Alice was waiting for him on the porch when Ellis arrived four days before Bella's wedding. She held out her arms and pulled him into a hug, the lace on her dress tickling his cheek. "It's nice to have a baby brother", She commented, grinning cheekily at him as she enjoyed telling him the news first. "As I said on the phone, Esme and Carlisle have offered you a place here as a Cullen. You would take on the surname Hale if you want. We already have a room prepared". She released him and tugged him into the house as Ellis laughed. Esme and Carlisle were waiting for them in the lounge, talking quietly but they turned when they approached.

Ellis felt different seeing the Cullens again. Gone was the animal hostility that he had held before, the blind distrustfulness and the instant dislike. He had changed over the course of the few months, more at ease with his surroundings and fully appreciative of the things the Cullens had done for him. They could have easily killed him, and while he did not fully trust them or welcome them as family yet, he did hold a sort of respect and friendship for a few of them. The main ones being Alice and Jasper. Alice because she shared his experience of not being able to fully remember her human life, and Jasper because the similar scars on both their bodies created a sense of understanding between them. Others (cough cough Edward) he'd have to warm up to. This time he greeted Carlisle and Esme with a small but warm smile.

"Ellis, it's nice to see you" Carlisle greeted as he placed a hand on his shoulder. Esme did not move to hug him but her hands twitched as though she wanted to. Instead she gave him a welcoming smile.

"Esme and I were wanting to discuss something with you, Alice probably has told you this already" Carlisle continued. Ellis nodded and placed a hand on the strap of his cello case out of nervous habit. "You are fully able to disagree if you don't want you, but Esme and I were thinking that this would be beneficial and safer for you", Carlisle explained as he wrapped an arm around his wife's shoulders. "You were turned at fifteen, which is an unusually young age even for us. Unfortunately this means that you will never appear to be legal here, and will need a documented legal guardian".

Esme spoke up, her voice calm and gentle, "we are offering to legally adopt you and become your legal guardians. You will become part of our coven but you will be respected as a independent person, despite your physical appearance".

Ellis nodded. "You will give me freedom to do what I want?" He asked.

"Within reason", Carlisle chuckled. "We don't like killing humans as you already know, but judging by your eyes, that won't be a problem. I'm glad you have made such a decision". He gestured to Ellis' eyes, the new amber mixing with the old red which gave them a golden orange tone. It had been hard at first, to resist human blood. But Ellis was nothing but stubborn and persistent, and so far he had not slipped up.

"Ah yes", Ellis replied. "I wanted to give your way of life a chance if I was going to remain friendly with you".

"That is well appreciated Ellis, thank you", Esme beamed at him, touched by the effort.

"I would be able to visit the wolves, if I stay here", Ellis stated, voice turning thoughtful and calculating. "You will gain a member with a powerful and rare ability, whilst I will get protection and the ability to visit Seth whenever I want. Is that correct?" Ellis cocked his head to the side and studied Carlisle and Esme's expressions for a moment before continuing. "I'm not stupid, nor cruel. Seth has explained to me what I mean to him, and whilst I don't personally believe that I'm good enough to be his imprint yet, I won't cause him unnecessary pain by making him leave his family or restricting myself from him. I am more mentally stable than I've been in a long time. If you or others try to control me, or invade my privacy and damage me without a valuable reason. Let's just say, you'd regret it", Ellis finished threateningly.

Carlisle met his gaze, the older vampire taking him seriously with respect. "You, despite being stuck at fifteen, have a mind much wiser and older than your years Ellis", he muttered. "Your conditions are justified. Of course, none of us will purposely try to cause you mental or physical harm. But I do ask for you to be patient with us. We are old vampires, we tend to get stuck in our ways".

Ellis nodded. "Seems reasonable. Okay. I accept your offer to join your family".

Esme smiled and wrapped him in her arms in a motherly hug. Ellis stiffened for a moment before gently hugging her back. "I am glad to have you as a son", Esme spoke into his hair and something in Ellis broke. He shuddered and clung to her, basking in her motherly warmth that he had been so deprived of. Esme just stroked his back soothingly. It took several minutes for Ellis to calm down.

By that point, all the Cullens had assembled in the living room along with Bella who must have been there discussing wedding details with Alice. One by one, they took turns smothering him in welcoming him with affection. Alice went first, squeezing him in her tiny frame until he giggled before passing him to Jasper who wrapped an arm around his shoulders in a side hug. Rosalie came next. She gave him a cordial and gentle hug with a smile and a "welcome Ellis". Emmet, on the other hand picked him up and spun him around much to Ellis' surprise. "Welcome to the family baby bro!" He yelled as he spun him again. Finally he released him and Edward stepped up. They stared at each other nervously before shaking hands.

"Welcome Ellis Hale", Edward said, cracking a small smile. "I'm glad to have you as a brother".

"Yeah, maybe you could put Edward in his place", Emmet commented and Edward pulled a face at him jokingly. Behind him, Bella smiled and Ellis smiled back.

There was a knock on the door. Two sharp raps. Ellis could hear the person outside shifting anxiously from foot to foot. Alice grinned mischievously and gently took his cello case from his back , pushing him forward. "Go on", she sang. Ellis spared her a look before making it to the door in half a second.

Seth stood on the door step. He was properly clothed for once, in a black polo shirt and jeans. His hair was spiked up and he appeared to have grown in the past months, being a full inch taller. He had gotten leaner, body adapting to his werewolf muscles and abilities, and his skin had darkened slightly after hours outdoors. Honey brown eyes crinkled as he smiled, taking Ellis in. "Hello", he greeted.

"Hi", Ellis beamed at him. "I kept my promise".

"You did. Thank you", Seth returned before pulling him into a hug. The warmth in Seth's skin collided with Ellis' cold as Seth hurried his head into his shoulder. Ellis relaxed for the first time in a long while and wrapped his arms around Seth's waist, basking in his scent. "Missed you", Seth admitted, slightly muffled from Ellis' neck. Ellis responded with a comforting gentle squeeze of his waist as Seth sighed. "Missed you too", he whispered only for Seth's ears to hear.

When they finally let each other go, both were smiling with joy. They took over one of the sofas in the living room and talked for hours. Ellis told Seth what he did over the last few months, how he moved from place to place. The explained how he had rediscovered his passion for music and Seth promised to show him all his favourite songs, also making Ellis promise to play for him at some point. When Ellis got to explaining how he found the house where he was attacked, Seth took his hand, his warmth soothing him. In return, Seth talked about funny pack stories which normally involved Embery and Quil. They sent them both laughing. Seth also talked about how his family was coping with his father's death and Ellis was the one who rubbed circles on the back of his hand. As they talked, the day slowly darkening outside, Ellis had never felt in that moment, more like he was home.