By the Light of the Moon I Will Always Love You

Edward walked into his old house, Renesmee on his hip and let her down. He watched his remarkable daughter with a smile as she ran up to Carlisle with a childish grin and pressed her hand to his temple, relaying her grandfather with the many images she had chosen to remember that morning.

He looked around for the rest of his large family. Emmett as always watching football and Rosalie, in the corner on her laptop, no doubt clicking away at various pieces of expensive clothing on eBay.

Edward walked up the stairs, the familiar smell of fresh watercolour paint reaching his nostrils at once. Jasper was painting.

He approached his brothers room where heavy metal music could be heard blasting from the high tech speaker systems. Edward frowned, amused, he could never understand how his quiet, southern foster brother had learned to understand and feel in the rock bands the teenagers of today worshipped.

He knocked softly and entered the messy room where a large, clear plastic canvas was covering the polished wooden floor and classy rugs. Jasper turned around and nodded to Edward who smiled briefly.

He stayed where he was, knowing how Jasper never liked to reveal his art until they were perfected and sat down on the lounge chair. Only a moment later, Jasper’s thoughts rang clear in his head

“You can look.”

Edward walked over to the easel as Jasper stubbed out a cigarette and tossed his paintbrush onto the paint splattered table beside him. He looked at Edward, seeking approval and Edward shook his head in amazement,

“It's…it's beautiful Jasper.”

His modest brother shrugged, “It’s okay,inspiration came easy.”

Edward smiled and raised a finger to the painting, stopping it an inch above the canvas, not daring to touch the still wet paint,

“You’ve completely captured her.”

Jasper smiled, “I hope so…”

Edward didn’t have to tell Jasper it was the best he’d ever painted. The painting said that all by itself. The image of a huddled girl, in the middle of a blue, pristine lake was breathtaking as was the way she was looking up to the viewer of the portrait, her hair cascading down her face, the ends floating in the water around her. Her eyes, as they so often were in reality, were haunted and images of forgotten memories and lost souls seemed to echo in them. Her whole form seemed to cry out desperately for help but at the same time screamed, “Stay back.”

Edward clapped a hand on Jasper’s back, “Well done Jazz.”

Jasper grinned and in his soft, southern tone muttered, “Thanks.”

Edward sighed, “Where is Ariel?”

Jasper shrugged “She went out for a walk a couple of hours ago…”

He appeared nonchalant but Edward watched as Jasper glanced out the window and bit his lip. His worried thoughts flashed through Edwards mind and Edward suddenly understood the connection Jasper had already made with their new sister and the protectiveness he felt.

“Why don’t I go and look for her?” he said quietly.

Jasper searched Edwards face for a moment before nodding, “Okay.”

Edward walked out into the forest leisurely, not feeling any fear for Ariel’s whereabouts knowing that she liked to wander alone but after the recent happenings she would never go too far.

He followed her scent and track marks, as they wound along the trees and he stopped for a moment to admire a silver strand of hair caught on a branch, blowing gently in the wind. It really was the little things in life, Edward decided, that made it all the more beautiful.

He stopped surprised as Ariel’s tracks turned slightly and he mused thoughtfully at the direction she seemed to be taking, She wouldn’t go into La Push would she?

He followed the direction anyway and soon came to the boundary line, he wasn’t suppose to cross. But he had no need to cross it anyway for Ariel was pacing the boundary, her face a tangled mess of confusion and anxiety…she stepped over the line once or twice before shaking her head, muttering to herself and steeping back over.

Edward watched her for a moment, his heart breaking slightly at the sight of the dishevelled girl before speaking softly,

“Ariel?”

Ariel jumped and hissed, relaxing as she saw Edward. She looked away from him and back to her bare feet that were now on the boundary directly between the two places she called home.

One of course was her home…where her family lived and loved her.

But the other,the other was where her heart remained…no matter how torn and bruised it was, Ariel knew her heart lay in the woody regions of La Push.

“Hello Edward,” she whispered, rocking back and forth slightly.

“What are you doing Ariel…will you come home with me?” Edward stepped closer to Ariel.

Ariel frowned “I don’t know Edward, I want to…but I’m being called from inside,” she pressed her hand against her heart, “to here” ,and stepped slowly over the boundary.

She sat down suddenly, and pressed her hands into the muddy ground around her, leaving two handprints indented into the ground…she sighed and looked up at Edward,

“I don’t know what to do.”

Edward crouched down,
“He’ll realise sooner or later that he made a mistake…and he’ll come back to you.”

Ariel shook her head,“No,he won’t…I disgust him…I’m nothing but a leech to him…” she bared her pointed fangs at Edward who smiled,

“No you’re not…you’re Ariel,the girl he imprinted on and nothing can stop an imprint Ariel…not even a barrier of species…he’ll come back.”

He pressed a hand gently onto Ariel’s shoulder and she turned, getting up from the ground gracefully and smiled at Edward, slipping her small hand into his.

“Maybe so”, she whispered “But for now…now its time I move on.”

And she allowed her brother to lead her away from the beginnings of La Push and from Jacob.

~

Several hours later, an hour before midnight, a lone wolf sniffed at the borders of his territory. His sad black eyes looked up to across the line he could not cross and he whimpered, the smell of his mate, his imprint, strong on the air, the feel of her unshed tears lingered on his face, the whisper of her words ran through his ear.

He lay a large paw in the middle of her handprint, allowing his print to blend into hers…as their hearts had blended into each other.

Jacob Black ignored the members of his pack and howled to the moon, for the love he had so foolishly lost.