[BamaFan121s]

I’d forgotten about their exchange yesterday. "Jake, why do you have Emmett’s keys?" Jacob suddenly tried to make himself look very busy, although the kitchen was almost spotless at this point.

"Oh…" he stammered, putting away a pan with excessive clanking. "My car gave out on me a few weeks ago. I’m pretty sure it’s the transmission, but I can’t find a replacement anywhere. Emmett’s been lending me his Jeep."

"Oh really!" Edward exclaimed, his expression suddenly brightening hopefully. He brought his hands together in front of him and rubbed them together briskly.

"Yeah, really! But don’t you get any ideas, I will get it running again!"

"Edward…Bella…could I have a few words with you?" Carlisle’s voice interrupted Edward before he could go any further. Even though he was upstairs in his office, we heard him as clearly as if he were standing next to us.

I saw Jacob exhale deeply in relief for the interruption. Edward stepped back a few steps, pointing to Jacob as he did so. "We’ll resume this conversation later." Then he turned to follow me up the stairs. I heard Jacob muttering his objections as he stomped off to the garage.

We entered Carlisle’s office upstairs to find him already sitting behind his large mahogany desk. We walked in and sat in the two plush, high backed chairs in front of him. "I won’t keep you long," he smiled to us. "I just wanted to update you on a few things regarding Renesmee and get your opinions on a few other issues." I noticed that he held Edward’s eyes for a second and saw Edward nod briefly before he continued. This bothered me a little. I frowned slightly and wondered what exchange I’d missed. What did they feel the need to say to one another that they didn’t feel I could be a part of?

Before I’d had a chance to question it, Carlisle continued. "First, concerning Renesme. As I’m sure you have both noticed, she no longer requires a diet of strictly blood. As she has matured, she has developed more of an appetite for human food. Although she does still hunt with us, the frequency has substantially reduced. As to if she will completely wean herself from it is rather unclear at such an early stage in her life."

This was good news as far as I was concerned. As vampires, we constantly battled for control over our thirst. I had come to understand that although it would get easier to control the urges with time, they would always be present. Even Edward, after decades of control, had nearly lost the battle when he’d first met me. My blood had been more appealing to him than any he’d ever encountered and actually caused him physical pain. He’d actually left Forks for a while to escape the temptation. The less Renesmee depended on drinking blood, the less obstacles she would be forced to deal with—one less aspect of her life that would possibly expose us.

"And her growth?" Edward asked, slightly squeezing my hand as he spoke.

"There don’t seem to have been any changes there, physically or intellectually. You can surely note the changes in her physical appearance." We both nodded. "Intellectually, she seems to be advanced. The intellect of a child around ten if I’m estimating. She seems to possess our ability to retain knowledge, and she has a superb grasp on vocabulary. In her lessons, Rosalie is encouraging her to communicate more verbally rather than through her talents. She seems to be progressing well in that area from what Rosalie tells me and what I’ve observed myself."

"Of course, I’ve been sharing all of this with Jacob and Sam. They are both making sure that the teachers in the Quiluete school can prepare for her enrolment in the fall. I feel very confident that she will do well there."

"Thank you Carlisle." I was thankful to him for so much more than just sharing this update with us. He nodded in recognition of my thanks, making it obvious that he understood that.

"There was one more thing I wanted to discuss with the two of you." Edward reached over with his free hand to rub my arm reassuringly, before nodding to Carlisle to continue. "I have already spoken with the rest of the family regarding the subject." He hesitated for a brief moment again. "It’s about the Volturi…more specifically about their desire for us to visit them in the coming months." I swallowed hard, I knew this could not be avoided forever. I knew that things with the Volturi were different now—better. But still, it would be a long time before I was able to move past everything we’d been through because of them. I remained silent for a full minute, reliving my past encounters with them in my head.

"Bella…" Edward said softly.

"And Aro, does he still want…" I let my sentence trail off, turning my head slightly towards Edward, but not taking my eyes off of Carlisle.

"Yes." Carlisle confirmed, "Aro is still very much hopeful that Edward will join them. Alice too….and you Bella. In that one aspect, he has not changed."

I closed my eyes and saw a vision that had filled my head many times before. Edward, clad in a long dark gray robe, his eyes a vivid, ruby color. To his left, a slightly smaller robed figure, with irises matching his—Alice. This time there was a new figure in the vision to his right—me. I clenched my teeth in protest.

"You must understand," Carlisle began hesitantly. "They are extending an invitation for us to visit, not issuing us an ultimatum. The choice is completely up to you."

"Bella, we don’t have to go," Edward began. He moved to the edge of the seat and reached forward to take my face between his palms. He turned my face, forcing me to look at him. "I don’t want you to feel forced into anything if you don’t feel completely comfortable with it." I considered this option for a minute, then turned to face Carlisle.

"We’ll go Carlisle." I said confidently, not a trace of doubt in my voice. "I trust your judgment. I want to show that we support all of the efforts that you have made there." I looked back to Edward who was still watching me apprehensively. "Really. I’m fine with it." I forced a smile, hoping it looked genuine and would ease his doubts. He stared at me for a fraction of a second longer, studying my expression.

Slowly, he turned back to Carlisle and nodded. "Very well. I’ll let the others know and we’ll make preparations to make the trip later in the summer." Although Carlisle remained very businesslike, I could tell there was a hint of gratitude below the surface of his words. He was obviously pleased by our willingness to show our support. "If you don’t mind waiting just a few minutes, I have some information to send to Sam. Samples of Renesmee’s recent work," he added in explanation.

As he sorted through a stack of papers on his desk, I stood up from my chair and began to walk around his office, looking at the dozens of pictures that adorned his wall, not really focusing on any of them.

After a minute, I found that I’d come to stand in front of a picture I’d first seen years ago. A brightly colored picture depicting a scene frozen in time of the Volturi from the time that Carlisle was with them. I looked at them, musing over how they had remained unchanged over time. My eyes wandered from the four central figures to those who stood in the background. I recognized a few of the faces. Demetri stood in the background, looking as lethal as ever. To his side stood Heidi, the only vampire I’d ever encountered whose physical beauty could compete with that of Rosalie. Directly behind the three present leaders stood three women, two of whom I immediately recognized as the wives. But it was the third woman that I did not recognize that caused me to freeze on the spot, unable to tear my eyes from her. She was every bit as striking as the wives of Aro and Caius, but it was not her appearance that captivated my gaze. Perched atop her head, surrounding a cascade of thick black curls, sat a tiara with a large green stone set deep in the center—a tiara that I recognized as the one that now in the possession of my daughter.