[BamaFan121s]

The following day proceeded as normal—as normal as you could expect in a house full of vampires who received frequent visits from werewolves. The only noticeable difference was that this morning, it was Rosalie and Esme rather than Jacob who we found preparing Renesme’s breakfast when we arrived at the big Cullen house.
“Where’s Jake?” I asked Esme, who was taking a pan of fresh biscuits out of the oven. They looked and smelled absolutely disgusting, although I imagined to a human they were quite appealing.
It was Rosalie who answered. “The mongrel called and said that he had some errands to run for Billy this morning but that he’d be over later.” I tried to ignore the venom in her words as she acknowledged Jacob’s whereabouts.
“Maybe he’ll be able to get some of the parts for his car,” I added thoughtfully.
Edward looked at me and winked behind Rosalie’s back. “You know Rose,” he began in a tone laden with teasing, “You are our resident car aficionado. Why don’t you help Jacob out?”
Rosalie froze, turning slowly to face Edward. Her grip on the spoon she was holding tightened, her porcelain knuckles turning even whiter as she easily bent the metal instrument into a useless, bent arrangement of silver. The look she gave Edward was murderous. “And why in the hell would I do that!?” She spat back through clenched teeth.
“Rosalie!” Esme chided, casting an explanatory glance towards Renesme.
“Just to be polite…and helpful?” Edward suggested, a note of false innocence in his voice. From the garage, I heard Emmett’s roaring laughter, obviously having heard the exchange.
A hiss escaped Rosalie’s lips. “I would rather throw myself on a fire than to help that mutt!” Rosalie’s hand was shaking in anger around the misshapen spoon she still clutched.
“Don’t call my Jacob a mutt!” Renesme chimed in, turning the full force of her angelic, pleading eyes on her favorite aunt. That seemed to soften Rosalie a little. She resigned to muttering insults under her breath as she busied herself cleaning up the kitchen at an inhuman pace. I sat at the counter in the kitchen mindlessly flipping through Rosalie’s lesson that she obviously had planned for the day. It appeared that she planned to continue teaching Renesme about Italy as she had for the past few days, in preparation for our looming trip no doubt.
I flipped through the book, stopping to examine a picture of St. Mark’s Square. On one page was a picture of The Basilica, an ancient looking stone building with a high domed points adorned with iron crosses and intricate, carved artists renderings inset in its many arches. The caption indicated that the original structure was burned during the 976 rebellion and remained closed for a century until it was rebuilt and that it now housed the Correr Museum. I flipped the page and froze when I saw the following images. On one page was a picture of a giant clock tower that adjoined the Basilica. On the opposite page was a picture of thousands of people filling the streets in celebration. The caption under the picture identified it as April 25th—St. Marcus Day.
Immediately, unwanted memories, as clear as if they had happened yesterday, filled my head. I’m not sure how long I stared at the two pictures. I was only suddenly aware that Edward had placed his hand over my own, which was trembling, gently forcing the book closed. His velvet voice whispered in my ear, so softly that only I would hear. “You’re worried.” It was a statement, not a question.
“Yes.” I whispered, still staring down at where the pictures had been before me.
“Bella, it’s still not too late to change our plans. We could stay here, no one would blame you.”
“No,” I replied, although the uncertainty in the one simple word wasn’t convincing even to myself. I took a deep, unnecessary breath. “I think….I think I would like to talk to Alice.”
“She’s upstairs. Jacob’s not here, so this may be a good time to talk to her. Maybe it will ease your mind some?” He suggested, correctly interpreting the reason behind my request.
I found Alice upstairs, just as he’d predicted. She was on the computer. I glanced over her shoulder to see that she was looking up designer shops in Venice in typical Alice-fashion.
Before I could even address her, she turned in her seat to face me, with a very understanding smile on her face. “I know what’s on your mind Bella.” She patiently waited for me to confirm that she was right. I nodded my head and she continued, “I’ve looked so many times at our trip, trying to find something to ease your mind….and mine too. No matter which way I approach it, the outcome is always the same. You know if I saw even the slightest chance of something happening…”
“I know Alice.” I said softly, dropping my eyes to the ground. I knew that it was senseless to worry about something so trivial—something that Carlisle had complete confidence in, something that Alice had already seen a thousand times, but I couldn’t help it.
“I understand why you’re apprehensive Bella. Honestly, I’d question your sanity if you weren’t the slight bit nervous about it. Please trust me in this Bella. I assure you, I don’t see any indication that we will have any trouble whatsoever in Italy.”
“Really?” I asked.
“Really. And Edward has seen what I’ve seen too. And we’ve discussed it in great detail with Carlisle too.”
“OK Alice. I trust you. And Carlisle. I just needed…reassurance, I suppose.”
At this, she seemed to relax. “Honestly Bella, you are going to worry yourself gray prematurely.” She laughed a little, her bell like voice filling the room.
I forced my face back into seriousness. “Alice?”
“Yes?”
“Do vampires get gray hair?” I teased.
“No, but I’m sure you’ll be the first to find a way.” She teased. Suddenly, her face went blank for a fraction of a second, pulling her face into a scowl. “Ooooh! I had delayed flights!” She threw her hands up in frustration and spun back around to the computer, already rescheduling our flight before she’d finished her statement.
“Thanks Alice. I’ll let you get back to your planning.” I turned and headed back for the stairs.
“Oh and Bella…don’t pack your green jacket. You’re not going to need it.” She called over her shoulder.
“Alice…I didn’t pack my green jacket.”
“I know,” she said, turning to flash me a quick grin. “But you were going to…and don’t forget to get your passports together. I already have Edward’s.” She turned her attention back to the computer screen, her hands flying over the keys in search for different flights.
Once downstairs, I rummaged through my purse and pulled out mine and Renesme’s passports. I looked at Renesme’s marveling at how her appearance had changed in the few short months since the picture had been taken. She easily still resembled the picture, only older. I mused over the name…Vanessa Wolf. I didn’t suppose the name mattered. I took both the documents and lay them on the counter for Alice.
After a quick peak in on Renesme’s lesson, I followed the sound of Edward and Emmett’s voices to the garage. They were on the far side of the garage, standing in front of a massive steel cabinet, full of sporting goods and camping equipment. At the sound of my approach, Edward turned his attention to me. “Feel better?” he asked, as he stepped forward to embrace me, leaning down to kiss the top of my head.
I nodded, “Yes…much. What are you two doing?”
“We’re getting together the supplies for the baseball game.” Emmett said, stepping back from the cabinet and inclining his head to acknowledge his arms which were full of gloves. He easily slung them in the back of his Jeep. “Why don’t you two can pry yourself off of each other long enough to help me out?”
Edward and I rolled our eyes at each other and turned to help him. I didn’t want to admit it, but I really didn’t know what ‘supplies’ we actually needed. I stepped towards the cabinet, grabbed a few bats and walked around to put them in the back of Emmett’s jeep as well. I held back one and turned it over, examining it closely. It felt feather light. I knew I’d never played baseball, or any other organized sport that I could recall off hand, but for some reason, there was something very familiar about the bat that I held in my hand. I peered at it, turning it over in my hands, trying to recall exactly what it was. I shrugged and reached forward to place it in the back of Emmett’s jeep and picked up one of the balls from the back seat. Like the bat, there was something familiar about the small red and white sphere, but I couldn’t quite place what it was. I turned it over, running my pale fingers over the stitching. I could easily discern every small flaw in the leather that covered it. I could count the threads in the intricate stitching, but I couldn’t recall why it would seem familiar to me.
Emmett’s booming voice pulled me from my musing. “Those wolves don’t honestly think they stand a chance against us, do they bro?”
I turned a confused expression towards him and Edward and raised a questioning eyebrow. “Wolves?”
Edward grinned at me widely. “Jacob and a few of his pack members are going to join use this afternoon.”