Long hours passed before the small family got to Forks. Nathaniel was driving, one hand on the wheel and the other on his wife's thigh. Madelyn was almost jumping from excitement, eager to see the rest of her relatives. Aiden was also excited, babbling every so often. He was now one week old but looked like he was one year, maybe older. He could now speak full sentences, to his parents' amazement and pride. He was even starting to speak French.
"Are you excited to see Grandpa?" Nathaniel grinned at his son, turning around in his seat. Aiden had already a small idea about Charlie and he couldn't wait to meet him for real.
"Est-ce que Papi va être content de me voir?[Will Grampa be happy to see me?]" The young child asked, fiddling with his fingers while staring outside.
"Of course, he will be happy to see you, my love. He was the most excited when we told him we were coming back home. Don't worry about anything," Madelyn smiled reassuringly at her son, getting out of the car with the vampire. She picked Aiden out of his seat and closed the door, Nathaniel grabbing the bags they wanted to leave at the Swan's residence. While Madelyn was walking towards the front door, Aiden cuddled further against his mother's neck, trying to hide himself. The vampire quickly joined them, pressing a kiss on both of their heads and wrapping an arm around his mate. They didn't have time to knock on the door that it opened, with a smiling Charlie on the other side.
"You guys are finally back," He grinned, taking them into his arms eagerly. Madelyn laughed, not used to see her father acting like this. Aiden's worries seemed to be thrown out of the window as he let Madelyn's neck go and wrapped his arms around Charlie's neck, making him jump. Leaning back from the couple, he hugged protectively the small child that hung onto him. Finally taking a look at the toddler, he grinned even wider, "And there's the man of the hour," Aiden giggled and hugged Charlie again. Letting the family entered, they settled down in the living room.
For the next hour, Madelyn filled in her father about everything that happened in New Zealand, well, almost everything, while the Swan man was playing with his grandson, amazed that he was so brilliant. The family's next stop was at the Cullens' house, as they had other stuff to put away there before they had to meet with the pack. Before they could even open the front door, Alice was already there, hugging the shapeshifter tightly.
"I missed you so much Maddy! I'm so happy you're fine, I stopped having visions about you and I was worried, and then Nate hung up on me while we were talking..." The pixie rambled, noticing her uncle standing there with a sheepish expression, and holding Aiden close to his chest. The small vampire speeded to the teacher, slapping the back of his head. "Don't do that to me again! I thought I was going to have a heart attack," She shushed her uncle when he went to talk again. "Aww, come here, little man! I'm Auntie Alice," Aiden's smile widened as the teacher passed him to his niece.
"Alice, calm down a little, will you?" Nathaniel scolded lightly, protective over his son. Sticking her tongue out at the teacher, she speeded away, holding Aiden carefully. Joining the whole Cullen family inside, everyone gushed around the young child. None of the vampires were in contact with young children and it was a nice feeling to hold a baby again, especially for Esme and Rosalie. And once it was the blonde's turn to hold him, she didn't let go for the rest of the visit. Emmett couldn't stop the fond smile from forming on his face as he stared at his wife's face, looking at the baby in awe.
"So, what is he?" Emmett wondered. Aiden didn't look like a shapeshifter to him. His skin tone suggested the vampire's one, but nothing more than that.
"We don't really know yet. He doesn't really have any shapeshifter's characteristics. He drank blood and got red eyes for a few seconds, but nothing else. It will probably appear when he'll be older," Nathaniel listed, Madelyn nodding along as she tried to remember if other things happened. After talking to their family for quite some time, the vampires decided to go out hunting all together as it had been a long time. Madelyn didn't leave to the rez as she wanted her husband to be there, and Aiden needed to nap anyway. Walking upstairs to her imprint's bedroom, she laid down, Aiden cuddling onto her breasts as he was getting sleepier. The Cullen wolf followed her son's lead, stirring off to sleep, not noticing the small body on top of her that was slowly getting warmer and warmer.
♡
When Madelyn woke up later, she didn't smell anyone from the Cullens and guessed they were still hunting. Still a little in a dreamy state, she failed to notice the fur ball on top of her. It was only when a wet thing slide across her cheek that she blinked slowly, trying to adjust her eyes to the blinding lights. A wet snout nudged her nose and that was what made Madelyn sat up quickly. A small grey wolf cub barked at her and bounced on her lap. How could have she been so stupid? Of course, the cub she saw in her dream and through Aiden's gift were only his wolf form.
"Aw cub..." Madelyn cooed, petting the little wolf lovingly. "Can you shift back for me, baby?" As if he was doing this for a long time, Aiden shifted on command, sitting on his mother's lap. When the Cullen woman noticed the shredded clothes around her, she got up and grabbed some of Aiden's clothes. Once the child wasn't bare anymore, his mother asked, "Can you tell me what happened, cub?"
"While Mama was sleeping, the room was too hot, and I was a puppy like you! What color am I Mama?" Aiden asked excitedly, his eyes sparkling. Madelyn was trying to wrap her mind around everything, but she couldn't help but be still impressed at her son's skills for talking like that when he was only a week old. And now he just shifted. He wasn't even supposed to do so until sixteen years old, but then again, he was a special case. Observing him some more, he looked like he was already older. Maybe three years old.
"You have grey fur, paler than Mama. Do you want to see yourself?" Aiden nodded eagerly, getting up on his feet. With Madelyn's help, he was able to wobble his way in front of the mirror. "You have to think really hard about your wolf form if you want to shift into it," Following his mother's instruction, the toddler was able to get in his wolf form. Right after he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror, he yipped and ran around Madelyn's legs happily, making her fall down. Laughing when she fell on her bottom, Aiden let out a barking laugh and licked her face again. "Alright, come back to your human form, cub," The young child shifted again and after Madelyn helped him put his clothes back on, Aiden's tummy decided to manifest himself.
Picking him up, the woman walked downstairs and grabbed two green apples for them to eat. After their snack, Madelyn went to throw the apple core away while Aiden was playing with the TV remote, enjoying the sounds that came out of it. Unbeknownst to his mother, the child decided to follow her to the kitchen, his legs shaking a little. It seemed like since he shifted and was able to walk around in his wolf form, he could walk easily on his two legs in human form. When she turned around, she jumped in surprise as she met her son's eyes.
"You can already walk by yourself, cub, you impress me!" Aiden smiled widely at the praise, jumping into his mother's opened arms.
"Will Dada be there soon? I want to show him my puppy," Aiden pouted when he looked around for his father. Speaking of the devil, Nathaniel appeared besides them, his shirt collar covered in blood, the rest of the Cullens following behind him.
"You got yourself a puppy, little man?" Nathaniel wondered, confused.
"No! I am a puppy like Mama!" Aiden yelled excitedly, kicking his legs around so Madelyn could pass him to his father. After the Cullens cleaned themselves from the blood they had on their clothes, they gathered in the living room, where Aiden showed them his wolf form. They were glad to see that it didn't hurt the child when he shifted, like it normally would for normal shapeshifter.
"Has a vampire-shapeshifter hybrid existed before?" Edward asked the blond doctor in wonder, but Carlisle shook his head. As far as he knew, Aiden was the first of his kind. The vampire and shapeshifter's genes clashing against each other in the same body must have accelerated his shifting. The mind reader turned towards his mate, who was petting the grey cub with Rosalie and Jasper on the ground.
"If it has happened before, the Volturi never saw that," Luca shook his head. He had lived for centuries and he couldn't believe how special the little hybrid was. Interrupting their conversation, Nathaniel's phone rang loudly. Eclipsing himself to answer it, the rest of the family started to talk about their new destination. They couldn't really stay in Forks for much longer as Aiden was growing incredibly fast. People would notice it and there was no way to tell Aiden was their adopted son, he looked too much like his parents for that excuse to work.
"The pack is on their way," Nathaniel stated when he came back in the room. "Jared couldn't wait to meet his nephew," At that, Madelyn smiled. She had missed her pack brothers and sister, and the imprints. The couple left on the balcony while Aiden was securely sitting on Jasper's lap, playing with his golden locks. The Cullen wolf texted her father, telling him Aiden shifted and that they were going to sleep at the Swan's house tonight. Madelyn had missed her father dearly and she wanted to spend the evening with him. After putting her phone down, she leaned her back on the railing, her imprint trapping her there with his arms.
"A little hybrid..." Nathaniel trailed off with a smile. He thought their son was incredible and couldn't believe he had the chance to have a child, after spending 500 years with the idea that he never would. He couldn't be happier that his mate made it happened.
"A vampire and a werewolf hybrid," Madelyn made quotes with her fingers for the werewolf part, "What a cliché," She teased her imprint, tucking her forefingers through Nathaniel's belt loops and tugging on it so he was closer to her, their chest touching each other. The vampire laughed, leaning his forehead against hers.
"We have to admit our love is cliché, darling," He smirked a little, cupping Madelyn's face and pressing a soft kiss on her lips, stopping her chuckles. They were interrupted by a small cough.
"The pack is here," Esme told them with a soft smile. Nodding, Nathaniel pressed a hand on the curve of her waist, guiding his beloved to the living room. Immediately, she was met by Jared's usual bear hug.
"Maddy I missed you so much!" Jared almost screamed in her ears, twirling her around.
"I missed you too! Have you proposed to Kim?" Madelyn asked, eager to hear the news. Before the Cameron man could answer, he was cut by Paul, as usual.
"Where's our nephew?" The hothead wondered, wrapping an arm around his sister's shoulder, his eyes darting around the room. When his brown eyes fell into Aiden's small form, his smirk turned into a wide grin. "Hey little guy," He cooed, thanking Jasper when he passed him the child. Paul put the child on his shoulders, making Aiden giggle.
"Look Mama, I'm taller than you," Aiden stuck his tongue at his parents, giggling when Madelyn tickled his stomach as revenge.
"Can I hold him next? I was the first to know about Aiden, I should be the priority," Seth made his way around the pack members, staring at Aiden with big eyes.
"Of course, Seth. Favorite uncle, remember?" Madelyn smirked when the pack protested about the favorite uncle position. After each of the shapeshifter, plus Emily and Kim, hold the hybrid for a few minutes, Madelyn turned to Leah and Eva, who were talking on the couch, waiting for the boys to stop monopolizing the child. Eva seemed to calm the Clearwater down, as she looked like she was panicking, staring at the ground and taking deep breaths. Walking closer to them, the Cullen shapeshifter went down on her knees, taking Leah's hands in hers.
"I think you guys should take a walk," Eva suggested Madelyn with an uneasy smile, rubbing Leah's shoulder. Following the human's advice, she leaded her pack sister outside, sending a reassuring smile to her beloved. Walking for a few minutes in silence, they went further in the forest to make sure the people inside the house couldn't eavesdrop.
"What happened Leah? You seemed fine when you arrived," Madelyn asked worriedly, still holding Leah's hand tightly.
"I didn't mean to..." Tears soon filled the bitter girl's eyes, making Madelyn's widened as she had never seen Leah cry. She was always somewhat mad and sometimes even rude, but that was just how she expressed herself. It was the first time Madelyn saw the girl cry. The sight broke the woman's heart, it must be serious if Leah was crying over it. Madelyn stroked the woman's hands with her thumbs, patiently waiting for the Clearwater shapeshifter to calm down.
"I imprinted on Aiden," Leah choked out when she had her tears under control. But the dumbfounded look on Madelyn's face made her want to start to bawl her eyes out again.
"Oh..." The married woman let out, her eyes darting around them. She was so surprised she let Leah's hands go without noticing. The new imprinter thought her sister was going to beat her up. After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence, Madelyn sighed and looked at Leah again. "I'm not mad, Leah, don't worry. It's just, hard to swallow as Aiden just arrived into our life, I found that a bit sudden. But I'm glad it's you, I know you will protect him with your life and I couldn't be more grateful," She spoke, hugging the Clearwater woman close to her. Leah let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, relieved that Madelyn wasn't mad at her.
Walking back to the Cullen's house, they joined their family in the living room. Leah was fiddling with her fingers, nervous to tell the rest of the pack. Eva and Madelyn sent her reassuring looks while the rest only stared at her in confusion.
"I imprinted on Aiden," She stated bluntly, wiping the tears tracks that were still lingering on her face. The entire pack came closer to Leah, congratulating her while Nathaniel wrapped his arm around his wife's waist with a fond smile. He was happy that Leah found her imprint in Aiden, and happy that Aiden would have her so soon in his life. To the shapeshifters, the imprints, and Nathaniel, the imprint bond meant something amazing, but for the Cullens, they weren't sure how to feel about it. The only imprint bond they were familiar with was Madelyn's and Nathaniel's.
After everyone settled down, Carlisle tentatively asked, as he wanted to understand the situation better, "Isn't it, strange that you guys aren't the same age? I mean, you are soulmates..." He wasn't sure if he should have asked that question, as all he received were glares from the pack. Nathaniel winced at the question. He should have explained the imprint bond better to his family.
"Wow," Leah laughed falsely. "Are you really calling me what I think you're calling me?" Carlisle flinched, regretting his question. "An imprinter is a protector. Nothing else than a protector. It's the imprintee's decisions to choose if the relationship will go further or not. Imprint doesn't mean soulmate. It means someone who will protect you, who will die for you, to make sure you're happy and safe. You'll be everything the imprintee wants, and needs. Mads and Nate's are a bit different as she imprinted on him, but she was his mate. Their love relationship was bound to happen for that reason. If Mads had imprinted on a human, she would have act like a protector and a lover, if that's what the human wants," Nathaniel frowned at the mention of his wife imprinting on someone else than him. "When Aiden will be older, if he wants to be in a relationship with someone, I'll be the first to be happy for him and support him. Don't ever degrade the imprint bond like you just did, nobody here will stand for that," Leah's outburst made every vampire winced, all guilty to have thought about that. She stood up, ready to leave immediately.
"Leah..." Sam trailed off softly. The Alpha could understand why she was so upset, not only by the Cullen's commentary. He could have stayed just friends with Emily, but they both decided to be together, and that was what hurt the Clearwater girl so much. They could have waited longer before getting together and it wouldn't have hurt Leah so badly.
"No," She spat, her body shaking with anger, "I'm not going to sit here with them calling me a child predator," She bitterly stated, making the vampires pursued their lips in regret, especially the doctor. Leah left the room, slamming the door close behind her. Sam looked at Emily, who nodded at him. The Alpha got up and followed his ex-fiancée outside. He found her sitting on the steps, her eyes closed as she tried to calm herself down. She knew the Cullen's weren't really familiar with the imprint bond, but it pissed her off that they assumed everything.
Sitting besides her quietly, Sam sighed, "I'm sorry for what I have done to you, Leah. If I could change what I did, I would. But I can't. But I am really happy for you," Leah opened her eyes to look at him. She knew he was sincere.
"Thank you. I am... happy for you too. For you and Emily," She looked away, slightly awkward. Smiling, Sam helped the girl up and hugged her tightly. "I missed my best friend, both of my best friend," Leah continued, motioning to Emily's direction. When Sam broke up, Leah didn't loose only a lover, she lost her high school best friend. And her favorite cousin too.
"We missed you too, Leelee," Sam nudged her shoulder with his, making her smirk at the old nickname.
Leah finally felt at peace.
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Longer chapter today, I hope you liked it! Have a nice day :)