an idiot," Rosalie said to Emmett, grabbing Serafina's twitchy hand and rubbing her circles, which calmed her instantly. Serafina could reopen her eyes and knew there was no more glow. She lifted their hands and kissed Rosalie's before looking back toward Emmett with a glare.

"It makes sense!" he exclaimed again, "Come on, tell me she wouldn't lock you away in a cave with her treasure and just protect you from everyone and everything with her fire." Emmett directed at Rosalie.

The crickets could be heard after that statement. Rosalie and Serafina locked eyes in wonder. The other Cullens could no longer laugh. They believed it. Serafina and Rosalie broke their eye contact and looked toward Carlisle with raised brows.

He coughed to clear his throat, "a compelling argument. But I can assure you. She's a vampire. I've tested her and compared her to the rest of us. She's a vampire. The only difference is she has her fire ability." He shrugged.

Emmett's shoulders sagged at his idea having been shot down by who he believed to be the most intelligent person he knew.

"Can we see?" Irina asked, stepping forward and plopping herself next to Kate who was sitting across from Serafina and Rosalie. If the Cullens trusted her so much, why should she be afraid?

Serafina allowed her eyes to glow and lit the fireplace first. She then drew the fire to herself and began playing with it before them. Their jaws dropped. She then glared at Emmett, "fucking dragon, my ass," she mumbled before shaping the flame into a dragon and having it fly at Emmett. It dive-bombed into him engulfing him in flames.

He instinctively covered his face but knew what she was aiming for. The Denali were horrified until they heard the laughter from the Cullens. They saw Emmett unharmed once the flames died away, only without clothing. He glared at her, "I liked that shirt!" he whined with a stomp. His reaction brought chuckles from the Denali too.

He sighed and attempted to sit down, earning tuts from Esme, "Do not sit on their sofa naked! Go upstairs and change right now!" he groaned but followed her instructions. He was grumbling the whole way.

Carmen smiled at Serafina, "Your fire is impressive."

"Thank you!" Serafina smiled.

"Can we speak alone? I would like to hear about what happened to you back then. Please? Only if you're okay with that, of course," Carmen asked nervously.

Serafina looked at Rosalie, who gave her a nod and kissed her cheek. Eleazar was doing the same to Carmen.

The two then went for a walk in the forest to speak alone. The two discussed the past briefly. Serafina informed her about what happened from when she had destroyed the town to her staying with the Volturi and then meeting Jasper and Alice, who led her to Rosalie and the other Cullens.

Carmen reciprocated with her past in Spain. Her time with Eleazar and standing by him when he had his own time with the Volturi. The two had obtained permission to leave and began their travels, looking for a better way to live without harming humans to survive, meeting the Denali sisters and becoming their family.

The two didn't go through everything. Both hoping to have more time to speak in the future. They were getting a feel for each other now. There was a type of comfort in being together. It was like their comfort with their mates—a trust. They did this often for the first week or so. Eventually, their mates would join their walks.

The other Cullens and Denalis didn't question it or try to intrude. After hearing what had happened, they felt they needed this time together and waited patiently for them to feel as though they had enough time together. While they waited, the Denalis gladly spent time with Jasper and Alice. Alice excitedly learned about the sisters and dragged Jasper along for the ride.

Tanya and Carlisle would oversee the interactions without the others noticing. Both were very happy with the results. There were still no issues, even with these new family members. Once they were sure there wouldn't be any conflicts, they also relaxed with the rest of the family. They soon realized that family time was much more fun with an even fuller house.

Chapter Text

The "adults" sat in the Denali residence while the teens were out with their cousins. They had begun discussing their new family members, Carmen particularly curious about Serafina and some things she may not have told her about herself.

"Thank you for looking out for her, Carlisle, Esme," Carmen said as she leaned into Eleazar.

Tanya was somewhat curious, "Alice said she woke up without her sire too. Why do you treat them differently? Why do you give Serafina more pity than Alice?"

"Alice's creation is mysterious. But she never questioned it like Serafina. She felt no need to. She remembers nothing of her human life, so she has never missed anyone from her past. She also told us that she had a vision not too long after her awakening," Carlisle answered with a slight grin to Esme.

Esme smiled as she began to gush, "she saw Jasper. So even though she was alone, she knew she wouldn't be alone forever. She said it was only a few weeks later when she had a vision of us and the diet. So she began to practice independently and found a purpose to her existence. Finding Jasper and the rest of us." She had a loving smile thinking about it. She always found Alice to be so sweet.

"So even though both woke up alone, they had different mentalities. And personalities. Ignorance is bliss, you could say, in Alice's case. But Serafina remembered everything from her past, making her a bit more untrusting and wary of others. Which, I suppose, could be considered a good thing? She wasn't swayed into joining several unsavory groups," Carlisle said, glancing at Eleazar. He continued, "but sadly, that mistrust led her to be alone for a long time. Even when she spent time with the Volturi, she spent most of her time alone. She always kept herself on guard even with her friends among the leadership." Carlisle paused in thought, "I believe all this time she's had alone or on guard has made it so she isn't much of a people person." Carlisle surmised.

"You think?" Tanya asked sarcastically.

"I still can't believe she managed to avoid joining the Volturi. With her ability, I'm sure Aro tried everything to get her to join," Eleazar said, keeping a particular bond-making member to himself. He was surprised she could fight off that ability and was very impressed.

"With her ability and not knowing anything about our kind. I'm surprised she didn't create a bigger stir in the human world," Tanya mused aloud.

"She did destroy a town," Eleazar muttered.

Carmen immediately turned to him, "She said it was an accident." She scolded. She then looked to the couple opposite, "Tell me more about her, please."

"About the other two as well," Tanya added.

The couple did. The Cullens, ever the proud parents, bragged about their new family members and told the Denali little things they discovered about them. Stuff about their likes and dislikes. How to know if they were upset or not. Things that they thought would help them get along better with them.

Meanwhile, the teens sat in the middle of the forest within the Denali territory with their two cousins. Serafina sat leaning against a tree on a high branch, her arms wrapped protectively around Rosalie as she rested her chin on her shoulder. Rosalie leaned back against her in her lap. They looked down at Jasper and Kate, who happened to be preparing to spar.

Once Jasper felt comfortable wearing short sleeves and revealing his scars, he immediately drew the Denalis' attention. Not in a negative way. They were just curious. Eleazar was part of the Volturi guard and had several scars of his own, but the newborn armies didn't start until after he had retired. Jasper explained how it had all started with a vampire named Benito. Serafina was surprised, but she told them about the man Benny she had met in the past. Jasper was confident they were the same. They couldn't believe that even after knowing Benito's fate, there were still vampires in Mexico willing to tempt the Volturi's wrath by playing with small newborn armies.

After learning more about his work with the newborns, Kate was more curious about Jasper's skill, which led to their current situation underneath the trees. They worried for her safety until she assured them she would be fine and that she actually had some fighting skills and had even been somewhat of a bodyguard in her human life.

Everyone was excited about the upcoming match. Serafina had, of course, set up betting. But even in the frivolous atmosphere, Emmett still managed to complain.

"Why did you never ask to fight me?" he complained, "Look at me! I'm way stronger and better at fighting than Jazz! I mean, look at that form. No offense, Jazz."

"How could I not take offense to that?" Jasper scoffed. The others just laughed at that.

"It's not a matter of form or strength. That's why I don't want to fight you. I'm sure I can take you down in less than a minute. Jasper here is used to fighting multiple unpredictable enemies. The fact he's still here shows he's a fighter. A warrior. That's why I want to fight him," Kate explained as she tied her hair up.

"So you like that non-traditional fighting style?" Emmett asked. She nodded in agreement, "I can do that too! Well, I can fight against that if that's how you want to fight. I sometimes spar with Serafina, and she's a big-time cheater." He said seriously.

She ignored him again but turned her attention to Serafina, "You fight?"

"No, that's just so Emmett will shut up and leave me alone," Serafina answered.

"But what if you were to be attacked?" Kate trailed off, eyeing Serafina and Rosalie up on the branch they were on—a dangerous glint in her eye.

A tree immediately to Kate's left burst into flames instantly, shocking everyone present but Rosalie. Rosalie grinned in amusement as she leaned back to kiss Serafina on her neck before looking down at the others domineeringly. "Hypothetically speaking, if I were to sense a threat. I'd just kill it before it got close." Serafina arrogantly answered with a mocking grin of her own.

Kate put her hands up in surrender, "Just asking."

"Show off," Edward coughed into his hand.

The couple ignored him. Serafina gently put Rosalie to the side as she calmly dropped down and began her duties collecting bets. She, Rosalie, and Irina placed their bets on Kate. Emmett still complained but put his money on Jasper. Edward did as well. But Serafina was surprised when Alice did the same. She didn't look very confident in her choice, which caused Serafina to give her a confused look.

"He's my Jazz," she shrugged.

Serafina nodded in understanding. Moral support. Don't bet against your mate, even if you know they'll lose.

"Best two out of three. No biting, dismemberment, or murder. For this round, no abilities or enhancements. Let's go for round one!" Serafina called out to start the match as she played referee.

Everyone cheered for their fighter. The first match went by slowly. Both tested each other out and with no enhanced speed or strength, it was just a matter of skill. After twenty minutes, Jasper was flat on his ass. Kate had won the first round.

"No abilities. Natural enhancements allowed. Let's see if it helps. Let's go for round two!" Serafina called out again.

The cheering continued. This match surprisingly lasted longer. Both using their enhanced speed and strength combined with their fighting skills had them at a stalemate for another thirty minutes. However, as time passed, Jasper seemed to have familiarized himself more with Kate's fighting style and managed to take her down in round two. Much to Kate's annoyance.

"Let's make this more interesting! Abilities and enhancements allowed. Give us a show! Final round. Let's go for round three!" Serafina called out with a grin.

As soon as she said that, the two immediately began to fight. No abilities were noticed by any of the teens. Not until ten minutes in when they noticed some slight hesitation from Kate. Then a very obvious sluggishness to her movements. But it seemed as though she were fighting herself.

Jasper confidently walked over to her, and just as he grabbed her shoulder to have her admit her defeat, he began to convulse before he was flat on his ass again. He was twitching in pain.

Once he was down, Kate shook her head, "Whew, that was a mistake, wasn't it, Jazz?" she chuckled, "You shouldn't have brought out the fear in me. My ability is used more in self-defense. I think I turned it up to ten since I was scared." She mocked as she went over to Irina, where they excitedly hugged in celebration.

"You can't beat my sister!" Irina gloated down to Jasper, who was still twitching sporadically on the floor.

Alice ran over to help Jasper up.

"And it seems our new little sister is a force to be reckoned with as well," Irina continued looking over at Serafina with a grin, "It's going to be fun having you around."

"What?" Alice asked incredulously, dropping Jasper, "She's our sister! Not yours!" she argued, glaring at Irina.

"Yeah! Back off!" Emmett joined Alice.

"Actually," Kate stood by Irina, "if you think about it, if things had gone as they should have. She'd be our sister right now. Being Carmen's sired and all." Kate shrugged, "Tanya already told us that if Serafina ever wanted, she could stay."

"But," Emmett didn't know what to say and looked to Alice.

"But it didn't happen that way. So she's our sister!" She responded. She then looked at Edward and Jasper, "Tell them she's our sister, and they can't claim her!"

Edward had finished helping Jasper up after Alice dropped him. The two stood together, looked at each other, and shrugged. Jasper looked down at his mate and wasn't sure what to say, "Darlin', I don't think Serafina cares." He carefully answered.

Alice looked at him in disbelief and gave Edward a look to help her argument.

"You can have her. No takebacks," Edward said to the Denali sisters, earning him a smack from Alice.

Serafina flipped him off and returned to her mate, still in the tree. Rosalie could easily get down without help, but Serafina wouldn't allow it and held out her arms. Rosalie smiled as she dropped and wrapped her arms around Serafina's neck as Serafina held her with one arm beneath her legs and the other supporting her back. Serafina smiled as she kissed her lips and gently put her on her feet.

"It's ridiculous how she could easily pass as Carmen's and Eleazar's daughter. Don't you think, Kate?" Irina asked. She was thoroughly enjoying the effect their teasing was having.

"She'd never leave Rosie!" Emmett angrily responded.

"Didn't we say before how easy it would be to pass Rosalie off as our sister?" Kate then asked Irina with an exaggerated look of confusion.

"We did," she agreed exaggeratedly, "Maybe it was fate? It's perfect how it all worked out." The two then took a step back. Kate went to Serafina's side as Irina went to Rosalie's. Both put an arm around each woman's shoulder and gave Emmett and Alice victorious looks.

"No!" Emmett pointed at them in his shock.

Alice began shaking her head vigorously to show her disapproval.

Jasper looked at Alice in concern.

"It is perfect. Take them both," Edward nodded, earning another smack from Alice.

"What's happening?" Serafina asked Rosalie.

"I think our cousins want us to be their siblings, and our siblings don't want to be our cousins," Rosalie answered. She wasn't paying much attention to what was happening either. Her attention was on Serafina the whole time. She somewhat only got the tail-end of the conversation.

Serafina did not get the clarification she wanted, "What?"

"We're fucking with them," Tanya whispered to Serafina, "kind of." Serafina nodded in understanding.

With the distance they were at, the Cullens couldn't hear what was whispered. They only saw Serafina nodding her head in agreement.

"No! You can't have our sisters! I will fight you for them! I can see the future. I'll have you on the floor in five moves," Alice crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes with her threat in their direction.

"Cool!" Emmett grinned at Alice.

"Darlin', just let Serafina tell them what she wants," Jasper appeased.

"Tell them you're staying with us!" Alice directed at Serafina.

Serafina was impressed with Alice's attitude. She didn't think she had it in her to threaten others like this. But she could tell she was seriously concerned about this, "I'll do whatever mi amor wants." She shrugged. She was being honest.

"I'm part of Carlisle's coven," Rosalie shrugged, "but if you want to stay with them, we can."

Alice was horrified after the back and forth. Neither answered how she wanted. She sped over to them and looked up at Serafina with her big sad eyes, "Please stay with us?" she asked. She grabbed hold of Serafina's hand as she looked up into her eyes while ignoring Kate.

"You stole that from me!" Serafina gasped, "You know if we ever did leave, it wouldn't be for long." She said to try and make Alice feel better. But Alice just clenched her hand tighter, "Ow, Alice. Let go," she frowned.

"Agree you'll stay," Alice finally said. She was no longer feigning weakness.

Serafina attempted to pull her hand out but found Alice had a tight grip. She looked at Rosalie for help. Rosalie looked concerned, "Okay, we won't switch families! Let her go!"

"Don't agree so easily!" Kate whined.

Alice happily released Serafina's hand and stuck her tongue out at Kate. Rosalie quickly took Serafina's hand and turned it over to ensure Serafina wasn't hurt. She glared at Alice after she saw she was okay.

"Yay! Good job, Alice!" Emmett yelled as he ran over and pulled Serafina and Rosalie away from Irina and Kate and over to himself as he wrapped his arms around their shoulders, "Can you believe those two?" he asked rhetorically, ignoring Irina and Kate as he began walking the couple back toward the Denali residence.

"They only agreed not to switch families. They didn't say anything about extended stays," Irina teased as she skipped alongside Rosalie.

"Maybe they visit and decide to stay a decade?" Kate shrugged, walking backward in front of the three to grin in their faces, "We'd be okay with that."

Alice immediately sped to Serafina's side and grabbed her other arm as they walked while glaring at Kate.

"I would fully support your decision if you decide to stay a decade," Edward called out to Serafina from behind the three. He and Jasper had been following since they started heading back.

When they returned to the Denali home, Alice dropped Serafina's arm and ran to Tanya to complain about what Irina and Kate had said. The two laughed but received a light scolding from Tanya. But Tanya admitted that they had spoken as a family and agreed that Serafina could stay with them if she wanted, and they would never turn Rosalie away either. Reminding the Cullens that they did extend an offer to her to stay with them the last time they had visited. They believed that if things had happened as they should have, Serafina would have been a part of their family from the start. Serafina thanked them but stated she would stay with Rosalie. But she did express their willingness to stay for extended vacations if able. The Denalis quickly agreed.

The teens quickly changed topics and discussed how they had spent their day. Irina only then remembered that she had placed her bet with Serafina and needed to collect her winnings. Serafina feigned ignorance causing Irina to take a page from Alice's book and threw her complaints to Esme. The rest of the household laughed while Serafina received a scolding until she handed over Irina's cut. The talk of betting led to both families playing some card games for actual money.

Serafina suspiciously won most of the major pots.

Chapter Text

Serafina began leaving kisses down Rosalie's neck. The two were cuddling in their room while the rest of the house was empty. Rosalie took off her shirt and laid back. She always enjoyed how Serafina would take her time to show her how much she loved her. It felt as though she were being worshiped. But before Serafina ever took it further, she would still ask. She didn't need to ask verbally anymore. Rosalie would recognize the question from a particular caress and lingering kiss on her skin and encourage Serafina to continue.

The two hadn't had alone time in a while, and Rosalie felt a particular need for intimacy. Enjoying every kiss and now lick that Serafina was giving her. She soon couldn't hold in her moans as Serafina continued moving lower.

The two were so engrossed in each other that they didn't notice the other's return.

"No fucking in the house!" Kate yelled after she banged on the door.

"Watch your mouth! I heard Esme doesn't like that shit," Tanya chuckled.

They could hear laughter from the living room.

"Shit, come on, let's take a cold shower and meet the others," Rosalie panted. She was patting Serafina on her back to get her to stop.

Serafina left a lingering kiss just below her navel, "There's no fucking in the house? I thought Emmett slept with his cousins?" she questioned in frustration, bringing herself up to hover over Rosalie.

"Stop phrasing it that way! You're doing it just to gross everyone out at this point!" Emmett complained.

"Well, if I'm not getting any, you shouldn't get any," Serafina yelled.

"We don't do that in the house," Irina called out, "Even if we won't see anything, no one wants to hear or smell that. If we want alone time with a friend, we go to our spaces in the forest. They're spaced out, so we don't bother each other."

"Yeah, what kinds of freaky things do you Cullens get up to at your house?" Kate asked jokingly.

"Nah. The girls only do that when we're out. Alice and Jasper do the same. But they have a spot in the woods too. And Carlisle and Esme usually go into town to rent a room," Emmett answered honestly. Not realizing it was a joke.

"I'm not going to ask how you know these things," Irina said, slight disgust audible before she and Kate eventually gave in to their laughter. The rest of the house soon did too.

"I swear your brother is a fucking idiot sometimes," Serafina whispered to Rosalie.

Rosalie couldn't help laughing, "he's your brother too!"

They jumped into the shower together and quickly got cleaned up. Each helps the other wash to save time. No dirty thoughts since the others were back. Just gentle, quick, and efficient.

"Sorry we ruined your fun, but we wanted you to come with us! We already showed the others, but you two were being lazy," Irina said, grabbing Rosalie's arm as the two reached the bottom of the stairs.

"More like frisky," Kate corrected, grabbing Serafina.

"What are we going to look at?" Rosalie asked.

"The town. It's been a while since you came to visit. We wanted to show you how it changed." Kate answered.

"Be careful!" Carmen called out nervously. The town was outside of the Denali's territory. They wouldn't be able to feel their presence once they were out there. She now had a protectiveness over her sired that she didn't even realize.

"Pfft, what can anyone do to us? We have Serafina," Irina laughed.

"You shouldn't put so much pressure on her! She's still young!" Carmen scolded. She then turned to Serafina and Rosalie, "If anything happens, come straight back!" Carmen directed.

Both women nodded in understanding but weren't concerned. They felt the same as Irina.

As they neared the end of the Denali territory, the four decided to race. They reached the edge of town with taunting and attempted cheating (mostly Serafina catching branches and pulling them down to block the others' path). The race they had completed was piggyback. Rosalie dominated while carrying Serafina. As soon as they won, Rosalie let Serafina slowly get down as Kate unceremoniously dropped her sister.

"No fair! You have longer legs!" Kate whined.

"How is that not fair? It's not my baby's fault she was blessed with these gorgeous long legs," Serafina argued. Giving Rosalie's thigh a light smack, "I'm jealous you two got a look at that view from behind." She said, half joking.

Their cousins rolled their eyes, "It would be more fair if you each carried us. You're the same height, and we're shorter! That's how the race should have been! And if you carried Kate, you could've stayed back and enjoyed the view the whole time," Irina complained.

"Tempting. But not going to happen," Serafina said with a straight face.

"We're not making sacrifices for you shorties," Rosalie grinned.

"Ha ha," Irina growled.

"I'm average. Irina is the short one," Kate mumbled, kicking a rock on the ground in her melancholy.

"You know, you're a lot less angry than you used to be," Irina said, holding her fist to her chin as though lost in thought while looking at Rosalie.

"Bitchier, but way less angry," Kate agreed, looking Rosalie up and down.

"The bitchiness is fun," Irina nodded with a grin.

"Watch your mouths!" Serafina angrily said.

"It's true," Rosalie agreed with a smile, grabbing Serafina's arm and whipping her around so they could walk into town together. Rosalie clutched Serafina's arm as they walked, keeping her focus straight ahead but with a toothy smile. She turned to give Serafina a kiss on her cheek, "I'm not as angry because of you. I've always been bitchy, though." she finished with a grin. The two were leaving the sisters behind. Serafina's face lost the anger and turned to a peaceful smile, allowing herself to be led away. Their cousins quickly caught up.

The town was a decent size for being in Alaska. Rosalie was impressed. Serafina, not so much, but she didn't care much about other towns aside from her own. They window-shopped for a while. They ignored some random flirting from the men in town. But didn't show much interest in anything until they saw a larger clothing store with more options.

The four toured the shop, looked at the clothes together, and stopped at a coat on display behind the counter. It was overly lavish for the shop, and they were immediately impressed. The clerk brought it out for them to observe more closely. He even allowed them to feel it and offered to let them try it.

The coat was too long for the Denali sisters but fit Rosalie and Serafina better. But the four all agreed that it worked better with Rosalie's coloring. It contrasted incredibly well with her blond hair. Serafina couldn't stop her praises. Rosalie raised her chin as she proudly looked at herself in the mirror. She turned back to the others to show off more.

"Alright, this coat looks beautiful on you. You wear it well," Kate admitted. She had seen the cocky expression on Rosalie's face and began to reach for her face to poke, "But don't let that go to your head!"

Just as her finger was about to make contact, her hand was slapped away. Everyone looked over at Serafina, who was glaring at Kate. Kate cocked her brow to her, not believing Serafina would do that. She thought she must have been mistaken and reached toward Rosalie again, earning another slap.

"Don't touch," Serafina said as she stood before Rosalie.

Rosalie grinned and then stuck her tongue out at Kate behind Serafina's back.

The clerk was uncomfortable with their playful behavior while wearing the most expensive item in his shop. He looked like he wanted to pull the coat right off Rosalie's shoulders but held himself back. Irina noticed his discomfort and decided to reel in her family's horseplay. She got closer to Rosalie to review the tag and couldn't help the whistle at her shock at the price.

The clerk didn't like that response and wanted to take the coat and kick them out of his store. Rosalie could see how upset he was. She was about to pull off the coat when Serafina stopped her. She pulled the tag to review. Then she forcefully ripped the tag off, bringing fear to the clerk's face until he heard her words.

"We'll take it," she said, reaching into her back pocket for the cash she carried on herself.

Rosalie looked at Serafina in exasperation. She didn't want her to buy her everything she looked at. She loved it. But she felt guilty. She tugged Serafina's sleeve and whispered, "You don't have to get it for me. We were window shopping."

"It looks good on you," Serafina smiled in reassurance. She turned her attention back to the clerk to complete the sale.

When the four walked out of the shop, Rosalie sporting her new coat, the Denalis began questioning Serafina.

"Do you consider that pocket money?" Irina wondered.

"Why would you walk around with that much money?" Kate asked.

"Why not? Who's going to take it from me?" Serafina responded.

"I would've beaten and robbed you long ago if I knew!" Kate joked.

Serafina scoffed at that, and they all laughed as they continued walking through town. Nearing the docks, they immediately got a horrible scent as they approached it. But Serafina thought she may have sensed something and couldn't help but look toward the stalls and men working. Before figuring out what was wrong, she was tugged away by the others who didn't want to be near the overwhelming stench.

"We've pretty much seen everything," Irina said, "we don't go near the docks. It smells horrible. Nothing but a bunch of obnoxious fishermen there, anyways. They're only fun after they shower and head to the bar."

"Let's get back to me robbing you," Kate said, "if I were to beat you now, how much would I get?" she asked.

"You can't beat Sera," Rosalie shook her head.

"Who knows, she refused to fight me," Kate shrugged, "seems pretty cowardly to me. I think it's because she knows I can easily beat her."

Serafina wouldn't be goaded into a fight, though she could feel her eyes glow. She was smart enough to pick her battles and had seen Kate fight Jasper. It was brutal. She knew she could fight well enough for self-defense but didn't like her odds. But she didn't consider it cowardice.

"Come on! Please?" Kate asked.

"Just leave her alone," Irina shook her head in annoyance.

"We can make it interesting," Kate offered.

Serafina did hesitate. Her curiosity was piqued. Kate saw and jumped at the opportunity.

"I have my bit of cash squirreled away for a rainy day," she tried to tempt.

Serafina immediately lost interest.

Rosalie laughed, "Did you not see what she had as 'pocket money' as you guys said," she couldn't help shaking her head, "Money isn't going to work on her."

Kate stopped as though she had an epiphany, "I got it!" she said as she turned and put her hand on Serafina's chest to have her stop walking.

Serafina looked down at the hand on her chest. She looked up and raised her brow at Kate's brazenness. Rosalie cocked her head to the side, staring at Kate's hand.

"You won't have it for long," Rosalie growled, glaring at Kate's hand.

Irina immediately pulled Kate back, "Use your words."

"Sorry! But I know what will tempt you!" she said giddily. She rubbed her forehead in frustration, "I can't believe I didn't think about it before. I should have thought of it when we stopped your fun earlier."

Rosalie was already frowning, which only deepened with her confusion at that statement. Serafina smiled at Rosalie's reaction but was no less confused. Even Irina was confused. They had no idea where Kate was going with that.

"My love nest," Kate finally announced, "You need a place to have your sex. If you can beat me in a fight, I'll give you my love nest. If I win, I get all the money you have left in your pocket."

Kate wasn't interested in the money. Just the fight. She was curious how her new little sister would fare against her. And she and her sisters hadn't had a chance to meet up with Emmett yet, as they were getting familiar with their new family members. She needed a release, and this was how she chose to get it.

Serafina had a look of disgust on her face, "You think I'm tempted by the place you have your dalliances in? No."

But Rosalie became excited as she grabbed Serafina, "You should try!"

"Ugh," Serafina shuddered, "Mi amor, no. Eso es asqueroso."

"We'd clean it, of course! Burn everything and redecorate. But her love nest is beautiful," Rosalie pleaded.

Serafina's brows furrowed, "Why have you been in her love nest?"

Rosalie shoved her, "They showed us their little love shacks the last time we visited. They all have their names for them too. Irina's is her love cabin, Tanya's her love den, and Kate has a love nest. Kate's is my favorite." Rosalie fawned, suddenly turning to Irina, "No offense."

"None taken. I'm still jealous of it too. But she refuses to help me build one like hers." Irina pouted.

Serafina tilted her head back to stare at the sky and sighed, "Fine, I'll try. Your love nest for the money left over in my pocket. Let's go," she looked and saw a tree line in the distance, meaning a forest was near, "over there." She finished, holding Rosalie's hand as they walked over. This forest was opposite the Denali territory but it would be just a quick sparring match. They didn't see a problem.

Serafina tied up her hair and removed her coat. Kate skipped after to follow suit. She couldn't contain her excitement. Just as the two were about to start, Rosalie immediately shouted to stop.

"What is it Rosa?" Serafina asked.

"You didn't say the rules. There are going to be rules, right?" Rosalie asked worriedly.

"I assumed no abilities since I'm not allowed to kill her," Serafina shrugged.

"I thought the same. Wouldn't want to knock your girl on her ass, now would I?" Kate winked.

"Like you could," Serafina mocked.

"Seriously, rules?" Rosalie asked, stopping the childish argument from starting. She knew how Serafina could be. Kate was no better.

"Do it like when Kate and Jasper fought," Irina suggested, "Just do two rounds instead of three."

"Yes! Like that! But," Rosalie hesitated. She stood between Serafina and Kate but a bit more to the side to face Kate, "no hitting here," she gestured to Serafina's face, "and no touching here," she gestured to her breasts, "or here," she gestured to her crotch.

Serafina held back her laughter. But she couldn't help staring at Rosalie's back with adoration. The way she seriously said that was so cute. Kate furrowed her brows, about to question what she was talking about, when Irina stepped forward.

Irina nodded in agreement with Rosalie as she stepped toward Serafina, grabbed her shoulders, and turned her around. She then gestured to her bottom, "You forgot here." She said. Now unable to contain her laughter, "Are you crazy?" she asked Rosalie.

The three finally began to laugh at Rosalie, who huffed in annoyance. Eventually, she turned to Serafina and hugged her, "You know what? Nevermind. It's not worth it." She mumbled into her shoulder.

"We're just trying. No big deal, right?" Serafina whispered to Rosalie, hugging her back and kissing her forehead.

The two separated, and Serafina went off to prepare to fight Kate. The two had agreed to the rules of the first two matches that Kate had had with Jasper. Irina decided to be the referee and signaled the start.

Serafina had an advantage in reach and tried to take advantage of that. She initially tried to maintain a strict boxing posture, but it was hard to defend against Kate's wild fighting style. She quickly went into her dirty fighting, which impressed Kate greatly—annoyed her too, though, as she was knocked down with a cheap shot. Serafina won round one.

Round two lasted a while. Surprisingly longer than Kate expected. Serafina kept using moves that would technically be considered cheating, but since they never explicitly said she couldn't use them, Kate was at a loss as to how to mention it. She at least didn't go for her hair or eyes, which would've been too much for any of them to accept. But when she used a distraction to divert her attention to hit her from behind, it upset her greatly.

"You fucking cheated!" she blew up.

"Sure did," Serafina nodded.

Kate stuttered, "H-how can you be okay admitting that? It's fucking cheating!" she snarled.

"Oh, I'm a horrible person," she admitted, "but I also won."

"No! You didn't. You cheated," Kate corrected.

"Still dropped your ass," Serafina argued.

The two prepared to get physical again until Rosalie stepped between them.

"We had very generic rules. We didn't say she couldn't fight like that," Irina shrugged, "but Jesus." She shook her head at Serafina in disbelief.

"She can fight worse," Rosalie shrugged as she stepped back toward Irina. She remembered the stories Serafina had said about her time with the Volturi and how she would break bones or gouge eyes to give herself enough time to rip limbs from their bodies. And this was when she was being merciful since the bones and eyes could always self-repair, and the limbs could be reattached. She shared one of those stories with their cousins.

"Well, it's not pretty or honorable. But it keeps you alive," Kate begrudgingly admitted. She walked over to Serafina with her hand outstretched, "Good match."

Serafina walked over to Kate to shake her hand.

"No! Wait!" Rosalie tried to stop her, but it was too late.

Serafina grasped Kate's hand but looked back at Rosalie, confused. She felt odd, though. Tingly. She soon noticed Kate's expression change. She no longer had a small smile. It changed to confusion, then anger. All very quickly. But soon, the odd tingling she felt became stronger. It felt like intense tickling. She burst into laughter and desperately tried to have Kate let go.

"Stop! It tickles!" she barely managed to breathe out.

Irina's jaw dropped, and Rosalie couldn't help her laughter. Kate was upset at first, but seeing the intense reaction from Serafina made her not want to let go. She also began laughing, "What the hell is wrong with her? This is not the normal reaction I get to this."

"My baby has an extreme resistance to pain. But," Rosalie decided to explain through fits of her laughter, "I don't think she's ever been electrocuted before."

The three laughed until Serafina's eyes glowed, and Paprika burst from her back and circled behind Serafina to stand before Rosalie. Serafina got a severe look which caused Kate to let go. As soon as she did, she felt the presence as well. So did the other two as they looked off into the darkness.

"Well, it's no fun if I can't surprise you," the man said as he stepped out of the shadows. Styled raven hair, handsome features, tall, lean, and in a suit that was very out of place in the middle of the forest. He walked toward the four, "Please, don't stop on my account. I love a tickle party."

Chapter Text

They eyed the strange man warily. Serafina and Kate stood more closely as Irina and Rosalie tried to do the same, but Rosalie had already made her way toward Serafina before. Leaving Irina a bit further behind, the direction he came from was still closer to Irina and Rosalie. That was why Paprika had summoned herself to Rosalie's side.

Serafina let off low growls as he stepped closer.

He slowed to a stop with his hands up, "Now, now—no need for that beautiful. You four are the ones trespassing. This is my neck of the woods. I have been here for five months now. So you four are in the wrong. Not me."

"We're sorry, we didn't know this territory had been claimed. We were playing around," Irina tried to play peacekeeper.

"I saw, feisty lot, aren't you?" he said as he slowly began walking closer again.

Kate joined in the low growls with Serafina as he made his way closer to her little sister.

"I can help," he offered a sly grin, "I get this way after I feed too. You need to blow off some steam. I found a small cabin built a bit deeper that way." He gestured behind his back, "You can be as loud as you like."

"Maybe some other time," Irina said, slowly and cautiously trying to join the others. It was never good to be in another's territory. They didn't know if he had any friends or abilities and needed to be careful.

"It wasn't a request. I believe I'm due compensation for this intrusion," he said, racing toward Irina since she was closest. His arm reached out to grab her.

This move startled the others. They didn't expect it. The man's eyes flashed violet, making the others believe he was about to use an ability. Irina began to run to the others. But Serafina didn't hesitate. The man had a look of surprise as he burned into nothing.

Rosalie and Kate ran toward Irina. Rosalie hugged Irina and quickly handed her over to Kate, hoping her familiar presence would calm her down more quickly. Rosalie then turned to hug Serafina, who joined them.

Kate turned to Serafina, "Thank you!"

Irina also turned to hug Serafina, "Thank you."

"We should go back," Kate said, no longer in a playful mood. She turned serious as she considered returning to their territory. She wanted them all to escape that dangerous area and regretted her goading Serafina into a fight. She felt this was her fault.

"You three go ahead," Serafina said.

Rosalie quickly turned to her, "You're coming too. Come on." She reached for her hand to hold.

Serafina gave her a small smile, "I'll be right behind you guys. I want to look around. But take Rika with you. I'll feel better if she's with you."

"I'd be safer if you went with me. Why are you staying behind? Did he have a coven?" Rosalie asked accusingly, "Are you going after his coven now? You want me out of danger, so you're sending me back while you go alone?"

"I do want you out of danger. But no, I'm sure he was alone. I want to check out his cabin," Serafina tried to reassure Rosalie.

"Then why can't we go with you?" Rosalie asked suspiciously, "We should stay together. As you said, he was alone. So it should be safe."

"Baby, please, I don't want you near that disgusting man's home. You know how I am. I want to see if he had anything good. I'll take it and meet you guys back at the Denali's home," she said, giving Kate a look for help.

Kate was doubtful of what Serafina said as well. She was sure she knew something but wasn't sharing. She didn't mind. She was sure she could take care of herself. But Serafina would probably be in more danger if she needed to take care of them. She decided to help her, "She'll be fine, Rosie, let's head back."

Rosalie was frustrated but knew she couldn't help if there were danger. Serafina was taking care of her like always. She gave her a hard kiss, "hurry up!" she ordered. Then the three left. A small flame attached itself to Rosalie's wrist without harming her. It just appeared to be a flashy piece of jewelry.

Serafina waited until they were gone before following the man's scent into the forest. She didn't have to go very far before she felt the presence from before. She stopped.

"Why did you lie to them? You said no one else was here," A gravelly older voice said. She, too, made a dramatic entrance from the shadows. She was a hunched older Asian woman with shoulder-length graying hair and using a cane to walk toward her. She appeared harmless, but there was a strength that made you not want to mess with her.

"I didn't lie to them. I said I was sure he was alone. He was, wasn't he? I doubt you were with him," She answered.

"No, I was not with him. I had come out here to kill him. He had been feeding from the town for a few months now. But his last kill today was a friend I knew who worked the docks. I thought it was you, young ladies, from earlier until I caught his scent here," the woman said while leaning on her cane.

"So that was you at the docks earlier," Serafina acknowledged.

"Yes, I thought I would have to take care of you young ladies as soon as I saw you. But you were walking through town, having fun, and interacting with people without fear. It was then I noticed your eyes. Why are they like that? A new change for your kind to blend in to feed?" she asked with interest.

"Our diet," she shrugged, "no human blood. Only animal. Mostly."

"Interesting. Young one. Are you not curious as to what I am?" she asked. Noting how surprisingly calm this young lady was. She suspected she might be pretty young. Most of the younger vampire generation had never met her kind before.

"Werewolf," Serafina answered.

"Yes," the woman nodded with surprise, "are you not going to attack me now? We're mortal enemies. Your kings wouldn't like this behavior."

"Why haven't you attacked me yet?" Serafina asked.

"Curiosity," she said. She then gestured for her to answer.

"Live and let live. You don't try anything against me. I won't kill you on the spot. And I know they won't like this. That's why I had the others leave. This way, should the kings find out, only I will be punished," she shrugged, "how were you going to kill him anyways, Grandma? It's not a full moon tonight." She began to continue walking straight ahead. The older woman started walking alongside her.

She chuckled, "Like your kind, looks don't mean a thing. I am much older than I appear. And yet much stronger." She looked at Serafina and sighed, "Your kind only thinks of us as mindless beasts. And in our early years, we are. But you exterminate us before we can attain our control."

"How long does it take you to get control?" Serafina asked.

"Everyone is different. But for us, it can take several centuries. I was nearly six hundred years old before I could control myself while I shifted. It took me several more centuries to shift at will. Many don't make it to self-control because they are killed on sight by your kind and hunters. But our kind doesn't help matters. We are similar to your kind in how territorial we can be. We prefer to stay alone or with our mates. So we don't help each other. As the years go by," she explained with evident sadness, "there are fewer and fewer of us, but you all can still band together on occasion, as noted with our genocide. Even amid our extinction, we couldn't band together like your kind. Not even to defend ourselves. This is why we're almost no more."

"It sounds like you should be trying to kill me now," Serafina said while side-eyeing the old woman while they walked.

She smiled at that, "It wasn't you. I hold no grudges because everyone is to blame. Therefore, no one is to blame," they continued walking, "Where are we going, young lady?" She didn't need an answer. She soon saw a cabin, "You were actually going to the cabin to go through his belongings?" she asked with confusion.

"Yes. I killed him. His belongings are mine now," Serafina answered as a matter of fact.

The older woman chuckled some more, "You are an odd one. I thought you had come over because you wanted to speak to me."

"That too. I was wondering why you were following us," Serafina said as she entered the cabin and began to go through the belongings there, leaving the woman outside, "If you attacked me or the others, I was going to kill you. If you threatened me or the others, that also would have led to me killing you. I also debated just flat-out killing you before you could do anything. But I wanted to know why you were following us first." She explained while rummaging through the belongings. The last vampire had no reason to hide his belongings, so she found them quickly. But she suspected this cabin had belonged to a human before and checked several hiding spots people typically used and managed to find a few valuables here and there.

"I like your confidence," the older woman smiled.

After putting away her newly won goods, she exited the cabin and looked at her—the cabin behind her burst into flames. The woman's eyes widened. Serafina gave the woman a grin that brought chills down her spine, "I don't lack confidence."

"Are there more of you?" she asked Serafina.

"Yes, but they're all golden-eyed," Serafina advised, "I don't know if they have been around your kind before, though. I think that's why they hadn't sensed you. So if you keep away, you should be fine if you're trying to keep a low profile."

She nodded in understanding, "It was nice meeting you."

"Did you consider this a proper meeting?" Serafina asked. She walked over to the woman, "I'm Miss Hart." She offered her hand.

The older woman gripped her cane with her left to shake Serafina's hand properly, "Everyone in town calls me Grandma Jin." She smiled, "If you need anything, I have a stall at the docks. But I saw earlier that you weren't a fan of the smell. It's not always that bad. You don't sell much fish when it smells like it's gone rotten. I specifically put those out when I saw your kind roaming around to deter you. It won't be that bad in the future if I see any golden-eyed vampires."

"Now, this is a proper meeting. Maybe keep your defensive ways if you sense other vampires around. Golden-eyed vamps are rare." Serafina added as she walked away.

"Treat werewolves the same. Those pups have no self-control and typically attack first. That's usually how you can tell the difference," Grandma Jin said as she headed back toward town.

As soon as Serafina neared the Denali territory, she felt her favorite presence. A figure soon zipped into her arms, engulfing her in a hug, "I told you to hurry! What took you so long? I was so worried." Rosalie kissed her passionately before looking her over to ensure she was okay.

The others weren't far behind. They had gathered to wait. They were debating whether or not to go out to search for her. But thankfully, Serafina arrived before they needed to.

From what the three women described, the others suspected there was more to what Serafina said. The other Cullen and Denali women also greeted her with hugs. In contrast, the men hung back but nodded to her in greeting. Not Emmett, though. He also joined the hugs.

"We heard there was trouble out there—a suspicious nomad. You could have taken Rosalie and run. You haven't known us very long but still protected them all. Thank you for saving my sisters," Tanya said gratefully.

"We don't know if he was a threat, though. Please, I would like you to practice restraint in the future," Carlisle stated.

Rosalie and the Denali became slack-jawed as they gawked at Carlisle.

"No offense Carlisle, but you weren't there. He was a threat! She did everything right," Kate defended.

"Who knows what he would've done to Irina if he had gotten her!" Rosalie added.

"I only felt ill will from him as he neared," Irina explained.

"But you don't know for sure," Edward sided with Carlisle.

The other Cullens looked as though they didn't want to get involved.

The Denali looked to have been in disbelief at this turn of events.

"It sounds like they played it safe," Tanya posited.

Serafina couldn't believe what she was hearing. She had done what she could to protect the others. She sensed danger. Even Paprika felt danger. She hesitated. Did they? Serafina began to second-guess herself. She didn't even get mad at their reaction. Maybe they were right? She began to frown.

"Then self-defense can be used to give yourselves time to run away. But you destroyed him without batting an eye," Carlisle explained his stance.

"You kill first and ask questions later. You have the order backwards," Edward added.

Rosalie could see the doubt in Serafina's eyes and was furious, "You weren't there! He was a threat! Sera did the right thing!" she argued.

Serafina felt bolstered after hearing Rosalie. They weren't there. They could say all they wanted about how peaceful she should have been. But they knew nothing of the situation at the time.

"I don't regret destroying that nomad. I did play it safe. But fine. I will hold back in the future. As long as nothing tries to hurt mi amor, I'll let you guys take care of it. But if something threatens my Rosa, all bets are off," Serafina seethed.

Rosalie nodded her agreement as she hastily grabbed Serafina's hand and dragged her back into the house, not before giving Carlisle and Edward an icy glare.

"I don't see what was wrong. It sounds like he had it coming," Emmett said to Carlisle.

"Violence only begets violence," Carlisle sighed, "what she did was technically murder. Murder is wrong. I believe we can have civilized conversations with humans and others of our kind."

"She acts as though danger is around every corner. She's exaggerating. It'll be good if she holds herself back in the future," Edward said.

Tanya looked at her family. She could tell they disagreed, "We don't agree with how you reacted to their situation. We agree with what she did. She did the right thing to protect the others versus the unknown. You treating her this way may bring some resentment. Be cautious." She warned.

"You already know how we feel about Serafina. She should have been with us from the start. We have already offered her a place with us. If you push her away, we will happily accept her and Rosalie," Carmen glared.

"It won't come to that," Esme stepped forward worriedly and patted Carlisle and Edward. The two knew to keep their mouths shut at this point. But still didn't think they were wrong.

Kate was upset as well, "what about you two?" she glared at Alice and Jasper.

The two looked at Carlisle and Edward, "We think she did the right thing." Alice answered honestly.

Jasper nodded in agreement, "I respect what you are tryin' to do in your coven Carlisle. This death of mine has been fraught with violence. I don't want that life anymore, and I appreciate you allowin' me into your coven and not forcin' me to fight or kill in your name. I didn't think I could ever have this kind of peace. But I'm afraid I have to disagree with your response to Serafina's actions. Serafina's instincts are sharp. It should have been a real threat if her fire even reacted."

The Denali thought that might've been the most they heard Jasper say during his visit to their home. And they were pleased that it was in Serafina's defense. The two's reaction made them relax. The only ones who felt Serafina overreacted were Carlisle and Edward. This made them feel better. Even Esme seemed neutral, which had them pleasantly surprised, considering she was Carlisle's mate and the chance of her siding with him was incredibly high. They felt there shouldn't be too much of an issue in the future.

Although they selfishly wanted Serafina to stay. They wanted her to be happy most of all. Being with Rosalie made her happy. Even the other Cullens usually made her happy. They didn't want her to be unhappy because of this situation, but it seemed they didn't need to worry. It should blow over. They believed this whole mess would be forgotten quickly and no one would remember this unpleasantness in the future.

Chapter Text

Serafina understood why Rosalie had wanted the love nest so badly. The others gave her a tour of their love shacks shortly after the incident. The names for each were very fitting for them. Irina's love cabin was a simple but charming little cabin complete with a fireplace. Tanya's love den was a cave customized to have a cabin face but was set impressively in a cave. Although it was in a cave, it was very cozy. Serafina liked Tanya's setup more. But she had to admit the love nest was very nice as well. It was a large tree house about seven feet from the ground with a beautiful view. Each was still barely within the sphere of their territory but also near the town. It made it easier for them to take their dates back.

Carmen and Eleazar also had a cabin for themselves, but they didn't need to be near people, so theirs was in a more secluded spot at the opposite end of their territory. They didn't name it anything fun or go over the top with decorating. Serafina could tell it was an intimate little place for the two. It didn't need extra.

Although Serafina thought each had unique charms and was very cute and cozy. She was uncomfortable going inside them for long. She knew what these buildings were built explicitly for and didn't like the thought. Everyone could tell. When Kate had offered the two her love nest, Rosalie could see Serafina's disgust though she tried to mask it to make her happy. But Rosalie knew. So she declined. When Serafina asked why, Rosalie just said it was enough to know that Serafina was better at fighting and they didn't need an actual prize.

Kate disagreed about the fight, reminding them that Serafina cheated. But Kate still wouldn't allow them to refuse her gift. She wanted to gift something to Serafina for protecting them. She still blamed herself for them having gotten into that situation and for the argument that happened afterward. She knew Rosalie loved her tree house. So she offered to help build a new one. They had nothing else to do.

Rosalie readily agreed and found a spot to the north where they decided to build it. It was in a beautiful part of the forest and caught the light very well. It wasn't too far from a freshwater spring, so they could get clean water to bathe after their activities. Serafina complained incessantly about having to work to make it but still assisted. With the four working continuously, the four being Rosalie, Serafina, Kate, and Irina, and the occasional help from Emmett, their own love nest was built a year after the incident.

That was where the two were relaxing at the moment. They lay together in bed, Rosalie cuddled into Serafina's arms, refusing to acknowledge the world. The continuous thrumming from their purrs resounding the room was what Rosalie loved to hear. She had asked Esme and Alice if they had ever made that sound. They confirmed that they did. But only after their sexual activities with their mates and when they felt satisfied and safe. It was the only time it triggered. After knowing, she found she loved the sound even more. She always felt remarkably fulfilled after their lovemaking when she heard their purrs in the room. She could tell Serafina was just as happy as she was.

"Mi amor, when do you want to go back? I know you miss them," Serafina whispered. She didn't want to break their peaceful atmosphere but knew they needed to speak.

Rosalie gripped her tighter and pouted a bit. She did miss her family. After the incident, Rosalie was so mad at Carlisle and Edward that she mostly gave them the cold shoulder. And when the family was ready to move on to their next life, she elected for her and Serafina to stay with their cousins. She said the two needed a break. Alice and Emmett worried they would try to stay with the Denali forever to be their siblings. Alice almost cried with no tears until Rosalie reassured her that it was only temporary.

Rosalie was upset that Carlisle and Edward didn't believe Serafina. Serafina stopped killing people to feed. She did it for her. Yes, she had killed the wendigo and even the man in her town. But they had deserved it—even this nomad. Serafina had killer instincts that actual killers had honed. Whether she or others. Examples were her family in her human life, the people she had met after she was turned when alone, and her time with the Volturi. Rosalie trusted her instincts. If she thought this man was a threat, then he was. She didn't like that they made Serafina second guess herself. This was why she wanted them to separate.

Carlisle was upset, but Esme talked him into giving the two space. He spoke with Tanya, who agreed to look after the two in his stead. Esme requested weekly phone calls. This was one of the reasons she felt comfortable enough to leave the two. Rosalie agreed, knowing she would need that comfort as well.

But it had been a year now since they had left. Rosalie called them twice a week. She spoke mainly with Esme, Alice, and Emmett. Rarely with Carlisle and Edward. Serafina would talk with the Cullens only when they asked to speak with her. She never asked to speak with anyone except Jasper. But it was mainly for an unbiased opinion of what was happening with the family. Jasper wasn't always unbiased. But he didn't go over the top with the guilt trips like the others did. What she heard from Jasper was that the two were missed. He would also tell her about the shenanigans the teens were getting up to in their absence.

Rosalie missed them all. Serafina noticed that she missed them as well. The incident didn't even bother her as much as it bothered Rosalie. She wasn't even mad. She let it go after she told them to take care of things themselves in the future. She loved that Rosalie cared so much. But she didn't want her to have a bad relationship with her family because of her. She tried to talk her into going back.

"They doubted you," Rosalie mumbled into Serafina's shoulder.

"That's alright," Serafina cooed, "Don't you remember what I said before?"

"When?" she asked.

"When we were in my town," she reminded, "when you thought they would be upset after I killed that horrible excuse for a man."

Rosalie lifted her face, realizing, "You said you don't care what they think."

"And I don't," She kissed Rosalie's forehead, "I only care about what you think. You believe me, right?"

"Of course," Rosalie blurted without pausing to think about it.

Serafina chuckled at how quickly she answered, "You're so cute. Por esto es que to amo."

"Well, I guess we can go back to them. Alice keeps threatening to come to get us herself anyways. She says if Irina or Kate say anything about us being their sisters, she will beat them up," Rosalie laughed.

Serafina couldn't help laughing with her, "Why does it bother her so much?"

Rosalie's laughter died down, "I think she really just wanted a family. She doesn't remember being human, right? So when she woke up, she had no one but did have a vision of a future family. She worked hard to get to us too. Maybe the thought of us no longer being her family scares her." She shrugged with a small smile.

Serafina hummed in acknowledgment, "When are we returning to our little sister and the rest of the family?"

"She's older than me," Rosalie pointed out.

"But tiny, so she'll always be our little sister," Serafina chuckled.

"I say we meet with them next month," Rosalie suggested.

"Whenever you want," she smiled.

The two continued lazing about, discussing their potential departure and how they would break it to the Denalis and trying to decide whether they would surprise the Cullens or notify them in advance. When they finally decided to surprise the others, they felt several others enter the Denali territory. They had gone straight for the heart of the territory—the Denali home, where the others were. But Rosalie didn't recognize them. Serafina, on the other hand, believed she may have recognized this presence.

Serafina had already gotten water from the spring for when they were done. She boiled it quickly, and she and Rosalie bathed, dressed, and rushed to the Denali's home in moments. When they entered, they saw the Denalis standing with some cloaked vampires sitting in the most prominent seats of the house. If they didn't know any better, they would have suspected the Denali were intruding on the cloaked group's residence.

"Wait! These are our friends visiting from another coven!" Tanya immediately placed herself between the couple and the cloaked visitors.

"Miss Hart! What are you doing here? And who is this?" a deep voice from the largest man in the room resounded.

"She's stunning. And we've traveled the world for centuries, so that's saying something. Why would such beauty be with someone so ugly on the inside?" another male said, unable to contain the teasing from his voice.

It was then Tanya remembered that Serafina had spent time with the Volturi. She and her family had been so terrified at their presence that they seemed to have forgotten this fact. But when the others had mentioned that she was friends with leadership. She didn't think they meant the very top. They assumed squadron leaders, not this terrifying group—the elite guard to the kings. Tanya returned to her family and allowed the couple to greet the others. Her own family still tensed in the back of the room as Serafina had a large grin as she approached the Volturi.

"Visiting my new friends here with my mate, Rosalie," she said, pulling Rosalie forward, "Mi amor, these are my friends, Demetri," she gestured to the man with the teasing grin, then gestured to the giant man, "and Felix."

Rosalie had heard about the Volturi and how she should be careful. She was nervous. The men didn't seem so bad. They both stood and shook her hand in greeting. The giant man held her hand a little longer as he looked her up and down. His eyes made her slightly uncomfortable until she heard Serafina, "Let go, Felix. She doesn't have an ability and doesn't have any fighting skills." Serafina said while rolling her eyes.

Felix's large smile dropped as he released her hand and returned to his seat. He was grumbling about how it didn't make sense if Serafina was so powerful that her partner was so weak. Rosalie scoffed at Serafina's statement and Felix's grumblings.

"Mi amor, it's true. But it's okay. I'll always keep you safe," she kissed her on her forehead before turning to the two, who never made a move toward her. She had seen their faces light up at her entrance, but as soon as she stood before them in the room, they calmed themselves down. They did not want to ruin their image in front of the Denali.

"Serafina, nice to see you again," Jane solemnly greeted.

Alec nodded in greeting as well.

Serafina knew they were trying to keep up appearances. And she rolled her eyes at them fearlessly, knowing the Denali were to her back so they couldn't see. She then introduced Rosalie to them. "Rosa, these are the twins. Jane and Alec." The two nodded to Rosalie as well.

Rosalie looked at them questioningly. She had heard many stories about the twins. This domineering visage they were giving off seemed very out of character for Serafina's stories. But they did fall in line with Carlisle's. She nodded in greeting to the two as well.

"What are you guys doing here?" Serafina asked.

"You all may sit," Alec gestured to the Denali, Serafina, and Rosalie toward the sofas. He waited a moment before continuing, "We had gotten a complaint of a nomad invading territories," he explained.

"So?" Serafina asked, calmly sitting closer to the Volturi and pulling Rosalie to her lap while the Denali attempted to sit as far from the Volturi as possible.

"This is what I said!" Felix gestured to Serafina.

"Reports say he invades larger coven territories, uses an ability to control a member, then uses that member to destroy the others. That is very sick and twisted behavior. Manipulating a member, knowing full well that the others wouldn't want to hurt their coven mate," Demetri explained.

"Why would someone do something like that?" Rosalie asked with horror written on her face. The Denali didn't look any better after hearing that.

"Does sound fun," Felix shrugged. The other three Volturi gave minor shrugs or nodded in agreement.

"Our theory is that he's just crazy," Jane shrugged.

"Is this why you guys brought such a small team? I sensed four men waiting at the territory line. Is this in case he can manipulate any of you? I bet those four don't even have abilities. You'll use them first to test his ability," Serafina asked with interest, "You even have Alec with you. Such precautions. Are you guys nervous?" she teased.

Jane bristled at the taunt, "The Volturi don't get nervous." She glared at Serafina.

"These were our master's orders. He wants to ensure his elite guards' safety, after all. He's a very kind and thoughtful man," Alec added. Grinning to Serafina. Knowing she was intentionally teasing them.

"Maybe I can help, for old time's sake," Serafina offered.

Rosalie gave her a look.

"What?" Serafina asked Rosalie.

"Did you not hear what this man likes to do? It's too dangerous!" Rosalie argued.

"You need permission to do things now?" Felix laughed, "Oh, isn't that precious?"

The other three Volturi joined in his laughter. Even the Denali smirked a bit at Serafina's expense.

"You heard them, mi amor. They're being extra careful, and I'll be extra careful," Serafina petitioned. She was not caring if the others teased her for caring about her mate's opinion.

"While you beg your little wife here for permission, we should get back to business," Demetri said, turning to the Denali.

The Denali straightened their backs at the attention.

"We came to inform you of our hunt, be sure to stay out of our way. You will be safer staying here and not allowing any visitors to enter. None even pretending to be a guard. Our guards know to avoid this residence, so it won't be us if you get a guest. We'll return in three days to inform you of our success or failure," Jane advised in a more commanding tone.

"If he kills the coven, how did you find out about him?" Eleazar asked, feeling more courageous after seeing how amicable they were with Serafina present.

"He allows the puppet to live. They typically go to Volterra to tell their story and request destruction. Unable to live with their guilt," Alec answered.

"After the third one, we figured we should look into it a bit more," Demetri added.

Rosalie sighed but turned to the Volturi, "Do you guys have a picture of this man?"

Demetri smirked, "If he doesn't look too dangerous, you'll allow her to go with us?"

"The last one was able to give us a sketch," Felix laughed and handed Rosalie a picture.

She held it up for her, Serafina and the Denali to see. A hush fell over them all. Serafina, Rosalie, Kate, and Irina shared looks. Rosalie, Kate, and Irina began to have conversations with their eyes between themselves. None wanted to say anything.

The Volturi noticed, "What?" Jane asked, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"You guys are just barely looking into this now?" Serafina grinned, "You guys took your sweet time."

"We've been busy," Jane defended.

"For three years?" Serafina finally laughed, returning the sketch to Felix, "I already destroyed this man. Sorry."

"It's been three years since that last one had us destroy him?" Felix mumbled to Demetri.

"She must be exaggerating. It felt like just last week," Demetri mumbled back.

Serafina shook her head at them. She knew it was their age, the queens were the same. Time no longer affected them, so they didn't care about it as much. They typically judged time in decades and centuries. She could hear the two men's mutterings. They weren't being discreet. She held up three fingers to mock them.

"He tried something on you?" Alec asked with surprise.

"Yes, that's why I destroyed him," Serafina answered in a businesslike tone—putting her hand down.

Rosalie and the Denali shifted uncomfortably. They knew Serafina was lying. The man technically didn't try anything against her. He tried something against Irina. They didn't know if it made a difference, so they didn't want to say anything.

The Volturi noticed their reactions but acted as though they hadn't.

"How disappointing. Our master didn't want us to destroy this man. He wanted him captured and returned to Volterra for questioning. He wanted to see if reformation was possible," Jane sighed.

"How's Danny?" Serafina suddenly asked. The talk of reformation reminded her of her old unwanted protégé.

"He's doing very well," Demetri answered.

"He was released from his punishment decades ago," Felix answered, "but he chose to stay with the guard. He leads one of our patrolling squadrons directly under me. He requested that post specifically to travel the world in hopes of finding his mate someday. The man is a big softie." He shook his head in mock annoyance.

"Well, it seems we were deemed unnecessary," Alec suddenly stood, "the Volturi thanks you for your service." The Volturi stood and began making their way out.

Jane soon stopped at the door, "Serafina, we would like to have an additional word with you. Please meet us where we stationed the additional manpower. You can bring your young mate with you if you wish," she stated.

Alec had also stopped with his sister. He noticed the Denali's discomfort, "We mean her no harm. We wish to catch up."

"It's not like we can do anything to her anyways," Demetri commented from outside.

"We tried!" Felix added, soon bursting into laughter.

The four soon left following those words.

"Those were your friends in the Volturi?" Eleazar questioned.

"They behave very differently with you," Carmen commented.

The others joined in their commentary, saying the same thing. All were admiring how Serafina was equal in the Volturi's eyes. Rosalie proudly stood next to Serafina as the others questioned her. But she soon noticed Irina was sitting lost in thought on the sofa.

Her eyes on her drew everyone else's attention too.

"You alright?" Tanya asked, moving near her and putting her hand on her shoulder.

The touch startled Irina, who flinched. She immediately relaxed when she saw Tanya's worried face, "Yes, fine. I'm fine."

"Lies, what's wrong?" Kate asked, sitting on her other side.

She was silent momentarily before looking at everyone, "he went for me. The man they were after targeted larger covens by turning one into a puppet and using them to destroy the others. We're the only coven in the area. He was coming for us. He would've used me to destroy you all." Irina answered, evident fear in her voice.

"No, no, no, you're safe!" Tanya soothed.

"We never would've allowed him near you!" Kate cooed.

"Serafina took care of him, don't worry," Eleazar added.

"That's right! She destroyed him before he even had a chance. This means you were right!" In realization, Carmen said, "When will you rub it in the Cullens' faces?"

This changed everyone's mood. Even Irina cheered up. They all wished for Serafina to throw this into their faces. Rosalie especially. Serafina refused, not wanting any more conflict with the Cullens when she had just managed to talk Rosalie into returning to them. This was when the arguing commenced. But Serafina stopped them by reminding them that she needed to meet the Volturi. They reluctantly let them go.

When Serafina and Rosalie entered a clearing just outside the Denali territory, two tiny blurs slammed into Serafina, hugging her tightly. She couldn't contain her laughter.

"Oh, so you two did miss me? I couldn't tell before," she laughed.

"We were working!" Jane explained.

"Yeah yeah," she answered.

Rosalie was in shock. The twins bounced on their heels, looking up at Serafina, telling her about their time apart. All the games they had played, their bets, and the guard members they had pickpocketed. They looked like children. It was a complete one-eighty from how they appeared before the Denali.

Serafina noticed Rosalie's surprise. She pulled Rosalie to herself before the twins, "Let's try this again. This is my mate, Rosalie," Serafina smiled.

Rosalie smiled down at them and offered her hand between them. Unsure of who would shake her hand first. But the twins glanced at each other before looking her up and down. Neither made a move to greet her properly. Rosalie felt slightly awkward, but Serafina soon pulled her hand to herself to hold. She cocked her head to the side as she looked at the twins.

"Why are you giving her attitude?" she asked.

"They aren't. They don't know me yet," Rosalie tried to calm Serafina down.

"We don't like her," Jane answered. She crossed her arms to glare at Rosalie.

Her brother soon mimicked her behavior, "We hate her." He added.

Rosalie was dumbfounded. When did she offend the twins?

Serafina eyed the two and shook her head at Rosalie, "It's not you. They're just being brats." She told Rosalie. The twins soon looked shocked themselves, "They're jealous."

The twins scoffed. Demetri and Felix were a distance away but still able to hear. They began laughing, but realizing they were being too loud, they attempted to stifle their laughter. Rosalie didn't look any less confused.

"We're not jealous! We told you we're not interested in that stuff!" Alec insisted with disgust on his face.

"That's not why you're jealous," Serafina grinned.

The twins looked nervously at each other before they tried to put their defiant attitude back into place. They shook their heads in disagreement.

"I still love you two. Be nice to Rosa. Can't you tell she makes me happy?" Serafina smiled.

The two's glares disappeared. Their eyes glistened as they frowned instead. But they rushed to Serafina to hug her.

"We don't hate her," Jane mumbled into the hug.

"But it's her fault you aren't going to visit us as much," Alec mumbled into the hug from the other side of Serafina.

"I'll still visit you. And like I said before, you can always visit me when you want. But you know why I can't take her to Volterra. And I don't like to be away from her for long, so we'll have to schedule more visits, but only for a few days at a time," she soothed them by cradling their heads while they clutched onto her.

"I won't stop her from visiting you. But I'll miss her if she's gone for a long time," Rosalie tried to soothe with a gentle smile.

The two just eyed her again. They looked her up and down without the attitude from before. They took the time to appraise her as they pulled away from Serafina.

"She is pretty," Alec admitted.

"Why would she be with an ugly person like you?" Jane asked innocently. She quickly jumped away from Serafina as she tried to grab her. Alec laughed, and when Serafina turned her attention to him, he quickly moved away.

Both hid behind Rosalie, who gave Serafina a proud smile.

"So you brats know who's going to protect you now? I'm not afraid of-" Serafina's words died on her tongue at the look Rosalie now gave her, "You're clever brats." Serafina muttered more so to herself. But it was loud enough for everyone to hear. Demetri and Felix laughed while the twins stuck their tongues out at her from behind Rosalie's back.

The group continued laughing and joking. The twins showed off the skills Serafina had taught them before to impress Rosalie. Demetri and Felix would tell her about Serafina's time with the guard and how she ruined it for everyone by introducing gambling. Rosalie loved hearing the stories, and she clapped for the twins when they managed to steal Serafina's bracelet from her wrist without being caught. Demetri had admitted that the two had been able to steal his wallet for the past two decades, which he blamed Serafina for. Thankfully, the twins still had their innocence in that they would steal others' belongings to prove they could. But would always return the items they had taken. For them, it was just a game. Serafina was so proud of them.

The Volturi didn't stay long. They said their goodbyes and returned to Volterra to report what happened. Rosalie and Serafina returned to the Denali to inform them they would leave soon. The others tried to talk them into staying longer but didn't push very hard, knowing they missed the Cullens. And the two packed up to prepare for their surprise.

Chapter Text

A beautiful new red BMW convertible pulled into a small town's diner parking lot. Neither of the two occupants knew where they were going. They were frustrated and thought they would stop to ask where the Cullen house was from someone in the town since they were trying to surprise the others. Sadly, neither thought to ask for this information before the disagreement. They only knew the town's name- Kalispell.

Carlisle had a preference for his family's homes. He figured they would draw less attention if they were in small towns to keep a low profile. It just needed large acres of wilderness nearby, and he was happy. Serafina told him that wasn't the case. She always lived in small towns. Even when human. With her looks, she drew all the attention, and that was before she was turned. All of the Cullens' appearances were exemplary. She knew they would draw all eyes to themselves. Especially her earthbound goddess Rosalie. Carlisle seemed to understand. But he still thought it would be best to stay in smaller towns. He believed it would be easier to build their influence, which could protect them during their time in town.

Serafina agreed with that. She figured it would be easier to intimidate people if they built up their influence in town. There was always a bit of fear in her own town, just enough not to question herself. She figured they meant to do the same. When she voiced her thoughts, she was scolded by her adoptive parents, who intended to kill the townsfolk with kindness. Who would think the sweet family in town were secretly monsters when they were always looking out for others? Serafina just shook her head in disbelief but didn't question it anymore. She loved and hated the Cullens for how nice they could be.

When the two walked into the diner, their presence immediately drew eyes. Serafina knew it. She brought a friendly smile, appearing very approachable, while Rosalie attempted to do the same. But Rosalie had trouble with men's glances. While most women would look at her with jealousy and admiration, the men didn't. They only looked at her with lust, making her disgusted. When alive, she didn't mind; she loved the attention until her last day of life. Now she hated that look. That look led to her death. It made her attempt at a warm smile disappear, replacing it with a somewhat cold and arrogant demeanor. The contrast between the two was night and day. But Serafina gripped Rosalie's hand tightly, causing her to relax a bit. Serafina took the lead in walking them to the counter.

Rosalie felt Serafina's warmth and comfort as she led her to the counter. She remembered how the Cullens were surprised when they first saw Serafina interact with strangers. She would put a smile on her face and speak politely to them or joke with them. She was good at reading people, engaging with them, and people loved her for it. When the others asked how she could do it, she and Serafina looked at them as if they were stupid and reminded them of her past. She lived and worked in a saloon and brothel, assisted the gang's grifters, and was a successful thief in her own right by distracting with small talk while pickpocketing those she engaged. After her death, she was a scary ghost; she could act. She was good with people. She didn't like them. But she was good with them. She reminded them that the Serafina they saw at home was the real her and that they shouldn't get used to the smiley and friendly Serafina. The friendly Serafina was just her mask.

Emmett had joked that she was like a chameleon. Able to fit into any situation. But then he went off into a tangent about how it was probably a subset of a dragon which only infuriated Serafina, who didn't like being called a dragon or lizard.

After a beat of silence from everyone in the diner. Serafina finally changed her smile into an awkward one as she smiled at the older waitress, "Excuse me, can you please help us?"

The waitress behind the counter shook her head as if clearing it and attempted to clean her apron. She didn't want to look so shabby. She tried to make a good impression on the beautiful strangers, "Of course, sweetheart. How can I help you two?" she asked, bringing up a wide smile.

"Hello, I'm Serafina Hart, this is my," her smile somewhat faltered, but she quickly returned it. She didn't like calling Rosalie her sister. But she continued without her pause being noticeable, "My adopted sister Rosalie Hale. We're Dr. Cullen's adopted kids. We were-"

"You're Dr. Cullens' other kids! The ones Mrs. Cullen said were stayin' with family in Alaska! Oh, that woman is such a saint. And I hear Dr. Cullen is a godsend over at the hospital!" the older woman exclaimed, interrupting Serafina and drawing more whispers from the other patrons. She suddenly froze, "Wait, Alaska? Yes, I thought you two were stayin' in Alaska for a while? That mama of yours seemed pretty down about it, along with that little sister of yours," she rambled.

Serafina smiled as she nodded, but Rosalie felt her hand heat up. Serafina disliked being interrupted, but her character with the humans was an ordinary teenage girl. Rosalie had told her she needed to try to play that part. This time Rosalie squeezed Serafina's hand tighter. She rubbed circles to calm her, "That's right, we decided to end our little trip visiting our cousins early and surprise our parents! But," Rosalie explained, she looked sheepishly at Serafina to continue.

"We didn't think to ask where the new house was," Serafina calmed down and finished with her look of embarrassment.

The woman laughed, "Well, that was awfully silly of you two! They're just at the edge of town. I don't know why they're so far from everyone else. But they bought the home that was finished a few years ago on a massive piece of land with its back to the forest. They were warned that sometimes the bears like to wander near there. But that big brother of yours seemed very excited about maybe seeing one," she chuckled, "Anyways, that home of you all's is beautiful. Just drive down this road, and you'll want to turn right when you hit the general store. Then it's a few miles straight until you hit the tree line. Now there's only a dirt road at that point, but it's enough to find your place."

"Thank you so much!" Serafina gave her a grateful smile.

Rosalie followed suit and gave a grateful smile as well.

"Of course, if you two need anythin', just come ask for Gladys! I'll take care of you girls! Now go surprise that mama of yours! I'm sure she's been missin' you two like nobody's business!" she smiled, "Here, take this pie with you two to help with the surprise! On the house!"

"Oh, we couldn't," Serafina refused.

"Please! The town is grateful to have such a talented doctor in town. And no one can beat my pies!" she laughed, shoving the pie into Serafina's hands.

The two smiled and thanked her before turning around to head out. Once out the door, the two looked at the pie but shrugged, returned to the car, and placed it in the back. They then made their way over to the Cullen residence. As soon as they neared, they felt the others, and the others felt the same. The Cullens' excitedly made their way out of the home to join Alice in greeting them. Alice had already been waiting all day. The others didn't know why until their sisters showed up.

Rosalie was first out to greet the others. Alice ran and jumped into her arms, causing Rosalie to laugh. Serafina followed but was surprised when she saw her giant brother barreling toward her. He mimicked Alice's actions, but Serafina sidestepped just before his landing. Serafina quickly moved to greet Esme with a hug instead, just as Emmett turned to give her a look of offense.

Esme laughed at Emmett's misfortune, "I'm so happy you two are back!" she said as she pushed Serafina back to look her over before she pulled her in for a second hug.

Rosalie quickly ran over to hug her mother as well. Alice quickly shoved Emmett back as he was about to embrace Serafina to take his spot. He pouted as he put his hands on his hips to wait for his turn. He was tapping his foot to convey his impatience. As soon as Rosalie and Serafina were released from their hugs, Emmett quickly grabbed the two to hug simultaneously as though he were afraid someone else would take his turn.

Once Emmett let go, Jasper gave brief side hugs to the two. Still somewhat awkward even after all the years together. He then stepped back as Edward stepped forward. Rosalie's smile immediately disappeared as she began to glare at her brother and father, who stood behind him.

Carlisle stepped forward with a pleading look, "I'm sorry," he said, looking between the two, "I wasn't there. I don't know what happened. But I hope you can understand my point of view. I want us to live in peace with everyone. We're monsters, but I don't think we should go straight to murder to solve our problems if we can avoid it." He said, noticing Rosalie's glare only intensified. He held his hands up in surrender, "But if you say it was self-defense, I believe you."

Edward sighed, "I'm sorry too," he said as he spoke to the two, "I still agree with Carlisle. I don't want us to be soulless murderers. But I won't say anything anymore. Not unless I think it will affect the family as a whole. Deal?"

Rosalie hugged Carlisle briefly but quickly released, "I'm still mad at you." After she let go, she turned to Edward, giving him a hug that was just as quick, "And I still hate you." She said as she pushed him back by his forehead.

Edward chuckled, "I still hate you both as well. It was nice not having to hear your thoughts for a while. After all, you two are the most vain people I've ever met. If you aren't thinking about yourselves, you're thinking about each other. It's truly sickening. But I still missed you two. A little bit, anyways." He said while looking over at Serafina.

"I forgot you existed, pendejo! I was too busy looking at Rosa's legs in that dress," she said as she suddenly turned from Rosalie's direction and turned to him with an exaggerated look of surprise. Edward rolled his eyes as Serafina made her way over to him and gave him a quick hug. She then turned to Carlisle, "No hard feelings Doc." She said, hugging him too, longer than she had Edward, "I wasn't even mad, but I meant what I said. I won't murder unless I think Rosa is in danger."

Carlisle nodded in agreement after releasing her, "I appreciate it."

"So this was why you were standing out here all day?" Jasper asked Alice.

"You knew the whole time?" Rosalie asked in exasperation.

"Did you ruin the surprise for yourself?" Serafina joined in the questioning.

"I couldn't help it! I had to know when you guys were coming back! I missed you! I've known since you decided to come back last month. But I didn't ruin the surprise for the others! Except maybe Edward. But I was mad at him anyway, so I didn't care," Alice said, slightly glaring at Edward and Carlisle.

Edward gave an exaggerated sigh as he shut his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, "I'm sorry to everyone. Apparently, I'm the problem." He mumbled out.

Serafina touched his shoulder to draw his attention. When he looked at her, she spoke, "As long as you know."

He shrugged her hand off of his shoulder, "Fuck you." He laughed. Making the others laugh as well.

"Why do I smell pie?" Emmett asked while scrunching his nose in distaste.

"Gladys gave us the pie to surprise you all! Aren't you excited to dig in?" Rosalie asked with feigned excitement.

"So excited!" Emmett said, pulling the pie from the backseat, "Let's leave it as bear bait in the woods to draw them out!"

"No!" Esme smacked him, "I can buy a few more pies and send them to the next town over as a donation to the needy."

It didn't take long for the family to get used to each other's company all over again. It wasn't hard. It was as though the two never left in the first place. Even making their way around town, the other townsfolk could see the whole family together. They sighed in admiration at the beautiful group. They always jumped out to introduce themselves to the two new women in the family.

During one family outing, minus Carlisle. One woman from town stopped Esme while shopping, "Esme, it looks like your daughters you told us so much about are back! I can see you're happy, aren't you?" she smiled.

"Of course! I missed them so much!" Esme nodded in agreement.

"Well, I can't wait to enroll them in their classes. Are they going to be starting next week after the winter vacation?" she asked.

"Uhm," Esme had forgotten about school. She looked at Rosalie and knew that she wouldn't be a problem to start up at school. But she then looked at Serafina, who had only felt she mastered the homeschooling curriculum before the disagreement. She didn't think she kept up with her studies while away. Soon, everyone looked at Serafina.

She bit her lip in nervousness. She always wanted to look her best, and her confidence in her ability to always be at her best was off the charts. But when it came to education, she was greatly lacking in self-confidence. When human, she was much more educated than others, especially other women. Times were different, though. It didn't take long for her to realize how far behind she was. She didn't think she was stupid. She knew how to survive. But she was lacking in book smarts which were now everything. Because she was afraid of forgetting what she had learned with the Cullens, she continued her studies with the Denali. Tanya, Carmen, and Rosalie helped her study, so she hoped she remembered most of it. She gave a slight nod to Esme. All of the others smiled.

"They'll be there to register Monday morning!" Esme smiled.

"That's great! It looks like you two are close," she said, turning her attention to the two women holding hands.

"Oh, they're very close," Emmett agreed.

"Practically inseparable," Jasper added.

"They're the best of friends. It's like they're sisters," Edward nodded with a grin, knowing the two were annoyed and disliked that part of their cover story.

Serafina continuously repeated pendejo and estúpido in her head and directed it at Edward. While Rosalie kept thinking I hate you.

"That's good! Keep it that way! Don't let your future boyfriends or husbands separate you two! It's always nice to have a good, trustworthy girlfriend," the woman advised Rosalie and Serafina, "Don't worry, I'll give you two a test when you go in Monday. If you score even somewhat close, I'll just put you two in the same classes. I'll look out for them Esme," she winked to their mother, "well I better be on my way, have a good day y'all! I'll see you bright and early Monday!"

"This is exciting! Your first time in school! Jasper just started in this new town too! The others say he's doing very well!" Esme smiled while giving Jasper's shoulder a quick squeeze bringing a small, proud smile to his face.

"Don't worry. We'll help whenever you need it!" Emmett said encouragingly.

"It's going to be so fun!" Alice chimed in, giving a little squeal.

"You're ready," Edward nodded.

"You've been doing so well with your practice tests! You're going to see it's not so bad!" Rosalie smiled happily.

"They need first-day outfits!" Alice suddenly exclaimed.

She then dragged Serafina and, by extension, Rosalie to a different department store to look at the clothes. Esme immediately agreed and sped up to walk alongside Alice. She reminded them she could instantly tailor whatever they picked for the perfect fit.

The brothers trailed behind but debated whether to meet the women back home. After remembering Alice was leading them to look at clothes, they quickly said their goodbyes and returned home. They didn't want to waste the whole day in a clothing store.

Chapter Text

Serafina was nervous that weekend. Rosalie would try to comfort her. She gave her shoulder massages and whispered in her ears to relax when they were studying to relieve her stress. It did help. Serafina would try just for her. She tried not to think about her first day of school too much and instead enjoyed her weekend with Rosa. But the weekend was over way too soon.

That Monday, they all went to the administration office together. Bright and early. Earlier than most others, though, there was still a significant number of students to gossip. Why wouldn't they? The beautiful Cullen mother was flanked by two new gorgeous tall women, followed by the other Cullen teens.

"There you are, Esme! I was wondering when I'd see you!" a playful voice they recognized sounded.

"Well, of course, Lynn, I told you we would be here today," she smiled back.

"And you brought the whole gang with you," Lynn chuckled after seeing all the other teens file in behind their mother. She shook her head, "Alright, I know you all want to show your sisters some support, but you are crowding my little office! I'll kindly ask that you all wait outside for them." She said.

The other Cullens filed out, and Lynn gave Esme the paperwork they would need to enroll. She then sat Rosalie and Serafina at desks at opposite ends of the room to complete a placement test. Esme had already told her they had been home-schooled previously, so depending on where they placed on the test would decide whether they joined Alice and Edward in sophomore year or Jasper and Emmett in junior year.

Serafina read the first couple of questions and felt herself instantly relax. She knew the answers. Edward was listening from outside. He grew a small smile as his siblings watched his reaction. He gave them a brief nod, and they silently cheered. They had all seen how nervous Serafina was at home over school. It was strange to see on her, and they didn't like it. They were happy she felt better after seeing the test.

A man approached the office and saw the teens loitering outside, "Ah, the Cullen children. Is there something I can help you all with?" he asked as he approached.

"Oh no, Mr. Simmons, we're fine. We were waiting for our sisters to be placed," Emmett answered.

"I'll check on them, but you should all head to class. Don't worry. We'll call one or two of you to show them around when they're ready. But we don't know how long that will take, and you don't want to be late for class, do you?" he smiled as he bypassed them to walk into the office. They heard him greet their mother as they entered and reluctantly went to their classes, "Lovely to see you, Mrs. Cullen. I heard we're getting some new students. How are the placement tests going?" he directed to Lynn.

Lynn's smile dimmed at the sight of Mr. Simmons, "Hello, Mr. Simmons. One is done, and the other just about, I'd reckon. They were quick. But I've been grading Rosalie's, and it's impressive." She answered.

Rosalie knew she would do well. She debated missing a question or two just in case Sera missed anything. But she knew she wouldn't have to worry when she reviewed the test more. She had gone over similar questions with her before. Although she knew Serafina would be fine, she still worried about whether she would freeze during the test. She kept her eyes on her, and when she rose with a smile, she relaxed and returned that smile.

The man smiled at the interaction between all.

"How do you think you did?" Esme asked Serafina.

"¡Creo que lo hice bien!" Serafina excitedly answered, smiling and earning smiles from both Rosalie and Esme.

The man stiffened at her words, and his smile faltered for only a moment, "You already graded young Miss Rosalie's? I can grade the other." He said, taking the test before Lynn could grab it. She frowned, "I'm sure both did well, Mrs. Cullen. I'll have her sibling escort Miss Rosalie while I grade this one."

"Are you sure you won't need me for anything else?" Esme asked worriedly.

"I don't mind waiting," Rosalie quickly volunteered.

"All the paperwork looks in order, Mrs. Cullen, but thank you! And as for you young lady, I must insist, it's better to be on time for your first class. It looks like you are alright to go to junior year. Ms. Lynn will notify your twin to pick you up to show you around." He smiled at the two.

Esme hugged and kissed both before leaving, much to Rosalie's embarrassment. Serafina didn't care. She hugged back. But she did feel a small sense of anxiety when Rosalie was going. Although small, it was still strong, Rosalie felt it and ran back to Serafina to hug her tightly, whispering in her ear how Serafina would be fine and Rosalie would be waiting for her in class because she was sure they would be together. Rosalie was confident in her scores.

The older man waited for them to leave before looking at Serafina, "You come with me to my office. I'll grade your test there." He smiled. He then gestured for the empty chair across from his own, "Take a seat Serafina," he said, reading her name from her placement test, "interesting name." He mumbled as he took a seat and began grading her test.

Serafina didn't know if she was supposed to respond to that. She smiled awkwardly and waited to hear which class she would attend. She nervously watched. She had seen the others grade her papers before and knew they were marked in red when errors occurred. This man was making a lot of red marks on her test. Maybe she thought it was easy because she was wrong? Her face dropped.

Mr. Simmons gave her a sympathetic look and sighed, "Look, I can tell you've been trying very hard. But I don't think you're ready to join your adoptive siblings just yet. It would be best to be placed in special education classes until you're caught up. But don't worry. We'll catch you up to your adoptive siblings in no time." He gave her a small smile.

"What are special education classes?" Serafina asked. She hadn't heard of those classes. Everyone at home was confident she could place into sophomore or junior year. But it didn't seem like this class was an option any of them had considered for her and, therefore, never explained to her.

"It's not a big deal. It just means you need a little more help," he explained, "I'll have a classmate escort you over. Just wait in the hallway for them to get you."

"Thank you," she said as she got up to leave.

Serafina didn't know what to think. She mindlessly walked out of the office and past Miss Lynn's desk to wait in the hallway. Miss Lynn gave her a concerned look but didn't know what to do. Not with Mr. Simmons right next door. She sighed as she nervously looked down at her paperwork.

Serafina waited outside the office until a young man she supposed was a student went to collect her. He did a double-take when he saw her—but quickly composed himself as he smiled and introduced himself as Isaac. She only smiled in acknowledgment, and he understood. He wasn't a fan of Mr. Simmons either. He gave her a tour on the way to their class. It went in one ear and out the other. She didn't even notice when she sat down in class.

"Class, we have a new student. Please stand, young lady," the teacher directed Serafina. He had to tap her desk to get her attention before she took her cue and stood up, "Head up to the front and introduce yourself to the others," the older man smiled kindly.

"Hello, my name is Serafina Hart," she smiled from the front. She then looked to the teacher, asking with her eyes if he needed something else.

"It's nice to meet you, Miss Hart," the teacher answered, "You may take your seat, and we'll have you caught up on what we're working on," He smiled.

"Serafina? So that's why she's here," the whispers began.

Serafina didn't know what that meant. To her, it was proof that she was behind. She didn't know what was happening; even these human children could tell she needed the class. She became even more depressed. More embarrassed.

Rosalie sat in her class and stared at the door. It was taking too long for Sera to show up. Did she miss a few more than they thought, and she would be a sophomore instead? This thought made her a bit sad. She tried to make herself think positively. At least Sera wouldn't be alone. But this thought didn't make her any less miserable. That was when she realized it wasn't her sadness. They could feel each other's emotions when they were strong enough. Sera was very sad. Rosalie panicked and stood quickly from her desk, bringing attention from the whole class. Jasper could feel her fear and concern. He gave her a questioning look. As did Emmett, who looked at her from his seat in the front of the class.

"Is there something wrong, Miss Hale?" the teacher asked.

"Yes, I don't feel well. May I use the restroom?" she asked urgently.

The teacher could see how distressed she was, "Go ahead." He offered her a note she accepted before practically running out the door.

She ran down the hallways thinking as loudly as she could for Edward. Her thoughts were calling him to the door before she actually called out his name. She used a lower volume that the humans in their classes couldn't hear but that her siblings should be able to.

Soon a door at the end of the hall opened, and she saw reddish brown hair peek in her direction with confusion before they headed toward her.

"What is it?" he asked with his brows furrowed.

"What's wrong with Sera? Is she just upset that she didn't get into the same class as me? Why hasn't Alice made her feel better yet?" she asked worriedly.

Edward grasped the situation but looked at her with concern, "She's not in class with you?"

Rosalie panicked more, "where is she then?" the two began to walk down the halls together until they found a hallway toward the back of the school that was a little more worn than the rest of the building. Edward stopped. His brows furrowed, but he soon kept moving forward with Rosalie, and they read the small placard next to the door. Special Education.

Rosalie's heart broke. She didn't think Sera would do so badly. She should have prepared her better. They should have been home-schooled longer. But she saw Edward glare at the door before peeking through the small window into the classroom.

"No, she was ready. I heard her, Rose, she was excited because she knew those answers. I saw her mark them correctly. Look at those students. Do you notice anything different about them?" Edward asked with anger evident in his voice.

Rosalie looked into the room but didn't see anything different. She looked at Edward with confusion as she shrugged.

"Rose, they're all colored students. I can hear their thoughts. Those black kids were all placed in there after small mistakes. Most of the brown ones were placed there after speaking Spanish. The ones who didn't speak Spanish were put in there after minor errors like the others. It doesn't matter- if they're colored, they're in there," he grumbled. He then heard Rosalie's thoughts. She remembered Serafina spoke Spanish just before her test was graded. She and Esme were asked to leave before it was graded too, "that's probably when they decided this. So they wouldn't have to explain themselves."

Another presence soon joined them, "I was sent to check on my twin. I just followed Rosalie's fury and your disgust," he directed to Edward, "What's goin' on?"

They gestured to the classroom, "Look for yourself." Edward answered.

Jasper read the placard and frowned before looking inside and seeing a very downcast Serafina. He huffed, "This is simply segregation! This can't stand!"

Rosalie and Edward knew these things bothered Jasper. He had joined the Confederacy willingly to outsiders. But he knew in his heart it was wrong and hated himself for it. But he did his best to treat his squad equally as soon as he was given the opportunity for promotion. The truth was, if Maria hadn't killed him, it was very likely the white men in his squadron would have killed him under the guise of friendly fire due to how noticeable his fair treatment was.

"Another reminder for all students, if Spanish is heard on school grounds, those who speak it will get a detention. This is America. You need to speak English," the teacher announced, "Now open your workbooks and get started on page forty-six.

Rosalie growled menacingly after she heard that. The growl was too low for human ears, but the teacher and students in Serafina's class all shivered simultaneously. Serafina's eyes snapped up toward the door as soon as she heard. She was so out of it she didn't even notice the others outside. As soon as she saw three familiar pairs of eyes staring at her, she was immediately embarrassed. Now they knew she was stupid too. She sank in her seat to hide herself as she brought her book up to cover her face.

"She's embarrassed," Jasper whispered with a frown.

Rosalie had seen her hide and hated seeing her proud and confident mate crumble. She was about to force open the door to get to her when Edward stopped her.

"That's only a temporary solution," he said while holding her back. The three stood momentarily before Edward realized how simple the solution was, "I'll tell Esme." He said before he zipped away. Edward was the fastest.

Jasper returned to his and Rosalie's class to inform the teacher that his sister still wasn't feeling well and that they had notified their mother, who was heading down. Emmett frowned throughout his explanation, wondering what happened to Rosalie to fake illness. During this time, Rosalie had gone to the nurse's office to claim cramps and asked to use the phone to call her mother. All to work as an alibi. Once Edward returned, he returned to class, claiming stomach problems for his extended trip to the restroom. Alice was confused as well and looked down to force a vision. But didn't see him decide anything. She supposed he had already done what he was going to do and would have to wait to ask what happened.

When Esme entered the school, she passed the administration office to head toward the nurse's office for Rosalie first. But Lynn had seen her march by. This was her chance. She quickly stood and ran to the door to pull Esme to the side. She ran outside and signaled her over. Esme hesitated, wanting to retrieve Rosalie first to sign her out to have an excuse to go to the office and question Serafina's situation. But maybe this could help her speed up the process.

Lynn reached for Esme's forearm to tug her down the hall but flinched away from the cold.

"Poor circulation," Esme explained.

Lynn didn't think anything of it but gestured for Esme to follow her toward a more secluded corner where she could be sure Mr. Simmons wouldn't overhear. She explained that she suspected he may have graded Serafina's test poorly out of prejudice once he heard her speak Spanish. That she wasn't even sure where Serafina was placed. She had sent notice to the principal, who was sick at home, which was why vice principal Simmons was in charge, but she hadn't heard anything since. Esme nodded in understanding as she clenched her fists to suppress her anger. She explained she was there to pick up Rosalie, who wasn't feeling well. She informed her that she would use that as an excuse to question where Serafina was and asked Lynn to play along. Lynn agreed and returned to the office.

Rosalie had heard what Ms. Lynn had informed her mother. The corner they were whispering in was close to the nurse's office. Once they left the nurse's office and headed toward the administration office, Rosalie whispered, "He wasn't just prejudiced; he was flat-out racist. They put anyone of color in special education. Serafina wasn't there just because she spoke Spanish."

Esme went straight to the administration office and began her act with Lynn. Because Lynn didn't know where Serafina was placed, she had to summon Mr. Simmons, who looked unhappy at the summons but brought a smile to his face. He calmly answered that she was put into a class to assist with catching her up since she had missed quite a few questions.

"I would like to speak with Serafina. Can you call her Ms. Lynn?" Esme turned to Lynn, who nodded in agreement. This was a routine parent request that Mr. Simmons shouldn't question. "About that test," she told Mr. Simmons, "That doesn't sound like Serafina to have missed so much. Carlisle and I were very diligent in our tutoring of herself and her siblings. I don't think she would score too far away from them. May I see her test? We can use it as a study guide to give her additional tutoring at home," Esme answered.

"I'm afraid the test was thrown away already. We don't keep them out in case a new student was to see it," he answered.

"Mine is still sitting on that desk along with the answer key," Rosalie pointed out. Bringing silence to the room, Mr. Simmons glared in Ms. Lynn's direction as she shrank in her seat.

Soon Serafina arrived. She saw Esme and Rosalie and immediately glanced away. Rosalie quickly approached and tried to hold her hand, but Serafina pulled away slightly, "Yes?" she directed to Ms. Lynn.

Esme saw the whole thing, and she couldn't help her tone of voice becoming sharper as she questioned Serafina. She was furious they had dropped her daughter's confidence to this point. The fury wasn't directed at her, but Serafina didn't know that.

"Serafina, what class are you in now?" she asked her daughter.

Serafina thought Esme was upset because of how poorly she had done, "Special Education, but I'll work hard to get to the regular class!" she added.

"I don't believe that. I want to see her test now," she directed to Mr. Simmons. She became more business-like. She was suppressing her wrath, but it was still palpable. They could all feel the pressure from this small woman.

"As I've said, the test was thrown away. Ms. Lynn didn't follow protocol. I'm sure that's why Miss Rosalie's test wasn't disposed of properly," he stated.

"Then dig it out of the trash because I'm not leaving until I see it. Come along, girls, we'll wait in Mr. Simmons' office until he's done digging through the trash cans to find that test," Esme answered as she marched past him to sit in the chair across from his desk in his office.

"Mrs. Cullen! This is preposterous! You need to trust my word when I say she was placed correctly. I'm going to have to ask you to leave," he fumed.

"But I don't trust your word. If you refuse to retrieve her test, I demand you give her a new one! And I will watch you grade it. I won't leave until you do," she answered. She crossed her legs and leaned back in the chair. Even though she was sitting and him standing, it didn't diminish her presence. It was as though she were looking down on him.

Serafina couldn't believe what she was hearing. Did he lie about her scores? She looked at Rosalie with wide eyes. Rosalie nodded. Serafina was furious. Rosalie immediately grabbed her and brought her into a hug. Shoving her face into her neck, not only to calm her with her scent but also to hide her eyes where the entire iris was glowing with her anger. Serafina didn't like that this man made her feel stupid.

"Calm down. Esme will fix this," she whispered to her mate.

The three had heard another voice enter the office to speak with Ms. Lynn while Mr. Simmons explained why he wouldn't do that. But soon, the voice entered the doorway.

"Hello, Mrs. Cullen. I hope you remember me, but I don't recognize these two young ladies, so I'll introduce myself. I'm Principal Stevens. It's very nice to see you all today, though from what I hear, I wish under better circumstances," a man in his late thirties entered, his voice croaky and nose red and stuffy. He gave Mr. Simmons a look that caused him to back away from the desk chair as he sat down. He frowned at the nameplate on the desk that read Mr. Simmons as he grabbed it and shoved it into Mr. Simmons' chest, "I'm sorry for not shaking your hand. I have a bit of a cold. That's why I wasn't here to greet you before. But I heard there may be some trouble and came as quickly as I could. How could I be of assistance?" he smiled apologetically to Esme.

Serafina calmed down at the new presence and released Rosalie. But Rosalie knew she was a time bomb at the moment and insisted on holding hands.

"My daughter was placed in special education, and I don't believe that to be her true level. My husband and I have been home-schooling her along with our other children and didn't see any problems. When I requested to see her placement test, Mr. Simmons refused to show it to me. I refuse to leave until I see that test or she is given another exam so I can confirm that you are grading it properly," Esme calmly explained.

"Of course," Principal Stevens knew Mr. Simmons was a hidden racist. Most did. The school board feared he would follow the previous principal's ideologies too closely, and those were outright racist. He was promoted to principal above Mr. Simmons, even with Mr. Simmons' seniority because of this. But his promotion only came recently. He hadn't fully implemented his wishes for the future, so he wasn't surprised by this complaint. He turned to Mr. Simmons, "Provide the test for Mrs. Cullen." He glared.

The vice principal was sweating bullets, "I threw it away already," he pleaded.

"Well, you've heard the lady. Go get another test," he demanded. He was reclining in his seat as he continued to glare.

"Yes," Mr. Simmons gritted, reaching Ms. Lynn, who handed him the replacement test with a small smile. He quickly returned with the test and gave it to Mr. Stevens.

Mr. Stevens smiled as he turned to Serafina, "I'm sorry about this, but please, retake this test, and we'll get everything sorted out. You can use my seat so you can take it comfortably."

Serafina accepted his kindness and sat in the seat. She reviewed the test, and it was the same as before. She now believed the others in thinking the vice principal lied to her. Getting many of the same answers she had gotten before gave her more confidence in her responses. She didn't take long this time either and quickly handed it to Mr. Stevens.

"Now, Mrs. Cullen, I'll grade it first for fairness, and you can check my work. I have the answer key here; if you feel those are wrong, we can discuss it afterward," he said to Esme. Esme nodded in agreement, and Serafina vacated the principal's seat allowing him to reclaim it.

He compared the test with the answer key and was impressed. She completed the whole test reasonably quickly and didn't miss anything until toward the end—two science questions. Serafina glared at Mr. Simmons. He made her think almost every other answer she put was wrong. She didn't answer any differently from before. Once done, he quickly handed the test and answer key to Esme, who verified each one.

"Serafina, did you answer any differently now than earlier?" Esme asked with a raised brow.

"No," she answered.

"This doesn't seem to require special education to me. What do you think, Principal Stevens?" Esme asked while side-eyeing Mr. Simmons.

"No, I would agree. I am very sorry for what happened before. Due to their ages and being home-schooled before, we were trying to see if she should attend a standard sophomore or junior class. With her age and level, she should be in her junior year. I'll get the necessary paperwork started," He answered.

"It seems your test graders aren't very proficient. I would suggest you retest all the students in your special education class. You may need to correct many more mistakes, such as this one," Esme said seriously as she stood up, "I'll be taking my daughters home early today. I hope you'll understand."

"I understand," Principal Stevens nodded as he stood to escort them out.

"Also, I will bring this up at the next PTA meeting. If this town doesn't have one, I will gladly start it. Someone needs to look out for the children, after all. Come along, girls," she directed to the two who exited the office first.

"I hope you ladies have a lovely rest of your day," he said with a smile to the Cullens. He then turned his attention to his secretary, "Lynn, why don't you take an early lunch and close the door, please. I need to have a word with Mr. Simmons." He said with a polite smile.

"Kicking her out of her office to put two closed doors between himself and the student body to yell at Mr. Simmons. I like this principal," Rosalie muttered as the four women left the office together. Just as Ms. Lynn closed the door, they heard a roar of disapproval directed at Mr. Simmons.

"Thank you for letting me know what was going on, Lynn," Esme honestly thanked the woman.

"Of course, I know what type of man Mr. Simmons is. I'm sorry I couldn't stop it, but I can't do anything to him. Only Principal Stevens can," she answered.

"Thank you for getting Principal Stevens," Rosalie added.

After they left and headed home, Serafina thanked her mother for going to her defense.

"We protect our family! I won't let anyone make you feel less than you are." Esme answered while hugging Serafina tightly. Esme added, "he's lucky I didn't kill him right then."

The other teens were all up to speed on what happened when they returned. Jasper told Emmett, while Edward told Alice. They were all furious. Alice told them how Emmett attempted to overturn Mr. Simmons' car in the parking lot and had to be restrained by his brothers, who dragged him back. Esme only gave Emmett a light half-hearted scolding. While Carlisle explained he would notify the school board to have him fired immediately. He would also ensure they were aware of the situation at school regarding the other students in special education. They knew it would take time to change things, but they would try to speed it along.

Chapter Text

After a couple of days, Serafina was situated comfortably in the school with her siblings. She had no problem with people, but the problem lay with the people. They knew something was wrong with the Cullens. An instinctive fear within them made them uncomfortable around these teens. The only thing they could think of was that they were intimidated by them. They were the most attractive, the most wealthy, and even the most intelligent in the entire school. That seemed to be reason enough to avoid them in their minds.

But Serafina was different. Yes, she was all of those things too. But there was still a difference between her and her siblings. Even the physical differences were enough to comfort them. Her skin had a natural tint, and the fire running in her veins prevented her from being as pale as the others. It also gave her warmth, so she didn't have to use the poor circulation excuse or avoid any possible contact with the student body. Her self-control helped with that too. She was never uncomfortable with being somewhat close to the humans. So when she was bored, and her mate or siblings weren't around, she sometimes chit-chatted with the others. Never too much. But more than her siblings took the time to do with them.

Even with their diet, the other Cullens struggled and preferred to keep their distance from others. So the avoidance was mutual between the Cullens and everyone else. Serafina somewhat bridged the gap, but only when her boredom won out. But considering how much she disliked people, it didn't happen often. She preferred the Cullens, who kept to themselves. Maybe not even the Cullens. She only needed Rosalie.

The following week Serafina stood at her locker as Rosalie reapplied her lipstick for her. She couldn't help her cocky grin.

"Stop, or I won't help you," Rosalie scolded.

"I'm surprised you're helping her in the first place. I bet she told you no one would know what you two did in that empty classroom, but that lipstick on your neck paints a pretty picture," Alice teased in a sing-song voice as she skipped by to get to her locker at the end of the hall with Edward and Emmett. Since they enrolled at the beginning of the school year and lockers were assigned alphabetically, the Cullens were placed at the opposite end of their sisters, who started school late.

"Guess we know why Serafina needs a touch-up to her makeup in the first place," Emmett chuckled as he passed.

Rosalie gasped as she put her hand holding the lipstick cap to her neck. Glaring at Sera, whose smirk only seemed to get wider. She capped the lipstick and was handed a small mirror by Jasper as he followed Alice and the others to their lockers.

"Sera!" she whined after checking her neck, "I'm going to need to go to the restroom for paper towels to clean this off." She complained as she handed the mirror to Serafina. She was very annoyed, "You put your lipstick on by yourself as punishment! I'm going to the restroom to wipe this off!" she said as she marched away.

"Te amo mi hermosa Rosa," she whispered only loud enough for their superior hearing.

Rosalie's march slowed, and she did a little spin to send her a small smile as she neared the restroom, "I love you too." She whispered back.

"Yeah yeah, we know. You're adorable. But knock it off," they both heard Emmett complain from down the hallway.

The two laughed as they separated, with Rosalie entering the restroom. Serafina looked at the small mirror to confirm that her lipstick was fixed. Smiling to ensure there was no color on her teeth. She couldn't help but admire herself. But she did manage to see a face she recognized heading her way. She remembered she had never properly thanked him for his help before.

"Good morning, Isaac," she smiled as she snapped the mirror shut.

She had frightened the young, darker-complected group as they froze at being spoken to. This particular group was of four young men and two young women. Isaac wasn't even at the head of their group. He was a bit smaller than the others, shorter than Serafina but equal in height to the young ladies in their group.

They stood frozen in their spots. The other students around the hallway couldn't help whispering amongst themselves at this interaction.

Isaac stared at her with slight confusion and fear, but after a bit of a delay, managed to stutter out, "Y-you know my name?" he asked.

"I thought I did, but that isn't really how you would respond to that greeting," Serafina gave him a strange look, "Was I wrong? I could've sworn it was Isaac," her face showed her confusion. She began to mutter to herself, "Maybe Ivan? Isaiah? It started with an 'I'. Now I want to say Ignacio, but that doesn't seem right," she mumbled, holding her fist under her chin as she thought aloud.

The others pushed Isaac forward as they chuckled.

"Oh no! I'm sorry! No! You were right! I'm Isaac. I'm just surprised you remembered me. You didn't seem to be listening when we met," he apologized.

"I heard every word you said," she answered as she leaned back against her locker, "I was just a little upset about the situation. Sorry. But I appreciate your help at that time! How's it going in class? Any news?" she asked knowingly.

"It was your mama that raised the stink about class, right?" one of the other young men stepped beside Isaac to ask. Serafina nodded in response.

"She went to all our houses to tell everyone about the unfair grading. My mama didn't even know I was in special ed," another spoke up, "she whooped me good for not telling her about being in that class after your mama left."

"Why didn't you tell her?" Rosalie asked as she stepped beside Serafina.

The young men immediately shied away from her presence and avoided eye contact.

"Because it's embarrassing," Serafina answered. Rosalie couldn't help staring at her with sadness and confusion.

The group nodded in agreement.

"That's probably how they managed to get away with it," Jasper said as he stepped behind Rosalie and Serafina, "they knew you would be too embarrassed to tell your parents about it."

His sudden appearance and too-straight-at-attention posture immediately intimidated the group.

"I know he looks like a dick, and he can be. But he's not racist. He acts and looks that way to everyone," Serafina explained. Jasper rolled his eyes at her defense.

This didn't make the group feel any better.

"It's somewhat true. Not the dick part, though. I hope. But I don't like being close to anybody and wouldn't say I like physical contact with anybody. Anybody that isn't my family, that is," he explained—consciously leaning closer to the two women when some students passed behind him. His face scrunching a bit at the near contact. Seeing his discomfort at being close to the white students, the group felt better. Jasper then brought the topic back, "Our parents didn't like how things were being run in this school before. Although our father might be busy at work, he's a doctor at the hospital. Our mother is taking the time to establish the PTA for more parent involvement. I'm sure she didn't go to your homes only to tell them about the class. She was more than likely inviting them to join the PTA."

"Principal Stevens is happy to work with her and the PTA to make these changes. Expect new tests soon for all of you, too," Rosalie added.

"Yeah, they already told us they were going to be testing us next week," Isaac answered with a smile.

"Good," Serafina answered as she walked over to Isaac, who immediately blushed, "Thanks again, Isaac. If you ever have trouble around here, let me know. I'll help you out." She sincerely told him, shaking his hand before turning around and walking back to Rosalie. The two immediately held hands and continued walking down the hall to the others. Jasper gave the group a nod as he turned on his heel and followed. Alice immediately latched onto his arm so he could walk her to class.

Isaac was confused. It was as though he was the newcomer to the school, and Serafina was the one who had lived and gone to school there her entire life. His friends looked at him with the same confusion. Shouldn't they have told that to her? They didn't have time to dwell on it. They continued to class but now began teasing Isaac along the way.

"Would you have told me you were put in special ed?" Rosalie asked when they were walking.

"Yes," Serafina answered, "but not the others." She finished.

Rosalie nodded understandingly and brought their bodies closer as they held hands to join the others.

The others heard but had no judgment in her answer. They knew her pride. They understood why she wouldn't have shared with them. At least the couple had each other to confide in.

Word spread quickly through the school of the special education class being integrated into the rest of the student body. There were complaints. Some were more excessive than others. But then they combined with the Cullens and how it was because their sister had also been thrown into the class. Now she was buddies with the other colored kids. The Cullens' heard a lot of talk about how they shouldn't be mixing with them. They didn't care, and Serafina continued interacting with whoever she pleased.

After another two weeks, Serafina's presence lessened discomfort with the student body and the Cullens. After no incidents, it gave them a sense of security. This brought them confidence. Soon some of the braver students approached them to speak on occasion. The Cullens still wanted the distance, so they were polite but brief. The students could tell they were intentionally keeping them at arm's length. But they took what they could get as bragging rights to share with the others.

Only a few had heard that they were all adopted and were curious about the relationships between them. Others, strangely, thought they were related. They could tell Jasper and Alice were close, as were Serafina and Rosalie. But the two female siblings being close wasn't strange. Edward had listened to the confusion in their thoughts but couldn't answer them no matter how much he wanted to. He couldn't answer a thought. He had to keep his disgust to himself; thankfully, he worked on his facial expressions. He only appeared disagreeable or annoyed. It wouldn't help him in the friend department, but he preferred even more distance than his siblings with the humans since he was unlucky in being able to hear their thoughts. He couldn't help muttering to the others as they sat down to lunch how half of the students seemed to think they were biological siblings and thought Jasper's and Alice's closeness was disgusting. They weren't sure how to clarify.

The one who managed to voice their curiosity was, surprisingly, Isaac. Serafina had spoken to him on several occasions in passing. Never showing any embarrassment and openly talking to him in front of others. Most of the time, Rosalie or Alice was with her and would join in the conversation. He and his friends quickly lost their fear of the three but much preferred Alice, whose bubbly personality made them feel better. Of course, they thought it was strange but preferred to believe comforting.

"You know, we're curious," Isaac voiced. The others looked around guiltily. Avoiding looking at the three women, "What is up with your family? I think I heard you guys were adopted. Is that true?"

"Yes! All of us were adopted!" Alice happily answered.

"Oh, so none of you are related," he nodded in understanding.

But that wouldn't help with their cover for the town. Not when their appearances were so similar. Rosalie promptly corrected, "Actually, some of us are related. You've seen my twin Jasper." Rosalie elbowed Alice.

"Oh! Right! The twins, Rosie and Jazz. And Emmett is my big brother!" Alice quickly corrected.

"Massive big brother," one muttered under his breath.

"But that explains a lot," A few nodded while eyeing Rosalie and Alice.

Rosalie quirked a brow, "Meaning?"

Serafina began to grin, suspecting she knew what they meant.

"Well," one of the guys coughed uncomfortably, "You and Jasper don't like being around people much," he tried to gloss over that statement quickly as he continued, "But Alice and Emmett always have the biggest smiles on their faces when speaking with anyone. You can see the family resemblance is all we mean."

Rosalie glared at them, about to refute, but she heard Serafina chuckling and couldn't help the offense that graced her face as she turned her attention to her. She scoffed as she smacked Serafina in her stomach. But she rolled her eyes as she let it drop.

"So you and Edward aren't related to them?" Another asked Serafina.

"Right, but Edward is Esme's biological nephew. She received guardianship when her sister passed. He was much younger. And when she married Carlisle, they legally adopted him. He was the first of their kids," Serafina answered, "I'm the last one they've adopted. I was alone for a long time, found the Cullens, and decided to stay," She said, locking eyes with Rosalie. Rosalie shyly broke eye contact first with a small grin on her face.

News spread throughout the school about the Cullens family situation. The girls didn't hide what they were saying. They hoped it would spread throughout the school because they didn't want to repeat it.

After spreading the news, people understood that Alice and Jasper were going steady. It made them question if the others had paired off as well. The numbers matched. Three young men and three young women under the same roof. It was scandalous but exciting for them. But they always noticed a distance between the remaining women and the other young men. It was already there because Rosalie and Serafina preferred it, but Edward and Emmett increased the distance after hearing the interest in whether they were paired. It made them uncomfortable. At the same time, it disgusted the two women.

The student body took it positively after realizing there was no other intersection between the siblings besides the one couple. But the Cullens didn't take long to discover what the students found so positive about it. The braver of the student body took this as an opportunity to ask out a Cullen. Those with the more prominent egos took their chance. They attempted to ask out Rosalie and Serafina on separate occasions. Both promptly declined and were both enraged after finding out about the other. As for the young ladies at school interested in Emmett and Edward, it would be improper for them to ask one of them out. So for the ladies, it came as harmless flirting in hopes of tempting them into asking them out. None were successful.

One Saturday morning, Esme and Carlisle had invited members of the PTA over for a meeting. The home was thoroughly cleaned, and catering was requested. The house was impressive. The teens lounged during the meeting. When there was a break, and the parents were enjoying a meal, they couldn't help but praise the teens to their parents as they acknowledged them.

"My boy Isaac said your children are very kind and smart. He usually mentions Rosalie and Serafina," one parent commented, "He says they're very close. Looks like it." She nodded.

"Oh, they're very close," Emmett agreed.

"Practically inseparable," Jasper added.

"They're the best of friends. It's like they're sisters," Edward nodded with a grin. The brothers had decided they enjoyed annoying the girls this way after their prior success.

The two women were annoyed by this joke between them. But they smiled at their friend's mother and complimented her on raising such a kind young man. They then asked to be excused. The other teens quickly requested to join. Their parents agreed.

As soon as they were far enough into the woods, Serafina and Rosalie attempted to ditch their siblings, who laughed as they followed.

"Stop being babies. It's a joke," Edward laughed.

"It's not fair," Rosalie glared.

"It's not, but we'd draw more attention if you were open about it," Jasper reminded.

"We're okay with that if you two are, though!" Alice exclaimed. Emmett immediately began nodding in agreement. Edward and Jasper also shrugged at the suggestion, showing their acceptance.

Rosalie slumped a bit. She wasn't embarrassed or uncomfortable with her relationship, far from it. She wanted others to know. She hoped it would deter those young men from asking out herself and her mate in the future. But it was about the family. Her relationship wasn't normal to others. Not now, and probably not ever.

Serafina could see her thinking, her inner turmoil. She felt the same, she wanted others to know, but it wasn't accepted now, "Not necessary. Let's forget about the stupid joke." Serafina rolled her eyes, answering for the two so Rosalie wouldn't have to think about it anymore. Rosalie nodded.

"Well, if you want to vent your frustrations. I know a way we can do it," Emmett began.

"If you're going to make a sex joke now, I'm going to slap y-" Serafina began as she turned in his direction. But when she looked in his direction, she only saw a massive snowball approaching her face. In her alarm, she immediately brought a flame up to stop it. But she never had a snowball thrown at her before. She didn't know how intense of a flame she would need. It was only enough to melt the snowball. She was still splashed in the face with water.

Serafina stood there shocked. Everyone else had their mouths gaping open at the sight. But Emmett began his boisterous laughs. Serafina began to steam with how upset she was. Literally. It was this reaction that finally caused the others to laugh along.

Serafina gritted her teeth and bent down to grab some snow, but it melted as soon as she bent for it. The others started laughing more at how upset she was until a snowball flew and hit Emmett in the face. Rosalie then grabbed Serafina's hand, "I got him, baby. I'll get the others too, but you need to protect me! Turn up the fire so this," she began wiping the water off of Serafina's face, "doesn't happen to me." she finished by giving Serafina a quick peck to her lips.

Serafina smiled in agreement as she did just that. The snowball war was intense, and soon their parents joined in. Instead of everyone vs. everyone, it turned into girls vs. boys, and Serafina did very well with defense. Defense for Rosalie, anyways. As was shown by how Rosalie returned without a single hair out of place. The others, not so much.

Serafina enjoyed their little life in town. She figured it wouldn't be so bad to repeat this. As long as she had Rosalie, she'd be happy.

Chapter Text

The Denali stood in amazement as they surveyed the town. They had already seen the statue in the town center and couldn't believe it was the same person they knew. The one too lazy to do most things unless asked by her mate. The one with a bit of a short temper. They tried to ignore all that.

But they were still confused with the sight before them when they looked ahead. A whole town. How could she have gotten away with this? They were anxious. Nervous about the attention she had. There were rules; was this breaking them?

Serafina reassured them repeatedly before they relaxed about how the Volturi knew about the town. It had existed before she first went to Volterra, and Aro had seen it the first time they had met when he shook her hand. The Volturi regularly gave her safe passage to visit to ensure its safety when she stayed with them. This made the Denali feel better about the whole situation. Granted, the Volturi hadn't seen the town since then. They didn't know how much it had expanded and how much more respect they gave to herself for its creation. But that wasn't her problem. However, she didn't think she had to tell the Denali this part.

When they returned to the mansion, Kate couldn't help but whistle, "How rich are you?"

"Actually, I've been wondering the same thing," Emmett added, "When Carlisle was a little iffy on whether he should give money to Alice to use in the stock market, you had no problem whipping out a bunch of money and just told her to go crazy." He mentioned.

"It's true. It was only after you guys had made a killing that he felt comfortable giving Alice authority over his money, too," Edward commented.

"You trusted her that much?" Irina questioned, giving Serafina a curious look.

"She hadn't been wrong yet," she shrugged, "it wasn't even that much money."

"It was a lot of money then," Rosalie rolled her eyes.

"A crazy amount of money!" Alice nodded in agreement with a massive smile, "I wouldn't have even trusted myself with so much!"

Serafina couldn't help but frown at that. She thought Alice knew what she was doing. She narrowed her eyes at Alice, who only giggled in response as she hid behind Jasper.

"I'm better now! Much better with my visions! Right? Faster even!" she giddily said while still hiding. Jasper smiled at her antics.

"You mentioned your dad had left you some money when he passed. Have you been living off of that this entire time?" Carlisle softly asked.

"Haven't even touched it yet," Serafina off-handedly answered, "It's strange speaking at my front door. Can we just finish speaking inside?" she asked rhetorically as she unlocked the door and opened it. She stepped back to allow Rosalie to walk in first, immediately following and leaving the others outside.

Rosalie happily entered first. She reached back mindlessly for Serafina's hand, knowing her mate would know her intention and take it. She did. The two made their way to the living room, and Rosalie sat Serafina down in Serafina's favorite chair. Serafina closed her eyes as she relaxed, sitting sideways in her favorite oversized chair with her legs crossed over the arm of the seat. While she settled, Rosalie turned to the others to play hostess. She knew Serafina wouldn't want to give a tour, but she had seen the Denali's curiosity and knew they would like one. They were surprised, though, when the Cullens joined the tour. Esme explained they had only been to the town once before. But Serafina and Rosalie had regularly returned, and many changes appeared to have been made. They wanted to see the changes. The Denali nodded in understanding as they all toured the home together.

It didn't take long for them to return from the tour. They gave generous compliments to Serafina and Rosalie on the home. It was very obviously the two's home. Serafina gave Rosalie full reign to redecorate should she wish, and Rosalie made many changes. All the changes Serafina loved because they would remind her of Rosalie. It was always an elegant yet glamorous touch the two could both appreciate. But Rosalie didn't make drastic changes. She loved the classic and refined look of the original home and knew Serafina did, too.

Esme's eyes glossed over from her happiness early on in the tour after seeing family photos throughout the home. They had to hide them before. Many photo albums were hidden away as though they were a dirty secret. Due to the occasional human that visited their homes, they never felt safe putting them up. They always had to take new photos in that era to match the times to hang up. But the candid pictures of their fun times couldn't go up because of the clothes or hairstyles dating them, which would be suspicious. But in Serafina's town, it didn't matter. Rosalie proudly hung up her favorites of the family. Her obvious favorite photo sat prominently on the fireplace mantle in the living room; it was the photo Carlisle snapped of Rosalie and Serafina on their first date.

But a new painting in the living room caught everyone's eye. It was a large painting of the two women. It was of Serafina with her arms around Rosalie in a dark, sinister forest setting—scorched earth beneath them, charred feathers surrounding them, and the shadow of wings on both. The artist was a local from town who believed in the rumors of the two being fallen angels. He had noticed that the two were very close. He was inspired and stated he had worked on it for five years before he felt it was good enough to show them. He then plucked up the courage one day to call Rosalie and Serafina into his workshop after it was completed to show them. Serafina loved it the moment she saw it and bought it immediately as a gift for Rosalie, who also loved it.

"You said you never touched the money your father left you. Where did you get the money from then?" Tanya asked while admiring the painting. It was beautiful. But with its size and classical art style design, it looked costly.

"I told you all I starved myself for a year, right? When I tried to kill myself for what I had done," Serafina said casually, her eyes still closed. Her foot swayed back and forth. She didn't notice everyone in the room frown simultaneously. When she didn't hear a response from anyone, she opened an eye to make sure they didn't leave her as a joke.

Carmen looked guilty, "I'm sorry." She pleaded weakly.

Serafina frowned at the solemn atmosphere that was created after her comment. But she felt worse seeing Rosalie with her glistening eyes. She sat properly in the chair and opened her arms for Rosalie to sit with her. Rosalie quickly took her spot in her lap, taking comfort in the crook of her mate's neck. Serafina continuously rubbed her back to make her feel better.

"I'm sorry, but I'm still here. You all don't need to be so upset if I mention this. I'm not trying to make you sad. I'm just stating a fact," she tried to appease the room. They didn't look much better after she said that. She sighed, "Let me rephrase it then. After meditating in a cave for a year, I left and fed on a band of thieves hiding in the mountains. I think they had just completed a robbery because they were in a bit of a standoff. I only went in after they drew blood from each other first. I couldn't help it." She shrugged, "But anyways. After they were dead, they didn't need their score anymore. So I helped myself. That's when I started taking from my meals."

"So you never touched the money you had inherited from your father because you would steal from the people you had fed on?" Edward asked with his brows furrowed. Disapproval was evident on his and Carlisle's faces, but both held their tongues.

"Yes. I had also been given gifts and pay from the Volturi and won a lot of money off them, too," Serafina added. She thought momentarily, "Oh, and now Alice is making me a fortune in the stock market. If we consider inflation, I could probably buy and support a small country if I wanted to."

"All this money, and you won't let me borrow twenty dollars. A little stingy, don't you think?" Emmett asked with mock annoyance.

Serafina rolled her eyes at him, "Here's fifty. Shut up." She held fifty dollars up with two fingers, making sure not to jostle Rosalie, and Emmett happily walked over to accept.

The action earned a smack to the back of his head from Esme. She clicked her tongue in annoyance, "You never ask to borrow anything! You just ask for money, and she gives it to you anyways, you little liar. I don't want to hear you bothering your sister for money again!" she warned.

"But she's helping build my VHS collection! We have to counter Edward's music collection! He thinks his classical music is enough to entertain us nowadays. It's like he's trying to bore us to death!" Emmett whined.

Serafina's face suddenly paled if that were possible, "That's what you've been buying? Movies? What kinds of movies?" she asked warily.

Rosalie couldn't help but chuckle after hearing that question. They made a new discovery as a family about Serafina. She didn't like scary movies. Not if they involved ghosts or demons.

Rosalie loved movies. The glitz and glamor of Hollywood always appealed to her. Plus, it allowed her to compare hers and Serafina's looks to new beauty standards when times changed. Serafina and Rosalie were still the prettiest, in her opinion. But she liked watching different types of movies to ensure she judged themselves against everyone fairly. This included the horror genre. Though Edward constantly told her she wasn't judging fairly, she refused to believe him and kept watching many different movies.

It was when they were watching a horror movie about a demon that they made the discovery about Serafina. It was apparent she didn't like it. They found out when the cloth screen mysteriously burst into flames, and there was almost a stampede as people fled for the exits. Thankfully, there were no injuries. Serafina denied with a straight face it having been her. Edward believed her. Mostly, he didn't hear her think about setting the fire. He mostly heard her telling herself it wasn't real. But when Jasper mentioned the spike in her fear just at the particular moment the fire occurred, they all suspected it was a subconscious reaction by Serafina. A few months later, there was a film about a ghost that also frightened her. The same things happened. After fears and concerns about the slightly outdated theater safety, the theater was closed as the owners decided to update and upgrade it fully.

They tested other scary movies to see if she was just as affected by them—movies with psychotic murderers or serial killers and even possessed toys. But none of these things scared her. But ghosts and demons seemed to terrify her. The boys found it hilarious. Rosalie did a bit but didn't make fun of her about it. If a movie had those elements, she would only hold her to make her feel safe. Rosalie would try to avoid those types of films for her benefit, but sometimes they were surprised. Eventually, Esme came up with a solution after confirming with Alice that it wouldn't ruin the movies for herself. Alice would take a quick peek to see if there would be anything too scary for Serafina before they went. Alice loved helping. It didn't bother her at all. But that was how bad it was.

The rest of the Cullens began laughing after reminiscing about the incident at the movie theater. The Denali were confused until Esme explained. Serafina denied it all. She suspected it might have been her that caused the fires. But she refused to admit it even when the evidence against her was overwhelming.

"Didn't you think you were a demon before? Why would you be afraid of demons?" Kate asked while laughing just as loudly as Emmett.

"You also said you had passed yourself off as a ghost before. What happened?" Carmen teased while trying to stifle her chuckles.

Serafina rolled her eyes in annoyance. She felt herself heat up. After feeling better, Rosalie had already sat up in her lap, but now Serafina pulled her back into her body, wanting to use her body temperature to cool down. Rosalie giggled as she was cuddled, knowing she was being used to combat her temper.

"Well, it's exactly that! I thought I was a demon, and that would make me second only to the devil. Then I found out I wasn't. I pretended to be a ghost, thinking it was silly that people thought they existed in the first place. But then you see these movies, and they're so realistic!" Serafina incoherently explained. She couldn't even gather her thoughts properly. She was so upset.

"Uhm," Irina quirked a brow at her.

She and the others looked at Serafina incredulously. Serafina felt their judgment, and she began to bristle at it. She glared at the room and continued, "What can I do against a demon? They're born of fire and live in hell surrounded by fire! I can't defend myself against a demon!" She couldn't help but argue, "And ghosts? Same thing! They have no physical body to burn! What can I do against them?"

"Your logic is sound," a voice agreed, startling everyone present, "You can burn a demon, but you wouldn't kill them. They can be burned repeatedly for torture, but they would regenerate. No death. Plus, those sick fucks would probably like the torture. So I don't recommend it. But ghosts? Ghosts don't exist. You don't need to be afraid of those." The woman continued.

Everyone turned to the mysterious voice.

"Bruja! What are you doing in my house?" Serafina glared.

"Sorry, I thought she was your friend! She just followed us in. Then I forgot she was there, how strange," Eleazar mumbled.

"Bruja?" Carmen muttered while exchanging glances with the other Denali.

"An actual witch?" Kate questioned. Her nervousness was slightly visible.

"No, she's just a folklorist from town," Carlisle explained. He wasn't sure if making friends with witches was against the rules, too. But considering how strict the Denali were about the rules, he didn't want to risk it. The other Cullens understood immediately after hearing Carlisle lie that they shouldn't let them know the truth here.

"She's just the crazy cat lady in town," Serafina grinned while making eye contact with Morgana, "So you can speak freely in front of her. No one will believe her anyway."

Morgana rolled her eyes at Serafina, "I don't even have a cat." She grumbled.

"Is something wrong, Morgana?" Rosalie asked.

"Nothing wrong! But I think I figured something out. Just need to double-check some things, so I wanted to speak with you two," she grinned.

Serafina glared at Morgana as she shook her head as in no. Morgana's grin dropped as her face turned into a blank mask in her annoyance. Rosalie elbowed Serafina as she scolded her, telling her to be nice.

The Denali gave the three a questioning look.

"You should help Miss Morgana out. Go ahead and help her with whatever she needs. We'll show the others around town to give you all some privacy," Esme announced.

The others nodded in agreement as they filed out. They were curiously looking back at the crazy lady from town. They wondered why Serafina seemed to be hostile to her. But they didn't question anything out loud until they were far away from the home. The Cullens didn't know why either.

The two women glared at each other. Rosalie sighed in exasperation. These two would constantly argue or fight. She knew she would have to play peacekeeper as always. It would be a long day.

Chapter Text

The three waited a bit to make sure everyone left. The glares between Serafina and Morgana terrified anyone who didn't know them. Rosalie wasn't scared of either. Yes. The two women hated each other but got used to each other over the years. They were friends. She thought. She just thought they were terrible at being friends; the two were more like frenemies. It was a bizarre relationship to Rosalie. But she didn't care too much about it. Not anymore, anyway.

Rosalie initially hated Morgana because she thought she was flirting with Serafina, but she soon realized that wasn't the case. She would constantly show up in front of Serafina to get a rise out of her. She was looking for clues. Now Rosalie got along very well with Morgana. It took a while. She wasn't comfortable with her until after learning that Morgana treated Serafina more like a science experiment. She insisted that the two seemed familiar to her and wanted to know why. Through her continuous investigation, Rosalie saw the two build more tolerance for each other's presence over the years. She thought it was their attempt at friendship.

"What, bruja?" Serafina finally asked.

"I don't know why you dislike me so much. I'm very nice," she smirked, lying on the sofa and making herself at home.

"No, you're not. You keep poking and prodding me whenever you see me!" Serafina sneered, intense glare still present.

It was true. Morgana would randomly appear near them in town and sometimes poke Serafina to see her reactions. She would poke her verbally or literally. But she never meant it as a threat because Paprika never came forth to defend her, so they knew it was innocent. Serafina hated it, though.

Rosalie thought the two were very childish. She didn't know how bad it was until Morgana once asked for a hair from Serafina. Serafina refused and walked away. But Morgana walked behind her, pulled a hair, and then walked away in the opposite direction as though nothing had happened. Serafina was so angry that she turned around to follow her, and the two ended up in a slap fight.

It turned into a slap fight because Serafina did not want to use her fire since they were in the middle of town with the children present. The townspeople knew her fire meant she was angry and might believe she was angry at them. She didn't want to cause panic, and that was the only way she could think of to vent her anger. The fact that Morgana fought back still made Rosalie laugh when she thought about it. After all, Morgana appeared much more mature and refined, but when Serafina slapped her arm, she stood there astonished momentarily before her fury erupted. But Morgana felt the same way Serafina did and didn't want to use her magic in the middle of town either. So she slapped her back. Neither went for the face but would slap arms, thighs, or the other's stomach or back. Rosalie couldn't hide her chuckles at the time, and the children thought it was a show and laughed along with Rosalie.

Rosalie began chuckling at her memories. The two women stopped glaring at each other briefly to give her a look, and she bit her bottom lip to stop. Once she did, the women returned to how they were before. Glares and all.

"Would you rather I poke and prod you or your pretty mate?" Morgana asked with a raised brow.

Serafina couldn't help the growl that came out. Rosalie smiled at Serafina's reaction. She loved her protectiveness of herself. She cuddled herself a little bit more into Serafina's body.

Morgana rolled her eyes, "You're stupid! I was kidding. I won't do anything to Rosie. I like her more than you." She said. Even though she heard the growl, she didn't even flinch from it, "I'm done with that part of my investigating. I'm pretty sure I'm getting closer to solving the mystery that is the two of you." She finished with green eyes sparkling in her excitement.

"There is no mystery. We're vampires. You know this," Serafina slumped in the seat in annoyance. Rosalie gave a slight shrug in agreement. Though Serafina was slightly different, Carlisle still confirmed she was a vampire. The Volturi technically had too since they wanted to recruit her. So they didn't think she was too different.

Morgana sat up, "Sure. Fine. You two are normal vampires, and I'm the crazy cat lady." She frowned.

Serafina's glare lessened as she began snickering at her earlier joke.

"It's not that funny," Morgana wore her expressionless mask as she looked at Serafina. She turned to Rosalie and changed to a pitiful expression, "Please, Rosie? I have three questions for you guys. Just three." She pleaded, holding three fingers up.

Serafina was about to refuse, but Rosalie beat her in answering, "Sure! What do you want to ask this time?"

"What color were your eyes when you were human?" Morgana asked seriously.

Rosalie proudly raised her chin, "Violet." She said with a smug grin.

Serafina smiled at that response and kissed Rosalie on her cheek, "Beautiful," she purred into Rosalie's ear. Rosalie's grin only grew after hearing that.

Morgana was excited after hearing the answer. But she tried shoving it down when she looked at Serafina next, "When and where were you born?"

"December of 1800 in what is now Texas," Serafina answered, "If you want a day, I couldn't tell you. We didn't celebrate birthdays at the time." She shrugged.

Morgana had a broad smile but clenched her fists to try to tell herself to tone it down, "No, that's enough! Thank you both! I'll see you two around town!" she said as she stood to leave.

Serafina frowned at her giddiness, "Why did you ask these questions? Why are you happy? Why are you leaving?" she asked with suspicion.

"I'm busy! Very busy. Lots of cats to feed!" she answered. She smoothed out her clothes and made her way toward the door.

"Why are you so obsessed with this 'mystery'?" Rosalie asked curiously.

"I like to know the truth," she answered as though it were the most obvious thing in the world, "Oh, Rosie, come over with me to the orphanage when you're free. I'm going to do a magic show for the little ones, and you can be my lovely assistant." She smiled.

"This weekend," Rosalie agreed. She stood to show Morgana out. Then the two said their goodbyes, and Morgana left.

Serafina sat there with a sad look as she looked at Rosalie. Rosalie noticed from the corner of her eye and looked back at her. She raised her brow to her in question.

"I wasn't invited to the magic show," Serafina mumbled.

Rosalie grinned as she walked to her, "You will always be my plus one. I don't care if she invited you or not, you were going with me anyway. That's probably why she didn't invite you. Because she knew you were going with me." Rosalie kissed Serafina's lips twice quickly to remove the frown. She then helped Serafina stand as she led the two out of the house.

They made their way into town to look for the others. They could hear Kate, Emmett, and Edward on the orphanage grounds chit-chatting, watching the children. The couple approached and were curious about where the others were. Even from their distance, Edward heard their thoughts and answered. Irina, Alice, and Jasper had gone shopping. Carlisle to the hospital. And Esme showed Tanya, Carmen, and Eleazar to where she thought would be the greenhouses. Rosalie and Serafina were disappointed they couldn't show her the changes at the greenhouses. They knew she would love it. The area had been expanded into a large botanical garden, with the greenhouses now gaining exclusive viewings only for the council and Cullens. But oh well.

The couple walked toward the orphanage. The others were waiting for them to join them but were confused when they saw Serafina and Rosalie split up at the gazebo entrance. Rosalie stopped to the side of it while Serafina entered and sat down on her chair. Emmett threw his arms up in the air in his confusion to ask with his body language why they weren't going over when the children suddenly screamed in excitement and rushed past him to exit the orphanage grounds. They crowded Rosalie as they asked her to play with them at the more extensive playground outside the orphanage. Emmett felt abandoned until some children stopped running toward Rosalie to turn back to their group. They grabbed their hands without fear of the cold, leading them to the more extensive playground where Rosalie was now playing.

Kate was visibly surprised at the contact. The children had no fear of them at all. Serafina saw and couldn't help her chuckles.

"They know I won't let anything happen to them. Plus, to be honest, they like holding your guys' hands. It is summertime, after all. I bet they think you guys feel very nice in this weather." Serafina grinned.

"How do you all play with them?" Kate began to ask when she looked over to Emmett, who was carrying around ten children and running around, slightly faster than an average human but not at their usual dizzying speeds, only slowing when he felt a child lose their grip on him. The speed at which he moved was impressive enough, but adding the children's weight. Well that was phenomenal. Some townsfolk still stopped to stare. It made Kate slightly uncomfortable, but she heard their whispers saying their Doña and the other angels were back with a small smile before leaving. She recalled the statue and looked toward its direction. Serafina was made to be an angel. These people were not afraid of any of them, and there were never any whispers of monsters or vampires. She relaxed and began joining in on their game of tag. She loved the children's reaction when she popped up in front of them. She could see why this was one of the Cullen's favorite activities in town.

The others soon joined, and a giant group of vampires played with the children from the orphanage and many other children from the town. There were no incidents except when a ball rolled into the middle of the road with the child trailing. The Cullens and Denali were playing with the small groups around them, that they didn't notice the lone child leave the group. But Serafina was overseeing them all. A car had to slam on its brakes and apparently honk its horn to avoid hitting the child running into the road to get the ball. Serafina had quickly stood before the little boy so he would have been safe even if the man hadn't stopped. But she turned her face in annoyance at the horn's incessant honking.

Rosalie made her way over, and while the man was laying on his horn, she popped the hood to his car and reached in. Serafina didn't even know what she did. But the horn no longer worked properly. She grinned at Rosalie as Rosalie let the hood fall back into place.

The boy was initially terrified. He relaxed when Serafina put her arm around his shoulder to give him a small side hug. She then tussled his hair and pushed him back toward the others when the man from the car got down to yell at them.

"What did you do to my car?" he yelled. But he took a breath and glared at them, "You know what, I don't care. Just keep an eye on your kid lady!" he said, pointing straight at Serafina's face. Her eyes flickered in her anger, but the man only blinked as though he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. Although he thought he hallucinated the eyes, he still felt danger. Rosalie had started growling with how he was yelling at Sera.

"I was. I was keeping an eye on you, too. I saw you going above the speed limit, ignoring the children crossing sign, and nearly hitting that little boy because you weren't watching the road but playing with your radio and then reaching onto your floor for something I suppose you dropped," Serafina said calmly.

He froze momentarily, "You don't even know. Whatever. I need to go. Move!" he barked as he re-entered his car, slammed it shut, reversed, and sped around them.

As the two stood and watched him speed away, Serafina asked her mate with her medical background for her opinion on that man's behavior.

"Accelerated heartbeat, profuse sweating, dilated pupils, burned and cracked lips and fingers, and chemical scent, he was high," Rosalie answered. She thought momentarily but finished, "With how agitated he was and with how he was scratching and overly energetic, I'd say crack."

Serafina sighed, "What a time to be alive," Rosalie looked at her, confused, "What a time to exist?" Serafina questioned.

"I don't even know sometimes how we should say it." Rosalie shook her head, "But what are you going to do about the new crack problem in your little town?"

"Our little town," Serafina corrected, "Maybe we'll stay longer than the others and see how bad it is. If it's just a few here and there killing themselves, we could treat it as natural selection at work." Serafina shrugged.

"If it's a bigger problem than you thought?" Rosalie asked, a slight grin showing as she grabbed Serafina's hand to play with. She loved hearing the "our".

"We'll burn that bridge when we get there," Serafina smiled.

"The expression is 'we'll cross that bridge when we come to it'," Rosalie laughed.

"But mine will probably happen. He headed toward a bridge out of town. Maybe I'll have to burn it down to stop the drug dealers from coming in?" Serafina answered questioningly.

"You're not burning the bridge down," Rosalie chided while trying not to laugh.

The two returned to the group to discuss the rude man who had honked at them but mainly continued playing with the children until dark. Once they escorted the children back, they returned to the mansion to discuss the plans for the next day. The other Denali now wanted to explore more of this town. The Cullens agreed to split up again and show them where they had missed.

Rosalie had joined them, but Serafina didn't. Rosalie told them that Serafina had to speak with the council to review how things had been in their absence again. They nodded in understanding and went on their way.

Meanwhile, Serafina had gone to the council to see what was happening. She said she was concerned about the potential drug problem. She wasn't. Not really. She wanted to know if she could kill the man who yelled at her and pointed at her face. She wanted more information on him. Even though she told Carlisle that she wouldn't murder people anymore unless they threatened Rosalie, she didn't care in her damn town. To be treated less than when acting as a typical teenager with her adoptive family was already difficult for her. Being disrespected by humans was one thing when she was in disguise; she wouldn't take that in her town. The flagrant disrespect she was shown in front of her mate was unacceptable. She suspected Rosalie knew her true intentions, so she separated to distract the Cullens from what she was really up to.

After speaking with the mayor and council members, she found that there wasn't much of a drug problem in town. Some suspected dealers only hit the town when passing through to larger cities. The room went silent when she described the man who nearly hit the child and disrespected herself. They all knew where the questioning was going. The chief finally spoke up, informing her of who the man was. He was just a local from town. They didn't think he was a dealer—only a more heavy user. But he was getting friends hooked as well. Serafina left them with an "oh" and returned to her family.

The chief of police slammed his head down onto the table at her reaction. He knew he would have to mark an accidental death for that man at some point. The others looked at him sympathetically but knew they couldn't change her mind. He bid farewell as he returned to the station to prepare the paperwork.

Rosalie could sense Serafina's approach as she and Irina sat on some benches in the town square. She subconsciously reclined into a bit more of a seductive posture. Irina noticed but didn't comment on it. She just wondered why until she heard Emmett.

"Serafina!" Emmett yelled as soon as he saw her—startling everyone else.

"What?" she answered in annoyance as she joined the group.

Rosalie immediately perked up after hearing her name and watched her approach. She gave Serafina a wink as she crossed her legs and gave her a little smirk.

"Did you know there's an arcade in town?" he immediately asked.

"No, but I'm not surprised. What's so special about that?" she asked. She wasn't even really paying attention to the others as Rosalie began blowing kisses to her. She was grinning like a fool at Rosalie's flirting.

"Well, nothing, I guess? About the arcade itself," he trailed off, "Hey!" Emmett realized she wasn't paying attention to him. He moved his face to block Serafina's view of Rosalie. She could hear Rosalie chuckling with Irina after his interference.

"He's excited about the new games in the arcade. They're pretty fun! We were playing them all day," Edward stated.

"Pac-Man was fun!" Alice excitedly said.

"How do we know you weren't cheating? You probably knew which direction the ghosts were going to go!" Emmett accused.

"In seconds? I'm good, but I'm not that good yet!" Alice defended.

"Alice did better than him at that game," Jasper muttered to Serafina.

"Not just that game!" Kate said, "She also crushed him at Space Invaders 2 and others."

"Girls rule!" Irina exclaimed.

"No! Not true! I was being a gentleman and letting you guys win today," he argued.

"Oh, is that why our initials are above yours on the high score screen? That was so sweet of you," Alice teased.

Emmett clenched his jaw as he became increasingly upset. The two began to argue, Alice proclaiming her innocence. In contrast, Emmett continued to accuse her of cheating. Alice then pointed out that all the girls had gotten higher scores than all the boys. She upset Emmett more as he soon turned to his brothers and blamed them for their defeat as he angrily stomped back to the mansion, muttering to himself about how he'd beat them all the next day. He dragged his brothers with him as he tried to devise a game plan to knock the girls out of the high-score screen the next day.

"Did you cheat?" Serafina asked after Emmett was already home, leaving them all behind.

"Only like two rounds, but I was already higher than he was at that point, so I'm still better," Alice shrugged as she stood next to Serafina, watching Emmett leave. She then smiled at Serafina as though seeking praise.

"Nice!" she said, giving her a high five.

Rosalie never moved from her spot. She continued her conversation with Irina but kept her eyes on Serafina, who was interacting with Alice and Kate. Kate had joined the conversation to boast along with Alice about their gaming skills.

Serafina felt Rosalie's gaze, although she wanted to just run to her. She held herself back. She liked the teasing Rosalie was doing. She didn't do it often when in public. Not intentionally, anyway. Sometimes, her natural movements were too seductive for Serafina to keep her hands to herself. But when it was intentional, she felt a sweetness, knowing Rosalie wanted her attention too. And Rosalie very much wanted her attention now. She was doing small movements here and there as though trying to lure Serafina over.

Not even ten minutes into the conversation, Serafina's mind began to wander. Not only her mind but also her eyes. They continuously darted over Alice's shoulder to the woman sitting on the bench. Everyone noticed, including Rosalie. Who began to grin at her victory.

"Just go," Alice sighed as she rolled her eyes. Kate and Irina began snickering at her dramatic reaction. Serafina zipped over immediately. The three others returned home while Rosalie turned her attention to her mate sitting on the bench beside her.

"Took you long enough," Rosalie muttered unhappily. She was turning slightly away from Serafina.

"So you were trying to get my attention?" Serafina grinned, tilting Rosalie's face toward herself, "I knew it. Well, then, I will shower you with attention and affection." She said as she began peppering kisses to Rosalie's face and neck, making her laugh. Rosalie turned back to her to get her to stop.

"How was it?" Rosalie finally asked as she leaned on Serafina's shoulder.

"The town is alright. The drug problem isn't too bad. I'll take care of it," Serafina answered vaguely.

Rosalie nodded in response, "They're staying a month. You can clean up the town when they leave." She said.

Serafina grinned. She loved that her mate was okay being her accomplice in these things. She loved her so much, and it made her feel incredibly lucky when she was willing to do something like this for herself. She held onto her tightly as they sat and relaxed. The two watched the city close down for the night.

Rosalie told her about her day. They laughed at how competitive they had all gotten in the arcade and how she knew they would go back again the next day. Serafina was excited to try out the arcade with them the next day. Rosalie too.

Chapter Text

It had been a month, and the Denali had already left. Only the Cullens decided to stay a little bit longer. It was mainly Emmett who insisted on staying to at least knock one of the girls off of the high-score screen. He didn't even care who at that point. He just wanted to beat one. His initials took up every space below them, which he found unacceptable.

The other boys didn't care as much as he did but still accompanied him to play. They would cheer him on from the sidelines now and then as a sign of solidarity, and when they got bored enough, they would play a game, too.

Edward liked it for a bit because he got to focus solely on the game. But once it got repetitive enough, the surrounding thoughts would creep back in. At least the voices weren't too bad, just some teenagers thinking about getting a high score. The occasional group with a girl would think about impressing her with their skills at playing the game.

Jasper wasn't sure how he felt about it. He could feel the excitement, anticipation, and joy; he liked those feelings. But then he would also feel the aggressiveness, disappointment, and occasional anger spikes. Teenagers were moody. At least the negative emotions weren't too bad, but the mood fluctuations were random. It made him feel somewhat bipolar. He tried to stay near Edward since his mood was usually steadily unhappy or mildly annoyed when people surrounded them. He wished Alice had gone with them. He preferred to feel her happiness at all times, but he knew Emmett considered them to be at war with the girls. He had to show his support. At least for a while before he abandoned them for his wife.

He still found it strange to call her that. He liked it. He didn't think they needed the title, though. She was his everything, no matter what she was called. Alice felt the same, he knew. But it was part of their cover. Carlisle talked them into it to help fit in a bit better. There was a whole ceremony and everything with some town folk invited. It was the seventies, and that particular town they were in questioned their family more than others. The ceremony got them to calm down a bit so they could at least finish up their stint in that town for the usual length of time. But as soon as that time limit was reached, they left quickly and ensured the severed ties could never be picked up again. That was just how nervous they were.

Although they were starting from scratch as teens again. He still remembered the ceremony with his wife. They now wore their rings on necklaces around their necks. Even thinking about her now made him realize he was missing her. He began wondering when they would rejoin the others.

"He's getting closer to beating Kate's score," Edward muttered, "Plus, he's getting fed up again already. If he doesn't get it in the next thirty minutes, he calls it a day and heads to the orphanage to lift his spirits. So you'll see her soon."

Jasper's mood became a lot happier after hearing it. If he were Alice, he would be bouncing up and down in excitement. But he was a man of principle. He tried to keep himself disciplined. He would settle for slowly creeping toward the door until he could make a break for it. It was the best he could do.

After hearing his thoughts, Edward chuckled, "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

"Thank you," Jasper answered as he began putting his plan into motion to play games closer to the door to wait for Emmett to finish.

Meanwhile, the women of the family were touring the botanical gardens. Esme took the lead. She frequented often during this new visit because she had discovered something adorable. A gift from the family, mainly the girls. It was why Rosalie, Serafina, and Alice were upset they couldn't show her the new changes. Even though Alice could have gone, she didn't because she thought it would be unfair to go without the ones who implemented the plan.

The gift was a section of the gardens called Esme's Corner. You had to cross a small bridge underneath a flower arch to get to this garden section. The plaque stating "Esme's Corner" was listed on the arch. The entire nook was surrounded by flowers representing mothers: carnations, tulips, orchids, lilies, hydrangeas, and roses. Even the colors screamed 'mom'. Serafina remembered the flower language and knew Esme would understand. It was surrounded by a pond, which was the reason for the bridge. It was a secluded corner where one could relax.

It was Rosalie's idea once Serafina mentioned how the town would expand the gardens. But as soon as she mentioned it, they were besieged by an overexcited Alice who told them she wanted to help. Her contribution was a gorgeous hand-carved semi-circular limestone bench she designed and ordered from Italy. It was enormous. There was enough seating for the whole family, including their cousins, to sit and relax together. And the designs on this bench were stunning—exotic flower carvings with angels. But the words 'Mom' were prominent on each end of the bench. There was a pergola overhead to provide a bit of shading for themselves. It was a beautiful hidden treasure. Esme nearly crushed each into cracking with how emotional she became.

Although the teens would call their parent's mom and dad in public for appearances to normalize their cover as a family, they tried not to in private, but it still slipped. Serafina had asked the others why they tried so hard not to; they admitted they still remembered their biological mothers. They felt they were disrespecting their original mothers by calling her Mom now. They knew it was silly; technically, Esme had been their mother longer. But they liked to remember their human lives and human families. Serafina understood. She didn't remember her mother much, so she often slipped up by calling Esme amá a lot more than the others. But because she did remember her love for her father, she rarely called Carlisle apá. But the slip-ups were happening more often as the time went on for all of them. Alice didn't remember her family at all. She always wanted to call Esme and Carlisle her mom and dad and only stopped when she thought about it, feeling embarrassed to be the only one to call them that. But she felt better with the slip-ups happening more often for the others, so she wanted to contribute to this gift for her mother.

The boys were upset that they didn't get to contribute. Then Alice told them the cost of the bench and that she had taken money from each of their accounts, which she had access to when taking care of their stocks, to pay for it while she took care of the design. She had even told Carlisle that he also contributed money from his account to cover shipping and delivery since that was also incredibly expensive due to its immense weight. The boys didn't know how to feel with that information. But figured it was good when Esme had laughed and hugged and thanked all of them.

"I love this spot. It's beautiful," Esme muttered as she sat on the bench. Alice was lying with her feet in her lap.

Serafina lay her head in Rosalie's lap at the opposite end, the blond gently massaging her scalp. "That's good. I think the people working here would be furious if I changed the location again. This was the third spot," Serafina mumbled.

"What was wrong with the other spots?" Esme asked out of curiosity.

"One was too open; it would've been easy for people to see us even with the precautions we had in place to make it more hidden. And the other was too noisy. It was closer to the entrance," Serafina explained.

"We had to go around for a while before we found this spot. For some reason, the sound is naturally blocked pretty well here. I don't think the humans can hear us unless we yell. Plus, this area already had the pond and trees in place, so we added the flowers and trellises, so all sight lines are blocked now, too," Rosalie added.

"I knew you'd find the perfect spot," Alice commented.

"Of course you did! You had this bench delivered as soon as it was picked out!" Serafina said with exasperation.

"What you could've done was tell us where to find it and save us the trouble," Rosalie said in annoyance.

Alice had a broad smile, "I was excited! Plus, it looked like you two were having fun sneaking into those dark corners as you did in my visions. But it was strange. You two were always touching up your make-up afterward. Just what were you two doing in those dark corners?" Alice gave them a look of mock innocence.

Rosalie averted her eyes as she pretended not to hear the question. Serafina only had a slight grin.

"You're always excited," Serafina commented to ease Rosalie's embarrassment.

"I can't help it," she shrugged, "I love you guys. We have lots of fun together, so it's always exciting," Alice chuckled.

Esme smiled fondly at her girls, "We love you and your enthusiasm!" Esme pulled Alice by her feet closer to herself, causing a slight scream from Alice as Esme pulled her into a hug and began kissing her head, making Alice laugh, "Right girls?" she turned to Rosalie and Serafina, who were trying to hide their smiles at the interaction.

Rosalie sighed dramatically, "If we must," she said.

The girls began chit-chatting about nothing of importance. When Esme and Alice praised the new bracelet that Rosalie was wearing. A chunky yellow gold bracelet with a large ruby inlaid into it.

Serafina had begun experimenting with jewelry. Her heat allowed her to bend and mold metals to her will, and she had an abundance to play with. There were a lot of gemstones, too. She enjoyed experimenting, and Rosalie was happy she had found a hobby.

Rosalie had inspired her hobby. She had seen some chunky jewelry styles on MTV in music videos, and when she mentioned how much she wanted something similar, Serafina tried to make it. Considering the bands on TV wore more costume jewelry, Rosalie's was much better quality and more expensive.

Secretly, this hobby was also a way for Serafina to protect her love. Paprika tagging along on Rosalie's ordinary thin silver bracelet was too conspicuous. She couldn't restrain herself and loved to dance along Rosalie's wrist as though bored. But for some reason, she felt more protective being near significant amounts of gems and precious metals. So, she typically stayed put when they were combined, like on Rosalie's wrist. Almost as though she needed to protect the wealth along with Rosalie. When she hid in the ruby, she wasn't so eye-catching. Just as Serafina liked it, only Rosalie was privy to this secret bodyguard.

Not too long after, the family gathered in the town square. They figured Emmett would soon grow tired and meet them after playing with the children. They were right. They saw Jasper, Edward, and Carlisle relaxing in the shade and could hear Emmett playing with the children in the distance. It seemed Carlisle had gotten out early, saw the boys lounging, and decided to join them.

Jasper and Carlisle stood as the women approached. Alice ran to Jasper and jumped into his arms. She kissed his cheek as he held her while retaking his seat, holding her in his lap after the others sat. Carlisle patiently waited for Esme to join his side. He gave her a sweet kiss and only sat down after she sat down first. The girls found out Emmett had given up about thirty minutes prior, and now they were waiting for him to cheer up.

While they waited, they felt a vampire presence approaching the town. Even Emmett felt it from where he was. He zipped over to the others, and they all stared in the direction the company was coming from until they realized it had stopped. It stopped just at the edge of town.

Serafina stood as did everyone else. They then quickly looked to Alice, who hadn't moved from Jasper's lap.

"I don't see him causing any trouble. It should be safe," Alice quickly said.

"Who is it?" Emmett asked.

"I don't know, but I saw a red cloak," Alice said knowingly while looking straight at Serafina.

"I want to see!" Emmett yelled.

"They seem to be waiting. Should we go see what they want?" Carlisle asked with concern.

"I'll go," Serafina said, "You should all wait here. I'll be back soon."

Rosalie stood after hearing and began walking in the direction of the presence. Serafina tried to stop her but was given a particular look by Rosalie. Serafina knew to stop trying. She sighed as she managed to get her to wait while looking at Alice to ensure it would be okay.

"We should all go! There's safety in numbers, after all," Esme said with worry.

"Serafina, Rosalie, and Edward going is enough," Alice said with a slight frown. She appeared to be confused. The others paused momentarily, unsure what to make of that look.

"What's wrong?" Carlisle asked.

"I don't know what he wants or why he's here. I can't see that. But. I know they'll be okay," Alice answered.

"Are you sure we shouldn't all go?" Esme asked again. She looked at her three children, who were preparing to go.

"We'll be fine. I'll see you all soon. We should leave today, though. That's what Alice's vision showed. Serafina and Rosalie will catch up with us later, I guess," Edward said in a questioning tone while looking at Alice, who nodded in agreement.

The three sped over to join the presence waiting at the town's edge. The man never entered. He stood at attention as soon as the three approached. Edward and Rosalie stopped, but Serafina took another step forward. He quickly knelt and brought a letter out, "I have a letter for Miss Hart from Master Marcus." He said, holding the letter up as though it were treasure.

"Who are you, and who is your commanding officer? Do you have an ability?" Serafina brought up an authoritative tone while speaking with him.

"My name is Elias Hauser, and I serve in a patrolling squadron led by Brigadier Daniel Benoit. I'm a fire ability user," the man answered.

"Fire ability?" Serafina muttered as she looked at the man. She then looked at him again, "Remove your hood."

The man removed his hood, showing a head full of shaggy blond hair and high cheekbones. She did recognize him from when she led the fire ability users. She nodded in acknowledgment, "I remember."

"Yes, ma'am. I served under your Seraphim for a time. Now I get to travel the world," he smiled, and he soon regained himself, "But ma'am, I was told to deliver this letter by the king himself. It's for your eyes only." He said while eyeing Rosalie and Edward.

Serafina felt something was off about this ordeal but kept her mind blank because of Edward. She would think it over after he left, "Did you or anyone in your squadron look at this letter?"

"No, ma'am. I kept it safe on my person at all times," he answered, "King Marcus said you could tell if I'm lying or not. But after being part of the Seraphim, we fire ability users are held in very high regard, so no one would ever try to take anything from me." He answered with pride.

Serafina looked at Edward.

"He was curious, but he never peeked. He never even allowed anyone to know about it, just in case," Edward answered.

"Thanks Ed," Serafina said to him.

"You better tell us what it says later," Edward said as he rejoined the others.

"We'll see," Serafina smiled as she looked back at Elias, "Now for you, forget what you've done here. Tell no one. As a reward," Serafina thought for a moment.

In the welcome sign's shadow, Serafina, Rosalie, and Elias stood outside town. People exiting town wouldn't be able to see them. But they could easily see those entering and exiting. The three saw a car leaving town erratically. It was a car Serafina and Rosalie recognized. She could see his eyes from the rearview mirror as he drove away, knowing it was the drug addict she disliked.

"From what I remember, you enjoy playing with your food," Serafina mused aloud. Elias nodded with confusion, "Then, as a reward, I'll allow you to hunt a human from my town. But I don't want you to simply catch him and feed from him. No. I want you to kill him and his drug-dealing friends. You can have as much fun as you like. But no collateral damage." She ordered with a slight gesture toward the car, "If he doesn't take you to his drug dealing friend immediately, then I permit you to track him through town if needed. Your time limit is one week. If Danny questions you, tell him this is what I ordered."

An evil grin spread across his face, "I wonder what a drug addict tastes like. Maybe we can get a little bit of a buzz from it, too," He laughed as he gave her a bow, "Thank you, ma'am." He said as he quickly followed the car.

"What's going on?" Rosalie asked while eyeing the letter in Serafina's hand.

"Wait, we have to wait until the others leave," Serafina answered.

They went home where the others were already packed and ready to go, "Why can't we read it together?" Emmett whined.

"If it's important, I'm sure Serafina will let us know," Carlisle tried to comfort everyone. They nodded, then said their goodbyes after Rosalie and Serafina agreed to be only a day behind.

Once they left, Rosalie looked at her mate, "Now, can you tell me what's happening?"

Serafina agreed. She explained what she had realized. Marcus had something important to tell her. Aro would read everyone's minds upon meeting but didn't read everyone's minds all the time. That would be exhausting. Once the vampires were recruited, they would only speak to leadership afterward. The man Marcus asked to run the errand was only a subordinate that Aro would never call over to mind read.

He was part of Danny's traveling squadron and would have the opportunity to see Serafina. He was part of Serafina's Seraphim and respected her and her power so that he would follow orders obediently. For the same reason, no one would find it suspicious if he went to meet her at any time. It would just be considered him seeking advice from a former mentor. Serafina knew all of these things. Marcus wanted to tell her something important without the other kings' knowledge.

Rosalie nodded in understanding as she took the letter from Serafina with shaky hands to open it. The two read it together. Rosalie's hands became shakier as she went. Serafina finally took the note from her hands and burned it. She then cradled Rosalie to herself, "Shh, it's alright. I'll be careful."

"We have to be very careful," Rosalie whispered, holding onto Serafina as tightly as she could. They would have to be extra careful in the future as a family. She would have to tell the others as soon as they went back. They didn't need to know everything, just that they were keeping an eye on Sera. Even though Sera burnt the letter, Rosalie remembered every word. If she could sleep, she would probably have nightmares about it.

Dear Serafina,

We have had reports about your town. It has existed for a long time without us needing to scrutinize it under Volturi Law. There was never a need to. You never broke any rules. I doubt you have even now.

But a recent report was made on its expansion and on a particular statue that was seen. There are no whispers of vampires. But Caius has been on the warpath to find a way to stop you should you ever step a toe out of line in the future. He is looking for any excuse.

Beware.

I know you have no fear of death, considering we had tried to kill you before. Although Aro and Caius claimed it to be a test, do not doubt they would have killed you then were they able to. They would prefer to stop potential threats before they become a problem.

This time is different.

Caius has requested the assistance of a traveling witch. She is known for her skill in binding spells. She's the reason Lady D and her daughters can't leave their town. She provided two spells that, when combined, could stop you.

We do not think we can kill you with your ability. But we believe we have found a way to trap you with her help.

I do not wish to see any harm come to you. I occasionally enjoy your company. So, I decided to tell you the plan.

Should you break a rule, you will be judged guilty immediately and immobilized by Alec's ability. Then, the witch's spell will be thrown onto your person. Once it's on you, we believe it will numb or lock your ability enough for our earth ability users to trap you in your own custom stone coffin. They will then bury you beneath the second spell, which will lock you into place forever.

Do not give them an excuse. Or avoid getting caught. Whichever you prefer.

This was only a friendly reminder. I hope you have been well.

M

Chapter Text

A gorgeous group walked together in pairs down the busy sidewalk. Drawing eyes from all directions as they moved—the eldest appearing couple in the lead. The man held his arm out to escort his wife. They moved gracefully forward with gentle smiles.

A group of teens followed the couple. Two fierce-looking women who held hands and kept their faces ahead as though everything was beneath them. The blond kept a blank look while the brunette smirked slightly. Just behind the two women was a tall blond male giving a petite brunette female a piggyback ride. The male had a small, doting smile while the female hid her face in his shoulder while she laughed. And behind them all were two tall male teens who were discussing whether or not aliens could exist. The other teens in front would join in with their opinions on occasion. This was also why the petite brunette kept laughing. The discussion was getting reasonably intense, which made it funnier.

"We shouldn't be doing this. We should be keeping a low profile at all times," Rosalie finally interrupted the discussion. This statement caused groans to erupt from all the other teens.

"You've been such a buzzkill since that warning! It was just a little reminder. We're always good anyways," Emmett grumbled.

"He's right," Esme said with a small smile as she stopped to look up at Rosalie. She affectionately held her cheek, "You're too hard on yourself and your siblings. We always play it safe. No one has ever gotten too close to suspect anything. Alice and Edward make sure of it. We don't draw attention." She said with a reassuring smile.

The family looked at her incredulously as they looked around them at the New Yorkers currently gawking at them while pretending not to.

"Well, we can't help it if we look good," Esme rolled her eyes, "This amount of attention is normal. They don't think anything else of it," she defended and rejoined Carlisle, who only chuckled at her response.

The family accepted that answer.

"Baby, they're right. You've been too worried. We've been good. You deserve to have fun every once in a while. Relax. This is just a little vacation in The Big Apple. There is so much going on at all times that people won't remember us," Serafina said as she released Rosalie's hand and put her arm around her waist, bringing her closer. She then kissed her cheek, "Please? I've shown you my home. You still haven't shown me yours. We can stay a few extra days after our nerdy little trip to the museum."

"Hey!" Jasper exclaimed in offense.

"You brought us to a museum, Jazz. It's educational. That makes it nerdy," Serafina explained.

"No, no, no! It's not that bad! It's a pirate exhibit! It's not like we're learning at an actual museum!" Emmett defended as he covered his eye with his hand, "Argh matey!"

Strangely, even Edward grinned as he gave an "argh" back. The whole group laughed as they all tried their hands at being pirates. Serafina even did her own as she crooked her finger in a faux pirate hook and poked Rosalie in her belly. They all waited for it.

Rosalie finally laughed and gave them all an "argh" back, allowing them to continue to the museum happily.

"Jazz told me this is a special exhibit they're putting on after discovering a lady pirate! That's exciting, right?" Alice said from her position on Jasper's back.

"Really? A woman pirate? That is exciting!" Esme commented.

"Amazing. She must have been remarkable to get her men's respect," Carlisle commented.

"A tough S.O.B.," Emmett agreed.

"I'm curious to see what they found. A lady pirate is pretty impressive," Edward agreed.

The family entered the museum and checked their coats. Then, they stopped to figure out their game plan. They debated whether to start clockwise, counter-clockwise, or go straight to the main event, which was advertised as the lady pirate.

"We should split up. I don't want to keep hearing about how bored those two are," Edward gestured with his chin toward Serafina and Rosalie.

Rosalie was currently looking at a loose thread in Serafina's sweater. She was trying to decide whether to pull it out or not but wasn't sure if it would cause a bigger problem. She was just about to ask Esme's opinion when Edward made that comment. She and Serafina both looked up at him and glared.

"We didn't even say anything!" Rosalie scoffed.

"You didn't have to say anything," Edward said, giving the two a knowing look.

'Fuckin' stupid,' Serafina thought.

"See, that right there," Edward gestured to Serafina, "You thinking that about the exhibit, I can do without that."

Serafina looked him square in the eye, "I wasn't thinking that about the exhibit." She said with a large mocking smile now covering her face. Standing just behind her, Rosalie couldn't help looking over Serafina's shoulder to give Edward a mocking grin of her own. She could only imagine what Serafina thought, but considering Serafina's reaction, she could guess.

Edward frowned as he turned away from the couple.

Esme quickly shut the two down with a look, "Sorry," Serafina said to Esme. Looking at Edward with narrowed eyes, she said, "Then you go to the left. And we'll go to the right."

"I'll go with you, Ed!" Emmett practically shouted as he jumped to Edward's side when he noticed Rosalie signal Esme. The two women were now looking over the loose thread. He didn't want to be delayed. He just wanted to look at the exhibit.

"We'll go ahead!" Alice said with a smile. She had already dropped from Jasper's back and now skipped ahead with Emmett as Jasper and Edward followed.

Esme deftly pulled the thread without affecting the rest of the sweater. Rosalie gave a sigh of relief that the sweater wasn't damaged. She gave a grateful smile to her mother.

"Now, you girls better not do this on your own. You can make it worse by doing that. But Mama knows her clothes," Esme winked.

"Thanks, Mom!" Serafina smiled.

"Well, ladies? Shall we?" Carlisle asked as he offered his arm to his wife and looked at his two daughters.

"Actually, I think we will start from the other direction. I don't want to end up smacking Edward," Serafina pointed in the opposite direction of the others.

"We'll meet at the main event later," Carlisle nodded as he and Esme walked away.

"Why are we starting in that direction?" Rosalie asked.

"Because I saw a closed-off staircase. I think the upstairs of this place is empty, and we can have some fun up there," Serafina whispered in Rosalie's ear as she gave her ear a light nip.

Rosalie gave a low gasp as she looked back at Sera, "All right, but we can't go all the way! We have to be quick. We have to meet the others later." The two smiled as they snuck away.

Thirty minutes later, the family, minus the female couple, finally made it to the main event. They were all slack-jawed at the sight. There were many artifacts on display to support this pirate queen theory. But they knew better. They just didn't know what to make of it.

"But," Emmett began.

"This isn't true," Edward mumbled.

"I believe it!" Alice said with a laugh.

"No, she wouldn't," Jasper said firmly.

"We'll just have to wait until they get here to ask," Carlisle said.

"They've been a while," Esme said while looking at her watch, "I wonder how she's going to take this."

The two women in question came over while giggling. They didn't know why their family stared at a particular exhibit, looking immensely confused. But they didn't care. Rosalie tried to act nonchalant about their tardiness.

Before Rosalie could make an excuse, she was abruptly cut off by Emmett, "No one believes you. We all know you two were off somewhere sucking face. We don't care. But Serafina, you'd tell us if you were a pirate, right?"

Rosalie was embarrassed for only a moment before Emmett's question completely threw her off. Rosalie moved over to join Emmett's side as she looked at the exhibit, but her jaw dropped as the others had. Then she turned her gaze to Sera.

Serafina wasn't embarrassed. Only confused. "What pendejadas are you talking about?" she asked as she went to the front of the exhibit, where her own jaw dropped. But the shock was quickly replaced by sadness. But even the sadness only lasted momentarily before her anger erupted.

"That's my stuff!" Serafina growled out.

The humans around subconsciously stepped back from the gorgeous group, deciding to wait until they cleared off before checking out the exhibit themselves.

"You were a pirate queen?" Jasper asked incredulously.

"No! That's just my stuff!" she said in annoyance. She almost reached out to break the glass, but Rosalie could see her intentions at a glance and immediately held her back.

The trunk she had stashed away near the docks in Mexico was displayed. She had forgotten to return for it after she made it home more than a hundred years before. The dresses the queens gifted her were all placed on mannequins. There were two gold bars with her brand placed on them. She didn't want to travel carrying them, so she only melted down a few to carry on her person, along with some precious stones.

Her anger dissipated when she realized there were too many witnesses to do a smash-and-grab there and then. The sadness came back. She explained to the others how her things had shown up there.

"Well, okay, but what about that door? They say it came from a ship sunk in the Yucatán Channel. How did that symbol get there?" Carlisle asked.

A large wooden door was off to the side as a decorative piece. It was remarkably well preserved. The sign's explanation stated it was because that part of the ship had sunk deeper and was quickly covered by sand, protecting it from rotting underwater with the rest of the ship, and only the captain's quarters had survived.

She recognized the door. It was the one she had threatened the ship's captain with. Her mark was clear as day on it. The flame with wings surrounded by the heart. Yes, this was her work, alright. How did the door get there?

"Where is that channel again?" she asked curiously. She wasn't a fan of geography.

"It's between Mexico and Cuba," Emmett said. He was a fan of geography. He had a new hobby of his own now. The family had begun watching X-Files as a family a few years prior. And although they hadn't had a Bigfoot episode yet, Emmett still believed. He would now leave on occasion to travel in hopes of seeing one.

"Between Mexico and Cuba?" Serafina mumbled. She then looked to the others, "I didn't sink his ship. It was just a threat. I don't know who did that. But I was never a pirate. I only chartered his ship the one time from Italy," she shrugged. She wasn't in the mood to explain things further. She was upset about her stuff.

She looked around a bit more at the items in the exhibit. They had even put the large stone marker in there. She had placed the marker to remind her where she hid the trunk. It was also used to block the opening where she hid the trunk. No one should've been able to discern what it was or what was hidden behind. It was nearly five hundred pounds. And her symbol that she carved on it was small. It wasn't something that would've been noticed with a glance. How did they find it? How did they move it? She clenched her jaw as she kept glaring.

Rosalie watched her expressions change with worry. As did her family. They weren't sure if she'd blow up at any minute. They constantly changed from watching Serafina to Alice and Edward.

Serafina finally froze as her expression changed to a look of horror. But when they looked at the others, Alice was still reviewing her vision. In contrast, Edward couldn't help his chuckles. When they looked at him, he had a wide grin, "she just remembered she had a few other stashes scattered around Mexico from other trips she had done before. She's scared they might have been touched, too."

Alice shook Serafina's hand to draw her attention once she returned to herself, "I saw you get to a few spots, and your stuff was still there. You'll be fine."

Serafina didn't look much better. She gave Rosalie a pleading look, who immediately brought her in for a hug. Rosalie knew her mate had an unhealthy obsession with her treasures. But she turned to her family, "We're going to go get her stuff. We'll have to do a New York trip some other time."

"Ooh! Can I go? Maybe I can find Bigfoot down south?" Emmett asked excitedly.

Rosalie and Serafina gave each other a devious look. It was quick, too quick for the others to catch. Then they innocently looked at Emmett, "Yeah, of course! Let's go!" Rosalie smiled.

After the three hugged the others for a quick farewell, Emmett pumped his fist in victory as he waved goodbye to the family and happily followed behind the two women. The family watched suspiciously but waited until the three left before turning to Edward. They might not have seen the look the two women gave each other, but they still knew each of their characters.

Edward rolled his eyes, "They took him to carry their stuff."

The family nodded in understanding as they went back to enjoying the exhibit. Alice and Edward weren't concerned, so they knew the three would be fine. They would just have to wait for them to finish their treasure hunt.

Chapter Text

The loud music in the bar was vibrating through their bodies as they danced. The couple kept away from the speakers so it wouldn't blow their ears. But they still couldn't help themselves as they stayed on the dance floor. Depending on the song, their physical contact was either heavy or light, but both women danced seductively with each other. The two shamelessly flirting and teasing through dance.

"I love it when it's just the two of us," Serafina said into Rosalie's ear. Thankfully, the two could still hear each other clearly without raising their voices, and the humans around couldn't hear a word.

Rosalie turned around, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend's neck to smile at her, "You're mean to Emmett." She laughed.

"I told him not to come," Serafina rolled her eyes.

"He's going to get beaten up," Rosalie smiled.

"That's why I told him not to come!" she answered with exasperation.

"He was our muscle when we got your treasures, so we wouldn't have to do the work. He did all the dirty work and never complained once," Rosalie reminded.

"And we went through the rainforest with him in search of Bigfoot," Serafina said blankly, "Do you know how ridiculous it is to say that out loud? But we did. And we didn't complain either."

Rosalie gave her a pointed look.

"Well, we complained less than usual," Serafina murmured, "that should make us even."

"The jungle was beautiful," Rosalie laughed, "And you have to admit. Those did look like some big human tracks. And there was a scent none of us had smelled before!"

"Don't remind me," Serafina fake gagged, "Why would he want to feed from that?"

Rosalie stiffened as she looked at Serafina in shock, "You think he wants to feed from it? He doesn't want to feed from it." Rosalie finished the thoughts in a bit of a whisper. Doubt was evident on her face as she thought, "God, I hope he doesn't want to feed from it." She shuddered.

"Then why were we looking for it?" She pulled Rosalie closer and shoved her face into her neck, "Mmm, now this is my favorite scent." She said as she lay a kiss on Rosalie's neck.

"I have no idea why we were looking for it. I kind of don't want to know now, either." Rosalie scrunched her nose in disgust, but her face cleared up as she stroked the back of Serafina's head shoved into her neck. She smiled at her mate, "I'll let you do more than just smell me if you help him out," Rosalie purred, "I'd help him myself, but I know you don't want me to go too far alone in here."

It was true. The two were in a lesbian bar. They could dance freely without being gawked at by male patrons. But that didn't stop some brave women from approaching. Although neither was interested in the least. Serafina's possessiveness didn't just extend to her gold. Rosalie was her treasure as well. She didn't stop her from befriending people. But she didn't want her to be alone in a place where multiple people considered her a conquest. She hated walking away momentarily and turning back to see several people trying to talk to her girlfriend.

She figured she should go with her girlfriend to help their brother. She sort of liked Emmett anyway. Who was she kidding? She was only going because Rosalie wanted her to. She thought it would be funny to see Emmett get kicked out by a group of lesbians, but if Rosalie wanted her to help. She would help.

Times had changed; gay men and women were more abundant. The couple could call each other girlfriend now. Rosalie and Serafina were openly gay; they didn't care about the discrimination they received. People were a bit more understanding than before. But not everyone in the community was open.

Yes, there was more acceptance, so these establishments were created. There were more people to enjoy them. It was for men and women to have places to be themselves. And they were fiercely protective of their safe spaces, and with good reason.

Just the year before, a young gay man was taken to a field where he was beaten and tied to a fence, where he eventually died from his injuries. Hate crimes such as these still happened. Of course, the community had to protect themselves. And it was very suspicious for a man to be at a lesbian bar. It did happen. But usually, they were invited by a friend.

When these women had seen the sizeable muscular man walking not too far behind the beautiful couple, he immediately drew all eyes. Emmett could be dense in some situations, but he was actually a very bright man. Although he was used to women's eyes being drawn to him, this was different. He could sense the hostility coming from all directions. He didn't stop; he felt he could befriend them eventually, but he lost Rosalie and Serafina in the crowd. He didn't think he should roam to find them, not wanting the women here to misunderstand, so he tried to walk as unassumingly as he could to the bar. He sat and ordered a drink to appear normal. The bartender ignored him as she continued assisting the women around.

A more assertive woman finally couldn't take it anymore; she approached Emmett, "What are you doing here?"

"Here? Trying to order a drink," Emmett answered thoughtfully, "I don't think she heard me, though. When she comes back, I'll try to get you one too."

"I don't need you to order me a drink, buddy. I can get my own drinks," she answered with her brows furrowed.

"You're in the wrong place if you're trying to buy us drinks," another woman said from his other side.

Serafina and Rosalie finally appeared behind him. Emmett felt himself relax, sensing his sisters coming to his rescue. His smile began to spread.

"Is this the guy who was following us before?" Serafina asked while holding his shoulder to pull him back to look at his face, "I have never seen him before in my life." She said while pretending to look over his face.

Emmett's face dropped as he saw the glares start to appear on the women's faces.

Rosalie chuckled as she shoved Serafina, "Stop," she scolded. She then looked to the women who were starting to surround Emmett before, "He's with us. He's my brother. He wanted to make sure we would be safe on our walk home later, so he came with us."

Emmett stood up and hugged Rosalie with gratitude, "At least one of my sisters loves me!" he said while glaring at Serafina, who only shrugged in response.

"Sisters?" One woman questioned. They had noticed Rosalie's and Serafina's closeness. They didn't look like sisters.

Rosalie and Serafina didn't feel a need to explain things to anyone. Once they were sure Emmett was alright, they returned to the dance floor, completely ignoring the question.

Emmett watched them leave. He thought they were rude for not answering. He just turned back to the woman who asked and the other women present. They were no longer hostile. Now, they were just curious about this beautiful couple.

"Well, yeah. Sisters. Rosie, the blond, she was my sister first. But then she fell in love with Serafina, the brunette, and now she's my sister too," Emmett proudly answered with a giant smile, "I'm Emmett, by the way. Nice to meet you all."

The women present all felt much better about Emmett's presence. He wasn't there to cause trouble at all. They didn't even think he had it in him to hurt anyone for something like who they love. A few women immediately took a shine to him and asked if he wanted to dance. Emmett immediately agreed, and it didn't take long for him to sidle over to his sisters, where he gave them a grin and continued dancing with his new friends.

Soon, Serafina and Rosalie were subtly pushed to the dance floor's edge as Emmett had a crowd circling him while cheering him on. He seamlessly went from the running man into the Roger Rabbit dance move, which impressed the crowd. They found it hilarious but impressive, too. Emmett was the life of the party. Emmett finally ran up to the DJ near the bar's closing time and tried asking her to play the Macarena before Rosalie and Serafina decided it was time to call it a night. Serafina grabbed him as she dragged him out, Rosalie apologizing profusely for her brother. The women waved them off. They thought Emmett was hilarious and even said he would be welcome anytime.

"Aw, you guys are no fun! I was having a blast with my new friends!" Emmett complained as he sat down in Rosalie's car's backseat.

"Sorry, but we have a long drive back! This was supposed to be a little date for us," Rosalie explained. She had already begun to drive.

"What a nice little date. Sometimes I wonder when I'll find my mate," Emmett sighed dreamily, "but it's better this way." He finished with a grin.

"You don't want to find your mate?" Rosalie asked with confusion.

"I'm a swinging bachelor! I can have any woman I want! Well, if she wants me too. But, those women from the bar aside, most women do." Emmett winked.

"Aren't the only other vampire women you know, the Denali?" Serafina asked.

"Well, yeah," Emmett slumped, "I want to travel more to find more vampire women. I'm sure they'd love to have me. Hey! I think Alice mentioned you had a friend in Louisiana! Can you introduce me?"

"Friend in Louisiana? I don't have a friend in-," Serafina suddenly froze before finishing her comment.

"What?" Rosalie noticed the slight discomfort Serafina was somewhat displaying as she shifted in her seat.

"Nothing," Serafina cleared her throat, "I mean, I wouldn't say she's a friend. I only met her one time. Didn't even say much." She turned away. She felt guilty, although nothing actually happened.

Rosalie noticed the guilt. She clenched the steering wheel, "I don't remember you ever mentioning your friend. What's her name?"

"See, that shows we're not friends. She's just an acquaintance. Her name is Yvonne. I never kept in touch—no idea how she is. I don't even know if she's still in Louisiana. Maybe she's dead?" Serafina shrugged. Still not looking toward Rosalie.

Rosalie clenched her jaw as she noticed how Serafina was refusing to look at her. She began to grip the steering wheel harder, but when she heard it creak, she eased up on her grip.

Emmett sat in the back seat, curiously watching the two interact. He innocently moved forward from his spot in the middle to lean over the center console to look between the two, "We didn't tell the others when we'd be back. We could swing by and see if she's still around."

"I don't think that's a-," Serafina tried to intercede.

"I think that sounds like a great idea," Rosalie interrupted.

"That's what I'm talking about, Rosie! Let's flip a bitch and head back south! Whoo!" Emmett cheered from the back.

The three headed toward Louisiana. Serafina relaxed along the way. She never did anything wrong. She should be fine. However, she'd beat Emmett's ass later for doing this to her. That thought did make her feel better.

Emmett excitedly chattered along the way. He was excited at the thought of meeting another vampire. He hoped she would be a new, no-strings-attached relationship for him. But he would be happy with just having a new vampire friend. Emmett was so excited he didn't notice Rosalie's dangerous silence or Serafina's half-hearted responses as she indulged him while monitoring Rosalie's side. To him, he was having even more fun. A trip to New Orleans with his sisters to meet a new vampire friend. He didn't see how anything could go wrong.

Chapter Text

The three explored New Orleans. Rosalie was in a bad mood for the first few days. Serafina tried to soothe her the whole time but to little effect. Thankfully, she soon relaxed as the days passed with no other vampire presence around. She allowed herself to have fun with her beautiful mate and brother.

But their fun and games soon ended when the three felt a vampiric presence approaching when taking a shortcut through an alley. Emmett was soon mysteriously flung into a wall, where he groaned as he slumped to the floor for a brief moment but quickly stood up. They'd rough house quite a bit as a family, and he was used to being thrown around now. It hardly even phased him anymore. He groaned and mumbled to himself in complaint as he stood up and eyed the direction the newcomer was coming from.

"You three have been wandering around my territory for four days. I thought you were here to kill me, but you just kept going around and around like tourists. I'm sick of it! If you're going to try to kill me, let's just get this fight over with. I'll finish you three before dinner," a beautiful African-American woman declared as she strolled into the alley to join them. Her speech and approach were incredibly intimidating to ordinary people.

But not to these three.

"Is this your friend?" Emmett asked with excitement.

"Friend? I don't fucking have friends. Friends are a weakness. They drag you down," Yvonne laughed, "You must have me mistaken for someone else."

"Yeah, that's my friend," Serafina answered Emmett, ignoring Yvonne's spiel.

Yvonne was momentarily confused, but she got closer and immediately recognized the brunette, "Ms. Hart?" she asked in surprise, "you know that offer expired, what? Fifty years ago?" She got closer and eyed Serafina up and down. She was even glancing back at the blond but immediately lost interest. Ms. Hart had her eye, "You know what? I still really like your face. Offer is still on the table."

A growl erupted from behind Serafina, startling everyone but Serafina. It was very threatening; even Yvonne stepped back. Rosalie's eyes immediately turned black in her fury. She pulled Serafina behind herself as she glared at Yvonne with her snarl still on her face.

Yvonne was embarrassed for having gotten scared and became angry at herself. She crossed her arms and looked at the blond, "Fine, your friends can join too."

Emmett looked incredibly disgusted as he held his stomach and looked at this new woman, "Oh god, no thank you. Leave them out, and you and me can have fun."

Yvonne was surprised. A male declining to be with two additional stunning women for sex. Why? He didn't look like the blond. They shouldn't be related. Her confusion was written on her face, so Serafina decided to clear things up.

Serafina calmed Rosalie as she held her hand and stepped forward, "Yvonne, it's been a long time." She grinned, "There's a reason for that. You see this woman here?" she brought Rosalie forward. Rosalie had a large frown, "this is my beautiful mate, Rosalie Hale."

"Pleased to meet you," Rosalie muttered. She wasn't pleased.

"And this is her coven mate, Emmett Cullen. They're like brother and sister." Serafina gestured to Emmett's prominent figure.

"They're both my sisters, so it's a no-go from me on anything sexual with them. I know I can talk a mean game sometimes, but I'm not serious. It will be a hard pass for me if they're involved," Emmett said while smoothing his clothes out as he extended his hand to shake with Yvonne. She only eyed it and looked up into his eyes as if he were stupid. But then she looked confused as she looked at him and then turned to Ms. Hart and Rosalie.

Yvonne was about to ask a question but stopped herself, "You know what? You just gave me a lot of information, and I have many questions. But this isn't the place to do that. Let's go to my house. Follow me."

The group made it to a bustling part of the city. Mansions lined the streets. But they surprisingly took a side alley between two estates and made it to a sizeable, converted carriage house just behind a gorgeous mansion. The carriage house was stunning, but Serafina was still surprised that she didn't live in the mansion.

"I helped out the family that lives in that mansion. As thanks, they converted the carriage house and allowed me to stay here indefinitely as their family continued to pass the main house down to their kids. They leave me alone. I protect those in the main house. It beats changing homes every few years like I'd been doing before," Yvonne explained.

Serafina realized that she did have it good when she was turned. She had money that her father left her. A home. Her ability gave her more control than others, so she was never under the mercy of her bloodlust. She could focus on business, make money, and do as she pleased comfortably. That must have been how the Volturi managed to stay ahead of the game and build wealth and power. With how businesslike their coven was, they never had to struggle for the basic amenities in life. It was no wonder why most vampires were nomads in contrast. How else could they survive under the radar when the world ran on money? Well, it could be done. But not comfortably. And it would always be tricky when you had to do business at night while hiding red eyes. She stopped thinking about it and followed the others to the home.

Although the converted carriage house was hardly even half the size of the main house, it was still larger than many homes. It was a mini-mansion. Very beautiful. The four entered and went to her living room with a well-stocked bar—one bottle outshining the others in Serafina's eyes.

"Sanguis Virginis? How did you get your hands on that?" Serafina asked with sparkling eyes. She couldn't help smacking her lips at the sight—the memory of its flavor resurfacing.

"Won that in a bet. The Volturi were initially trying to recruit me. When I declined, they decided to cut their losses and leave, but I talked them into a game of cards. Only the big guy took the bet, and I easily beat him for it," she grinned, "Haven't cracked it open yet. Want a taste?" she asked with a hint of flirtation.

Rosalie began growling lowly in warning, "Mate," she reminded.

"Right, that's strange, isn't it?" Yvonne mused, "I've never seen a same-sex mated pair. How does that work?"

"Probably how you and Serafina were going to hook up the one time. But instead of the one time, it's all the time for them since they belong together," Emmett guessed out loud.

Rosalie was still frowning until she heard his last statement. She perked up a bit at that 'they belong together' bit. And she smiled provocatively at Yvonne, who only rolled her eyes.

"Is he like that?" Yvonne asked, gesturing with her chin to Emmett.

"Yes, all the time. But no thank you for the wine. You were probably wondering about our eyes. We're vegetarians," Serafina said.

"I'm sorry? What do you mean vegetarians?" Yvonne questioned. She sat in the main seat of the living room, crossing her legs and gesturing for the others to sit as well.

"It's a joke. But we don't feed on people anymore. We feed on animals. You do that a few months, and your eyes turn gold," Emmett explained, "Pretty crazy, right?"

The look of disgust that graced Yvonne's face was familiar. Serafina nodded in understanding, "It's as nasty as it sounds. But there are benefits." She shrugged.

"Such as?" Yvonne asked.

"Coven mates with no infighting for leadership. No fighting for territory. We can walk about among the humans. They're not that afraid of us," Rosalie listed.

"Not that afraid?" Yvonne stopped her, "What does that mean?"

"Well, we are beautiful," Emmett said, shaking his shaggy curls out of his face to put on a sexy smolder, "Some people may find that intimidating." He said while using his hand to push his hair back, flexing his muscles, and never taking his eyes off of Yvonne.

Yvonne couldn't help herself as she took a good look at Emmett. She nodded in appreciation, "Alright, I get it. Our looks do make us a bit unapproachable." She then asked curiously, "And you? Those two are now off limits, I get it. I missed my chance with Ms. Hart. But what about you, white boy? I doubt you have a mate yet. You don't seem the type to shamelessly flirt like this if you had a partner back home."

"Single and ready to mingle," he said excitedly. He lost the debonair charm to his overeager usual self.

She laughed, "You're cute. Now that I know you're not encroaching on my turf, we can have fun."

"Yes! Let's do it!" Emmett said, jumping up in his joy. He began taking off his shirt.

"Down, boy. Your sisters are right there, after all. I don't think they're voyeurs," she said, turning to the two, "Or are you?"

"Fuck you! No one wants to see that!" Rosalie hissed in her offense.

Yvonne couldn't help laughing, "Alright, alright. But did you come all this way just to bring me a fucktoy?" she asked incredulously.

"My idea. Serafina doesn't have many friends, so I was curious," Emmett brought his hand up, "But I was hoping for this outcome. I'm down to be your fucktoy!" he grinned.

He readily explained how he was trying to find a new partner since he only had a few he saw regularly but that it still wasn't nearly enough, in his opinion. He had heard from his other sister about how Serafina had a friend in Louisiana and asked Serafina and Rosalie to take a road trip.

Yvonne admitted herself that she needed male partners. Most men who encroached on her territory dared to try and claim her land just for giving her a passably decent time. She typically had better sexual experiences with women but was willing to have either. Considering Emmett's attitude, she was looking forward to trying him out.

"I can show you a good time. You'll enjoy what I have to offer," Emmett smirked as he stood over her, looking down at her on her seat.

Yvonne didn't like hearing that from a man, "I think you're confused." She then used her ability to throw Emmett against the wall where she held him still, "You are my fucktoy. You better show me a good time. But I'm on top." She said as she stood and approached Emmett.

"I'm so turned on right now. This is great!" Emmett whispered.

Serafina shuddered, "Jesus fucking Christ, wait until we leave!"

"Hold on, I'm curious," Rosalie stopped everyone. Serafina looked at her with dismay.

"Nooo," Emmett whined, "Come on, Rosie. You guys should go now."

"Shut up, Emmett," Rosalie shushed him as she turned to Yvonne, "If you like being on top, why were you trying to hook up with Sera in the past?"

"Isn't Serafina a bottom?" Emmett asked with confusion.

"What makes you think that?" Serafina asked with curiosity.

"Because Rosie likes cars and sports, and you usually do whatever Rosie says," Emmett answered as though it were a matter of fact.

The three women couldn't help laughing at him. He cocked his head to the side with his confusion.

"That doesn't mean anything," Rosalie laughed.

The three ignored him after as Yvonne looked over at Rosalie, "To answer your question. I can go either way. But for men, I'm always on top. That won't ever change."

"You do whatever you want to him. But we want him back in one piece when you're done with him," Serafina said as she grabbed Rosalie's hand and began pulling her toward the door.

"Final question!" Rosalie yelled as she grabbed onto the doorframe to stop herself from being pulled entirely from the room.

Yvonne gestured for her to continue.

"Did you ever sleep with Sera?" Rosalie asked, gesturing to her mate.

Yvonne raised her brow questioningly to Serafina as a grin began to grow on her face.

"Don't you fucking lie!" Serafina pointed at her angrily, allowing her eyes to glow in threat.

"Why do you want to know?" Yvonne chuckled, "If you don't like the answer, will I get my chance?"

Rosalie narrowed her eyes at her in response.

"I'll bet Rosie wants to know if you ever hooked up because she wants to know if she should hate you or not," Emmett spoke up from his fixed place on the wall, "But Rosie would never give Serafina up. They work so well together. I think their only argument was when Rosie thought about cutting her hair like Rachel from Friends, and Serafina told her it was a bad idea."

"Shut up, Emmett," Rosalie said again. She did not want to remember that near-permanent hair mistake. Thankfully Sera did manage to talk her out of it.

Serafina nodded in agreement to Emmett's words behind Rosalie's back to warn Yvonne.

Yvonne understood, "No, we never hooked up. I offered, and we almost did. But a little girl interrupted us. Her and a tall blond male."

"Alice and Jasper," Emmett said, "They're our other siblings."

"You guys sound very Brady Bunch to me. Siblings hooking up and shit," Yvonne shook her head.

"Did the siblings hook up on the Brady Bunch?" Emmett questioned with shock.

"You're missing the point," Serafina rolled her eyes.

"It was Alice that stopped you?" Rosalie asked with surprise. But soon, a smile took over her face, "It wasn't too long after you met with Alice again that you guys found us, right?" she looked at Serafina.

"Right," Serafina nodded, understanding where she was going with that. She would have to thank Alice for stopping her would be dalliance in the past. But she would still beat her ass for telling their big-mouth brother about it.

Rosalie's attitude turned completely. She had a friendly smile on her face now as she turned to Yvonne, "Well, you guys have fun! We'll stay in town to do all the annoying touristy things but stay in a hotel so you don't have to worry about us." She then turned to Serafina, "Babe, get Yvonne's number so we can keep in touch in the future."

Serafina and Emmett weren't surprised by Rosalie's change. The attitude and anger only came because of Rosalie's jealousy. With nothing to be jealous of, she could be an angel. Yvonne was somewhat frightened but ran with it when she noticed Emmett's and Serafina's lack of reaction.

"We'll stay three days to sightsee. We'll come to pick him up on Tuesday and if he's not ready at that time. We'll assume you liked him and decided to keep him longer," Serafina answered.

"You'll just leave him with me?" Yvonne grinned.

"He's a smart boy; he'll find his way home," Serafina shrugged.

"You make me sound like a dog," Emmett grumbled with furrowed brows.

"Be a good boy," Rosalie laughed as she and Serafina walked out the door after taking down Yvonne's number.

Serafina and Rosalie explored The Big Easy together. With no need to sleep, they saw its charm in the day and its wild side at night. They enjoyed the music and fun for three days, just as they said. They made sure to see everything but still made time for each other in their hotel room.

They stopped at Yvonne's on their last day but could hear some activity within the home that made both cringe.

"I guess she liked him," Serafina groaned.

"We're not waiting for that to end. Let's just fucking go," Rosalie shuddered as she gunned the engine to flee as quickly as possible.

Michigan 1999

The two made it safely home, where they were welcomed by only a few members of the family. Esme, of course, was one as she sped to the two and engulfed each separately in a tight hug. Telling them how much she missed them, but she still double-checked the car.

She stood with her hands on her hips, "Did you two leave your brother in the jungle as some sort of prank?" she asked threateningly.

"No!" Serafina answered quickly. She was still afraid of making her mother angry.

"Why didn't we, though?" Rosalie asked Serafina seriously.

"I guess we forgot," she shrugged, "Where is Alice?" she asked Edward, who begrudgingly gave his two sisters side hugs. Jasper did the same right after.

Rosalie turned to their mother and told her about how Emmett was staying with their new friend in Louisiana for a bit when Serafina turned to her brothers to ask about Alice.

Edward smirked as he looked at Jasper, "Yeah, Jazz, where is Alice?"

Jasper had also given the two women hugs, "She knows Emmett blabbed, and you want payback. She knows you'll throw her painfully for a while and eventually sit on her. She wants to have fun first. Hide and seek. We're not allowed to help." He shrugged.

"Oh, I'll find her," Serafina smirked mischievously as she approached the forest.

The rest of the family smiled fondly as they watched her go into the forest searching for Alice. The family made their way into the house to discuss what was missed. They went over what happened with the family before delving into Rosalie's and Serafina's trip since they figured Alice would like to be present to hear about it, too. They just had to wait until Serafina found and punished her first. They missed the three while they were gone. They weren't sure how long Emmett would be gone, but they would miss him too in the meantime.

Chapter Text

Carlisle sent a message in advance for his family to meet up at the Treaty Line with the elders of the Quileute Tribe. Only three people showed up from the tribe—all highly suspicious older native males. One with somewhat of a 'gut' on him and gray hair, the youngest resigned to a wheelchair, and the third with glasses and snow-white hair. The Cullens kept a respectful distance from the imaginary line in the street they remembered from years before. However, their impeccable memory was unnecessary as it was now designated by a sign that read the entrance to the reservation.

"Thank you for coming!" Carlisle said with a friendly smile.

The tribal council members were afraid but did their best to hide that fact. They knew of the legends; although they were taught that they were true, seeing those legends in the flesh was still different. Nerve-wracking.

"Why are we here?" the eldest male with a head of snow-white hair asked.

"To make an addendum to the treaty," Carlisle answered.

All three men stiffened on the other end, and their heartbeats accelerated. The Cullens looked away uncomfortably for causing the fear. All except one. The tall brunette female looked up directly at them with curiosity. The old men were brave. Their heartbeats were going a mile a minute, but each attempted to calm themselves down while keeping blank faces. She could respect that.

But she also couldn't help herself.

"Does it count as killing them if their fear causes them to keel over on their own from a heart attack? Why would they send the old people?" Serafina asked quietly so the men wouldn't hear.

"No respect for their elders," Rosalie agreed under her breath.

"Enough!" Esme scolded lowly.

"Not to remove any of the terms. Only to add our new family members to the treaty. They will also abide by the terms of this agreement." Carlisle said while never stepping in their direction. He did not want them to fear his family more than they already did, "This also allows you to meet the newest members of our family. It's for everyone's safety."

"Terms? Plural? What terms?" Serafina frowned, "I assumed it was just no feeding from people here? What are these terms?"

Edward smiled as he looked between his parents with a grin. "You never clarified the terms before asking her to come and sign it? You know she doesn't like it when people tell her what to do. You know your daughter, right?"

Esme grew concerned as she looked to Carlisle in realization. They didn't think it through before coming straight to adjust the treaty. What if Serafina couldn't abide by the rules? What if she disrespected these men who came here out of goodwill? An awkward silence ensued. The Quileute elders looked toward the young female with concern.

"Serafina, there are very few rules. Please?" Esme pleaded.

"What are the terms?" Serafina asked again. There was a hint of annoyance in her tone. Were they making her bow down to a werewolf? She was only okay with the signing because she thought it was just one rule. No feeding from people in town, which would be easy. What was this nonsense about additional rules?

"No harming or killing humans in Forks," The wider male said.

"That means no feeding from humans or, should we say, biting them. We know what your bite can do," the man in the wheelchair clarified.

"That's easy," Serafina said, "What else?"

"Another is keeping it all a secret," Carlisle said, "Meaning we do not tell people about them being what they are, and they do not tell people what we are."

"Another easy one. I don't have many friends," Serafina answered lazily, "Are there more rules?"

"You can not step foot onto Quileute land," the one with white hair announced stoically.

Serafina cocked her head, "This is where we're going to have a problem." She began nodding to herself.

The three elders glared at her while Carlisle put his hand to his forehead in exasperation.

"It's not even that much land you have to avoid," Edward finally stated after shaking his head in disbelief.

"It doesn't matter. I can't control where I walk sometimes. You guys know this. Sometimes I just go where my feet take me," she shrugged as though that were obvious.

"Rosalie," Esme finally decided to ask for help.

Rosalie knew it would come down to this. She rolled her eyes at her family but stepped forward to help, "Baby," she grabbed hold of Serafina's hand and made her look at herself, "it's easy to follow this rule." She pulled her closer to the line, causing the three elders to move back, "This road is the only one that leads into their reservation. The only other entrances are to the left, where you'll have to climb some elevation and eventually hit a cliff that drops into the ocean. Or to the right, where it doesn't take long to hit small rivers that also empty into the ocean. Their land is more elevated in general. So, aside from those small rivers, you'll hit cliffs. The Quileute land has natural barriers," Rosalie explained.

"Ah, I see," Jasper whispered with a grin, "she's reminding Serafina of the work involved in reaching the reservation." He explained to the others.

"Too much work," Serafina balked, "Climbing or jumping over rivers? No, thank you. Are there any more rules I need to know about?" she scoffed.

"Nope, that's all the rules, baby," Rosalie cooed.

"Well, that's alright then," Serafina finally answered, "You may continue."

There was a collective sigh of relief from both sides.

Carlisle gave the elders an apologetic smile, "Sorry about the delay. They are ready to sign."

Esme calmly and slowly moved toward Carlisle, "I still believe introductions are in order, dear. We didn't meet with these men last time," she reminded her husband.

"My apologies. Where are my manners?" Carlisle groaned with a small smile as he welcomed Esme to his side and put his arm around her, "I'm Carlisle, and this is my mate Esme."

The three men understood what the mate bond meant to a vampire. Their legends explained the horrors of what could happen when something happened to the mate of one. They knew that his announcing what she was to him meant everything. He was informing them of his weakness while also informing them of his bottom line. All at the same time. The man with a head of white stepped forward with the treaty, allowing Carlisle to point out his and Esme's names. There were two columns for signatures, and both parents had their signatures side by side. Unintentional but very telling.

"Yes, we've already signed," Esme smiled. She pointed to another elegant signature just below Carlisle's, "This is our son Edward's signature." She gestured toward Edward, who nodded in acknowledgment toward the three men.

"The one below his is our daughter Rosalie's signature," Carlisle said, looking at Rosalie, who raised her chin as she looked at the three men. She then turned away to look back at Serafina with a soft smile. Carlisle gave the three men an apologetic look for her rudeness, "and below hers is our other son's signature. Emmett," Carlisle looked at his other son.

"Present!" Emmett said with a smile and a slight wave to the three elders.

"We now have more children! They're the ones who need to add their signatures," Esme said happily, "This is Alice and her mate Jasper." She said while bringing the two forward.

"Don't worry! We'll follow the rules!" Alice nodded seriously as she accepted the pen offered by Carlisle. She signed just below Emmett's signature and handed the pen to Jasper. He then broke the pattern of continuous signatures down the left column and signed next to Alice's signature several spaces below Esme's. He was signifying that only his signature could be beside Alice's.

Esme gave the two loving smiles and gestured for Serafina and Rosalie to step forward, "And this is the newest to join our family. She is Rosalie's mate, Serafina. She isn't one for rules, but she'll do her best to make Rosalie happy," She explained as she gestured for Serafina to step closer to sign.

Serafina stepped forward. She then dramatically set herself ablaze. The heartbeats from the old men accelerated again. Carlisle and Esme scolded her while apologizing profusely to the elders. But Serafina ignored them as she extinguished the flames on her hands to grab the paper and pen herself, "I'm just letting them know that I'm not as easy to kill as the rest of you." She told her family, "And if anything happens to my mate, I will have no problem razing this entire forest. City and reservation included. It wouldn't be the first time I destroyed an entire population when upset." She said as she calmly signed her name beside Rosalie's.

Rosalie reached for her mate. Serafina's flames knew to extinguish upon her approach. Rosalie hugged Serafina with a smug grin to the elders and her family. Rosalie always had an immense amount of pride when her mate showed off, even more so if she was doing it for herself. Her threatening the werewolves for herself was a thrill.

Serafina knew what she was doing. It wasn't just her regular power play. However, a lot of it was to display her superiority, but she was also trying to impress her girlfriend.

"You know, I've been reading your psych books, Jazz. I'm fairly certain Serafina is either a psychopath or a sociopath," Edward told Jasper. He didn't even bother lowering his voice as he continued, "I'm leaning more toward sociopath."

Jasper merely looked back at Edward and gave a subtle nod of agreement. But he quickly coughed and looked in the opposite direction. He felt two glares aimed at him as soon as he nodded, and he didn't want that attention.

"I mean, we're all a little crazy, right?" Alice said in Serafina's defense. The other teens glanced at Alice. She only shrugged. Rosalie let go of Serafina, and Serafina soon stepped to Alice's side and shrugged at Alice as she watched her mate approach their brother angrily.

Personally, Serafina agreed with Alice. She thought everyone did have a little bit of crazy in them. Maybe Edward was right, and she was a sociopath? She didn't think it was that big of a deal. And if she was a sociopath, it wasn't her fault anyway. She didn't care either way. But she would enjoy watching a fight between her love and their brother. So she wouldn't complain.

"Shut up, Edward!" Rosalie glared at her brother, "You can't go around diagnosing people when you're all 'emo' yourself!" she argued.

"Oh. This, coming from the textbook narcissist?" Edward asked through gritted teeth while getting worked up as he glared back at Rosalie.

The two began to take steps toward each other as though they were about to fight.

"Enough!" Esme finally raised her voice to scold the teens as she looked back at them, "This is not the first impression I wanted to make in front of the tribal elders!" Esme glared at the teens. She smiled sheepishly as she turned back to the elders, "I am so sorry for my children. I promise they are typically more well-behaved than this."

"Apologize," Carlisle said in a stern voice. Disappointment laced his voice as he turned to the group. It was tough to get that tone from him.

The two who were arguing faltered for only a moment before mumbling apologies.

But the two became increasingly upset as they thought about it. It was one thing to be called children by their parents daily for their act. But these men knew they were much older than they looked. Being called children in front of them while being scolded made both teens incredibly unhappy.

"Are we done here?" Edward asked with attitude.

"Yes, you all may leave if you like," Carlisle answered as he returned to the tribal elders with Esme.

Rosalie and Edward glared at their parents' turned backs. Edward soon zipped back to their new home. Rosalie marched over to Serafina first and held hands, interlocking their fingers before the two quickly followed Edward.

The other teens knew their siblings were embarrassed and upset. They gave each other knowing looks before turning back to the tribal elders.

"It was nice meeting you all, but we'll be heading back now as well," Jasper finally uttered.

"Again, we'll be good! Promise!" Alice said before she grabbed Jasper's hand and followed after her siblings.

"Kids," Emmett said while shaking his head. He then crossed his arms as he stood beside Carlisle.

"Em," Carlisle said softly, drawing Emmett's attention.

"Hm?" Emmett asked innocently.

"Please check on your siblings," he finished.

"Got it. I'll make sure they don't burn the house down," Emmett nodded. He then thought momentarily, "We might have to compromise, though. I say if need be, we sacrifice Ed's room." He then looked at his parents, who gave him incredulous looks as they reminded him of the elders' presence by glancing in their direction, "Oh, right! You're busy! I can make that decision for you then! Don't worry. If Rosie's mad and talks Serafina into lighting a fire, I'll aim her toward Ed's room." He winked as he sped away.

The vampire couple stood dumbfounded. Both tried to hide their embarrassment as they looked back at the elders.

The three tribal elders witnessed the entire ordeal. It reminded them of their own families, minus the scary teenage girl who could set herself on fire. However, they felt some of their female relatives could be pretty close to that level of scary.

"So, they will always be teenagers with an attitude like that?" the man in the wheelchair asked.

"Yes," Carlisle answered with a small smile.

"There are a few unhappy moments such as that. But there are more happy moments than anything. We love them no matter what," Esme added with a matching smile.

"I probably would've gone Psycho myself by now if I had to deal with that forever," the larger man said. That statement brought smiles from everyone. He then introduced their group, "I'm Harry Clearwater, this is Billy Black," he said while placing his hand on the man in the wheelchair's shoulder, "and that's Old Quil," he said, gesturing with his chin to the man with white hair.

"The treaty will be placed back in safekeeping," Billy announced as he handed the document to Old Quil.

"You aren't welcome on our land. All I can say is I hope you enjoy your stay in Forks. Forgive me if this sounds rude, but I hope your stay will be brief. Have a good night," Old Quil said with a nod as he turned to return to their parked car on the side of the road. The others muttered their goodnight to the couple before following Old Quil.

"Thank you for meeting with us. We appreciate it," Carlisle called out as he held up a hand in goodbye.

"It was a pleasure," Esme added with a smile.

The couple waited until the elders left before turning around to go home. They knew they had upset their children with their scolding. They hoped it wouldn't be as bad as Emmett suggested it could be. Otherwise, they would be heading toward a war zone. They hoped they could smooth things over easily but weren't entirely sure how the battle lines had been drawn. Would Rosalie and Edward be butting heads? Rosalie and Serafina vs Edward? Did they draw their siblings into teams? Or would they have found a common enemy and forgiven each other while preparing to give their ire to themselves? They would have to wait and see. But that was what parents had to deal with. They'd happily deal with their children together.

Chapter Text

The family divided themselves into two cars to head to the hospital to visit Carlisle. Esme liked to do it when they arrived at a new life. She wanted to introduce the family to the places they will likely be seen often in the future. She refused to admit the hospital visit was to stop any of Carlisle's coworkers from having untoward thoughts toward her husband. But the teens knew better. Her husband knew better, too. But he loved the visit.

They had taken separate cars because Edward had asked the family to be a bit more low-key with how they lived in these towns. They weren't entirely sure what he had heard in people's heads that made him more self-conscious, but they tried to help him feel more comfortable until he got over it. Rosalie loved the thought to an extent. Being more careful meant Sera was safe. That was good. But she refused to dress down as he requested. And she would only travel in his car when they had to. Otherwise, she still took her flashy red BMW convertible out.

Rosalie had several red BMW convertibles to choose from parked in the custom garage Serafina had built for her back in Texas. She protested buying one every year. But Serafina still got her one every six years or so. Claiming it was for safety reasons. They would always laugh and laugh after hearing her reasoning. But she loved them all and maintained them perfectly. None more than her first. But that was a classic she would only drive in Guardian's Grace.

The occasion now was one where she refused to ride in Edward's Volvo. So Rosalie had called out for the girls to ride with their mom in the Mercedes. Jasper sighed as he reluctantly got into the car with Edward and Emmett. He would have no problem driving with the girls, but when Rosalie yelled that out, she was already assigning him to the other vehicle.

It was Carlisle's self-scheduled lunch when his family arrived. He waited for them in the downstairs lobby. He was chit-chatting with the security guards at the front desk. He explained that his family may occasionally visit him, so he wanted to introduce his family to the people there. He had also told a few other nurses who assisted him most when he was working so they could also meet them. He did the usual and spoke openly, hoping others would overhear and sneak glances. This way, they could explain the family situation and allow the gossipmongers to spread the word. They liked to be the spectacle only once when possible.

Word had already spread, and several lookie-loos slowly made their way through the lobby, trying to glimpse the new family in town. Many had already seen the incredibly handsome new doctor; they were curious about what kind of woman could land such a catch. The gossip was happening in real time around Carlisle. He heard their whispers about his wife, some about his children. He constantly bragged about them, but only the people he had directly spoken to knew that he and his wife adopted all of their children. Some of the gossip he heard was people wondering out loud about his children.

Carlisle's face soon split into a large smile as his wife walked through the automatic doors. The rain that day was a bit more than the usual drizzle. It required umbrellas. She shook out her umbrella just outside the door before closing it and heading toward her husband. He kissed and hugged her as they walked to the side and waited for their children to enter.

"Hey guys! How are you all today?" Carlisle asked with a significant smile.

They chorused a good as they all kept a smile on their face—all except the two women, who still answered but didn't feel like smiling. They didn't feel like faking it, and neither could feel genuine when intentionally giving material to gossipers. They were in a bit of an unhappy mood after some of the joking earlier in the day. Although they didn't feel like socializing, they still wanted attention. They both kept a stance that accentuated their body proportions to the fullest. After all the practice over the years, they knew how to catch all different types of lighting to appear as if from a magazine yet still natural. They knew how to look good for their audience. The more envy, the better.

"How about we have lunch in the cafeteria?" Carlisle asked his family.

"Oh darling, I'm sorry, we had lunch at home," Esme apologized, "But I packed you a lunch, too. You can eat that in your office later." She said, handing him a lunch box.

Carlisle graciously accepted and turned to the security guards, "Hey Andy, Rich, this is my wife Esme. And these are our children: Edward, Emmett, Jasper, Alice, Rosalie, and Serafina." He said, gesturing to each teen as he named them.

The guards were not people Carlisle typically spoke to about his family. The elder guard Andy turned to Carlisle, "Now you're pullin' my leg, Dr. Cullen. You and your wife don't look old enough to have this many teens. Now that I think about it, I'm not sure how that could even happen medically. They look pretty similar in age."

The whole group began chuckling. Even Rosalie and Serafina cracked a smile. That would be unbelievable.

"They're adopted. My elder sister had an accident when I was younger, and I was given guardianship over her son, Edward. After I met and married Carlisle, we legally adopted him. Then we came upon the others one by one and fell in love. We couldn't turn them away. We've been a family ever since," Esme explained. The couple had made sure to stay a few feet away from the guards so they would have a reason to raise their voices for that explanation, knowing others were lingering around the periphery to eavesdrop.

"Oh, so none of them are related?" he asked curiously.

"Actually," Carlisle began.

"This one is my little sister," Emmett finished, placing his massive hand on Alice's head. Alice immediately frowned as she began smacking his hand away with a glare. She tried to shove him to create distance between the two but failed as Emmett only chuckled at her actions. This brought a pout to her face.

"Twins," Jasper and Rosalie recited simultaneously with matching bored looks as they nodded in the other's direction. They didn't understand how people thought they could look related. But people saw what they wanted to see to make up for their strange similarities.

The men were nodding and then looked in Serafina's direction with expectation. She frowned as she checked around herself. Were they stupid? There wasn't even anyone standing by her. Were they expecting her to turn her back, and she'd have a conjoined twin or something? She raised her perfectly arched brow at the two in confusion.

"Oh, sorry. Technically, Esme and Edward are related, Emmett and Alice, and Rosalie and Jasper. I don't know why I thought you'd have some relation to someone, too. It's like I was waiting for the pattern to finish," Rich explained while Andy nodded in agreement.

Before Serafina could make a snarky comment, Carlisle answered, "That's quite alright. No, Serafina is the newest addition to our family, and it was just her when she came into our lives."

Just as he had explained, some nurses with abysmal acting skills turned the corner, "Oh, hello, Dr. Cullen, crazy meeting you here! We were just on our way out for lunch. Is this the family?" one nurse asked.

"Susan! Eleanor! What good luck! Yes! This is my family. Let me introduce you," Carlisle began.

And the process continued as other doctors and nurses would miraculously show up just when the Cullens were in the lobby. The first week of the move was always the toughest as they would do these visits and off-handed explanations of the family. The usual spots were the hospital, grocery store, and high school. But they had to do it. At least small-town living had some advantages. They didn't have to explain anything after that first week because the gossip was usually spread to the four corners of town by the beginning of the second week.

They moved the week before school started but still had to go through the enrollment process. Esme liked to get that done the first week, too. She sometimes wondered how she always had what they needed for the paperwork. But Serafina was fairly sure Alice and Jasper used her town's lawyers for their paperwork for their moves. She didn't delve into it too deeply. As long as someone did it for her, she was fine.

Esme opened the doors to Forks High with her children following. She always loved how they did that. In some prior towns, other parents had commented that she looked like a mother duck with her ducklings following, and she loved that example. She confidently strode into the office with her teens.

"Ah, Mrs. Cullen! Hello! I see you brought the gang. You didn't need to do that. They could've just shown up a little earlier on Monday to come get their schedules," the secretary said as soon as she looked up and saw the beautiful family.

"Ms. Cope! Good morning! I know they could've, but I'm sure they would like to explore a bit to ensure they don't have trouble finding their classes later. I hope that's alright. I can assure you they will be on their best behavior!" Esme said. Giving the teens a particular look. Serafina and Emmett shrunk their necks out of habit when seeing that look.

"That'll be fine," she smiled. She went toward a stack of schedules she had placed specially to the side for these new students. She separated them to hand them to the teens individually, hoping to match a name to a face, "Sophomores first, Alice Cullen and Edward Cullen." She said, looking up. Alice and Edward stepped forward.

"Thank you!" Alice said with a large, infectious smile as she happily took her schedule from the woman. She then turned and skipped to the side to wait for Edward.

Edward gave her a small smile as he thanked her as well. He turned to his siblings, "We'll wait for you guys outside." The others nodded in agreement.

"Now for our juniors," she continued, "Emmett Cullen." She started.

"Present!" Emmett said as he also gave her a large smile as he accepted the paper. He then turned to his siblings, "Guess I'm more awesome than the rest of you. I got my schedule first, after all, for us juniors." He bragged with his arms opened wide as he boasted to his siblings.

"They're in alphabetical order, idiot," Rosalie rolled her eyes.

Ms. Cope stood with her mouth agape for a moment at his antics. But she couldn't control her chuckles.

"Yes, that's Emmett for you," Esme smiled.

"I think I heard that Alice and Emmett were biological siblings?" Ms. Cope asked in a whisper to Esme, not knowing the teens inside and outside the room could hear. The gossip had spread after all. She was curious. Esme nodded to confirm, "Well, you can definitely tell. Both seem incredibly sweet."

"Alice, wipe that grin off your face. She has no idea that your sweet and innocent look is a mask for the mischievous little gremlin you are underneath. If you ever wonder why we don't feed you after midnight, that's why," Rosalie muttered, causing the teens in the room to grin to themselves while the teens outside the room began laughing.

"Jasper Hale and Rosalie Hale, oh, the twins, right?" Ms. Cope called out to the blonds.

The two smiled and nodded in agreement as they accepted their schedules and joined their siblings outside.

"And last but not least, a Miss Serafina Hart. That is a very pretty name, by the way!" she smiled.

"Thank you," Serafina smiled as she accepted the schedule.

As she began to make her way out, Esme stopped Serafina, "Now, Serafina dear, tell your siblings that I still have some business to take care of here. So I'll meet you all back at the parking lot in thirty minutes, alright?"

Serafina nodded in agreement for show, but the others heard. As she stepped out, the others were already comparing schedules. It looked like the school was small. Some electives and such were mixed when it came to grades. They shared a decent amount of classes.

"I wonder what Esme still had to do in the office?" Emmett wondered aloud.

"She's telling the Principal and Vice Principal that Serafina is a horrible person and not to be surprised by that fact," Edward said with a smirk.

"Cállate idiota," Serafina said. Before stopping herself, for all the times she'd said it in the past, it would always just roll off the tongue for her when he spoke, "I mean, why do you say that, idiot?" she corrected.

"Because you are. And people should be warned," he said as though that explained everything.

"Shut up, really?" Rosalie asked. She then hesitated, "No, I don't believe you," Rosalie then asked Alice, "Did she decide to do it before? Did you see what she was going to do? What is she doing?"

Alice grimaced as Edward chuckled.

"See, told you. That's exactly what she's doing!" Edward said.

"It's not exactly like that! I mean, she is just trying to help you out!" Alice tried to explain.

Serafina frowned as Rosalie rubbed her back and tried to tell her they probably didn't understand the vision properly. They then continued to find each other's classes to determine if they could meet between classes.

Meanwhile, Esme had asked to speak with the Principal and Vice Principal in the office. The Principal offered Esme the seat in front of his desk and waited until she sat before taking his seat. The Vice Principal stood behind him to his left as she leaned relaxedly against the wall with an easygoing smile.

"Mrs. Cullen, we spoke on the phone before. I'm Principal Greene, and this is Vice Principal Sullivan," the older man spoke calmly while gesturing to his colleague just behind himself, who gave a small wave. He smiled friendly at Esme, "You mentioned you wanted to have a word? How can we help?"

"I'm sure you've already heard about my family's situation, is that right?" Esme probed.

The two looked at each other before turning to Esme guiltily, "We may have heard some rumors. But maybe it's best to hear directly from you?" Ms. Sullivan offered.

Esme smiled gratefully and explained their family situation as she had at the hospital before. But she needed to add a bit more this time. The trouble with the tribal elders and Serafina that had happened, and Edward's words reminded Esme that she did know her daughter. And she wanted to help her as much as possible: "Although she may not be my youngest, Serafina is the newest member of my family. Her past wasn't very pleasant. She was alone for a lot of it and doesn't know how to deal with people or authority very well." She cautiously explained.

The Principal and Vice Principal frowned at her words. But nodded to show they were listening and didn't interrupt.

"She is a brilliant young lady! If you were to test her, she would perform just as well as her siblings, but," Esme paused, unsure how to phrase it, and decided to spit it out, "She is not a fan of homework. But if you wanted to confirm that she understood a section, she could be quizzed or tested and ace whatever tests were thrown at her. Also, she will leave if she isn't appropriately challenged in class. If she isn't treated respectfully, this will also cause her to leave. And please don't allow anyone to touch her, or she will defend herself." She finally explained.

The more she explained, the worse it sounded, she knew. The frowns on their faces had disappeared and were replaced with matching looks of disbelief.

"She seems to be a very troubled child," Principal Greene said more to himself.

"She will defend herself? Is she a violent individual?" Ms. Sullivan asked.

"No, she is a very easygoing individual. If you don't bother her, anyway. But as I mentioned, she will defend herself. My Serafina doesn't start fights with her classmates. But she will finish them," Esme said proudly.

"What do you mean by 'she will leave'?" Principal Greene continued to question, "Where will she go?"

"Exactly that, she will up and leave class. Just up and go. She might wander around the school. Or she may go into town. But she will come home once school is over," she shrugged.

"Did she do this in her last school?" Principal Greene asked dubiously.

"Yes, they were very accommodating at her last school. And they found a way to keep her on campus after a while," Esme said with a small smile.

"How did they help her?" Ms. Sullivan asked curiously.

"Teachers behaved normally. They tried to be a bit more engaging to keep her focused. But when that didn't work, they would tell her and the rest of the class their quiz and test days in advance, expecting that she would at least show up for them. And she did! And she aced them!" Esme explained. She then continued, "As for keeping her on campus. Well, they had an elective stained-glass class. Serafina enjoyed it a great deal. Sometimes, she would spend the whole day there. She became very good at it. A lot of the stained glass she made was sold under the school's name, and the proceeds were put toward the art department," Esme shrugged with a smile.

"They didn't give her any money from her own art?" Ms. Sullivan asked incredulously.

"She declined it. We're not short of money. It was better to support the school," Esme said, "Plus, I think she was grateful that they allowed her to do something she enjoyed. But she would never admit it."

Principal Greene sighed as he stood, "We understand Serafina's special circumstances. We'll discuss this with her teachers to see if we can find a solution. But if she is violent or disrespectful toward the teachers, we have to show our support for our staff. I hope you understand," he said.

"I know my daughter. She wouldn't," Esme said with certainty as she mirrored his actions to stand.

Serafina had restraint toward humans. She did beat a young man who had grabbed her bottom once, but that was self-defense. Esme argued with the young man's parents, who said that the extent to which she had beaten him didn't match the crime. That he was behaving as a young man typically did. Boys would be boys, after all.

They weren't singing that tune when Esme and Carlisle showed up with their attorneys threatening legal action unless a public apology was given to Serafina at the school where the incident occurred. Not just by the young man who made the move either, but by the staff who said it was a minor incident and tried to get Serafina to apologize to the young man, too. Esme wouldn't play. Not with her children.

Esme thanked the Principal and Vice Principal for their time and exited to meet her children in the parking lot. She caught the scent of blood from the football field, where a teacher had cut himself while cutting open a cardboard box with some supplies. It was a long distance away. But she still looked nervously at her children, who were all staring toward the field, minus one brunette looking at her curiously.

"What did you need to do in the office?" Serafina asked with a frown.

"It's not as bad as I'm sure Edward made it sound," she said as she hurried to the group, "I only told them to make it interesting to keep you engaged. You and I both know you tend to wander just as soon as your mind begins to," Esme explained. Serafina relaxed. The group had taken two cars to fit better. Esme made her way to her car, "I'm heading home. Who's coming with?"

"We were talking about exploring the town a bit," Emmett said, not looking away from the field. After his first few years, he always had reasonable restraint but couldn't help looking sometimes.

"I think I'll head home with you," Jasper said as he quickly jumped into the front seat. He was quick to close the door and put on his seatbelt. He sighed with relief as soon as the scent was blocked.

Alice was doing better with restraint, but she smiled at her mate. He was so worried and nervous. She had wanted to explore too, but he needed her more, "We'll see you guys later!" she smiled as she jumped into the back seat.

"You should go with them, darlin'. I'll be alright," Jasper called, looking back at her.

"I want to go home with you!" she said with a smile.

"Thank you," He smiled back.

"We'll see you all at home," Esme called out to the others before getting in and driving off.

The rest of the teens entered Edward's Volvo and headed into town. There wasn't much to look at, but they liked to get a lay of the land to feel comfortable. This would be their home for the next few years, after all.

Rosalie was sure to point out the road to the reservation again to Serafina to ensure she wouldn't ever wander there at any point. She was nervous being so close to the werewolves. Serafina had a habit of wandering aimlessly. Being in Forks made her nervous. She didn't have premonitions like her sister, but she felt something bad would happen. The only thing she could think of was the stupid werewolves. They were the only things that could possibly affect them. She just told herself she would keep an eye on them. She would do that for Serafina.

Chapter Text

Serafina sat in her first-period class, watching the teacher write his name on the board. Mr. Varner for Trigonometry. He provided the syllabus, which clearly explained the grading standards. His grading was different. It was harsh in her classmate's opinions from the whispers she overheard. But it would work in her favor. Thirty percent for the semester final exam, which was going to be based on everything learned. Forty percent for quizzes, which apparently would be happening often. Once a week. Ten percent for attendance. And Twenty percent for homework.

She could work with this if things got tough. She stopped trying after her third run-through of high school. So, if this was how he graded things, she would still pass even if she happened to leave on occasion.

Mr. Varner told the class they would do a test to check everyone's levels. He threw a veiled threat: they could be thrown into the sophomore math class if they didn't perform adequately. Serafina looked at her test and began answering it. Nothing too difficult. She finished quickly and looked toward the front of the class. Emmett sat in the front of the class. The seats were set alphabetically. She was a row behind him. She saw him scribbling away on his test. She grinned at his appearance. He was such a nerd sometimes. He tried too hard.

"Ms. Hart, eyes on your own paper," Mr. Varner yelled. She looked in his direction. Smile gone. Several students looked over at her. Some whispered that she was looking at Emmett.

Emmett heard, looked back at her, and saw her sitting without movement on her test. She gave a glance to him. And he knew she probably was watching him before, like the whispers said. He narrowed his eyes at her, knowing she was more than likely mocking him in her mind. She trusted her instincts, answered on her first try, and was quick with her tests. He, on the other hand, just liked to be sure. He then turned back to his test to triple-check his work.

"Quiet! Everyone, back to your quizzes! You're wasting time!" He announced to the class. The reminder hit the students hard. All heads bowed down again to their work. He looked over toward Serafina, who sat with her eyes closed as though meditating. He made his way to her, "Hey! Ms. Hart, I recommend you take this more seriously. I will have no qualms about throwing you back a grade in math. Do your test." He said after obnoxiously patting her desk.

"I'm done," Serafina answered. She never opened her eyes.

The students were multitasking and eavesdropping while working. Many of the pencils scribbling on their tests faltered at her statement before continuing much slower. It was as though the new information was a blow to their test-taking abilities.

"I find that hard to believe," he stated as he snatched the paper and made his way to the front of the room. He sat at his desk and began grading her test, "Did you cheat?" he asked suddenly.

"No," she answered. Her eyes were still closed.

"This was completed way too quickly for you to have gotten this grade. You had to have cheated," he began mumbling. He stood and furiously wrote a question on the board, "Solve this."

"Why?" She asked. She finally opened her eyes to look at what he wrote.

"To prove you didn't cheat," he declared.

"I don't have to prove anything to you," she answered.

There were slight gasps and giggles from the students. But Emmett looked back at his sister with concern. This teacher appeared to be particularly annoying. He didn't think she would be able to contain her anger.

"Actually, you do," he said through gritted teeth.

Serafina sighed as she stood. The entire class watched with bated breath as she approached the board. They were curious if she was smart enough to answer.

She looked at the teacher, "I really don't." She said as she walked past him. She shoved Emmett's head to the side as she passed him, "If anyone asks, I went for a walk." She left the room with the teacher repeatedly calling for her to return. As she exited the school building, she could hear him on the phone with the principal to explain what happened with the unruly student.

Her wandering led her to the edge of what appeared to be a small orphanage for old people. She didn't know how else to describe it. That's what it reminded her of. As she neared, she saw a sign that some overgrown hedges had blocked. It was a retirement home. She saw some old people sitting in a decent-sized courtyard. Some had nurses or attendants assisting. Others sat playing board or card games.

She stayed in the shadows and watched two older men closely. One was short and darker, while the other was taller and fair. Both had to be in their sixties or seventies. There was something about them that caught her eye. They had been whispering to each other. From her distance, she couldn't hear. They separated, and the darker man called over a male nurse walking by to ask for assistance. He gestured over to a table where a deck of cards sat on the table.

It didn't take long for her to realize why these two had caught her eye. They were her kind of people. She crossed her arms and grinned as she watched them at work.

As the older man and nurse walked, the older man looked like he tripped and was going to fall. Considering his age, it wouldn't have been surprising, but she had seen that he moved perfectly fine before. But while the nurse was reaching over to ensure the older man's safety. The pale older gentleman from before walked just behind the nurse and picked his pocket while casually walking by. He then hustled to his darker buddies' other side and helped save him from face-planting. He and the nurse then assisted him to the card table.

They thanked him generously. Once the young man walked away, they turned to each other to congratulate each other on a job well done.

When the lighter man looked up, he saw a beautiful brunette approaching, "holy shit, Walt, I think I had a heart attack. I'm dead. This must be heaven." The pale man said to the other—a look of fear on his face.

"Are you having a stroke, Clarence? What the hell are you talking about?" the darker-skinned man asked with concern to his friend. He followed his line of sight and saw the brunette, too, "Oh shit, I think I done died with you." He groaned—obvious sadness in his voice.

Serafina laughed, "I know what you sneaky old timers were up to. Would you even get to go to heaven if you died?" she asked with a raised brow.

They shrugged in agreement, but then they looked at her suspiciously, "You a cop?" Walt asked.

She sat down next to Clarence and looked back at him, "do I look like a cop?" she asked with obvious offense. "I'm definitely not a narc. Not when I look this good. I actually have the same hobbies as you two." She lifted a card up between the two, "What's this card for?"

Clarence patted his pockets down. He looked at her dumbfounded, then turned to Walt, "I didn't feel a thing. She's good."

"Yeah, yeah," Walt said as he took the card from her and checked their surroundings to ensure no one had seen. He then turned back to Serafina with a severe look, "Now that, little missy," Walt explained, "is the card to the rec room. We are supposed to be in bed by eight, but that is too early. Everybody Loves Raymond is on at nine." He said as though it were a matter of fact. Serafina nodded in understanding.

"What about you, young lady? What are you doing here?" Clarence asked.

"Just wandering. I saw you two doing your hustle and thought I'd watch. Pretty impressive. My name is Serafina Hart," Serafina answered with a small smile.

"Well, since you're here, little Hart, you got any cash on you?" Walt asked as he grabbed the deck of cards from the table and began shuffling.

"I might have some cash on me, nothing crazy because I didn't know I'd find a good time like this before I left home. But enough to have some fun," she grinned.

"Three thieves playing cards? Hmm. Sounds like fun! Deal me in, Walt!" Clarence patted the table.

"Hold on! How do I know you guys have cash?" Serafina asked suspiciously.

"It's not like you'd win, little Hart!" Clarence answered challengingly.

"You won't win anything from us, but since you don't know us yet," Walt began, reaching into his pockets, pulling out some cash, and setting it on the table. He then gestured for Clarence to do the same. Clarence complied by putting his own cash in front of himself, "Now you, little Hart?" he finished.

Serafina grinned as she reached into her pocket and showed her cash. She then put her money on the table, too.

"Looks like we've got ourselves a game of poker. You know the rules. Don't get caught," Clarence laughed as he gestured for Walt to begin.

The three began playing but became rowdier as time passed. The two older gentlemen were regaling her with stories of their past crimes. It was enthralling. The laughter and shouts drew attention from the nurses questioning Serafina's identity. This community was gated. No one remembered signing her in or seeing her even entering the building to pass through to get to the back. They noticed her speaking with the older men with money on the table. They suspected she may have been scamming the two after breaking in.

Little did the three new friends know their fun brought the police to their table. The police officer stood with the head nurse, knocking on the table to get their attention. About five hundred dollars was sitting in the pot this round. The two needed clarification as to what was happening. The three stopped laughing as they looked up at the two.

"I smell bacon," Clarence muttered, glaring at the officer and bringing chuckles to the other two.

The officer rolled his eyes, "Very funny, Mr. Barker." He sighed, "Why am I not surprised that whatever commotion going on here was more than likely caused by you and Mr. Payne?"

"We didn't do a damn thing, Chief Swan," Walt said indignantly, "Whatever they're accusing us of is nothing but lies."

"Who are you?" the chief asked, turning to Serafina. He then gave her a once-over. Serafina frowned, thinking this police officer would be like the ones from the past, until she heard his words, "Young lady, where is your jacket? It's cold out here." He said and began muttering about how kids just liked to show their skin as he began to take his jacket off.

"Oh, officer, I'm alright," she said. Reaching for her jacket on the chair, she said, "No sweaters or long sleeves. It's a way to hinder cheating," she grinned. She put her jacket back on to appease him.

"Well, good, now answer my first question. According to Nurse Dix, you didn't sign in or anything. Who are you, and what are you doing here?" Chief Swan asked.

"Oh, so now it's illegal for my granddaughter to come and visit me? Well, now we know. No family allowed," Walt said while shaking his head.

Serafina and Clarence both looked at each other. It would've been more believable for Clarence to be related to her with her pale skin. But they didn't question it and stuck to his story.

"You all won't even let me see my grandniece. Such a shame," Clarence shook his head in disbelief.

"I'm sorry, Grandpa. It looks like I won't be able to visit you much anymore," she said, looking over sadly at Walt. She continued, "It was nice seeing you and Uncle Clare while we still have the chance." She hugged Clarence.

"Who knows, this might just be my last day on this Earth. At least I got to see my granddaughter one last time," Walt muttered.

The head nurse rolled her eyes. She sighed, "Mr. Payne, you don't have any relatives." She then looked at the officer, "Neither does Mr. Barker. Chief Swan, you know how these two get." She was used to these two's antics. They would 'break out' occasionally, and Chief Swan would have to bring them back. The two were trouble.

"Don't think I don't know what you're doing. Tell me the truth," Chief Swan said.

"Wait, aren't you one of the new Cullens?" The head nurse asked curiously. She began looking Serafina over, too.

"One of Dr. Cullen's adopted kids?" Chief Swan asked.

Serafina grinned, "Maybe."

He frowned at her answer, "I thought all of his kids were in high school?" he checked his watch, "Why aren't you at school?"

"Teacher accused me of cheating because I'm smart. Demanded I prove my innocence." She said, looking at the police chief with a bored expression, "I didn't have to prove anything. So I left." She shrugged.

"Did you cheat?" he asked with a raised brow.

"No," she answered. She was looking him directly in the eye.

Chief Swan looked into her eyes as she answered. He then nodded, "I get it. But you shouldn't walk out of school like this. You're new. You could get lost. I'll call the school and tell them I'll take you back in."

Now, it was Serafina's turn to be suspicious. Her anger, suspicion, and distrust were briefly expressed on her face, but she hid it quickly. But the two con men sitting with her noticed.

"Hey, little Hart, this pig is alright," Walt said.

"He'll send you straight to school like he said. If there's ever any trouble involving the coppers, he's the honest one of the bunch," Clarence added.

"That means never try to bribe this one," Walt whispered.

Serafina smiled at the two as she stood.

"Hold on now, before you go. We were just about to show our hands," Clarence called, waving for her to stop.

"Ya know you can't be out here gambling for cash with a minor with a cop looking right at you, right?" Chief Swan asked with furrowed brows.

"Then shut your damn eyes," Walt grumbled as he revealed his hand to the other two. Chief Swan rolled his eyes and waited for them to finish.

Walt's hand was a full house of 10's and 2's. Clarence then showed his hand, four of a kind of 10's. Serafina then revealed her hand, which was a royal flush.

Chief Swan's confusion was visible. "How is that possible?" Chief Swan asked, looking at the hands on the table.

The three laughed at their hands. All three had cheated to get those hands, but the grown men nodded with appreciation to Serafina as they nodded at the pot for her to collect. Yes, they all cheated. But her cheat was the better hand. They already knew they would cheat someone with their game and prepared in advance. She was new off the street, unprepared, and still managed to get the best of them. They were impressed.

Serafina wasn't polite. She accepted the pot and thanked them with a giant smile, "Gentlemen, it's been a pleasure." She winked.

The two laughed again, "Don't be a stranger, little Hart!" Walt called out.

"Yeah, we gotta win our money back!" Clarence added.

"Don't think we'll go easy on you next time just because you're my granddaughter and all," Walt continued.

The two kept laughing as Serafina and Chief Swan walked away. She smiled to herself. She figured she'd probably be back in the future to visit.

"Mr. Barker and Mr. Payne seemed to have taken a shine to you. Pretty impressive. They don't really like people. The nurses usually complain that they're grumpy and sometimes mean." Chief Swan acknowledged.

"Oh, they're just misunderstood," she smiled. She didn't clarify anything.

Chief Swan had phoned ahead to advise the administration of his returning of a student. It was almost lunch when they pulled up, and he got down with her to speak to the principal about where he found her. The principal and vice principal were waiting up front for him. The two thanked him for his help just as the bell for lunch rang. Several seniors rushed toward the parking lot, planning to rush off campus for lunch. But they all slowed when they noticed the police chief, principal, vice principal, and one of the mysterious new Cullens.

Chief Swan turned and looked down at Serafina, "I'm not going to catch you wandering around during school hours again, right?"

"I can make sure you don't catch me if you like," she answered innocently.

Chief Swan cracked a small smile, "I think I know why Mr. Barker and Mr. Payne like you now," He said, referencing the old men from the retirement home, "Nothing but trouble." He mumbled as he gave her a nod and left.

The principal and vice principal looked at Serafina with exasperation but still tried to be patient, "We got Mr. Varner's side of what happened and asked a few students what happened, too. What happened?" Principal Greene asked.

She explained what happened, which did match what the other students said. It was vastly different from what Mr. Varner noted, though. But they weren't surprised. He was a difficult teacher in general. They had asked him to be more understanding but knew it wouldn't work just from looking at his face after their faculty meeting. After losing their student on her first day, they spoke about placing her in an advanced math class, which would have a different math teacher. They asked her if she would be alright doing that, and she agreed. The two sighed in relief and excused her. They informed her it was lunch and walked her into the cafeteria.

Serafina walked into the cafeteria alone with a smirk and saw her family sitting at a corner table, looking right at her. All had grins of their own except for one. Her beautiful blond. She grew concerned as she quickly went over.

"Mi amor, what's wrong?" Serafina asked as she neared.

"Of course, you haven't heard the rumors. You're a big ditcher," Edward laughed.

"You should hear some of the things that have been going around, lover," Emmett growled, giving her his smoldering eyes and blowing her kisses.

Rosalie glared at him. This made all the others laugh. But Serafina only looked with confusion. She couldn't even sit beside Rosalie because Emmett was sitting right beside her. Usually, he'd move over automatically, knowing that beside her girlfriend was her spot, but he didn't budge today. He cleared space on his other side, wanting her to sit there. She just looked at him with disgust.

Rosalie cheered up at her reaction. But she was still upset, "Rumor around school is you're with Emmett." She said as though it were nothing. But she couldn't help glaring at the table.

"Gross," Serafina gagged. She then looked over at Emmett, "Move."

"Come on, babe, go ahead and sit here," he said, gesturing to the empty seat.

Serafina had enough. She grabbed onto his ear as their mother typically did. He hunched and began to stand up while apologizing repeatedly in between his utterances from pain. Once he was removed from her seat, Serafina let go of his ear. She immediately took her seat and repeatedly kissed Rosalie on her face until she laughed and tried to push her away. Serafina only stopped once Rosalie gave her a proper kiss on her lips.

"I'm sorry, Baby," Serafina said as she hugged her tightly, "You're my one and only."

Rosalie was finally appeased after the apology. She felt even happier after hearing the shocked gasps and gossip about the gay Cullens, "We heard about what happened," she said, looking at her girlfriend, "where have you been all day? See anything exciting?" she asked with a grin.

Serafina explained her day. She gave them all the ins and outs about her new friends and her first meeting with the town's police chief. They would ask her questions on occasion. But they weren't surprised by this. Serafina was pretty good at finding trouble. They laughed it off and continued their day listening to the school gossip about lesbians.

Chapter Text

The Cullen family would visit the hospital on occasion. They donated their time to the children's ward. After spending time in Serafina's town, they realized children were very innocent. They didn't have the instinctive fear of themselves that normal humans tried to ignore. They saw nothing wrong with the Cullens. They were just a beautiful group of people. And who doesn't like beautiful people? The Cullens couldn't use their abilities to play with them like in Texas, but they could still play with them like normal humans. They all had different areas where they liked to donate their time.

Esme and Rosalie loved to donate their time to the volunteer baby cuddler program. They initially didn't feel they could benefit the babies much due to their lack of warmth, but they were pleasantly surprised when they found they could feed, rock, swing, and swaddle the babies. Since their turn into vampires, they were gifted with enchanting voices. So, although they weren't trained or had any actual talent for singing before, they could sing well enough now to at least soothe babies with their voices. They used that skill to assist with their cuddler duties.

Serafina and Alice would spend their time with the children in daycare. They babysat the children so their parents could spend more time with their sick or injured siblings. They would also join the other groups on occasion to assist.

They knew Jasper wanted to help, too, but being in a hospital was always tricky due to the blood. Thanks to their father, they knew their sense of smell was enhanced enough to smell illness. This was something Carlisle used to assist with his medical practice. He had fine-tuned it to help with diagnosing when needed. For the others, they just knew something was wrong. They found that if Jasper assisted children with more severe illnesses, it was enough to overpower any scent of blood. Also, the emotions around them were enough to allow his compassion to win out. But Emmett and Edward usually stayed with him anyway, just in case. They felt it was more rewarding to help these particular children regardless, so they never complained.

People's perception of them was relatively positive when word spread of how the Cullens spent every other Sunday. However, considering they still never really spent time with any of the townsfolk, they were still a big mystery they all wanted to try their hand at solving. They wanted to ask Dr. Cullen or Mrs. Cullen for group outings, but the intimidation factor was off the charts. At least, that's what they chalked up that bit of fear they typically got when too close to them. They didn't know it was their body's natural instinct to flee the predator in their midst. They could only ever muster compliments when near them before hightailing it back to their friends. They eventually tried to glean whatever information they could from their children about their Cullen classmates. But they never got anything of substance. They only got their children's thoughts on them, not many facts.

The only Cullen they had juicy information on was the newest member of the Cullen family, the beautiful and tall brunette. She had a run-in with Chief Swan on her first day of school. Since then, she had regularly been seen wandering the town during school hours. Typically, before lunch. Not every day, but enough for everyone to believe she was the only imperfect Cullen.

At the grocery store, when they attempted to bad mouth this imperfect Cullen within their gossip circles, their whispers about how she seemed to be a bad egg could be heard but were immediately put to an end by Chief Swan himself, "She's not too bad. She is a little headstrong, but she has a good heart. She volunteers with her family and visits the old folks home once or twice weekly to visit Mr. Barker and Mr. Payne. Yeah, she shouldn't be cutting classes at that time, but at least she's doing something constructive instead of destructive. Plus, you all know Mr. Barker and Mr. Payne have no relatives to visit them, and they usually scare off everyone who tries to volunteer to spend time with them. She can tolerate the two and them her, which is already a miracle. Serafina and her family aside, even Dr. Carlisle has been a God send to the hospital. You should stop gossiping about their family and be grateful they decided to try their hand at small-town living." He scolded them before he finished purchasing his frozen microwaved dinners and left. They apologized to his face, but even his defense was soon spread across town once he left.

Everyone was curious about the Cullen situation. Parents weren't the only ones interested. Two and a half months into the school year, the student body thought they figured the Cullens out. Suppose they ignored the obvious: intelligent, rich, and gorgeous. They were pretty sure they solved the rest of the mystery.

Emmett was friendly but oblivious. He walked around everywhere with a smile. But it was never aimed at anyone in particular. He worked very hard in class. He enjoyed participating in group activities but never picked his partners. He would wait for groups to be assigned. One instance with Emmett that everyone remembered was when the P.E. coach tried to talk him into playing football on the school team. Emmett refused because his mother said it wasn't safe. When the coach told him he needn't worry about his safety, that he should toughen up. Emmett got a serious look on his face as he explained that it wasn't his safety his mother was concerned about. That he tended to forget the extent of his strength. He accidentally demonstrated his statement by destroying a basketball passed to him with his bare hands. The coach was frightened by the sight and stopped trying. His physique, face, and personality were a big draw for most girls for Emmett. He didn't notice. Emmett was deemed intimidating but ultimately a nice guy.

Alice was also friendly but odd. She smiled at everyone and was always the first to raise her hand in class to answer questions. And she was also a big supporter of the group activity. People were sure she had ADHD or needed to cut back on her coffee, one or the other. Although she was all over the place most of the time, she tended to zone out often during class or even in the halls. She would also randomly change her appearance from the sweet girl next door with her smooth pixie-styled hair to a fashion diva with exaggerated makeup, outfits, and spiked hair to where she looked somewhat fierce. Then, she would giggle and ruin the illusion. They dubbed her weird.

Jasper was not friendly. He hardly smiled. He typically grimaced as though he was suffering significantly just being in school. And although he never glared at anyone, there was always tension when people were close to him. People suspected he might be a germophobe. He didn't want anyone getting too close to him physically. He could even perform some pretty exciting acrobatics to avoid near-contact moments. He was also smart but never volunteered information unless asked by the teacher. Everyone usually gave him a wide berth. He seemed like he could snap at any moment. Jasper was called risky.

Edward was another not-so-friendly Cullen. He was another who hardly smiled or, strangely enough, would smile at nothing when the room was silent. It was as though he were in the present conversation but also as though he was not. He did everything perfectly. But he seemed cocky, as though he didn't expect anything less from himself. That confidence and perfection brought him many admirers, but he held himself as though he were unattainable. Edward was classified as the good kind of cocky with a nice head of hair.

Rosalie was stunning but cold. She didn't like anyone, and everyone knew it. If anyone even tried to approach, it was as though invisible spikes appeared on her. As though she were ready to attack. She didn't have to do anything. Most of the time, she didn't even look at them. She would hold her head high and look through them as though they didn't exist. Some could argue that was even more painful than if she were to lash out physically. People avoided her instinctively, like her twin. But they couldn't help but sigh at her beauty. Lingering glances would fall on her, whether in class or the halls: the boys and the girls. High school was a time when teens began to question themselves. She brought many questions to several girls. It didn't help that aside from being the goddess-level beautiful. She was also top in her class and even good in shop class. Rosalie was regarded as the Ice Queen.

Serafina was different from the others. Neither friendly nor 'other' like her siblings. She didn't seem to care one way or the other about the students. She would interact if they tried, but she didn't usually initiate. In class, if she were interested in the topic, she would participate. Otherwise, she wasn't even paying attention. And that was even if she was in class at all. The first half of the day was iffy for her. But to the administration, she was surprisingly always present for lunch and the two classes immediately after. They didn't know why. If they asked the student body, they would find she was only consistently present because Rosalie was also in those classes. She was the wild card. They didn't know how to classify her.

Due to Serafina's aloof attitude to everyone, some would get brave and speak to her occasionally. She didn't mind and would answer normally. Not too chipper like Emmett or Alice. And not with condescension or attitude like Edward and Rosalie. They still didn't approach Jasper much, so they didn't know how he would react to speaking to them. But Serafina usually stayed cool, calm, and collected in conversation. But she was tricky. When they would attempt to get information from her about her and her family casually, they would always leave the conversation having realized that they told their whole life story to her and got nothing in return. Ben Cheney jokingly said it was like she was using Jedi mind tricks on them all. Those who understood the phrase were quick to agree.

One thing the students learned quickly about Serafina, though, was not to make her mad. Some could swear they could see a fire in her eyes when she was angry, and she was surprisingly strong for her size. How did they know? Simon Burke. Captain of the football team and school 'player'. He had approached her a month after their arrival in the middle of the cafeteria. He had seen how the other Cullens reacted to people. Serafina was the most approachable Cullen and very beautiful. So he stopped her and looked her up and down while licking his lips, nodding in appreciation. This was during lunch, and Serafina was returning to school and was on her way to meet her siblings. They watched from their table. Edward already had a glare on his face as he watched. The others knew from that look that it wouldn't be good.

Serafina raised her brow, "Yes?" she asked.

"Now baby, you don't look like a dyke. You're too pretty to be one of those butch bitches. Now, I think you're just confused. If you get dicked down right, I'm sure that can fix you." He said as he stepped forward, "This is where I come in."

He didn't lower his voice at all. The entire cafeteria heard. Rosalie was furious but didn't make a move yet, waiting to hear from Edward if she needed to stop Serafina from murdering the idiot. But she debated letting it happen and apologizing to her parents afterward. Edward gave her a stern look as he looked at his sister. Serafina's eyes flashed in her anger. But she shut her eyes immediately and pinched the bridge of her nose as she breathed deeply. She felt Simon take another step.

"She said she's got it," Edward said under his breath.

But their table groaned because they knew exactly how she would take care of it when they heard her following words.

"If you touch me, I will beat the shit out of you," Serafina said as soon as she felt that approach. His alpha male type always took that as an invitation for some reason. She did it on purpose to lure him into her trap. Now, she gave fair warning; there were witnesses who could attest to that, and she wouldn't be punished too harshly for defending herself at this point.

He reached to cup her chin, and as soon as that contact was made, her eyes snapped open, and her hand that was once signifying her frustration was now gripping his hand. She jerked it back, causing him to twist his body to follow the movement as he exclaimed in pain, "I warned you," she whispered into his ear with a sadistic grin.

"What the fuck are you doing?" he shrieked in his panic. She kept his arm behind his back, straight up in the air, with her other arm applying pressure to his head, pushing it down. With enough pressure applied, she could easily snap his arm.

"I'm debating whether I should break your arm or not," she said as though it were obvious. The other students began their whispers about how she was crazy. A few ran to get an adult.

"You can't do that! Help!" he called to his teammates. They began to inch forward but didn't know what to do.

"Nuh uh uh," she tsked, "If they step closer, I definitely will break your arm. But I think you play football or something? From what I heard, the team is so-so, but you are the best of the mediocre team, right? It would be a shame to be in a cast the rest of the season." She pouted.

"Stop!" he yelled at his teammates to stop their movements, "What do you want? Let me go!"

"Atta boy, first, apologize for what you said to me and my girlfriend," she said—turning him to face her family's table.

"I'm sorry!" he quickly yelled.

"I don't know, I don't think that sounded sincere, did you, baby?" she called over to Rosalie.

"Sounded a little forced," Rosalie played along, "I think he can do better." She said with a smirk.

Her siblings only rolled their eyes at the dramatics between the two. But they didn't make a move to stop it. If they let Serafina finish, they would be bothered less throughout the school year. It would be due to fear, but they were okay with that.

"I'm so sorry for what I said! I swear I won't bother you two ever again! Please, for the love of God, tell her to let me go!" he yelled to Rosalie.

Rosalie shrugged as though it would suffice. Simon couldn't see from his angle, so her silence frightened him. He was about to start begging again when he heard Serafina say, "Lucky for you, my baby is merciful. I would've made you beg some more and still broken a finger on your left hand as a little reminder to never fuck with me again," she said. Finishing her handling of him by slamming him face down on the table. It wasn't hard enough to knock him out. But enough to be dazed, he stumbled to his teammates, who ran to help him. Her show finished just before the doors to the cafeteria opened, with several teachers entering.

Simon quickly pointed the finger at Serafina, repeatedly shouting that she was a psychotic bitch. Whining and complaining that she almost broke his arm and demanding she be punished.

"Is this true?" Principal Greene asked while looking at Serafina.

She had her arms crossed at this point, "I warned him not to touch me. He still did. It was self-defense." She calmly answered, "This whole lunchroom can tell you."

He sighed in exasperation but looked to the students he knew were good and honest, in his opinion, and called the two in question to his office for statements. Parents would need to be called. This would be a big deal.

After getting statements from multiple students, hearing both sides of the story, and enduring the threats and intimidation attempts from the Burkes to himself and the Cullens. All while the Cullens sat stoically, waiting for them to finish. He had his verdict.

Due to the circumstances, the young Mr. Burke was the instigator. The young Ms. Hart claimed self-defense. With the evidence, all he could do was suspend both. Due to the excessiveness in Ms. Hart slamming Mr. Burke's face into the table after all was said and done, she earned a single-day suspension, while Mr. Burke's comments and actions earned him a whole week's suspension.

When the Burkes threatened legal action and even called the police in so they could press charges. He surprised them by throwing it back at them, informing them that they were wrong and Serafina had the right to press charges if she felt she needed to. The Burke family paled at the thought. But when Chief Swan turned to Serafina and asked her and her mother if she would like to, the Burke mother nearly had a heart attack while the father apologized for his son's behavior. He gave his son a meaningful look that caused Esme to frown. But she calmly looked to Serafina to see how she would proceed.

"Not necessary. I'm sure Simon here learned his lesson. Right Simon?" she asked.

He had a look of fear from how everything changed so suddenly against himself. He knew he would be punished when he got home. But if she pressed charges, it would be much worse. He took her olive branch and agreed. He thanked her repeatedly while Chief Swan merely said his goodbyes.

After dismissing everyone from his office, Mr. Greene sat down and reflected on what had happened. He heard everyone's statements. He had a clear picture of what happened. He could only think of Mrs. Cullen's words, "My Serafina doesn't start fights with her classmates. But she will finish them." Oh, how right she was. He hoped this incident would paint a clear picture to her classmates that she wasn't someone to be trifled with. He had a headache just thinking about the paperwork he would have to complete in the coming days.

Chapter Text

Emmett loved Halloween. He loved dressing up and decorating the house. Although their home was always in the middle of nowhere, a few brave kids usually went in little groups for candy. Going to the mysterious Cullen home in the middle of the woods added to the thrill. Even if it was only one or two kids. Emmett and Esme were always ecstatic. They made sure to reward them with full-size candy bars. They were that house. Strange enough, teens never did; it was as though they never even knew it was an option. They would always regret missing the trip.

Emmett had begun decorating the outside of the house. His decorations could be considered movie quality. He became fascinated, but for a horrible reason. He knew his sister was afraid, and he found it hilarious. Serafina hated it. Once it was October, she habitually stuck to Rosalie or her mother for protection. They were the only ones who would save her, in her opinion. Her other siblings would sometimes help Emmett. Even her supposed father. Only on a few random occasions, but enough for Serafina to consider them the enemy and untrustworthy.

Rosalie loved Halloween, too. For some of the same reasons as Emmett, dressing up was fun. But mainly for what he did to her mate. She knew it was wrong to feel that way. But she loved how clingy her big, tough mate could be around this time of year. She made sure to be the big, formidable partner this time of the year. She would protect her mate from the stupid pranks her brother played on her.

During October, Rosalie would be the big spoon and squeeze her mate tightly when they watched scary movies as a family in the living room. She was sure to cover her lover's eyes when they were cuddling on the couch, and the film was starting to get too scary. Even when the two were walking through the house, she held Sera's hand tightly and would punch Emmett in the face if he popped out to scare the two with his new silly costume or prop.

The point was her mate would always protect her any day of the year. It didn't matter. If she weren't physically at her side to look after her, she would leave Paprika to protect her instead. But every October, Rosalie was able to defend her mate instead. And she took her job seriously.

The teens were discussing what they would be for Halloween this year. Emmett wanted a group costume, but so did Alice. Serafina and Rosalie wanted to do their usual costume. They had two reasons for wanting to do it. One was that it was easy. Two was that they found it funny. What was their usual costume? Buffy and Faith from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. But when they said they would do their usual costume idea, Emmett and Alice nixed it in favor of their group costume idea.

But Alice beat Emmett when she reminded the two women that they promised to do a group costume with her as sisters. Emmett reluctantly stopped trying to get enough people for his original idea and decided to get his brothers to be pirates with him. Pirates returned in popularity with the movie Pirates of the Caribbean that had come out that year. He turned on his heel and walked away.

Once Alice won, she turned to her sisters with a big grin to tell them what she had decided for their costumes. She seemed to think it was the best idea ever. She led them to her room and into her closet, where three similar dresses were hanging up: one green, one pink, and one blue. Rosalie and Serafina gave each other looks and turned to her, "are you sure?" Rosalie asked.

"Yes! I think it would be so cute!" Alice said with that excited bounce to her step.

"Blossom is a ginger, though," Serafina said while holding the dress to Rosalie's body. Rosalie struck a pose as she winked at Serafina.

"I have a solution for that!" Alice said. She turned around and opened a drawer in her closet. She pulled out a box and showed her, "boo-yah!" she said excitedly.

The two eyed the hair dye suspiciously, "I don't know, I don't want to mess with my hair too much," Rosalie said while playing with her hair subconsciously.

"And I don't think the kids say boo-yah anymore," Serafina muttered, accepting the box from Alice and holding it for her and Rosalie to read.

The two were reading the box as Alice explained, "I saw this on the television! It's a very highly talked about hair dye. Temporary. It'll wash out within a month. It's not going to damage your hair," she hesitated as she thought for a moment, "Wait, wouldn't your hair heal anyways?" she asked with her hands on her hips as she eyed the two women.

"So?" they grinned, already knowing it would. They didn't have a problem with hair dye. It didn't damage their hair and would wash out eventually. They already knew. The two secretly dyed Kate's hair as a test when they stayed with the Denali. They snuck it in her shampoo and conditioner. Just enough to color the hair but not enough to be detectable by scent. It was also a better quality hair dye, so even that little bit was enough to dye her hair a honey brown and didn't wash out for several months. But her hair was just as healthy, shiny, and beautiful while dyed, and after, it reverted to her usual blond. So they knew it would be fine. Kate was furious but forgave them when her hair returned to normal.

"We're just trying to see if it's at least a believable red," Rosalie grinned.

"What do you mean a believable red? Everyone knows you're blond! No one would think you're a natural redhead!" Alice scoffed. The two women only laughed. But they agreed to the group costume. Rosalie decided to dye her hair a week before Halloween to ensure the correct color. Alice already had a wig ready to go. They suspected Carlisle would probably be working on Halloween, so they figured they would ask Esme to be their Professor. Costume details buttoned up. They continued about their month of October.

Esme gathered everyone in the living room as a family the second week of October. Her excitement was evident. They didn't know why. She might have been more excited than Emmett or Alice. They didn't know what to make of it. But they were eager to find out. Even Carlisle was there for this news. So, it had to be significant.

"I was going grocery shopping," she began.

Emmett immediately stood, "You want us to run the groceries to the next town over as donations?" he asked, stretching as though it would make a difference.

Edward elbowed him, "Shut up, that's not it. Do you think she'd be this excited just to donate to the needy?" he asked.

"Yes," Alice nodded.

"Well, yeah. But that's not it this time," Edward hushed her. He then looked at his mother, allowing Esme to continue.

"We are going to run them over to donate later, yes," she smiled at Emmett, "But I also saw this!" she pulled a handful of fliers from behind her back and began to pass them out to the family, "Look! This town of Forks has a small Halloween festival every year in the park, and they have costume contests! Single and group! Things like the most scary, most cute, most sexy, things like that! Let's do a family costume!" she said excitedly.

"We should totally do a family costume!" Emmett jumped up excitedly.

"I want to help! What are we going to be?" Alice also jumped up in her excitement.

"We have kind of a big family. What did you have in mind?" Carlisle asked with a confused smile.

The others also had hesitant looks on their faces. They weren't sure what she had in mind. It reminded them of when Emmett had them all dress up as a family as The Rocky Horror Picture Show characters. They had trouble deciding who would be who. But Emmett didn't care if the others were happy with the choice so long as he got to be Dr. Frank-N-Furter.

Rosalie and Serafina frowned but soon heard Edward and perked up a bit, "Oh, that's not bad." He said, looking at his mother, who seemed encouraged by his words. He smiled encouragingly at her.

"I was thinking we could go as the Greek Gods! Me and Carlisle, as Hera and Zeus. Emmett can be Apollo, Alice as Artemis, only Rosalie can be Aphrodite, and Edward can be Hermes. It's you and Serafina that I want to play around with, though," she said to Jasper, "after all, everyone knows of the dalliances Ares and Aphrodite had. What if we gender-swapped Athena and Ares? Athena is more war strategy like yourself anyways Jazz, and Serafina could be the horrors and bloodshed of war."

Serafina frowned, "Amá, why do I feel like you're insulting me here?"

Esme hurriedly hugged her daughter, "That's not what I meant. But you have to admit. If it came down to a battle, you are more than likely to jump into the fray, as opposed to Jasper, who would prefer to strategize beforehand."

Serafina shrugged in agreement.

"But you two should only do it if you feel comfortable," Esme said while still cradling Serafina's head in a hug as she turned to Jasper.

Jasper didn't care either way and said as much.

Serafina thought she would be a little bold as she asked, "So, as Ares, I'll get to hook up with Aphrodite, right?" she smirked over in Rosalie's direction.

Rosalie turned back to her girlfriend with a wink, "Maybe." She answered.

"I think it's decided! I'll start drawing up designs so it's obvious who we are! Come on, Mom!" Alice said as she tugged Esme from Serafina and led her away.

"You know, I could probably be Hercules with this body," Emmett said while flexing.

"We're going major Gods, not minor Gods or demigods. However, you want to call them," Esme called from the second floor.

Emmett immediately deflated. Jasper smiled at him, "You know, I think Apollo was considered the patron of same-sex couples." He said. He was trying to cheer Emmett up with a random fact about the god he would be portraying.

"Apollo loved the gays? I also love the gays! Yes!" he said while smiling excitedly at Serafina and Rosalie.

"Are we the only gay people he knows?" Rosalie asked Serafina as she walked over to sit on her lap.

"I think we might be," Serafina nodded.

"No! I also had those friends at the gay club. Remember? We had only met that night, but I still remember them!" Emmett said seriously, "Oh! And Yvonne is bisexual. So, wait, does that count if she's only half gay?"

They laughed as they ignored him and walked to their mother's room to discuss their group costume. Alice and Esme were already discussing it in there. They would chip in their own opinions on occasion. Alice eventually asked Serafina to make custom jewelry for them all. That she would provide the gold, silver, and bronze. When Serafina expressed her unwillingness, Alice bribed her by allowing her to keep whatever she designed for herself and Rosalie. She readily agreed after that.

They showed up late on the day of the Halloween festival as Rosalie and Serafina had to ensure their costumes were just right. But once they arrived, all heads turned to them. Even Carlisle was present. He had traded shifts with someone so he wouldn't have to go in until the overnight shift at around ten. They looked fantastic. The attention to detail Alice and Esme displayed for their costumes was exceptional.

They separated on arrival and went around to play games or go on rides. Esme signed them up for the group costume contest, and then she and Carlisle treated their time as a date night. They mingled with the townsfolk. It was always good to be seen out and about on occasion.

After about an hour, the teens played games. They joined back up with their parents after hearing an announcement about the costume contest. They stood as a group when they heard and weren't surprised to hear that they won the group contest. Emmett began to jog up the stairs to the stage, and just before he grabbed the small trophy, Alice popped up right in front of him and accepted it instead. The townsfolk laughed while they applauded, and Alice skipped the steps to her mother, where she handed it over to her.

The family cheered for their victory before calling it a night. They said goodnight to people as they went. Once back home, they all got out of their costumes except for Serafina and Rosalie, who went to their tree house further into the forest and decided to enjoy their costumes to the fullest before returning home the next day.

They only went back the next day because it was now Halloween, and they had to dress up in their Powerpuff Girl costumes with Alice to go trick-or-treating. She was ready and waiting for them. Emmett, Edward, and Jasper were dressed as pirates, and the six went into town together to start their night. They each filled a sack and returned to their home to see if Esme had any trick-or-treaters.

She happily told them of the few she had gotten. It seemed a couple more than what they ever got in their old towns showed up. She thought it maybe happened because they had gone to the festival the night before. They made themselves less scary in the eyes of the townsfolk. Emmett was excited after hearing and waited with her for the rest of the night. They got a couple more visitors and happily sent them on their way with the good candy. Any candy left, plus all the candy they had brought from trick-or-treating, was then donated to the children in the hospital.

Emmett loved that year's Halloween. They won a trophy for their group costume. They watched a horror movie every day vs. only once every other week. He dressed up as a pirate, too, which was fun. And he managed to get Serafina alone to scare her into setting several trees on fire. His mother scolded him good for it, but he thought it was worth it. He couldn't wait for next year.

Chapter Text

Serafina was walking down the street when she heard a siren behind her. It was a single blare to inform her of their presence. She didn't stop even as the car began to keep pace with herself. She acted as though no one was there. The car soon pulled ahead of her and stopped.

"Come on now, Hart, off to school," Chief Swan said as he exited the car and stood before her.

"No hablo inglés," she answered as she continued walking, never glancing at him.

"Súbete el cruiser," he said dully.

This caused her to stop as she turned to give him a grin, "Have you been practicing?"

"I remember a bit here and there from high school Spanish. Don't judge," he said as he opened the backseat for her.

She sighed but went to the backseat and took her usual spot. Chief Swan returned to the driver's side and put on the radio. He stopped at an eighties rock station, knowing it was common ground for him and Serafina.

"Oh! Higher it! I like this song," Serafina said, singing along to the words.

"You know, it boggles the mind how you can be into this music. You weren't even born when this music came out!" he chuckled while accommodating her and raising the volume slightly.

Serafina only grinned as she kept singing to herself. She remembered the eighties. She and her siblings made a band. She had gotten more comfortable singing over the years, and when those eighties hair bands hit, they were sure they could do it, too. They made a six-man band: Serafina sang, Rosalie and Emmett played guitar, Jasper played bass, Alice on drums, and Edward was on the keyboard. They were good. However, the band split up due to creative differences over what types of songs should be played. Emmett and Edward hated the songs the other had chosen for the band to play. The truth was that Serafina would always swap out the setlists one of them made for her own choices. She knew what types of songs she needed to sing to affect her girlfriend in all the right ways. If she were lucky, she would get lucky halfway through their setlist as her girlfriend turned into a groupie instead of a part of the band. Those were the good ol' days. She would always have a soft spot for eighties music.

"How have you been, Hart?" Chief Swan asked softly after a while.

Serafina was taken out of her memories by that question. Her smile slipped as she looked out the window, "I'm alright. You don't need to worry."

"They were your friends. It's okay to be sad. Remember the good times you spent with them," he mumbled as he glanced at her through the rear-view mirror, "Plus, what you did for them. That was amazing. You should be proud of how you laid them to rest. I'm sure they would have loved it."

Serafina smiled, "They requested that type of funeral specifically. They spent some years in Louisiana when they were younger."

"Well, you managed to put something so grand together for them. It was impressive, like in the movies. You sent Walt and Clarence off with a bang. All the trouble that happened because of that jazz funeral taking over the streets," Chief Swan thought momentarily, "Yeah, it doesn't surprise me that they asked for it."

Serafina laughed before it began to dim, "When Clarence's illness came back, they had already begun to tell me of their wishes. I started putting it together then. We didn't think it would hit so suddenly, but I had gotten everything ready when he did go. Of course, no one knew Walt would go within a few days of Clarence's death. But it didn't take much to double what I had." She sighed.

"You're a good kid," Chief Swan said. When the words came out of his mouth, a famous rock song came on, and even he hesitated momentarily. He looked into his rear-view mirror to Serafina. She nodded in agreement as he raised the volume more, and the two began to headbang and sing along.

The two said nothing more but sang along to a few more songs. After a few more minutes, they pulled up in front of the school, and Chief Swan opened the back door for her to get out, "I thought you weren't going to let me catch you anymore." He chuckled.

Serafina scoffed, "It's your fault! The first time I was going to make sure to slip away, you chased me!"

"I'm a cop. Of course, I'm going to chase you," he said mockingly.

She narrowed her eyes at him as she poked him in the chest and began to gesture, "I was half a block away when I heard you huffing and puffing behind me. I thought you were going to die, old man! I let you catch me out of pity," she sneered.

"A bit exaggerated, don't you think?" he said as he shut the door after she sidestepped to stand on his other side.

"No, no, it's not," Serafina answered, "It's the truth."

Chief Swan rolled his eyes as he looked down at her. But a small smile appeared on his face, "I have a favor to ask you."

"I told you I don't like to fish. I won't go with you and your friends to the rez to do it," she answered.

"No, that's not it," he said. His smile now a bit wider, "My daughter asked to stay with me." He began.

"You have a daughter?" Serafina asked incredulously.

Chief Swan looked at her with the same disbelief, "I told you about her before," he sighed, "Yes, she's around your age. Wait, you're a senior this year, right? She's a year younger then."

"Did you? Oh, I might not have been listening at the time. But continue," she said.

"Her name is Isabella. But she likes to be called Bella. I was hoping you could be nice to her," Chief Swan said, avoiding eye contact.

"Aww, you love your daughter. Well, I am going to be honest with you. You picked the wrong person to be friends with her. I'm not a very nice person. You were called in before and should know," she shrugged.

"I know who I'm asking. I should've been more clear. Please don't pick on my daughter. I'm not completely sure, but I think she may have inherited my people skills," Chief Swan said guiltily.

"As long as she didn't inherit your mustache, she should be fine," Serafina said, looking up into his eyes thoughtfully. The two smiled, "That awkwardness you have isn't too bad." He grimaced, "Oh, she might be worse? Yes, that could be tough in high school."

"Please," Chief Swan pleaded.

She chuckled, "I'm kidding. I'm not nice, but I'm not mean either. I won't bother her as long as she doesn't bother me. She'll be safe from me, Chief Swan!" Serafina answered with a grin as she began walking backward toward the school, "Thanks for the ride!" she waved before entering the building.

Serafina calmly walked down the hall. Her presence was enough to part the students right down the middle so she didn't have anyone blocking her path to the lunchroom. While walking, her eyes landed on her favorite person, who stopped just at the door for Serafina to catch up to herself.

"Mi amor!" Serafina said excitedly as she approached and wrapped her arms around Rosalie's waist. Her enthusiasm pressed Rosalie against the wall as she peppered kisses on her neck below her ear.

Rosalie had already wrapped her arms around Serafina's neck for balance, not that she needed to. She laughed at her girlfriend, who did something like this anytime she saw her after being separated. She always wanted everyone to know and see that they were together. She started in the nineties when their relationship became more accepted. Even though they had been together for decades, they could never admit it before. When they held hands in public, that was all they could do. Now that it was more accepted, Serafina had to rub it in everyone's faces. Rosalie loved the affection, and a tiny part loved the attention. Maybe more than a tiny bit.

It was vastly different from how Jasper and Alice showed affection for each other in public. The two mainly held hands and hugged; maybe Jasper would kiss Alice's hand when he walked her to class, or Alice would kiss him on the cheek. Never too much in front of strangers. Jasper was a bit old-fashioned and felt uncomfortable doing more than that. Alice respected his feelings and very rarely pushed him for more in public.

Usually, the siblings would all abandon the two women once they began this behavior. But Jasper and Alice strangely stood waiting by the door for the couple to finish. Albeit, Jasper was averting his gaze. Serafina ignored their presence as she kissed her girlfriend on her lips. But Rosalie was the one to stop the kisses to look at the two with a questioning gaze.

"I want to talk to Serafina," Alice answered.

"What do you want?" Serafina asked while returning to Rosalie's neck.

"Alone," Alice rolled her eyes.

Rosalie pushed Serafina away, "She's not going to leave until you agree to go."

Alice and Jasper both nodded in agreement. Serafina released her girlfriend with an exaggerated sigh. She glared at Alice before turning to Jasper, "Jazz, please escort this beautiful woman to the lunchroom on my behalf."

"Of course, what kind of a gentleman would I be if I didn't escort my twin to lunch?" Jasper nodded as he nodded to Rosalie to lead the way. Knowing she would ignore his arm should he offer. The two entered the lunchroom, leaving Serafina and Alice alone.

"Now, what is so important, Ali?" Serafina asked. Leaning against the wall, she looked down at Alice.

"Not here," she grinned mischievously.

Alice then skipped toward the back of the school. Serafina followed her curiously. They went out the back door and headed toward the woods. Alice walked them a considerable distance into the woods, and Serafina thought that would be it, but Alice then ran. Serafina groaned but followed along. They were very far from school when Alice finally stopped.

"Why did you bring me out here? What is so important?" Serafina questioned as she made herself comfortable in a tree.

"I had a vision!" Alice said excitedly. She was following her actions to sit in a tree across from her.

"Not surprising. What about it?" Serafina asked. She thought momentarily, "Wait, don't you usually tell Ed or Jazz about these visions of yours? Why did you come to me and not your usual buddies?"

"It's about Edward," Alice answered seriously.

Serafina cocked her head to the side, "Then Jazz?" she asked.

Alice knew Serafina would keep asking, so she explained her thought process, "It's about Edward, so I can't tell him. If I tell Emmett, he'll get overexcited and blab it to everyone. He'll ruin everything. If I tell Rosalie or Jazz, they'll probably worry too much and ruin it, too! And I can't tell our parents! I'm not a snitch! You're the only one left! You won't care too much. You'll probably forget about it after a week or so anyway." She ranted.

Serafina held her hands up in surrender to get her to stop. Once she did, she motioned to continue, as she verbally told her to do the same.

"Did you know that Chief Swan has a daughter?" Alice asked.

"Yes, Isabella," Serafina nodded. Alice was somewhat shocked that she knew. Her shock was visible, "He just let me know today that she'll be coming to stay with him soon."

Alice nodded in understanding, "This is what I saw! Well, I didn't see that he told you first. But I saw him telling the whole town later!"

"What does that have to do with Edward?" Serafina asked with furrowed brows.

"She means something to him. I'm just not sure what," Alice said. Serafina gave her a questioning look, "the vision keeps changing. In one, he kills her. In the other, he looks like he's in love with her."

"Those are two very different things, Alice!" Serafina exclaimed.

"I know! But, that's what I see," she shrugged.

"What the hell?" Serafina whispered, "What if you warn him so he doesn't murder her right then and there?"

"He never murders her in front of anyone. He usually waits until she's home alone," Alice answered.

"Oh, so he's not going to get us caught," Serafina sighed in relief, "that's good."

"Murder is not good no matter where it happens," Alice grinned, "But no, it looks like he won't get us caught," Alice explained, "But he'll be heartbroken! I think she's his mate."

"How could she be his mate if he might kill her?" Serafina asked incredulously.

"I don't know! That's why it's so strange. I had to tell someone! It was killing me keeping it to myself!" she said as she dramatically laid herself back on the branch she was sitting on.

"I don't know how I feel about this. I want the golden boy to kill her, just to knock him down a peg since he thinks he's so perfect. But then I don't want him to since I kind of like Chief Swan. Hmm," Serafina mused aloud, "I kind of want him to fail more." She finally said.

"You're crazy! He's not going to kill her. It'll turn out that she is his mate! Watch!" Alice said.

"How are the odds on these two outcomes you've been seeing?" Serafina asked, with a sudden idea now coming to mind.

"Since she hasn't actually shown up and they haven't even met yet. It's about fifty-fifty," Alice answered after thinking a moment.

"I say we make a bet to keep it interesting," Serafina perked up.

Alice gasped, "Now, Serafina Hart, that would be immoral."

"Nothing crazy. Just a small bet. A thousand bucks says he kills her," Serafina grinned.

"You're going to lose!" Alice laughed, "But deal!"

"Just to double-check. I can't tell Rosa, right?" Serafina asked.

"We can't tell anyone because it might ruin everything. And with Edward, we can't even think about it." Alice groaned, "Sometimes his ability sucks."

Serafina nodded in agreement. The two continued discussing Alice's visions. Alice really just wanted to get the information off of her chest. Plus, she knew Serafina really would forget about this conversation; she would only remember the bet. She was selfish like that. But she was good at keeping her mind blank when Edward was around, so she wasn't worried. Neither would let it slip.

Chapter Text

Serafina and her siblings had gotten to school early as usual and were standing in the hallway near Serafina's first period. She was the flight risk, so they had all started escorting her. They thought she was less likely to leave during her first period if they did. They were somewhat correct. Her class was the furthest into the school, so she didn't like to turn around and leave after making it there.

Now, if they all stayed near Rosalie's and Jasper's class, that would be a different story. She would walk right out the door after that first warning bell since their class was close to the school's entrance.

Serafina wasn't feeling like class today, though. She looked at Edward, who rolled his eyes in annoyance, "I'm not doing it." He groaned.

"Why not? I'd do it for you if I could!" Serafina glared.

"Would you?" Edward asked, looking at her pointedly as he tried to read her mind.

'Maybe if you were being nice and not such a dick,' she thought.

Edward glared at her.

"No, wait! I wasn't ready!" Serafina stopped herself as she began to think 'Of course' repeatedly. Rosalie and their siblings giggled to themselves. They could imagine what she had thought before.

Edward sneered but shook his head, "No, there aren't going to be any quizzes or tests today in your first period. Just a review for your test on Friday." He finally uttered before turning around to head to his first period. Alice and Jasper were just behind him.

Alice turned around and gave Serafina an excited look as she clenched her fists and hopped a few times before rejoining the two while still looking back repeatedly at Serafina. Jasper gave her a look of confusion, but his small smile for her never left his face. Serafina looked at her with confusion, making Alice roll her eyes. She knew she would forget.

"What's today?" Edward asked suspiciously after hearing her excited yell in her mind.

"Nothing," Alice shrugged. Her grin was still on her face.

"What was that all about?" Emmett asked aloud.

"No idea," Serafina shrugged.

"Alice is keeping secrets again. We'll find out eventually," Rosalie said. She turned to her girlfriend, "You're ditching today, babe?" Rosalie asked Serafina. The three started walking toward Rosalie's class.

"Yes, I think I saw that there would be a small art show in the park. I want to take a look around," Serafina said.

"Well, be careful," Rosalie said.

"Of course," Serafina smiled. She placed a small kiss on Rosalie's cheek, "Te amo mi hermosa Rosa." She whispered.

"I love you too," Rosalie smiled back. She watched as Serafina turned the corner to head to the front doors.

"You guys are disgustingly cute," Emmett said beside Rosalie's face. He had bent down to say that to her.

Rosalie pushed his forehead back forcefully, "Go to class." She said with an annoyed tone. But she secretly loved what he said.

Serafina walked to the front of the school when a short brunette girl bumped into her carrying a piece of paper. Serafina stopped as she looked down at this girl who wasn't watching where she was going. A hyperactive male student speaking a mile a minute seemed to have been helping her. Serafina recognized Eric. She made him nervous, she could tell. When speaking to her, he tended to talk just as fast as he was now. But with her, it was out of fear and nervousness, but with this girl, it appeared to be excitement. He began chuckling in nervousness when he realized who the brunette had bumped into.

The girl looked up, an apology on her lips, but after seeing Serafina's perfect face, she faltered. She began to stutter as her face turned a slight rosy shade from embarrassment. Serafina raised her brow in question when she didn't say anything. Her normally stoic face turned into a frown. Eric knew the girl had frozen. Most people did when seeing a Cullen up close. They were too perfect, "Serafina!" Eric spoke up, his own fear spiking as his voice went up an octave, "We're so sorry, we weren't watching where we were going! This is the new girl! Isabella Swan, she's a little nervous, what with being new and all." He smiled.

Serafina relaxed her face after hearing his words, "The new blood, Chavela." Serafina said, eyeing this young girl as she turned redder under her gaze. Short, pale skin, brunette, she appeared very plain to Serafina, but she supposed she could be considered pretty. "Watch where you're going." Serafina said to the girl as she turned to Eric, "Bye, Eric."

"Oh my god, she knows my name," Eric mumbled in shock. Aside from his excitement at her knowing his name, he also had fear. He couldn't help it. He remembered what happened to Simon. He hoped she wasn't upset with him for letting Isabella walk into her. He told himself he would keep an eye out for Cullens when walking with her. If only to keep himself safe from Serafina's wrath.

Serafina continued on her way to the park, no longer able to hear what they were discussing the further she went. She walked along the stalls once she arrived. Those enjoying the miniature art show and the artists putting it on weren't surprised at her presence. She had become a regular to functions happening during school hours. But they were surprised to see Mrs. Cullen walking through the art show. They didn't know that she enjoyed getting pieces on occasion to help with her designs when working on home interiors for clients.

"Serafina," Esme called with a mothering tone from behind the young woman. She knew Serafina hadn't noticed her yet.

Serafina instinctively shrunk her neck at the tone. But she remembered they were in public, so her mother shouldn't resort to her common punishment. Her ears should be safe. Serafina quickly turned to look at her mother, "Amá, what a coincidence! What are you doing here?" she smiled as she quickly made her way to her mother and hugged her arm. She began walking the two through the art show.

"Did you forget that I love to visit art shows, no matter the size?" Esme asked as she eyed her daughter.

"Oh yeah," Serafina chuckled nervously. She remembered Eric's behavior earlier; she was behaving the same way. She didn't understand how she was so afraid of this little woman.

Esme looked at her, "Why aren't you in school?" she sighed.

"I was also interested in the art show," she said sweetly. She was slowly loosening her grip on her mother's arm. She was getting ready to make a break for it to wander around a different part of town.

"Alright, then you get to go along with me while I browse and see if I'd like any for the homes I'm currently redecorating," Esme said as she clamped back onto Serafina's arm that held onto hers.

Serafina attempted to pull her arm out but could see it wouldn't work, "That seems like fun. Of course, I'll help." She said in resignation.

The two wandered the miniature art show. Esme would consistently appraise every piece seriously. Not wanting the artist to feel rejected even if she wasn't interested in buying, she would compliment at least one thing from every artist. But only three artists caught her eye enough to make purchases.

Serafina, on the other hand, didn't even care to show that much consideration. She would look. If something looked interesting, she would look a little more. She immediately ignored many pieces because she didn't care for them. But she still had to go to every stall with her mother because her mother refused to let her go.

After Esme made her purchases and set up delivery for those purchases, the two made their way to Esme's car, "Now I'm taking you to school. You'll get to make it to lunch! How exciting!" Esme said happily.

"Yay," Serafina muttered as she got into the passenger seat.

Serafina approached the lunchroom after her mother dropped her off back at school. As soon as she neared, she was grabbed by a small blur that dragged her around a corner.

"Jesus, Alice! What is so important?" Serafina whined as she was pulled behind a pillar.

"This is it! The bet we have! It's going to happen today! One way or the other," Alice said excitedly.

"Is that why you're not in there?" Serafina asked.

"I can't stop thinking about it. It's true," Alice said, practically vibrating from her excitement. But she stopped her excited movements and added, "But I came outside because Jazz needs some time alone right now. That's the main reason I came out for a bit. We're going to have to feed tonight. He's a little edgy at the moment."

Serafina nodded in understanding. But patted her head, "he'll be fine. Don't think about his thirst right now. Go back to thinking about how you'll pay me for my win. If you want to pay me in gold and jewels, I would love that."

Alice immediately became excited again, "If you want to pay me in some custom jewelry, I would love that! I can design a new set of outfits just for the things you make me! They'll be amazing!" she winked.

"We'll see!" Serafina said with narrowed eyes at Alice. As she approached the cafeteria, "I need to see my baby. I'll see you later!" she smiled.

Alice waved her off, and Serafina entered the cafeteria. She could hear some whispers about her family. She listened to all of their names being mentioned. She guessed the new girl asked about who they were. She heard how odd it was that they lived under the same roof and were together. She heard them say how good-looking they were, how Emmett and Edward were too good for the girls there. But then she heard confusion.

"Wait, I thought you said they were all together? Why would you guys try to get their attention if they are all together?" Bella asked.

"Not Emmett and Edward, they're single," Jessica whispered. She could see the apparent confusion on Bella's face, "Jasper and Alice are together, and so are Rosalie and Serafina. They're total lesbos. It's so awkward having P.E. with them. I bet they look," she mumbled.

Serafina and Rosalie looked disgusted as Serafina approached her family's table. She leaned over to kiss Rosalie before taking her seat right next to her.

"Yes, they're gay. But have you seen them? I doubt they're interested in any of us when they are both supermodel gorgeous. Plus, they seem so devoted to each other. It's sweet when you see them together," Angela said with confusion.

"At least one in their group seems to have a brain," Serafina told her family. They chuckled as Serafina hugged Rosalie tightly.

"Whatever. Still weird," Jessica said as she glanced over at the Cullen table, and Serafina looked up at precisely the same time after hearing Edward's warning. He had a slight grin, knowing what Serafina was going to do. When Jessica looked over, she made eye contact with Serafina, who narrowed her eyes at her, "Oh shit, but no matter how weird they are, never make them mad. Especially Serafina! She beat up Simon Burke," she saw Bella's confusion, not recognizing the name, "he's captain of the football team. He's like twice her size, and she kicked his ass. She did it in front of everyone."

"It was amazing!" Eric exclaimed happily, but after receiving glares from their table. He lowered his voice, "Sorry, forgot to whisper. He deserved it, though. He's a big bully. Total tool." He mumbled.

Serafina heard them whisper more about their family. She heard Bella compliment their parent's generosity for taking all of them in. She also heard Jessica belittle their kindness by stating she didn't think their mother could have kids of her own. She was getting annoyed, so she focused on her beloved and siblings. She told them what happened when she ditched and how their mother made her look at every stall while never letting go of her. They did not pity her. They just laughed at her misfortune for getting caught.

"Shall we?" Rosalie asked as lunch neared its end. The group stood and began to make their way out.

"Is the new girl afraid of us like everyone else?" Emmett asked.

Edward shrugged. Serafina kept her mind blank but couldn't help looking at him. That was a different response from the usual. The others didn't notice, but Serafina had a bit more information than the rest of them. They separated as the seniors had different classes than Edward.

Serafina and Rosalie had the second half of the day together now, one class more than the year before. Serafina only ever ditched the first half of the day now. They had Emmett in the one right after lunch and Jasper for the last. Jasper always had a sibling in class with him, just in case. Their day was very dull, but Alice rounded them up to get to Edward's Volvo as soon as possible after school was over.

They saw him struggling to breathe as he placed himself in the driver's seat. Everyone immediately jumped in. They could all see something was wrong. Serafina didn't think it would be this bad for him. She was a little concerned as she eyed him. He quickly threw the car in reverse and began to leave the school parking lot.

"Edward?" Alice asked with concern.

No answer.

"You alright there, Ed?" Emmett asked hesitantly.

No answer.

They all looked over at Alice to see what was going on.

"You're leaving?" Alice asked in a whisper.

They watched as Alice and Edward had one of their mental conversations. It didn't seem pleasant as Edward looked a little more upset as their back and forth continued until he finally demanded she stop.

"We'll miss you!" Alice finally said, "No matter how long it takes for you to figure things out. We'll be here when you get back."

The other teens looked on with confusion but didn't say anything. Alice had Edward drop them off so Edward could explain to their parents on his own. And their group wandered into the woods to hear what was happening from Alice.

"The new girl, Bella, he almost killed her today. He was planning it out and everything. He's leaving to try and think things over. He doesn't want to kill her. He's going to stay with the Denali for a bit," Alice explained.

"What?" Rosalie practically yelled.

"Did he really?" Emmett gasped.

"That explains the self-loathing I was feeling off of him," Jasper said. He didn't appear as concerned as the others about it. He was worried, of course. But he also felt somewhat relieved. It was nice to know he wasn't the only one who had trouble controlling the monster within.

"So he's leaving?" Serafina was upset. But for totally different reasons than her siblings.

Serafina knew her girlfriend was upset that he was so close to getting their family found out. She knew Emmett was upset that Edward didn't ask him for help. She knew Jasper was upset because he was worried about his brother. And she knew Alice felt the same as Jasper. Serafina was upset because she didn't win her bet. They bet he would either kill her or fall in love with her. They didn't know he would run away.

"He'll be back! And then our bet is still good to go!" Alice said excitedly. Serafina shook her head to refuse her words. But it was too late.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what bet?" Emmett asked incredulously.

"You knew he would almost kill someone?" Rosalie asked. There was a hint of danger in her voice. Serafina glared at Alice but Rosalie saw her. "And you knew, and you didn't tell me?" she questioned.

"Oh, you're in trouble," Emmett mumbled.

Jasper also gave Alice a look. His was more hurt, which caused Alice to run up to him immediately to apologize.

"Oh, you're in trouble too," Emmett noted.

"Shut up, Emmett!" Serafina and Alice said simultaneously.

The teens began their return trip home to discuss things further as a family. They figured their parents would want to hear about what Serafina and Alice had been holding back from everyone. And the two didn't want to have to repeat themselves. All that could be heard during their walk back were the apologies from Serafina and Alice to their lovers and Emmett holding back laughs and comments about how he could only guess how much trouble the two would be in.

Chapter Text

The family, minus one moody bronze-haired male, sat in the living room discussing the day's events. Alice and Serafina sat in the hot seats as they were grilled about what they knew from before. Everyone questioned them about why they didn't share the information beforehand. That was tricky to navigate, but Serafina managed to get them to calm down and ignore that part. She got them all to forget about the bet as she reminded them about how they should be more concerned with Edward's well-being.

"Why didn't you tell us he would go postal?" Emmett asked the two women.

"Because I knew he wouldn't, and he didn't!" Alice huffed, "I'm not stupid. If it got bad, I would've at least told Serafina. She could get rid of all of the evidence very quickly!"

Jasper nodded slowly in agreement, as did Rosalie. Emmett just shrugged. Esme and Carlisle both looked horrified at the thought.

Serafina looked at her parents and shrugged, "I would've gotten rid of any evidence. We can't break the rules, after all. And I know how you guys feel about doing that sort of thing. It's alright if I do it. It doesn't bother me."

"But you shouldn't have to do that sort of thing," Carlisle sighed, "If we knew in advance, we could've spoken to him about it. Or left town before she even showed up. Something!" he ranted while pacing.

Esme put her hand on his shoulder to calm him as she looked at her children, "We would've preferred that everyone speak about these things. We could've thought something up as a family."

"But we couldn't just leave! She's his mate!" Alice whined.

"Supposed mate," Serafina corrected.

"No, mate," Alice argued.

"I agree with Sera on this," Rosalie said, "I mean, you said he almost killed her. That doesn't sound like true love to me. I never wanted to kill Sera, except that first time we met, and she abandoned me." She trailed off.

"God damn it," Serafina muttered. She stepped toward Rosalie, "Mi hermosa! I am so sorry about that! It was a mistake!" she pleaded.

"She's never going to let that go, is she?" Emmett mumbled to Jasper.

Jasper shook his head as in no, "It always comes back up when she's mad. It's like she has nothing else to throw at her otherwise." He mumbled back.

Esme could sense the couple becoming sidetracked as Rosalie brought up old grudges. She tried to steer them back, "are you sure, Alice?"

"Has the vision changed since the last time? Do you still think she's his mate?" Carlisle asked.

"It's still fifty-fifty that they're mates," she answered.

"Mates, or he murders her. That is wild," Emmett began to wonder aloud, "I mean, that murder-y part of him must be pretty strong if he had to leave, right? Or maybe he just kills her so brutally that he is embarrassed and doesn't want us to know how dark his mind can be." Emmett began to get excited at the thought, curious about how Edward's mind worked, "How did he do it?"

"Emmett!" Esme chided.

"I was just wondering," Emmett shrugged. He glanced in Alice's direction.

"It was pretty brutal. At Chief Swan's house, too. He at least waits until after Chief Swan leaves for a night shift." She whispered across the room.

Carlisle exasperatedly covered his face with his hand while Esme rolled her eyes.

Serafina had a small smirk from Emmett's question that she tried to hide while rubbing circles into Rosalie's limp hand as she held it. But she tried to wipe the grin off to give her love that same pleading look. She knew Rosalie was upset with her.

Jasper was right. Rosalie had nothing else to throw in Serafina's face. She was perfect, at least to and for her. But she was mad that Sera kept secrets. This was usually how she showed her she was angry. It was like a code to Sera that she was mad. Although she would always forgive her quickly, they would still discuss the issue in depth at a later time. Rosalie stopped her hand from being limp and grabbed Sera's hand back in acknowledgment.

Serafina sighed in relief. She knew she was in trouble for the secret bet, but at least her mate was willing to forgive her now, "I'll be on standby if need be. I'll leave no evidence if he kills her. And I'll also be sure to time it when we all have alibis."

"I don't think it will be necessary. I think Edward will be able to control himself. We should have faith in his willpower," Carlisle said.

"We should try to be supportive! This might be his mate," Esme added excitedly.

"She's human," Rosalie scoffed.

"And we keep saying maybe," Emmett said, "Isn't that weird? Shouldn't it be a for sure thing?"

"Perhaps it's a 'maybe' because she's human? The bond isn't able to shine through like it would should they both be vampires?" Jasper surmised.

"That has to be it!" Alice said gratefully.

"There are rules for a reason," Rosalie argued, "If she finds out what we are, that's breaking the rule. What if she tells people? They'll come with their pitchforks and torches to smoke out the monsters. But that's nothing. Because what can a human do to us? No, what will happen is the Volturi will come for us. Maybe they'll forgive us, but they will not forgive Sera. This is bad!" Rosalie was furious. They were treating this too lightly.

Serafina felt bad. She knew Rosalie was worried about herself. She herself wasn't that worried about their situation. She didn't think the human would be a problem. Chief Swan was right. She was socially awkward. She didn't think she actually had friends aside from the superficial ones she could occasionally be seen with around school. She didn't think she told them much of anything, though.

"Maybe we should just kill her?" Emmett hesitatingly asked the room.

"It is the safest option. If you don't feel comfortable, I could take care of it. Or Serafina," Jasper offered.

"No! You'll see! I'm right!" Alice interrupted.

"Let's wait and see," Carlisle finalized everything with that statement. He dismissed the group while he and Esme sat in the living room to continue discussing things.

Rosalie pulled Serafina to their tree house to review what she had managed to get everyone to forget in the meeting. The bet. She wanted to know how long they had been keeping the secret. Serafina answered all of her questions. Rosalie found she couldn't be mad because Alice had minimalized the possible outcomes and swore her to secrecy. Alice was in trouble, though. Rosalie would punish her later.

The teens went to school like normal. They were curious about the new girl but didn't make it too obvious when eyeing her. But they couldn't help themselves when seeing her in the cafeteria, looking at their family. They couldn't help gossiping about her as she had done about them before.

"She looks more relieved that he's not here. She doesn't look like she misses him or anything," Serafina said.

"But she still looks! She obviously feels something for him, too!" Alice said.

"I do feel a bit of relief but a slight tinge of longing and confusion," Jasper commented.

"I hate her," Rosalie glared at her tray, "but I hate Edward too." She added.

"You hate most people and things," Emmett muttered.

"I also hate Edward," Serafina smirked. She had said it so happily, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. The others couldn't help their giggling at her comment. This was how most of their days passed, the group judging and gossiping about the human that may get them all killed.

That Sunday morning, Alice suddenly froze in the middle of the living room. Jasper felt her happiness and commented as much so the other family members quickly showed up in the living room to hear what she had seen.

"He's coming back soon!" she said happily.

Esme clasped her hands together over her heart and smiled in relief. She expressed her happiness to the others and quickly sped off to call Carlisle to tell him the good news. Emmett offered a high-five to Jasper, who only complied out of pity. But Alice happily gave him a high-five, too. Rosalie and Serafina both stood with blank faces at the news.

"You know you missed him! Don't even lie! Jazz?" Alice turned to Jasper.

"There was a bit of happiness. But now I sense annoyance, anticipation, and a bit of malicious joy," Jasper said suspiciously while looking at the two women.

At the news of malicious joy, they all simultaneously looked at Serafina. Rosalie included as she smiled lovingly at her mean-spirited mate. The corner of Serafina's mouth quirked up, but she quickly hid it.

"Be nice," Esme warned from upstairs before continuing her discussion with Carlisle over the phone.

Only a few hours later, Edward was home. They all greeted him in their different ways, an excited hug from Esme and Alice. Esme then left the room to notify Carlisle. Then the boys did those strange male hugs, where they didn't want to appear as though they were hugging, so they gripped their arms between themselves like a barrier. Serafina remembered suddenly that it might have been called a 'bro hug'. Rosalie was next, and she gave him a quick hug and shoved him away immediately after. Serafina whispered, 'afraid of a teenage girl' under her breath, only loud enough for those in the room to hear as she approached. They all giggled at Edward's frown at her words. And when she hugged him, she whispered 'bitch' in his ear at that same volume just before she pulled away. She thought she was slick about it, but then she saw Edward's glare quickly turn into a mocking smile. Serafina frowned at his reaction. But he promptly looked past her shoulder behind Serafina's back. Serafina paled; if possible, she tried to run but felt that grip on her ear.

She hunched as she leaned toward the hand that was pulling her backward. She turned and saw her mother with that face that let her know she was in trouble. "What punishment do you want? We can wash your mouth out with soap, or you can help me for a week as my assistant for work. No pay." Esme reprimanded.

Serafina regretted what she said immediately. Not calling him a bitch. She meant that. She regretted not waiting until the next day when they were either on their way to school or at school already. She chose the soap to get it over with, much to the joy of the others who snickered at her for her choice. Esme wasn't serious about that option. Serafina knew. Esme narrowed her eyes at her and sent her to her room as a punishment. Serafina shrugged as she went upstairs to her room. She glanced over at Rosalie, giving her a wink and grin.

Rosalie understood and was about to follow when a hand grabbed hers and pulled her back, "As punishment, I think no Rosalie tonight." Esme smiled. Serafina's face dropped as Rosalie shrugged exaggeratedly to her girlfriend.

Serafina groaned loudly, "Amá no."

"Upstairs!" Esme continued.

"Damn, Ma got you good!" Emmett laughed. He always loved when someone else was being punished instead of him. The others chuckled with him while trying not to let Serafina know.

Serafina stomped her way upstairs, "Shut up, Emmett!" she yelled.

Chapter Text

As soon as the sun rose, Esme dismissed Rosalie to return to Serafina. She had to. If she didn't, she would have to endure more of Serafina's whining and complaining from upstairs. They even had to endure Serafina singing "Volver Volver" by Vicente Fernandez. She was so passionate she even felt her own dead heart stir. The couple happily embraced and cuddled until they would have to get ready for school.

"Lesson learned; do not withhold Rosalie from Serafina," Emmett groaned, "please never do that again. I hate when she sings Vicente Fernandez. It makes me want to cry, then I can't; it's upsetting."

"I was here too, Emmett, I know," Esme sighed.

"Where's Alice?" Emmett asked in annoyance.

"I may not have seen her start being annoying, but as soon as she was, I forced a vision and saw she kept being annoying all night. So we left," Alice said as she walked through the back door back into the house with Jasper.

'Why did you stay?' Jasper asked Edward off to the side telepathically.

"I wasn't paying attention and missed Alice's vision. I had to suffer with Emmett," Edward answered him lowly.

"You could've shared that information, Alice!" Emmett glared. He thought momentarily, "Wait, is this why you didn't complain when separated from her, Rosie? You knew she would act like that, didn't you?" Emmett suddenly asked.

Rosalie laughed, "You think I don't know how my girlfriend can be? Of course, I knew." She called down the stairs while being held tightly by Serafina, who chuckled into her shoulder. She kissed her girlfriend, "I needed you all to know how bad of an idea it would be so you'd never do it again."

"Now we know," Esme mumbled as she returned to work, "You kids relax for a bit and then have a good day at school."

A few hours later, the group got ready for school and went. There was snowfall that caught everyone's attention. Emmett initiated a snowball fight with Jasper's help. Serafina panicked as she saw them begin. She couldn't use her ability, and with how angry she knew she would get from being hit, she knew she couldn't fight back since she'd melt the snow. She made a snap decision when she saw the snowball approaching; she picked up Alice and used her as a shield.

Not even Alice saw it coming. She was held in the air with her mouth agape as the others laughed. Emmett got more excited as he prepared more snowballs specifically for Alice when he began being pelted by Jasper to distract him. Rosalie laughed as she followed behind Serafina and her Alice shield as they made their way inside laughing.

Alice huffed in her anger with her hands on her hips as soon as she was put down. But then she got a mischievous grin that had both Rosalie and Serafina eye her suspiciously as she showed them that her hands weren't clenched as tightly as they thought. She had two snowballs. She jumped and quickly smashed one in each hand on both of their heads before high-fiving Edward as he walked into the building with a grin.

The two women didn't see the mental conversation or see the quick passes of snowballs to fulfill the plan. All that happened when Alice was being used as a shield. They glowered at the two as they passed by. The two women quickly went to the restroom to fix themselves up, vowing revenge.

Serafina made it a point not to ditch any classes that day. She wanted to see how Edward reacted. She could still win her bet. She knew it was terrible to think that during school hours since it would mean she would probably have to murder countless people to keep everything under wraps. But she was willing.

Their group waited at the door for everyone to assemble, thinking it would be easier to control Edward together. Edward felt they were being excessively annoying. He was embarrassed. They looked very odd entering the lunchroom together like that. Mainly Emmett and Alice. Emmett took his job very seriously and looked like secret service guarding the president. Alice was the same. Looking at the two, you would think they were children pretending to be secret agents, trying not to be caught by the enemy. Jasper began singing the Mission Impossible tune under his breath. Making the others laugh.

"It's going to be okay," Alice said seriously while nodding to Emmett, who nodded back. They began making their way through the cafeteria when Alice continued, "We shouldn't be able to catch her scent if we sit at our usual table."

"Knock it off, Alice! It's not like we're going to change tables! You're getting on my nerves! I can handle it!" Edward growled out.

Serafina reached over and smacked him on the back of the head, "Leave her alone bitch! She's just looking out for you and your bitchy running away self!" Serafina glared back at him.

"Emo," Rosalie whispered with an eye roll.

His anger dwindled, knowing they were right. Alice was being extra vigilant to help him. It wasn't that she didn't have faith in him. He could see she believed he could do it. She was trying to improve his odds, and he knew it. He didn't know why. But he knew she did. Unlike the others who thought he would snap and kill the poor girl at any moment—or even Serafina, who was debating doing the deed herself to end his suffering.

He sighed, "I'm sorry, but I'll be fine. Thank you, Alice."

"You're right," Alice smiled. She had never taken offense.

The group sat around the table, discussing nothing important as usual. But they kept an eye on Edward, who continuously glanced in the girl's friend's direction. He had already told them he couldn't read her mind, so they figured he was probably trying to glean whatever information he could from her friends. Serafina knew that wouldn't bear any fruit but didn't say anything.

"Anything?" Jasper asked.

"Nothing, I don't think she told anyone I scared the daylights out of her last week," Edward admitted.

The others but Alice shared a look but tried not to think about it and averted their eyes from each other.

"What?" Edward asked.

Emmett couldn't help chuckling, "Well, maybe you're not as scary as you think." He shrugged.

The others began chuckling.

"I would think pompous ass before scary," Rosalie snarked. Making the others start chuckling at Edward's expense.

"I'm scary," Edward said with offense.

This time, Alice chuckled, "You're really not. But it's okay! I'm not either." She smiled.

Edward scoffed but was stopped by Serafina before he could speak, "It's true. Me and my baby have a naturally intimidating countenance. We don't even have to try, and people are afraid-"

"Resting bitch face!" Emmett smiled, pointing at her face, cutting her off before she could continue.

Both women glared, but Rosalie continued while Serafina smacked him, "Emmett, although usually harmless looking, can be very intimidating if need be. His size works to his advantage there."

"Yeah, and Jasper is so on edge, he terrifies everyone without trying. Plus, from his time in the military, the dude is built and has that, I don't know? Good posture? But, like, too good of posture, the scary kind." Emmett continued.

After having that pointed out, Jasper attempted to slump a bit but couldn't get it right. Alice calmly rubbed his back in comfort so he would stop trying. Jasper gave up and sat as usual, with Serafina and Rosalie giggling at him.

"But you and Alice? Now, there's nothing scary about you two. Sorry. If we're going appearance-wise, then you two are the least threatening of us all, Alice, with how tiny and adorable she is. And you're just a skinny fuchi-faced nerd." Serafina finally laughed out.

Edward scowled at the others as they laughed. But suddenly Alice froze.

"She's coming! Act casual!" Alice said suddenly.

Emmett flexed as he leaned on the table and laughed too loudly to have been normal. But that reaction caused real laughter to erupt from their group again, except for Edward, who was still too embarrassed at their behavior. He focused on the girl while pretending to be part of their laughter. It was passable, but not really.

Edward sat too still as he eavesdropped on the human's friends. His family began telling him so in their minds. Emmett finally couldn't take it. He groaned loudly, startling Edward.

"Would it be that big of a deal if you just kill her? It's just one girl," Emmett frowned.

"You would think that," Edward mumbled.

"Apparently, you would too," Serafina growled at him. Edward glared back.

"I do think that. I've had some slip-ups in the past. I got over them. I don't wallow," Emmett explained.

"Maybe you should. It was wrong," Edward argued.

"Oh god," Serafina sighed.

Before she could complain about Edward's statement, snow was thrown across the table into Emmett's face. The group was stunned for a moment. Jasper grinned as he gestured to Emmett's head. He took the reminder and leaned over the table to shake the snow from his hair toward Alice. Rosalie quickly pulled Serafina back and away from Emmett, who was shaking his hair like a dog with a look of disgust on her face.

The boys laughed while pushing and shoving. Rosalie and Serafina complained about how gross they were being. But Serafina could see a silent conversation occurring between Alice and Edward. Then she heard the human talking with her friend about how Edward was looking at her. She figured that's what the two were talking about—the girl. The lunch continued as usual. They saw the group of humans leaving, but the Cullens remained seated. They were watching Edward.

"You should be fine. You can make it through the hour!" Alice smiled after she was silent for a moment.

"Maybe you shouldn't risk it," Jasper commented.

"Don't screw it up, I don't want to move yet," Rosalie glared.

"But if you do screw it up, it'd be alright. Don't worry about it," Emmett said as he clapped a hand on Edward's shoulder while his other hand gave him a thumbs up. He stopped momentarily, "You know, just get it over with. We'll deal with whatever happens." He finally shrugged.

Edward sat silently, contemplating everyone's opinions. His expression soon grew firm.

"Yes! No, you guys, he'll be fine!" Alice soon scolded everyone, "Don't worry, Ed! I'm pretty sure you'll be fine!"

"If you need me, let me know," Serafina said. She took Rosalie's hand and pulled her from the table to lead her out of the cafeteria.

Serafina led Rosalie to class but ditched this time. She never did when she had a class with Rosalie, but Rosalie understood. Serafina, Alice, and Jasper stayed close but far enough away that Edward couldn't hear them or their thoughts. Alice sat cross-legged on an outdoor table with the other two seated around her. They just chit-chatted mindlessly while they waited for her to tell them whether they needed to help.

Near the end of class, Alice looked frightened but didn't signal Serafina or Jasper to do anything. She sighed in relief a moment before the bell rang. They returned to class now that they didn't have to babysit anymore.

After school, they met at Edward's car and saw him laughing to himself with his radio playing some of Emmett's heavier rock music. They looked at each other, questioning, but got in the car.

"I think he's finally lost it," Emmett said sympathetically.

"No, it's nothing. Let's go home," Edward said as he drove them home with a small smile.

That night, Edward had to hunt again. Emmett and Jasper wanted to go with him, but Carlisle surprised the family by trading shifts at work. It seemed he wanted some father-son time with Edward and asked the two young men to hang back. He wanted to check in to see how Edward's first day back was. He and Esme were worried. Emmett and Jasper gratefully accepted Carlisle's request. They figured he would be the best to get him to open up.

While the two were having a heart-to-heart, the others split up. Serafina and Rosalie went to their tree house to speak alone. Emmett asked Jasper to play catch with him with a baseball. But Alice decided to stay back with Esme.

When the teens got home, the others were all home. They noticed a somber mood throughout the home. They looked to their parents, Alice, and Edward, to see what was up. But they kept tight-lipped about whatever happened. For some reason, the others felt they shouldn't ask. If it were important, they would tell them right?

They hoped Edward finally decided how to deal with the human. They were all pretty annoyed with the situation but tried not to think about it so they wouldn't upset Edward. But it wouldn't last long.

Chapter Text

The following day, they went to school as usual. No one spoke; it was as though they didn't want to talk about the obvious. If they didn't say anything, it wouldn't be true. With how their parents, Edward and Alice, were acting, they could guess Edward might be taking another trip. At least he was there now. They could show him how upset they were by ignoring him for now. That was what Serafina thought. The group separated immediately, and all the seniors went to their classes, leaving Edward and Alice alone in the parking lot. If those two weren't going to speak, they wouldn't either. They didn't want to deal with Edward's mood about the human anymore.

None of them admitted it, but they were secretly worried for him. Each considered going with him. Even Rosalie considered her and Serafina going with him for a while to ensure he would be okay. But she quickly quashed that idea after remembering how much they disliked him. It would be constant fighting. She figured she would try to push Emmett to go along with him. She would speak to him after class; she would have to go to Emmett and Jasper's class direction anyway.

Soon, there was a commotion in the halls. The teacher went out to see what was happening. All of the Cullens could hear their whispers about the incident in the parking lot. How Tyler Crowley nearly killed Isabella Swan. Luckily, Edward Cullen was there to pull her out of the way just in the nick of time.

Soon, several students from the parking lot who had witnessed everything ran inside to spread the word. Although, the teachers had left their classes momentarily to speak amongst themselves about it in secret. Once these students' voices were heard, there was an uproar as all students dashed to the parking lot to witness firsthand.

The Cullens joined the chaos as they watched from a distance. Eyes narrowed in their disapproval. Alice soon joined them with a guilty look, but their eyes never went to her. They glared at Edward. He looked up at them with the same guilty expression that Alice wore—but quickly turned away from them to look at the human.

Alice had told them what happened but tried to reassure them that no one appeared to have seen anything or suspected much. But she admitted that the Swan girl seemed conscious the entire time. It was almost a sure thing that she saw everything.

"That son of a bitch," Rosalie growled.

"We should all just relax. We'll take care of it," Emmett said while watching Edward hide the marks he had left on the van, "See, he's taking care of the evidence."

The group turned an annoyed glance at Emmett. But from the corner of their eye, they saw Edward give him a thankful glance as he was taken to the hospital with the others.

"Did you agree to help him?" Rosalie glared at Emmett.

"What? It's to help the family," he shrugged as he casually walked toward the crowd but made a beeline for the van to ensure Edward got rid of any evidence that showed his involvement.

Rosalie began to growl lowly under her breath. Some students not too far away shuddered to themselves but didn't know why. They only huddled closer together like a herd of cattle seeking safety in numbers. Serafina didn't comment. She just hugged her girlfriend from behind to soothe her anger. Then she turned the two around to take them back inside to wait out the crowd. Alice looked at the two and looked at her mate. Jasper gave her a small smile but turned around and followed the two women inside.

Since they figured everyone would be outside for a while, they went to the cafeteria to sit near a window to monitor what was happening outside. Serafina held Rosalie. She was so furious she was shaking.

"We have to kill her," Rosalie said.

"She knows too much," Jasper agreed.

Serafina remained quiet. Things were turning out differently than she initially thought. She could see how much Edward struggled with being near the human, but he still tried to save her when she was almost killed. In front of witnesses. Was she his mate? But then, why would his urge to kill be so high? This wasn't as simple as she thought. Maybe Edward should run away again, but that wouldn't be good either. She couldn't figure out why things had gotten so complicated.

All the drama in the parking lot cleared up after an hour or so. Classes resumed as usual, and they knew Edward was back and attending classes too after a while. They saw him walk by their class. He whispered it would be fine as he passed to his class, which he shared with Emmett.

Serafina stood to follow. The teacher wasn't even surprised to see her get up and didn't even bother to question her. But she did give a questioning look to Rosalie when she followed suit. Rosalie didn't ditch. Serafina saw her stand but knew she was upset and shouldn't go with her. She turned around and pulled Rosalie back down to her seat. Serafina only looked her in her eyes. She never said a word, but Rosalie relaxed her posture and released a held breath. She then nodded and went back to her notes. Serafina kissed her on the forehead and walked out of the room. The teacher thought nothing of it. Everyone at the school knew the two women were together. She supposed, at this moment, the two were worried about their brother. So she didn't question Serafina leaving.

Walking down the hallway, Serafina heard Emmett speaking to Edward. They both knew she was there. She figured Emmett was speaking out loud because he knew she was. They were probably having a whole conversation without speaking before she showed up. She heard Emmett telling Edward to calm down. This was getting more and more interesting. Did the usual too-mature Edward lose his cool at school, of all places? It took a lot to needle a reaction out of Edward; the family were experts at pushing his buttons, but that was what the family did. This girl made him too emotional. She kept her mind blank as she listened, taking in the information without thinking about it. At least she wouldn't with Edward nearby. She stopped listening and walked away to wait out the school day outside.

As soon as she walked away, the two brothers looked at each other.

"You know how Rosalie and Jasper are leaning when it comes to dealing with the human. I'm unsure which way Alice is leaning, but I could guess. I don't care either way. Esme probably won't care either; she doesn't want you to leave. Carlisle will probably agree with what you decide. But it would be best if you watched out for Serafina," Emmett said lowly.

Edward had a look of worry on his face, "Do you know which way she's leaning?"

"She's Rosie's mate for a reason," Emmett looked at Edward sadly. He didn't care either way what happened to this human but didn't like what was happening with the family. He could tell Edward was upset at the thought of this human's death. But still, he could see both sides of the argument. Sometimes, it was better to be safe than sorry.

After school, they all met in the car to drive home—another silent ride. Except for Edward, who could hear Rosalie's scolding, Emmett's and Alice's worries, and Jasper's plans for Bella, none of their thoughts worried him. It was Serafina's constant thoughts of Rosalie that bothered him. She could keep her mind blank for short periods of time, but she would think of Rosalie if she were thinking about something or couldn't help thinking about it and didn't want him to know. This way, she wouldn't think about it in his presence.

When they arrived home, they immediately went to the dining room. Since it wasn't used for dining, they used it as a meeting room where they could hopefully keep a distance from each other when the arguments became heated. All knew this conversation would require the dining room and not their usual informal meeting space, the living room.

Carlisle sat at one end, and Esme held his hand as they waited for their children to arrive. Rosalie knew her father. She immediately sat at the opposite end to oppose him. Edward sat on the other side of Carlisle. He watched as Emmett sat himself in between both factions. Serafina joined Rosalie's side in a relaxed slouch as though she didn't care about what was happening in this family meeting. And after only a brief moment of hesitation, Jasper sat on Rosalie's other side. Alice entered with a frown, but instead of joining Jasper as he hoped, she ignored his hurt face and sat opposite Emmett between the two sides.

"I'm sorry," Edward finally said.

"Not good enough," Rosalie glared, "Do you have any idea what you've done?"

"It was selfish," Jasper said.

"He did the right thing," Carlisle said. But he still sighed, "although I wish no witnesses were present. But still. I will never be upset over any of you saving a life instead of taking it."

"I'll fix it. I'll do what I had planned to do before. I'll leave," he insisted.

"Please don't!" Esme pleaded.

"Well, I mean, you can't now," Emmett mumbled, "We need you more now. We need you to make sure no one is thinking about the incident or us negatively."

"Alice would see," Edward argued.

"I agree with Em here. What if the girl develops a loose tongue with your disappearance? We could always leave together." Carlisle suggested.

"And leave the potential for rumors to remain with the girl?" Rosalie exclaimed, "That doesn't seem like a good idea." She shook her head in disbelief.

"She won't say anything," Edward informed them, "She said so." He trailed off.

"Naive," Rosalie scoffed.

"You can't read her mind," Carlisle reminded.

"I'm sure!" Edward said, "Alice, back me up here?"

"I can't tell!" she said, nervously glancing toward Rosalie's side of the table.

"We can't risk it!" Rosalie said. She took one glance at Serafina. Then she steeled her resolve, "We need to kill her. Even if we all leave, she has the potential to spill her guts. We can't leave this risk behind. What if those rumors hit a wandering nomad or, God forbid, a passing Volturi guard? We're the only vegetarians that stay in the continental United States! They'll blame us! They only need an excuse!" Rosalie became more emotional as she spoke.

"We've left rumors about the strange Cullens before. The freaks. It's the same thing!" Edward argued. He knew she was concerned for Serafina. He felt guilty about it, but he couldn't help himself.

"Rumors, yes. But she's an eyewitness. There was evidence. What if you and Emmett didn't clean it up properly?" Jasper calmly added. He felt Edward's guilt. Jasper felt bad for siding against him. But he also sensed Rosalie's genuine fear for Serafina, which made him worry about her and the rest of the family.

"I took care of the evidence!" Edward growled back.

"You know, this is your fault. It would be best if you cleaned up after your mistakes. But you can't be trusted. I'll take care of it. I can control myself. I won't leave any evidence behind." Rosalie said with finality. She relaxed as though that were the end of the conversation.

"Of course, it would be easy for you to murder someone. No remorse. The students are always right. The Ice Queen is so quick to strike. That should be your assassin code name," Edward snarked.

Rosalie clenched her fists on the table, but Serafina grabbed her fist and eased it open to hold her hand. Serafina only gave Edward a warning look as she rubbed circles into Rosalie's hand.

"Edward," Carlisle warned at the exact same moment. He then turned to Rosalie, "Now Rosie, we didn't say anything about those men in New York because," he began.

"Because it was deserved," Serafina interrupted.

"Exactly. Although I dislike murder, I felt it only fair to allow you to judge those men's fate as you saw fit since we wouldn't have been able to report them anyway." Carlisle continued, "But this young girl is innocent."

"Sad. But I'm looking out for all of us," Rosalie insisted.

"I know you care deeply for this family, Rose, but no," Carlisle said. He tried to explain, "It's one thing for someone in this family to have a slip-up and us move on because of that. Accidents, however unfortunate, happen. But what you're suggesting is murder. It's not okay. I want us to be good all the time. Not only when it suits us."

"Sometimes it's necessary," Rosalie's shoulders slumped. She could tell Carlisle had made up his mind.

"Murder is wrong," Carlisle said. That same finality once heard from Rosalie was now in his tone. He then changed the immediate topic off the girl, "But should we move?"

Edward tried to hide his smug grin, but Serafina caught the corners of his lips twitch. She looked to Jasper, who could feel his happiness, and he nodded to her to confirm she wasn't crazy. Edward heard and immediately tried to mask it again.

"I don't want to start over, we're graduating this year," Rosalie answered angrily.

"You could still be a senior at the new location," Carlisle said softly.

"So we leave again that much faster because we start off older? No. I like it here anyway. Yes, we have a lousy pack of mutts next door, but we still have so little sun we're practically normal! I don't want to give that up!" Rosalie argued.

"We don't have to move at all, Carlisle soothed, "Edward is confident she'll keep this a secret."

Edward became nervous again. Rosalie was upset but always accepted Carlisle's decisions on such matters. But he didn't know what Serafina was thinking. And he knew Jasper was still thinking about how this girl should die.

"Jazz, please. It was my fault. She shouldn't be punished for what I did," Edward pleaded.

"It is what you did. She should be dead. I'm not doing anything wrong. I would only be correcting your mistake. If fate had its way, she would be dead already," Jasper reasoned.

"I won't let you," Edward replied.

Jasper looked at him incredulously, "The human is a threat to our existence. I won't allow Alice to be in danger. Serafina wouldn't even be able to save us, or have you forgotten? I'm looking out for this family."

"I won't let you," Edward repeated with a glare.

"What if I got rid of the problem, Edward? Will you try to stop me?" Serafina asked. She sat upright and leaned forward toward Edward in a small showdown of wills. She wanted to test how deep these feelings were. All eyes turned to her.

Edward's shoulders slumped in momentary defeat. Fear and hopelessness coursed through him, which caused Jasper some confusion. But they all saw Edward sit upright as he answered with a resoluteness they didn't expect, "Yes."

It was as though his response solidified the future for Alice, "Stop! Jazz, Serafina, please don't," Alice begged. Now, all eyes were on her and Edward as he gasped at her vision. Confusion on his face as he looked at his sister.

"Darlin', I know you can take care of yourself, but if I can do anything to keep you safer, I will," Jasper explained.

"I know you would because you love me. But you don't have to! I've seen it. She'll be my friend in the future. Please don't kill her," Alice beseeched the two.

Jasper sat back as he looked at her with confusion. Everyone knew his decision now. Alice asked him specifically not to. She said they would be friends. He would never intentionally hurt her like that. Alice knew it too, so she stared at Serafina.

"Friend?" Serafina questioned.

"Yes," Alice said, giving her a meaningful look she hoped Serafina would understand.

"What bet?" Edward asked, looking between the two.

"None of your business," Serafina answered.

"What is it?" Edward demanded, looking between the two. But Serafina already went back to thinking solely of Rosalie. So Edward turned his questioning glare to Alice, "Is it about Bella?" The two were silent as they communicated.

"Man, I hate when they do that," Emmett whined, "I want to know too." He pouted, crossing his arms in annoyance.

A look of horror crossed Edward's face, "No," he whispered. But soon, his face morphed into anger, "It's not true!" he said as he quickly stood.

"Calm down," Carlisle stood with him and tried to put a calming hand on his shoulder, but Edward quickly stepped back as he stared at Alice.

"I have to leave," Edward said, a look of fear on his face.

"You can't. You have to ensure you didn't cause us any problems by reading everyone's mind around the girl. You know? Make sure she doesn't talk," Emmett huffed, "I thought we already established this?"

"Can you leave?" Serafina asked with a raised brow to Edward. The others looked at her questioningly.

Serafina was quick to make decisions when needed. She decided to kill the girl as soon as Edward was away. Only to test him more. Alice saw the vision, which allowed Edward to see it, too. Edward couldn't help the growl that came from himself. Rosalie let go of Serafina's hand and now stood and glared at Edward, crossing her arm in front of Serafina to block her from his view.

"I'll love her?" Edward asked no one in particular.

"What?" Emmett asked incredulously.

"So Alice was right?" Esme asked. She then smiled. If it were true, Edward would stay, "You found your mate! This is great!" she smiled happily.

"Not great! She's a human! This won't work out," Rosalie explained with her glare still on Edward.

"You're right," Edward said sadly.

"Is the vision still the same?" Carlisle asked Alice.

"There's more of it turning out positively than otherwise. But yes. Either he kills her, or she becomes one of us and stays with Edward forever," Alice said. She was more obvious in her explanation, as though trying to push Edward to be stronger with her words, "If you kill her though, I'll be very upset. It won't just be me either." She reminded.

Serafina smiled at Edward mockingly, "God must hate you to make your mate the one person whose blood it seems you just can't resist." She laughed.

"Serafina," Esme warned.

Serafina held her hands up, "I'm just saying."

Carlisle sighed, "Well, this is not what I was expecting to happen. It all seems a bit more guaranteed now which is good, I suppose."

Edward shook his head, "No."

Carlisle ignored him, "What we already decided stands. We stay. No one kills the girl." He said, looking toward the opposite end of the table. All three nodded in agreement.

"No!" Edward shouted.

"Well, I guess I could kill the girl if it means that much to you," Serafina taunted.

"That's not what I meant!" Edward glared. He continued, "I don't want it to end in either of those outcomes." He said sadly.

Everyone ignored him at this point. Alice said so herself. Only two outcomes. If he wasn't allowing them to kill the girl, it seemed there was only one outcome. He was being a whiny baby at this point, and they wouldn't indulge that behavior. The family nodded in agreement with this decision. Edward growled in annoyance but immediately headed toward the home's back door. Esme tried to grab him, but he deftly avoided her as he slipped by.

"Why is he being such a baby about this? Isn't this good news?" Emmett asked suddenly.

"He doesn't want her to become like us. Not everyone would choose this life," Carlisle explained.

"But what if she would? I would. I love this life. It's way better than being alone in my cottage and only going out to work. I was so bored and lonely. This life is so much better," Emmett shrugged.

"Oh, we know how bored you were. So bored you went off looking for bears to wrestle," Serafina grinned.

"I didn't go looking for it!" Emmett glared. He then rolled his eyes, "But when he found me, what was I going to do? Back down? I could've totally taken it. He just caught me by surprise. The big fella was faster than I thought." He sighed.

The others couldn't help themselves as they chuckled at his response. They knew he wholeheartedly believed what he said. They smiled fondly at him.

"Of course," Serafina nodded seriously. She stood and said goodnight to everyone as she pulled Rosalie to the tree house with her.

As they cuddled in bed to review how that meeting went, Serafina rubbed Rosalie's arm, "It's going to be alright. You heard Alice."

"What if something changes it? We all know any little decision can change everything," Rosalie worried.

"We'll just have to wait and see, but I'll always protect you," Serafina assured her.

"I'm not worried about me!" Rosalie groaned.

"Well, you know what Edward always says: I'm selfish. So I'm going to make sure I'm alright, too. That way, I can stay with you forever," she said as she kissed Rosalie's forehead.

"Good," Rosalie smiled as she hugged Sera tighter.

Chapter Text

It had been more than a month since the incident. The family pretended nothing had happened; it was easier for some than others. Alice was the one having the most trouble aside from Edward. She wanted to interfere while Edward did everything he could to keep a distance.

Serafina rolled her eyes as she looked at that sullen expression on his face, "Stop it," she finally said.

"Stop what?" he asked back while not even sparing her a glance. He was trying to focus on the humans surrounding the girl. Like always. He would sit and glare at his food tray so they wouldn't know. But his family knew. And they were annoyed.

"Pining," Rosalie answered while massaging her temples, "Stop pining. I swear to God, all this angst is giving me a migraine. And that's impossible. Well done, Edward, you've even ruined my illness-free death," She muttered lowly.

The others chuckled at her answer.

"You guys haven't even told me if you're willing to go with me," Emmett mumbled unhappily after a moment.

"Go where?" Serafina asked.

"You weren't even listening to me?" he asked in amazement. He threw his arms up exaggeratedly and settled by pushing his tray to the middle of the table while dejectedly laying his head on his folded arms. His eyebrows furrowed as he pouted.

"Now, who's the whiny baby?" Edward asked with a grin. He was still focusing on the girl. He knew what his family thought of his behavior. He disagreed. But all of his siblings still believed it.

"It's still you!" Alice glared, "Just let me-"

"No!" Edward cut her off before she could finish, "Don't Alice! This is how it should be."

Serafina shook her head in disapproval as she turned to Emmett, "I'm sorry. ¿Qué querías osito?"

Emmett's pout instantly disappeared as it turned into an instant frown, "Well, first, I want you to stop calling me little bear. I know you're making fun of me. You always do it if someone mentions how I died."

Serafina bit back her laugh, "What? No, I wouldn't do that."

"That's exactly what she's doing," Edward noted.

"Cállate idiota. Go back to ignoring your supposed mate while stalking her through her friend's minds," Serafina scolded. She turned to Emmett, "Now, what else were you talking about? Before?"

Emmett looked up at her, trying to see if she was actually interested. He then looked to the others, except Edward. He saw he had his audience and perked up, "I was saying we should go skydiving." He began.

Serafina looked to Rosalie, who shrugged. Serafina mimicked her actions. There was agreement from everyone, as they noted they hadn't done that before.

When Emmett saw them agreeing, he became more enthusiastic, "I think we should do it with no parachutes!" he smiled.

They all sighed simultaneously. Jasper shook his head at Emmett, "Why do you always take it too far?"

"What? Have you never considered jumping from a plane and landing a perfect superhero drop? It can be just like the comics! I'll bet we'd make it look better!" Emmett said excitedly.

The three women looked at Jasper, expecting him to answer with a no immediately. But they were all surprised to see a hesitation. Alice giggled, "You'd look very heroic that way, Jazz. Very handsome."

"See! We should do it!" Emmett said excitedly.

"You're forgetting. There would more than likely be a human flying us. How are we going to explain it? Group suicide?" Rosalie reminded.

"Kate can fly a plane!" Emmett answered quickly. This confused the group except for Alice, who looked at Emmett with a trace of fear, "Yeah, she said so." Emmett nodded.

"She did not! She said she was sure she could do it because 'it didn't look too hard'. But that was not an admission that she could actually fly a plane," Alice frowned. Her eyes glazed over, "You can't ask her! She would steal a plane at the nearest airport to try, and she would crash. She won't be hurt. But that's just unnecessary attention!" Alice said sternly.

"Fine!" Emmett thought momentarily, "Maybe instead of college, I'll go to school to be a pilot!" he said excitedly.

"You don't even properly go to college," Edward pointed out, "You just dabble in whatever piques your interest at the moment. Even then, you don't finish."

Emmett frowned. It was true, but he never really thought about it.

Rosalie held his shoulder, "Don't listen to him. Flying would be so much more interesting than school. You could do it." She soothed.

"But you shouldn't," Serafina pointed out. Emmett gave her a questioning look, "If you were the pilot, you couldn't jump out of the plane." She reminded.

Emmett immediately began to nod in understanding. He looked at his siblings suddenly, "Well then, none of us should learn to fly." He said with realization, brows furrowed with thought. He looked at his siblings, "Then we couldn't jump together. Maybe Carlisle could learn? Then we could jump as a family! We can invite Mom!"

They chuckled at the thought. But they knew she would likely learn to fly with Carlisle to be co-pilot. They discussed it more and decided to do it after graduation. But with parachutes first. They'd wait a few years before talking Carlisle into getting a pilot's license. Even Edward agreed to the skydiving idea, although half-heartedly.

With only about fifteen minutes left for lunch, Serafina looked at Rosalie, "I forgot, I need to speak with Angela."

Rosalie gave Serafina a questioning look, "About?"

"You know that photography class I ditch all the time?" Serafina asked.

"The one I told you you shouldn't take because you'd find it boring? Yes, we know that class. What about it?" Alice asked with mock concern.

Rosalie smirked at Alice's response. Serafina should have trusted Alice when it came to that class. She did warn her. According to her visions, Serafina was often ditching. Rosalie had told her the same, but Serafina insisted she would do well and stay interested. But it couldn't hold her interest like Jewelry or Stained Glass. Rosalie tried to steer her toward Ceramics or Sculpture to try next. But Serafina could be stubborn. Now, she was hardly ever in class.

Serafina gave her a nonplussed look, "Anyways, the teacher assigned a project that would be about twenty-five percent of our final grade. It requires partners. Angela was running an errand for the teacher and missed the part where they chose partners. She got stuck with me."

"So?" Edward asked, concerned about Serafina speaking about a friend of his human's.

"So, Serafina only screws over people she doesn't like. She wouldn't screw over Angela. Angela doesn't speak ill of anyone. Not even the Cullen freaks," Emmett answered as though it were obvious.

"You can't go over there," Edward said, realizing what Serafina would do.

"You can't stop her," Rosalie answered with a glare.

Serafina couldn't help the slight glow in her eyes as she looked at him, "You really can't." She said as she stood and turned to give Rosalie a quick kiss on her cheek before she got up and made her way to the table where Angela was sitting.

Angela was sitting toward the end of the table. She sat next to Eric, who was next to Jessica. Bella was seated in the center with Mike next to her and in front of Jessica. Some other people sat more toward Mike and Jessica as though the seating was a popularity ranking. She would disagree with their rankings, but luckily, it left a space in front of Angela. Sadly, it was next to Bella.

Serafina sat down, and silence enveloped the table. She ignored their stares and looked straight at Angela, "Hello, partner." She smiled.

Angela didn't miss a beat and instantly smiled back. After hearing the 'partner,' she figured Serafina was trying to pawn the project off to herself like most others did, "Hey Serafina, you don't have to worry about that project. I can do it by myself." She shyly said.

Serafina frowned, "That wouldn't be fair. We can do that project together. What did you have in mind?"

Angela was stunned but smiled more brightly, "Well, there wasn't anything specific we had to do. Just make a portfolio with five photos by the end of next week using the techniques we've learned so far."

Serafina nodded slowly, "And what techniques were those?"

Angela remembered Serafina was hardly ever in class, "Well, how about this? I know the techniques, and I'm pretty good with the camera. I would love for you to be my assistant and maybe even a model? We can split the work that way if you're okay with that," Angela innocently suggested.

"I'm pretty sure we know how she's going to respond to that," Emmett whispered from their table. Serafina still heard.

"My baby was right. At least one of their group has a brain. Easy A right there," Rosalie proudly muttered.

"Is it wise to have that type of photo going around?" Jasper asked.

"You know she'll destroy it if need be," Alice answered. She then froze for a brief moment.

Serafina grinned widely after Angela's suggestion, "I can be your assistant and model. No nude photos, and you have yourself a deal." She laughed.

Angela turned bright red at the joke, "No! That's not what I meant!"

Serafina chuckled some more, "I know. I'm kidding. Well, you have your assistant. I guess I'll see you in class tomorrow." She sighed sadly, "We should try to work a bit after school, too, because the sooner we finish, the sooner I can start ditching again."

Angela chuckled at Serafina's antics. Her tablemates still sat there shocked but never moving their eyes from what was happening. It was as though the whole cafeteria were eavesdropping.

"She's going to test you," Alice whispered from their table, "Don't move, Sera. It'll be too quick for a normal human to avoid. We don't want that attention in front of her friends."

Serafina forced herself to stay still briefly as Bella "accidentally" knocked over her bottle of water on Serafina.

"I'm so sorry!" she stuttered. She had thought Serafina was fast like Edward and would avoid it. She immediately grabbed some napkins and put them on Serafina's arm to wipe off some water. She felt warmth, totally different from what she felt with Edward. But as she thought about Edward, she continuously patted Serafina with napkins. She wasn't paying attention and began patting Serafina's arms, chest, and lap. Serafina began to glare, but the human didn't notice. Rosalie finally stood up and marched over to slap her hand away.

"I've got it, back off," she growled out. She startled the girl, who only then realized where she was touching the brunette. She apologized as Rosalie offered her hand to Serafina to pull her up.

Serafina was fuming, but she wasn't mad at the human. That was not true. She was furious at the human. But all she could think about was how she tested her because of Edward. This made it his fault. Rosalie walked Serafina to the restroom so she wouldn't steam in front of the humans. She glared in Edward's direction.

All the two women could hear was Eric's high-pitched whisper as he asked Bella if she was crazy. He remembered how she had first met Serafina and figured Bella must now be on Serafina's blacklist. The others also scolded her lightly because they thought she scared her away from their table. They liked the attention they had while she sat there. They were willing to deal with the fear if it resulted in the same envy they saw from their peers.

After school, they were stopped by Emmett, who told them that Edward's mood seemed to have changed. He wasn't being as bitchy. He appeared to be in a good mood for some reason. They reached the parking lot and saw him blocking the human's truck with his Volvo. There were now several cars being blocked by his car. They hurried over but noticed Edward's eyes on Tyler Crowley's retreating back while laughing hysterically.

They glanced in the same direction and noticed he seemed to have left Bella's truck after speaking to her. They glanced at each other quizzically.

"What's so funny?" Emmett asked.

"Nothing, nothing," Edward laughed as he drove them home. He would randomly chuckle to himself along the way.

"Can I talk to her now?" Alice asked.

Edward's good mood seemed to have disappeared, "No."

"Why not?" she asked.

"Why do you want to talk to her so badly if I'm just going to kill her?" he asked sullenly.

"Well, that's true, but it doesn't have to be a true death. Fine, I won't," Alice pouted after noticing Edward's annoyed look.

"Enjoy your run, loser," Rosalie jokingly told Edward. He scowled but ultimately ignored her comment as he ran into the forest. The teens joked he would run out into the woods to relieve those teenage urges. They would tease him and say puberty finally hit.

Emmett had pulled out a game of Monopoly to play with Esme as the banker. Serafina wasn't allowed to be the banker anymore. The game lasted several hours before they realized Edward wasn't home yet.

"You know, it doesn't take me this long to spank my monkey," Emmett commented as he rolled the dice.

Jasper chuckled while the women scrunched their noses in disgust.

"Emmett dear, don't speak that way," Esme scolded, "I'm sure Edward's fine and not doing anything of the sort." She finally mumbled.

"He is a hundred-year-old virgin who just discovered women's attraction," Jasper mumbled. Emmett pointed at him as he nodded in agreement.

"Gross," Rosalie muttered.

Alice remained quiet but had a slightly concerned look on her face. But while they waited for her to spill, she remained strangely silent. She quickly changed the subject and brought them back into the game.

They got ready and went to school the next day, with Edward still missing. But Alice wasn't worried, so they didn't say anything. Edward slowly crept out of the forest when they arrived but stilled as the human's loud truck approached. They rolled their eyes as they ignored his strange behavior and entered the school. So he was still pining over the human, it seemed. They began to make their way to class.

They didn't notice anything unusual with Alice waiting for Edward. They were in some of the same classes being juniors after all. Jasper was annoyed with Edward's erratic emotions, so he only kissed Alice's hand as he joined his fellow senior siblings to leave him behind. Even he didn't notice that Alice had a particular smile as she turned back to watch Edward stop to actually speak to the human today. Once her siblings and mate were away, she allowed her happiness to flow as she happily jumped a few times as she watched the interaction.

Chapter Text

Most of the family went to their usual table and sat down that day. All had different thoughts when seeing Edward sitting alone. But none were surprised. A certain tiny brunette warned them.

Serafina had a project she was working on with Angela. She went to lunch from a different direction than usual and had to walk past Edward. She wasn't given the warning because Alice didn't see it until after they had separated that day.

Serafina looked at Edward sitting alone at the table, 'Making your move, pendejo?' she thought. She walked behind him precisely to smack him on the head before making her way to her family's table. He gave her an annoyed look before turning his attention to the door to wait on his human.

On the other hand, Serafina went to sit in her usual spot, and she looked at the others with a grin, "Did he give up on his sanctimonious attitude?" she asked the others.

"It was just a matter of time. That's what we were told anyway," Jasper frowned.

"I say he tanks it. He's not smooth at all," Emmett laughed.

"That's not a good bet! Of course, he's going to tank it. He doesn't know how to speak to women," Serafina scoffed.

"That's why he's a loser," Rosalie smirked.

They continuously mocked Edward's little date from their table. They continued to tease him even with the human present. They, of course, overheard everything the two were talking about. He would constantly tell her that he was bad for her. She didn't seem to understand his warnings. They were veiled warnings, as though he didn't want her actually to understand it. He didn't need to do so much. Although Isabella seemed a reasonably astute young lady. She didn't know how to apply that knowledge.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think he was teasing the girl," Serafina said after a while.

Emmett frowned with confusion, "How so?"

"The tone he keeps using to tell her to stay away. For example," Serafina turned to Rosalie, "You better stop looking at me that way." She said. She didn't use a threatening tone at all.

Rosalie looked at her girlfriend suspiciously, "In what way?"

"You know what you're doing when giving me those beautiful eyes. You're a despicable temptress, but you shouldn't tempt me," Serafina answered with a smirk. She never raised her voice. She kept it soft and gentle as Edward was doing with the girl.

Rosalie chuckled. She then fluttered her eyes at Serafina before resting her chin on her propped hand, "I don't know what you mean."

"I would stop now, or you're going to get it later," Serafina's voice dropped as she practically growled.

"You'd never lay a finger on me," Rosalie laughed while fluttering her eyes at Serafina.

"Never on you," Serafina smirked, "I have a better spot in mind for my fingers."

Rosalie's jaw dropped as she stared at Serafina with wide eyes. She shoved her shoulder back, "Shut up! Not at school!" she said.

Their siblings all had disgusted faces, "We don't need to hear this ever. Please refrain from using this sort of talk in our presence at all times," Jasper groaned.

"Yeah, it's gross! Shame on you two!" Emmett glared, "I'm only a little bear! I don't need to hear any of this!"

"You're the one that made her use an example!" Alice complained.

"I didn't ask for an example!" Emmett argued.

The group continued to laugh and joke while eavesdropping on their brother. They laughed at Edward's begging the human for anything until they heard her guess that a radioactive spider might have bitten Edward. She was trying to figure out what they were after all. When Edward joked he wasn't affected by kryptonite either, Emmett scoffed. The others looked at him in agreement until they heard why he scoffed.

"Please, I would be Superman. Look at Ed's physique," he shook his head, "If anything, I'm Superman, Jazz could be Batman, and Edward barely passes as Robin." He saw his family looking at him blankly, "I'm talking physique-wise if we're talking about some of DC's more well-known heroes." He explained.

"You've thought about this before, haven't you?" Rosalie asked with a raised brow. She was no longer in the mood to listen to Edward. She was upset with this human, who seemed to be trying to figure their family out.

Alice giggled, "I think someone likes the group costume route. You're already planning for this year's costume contest, right?"

"Maybe," Emmett shrugged innocently.

They all had stopped paying attention to Edward as they argued with Emmett over their group costume. But they did catch the tail end. They saw Bella head off to class while Edward ditched. Jasper had already had to ditch earlier in the day, Alice explained.

"Did anyone else notice he took the bottle cap from her drink?" Serafina asked.

"No, but what about it?" Emmett asked.

"You know who else takes little trophies from people?" Serafina asked with narrowed eyes. The others shrugged, "Serial killers take trophies." She frowned.

"I save little odds and ends to scrapbook with! And I'm not a serial killer!" Alice glared at Serafina.

"I guess you're right. I'm sure he'll start scrapbooking about his newfound love," Serafina laughed with Rosalie.

Alice didn't find them amusing. She pouted as she watched the two leave. The two made their way to class, ignoring the others behind them.

They went through school like normal. But when heading to the parking lot, they noticed the human's truck there while Edward and his Volvo were gone. They all frowned as they looked at Alice.

"He'll be back soon!" she answered. Sure enough, he turned the corner a moment later. He was pulling the car up in front of them all. Before anyone could make a move, Alice bent over the open passenger side window, "Keys, I don't know why, but I saw this much. Give me the keys so I can take it to her house. But we are going to gossip later!" she smiled as she skipped her way to the human's truck and started it up.

As soon as the family got in the car, they could smell her. Jasper may have taken a larger whiff than the others. Edward gripped the steering wheel a bit tighter. He began to growl at his family, whose thoughts he could hear.

"It's your fault, stupid! What did you expect?" Rosalie growled back.

Serafina gripped Rosalie's thigh to calm her, "You brought her to a place where we would all catch her scent. She's right, pendejo. I'm sure their thoughts are right. She does smell good."

When they got home, they separated. Alice had wanted to help Rosalie make a new wardrobe, but Rosalie was still furious. She sat on the sofa brooding. But Serafina kissed her before getting a mischievous grin. She ran off to Alice, telling her she needed to make more lingerie for Rosalie. This caused Rosalie to laugh as she chased after her to stop her. She put her hands on Serafina's mouth to stop her talking. Alice giggled at the two but made space for them both to join her.

Jasper and Emmett sat down to play a game of chess. Esme was upstairs completing a home design for a client out of state. Edward sat down at his piano in the meantime to play. He began to play something new. Esme joyfully made her way downstairs to listen.

Rosalie couldn't help but roll her eyes as her girlfriend slumped on her shoulder, relaxed as though she were about to fall asleep. Initially, she was jealous that Serafina could become so enraptured with Edward's playing until she realized she didn't enjoy it. It lulled Serafina into a meditative state. Emmett suggested, out of boredom. There was no like or dislike.

But when Rosalie played, she always got Serafina's full attention as she enjoyed it and made requests. They had even played together on occasion, with Rosalie at the piano and Serafina serenading her with love songs. Rosalie didn't want her girlfriend meditating on her shoulder. She stood, helped Serafina up, and helped her to the garage. She threw on some music for the two and began checking on her car after sitting Serafina in her jewelry work corner.

The two women sat in the garage, separated from the family by a soundproof wall and music. Serafina had already begun to look up some designs she had been scribbling before to see if she should attempt any. Rosalie turned to Serafina, "You've been teasing me a lot today. What's got you so hot and bothered?"

"Mi amor, this is how I always am when near you. But I have to admit, your temper turns me on," she smirked, looking up from her design to blow Rosalie a kiss.

"What? How did that happen?" Rosalie laughed.

"There was that time when you got so jealous from when Emmett asked me about my past dalliances when I was alive, and we had non-stop sex for two weeks. I think the only reason we stopped was because we hadn't fed before, and you felt I was a bit hotter than usual, so you made us feed," Serafina said with a wide grin.

Rosalie remembered she choked on a response, but she cleared her throat, "That was just one time." She began.

"Then a couple of months back, when you thought I was looking at that one human woman's chest. You became so furious that you had me show you how much I love you in the backseat of your car," Serafina chuckled, "I knew you were jealous, but I allowed myself to be used." She shrugged.

"Why were you looking at her chest?" Rosalie asked, becoming annoyed at that memory all over again. Serafina's chuckles became full-blown laughter. This only made Rosalie angrier as she glared at Serafina, "Seriously? You're going to laugh now?"

Serafina could see this was bothering Rosalie, so she stopped as she made her way to her with a paper clutched behind her back, "Mi hermosa Rosa, I would never look at another woman how I look at you." She said, giving her a quick peck on her lips. She then brought the paper out and held it before her eyes, "I was looking at this necklace. It's so large and gaudy, the design was overwhelmed by the artist's need to put those fake jewels on it," she said, with evident distaste, "But I liked the idea, I thought I could make a more sleek and refined version to grace your gorgeous neck." She said, pulling the paper behind it to show a similar yet more elegant design with an enormous smile.

Rosalie cheered up seeing the drawings. But her anger completely dissipated listening to Serafina ramble on about how she would use several different small real jewels and wanted to know Rosalie's opinion on if she should go with her favorite red rubies or if Rosalie would like this piece to be more for special occasions and maybe keep it full of only diamonds and a large pearl. The two were cuddled in the backseat of Rosalie's convertible as they spoke about her design.

"Why do you hate the human?" Serafina suddenly asked, "I mean, I know her nosiness is something no one likes in general. If she were to be poking and prodding in my saloon in the past, she would never see the light of day again. But it seems as though there's something more."

Rosalie froze but didn't like when they kept secrets, "Edward never thought I was pretty like everyone else did. But this human is his type? I was never good enough, but that poorly dressed, uncoordinated, and socially awkward girl is?"

"We both know he's an idiot. Now we know his eyesight isn't too great either," Serafina nodded, "But if he did find you attractive in the past, would you have said yes to his pursuit?" Serafina asked.

Rosalie felt a boiling anger just beneath the surface from her mate, "No, never. Please, he's not my type. I didn't even realize I had a type until I met you. But I don't like people not acknowledging my beauty." She said seriously.

Serafina did understand, and her anger eased, "Apparently, socially awkward girls and weirdos are attracted to each other," she shrugged as though trying to appease Rosalie, "But I'm glad Edward never liked you in that way. I don't need any more reasons to want to kill him. He walks a fine line as it is."

Rosalie couldn't help laughing in response as she felt the sincerity of her words. Her mate could be jealous, too, because she loved her. It was all she needed, and she knew that. The two began to make out a bit, but the garage door soon opened as Emmett stuck his head in to tell the two women goodbye before he went on his trip with Edward to go hunting.

"I thought you two were leaving tomorrow?" Rosalie suddenly asked.

"He wants to come back early," Emmett shrugged. He then waved goodbye to the two as he left.

Their brother's intrusion immediately hampered the two women's mood. They fixed themselves up and went back into the house. Alice ran up to Serafina, "Peter and Charlotte are coming to visit!" she said excitedly.

"He acts as though they aren't cautious. They respect our request to hunt away from town. They're not stupid," Jasper grumbled in annoyance. He then shook his head, "They can't even wander. I'll have to warn them to avoid the human's house just in case he's there."

"Wait, what? Why would he be there?" Serafina asked.

Alice and Esme began to shake their heads in Jasper's direction, but he furrowed his brows as he looked at her, "He likes to keep an eye on her." Jasper finally said with a small smile, "You know, make sure she's safe." Alice and Esme seemed very embarrassed.

"From what? What kind of dangerous hobbies does the human have," Serafina asked with curiosity.

"Sleeping," Jasper had a massive grin at this point.

"What the fuck?" Serafina exclaimed with disbelief.

"I'm starting to think your serial killer comment is rather apropos. You know, I'm pretty sure I dodged a bullet by him not ever finding me attractive," Rosalie grinned.

"How can you let him do that?" Serafina questioned Esme and Alice incredulously.

"He doesn't do anything he shouldn't!" Alice squeaked out.

"This is his first love. He doesn't understand how to behave," Esme grimaced.

"I feel a lot better now," Rosalie laughed. She was pulling Serafina away as she laughed. Serafina was shocked at the thought of Edward sneaking into the teenage girl's bedroom to watch her sleep. But apparently, she was safe. She had to trust Alice on this one. But she was very uncomfortable with the thought. After thinking about it for a while, though, she realized Edward was actually a gentleman. He wouldn't do anything untoward to her. But she knew it. He did not know how to behave with women.

Chapter Text

Everyone was friendly and played nice when Peter and Charlotte visited the family. The only one who was rude was Edward. He made it incredibly obvious that he was unhappy with their presence in town. He was scolded many times by Esme and Carlisle.

The visiting couple found that even Serafina, who initially scared them when they first met, was more likable. She wasn't necessarily friendly. But she didn't threaten to kill them as often as she did fifty years before. They still couldn't believe she was the same person. They guessed love made a difference.

Jasper nearly fought with Edward in his friend's defense when Edward almost showed them how upset he was. The couple initially planned on staying a week but could only last a few days before they were too annoyed and decided to leave early. Though they didn't openly admit that was why. But the family could guess. The entire Cullen family, minus the two women, apologized repeatedly for his behavior.

Once they left, Edward went to stalk his human in Port Angeles while the family divided for the night. Their parents went on a small date night in town. They would have dinner in town but then take a page from their children's books and head to their private cabin for intimacy. The teens headed off in the opposite direction when that happened.

Jasper was still upset with how Edward treated his friends and wanted to vent some of his frustrations by wrestling. This was what Emmett was built for, so he volunteered to spar with him. Alice wanted to see, plus she was upset too. She wanted to vent by complaining, and if it was about Edward, Rosalie was all for it, so the two went with them as well. They asked if Serafina wanted to join, but she had admitted that she hadn't wandered around town as often as usual and wanted to brush her face around town.

Wandering through town that evening, Serafina saw some of the regular people she saw during the morning. But it was different. People's routines were different at this time than the morning. She found it fascinating.

When walking in front of a supermarket, there was a younger, disheveled vagrant who saw her and looked at her no differently than anyone else, "Can you spare a dollar?" he asked. There was no fear or intimidation. He must have been new in town.

"Why?" Serafina asked. Narrowing her eyes at the man as she stopped to speak with him.

He was already surprised that she had acknowledged him. Most people usually ignored him and passed him by, "I'm out of cash and trying to get to New Mexico. I can't find a quick job to earn enough cash in town," He answered. He put his hand down but answered her.

"And how is a dollar going to help you with that?" Serafina questioned.

"Well, it won't. But I'm hungry," he answered.

"Then let's go get you something to eat," she answered, "You can tell me why you haven't been able to find a job." She began walking away. When she saw he wasn't following, she turned back to look at him, "I thought you were hungry? You can't buy anything with a dollar, so I'll buy you dinner."

The man immediately followed her just a step behind. She took him to the town diner and sat across from him. The townsfolk couldn't help turning to stare. When the waitress approached them, she smiled at Serafina, "Hey there, Serafina. Haven't seen you in a while." She smiled, "Your usual?"

"Yes, please. Thank you, Colleen," Serafina smiled back. She turned to the homeless man, "Burger, fries, and a Coke alright for you?"

"Yes, thank you," he nodded quickly.

"You got it," she noted in her notepad and went back to place the order with the cook.

"I'm Serafina Hart. Who are you, and why can't you find a job? You look reasonably healthy. Are you lazy? Crazy? I'm curious," she asked.

He was silent for a moment, "I'm Malcolm. I used to be in the Navy but was honorably discharged after I was injured in the line of duty. I didn't do too well when I came back stateside." He couldn't help fidgeting, "I, uh, was going to stay with my girlfriend when I returned. I paid for her school, but I found out she was cheating. I found out the hard way. I don't have a family. I didn't have a backup place to go."

Serafina was listening. She couldn't believe the bad luck of this young man. The food was soon served along with her coffee. He looked at her as though waiting for permission. She nodded while pretending to take a sip of coffee, and he immediately dug into his food.

While eating, he told her about his trouble with the V.A. and homeless shelters. He didn't have any specialty training that could transition well to civilian life, so he was also having trouble finding work because of that. He explained how he had moved to Seattle to be with his girlfriend while she was attending college. But otherwise, he had no ties to Washington at all. He was trying to find a place to stay when fleeing from that heartbreak and found himself in Forks.

"Now, I'm curious," Serafina began. She looked up at him once he was done and continued, "Do you want to settle here? Or are you pretty set on New Mexico?"

"I want out. This small-town living is not for me. Plus, my old commanding officer said he could help me with a job and place to stay until I could get back on my feet. I only need to get there. I feel like it's asking too much to ask him to front the cash for me to get there, too," he said with embarrassment.

"I can help you with the funds you need. But do you have anything of value? I don't just go around giving my money to strangers," Serafina grinned. He looked at his plate of food and then looked back up at her with apparent questions in his eyes, "I was taught never to turn away someone asking for food." She responded to his unspoken question.

A small smile tugged at his lips, "I can take you to my car. Everything I own is in it. You can see if you like anything," he shrugged.

Serafina paid for their food, and the two left and walked to a back alley around the corner. This was where his car sat, overstuffed with his belongings. He unlocked it and popped open the trunk. He had several bags of clothes and a few boxes of random odds and ends that she was immediately drawn to.

"May I?" she asked. He nodded his approval. She went straight for a box that practically called out to her. Inside were random stones and crystals. She raised her brow in question to him.

"My great-great-grandfather was a nerd. I think a geologist? He collected rocks and crystals even when he was back in his home country," he laughed.

Serafina could see the value in the stones, "I believe this one is worth quite a bit," she said as she lifted a bluish stone, "but this one, too," she held up another whiter stone. She felt all the stones but singled out three of them, "These three could have pretty high value if you play your cards right."

"You're pretty young, how do you know?" he asked.

"Oh, I know," she said confidently.

"How would I play my cards right?" he asked.

"Well, you'd need to invest several hundred or maybe several thousand dollars to get them-" she began to explain.

He immediately frowned and cut her off, "Which I don't have."

"This is true," Serafina grinned, "I can buy these three from you. I'll give you three hundred bucks for them right now. But I'll tell you right now, I'm ripping you off by doing so."

His frown never left, "And how much could I get from the pawn shop?"

"If they know what they're looking at, they'll probably offer you one to two hundred for the three. If they think you're just selling rocks like you thought they were, they'll probably offer you twenty dollars, and that's more to leave the store. Or maybe they'd even laugh you out the door," Serafina answered honestly.

"Well, you know I am a man and much larger and stronger than you. How do you know I won't just rob you right now?" he asked as he took an intimidating step toward her.

She never flinched or looked up from admiring the stones in her hands. "You're not that type of man." She said.

He sighed as he deflated, "No, I'm not. Nothing else caught your eye? Only those supposedly precious rocks."

"That's right. I'll go up to four hundred. But that's my final offer," she said with a smile.

"You know, I was starting to think you were an angel who came to help me in my time of need. Now you're flat-out telling me you're screwing me over. Are you the devil?" he laughed.

"Don't I wish," she muttered, "then I would be second to no one. Everyone would fear me, and I would fear no one."

"You okay, kid?" he asked. He was looking at her with concern after hearing her mutterings.

"Yes, do we have a deal?" she asked.

"Yeah, even you telling me this. I know I would never have done anything with those rocks. But are your parents okay with this?" he asked guiltily.

She collected the three she had mentioned and handed him the cash, "This is my money, not theirs. We're alright."

Soon, a light shone on the two from the end of the alley. Serafina heard him coming and turned her head slightly, expecting the action. She wasn't blinded like Malcolm was.

"Serafina? Are you alright?" Chief Swan asked with concern. When he saw she was safe, he breathed a sigh of relief, "What are you doing back here? You know this doesn't look good," he said as he left the light on and walked over to the two.

"Hey, Chief," Serafina smiled, still admiring her acquisitions, "Have you come to meet the sucker? I've hit the lottery." She then laughed, "He thought they were rocks." She shook her head incredulously.

"I made a deal with the devil," Malcolm said sadly, looking at Chief Swan.

"I think I need to hear the story from the beginning. All I'm understanding is you made a shady deal with a suspicious individual in a back alley for rocks," Chief Swan said with a blank face, looking between the two.

Malcolm explained what had happened, from panhandling on the street to Serafina taking him to dinner and their sudden deal. To show he was honest, he showed the cash he was just given without being asked, and Serafina showed her rocks.

Chief Swan eyed Serafina. He didn't know the value of the rocks, but he knew Serafina was sharp. He was sure she had suckered Malcolm greatly if she said so. He offered Serafina a ride home and pointed Malcolm to the nearest motel to shower and get a good night's sleep so he could head out of town to meet up with his friend.

While the two sat in the car with Serafina admiring the stones, Chief Swan finally turned to her, "What's the big deal about those rocks? They're pretty big, and I think there's a bit of color on them. But why are you so happy?"

"Because I robbed him blind," she laughed, "I'm pretty sure these are worth a pretty penny. You just can't see because they haven't been cut or polished. But I can get that done," she smiled.

"Cut or polished?" he asked hesitantly, "You're telling me those are actual gemstones? Like what? Diamonds?"

"I'm pretty sure that's what this smaller one is. But that's the least valuable of the three. This one is a ruby. With the size and color, it must be worth quite a bit. But the real treasure is this bluish-purple one," she said, holding up the last, "Tanzanite. Very rare."

"And you're not worried about that man being upset with you for tricking him? And coming back for revenge?" he asked. His discomfort was visible, knowing that the rocks had such a high value and were in his car. He didn't like the thought of something so expensive in his cruiser.

"No, and I didn't trick him. I told him to his face that I was taking advantage of him," she said happily. She unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the door to exit the car.

He sighed, "Well, be careful not to go down dark alleys with strange men you don't know. It's not safe. I know you can handle yourself, but still." He waited until she got out of the car, then reached over to the glove box, "Here," he said, drawing her attention back to himself. She looked down through the open window and had a small canister shoved into her face, "Pepper spray. Just to be safe."

Serafina smiled, "Thank you!" She waved goodbye to the Chief. She made it inside and began to put her new valuables away when she got a phone call from Edward, "What do you want?"

"Can you do me a favor, please?" Edward gritted out.

"What's got your panties up in a bunch?" She asked.

"Please, come to Port Angeles and take care of some thugs for me. I can't. But they need to be dealt with." He explained.

"Nope, it's not my problem," she answered. She was about to hang up when he yelled something that got her attention.

"Think of Rosalie!" he said quickly before she could hang up, "It could have been what happened to her. This piece of shit has done that sort of thing before."

Serafina began to feel herself warm up, "Don't pretend you care about Rosalie. These men must have done something to threaten your little human."

"It doesn't make what I said any less true. One had done it before and planned to do it again," Edward answered. He knew he shouldn't do this, but he wanted to kill those men. He knew it was wrong but couldn't help himself. Not when it came to her. But he couldn't do it because he didn't want to scare Bella.

Serafina was still holding the pepper spray can in her other hand. She looked down at it, her glare softening slightly, "Is Bella alright?" she asked.

"I got there in time, but I want to kill them, Serafina, please. I need to make sure she's alright. I can't leave her," he answered.

"I won't kill them for you, but I do want them to suffer. Tell me how many, what they looked like, names if you know them, and where I can find them," Serafina answered angrily.

Edward didn't want her to kill them; he was calming down as well, but he agreed they should suffer. He gave her the requested information, thanked her, and quickly returned to Bella, who had called over Jessica and Angela to let them know she was safe.

Serafina grabbed her white dress and veil and quickly went to Port Angeles. She found the area those men had been in and wandered that area until she heard some young men laughing.

"I don't know, Lonnie, that guy drove all crazy to get that girl. I almost shit my pants," one man said, "Maybe we should call it a night."

Lonnie? This was the worst one of the bunch. The others, Edward suspected, were just drunk and following along. But Lonnie had done that sort of thing before. He'd heard his thoughts and knew how bad he was. He told Serafina all about it, hoping it would spur her into hurting him a great deal.

"Stop being a little bitch. Let's go around a bit more and see if we can find some pussy," Lonnie yelled out boisterously. The others laughed and followed his lead.

Serafina made sure her phone was on silent and slowly walked toward the entrance to the alley the group was loitering in. She knew she had caught their attention. How could she not?

"Hey baby, you are exactly what the doctor ordered," the voice she recognized as Lonnie said.

There was one Hispanic-looking male in the group who looked at her with fear. She hadn't even done or said anything yet, but that automatic response let her know that this young man had been told some scary stories when he was young. She smirked at him knowingly, and he shivered.

"We need to leave right now," the Hispanic male whispered.

"Are you fucking retarded, Ricky Martin? Pussy came to us, you don't walk away from that unless you're a faggot," Lonnie laughed.

"Man, Lon, his name is Chris. Leave him alone," one of the other young men scolded.

The man, Lonnie, ignored him, "She is way prettier than the last," he said with admiration and undisguised lust. Even with the veil, they could all see it.

"No! She's going to kill us!" Chris explained to the group. He specifically pulled the young man who just defended him back and continued to explain, "I'm sorry, but as soon as your friend started to harass that young girl, I knew he was a piece of shit. If he pisses off that woman, she will kill all of us! We have to leave right now!"

"Why do you say that?" his friend asked while eyeing this woman suspiciously. He was surprised at how adamant his friend was being about this. But he had to admit, something was unnerving about this woman who magically showed up.

"He's right," Serafina finally spoke, "I'd listen to your friend if I were you. If you come near me, you will suffer. Lonnie here can't run, though. He's already earned his punishment." Serafina allowed her eyes to glow, which was visible through the veil, and sped to Lonnie, where she picked him up by his throat.

When she disappeared and reappeared in front of them all and had Lonnie held a foot or two from the ground by his throat, they all panicked. They scrambled over each other and fled. They didn't care what happened to Lonnie at that point.

"Your friends left you. You're not even worth saving to them. How does that make you feel?" Serafina asked while never intending to let him answer.

She then threw him into the side of the building, where he landed in a pile of trash. He coughed as he struggled to breathe. He began to crawl backward as he tried to get away from her and toward the alley entrance.

"I heard you like to hear your victims scream," she said as she slowly sauntered toward him, "I do, too," she smiled as she stepped on his leg and broke it. His screams echoed through that back alley.

"Please, let me go," he tried to say while attempting to calm his breathing.

"Let me think," she flashed to behind him. She whispered in his ear through her clenched teeth, "I don't know. Did you ever let those women go when they begged for mercy?"

Lonnie whimpered after hearing that, "Please," he tried again.

"No, how else will you learn? Usually, I'd kill you for this, but I'll be merciful," she said seriously as she broke his other leg, causing another scream before he passed out due to his pain. Sirens could be heard as it appeared one of his friends had called for help. Serafina left her mark on the wall. She enjoyed leaving her mark for people to wonder. It reminded her of the old days.

Serafina slapped Lonnie across his face a few times to wake him up. She was immediately disinfecting her hand with a flame afterward. When he saw her face, he groaned as the pain suddenly hit him. He tried to crawl away from her again, though. He had tears in his eyes as he began whimpering before soiling himself.

"I want you to remember me, Lonnie. Remember what I did to you. Remember why I did it to you. I'll be back if I find out you tried doing it again. And I'll make sure you can never hurt another woman again. And if you think I'll just kill you at that time, that's just wishful thinking." She grinned wickedly and burst into flames with her eyes glowing. She extinguished her fire just before zipping away.

Of course, she would have felt better killing him. But she was trying to cut back on that. Serafina quickly made her way back home. When she heard Alice and Edward speaking at the front of the house, she knew she would have to sneak in through the back to change quickly.

As she was about to cross their backyard to the back door, she saw Rosalie further into the forest, a reasonable distance from herself and their home. But the two made eye contact. Rosalie eyed the outfit with a raised brow when Serafina entered the yard. But didn't say anything so Serafina could quickly sneak in to change without drawing attention to herself. Everyone knew what this outfit meant. Rosalie didn't want them to hassle her about whatever she had done. She would question her about it later. With Rosalie's blessing, she sped into the house and changed quickly.

Serafina didn't have to change so quickly. Edward went to Carlisle's study and told him about Lonnie and his vile thoughts and memories. He explained how he had wanted to kill him but instead asked Serafina to take care of him. Serafina rolled her eyes while waiting on the couch for her reprimanding with a pout. She was upset with the snitch.

But it didn't come. Carlisle commented from his study, "Did you return from taking care of that swine?" Serafina confirmed. Carlisle chuckled, "I'm proud of you both. Neither of you killed him, but I'm glad you taught him a lesson. The streets are a lot safer now," He said.

Serafina was happy she wasn't in trouble but was sure it was only because it was Edward's idea. She narrowed her eyes in annoyance. She decided she would burn one of his CDs later.

Edward sighed. He knew those were Carlisle's true feelings. He would have taken care of Lonnie himself, but Edward didn't want him to have to. He knew that he hated causing any harm, not just deaths. Serafina was different. But he wasn't going to get into it. He needed to hunt for his time with Bella tomorrow. He decided he would just be surprised later to see which CDs had been destroyed by his sister.

Chapter Text

The following day, the teens got ready for school as usual, but Edward left before any of them this time. Emmett had rushed to the door when he heard Edward head to the car but stood in the doorway with evident confusion as Edward drove off without waiting for any of them.

"I don't think he realized we weren't in the car," Emmett said.

Emmett pulled out his phone to call him when Alice ran up and pulled his phone from his hands, "Of course, he knows we're not in the car! He's picking up Bella. Rosie is going to have to take us to school today." Alice grinned.

"What an inconsiderate jerk," Rosalie complained, "What if I had my car pulled apart to clean and fine-tune? He didn't even ask!" although she was glaring and complaining, she had a slight grin growing on her face as she practically skipped to the living room to wait until they would go to school.

"Then we'd take my Jeep, or Jazz's truck, or ask Esme for a ride, or we could even run and pretend we walked," Emmett listed different options.

"Shut up, Emmett," Serafina said as she made her way toward the living room, where she sat on the opposite end of the couch from Rosalie. Rosalie narrowed her eyes at her seat choice. Serafina pretended she couldn't see and made herself comfortable by putting her feet on the couch between them without her shoes. Rosalie grabbed a pillow next to herself and threw it at Serafina, but she only caught it and made herself more comfortable using the pillow.

Rosalie clenched her teeth at being ignored. She huffed and crossed her arms as she turned on the television. She turned on the news but dismissed it as she stared at her girlfriend from the side of her eye. Serafina never peeked back. Rosalie was annoyed and didn't even care about the news anchor speaking about an anonymous tip the police had received that led to the arrest of a serial rapist and murderer that was found hiding in Portland, Oregon.

Serafina was watching the news. She raised a brow at the 'murderer' part. It seemed Edward didn't give her all the information. If she had known, it would have been fine for her to kill that piece of shit. To herself anyway. Her parents might still be upset, but she would have gotten over that. Her brows furrowed in her annoyance. She didn't even care that Carlisle had kidnapped him from the hospital in Port Angeles and taken him to Portland. That wasn't that big of a deal. It was expected of him. He always did a little extra to protect the family. This time, by taking the scumbag further from them to keep them from being discovered when reporting him to the proper authorities. Serafina was lost in thought, considering if she should track the piece of shit down to finish the job, and overlooked the danger next to her.

Two hands clamped onto her ankles and dragged her down the couch. Serafina couldn't help but laugh as Rosalie pulled her toward herself, "Why are you over there ignoring me?" Serafina laughed as Rosalie began peppering kisses on her, "Was that your handiwork we just saw on the television?" she whispered to Serafina.

"Not the sending him to Portland, but yes," she laughed as she straddled Rosalie and gave her a deep and passionate kiss on her lips.

"Hey, stop that!" Emmett called from the front door. He then whistled from the house's front, "Let's go! Shotgun!"

Serafina pulled herself from the kiss, "Excuse you? It's my girlfriend's car. That seat next to her is mine." She yelled while still in Rosalie's lap. She was sure to cover her ears and yell away from her face to not hurt her with the volume.

Rosalie smiled as she watched how angry Serafina had gotten with that one comment from her brother. She patted Serafina's hips to have her get up, and then she held her hand as the two made their way to the front, "my baby is right. She gets shotgun! Sorry, not sorry."

"That's not fair! She always gets shotgun!" Emmett complained.

"You always get shotgun in the Volvo," Jasper commented.

"That's because no one else is willing to sit in front with Ed! Plus, there's more room when I sit in front anyways," Emmett explained.

The others shrugged, "Plenty of room with just us." Alice said happily as she approached the car, jumped in the backseat, and sat comfortably in the middle seat.

The group sped off to school in the flashy, bright red convertible. It was a heavily overcast day, but it wasn't raining like usual, so it was the perfect day to go with the top down. They would have to close it up, though, when in class since it wouldn't be long before it began to drizzle. But it was enough for the two women to fill their daily envy quota. All students turned to the Cullens when they drove into the parking lot. Both women relished in the attention. It was as if the two needed it just as much as blood. Serafina made her way around to kiss Rosalie with an audience to remind them that she was taken. Rosalie knew and approved. When they separated, they could hear Edward's car approach. Rosalie immediately became incensed and headed inside after putting her car top up.

Serafina kissed Rosalie on her cheek goodbye but lingered near the parking lot to observe her brother and his little human. She no longer stayed in school to ensure she didn't have to get rid of evidence or witnesses. Edward managed to control himself, it seemed. Now, she liked to hang around to see him flirt. It was strange to see and sometimes amusing. The fact he couldn't read her mind, Serafina found hilarious. That was his cheat to manipulate people easily, but he couldn't use it on the one he wanted to use it on.

She could hear the conversation from the car; Bella was impressed with Rosalie's car. Serafina raised her chin with pride at her love's things being praised. Edward explained they usually tried to blend in, and when Bella asked what had changed, he said he was now breaking all the rules. They then walked into the school together.

Serafina frowned at that answer. She knew Rosalie would be furious if she heard. The way he said it made her suspect the human knew what they were already. Rules were in place by the Volturi. Serafina wasn't afraid but didn't like her lover being worried. She wondered when Edward would change her if he were so infatuated with this human enough to tell her what they were. If he planned to keep her human longer, she shouldn't know anything. Serafina didn't care anymore if she was turned. According to Alice, it was a sure thing that she would be with them, but he was acting as though he wanted her human for as long as possible, which was ridiculous. Did her knowing mean he would turn her soon? Or was he screwing everyone over with his selfishness? Serafina furrowed her brows as she began to walk away from school. She didn't feel like it today.

Serafina had returned to school later to attend lunch and her classes with Rosa. School was over, and the two women ran into Emmett, who was in a good mood. He saw them and walked over to them, "Ed's being weird. But it's nice. He did something nice for someone today."

"That doesn't sound like him at all," Rosalie frowned.

"Right! But he did. He had me do a little skit with him in Spanish class. We made some little nerdy guy jealous," Emmett continued as they walked toward the exit.

"Why?" Jasper asked as she joined up with them.

"To get him to ask out Angela! She has had a major crush on him forever!" Alice said excitedly.

"Oh, yeah. She told me about him. She didn't think he liked her because she was so tall. I saw her hunching, and I threatened to slap her. I told her she shouldn't hide herself. That if a man was intimidated by her height, then he wasn't worth it," Serafina said. She thought momentarily, "I guess this little nerd is more man than the whole school. She's cute, smart, and sweet but single. Very strange. I'm glad you guys opened his eyes. He's a lucky young man."

Rosalie was already in a bad mood, and now Serafina was complimenting another woman. She knew there was nothing there. But she didn't like it. She began to bristle, but before opening her mouth, Serafina grabbed her hand and pulled her back, "What?" she asked angrily while resisting.

"But I'm the luckiest girl in the world because my girlfriend is the most beautiful woman to walk this earth. She's also a genius who is incredibly talented and skilled. She's driven; once she puts her mind to something, she will always accomplish her goals. And did I mention that she's fearless and honest? Because she would never be shy, she happily speaks her mind," Serafina answered as she pulled Rosalie into her arms for a hug. Rosalie initially resisted until Serafina began her compliments. She slowly allowed herself to be drawn into a hug, "I love you, Rosa." Serafina whispered as she kissed her forehead.

The others had stopped to wait for them at the door. They knew Rosalie was in a bad mood, and Serafina was usually the only cure. Once they heard their footsteps pick up again, they looked back at the couple. Serafina had her arm around her shoulder as they joined them to exit the school.

When they exited, they saw that Edward was already gone, and Rosalie's car had a crowd surrounding it. They could hear the discussions surrounding it. The compliments. The envy. This also helped boost Rosalie's mood. The family made their way to the car, and while on the move, Rosalie unlocked the car to alert the people that they were on the way. All eyes moved up to Rosalie and Serafina, who were smirking. The students parted upon their approach, and Serafina opened the door for Rosalie. The others let themselves in through the passenger side. All but Emmett, who always preferred to jump over the side because he thought it looked cooler. Serafina then sat in the passenger seat, and they gave the students a look so they could clear the way and leave.

Once home, Rosalie went to their parents to tell them that Edward had told the human what they were. She was furious and hoped they would see the seriousness of the situation. The two were stunned. With how Edward had reacted to the human being turned, they thought he would flirt, and that would be it. But not intending to turn her and her knowing what they were was too much. They hoped this meant he would change his mind. But they knew how he felt about their existence. They doubted he had changed his mind.

Esme was happy. She tried to explain to Rosalie that it could be a positive thing. But Rosalie was still angry. Carlisle wasn't entirely sure it was a good thing, either. To him, he felt Edward put this human in unnecessary danger if he wasn't planning on allowing her to join the family. Serafina sat with Emmett in the living room and watched television while the others discussed, technically argued, about the human knowing too much. Alice and Esme on one side and Rosalie and Jasper on the other while Carlisle listened to both sides.

Carlisle decided to try to ask the two in the living room their opinions. The two said they didn't care if the girl lived or died. It left Carlisle to sigh as he realized it was true; they would even kill the human with no questions asked if they needed to. He decided to have everyone settle down until Edward came home to speak to him.

It wasn't long before Edward got there. He glared at Rosalie immediately, but everyone could tell he was listening to his parents in his mind. Emmett continued watching television, but Serafina sat up and watched. She had seen Edward's glare at her girlfriend through a mirror, and she wasn't having it. But soon, all hell broke loose. Edward dropped to his knees as he began pleading for it to stop. For whatever he saw happening to Bella to stop.

"Stop it, Rose!" Alice yelled.

"Hmph, it would be easy. I can take care of it myself," Rosalie clicked her tongue in annoyance as she exited the door.

Edward quickly got up to follow, but Emmett grabbed him. He could feel Serafina's heat from where he was sitting and knew Edward was pretty upset, too. If he went after Rosalie, Serafina would defend her. He was looking out for Edward, "Hey, let Serafina talk to her."

"I wasn't going to talk," Edward grumbled.

"Then you're lucky Emmett is holding you back right now," Serafina growled as she shoved his shoulder, leaving a burn of her handprint on his shirt in a warning. He hissed from the pain as it quickly healed.

Serafina made it out to the treehouse, where she saw her mate leaning out of the window that overlooked the water. Serafina quickly made her way up to the treehouse and held her from behind, "You really hate her, don't you, my love?"

"Of course, she's going to get us in trouble. You're not safe," she argued, holding onto Serafina's arms and leaning back into her hold.

"But that's not all of it, is it?" Serafina asked.

Rosalie stiffened in her arms but quickly relaxed, "I already told you. I don't like that Edward thinks she's pretty, but not me. I'm obviously prettier."

"You are," Serafina kissed her on her shoulder, "but I still know that's not it. You refuse to say, but I know. You aren't hurting my feelings with your thoughts or feelings, Rosa."

Rosalie quickly turned in Serafina's arms to look her in the eyes, "I'm sorry. I'm jealous. Not about Edward, gross," she tried to explain, "This girl can grow up, fall in love, she's straight, maybe bisexual with some of the clothes she wears," she began to mumble, "but she can be with her husband, get married, have kids. She can have the things I never could. I didn't want to say anything because I didn't want to hurt your feelings."

"You're not. I'm only sorry I can't give you the things you want," Serafina sighed, "But I will not stop trying to impregnate you myself." She said, nodding thoughtfully to herself.

The two began chuckling. Rosalie laid her head on Serafina's shoulder, "That's why I hate her so much. But I am still honestly worried about you. If he isn't going to turn her, then she shouldn't know." She grumbled, "It's an unnecessary risk for us if he refuses to turn her."

"Alice is still pretty sure. He's refusing, but to Alice, they're pretty much a sure thing. You know how her visions are. We should be safe," Serafina shrugged.

"What if we're not?" Rosalie whispered.

"Then I'll kill anyone who threatens you. You'll be safe," she answered as she walked the two backward toward the bed and dropped them softly onto it, where they cuddled until they would have to return home to get ready for school.

Chapter Text

Instead of staying in their little nest until the next school day, the two went home early. Rosalie decided she wanted to yell at Edward more. She was also debating whether she should set his favorite car on fire. She had calmed down considerably knowing that Serafina wasn't upset with her for still having those old dreams of a human life. But she was still livid with Edward.

When they got home, his favorite car was still sitting in the driveway. Rosalie had asked Emmett to move it there when they were on their way home after school. She threatened him to either move it or she would set fire to it in the garage, which wouldn't be good because his Jeep was right next to it. He guiltily complied but felt it was the best thing to do to keep the rest of the cars safe.

Edward had seen a vision of Alice's before where Rosalie had destroyed his car in a fit of rage. He wasn't surprised to see his most prized car in the driveway that day. But when the couple had left, he assumed it was safe. Everyone else did, too; they just hadn't gotten around to putting it back. When the couple returned home early, Rosalie never entered the home and began to eye it. Edward groaned internally and went outside to see what she was doing. Carlisle wasn't even home anymore to step in and help if needed.

Serafina assumed Rosalie and Edward would have a mental conversation. She stood back and watched as she leaned against a tree. The others slowly came out of the house to see what was happening.

"You're right; I would deserve it. It doesn't matter that I didn't tell her and that a descendant of Ephraim Black is her friend. I should have left before like I had thought," Edward told Rosalie. He had told them all before when Carlisle was there that it was from the legend that the Quileute boy had told Bella that helped her find out about themselves.

Rosalie continued to glare.

"She is worth it. The car is nothing compared to her," he answered.

Rosalie sighed in resignation as she began to make her way inside.

"Edward, hush!" Alice tried to warn.

Edward sighed with relief as he got a small grateful smile, "I knew you wouldn't be able to do it."

Edward's car suddenly blew up. It was a small, contained explosion that didn't cause any other damage. But his beautiful Aston Martin Vanquish was no more.

Serafina was offended on her beloved's behalf. She took his comment as he thought Rosalie was too weak to do it and taunted her.

Esme covered her mouth in shock, "Serafina Hart!" she exclaimed after she regained herself.

Rosalie had her jaw dropped for a moment before she started laughing hysterically. Emmett and Jasper tried to hold in their laughter for Edward's sake. Alice had her hand on her forehead in exasperation.

Edward looked stunned. He was. He had heard Alice's warning a moment too late and knew precisely why Serafina reacted, "I meant that I knew she would never destroy such a beautiful car. I wasn't mocking her," He whispered sadly.

Serafina's aggressive posture relaxed after she heard. It made sense. She looked over to Rosalie. Who agreed through bouts of her laughter.

"Hang on! This is going to be great!" Emmett soon disappeared. Within seconds, music started to play loudly from the house.

When Jasper heard the tune, he could no longer contain his laughter. Emmett had decided to play 'We Didn't Start The Fire' by Billy Joel. It wasn't only Jasper who reacted. Everyone else began to laugh as well, even Alice. Esme and Edward were the only ones unaffected by the joke.

"Serafina Hart, you apologize to your brother this instant! And I hope you know that you owe him a new car." Esme scolded. She then directed her frustration toward her other unruly child, "And Emmett, stop making fun of your brother! Music off, now!"

The music turned off quickly, and Edward's shock faded, but he wasn't angry. He still felt his family had a right to be angry with him, and considering he was still planning to spend time with Bella, he didn't believe he had a right to say anything, "No, it's fine. It's my fault." He sighed.

Serafina began to stroll slowly to Rosalie while singing a song to herself lowly but still loud enough for all to hear, "Well you've got your diamonds / And you've got your pretty clothes / And the chauffeur drives your car / You let everybody know / But don't play with me / 'Cause you're playing with fire." Her singing ended as she joined Rosalie's side. The two began chuckling as they made their way to their room.

That school day, Serafina ditched again, only making her way to school during lunch. She heard Bella and Edward talking about her and her siblings as she walked to her family's table. She missed the first part of the conversation but listened to a statement from the human she agreed with.

"They don't like me," Bella seemed to guess as she glanced toward their table. Serafina knew she was looking at them and shook her head as in no. This made Rosalie laugh.

Edward immediately drew the human's attention back to himself as he tried to explain that wasn't the case. But while they were talking, the girl stared at Rosalie. Rosalie wasn't in the mood for that and glared at her. She didn't hold back the edge their family typically tried to hide in public, and her eyes darkened a shade after knowing no one else was looking. This caused Bella to freeze in fear. Edward noticed her abnormality and soon turned his head and hissed at Rosalie lowly in a warning. It still caused discomfort to the humans nearest him. But Rosalie turned away. Edward did, too. But when he did, he felt a glare on the back of his head. If they were home, he knew something of his would be on fire now. He sighed again but began to reassure Bella.

Alice soon popped up from her seat and made her way over to the two. She had already told her family and was incredibly excited to meet the human for the first time, even if it was to say hello before leaving with Edward to hunt for the day. Her family couldn't fault her. She had seen a vision of their friendship. She could sometimes be overly confident in her visions, but the others were sometimes slow to trust the ones that were so far out in the future—especially ones where it kept changing and was still at a fifty-fifty chance.

When the family returned home, Emmett told them they needed to hang out in the woods until Edward relaxed. Alice's orders. She said she would meet them later to explain the situation. But after that, she would take Jasper hunting for the night and the following day.

There was a small lake where the four decided to wait. Only a few miles across, It was a Friday night, possibly Saturday morning. They had nothing to do Saturday and didn't care how long they were out there. Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper began throwing a pink rubber ball between themselves across the lake. At the same time, Serafina lay on a tree branch with one leg crossed over the other, her eyes closed in relaxation.

"What do you think is up?" Emmett asked.

"It's obviously about the human," Rosalie grumbled.

"We're not due for another hunting trip for another week and a half, but she wants us to go earlier," Jasper noted.

"Yes, that sounds like it's about the human," Serafina nodded.

"It is!" Alice said as she sped over, jumping up to steal the ball thrown to Rosalie, "The odds keep going up in my favor!" she said as she turned to Serafina.

"Enough with the bet," Rosalie narrowed her eyes at Alice, "Spill it gremlin."

"I told you I wanted a cuter nickname! Serafina calls Emmett Osito, and that is adorable!" Alice complained.

"She does it to mock me. I'm not adorable, so it doesn't match anyway," Emmett said annoyedly. He quickly zipped over to where the girls were and thought momentarily, "I should be nicknamed The Axeman or Iceman. You know, something cool. Like me."

"Who cares about the nicknames?" Jasper sighed as he followed to join them as well.

"I do!" Alice and Emmett said simultaneously.

Jasper immediately backtracked, "Of course, darlin', but Rose needs more time to think about it. Plus, Serafina calls you Ali. Isn't that enough?"

"Plus, gremlin isn't even a nickname. It's just what you are, Alice," Rosalie smirked as she dodged Alice's smack and jumped up onto a different branch on the tree Serafina was on.

Serafina sat up and comfortably pushed herself back against the tree's body, allowing her legs to dangle on both sides of the branch. She patted the empty space on the branch between her legs and looked up expectantly at Rosalie. Rosalie smiled back, dropped just before her, sat down, and leaned back into Serafina's warmth. Serafina happily hugged her body closer as they looked down at their siblings.

Emmett saw the two make themselves comfortable and figured the group would be speaking now. He sat on the floor not too far away with his back leaning against a tree trunk, "I'm willing to save the nickname talk until later. Alice?" he then turned to her to ask.

Alice nodded in agreement while still pouting. She turned to her sisters and stuck her tongue out at them. They just giggled at her childishness.

Jasper saw everyone else get comfortable and followed their examples. He asked the others to wait, returned to where he remembered a fallen tree was located, and brought it back for himself and Alice. He removed his light jacket so she could sit on it instead of the log and sat beside her after ensuring she was comfortable.

Alice flicked the ball over to Emmett, who quickly caught it and threw it over to Rosalie, who tossed it back to Alice. Serafina and Jasper were watching from the sidelines. The three were mindlessly tossing and catching the ball between themselves just for the heck of it. But if a human were to pass by, the ball was being thrown impossibly fast, and they likely wouldn't have been able to see it.

Emmett finally spoke up while the ball was tossed around, "So this meeting is about the girl?"

"Her name is Bella, and yes," Alice answered happily.

"So? What about the human?" Rosalie asked with a hint of attitude.

"You said your odds were getting better?" Serafina asked.

"They are! They're about sixty-forty now," Alice chirped.

"He won't kill her?" Jasper asked, a hint of frustration in his tone. Alice noticed the tone as she gave him a particular look. Jasper looked away and cleared his throat, "that's great," he finally muttered.

"It sounds like something is going to happen though? Why are you saying it cryptically like this?" Rosalie asked.

"Tomorrow is the day," Alice said seriously, "Mine and Serafina's bet will be resolved."

"Should we pack up just in case?" Emmett wondered aloud.

"No! I'm sure he can do it! The more he thinks about it, the more and more likely he is to let her live," Alice glared.

"Where is he taking her? If he loses control, will he be able to hide the body?" Serafina asked.

"He won't need to hide the body!" Alice huffed. The others still looked at her curiously. She sighed, "But he's taking her to that meadow he likes to relax in tomorrow. It's going to be a beautiful day, after all."

"The meadow where he likes to be alone? That's good. It's in the middle of nowhere, so if he goes berserk, at least he won't be seen," Rosalie commented.

"You know, we actually found that meadow first and we-" Serafina began with a grin when Rosalie quickly covered her mouth.

"We agreed not to talk about that," Rosalie laughed awkwardly, "She's kidding. We've never been there."

"That doesn't sound suspicious at all," Emmett said with a look of disgust, "Especially not after you just said how secluded it is. But I don't want to know so, Alice?"

"Either way, we're safe," Alice rolled her eyes, "but it's going to be fine!"

"Why are we hunting earlier than normal?" Jasper asked, wanting her to cheer up since he could tell her happiness slowly turned into frustration.

"Because if everything goes well," Alice began, cheering up again, "Then he'll be bringing her home the day after tomorrow!" she squealed happily.

Only silence ensued after her statement.

Jasper tried to keep a smile on his face for her sake, but his nerves skyrocketed at the thought of this human being in the family's safe space. Serafina was annoyed, but only at the thought of a stranger entering her territory. Rosalie was angry that Edward was sharing so much with the human. Emmett didn't care about the human but was concerned about his family. He could see that the only one happy there was Alice. He was worried about his other siblings.

Alice could tell she was the only one happy but wanted the others to see that this could be good. If things went well, there was potential for another sibling. She was looking ahead into the distant future. She trusted it. The others didn't have her vision. They were more concerned about the now. Granted, she was a bit concerned about it, too, but she had faith in Edward. Aside from Carlisle and Serafina, she believed he had the most restraint. It was true that Rosalie was the only one other than Carlisle who hadn't tasted a drop of human blood, but even Rosalie didn't trust her restraint. She was just smart enough not to put herself into situations that would result in her failure. Edward was the only one who had managed to forcibly stop himself from succumbing to the monster within, even in dubious situations. Everyone else, including their mother, had an incident in the past and would rather run from the temptation than stand their ground to face it like Edward.

"If she touches my shit, I will kill her," Serafina growled.

"Why would she touch your stuff?" Alice asked with exasperation.

"Why would she go in my home?" Serafina countered.

"Our house!" Alice argued.

"Dragon mode activated," Emmett whispered excitedly.

Serafina glared down at him, about to snark back, but Rosalie turned partially to kiss her on her cheek and soothed, "We'll put your valuables in the safe. No big deal." Rosalie knew Serafina's concerns were baseless. But she would reassure her. She sometimes thought Emmett's guess was correct but would realize how silly she sounded and forget it. Her girlfriend was just greedy. But she was okay with that.

The family joked for a while longer, then decided to join Jasper and Alice to prepare themselves by hunting. Alice didn't tell their mother because she was sure Edward would tell their parents about it himself if he was able to refrain from killing her. But she didn't want to get her mother's hopes up if it didn't go how she wanted.

The female couple lagged for a moment, "Is it bad that I still hope he kills her?" Serafina asked Rosalie.

Rosalie chuckled, "It's only bad if you're hoping that because of your stupid bet."

Serafina lowered her voice, "It's a combination." She winked, "I want to win the bet, of course. But I also want him to fail." She whispered conspiratorially.

Rosalie laughed loudly. "Same!" she said as she ran to catch up with the family. Serafina chased after her as she laughed, too.

Chapter Text

Everyone was relaxing at home separately after they fed. All were doing different things they enjoyed. Alice soon giggled and plopped herself down on the center of the living room sofa with her sketchpad, which was in and of itself very telling of how things should have gone with Edward and Bella. If she began sketching happily in the living room, it was usually because she was in a good mood. Otherwise, she was secretive with her sketches until she was satisfied with the result- she only became self-conscious when she got better at drawing.

No one said anything, though, because she didn't. They were given a warning. They figured it was Edward's turn. And Alice was awaiting him comfortably in the living room.

Alice soon froze, and the smile on her face morphed into a frown. It conveyed her worry. Jasper, of course, noticed and questioned her without saying a word. But she shook her head no in response as she looked toward Rosalie, who sat at the piano playing a current popular song. Serafina was lying on the sofa not too far away, mindlessly playing with a gold coin, turning it between her fingers with a blissful smile while her eyes were closed.

Alice soon went over to Rosalie to whisper in her ear. Rosalie stopped playing and gave her a questioning look with a tinge of annoyance, but she still stood to leave. She kissed Serafina on her forehead as she lay on the sofa. She wiped the lipstick off and asked her to wait while she went out with Edward. Then she made her way outside to wait for him.

Serafina heard him ask to speak to her in private. Serafina turned to Alice, but Alice tried to ignore her. Serafina decided to ask flat-out, "Why?"

Alice sighed, knowing Serafina's temper might spike if she ignored her, "Well, he's trying to ask her to be nice to Bella," Alice answered.

"Shouldn't he be begging me to be nice to her too?" Serafina questioned.

"It wouldn't help if he did. You'll just be you anyways," Alice huffed.

"Is that bad?" Serafina questioned with obvious offense.

"Well, it's not good or bad. You'd probably act as though she's not even there," Jasper said from the opposite end of the room. "But if Rose is in a bad mood or outright angry, that will affect you more. And you would likely behave more antagonistically towards the girl than normal," he commented.

"My Rosa's mood doesn't affect me that much," Serafina said with furrowed brows as she tried to think if it was true.

"Ha!" Alice laughed.

"No, you're right," Jasper lied as he looked at Alice and gave her a wink, "But if it's an actual person causing her to be upset, then that's different. That, of course, would affect you. You're very protective, after all."

Serafina had her back to Jasper while seated on the sofa and didn't see his interaction with Alice. She turned around with a small smile on her face as she leaned forward against the couch back, "Now that's true, I'm a good girlfriend after all," she said with a small smile as she laid her face on her hands and looked up at him after sitting up a bit more to reach the top of the couch back.

Jasper only smiled down at her, but before he could say anything, a warm, comforting voice sounded from the front door, "Of course you're a good girlfriend. My daughter is such a sweetheart now," Esme said with her usual smile.

Emmett and Carlisle trailed behind her with large bags of groceries. These were the usual groceries they got once a week. They would usually run them to another town's homeless shelter, where they left them anonymously at night after a few days of it sitting in their fridge. The two men began chuckling.

Serafina had a wider smile until she heard the word 'now.' She immediately sat up on her knees and looked at her mother with furrowed brows. "What do you mean by 'now'? I've always been a sweetheart."

Esme walked over to her and cupped her face in her hands as she looked down at her, "Yes, 'now.' You did not make a good first impression on me. You broke my only daughter's heart. You're lucky I didn't kill you," she said as she gave Serafina a loud kiss on the top of her head.

Serafina had a look of horror when the realization hit. Her girlfriend was just like her mother. How was this possible if she were adopted? She wouldn't ever forget how she left back then, either. She began to pout subconsciously. Esme chuckled at her reaction.

Emmett and Jasper huddled together as they watched with their own horror.

"She's never going to let it go either?" Emmett mumbled to Jasper with evident fear.

"Apparently not," Jasper said with the same fear.

"A woman never forgets," Carlisle informed them as he soon joined them.

"I thought that was an elephant?" Emmett asked.

Carlisle smiled warmly at the two young men, "Women never forget either. Especially when it comes to their children."

"It's true," Esme called as she smiled at them, "I am so lucky to have all of you as my children now. I love you all."

Edward soon walked into the door and asked to speak with his parents. Serafina stopped him when she saw Rosalie wasn't behind him. He told her she wanted to be alone but still told her the direction she had gone, knowing she couldn't stay away.

Serafina found Rosalie in the direction Edward said. She sat against a tree trunk and slammed her palms into the floor while directing Paprika to destroy the surrounding trees to her heart's content. Eventually, it would look like a bomb had gone off. Or, if the right people saw it, as though a UFO had landed there at some time. She would bring Emmett by later and see if he fell for it.

"Do not bring Emmett here," Rosalie finally said. She had known her girlfriend was nearby for a while.

"I didn't say I would bring Emmett here," Serafina answered with her brows furrowed.

"You forget that I know you," Rosalie laughed. Her mood immediately began to lighten with Serafina nearby.

Serafina walked over to her and sat down next to her. She nudged her lightly with her shoulder, "So, it's confirmed. We're going to have a guest?" she asked.

"Yes, the stupid human," Rosalie growled before dropping her head on Serafina's shoulder.

"And you're only doing this much to get out your anger?" Serafina asked with astonishment. The area that Rosalie had Paprika destroy wasn't vast. The flame had only frolicked around a small area. She was surprised Rosalie didn't do more.

"You didn't see how she destroyed that area," Rosalie said with a smirk as she sat straight up, "Rika, ven aquí."

"Oh, I love it when you speak Spanish," Serafina growled into Rosalie's ear before kissing her neck and giving her a light nip.

"Down girl," Rosalie said as she pushed her forehead away, "Look at what she can do." The flame flashed over and sat in front of the two in her jaguar form, playfully flicking her tail. Rosalie smiled at the flame, "Show Sera how angry I was. Do it again."

Soon, a tower of flames hit just the top of the tree line. It was scorching, enough to affect the ground as well. Serafina was impressed that Rosalie had mastery over her flame. Of course, she would constantly send Paprika with her for protection. But Paprika didn't listen to Rosalie initially. It's more like she tolerated her. The relationship grew over the years, but she was happy for the flame to understand her love's emotions to this level and willingly take her orders. She was theirs now.

"Alright, you were pissed. But look at what you two did!" she said excitedly as she pulled Rosalie into her lap. The two laughed, "Did you picture the human in the middle of that blast?"

"Sure did. I have to get the anger out somehow. I'm not allowed to kill her, even when she walks into our house tomorrow," Rosalie whined.

The two played with Paprika some more before heading back home, where they found the family cleaning. As soon as Serafina caught sight of the teen's cleaning, she tried to pull Rosalie back to escape, but Emmett saw them first. He knew what the two were trying to do and immediately told their mother, who began instructing them on how to help. The teens were asked to clean outside the home while their parents tidied the inside.

They grumbled and complained the entire time. But they still helped. Together, the teens and parents, minus Edward, finished cleaning inside and outside the home. They just relaxed until they had to get ready for their visitor.

The family showered and dressed up on their mother's orders. And since they had a fridge full of groceries, Esme decided she wanted to cook for the human. It would be a family ordeal. Until Serafina stepped foot in the kitchen, and the burners erupted excitedly at her presence. Serafina was quickly banished to the living room. She frowned as she watched them all in the kitchen. All but Alice and Jasper. But she knew why they weren't there; Jasper was still trying to prepare himself.

Serafina flipped through the channels until she found a novela she had seen a few times with Esme, Emmett, and Alice. It didn't take long for her to become immersed in the drama. The others were concerned with how she would handle being kicked out of the kitchen until they heard her gasps and complaints at the novela's leading man and woman. She didn't even notice when the human arrived.

Then Serafina heard crystal shatter. She sped past the human, nearly knocking her over if Edward hadn't steadied her in time as she made her way to Rosalie. She grabbed her hands and wiped them down to ensure no shards remained. Rosalie accepted the assistance so fluidly that anyone would've thought Serafina had been there the whole time.

"Perfect," Rosalie said as she stood opposite Edward and Bella.

The human girl began to stutter her excuse. The fear was unmistakable. "It's just, I know you guys don't eat-" she managed to spit out.

Esme and Carlisle slowly made their way over, not wanting to intimidate her further, and Emmett made his way over to Rosalie and Serafina. But he only leaned against the wall as though watching his own novela play out live.

"Of course, that's very considerate of you," Esme replied while giving Rosalie a look of disappointment.

"Just ignore Rosalie, I do," Edward told the girl.

"Yeah, let's just keep pretending like this isn't dangerous for all of us," Rosalie argued.

"I would never tell anybody anything," Isabella responded.

"She knows that," Carlisle said while giving Rosalie a pointed look for a brief moment.

"Yeah, well, the problem is you two have gone public now, so-" Emmett attempted to explain the problem but was immediately stopped by Esme calling his name.

"No, she should know," Rosalie interrupted their mother, "the entire family will be implicated if this ends badly."

"Badly, as in-" Bella trailed off briefly before it hit, "I- I would become the meal." She finished.

This brought laughter to everyone. Considering what they were, how could they not enjoy that type of dark humor? But Serafina didn't want Edward to enjoy it too much, she didn't like that attitude he gave Rosalie so she thought loudly, especially for him, 'I wouldn't even let her become a meal. You'd enjoy that too much. I'd burn her alive, and while she begged for mercy, I'd tell her it was your fault. Stop taunting my Rosa, and I won't murder your Bella.'

Edward's smile slipped. He hoped she wasn't serious. She agreed not to kill her during their family meeting, but she was Serafina. He knew he should stop poking the bear, the bear being Rosalie. He gave a subtle nod in Serafina's direction while their missing siblings pulled everyone else's attention away.

"Hi Bella, I'm Alice," Alice said as she came from upstairs and zipped to the human to hug her. She had a small, surprised look as she released her, "You do smell good."

Serafina's anger diminished at that. That would be weird to hear from anyone. Alice was always odd. It was what Serafina liked about her. She was never afraid to be her quirky self.

The human girl looked embarrassed and uncomfortable at the possible compliment. Edward was remorseful at his sister's comment and unsure what to say as he gave her a questioning look.

"It's okay. Bella and I are going to be great friends," Alice explained as though that were enough.

She had returned to Jasper, who stood a considerable distance away from Bella out of his fear. He had followed Alice down. He just made it a point to stop that far away to be safe. The human's eyes were drawn to him, but it looked as though she didn't plan to say anything if no one else did.

Carlisle noticed, "Sorry, Jasper's our newest vegetarian. It's a little difficult for him."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Jasper managed to say before going back to not breathing.

"It's okay, Jasper, you won't hurt her," Alice comforted the man.

Edward was incredibly uncomfortable at this point. His family didn't know how to be normal, and he wasn't sure if they were scaring the girl, "Alright, uh, I'm going to take you on a tour of the rest of the house." He said to the girl.

"Well, I'll see you soon!" Alice managed out before Edward dragged the human girl away.

"Okay," Bella answered.

"Keep her away from our room," Serafina growled. Edward heard, turned his head, and gave her a look of disbelief before agreeing lowly.

"Cute!" Esme gushed to Alice, who was equally excited, once the two left the room.

"I think that went well," Carlisle said happily.

Rosalie looked at Serafina in doubt. She thought that was horrible, but their dad thought it was fine. Was she wrong? But Serafina shook her head as in no. She agreed that the whole ordeal was pretty awkward.

But soon, their mother drew them out of their wordless conversation, "Clean this up, now." Esme said while pointing at the broken bowl and salad on the floor.

Both women frowned as they looked at each other. "Hey, Em. Do you want to make fifty bucks?" Serafina offered.

It was Esme's turn to frown, "Don't make your brother do your-"

"Just to clean a broken bowl? Deal!" Emmett immediately sped over and cleaned up the mess in moments.

Both women smiled mockingly at their mother, who shook her head in disapproval as the two women turned to walk away.

"You know we're going to talk about what happened later, right?" she called softly after them—not wanting to raise her voice with the guest in the house.

The two women's proud struts faltered. Their shoulders dropped slightly as they agreed to speak with their mother later. It would more than likely be a lecture on their attitude again. These happened often. In one ear and out the other anyway. But they still hated them. At least they made it through that awful first meeting.

Chapter Text

After the awkward introduction at home, Rosalie, Serafina, and Emmett went to the park to escape. Rosalie bounced the rubber ball continuously against the wall outside the town park restroom. She would bounce it to Emmett, who would bounce it back. They slowed down their usual game due to being in town. Serafina sat on the picnic table nearby, watching them but getting sidetracked by the children playing on the playground.

"Think fast!" Emmett shouted as he bounced it harder and faster to where it bounced back and headed toward Serafina.

Serafina caught it with one hand without looking over. There were compliments from some admirers nearby. No matter where they went, people were always watching. Emmett and Rosalie feigned being impressed. At the same time, Serafina tossed the ball back to Emmett. But Rosalie walked over to her to see what Serafina was looking at.

She joined Serafina to sit beside her, but while Serafina sat with her whole body on the table, Rosalie sat on the table with her feet on the picnic table bench. Rosalie's back was touching Serafina's side. She caught a pass from Emmett but then turned to see what Serafina was looking at, "Miss town?" she asked after seeing the children in the distance.

"Yeah, maybe we should go off on our own after graduation?" Serafina asked back.

"Rude," Emmett said after catching a pass back.

"I would invite you too, but I don't want to," Serafina smirked.

Rosalie chuckled, "Maybe we should? Just the two of us. Everyone else has been a little too preoccupied with the new pet. I bet they wouldn't even notice."

"I'd notice!" Emmett argued.

"But you know Jazz needs you more. He's afraid to be near the pet, but Ali is all for her presence. Ed too. He needs someone, so he's not alone." Serafina answered.

Emmett knew it was true. Although everyone agreed not to kill the human, the dividing line remained. Jasper was on that other team. The team with Serafina and Rosalie. He wouldn't intentionally side against Alice. But keeping his distance from the girl was more manageable, so he typically stayed near his two sisters. If they were gone, he'd be by himself. Emmett couldn't do that to Jazz.

"See, you have to help him so he won't be alone. Everyone is too preoccupied with the new pet. It's not fair for him to be alone," Rosalie commented.

Emmett lowered his voice, "Why do you guys keep calling her a pet?" he asked.

"He says he's not going to turn her," Rosalie began.

"So he's feeding and watering her until she dies of old age. Isn't that how you take care of a pet?" Serafina finished.

"Huh, you guys make a good point. But I feel like this is a trap. If I were to call her that in front of Ed, I'd bet he'd kick my ass," Emmett frowned.

"Your fault. You are way stronger than him. He shouldn't be able to do that," Serafina mocked.

"He cheats!" Emmett complained.

The sky slowly darkened. When Emmett's cell phone rang, Rosalie saw darker clouds rolling slowly in. He answered, and the three could hear Alice's excited voice telling them about the storm. Emmett had his empty fist clenched in excitement as he eagerly looked at Rosalie, who nodded in agreement.

"We're there!" Emmett answered happily.

The three ran to the park parking lot and jumped into Rosalie's car to return to the house. Rosalie ran upstairs for her favorite baseball outfit. Emmett went to his room to do the same.

Serafina immediately found Alice, who knew what she wanted to know: "No rain on the field. It's only going to rain over town," She smiled.

Serafina gave her a high five as she laughed and zipped upstairs to change. If it weren't going to rain, she'd wear her cheerleading outfit Alice designed for her. It wasn't an actual cheerleading outfit. But a red plaid skirt and red camisole top with a large 'R' in the middle of her chest, partially covered by a white button-up. She still loved skirts and dresses but didn't get to wear them as often nowadays. Considering the places their family moved to and due to the change of times, she'd gotten used to wearing pants. She would only wear her skirts or dresses now if the rain didn't ruin the effect.

Edward had asked to borrow Emmett's jeep while everyone got ready. The family then went out to their baseball field in the middle of the forest to wait for Edward to arrive. Rosalie ensured there were no issues with the canopy and seat she had built for Serafina to watch the family play. It was perfectly fine for its sole audience member. Serafina still refused to play. She would sit on the sidelines and cheer or jeer when she felt like it.

While Rosalie settled Serafina down for the game, Edward arrived with his human. Esme and Emmett immediately greeted the two with giant, enthusiastic smiles. Rosalie saw but merely rolled her eyes as she made her way to the field away from them.

Serafina ignored the pleasantries until Alice said, "It's time." Just before, the first clap of thunder reverberated through the air.

Esme looked to Edward as though asking permission, then took Bella from him as they walked towards home plate, "It's a good thing you're here. We need an umpire."

"She thinks we cheat," Emmett joked.

"I know you cheat," Esme said, pointedly looking at Serafina in her seat, her daughter had a slight smirk. She looked back at Bella as she got the young girl beside her, "Call 'em as you see 'em, Bella." Bella nodded in agreement but couldn't help but glance questioningly toward Serafina in a covered seat next to the field, "She's Rosie's cheerleader. She doesn't like to play." She shook her head and returned to the others on the field.

Alice began to chuckle, "You forgot."

"Boo! Edward sucks!" Serafina called out angrily from her seat.

Edward glared at his sister on the sidelines.

"She also likes to jeer at Edward," Alice finished. Now, the other teens began laughing with her. Even Bella cracked a smile from seeing him being teased by his sister.

Esme shook her head in exasperation. She knew Serafina wasn't just putting up a front for their guest. She honestly did this whenever they played. She would occasionally cheer for everyone and give jeers to everyone. But the only one she gave her full positive attention to was Rosalie and Edward received most of her ire.

Esme spoke with Bella the entire time. She wanted to get closer to the human. She didn't want her to be scared of herself for any reason. She could sometimes see the discomfort when the family moved too quickly and close to herself. The only one she felt genuinely comfortable with was Edward. Esme wanted to change that.

They spoke about baseball, as the girl knew nothing about it. They discussed Esme's first son, and they addressed Edward and Bella. But ultimately, the two returned to the game once it was underway.

The family treated her as one of their own. They didn't hold back any of their speed or strength. They just played and had fun, as usual. Although it was always rainy or overcast in Forks, they didn't have as many thunderstorms as they would like. This was their favorite pastime to let loose. The human was in awe and quickly understood why the thunderstorms were needed.

Rosalie was at bat, and Serafina was on her feet already cheering. She hit the ball, which went far, but Edward quickly ran after it. Rosalie was nearly home, and Serafina had run over to congratulate her on her home run when the ball came speeding toward Esme during Rosalie's slide. Esme tagged her leg just as she reached home, and all eyes went to the human.

"You're out," she shyly said, avoiding direct eye contact with Rosalie.

"Out! Whoo!" Emmett said excitedly from his position, earning a glare from Rosalie and Serafina, "Come on guys, it's just a game."

"Bad call! What are you blind?" Serafina finally said from just behind the human. Bella jumped at her sudden voice. She hadn't seen it when Serafina made her way over. Her reaction made Rosalie smile as she raised her hand for Serafina to help her up. Serafina made sure to pat the dirt from Rosalie's pant legs. She maybe lingered too long on Rosalie's backside before returning to her seat on the sidelines. She ignored the scolding she had received from her mother for scaring the human the entire time.

The game continued with horseplay from the boys in the field. Rosalie couldn't even hold back as she called Emmett a monkey after he climbed a tree just for a catch. But it was all in good fun until Alice froze in the middle of the field. Edward immediately had fear in his eyes when she shouted for everyone to stop.

Everyone immediately huddled near the human at home plate, Rosalie included. Only Serafina stayed where she was with furrowed brows as she listened.

"They were leaving, then they heard us," Alice said nervously.

"Let's go," Edward said as he tried to pull Bella away.

"It's too late," Carlisle told him.

This brought Edward to a stop. He tried to think of a solution quickly but wasn't coming up with anything, "Put your hair down," he ordered Bella. She promptly followed his instructions.

"Like that'll help. I can smell her from across the field," Rosalie pointed out as she turned away. She saw Serafina watching from the sidelines. The family was in a silent panic while her girlfriend was relaxed on the sidelines. But she saw Serafina give her a wink. Before Rosalie could question it, she felt warmth coming from her ruby bangle. She knew Paprika was now protecting her. She gave her a smile in understanding and went back with the family to protect the human.

"I shouldn't have brought you here. I'm so sorry," Edward said sadly to Bella from behind the wall his family made for them with their bodies.

"What?" Bella questioned but was cut off by Edward.

"Just be quiet and stand behind me," he said, following his family from a distance while his father took the lead to meet the new arrivals.

Suddenly, three barefoot nomads came out of the forest. All three were pale and red-eyed. The man in the lead was darker complected with his shirt open, revealing his chest. A lighter-skinned blond male and red-headed female flanked him. Once the three reached the field halfway, they stopped at a respectable distance from Carlisle and the others.

The nomad leader held a baseball up to show everyone, "I believe this belongs to you." He said before tossing it to Carlisle.

Carlisle caught it easily, "Thank you."

"I am Laurent," the man in the center said. His eyes lingered a little too long on Rosalie, bringing a frown to both Rosalie and Serafina. Serafina debated going over after all, but Rosalie gave him an unmistakable look of disdain before he continued his introductions seconds later, "and this is Victoria," he gestured to the female who gave a nod, "and James." The male gave them a surveying look. It was a little uncomfortable.

"I'm Carlisle. This is my family," Carlisle introduced while gesturing to everyone surrounding himself.

"Hello," Laurent said with a smile.

"I'm afraid your hunting activities have caused something of a mess for us," Carlisle continued.

"Our apologies. We didn't realize the territory had been claimed," Laurent responded with slight disbelief.

"Yes, well, we maintain a permanent residence nearby," Carlisle explained.

Laurent looked toward his male comrade as though unsure if he heard correctly or not, "Really?" he asked with a hint of playfulness, "Well, we won't be a problem anymore. We were just passing through."

"The humans were tracking us, but we led them east. You should be safe," Victoria teased as though they were afraid of the mere humans.

"Excellent," Carlisle answered, ignoring the taunt.

"So, could you use three more players?" Laurent finally asked. They could see the uncertainty in the larger coven's eyes, "Oh, come on, just one game."

"Yeah, sure. Why not?" Carlisle gave in, "A few of us were leaving. You can take their place. We'll bat first."

He tossed the baseball back toward Laurent, but the female caught it, "I'm the one with the wicked curveball."

"Well, I think we can handle that," Jasper said. He had relaxed a bit. His ability was somewhat working on masking himself, Alice, Esme, and Bella. It seemed they might get the human out without being noticed. Now, he just wanted to beat these nomads. Emmett shared the same sentiment as he gave Jasper a fist bump in agreement to his words.

Everyone began to separate to take their places on the field, "We shall see," Victoria said, giving Laurent a low five to celebrate getting to play.

No one noticed that the male of the nomad group hung back a bit, staring at the backs of the Cullens as they walked away. Only Serafina did from her position and Edward since he could hear what was being thought by this stranger. Serafina raised her brow in suspicion at what he might be thinking. She looked at Edward to see if his body language would give her some insight.

He hadn't moved. He refused to turn his back to the nomad, and his human was trying to hide as close to him as she could. Serafina felt a little bad for the human. The red eyes were pretty shocking. She remembered how terrified the humans in her town would be when they saw her red eyes in the past; that was why she always covered them.

Just then, a breeze hit, and Serafina could see the human's hair blow in the nomad's direction. She put her hand to her forehead in annoyance as she shook her head. This had to be the most unlucky human in the world. She couldn't even walk a straight line without tripping over her feet; now, even the wind was out to kill her.

The lighter male inhaled deeply at the scent, "You brought a snack." He smiled as he took a threatening step forward into a crouch.

Edward immediately pushed Bella behind himself toward Esme and hissed at the male. He knew Esme was already reaching for Bella to protect the girl behind herself. Alice immediately stepped to Bella's other side, pulling her further away from the danger while everyone else joined Edward up front.

"A human?" Laurent questioned as he and Victoria immediately joined James' side. But where James' and Victoria's stances were aggressive, his attempted to be more placating. He knew they were outnumbered.

"The girl is with us," Carlisle answered, standing protectively before Edward, "I think it best if you leave."

"I can see the game is over. We'll go now," Laurent said while slowly backing away. He looked to the lighter male, who was still aggressive, "James." He called.

James' eyes never left Edward. But he soon stood up straight as he gave him a grin. The female only stood up to join him after he turned from the Cullens. He immediately wrapped his arm around her as he glanced back at the larger coven, taking note of everyone, including the brunette who never stepped forward, while walking away with his mate.

"Get Bella out of here," Carlisle directed Edward, "Go."

The family watched Edward hurry Bella back to the Jeep as they watched the nomads leave. Although Jasper didn't want to, Carlisle did voice the opinion that Alice and Emmett go with them. Emmett for the muscle and Alice for her visions; she and Edward worked well together in dire situations. Jasper didn't want Alice to be without him but knew they needed a united front against these nomads, and he couldn't openly disagree. They may be lingering in the shadows, watching them after all. Alice nodded to him, letting him know she would be fine, and disappeared with Emmett to follow Edward and Bella.

The others went home to discuss further. Soon, they had a visitor. This time, Serafina let her presence be known as she opened the door with a frown, "If you wanted a fight, you had better odds on the field. Now you're at my house, and I must protect it. So if you came here for a fight, I'll end it quickly." She said while allowing her eyes to glow.

"That's not it! Please, let me explain," he immediately put his hands up in surrender.

"Serafina, wait, please," Carlisle said as he calmly touched her shoulder.

She sighed but stepped back, allowing him to enter. He seemed hesitant to move after her little display, but his slow response annoyed her, too. When she began to narrow her eyes at him, he apologized and entered, following the coven leader into the heart of their territory. He felt like a fool, but this was still better than the alternative. He hoped to prove his innocence so this larger coven didn't track him down and destroy him for his prior allegiance to someone tracking their human.

He explained how their coven functioned to everyone and expressed his leaving their side. Serafina wasn't paying attention. It wasn't her problem.

Soon, Edward came home with the others and immediately hissed at Laurent's presence until Carlisle stopped him. Laurent told Edward the same thing he had told the others. But only Edward knew for sure if what he was saying was true.

When he left, Edward quickly turned to Serafina, saying, "You have to kill him."

Serafina tilted her head to the side, "Now why would I do that?"

"He's a tracker, he's tracking Bella, he's going to kill her," Edward gritted out.

"You don't know that for sure. You haven't even sat down and had a conversation with this man. You don't know if that's what will happen. I'm sure you can ask him to leave her alone," she grinned, "Isn't that the order you're supposed to do things? You don't kill first, then ask questions later. Isn't that what you told me before?"

Rosalie remembered this conversation, and she agreed. She stepped beside Serafina and held her hand as she looked from Edward to her father, "Murder is wrong, after all."

"I said if there was trouble in the future, you can take care of it yourselves. I'll make sure my Rosa is alright. So you be sure to protect your little human," Serafina reminded with a shrug.

Edward gritted his teeth. He was so upset. Carlisle sighed. What he said before was true: a woman never forgets. But he looked toward Edward, who was glaring at his sisters, before walking away hastily to put everything else together for their plan to be set in motion. Carlisle sighed again but followed.

Once they were in the garage, getting the human in the car, Edward told the plan to everyone else since only his small band of four had been privy to what would transpire. He grabbed a duffel bag and looked toward Rosalie, "Rosalie, Esme, could you put these on so the tracker will pick up Bella's scent?" he asked while pulling the clothes out and tossing them to each woman without awaiting their response.

Rosalie already hated the human, and none of this was helping. The danger just kept coming, "Why? What is she to me?"

Edward only looked at her with despair while Carlisle turned around to answer, "Rosalie, Bella is with Edward. She's part of this family now, and we protect our family." Rosalie angrily walked away with the jacket, acquiescing to what Carlisle said.

Surprisingly, Bella went to Serafina. She had heard the whole conversation where Edward asked her to kill James. Of course, she did. She was standing right next to him when he did it. She knew the female couple didn't care for her but needed their help, "Please. I know you won't kill for me. I'm not asking you to. But can you please look out for Charlie?"

"Who's Charlie?" Serafina asked with confusion.

"Chief Swan," Rosalie answered. She was impressed the girl was smart enough to ask Serafina that. She guessed she knew Serafina had a soft spot for him.

"You call your dad Charlie? That seems very disrespectful to me," she mumbled as she thought out loud, "Alright, I'll keep an eye on Chief Swan. He'll be fine." She told her. The girl thanked her with obvious relief.

The family soon dispersed to complete their tasks. Although Serafina knew Rosalie would be fine, she was still worried for her family. She wondered if she should have just killed the nomad. But she didn't think it was fair. It wasn't fair. She steeled her resolve and continued to the Swan residence to look after the chief. Maybe the nomads would be dumb enough to enter her new temporary territory, and she'd kill them. That would solve all their problems without her losing her principles.

Wishful thinking, but she had nothing else to think about for now. She relaxed in a hidden tree near the Swan home, waiting until she got some news. Who knew how long she'd be on guard duty until her incompetent little brother got the job done.

Chapter Text

Serafina knew everyone else had their tasks to fulfill. Emmett, Edward, and Carlisle took off in Emmett's Jeep. Esme and Rosalie were in Bella's piece of crap truck. Those two groups led the nomadic pair on separate wild goose chases while Jasper, Bella, and Alice snuck away in Carlisle's Mercedes south to Arizona.

Everyone was busy. Serafina was bored. She felt a presence creep close to the Swan home. As soon as Serafina felt the presence, she only turned in that direction when the presence immediately left. The presence tried two other entry points, barely stepping a toe over Serafina's sphere of territory, and would back off. Whoever it was, they were good. It was as though they could sense the threat that was Serafina.

It didn't take long for Rosalie and Esme to join her. It turned out the redhead was avoiding them. She only trailed them for about an hour before she lost interest. She began scouting the town from what Rosalie could figure out after tracking her. Serafina guessed that the presence testing her limits before was the redhead.

They decided to take shifts to care for Chief Swan while also tracking the nomad. Serafina refused to allow either to stay alone, so she would take her shifts alone and demanded the two remain together at all times. She would prefer to stay with Rosalie. But she wanted to make sure her mother was safe, too. Serafina wasn't usually this demanding; the two deferred to her, knowing she was concerned for their well-being.

The next day, the mother and daughter pair traversed the forest searching for the nomad. While they did that, Serafina played her usual truant self to be picked up by Chief Swan and have a legitimate excuse to stick to his side. At least, that was what she thought. But Chief Swan seemed very upset. He was not openly sobbing or even acting any differently than usual. But he was a little more quiet. He asked Serafina if her brother was okay. But the way he gripped the steering wheel let her know he more than likely hoped he wasn't.

From what she remembered, Bella had used the excuse that she didn't want to be 'trapped' like her mother and spouted other hurtful nonsense to her father. She thought this was what Emmett mentioned before he left. She felt bad for the chief. Even though the girl tried to make herself the bad guy, not Edward, Serafina could see the chief's thinking. If she had never gotten involved with Edward in the first place, this wouldn't have ever happened. To him, it was Edward's fault. She wholeheartedly agreed. She told him that he was heartbroken at home being looked after by the family because of his mood. The chief eased up on his steering wheel after hearing.

He dropped her off at school a lot more quickly than usual. Once inside, she made it through the back door and sped to circle the building. She followed him from a distance out of sight. No one approached the entire time. But once they reached his house, she felt the trace of a presence. She met up with Rosalie and Esme, who confirmed the nomad went to the home when they were out but left as soon as the two noticed and came to investigate. They had even felt her presence around the school. From the timing the two provided, it was after Serafina left. After that, they tracked her to an airport.

Rosalie and Esme stayed at the Swan home while Serafina went out to find trails from the nomad. Edward soon joined her. She asked where the others were, and he told her that Esme and Carlisle were protecting Charlie while Rosalie and Emmett went through town looking for clues about the nomad's whereabouts. Esme insisted that Emmett go with Rosalie since she knew Serafina didn't want her alone.

While the two were searching, Edward received a very upsetting phone call that sent him, Emmett, and Carlisle on a flight to Arizona. Edward informed Serafina of the female nomad's thoughts before he left. He somewhat grasped her personality the day before. She wasn't a risk-taker. So their group would be safe from her. She would keep her distance.

Serafina met her girlfriend and mother back at the Swan house. Her mother was worried for the human. Although the couple didn't care whether the girl lived or died, they couldn't express that to their mother without upsetting her. So they listened to her worrying but ultimately tried to distract her. They told her of their idea of leaving alone after graduation but realized it was a bad idea to bring it up now when she seemed even more upset.

It was a new day, and it brought an update from the others. The girl disappeared. Now, it was a race to find her. Hopefully, it was before the male nomad found her. But according to Alice, it wasn't looking good, and Edward was distraught.

That day, guard duty took forever, and Serafina didn't want to do it anymore. But they persisted. The three women were spread around the home. They were still together, but with a bit of distance to ensure the best coverage of the house and surrounding area. A few hours after their update call with Alice, Serafina received another phone call.

"It was insane!" Emmett said excitedly into the phone, "Edward was pretty scary. He went off on the nomad. Beat the shit out of him until me and Jazz could take over. You should have seen it!"

Rosalie and Esme heard Serafina call them and immediately joined her to hear Emmett over the phone. Serafina sat up to give the two women room on either side of her to listen in.

"What about Bella?" Esme asked with concern from next to Serafina.

"Uhm, it didn't look good. There was a lot of blood. That's kind of why Jazz and I had to take over with the nomad. We couldn't be in that part of the building. It was too much. Even Alice had to come and help us." Emmett admitted.

"Oh no," Esme gasped as she clenched her fist over her heart.

"Is everyone alright? Carlisle?" Rosalie asked.

"He's fine. We're all fine. He's trying to help Bella," Emmett explained, "Oh wait, I guess I should have said it better. I meant everyone, but Bella and Edward are fine."

"What's wrong with Edward?" Serafina asked.

"Bella's hurt," Esme reminded.

"Is that why Edward isn't fine?" Serafina asked with confusion.

"Pretty much. She's not looking good. When I say there was a lot of blood, I mean a lot. Like a lot, a lot," Emmett said lowly. He was silent momentarily, "I think I just heard Carlisle say the nomad bit her." He finally mustered out.

"Oh, thank god, this whole shit show can be over with," Serafina mumbled.

"Serafina!" Esme scolded, "Show compassion. Edward doesn't want this for her. He must be devastated," She said sadly.

"He doesn't want to take her soul. I don't understand why some of you think we don't have souls." Serafina said with annoyance as she shook her head, "Your soul makes you who you are. We didn't lose our souls when we became this way. You are only a soulless monster when you don't act like yourself. From what I heard, Edward's little stint alone when he was on his murder spree was him giving in and becoming a soulless monster. But he stopped and us as we are now, we're not soulless monsters."

Rosalie and Esme smiled softly at her. They also struggled with these thoughts and liked when she debated with Edward about this. Both leaned more toward one way than the other. But now wasn't the time.

"I think he's trying to stop her from turning," Emmett's surprised voice came from the phone.

"Emmett, are you even helping them? Or are you just watching from the sidelines to give us a play-by-play?" Rosalie asked with confusion.

"Of course, I'm helping! I'm going hands-free with my headset. We're just chucking pieces of that son of a bitch into our bonfire. And you're welcome for the play-by-play!" he explained with attitude.

"Why is he trying to stop her from turning? This nightmare would be over if he just let it happen," Serafina whined.

"Wait, how is he trying to stop it? Is he so against her being like us that he'll outright kill her?" Rosalie asked with surprise, "I did not see that coming."

"Huh, either way, I guess we'd be okay," Serafina reasoned.

Esme was very unhappy with her two daughters. She only gave them matching looks of disapproval before she addressed Emmett, "Em, sweetie, how is he trying to stop it?"

"He's sucking the venom out," Emmett said with awe.

The three women were speechless.

"Oh no, wait," Emmett continued, "I don't think he's going to stop."

"No, no, no," Esme whispered sadly, "he'll never forgive himself."

It was silent on the line for a moment.

"He managed to stop! He says the blood tasted clean," Emmett announced happily.

Serafina froze for a moment. She remembered something, "Em. Is he really trying that hard to stop her from turning?"

"Yeah, I'm actually kind of impressed. How could he stop? He called you a freak before, but I think he might be the freak. I thought he said she smelled the most tempting?" Emmett asked, beginning to ramble.

Serafina sighed, "Em, shut up, don't ask questions. Remind Carlisle how I was made, and throw him the lighter!"

Emmett did as told. After a moment, he said excitedly, "That was so cool! He just lit her on fire!"

Rosalie and Esme looked confusedly at Serafina, "A lick turned me. Edward managed to suck the venom out, but how can he get rid of it all? Even his venom is a problem. Venom is highly flammable, and putting flame on the wound would destroy the venom around it. As long as he got the venom in her blood, the flame would destroy the venom around the wound, and she'll stay human." Serafina explained.

The two were impressed. They nodded in understanding.

"Alright, she looks," Emmett hesitated for a moment, "horrible honestly. But Carlisle thinks she'll make it. But we gotta go. I'll talk to you guys later! Love you!" he said quickly before hanging up.

Esme sighed in relief.

"We should go home to celebrate! Maybe shower! Lay in a bed instead of trees!" Serafina began listing all the things she wanted to do.

Rosalie rolled her eyes, "You just want to leave."

"Of course, I want to leave! I've wanted to leave since day one of babysitting," Serafina pouted.

Esme smiled lovingly at her daughter, "The nomad doesn't take risks. She's already avoiding town. We should be fine. Let's go home for a while!"

Serafina smiled happily as she dropped from the tree to the ground and held her arms out for Rosalie to fall, which she did. Serafina put her safely on her feet after spinning her in her arms happily a few times. Their mother dropped right next to the couple with a smile. Once they all were grounded, they returned home. The female couple took a shower together and then lay comfortably in bed—a bed which they had significantly missed those past few days.

But it didn't take long for their mother to get a phone call asking Rosalie to get a flatbed and load Bella's truck to meet Emmett in Seattle, that he would arrive shortly to pick it up to take to Arizona. Serafina immediately frowned. At least they were smart enough not to ask them to drive it down to Arizona themselves. But now Serafina was concerned. Esme wanted to go back to Charlie's home. Serafina asked Rosalie for her bangle, and Rosalie immediately understood. She took it off and gave it to her mother, who gave her a questioning look.

Esme was surprised. No one knew about how Paprika hid inside except for Serafina and Rosalie. It was warm when Esme felt the bangle, which shouldn't have been possible coming from Rosalie's wrist. She looked up at the two with confusion.

"I'll go with Rosalie to deliver the truck, and we'll come straight back. Rika is hiding here," Serafina said, grabbing her mother's wrist for emphasis, "Do not remove this bracelet until we come back," she said strictly.

Esme smiled as she felt warmth, not just from the bracelet. Her heart felt that warmth as well, knowing her daughters were worried for her safety so much that they would let her in on a secret they must have been hiding for decades. Esme always thought Rosalie's jewelry had a little bit more sparkle. She thought it was the quality of Serafina's gems. She had no idea she could hide her flame inside for protection. She hugged both daughters before sending them on their way and making her way to the Swan residence.

Serafina called the lawyers she knew, who called around and found a tow company with a flatbed nearby. The tow company knew someone would go to pick it up and that it would be used for a few days. No other information, but for the money they were being paid, they didn't care. Rosalie picked it up and met Serafina out of town to load the truck for a road trip to Seattle.

Once they left the truck with Emmett, the two women sped back to meet with their mother. Their mother gave the bangle back and embraced them happily when confirming they were fine. The three went home. They hadn't felt the other nomad's presence. Serafina agreed to do a check-up on Chief Swan every couple of hours to appease her mother.

Now, they just had to wait for everyone to come home. They had a close call, but the family was safe. Even the human would be alright after a while in a cast, was what Carlisle had told Esme. Serafina and Rosalie were sure he was downplaying the human's injuries not to worry her. They didn't blame him. After hearing everyone was safe, Esme was ecstatic. She had been concerned for everyone's safety, especially her family, who were miles away fighting the threat. But soon, they would be reunited.

Chapter Text

It was a Friday night, and Serafina and Rosalie sat comfortably in a basement under a bar in Seattle. Serafina wasn't entirely sure how they had gotten there. She followed the crowd and was lucky enough to find a secret illegal casino at the end of the street where she was escorting Rosalie down. She wouldn't complain. She was happy. She needed a little pick me up after the shitty month they had. Plus, the place wasn't that bad. It was surprisingly upscale for an illegal establishment.

Rosalie didn't mind the questionable nature of this casino either. She knew Serafina preferred to be more laid back in how she spent her time. But with what happened with the nomads, she was thrust into her protector role, and Serafina didn't like to do that unless it was of her own volition. But she was asked to help this time. The family was lucky she liked them; maybe she even loved them a bit. Rosalie couldn't help shaking her head at how lucky Chief Swan was to have Serafina find him tolerable. But she wanted Serafina to unwind now that all that drama was over, so they went for a weekend away from Forks.

Another reason they went away from Forks was because ever since the others had gotten back, everyone was overly happy, as though nothing bad had just happened. The human was visiting their home a lot. Edward picked the human up daily for school, pushing her around in her wheelchair or helping with her crutches. Everyone knew they were still together. The girl was also sitting at their lunch table at school, and Rosalie still wasn't okay with it. But it was as though their opinion didn't matter.

Rosalie would rather sit in her car with Serafina, just listening to music, talking, or making out during lunch. Rosalie was still the perfect student, only missing when Carlisle or Esme called her out of school, so she didn't like to drive around town during that time to make sure she wasn't late going to class.

Jasper or Emmett would sometimes join the two in the car during lunch. Jasper for an escape from the human that was too close for comfort and Emmett to ensure his sisters were alright. Emmett asked to go with them on their trip but was declined by his sisters. They needed to get away. Lately, all they had been hearing about was how Edward would take Bella to Prom. They didn't care.

At the casino, Serafina still kept her money close to her heart. Although she didn't need or even care for brassieres, she found them useful when wearing dresses without pockets like she was now. But it was a double standard. She would never accept money from a human's brassiere. Benefits of being a vampire- no sweat. She pulled out some cash from her brassiere for some chips, immediately drawing attention from the men nearby.

She was immediately invited to a table to play against a middle-aged gentleman who took a shine to her looks. He talked her and Rosalie up and made it a point to show off how good of a card player he was. He explained he was outstanding but not heartless. He told them that when the women didn't have enough to pay, he would sleep with them to clear their debt. He generously offered them that same scenario should they lose.

Serafina took his bet with a smile, and Rosalie attempted to sit next to her at the table but was immediately told by the dealer only players were allowed to sit. Rosalie frowned but was directly pulled onto Serafina's lap. Serafina expertly maneuvered her so she wouldn't hinder her playing. This move drew even more attention to the table.

Serafina and the gentleman played cards for nearly two hours. Serafina would win a bit, but the other gentleman had the upper hand and almost cleared her out. He really wanted her to owe him. And his potential success drew a small crowd of men and women. Men were cheering his soon-to-be heavenly night, and some women looked as though they wanted to rush up and stab him. Their hatred of him was evident. They may have been former losers.

When down to the last bet, Serafina looked at her cards and sighed, "It is not my night tonight."

The gentleman laughed, "This was how it would end no matter what, sweetheart. I'm all in." He pushed all his chips to the center and said, "If you can't afford it. I know how you can pay me back." He winked.

After he pushed his chips to the center, Rosalie felt a tap from Serafina and took the hint. She pulled her handbag up and opened it, "Baby, I brought extra cash tonight. Can you use this?"

Serafina had mock surprise on her face as she looked at the wad of bills Rosalie pulled out and then at the gentleman she was playing, "Wow, aren't I lucky to have a sugar mama?" she asked while kissing Rosalie's neck, "Yes, mi amor, I can use that." She signaled the dealer to exchange the cash for chips and then called.

The gentleman's face fell when he saw her call. He didn't even have a good hand. He only thought she couldn't afford to keep going and would fold. He had no idea if she had a good hand or not.

Serafina knew he had a bad hand. But he fell for her trap and grew cocky. She didn't even have to win by much here. They both revealed their hands. That gentleman only had a pair of threes while she had three of a kind of eights. She smirked at him from across the table while onlookers began to clap. She had won about seventy-five thousand dollars off of him during this hand.

The gentleman quickly stood, sending his chair falling to the ground, as he slammed his hands on the table and then pointed at Serafina's face, "You're a fucking cheater!" he shouted.

"Well, aren't you a sore loser?" Rosalie grinned.

The onlookers began to laugh and agree with Rosalie's comment. Commenting about how they were watching the whole time, the two women couldn't have cheated and that he was the one who was stupid enough to go all in with a horrible hand.

Listening to the onlookers laughing at him was something he couldn't tolerate. He was a winner. He glared at Rosalie, "Shut your fucking mouth bitch, you two are both fucking cheaters!"

Serafina nearly exploded from what he said to Rosalie. She clenched her jaw, but the heat was intense. Rosalie was concerned. She looked at her love worriedly as Serafina shut her eyes. She pulled Serafina's face into her neck and began to whisper that she was alright and to calm down.

"Well? What do you have to say?" he continued angrily.

Only a minute had passed, but Serafina soon took a breath and removed herself from Rosalie's neck. She glared at the gentleman across from her and locked eyes as she spoke, allowing everyone to hear, "A hundred dollars for every hit he receives. It's alright if the same person hits him multiple times. I'll still pay for every hit."

It was silent for a moment before a man close to the gentleman immediately threw a punch to his face and knocked him to the ground, punching him repeatedly. Soon, a few others joined the fray to repeatedly punch and kick that man before security broke things up.

The people who managed to get a hit on the man soon lined up in front of Serafina. "I hit him about four times before I was pushed out of the way." One man said. Others began giving their totals.

Rosalie cashed in their chips, and Serafina paid every single person in line. It was three men and two women who managed to get to him. The last one in line was the man who threw the first punch. She gave him a grin, "Here's an extra five for knocking his ass to the ground."

Security soon came up. Two had already dragged the barely conscious gentleman out. They knew he had no money left and didn't care what happened to him, but two others stopped Serafina and Rosalie, "Ma'am, congratulations on your win tonight. But we have rules in this establishment. You can't cause trouble like this. Since this is your first visit, we only ask you to leave now. But we hope to see you and your partner here again in the future or perhaps at one of our many establishments around the country." He said respectfully, giving Serafina a black card with gold writing and gesturing for the two to head to the exit.

Serafina turned the card over in her hand to see what it was. It was just a plain black business card. The gold writing only said Risk in the dead center. She looked at him questioningly.

"If you're lucky enough to find one of our clubs, we don't stop you from entering the first floor. We allow those with cards to go straight to the VIP floor. At this location, that's the floor below. But the only people who can enter our VIP floor are those with actual skill in gambling. I know you're a pro. I saw how you gave him that false sense of security only to pull the rug out from under him. You're the kind of player we like." He grinned.

"That card works at any of our locations. We're worldwide. But finding our locations the first time is all a matter of luck," the other guard said.

Serafina didn't cheat the entire time they were in this casino. Considering it was an underground illegal casino, she wasn't sure what the consequences would be for cheating in it. After observing, she noticed several security cameras installed and many security guards. She did win based on skill this time, but she was still curious. She turned to the guards, "How safe are these establishments? And what are the rules?" she asked.

One guard began listing off the rules, "Obviously, you can't tell others or talk about the casino. You are only allowed one guest. If you can't pay your debt, the other party can invoke the right to a punishment. The punishment ranges. If they owe you less than fifty thousand, you can request one of their toes, fingers, or ears to be cut off. If more than fifty thousand and less than two hundred and fifty thousand, you can request one of their hands or feet to be cut off. The more the debt, the more they have to lose. Get the picture?" Serafina and Rosalie nodded in understanding, "And absolutely no cheating. If anyone is caught cheating, their left hand is forfeited, and membership is revoked."

Serafina grinned. She loved the idea of a challenge. It wasn't like they could cut her hand off anyway. Rosalie rolled her eyes when she saw that grin. She knew she would be tempted to try to get away with her cheating in the future. The two thanked the guards after they were escorted to a car to take them safely back to their hotel—courtesy of the club as members. The two women didn't need it, but these people didn't know that. So they readily accepted.

Once at the hotel, they undressed, showered, and then lay in bed, discussing how they should visit again to see the VIP section. Rosalie warned her to at least observe more before cheating to make sure she wasn't caught. Serafina agreed.

It was now Saturday, although the two enjoyed themselves immensely on their little trip. Serafina noticed Rosalie seemed just a bit distracted with a slight frown. She pulled Rosalie to herself, "What's on that beautiful mind of yours?"

"Why must we be uncomfortable because of Edward's little pet?" Rosalie glared.

"Because murder is wrong," Serafina made her voice deeper as she mocked their father. Rosalie laughed.

"It's always about the human nowadays," she said, her smile slipping again, "Edward likes that they are the center of attention at school now. He does what he can to have everyone gawk. I'm pretty sure that's why he's taking her to Prom."

"Mi hermosa Rosa, you know I love you, right?" Serafina began.

"Yes?" Rosalie couldn't help answering that in a questioning tone. She didn't know where Serafina was going with this question.

"I do love you. And I would love it if you would accompany me to Prom," Serafina said, sitting up and kneeling before Rosalie on the bed.

Rosalie smiled, "I love you, too. I didn't mean I wanted to go. I'm just saying."

"But I do want to go. Why do we always miss the dances? I mean, in the past, I understand. We couldn't dance together comfortably. We would constantly be asked to dance by hormonal teenage boys," Serafina said with obvious distaste, but she continued, "But it's different now. They know you're my girlfriend. We can dance together, and if any idiotic young man tries to ask you to dance, I'll kick his ass." She finished happily.

"You know Prom is tonight, right? I don't know," Rosalie laughed.

"It's also a good way to fuck with Edward," Serafina teased with an evil grin.

Rosalie cocked her head to the side, "How so?"

"You said it yourself: he wants all eyes on him and his pet. But if we go, all eyes will be on us. I mean, have you seen yourself? Stunning," Serafina explained, "And I'm not bad either. All eyes will be on us. Fuck Edward."

Rosalie bit her lip as she glanced at the clock, "Do you think we'll make it?"

"We can make it. We'll get ready in town. Not at home, though. I don't want Mom to try to guilt us into not being our usual spiteful selves. It won't work, but still." Serafina frowned.

"The boutique in the hotel had some nice dresses. We can grab two before we go," Rosalie suggested.

The two women checked out and split up. Rosalie went to go shopping in the hotel boutique, which was already miles ahead of the fashion any dress shops in Forks or Port Angeles would carry. Serafina went to pull the car out front. Rosalie said she wanted her dress to be a surprise. Serafina pulled the car to the front quickly but saw a flower shop not too far away and decided to get the two of them corsages as a surprise of her own.

Once Rosalie finished, she met Serafina and took over as driver to race back to Forks. When they arrived, they got a hotel room and quickly dressed. Rosalie had gotten them both elegant dresses. She never went for sexy dresses when going to an event. They just looked sexy due to their excellent body shapes. That couldn't be helped. For Serafina, she liked dressing her in white if she wasn't in red. She was the opposite. If she weren't in red, then she would go in black. That's what she had gotten them. Black and white. She didn't have time to look around and settled for the two prettiest dresses she had seen, which worked perfectly. They already had the perfect heels for them. Once dressed, they did their makeup and were on their way.

Serafina pulled out two red rose corsages only when the two were in the car outside the school. Rosalie didn't see her buy them. Her eyes lit up at the small gesture.

"We can't be without our signature red now, can we?" Serafina grinned as she tied the corsage around Rosalie's delicate wrist.

"No, we can not," Rosalie answered as she pulled out the other red rose corsage and tied it to Serafina's wrist. She then gave a little peck to Serafina before glancing around to make sure the coast was clear and zipping to the other side to open the door for her.

Serafina took her hand as she exited the vehicle, "Thank you. I saw Edward and the human hobbling to the school as we entered the parking lot. They should have just entered the cafeteria, what with how slow that human moves."

The female couple's timing was perfect. Edward and Bella had just made their appearance to the awe of the entire school. But Serafina and Rosalie entered not too long after. Edward had a glare aimed at the two while Bella appeared relieved.

"What's wrong, Edward? You can't claim dominance in front of all these teenage boys anymore?" Rosalie whispered so only he could hear.

"They're going to forget all about you two as a couple tonight. I bet you can hear it already, right? I bet you're hearing a lot of 'Wow, Rosalie and Serafina are so beautiful'," Serafina added.

"You wouldn't have this problem if you would've just turned her. You wouldn't have to go to such extremes to prove she's yours. If she were, you'd know," Rosalie mocked.

Edward didn't agree to the turning her. He was still sure he made the right decision. But the other parts were true. Edward sighed as he pulled Bella further into the cafeteria to dance. He could no longer bask in the limelight with his beloved. He could no longer show the other young men he was the winner. His sisters were the belles of the ball, so to speak. All he could hear was the envy from other young women talking about their dresses. Or jealousy at how amazing the two looked compared to themselves. From the young men, he heard things that made him want to murder them for thinking that way about his sisters. All except Simon, who kept repeating in his mind not to look at either woman. But Edward just shook his head as he looked at Bella.

"I'm sorry they're ruining your night," he said lowly.

"No! I'm grateful! I didn't like any of that attention. Can you please tell them thank you from me later?" Bella answered him.

Edward had a blank face as Serafina spun Rosalie over toward Bella, "You're welcome," the two said before going back to their dancing.

But the two women were suddenly surprised when they realized Emmett, Alice, and Jasper were dancing like idiots in the middle of the dance floor. The two women couldn't help but laugh, "What are you guys doing here?" Rosalie asked.

"You didn't think I'd see your little plan?" Alice scoffed. She narrowed her eyes at the two women, "I wasn't going to miss out on Prom if you two were coming! Come on! Let's dance!" she said as she pushed the two women apart and put herself in the middle as she started to dance to a new song.

Both women couldn't help laughing at her antics but danced with her. Jasper and Emmett joined, "We didn't draw nearly as much attention as you two did." Jasper commented.

"Two hot girls dancing together? Of course, all eyes will be on them," Emmett said incredulously. He soon stopped, "I bet these guys are thinking bad things." He began to glare.

"I can assure you they are. The emotions in here are pretty bad," Jasper answered as he used his ability to calm Emmett down. He then turned to his sisters, "But the jealousy is polluting the cafeteria more."

Rosalie and Serafina did feel happier after hearing that, which brought a smile to Jasper's face. He knew what would make them feel better. Plus, it made him feel better, too.

Alice soon cut in as she made some strange dance moves that appeared to be a mix of a couple of moves from decades past. She hadn't tried it before and asked the others, "How's this? Does it look good?"

The group had mirroring looks of confusion except for Jasper, who chuckled a bit but gave her his doting smile and mimicked her moves, "It's different." He answered.

"I don't think those work," Emmett said as he tried to do something similar but added other dance moves to try and make it look better.

"No," Serafina and Rosalie said as they continued dancing normally without showboating like the others.

"Well, I'm going to keep doing it anyway. I like it! It's fun!" Alice said as she continued.

The group continued dancing together. But they soon saw a tall, darker, friendly-looking young man march up to Bella to ask her to dance. The group gave each other questioning looks before Alice explained who the young man was and why he was there—Jacob Black from the Quileute tribe.

"I don't know," Serafina began to smirk. As she gained her sibling's attention, "Did you see how he looks at her? And she seems pretty comfortable with him, too. Uh oh! I think Edward might have some competition!" she said tauntingly as she looked to the opposite end of the room where Edward was waiting for Bella while leaning against a wall. He glared back at her after hearing what she had said. But he focused on Bella and the boy, waiting for them to finish.

The group heard the warning the boy gave. He didn't seem to believe it, but they couldn't help frowning at the veiled threat. Serafina couldn't believe they dared to do that. Rosalie felt her warm up and grabbed her hand to give her a spin to keep dancing. She was also upset, but her anger didn't cause heat waves. She drew her attention back. Their group kept dancing into the night, even after Edward waddled Bella outside school for whatever he had planned. They didn't know and didn't care. They began to have fun again, which they all felt was well deserved.

Chapter Text

The 'eldest' Cullen siblings graduated high school not long after Prom. The female couple had spoken to their family again about possibly leaving for a year or two and nearly managed to make it, but their mother guilt-tripped them into staying. She never actually asked them to stay and very much persuaded them to go, but in the way that only a mother can do. The way that made it so that if they did leave after hearing her, they would be labeled as horribly inconsiderate.

Esme was ecstatic that they stayed. But the two women were still somewhat angry with the precarious situation they were placed in against their will—the one where a human girl knew too much and still lived. So, no one argued when they suggested visiting the Denali for a month or two. The family also believed they needed a small break from the couple. The two women didn't shy away from their feelings when unhappy. And the two women were incredibly agitated.

The women stayed for two months with their cousins. Emmett joined them for a short part of it. He joined them the last week near the end of their visit. He didn't want to stay too long. He knew Alice and Bella were spending more time together and figured Jasper would be alone, and he didn't like that idea. So he relaxed a bit with Tanya and Kate.

Irina had been out since a bit before the female couple arrived. According to the others, Irina had spent time with another vampire male. He met with Tanya and obtained her approval to spend time with Irina. But he hadn't been properly introduced to their family yet. The family heard good things. He wasn't her mate, but they were having fun.

When the three missing teens returned home, their parents and siblings immediately embraced them. They asked how their trip had gone, and they all shared little stories. However, when Emmett began to share, they realized he had gone for a booty call and immediately dismissed him so they wouldn't have to hear any details.

Rosalie laughed as she told them how Kate and Serafina fought for the television remote multiple times. They always ended with Kate losing interest in the television and blasting Serafina with as much electricity as she could to see how much she could take. Serafina would beg for mercy since it tickled so severely that she couldn't take it anymore.

Serafina told them how Carmen taught them to dance the flamenco. She immediately held her hand out toward Rosalie, who looked sheepish as she looked back. Rosalie learned, yes. But she still needed the music to do so. Serafina was good at keeping rhythm without it. Serafina immediately understood and wasn't going to push it. But Emmett suddenly said, "Oh wait! It's better with music! They're really good!" he said quickly, playing flamenco from his computer.

The two women smiled at each other and then began their dances. They clapped their hands quickly to get into the music and stomped their heeled boots. Their faces were stoic when they started dancing in tandem. Once the music and their dance ended, they heard claps from their family as they bowed.

"So, it's like tap?" Jasper suddenly asked.

Serafina narrowed her eyes at him, "No! It's not like tap! It's different!" she argued.

Jasper knew how to tap dance. He frequented many clubs with Serafina back in the day. He had seen many types of dancing in the jazz and swing clubs they had gone to. Though he had seen the dances from a distance, it was enough for him to practice independently.

Jasper began to mimic the women's moves without fluid arm movements. His arms were more restrained but still playful, and he smiled widely because he was having fun. He changed their flamenco to tap.

Once Emmett saw, his jaw dropped, "It is like tap! I didn't want to try before because they looked way too serious. But I know how to tap too!" he began to tap along with Jasper.

Serafina began to get upset because it wasn't the same. She held her chin up as she began to showcase the differences in a sort of dance-off.

Carlisle smiled as he clapped along, watching her dance seriously against her two brothers, "Bravo!" he cheered.

Rosalie, Alice, and Edward stood together as they watched with grins as they also cheered. But soon, Edward nudged his two sisters and pointed at their mother. He had a look of excitement as he watched her. His two sisters looked over and saw a stiff smile on her face. Her fists were clenched as she watched. Edward held his hand out and began a countdown from three using his fingers.

Once he hit zero, Esme snapped, "That's enough! Stop!" she shouted. The three dancers stopped and stared at their mother, "I love you three, and you are very talented and dance beautifully! But you're ruining my hardwood floors! Upstairs! Go upstairs if you'll keep dancing while I check the damage." She finished with exasperation as she stared at the scuffs she could already see. The three were not wearing the proper shoes to showcase their dances.

Their siblings laughed at the three dancers as they all went upstairs to see what had happened while they were away. Their parents stayed downstairs to attempt to get rid of the scuff marks on the floors.

They found out they didn't miss much. A new nurse had very obviously hit on Carlisle. This resulted in Esme making him homemade lunches to deliver daily for two weeks straight before she was confident the new woman knew Carlisle was off the market. Alice had already started her senior year with Edward and was happy to announce that her friendship with Bella was still strong, much to the unhappiness of the two women present. But they knew they couldn't avoid it forever. They listened while she explained that the human's birthday was coming up and she wanted to throw a small party for her.

Edward gave them pleading looks. He knew how much they disliked Bella. But he still wanted them to accept her. She was his everything. He wholeheartedly believed it. Even though he hated his sisters, and they hated him, they still loved each other. He needed them to try.

Rosalie averted her eyes as though ignoring the two. But didn't leave. This was as much as she was willing to do. To Edward and Alice, it was a lot.

Serafina saw her and knew they would be participating as well. She turned to her two siblings, "Formal or casual?"

Alice began jumping in place happily before jumping into Serafina's arms with a squeal, "Formal!" she said excitedly before dropping to stand in front of the two, "Now, are you two going to teach me to flamenco or what?" she asked while popping her hip out and giving a clap as she raised her chin with a serious expression.

"I don't know, Ali," Serafina began.

"You're going to start giggling like halfway through, and attitude is half the dance," Rosalie finished. She was leaning casually on Serafina.

"I could so take it seriously! I won't laugh or anything!" Alice insisted. Even Edward raised a brow at that. Alice couldn't hold back her snort, "Don't look at me!" she laughed as she covered her face and shoved him away, "Starting now, I meant!" she said with a serious expression back on her face.

The siblings couldn't help but shake their heads at her. She wasn't going to be able to be serious for long. But Serafina and Rosalie showed her and the others how to do it, too. Emmett and Jasper joined; they figured it wouldn't be too hard since they still thought it was tap. They practiced randomly for several days before Emmett equated one of Serafina's moves to the Matrix and annoyed her to where she was over it.

There was a silver lining. Her quitting timed perfectly to the human's birthday. They called it a break. Alice was buzzing all over from the excitement. She tried asking Serafina and Rosalie for help. Still, Serafina was lazy and mysteriously disappeared before she could be asked, and Rosalie would flat-out say no unless it were something more toward the home. She had no trouble helping clean, but that was it.

The night of the party, Serafina was dressed in a red dress while Rosalie was dressed in a black one. The two women stood together in the living room, toward the back wall furthest from the stairs. Jasper stood at attention off to the side near the two. Emmett was waiting near the stairs while his parents stood together at the bottom of those same stairs.

The family looked up toward the top of the stairs, where Edward stood behind Bella and Alice. Alice looked toward Serafina, who rolled her eyes, but soon, all of the candles ignited at once, making the room look all the more elegant and festive. The candles weren't the only decorations. Dozens of roses were placed strategically around the living room as well. It was beautiful and intimate.

Bella's breath caught at the sight before her. But it seemed more out of annoyance to Serafina. She narrowed her eyes at the thought. The human was soon dragged down the stairs by Alice, who led her to their parents.

"Sorry about all this. We tried to reign Alice in," Carlisle said while greeting the girl.

"As if that were even possible," Esme cut in, hugging the girl next, "Happy Birthday Bella!"

"Thanks," Bella mumbled before being blinded by a camera flash from a camera in Alice's hand. The human gave Alice a questioning look as she seemed to recognize the device.

"I found it in your bag," Alice explained, "Mind?"

Bella seemed unsure how to respond and shook her head as in no.

Emmett made his way over to Edward, "Dating an older woman? Hot." He grinned. Edward gave him a skeptical look while shaking his head, but he couldn't hold his chuckles, "What?" Emmett asked in confusion.

"You two first, Rosalie," Alice soon rushed over to Rosalie and Serafina, putting a wrapped gift into Rosalie's hands.

Rosalie had also smirked at Emmett's comment since Serafina was raising her brows suggestively to her after hearing it. But the smile was gone when the gift was put into her hands. The gift went straight from Alice to Rosalie and then Bella within seconds, "It's a necklace. Alice picked it out." Rosalie said with a bored expression.

"Thanks," Bella said.

"Ah ah ah! But Serafina made it! It's special!" Alice added.

"The fact you could get any jewelry from Serafina is already a huge deal. Dragons don't let others touch their loot," Emmett whisper yelled to Bella from where he stood next to Edward. Edward had a big grin since he knew that comparison was coming.

Serafina frowned at the comment. Rosalie could see her mind debating whether to take action and decided to answer for her. She grabbed Serafina's hand quickly and held on tightly just as she was about to turn around to kick his ass.

Alice could also tell Serafina was about to go off on Emmett and decided to keep the party rolling. She made her way over to Edward and pulled him forward to stand beside Bella, "Show me the love!" she said as she happily snapped a picture of the couple before going to the gift table, grabbing a box, and handing it to Bella, "This one's from Emmett." She smiled.

Bella accepted the gift but seemed surprised at the weight. She couldn't help shaking it as she looked over at Emmett.

"Already installed it in your truck," he grinned excitedly, "Finally, a decent sound system for that piece of-"

"Hey! Don't- Don't hate the truck," Bella glared jokingly.

"Open Esme and Carlisle's!" Alice soon skipped over with another gift for Bella.

"Just a little something to brighten your day," Carlisle said.

"Yes, you've been looking kind of pale lately," Esme joked.

The girl struggled to open the gift, and Serafina heard, "Ow, paper cut." Before smelling the sweet smell that she missed so much. Knowing it came straight from the source and not her blood bags made it worse. Serafina could always hold herself in check, but she soon pulled Rosalie to her other side, away from the girl, before letting go of her hand to help.

But she didn't get the chance to do so. Jasper rushed for the girl; where Serafina would've put her flame wall, Edward had already shoved the human back before stepping into Serafina's targeted space to push Jasper backward. Serafina had to hold back her flame, or she would have killed Edward.

Serafina gritted her teeth and stepped forward to help the girl physically. At the same time, Edward acted as a shield between everyone and the two. She watched as Emmett and Carlisle subdued Jasper, who snarled and struggled in their hold while glaring at Bella.

Alice immediately stepped before him to soothe him, "Jazz, Jazz, shh, shh, it's okay. It's just a little-" she couldn't finish as she caught the scent, "blood." She finished and turned to stare at the human girl covered in her own blood.

The human looked up to see every vampire in the room staring at her, but then Serafina calmly knelt next to her and lazily smiled, "Don't worry, I got you." She winked. But that didn't calm the human down. She was already afraid of Serafina and Rosalie, but with the looks she was getting from everyone else. She was even more terrified.

"Get Jasper out of here," Carlisle said before letting go and zipping over to Serafina and Bella. Where Serafina only sat beside the girl calmly, Carlisle was able to help and checked her wound quickly before turning and gesturing to the others that he had it.

Emmett gripped Jasper tightly and escorted him out of the home.

"I'm sorry, I can't," Alice said before following after them.

Rosalie looked at Serafina, who blew her a kiss. She smiled back at her before glaring at the human and leaving with the others.

"I'll have to stitch this up in my office," Carlisle stated after examining her arm further. He then turned to Edward, who stood in the same spot with a desolate look, "Check on Jasper. I'm sure he's very upset with himself, and I doubt he'll listen to anyone but you right now." After seeing Edward's inaction, he reminded him, "Edward."

The last call of his name seemed to have woken Edward as he slowly turned and walked out of the house after his siblings.

Esme appeared to be struggling, but she still managed to take a step forward, "Serafina, sweetheart, please clean up the mess as soon as you can. And don't burn the carpet or hardwood. Please scrub and bleach where appropriate. Thank you!" she said before speedily exiting the home as well.

Serafina's jaw dropped before she scoffed, "Fuck you, Edward!" she called out. She then got the cleaning supplies to eliminate the temptation while Carlisle helped Bella to his office to treat her.

Carlisle and Bella could hear Serafina swearing like a sailor in Spanish from the office. Bella only knew that she was swearing but didn't know exactly what she was saying. Carlisle, on the other hand, knew she was angry with Edward. He could hear her wondering out loud why he was stupid enough to push the fragile human so hard when she was there and wouldn't have let her get hurt. She couldn't understand his stupidity and couldn't help swearing about it, either. Carlisle ignored her and chit-chatted with the human girl to put her at ease as he stitched her up. Carlisle hoped things would be okay, but he was worried. He was concerned for his family and he was concerned for this human girl.

Chapter Text

Serafina had a bored expression as she listened in on the family meeting. Everyone was arguing back and forth, and she was done. It was the same conversation as before. She sighed exaggeratedly to draw everyone's attention.

"So, when we said bringing her into our lives was a bad idea. We were in the wrong. You two," Serafina gestured to her parents, "Sided with Edward. And now even he knows it was a bad idea. And now he wants to leave, and you're going to side with him again?"

"I get he was your first sired so that connection might be stronger than the rest of us. But the blatant favoritism is getting old," Rosalie rolled her eyes.

"Edward was right. He was able to control himself," Carlisle began.

"I'm the one who couldn't control myself. I'm sorry," Jasper spoke up from the back corner of the room. He had been trying to mask his presence from the others out of shame and hadn't spoken much since the incident. Alice gave him a sad smile as she rubbed his back and kissed his forehead, whispering under her breath that it wasn't his fault.

"Jazz, what did I tell you before? I wouldn't have let you get to her," Serafina grinned at the man.

"You would've 'seared me good'?" Jasper managed with a small smile.

"Exactly. Hell, Edward was the one who caused the most damage. Nice fight or flight instincts, pendejo," she glared toward Edward, "Who tosses a human girl so forcefully? Into a glass table no less." She shook her head in amazement, "Even if the table weren't there, she still would've hit the wall." She finished.

"Lord knows she can't take any blows to the head. She's barely managing with what little brain power she has," Rosalie smirked.

"I think she did hit the wall?" Emmett said in a questioning tone while everyone ignored him.

Their mother clicked her tongue angrily as she glared at her children.

Edward looked anguished as he looked down at the table, "I know I caused the most damage. That's why we should leave. I'm no good for her. I bring her only pain. She doesn't deserve that." He said.

"Edward, it was an accident! You love her! We can't leave!" Alice argued.

"You've been so happy since she came into your life. I don't want to see what you would become if she's no longer in it," Esme added.

"Are you sure about this?" Carlisle asked.

"Yes! It was a mistake. I shouldn't have gotten involved with her in the first place," Edward frowned.

"But you did," Emmett said, giving him a questioning look, "Isn't it too late now?"

"It is," Serafina answered Emmett before Edward could.

"She's right. Now the human has stupidly fallen for you, too," Rosalie explained, "Do you know how much this is going to hurt?"

"We can take it all back. Get rid of all traces. She won't even remember us," Edward told her, as though that would solve everything.

Serafina and Rosalie were both shocked when they heard this, "Are you fucking stupid?" Serafina finally asked.

"Serafina, language," Esme chided.

"Sorry, not sorry," Rosalie said, "Because he's fucking stupid. He's already in too deep with the girl. Humans don't feel the mate bond like we do, but Edward has been with her for so long. She probably feels it now, too."

"I might have been mistaken," Edward debated, "She probably isn't even my mate."

Serafina gave him a blank look, "You know what? I told her you were a creepy, possessive stalker who sneaks into her room at night to watch her sleep, and you know what she did?"

Edward looked so shocked at these words while everyone in the family cringed at how this truth sounded out loud. He was curious but was also afraid of how Bella had reacted to the news. He gulped subconsciously as he asked Serafina, "What?"

"She blushed," Serafina answered. She looked at the dining room's surprised faces and continued, "I am not kidding, the girl blushed. Then she smiled and said she felt better knowing he was there."

"When did this happen?" Rosalie questioned.

Carlisle gave a light cough, "When I was stitching Bella up, Serafina tried to tell her she could do better than Edward, but Bella denied it. And Serafina isn't exaggerating the girl's response to Edward's," he hesitated for how to phrase it, "nightly hobby." He finished lamely.

"She's kind of a weird chick, isn't she?" Emmett asked. The other teens nodded in agreement.

"See! It's love!" Esme continued.

"We can't go!" Alice practically shouted.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore! We're leaving," Edward dismissed everyone's comments and marched out of the dining room to head toward his room.

"Did he just?" Serafina stared at his receding figure with wide eyes, "Did he just make the final decision and walk away?" she turned her head back to the family.

Emmett saw her disbelieving face, "Yup. He's gone." He answered.

Carlisle sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose with frustration, "We were only staying longer for him to be with Bella. It would be strange to have our teenage son leave on his own while we stay. It's only him and Alice in school anyways," he shrugged, "We'll just get a jump on a new location now."

Serafina had turned back to glare in the direction Edward had left. The air around her became a little drier and warmer due to her hardly concealed rage at having Edward make decisions for her. But if Rosalie were okay with it, she would be too, so she began to calm herself down. She knew her love would follow her father's word. She trusted him a great deal. But she was surprised when she heard her following words.

"We're going on our own. I don't know for how long," Rosalie announced.

"Rosalie, please," Carlisle began.

Serafina looked at Rosalie with bright eyes. She was excited about the thought of them leaving alone for a while. She had a big smile while the rest of the family frowned. Before Carlisle could continue and before Esme joined in, which she was about to do, Rosalie stood up, "I think I'll take a page out of Edward's book here. My decision is made. Are you okay with this baby?" she called out to Serafina as she walked toward the door.

"I'll follow you anywhere, mi amor," she smiled back as she stood and accepted her hand as they both made their way to the tree house.

"I don't like this," Emmett shouted but was ignored.

Jasper didn't like it either. He felt horrible about it all. He thought it was his fault. It was his fault that Bella was hurt that day. It was his fault that Edward now wanted to leave her to keep her safe. It was his fault his sisters were going. It was his fault his mother was sad. It was his fault his family was breaking apart.

Alice could tell Jasper was upset and tried to make him feel better, but it was hard when she was sad. But soon, a blur sped over to Jasper. Jasper felt a rush of happiness hit him as his sister embraced him. Serafina smiled at him, "I'm in a pretty good mood. How can I say no to alone time with my love? I just wanted to remind you this whole shit show was Edward's fault. You picked the winning team, Jazz! We knew it was a bad idea from the start, so this is his fault and not ours."

After hearing Serafina's words, the others realized their moods must have been hurting Jasper and tried to regulate their moods accordingly. Their mother even tried to stop Serafina now that she had stepped back in, but Serafina apologized to her as she made her way back outside, advising them that she had left Rosalie and would be heading back to her.

When Serafina returned to the tree house, Rosalie stood and walked toward her, "I'm sorry I said that before. I didn't mean to decide without speaking to you first. I was just so angry that they always do what he wants!" Rosalie rambled.

"Hey, it's alright," Serafina smiled, "I don't mind you making decisions for me. But I for sure don't like it when Edward does. This works out anyway. I've wanted us to go off just the two of us for a while now."

The two waited until the next day to go back and see the family again. Everyone was packing up. Serafina eyed her safe, debating whether to leave it alone or take its contents to another safe place. She decided to leave it there for the moment. She then turned her attention back to her family.

They packed their things and found that their family was heading to New York. Rosalie had calmed down considerably. She suggested the family take their belongings with them and that they would meet up to check in and collect their things sooner rather than later. She only did this after discovering that Edward wasn't planning to join the family. She felt better knowing he would be gone, but she still wanted Serafina and her to have their alone time. At least a year if everything went well.

Esme jumped at the idea. She was happy at the thought of them returning to the family sooner. The others were just as happy and readily agreed to take the rest of their belongings for them.

The couple decided to stay longer than the others but didn't tell them they would. They made it appear like they had left but stayed in their tree house. It was Serafina's idea. Rosalie wasn't sure why but didn't mind agreeing.

Rosalie was only concerned when she found the necklace Serafina had given to the human girl sitting on their dresser. Her brows were furrowed as she recalled what Edward had said before. That he would remove all traces of their existence from the girl's life, she assumed he would have either destroyed it with her other belongings or hidden them at least.

When Serafina walked back inside the house, she saw Rosalie staring at something intently in her hand, "What is that, Rosa?"

"Didn't you give this to the girl?" she asked.

"Yes," Serafina answered.

"Then what's it doing here?" Rosalie wondered.

"I stole it the other day when I remembered Edward was going to get rid of all evidence of our existence in the girl's life," Serafina glared, "I didn't give that to him. I gave it to the girl, so he can't take that away from her. I won't allow it."

Rosalie smiled as she kissed her cheek, "I don't like the idea of you sneaking into other girl's bedrooms, but I'll forgive you this time."

"Thank you for understanding, mi amor," Serafina grinned back.

"Wait," Rosalie suddenly thought of something, "What if she was wearing it?"

Serafina scoffed, "Please, her father couldn't stand being around the uncut version of that diamond. She's the same way, intimidated by expensive trinkets. It was safely displayed on a shelf on her wall as if it were a work of art," Serafina tilted her head as she examined it some more, "It was actually one of my lazier pieces."

"It's still beautiful. Too good for that plain girl," Rosalie frowned, "Why did you bother giving her one of your creations anyway?"

"I don't know. I thought he was going to keep her. Don't all pets need a collar?" Serafina joked.

Rosalie smacked Serafina but couldn't hold back her chuckles, "No. But really? Why did you?"

"Well, I really did think he would keep her. He's an arrogant, possessive, and sometimes creepy piece of shit. But I still thought he loved her," Serafina frowned.

"He does. He won't be able to stay away from her for long," Rosalie muttered.

Serafina shrugged, "Not our problem. Just give me another two days. They'll leave in a day or two, but I want to ensure Edward isn't lurking in the shadows before I return it to the girl."

"Good call, we both know he's good at that," Rosalie rolled her eyes.

The two stayed in their tree house, taking full advantage of what it was built for. Knowing no one was waiting for them back home gave them more freedom to devote their time to each other. The two lost track of that time and didn't resurface until three days after Serafina had initially said. Serafina asked Rosalie to wait while she returned the gift.

Serafina made her way to the girl's home. Her room was uncomfortably dark for a human, but she could see just fine. She saw a figure curled in on herself on the bed and couldn't help but sigh. The girl felt the bond, and she was hurting with her idiotic little brother being out of the picture. She was sure Edward felt worse, but he deserved it, so she didn't care about his suffering.

"Edward?" Bella shot up after hearing her sigh.

"Shh," Serafina shushed. The human girl looked at her with unveiled happiness and confusion, "He's not here. It's just me." The girl said nothing as she stared at Serafina, "I thought Carlisle said you didn't hit your head the other day? How did you go stupid?" Serafina frowned as she waved her hand in front of the girl, "I'm Serafina."

The girl shook her head, "I know it's you, Serafina. I can't believe you're real. Edward's gone, and everything that could remind me about him is, too. I started to think I hallucinated it all." She mumbled as she pushed her hair back away from her face.

"About that," Serafina handed the necklace to her, "You know it's safer if you wear it. Then people with sticky fingers can't take it from you." She said while twiddling her fingers in the air as a distraction while stealing a glance toward the floor. She could smell Edward's scent from the floor. She suspected her belongings were there. At least, she hoped so. Edward was pretty possessive, after all. She hoped he didn't mark his territory. She looked back up toward the girl and gave her a light smile.

"But I thought Edward destroyed everything? He didn't want me to remember any of you," Bella asked with awe as she held the necklace as though it were the most valuable thing in the world. Which greatly pleased Serafina.

"That's why I stole it first. I gave this to you. He has no right to take it away. But I hope you wear it instead of just putting it on display like before," Serafina mocked.

Bella nodded as she put it on. She couldn't help caressing it as it graced her chest. It meant everything was real. Edward was real. She looked up at Serafina, "The others?" she asked.

"I know you only want to know about that idiot," Serafina rolled her eyes, "But everyone is gone, him included. Rosalie and I only stayed behind to give this to you, and now we're leaving, too."

"Why are you doing this? I thought you hated me," Bella asked with confusion.

"Contrary to popular opinion, I'm not actually a mean person," Serafina frowned.

"So you don't actually hate me?" Bella asked hesitantly.

"Hate is such a strong word," Serafina answered, "And maybe I did. But now I dislike you immensely." Bella appeared startled at this revelation, so Serafina explained, "That's a step in the right direction." She smiled.

"Thank you?" Bella wondered if that was the correct response here.

"You're welcome," She smiled as she patted the human on the head. She wasn't sure what to do in this situation either, "Good girl." She finally said.

There was a bit of awkwardness in the air as the two looked at each other. Bella attempted to speak up again, but Serafina had already gotten bored, "Well, that's enough of this." She mumbled, "Well, I better be off." She finally said as she made her way toward the window.

"No," Bella reached out quickly and grabbed Serafina's shirt, "Please don't go."

"Sorry, but I have a beautiful woman waiting for me," Serafina said with a smile. But she saw the girl's glistening eyes and thought about what the girl had said when she first arrived. She hesitated but felt she should tell her, "You're not crazy. You're right. We're real, and we were here with you. That idiot Edward was here with you, and that was real, too. If you ever forget, look at that necklace. I only gave it to you because he insisted on me and Rosa giving you a gift to celebrate your birthday," She said before leaving the girl alone.

"He's not an idiot," Bella said with a bit of defiance.

Serafina gave her a small smile as she left her room, "Still defending him?" Serafina whispered lowly to herself, "She's an idiot too. They're perfect for each other."

It had only been a few days since the family left, but the human wasn't doing well. She hoped Edward would get his head out of his ass soon and fix things. But he was Edward, after all. He was probably sure he was doing the right thing and would stick to his guns for as long as possible. The pain from separating from his mate was perhaps something he thought he deserved.

Her negative thoughts immediately disappeared when she saw Rosalie waiting for her outside the tree house, "Ready?" Rosalie called out.

Serafina hugged her tightly as she began kissing her face, "Ready." She answered in between kisses.

Rosalie laughed as she pushed her away, "Then let's go." She smiled as she held Serafina's hand to lead her away.

Chapter Text

Rosalie groaned at the alarm going off next to the bed. She reached over and lightly patted her hand down over the alarm clock to shut it off. She began to get out of bed but was dragged back by two arms snaking around her waist. She allowed herself to be pulled back momentarily with a grin as she felt the body behind her snuggle closer.

Rosalie couldn't help the chuckle from her mouth as she felt the wandering hands begin to grope, "You're not asleep." She laughed out.

"Another reason why I miss sleeping," Serafina sighed, "It would've been the perfect excuse to touch wherever I wanted by 'accident'. Instead, I have to live with the fact that I'm a pervert."

"So you admit you're a pervert?" Rosalie laughed.

"Only for you," Serafina whispered into her ear before kissing her shoulder.

"Well, knock it off. I've got to go to work," Rosalie answered before turning to be face-to-face with her. It was easier to give her a small kiss this way. But Serafina began to deepen that kiss. She figured indulging her lover and having fun before getting ready for the day would be better. She usually had to set her alarm an hour earlier because of this to make sure she was on time for work, but she couldn't say she hated it.

An hour later, Serafina wore only a silk robe as she looked out the window at the bustling park stories below. She was initially upset with Rosalie when Rosalie told her she wanted them to go to New York. She assumed she wanted to rejoin the family sooner but was pleasantly surprised by her girlfriend, who took her to New York City instead. The couple had lived comfortably in the middle of New York City for a couple of months now.

It turned out that Rosalie had bought a building close to Central Park in the early seventies and, after fully renovating, had been making quite a bit of money from it by selling condos, considering it was in a prime location. The previous owner couldn't keep up with maintenance, renovations, and a bad gambling habit, which led to his downfall. But his loss was Rosalie's gain. She had done it all secretly, and the law firm from Serafina's town managed it. Only Alice, Edward, and her mother knew. She surprised Serafina with the top two floors being explicitly renovated for them to stay with a private elevator and entrance just for them.

Their little piece of paradise was very near Colombia University and Central Park. Rosalie was also considering attending school this time, but Serafina talked her into taking a break from school. But Rosalie couldn't remain idle. It wasn't in her nature. But considering her physical age, getting a job doing something she was proficient in was hard without raising questions.

But her girlfriend was very lucky. Or not lucky, but with her wandering habits, she came across beneficial opportunities frequently.

One such situation happened when she traveled through East Harlem and saved an older gentleman who was getting hassled by some gang members for protection money for his repair shop. He attempted to stand his ground and refused them but was about to be killed when Serafina stepped in. She didn't do anything crazy, and the older gentleman was concussed after being pistol-whipped by one of the young hooligans, so she knew she wasn't giving much away.

When the older gentleman came to, he only saw them knocked down and struggling with a beautiful young woman standing above them. She was crushing one of the young men's hands with her heeled boots before letting them go. He thanked her repeatedly and tried to find a way to repay her when Serafina spoke up and told him that her girlfriend was looking for a job and was very talented. He apologized but said his shop wasn't that big and would only be able to pay her as much as his other two shop hands, which was hardly as much as big shops. But Serafina told him that would be fine, that her girlfriend was more looking for a place to do something she loved, but other shops turned her down.

Although grateful, the older gentleman had principles. He told her to have her girlfriend stop by first to test her skill and then give her an answer. Serafina smiled at the terms and agreed; it showed he was a man of integrity. He wouldn't just give her a job as a reward. Serafina was starting to like the idea of Rosalie working there more and more.

When Serafina told Rosalie the news, she wasn't sure how her girlfriend would take it. Thankfully, Rosalie reacted as she had hoped. She took it as a challenge and readily accepted it. She went down to the shop Serafina had said, and despite the owner's and workers' surprised looks, she showed them she knew what she was doing. The owner was impressed with her knowledge and skill and hired her on the spot. Now Rosalie had a nine-to-five job she could do, and she loved it.

Rosalie was only flirted with during the first two weeks of her employment. One of the shop hands was the owner's twenty-three-year-old son. His father immediately scolded him when he heard, and then he and the other shop hand, his twenty-two-year-old nephew, were told to leave her alone. That he would make them suffer if he heard or saw that behavior again. He then let them know she was taken anyway and that they couldn't hold a candle to the looks of her partner.

The two young men didn't believe his words until Serafina visited Rosalie at the end of that second week. Where Rosalie gave them nothing but cold, serious glares, she warmed up immediately to the beautiful brunette who showed up that day. When the two men saw the two kiss, their jaws dropped. Serafina had seen their reactions and immediately stood and walked toward them with an evil little smirk. Their mouths immediately shut, and they couldn't help but straighten their backs at her approach. Then, she bypassed them and greeted the shop owner behind them.

"Hello, Mika!" Serafina smiled at him. She had already told him that she didn't like physical contact. So he didn't go in for a hug.

"Hello, my dear Serafina! My little guardian angel!" the older gentleman greeted enthusiastically. He gestured for her to sit on their sofa toward the back of the shop where they typically had their breaks.

"Thank you!" She said as she passed him to make her way over since Rosalie was already waiting for her over there to join.

"Told you her partner looked way better than the two of you. I hope this teaches you to leave her alone. She's your coworker, and neither of you ever had a chance," Mika said lowly to the two young men before making his way over.

The two women had heard and had smiles on their faces at Mika's understanding. As soon as the man joined them, he smiled and sat across from them. The two young men soon joined, taking random seats from nearby so they could all sit together.

"You saved my dad? How?" one young man asked.

His father immediately grunted in displeasure and reached over to smack him, "Show some respect, Levi!"

"I'm sorry," he shrugged off his father's assault, "I meant thank you for helping him." He said to Serafina as though it were obvious, but then he looked to his cousin and father, "But she's so small. I still want to know how she took down two full-grown men."

His cousin immediately began nodding in agreement.

"A couple of well-placed kicks to their no-no areas before grabbing a wrench and knocking them out," Serafina explained.

"That's cheating!" the cousin scoffed. No longer impressed.

"They had guns," Rosalie defended with a glare.

"This is true," Mika nodded in agreement, "And it's as you said. She is a small woman and a pretty one at that. Those scoundrels from that purple group wouldn't show mercy either way. They probably would've taken her to have their way with like those other poor souls. She was smart to strike first and so decisively." He growled with a clenched fist.

"What if they come back and they're mad because they were beaten up here?" the cousin questioned nervously.

"They won't come back," Serafina said.

"How do you know?" he argued.

"I just do," Serafina smiled up at Rosalie, who sat on the sofa armrest. Rosalie smiled back as she caressed her face.

Different men from that same gang had followed Rosalie after work one night, catcalling until Serafina knocked them out, too. Serafina was annoyed and made it a point to enter the gang's stronghold to threaten the gang leader specifically. She used her persona to do so. They hadn't misbehaved on the shop's street or even entered that neighborhood since then. That's not to say that they changed their ways for good. They just changed their gang's expansion to the other direction. Serafina didn't care then, as long as they stayed away from Rosalie and Rosalie's new job.

Serafina looked back toward Mika, "How is my baby doing? I told you she's amazing, didn't I?" she asked.

Rosalie rolled her eyes but couldn't help but look expectantly toward her boss.

"She's incredible! We didn't accept foreign cars in the shop before, but she knows how to work on them without problems," Mika said excitedly, "She's even showing me how to work it. The boys would probably benefit if they didn't annoy her so much. So I don't blame her for not showing them." He explained.

"Oh, they annoy her, do they?" Serafina looked over to the two young men, who immediately froze.

"Not anymore, sorry," Levi swore.

"Not going to waste my time anymore," the cousin said. Both women looked at him coldly before his uncle smacked him.

The young men were true to their words after that day. They found Rosalie's knowledge of cars vast, and with her beautiful girlfriend, they considered her one of the guys. Rosalie didn't like that. But she liked it better than being ogled like a piece of meat.

Serafina also hung around the shop a lot. So now, having two beautiful women in the shop daily brought much attention. Many people from the neighborhood tried to get an eye on either. But when Mika realized they weren't there for business, he closed the garage door and ensured that people were only allowed inside if they had a vehicle that needed repairs. Serafina stepped it up a notch; she bought a stand-up partition, separated the employee area, and suggested that the boys do the initial inspection. Once they confirmed repairs were needed, and the paperwork was signed, Rosalie could repair the vehicle with the others.

Mika didn't like the idea but consented to their decision once Rosalie confirmed she was okay with it. He noticed he did get more business this way. He even had a custom shirt made for Serafina for when she went on her random walks. He considered her somewhat of a mascot. He felt luckier after having met her.

One day, Serafina lay on the couch in the shop when she got a phone call from Emmett, who was overly excited, "Serafina, guess what!" he shouted into the phone.

Serafina hissed in pain and held the phone away from her ear, "Jesus, what the hell is wrong with you?"

"Sorry," he said, lowering his voice, "But guess what?"

"What?" Serafina asked.

"Alice's name isn't Alice! It's-" he was then cut off.

"Mary Alice Brandon," Serafina said with a grin.

Emmett was stunned, "Well, did you know she had a sister?"

"Who passed away, but she still has a living niece," Serafina finished.

"How do you know this stuff already? I just found out!" Emmett said indignantly.

"Because Alice loves me more and told me about it last week when she found out," Serafina laughed.

"She does not!" Emmett gasped.

"Does so," Serafina snickered.

"Stop teasing your brother," Esme soon said on the line.

"Hi Amá! I wasn't. He's just a baby," Serafina grinned.

"Yeah, yeah. How are you and Rosie doing?" She asked with concern.

"We hope you're doing well!" Carlisle said from nearby.

Rosalie had heard Emmett's initial yell and told the others she was going with Serafina to say hi to their family. Although confused because the women hadn't explained their family situation, they agreed. So Rosalie made her way to sit beside her girlfriend.

"We're great!" Rosalie answered.

The others were working on a car, and the machines were loud. The family wasn't sure what the two were doing and were curious, "Where are you two?" Esme suddenly asked.

"Sounds like an auto repair shop," Jasper guessed.

"Rosalie wouldn't let anyone else work on her car," Emmett interjected.

"Did you guys just meet back up with the others, Ali? How was your trip?" Serafina asked.

"Yes! It was very informative! But I still like going by Alice. I'll be Alice Mary Cullen or Alice Mary Hale if I and a certain someone tie the knot again," she said more to Jasper, "Maybe someday we'll try Whitlock."

"Nah, I'm alright bein' a Hale. Jasper Whitlock died in the Civil War. Now it's just Jasper Hale and his lovely wife, Alice Hale." Jasper grinned.

"How did this turn into a family call?" Emmett asked, "I was trying to have a conversation with my sister!"

"It became a family call when you started telling her my business!" Alice yelled back.

"She already knew!" Emmett argued back.

Some minor crashes could be heard in the background. Rosalie and Serafina assumed Alice finally attacked Emmett in annoyance. The two grinned as their family still behaved as usual. They could overhear Esme reprimanding them in the background.

"So," Carlisle tried to bring the conversation back, "an auto repair shop?" he asked.

"Yes, it's the shop I work at," Rosalie answered.

"Really? That's fantastic, honey!" Carlisle said happily, "You two are remembering to be safe, right?"

"We don't use protection. Sadly, she's still not pregnant," Serafina answered while rolling her eyes to Rosalie, who smacked her and glared at her while shaking her head.

They could hear the sighs from their parents and their sibling's laughter on the other end.

"Ignore her. Yes, we're being safe," Rosalie answered.

"That's good," Esme breathed a sigh of relief, "If you two ever want to come home, though, you're more than welcome." She offered for the millionth time.

"How's the pendejo?" Serafina wondered. She knew he hadn't been with the family for a while. She still didn't hear his voice with the others now and she was curious.

There was a bit of silence on the other end of the phone, "He's tracking the female nomad. He figures she'll be back for him someday, and since he's trying to keep his mind off of Bella, he's turned this hunt into his distraction." Carlisle explained.

"He won't even let us help," Emmett grumbled, "He's being very selfish. I want to hunt her, too. Sounds like fun!"

"He checks in now and then," Esme offered, "he asks about you two. We let him know you two are fine and told him where to find you if he needs you."

Soon, a panicked voice came from the other end of the shop, "Rosalie! Help! I don't know what I did, but I think I ruined this BMW!" one of the young men yelled.

Rosalie couldn't help her chuckles, "Duty calls. Bye guys! Love you!" she called out.

"I've got something I've got to take care of too," Serafina remembered she was going to pay another trip to the gang leader after finding out a couple of his men began slowly creeping back into her territory. She would have to figure out where the leader was before going home to change into her persona, "Love you guys! Bye!"

The two women heard the others say similar farewells before they disconnected their call and went. Serafina got up and kissed Rosalie goodbye before bidding farewell to the others. That night's job was no big deal. She liked living in the city. There was always so much to see and do, and considering how tightly the tall buildings were packed from the area the two women settled, they never saw the light of day. It was perfect. She could get used to it.

Chapter Text

As December approached, Esme began wanting to have the family together. With her family split up, she figured this would be the perfect excuse to get them back together again. She sent notice to her missing children but was sadly disappointed when she received apologies from the three that they wouldn't be able to make it.

Emmett and Alice saw her crestfallen face when Rosalie called her over the phone to say they couldn't make it to their home for the holiday. Edward didn't even answer the call. He returned an email saying he was out of the country and couldn't make it. Esme didn't say anything else after receiving the refusals. She only sighed and continued decorating the living room. She put a big smile on her face for her other children. But her excitement diminished quite a bit. Jasper felt that sadness and confirmed the other's suspicions that it affected her more than she let on.

Emmett decided to call Serafina, "Why aren't you guys coming for Christmas?" he huffed.

"We figured we'd have a quiet and intimate Christmas alone. We already settled on gifts with everyone after all, right?" she answered.

"But mom wants us all together!" Alice chimed in.

"Is Eduardo going?" Serafina asked.

Silence was on the line momentarily as the two siblings looked at each other, unsure if they should lie.

"No," Jasper finally answered. He received glares from his wife and brother.

"Then we won't all be together anyways," Serafina shrugged as she prepared to disconnect the call.

The two siblings could hear a hint of finality in her tone, "Please? Mom's upset," Alice pleaded.

Rosalie was going through her emails on the other end of the home when she received a new one from Emmett. She was curious about what he wanted and opened it quickly. She instantly regretted it after seeing the photo.

"Babe?" she yelled out.

"Hold on," Serafina said to Alice's pleas as she covered the phone, "Yes, Rosa?" she called back.

"Are you talking to Alice, Emmett, and Jasper?" she asked suddenly.

Serafina blinked in surprise for a moment. She was impressed since they were on opposite ends of their massive two-floor NYC home. She didn't think Rosalie could hear them over the phone from that distance.

"Yes, how did you know?" Serafina asked.

"What do they want?" Rosalie ignored her question.

"They want us home for Christmas," Serafina answered.

Rosalie sighed and couldn't help massaging her temples in annoyance, "Why?"

"Mom's sad because we're not going," Serafina explained.

"Is Edward even going?" Rosalie glared.

"No," Serafina answered.

"Then it's not just us," Rosalie whined. But she looked at the picture on the computer she received and became annoyed again. The photo was of Emmett and Alice sitting side by side on the couch, holding a paper that said 'Please' with the most pitiful faces they could muster. Jasper had to have taken the photo. She sighed, "Fine, but I wanted this to be 'our' Christmas! So if we're going to be together as a family, they're coming here! And we're going to host! But tell them that I'll tell Mom," she gritted out.

Serafina had been ignoring the other end of the phone for a while as she listened to Rosalie. She smiled at how kind her mate could be, "Whatever you say, mi amor!" she called out dotingly.

She turned back to the phone and could hear repeated calls of her name, Serafina, on the other end from Alice. Emmett had even begun throwing in his attempts at nicknames for her, too. Only Rosalie was allowed to call her Sera, after all. So Emmett occasionally tried to give her other nicknames that she ignored, like Smaug, Rafi, or Pyro.

"My name is Serafina to you, and you're lucky I don't make you go back to Ms. Hart," Serafina finally answered. She then brought the topic back, "I don't know what you guys did to Rosa, but she said we'll be together after all. But!" she stopped their cheers quickly, "She's going to call up Amá herself to invite you guys over so we can host it this year." She explained.

The others agreed to keep their silence and immediately disconnected the call. They managed to stay quiet until Rosalie notified their mother. Thankfully, Rosalie knew how impatient they could be and didn't make them wait long. She called her mother the very next day after setting things up.

One of the reasons Rosalie wanted to have their own Christmas was to do things her way. So before she called her mother, she needed to plan the decorations first. Now, Rosalie always loved the traditional Christmas decorations her mother put up. The reds, whites, and greens were homey. They always reminded her of the classic Christmas, like back in the day when her father dressed as Santa and took gifts for her and her brothers.

But Rosalie always wanted to use her own style to decorate as well. When she hired the company, she instructed them how she wanted the home to be decorated. She wanted white, gold, and silver with the occasional pop of color from rose bouquets. They confirmed it would be completed immediately. They complimented her choices, though it was more than likely due to the price tag it incurred. Neither Rosalie nor Serafina minded. Rosalie's Christmas style was glamorous, and she was incredibly proud of it, too.

Esme had gotten the invitation from Rosalie and excitedly told the family they would celebrate Christmas Eve and Christmas with the girls and head over on Christmas Eve as usual.

Following the traditions that Serafina's town followed, the family had begun celebrating Christmas on Christmas Eve. They would gather that day dressed formally or festively to chat and play board games and card games for the evening until midnight when they would open presents. They didn't know why they did it that way in her town. But she let them know that was how it had always been celebrated there. Tamales and all. They accepted that and, to make her comfortable had adopted her traditions the first year she joined them, minus the tamales. This year would be no different.

Their parents dressed elegantly that Christmas Eve. Carlisle wore a sharp black suit with holiday accessories, and Esme wore a matching black dress with all her jewelry, showcasing her holiday spirit. Alice's dress was reminiscent of an elf, exaggerating her holiday spirit in her usual fun way. But Emmett and Jasper decided they didn't want to put too much effort into it, so they only dressed in slacks and ugly Christmas sweaters this time. Jasper's at least matched Alice's color schemes. Emmett differentiated himself with a Santa hat. Even if they weren't dressed up as much as the others, it didn't matter. Seeing this group heading to the private entrance brought a lot of attention. Luckily, Rosalie notified security to keep the private entrance clear; otherwise, more people would've seen.

The family marveled at the condo hotel. Alice and Esme had helped with renovations and designing, but they had yet to see the finished product in person. They loved it. The two huddled together to point out the things that were their ideas and suggestions and complimented the things they saw that they were sure were purely Rosalie's ideas.

They were met with two large, intricately designed entrance doors when they made their way up to the top floor. Emmett knocked, and Serafina opened the door, dressed beautifully in white, with her hair in loose curls, snowflake pins, and flawless makeup. She smirked as she let them in, "Welcome to our home."

Everyone took turns giving her hugs as they entered the home and were met with Rosalie's version of Christmas, which looked very expensive. They were impressed, and nothing but compliments came from the others as they looked around.

"And Rosalie?" Esme asked with confusion as they continued walking behind Serafina.

Before she could open her mouth, "Pause for a dramatic entrance," Emmett cued up.

"Shut up, Emmett; I was doing the finishing touches because Sera moved the remote, and I had to find it to make this even better," Rosalie said as she stood at the top of the stairs In a bright red dress with her hair styled similarly to Serafina but using mistletoe. She stood at the top for a moment and clicked the remote. Soon, a classic Christmas song began to play throughout the home from all speakers. Nothing too loud, just some background noise. But with that, she made her way down to greet her family.

"You still did a dramatic entrance!" Emmett said knowingly. Rosalie knocked into his shoulder to pass him and then ignored him as she stood beside Serafina.

"It's beautiful," Esme gushed, "I knew it would be amazing." She smiled proudly at Rosalie. She then turned to Serafina, "Did you like the surprise?"

"Of course I did!" Serafina answered. She glanced at her mate lovingly as she grabbed her hand to hold, "My baby has excellent taste, and our home is stunning." She said as she brought Rosalie's hand up to her face to give a kiss.

"So, which room is mine?" Emmett asked.

"Why do you think you'll get one?" Serafina raised her brow in question.

"Because I'm your favorite brother," Emmett answered.

Jasper cleared his throat from the side as he reached into his back pocket, pulled out a small box, and handed it over to Serafina. Everyone watched the action with mixed emotions ranging from annoyance to excitement. Serafina accepted the box with a smile as she saw the slight narrowing of Rosalie's eyes at the sight.

Esme groaned, "That game should not be here." She said in her mothering tone as she glared at Jasper with her hands on her hips, "Some of you, who shall not be named, get too competitive."

"No, I don't!" Emmett and Rosalie shouted simultaneously. They began glaring at each other when they realized they were both speaking.

"I didn't even have to name anybody. They know themselves well," Esme muttered.

Serafina looked at Rosalie expectantly with her hands clasping the game.

"Jasper gets first pick of the rooms upstairs that aren't our room. Mom and Dad's room is downstairs opposite the kitchen," Rosalie rolled her eyes at her girlfriend as she conceded.

With that news, Alice zipped away to pick out her and Jasper's room. Everyone knew she would, Jasper included, as he stood at attention with his hands behind his back and a slight grin. Emmett stood in place with his arms crossed angrily.

"I didn't know we could bribe you guys to be favorite," Emmett grumbled.

"That's why I'm the favorite," Jasper boasted, "I've been bribing them for years. I've always been the favorite." He mocked. He winked at the girls after Emmett turned to them with his jaw dropped.

"He's always been your favorite?" he asked, pointing at Jasper, who stood behind him without glancing his way.

"That's sweet of you girls, thank you," Carlisle smiled. He hoped to change the topic, "I think we'll put our things away in our room first. Emmett, you get the second pick. Go pick out your room next, and then we can catch up before we start our games for the night.

Emmett was taken out of his shock and sped off to pick out his room, leaving the smallest for Edward. When he rejoined everyone in the living room, they began catching up. It mainly was Rosalie and Serafina describing their life in the city. Rosalie's boring nine-to-five life was exciting for the other teens.

Eventually, the group began playing board games like Monopoly and the card game Jasper had sneakily brought, which was Uno. Esme always felt Monopoly was enough for her competitive children, but Uno could sometimes be too much, considering the teens could target each other. Which they had no qualms doing. It could get dire.

And it did. It didn't take long before shouting matches ensued as the teens began to take turns targeting specific members of the family. None were brave enough to target their mother, but even Carlisle had been targeted by the family; it was surprisingly instigated by Esme herself when she began hitting him with repeated plus four before changing the color.

When midnight arrived, the family stopped and began to pass out their gifts. Due to their seemingly infinite wealth, they never necessarily bought things for each other as gifts for Christmas. They did that throughout the year anyway. What they did gift each other were experiences. The standard order was for the teens to get their parents a gift, the parents to get the teens a gift, and one family member was chosen to pick the family trip.

This year's gift for their parents was already decided—tickets to Russia with hotels and tickets to the ballet. It was set up for January. Carlisle chose the experience for the teens. He got them tickets for skydiving the following summer. As for the family trip, this year was Emmett's choice; he told them they would be going to the World Series that new year but that he wouldn't be able to get their tickets until later. But the family was excited nonetheless.

The only thing different about this year was that Edward was out of touch. Because of that, he couldn't join in on the plans and implementation of gifts. So he sent gifts from where he was that were sent to the family's current residence, and Esme brought them with her to their get-together at the girl's home.

His gifts for the family stuck to the experience tradition. Tickets for a comic book convention the following month were given to Alice, Jasper, and Emmett. Esme and Carlisle were given tickets for a speaking engagement by a famous motivational speaker they enjoyed quoting. And for his sisters, tickets to a ski resort for the following month.

When Emmett saw the girl's gift, he furrowed his brows, "Why do they have more stuff than the rest of us from Ed? I smell favoritism again!" he accused.

Alice began giggling while Jasper looked at her lovingly as he turned to Emmett, "Do you think that shows they're his favorite? Did you actually see all that he had gotten them?" he asked.

"Well, they have more than just the ski resort. It looks like there are tickets to something else in there, too! That's not fair!" Emmett complained.

That was when Alice began laughing full-on, "But did you see what they got?"

"You should just go back to enjoying your gift, Em." Esme grimaced. She had seen what they had gotten.

"That son of a bitch!" Serafina growled. Esme immediately glared at her. Serafina looked at her apologetically before changing her words, "I mean, that motherfu-" she stopped herself after Esme gasped. She hesitated for another moment as she questioningly said, "That piece of shit?" Esme had a blank face. She wasn't happy but had to admit it was better than the first two options. When Serafina saw that she didn't react, she repeated herself more confidently, "That piece of shit!"

"What? Why? What else did he give you?" Emmett asked eagerly, trying to reach out for the tickets.

Rosalie chuckled, "Well, tickets to a ski resort. Serafina doesn't like skiing. And!" she looked at Serafina before patting her arm and giving it a light squeeze, "He signed us up for a major snowball fight event that same week. We are going to have an exciting February!" Rosalie smiled.

Serafina glared at the tickets in Rosalie's hand, "I hate that idiot." She grumbled.

Esme smiled lovingly at her family as she watched them laugh at Serafina before they began discussing their future trips. They soon put away their tickets and played additional games for the rest of that day. Even though she was sad Edward wasn't with them, she still enjoyed her current Christmas with her children. She was happy Rosalie and Serafina were doing well. She planned to visit them more often in the future.

Chapter Text

Rosalie and Serafina spent their gifted week from Edward in Massachusetts at a luxurious ski resort. Serafina feigned excitement about skiing to make Rosalie happy, but Rosalie knew she was faking it. She was just grateful that she still accompanied herself for everything she wanted to do without complaining because that's how Serafina was. To her, at least.

Serafina didn't hate the trip. She kept herself entertained by paying extra attention to Rosalie. She loved seeing her happy. Rosalie was happy doing things she was good at or interested in. Skiing was something she was very good at it. When some men who claimed to be professionals had offered to teach her and Serafina, Rosalie scoffed at their attempt and pulled Serafina away, and then she showed them up on the slopes. That's how good she was.

Serafina was also skilled. She was a quick study and already enhanced due to what she was. But where Rosalie was a naturally competitive person, Serafina wasn't as much. Not unless money was involved. Skiing wasn't something she was too invested in, so she would watch Rosalie. While Rosalie challenged those 'professional' skiers down double black diamond runs, Serafina would casually glide down the blues or greens before meeting up at the finish line to congratulate her.

One day during their trip, Rosalie had beaten several young men down the most challenging slope and thought she might have beaten her own record. She thought so because she managed to beat Serafina. Usually, Serafina would wait for her, but she hadn't seen her yet. Instead of waiting, she decided to go over to her; sensing her direction, she figured she was on a green run that day.

When she arrived, she found her guess was correct. She saw Serafina slowly going down the hill with several small children while laughing. She didn't know what made her mate join this group, but she wouldn't complain. She smiled at the interaction.

Although vampires couldn't sleep, they often daydreamed. At least Rosalie did. Before she was changed, Rosalie would fantasize about her future. Her husband, child, and their happy life together. After she was turned, it turned into an unhappy marriage, but still a happy life because of her child. Even after meeting Serafina, she couldn't help herself. She would think about what she should have had.

But as time went by, her fantasies changed. The last one she had was of her horrible marriage with an elite businessman, her happy child, and her bohemian female neighbor, whom the other elites scolded behind her back for her strange lifestyle because she didn't need a man to be successful. She would, of course, have an illicit affair with said neighbor, and they would run away together with her child. Her fantasies always ended in similar ways now. She never missed her husband; they were only a sperm donor. But those fantasies always included Serafina and their child now.

She knew she needed to get those sad thoughts out of her head. She didn't want to hurt Serafina anymore. She was more than happy with just the two of them. But she would see scenes like this often because her mate loved children just as much as she did, and they would constantly bring up those old fantasies.

She wanted to tell Serafina how much she loved her and that they were enough as long as they were together. Serafina said things along those lines whenever they saw each other, but she didn't. She sometimes felt she didn't say it nearly enough.

Serafina felt a lingering gaze and looked up to see Rosalie lost in thought while watching her. She stood upright and waved toward her. Rosalie seemed to be taken out of her thoughts as she smiled softly and waved back.

Serafina was there because she had found a lost child. She assumed they had gotten separated from the children's introductory ski class and returned them there. But the child didn't want her to leave; they were afraid and trusted Serafina, so they wanted her to stay until they found their parents. Thankfully, it didn't take long for one of the children's parents to come over and thank Serafina profusely for caring for her child. Serafina said it wasn't a problem, waved goodbye to that child and the others she was playing with, and jogged over to Rosalie after taking off her skis. When she ran over to Rosalie, she apologized for not meeting her and explained what had happened.

Rosalie was still in a daze and hardly paying attention because she suddenly thought of something. She interrupted Serafina, "You know I love you, right?"

"Yes," Serafina looked at her suspiciously but couldn't help smiling, "But I still love hearing it. What's up, Rosa?"

"I just, I just want you to know I love you. I love being with you and being near you. I want to be with you forever," Rosalie said seriously.

"I do too, but mi amor, are you alright?" Serafina asked with concern. Serafina was worried and glared, "Did someone say something to you? I didn't sense any threat, but point out whoever bothered you, and I'll kill them." She growled with her eyes glowing.

Rosalie took that as proof that she didn't say it enough. Her mate thought something was wrong because she gave her words of love. She didn't like that, she frowned, "No, it's nothing like that. Baby, I just wanted you to know that I love you. And I think we should be together." Rosalie finally said her thoughts.

Now Serafina was confused, "We are together," she said hesitantly. She then smirked, "Oh, I get it." She raised her brow, "We can return to our room now. We'll start our night early." She smiled as she stepped toward Rosalie and gave her a sweet kiss on her lips.

"That's not what I mean," Rosalie chuckled. She saw Serafina's smile drop, and she couldn't help but tilt her chin up as she gave her a small peck, "I mean, yes, we can do that, but that's not what I mean." She stepped back and knelt on the ground, "I mean, I want to be with you forever. Although we can be as we are, this is different. It makes it official. I don't need a husband. I never did. I need you. Please be my wife?"

Serafina's eyes glistened as they went wide. Of course, she wanted to marry her. She had been holding off on asking because, at first, it wasn't feasible. But then, when it was finally within reach since it was finally legalized in one particular state, there was a lot of drama in the family because of Edward and the human. It brought up Rosalie's old heartaches; Serafina didn't want to remind her of them.

"Are you sure?" Serafina couldn't help but ask.

Rosalie heard the quiver in her voice and felt guilty, "Of course, I'm sure. I'm sorry this was so spontaneous. I don't even have a ring." She trailed off.

Serafina reached into her pocket and pulled out two rings. Rosalie couldn't see from her position. Serafina inspected the two and handed Rosalie the gold ring with a diamond. Rosalie looked at her questioningly, "Do it again." Serafina encouraged with a giant smile on her face.

Rosalie, who was initially nervous, giggled at her mate, "Do you just carry rings with you all the time or-" she tried to question.

"Shh, don't ruin the moment," Serafina whined, "Do it again!"

"I'm sorry," Rosalie smiled lovingly at her, "Serafina Hart, will you marry me?"

"Yes!" Serafina said excitedly as she gave her hand to Rosalie to put the ring on her finger. Once Rosalie stood, the two hugged and kissed again.

"Now, back to the ring, do you just carry it around all the time?" Rosalie asked.

"Yes, two rings, actually. Now dame tu mano," she said. Rosalie gave her a questioning look but obliged. Serafina then put a gorgeous platinum ruby and diamond ring on her finger. Rosalie's jaw dropped at the extravagance. "You beat me to it, but I've always known I wanted to marry you and was waiting for the perfect time to ask," Serafina explained. It was Rosalie's turn for her eyes to glisten as she embraced her fiancée.

The two couldn't stop hugging for a while, and when they separated, they turned to head back to the resort to celebrate. They heard clapping from nearby. The greens the two were on weren't far from the resort, and the other guests and employees were watching them. Beautiful people naturally drew attention. Once their moment was done, an employee made their way over to them, "Congratulations! What is your room number? We'll have champagne sent up to the room on the house." He smiled.

When Serafina gave their suite number, the young man took note of sending chocolate-covered strawberries for such a prestigious guest to go with the champagne. After all, they had to make a good impression on the big spenders. He nodded as he stepped away to prepare. He didn't know the two wouldn't even take advantage of their hospitality.

The two celebrated in their room for the next two days of the trip and skipped the snowball fight event. As they lay in bed, side by side, they just looked at each other; Rosalie pushed some hair behind Serafina's ear, "You know we're in Massachusetts, right?" she asked.

"I thought that was why you asked," Serafina answered.

"Nope, I just realized at that moment how much I wanted to marry you," Rosalie honestly answered. She grinned, "It's perfect, we can just elope."

Serafina frowned, "You said before that when you used to dream of your wedding, it was a big one?"

"Yes, but I want us to be married as soon as possible. I don't need the big wedding, just you," Rosalie explained.

"I love that you keep saying that," Serafina said as she kissed Rosalie, "But I want you to get your big wedding. Plus, are you okay with the family not being there? I mean, I'm alright with that. But I didn't think you would be."

Rosalie's brows furrowed, "They haven't been checking in as much anymore. I don't even think Alice has been checking on our futures lately, either. They're more concerned about Edward and his human. I don't think we should hold ourselves back because of them. We'll tell them sorry." She shrugged, "We'll invite them to the next wedding." She grinned.

Serafina smiled, "I'm ready to get married as soon as possible. But I want to give you your big wedding."

"You can't get that put together so quickly. That's okay," Rosalie smiled.

Serafina scoffed now, "Oh ye of little faith," she said as she got up and dressed.

"No, where are you going?" Rosalie groaned.

"To give you your big wedding. I'll be back," she said as she kissed her on the cheek and left the room with her mobile phone.

Serafina called the closest law firm that originated in her town. It was in New York. She explained the situation. The people there didn't know her specific situation and only knew to appease her every wish as though she were a queen. She gave them a monetary limit, which was quite over the top, and orders on what she wanted. They agreed to have it ready by the date she requested.

Once done, she extended their stay in the suite, returned to her room with Rosalie, and entertained her until the day she selected. She only told Rosalie that they would be wed by the end of their trip and left it at that. It was going to be a surprise.

The following week, Rosalie heard a knock on the door and grinned. Her gift had arrived. She quickly dressed and opened the door while Serafina looked at her in confusion. She soon returned with her hands behind her back and made her way to Serafina on the bed, "Happy Valentine's Day!" she said, bringing the bouquet of roses she had ordered forward.

"Oh! Wow, thank you, mi amor!" she hesitated, and Rosalie's smile faltered, "I'm so sorry, I forgot. But I swear I'll make it up to you! Let's get ready and go out! We can go to that more upscale mall we passed earlier, and you can pick whatever you want!" Serafina tried to explain.

Rosalie smiled, "It's not a big deal. Yes! Let's get ready and go shopping!" She tried to bring her enthusiasm back up. Serafina never forgot. She always gave her a bouquet of her Middlemist Reds for every Valentine's Day, but she was busy. The couple had just gotten engaged the week before, and she knew Serafina had been very busy recently with speaking to her people to set everything up quickly. She couldn't get mad.

Serafina didn't drive unless Rosalie asked, or it was a special occasion. Serafina quickly jogged over in her heels and opened the passenger side door for Rosalie. Rosalie knew she was trying to make her happy and took her seat. Once Serafina closed the door for her, she jogged to the driver's seat and asked for the keys, which Rosalie readily handed over with a smile. She was still downcast but knew Serafina was trying to make up for it. But even when Serafina tried to make idle chit-chat, her heart wasn't in it. She tried not to show her unhappiness but couldn't help herself.

When they drove past the mall, Rosalie finally looked up. She looked over at Serafina, who had a smug grin. But she didn't say anything, so she didn't either. Now, there was an expectation that she couldn't shake. Rosalie couldn't help but smile. Did Serafina remember after all?

They soon drove up a private drive and to a large private estate. There were roses everywhere, and soon, they met a group of lawyers and others whom Rosalie recognized as the town's current council. The current mayor walked up to Rosalie and handed a wedding bouquet to her. It consisted of Middlemist Reds.

"Have I ever forgotten a Valentine's Day before?" Serafina asked with a smirk.

"No," Rosalie admitted with a smile.

Several stylists popped out from inside the estate and separated the two women to get ready for their day. Rosalie was in awe at the splendor of the wedding. It hit all of her wishes for her dream wedding. It was decked in white and silver. Aside from her bouquet's Middlemist Reds, all other flowers were red roses.

Rosalie wore a classic white lace mermaid dress, while Serafina wore a white lace sheath style. When Serafina entered first, she could hear the sharp inhalations from the witnesses. She couldn't help but smirk as she went forward to wait for her love. When the music played, Serafina heard the whispers of praise for her love's beauty. She couldn't help but well up with pride as her eyes glistened at the sight.

The ceremony was beautiful. The council, who knew the two, were only slightly surprised after hearing what would happen but never said anything to express it. They only wished them well. On the other hand, the lawyers were speechless when they found out that the wedding reception was left entirely for themselves, the witnesses, more so when they found that the money they saved from their employer's upper limit would be gifted to them in celebration of the wedding since Serafina was in such a good mood.

Texas 2006

After the wedding, the couple flew down to the private airport in Serafina's town by themselves, where two elderly men were at the airport awaiting them. They smiled excitedly at the two.

"I heard my grandbaby got hitched!" the darker-complected man said as he held his arms open for a hug.

"Congratulations, Little Hart!" the lighter man said happily as he waited for his turn.

"Actually," Serafina said as she left Walt's embrace to hug Clarence. She released them and saw them hugging Rosalie in turn as well. She stepped back and took her place beside Rosalie, who smiled lovingly at her, "That's going to be Mrs. Hale from now on." She smiled.

"Until the next wedding anyways," Rosalie mumbled quietly into Serafina's ear before kissing her cheek. She then grabbed Serafina's hand and began walking with her toward the exit.

As the four walked out of the airport, Serafina turned to the two older men, "How are you guys liking town?" she asked.

"We can see the sun here! It's amazing," Walt said excitedly, "We should have faked our deaths years ago! It was just hard to put together since we're old."

"You're old," Clarence muttered.

Walt ignored him, "So thanks again, Little Hale!" he said, raising his brows provocatively at the 'Hale.' The girls couldn't help but chuckle.

"The people here are nice. They treat us a lot better for knowing you. Making them think you're a descendant of their founder was a stroke of genius. I don't know how you came up with it," Clarence brought up, "Or are you actually a descendant?" he asked with suspicion.

"Nope, not a descendant," Serafina winked.

"We bow to your mastery of the con," Clarence said with a slight bow. Walt tilted his hat to her in a sign of respect of his own.

Rosalie grinned at their antics, but once they made it outside, there was a car waiting, "Well, I'm sorry, gentleman, but it's our honeymoon. She's going to be busy for a while." She said with a wink of her own.

Both men had raised brows as they nodded in appreciation and waved goodbye. The couple were then driven to their home, where they stayed for a week straight before they had to leave to hunt.

The photographer they had hired for the wedding was from town. He prioritized the two's wedding and provided them with all the photos and negatives. He had specially blown up a large picture onto a canvas with a custom frame of only the two women in their dresses, as requested by Serafina, who then had it hung on their wall at home. The two would admire the large photo while perusing their other wedding photos. They had been doing it daily since they had received them, usually after their trips to town.

In all the time since their trip to Massachusetts and the wedding, the two had only received two check-in calls from the family. But they were short and straightforward. They hadn't even asked if the girls had anything new happen to them, which hurt Rosalie quite a bit. So, she made it a point not to say anything at all.

But one particular day in March, Rosalie received a call from an upset Alice, who believed the human killed herself. She had seen the two giving Bella the necklace in the past. She hoped it meant the two were finally okay with the human and decided to tell them about her vision to see if they would help her. She wanted them to meet up with her while she checked in on Chief Swan because of the situation, but she was sorely mistaken.

"Huh, I didn't see that coming," Rosalie shrugged with a blasé attitude.

"Maybe now we can join up together again. We should tell the idiot so he can come back," Serafina suggested.

"What? No! He'll be heartbroken!" Alice said in shock, "I thought you guys liked her now. You gave her the necklace back! How can you say it like that? Like you don't care."

"We never said we liked her," Rosalie said with confusion.

"We just weren't going to let Edward take something we gave her. That's all. No big deal." Serafina explained. She then thought for a moment, "Shouldn't we tell him the girl died? Or are we going to pretend like nothing happened?"

Alice was upset. She hoped they would show sympathy. This wasn't how she thought they would react, but she didn't actually see. She probably should have checked beforehand so she wouldn't be so upset now. She told them not to say anything to Edward. They should wait until he came back to explain it to him. She thought it would be better to do with everyone present to help him cope. But she was already almost back to Forks, so she immediately disconnected.

"Rude," Serafina said.

"He hasn't been back in all of these months. I'm thinking he won't be back anyways," Rosalie said to Serafina.

"Maybe he'll come back for the funeral?" Serafina asked.

"That's true. We should tell him. He was right; he had managed to stay away from her all this time. I guess she wasn't his mate after all," Rosalie shrugged. She then dialed Edward up over the phone and told him about the girl's death. If the girl were gone, he'd probably be fine to rejoin them. But he disconnected from her almost immediately as well after she told him.

"Your siblings are rude," Serafina growled.

"Do you hate your in-laws?" Rosalie asked seductively as she dropped the phone and went to Serafina, where she sat in her lap, "Will you please be nice to them? For me?

"Anything for you." Serafina grinned as she kissed her slowly. The two didn't think anything of the situation and continued to enjoy their world of two. Neither knew what troubles they just caused for the rest of the family.

Chapter Text

The two women were lazing about at home when they got a knock on the door. Serafina went to answer and immediately tried to slam the door in the face of the person she had seen. The person on the other end knew and stopped the door with their foot.

"Now that is just uncalled for," Morgana complained as she slammed the door open on Serafina and let herself in, "Where is your better half? I don't want to speak with you."

Rosalie chuckled from upstairs but made her way down quickly to hug the woman, "Hello, my favorite witch!"

"You keep letting her in. That's why she keeps coming back," Serafina whined as she walked past the two, embracing to make her way to the living room.

Morgana rolled her eyes at the girl, "Even though you're mean, I will still help you. You are welcome!" she said as she held Rosalie's arm and followed.

"I never asked for your help!" Serafina argued.

"And yet, I'm still willing to give it. Aren't I a nice woman?" Morgana debated.

"Be nice," Rosalie kissed Serafina on her forehead as she sat near Morgana, "What are you helping us with? You used to always poke and prod my wife all the time, but you've been missing for a while. What's up?"

"Hey, that's right. You haven't been around. No wonder it has been very nice and peaceful lately," Serafina commented in realization.

"Wife?" Morgana heard the keyword in Rosalie's statement and was stunned.

Both women held up their ring fingers and smirked.

"I said yes." Serafina smiled.

"Congratulations! When did this happen?" Morgana wondered.

"Not too long ago," Rosalie said happily, "I have pictures!" She sang happily as she zipped off to get the wedding album.

The three became immersed in the wedding album for a while. Morgana noted the lack of family members and heavy townsfolk presence. The two women explained the minor separation of the family. But they smiled and laughed at some of the silly photos the two women did. This reassured Morgana that the two were okay with their small wedding. Before she could make another comment, a phone rang.

"Hey Em, what's-" Rosalie began.

"What did you do?" Emmett whisper yelled into the phone.

"Nothing, what? Why?" She asked.

"They told me not to tell you, that you'll probably just make it worse. But I think you should know! I mean, Serafina is friends with them! She can talk to them!" Emmett began to ramble.

"You're not making sense, Em," Serafina said from beside Rosalie.

"Edward is going to kill himself!" He finally said.

"He can't," Serafina answered as though he were stupid.

"Well, we know he can't! But the Volturi can! He went to Volterra to ask for his own execution!" Emmett said frantically back.

The two women froze. Stunned. Morgana saw the two at a standstill and cleared her throat.

Rosalie came back to herself, "Shit. It's my fault! I should go and stop him!" she said just as frantically as Emmett.

"You can't go. I'll go," Serafina held her hand to calm her down.

"That sounds like a good idea!" Emmett said from the other end.

"No!" Rosalie said definitively before hanging up on him. She then turned to Serafina, "You can't go! It's too dangerous!"

"Neither can you," Serafina answered with a frown.

"Am I missing something? I thought you were friends with the kings?" Morgana questioned. She then thought momentarily, "Wait, did you refuse them? I never asked before, but you do indeed seem their type." She said thoughtfully.

"I turned them down. I prefer freedom," Serafina answered snarkily before ignoring the witch to speak with her wife. But the witch was confused.

"But, you were able to say 'no' without any problems?" Morgana continued with confusion.

Serafina was getting annoyed with the questions, "Yes. But Morgana, we seem to be dealing with a family issue. Maybe it's best-"

"If you can withstand the abilities of the other vampires, why is it dangerous for you to go?" Morgana ignored Serafina, causing her to heat up the air around herself, bringing Rosalie out of her guilt and bringing concern about her mate's temper and possible assault on the witch.

"Babe, calm down," Rosalie finally mustered. Only half-heartedly, her head was still spinning at the news that her brother was trying to commit suicide. Serafina calmed down but only turned her attention to Rosalie.

"Why is it dangerous for Serafina?" Morgana repeated with annoyance.

Rosalie answered, "They're afraid of her power and will probably try to get rid of her because of how successful this town is. They're probably looking for any excuse."

"But their abilities don't work. She could probably take them all out in seconds if she wanted to. Plus, this town does not break the rules," Morgana debated.

Rosalie was grateful for the distraction and explained the letter with the warning about a witch. But at the mention of the witch, Morgana immediately became alert. The serious look on her face drew both women's attention. She asked who the other witch was, but the two women didn't know. They only knew that she had dealt with a family headed by a woman named Lady D.

As soon as she heard the name Lady D, Morgana gritted her teeth in visible anger, "That bitch," she muttered under her breath. She began to pace, "That bitch thinks too highly of herself. She steps out of bounds too often. Perhaps I've been too lenient with her." She grumbled, but the two women could hear every word. They only glanced at each other and shrugged, not knowing what to do with this information.

"But this is why Sera can't go," Rosalie tried to explain, "She says I can't go because they'll use their abilities to keep me there just for her. But if she goes, they might try to trap her. Different ways to be trapped. But still trapped." Rosalie sighed.

"Serafina can go," Morgana finally said after breaking herself out of her annoyance, "I never gave you two a wedding gift. Here. Take these." She smiled as she brought two sets of sticks and began to tie them into two small ugly crosses. She then clasped her hands together over them and muttered some strange words. When she opened her hands, those sticks were turned into stone—two ugly stone crosses.

Serafina frowned at the sight, "You should practice more. You're not very good at that. They're ugly," She said with obvious disgust as she accepted the now solid rock into her hand.

Rosalie smacked her thigh as she accepted the gift, "thank you!" she said to Morgana as she glared at Serafina and gestured for her to do the same.

"Thank you," Serafina grumbled as she held it.

"You're welcome, and I know," Morgana said as she scrunched her nose, "Rush job. But it's not about how it looks. It's about what it can do for you."

Both women were now interested and looked at her questioningly.

"Keep it on your person, and it will protect you from witchcraft from anyone but myself," Morgana explained with a grin, "Let's see that bitch fuck with you now." She finished triumphantly.

"You don't like that other witch, do you?" Serafina asked with a raised brow, "Why?" she asked suspiciously.

"We are meant to be neutral. Or even good. We are to help humanity as the gods wished more than a millennia ago. But that woman does whatever she pleases. I wouldn't be surprised if she fancied herself a god at this point," she spat.

"You don't act very neutral yourself," Serafina pointed out, earning another smack to her thigh from her wife.

"You are special," Morgana began.

"I know," Serafina said.

Morgana glared at her for her narcissism, "Do you remember the tests I had been bothering you with before?"

"Yes," Rosalie answered.

"Well, I figured out that you two-" Morgana continued to explain but was immediately cut off by a ringing phone.

"So, are you on your way?" Emmett's rushed voice came from the phone.

"Shit! Edward!" Rosalie and Serafina said simultaneously. Serafina then hung up her phone on Emmett.

"Go, we'll talk later. But I'm sure your family needs some moral support and you, Serafina, should go to Volterra. Again, you'll be safe from witches. You guys don't have to worry," Morgana said as she approached the door.

"Thank you!" the two women told her as she left. They then looked at each other, "Be careful." They said at the same time again.

"Stay safe. And please bring them back," Rosalie said before kissing Serafina.

"I'll be fine and do my best," Serafina smiled, kissing her back repeatedly before bringing her phone up. She then turned around and requested her private jet be fueled and ready to go to the airport closest to Volterra in Italy as soon as possible. The two then separated to head to their respective destinations, one giving moral support to their family and the other heading to Volterra to help in person.

Volterra 2006

Once the jet landed in Italy, Serafina rushed to the secret entrance the Volturi showed her to enter Volterra. She walked through the maze-like passage that led to the elevated back alleys and marveled at the ongoing festivities below. She wondered how Alice was doing. Emmett had mentioned on the plane that Alice and Bella had gone on the rescue mission just before herself. She didn't know if she was ahead of or behind them. After all, she did have some advantages, so it was up in the air who would get to him first.

She was pleasantly surprised at finding the elevator in the building now and made herself to the throne room that much more quickly. But was stopped at the door by a secretary. She found it odd but didn't question it.

"Do you have an appointment?" the young woman asked.

"No," Serafina answered.

"Then I'm sorry, but you can't go in," she said apologetically before acting as though Serafina weren't there.

Serafina frowned and then marched toward the desk and to the humans' side before slamming her hand on the desk and setting all of the papers on the desk ablaze. The human was in shock, and her fear caused her heart to beat uncontrollably as she looked at Serafina.

Serafina smiled provocatively, "Can you ask if they can see an old friend? Tell them Miss Hart is here for a visit."

"Of course, one moment," she smiled back as she picked up her phone.

Soon, the large double doors slammed open, "Miss Hart! What are you doing here?" Felix's booming voice echoed through the hall as he grinned in the doorway, beckoning her forward.

"Did that beautiful mate of yours see the light and decide to leave you? Have you come to request death as well?" Demetri teased.

Serafina froze, and her eyes flickered; the others all saw and gave her a questioning look, "So Edward has been here?" she finally asked. Her face went blank as she looked up toward the kings, "Is he?" she couldn't finish her question.

"He was denied," Marcus' voice answered calmly.

Aro and Caius had both forgotten to answer. They felt danger from Serafina for a moment. They couldn't help glancing at each other before looking back toward her.

Serafina let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and continued moving forward. She saw the twins standing near the thrones with excited looks in their eyes that they tried to hide, but the two still gave her a small wave. She chuckled as she gave them one back and stood before the kings.

"You know it's funny you are here," Caius said with a glare, "We were just talking about you after seeing your brother."

"Well, yes, but let's hold off on that for the moment," Aro quickly interjected, giving Caius a pointed look. He then smiled at Serafina, "Miss Hart, it has been such a long time. How about letting me see how you've been?" Aro said, taking a step down with his hand extended.

Serafina didn't step forward, "I can't do that." She replied while crossing her arms across her chest.

"Do you have something to hide?" Caius asked angrily.

"Yes," Serafina answered. She held her ring hand up for the kings to see, "I am a married woman now. I will not allow you to take a peek at my wife. I refuse. If you were to see, I would have to kill you, and that wouldn't be good for anyone."

As soon as she said she would have to kill Aro if he peeked, he immediately withdrew his hand as he looked at her, "That is not what I would be looking at," he hastily explained.

"But you would still see," Serafina reminded.

Aro and Caius didn't say anything momentarily as they considered a rebuttal. They had just been discussing Serafina. Her town still thrived. Her wealth had increased. Now they knew she had dealings with witches. All triggered Caius' rage and his requests for her destruction, but Aro knew it couldn't be done. The witch, after all, was one they could not slight. But he couldn't favorably explain his refusal before Serafina showed up.

"Serafina, you've been dealing with witches?" Marcus asked. Although he didn't typically care about most discussions held in that room, he had perked up when her name was mentioned. He hoped giving her this chance would ruin any shady business the other two might try to plan.

"I didn't look for her. She came to me," Serafina answered defensively.

"And what witch would seek you out?" Caius glared. Aro never got a chance to say, so he didn't know.

"A woman named Morgana," Serafina answered with a shrug, "She doesn't leave me or my town alone either. She's annoying."

Marcus began to laugh dryly. Most of his laughter sounded like wheezes.

"Did she say why she was looking for you?" Aro asked curiously.

"She wasn't looking for me. But she found me. She was going to kill me but didn't. Now she lives in my town. I don't know why," Serafina answered honestly.

"Morgana is ancient and powerful," Marcus began to explain, "She holds to the old laws of the gods. Her neutrality is what she is known for. To keep the supernatural world a secret, she has destroyed nations. Our rule of secrecy isn't actually ours. It is hers. If she hasn't killed you, then you shouldn't have done anything wrong." He said, somewhat gloatingly to the other two kings.

Both men glanced at each other again. But while Aro put his smile back on his face, Caius sat back in his chair and seethed. Before Aro could question her more, the whole room was notified of Edward's plan to cause a spectacle. They began monitoring him as soon as he was denied his request.

"Felix and Demetri, go fetch the Cullen boy," Aro ordered, "I'm sorry, my dear, but if he breaks the rules." He said with a shrug as he took his seat.

Serafina sighed in regret. She knew it was true. There were rules for a reason. To save her own ass, she would probably have to go and track down the human and bring her before the kings to kill in front of them. Marcus motioned for her to join him, and she leaned against his throne to wait for her brother's execution. She hoped to stop him from getting to this point, but she guessed she was too late.

Chapter Text

While waiting, the twins slowly crept over to Serafina. When she noticed, she began to do the same. But where the twins thought wholeheartedly that no one noticed, Serafina knew and found it cute and pretended the same. The kings turned a blind eye, knowing the two children only behaved this way when there were no outsiders and would maintain their professional appearance when needed.

The three began whispering together, the twins questioning her wedding. They were initially unhappy until they discovered that Serafina's coven mates had also missed the ceremony. Only then was Jane able to put away her pout. She told them happily about the details, and the twins asked to be invited to the next one after Serafina alluded to it possibly happening again.

Before she could say anything else, they heard Aro ask Jane to go and see what had taken Felix and Demetri so long. She frowned in unhappiness but went to complete the request. Alec and Serafina continued discussing the wedding until the doors were opened again, and Alec quickly zipped back to his previous position.

When Jane returned, Serafina was surprised to see Edward, Alice, and Bella. Did they manage to stop him after all?

'I'll try to help you live,' she thought.

"Sister, they send you out to get one, and you bring back two," Alec noted, but when he saw the human, his tone carried a hint of amusement, "and a half." He joked as she approached him to stand beside him, "What a clever girl."

Jane rolled her eyes at his joke with her back to the others and stuck her tongue out at him before making a stoic face as she turned to look at the newcomers.

"What a happy surprise!" Aro said happily as he stood from his seat and clapped his hands together as he moved toward the new group, "Bella is alive after all. Isn't that wonderful? I love a happy ending." He said as he calmly took Edward's hand from Bella's grip.

The action made the human girl visibly uncomfortable, but she said nothing, feeling the pressure from the surrounding vampires eyeing her. She instinctively huddled closer to Edward.

"They are so rare." Aro finished muttering. But after holding Edward's hand for a moment, he gasped as he looked up at Edward in surprise, "La tua cantante," he said before looking down at the human girl, "Her blood appeals to you so much. It makes me thirsty," he said turning back to Edward, "How can you stand to be so close to her?"

"It's not without difficulty," Edward answered.

"Yes, I can see that," Aro chuckled.

"Aro can read every thought I've ever had with one touch," Edward explained to Bella, who only watched silently. Her eyes focused on the physical contact between the two.

Serafina thought that was funny. But Aro never saw how awkward it was to hold someone's hand for so long. She supposed to someone who had no idea what he was doing, it was even more awkward. She could sympathize with Bella here.

"And now you know everything," Edward told Aro, "So get on with it."

"You are quite a soul reader yourself, Edward," Aro said with a meaningful smile toward the man. He glanced at the human again, "Though you can't read Bella's thoughts. Fascinating. I would love to see if you are an exception to my gifts, as well." He said as he backed away from Edward. He stood still and looked toward Bella, "Would you do me the honor?" he asked, extending his hand.

Bella hesitantly stepped forward. The fear was evident to all, but she still reached for Aro's hand. As soon as the contact was made, Aro pulled her toward himself to better grasp her hand as he brought his other hand over to cover it. He bowed his head as though attempting to concentrate more intensely on her thoughts.

But Aro's head soon shot up in surprise, "Interesting. Hmm. I see nothing," he said with a hint of annoyance. When he turned back toward the thrones, Serafina could see a flash of anger in his eyes, "I wonder if," he began before spinning around back to the others, "Let us see if she's immune to all our powers. Shall we, Jane?" he finished while turning to look to the young girl with a smile.

The twins had been patiently watching the whole ordeal. They were attentive whenever Aro spoke. Only awaiting orders that might be given, once received, they would carry them out immediately. The twins calmly turned to look at the group. Jane had a particular smile at the corner of her lips she tried to hide.

"No!" Edward suddenly growled while charging toward the girl.

Serafina quickly moved from beside Marcus' throne and sped toward the girl in case she had to beat her brother. She couldn't kill him after all. But soon, she heard "Pain" from Jane, and Edward stood still as he dealt with her attack.

The kings found satisfaction in her attempt to aid Jane but did not comment as they gave each other knowing looks.

Serafina relaxed as she casually slung her arm around the girl's shoulder. She watched as her brother looked to be having a seizure in place due to the pain, "You're getting better at this." She commented appreciatively in a whisper to the girl who could no longer hide her smile.

"Stop! Stop! Please stop!" Bella begged just as Edward couldn't hold off the pain anymore and fell to the ground.

Alec sped to the human girl to keep her still. But Alice made her way to check on Edward on the ground.

"Stop! Just stop hurting him! Please! Please!" Bella continued while being loosely restrained by the young boy.

Seeing how frantic the girl was becoming, Aro turned to Serafina and Jane, "Jane." He said.

"Master?" she replied. Unsure if she would be getting more orders or not.

Edward sighed in relief as he was released from his torment.

"Go ahead, my dear," Aro answered, directing Jane back to the human.

"This may hurt just a little," Jane said with an evil grin.

Serafina held her hand up in the air from beside Jane. She rocked her hand back and forth in place and gave Bella a slight grimace to convey it was about fifty-fifty that it would hurt.

Bella tried to close her eyes and even angle her body in preparation for this invisible attack. Still, nothing happened. Serafina watched in confusion and half suspected that Jane wasn't doing as she should. She looked down at the girl but noticed her smile was gone. Aro then erupted into laughter and clapped his hands, snapping Jane out of her focus.

"Remarkable," Aro said with awe, "She confounds us all. So what do we do with you now?"

"You already know what you're going to do, Aro," Marcus said with boredom from his throne.

"She knows too much. She's a liability," Caius added.

"Hmm," Aro sighed with calculations in his eyes, "That's true." He said sadly. Then, he gave his order, "Felix?"

Alec quickly spun the human to face her executioner as he calmly zipped back to Serafina and Jane.

"No!" Edward said as he spun the girl back and stood in her place. He then charged Felix and dropped him to the floor, and Serafina couldn't help shaking her head at his stupidity.

But when Alice made a move to help, and Demetri grabbed her by her throat to keep her from action, Serafina could no longer sit still. She approached Demetri with narrowed eyes, and he offered Alice. He told her with his eyes that she needed to keep her calm. She agreed and held Alice's hand tightly. Alice knew not to act out but didn't know what to do. Although her emotions were slightly masked, she was just as panicked as Bella and had no idea how Serafina could be so calm right then.

The whole situation with Alice occurred while Edward was getting his ass kicked by Felix. They could hear several impacts from when he was being thrown repeatedly to the ground.

"He's your brother! Why won't you help him?" Bella shouted while watching.

"He broke the rules," Serafina shrugged, "Plus, it's fun watching him get his ass kicked by someone other than myself. He's usually a cheater, so I can't whoop him as badly as I'd like. But you can't fight more than a millennium of training, right Felix?"

"Right," Felix grinned just as he brought Edward to his knees at the steps to the kings' thrones. He then gripped Edward's head in a motion that everyone present knew that he was only moments from his decapitation.

"Please! No! No! Please, please!" Bella became frenzied in her horror at the sight.

Aro motioned for Felix to wait as he turned to the human to see what she would say.

"Kill me! Kill me! Not him," she bargained.

Serafina rolled her eyes. So they were mates. They were willing to die for each other but stayed away from each other. That made no sense. Why didn't he turn her and be done with it? There would be no problems with the kings if that were to happen.

Aro was stunned. He walked toward the girl, and Felix stood Edward up like a puppet to watch the interaction, "How extraordinary." He said as he approached the defeated girl. "You would give up your life for someone like us." He gestured to himself, "A vampire. A soulless monster." He said while glancing toward Edward. He knew his thoughts about himself, after all. He also thought they were soulless monsters, but he embraced it. He found it amusing that the Cullens tried to tame their beasts with animal blood.

"Just get away from her," Edward growled while being restrained.

"You don't know a thing about his soul," Bella said defiantly.

"Fore, ne il vostro l'uno o altro," Aro muttered before slowly turning to Edward, "This is a sadness." He sighed, "If only it were your intention to give her immortality."

Alice was frozen momentarily in fear at her human friend's death and Edward's possible destruction.

"So what about that bet?" Serafina asked Alice.

Alice couldn't believe Serafina was bringing that up at this moment and looked at her in dismay when she saw Serafina's teasing smile. She then remembered and turned toward Aro, "Wait! Bella will be one of us. I've seen it," she said. Everyone turned their attention to the tiny woman beside Serafina, "I'll change her myself." She continued.

Aro wanted to see how she knew and extended his hand. Serafina smiled reassuringly to Alice as she let go of her hand to let her meet Aro. He excitedly accepted her hand and reviewed her thoughts.

"Mesmerizing. To see what you have seen before it has happened," Aro said while greedily looking over Alice's face. He then turned to Bella, "Your gifts will make for an intriguing immortal," he said as he reached for Bella's face, gently caressing her cheek and leaning in to whisper, "Isabella." He excitedly said, "Go now." He turned to Edward, who was still restrained, "Make your preparations." Felix released Edward and pushed him forward.

Serafina frowned at the whole interaction. She did not like how he looked at Alice right then. And he did not need to touch the girl. She was scared enough as it was. But she couldn't complain because at least they got to leave.

"Let us be done with this," Marcus said monotonously as he stood from his chair, "Heidi will arrive at any moment. Thank you for your visit."

"We will return the favor," Caius smirked from his seat, "I would advise that you follow through on your promise soon. We do not offer second chances."

"Goodbye, my young friends," Aro said from the center of the room.

Serafina quickly approached the twins to give them hugs and then waved goodbye to the others. Scattered voices saying 'Goodbye, Miss Hart' echoed through the room as she rejoined her siblings in the hall.

She quickly made her way to the front to walk with Demetri, and they saw Heidi approach with her group of humans, "Nice fishing, Heidi," Demetri remarked.

"Yes, they do look rather juicy," she answered with a smile, but her smile widened when she saw Serafina, "Miss Hart, would you say the student has surpassed the teacher now?" she asked with evident pride.

"You already had the ability, Heidi. You're lucky I helped you maximize your assets," Serafina answered with a fake smile as she continued walking. She didn't do anything; she just helped her dress better and taught her to do her make-up. But Heidi always tried to compare themselves when there was no comparison.

"Save some for me," Demetri requested quickly while they walked by.

When Serafina saw the children in the group, she couldn't help but frown. This was one reason why she disliked Heidi. She went purely for numbers and didn't care if the young or old were included. Serafina clenched her fists as she continued forward.

They were barely able to walk out of there. She couldn't make a fuss to save the children, or they might incur the Volturi check-in earlier out of spite. But she couldn't help but glare at Edward when she walked by and heard the children's laughter as they skipped to their deaths. The elevator doors hadn't fully closed when they listened to the screams.

Once they made it aboveground, Serafina pulled out her mobile phone and said, "Have my jet fueled and ready to go immediately. This time, we're going to Washington. Find whatever private airport we can to get closest to Forks."

"Are we going with-" Bella began.

"No," Serafina said as she turned angrily to the group.

Edward looked down in shame. He knew putting Serafina on their radar again wasn't good, and rule-breaking worsened it. But he knew she didn't even care about that. He knew she was upset about the children. After all, she couldn't save those children because she was looking out for him and Bella. Alice looked at her apologetically as well. But she was grateful for the reminder that saved them. Before she could say anything, Serafina shook her head and walked away.

Washington 2006

When Serafina returned to their family home in Forks, the others were waiting there. They had already gotten a call from Alice in advance that Edward and Bella were safe, and Serafina was upset.

Rosalie had already heard from Serafina. As soon as she approached, she could see the anger in Serafina's eyes. She pulled her back out the door and led her to their treehouse. It was there that Serafina relayed everything that had happened in Volterra. Rosalie knew why Serafina was upset. Several children went through the orphanage in her town that had come from Volterra. With her relationship with the Volturi, they allowed her to whisk them away. But she wasn't able to this time. Not without stepping on toes.

Rosalie cradled Serafina until her anger abated. The two stayed like that even after she felt better until a family meeting was called the next day. That was when they finally rejoined the rest of the family.

"You all know what I want," Bella started, "And I know how much I'm asking for. The only thing that I can think of for it to be fair is to just vote."

"You don't know what you're talking about," Edward interjected before being silenced by the human.

"Shut up," she whispered to the man.

Serafina was proud of the girl for that and couldn't hide her smirk.

"Alice?" Bella started the voting.

"I already consider you my sister," Alice said as though it were the most obvious thing in the world before making her way to the human to hug her, "Yes," she said, pulling Bella away from Edward.

"Thank you," Bella muttered.

"I vote yes," Jasper immediately said. Still keeping a distance from the girl, he explained why, "It would be nice to not want to kill you all the time."

Alice smiled encouragingly at him while Bella hummed in response.

"I'm sorry," Rosalie said guiltily, "I'm really sorry to both of you for how I've acted, and I'm really grateful that you were brave enough to go and save my brother." Serafina grabbed her hand in comfort. Rosalie gave her a small smile before turning back to Bella, "But this isn't a life I would have chosen for myself." She hesitantly said, "And I wish there'd been someone to vote no for me. So no."

"I vote 'hell yeah!" Emmett suddenly interjected, making his way to the human to pick her up and spin her happily, "And we can pick a fight with these Volturi some other way." He continued.

Serafina narrowed her eyes at the man. The point was to avoid fighting the Volturi.

"I already consider you a part of the family," Esme said with a smile. She was distracting Serafina from her brother. Knowing the potential violence was averted, she glanced at Serafina and quickly looked back at Bella, "Yes." She finished.

Isabella turned expectantly toward Serafina, "I don't care." Serafina said while looking at the human girl. Isabella looked down a bit but supposed it was better than a no. She then looked toward Carlisle, who stepped forward. But his eyes weren't on the girl. They were on Edward.

"Why are you doing this to me?" Edward asked sullenly. He looked toward his father with blame, "You know what this means."

"You've chosen not to live without her, which leaves me no choice." Carlisle answered, "I won't lose my son."

Edward turned his face away from the family but still didn't leave, even though he was upset. He waited for the girl to say goodbye and helped her leave the house to take her home.

Rosalie watched the couple leave and shook her head. When she turned back to Serafina, she saw her glaring at Emmett as he sat on the couch with his back to them. He had already made himself comfortable to play video games. She looked at Serafina in confusion until Serafina pulled her over to Emmett, "You want to pick a fight? Bring it." She said with her chin raised as she looked down at him.

"Really?" he asked excitedly as he turned to look at her.

"Yeah, I'm going to kick your ass!" she reached toward his face with her free hand to poke him in the forehead, but her hand was immediately caught before the contact.

"I don't remember this ring," Esme mumbled, "And you don't wear rings on this hand. You said you would never put one on it unless it were a wedding ring." She said in shock as she looked up. She then looked down at her hand that held Rosalie's, saw a ring on Rosalie's matching finger, and gasped.

Serafina grinned sheepishly, "Surprise?"

"You got married?" Alice screeched from across the room as she sped over to the two.

"To who?" Emmett asked as he immediately turned around on the couch and leaned against the sofa's back to watch the family gather around the two women. The two women then gave him an incredulous look as they held up their held hands to answer his question.

"Why weren't we invited?" Alice spoke up with offense.

"We would've told you, but it was a spur-of-the-moment type of thing. Maybe next time," Rosalie said with a small, forced smile. She turned away from the family. She was still hurt at how they ignored the two for months. But she didn't want to lash out.

There was a bit of awkwardness in the room. The family wondered when it had happened and why it wasn't mentioned to them before. They would have loved to have gone and been included on that special day. But all realized they hadn't checked up on the women as frequently as they probably should have. It was different for them, though; the two women were so independent and strong that they would assume all was well and not do an actual check-in. They regretted those actions now because they could see Rosalie was upset. If she were angry, she would flat-out tell them but wouldn't show them her vulnerability and sweep it away like this. She tried to smooth it out as if it were nothing, but that showed she was a bit hurt.

"Congratulations, you two," Carlisle said with a sincere smile.

"Maybe we can plan for your next one?" Alice offered. She felt guilty for focusing so much on Edward and Bella.

"I would love to help with the next one," Esme said with a small, sad smile, "But I'd also love to hear about how this one went!" she added—grabbing the two women's hands and leading them over to the couch.

"Can't we just look at the pictures?" Emmett confusedly asked, "It's Rosie and Rafi we're talking about here. I'll bet there are hundreds we can look through!"

"Don't call me Rafi," Serafina stated. She then looked at their mother, "There are hundreds, though."

"May we see?" Carlisle asked as he sat beside Esme and looked at the girls expectantly.

Rosalie had forgotten, "I'm sorry, they're at home."

The others nodded sadly, but Serafina soon grinned, "She may have been worried about Edward. On the other hand, I figured it'd be one way or the other anyways and brought this memory card."

"I'll get my laptop!" Alice said as she rushed off.

Chapter Text

Once the family resettled the old home in Forks, they discussed things they had missed, including the wedding. Edward had happily taken credit for the happy event finally taking place but felt guilty after finding out none of his family attended said happy event. He realized it was because everyone was too focused on his absence that they neglected the family that had stayed. He avoided speaking about it but reviewed the photos Alice had copied onto her computer. He made a pact with the rest of the family to plan the next wedding and make it completely over the top for the two women the next time they decided to do so.

Aside from hearing about the family, they had even heard from the human what had happened in Forks while they were away. The girl had spent a lot of time with the werewolves and was nearly killed by Laurent, the nomad they had met, when everything first went to hell. Luckily, those werewolves saved her. Serafina was amazed when she heard. She didn't think those beasts were capable of coordination. After her initial shock, she tuned back into the conversation and discovered that the female nomad was still around, too. That was why Laurent showed up in the first place, from her request, and she was still hunting the human. This lady was particularly annoying. Serafina remembered her headache when they had tried to track her down before.

The family joined the hunt to find the female nomad but could not find her. Edward remained particularly clingy because of this fact, using it as an excuse to continue sneaking into the girl's bedroom for protection. He became more possessive of the girl in general. Serafina found it creepy but still didn't say anything. Even though she really wanted to mock him. Everyone's relationship was different, after all.

Until she found out Edward asked the girl to marry him.

"It's kind of fucked up how easy it is for straight people to get married," Serafina commented in a generalized way.

"Seriously! Like you couldn't even think about marrying Rosie before, but you wanted to for like the last fifty years," Emmett innocently mentioned. He thought momentarily and continued, "But Ed has known his girlfriend for what? Two years? He's been with her for technically only a year, though, and he gets to tie the knot that quickly. Totally unfair."

"I'm sorry it's so easy for me. But I am going to marry her," Edward said, "Sorry if I'm stealing your guys' thunder." He shrugged.

This struck a chord with Rosalie. She frowned. But it didn't take long for her to perk up, "Doesn't sound like you are. There's a big difference between you and Bella and me and Serafina, after all," Rosalie said while looking at her wife and giving her a knowing look.

Serafina understood that look, and when Edward was about to question the difference, she answered before he could even ask, "I said yes." She said while holding up her ring hand.

"Big difference. See, my girlfriend actually wanted to marry me. Crazy, right?" Rosalie added with a smug grin.

Alice grimaced when she heard, "Bella's just not one for labels." She tried to soothe Edward.

"Not everyone wants to get married. They don't need that label to be happy together. I didn't need to marry Alice. We would've been happy together, marriage or not," Jasper noted as he looked toward Alice with a smile, "We only got married because Carlisle said it would be easier to blend in that way. It is true. And I don't regret it. But we didn't need it."

Alice gave him a small smile back, "As long as we're together, we don't need anything else."

"You all make me sick," Emmett groaned, "Too lovey-dovey. It makes me wonder when I'll find my mate. Maybe I should try looking?"

Esme and Carlisle could hear the conversation from the kitchen. The two sat together, reviewing plans for the family's next home. They smiled at each other as they listened to the discussion. They missed the full house.

"Maybe you should!" Esme called out from the kitchen.

"What would you look for in your partner?" Carlisle asked with a smile.

"Beautiful, of course. And tough, I don't want them getting picked on by my sisters. They have to be able to handle them. Oh! And, adventurous, we could travel the world and explore!" Emmett began listing the qualities he wanted. He then thought for a moment, "Same for a guy. Still beautiful, tough, and adventurous. But I'd want to be the top!" he said thoughtfully.

This caused the entire house to freeze. He never showed any indications that he might be attracted to men. Was this a new thing?

"Em, sweetie, I'm not saying it's wrong or anything of the sort. But, have you always been attracted to men?" Esme asked curiously.

"Well, no," Emmett answered, "But you never know. What if my mate is a guy? I have to be prepared for anything."

"Have you ever thought about being with a man?" Edward asked carefully.

"No. But what if I'm like Rosie?" Emmett explained, "She wasn't attracted to women before. Then it turned out that Serafina was her mate. It was totally unexpected!"

"Well, sort of?" Rosalie tried to explain, "I wasn't attracted to anyone until I met Sera. But Sera had been attracted to women before she met me. She just didn't know that it was okay to be that way. You, on the other hand, have been attracted to women this whole time."

"You're right," Emmett said with a nod, "But you never know! I'll love whoever they are all the same! I need to find them first."

"I'm sure whoever they are will be thrilled to have you! And we'll welcome them with open arms!" Carlisle said with a grin.

"Thanks!" Emmett smiled.

The family continued speaking about Emmett's potential mate. They noticed he wasn't exactly running to find them, though. Initially, he was excited and spoke about traveling the world and finding them. But then he remembered they had some problems at home that they would have to deal with first. They discussed the female nomad before Bella spent a movie night with the family.

One thing no one expected was tension between Serafina and the human. It had been ongoing since they returned. It had been weeks. Serafina and Rosalie didn't notice. They didn't care enough to. But the others noticed slight scoffs under the human's breath when Serafina said something. The family looked at each other with concern whenever they heard. Serafina would joke about a character, and the human would scoff. They hoped the female couple wouldn't notice.

Serafina and Rosalie hadn't noticed before, but Rosalie noticed that particular night. She narrowed her eyes at the girl, "What?" she asked.

"Well, I just think it's funny that Serafina likes them for being brave, but she's not," Bella mumbled.

"Since when am I not brave?" Serafina asked with a raised brow. She thought about some horror movies that had frightened her before. But they hadn't seen a scary movie in a long time, so she didn't think the human knew about those fears.

"You didn't do anything when we were in Italy!" Bella spoke up.

"She went! That should tell you that she was willing to help!" Rosalie argued.

"She didn't do anything, and Edward got hurt!" Bella raised her voice.

"What did you think would happen?" Serafina questioned, "I would go in there hands blazing and kill all those vampires?"

"Yes! Something! Anything!" Bella answered, getting a bit worked up but still holding hands with Edward as though his presence gave her the courage to speak her mind.

"God, you don't know anything. Then you open your mouth, and it makes me want to let the redhead win," Rosalie rolled her eyes.

"I bet Pyro could take them!" Emmett said, immediately sitting up to discuss the imaginary fight, "She could just Human Torch herself and have at them! Or! Just release her fire pet, and it's done!" he said excitedly.

"Some of the Volturi are her friends, though. She wouldn't hurt them unless she absolutely had to," Carlisle reminded.

"Rosie is right. The fact that Serafina went was proof enough that she wouldn't have let anything happen to Edward," Esme said softly.

"But he was thrown around and hurt so much!" Bella tried to deny it.

"That's," Jasper hesitated, then cleared his throat, "That was probably just Serafina punishing Ed for everything."

Rosalie and Serafina had evil smirks on their faces while the rest of the family tried to avert their eyes. Bella looked at the two women with confusion, but even Edward had a blank face that turned into a slight frown. He noticed Bella's confusion and tried to explain, "She wouldn't have let them kill me. But Jazz is right. She was punishing me."

"There are rules for a reason," Serafina explained.

Jasper nodded, "If the Volturi didn't keep order as they do, there would be anarchy. The world would be more lawless. Territory wars would be the norm as vampires fought to keep their livestock. If you were wondering what that livestock was, they would be humans like yourself. Humans would be kept to breed and then feed from. Hate the Volturi as much as you want, but they serve a purpose. They keep you humans safe."

Bella seemed to relax after listening to the family's explanation. But she still glared at Serafina a bit. This only made Serafina grin, "Are you thinking of taking revenge on me when you're turned? Do you think that newborn blood will give you an advantage? Or do you think your little ability will protect you?"

Bella blinked as she stuttered that that wasn't true. Which ultimately gave her away. The rest of the family snickered to themselves.

But then Serafina stood up and sat on the coffee table in front of Bella and Edward, but before she could open her mouth, "Butt off the table," Esme interrupted. Serafina rolled her eyes but moved to the empty space on the couch next to Bella, "And don't you roll your eyes at me, young lady."

"I didn't," Serafina mumbled as she made herself comfortable. She then turned to Bella.

Edward glared at Serafina as he began to pull the girl toward himself and away from her, "Don't." He warned.

"I'm just showing her that I'll still win." Serafina shrugged. She then glanced at Bella, "I wouldn't be so cocky." She smiled, "The abilities that were used against you were mental. My ability is not in your head." She said as she held up her finger and lit it as though it were a lighter, "This is very much real. Go ahead and touch." She said encouraging Bella to reach out.

Bella was curious. She wasn't hurt by the abilities before. She began reaching out to touch, but Edward pulled her hand back. He shook his head to tell her no. The other family members were also curious; they heard from Alice that the human was immune to Aro and Jane. That was already an incredible feat. They wondered if she was immune to Serafina. But they didn't say anything as they watched what the human girl would decide.

"You don't have to do that," Esme said with worry.

Bella finally reached out and tried to withstand the heat. But she couldn't. She pulled back after only a few moments with a small cry of pain. Serafina's smile remained, "Yeah, I figured. Now you know, even if you were turned, it won't stop my fire."

"Let me treat that burn," Carlisle sighed as he called Bella to his study.

Serafina then looked at Edward, who was looking at her with a nonplussed look.

"What? I didn't make her do it. She did it herself," She shrugged. She then became serious, "You know I wasn't going to let them kill you, right?"

The others began to watch the interaction.

"I know," he nodded, "I also know you enjoyed it a bit too much when Felix was slamming my head into the floor." He said while looking up at her knowingly.

"Oh, did you hear that?" Serafina grinned.

"I did," Edward said with a grin, "But thank you."

The family continued watching the movie and, when it was over, allowed the television to run for background noise when an alert came up about the deaths in Seattle. The family grew suspicious as Alice slipped into a vision, and Edward looked up with concern. He said nothing but knew he would need to get Bella to Florida soon while they searched for the nomad.

Chapter Text

The family stood in the forest waiting. All listening for any sound to indicate there was someone else around. Serafina was fuming because Esme asked her to help. She agreed but didn't plan to put much effort into it.

"Are you sure this is where you saw her?" Carlisle asked.

Jasper noticed Alice's vacant gaze and approached to check on her. He stood beside her protectively, waiting for her to come out of it.

"She's almost here," Alice answered while reviewing the vision again, "On your left!" she shouted.

Everyone snapped into action, running after the nomad. Emmett pushed himself harder to try to get to her first. He began to take it as a competition. If Edward wasn't there, he had a better chance to win. He pulled ahead and was about to catch the woman when she suddenly flung him into a tree.

Serafina laughed at the impact. She then passed him, "You gotta be smarter than that, Em!" she shouted as she flung a fireball toward the redhead's back. But she suddenly dodged the flame as it soon hit a tree. Serafina frowned. She didn't think releasing Paprika in her anger was worth it. Rika would leave a blazing trail too hard to hide if released. This nomad was tricky, after all. But it was the strangest thing; it was as though she had a sixth sense for danger.

Serafina had stopped in her imagined victory, and Emmett had already run past her, "What was that?" he laughed.

As they ran, the nomad soon jumped over the river.

"Wait!" Carlisle stopped his family as they soon stepped to the edge, "She's in their territory." The family still followed from their side. They were running parallel to the woman.

"She'll get away!" Esme called out.

"No, she won't!" Jasper growled as he managed to pull ahead.

But soon, Serafina saw a pack of giant wolves run out of the woods.

"What the fuck are those?" Serafina asked with confusion.

"The Quileute tribe. Remember? We said they were werewolves. There are the mutts themselves," Rosalie explained.

"Those are the werewolves?" Serafina muttered more to herself.

"You may not have seen so many together at once. I was surprised as well when we stumbled upon them. But their tribe is special," Carlisle explained. No one slowed their pace as they watched the redhead.

'Those aren't fucking werewolves.' Serafina thought to herself. But she didn't care so much and forgot to mention the difference as she watched as the wolves nearly caught the redhead, but just before their jaws could snap shut, the redhead jumped back over to their side.

As they ran, Serafina threw a small barrage of fireballs toward where the redhead should have run, but the redhead sensed it again and began jumping between the trees and vaulting between them further to avoid the flames. But Jasper had seen and mimicked her actions. He dove for her, but she dodged his grab, too. Jasper landed in the dirt, but the family kept running.

She led them back to the river and jumped over. It wouldn't have been a big deal, but Emmett had become so focused on his hunt that he wasn't paying attention. Everyone could tell he wouldn't stop.

"Emmett, no!" Esme yelled just before he made his jump.

Before he could land safely, one of the wolves intercepted him and tossed him into the river. It was snarling and snapping away at him in warning. But it had obviously given up its own hunt to watch the current Cullen threat that nearly invaded its territory.

The family stopped their own hunt to ensure nothing else happened between them. Emmett was still worked up as he glared at the one that knocked him into the water. The family watched as another wolf soon came over to ram the one that hit Emmett and snapped at it, too. The two wolves made eye contact. The first wolf left. Then, the new wolf looked toward Emmett, snarled, and left.

Both sides failed their hunts.

The family returned home in failure. Serafina didn't mind and pulled Rosalie over to the sofa for the two to cuddle. When Edward returned home, he heard everything and immediately returned to Bella's side for protection. The two women rolled their eyes at his useless self.

"I almost had her!" Emmett growled as he slammed his fist into a side table. He crushed it with that force.

"Emmett! What is wrong with you?" Esme yelled as she entered the room.

"I'm sorry! But I almost had her!" he repeated in frustration.

"It was the mutts. I didn't see them interfere like that," Alice shook her head in annoyance, "Why can't I see them?" she began muttering as she put her hands to her forehead and began to pace.

"Don't stress yourself out over it. Some things we just aren't meant to understand," Carlisle said as he gently placed his hand on her shoulder.

"I finally understand what you guys meant about the smell, though," Serafina called out. Due to the constant moisture in the air, the wolves had a constant wet dog smell that was very strong. She wasn't sure if it was more intense because of their size.

Rosalie laughed at the remark, "Told you." She smiled.

"I don't think all of them smell that bad," Emmett said with confusion.

"I think young men just have a bit more of a tolerance for foul odors," Esme said while scrunching her nose. She then seemed to catch herself, "I mean, it's not that they smell that bad. It's just," she hesitated to find words, "It's just not a pleasant smell in general." She finished weakly.

"Maybe it's because they're a natural enemy to us?" Jasper posited, "That could be why it's much worse than other people and animals."

"That seems like a good theory," Carlisle nodded.

Serafina frowned. She didn't think shapeshifters were their natural enemies. She thought werewolves were their natural enemies and was going to ask. But then Rosalie kissed her chin from being held in her arms. She had noticed Serafina's frown and tried to make it go away. It worked. Serafina's frown disappeared as she kissed her wife's forehead.

They continued discussing what had gone wrong and how to revamp their efforts to catch her. Mostly anyways. The two women on the couch mostly kept to themselves.

But what did catch their attention was when Edward slammed the door as he entered the home and began to pace in his room for a while before he found Alice.

Rosalie was the one who heard what they discussed and looked toward Serafina with a grin as she nodded in their sibling's direction. Serafina took the hint and stood to follow her wife to the entertainment.

"Did your girlfriend leave you to go out with her ex?" Serafina asked with a teasing voice.

Edward clenched his jaw and visibly tensed angrily, "They were never together. He can't even be classified as an ex." He glared at his sister.

"But she still ran away with another man?" Rosalie asked with mock confusion.

"Oh yes, I definitely hear those wedding bells now," Serafina continued, "We just don't know who the groom is, do we?"

"Ouch," Emmett said from the other room, "Do you think we'd still be invited to the wedding if she married the wolf instead? I can play nice. I still think they're not all that bad."

"You don't think anyone is that bad," Serafina argued, "You're like Amá and Carlisle. Too positive for your own good." She shook her head and turned to Alice, "Even Alice doesn't like them."

"Do you guys mind?" Edward finally piped up, "I'm trying to discuss something with Alice."

Alice glared at him, "I've told you so many times! I can't see anything about the wolves!"

"You don't need to see the wolves," Edward pleaded, "Just Bella."

Serafina and Rosalie frowned at how pathetic he sounded as he begged his sister to spy on his girlfriend while she was with her friend.

"It's not that I don't trust her," Edward explained after hearing their thoughts, "I don't trust them. They can't control themselves. What if she gets hurt?"

"She'll be fine," Alice sighed.

"But are you sure?" he asked with a raised brow, "Can you please just check?"

Alice sighed as she forced a vision, "There, you saw she'll be at school tomorrow. She's fine!"

Jazz soon sped into the room and politely nudged Edward away as he held out his arm for his wife, and the two soon went out of the window to hunt. Serafina guessed he felt her annoyance from the other room and couldn't take anymore. He usually stepped in before this point but probably felt a lot of insecurity from Edward, too, and hesitated until he couldn't take it anymore. He, of course, prioritized his wife's emotions.

The two women could tell Edward was still nervous about her being gone as he began to head back to his own room with his shoulders slumped.

"They're just friends, stupid," Rosalie said lowly.

"Let's go hunting too!" Serafina said, tugging Rosalie's wrist.

Edward grimaced in disgust, "Keep your thoughts to yourself." He said, glaring at Serafina.

Rosalie gave Serafina a little smirk, "What were you thinking?"

"I can only guess what he heard in your head," Emmett said, unable to hide the disgust from his voice even from the other room, "But I don't want to know for sure. So keep that to yourself!"

Rosalie chuckled, "Fine. Let's go hunting!"

Jasper and Alice weren't too far into the forest. It was as though the two were waiting for Serafina and Rosalie. Serafina looked at them suspiciously and stopped her steps. But soon, Rosalie noticed their presence too and moved forward to see what the two were doing. Jasper looked at a loss while Alice looked at the two excitedly.

"I already texted Emmett!" Alice said excitedly.

"Why?" Rosalie asked in confusion.

Serafina stood beside Jasper and gave him a questioning look. He only shook his head.

"We're gonna play tag?" Emmett soon joined them.

"That is not how I thought I'd spend this evening," Serafina frowned as she looked toward Jasper, "To be honest, I didn't think that would be how you'd spend your evening either."

"He and I can have sex anytime, you and Rosalie too, but we haven't played tag in forever!" Alice giggled excitedly as she pulled Rosalie and Emmett to her side.

Jasper was seldom shocked anymore by what Alice said, but he was still embarrassed. "Darlin', no." He shook his head.

"Right, sorry. But it's true!" Alice laughed.

"Ed's not invited?" Emmett asked curiously.

"I invited him, but I already knew he'd say no. He's being weird about Bella. But we need a break!" Alice explained.

The group nodded in agreement.

"Well, who's it?" Serafina asked angrily.

"I think the last one who showed up," Alice said with a grin before she zipped away.

Everyone froze for a moment before running in different directions as Emmett stood there in confusion.

"That's not fair!" he huffed as he followed the trail of the last person he had seen.

Chapter Text

Serafina was alone in the garage, working on a new piece. She had many petite sapphires and diamonds she was fashioning into a necklace for fun. Half of the necklace was made up of about fifty petite sapphires, while the other half had about fifteen bigger diamonds, and the signature of it was a large diamond dropping down. It was tedious work. This piece was worth several million if she ever wanted to sell it. But she didn't like to sell her treasures. It was more that she found them easier to transport when they were made into jewelry.

She had been working on this piece for a few months and finally finished. She smiled at her handiwork and went to the floor safe to place it inside for safekeeping. Then, she tidied up her area and headed through the garage door for a change of pace. When she did, she saw a yellow Porsche in the driveway. She stared at it in confusion momentarily before Alice threw herself into her arms.

"Guess what Edward bought me!" Alice squealed.

"It's very yellow," Serafina answered.

Alice rolled her eyes as she dropped from Serafina's arms, "Where's your better half? She'd appreciate this!"

Rosalie soon appeared, "Is that a Porsche 911 Turbo?" she asked as she stood beside Serafina and sneakily placed her hand in Serafina's back pocket.

Serafina raised her brow at that, but she wouldn't complain.

"Yes!" Alice answered happily, "I fell in love with it when we were in Italy! It's an amazing ride!" she and Rosalie began discussing the car's specs, but Serafina didn't care.

"Why did he buy it for you?" Serafina suddenly wondered.

Alice, somewhat deflated, said, "Well, he wasn't happy with Bella going to the Rez. So, he asked me to look out for her when he's hunting." She tried to change the subject back to the car quickly.

"Whoa, wait a minute. Did he bribe you with a car to keep her away from her friends? That's not right." Serafina said in realization.

"Well, I kind of agree with him that she's safer here than with the wolves," she shrugged. She saw Serafina's and Rosalie's confusion. "I think I only managed to see her the other day, when I had to make Ed feel better, because she had already decided to leave. But I don't like not being able to see her future. She's fragile, and those mutts block my vision." She huffed.

"It's a little too much," Serafina remarked.

"How can you say that? She has a psychotic nomad who is crazy, sneaky, and hunting her!" Alice explained.

"Yeah, but the mutts don't want her to get hurt either," Rosalie pointed out.

"Agree to disagree?" Alice offered.

"We aren't going to see eye to eye when it comes to this girl's freedom. So sure," Serafina shrugged.

"None of our business anyways how you deal with the girl," Rosalie added.

"Well, about that. We're going to have a sleepover with her. Just a heads up," she said softly. She then turned to them and said, "Yay!" with feigned enthusiasm. She was excited about the sleepover but knew they wouldn't be.

The two women frowned. But Rosalie appeared slightly pensive for a moment. She turned to Serafina, "Baby, I think you should take a walk tonight."

Serafina looked at her in confusion, "Why?"

"I'm going to speak with the girl. Explain why I think she shouldn't continue with our family," Rosalie said while looking Serafina in her eyes.

Realization struck as Serafina knew she would tell the girl her past, "I can stay with you. You don't have to do it alone." She finally said.

"I'll be fine," Rosalie answered with a small smile, "I know how angry you get when you hear. You'll probably desecrate their graves again the next time we're in New York just because I reminded you of them." She kissed Serafina on her cheek.

"I'll look after Rosie, but she's right. Your temper will flare up if you stay," Alice squeaked out.

"What will I burn?" Serafina asked. She wanted to weigh the pros and cons of staying.

"The entire living room," Alice said with a blank face.

Rosalie had a broad smile since her wife loved her so much that she would get angry on her behalf. Those memories never scared her anymore or made her sad. She had a fiery guardian protecting her at all times now. Even now, she could still see Serafina thinking whether she should stay anyway. She grabbed her love's face with her hand, squeezed her cheeks into puckering her lips, and kissed them. "Mom would kill you; go for a walk." She said after.

"Fine," Serafina muttered, her face still held by her wife, "Only if you put your hands back in my pockets."

Alice's head dropped backward as she sighed exaggeratedly, "I'll see you later." Was all they heard before she disappeared.

"Do you like my hands here?" Rosalie laughed as she placed a hand in each of Serafina's back pockets and brought her toward herself.

"I do," Serafina said as she wrapped her arms around her neck and kissed her deeply. When the two finally separated, Serafina looked at her wife lovingly, "If you need me, call me. I'll be wandering in town. There is good reception there."

"Aw, I thought you were gonna start singing to me when you started that way." Rosalie teased.

"You want me to sing to you? I'll sing to you," Serafina smiled. She was rocking the two back and forth before she began singing her own rendition of Ain't No Mountain High Enough.

"So cheesy," Rosalie laughed but did nothing to stop it.

The two continued dancing slowly in the driveway for a while after she finished singing. Then Serafina kissed her wife goodbye as she began to walk down the road toward town. She made it to her usual walking path to see her usual sights. She needed a distraction so she wouldn't worry about Rosa telling the girl about her past.

Serafina ensured she was away from the residential area in town once it got later in the evening. She didn't want the townspeople questioning why she was walking around so late at night. She felt better once it hit midnight. She was confident Rosalie would've told the girl before midnight since humans needed to sleep, after all. The fact she never got a call meant she was all right, so she wandered into the forest before zipping off to make it home.

She returned to the house and could hear Rosalie, Esme, and Alice watching a movie on a low volume in the living room. When they heard the door open, they quietly said a welcome home. As soon as she entered the living room, Esme patted Rosalie so she would sit up, and then Esme relinquished her cuddling posture to allow Serafina to take her place. Serafina happily took the spot on the sofa, and Rosalie reclined back into her embrace. Esme then went to join Alice on the other couch, and the two began to cuddle instead. They watched a few movies together until it was time to wake the human up for school. Esme made her breakfast, and she and Alice left to be human.

Serafina and Rosalie had stayed in their position all night. They sometimes did this. As vampires, in general, their ability to sit motionless was instilled in them upon creation. One would think the two were stunning statues entwined on the sofa together. The television wasn't even on anymore. They lay in silence.

Hours later, Alice was home fuming because the human had returned to the Rez to be with her friends. She managed to dodge Alice's vision to do so, which really bothered her. The two women ignored it all. It felt like it would be a few days of this impassivity. They were content with it. It wouldn't be disturbed by Bella's drama. When Alice realized she huffed but didn't push it, she only turned around to leave and complained to their mother about how inconsiderate Bella was.

It might've been the next day when they realized the others were back. The two suddenly jolted awake, in a sense. When in that motionless state, they would ignore everything around them. But the two woke up after hearing the commotion.

"Who was it?" Carlisle asked, "Someone we know?"

"This stranger, I didn't recognize his scent," Edward answered.

"A nomad passing through?" Esme wondered.

Rosalie, the clever woman she was, quickly caught up, "A passerby wouldn't have left Bella's father alive." She analyzed.

Serafina was still catching up and frowned at the thought of someone sneaking into the Chief's home.

Jasper and Emmett soon returned home, "The scent disappeared about five miles south of Bella's house." Jasper informed them.

"Someone's orchestrating this," Carlisle said in realization.

"Victoria?" Bella asked with confusion.

Alice shook her head, "I would have seen her decide."

"Has to be the Volturi," Edward said, glancing at Serafina. Serafina narrowed her eyes at him in response.

"I don't think it's the Volturi either," Alice interrupted, "I've been watching Aro's decisions too."

Serafina pointed at Alice and gave Edward a smug grin before sitting back comfortably in her seat.

"So we keep looking," Emmett shrugged.

"We'll also take shifts guarding Bella at her house," Carlisle instructed.

"Another protection detail?" Rosalie asked in disbelief.

"Rosalie," Carlisle chided.

"No, she's right," Bella sighed, "You can't protect me, watch my dad and search for the intruder."

"And for Victoria," Rosalie reminded.

"And keep yourselves fed," Bella added.

"I'm not leaving you here defenseless," Edward interjected.

"Well, I'm not gonna let you starve," Bella shook her head, "And I wouldn't be unprotected. I have-" she hesitated to answer.

"What?" Edward asked suspiciously.

Serafina couldn't help her laughter. It wasn't even a few chuckles. She burst out laughing, "You forgot her piece of tail on the side." She managed to breathe out in between her laughter.

"Serafina! Enough," Esme chided now.

"I've got her," Rosalie said as she stood; she needed to remove herself from the situation anyway. She was barely holding in her own laughter. She pulled up her wife, and the two went to their treehouse.

When the two lay facing each other in the bed, they chuckled briefly, "You have to admit, it was pretty funny."

"It was hilarious," Rosalie admitted with another chuckle. But her chuckles stopped as she shook her head, "The girl says she chose Edward, but she still keeps that boy waiting in the wings. She hasn't fully chosen Edward as long as that boy still has hope."

"That is why I still won't help," Serafina explained, "Carlisle keeps saying she's our family, but I refuse to accept that until she's like us. Edward refuses to turn her and the girl keeps going back to the Rez for her friend. Still seems iffy to me."

"Edward mentioned that Aro wants him, Alice, and yourself as permanent guards. Ed's theory is that they're secretly behind everything. They're hoping Emmett, Esme, Carlisle, and Jasper will be killed. Then they want to brainwash me and have the four of us move to Volterra," Rosalie mentioned.

"That," Serafina thought for a moment, "makes sense." She finally said, "They wouldn't do it though." She explained.

"Why not?" Rosalie asked.

"Because I could figure it out. They would behave more as opportunists and allow whoever was behind it all to succeed before coming in hopes that the four of us were left," Serafina answered with a shrug.

"Oh, is that why?" Rosalie asked, stunned that they actually would do something like that.

"Yes, but you don't have to worry. I still won't help. But I won't let anyone die either," Serafina smiled at her wife, "I won't let anything happen to my in-laws."

"Edward will be so mad if you say you won't help," Rosalie grinned, "That'll be fun. I won't let him know the truth just to fuck with him, but thank you." She smiled as she gave her wife a quick peck.

"Anything for you, mi amor," Serafina smiled, before deepening the kiss.

Chapter Text

The family sat in the audience as Jessica Stanley gave her speech during the graduation ceremony. Serafina wasn't paying attention. She was thinking about how Rosalie looked fantastic in her new dress. As usual, Rosalie had chosen a couple's outfit for the two, and the two had gotten many compliments, but Serafina couldn't take her eyes off her wife. She tried not to be obvious and only eyed her from her periphery as she stared straight ahead. But Rosalie knew it and would casually adjust herself ever so slightly to give her wife a better peek. Serafina was quickly taken from her thoughts as applause thundered through the gym. She calmly mimicked everyone's actions and clapped along. Only then did she remove her eyes from the blond.

Once the ceremony was over, Serafina was in a complicated mood. She was unhappy because there would be a party at their house, which would mean a bunch of annoying human teenagers invading her territory. But there was a plus side. Rosalie had set up a change of outfits for them. It was not a couple's outfit, but they would look amazing. And the outfit change would make it so they could dance much more comfortably. It was very snug on Rosalie, too, allowing her to enjoy her curves. She decided it was a good thing.

The couple danced in the center of the living room while the high school graduates kept their distance. A few young men managed to work up the courage to approach. The double glare the young men received not only scared them away but also reminded the others to keep an even further distance from them. The two women considered it a victory.

It didn't take long for more drama to happen. They smelled the wolves before anything. Serafina couldn't help her glare. She had heard that the young pup had kissed the girl without her permission, which was how the human had broken her hand before. The girl didn't want him to and punched him to show her disapproval. After hearing about it, Rosalie wasn't a fan of the boy, but she wouldn't let their presence ruin the couple's time. She moved her face before Serafina's glare toward the wolves and turned the couple. Now Serafina could only see the opposite wall and Rosalie. Her glare instantly melted away as her smile returned and followed Rosalie's lead.

But apparently, that wasn't the only mood-killer of the night. Alice soon had a vision, and the entire family soon learned that their trip to Seattle to eliminate the problem had changed. The trouble was going to find them. They weren't targeting the family, though. They were targeting the girl. They were passing around her scent between them was what the couple heard before Serafina shrugged it off. Rosalie had frowned when she heard. But it was Serafina's turn to take the lead to get Rosalie's mind off the trouble. She wanted them to enjoy their night at least. They could think about the problem later.

The following day, the family met up in the forest to meet the wolves for training. They had offered to assist against the invading army. Serafina took her foldable chair and calmly sat down, pulling Rosalie into her lap as they waited. Emmett bounced excitedly behind them while shadowboxing; it was his go-to move because he thought it looked cool. Alice and Jasper held each other, and Carlisle stood beside Esme with his hands clasped behind his back. They were waiting for the reason they were there in the first place. Edward, Bella, and the wolves were still missing.

The wolves emerged from the woods once the human and Edward arrived. Serafina didn't know why they were waiting. They knew the mutts were there the whole time. They weren't as stealthy as they thought. She suspected they only got the drop on some vampires because they didn't know they existed. She wasn't impressed. She became upset when the wolves growled and snarled as they approached and kept their distance. There had to have only been one or two that didn't growl at them. She thought perhaps the only reason one of the two didn't growl was because it was smaller and knew better due to its size, and she hoped the other was just more polite.

"That's still so cool," Emmett whispered with a grin as he looked over the group.

Edward soon turned to his family after hearing the growls, "They don't trust us enough to be in their human forms," he explained.

"They came. That's what matters," Carlisle responded as he turned his attention to the wolves, "Will you translate?" he asked Edward.

Serafina heard the girl whisper a hello to the 'friend'. She guessed that meant the girl had already forgiven him. Alice made her way over to the human's side after hearing. She still didn't trust the wolves, and the boy's prior actions didn't help her change her mind.

"Welcome," Carlisle started as he gestured toward Jasper, "Jasper has experience with newborns," he explained, "He'll teach us how to defeat them." He finished.

Jasper stood close to Carlisle and gave a tiny nod in agreement with his back straight and his hands behind his back. The militaristic aggression he usually tried to hide was very much on display now. He was giving a sense of authority.

"They want to know how the newborns differ from us," Edward said.

"They're a great deal stronger than us because their own human blood lingers in their tissues," Carlisle answered. He looked over the entire pack and continued, "Our kind is never more physically powerful than in our first several months of this life." He finished before directing everyone's attention to Jasper.

Jasper nodded as he took Carlisle's place, "Carlisle's right, that's why they are created. A newborn army doesn't need thousands like a human army, but no human army could stand against them." He then began to speak to everyone as he began his training, "Now the two most important things to remember are first, never let them get their arms around you. They'll crush you instantly. And second, never go for the obvious kill. They'll be expecting that, and you will lose."

Serafina pointed very obnoxiously toward Emmett's face. Rosalie grinned before she bit her lip to hold back her laughter.

"I would not!" he glared as he tried to smack her hand out of his face. But she pulled it back before the contact was made.

Their interaction immediately drew the wolves' attention. Soon, Edward frowned as he heard, "Yes, she could end it all by herself without any danger to anybody. But she won't because she's selfish."

Rosalie glared now at Edward as she stood to face him, "Fuck you! This is your fault! You know we've been waiting this whole time for you to apologize for what happened years ago. At least I was," she said after thinking about it, "Serafina just wanted you to get on your knees and beg in front of Bella so she could see you're not as perfect as she seems to think you are. But you can't even do that!"

"Rosa," Serafina whispered as she tried to tug her back. She was grateful but didn't like it when Rosalie fought with her family, "It's alright."

"No, it's not. You know what, Ed?" Rosalie continued, "When you and Carlisle made Serafina second guess herself all those years ago. You guys were wrong." She said with a cocky grin.

"You mean all those years ago when her Spidey Sense was tingling?" Emmett asked curiously.

"What does that mean?" Serafina asked with a frown.

"You sensed danger that no one else did. That's your Spidey Sense," Emmett explained.

Several of the wolves nodded in agreement. Serafina noticed and frowned, "You guys are all fucking nerds."

"Okay, Catwoman, don't act like you don't know what these terms mean," Emmett snorted.

Serafina froze for only a moment, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sweetheart, it's okay if you like Catwoman. I agree; you have a lot of similarities," Esme soothed. She knew Serafina liked the character.

Their mother's defense caused her siblings to begin snickering, and Serafina gave them glares. They laughed harder. Even Edward grinned at her humiliation. The wolves only appeared confused.

Rosalie interrupted once she heard the snickers as she looked Edward in the eye to continue, "Sera didn't want to rub it in, but I will. That nomad she killed was wanted by the Volturi for targeting covens. He was murdering their members by using one to do his dirty work, knowing that the others couldn't hurt their friend. So, she has always been right when it comes to danger. She could have helped in this matter, but I don't want her to. Because fuck you!" she finished with a glare to Edward. She then turned to Jasper, "Keep going with your training, Jazz. I'm all ears." She said as she turned around, grabbed Serafina's hand, and sat Serafina back in her chair before taking her seat in her lap.

The news startled the entire coven but none as much as Edward and Carlisle. Edward had a hesitant look on his face before he took a step toward the couple. He debated whether he should beg or not at this point, but the couple saw right through him.

"It's too late now," Serafina answered, "Did you not hear my wife? She doesn't want me to participate. You're shit out of luck now."

The wolves looked at each other in even more confusion. They believed this coven was a bit dysfunctional but didn't know if they thought it was more exaggerated because they disliked them. At least, that was what one of the wolves thought. They thought the pack was looking too much into things. It seemed to be a typical family to them.

"Emmett," Jasper soon called. He was trying to remind everyone of what they were there for. The two soon squared off as they grinned at each other, "Don't hold back." Jasper teased.

"Not in my nature," Emmett smiled before charging Jasper using his full strength. Jasper expected it and caught him, only sending him back a few feet, but Emmett soon lifted and tossed him into the air. Jasper even managed a few unwanted spins while in midair but righted himself just as he made contact with the ground and rushed back toward Emmett. When Emmett went to punch him, Jasper dodged and got behind him to pull him down into the dirt.

"Never lose focus," he smirked.

Edward and Carlisle sparred next. Carlisle signaled the start with a nod, and the two sped toward each other and put in considerable effort. Carlisle had to put in more effort since he was just an average vampire. Serafina thought it might have been worse for him, considering he was a pacifist; she was mildly impressed with what he could do in the fight. But it didn't matter because Edward cheated and managed to slam him to the ground with a grin beginning to form.

"One more thing," Jasper said as he watched from beside them. This drew Edward's attention as he waited for the instructions, "Never turn your back on your enemy." Jasper finished just as Carlisle reversed the situation and slammed Edward to the floor. Jasper only rolled his eyes as he walked away.

When Rosalie was called to fight next with Jasper, Serafina immediately tensed. Rosalie felt it and smiled, but she didn't say anything. She only confidently went to face off with her 'twin'. When fighting, Rosalie managed to hold her own against Jasper using the moves that Serafina had taught her but still lost to Jasper in the end. She didn't mind; it was a learning experience, after all. She was pretty happy with her match; it lasted longer than Emmett's.

Once it was over, Jasper apologized to Rosalie and turned to Serafina to apologize, too. He knew Serafina was upset because anytime he landed a hit, he would hear a low growl come from her direction. It was pretty distracting, and he was worried she might retaliate by burning something of his at home later.

When Jasper and Alice fought, they both took it seriously. But Alice was a cheater, too. She would always counter until she managed to get the upper hand. Serafina frowned the entire time. She was upset that their entire match was just the two flirting. If she could throw up, she would. That was how disgustingly cute the two could be sometimes. She was beginning to regret coming out to watch the training. She remembered Carlisle taking down Edward over and over. It was now going to be one of her favorite memories. This helped her endure the rest of the training session.

Edward could hear his sister's thoughts, and he was immediately annoyed. That was embarrassing, and he was pretty upset with Carlisle for the cheap shot. His day got worse when he looked over and saw his girlfriend petting her 'friend' on the head. He went over with a bit of an attitude but tried to soften his voice as he looked at her, "Done for the day," he said as he approached her. The wolf pup was already leaving upon his approach. But Edward was soon called away, and the girl was left alone.

Serafina watched the whole thing from a distance with Rosalie. The two enjoyed watching Edward's suffering to a point. But even they felt a little bad with how the girl toyed with the two men. The human didn't even realize she was doing it. Serafina didn't know if that was the situation's worst or best part. She enjoyed it either way.

After a while, Rosalie was pulled away, and Serafina was left to watch the human—Esme's request from where the family was discussing things. The family mainly tried to talk Rosalie into allowing Serafina to fight. That wasn't working. But while Serafina watched the human from a distance, she heard the conversation she had with Jasper. The girl questioned how he knew so much about the newborns. Serafina remembered his past with Maria. She thought about how she allowed him to believe her lies and felt guilty.

At least Maria wouldn't bother him again. She felt much better and couldn't even help smiling at that memory. Maria tried to recruit Jasper again several years after they found the Cullens. He told her no. Then, when she wanted to tell him they could be together like before, Alice had to be held back by Jasper as she was ready to pounce on the woman. Alice threatened that if she ever tried to contact her husband again, she would have her big sister take care of her and pulled Serafina into her line of defense to block Jasper. Serafina did so willingly and allowed her eyes to glow for good measure. They hadn't heard from the woman since.

Alice quickly ran over to Jasper after he explained his past to the human. She had likely been paying extra attention to him from where she was and probably saw him getting lost in his negative memories. She locked eyes with Serafina and gave her a quick nod after looking toward the human, letting Serafina know that she would be alright to leave now and that she'd take over the babysitting detail. Serafina nodded back and made her way to find her wife. Even though she refused to be on the battlefield, that didn't mean she wouldn't do anything. She and her wife had to figure out their battle strategy.

Chapter Text

Serafina sat in while Alice talked Charlie into letting Bella stay the night at their home before the battle. Of course, she left out the part about the battle. Serafina guessed that was a given. Alice told him the family would be camping, leaving the house to just the two young women. After hearing this, he gave Serafina the side eye.

"It's not that I don't like your daughter; it's just that I prefer to not be around her," she explained while lying on his sofa.

Charlie didn't even flinch after hearing, "Have you always disliked her?"

"Again, it's not that I dislike her. I just don't want to be around her when I don't have to be," Serafina reminded him, "But yes, I have always wanted to be away from her."

Charlie sighed, "Why?"

"You hate my brother, don't you?" Serafina questioned.

Now Charlie also decided to play coy, "I wouldn't say I hate him. But I would prefer he stayed away from my daughter."

"So would I," Serafina agreed quickly, "This is why I prefer to not be around your daughter. I think something might be wrong with her for wanting to date him. Who would want him? I'm with you. I hate him, too. Oh, I mean, I don't want him near Chavela either," She winked exaggeratedly.

Charlie's mouth rose in a slight smile that he tried to hide, "I find it hard to believe that you'd rather go camping, is all I'm saying."

"The missus loves all that outdoorsy stuff and sports," Serafina groaned.

"Oh, so that little rumor around town is true? I've heard a ring was spotted on your ring finger. Rosalie's, too. It seems I may have missed my invitation," Charlie noted with a raised brow.

"You're not the only one," Alice grumbled.

Charlie heard since Alice didn't bother lowering her voice. He turned to Serafina with surprise, "You two eloped?"

"Yes. Sorry, no one was invited. It was a small thing. Very spur of the moment," she explained.

"Well, congratulations! I'm happy for you two!" he said with a grin. He thought momentarily, "I've got two tickets to a Mariners game in Seattle. How about that as a wedding gift?"

Serafina balked, "You don't have to do that. Your congratulations are more than enough! Plus, don't you like baseball? Wouldn't you want to go yourself?"

Alice couldn't help her giggles. Charlie glanced at her and quickly figured it out.

"You're not a fan of outdoorsy things or sports like your wife," he pointed out.

"You hit the nail on the head!" Alice finally laughed, "Give her the tickets! Rosie would love them!"

Charlie smiled as he went to grab the tickets for her. Serafina frowned, but the frown turned to surprise when she saw it was a Mariners vs. Yankees game. She turned the tickets around so Alice could see, "Surprise, surprise, it looks like Rosa is going to love them." She noted with narrowed eyes to her sister. She was sure she knew. This was probably why she had asked Serafina to come down with her. She didn't know the other reason was that Charlie already had a good impression of her, and her presence would work in Alice's favor.

"She a Mariners fan?" Charlie asked.

"Nope, she's a die-hard Yankees fan!" Alice laughed.

"Well, that's disappointing," Charlie muttered, "But I'm glad she'll like it."

"Yes! Thank you!" Serafina said with an actual smile. Yes, she hated going to sports events with the family. She found them boring. But when it was one of Rosa's teams, Rosa became much more excited and enthusiastic, which Serafina loved to see. She then felt a bit of gratitude for the old man. She turned to him and decided to ensure he'd be alright that day, "What are you going to be doing this weekend?"

"Oh, I'm not going to be here. I felt guilty leaving Bella alone, so this works out. I'm going fishing with my buddies on the Rez," he smiled.

Serafina felt better, "Don't fall in. I've seen your daughter trip over her shoelaces. I don't know from whom she inherited that, so I'm just throwing that out there."

The three laughed at that, and Alice continued her attempts to talk him into letting Bella stay the night. She knew it would work but still had to put in the effort. Soon, Bella's truck could be heard approaching the home. Charlie couldn't hear. But the two women present could. Alice wrapped up the conversation, and the three exited the house just as the girl arrived. Serafina said goodbye as she explained she would wander around town for the day before heading home. She was leaving Alice to explain things to the girl.

Once home, Serafina took the tickets to Rosalie, who immediately squealed as she snatched them from her hands with a broad smile. But her smile soon turned to confusion, "You took the initiative to get us tickets to a Yankees game?" Rosalie asked with suspicion, "You hate sports."

"I didn't get them for us," Serafina grinned, "They're a wedding gift from Charlie."

"You're not calling him Chief Swan anymore?" Rosalie asked with surprise.

"Those are good tickets," Serafina pointed out, "he earned being called by his first name. It's weird, though; I'll probably go back to calling him Chief Swan at some point."

Rosalie laughed at that, "They are pretty good. I'll have to thank him the next time I see him. Shame. I prefer to stay away from Bella and her family." Serafina nodded in agreement.

"How're preparations going?" Serafina asked while her wife was still eyeing the tickets.

This snapped Rosalie out of it. After all the drama, she considered making the game an excuse for a week away from the family. But she remembered that the drama hadn't passed yet, "We're going hunting to prepare." She answered.

The rest of the family was on edge, considering the numbers of the enemy. When their cousins refused to help because of the wolves, their nerves only became worse. Only Emmett was excited, while Rosalie was perfectly calm. Rosalie knew Serafina wouldn't be there with them physically, but she knew she wouldn't let anything happen to herself. And although Serafina openly refused to help the family, she knew her wife. She loved the family. Some members more than others. But she loved the family enough as a whole not to allow them to die.

Serafina knew Rosalie wasn't as nervous as the others. She knew that was due to her trust and faith in herself. She wouldn't let her down. She smiled as she kissed her goodbye when their parents called Rosalie to go hunting together. Edward had gone even earlier than the others so he could be home with the human and hadn't returned yet, so Serafina had the house to herself for a while.

She made her way to Carlisle's vault and decided to power herself up. Once she opened it, she grabbed a blood bag and whispered to her fire, "Muy bien, Rika, vamos a prepararte también para la batalla. Tienes que proteger a mi Rosa. Observaré desde la distancia, así que por favor ayúdame si los demás lo necesitan."

Once she finished the bag, she set it ablaze to destroy the evidence and returned to her room just as Edward arrived. He knew she was there since she had already refused to help. He glared at her, "Bella will be here soon."

"Say no more. I'm already leaving," Serafina rolled her eyes.

Edward soon sped before her, "are you really not going to help?" he asked.

"Why should I? You aren't even going to help. This is your mess, and everyone else has to clean it up. Aren't you embarrassed?" Serafina growled as she shoulder-checked him while making her way to the door. She left the house and went into the woods to look for the family to watch them hunt.

He had to be out of his mind. The girl didn't want him to get hurt and requested that he stay on the sidelines with her for their problem. They didn't care about the rest of the family. She wouldn't let him feel better by thinking she would help.

Once the family finished feeding, they went their separate ways to spend time with their mates, except for Emmett. He believed that for him to be fully prepared for the fight. He needed to feed from some carnivores, unlike the rest of the family, who preyed on deer for ease and speed. So, while everyone else had already had their fill, he left alone to find worthy prey.

Serafina and Rosalie reunited and went to their tree house to cuddle. They didn't want to go home. They would stay there until the battle. Serafina held Rosalie's hand up as they lay in bed to expose her bracelet so she could transfer Paprika.

Rosalie had felt that familiar heat on her wrist and smiled. She clasped their hands and looked up at Serafina, "Where are you going to be?"

"A different ridge from Edward. Closer to the battle so I can keep an eye on things," Serafina answered.

The two stayed safely together until they needed to separate for the battle. They said a quick goodbye with a single lingering kiss. Afterward, Rosalie calmly left to meet her family, where they would wait for the army to arrive. Serafina, on the other hand, ran to her ridge.

She didn't want to run but was somewhat nervous for the others. She typically wouldn't be able to direct her flames from the distance she would be watching, but she had a trick up her sleeve. Paprika. She could act as somewhat of a signal booster for herself. She was pretty confident she'd be able to help the others should the need arise. But she had to get to the ridge quickly to ensure everyone's safety from the start with a clear view.

She made it in time to watch a horde of newborns emerge from the woods and charge her family. But their surprise attack, of course, wouldn't work, thanks to Alice. She watched as her family was prepared and managed to destroy several immediately. Once more newborns had entered the fray, the wolves made their appearance. This allowed Serafina to relax.

She regretted not bringing her chair.

The teamwork she saw between the family was impressive but not unexpected. Of course, they would look out for each other. She watched as Jasper was putting in the most work. He practically flew across the clearing like a tornado of death, helping the family and wolves as needed. But the wolves' assistance was seamless, which was very surprising. One cross-species duo stood out to her the most from her ridge. It was Emmett and one of the wolves. Emmett barreled through several vampires while the wolf finished the ones he missed.

She stopped with her general overview and began focusing on what mattered. She stared at Rosalie like a hawk. She watched as she fought several newborns consecutively. Paprika only appeared once when two newborns tried to sneak attack her from behind. But immediately after, Alice moved closer, and the two women stayed behind each other for protection.

Serafina only had to interfere once. When Esme was momentarily separated from Carlisle and nearly had a limb ripped off. A flame immediately erupted from nowhere and destroyed that fool before any damage could be done to her mother. Any other person would've feared seeing a giant flame spring from thin air, but Esme only smiled before returning to the fray.

Due to their vampiric speed and strength, the entire battle didn't last long. The newborns more than likely expected a slaughter, and they were right. But that slaughter wasn't in their favor.

Serafina quickly made her way down to check on her wife. Rosalie kissed her in greeting, "I'm alright. We're all alright. But there are a lot of pieces that need to be picked up." She said after directing Paprika to make a bonfire.

"Emmett? How would you feel about making a hundred bucks?" Serafina asked.

"I kind of wanted to go see the wolves," Emmett noted, gesturing toward the wolves' direction.

"Five hundred?" Serafina offered. She wouldn't help and didn't want Rosalie to do it either.

"Jazz'll take you up on the offer!" Alice shouted before she went still and slipped into a vision.

"I was already planning to sweep the clearing to ensure nothing remained. Might as well get paid for it," Jasper nodded, "Can you afford to pay the two of us? We can get it done a lot quicker this way." He winked, knowing full well the answer to that question.

When Alice's vision was completed, she informed everyone of the Volturi's imminent arrival. She told everyone that the sooner they got the situation under control, the better. Word was spread quickly to the wolves so Edward could be informed from wherever he was with Bella.

Emmett stared longingly toward the wolves but resigned himself to helping his brother after he heard. Serafina then agreed to pay the two for their work, and they began moving in the opposite direction of the pack to destroy any pieces torn from their enemies.

But it seemed they all began celebrating their victory too soon as a newborn suddenly attacked one of the wolves. Luckily for the one attacked, one of its packmates suddenly sprang into action to save them. But suddenly, that hero was crushed. Serafina heard that whine and winced. She felt bad for the injured mutt and quickly set that newborn ablaze.

The injured wolf was Jacob, but they couldn't tend to him now, as the family was expecting guests. The wolves had already shifted and advised where they would be so Carlisle could assist as soon as possible. It seemed there was a bit of trust between the wolves and Cullens now. As Alice announced the Volturi's arrival, the pack hurriedly carried their injured friend to safety.

The four Volturi who arrived lowered their hoods simultaneously, "Impressive. I've never seen a coven escape an assault of this magnitude intact." A young voice she recognized noted.

Serafina noticed the twins with Felix and Demetri. She smiled at them as they did the same before returning to their professional and stoic appearance.

"We were lucky," Carlisle answered.

"I doubt that," Jane retorted.

"It appears we missed an entertaining fight," Alec said.

"Yes. It's not often we're rendered unnecessary," Alice added.

"If you'd arrived a half hour ago, you would have fulfilled your purpose," Edward spat, hardly concealing his annoyance.

"Pity," Jane concluded, causing Serafina to snort. But soon, Jane turned to a young girl that Serafina only then realized was present, "You missed one."

After Jane pointed out the teen girl, Serafina furrowed her brow in confusion. She was young. It could have been that she was only malnourished and appeared younger. She didn't know. But she didn't like seeing that young face. She watched as Jasper took a protective step toward the young girl and rolled her eyes. Seeing the teenage girl as a newborn must have triggered some protective instincts he wished he could have fulfilled in his past.

"We offered her asylum in exchange for her surrender," Carlisle informed her.

"That wasn't yours to offer," Jane smirked. The young girl looked between the two groups nervously. Jane decided to question her, "Why did you come?" The girl stayed silent, and soon her screams were heard, "Who created you?" Jane continued. Only more screams were the girl's response.

"You don't need to do that. She'll tell you anything you want to know," Esme tried to persuade.

"I know," Jane answered.

"I don't know. Riley wouldn't tell us," the girl finally managed once her torture subsided, "He said our thoughts weren't safe."

"Her name was Victoria. Perhaps you knew her," Edward said with that same petulant tone from before.

"Edward, if the Volturi had knowledge of Victoria, they would have stopped her," Carlisle said, trying to ease the tension. He then turned to the Volturi, "Isn't that right, Jane?"

"Of course," Jane smirked. She then turned slightly to address her comrade, "Felix."

The large man nodded before stepping forward in response to the unspoken command.

"She didn't know what she was doing," Esme pleaded on the young girl's behalf. Jane then signaled Felix to wait as she listened to see if what she said was worthwhile. Esme continued, "We'll take responsibility for her."

"Give her a chance," Carlisle added, hoping to save her.

"The Volturi don't give second chances. Keep that in mind," she said with a warning glance at the human in their midst. "Caius will be interested to know that she's still human."

"The date is set," Bella said from Edward's embrace.

Jane's surprise at that remark was brief, but she played it off. She decided to show their power as a whole to appease her annoyance at the human who could withstand her ability. "Take care of that, Felix. I'd like to go home." She said flatly.

He began to step forward again to fulfill his duty. But Jasper suddenly turned to Serafina. The pleading in his eyes was unmistakable. Serafina frowned but knew what he was asking.

"No second chances. But how about we make a deal?" Serafina piped up. She somewhat knew why they didn't want the girl to join. It wouldn't be good to add to their numbers. Plus, the power play was always one of Jane's favorites, "The girl lives, but we ship her to the Denali coven in Alaska. It's safer for a newborn out there, anyway. She can learn to control her thirst there."

"So far, this sounds like you are getting what you want. How will the Volturi benefit?" Alec asked.

"Let's speak in private," Serafina grinned.

The twins exchanged glances but gestured for Serafina to follow as they left the Cullens' sight and hearing range.

"What did you have in mind?" Alec asked with a grin.

"How about I spend a month with you two back in Volterra?" Serafina offered, "We can play whatever games you guys want. I'm even willing to play baseball with everyone."

"But you hate baseball!" Jane noted, but her excitement could be heard in her voice.

Alec shoved his sister slightly with a glare as he shook his head.