By the Light of the Moon I Will Always Love You

Jasper hunted in the unknown territory whilst Alice helped an exhausted Ariel bathe and wash her hair in the cool morning water.

They ran back together reaching Forks by that evening, apprehensive and ready for any trouble from Edward or Rosalie.

They stopped by the river that ran beside the large Cullen household and Alice and Jasper could hear their family talking quietly inside, Emmett happily colouring with Reneesme. Ariel stayed still at Jaspers side, subconsciously leaning into her brother, afraid of yet another rejection.

Maybe if she still wasn’t welcome there would be no point in trying to survive in this cruel world where there was no William, Jacob hated her and the family she had grown to love despised her….maybe she would have to go to the Volturi and hand herself in to execution.

Jasper feeling her fear sent a wave of calm and looked down where she as a vampire had once stood. There was now a white wolf, her silver fur glistening in the evening light. She gazed at Jasper with her haunting eyes for a moment and then turned away to sit under the tall tree by the bank.

Jasper understood immediately, no words were needed between them anymore. She couldn’t go in, not yet with the hostility that would still be shown by Edward and Rosalie.

Taking Alice’s hand, they walked in together, the front door closing gently behind them yet still alerting the entire family to their arrival. The white wolf sitting outside was shielded from sight as it closed.

Esme looked out from the kitchen as they walked towards her and smiled widely, greeting her children.

“Where were you?” she asked, curious as Carlisle joined her from the study, “We were worried”

Jasper sat at the table, Alice resting by the kitchen countertop beside him, looking at Carlisle before he spoke, watching the reaction of his father,

“We went to find Ariel.”

The talking in the house stopped as every vampire heard them and looked up, towards the sound of Jaspers southern tone. Edward walked in with Bella, Rosalie not far behind, pushing her way between them angrily. Emmett made a face at Reneesme, sick of the fighting. He was quite happy to have another sister, shape shifter or not and Reneesme just wanted to have yet another friend.

Carlisle ignored them all, too interested in what Jasper was saying about his newest daughters whereabouts. He had been sick with worry, often thinking about her out alone and unprotected where anyone could find the vulnerable angel.

“Did you find her?”

Alice nodded “Yes….she’s outside,” she paused briefly to stare at Edward and Rosalie pointedly before continuing, “She was a mess when we found her…she needs us, we’re her family yet she won’t allow herself to come inside without welcome. She is afraid to disrupt our family.”

Rosalie snorted in an arrogant amusement, “She’ll be outside for a long time if she expects a welcome from me….I’m not having a dog live here full time with me. It’s disgusting.”

She stiffened as Jasper growled menacingly,

“I won’t let you treat her like that Rosalie! Whether you like it or not, she’s our sister and we will welcome her, we will protect her and we will love her! She’s staying with us…get out of your goddamn perfect little bubble and get over it.”

Rosalie blinked for a moment, shocked at Jaspers outburst…he’d never spoken to her like that before. She raised her lip back in a snarl as anger overtook fear but stopped as Carlisle held up in his hand, raising a respected silence from them all.

“Ariel will be welcomed into the Cullen family. She is one of us and both I and your mother already love her just as much as we love any of you…she is our daughter, like Bella and Rosalie. Rosalie and Edward…she is a vampire with a unique gift, just like Alice’s and just like your mind reading Edward…it does not make her a werewolf.”

Edward cast his head, ashamed of himself for Carlisle’s disappointment in him. He looked back at Renesmee, sitting in Emmett’s lap, looking at them in wonder. She had been pining for ‘her Jake’, he hadn’t been to see her in weeks…because of Ariel.

Carlisle didn’t need to be a mind reader to know what Edward was thinking “Imprints aren’t made Edward…they just happen….Ariel can’t help who she is meant to be with nor can Jacob.”

Edward battled with himself for a moment before nodding stiffly, finally coming to terms with Ariel and her imprint with Jacob.

Carlisle looked around at his family again, “Ariel is your sister…I expect you all to treat her like one.”

He strode out the door towards the wolf waiting outside followed by Jasper and after a moments hesitation, Edward.

Ariel eyed them as they approached her, her ears flattering against her furry head, expecting the worse.

Carlisle smiled kindly, “Welcome back Ariel…we missed you.”

Ariel looked from Carlisle to Edward who blinked slowly and then said with a grin,

“Welcome home sister.”

Ariel shifted, a smile lighting up her face for the first time since Jacob

She was home.