A/N for 2020-06-22 - thank you for coming along for this ride, Folks, and many, many thanks again to chaysara for beta-ing this story. Until next time!

~ Erin

Sarah's timing was not good.

"First teeth," Carlisle said, patting Edward reassuringly on the arm. "Nothing to worry about." He grinned.

Edward frowned at Carlisle's smug thoughts.

Carlisle chuckled and added, "It isn't often I get to surprise you with something. Let me enjoy it."

Edward grumbled something about werewolf children.

Bella politely did not add, "Told you so," to this melee.

"Better safe than sorry," Edward murmured to Sarah. "Count yourself lucky to have a doctor amongst your grandfathers—even when they're smug."

Sarah was oblivious to this and kept crying, refusing even her preferred chew toy, Edward's fingers.

Bella bit her lip, worried. The wedding was in a few hours. She didn't want everyone's predominant memory to be of a screaming baby.

"She should be better in a bit," Carlisle said gently, "or you can give her something for the pain."

Bella frowned at this suggestion. She didn't like giving Sarah medication unless she absolutely needed it.

Edward and she were taking turns pacing with her outside the house in Forks the hour before the ceremony when Sue stomped outside, half-dressed. "Jeez, you two. Give her here." She held out her arms insistently.

Bella didn't dare refuse, watching the look on Sue's face. Sue took Sarah gently and then offered her the frozen cloth she had in her hand. "Here pudding, try this."

Pudding?

Sarah fussed a bit and then sighed into gnawing on the frozen cloth, eyes closing almost immediately. Her head was starting to droop, and Sue passed her back to Edward. "And you can drool all over your dad."

"Thank you," Edward mouthed silently.

"You're welcome. Nothing like a little experience. Seth was the worst with teething." She shook her head. "I put some more in a bag in the freezer."

Sue turned around and marched back into the house, much to Alice's relief, Edward could tell. She wasn't pleased to have her work seen half done.

"At least," Bella said to Edward, "we don't need to worry about losing sleep."

"Or wasting time sleeping," he smiled, leaning down to kiss her. She was wearing a long, plum-coloured dress that suggested deeper colours in her hair and made her ethereal skin look even more so. The casual passersby, out walking dogs and such, stopped and gawked at regular intervals.

"Shall we go make ourselves more inconspicuous," he asked, standing back up, Sarah still asleep on his shoulder.

"I suppose so," Bella said. "Things'll be starting soon."

They held hands, walking slowly back to the house, watching the other guests arrive, sitting with the rest of the Cullens.

The ceremony was simple, and Charlie and Sue recited the most traditional of vows to a quiet chorus of "Aws," and sniffles and then louder "Woots!" when they kissed. Most of the noise came from the pack, but Emmett added his own enthusiastic whoops.

Charlie had originally suggested a BBQ instead of a formal dinner and thought they might cook up the fish he and Billy had caught. Alice had coughed quietly at this suggestion and politely pointed out that cooking dinner might make it difficult for him to spend time with his bride. When Charlie had opened his mouth to object, he'd seen Alice's look towards Sue and then wisely shut it again.

They'd compromised. Fish was most certainly on the menu, sourced from local fishermen, but Alice had found a small and upcoming caterer. The celebration had morphed from there into rented tables in the large back yard, twinkle lights, and centerpieces.

It did look lovely, but Bella could see Charlie looking around every once in a while as if he'd wound up somewhere he didn't quite recognize.

"It's okay," she said, sidling up to him. "Just keep drinking your beer, and you'll forget that you've been Aliced for your wedding."

He chuckled good naturedly and put his arm around her. "Enjoying not being the centre of attention?"

"Very much," she said, smiling.

After surveying the scene, he added, "You look happy together."

The smile was so easy, it spread across her lips. "Very."

"So," he said more softly, "Sam came by last night."

"Oh yeah?" Bella said casually, tensing a bit, wondering what this could mean.

"And then he told me that seeing as Sue and I were getting married, there were a few things I should know." Then he took a larger drink of his beer.

Bella waited anxiously but didn't say anything. He wouldn't break the treaty, would he?

"Apparently, I shouldn't be surprised if I find a lot of dog hair tracking in and out of the house."

Bella bit her lip, trying not to laugh. "Wolves," she coughed into her arm, instead.

"Uh-huh, so he said." He turned to look at her. "You want to add anything?"

"Nope," Bella said, grinning a little.

He grimaced but turned back.

Bella's face fell, watching him. He wanted to know, and he was as stubborn as she was when set on something.

"Dad," she said much more seriously, whispering. "I really can't. Not without putting you in danger. Everyone here would be in danger." She swept the room with her gaze. "Sarah, you, Sue. Everyone." She swallowed. "The kind of danger that even . . . giant dogs couldn't stop."

He huffed out a breath. "Fine," he said evenly, "but man, the curiosity is driving me nuts."

At least, Bella thought, it isn't killing you, because it could.

His relaxed shoulders told her he was letting it go.

For now.

She hoped, forever.

Sue had noticed their tete-a-tete and made her way closer, an inquiring eyebrow up. Charlie smiled, putting his drink down and leaning in to kiss her.

Bella took her cue to leave and found Edward.

"Ready to go home?" he asked, watching guests starting to trickle out.

"We should stay, and help clean up."

Edward shook his head. "We have the perfect excuse. We have a baby to put to bed," and then he leaned down and kissed her in a way that ignored the presence of their daughter in his arms. "And then," he said, "we can go to bed."

This did sound like much more fun than helping to clean up.

They made their farewells and then slipped out into the night, finding their quiet way home.

Fourteen years later

It'd been Leah who came when Bella called.

At first, Bella had thought that Sarah had come down with the flu. Edward had called Carlisle, concerned enough when the high fever hit three days running. She'd missed school. She loved school and never missed a day if she could help it.

"Do you want me to come?" Carlisle had asked. The remainder of the family was in upstate New York by that point, just a few hours away.

Bella and Edward had looked at each other. "It might be a good idea," Edward said. "I think we'd feel better having you here."

Sarah had been cogent enough until the third day and her startling delerium wasn't unexpected, but it wasn't reassuring either.

It was the smell on the fourth day that made all three of them realize what was actually happening. Carlisle could see his presence wouldn't be helpful and said his goodbyes, whispering a quiet one to Sarah from the door of her room.

"How long?" Bella asked Leah on the phone. "Until—?"

"A day, maybe two," she said, "from what you've told me. I'm literally packing a bag right now. I'm not sure if I can get there in time—it'll take me a bit to get to Seattle—."

Edward was on the other line by this point though. "Just tell her to get to the airfield near La Push as soon as possible. I'll have someone there," he said quietly, handing over the receiver.

When she'd arrived late that night, she'd taken one look at Sarah's room and said, "You guys got camping gear?"

"Sure," Bella said. "Why?"

Leah cleared her throat and snorted out a laugh. "You really have to ask?" she said, eyeing the room. "I mean, I'm assuming she likes her room, right?"

"Right," Bella said, realizing what she meant. "We'll get it ready."

Their house was already well set back into the woods, and they moved her and Leah into a large tent in the back yard. It ran against all of Bella's instincts despite the growing odour to be far from Sarah.

"You should really give us some space," Leah said, seeing her reluctance. "You're her parents and everything, but . . . I'm not sure how she's going to react to you . . . especially this first time. It's hard . . . " she said, looking around a little awkwardly, "for me, after so long, I mean—"

"We understand," Edward said, and so they'd both nodded, uneasy and anxious but staying in the house, giving them as much space as possible.

Bella had a keen appreciation for how Charlie had felt watching her go through labour.

"She'll be okay," Edward said, watching her fret. "Leah's here. She'll help her."

Bella could only nod, wordlessly worried.

The physical reaction, hearing the sound the first time and the snarling confirmation had been viscerally painful for Bella. She curled down into herself, hands balled.

"She's okay," Edward said, hands on her shoulders, "Leah's talking to her. She's walking her through it." He swallowed, hearing Sarah's internal alarm.

They'd told her what her father was, what she would likely become.

But the process itself? They couldn't have possibly prepared her for it.

When she'd visited Charlie and her Quileute relatives in her summers, flying out on her own when she was old enough, they had quietly added more information. She'd seen Leah transform the summer before, Leah herself unaware. It had terrified Sarah, but she'd said nothing, hoping it wouldn't be her own legacy.

Edward was seeing Sarah for the first time as her new self, and he could tell from Leah's startled thoughts that she was more like her father than her human form revealed.

He smiled at Bella. "She looks like Jacob," he said and Bella's face crumpled. He squeezed her hand.

"Can we see her?" Bella asked. "Is it safe?"

"I think we can watch from the door," Edward said, "but Leah doesn't think we should get closer."

Bella gasped. Sarah was exactly like her father.

"Oh Sarah," she whispered, her voice full of emotion.

Edward could hear the alarming thoughts swimming in Sarah's mind, but these were partly silenced by the reassuring sight of her parents.

"Yes, it's us," he called.

"Love you," Bella added. "How're you doing?" She waited, looking at Edward for an answer.

He was listening, eyebrows pulled together, intent. "It's . . . overwhelming, I think would be the best word," he finally said. "Go," he added to her, "Leah will show you." He didn't add that he wanted to go with her. She needed to do this on her own.

As she and Leah disappeared into the woods, breaking into a run, their hearts ached dully.

"I trust Leah," Bella finally said. "I just—"

"I know," Edward said. "I feel exactly the same way." They waited uneasily together for their return.

Leah stayed for three weeks, phoning home every day, talking to Jim, who was wrangling their own children, now eight and ten. "I think I should be able to head home soon," she said. "Things are going well here."

"Yeah," Jim had said, "I can't complain. No one's turning into a wolf on my front."

"And just be grateful they won't," Leah mumbled. Jim wasn't a member of the pack, and their children were adopted. Her own transformations were few and far between with only the occasional vampire straying near enough to their territory to trigger one. Those vampires didn't return—or leave either.

She'd dared hope that such transformations would soon be behind her, that she could simply be herself, age.

But looking at Sarah, she knew she would have to put those plans on hold for a time, anyway. She needed to be taught, and here, these few weeks were not enough.

"I know," Edward said, hearing her. Bella and Sarah were out getting groceries. That had been the other surprising development: Sarah's appetite. She'd refused utterly, to "eat wolf" as Leah had suggested, and Leah had chuckled, remembering her own distaste. It had faded over the years, but the memory was clear enough.

"This summer?" he asked.

"No," she shook her head. "Too dangerous to wait. She's doing okay, but I wouldn't want to push it."

Bella kept trying to tell herself that this was just like sending her daughter to visit relatives, but it was entirely different, watching her disappear into the swirl of people at the airport with Leah.

When she had returned, months later, she was transformed. Taller than her mother, she beamed with a smile that was all Jacob.

Bella and Edward held back, wanting to throw their arms around her, but uncertain, not sure of their welcome.

It was Sarah who threw her arms around them both. "Mom, Dad," she said, "I'm so glad to be home."

The feeling was more than mutual.

It became apparent as the years passed that Sarah's aging had halted just as Jacob's had, and when, after her many regular visits to Charlie became more about her regular visits to Sam and Emily's son Clay, he too returned with her one year and didn't leave.

As Bella and Edward slipped into the privacy of the woods to hunt, Sarah and Clay's other forms sprinting after them, they turned to each other, smiling, enjoying the happy thought of this easy eternity, only begun together.

DISCLAIMER: S. Meyer owns Twilight. No copyright infringement intended.