"Lauren?" Carlisle lets her inside.
"Leah left Sam's pack to join Jacob and Seth, I came with," Lauren says. "Sue is staying with Charlie. Charlie said that Seth and I can sleep there... but it'll be after we're done protecting Bella and her baby."
"Well, let me make you something to eat," Esme coos and she scurries off and Lauren smiles bashfully.
But then Lauren sees Abel. She rushes over and she hugs her vampire best friend. Abel hugs her back and he smiles.
"I miss you!" Lauren declares.
"I miss you, too, my favorite human," Abel says.
"Abel," Bella complains and only he and the vampires can hear.
"Bella's in the second floor living room," Abel says.
Lauren smiles giddily and she hurries upstairs to go see Bella. Abel goes into the den and he wraps his arms around Emmett. Emmett sighs in content and holds his mate.
"Sam's lost the element of surprise, and he doesn't want to take you on outnumbered," Jacob says, "so he's not going to come at you head on. He's got the place surrounded and he'll wait for this opportunity."
"He won't get through without a fight," Emmett says as he holds Abel tightly.
"No fights," Carlisle says. "We won't be the ones to break the treaty."
"In Sam's mind, the treat is already void," Jacob says.
"Not in ours," Esme says gently.
"Carlisle," Emmett says, "no one's hunted in weeks."
They all glance at Abel. They know that hunger is bad for a newborn.
"We'll make do," Esme claims.
"You've done us a great service, Jacob," Carlisle says to the wolf. "Thank you."
Abel goes upstairs and he steps out onto the balcony. He closes his dark eyes and he inhales deeply. He smells the wolves nastily and he grimaces.
"I wouldn't," he hears Emmett warn Lauren. "Abel's still technically a newborn. He's doing good, but he hasn't fed since Edward and Bella got home. He's hungry and that's dangerous for a newborn."
"I feel so bad for him," Lauren says. "I hate this for him. Sam's being unreasonable." She looks out at Leah. "I would have left anyway but Leah did first. Where she goes, I go."
"That's how it I when me and Abel," Emmett admits. "Where he goes, I go."
Abel smiles.
*****
"I know they're out there somewhere," Jacob says that night outside the Cullen mansion, "but I can't hear them anymore. It's so quiet."
"I stopped hearing them, too, the second I decided to leave," Leah admits. "It's nice."
"You know you can't stay here," Jacob says.
Leah looks at the house when she hears Lauren talking to Emmett. "I'm not leaving. Lauren's here," she says and turns to Jacob. "My imprint is where I go. You'll understand if you ever imprint. I can't leave her. I'll stay out of your way, I'll do whatever you say, just don't make me leave her."
"Okay, okay, I won't," Jacob says with a sigh. "I'm gonna do a perimeter run."
Leah nods and Jacob jogs off. She glances at Abel, who has his eyes closed, and she walks over to Seth to check up on her little brother.
