[BamaFan121s]

We approached the thickness of the trees and glanced around for anyone who may question why two people just disappeared into the woods. From a few feet to my right I heard Jasper’s voice, thick with excitement, “Three….two….one….GO!”



And with that we were running full sprint through the woods. Jasper wasn’t as competitive as Emmett, but just the same he enjoyed the freedom of running as only a vampire could. Emmett, my bear like vampire brother, had stayed behind in Forks with Rosalie, Carlisle and Esme. Rosalie wouldn’t hear of leaving Renesmee to attend another boring term in college. Not that it was easy for any of us to bear being separated from her, but for me it was a necessity, myself and Edward in particular. All a part of playing a role typical of anyone else ‘our age.’



I had barely had time to reflect on the inconvenience of the whole situation when the brightly lit windows of our home came into view. I poured on an extra burst of speed and heard Jasper starting to fall slightly behind me. I stepped out of the small clearing around the house only a fraction of a second before him and turned toward him triumphant as he appeared a few feet away.



“Beat ya!” I gloated.



“Yeah, well enjoy it. You won’t have the advantage of being a newborn much longer,” he teased.



We laughed together as we slowed to a human paced walk as we approached the house. It really shouldn’t have come as any surprise that the Cullen family owned a house in New Hampshire too—one of several that they periodically took up residence in. This house, like the one I’d knew in Forks, was set deeply in a reclusive area of the woods. Unsurprisingly, I’d been overwhelmed the first time I saw it, with its massive columns lining the front porch and open floor plan. Also similar to the Forks house were the massive floor to ceiling windows through which the sun rarely shone. I’d still had not grown accustomed to the typical Cullen eccentricities. The thought made me smile to myself as I reached to open the door and stepped across the threshold.



I was barely through the door before I was quite literally swept off my feet only to find a pair of perfect lips crushing down upon mine. After a moment that seemed to last an eternity and yet, not long enough, Edward sat me back down on my feet and stared blazingly back into my eyes, my favorite crooked smile finding it’s way to his mouth. “I missed you,” he said softly, melting me on the spot as only he could.



“I promise she didn’t change much in the few hours you were apart,” Jasper offered as he drifted past us and towards the stairs.



Ignoring Jasper, he leaned forward to tenderly kiss my forehead before taking a step back and settling for holding my hand.

“Where is Alice?” I asked him, aware that she had not congratulated me on my first college level A, just as she’d predicted. Her classes had ended the previous day.



“Ah, Alice. She took the opportunity to go shopping one last time before we leave. She wanted to wait until you returned so that she could drag you along, but I managed to convince her that she would be able to accomplish more if she went without you.”



This was not surprising news. Alice had been overjoyed to discover that a new mall had been erected nearby since the last time the Cullens occupied Hanover. She’d spent countless hours there admiring the wide variety of the latest fashions. On the occasions when she had managed to guilt me into accompanying her, she’d thoroughly explained the differences in styles in comparison to those available in Seattle. It was torturous, but typically Alice to continue in her mission to transform me into a fashion coinsurer as well. “Thank you! I will be eternally grateful to you for that.”



“Don’t give me too much credit,” he responded, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, “my intentions in convincing her were not as noble as you think. I just wanted you all for myself.” I willingly responded to him when he began to pull me in the direction of our room, when the front door suddenly burst open.



“Congrats on your A Bella,” Alice beamed. Without waiting for a reply, she immediately launched into detailed retelling of all her evening’s purchases, already wrapping a pale blue silk scarf around my neck. “These are all the rage in Paris—I got you a green one too. Oh and wait until you see the black skirt I got you—it will go perfectly with the plaid top I found for you last week. And you have to see what I found for Renesmee…” I let her go on as a glanced at her overburdened arms full of bright shopping bags from at least a dozen stores.



Edward released my hand chuckling. “I’ll just finish your packing for you and let you let Alice catch you up.” With that he turned and was gone in an instant, wisely avoiding my hopeless, pleading eyes.



Eventually, after Alice described in detail every item she’d returned with, she was forced to stop to pack her newly acquired spoils. In a strange way, I was grateful that Alice had distracted me during my last few hours here in Hanover. I was so anxious to return to Forks—to Renesmee, and Charlie, and Jacob and the rest of my family.



Edward and Jasper were loading the last of our suitcases in the vehicle—a pitch black Hummer with even darker tint—when I locked the front door and walked out to join them. It was at that moment that I noticed Alice a few feet away from them, standing very still, too still, even for a vampire. I recognized the blank, distant look on her face at once. In recent times, such an occurrence had too often been followed with a foretelling of very unpleasant events. I was relieved when she blinked twice, her face returning to the present and she informed us, “Carlisle was able to book an earlier flight. He’ll be home tonight as well.”



I sighed, relieved. “Oh Alice, don’t scare me like that!”



“Oh calm down Bella,” she mused, “you worry too much. We’ll be home in just a few hours and then you can see for yourself that everything is just as it should be.”



“Will Renesmee be there when we return?” Edward asked, suddenly mirroring my anxiousness.



“I can’t tell,” Alice said, screwing her face into a disapproving scowl, “wherever she is, she’ll obviously be with Jacob.” I was sure that having her visions interrupted again thanks to Jacob’s ever looming presence was not something Alice was looking forward to.



“Hopefully not in that car,” Edward almost growled. I rolled my eyes, turning to head towards the passenger seat. Before leaving, Edward had exhausted every effort to convince Jacob to let him buy him a new car under the premise that he needed something more dependable for Renesme’s sake and that he was only considering her best interest. I knew Edward better. Although I’m sure that was partially his reason, I also had complete faith in Jacob’s mechanical skills and I knew he wouldn’t venture to take Renesmee anywhere in a vehicle that wasn’t dependable. I suspected that Edward’s fascination with flashy, expensive cars was a much larger motivation for than he would admit. And the Volkswagen Rabbit Jacob had rebuilt himself was anything but that. After I’d refused a third new car, he’d turned focusing his efforts on Jacob instead. I smiled at the memory as I settled back in my seat, fastening my seatbelt out of habit rather than necessity.



The drive to the Lebanon-Manchester Airport was very short, due to Edward’s driving, which far exceeded the speed limit. Of course, in the early hours of the morning, there were few other cars around to witness these antics and Alice had informed him in advance where the highway patrol cars were parked along our route. It wasn’t the closest airport geographically, but it was the only one that offered late flights to Seattle. Late flights did have their advantages. A plane illuminated with bright sunlight wasn’t exactly the ideal way for a vampire to travel.