Chapter 5

The wilderness of Interior Alaska looked like a winter wonderland in Denali and the surrounding region. The last remnants of the blizzard had blown through, leaving only a few passing snow flurries. The forest surrounding Mount McKinley was powdered with fresh coats of snow and while the Denali Coven deemed it a mild winter, the temperatures remained below zero. Tanya shook her head in amusement as she heard Garrett arguing with Emmett and Zach about the cheat codes he used to beat them. The Cullens arrived before dawn to spend time with their extended family before the rest of the guests arrived for the New Year's Eve party. Alice, Esme, Rosalie, and Bella were helping Carmen while Benjamin, Eleazar, Jasper, and Carlisle surveyed the area to make sure no humans dared to venture near.

Between the harsh weather conditions of Interior Alaska and the way the house was situated in one of the forest covered nooks on one of the mountains inaccessible to humans, they were not too concerned, but also used it as a chance to explore and have a quick hunting excursion. Tanya stood on the upper deck of the lavish home and gazed out at the picturesque view of the mountains and landscape visible from the backyard. Steam from the heated pool hovered near the outdoor tables and strings of white lights connected the heated lamp posts along the cobble stone pathways. She smiled when she heard Edward step out onto the balcony and he stood beside her with a smile of his own.

"You cannot seriously be worried about the party," he chuckled and she scoffed.

"Of course I can be. In the past month, there have been two attacks," she reminded.

"While the attack in Italy certainly put everyone on high alert, I wouldn't call what happened between Josh and Tomas an attack."

"There was a time in this existence when a firestarter burning out of control and trying to attack a wolf because he believed his mate was being held hostage would have been the most talked about occurrence of the year. Now, it's called Thursday." He chuckled.

"Point taken, but you have nothing to worry about. Not only are some of us sweeping the area, but Alexander and Lena had Gavin scan it on the satellites as well. All precautions have been taken, especially after what happened in Volterra," he assured.

"Good because I for one would like to celebrate the start of a new year without a battle or fight breaking out. I believe some peace and quiet are in order," she said and Edward hid his smile as a strong burst of air was accompanied by a loud boom and crackling in the sky. Alice began screaming as the decorations around the backyard rattled and clanged in the flurry of wind.

"Kate, tell your husband enough with going into sonic mode! We are trying to prepare to entertain guests," exclaimed Alice.

"Technically, he is entertaining guests," teased Kate and Alice scoffed.

"Emmett, Zach, and Allie are not guests," she argued.

"You were saying about peace and quiet," teased Edward and she sighed.

"That reminds me. I need to have a talk with Marcus and Didyme. You don't get kids a drum set or loud toys without speaking with their parents first and you don't get Garrett a stealth jet," she grumbled. He laughed and nodded in agreement knowing Garrett was having a bit too much fun with the coven's new technology.

That night, vampires from all around the world were in attendance for the Denali Coven's New Year's Eve soiree. Senna and Kachiri were some of the first guests to arrive and Zafrina was excited to see her friends and welcome them back to Alaska. Jasper and Alice were catching up with Charlotte, Peter, Mary, and Randall and exchanging stories. Liam and Siobhan were planning a trip to Sweden and asking Annike and Inger about the best places to see. Tia was more than happy to spend time with Maggie while Connell was speaking with Alexander and Lena. Rosalie and Kate managed to wrangle Emmett and Garrett before they could sneak off on the stealth jets again. Emmett challenged Garrett to a race, which Garrett assured him they would have before Emmett left Alaska. Marcus and Didyme were trying to sound apologetic as Tanya scolded them for giving such a loud gift and Benjamin watched his mate with adoration at her bewilderment. Meanwhile, while Titus was enthralled, Micah was in disbelief as Keegan told of his encounter with Tomas.

"So there is another firestarter out there," asked Micah.

"Yes, but before you get ahead of yourself and freak out like Eleazar did, we are handling it. He is open to learning and that is the important thing. Some of us are going to Portugal to meet with him next month and I plan on training with him," explained Keegan.

"You? You are going to train a firestarter," she asked in amusement and he rolled his eyes.

"I have you know I am the epitome of control now and I think he can learn a lot from me."

"My how things have changed," she teased.

"One question though, why were they calling him Cyclops," asked Titus and before Keegan could answer, Zach raced over to them with Allie by his side.

"Seriously, does no one know the classics anymore," he exclaimed and Allie rubbed his back.

"It's a comic book character," she informed, but Zach huffed.

"He is not just a comic book character. He's one of the coolest….you know what? Don't even worry about it. I will send you some. People need to learn to respect the arts," he said before walking off and Allie giggled at his outburst as she followed him back over to the dance floor where Josh, Natalie, Tess, and Nico were.

"In moments like this, I am reminded that the powerful Zachary McCarty Cullen is still just a teenager," said Micah and Keegan laughed.

Carlisle appeased Eleazar by letting him rant and vent his frustrations about the lack of concern over Tomas and the potential of him as a threat. Carmen was the dutiful mate, standing by her husband as he whispered about what Tomas could become, even though she was just as amused by him as Esme, Edward, and Bella were.

"And don't give me that look, Edward. You know it is true. He was trained by Aro and isolated in a tower. The man was diabolical, but a genius. We have no clue what Tomas is capable of," whispered Eleazar and Edward put his hands up in surrender.

"It was Alice's call and it all worked out," reminded Edward and Eleazar scoffed.

"Oh do not play me for a fool. Alice is right. You two are partners in crime…."

"I am not her partner in crime," whined Edward, but Eleazar ignored him and continued.

"Any decision she makes, you are in on, which means you knew they were bringing a firestarter into the region and did not alert any of us," accused Eleazar and Edward's jaw dropped as he read all of their thoughts.

"What must I do not to be seen as her partner in crime and….you too, love? Et tu, Brute," said Edward and Bella giggled.

"To be fair, I am well aware you do not really have a choice in the matter," she said.

"No choice at all," said Alice as she and Jasper walked by the group to go mingle with some more of their friends. Edward pouted as Bella continued.

"And I also know we much rather have you and Alice be partners in crime than you and Rosalie," said Bella and Rosalie gasped dramatically as she appeared by Bella's side.

"I am offended," said Rosalie and Edward nodded.

"And appalled," he added.

"Appalled and offended," said Rosalie.

"Rose, you have always been one to see reason. Are you not concerned about this firestarter from Portugal," asked Eleazar and she thought about it for a moment. Edward laughed at her thoughts and she shrugged.

"Eh, I've seen worse," she admitted and his jaw dropped.

"He is still a threat," argued Eleazar and she smirked.

"You said the same thing about Keegan and now share a home with him. Look, I may not like that there is another firestarter out there or that Edward and Alice let my son take him on…yes, we will talk about that later…but it all worked out. Everyone is happy and in good health, so how about we leave good enough alone," recommended Rosalie and Carlisle wrapped an arm around her as he smiled proudly.

"I couldn't have said it better myself," agreed Carlisle and Eleazar groaned, but nodded.

"Fine, but in the future, a heads up would be nice," said Eleazar.

"Agreed, my goodness Edward, you could at least tell people," said Rosalie with a mischievous smile and he pouted at her thoughts.

"I can't control Alice or her…"

"Sure you can. That's why you're her partner in crime," taunted Rosalie and Bella shook with mirth as Edward glared at her and Rosalie sauntered away with a grin plastered on her face.

Gavin and Bianca laughed at Evan's request and Callista smiled adoringly at her mate. He handed Gavin a piece of paper and Gavin arched an eyebrow at him.

"Really, you are giving a hacker a piece of paper? Are you trying to insult me," asked Gavin and Evan smiled sheepishly.

"They didn't want you to lose it. Those are the games coming out this year and since you hook Zach and Josh up, the pack was hoping you could do the same for us," explained Evan.

"Where is the rest of pack? I thought they would be in attendance," questioned Bianca.

"Some of our friends are throwing a party to bring in the New Year and they agreed to go since they didn't attend the Christmas party they had. I got out of it by promising to give Gavin that," said Evan.

"You mean their list of demands? Fine, tell them I will be sure to send new releases their way, but resistance is futile. They aren't going to be able to beat Zach and Josh. I may be able to teach them some tricks though," whispered Gavin as he glanced over at Zach and Josh on the dance floor and Evan chuckled.

"That would be awesome," said Evan.

"Great, now I am never going to get him away from a computer screen again. We are supposed to go to Greece soon, but work and duty always calls," said Bianca.

"I am taking Evan there in a few weeks. I want him to spend some time in my hometown. We should meet up. I can show you all the best places to shop and the sights that are much better than the tourist attractions," suggested Callista and Bianca happily nodded.

"I would love that," agreed Bianca.

Caleb laughed as he and Sofi watched Jacob and Leah convince Iris and Leonardo to vacation in the Pacific Northwest.

"I can't believe you would insult us by even saying that. There is no way Colorado is better than Washington State," exclaimed Leah and Leonardo groaned.

"Okay, I misspoke. It is not better. I just believe it is much of the same, mountains, snow, it is all the same," said Leonardo and even Renesmee and Nahuel had to scoff at that. Kaya laughed as Seth placed his hand on his chest.

"Pardon me, excuse me, what did you just say? They are the same," he asked.

"I just mean…well…Iris, il mio amore, a little help," he asked and Iris sweetly kissed him.

"What Leo is trying to say is that we wanted a place with a nice, private cabin and we can get that in Colorado just like we can in Washington State," she explained.

"But you can't get the scenery of the beach and even in the winter, it is beautiful to see," argued Jacob and Iris glanced up at Leonardo.

"Okay, fine, the truth is that while I am aware Washington State is beautiful, it also tends to be quite…active in our world. This will be the first true vacation Iris and I go on and I want it to be peaceful," he admitted and Roman chuckled.

"Oh, then no, definitely not Washington State," said Roman.

"Hey, Washington State is peaceful," defended Seth and Kaya smiled sheepishly at her mate.

"Sorry, babe, but he kind of wins the argument with that point," she informed as the others nodded. Seth's shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Yea, okay," he grumbled as Tanya, Benjamin, and a beautiful woman approached the group.

"Maryam, these are some of our friends. Maryam, Kate, and I go pretty far back, to the days when we explored Iran centuries ago. We've tried to get her to attend one of our parties for a while now. This is Jacob, Leah, Renesmee, Nahuel, Seth, Kaya, Sofi, Caleb, Iris, Leonardo, and Roman. I would explain their coven and familial connections, but it is quite a long story," introduced Tanya. She was surprised when Maryam, who tended to be social, remained silent and followed her gaze to Roman. Benjamin wrapped his arm around his mate and smiled.

"By the way Alice is happily clapping and dancing around right now, I think Roman would be willing to explain that long story," suggested Benjamin and Tanya's eyes widened as realization dawned on her. The others were stunned as well and Nahuel smiled smugly at his brother as he clapped him on the back.

"We should probably leave you two alone," he said as Maryam and Roman gazed at one another. Iris nudged Roman to snap him out of his reverie and he quickly held out his hand.

"Roman, I am Roman. It is a pleasure to meet you Maryam." The raven haired beauty giggled and slipped her hand into his.

"A pleasure indeed," she agreed as the others gave them some privacy.

"We get to tease him about this later, right," whispered Sofi. Iris, Kaya, and Nahuel happily nodded.

"What kind of siblings would we be if we didn't," whispered Iris.

Natalie eyed Alice suspiciously as she and Josh followed her away from where more guests were dancing and mingling inside the Denali House. They went upstairs to the study and Natalie was surprised to see Esme and Carlisle waiting for them. Josh frowned in confusion when Alice closed the door.

"Uh, are we in trouble or something? We already apologized for everything that went down with Tomas and cleaned up the yard," said Josh.

"Actually, we believe we owe Natalie an apology. All of us do," said Esme as she glanced over at Alice, who pouted, but nodded.

"Fine, yes, Natalie, I apologize for giving you such a hard time about blocking my visions…and technically breaking your ankle when you ran away from Volterra…and thinking about doing it again after you got me in trouble with Leah," conceded Alice.

"Um, thank you….I think," questioned Natalie more than stated and Alice shrugged.

"I mean can you really blame me? It isn't every day someone pulls a fast one over on me," defended Alice. Carlisle chuckled at his daughter and walked over to Natalie.

"We know this family can be quite a bit to handle. It wasn't fair of us to just assume that because Aro was no longer a threat to you, the Volturi and Volterra would not be an issue," said Carlisle and Esme nodded in agreement.

"I know what it is like to have a past that haunts you at times. I was lucky to find my mate and family, but I also needed their patience. While you are not technically a part of our coven, we want you to feel comfortable with us and know you are always welcomed on the island. We also know you are someone who enjoys your privacy and can be overwhelmed by too many people at once, so this is for you and Josh. Think of it as a welcome to the family," said Esme as she held out a set of keys and documents to her.

"What is all this," asked Natalie as Josh looked over the papers as well.

"Wait, are these keys to a cottage," he asked and Alice happily nodded.

"We purchased a beautiful piece of land overlooking the water in Port Renfrew and built a cottage for the two of you. It is north of the island, about thirty miles from the shore, so not too far, but far enough away for you to have your privacy," explained Alice. Josh frowned.

"Am I getting kicked off the island? I thought that's where a cottage would be if I ever got one, right by Zach and Allie," he said and Esme scoffed.

"Of course we are not kicking you off the island. You already have two rooms there though, one in our house and one in Zach and Allie's cottage. This way you can stay with your parents in La Push or stay on the island or have a place just for the two of you when you need time away. It is a win-win," she informed and Josh smiled as he looked over at Natalie, who was speechless.

"So, what do you think," he asked and Natalie surprised Esme and Carlisle by hugging them.

"Thank you so much. I don't know what to say," she said in awe and Carlisle smiled warmly at her.

"Just promise not to be a stranger on the island. We have grown quite accustomed to having Josh around and we want you to feel comfortable there," said Carlisle.

"Promise," she agreed. Josh hugged Carlisle and Esme as Natalie turned to Alice. She laughed when Alice jumped into her arms.

"Finally, a real Natalie Daveed hug," said Alice and Natalie rolled her eyes, but couldn't hide her smile.

"Fine, yes, you wore me down," conceded Natalie.

"I always do," Alice practically sang. Josh hugged Alice as well and kissed her cheek when she handed him the remote to the stealth jet.

"Thanks," he said and slipped his hand into Natalie's. Esme, Carlisle, and Alice smiled as the couple left.

"Well, that's take care of that, which only leaves Evan and Callista," said Alice and Esme gave her a look.

"Leave them alone," warned Esme.

"But Esme, they promised me I could throw them a ceremony and I want it to happen next month, but Callista is going to say no," she whined and Carlisle wrapped his arms around them both.

"Alice, maybe Callista and Natalie coming into our lives is a reminder that not everyone goes about things the same way in this existence. Leave them be and everything will fall into place. Take tonight as an example, Maryam attended without you making so much as a phone call and Roman found his mate because of it. Maybe they will get married. Maybe they will not. It doesn't matter though. In this existence, we are not bound to time," reminded Carlisle and she begrudgingly nodded.

"I suppose that is true, but look how long it took them? I found her right after he stopped being so crabby to Nahuel, but did I say anything? No because Edward was all, he isn't ready, he needs to find himself, she has her own path, blah, blah, blah. There is no better path than love…and whatever path I get to meddle in of course." Esme kissed her cheek and giggled.

"You know we love your meddling, but some things are best left up to fate, dear," assured Esme and while Alice didn't want to admit it, she knew it was true and silently acknowledged that as they returned to the party.

Josh landed the jet in a clearing on top of one of the mountains in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge and turned on one of his favorite playlists as he dimmed the lights. Natalie arched an eyebrow at him with a sly smile.

"I am not having sex with you in this jet. It belongs to your family and not even you have that much game." He laughed and pulled her into his lap as he pointed out the window.

"I am just setting the mood. Contrary to popular belief, I do know you quite well, Nat," he assured and she rested her head against his shoulder.

"I know you do. Tomas was wrong about us. Yes, we have things to learn about each other and there are times when I get overwhelmed, but I know you are my mate. Wow, it is so beautiful up here," she said as she gazed out at the colorful streams of lights floating in the sky. The waves of green, blue, and purple danced above them as the stars twinkled brightly.

"The northern lights are one of my favorite things about Alaska. Coming up here to see them is one of the first things I wanted to do when I became a wolf."

"You know, even though the supernatural world is full of some amazing things, it still amazes me what nature can do. How can the lights look like this and be so beautiful?"

"Well, the sun has these magnetic fields that change and shift. When the fields tangle together, they burst and cause sunspots. Sunspots get really hot and particles escape through solar winds they release. They float through space and gravitate to the Earth. What we end up seeing in the Northern Hemisphere are the aurora borealis and in the Southern Hemisphere, you can see the aurora australis."

"How do you know all this stuff," she asked as she stroked his hair and he shrugged.

"My mom always knew I didn't plan on going to college. I just wanted to be a wolf and live my life, so she made me promise to read on my own and learn as much as possible. It helps having so many old vampires to tell you stories too and Carlisle knows a lot about science stuff. Like how when the particles collide with oxygen, we usually see yellow and green lights. Colliding with nitrogen usually gets red, purple, or blue lights in the sky," he informed and she smiled at him.

"You're pretty wonderful, you know that," she asked and he tenderly kissed her.

"You're pretty wonderful yourself, which is why I want you to hold onto this," he said as he pulled a ring box from his pocket and opened it. She gulped when she saw the diamond ring, the one she'd found before, but wasn't sure she would get to see again after their argument in Italy.

"I know you aren't ready and it's okay," he said and she searched his eyes to see if he was being sincere.

"I mean it, Nat. There really isn't a rush. I realize now that it hasn't been fair to put so much pressure on you. I have everything I need, so when you are ready for the hoopla…and yes, in this family there will be plenty of hoopla…that comes with a wedding and making things official, then just let me know."

"Really, you are sure," she questioned and he smiled.

"I am sure because I am sure about us. We are already mates, so there is no rush." He chuckled when she showered him with kisses.

"Thank you for saying that. I love you, Josh."

"I love you too." She looked at the ring one more time before closing the box and putting it in her purse.

"How about we head back to the party? We can get back in time for the countdown," she suggested.

"Are you sure? I am perfectly fine staying up here and spending time together."

"You aren't the only one who knows their mate. You love your family and friends and I understand why. Let's go spend time with them. I may have overheard Alexander plotting with Connell to start a snowball fight after the party wraps up and I know you won't want to miss that." He laughed and sighed happily.

"Well it isn't every day we get to have a fight that isn't life or death," he teased and she shook her head in amusement.

"It is going to take me a while to get used to this family."

"Yea, but you already love us," he cooed and she shushed him.

"Don't let Alice see you saying that," she teased before kissing him. He pulled her closer and happily kissed his mate, knowing all would be well between them.

AN: The End…For Now! I hope you enjoyed and let me know what you think. Happy New Year!