By the Light of the Moon I Will Always Love You

Jasper couldn’t believe what Edward had just said,

“Ariel...You mean our Ariel?”

Edward pushed a hand through his hair in frustration, “Yes! I didn’t think it was possible.”

Jasper sunk into a chair, wincing at the barrelful of anger that was radiating from Edward towards both Jake and Ariel. He quickly sent a wave of calm throughout the room and Edward visibly relaxed. He sat beside Jasper.

“I don’t understand,” Jasper spoke softly, “She’s a…vampire. His enemy, a vampire…a leech!”

Edward nodded, ignoring Jaspers harsh choice of words, “I know…but there’s more confusion. In his head, she kept changing forms from wolf to human…a pure white wolf.”

Jasper looked up at his brother startled, “A wolf!”

Edward shrugged, “It doesn’t make sense. None of it makes sense.”

“No," Jasper agreed “Not at all.”

~

Jacob bid goodbye to Renesmee, ignoring the furious looks he had been receiving from her father all afternoon. He sighed. What the hell had he done now?

He ran through the forest, stripping and shifting quickly, knowing Emily would have a dinner ready for him and eager to reach the Uley house in time. Edward closed the door forcefully behind him and grumbled to himself, still seething over the days shocking news.

He opened it minutes later as he spotted Bella running towards the house in a frenzy and Alice jumping from the car after her, leaving Rosalie to bring in the shopping bags.

“What happened?” Bella almost shouted.

“What?” Edward was confused at Bella’s obvious fright

Alice strolled into the house, “I had a vision of you, extremely angry and it looked like you were going to kill someone…and I couldn’t see who that was.”

“I thought you were going to kill Jake or Ariel,” Bella explained

Jasper came into the large hall, kissing Alice and chuckling at Bella

“I think he’d like to do both.”

Bella looked at her husband, normally so calm, “Why?”

Jasper and Edward brought the girls into the back of the house and explained what had happened and what they had learned

Bella gasped, “But what about Renesmee? Jakes just going to abandon her now? For Ariel!”

“I don’t know…I don’t know what’s going on. I don’t understand. We need Carlisle.”

~

Carlisle clocked out from the hospital early that evening, sensing his family’s distress and knowing they needed him

“What is it?” he asked Emmett, hanging his coat up

Emmett shrugged, having just arrived home from a stroll around the forest and not yet informed of the days events.

Edward came into the room and was relieved to see Carlisle home. He quickly explained everything to Carlisle in a hushed tone, but also let Emmett hear.

Carlisle didn’t show any emotion but calmly and fairly as always, he sat beside Esme on the couch and asked Jasper to fetch Ariel.

Once again, Jasper walked up to her room and this time he was afraid. He didn’t know what they would do her and Edward was extremely angry. He knew it wasn’t Ariel’s fault Jacob had imprinted on her but there were questions, important questions that needed answering.

Ariel was listening to music, something she had become fond of since Bella showed her how to use the stereo.

She looked around and smiled at Jasper, “I think I’m getting the hang of it now!” she was almost excited at her achievement.

Jasper looked at Ariel. Could she be a dog? She didn’t smell like one and none of the family were repulsed by her as they were of Jacob when he came around.

“Ariel, we need to talk to you downstairs.”

Ariel’s eyes went wide at Jaspers tone and quickly a bolt of fear shot through her, and Jasper relaxed her.

“Its okay,” he took her hand “I won’t let them do anything. We just need to talk to you.”

Ariel nodded, trusting Jasper and let him lead her downstairs. She calmly stared back at Rosalie’s furious gaze and looked to Carlisle, her father figure and protector.

“What’s bothering you?” she asked

Carlisle opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by Edward who didn’t wait to snarl at Ariel. She shrank back as Edward advanced, surprised by the furious look in his black eyes

“Are you a werewolf?” he spat at her

“What?” Ariel whispered, terrified of Edward. For it was true she was not a fighter, she lived in peace and she hadn’t expected to be attacked here, she was slowly realising the Cullen house was now her home…but maybe she was wrong. Maybe the Cullen’s really were just like the others. The Volturi.

“I said Are you a werewolf? A dog? A mutt!?” Edward shouted.

Jasper jumped forward, dragging Edward back from Ariel and stood in front of her protectively.

“There’s no need for that Edward! Control yourself…please!”

Edward took a few deep breaths and then sank to the chair beside Bella, who rubbed his arm lovingly.

Jasper turned to Ariel but there was no anger in his eyes, just kindness and understanding,

“Ariel, it won’t change how I or we think of you? Are you a werewolf?”

Ariel was shaking with fright “No! I’m not.” She looked at Carlisle, who smiled at her and came to stand beside her, “You all have your separate gifts and I have mine.”

Edward and Bella both glared at Ariel, “And what is yours?”

Ariel shrank in on herself and found herself clutching to Jaspers shirt in support,

“I’m a shape shifter”

Edward stood up again, accompanied by Rosalie this time,

“That’s just another word for it….dog!”

Ariel backed away and in front of the astonished family, her human body curled and without the sickening cracks and flying of fur and clothes like the Quileutes, she was in her wolf form.

They barely got to look at the amazingly beautiful white wolf before them, before she had fled out the open window and had disappeared into the trees.

Jasper gave a shout and started to run after her but Carlise caught him,

“Don’t son. She needs some time alone…she’s terrified of us now. And she had just started to trust us.”

He stopped in front of Edward,
“She’s no werewolf,she’s a vampire” and Edward hung his head, starting to feel horribly guilty.

And Ariel, she ran, she ran to the place where she had felt loved and beautiful and wanted. She ran to him,to the person she knew loved her now. To the person she was starting to love in return, every moment of every second she thought about him. She ran to the cliffs, she ran to the moon.