Chapter 1- Wagers.

"Go, go, go!" Emmett shouted.

Beside him Jasper was silent, but he was leaning forward and frowning in fierce concentration, as intent on the television in front of them as Emmett was. On screen the flag dropped and there was a cartoon roar as the race began.

Emmett, Jasper and I were playing a Mario Kart tournament, and the two of them were starting the play off to see who would battle me for the honour of ultimate champion. While Alice and Edward were at school the three of us had been spending a lot of time together, a lot of it in hard fought competition (most of which was either ridiculous, pointless or both) as we looked for a way to channel our energy.

"Whooo!" Emmett crowed, as his Yoshi overtook Jasper's Wario on the curve. "Gonna kick your ass!"

I considered the two of them sitting side by side on the sofa for a minute and then casually sat back in my chair, crossing my legs and letting my skirt ride up my thighs. Emmett's eyes flicked from the television to me and then back again, and I hid my smile. Slowly I licked my lips and raised my index finger to my mouth, letting my lips open slightly. Yes, okay, disgustingly obvious, but Emmett was not exactly one for subtlety! His attention was now half on me and half on the game.

Jasper met my eyes for a brief second and then looked away. Pretending to be engrossed in watching I leaned forward and let my shoulder drop so that the straps of my top slid down my arm, exposing most of my breasts. Judging my moment I twitched my other shoulder forward so that my shirt dropped completely, spilling breasts over the top. Emmett's eyes left the television completely, his little kart sailed off the edge of a cliff and Jasper flew home to victory.

Crowing with laughter, I rocked back in my chair and pulled my clothes back into place as Emmett glared at me indignantly.

"You bitch Rose, you did that on purpose! Fucking hell!"

"Of course it was on purpose!" I giggled, as Jasper grinned at me. "I wanted Jasper to win. He's much easier to beat at this game, and I'm sick of losing to you two all the time!"

"You dirty cheat…I'll bloody beat you!" Emmett dove at me, grabbing my ankles as I moved away just an instant too late and throwing me over his shoulder with a resounding smack on my ass. I laughed as I hung upside down, looking at Jasper through my hair.

"Thanks Jas," I gasped. "It wouldn't have worked as well without you."

Jasper ducked his head, laughing too and dodging easily as Emmett swung a fist at him.

"You are fucking creepy sometimes Jasper!" he exclaimed. "It's one thing to calm people down or cheer them up, but it's damn disturbing that you waste your talents giving someone a boner when they're supposed to be playing a game!"

"Boner, huh?" I murmured, reaching between Emmett's legs.

He snorted and slapped my hand away, then tossed me onto the sofa and sat on me. "I don't think so! Don't think you'll be getting any for a while baby doll, not after that little stunt. I can't believe the two of you could be so unprincipled as to fuck with Mario kart…"

I laughed, and then shrieked as Emmett smacked me again. Fighting back a grin he shook his head at me. "Shame on both of you!" he said sternly, and then broke up laughing. "God, it was well done though babe…there's a reason I'm always on your side, since you're a devious piece of work when you want something!"

He half stood up so that I could wriggle out from underneath him and then settled back onto the sofa, pulling me into his lap. I buried my face in his neck and breathed him in, as always finding comfort in his strong arms around me and the scent of him filling my head. I kissed him, and felt his big, gentle hands caressing my back and leg.

"Hey pretty girl," he murmured, his lips in my hair.

Jasper sighed and flipped the television from the game channel to a news feed, but I didn't pay him any attention. I didn't pay much attention to anything for some time, apart from Emmett's golden eyes staring into mine and the feel of his hands stroking my hair and his lips barely brushing mine as he breathed. Love you, want you, need you…always.

I was so caught up in our own world, that it wasn't until Alice and Edward returned from school that I tore my gaze away from Emmett and considered the rest of the family. Alice flitted over to Jasper and kissed him, as Edward stood and began flipping through the mail.

"Bella still grounded then?" Emmett asked in amusement. He thought it was hilarious that Bella's father insisted Edward only visit during supervised hours as part of her punishment for riding motorbikes with the dog.

Edward didn't bother answering. He threw Carlisle's mail on the table, keeping a large envelope for himself. I caught sight of the logo.

"University of Alaska?" I asked sceptically.

"Bella's choice," Edward shrugged dismissively. "Although I am attempting to persuade her that Dartmouth might be a better choice."

"Dude, she's not going to any college next year," Emmett said comfortably. "Why the fuck are you both so worked up about all these applications and bribes to get her a place? All Bella's going to be doing next year is destroying shit. Newborn rampage all over the district, pillaging in the villages and fighting her for the good game…" Emmett's eyes sparkled. "Damn, it's going to be so much fun!"

The noises of outrage from Edward and I were practically synchronised. It might have been funny if the two of us weren't so angry.

"Nothing has been decided yet," Edward snapped. "Bella may still go to college. There's time to convince her."

"Must you make a joke out of everything?" I hissed, scowling at Emmett. "Newborns aren't exactly fun and games you know! YOU weren't. Impulsive, uncontrollable, ridiculous strength, needing to be baby sat all the time…ugh. Although I do sometimes wonder if anything has changed for you!"

Emmett chuckled, and Alice looked over at him with sudden interest. "Bella will be stronger than you, Emmett."

He shook his head. "Nah, no way. That little thing? Not a chance."

"She will be," Alice insisted. "You'll have to get used to losing Emmett, because Bella is going to be able to take you down."

Emmett still didn't look convinced.

"You've never seen a newborn, have you?" I asked him wryly. "Just ask Jasper though Emmett- you won't know what's hit you the first time you try to stop a newborn doing something they want to, even if that newborn is only Bella!"

"Will you all please STOP!" Edward sounded uncharacteristically angry, and I shrugged and turned away. I couldn't help it if he was still not really reconciled to the idea of Bella's vampire transformation. It was hardly my fault- I'd voted against it.

Jasper had paid little attention to the conversation, instead focussing on the news on television. I glanced at the screen and saw that it was another story about a potential serial killer in Seattle. Jasper was frowning at it thoughtfully, and then looked across at Edward who was also eyeing off the report.

"One of our kind?" Jasper asked.

Edward shrugged. "Carlisle thinks so. The more it goes on the more likely it seems."

Jasper's eyes narrowed. "It's very messy if it is."

"Yes," Edward watched the end of the story silently. "I can see why Carlisle is concerned," he said finally. "We should probably watch this one…I for one don't want any more trouble than we've already had this year."

Edward drove off to Bella's house at the appointed visitation hours, ignoring Emmett's laughter and the crude suggestions he shouted after him. Once he was gone Emmett became uncharacteristically quiet, sprawled out on the sofa with his hands behind his head as he contemplated the ceiling. I sat on the floor beside him doing Alice's homework and listening to her talk.

"You should have gone to college again," she said eventually. "I think you've done more of my homework this year than I have, which really indicates that you must be incredibly bored. And really Rosalie, since when did you care enough about video games to go to such lengths to win a game? I know you're a hopeless cheat, but I'm still surprised that you practically got naked in front of my husband!"

I snorted as I threw her history book back to her and opened her science book. "Your husband is the one that started everyone feeling all frisky. Talking about dirty cheaters and all…"

Alice giggled, and I grinned at her. "You're right though, I am bored." I sighed. "College might have been good, but I would have missed you all too much. I suppose now we'll have to wait for Bella to get over the newborn stage before the family can settle down somewhere and we can go again."

"Was I that bad as a newborn?" Emmett asked plaintively. Our earlier conversation was obviously bothering him. "I know I made a few mistakes…okay, a lot of mistakes! But was I really that much worse than anyone else?"

I turned to him and ran a hand through his curly hair, kissing him on the forehead. "You were beautiful, baby." I shrugged. "Although in all fairness, I wasn't around for any other newborn experiences except my own. You'd have to ask Carlisle."

"Ask Carlisle what?" The front door closed, and a moment later Carlisle and Esme appeared in the doorway, their hands linked between them. They'd been out hunting and doing other things that they preferred to do in private, far away from their adopted children, and they were both smiling, their eyes light.

"We were talking about newborns," Alice said cheerfully. "Emmett wanted to know if he was a dreadful infant vampire, but Jasper and I weren't here then and Rosalie can only compare him to herself."

Carlisle chuckled. "Well you certainly kept us on our toes, Emmett!"

Esme laughed. "Indeed you did, Emmett. How many times did we move that first year?" She looked at his pouting face and smiled softly. "But then…you were so happy about everything and accepted everything so easily. You changed our family for the better, and you've been worth every speck of trouble you ever caused."

Emmett grinned. "Aww, thanks Mom."

"There are different kinds of trouble anyway," I said. "I never killed a human- not to eat- but I can't say I had a very easy time controlling my impulsivity and temper back then."

"Like you control them so beautifully now?" Alice teased.

I poked my tongue out at her. "I'm positively mellow compared to the way I was as a newborn!" I glanced, half ashamed, at Carlisle. "With Emmett we had to move because he killed humans, but when I was a baby we had to move because I destroyed the house in a tantrum!"

Carlisle laughed at me gently. "You were all somewhat different as newborns," he said, his eyes far away as he remembered. "Your reactions and the way you behaved…I haven't thought about it in a long time. You were certainly tempestuous Rosalie! It was fascinating in a way, you were always so furious with us and losing your temper so spectacularly and yet you controlled your thirst almost from the first moment."

"In other words…Rose was just like she is now," Emmett chuckled, and I rolled my eyes at him and cuffed him playfully on the side of the head. "What about Edward and Esme?"

"Oh, I struggled a great deal," Esme sighed. "Carlisle and Edward were so patient with me, but I found it so difficult."

Carlisle slipped an arm around her waist and kissed her tenderly on the top of her head. "I was so proud of you though. You worked so hard."

"That's because it took such hard work!" Esme returned. She looked back at Emmett. "I made as many mistakes as you did Emmett, probably more. I was so ashamed of myself, but I was so happy to be with Carlisle that I was determined to make it all work."

"What about Edward?" Emmett asked Carlisle. "What was he like when you changed him?"

"Edward was different again," Carlisle said thoughtfully. "He controlled the thirst very well, but of course he was adjusting to the telepathy at the same time. It helped him I think, because he was hearing the person's thoughts at the same time as he was being driven to feed on them and even in his newborn frenzy he wasn't able to dehumanise them." He looked across at Jasper. "I would imagine things were different with the newborns you were familiar with."

"Yes," Jasper said shortly. "I think being born to a family makes a very big difference."

There was a moment of silent tension before Emmett said thoughtfully, "So…which way do you reckon Bella is going to go? How many mistakes is she going to make?"

I snorted. "Edward won't let her make any. I don't think his overprotectiveness is going to be lessened that much even if she is a bit less breakable."

Jasper's face relaxed and he raised his eyebrows at me. "I would bet she'll make plenty of mistakes. Edward won't be able to stop her."

"Betting?" Emmett swung his feet down and sat upright on the sofa, facing Jasper. "I'll take you on. I bet it won't be many- we'll all be around to stop her, and she'll be more prepared than any of us were."

"Is this really an appropriate subject for a wager?" Esme asked, the disapproval in her voice making her opinion clear.

The boys didn't answer her. I shrugged my shoulders and Alice held out her hands helplessly. "You know what they're like Esme, they insist on betting on everything!"

"I'll bet she'll take a few out," Jasper said intently to Emmett. "She's got a temper. And I don't care how prepared she thinks she is, she's going to feel that burn and nothing else will matter but satisfying her thirst." It was a heartfelt comment. Jasper struggled more than anyone else with resisting the siren call of human blood, and I thought he was probably looking forward to having a newborn Bella around and not being the weakest link.

"Nah," Emmett disagreed. "There's too many of us to stop her now. And if Edward takes her to damn Alaska there's no one to eat anyway." He held out his hand and Jasper slapped his palm, sealing the deal as I shook my head. So typical of the boys!

I wondered though, as I finished Alice's homework, which of the boys would win the bet. What would newborn Bella be like? How would she handle the excruciating pain of transformation and the heady, overwhelming early vampire days? At least she would be prepared, I thought silently. At least she knows what she's in for, and she's making that choice herself.

Not like I did.

There was no choice then, not for me, and no knowledge at all that could have prepared me for the horrors I had thrust upon me on that last terrible night. No knowledge at all of the shadow world I was going to wake up and find myself imprisoned in…