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Edward and Ambrosia stood side-by-side and they couldn't help the matching smiles that lit up their face as the first of their witnesses finally arrived. From the first car, hopped Freddie, Roz, Paul and Emmy- the youngest of the group running with a grin on her pretty face to the people she hadn't seen for a few days, it was the first time she had ever been separated from any of her family and the second she neared them, Edward grinned and grabbed her easily, swinging her upwards into his arms so that her long curls draped across the back of his arm softly. With the lift, he expelled a fake groan, making it sound as though she was extremely heavy- the girl seemed to find this rather comical.
"You've gotten so big, you've grown a whole foot since I last saw you, you're almost as tall as Auntie Amby now" he teased and his wife rolled her eyes at him, hearing the bubbling giggle ripple through the red-headed girl as she clung to her uncle affectionately.
"Ambrosia" a voice cooed. "Little Dove" Laurent smiled warmly, easily accepting her into a hug and she accepted graciously.
"Uncle Laurent, it's so good to see you,"
"I've known you since you were shorter than this little one here" he gestured to Emmy who smiled shyly. "I'm not going to let my only niece march head-on into a war without her favourite uncle at her side."
"Her only uncle" Irina laughed softly, appearing beside him with a grin on her lips. Ambrosia smiled warmly at the first of the blonde Denali sisters to exit a vehicle and they too; hugged softly. "It's so good to see you, Ambrosia,"
"And you, Irina. I wish it was under better circumstances." Ambrosia sighed sadly.
"Nonsense, Ambrosia" Laurent waved off easily. "We are family."
"We are indeed," Carmen grinned and Ambrosia soon found herself hugging her too, and then Tanya, lastly Kate before she found herself face-to-face with a smiling Eleazar.
"You may be happy to see me now, Ambrosia. But I assure you, by next week, you'll be wishing to be rid of me. You're a great assent to us all, and that's why we're going to work you until you have that gift of your working with the bat of an eye" Eleazar beamed softly though he also pulled her into a gracious hug.
"Please," Edward ushered. "Follow me, you are perhaps the lucky ones, arriving so soon. You get your pick of bedrooms, if as many guests arrive as we intend, there won't be any rooms left to choose from" he chuckled and they all seemed to warm instantly, they didn't feel like guests- they felt like family.
"How is married life treating you, Ambrosia?" Tanya smiled warmly, linking her arm through hers and the shy vampire smirked softly as Edward turned with an incredulously raised eyebrow, curious how she would answer the question.
"Do I need to zap him?" Kate grinned, wiggling her fingers as electricity danced between them and Edward had the decency to look slightly scared as he walked a little faster, Emmy giggling as she kept her hold tightly around his neck.
"Not yet" Ambrosia sang softly and Edward narrowed his eyes teasingly at her.
"That's a shame" Kate pouted and they all took amusement from this as they each took turns choosing random bedrooms, Kate and Tanya decided to share, purely because the room was only intended for showering and changing for them.
"I was worried when we first arrived." Roz confided in Edward and Ambrosia a little later when the three of them sat close together on the back porch of the large family home. "They instantly just assumed that she was an immortal child and everyone is just going to have the exact same reaction, including the Volturi"
"Roz, we just have to stop them for long enough for them to listen" Edward informed encouragingly, Ambrosia nodding along her reassurance as the two sisters linked hands. So far gone seemed the days where their biggest worry was the fast growth rate of Esmeralda- now, they weren't worried about how soon old age would knock her out- they were worried about the Volturi doing so before she even got the opportunity to celebrate her first birthday... Even if she physically appeared at least six.
"Can Emmy stay at your cottage with you tonight? I'm worried about her being in the house with so many vampires, more will no doubt be arriving tonight and I just... I feel like she should have some semblance of normality. Fred's going to talk to Rose and Emmett about borrowing their house when they get back but, just for now?"
"Of course, Roz."
And true to their word, that night, Edward and Ambrosia buckled a sleepy Emmy Cullen into the backseat of Edward's Volvo and drove her to their little cottage in the woods. By the time they arrived there- despite the incredible shortness of the journey- Emmy had already fallen asleep and Edward carried her carefully inside to lay her in their large king-sized bed, the sheets freshly changed by Ambrosia who had a habit to spring clean the entire cottage as something of a daily ritual.
She looked so tiny lying there between the sheets with her flaming red hair splayed against the pillow and they knew that she was what it was all about. Emmy had been the final piece of the Cullen coven puzzle that they didn't even know they needed and soon enough, Paul Lahote also arrived at the front door to crash on their bedroom couch- apparently, the presence of all the vampires in the main house was making his head spin but they knew the real reason was because he wanted to be close to Esmeralda.
