Sunrise - A Twilight Fanfic
 

OK, so bear with me as I proofread and post chapters as I can. I will *try* to get at least one posted per day.
This is the fanfic I wrote to appease my aunt. She and I both became engrossed with the Twilight Saga, as so many have. We would guess at what we thought would have happened after the end of the series and eventually she just said, "You know, why don't you just right all this stuff down?" Sooo....I did, and thought I'd share.

So the story is set shortly after the end of Breaking Dawn. Bear with it, it does start a bit slow because I acutally wanted to have a good storyline rather than just jumping into a bunch of action.

Preface
 

** Jacob Black **

I felt the burn of my muscles as I pushed them to their limit, still urging them to propel me faster. All the while I watched the grisly scene before me unfold through Seth’s eyes. He searched frantically for Renesme, but she was no where in sight. The air was heavy with turmoil in every direction and a heavy, purple-black smoke hung in the air. The woods flew past me in a green blur as I collided with smaller trees, leaving them to fall in my wake. I knew there were brief periods during my run where I could have been seen by bewildered eyes, but I didn’t care—maybe rumors of bears in Forks would begin to circulate again soon. My only focus at this point was to take the most direct route as quickly as possible to my destination.

I felt Seth’s panic as he watched the cloaked figures threatening to overtake the heart of their opponents. As they began to close in, I watched as he flanked Paul and charged towards the mass of shrouded vampires. I knew that the most talented vampires would be the main targets--Kate, Benjamin, Zafrina, Emmett, Edward...and Bella. I knew that the packs would align themselves around those individuals. The ground beneath Seth shook as he collided with one of the dark stone figures. In one fluid motion he was back on his feet, turning to make another pass towards the enemies as they overtook the center of our resistance. And then, every ounce of my blood ran cold as he caught sight of Edward.

Edward dropped to his knees, his hands clenching his hair on each side as he raised his face to the sky. As his lips parted, the air was filled with a tortured cry so full of anguish that the very Earth stood still on its axis. There was only one thing in this universe that could have caused him to react so.. I knew at that moment that I was too late…I knew that Bella was gone.


I jerked upright, eyes wide and sweat dripping from my head. My reaction was instinctual. I flung myself from bed and tore through the house, throwing myself out the front door with such force that it nearly too it off its hinges. I’d phased completely before ever hitting the ground as I cleared the porch stairs. I had to see for myself. I knew that like all the times before, Renesme would be sleeping soundly in her bed and the rest of the family would be deeply involved in whichever activity held their attention at the time. They would turn to me with worried expressions as they always did, calming my fears and Dr. Fang would pass it off as a result of some sort of post traumatic stress, but still, I had to know….had to see for myself.


So, as the sun threatened to rise over the mountains in the distance, I concentrated on the sound of my four enormous paws beating a steady rhythm on the forest floor as I headed in the direction of the big, white house in the woods.

Chapter 1 - Finals
 

Would this day every end? I was beginning to have my doubts. I was really beginning to understand the monotony that presented itself with everyday life that my family always complained about. But there was one thing to be thankful for—this was the last day I would have to sit in this particular class. The last time I would have to hear the droning, monotone voice of this professor. This time anyway. This was the last day of the term and our finals had been graded and returned. I’d been looking forward to this day for weeks and now that it had arrived, it seemed like it would last an eternity. Ha! An eternity—I laughed to myself at the irony of that thought. It would have been easier for the professor to dismiss class. Half of the students had not shown up in any case. Instead he chose to seize one last opportunity to inflict torture on us by once again, going over the material from our examinations. It was only too easy to allow my mind to wander to a more preferable location…



The sun shone bright, reflecting off the small bubbling creek before me. The light struck my skin, which in turn filled the small meadow with thousands of tiny dancing rainbows. I myself was still awestruck by the phenomenon on occasion, but my own fascination was nothing compared to that of the small person in front of me. Renesmee, my daughter, was a few feet from me, arms held out, spinning in circles amidst the thousands of prisms shining all around her. Joyous giggles escaped her rosy lips every few moments as her springy, soft brown curls danced about her angelic face.



I closed my eyes, completely euphoric in this, the happiest place I know. I was aware of the slight movement of the brightly colored flowers behind me as another person approached.



The most perfect, velvet smooth voice whispered, just inches from my ear, “I will never get past how amazingly perfect she is.”



And suddenly I was aware of a sharp, stabbing pain in my right side. In a fraction of a second, I whipped my head from right to left and back to the right a dozen times, trying to find the source of the discomfort, only to be greeted by the smiling face of my god-like mate. The second stab of pain pulled me from this happier memory and brought me back to the present.



Jasper. I realized the source of the pain had been a few carefully aimed blows from his elbow to my side—his attempt to pull me from my daze. Easily distracted, I believe was the term I’d become familiar with. I shot him an annoyed look, trying to put as much irritation behind it as I could. His only response was a playful grin back at me. I rolled my eyes and turned my attention back to the professor who was slowly pacing back and forth across the front of the classroom.



As annoyed as I was with Jasper at the moment, I couldn’t deny the overwhelming feeling of calm it gave me to have him at the table next to me. That was due in part to his unnatural ability to manipulate the feelings around him. It was a huge relief to know that he was here, willingly devoted to helping me adjust to a normal way of life. As normal as can be expected for a vampire, in any case.



I was a vampire, as was Jasper, my “brother” as a result of the life I’d willingly and eagerly chosen. It had been at my insistence and his peace of mind that he’d agreed to enroll in this class with me. Actually, it was at the insistence of the two of us that there was at least one member of my family in each of the six classes I’d taken on this term—not as heavy a load as it seems for someone who never sleeps. The preference not viewed as entirely necessary by the entirety of our family.



Although I had adjusted to my new life with unexpected ease and quickness, I was still unsure of my stability as a newborn vampire, as was Jasper. I’d had it so engrained in my head that I would be able to focus on nothing but my burning thirst for blood that it had been an idea more difficult for me to move past than some of my other family members. It was common knowledge within the vampire community that newborns were unpredictable, erratic, and possessed a certain bloodlust that deemed them all but impossible to be reasoned with. I had, in my human life, had the unfortunate experiences of witnessing this first hand. I cringed away from the memory. Although the same situation would not present the same obstacles in present times for me, the thought of the events that had transpired were not pleasant to recall. Jasper’s past experience in dealing with the typical savage ways of newborns made him uneasy and unsure about my abilities to control myself as well.



It actually did more than that—it made him outright overbearing and annoyingly so at times. But still, I would be forever grateful for his dedication in helping me adjust to this new, immortal way of life. However grateful I was for his presence though, it did little to help pass the time on occasions like this where the subject matter of the professor’s lecture became torturously repetitive. It also did not help matters that he was the only member of my family with whom I shared this particular class with and that every second I was separated from Edward felt like an eternity. I sighed internally at the thought.



Before I had the chance to slip into another daydream, I heard a sound that I’d been waiting on for the past few hours—the dismissal of class. For the majority of the class, like me and Jasper, this was the last class of the term, so it was no surprise that the professor’s parting words were barely audible over the excited buzz of the other students as they gathered their things and headed for the door. It was a human emotion I felt completely at one with at the moment. If it were not for Jasper’s patient hand on my shoulder, I may have literally flown from the classroom.



“Geez Bella, I thought that European History was your favorite class,” he teased in his thick southern accent, a playful smirk on his face.



“Well it was the first time I heard it,” I responded, returning his joking smile. My previous annoyance with him was already forgotten, as was customary with him. The newly photographic memory that being a vampire had bestowed upon me definitely had its downside as well. As interesting as I had found the material our class had covered, I still remembered it perfectly from the first time the professor covered it months ago. Actually, that was an understatement, I remember the material, which syllables of each word the professor had stressed during the discussion, that there had been a fly in the corner window on that particular day, that the girl in front of me wore a green shirt, the boy to her right a red cap as well as a dozen other minute details that would have rendered themselves just as mundane the second time they were presented.



We slowly walked out into the muted light of the long, gray stone hallway that led out to campus. We paused briefly at the water fountain outside the classroom, each taking our turn to lower our lips to the cool stream that flowed from the tarnished silver fixture. The action was merely a charade as neither of us really drank anything, but it was a very nonchalant way to pass a few seconds and allow the halls a few precious moments to clear. Packed into a crowded hall was not the most ideal place for one to be when the temperature of your skin was shockingly ice cold…or when the pulse of the blood through their veins was so inviting and warm and beckoning…I shook my head to clear the image and felt a wave of calm wash over me. I immediately shot Jasper an apologetic look, grateful again to have him by my side. I was still within control of myself, easily. I could have easily forced the image from my mind on my own, but he wasn’t willing to take any chances.



Once the crowd had dispersed, Jasper fell into stride beside me as we strode towards the end of the hall. Having conveniently scheduled the majority of my classes at night, it was already nearing darkness as we stepped out into the fresh air of the courtyard. Not that it would have mattered. There was a time that I could not have imagined a place in existence that was as dreary as Forks, Washington. In the short time I’d lived in Forks with my father Charlie and then with the Cullens, I’d come to think of it as the most overcast, dreariest place on Earth. That was before I came to Hanover, New Hampshire to attend Dartmouth. It was only a few weeks before I realized that this town easily rivaled Forks in that aspect.



“So, do you think you managed to do well in all your studies?” Jasper asked.



“Well, you know Alice told me weeks ago what my final grades would be, so that really takes a lot of the speculation out of it, doesn’t it?” I said, a smile playing on my lips at the thought of my favorite sister.



As we neared the far side of the courtyard, the edge of the nearby forest came into sight. The vegetation was different from the mossy, thick green that I had grown accustomed to in Forks, but the shielding cover of the trees was just as effective. We would travel home today by foot, which really wasn’t so bad when you were a vampire.



“Hey Jasper, I’ll race you home,” I challenged as we approached the edge of the trees.



“You’re on, little sister,” he welcomed the challenge.

(cont.) Chapter 1 - Finals
 

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.

(cont.) Chapter 1 - Finals
 

Once on the plane, I settled for the window seat. Alice and Jasper sat in a pair of seats a few rows behind us. We were the only passengers in first class, so we basically had our choice of seats. Fewer passengers were another benefit of overnight flights.



Edward settled into the seat beside me. He took my hand, pulling it towards his face to lightly kiss my wrist before returning it, still enclosed in his to the armrest between us. With his other hand, he began a familiar pattern, lightly tracing his fingers form my wrist to the crease in my elbow and back to my wrist again as I leaned my head back against the seat to meet his gaze. I reached my finger up to trace the dark, bruise like circles under his onyx black eyes and frowned. “You need to hunt when we get back,” I softly whispered.



“Yes,” he agreed. “As soon as possible. It will be more difficult during the day given the higher number of backpackers in the area this time of year.” Edward had taken even more classes than me. His final classes combined with a rare day of sunshine in Hanover in the last week had made it impossible for him to join Alice, Jasper and I on our recent outing two nights prior.



“First thing,” I agreed.



“Second,” he countered, his face instantly brightening, a dazzling smile spreading across his perfect mouth. “Renesmee first.”



“Of course,” I agreed, shrugging. “I thought that went without saying.”



“It’s been hard for you being away from her, hasn’t it?”



“Yes,” I agreed, the all too familiar ache of yearning for my daughter returning to my still heart. “More than I imagined it would.”



“I know just what you mean.” He leaned forward to cradle my face in his hands and kissed my hair. He rested his cheek on the top of my head. “We don’t have to come back in the fall, if you’d rather stay for a while.”



“Hmmm…” I pondered the idea as he returned to tracing the lines in my arm again. I turned my gaze towards the small, round window of the plane.



It was such a tempting option that it was unbearable. Tempting because I hated being across the country from our perfect daughter, unbearable because the choice we’d made to attend college on the other side of the country was a necessity. Although most of the friends I’d know in high school had left to attend college or begin their lives anew out of state, there were still those with whom I was familiar who remained in the small town who would no doubt notice the changes I’d undergone since the previous fall, even if they were clueless as to the truth of the transformation. It was because of this that we’d decided together that it was simply in the best interest of all involved for us to continue with our previous plans to stay in Hanover and attend Dartmouth for the spring term.



I was no longer the plain, ordinary Bella that they’d grown accustomed to. My skin was an even paler than it had been before I’d become a vampire—a perfect, flawless porcelain. My features were appearance was striking—something that did not go unnoticed in such a small, uneventful town as Forks was. I thought back to the way I’d been instantly mesmerized by the beauty of Edward and his family as a newcomer years ago.



And then there were my eyes. Before they were a rich, chocolate brown. After I’d taken on this life of immortality, they’d become a bright shade of crimson—not the kind of thing that would go unnoticed, and a shade representative of those vampires who still feasted on human blood. I was very relieved that as the months had passed, they’d begun to take on more of the topaz coloring shared by the rest of the Cullen family, diluted by my diet of animal blood. They only still showed the slightest tint red now, only visible when the light stuck them at just the right angle.



I’d never particularly been fond of the chocolate color of my old eyes, but now, I’d come to wonder why I’d ever felt that way to begin with. Renesme’s eyes were the color of purest milk chocolate—the color mine had been, the color of Charlie’s. Beautiful and perfect. My thoughts, returning to my daughter as they so often did, caused the longing to see her again burning afresh deep within my stomach.



We’d made the painful decision that Renesmee would remain in Forks with Carlisle, Esme, Emmett and Rosalie. And of course, Jacob. I smiled at the thought of my werewolf best friend, once the sworn enemy of the Cullen family, turned ally by the arrival of Renesmee. I was still not completely comfortable with the whole aspect of Jacob’s imprinting on my daughter when she was only a baby. My own feelings on that subject were mild in comparison to those of the vampire who sat to my immediate right. Although he understood the Quileute trait, which was considered legend, like so many things until recently, his natural protectiveness as a father still lingered strongly under the surface. But there was plenty of time to worry about those details.



Renesmee was now physically the size of a child who should be attending school, and intellectually, she was beyond that. This posed another problem we’d had to face shortly before our departure for Hanover. Clearly, given her abnormal growth as a half vampire, half human child, the difficulties of her attending school presented a whole new set of challenges. Rosalie had all too willingly volunteered to home school her, but I wanted her to have as many human experiences as possible. Ironically, something Edward had once wanted for me. I’d only recently been able to fully understand why he’d always placed such importance on such a thing that had seemed so meaningless to me once. Still, I’d wanted her to experience a world outside of vampires and werewolves and the confines of the Cullen home.



Surprisingly, it was Jacob who’d presented the perfect solution to the problem. In the fall, Renesmee would begin attending the Quileute school on the reservation, as Jacob always had. Of course, Rosalie had been outraged when we’d agreed this was the best option. I cringed at the memory of her murderous outrage when we’d informed her of our decision and how she’d nearly quite literally taken Jacob’s head off in between the insults she’d fired at him. She would have succeeded if it had not been for Emmett’s quick interference.



Still, there was no denying that the solution Jacob had offered was a good one. The Quileute Indians, their society founded on their strong beliefs in legends and folklore, were more apt to overlook and accept things that humans would question. Jacob was well known and respected on the reservation and therefore Renesmee would be welcomed into their society with open arms. I had to admit that his presence in her life, and mine, brought me an immense feeling of peace and happiness.



I’m not sure how long I stared out the window, deeply immersed in these thoughts. I looked towards the horizon, a faint tint of pink playing in the distance threatening sunrise. I wondered how many sunrises I would see in my immortal years. It wasn’t until I heard Edward’s velvet smooth whisper in my ear that I was pulled from these fantasies to realize that the plane had slanted slightly downward to begin it’s decent. “Bella, love, we’re almost home.”

Chapter 2 - Homecoming
 

I had barely been able to contain myself when the wheels of the plane touched the runway in Seattle. Alice had threatened to have Jasper calm me down, but Edward had waved him off. He’d muttered something about it being endearing…I’m not sure, my focus and thoughts were elsewhere.



The conveyor belt had moved at a snail's pace as we waited to collect our luggage. I bounced on the balls of my feet, unable to stand still, much like Alice when she really wanted something and couldn’t contain her eagerness and excitement—something that normally resulted with me in a dress, looking like a porcelain doll. The entire time, Edward kept throwing me amused glances, chuckling and shaking his head. He’d given up on any attempts at conversation with me—I was past the point of being able to concentrate long enough to communicate with any coherence. My mind was already racing ahead to the big white house in the woods and the reunion that lay ahead.



After what seemed like ages, we’d hauled our suitcases through the revolving doors and out to the parking garage of the airport. We loaded our things into Edward’s shiny silver Volvo that Rosalie and Emmett had dropped off the night before. We were on the interstate heading in the direction of Forks in a matter of minutes.



The landscape flashing past my window should have served as indication enough that we were traveling at a fairly high rate of speed—typical when Edward was behind the wheel. Nevertheless, I couldn’t stop myself from looking over to check the speedometer every few minutes. Each time I repeated the nervous habit, Edward repressed a grin, pulling his mouth into a very tight line, warring with the urge to laugh.



“Can’t you drive a little faster?” I asked, my impatience finally spilling over. I’d fully come to terms with the Cullen style of driving since my transformation.



“Bella, I’m doing one-twenty. Relax. I am just as eager as you are.” He reached across to cradle my face in his hand, gently tracing my cheek with his thumb reassuringly, smiling my favorite crooked smile.



I glanced to the back seat to Jasper and Alice, hoping for some reinforcements, but to no avail. They were busy staring adoringly into each other’s eyes, silently, as they so often did. I’d grown accustomed to this—their own method of conveying their commitment and affection to one another. Clearly, they were not going to offer any assistance in that particular matter. As I often did, I felt as if I’d intruded on a very intimate, private moment between the two of them. I quickly turned my attention back to the front of the car.



I was truly happy to see Alice so within her element and carefree again. The time spent in Hanover had been good for her. Prior to our departure, the seemingly constant presence of Jacob and frequent visits from other members of the pack had really interfered with her sense of normalcy. She’d discovered long ago that their presence rendered her visions of the future useless. Much to her dismay, Renesmee seemed to have the same effect on her. As we are highly dependant on all our senses, I can only imagine the feelings of frustration and panic suddenly losing one of them would ignite.



I sighed and turned back to cast another glance at the speedometer, willing it to show a higher number than the last time I’d taken inventory, and resigned to turning to gaze out the window again. I exerted every effort I could muster to finding a way to occupy my mind during the journey. I took to counting the raindrops on the window as they slid past me being pushed in unpredictable patters by the rushing wind as it found them.



3,428 raindrops later, the pavement turned to gravel beneath our car. My gaze flashed from the passenger window forward and peered up the long, twisting driveway that led to the Cullen home… my home. My daughter. My family. The enormity the thought was so overwhelming that I still fought to wrap my mind around the concept.



At long last, unable to hide his own excitement and impatience any longer, Edward pulled the car up and stopped in front of the stairs, not bothering to take the time to park it in the massive garage. As quick as I was, Edward was quicker, he was on the passenger side of the car opening my door and extending a hand down towards me before I’d even reached the handle. I allowed him to pull me from the car, his own eager smile and excitement mirroring my own. Hand in hand, we turned together and flashed up the stairs of the porch and through the front doors, followed by Jasper and Alice.



We were met in the foyer by Esme and Rosalie. Esme, warm and welcoming as ever, quickly walked forward, embracing both Alice and myself in her motherly embrace, kissing us both on the cheek in turn. She then repeated the gesture with Edward and Jasper as Rosalie stepped forward to greet Alice and myself. She did not exude the same warmth as Esme, but the genuineness of her happiness in this moment could not be denied.



Esme stepped back and peered into each of our faces in turn for the slightest fraction of a second, “I’m so happy to have you all home at last,” she quietly spoke. Esme was happiest when her entire family was together. No doubt, she had been looking forward to this reunion every bit as much as we had. One did not need to possess Jasper’s special talents to sense the pure love radiating from her. But as touched as I was to be welcomed back by Esme, and Rosalie, there was another’s face I longed to see even more, whose embrace was the only remedy for the painful aching that burned within my depths.



“Where’s Renesmee?” I asked turning to Rosalie, who would undoubtedly know. “Is she here? Is she with Jacob?” I added, remembering Alice’s earlier prediction.



“Oh, they’re both here alright,” Edward responded, a smile playing in his voice. I turned to examine his expression as he struggled to stifle his amusement, laughter threatening to claim his refinement at any moment. I didn’t have time to question the reason—my thoughts were interrupted by the sound I’d been longing to hear for months.



An angelic squeal of delight pierced through the house, “Mommy!”

(cont.) Chapter 2 - Homecoming
 

I whipped my attention to the doorway. Renesmee. I reacted immediately, not bothering to pause for even the tiniest fraction of a second to consider my actions. I closed the gap between us in two quick strides, catching her midair as she leaped into my outstretched arms. I dropped to my knees, still clutching her to my chest only pulling her away only long enough to smother her perfectly cherubic face with kisses and glimpse into her chocolate brown eyes, sparkling with excitement before pulling her back to my chest again.



I was still on my knees when Edward found our side seconds later, encircling us both with his arms and burying his face in Renesme’s curls. It was at this moment that I felt the tormenting pain within my depths extinguished, that I felt my anguishing, unbeating heart put back together. There were no words exchanged. There was no need—the pure love that enveloped us in that moment was something that no words could justify.



I lost track of how long we sat there. It seemed like an eternity, like time had frozen just to allow us to savor the moment. It was Edward who broke the silence first, kissing first my head and then Renesmee’s. He pulled back with a glint of mischief in his eyes and teased her, “Sweetheart, you absolutely reek of werewolf,” sending her into a fit of giggles.



“Oh Mommy,” she began “wait until you see my Jacob…he is so pretty!” With that she rushed to place her small hand on my face, sharing with me a recollection of her most recent events. At first, her thoughts ran so wild with excitement, that I was confused by what I saw….and then it became clear. I had seen what had caused Edward such amusement moments earlier.



I didn’t have time to react to the picture Renesmee had shown me. At that moment, the suspense was broken by Edward’s inability to hold his laughter. Jacob had entered the room, sheepishly, his head hung to hide his chagrined face. Along with everyone in the room, I dissolved into a fit of hysterics.



“Jacob….w-what…happened…to you?” I finally managed to force out in between spasms of laughter.



Jacob stood before us looking as more humiliated than I’d ever seen him. Atop his head sat an extravagant, glittering tiara. His long, normally unkempt hair had been carefully organized into a series of plaits, each tied off with a small, glitter laden ribbon. From his ears hung dangling gold earrings, each of which had seemingly lost its corresponding mate. The area of skin above his eyes had been coated with a bright periwinkle blue, his cheeks stained a contrasting shade of vivid pink and his lips painted a vibrant shade of red. His fingernails were a shocking shade of fuchsia, one hand balled into a tight fist clutching a leopard skin purse. The outrageous myriad of accessories was topped off by a violet, feather boa artfully wrapped around his neck.



“Look, Mommy, I made Jacob a princess!” Renesmee beamed, triumphant with her efforts.



Any attempt at explanation he could have offered was drowned out as a fresh round of laughter gripped us upon this proclamation of her success. He stood rooted to the spot, too embarrassed to lift his eyes from the floor, he turned an even deeper shade of red, visible even under his dark, russet colored skin. After several minutes of hysterics, we managed to regain some composure.



It was Rosalie who managed to find her voice to speak first. “That shade of lipstick looks good on you, mongrel,” she managed to say through her stifled laughter.



“Well, you would know…the kid got it out of your bathroom, Blondie,” Jacob responded, an impish grin threatening his bright crimson lips.

(cont.) Chapter 2 - Homecoming
 

I rolled my eyes in response to their exchange. Clearly there had been no change in that relationship. But even Rosalie couldn’t find it within herself to harbor any animosity right now. Her expression bright, she cast one last sympathetic glance in Jacob’s direction before bounding towards the garage. “I’m going to let Emmett know you all are home,” she called over her shoulder just before disappearing in a flash of blonde mane.

With that, Edward and Jasper excused themselves to retrieve our luggage from the car, with Renesmee hopping excitedly after them, too excited to stand in one spot for long. I’d never truly worried for a moment that she wouldn’t be completely cared for in our absence, but all the same, my cold heart swelled at the mere sight of her….her perfection, her beauty, her charm…I felt whole again. I watched her until she disappeared down the last stair her hand in Edward’s and turned to the one person that I knew without question had been focused on nothing but his devotion to her happiness and well being during our absence.

Jacob, my best friend.

A smile spread across my face that had nothing to do with his current ridiculous appearance. He met my eyes and returned the gesture with his own, his white teeth ever gleaming.

“…mutt.”

“…bloodsucker.”

Jacob and I closed the gap between one another in less than a second. I felt myself lifted of the floor quite literally in a massive, bear hug and spun around in big, sweeping circles. Heat radiated off of him in waves, scorching my granite hard skin, but I didn’t complain. Finally, he set me down, pulling me out at arm’s length to look at me. “I’m awfully glad you’re home, Bells. I’ve really missed having you around.”

“Jake,” I began, “I don’t know what I would do without you. I can’t begin to thank you enough…to tell you how much it means, how comforting it has been, to know that you were here with Renesmee when I couldn’t be. And even more knowing that your will always be a part of her life.”

“Aw, Bells…” he looked down, shuffling his feet, at a loss for how to respond.

“I know that I’ve asked so much of you already, I really feel like it’s unfair to ask you for anything else, but…” I trailed off, looking away to hide my expression.

Jacob looked at me, a look of concern instantly on his face, “What is it Bella? What’s wrong? Anything I can do, you know I will, just ask.” He reached down to take my hand encasing it his own burning pair and pulling it chest.

I looked up to his face, worry furrowing his brow, “Well, do you think you could maybe…clean yourself up a bit, you look ridiculous!”

He exhaled and inclined his head slightly in laughter. Dropping my hand, he reached forward, “That’s my Bells…” he chuckled, rumpling my hair.

I smiled to myself as Jacob strode off to the bathroom.

“I hope he realizes that soap and water won’t get rid of that smell.” Rosalie had returned, helping Alice carry her spoils from earlier in the day into the house. Edward, Jasper and Emmett followed with the remainder of our luggage, Renesmee in their wake. She bounded back to me and I scooped her up in my arms, crushing her to my chest again. It would be days before I felt like I had hugged her enough to make up for the time we’d spent apart.

I heard the excited chatter of the others behind me, but I did not feel compelled to join them. Instead, I cradled Renesmee in my arms, looking down at her, drinking in every feature on her face, taking in every change I had missed. I walked slowly towards the back of the house, towards the enormous glass walls that overlooked the river and seemingly endless quilt of varying shades of greens. “Mommy, wait until I tell you what all I’ve done!” Renesmee exclaimed, her eyes alight with excitement.

She reached her tiny hand towards my face waiting for me to oblige her the opportunity to show me all her adventures that she was so eager to share. At that moment, Edward approached me from behind, resting his head lightly on my head, slipping one arm around to encircle my waist and the other reaching around to lightly stroke Renesme’s cheek. I bowed my head slightly to better allow her to lay her small, warm palm on my ice cold cheek. She furrowed her brow in concentration and her excitement spilled over in an onslaught of memories as she tried to share it all with us very quickly.

She flipped through the images so quickly, eager to move from one moment to the next, that they appeared as still pictures flashing before my eyes. Riding on the back of a giant russet wolf through the woods, Rosalie brushing her hair and humming melodies to her, running along the bank of a lake as Billy and Charlie rowed a small fishing boat back to shore. Occasionally, Edward would chuckle over something in particular. Aside from that, the three of us stood for a very long time, just watching and sharing in the portion of her life we’d missed. I was not surprised that Jacob and Rosalie appeared often in her recollections. Playing with her, rocking her to sleep and quite often, arguing over who had spent more time with her. At last she seemed to settle on one final picture, Jacob sitting on the edge of her bed, slowly and lightly tracing the planes of her face as she drifted off to sleep. With this image, she let out a contented sigh and pulled her hand away, satisfied that she had given us an adequate summary of the previous months.

I returned her to her feet and stared down at this perfect little figure, a perfect combination of Edward and myself. I was overcome with amazement that I’d been any part of the creation of such a perfect creature, as Edward kissed the top of my head. Suddenly, her attention was drawn back toward the chatter of the foyer. “Jacob!” With a squeal of joy she bounded off to rejoin her massive protector. Edward beamed down at me, reaching down to take my hand. He drew my hand forward, lightly kissing my palm before he let it drop and we slowly walked to rejoin our family.

“Jacob…” Edward reached forward, taking his hand in a firm handshake, a gesture of their new found friendship. He looked him in the eyes, sincerity washing across his face, “Thank you.” Jacob merely inclined his head in recognition of the expression of gratitude. There was no further exchange of words, no other gestures made. There was no need for them. The brief encounter was enough for each of them to grasp the full effect of the emotions the other could not verbalize.

“Where is Carlisle?” Alice asked, turning to Esme, “I know that I saw him catching an earlier flight this morning…” She trailed off, glancing in Jacob’s direction, the slightest look of exasperation crossing her perfect features for the first time in months.

“His connecting flight was delayed,” Esme responded, “he called just before you arrived. He did mention that Aro was sending more gifts for Renesmee though.”

(cont.) Chapter 2 - Homecoming
 

Edward chuckled lightly, “More crowned jewels, I presume.” He shook his head in amusement.



For the briefest moment, I sensed Jacob stiffen beside me. It may have been my imagination, but in that instant, he seemed to protectively pull Renesmee even closer to him. Although our unlikely friendship and his loyal dedication to Renesmee had helped him overcome his aversion to the Cullens, he did not regard other vampires in the same manner. He’d explained that it merely “went against his nature.” However, I knew that his deep rooted hatred for those his pack knew as “the cold ones” was most fiercely reserved for one, most elite Italian coven—the Volturi. It was not so many months prior that they had come to Forks with the intent of destroying Renesmee, the very center of his universe, not to mentioned the rest of the Cullen family and any others who opposed them.



With Aro at the heart of this most sacred coven of vampires, they’d come to enforce punishment on those whom they’d believed had risked their exposure. Ever since the incident, Aro had extended his hand in friendship to Carlisle and was eternally trying to make amends for the misunderstanding. His most favored way of displaying his resentment for their hasty actions was through the many extravagant gifts that he bestowed upon Renesmee.



Carlisle had visited with Aro, Marcus and Caius in Volterra on several occasions in prior months. Once convinced that Renesmee posed no threat to exposing vampires to humankind, he had not been able to mask his deep interest and fascination of her very existence. He was always eager for Carlisle to divulge his most recent discoveries regarding the rare existence of half-vampire, half-human beings and to learn what developments Renesmee was making.



Carlisle viewed his visits as opportunities. He hoped that in time, he would be able mend the relationships amongst vampires that had been broken as a result of the confrontation in Forks. Carlisle’s rapport with the Volturi was one of great respect and he remained hopeful that he would eventually be able to persuade them to see reason in the antiquated, biased guidelines that they expected others to conform to, by force when they deemed necessary.



As Jacob lowered Renesmee to the floor, his apologetic words pulled me back to the present. “Bells, I really hate to go so soon, but I promised Billy I would help him out with a few things today.”



“Oh sure Jake,” I acknowledged, “You will come back though when you can? We have so much to catch up on!”



“Sure sure,” Jake agreed, “I’ll be back later.”



“Time for your flea bath?” Rosalie asked, a smirk playing on her lips.



“Ouch Blondie!” Jacob exclaimed, throwing his hands over his heart, feigning insult, “After all the time we’ve spent together…I really thought we had something special.” He threw her a look of mock pain as I bit my lip to keep my composure.



Emmett’s booming laughter was matched by Jacob’s. The sound shattered the tension as he reached over to slap Jacob on his back, obviously finding humor in his witty reply. Edward bowed his head, bringing his fist to his mouth as he cleared his throat to hide his grin, obviously finding the exchange quite entertaining. Rosalie narrowed her eyes at Emmett and threw him a look that would kill, if that were possible. She turned on her silver stiletto heel and stalked off towards the garage in a flash of golden blonde hair.



“Aw Jacob, see what you’ve done now! Rose, awww come back Rose, we were only kidding around….” Emmett followed Rosalie towards the garage. Just before disappearing through the door after her, he turned quickly and something silver flashed from his hand and flew through the air. “Oh Jacob here….Jeep keys,” and then he continued on his way to beg for forgiveness from Rosalie.



“Jeep keys?” Edward inquired smiling, turning to Jacob, one eyebrow raised as if expecting an explanation.



“Er, yeah…well…I really need to be on my way,” he cast a mournful glance towards Renesmee before swooping down on her to give her one last hug and then turned to make his escape out the front door, muttering something unintelligible as he descended he stairs.



I stepped forward to shut the door behind him. Renesmee had followed Jasper, Esme and Alice to the living room where Alice was animatedly showing her all the clothes she’d bought for her. Renesmee, bouncing with excitement, peered eagerly in each bag as Alice pulled out first one garment and then another. Edward found my side, casually draping his arm over my shoulder, “You are aware that she’s completely ruined now? Alice will spend the rest of the day dressing her up.”



I nodded in acknowledgement that he was probably correct in that assumption. I watch for a moment and then looked around the house, really taking in all the details I’d missed in the past months. The bright décor, the open floor plan, Edward’s piano…. I inhaled deeply letting the various scents assault me—pine, freesia, leather, vanilla, fresh laundry, and just a hint of werewolf I noticed, reflexively wrinkling my nose lightly.



“So, Mrs. Cullen,” he began, taking both my hands in his, turning me to face him, “whatever are we going to do with ourselves today?”



“Oh, I believe I could think of a few things we could do today,” I responded, my voice thick with implications.



Edward reached up to take my chin, leaning in face closer to mine with exaggerated slowness and murmured, “You truly are the most dangerous creature I’ve ever met…” He met the distance between us and pressed his lips gently to mine. He released my hand and began to lightly trace up the length of my arm, leaving a trail of sparks with his fingertips. I stretched upwards, encouraging him not to break contact.



We ended the exchange at the sound of Alice’s voice ringing from the adjoining room, “Would you two mind saving that for later…you’re kind of starting to make Jasper feel sick.”



Before either of us could muster any sort of response, our attention was pulled to a sound on the gravel driveway, which quickly transitioned into steps ascending the wooden stairs of the porch.



“Emmett must have managed to coax Rosalie from the garage,” I mused.



“That’s not Emmett….” Edward trailed off…



Before he could finish his statement, the front door to the Cullen house swung open.



“Carlisle!” Edward exclaimed, walking forward to greet him. It was as he crossed over the threshold, stepping into the foyer that we noticed—Carlisle wasn’t alone.

Chapter 2 - The Council
 

My eyes moved from Carlisle’s face to that of the man behind him as he stepped forward and entered the Cullen home.

It was Edward who stepped forward to acknowledge our guest first. "Eleazar! What a surprise. We weren’t expecting you…." he trailed off, looking from Eleazar to Carlisle and back again awaiting explanation.

"Edward, it is good to see you again. And you too Bella," he greeted us cheerfully as he stepped forward to quickly embrace us both.

"Both Eleazar and myself met with the Volturi on this visit," Carlisle explained. "He will be returning to Denali later tonight."

"Yes," Eleazar confirmed. "Only a brief visit this time, I’m afraid."

"And what are the developments on the situation in Voltera, Carlisle?" Edward asked.

"We are remaining optimistic with the progress we are making. They are very excepting of the idea of adopting new policies to maintain order amongst our kind. Aro is presently our most valuable ally whereas those issues are concerned. Why don’t we move this discussion to the dining room and invite the others to join us?"

We walked to the Cullen dining room and each took a seat around the large glass table. The dining room did not serve the same purpose as it would were it in the home of a human family. No meals were ever eaten here. Instead it served as a room where the Cullens conducted family discussions about various issues.

As we waited for the rest of the family to join us, I found myself reminiscing about some of the more consequential discussions I’d been witness to in this very room. It was in this room that we’d gathered for my dreaded eighteenth birthday which had resulted in a disaster. Incidentally, it had lead to the darkest time of my entire life. It was here that Jasper had briefly lost control over his thirst and nearly killed me. Edward’s quick reaction had thwarted his efforts, but had resulted in knocking me into the table which had shattered into thousands of tiny fragments of glass, leaving a deep gash in my arm.

The ordeal resulted in Edward’s decision to leave Forks—to leave me—in the hopes that I would be able to move on and live a normal, human life free of the dangers that a vampire boyfriend presented. Time revealed that that decision would do more harm than good—we had both suffered trying to live without the other and it had very nearly killed us both.

Ironically, it was also here in the room, months later that I’d put to vote the issue of my mortality. I’d presented my desire to willingly undergo the transformation required to become a vampire as well, making me a permanent, less breakable fixture within the Cullen family. It was a decision I’d carefully considered and very much wanted. Ultimately, the majority had agreed that it was the most sensible solution. Only Rosalie and Edward had disagreed, thus sealing both my fate and that of a brand new sixty inch plasma TV that Edward had destroyed in his frustration.

I smiled as I grasped the enormity of the decision reached that night and squeezed Edward’s hand at the thought as he joined my side at the table.

"Renesmee is with Emmett and Rosalie," he whispered in my ear as he took his seat. I merely nodded in acknowledgement. I suspected that Rosalie was eager to spend time with Renesmee without Jacob looming nearby.

Esme, Alice and Jasper joined us in the dining room, taking seats around the table. Carlisle looked around at each of us, and then to Eleazar. He took a deep breath before beginning and seemed to choose his words carefully. "As you are all aware, the events that transpired here months ago suggest a dire need for change in regards to the enforcement of the laws that govern our kind. The situation was the product of many miscommunications that could have easily been avoided altogether. It is easy to place blame on the Volturi for their actions. In turn, they have admitted to the error of their ways and have been open to the concerns that many of us have brought forward to them since that time."

(cont) Chapter 2 - The Council
 

"As we have seen, a simple misunderstanding between only a very few of us can easily be misconstrued and grow to involve many more of us than necessary. Myself and Eleazar, along with others have presented suggestions for a more modern approach to the situation. As it currently stands, we are in the process of working in conjunction with the Volturi to form a council of advisors to fairly present and discuss issues or concerns in an open and united manner.

"The Volturi have graciously accepted the ideas and are eager to move forward with the change. Currently, we are meeting in turns to discuss minor details before officially moving forward with the first formal meeting of the council. At this point, the Council consists of myself, Eleazar, Tanya, Mary, Amun, Peter and Alistair. Alistair is currently trying to locate members of the Amazonian coven to extend and invitation for them to have representation as well.

"Carlisle," I began hesitantly, unsure how to pose my question, "I’m…confused. How is it exactly that the Volturi came to hold the position that they do as vampires? Why is it that they have been so feared and…respected by our kind?"

"I can certainly understand why that would confuse you Bella. How the Volturi came into existence is far more complicated than you are aware, no doubt. Perhaps it would be best to explain to you a little of the history of our kind. By chance, did any of your classes cover any material on the many religious movements in Europe during the 10th and 11th centuries?"

His question caught me off guard. I briefly exchanged glances with Jasper across the table and nodded with him in unison. "Yes, we did Carlisle," he confirmed.

"Well then, that is where the history of the Volturi truly takes root. The events that transpired during that period of time really impacted much of our world as we know it today. Although, I’m sure you’ll find some of the details vary drastically from those you would have been taught in any university."

I felt shock cross my face at these words. I’d realized immediately, even in my days as a human, that the physical appearance of the eldest, core leaders of the Volturi suggested that they had been in existence far longer than any vampires I’d ever encountered. However, this sudden knowledge that their existence consisted of many centuries was still a lot for one to grasp. I felt Edward’s gaze on my face, no doubt trying to judge my reaction to this information and I became self conscious. I merely nodded in acknowledgement in response to Carlisle, eager for him to continue.

"In those times, the church was more than just a religious entity—it served a more governmental role. On occasion, its strongest advocates would actively try to reinforce the church’s role amongst society. During such religious movements, society as a whole would act to prove their dedication to the church –anyone who acted otherwise was an viewed as a threat. The church would actively seek out any individuals who threatened their power and control.

"During one particular crusade in the late 10th century, the church leaders became particularly focused on demonic possession of the human mind and body. It was suggested that any who didn’t follow their lead must surely be possessed. Those individuals were sought out—many were killed, many others were brought to the confines of the various church institutions where the higher rankings of the church sought to heal them," Carlisle explained. I noticed that there was something about the tone he used that suggested his disapproval of their actions.

"Of course, that was just a façade put on by the religious zealots of the time," Eleazar interjected, disapprovingly. "It was really no more than an excuse to experiment with their beliefs and ensure that they would continue their reign unchallenged. Their actions were generally anything but ‘for the greater good’ as they would have others believe."

"Yes," Carlisle agreed, "of course, similar patterns have been evident in almost every part of the world throughout history."

I felt Edward shift uncomfortably in his seat and noticed as he and Carlisle exchanged a brief, silent glance before Carlisle continued.

"It was during the time of the 10th century crusades that Marcus joined in the efforts of the church. He led the efforts to seek out those believed to be possessed. In time, he became very proficient with his duties. However, Marcus found the job to be too overwhelming and called upon the help of one of his long time acquaintances—Caius. At that point in time, both Marcus and Caius were still very much human.

(cont) Chapter 2 - The Council
 

"Marcus and Caius became very decorated members of the church and together filled more of the church’s institutions than all of the other leaders combined. They were eventually rewarded for their success in helping to drive out the evil forces and declared Patron Saints, which as you know inspired celebration of the holiday known as St. Marcus Day."

My mind recalled images from my and Alice’s trip to Voltera years ago to save Edward. Images of the Piazza San Marco packed with individuals clad in deep red and the delightful squeals of children atop the shoulder of their parents filled my mind. It had indeed been a very happy day of celebration for them as they enjoyed the marvelous sunny day. They’d been blissfully unaware of my panic as I fought my way though them desperately trying to reach Edward. I shuddered at the memory, but did not interrupt him.

"As their success continued, tales of their triumph spread to other regions of the world. Near the turn of the century, they were called upon two individuals belonging to a distant group of vampires who wished to have them assist with a very different kind of problem." Carlisle paused, looking to Edward.

"Two individuals that you have met, Bella." Edward said. I looked at him quizzically, scanning my brain for the answer I must surely know. He turned to meet my eyes, providing the answer I couldn’t produce, "Two Romanian vampires by the names of Vladimir and Stefan."

I immediately pictured the two strange vampires who’d arrived at the Cullen household months prior. "But that doesn’t make any sense. What problem could vampires possibly be facing that they couldn’t handle on their own—that would require the involvement of humans?" I asked, truly puzzled.

"Werewovles," Carlisle answered.

My jaw dropped, images of Jacob and the other Quileutes presenting themselves in my thoughts.

Taking in my shocked expression, Carlisle guessed my angst and continued reassuringly, "Not in the sense of the shapeshifters you are familiar with Bella, but real werewolves."

He continued on, offering further explanation, "At one time there were an abundance of werewolves, mainly in the northern regions of Asia. As their numbers increased, so did their threat on the vampire community. You see, even in those days, it was crucial that we work hard to keep our existence from the public eye. Given that most of Europe was already engulfed in a religious uproar, it would not take much out of the ordinary for a vampire to attract suspicion. Werewolves are ruled by their animalistic nature, which does not include discretion. When their actions were such that they could not be ignored or explained by locals, suspicion and rumors accused not the werewolves, but those who’d been previously seen as no more than outcasts of society—the vampires. Granted, there was never any danger of physical harm to a vampire at the hand of a human, but all the same, constantly having to relocate every time you are questioned is extremely inconvenient, as you will likely come to experience for yourself in time.

"It was for this reason that the assistance of Marcus and Caius was sought out. Vladimir and Stefan been impressed by the way they’d presented their actions to the public in a manner that reassured and calmed them. They hoped that they would be able to do the same for them. The goal was to eradicate the werewolf population and to help ease the minds of society, thus erasing their suspicions of the vampires."

I felt like I was still missing some crucial connection to the equation, " But how would that really help them? Even if Marcus and Caius had experience in some areas, what threat would two humans really be to a bunch of werewolves?"

"Ah, you too realize the only flaw in their plan," Carlisle continued, "However, Vlad and Stefan never intended to for Marcus and Caius to begin this new crusade as humans. As we have discussed before, it is a popular theory that any traits we possessed as humans are strengthened in our immortality. Vladimir and Stefan hoped this would be the case with Marcus and Caius if they were transformed and, they were right. Marcus and Caius embraced the results of their transformation. As humans, they’d relished the power they’d had as high ranking officials of the church, but it was no comparison to what they possessed in their new existence.

(cont) Chapter 2 - The Council
 

"So, as vampires, the four of them sought to hunt out and eliminate the werewolves that threatened to expose them all. They did manage to put their plan in action, but their progress was very slow. They found out very soon that werewolves were very evasive and much harder to locate than they’d expected. They realized very quickly that they needed more help. Marcus and Caius called upon two others they’d worked with in Italy—two individuals who were eager to take on such a challenge..."

Carlisle stopped speaking and looked to Edward. I felt his body tense beside me and heard his teeth snapped together. Through clenched teeth, he finished Carlisle’s statement, "Demetri and James."

The gasp that escaped my mouth was mirrored by Alice. I absentmindedly moved my fingers to trace the crescent shaped scar on my hand, still present even after my transformation. My memory conjured images of James, leaning over me, taunting me in a room lined with mirrors on a hot Pheonix day. Why was it that so many of my human recollections had become so vague and unclear, yet those that had brought me inches from death, the most horrible images imaginable, had remained so vivid and clear? I moved my hands to cover my face, trying to will the images from my mind.

I felt Edward wrap his arms around me comfortingly, pulling me closer to him. I could picture James’ face in my mind as clearly as if he stood before me now. I understood that the efforts of the four vampires so long ago had been to protect the secrecy of our kind, yet I couldn’t help feel the slightest bit of compassion for any individual—human or otherwise—who became a target for the lethal tracker, James. "Bella," Edward spoke softly, "you don’t have to hear this…"

"No, I want to," I replied as I move my hands, demanding my body to regain composure. "It just caught my by surprise is all. I’m sorry, Carlisle, please continue."

He cast me a wary glace, but proceeded. "Marcus and Caius, in turn, were responsible for transforming Demetri and James, who’s talents were also magnified in their vampire state. As you know, James was a talented tracker, as is Demetri. They proved to serve their intended purpose well and in a matter of months, the six had hunted the werewolf population into near extinction. They had accomplished their mission. Suspicions faded and they were free to resume the peaceful lives they’d hoped for.

"They resided together for a short while, but eventually, Marcus, Caius, Demetri and James became restless. Caius, in particular, was still enamored by his new found invincibility and expressed interest in returning to Italy to resume work with the church, eager to see how much more successful his newfound abilities would make him. As you can easily imagine, it was not difficult for him to convince Marcus, Demetri and James to comply with the idea. The Romanians were concerned by Caius’s love of power, but saw no immediate danger in their decision to return. They parted ways as friends.

"It was upon their return to Voltera that they met other individuals who had filled the role of performing their duties in their absence. One of whom was Aro. Aro worked in one of the church institutions and took great interest those individuals who were being brought in and labeled as conspirators. He was a doctor, although I can assure you, compared to the advancements the medical world has seen in recent centuries, it was a field that was very primitive in those days.

"Aro’s position resulted in his working with Marcus and Caius, who grew to appreciate his dedication and enthusiasm to his duties. In time, they became very close friends…so close that they decided that Aro should join them in immortality. Like Marcus and Caius, Aro enthusiastically embraced his new life and talents. Eventually, he continued in his work with the church, however, he now viewed it much differently than he had before.

"It was at this time that the Volturi as we presently recognize them began to take form. In time, the magnitude of Aro’s talents became evident. Now when he worked with those incarcerated, he was able to learn much more about them than before. As you all know, he gained access to every thought, every memory that had ever entered their minds. And soon, he began to grow attached to those individuals that presented the most intriguing cases.

"At his request, Demetri and James focused on locating and acquiring the most disturbed individuals. It was a very rare occasion that when paired together, these two most skilled trackers could not secure their target…" At these words, Carlisle trailed off and cast a meaningful glance towards Alice, slightly cocking his head to the side.

"Finding enjoyment in the challenge alone, they had no issue with obliging his request. Before long, Aro’s curiosity got the best of him and he began transforming his most prized patients and adding new members to the Italian coven. Even after the crusade had ended, Aro still continued his mission to locate such individuals.

"He was not disappointed, many of those he transformed did possess various gifts. Several of those he found you all know—Felix, Heidi and Caius’s wife Athenodora for example. There were a few however, that possessed abilities that were very powerful—that rivaled those of Jane and Alec. They were Aro’s most prized acquisitions. As I have explained, many people were falsely labeled as having been under the control of demonic entities. However, there were some who truly did seem to have fallen victim to that mysterious phenomenon. As humans, their minds were controlled by unknown forces, as vampires, it was they who were able to control those around them."

"Wait a minute, Carlisle, you mean there were members of the Volturi who were actually able to possess the minds of others?" Alice asked skeptically.

Carlisle merely nodded solemnly, before continuing, "Qui Imperium, they were called. You can imagine how this pleased Aro. However, his actions backfired on him. As it was his first experience with newborns, he soon discovered how difficult they could be to control. They did not consider the consequences of their actions and soon began drawing unwanted attention. As we are all aware, they learned from their mistakes and have since become very diligent in intervening when they fear others are guilty of the same while at the same time ensuring that they were not in a position to be threatened.

"It became such an issue that the Romanians decided to step in. You see, although they showed no regard for the lives of humans, they did highly regard the lives of those they were responsible for transforming. They located those created by Aro who they felt posed the greatest risk and took them back to Russia where they would resume responsibility for them, leaving behind a warning for those who remained in Voltera. Naturally, this infuriated Aro who was convinced that Vladimir and Stefan’s motivations were not noble, but to use these individuals for their own benefit—the Volturi viewed them as a threat and were convinced that their only promise of survival was to destroy them.

"After much discussion on how to best proceed, the Volturi, knowing they had the advantage of numbers, traveled to Romania where they burned down the domicile of the Russian coven. They succeeded in destroying much of the Romanian coven as well as Qui Imperium. Vladimir and Stefan were the only survivors. Having diminished their numbers, they no longer viewed them as a threat and returned to Voltera where they have maintained permanent residence ever since." Carlisle relaxed somewhat in his chair in conclusion and folded his hands on the table in front of him.

I pondered this new information for a fraction of a second before my attention was pulled back to the present by Edward’s sharp words. "It was evident even then." He stared down at the table, his jaw clenched tightly, a look of resentment etched on his face. "Their desire for power…even when they were human. They’ve never shown any disregard for destroying anything that stands in their way…that threatens their way of life."

"Yes Edward. It was very much a part of their nature even then. However, with the formation of the Council, we are all hoping to be able to have a more open means of communication. We hope to be able to prevent future misunderstandings like the one we all faced months ago. Aro was at one time a very dear friend of mine, son, and I can assure you he has shown nothing but remorse in the past months. He has been more than hospitable on each of my recent visits and is eager for the changes at hand to take place," Carlisle explained, looking at Edward with understanding eyes. Edward met Carlisle’s eyes and nodded once in obvious acceptance of Carlisle’s reassurances.

(cont) Chapter 2 - The Council
 

"What Carlisle tells you is true," Eleazar confirmed, "As you know, I was a member of the Volturi for a considerable time. Longer than Carlisle. I understand them better than most, perhaps. They are most agreeable to the suggestions we have brought forward. I feel confident in our assessment that there is no need for worry."

"Which brings us to another point," Carlisle stated, glancing to Eleazar, "They are very insistant that I return soon. They hope that you all will return with me and visit. Which reminds me…." A mischievous grin threatened his mouth as he reached into his inner jacket pocket, exchanging a quick wink with his comrade. "Another gift from Aro for Renesmee."

He held out to me a small, ancient, ornately carved box. The wood was pitch black and detailed with half a dozen small, hand crafted horses, all adorned with garlands of roses. I carefully raised the lid, causing the old brass hinges to protest. The inside of the box was lined with very aged, gold colored velvet. But the velvet stood no chance of holding one’s attention long for resting in the center of the box was a small, delicate tiara adorned with hundreds of extravagantly cut diamonds. Set in the very center of the tiara’s peak was a rather large, deep green emerald. As the light of the chandelier overhead was trapped by the facets in the jewels, it cast small rainbows onto its bed of velvet.

"It is absolutely stunning!" I gasped, " It’s really too much…he shouldn’t have."

"I’ve seen this crown before," Esme stated, gingerly raising the tiara from the box, turning it as she examined it. "At this pace, Aro will have stripped the museum of all its artifacts within the year." Her comment was one of amusement rather than disapproval as she shook her chestnut crowned head from side to side in mock amusement and nestled the tiara back in its box.

"Aro hopes that you will soon allow him the opportunity to explain the history of this piece in person," Carlisle said.

"Yes," Edward agreed, " It would be appropriate to show our support of your efforts as well Carlisle."

I glanced down at the tiara once more before closing the lid and turning the brass lock to secure it. Beside me, Edward chuckled. I looked to him curiously, "Am I missing something funny that you’d like to share with the rest of us?" I asked, trying to sound playfully annoyed.

He reached up to tuck a strand of my hair behind my hair, a wry smile spreading across his face until it reached his eyes. He nodded once in the direction of the box in my hands. "I was just thinking about how well this will compliment Jacob’s eyes."

With that, the room dissolved into laughter and we all turned to leave the dining room table.

Chapter 3 - An Invitation
 

As we exited the dining area, I heard Renesmee’s laughter from the other room and heard Rosalie’s honey smooth voice doting her with compliments. I smiled in contentment as I reflected on how lucky my daughter was to be so surrounded by people so wrapped up in her happiness. Rosalie was undoubtedly at the top of the list.

"Carlisle," Eleazar began, clapping his friend on the back, "as much as I enjoy my visits here with your family, I do have to return to Denali in just a few hours." He paused, turning to face the rest of us. "I have some time before I leave and need to hunt. Would anyone care to join me?"

"I will," Edward offered, releasing my hand. He glanced to me and I shook my head in one brief, approving nod. The bruise-like shadows under his eyes were darker than I’d seen in a long time.

"Bella," Eleazar nodded in my direction, "it was good to see you again."

"You too Eleazar," I responded, returning his smile, "Please tell the rest of your family to visit soon." He inclined his head slightly and turned to say his farewells to the others.

Edward leaned down to give me a gentle kiss, cupping my chin in his hand. "I’ll be back in a few hours. It will probably be late, should I meet you back at the cottage?" His eyes burned into mine, leaving me speechless as they so often did. I wondered if I would ever get past his ability to affect me this way. I hoped not. All I could manage was to nod in agreement. At that, a wry mischievous smile spread across his face. I narrowed my eyes in suspicion, but he offered no explanation.

"Are you ready, Edward?" Eleazar had finished his good-byes and stood by the door awaiting his hunting partner for the night. Edward turned and they bounded out the door, almost instantly out of sight. Alice and Jasper had already retreated out the back door.

I turned and walked to the living room where I found Emmett sitting on the floor with Renesmee perched on his shoulders, giggling hysterically. Rosalie was perched on the edge of one of the larger, oversized white chairs opposite them tossing Cheerios one at a time trying to ring Renesmee’s mouth. I stood watching this game, which was apparently a favorite of theirs.

I marveled at the speed of her reflexes as she easily adjusted her position to catch most of them midair, steadying herself with fists full of Emmett’s hair as she leaned first to one side and then another. Occasionally, she would lose control and her laughter would ruin her concentration leaving her limp and gasping for breath. I watched as Rosalie lofted another small "O" in her direction and it hit her square on the nose, causing her to erupt into a fresh round of giggles.

Suddenly, I froze in realization. "Renesmee eats food!?" I gasped, astonished.

"Yes," Rosalie responded, turning to meet my shocked gaze, but never hesitating in their game. "For the most part," she continued in explanation, "she only hunts now about once a month. Didn’t Carlisle tell you?" She asked, slightly her brow slightly as she inclined her head to the side.

"No…" I stammered, "He didn’t." This was very good news, as far as I was concerned. Why then did it upset me so? How much of her life had I missed out on while I’d been gone? I looked at her now and couldn’t deny the differences in her appearance. She was taller and leaner than she’d been before we’d left for Hanover. Her brown hair hung in curls down to her waist, her face had lost a lot of its roundness. She looked every bit like a child of 6 or 7 years of age.

Lost in thought, I did not hear Carlisle as he entered the room. "It’s a fairly new development," his kind voice explained from behind, "something that I had not yet had time to discuss with you and Edward." His voice was smooth and reassuring. I didn’t respond. My eyes stayed focused on her face as she stifled a yawn, still perched atop Emmett’s broad shoulders. I smiled in spite of myself. "If you and Edward will both be here in the morning, I could update you on her progress....?" He trailed off, waiting for my response.

"Yes, of course." I tore my eyes from her to look at Carlisle’s face. He smiled reassuringly and my worries were eased before they’d really had time to surface.

"I suppose Fido will be back by then," Rosalie interjected, her voice dripping with disgust.

(cont) Chapter 3 - An Invitation
 

Emmett responded with booming laughter. Renesmee jolted upright, her eyes suddenly wide and alert. She looked around briefly for the cause of his amusement. Then her eyelids started to droop sleepily again. "He’d better be! I still owe him a rematch. I never get tired of beating him."

"Yeah, well, I’d like to beat him…" Rosalie spoke through clenched teeth, not finishing her comment.

I rolled my eyes. I sincerely hoped that they’d eventually move past their jealous tendencies, for my own sanity. It got very tiresome having to constantly play referee to your vampire sister and wolf best friend.

Rosalie got up from her chair and crossed the living room to pluck Renesmee from her seat atop Emmett. She was quickly going limp with the exhaustion from her busy day. Rosalie cradled her in her arms as she gave in to her fight with sleep. "It’s her bed time," Rosalie said, turning back to me. "Would you like me to carry her to the cottage for you?" I could have easily managed on my own, but the look on her face told me that she was eager to accept the task.

I smiled in response, "Sure Rose. That would be very helpful. I need to take my luggage back anyway." It wasn’t a lie, and I would appreciate the company on the walk to the cottage. I dashed to the foyer and grabbed my suitcase and duffle bag. The rest could wait until tomorrow.

I returned to the living room where Rosalie stood waiting with Renesmee, glaring at Emmett who held his phone to his ear. "…I’m sure they’ll show it on the highlight show tonight….well, you’d better fill it back up before you bring it back…." The combination of Emmett’s conversation and Rosalie’s glare gave me a pretty good indication of who was on the other end of the conversation.

"Ready, Rosalie?" I asked.

"Sure," she all but growled, not dropping her glare from Emmett. "Apparently all intelligent conversation has ended here for the night." He merely waved her off and turned his back on us, walking towards the kitchen. She turned and joined me as we headed towards the backdoor. We paused before stepping outside long enough for Alice, who’d suddenly reappeared, to plant a kiss on Renesmee’s forehead. She stirred slightly, but didn’t wake otherwise. "See you tomorrow, Bella." She beamed. I didn’t have to have Edward’s mind reading ability to know that she was up to something.

Rosalie and I started across the backyard of the Cullen house and towards the river in the direction of the cottage. Rosalie walked at a very relaxed pace so I fell into stride behind her, carrying my heavy suitcases effortlessly, as if they weighed five pounds instead of fifty.

"Did you enjoy your first term in college?" Rosalie asked casually.

"Yes, surprisingly. And the house there is beautiful," I responded. It still seemed a bit odd to carry on conversation with the one member of the Cullen family who I knew had truly resented me at one point in time.

"I always did like that house…better than this one even. I am glad you are all back though. It’s good to have the whole family together. One can only take so much of Emmett and the dog together." The hint of disgust I’d sensed in her voice had returned.

"So Jake’s been spending a lot of time here?" Not that this was surprising news, really. He had been around quite a bit ever since Renesmee had been born. "With Emmett?" I tried to sound surprised, but I’d picked up on it earlier.

"Yes!" she all but growled. "It’s as if they are long lost brothers. It’s horrible. They start every morning as soon as…." She broke off, her voice beginning to shake with anger. I heard her teeth grind together.

As I had come to realize in previous years, Rosalie was easily made jealous. I knew that she envied the bond between Jacob and Renesmee. Any attention that Emmett showed to Jacob was just salt on the wound. I’d rather hoped that the situation had lessoned in the time we’d been gone, but their resentment of each other only seemed to have increased. I frowned at this thought. But still, I couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for Rosalie. Emmett was her soul mate, just as Edward was mine. I could only imagine the amount of taunting Emmett and Jacob could dole out as a united force. Of course, with us gone, Rosalie was the only available target.

"So," she began, changing the subject, "normally Renesmee eats breakfast around 8:30…we take turns cooking for her…I usually teach her lessons afterwards…"

"Of course," I confirmed, "I want her to stay on the schedule she’s used to."

"Good," she grinned, her mood brightening, "I’ll see you all in the morning then." I could tell she truly enjoyed this responsibility.

The forest around us cleared a bit. We’d reached the small, uneven cobblestone path that led to the cottage. The familiar smells of the house Edward and I shared welcomed me home—leather, aged wood, vanilla, moss and something else…roses? I inhaled deeply, breathing it all in and stepped ahead of Rosalie to open the door as she was still carrying Renesmee’s sleeping form. As I opened the door, I discovered the source of the smell.

(cont) Chapter 3 - An Invitation
 

"I’ll just put her to bed and be on my way," Rosalie said to me slyly as she disappeared down the small hall.

I gaped at the scene before me. The room was lit by dozens of flickering candles. They were scattered throughout the main area and cast dancing shadows on the walls and ceiling. Hundreds of roses of assorted colors adorned the room from wall to wall, all in expensive looking crystal vases. The floor was covered in a blanket of rose petals. The sound of my lullaby filled the room softly from the stereo in the corner. Standing in the very middle of the room, holding a single long stemmed red rose was Edward.

"See you in the morning…" Rosalie sang as she breezed back through the living room and out the front door, not pausing for a response. She stirred the fragrance in the room and left a flurry of petals in her wake.

A wicked smile spread across Edward’s face that would have stopped my heart had it still been beating. "Welcome home, Mrs. Cullen." He slowly began to close the distance between us and for the second time in a day I found myself catching my breath. His wore a blue shirt with small, white vertical stripes. The long sleeves were rolled up to just below his elbows and it clung slightly to his torso accentuating his broad, masculine chest. The shirt hung just below the waist of his jeans. The light from the candles reflected off his unkempt bronze hair. He looked as if he just stepped off a runway.

He stopped a few inches away and looked down at me, his warm butterscotch eyes burning into mine, and reached up to trace from my temple down my cheek to my jaw with the rose he still held. I stammered, trying to find the right words, "How did you….?" He smiled crookedly down at me, stopping me mid sentence. "Alice." We both declared in unison.

"And you said you couldn’t read my mind…" I accused, narrowing my eyes playfully.

"I can’t, silly girl," he joked, tapping my forehead with his finger, "but that’s not really what’s important right now."

"Oh really, and what is important, Mr. Cullen?" I teased.

He didn’t answer at first. He merely scooped me up, wrapping his arm around my waist lifting me so that my feet were a few inches off the ground. With his other hand, he took mine and began slowly turning me around to the sound of my lullaby. "Well," he began, finally answering, "I was trying to remember exactly how long it has been since I have had you all alone to myself…"

"Four months, 2 weeks, 5 days, 16 hours and 23 minutes," I provided with certainty.

"Well that, my dearest Bella, is far too long." He leaned forward, tilting my chin up until his lips pressed to mine, gently at first, and then moving more aggressively in unison with mine. I moved my hands to grip fistfuls of his hair and felt his arm tighten around my waist, pulling my body closer to his. Liquid fire began to spread from where our lips touched down through the veins in my body. I didn’t realize Edward had been moving us across the room until I felt my back press against the bookcase that lined the wall of the living room. Edward slid his hand up the length of my arm until he found my hand and untangled it from his hair. Grabbing hold of my wrist, he moved my arm until it was pinned outstretched over my head against the leather bound books and pressed himself even closer to me. He pulled his lips from mine and moved them to my neck and down until they found my collarbone.

I closed my eyes and fought to shake the fog from my head. "Edward…" I managed to force out in a groan.

"Say no more!" he replied eagerly. He swept me up and carried me to our bedroom, where we remained for the rest of the night.



******

(cont) Chapter 3 - An Invitation
 

I lay in bed watching the room slowly turn from its dark purple hue to soft pink with the breaking dawn. As the sun broke the horizon over the nearby mountains, the room began to take on its normal daytime appearance. From down the hall, I heard Renesmee beginning to stir in her bed. I groaned, wishing the night could have lasted just a few hours longer. Edward chuckled lightly beside me, obviously having understood the meaning behind my groan. He reached up and traced my lower lip as I pushed it forward in a stubborn pout. "There is no use in trying to avoid the inevitable," he said teasingly.

I sighed. "I know." I heard the springs of Renesmee’s bed squeak slightly as she stirred again. Edward threw back the covers of the bed and was standing on the floor in one fluid movement. I took his outstretched hand and allowed him to pull me to my feet. I cast one last longing glance towards the comfortable looking bed before making my way to the closet. I’d had the chance before we’d left for Hanover to rearrange the massive Alice-stocked closet, which included pushing the more extravagant silk and lace ensembles as far to the back as possible. I pulled a pair of stylishly faded jeans from the shelf and a pale lavender button up shirt from its hanger. After I was dressed, I stuffed my feet into a pair of brown hiking boots and was just tying the second lace as the sound of small feet running down the hall pulled me from my thoughts.

"Mommy!" Renesmee greeted me excitedly as I entered the living room, flinging herself into my arms. "I’m ready for breakfast!" She placed her hand to my cheek, showing me a remembered vision of steaming blueberry muffins and scrambled eggs. It looked very unappealing.

"Well, you’d better get dress…" she didn’t allow me to finish my sentence before she shot back down the hall to her room, leaving a trail of brown curls behind her.

"Yes, we’ll be there in just a few minutes." Edward stepped from the bedroom, snapping shut his tiny silver phone. "Rosalie," he said, answering my puzzled stare. I rolled my eyes. Yes it was evident that Rosalie took this responsibility very seriously.

Renesmee was dressed quickly and in minutes the three of us had traveled through the woods and arrived in the big Cullen house. As we walked in the back door, my nose was met by a familiar, yet distant smell. Bacon and fresh buttermilk biscuits—obviously Renesmee’s breakfast was being prepared. I wrinkled my nose in disgust, following the scent to the kitchen. I was surprised to find that it was not one of the Cullens’ preparing her meal, but Jacob.

"Hey Bells!" he greeted me as I entered the kitchen. He slid the bacon from the frying pan onto a plate beside two hot, flaky biscuits and placed the plate on the table in front of an already waiting Renesme. I guessed this had become the normal morning routine. I walked forward to lean on the kitchen counter, watching Jacob as he loaded dishes into the stainless steel dishwasher. I was suspected that until recent months, it had probably never been used.

"You always cook here in the morning Jake?" I asked him.

"Most of the time," he shrugged. "Sometimes Esme cooks, sometimes Rosalie. Blondie’s not half bad as a cook…for a bloodsucker that is."

"Watch it, dog," Rosalie’s ice sharp words rang from the living room.

"She’s setting up for Renesmee’s lessons," he explained, jerking his head in the direction of Rosalie’s voice as he stuffed a whole biscuit into his mouth. "I gotta say, she’s really good at that. Would have made an excellent teacher."

At that moment, Emmett strode into the kitchen, a mischievous look spreading across his face as his eyes came to rest on Edward and myself. "So…" he began. I could tell from the tone of his voice where this was going. "How many pillows did you bite last night, Bro?" Edward dropped his head, covering his mouth and trying unsuccessfully to disguise his humor by clearing his throat. I narrowed my eyes menacingly at Emmett, but before I could threaten him, he turned his attention to Jacob. "Hey, you got my keys?"

"Oh yeah," Jacob reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out two shiny silver keys and tossed them lazily to Emmett.

Emmett caught them midair and headed to the garage. "I’ll meet you out in a few minutes?" he asked, clearly addressing Jacob.

"Yeah, just let me finish up here," Jacob responded.

(cont) Chapter 3 - An Invitation
 

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.

Chapter 4 - Didyme
 

“Who’s this?” I asked, pointing to the dark haired vampire in the picture.

It was Carlisle who answered. “Didyme. She was the wife of Marcus.”

“Marcus had a wife!?” I asked, shocked. I’d known that both Aro and Caius had wives. I’d seen them. It only made logical sense that Marcus would have found a mate too, especially considering the length of his vampire existence. However, in the two times I’d been around him, he seemed so detached…so bored with everything, I found it hard to believe anyone or anything could capture his attention. “Well, what happened to her? Where is she now?” I was both confused and curious.

“Ah yes, Marcus had a wife,” Carlisle answered, his voice seemed saddened. He walked forward, followed by Edward to stand beside me looking at the goddess like vampire in the picture. “She was quite extraordinary. Didyme was adored instantly by anyone who met her, human and vampire alike. Her story is a very tragic one indeed.” I noted again the trace of saddness in his voice.

"You knew her well?" I asked.

“Yes. She was with Marcus during my time with the Volturi. She was not only Marcus’s wife, she was also Aro’s sister.”

“His sister?” I asked astounded, caught off guard again.

“Yes. As I explained, after Aro was changed, he began to seek out those whom he felt showed the most potential in hopes that in immortality, they too would also have extraordinary talents. You are, of course, aware of how powerful a gift Aro possesses. It did not take him long to grasp the magnitude of it either. It by far overshadowed that of Marcus, and even the tracking abilities of James and Demetri.” I suppressed a shiver at the mention of the sadistic vampire who had once tracked and very nearly killed me. "Being that he himself had such a strong ability, he wondered if it was genetic. He sought out his sister to test his theory."

“And did she have any talents?”

“She did, although it was to Aro’s disappointment that it was not a gift that would prove…useful…to him,” Carlisle paused, seeming to choose his words carefully. “Didyme emitted an aura from her that made others euphoric, merely by being in her presence. Her happiness was infectious, influencing anyone who met her. It was during that time that I came to live with the Volturi. During that time, the entire atmosphere within Volterra was rather pleasant.

“None, however, were more influenced by Didyme than Marcus. He loved her from the moment he met her, and she him. The bonds of their love was the only I have ever seen that could rival that that the two of you share.” He stopped and smiled at Edward and myself. I could not imagine any two people, human or vampire, who could possibly love each other more than Edward and myself. “Marcus and Didyme lived happily for many years…they even considered leaving for a while, living on their own, away from Aro, Caius and the others. The entire world was under the impression that Marcus was dead, and he shared no interest in Aro’s obsession with adding members to the Volturi.”

Carlisle paused and his expression became mournful. “But…” I encouraged.

“But, they never got the chance to leave.” Carlisle expressed a heavy sigh. “A few weeks before they’d planned to say their good-byes and go their separate ways from the Volturi, Didyme was killed.”

“Killed?” I squeaked, my bell like voice an octave higher than usual. I couldn’t imagine who would have the strength to kill a vampire…. ”Oh no!” I practically gasped with the realization. “By another member of the Volturi?”

“Yes. And off course, with Aro’s ability to read every thought that has ever entered the mind of any individual—well, almost any individual—“ Carlisle paused a brief moment, inclining his head slightly towards me. “—it did not take him long to locate the culprit. A newborn, one of those he’d created. As you can imagine, Aro was guilt stricken, and Marcus, enraged, killed the newborn—Chloe, I believe was her name.”

(cont) Chapter 4 - Didyme
 

“The loss of Didyme was a great loss to everyone and the atmosphere within Volterra changed drastically. But as tough as it was for all who'd known her, it nearly destroyed Marcus. He begged for years for his brothers to end his life. It was then that he slowly became that Marcus that you know today…unfeeling, detached, almost as if he lives inside an empty shell…never able to cope with the pain of losing Didyme. The whole of the Volturi mourned her loss for many years. It was during that time that I decided to leave. Consequentially, it was also those events that made me realize how alone this existence can be without others to call a family.” He reached forward and clapped Edward on the back.




“How horrible.” was all I managed to say.




Carlisle glanced down at his watch. “My apologies, but I am due at the hospital very shortly. I really must be going.”




“Of course, Carlisle,” Edward acknowledged. As we followed him to the door, I glanced back over my shoulder at the picture on the wall. He grabbed his black medical bag from a chair on his way and strode through the doorway. I paused outside his office, overlooking the stairs as he descended and made his way towards the garage. I heard the engine of his shiny, black Mercedes as he started it, pulled out, and made his way down the gravel drive that led to the highway.



After a moment, Edward reached down to take my hand, pulling me from my thoughts. “Rosalie and Renesmee are still not quite finished yet, should we wait on them here?”


I merely nodded in response. My mind was replaying the conversation that had just taken place. I hardly noticed that he was pulling me towards his piano. I robotically took a seat beside him on the bench and let my thoughts wander as his hands began flying across the keys, filling the room full of a classical melody.



I thought about how empty Marcus must have felt after Didyme’s death. I tried to imagine my life with no Edward. I couldn’t imagine living in a world where he didn’t exist. I tired to picture a Jasper with no Alice, a Rosalie with no Emmett, an Esme with no Carlisle. Suddenly, I felt a strange emotion for Marcus that seemed almost foreign when applied to a member of the Volturi—pity?




Then my thoughts shifted infindecimally. I tried to imagine how it would feel to lose a sibling. Although I had been an only child, I’d grown every bit as close to Alice…to Emmett, even to Rosalie, to Jacob, as I would have thought possible for any children born of the same mother and father and raised together. I knew what a loss of any single family member would mean to the rest of us.




My mind wandered to Aro and what Carlisle had said about him feeling guilt over what happened to Didyme. Then I thought about Aro’s motivations for transforming his sister—because he wanted to test his theory. He wanted any talent she may possess in her immortal life. Did he ever even consider what might be best for her, or was all that washed away by his desire for power? It seemed selfish…cruel.




I hadn’t noticed that Edward had stopped playing, but the sound of his voice beside me pulled me from my trance. “Will you please tell me what you are thinking before I go mad?”




“I was thinking…” I paused, trying to figure out how to best put my words into thoughts. I turned to face him and saw a puzzled expression on his face. He leaned his head slightly to the side, staring at me intensely, his brow slightly furrowed. “I was thinking about Aro…and Didyme. I just don’t understand…how could he do that to his own sister? How he could make that decision for her and change her all to get what he wanted...” No matter how I looked at it, Aro’s selfishness, his obsession with the talents of vampires was to blame for what had happened—for his sister’s death, and for the torment Marcus, his brother in many ways, had endured as a result.

(cont) Chapter 4 - Didyme
 

I looked at Edward, expecting some sort of insight on what his motivations could have been. Instead, he remained silent. His face was twisted into an agonized expression. He dropped his head and looked at his hands. Now I was the one who felt like I would go mad, wondering what he was thinking. Finally, after a long moment, he softly spoke. “Is it really so unforgivable a thing to do to someone you love dearly? To want to have them with you forever?” He raised his head, his eyes full of pain.




Immediately, I understood the comparison he had made. “Edward, that’s not what I meant. It’s not the same.”




“Isn’t it?” he challenged, but there was no anger in his voice, only pain...and guilt.




“From the day I met you Bella, I have wanted nothing but you. I wanted you to share this life beside me, for me to be able to keep you forever, and in the end, I did. I have never wanted anything so badly. How does that make me any different than Aro?”



“Edward, you may have wanted those things for yourself, but you never wanted them for me. I chose this existence for myself and you fought me over it until the end. You never forced it on me the way Aro did with his sister. I chose this life and I do not regret it.”



“Bella, there will never be a day that passes that I don’t wonder if I did the right thing by ending your life. Never a day that I don't wonder if you would have been better off if I’d found the strength to force myself to stay away from you.”




“Better than off than what?" I challenged. "Weekly trips to the emergency room? Feeling like I have finally found my place in this world? Better of than being completely and utterly happy? Is it really so horrible a thing for me to want to stay with you forever?” I looked at him, searching the depths of his eyes for a sign of understanding.




After another long minute, I saw the hardness fade and a smirk slowly spread across his mouth. He pulled my hand up to kiss my palm, inhaling deeply as he did. “No, I’d say that makes you just as selfish as me,” he replied teasingly.




“Well, when two individuals are as hopelessly selfish as we are they deserve to have to endure each other forever.” I leaned forward and kissed him quickly, then pulled back just a few inches. “Now, can we please end this debate… for good?”




He grabbed my face on either side and pulled me to him again, kissing me back in the same fashion, then pulled me back out, sill grasping my face, all traces of remorse having faded from his eyes. “Yes!”




“Good!” I said, relieved, hoping he truly meant it. “Now, let’s go down and see if Rose and Renesmee are finished.”




A few seconds later and I was downstairs, peeking in to the living room, not wanting to interrupt. Rosalie and Renesmee sat side by side on the floor looking at an extravagant rendering of the solar system. Renesmee listened intently as Rosalie told her about the rings of Saturn. Never missing a word of her lesson, Rosalie looked up at us and nodded her head once in acknowledgment that we were waiting.

(cont) Chapter 4 - Didyme
 

“Let’s wait on the porch, Love.” Edward took my hand and pulled me through the front door out into the gray, early afternoon, where we sat side by side on the top stair. In the distance, I heard Jacob and Emmett wrestling around by the river. “They’ll be finished in a minute, Rosalie is just stalling now.” I noticed the smile in the tone of his voice.

“So are you going to let me in on the joke? Why is she stalling?”

“Just to irritate Jacob. She knows that he’s eagerly awaiting the end of their lessons too, but he knows better than to interrupt them.”

“I really wish the two of them would knock it off already.” I lowered my head to my hands in frustration.

“Oh, I wouldn’t worry too much about it. They don’t hate each other nearly as much as they let on. They are both equally stubborn, and jealous.”

“Yeah, well, I hope you’re right about that.” I frowned. I wasn’t altogether convinced.

“Trust me, Bella,” he said, reaching forward to rub my arm reassuringly. "Rosalie is more guarded with her thoughts, but Jacob isn’t. Truthfully, they both realize that they share one major thing in common. They both want what’s best for Renesmee and they respect that in one another.”

Just then, Renesmee bound out the door, jumping form the top stair and arching gracefully through the air. At the last moment before touching the ground, she spun around to land so that she was facing us. “Mommy…Aunt Rose taught me about the planets today! I learned that we live on the planet Earth.” She smiled triumphantly and looked back to Rosalie for approval.

Rosalie smiled at her and then turned to us, beaming at her own accomplishments.

“Thank you Rosalie…I have to say, I really am impressed,” Edward said.

“She’s my best student,” she said, winking at Renesmee. She covered her mouth with her hand, stifling a giggle. “And I really do enjoy it. I would still be willing to continue with them next year instead of her having to go off to obedience school.” She sounded hopeful.

I rolled my eyes, looking to Edward for help. We were relieved of having to respond. In the distance, I heard Jacob and Emmett approaching, their wrestling match having obviously ended. As they jogged into sight around the corner of the house, Renesmee launched herself at Jacob, who caught her midair. “Jacob!” she squealed, “Aunt Rose taught me about the planets, and the sun, and the stars….”

"Really? That’s pretty neat kiddo, can you tell me all their names later?” Jacob kissed her cheek before setting her back down. I felt Edward stiffen slightly beside me, then relax almost immediately.

“So, Blondie…” Jacob said turning to Rosalie, his voice full of mischief. “Did you teach her about Uranus too?” He burst into laughter at his own joke, joined immediately by Emmett.

Rosalie didn’t respond. She narrowed her eyes, a low hiss escaping her lips before she turned and disappeared into the house.

“Oh Babe, we were just kidding….” Emmett trailed off after her, shouting his apologies while following in her wake.

Jacob turned to us, still laughing at his own joke, “Get it you two? Uranus?”

“Oh grow up, Jake!” I spat at him. This only caused him to double over in laughter. I silently fumed, balling my fists.

“What’s so funny?” Alice had appeared from the clearing, her arms full of freshly picked flowers in shades of purples, blues and yellows.

“Nothing is funny, nothing at all!” I eyed Jake, who finally managed to control himself and straighten up.

Alice shrugged, obviously deciding that it wasn’t worth pursuing. “Bella,” she began, her eyes alight with excitement, “I was in the field picking flowers, and suddenly I had the most fantastic vision!”

I swallowed hard, suddenly nervous. “This doesn’t have anything to do with me and shopping, or dresses, or anything of that nature, does it?”

“No, silly! But I do like that shade of purple on you. Much better than the green you almost chose.” It was no use with Alice. Of course she’d seen what I would be wearing, even before I knew myself. “I saw us all taking a fabulous trip!” Alice, no doubt had been hoping we’d agree to going to Volterra and had clearly seen it as soon as we’d given Carlisle our answers.

“A trip?” Jacob asked, momentarily pulling his attention from Renesme. “Cool! Where are we going?”

Uh-oh. Edward and I looked at each other, both of us raising our eyebrows cautiously. This I had not yet planned for—we were going to have to tell Jacob. And somehow, I had a sinking feeling he wasn’t going to be happy about it.

Chapter 5 - The Race
 

“Over my dead body!”


I sighed. Just as I’d suspected, Jacob had not taken the news of our upcoming trip to Italy well. He stood before us, arms folded tightly across his chest, his jaw tight and his posture set. I could see the quickened flow of blood pulsing in the vein on his neck—a result of his reaction to my news. To put it lightly, he was furious.


“Jake, it’s really not that big of a deal…” I began trying to explain, to lessen the concern for Renesmee that I knew was flooding him now, obscuring his rationality. He cut me off sharply before I could finish my first sentence.


“The hell it’s not, Bella! Are you absolutely out of your mind? Or have you forgotten that this same group of leeches came here not to long ago to kill us….to kill her!” he jerked his head in Renesmee’s direction, his voice growing gradually louder. Renesmee was playing several yards away, focusing her attention on trying to catch a bright orange butterfly that flittered in unpredictable patterns just out of her reach over her head. I felt my anger slowing building up.


“Jacob,” Edward began calmly, “surely you realize that Renesmee’s safety is our concern, first and foremost before anything else. The situation with the Volturi is not the same as it was before, as Carlisle will happily explain to him if you so desire. Surely, after all this time, you trust Carlisle’s word?” I had to admit, I truly admired Edward’s patience. Vampires are ruled by their emotions and I had not yet managed to control mine in the same manner. He’d had decades to master his control. I envied this.


Jacob hesitated. Clearly, he didn’t want to disagree with Edward on this point, whether out of politeness or because he truly did trust Carlisle, I was unsure. Jacob’s track record did not always paint him as the picture of politeness, so I wagered to guess it was the latter.


“I am fairly certain that we will all return in the same condition that we leave in. I don’t forsee any obstacles…” Alice interjected, trying offer peace of mind. She trailed off, her eyes slightly unfocused, trying to recheck her vision of our trip.


“No, no, no….” Jacob glared at Alice, shaking his finger in her direction, fighting to put his thoughts into words. “You can’t see any future with Renesmee in it! She can’t see that!” He looked back to Edward and I, as if trying to convince us of his revelation.


“Well, of course, I can’t!” Alice replied, rolling her eyes. “But I can look around her and discern enough to know that no one there will pose a thread to us.”


In time, Jacob had come to accept Alice’s abilities and could not deny their accuracy, much as he’d come to trust and respect Carlisle in recent months. Jacob’s reasons for argument were fading. He grunted in disapproval, and seemed to have run out of excuses. “Well, I still don’t like it!”


“Well, you know what, Jake? You don’t have to like it!” I was suddenly on my feet, but remained on the stair, not advancing towards him. “Let’s just get one thing clear. The last time I checked, she was our daughter. I don’t have to ask permission to take her anywhere if I feel so inclined to do so…from you or anyone else!”



“Bella…” Edward spoke softly, slowing rising beside me and placing a gentle, but firm hand on my shoulder. I recognized it as a warning to me to keep my composure, but I was in full control of myself. I did, however, want to make my point very clear.

(cont) Chapter 5 - The Race
 

Jacob seemed taken aback slightly by the sudden fierceness of my words. He stared at me, opening his mouth to speak, but deciding against it and closing it again. He repeated this action three times before his shoulders finally relaxed in defeat. “I know.” He sighed. “But I still don’t like it and I don’t trust them…not in my nature.” He thumped his own chest proudly with his fist.


“You don’t have to trust them. I would, however, appreciate it if you would trust me.”


He sighed, “Sure, sure.” I could tell that he was still not accepting of the idea, but he seemed resigned to not push the issue any further…at least not right now. I suspected that the subject would come up again though.


I was focusing so much on Jacob’s reaction that I was oblivious to the mostly silent conversation going on behind me. As I turned, I noticed Alice slightly inclining her head in the direction of Jacob and Renesmee. Edward merely nodded, and followed the gesture with a simple, low, “Thanks.”


Alice smiled, nodded and then breezed off into the living room.

I was intent on asking Edward for an explanation when something that Jacob said pulled my attention back to him, erasing all thoughts of the exchange between the Cullen siblings. “Charlie, by the way, says that if you don’t call him, he’s going to drive up here and arrest you.”


“Charlie?” Jacob had my full attention. “You’ve spoken with Charlie?”



“Of course, I have!” Jacob chuckled. “Saw him just this morning before I headed up here. Came down to the house early today for an early day of fishing with Dad. Spends a lot of his time down on the res lately."



“I haven’t had the chance to call him since we’ve been back.” I suddenly felt like I was neglecting my role as a daughter.


“I told him that — that you guys had been really busy since you got back and all.”


“We could go and see him today, if you’d like,” Edward offered. He put his arm around me and kissed the top of my head.


“Could we? That would be great!” I had not had much time to spend with him in the past few months. Various obstacles always seemed to get in the way…getting married, giving a daughter, attending college, having a murderous coven of Italian vampires showing up at your door…



“He’ll be down on the res most of the day,” Jacob offered. “Mariners game and all this afternoon. It’s become kind of a tradition.”


“Oh…some other time then.” My voice thick with disappointment at this news. Charlie being on Quiluete lands presented a problem. The Cullens were not exactly welcome in La Push. And I was a Cullen now, in ways that extended past just sharing their last name. Only on one occasion had Carlisle and Edward been allowed onto the reservation, and that was when it had been the only option of ensuring Jacob’s health.




“What’s the matter, Bella?” Jacob asked, a look of confusion on his face. “The whole gang’s been dying to see you again. Don’t you want to come visit?” As he asked, a noticed a trace of sadness touch his rough, deep voice.


“Of course I do! But…” I trailed off, exchanging a confused look with Edward. Somehow ‘but I don’t want to be ripped to pieces by a pack of angry werewolves’ was not the best way to approach the subject. I wasn’t sure exactly which boundaries of the treaty once made between the pack and the Cullens were still being enforced.


“I think what Bella means….” Edward began, “…are we welcomed in La Push, Jacob?”


“Of course, you are.” Jacob shrugged as he said this, as if it were common knowledge.


“We were not aware of this new development,” Edward said, still uncertain, “When did this change come about?”


“I dunno….sometime while you were gone I guess. Me, Sam and Doc met, worked it all out. The res is still off limits for others like you and for hunting and stuff though. Emmett and Blondie have been down several times.”

(cont) Chapter 5 - The Race
 

“Emmett and Rosalie have been to the reservation!?” I felt my jaw drop. I couldn’t fathom Rosalie lowering her own standards and subjecting herself to being caught dead in La Push…figuratively speaking.



“Sure. They’ve been there with Renesmee, dropping her off, picking her up, that sort of thing.”


“Renesmee has been to La Push too?”


Jacob laughed, obviously amused by my shock. “Yep…quite a bit.”


“And has she been…accepted there?”


Jacob grinned widely. “You’ll just have to see for yourself.”


I was thrilled. So many memories I had of La Push, yet they all seemed so out of focus compared to so many of my other memories. It was as if I pictured them all through frosted glass, aware that something was there, but not able to fully make out all the details or fully appreciate them.


“So,” Jacob teased, “does this mean you’re accepting my invitation?”


I looked at Edward eagerly. He looked back at me, seemly to consider his answer for a minute. It was torture. Finally, a smile of his own spread across his face and he pulled me closer to kiss my head, “Yes, we can go to La Push, if that’s what you really want.”


“Oh, Edward!” I slung my arms around him. “Yes, I do, I do, I do. Can we leave right now?” Suddenly, I pictured myself resembling a very eager Alice again.


“Give me just a minute to tell Esme where we’re going.” He raced into the house.


Jacob called Renesmee over and I watched her excited reaction as he shared with her the news that we would be visiting the reservation.


The garage door opened and Edward stepped back out into the driveway to meet us. “Are you three ready?”


“Tell you what, Edward,” Jacob responded, exchanging a sly wink with Renesmee. “We’ll race you two there.” Renesmee covered her mouth to stifle an excited giggle and peered up at Edward, awaiting his reaction.


“Excellent.” A mischievous smile spread across Edward’s face. “We’ll take the Ferrari.”


“Do you want a head start?” Jacob asked, rolling his eyes dramatically. “I’ll be right back.” With that he turned and darted into the woods.


I seized his absence as an opportunity to turn to Edward and complain, “Ugh, the Ferrari?” I groaned. “Can’t we just take your car?”


“Nonsense, Bella,” Edward teased back. “It’s about time I taught you how to drive it…properly that is.” I rolled my eyes as Jacob just had.


At that moment, the brush at the edge of the driveway stirred and a giant wolf emerged from the spot where Jacob had disappeared minutes earlier. The wolf-Jacob walked over to stand beside Renesmee who easily scrambled onto his back. She took a spot between his shoulders and secured herself with two fistfuls of russet colored fur. She looked at us expectantly. The excitement on her face was more than enough to melt any reservations I had about this trip. I returned to my previous elated state and was suddenly eager to get to La Push as fast as possible myself.


I glanced at Edward, quickly and then back to Renesmee and Jacob, who stood waiting. Edward reached over to take my hand. He slowly took a step backwards towards the garage, pulling me with him. “One…” he called out. I saw Renesmee’s smile grow and saw her tighten her grip on Jacob’s fur. Another step backwards and “…two…” Jacob crouch to the ground, prepared to run. Another slow step backwards towards the garage. “THREE!” We spun in unison and raced towards the shiny red car parked in the garage.


I did not see Jacob move, but heard him crashing through the woods, putting distance between us. Within seconds, Edward had started the car and was racing down the twisting driveway that led to the paved road. I had to amit, Edward was a really good driver. A minute later, we hit the pavement, never slowing down.

(cont) Chapter 5 - The Race
 

“You know, if they beat us, we’ll never hear the end of it,” I teased him. He replied by pressing harder on the accelerator.


“I know,” he responded casually as the speedometer reached one hundred. “That’s why I am driving there…you are driving back.” I groaned in protest. “You didn’t think you were going to get off that easy did you? Now, if I can only manage to convince Jacob to let me buy him a new car…”


“So it seems like Emmett’s competitive nature is rubbing off on Jacob,” I observed. “I have to admit, I wasn’t prepared found friendship the two of them have developed.


He pondered this for a minute, passing two cars and changing roads in the process. “It’s really not all that surprising if you think about it. They both take pride in their strength and size. They both have similar outlooks on life and the same, carefree, blunt sense of humor. And they both seem to really enjoy giving you and Rosalie a hard time.”


“I suppose you’re right,” I agreed. “Except for the whole mortal enemies thing.”


He laughed lightly, “Except for that.” I suppose he was right. The more I thought about it, the more I was surprised I hadn’t noticed before. It was very typical for Edward to pick up on subtle details like that. Of course, with his ability to read the unspoken thoughts of others, it was probably much easier to compare similarities and differences.


That brought something else to mind. I turned my attention from the window where the town of Forks was racing past us in a blur and looked at him. “What were you and Alice discussing earlier in the driveway?”


“Ah…I forget how observant you are. She said that she would try to see if she could pick anything up but that it would make it easier if I could get Renesmee and Jacob away from the house. She asked if you were truly comfortable with going to Italy, or if you were just trying to appease everyone else.”


“Oh. Well, I guess it worked out well then that we all ended up leaving for the day.”


He was silent for a moment. “And are you, Bella?”


“Not entirely,” I said, inhaling deeply. The smell of the salty ocean met my nose as we crossed the Quiluete border. “But I am willing to go anyway.”



“I don’t want you to feel like this is something that is being forced on you. Your decision needs to be based on what you want, not something you feel obligated to do on anyone else’s behalf.” He looked at me intently. “Promise me that you’ll be honest with me and tell me.”


“I promise.”



“And are you fully comfortable with going to La Push and spending the day with a bunch of werewolves?” I challenged back.


“Not entirely,” he responded, “but I am willing to go anyway…if it will make you happy.”


At that moment, the familiar house of Jacob Black came into view. The fog was suddenly lifted from the way I’d viewed the place for the past few months. I felt like a part of “me” had been returned. Edward brought the car to a stop in front of the house and cut off the ignition. As we looked at the front of the house, two figures stepped through the door and out onto the porch. As they did, I heard Edward mutter in disbelief, “I don’t believe it.”

Chapter 6 - Automobiles and Thunderbirds
 

"How on Earth did they get here so fast?" I walked around the car to join Edward. Renesmee and Jacob walked across the lawn to meet us wearing huge, identical triumphant smiles.

Edward stood in Jacob’s yard in defeat. He was the fastest person I’d ever met, easily quicker on foot than any of the rest of the family or the pack. He was not accustomed to losing a race. As he shook his head in disbelief, Jacob merely shrugged. "I offered you a head start."

He motioned for us to follow him. I could hear a montage of voices echoing from inside the small, red barn like house. It sounded like the entire population of La Push was here. A very strong, odor hung in the air. I reflexively wrinkled my nose. A thin line of smoke snaked its way up over the house from the back yard, visible against the overcast, gray sky. I recognized it as the smell of food being cooked on a grill. It smelled very unappealing.

At one time this place was like a second home to me, but suddenly, as we walked up the stairs, I felt very self conscious and out of place. I slowed my pace, pausing at the door before entering. Renesmee, eager for me to join the party inside, trotted back and grabbed my hand, pulling on me with all her might and urging me forward. "C’mon!" I swallowed hard and stepped forward into the small living room of the Black household.

The babble of voices from inside suddenly stopped as all eyes turned to focus on the two vampires that had just entered a house full of wolves. The silence only lasted a few seconds before it was broken by a familiar voice. "Hey look….it’s my favorite vampire!" Seth eagerly hurried forward scooping me up in a hug that would have surely broken a human in half. Over his shoulder, I briefly caught sight of Leah’s scowling face just before she turned and stormed out of the room. Nevertheless, the excited voices resumed as everyone else hurried forward to greet us. My anxiety vanished immediately. The whole pack seemed to be here in addition to several other familiar faces.

"Hi Bella!" Sue Clearwater called from the kitchen, waving a spoon that seemed to be covered with potato salad. Beside her stood Emily, her face as friendly and welcoming as ever as she waved too.



Renesmee and a girl I recognized as Emily’s niece, Claire, giggled from the corner. Although I knew otherwise, Claire seemed to be smaller and younger than Renesmee by a few years but they didn’t seem to mind.

I turned around to face Edward, beaming. He however, was already deeply involved in a conversation with Quil and Embry about the Ferrari. "Bella, I’m going to walk out with them to look at the car…?" Anyone other than myself would have interpreted it as a statement of fact, however I recognized it as more. I nodded my head. I had worried about our acceptance here unnecessarily, it appeared.

I felt someone nudge my side. "Charlie’s out back with Billy," Jacob said to me quietly.

"Charlie?" My hand instinctively shot to my throat. It had been months since I’d seen my father.

"C’mon…let’s go see him," Jacob whispered. He placed his hand lightly under my elbow and began to gently lead me towards the back door, away from the turmoil inside the overly crowded house. Jacob guided me out into the back yard. There were several long tables set up under a large, ancient looking tree, each covered with a plastic red and white plaid table cloth and laden with enough food to feed a small army…or a dozen hungry werewolves.

Between the tables sat the large silver grill that omitted the foul smell. Standing over the grill was Sam, whose size could only be matched by that of Jacob. Billy sat to his left. Standing in front of both of them, with his back to me, was Charlie. Neither Billy or Sam had acknowledged my presence, although I knew they’d seen me approaching with Jacob. Jacob leaned forward and whispered in my ear, so low that the three men before us had no chance of hearing it. "We didn’t tell him you were coming. Figured we’d let you surprise him."

"OK, who invited the cop to the party?" I called, teasingly.

(cont) Chapter 6 - Automobiles and Thunderbirds
 

"Bella?" Charlie turned to face me, surprise painting his face. "Bella! It is you, kid!" He rushed forward to meet me, extending his arms for a hug. I inhaled deeply and held my breath. I could feel Jacob move forward with me, staying very close to me in case I needed him. He was so close that I could feel heat radiating off him in waves.

As he hugged me, I felt a shiver run though his body. I wondered if it was in response to the ice cold temperature of my skin, evident even through my long sleeved shirt, or if it was because of something else… He pulled me back at arms length to examine me, taking me in from head to toe. "So," he began, "how was your first term in school?"

"It was great…top marks and everything. But it’s good to be home again." And I didn’t even kill any of the other students, I added silently in my head.

"Well, it’s good to have you home, kiddo! You hungry? Sam’s just about to take the burgers off the grill, and as you can see, there’s plenty of food. Sue and Emily have really outdone themselves."

I definitely was not hungry. "No, I’m fine," I lied coolly.

"Where’s Edward? Did he come with you?" Charlie glanced around the yard, searching, before turning back to me.

I was out of air. I was going to have to take a breath or continue the conversation though a series of nods and gestures. I leaned back the tiniest bit, moving my eyes around the yard under pretense that I was trying to determine his whereabouts too. Cautiously, I inhaled deeply. At once, burning fire began clawing at the back of my throat. I’d forgotten how very appealing Charlie smelled. Venom pooled in my mouth and I fought to swallow it down. I stiffened a bit, forcing myself to control my natural urges. I felt Jacob’s hand close tightly around my wrist and sensed him shift slightly as I stood there.

I turned my attention back to Charlie, "He’s here somewhere. Out front with Quil and Embry, I believe…." I felt Jacob loosen his hold.

"Ah…of course, talking cars no doubt." Charlie acknowledged. I couldn’t help but notice a subtle nervous edge in the tone of his voice as he glanced down quickly to where Jacob’s hand had been locked around my wrist a fraction of a second earlier.

"Food’s ready!" Billy announced. Charlie turned immediately to help Sam carry the burger and rib laden plates to the tables. I shot a thankful glance in Billy’s direction. He winked knowingly in response, "Hey Bella. Good to see you again."

"Thank you," I softly whispered to Jacob, so low only his ears would hear.

"Uh-huh." He turned and walked to the table furthest from Charlie. I followed him automatically, taking a seat beside him on one of the benches. "Seemed to get a little tense there for a minute?" He raised one of his eyebrows questioningly.

"Yes," I agreed. "For a minute."

"Are you still, you know…in pain being around people?" He looked away, not meeting my eyes as he finished his statement.

"Sometimes," I admitted, inhaling deeply. "But it’s easier to control now. Especially around you…you really do stink, Jake." He chuckled a bit in response to my teasing, but I sensed there was little humor behind the notion. He quickly became serious again.

"And…will it always be that way for you? Will it ever go away completely?"

I hesitated, suddenly realizing that I didn’t want to hear the answer spoken any more than he did. I gazed solemnly across the yard, focusing on nothing. "No, not completely. The burn will always be there. Sometimes more than others. Just depending…" I trailed off, questioning if I was unsure how to properly explain it, or if I just didn’t want to face the facts of the matter myself. "It’s a bit difficult to understand, I suppose." Guilt washed over me as I realized that it took an enormous amount of control for me not to kill even my own father. I shuddered at the thought.

"I might understand that kind of thing better than you think." He elbowed me lightly, and then gestured to himself. "You forget. I had to adjust to a different lifestyle too."

Suddenly, the realization of his words hit me. He was right—Jacob hadn’t always been a wolf. More than that, I realized that Jacob was someone I could confide in—someone who I could talk to and who would understand.

"You’re not alone, you know Bella," he continued. He looked at me as I spoke and I read the sincerity behind his coal black eyes. "I had instincts of my own to fight—uncontrollable anger and having to learn to control when I phased. I remember how it feels to stand in front of someone you love dearly and having to fight the urge to kill even them. I remember wanting to kill my own father. I remember wanting to kill you, Bells."

There was something very familiar about his words…it was like they’d been spoken to me before, but I couldn’t quite place them. One thing that was very clear, however, was that Jacob and I were connected in ways I’d never realized. I’d always been so quick to consider our differences, not as Jacob and Bella, but as werewolf and vampire, that I’d never given much thought to all the things that made us the same.

"And I know that through all that, I would have been lost without Sam there…without someone who understood…someone I could confide in who wouldn’t judge me." I understood the meaning behind Jacob’s words. He was offering to be that for me. I examined the irony of the situation. Jacob had wanted more than anyone else to change my mind about my decision to enter into this immortal existence. His desire was second only Edward’s, who had also wanted it desperately at the same time—that desire second only to my own. Yet despite of it all, Jacob was offering to help me through this tough adjustment, just as Sam had done for him and just as Carlisle had done for Edward.

(cont) Chapter 6 - Automobiles and Thunderbirds
 

"Jake, I…" I was truly at a loss for words.

"I take it you don’t talk about how hard it is? With him at least." He knew me like an open book.

I merely shook my head, acknowledging that he was right. "I’m afraid to," I answered truthfully. "Afraid that he’ll blame himself…he’s always been so quick to take all the guilt for things out of his control. I feel like I was to blame for that for so long…I don’t want to do that to him again."

"Mmm…I kind of figured it was something like that." He reached down and picked up a stick and began slowly and methodically picking the bark off its surface as he spoke. "Bella, if I asked you something, would you answer me truthfully?"

"Of course, Jake, anything!" How could I deny him the truth? After all the sacrifices he’d made on my behalf.

"Are you happy, Bella? Really happy?"

"Yes. Very much," I answered automatically, not because it was what he wanted to hear, but because it was the truth. "I’ve never been happier, Jake. Are you happy?"

"Never been better." The smile on his face told me his feelings were as genuine as mine. Then his face took on a very thoughtful expression as he spoke again. "Now mind you, I may not have been around as long as some of your family, but I think I’ve had time to figure a few things out." He looked up to my face, his eyes squinting slightly in his concentration. "I think the things in life that you want the most, things that you truly enjoy, are always the hardest. I think if you didn’t have to struggle to get to where you want to be, you’ll never fully appreciate what you have." He paused, gesturing between himself and me. "I think that’s why this kind of thing is so hard get a handle on, and I don’t mean just the vampire and werewolf thing. But once you finally win the fight to get there, you realize you’re right where you were always meant to be."

"Jake, I couldn’t agree with you more." I smiled warmly and reached forward to take his hand. His posture relaxed, indicating that he realized I understood exactly what he’d meant. "I didn’t realize how wise becoming a wolf had made you."

"Yeah, well, I guess you can’t have beauty and brains," he teased back, all the tension of the conversation fading away.

"Jake, you are without a doubt, one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever known." I leaned forward to hug him and he returned the gesture, his skin scorching against mine. "Thank you," I whispered in his ear.

"Now," he said, as we released each other, speaking a bit more loudly. "Let’s go see if we can find that niece of yours." I recognized his words for what they were—a reminder, for me. As far as Charlie was aware, Renesmee was not my daughter, but Edward’s niece. Another role I played. I sighed to myself, finding it humorous that at one time I thought all these false pretenses would end once I became a vampire. Little did I know, they hadn’t even begun. Still, I hadn’t bargained on even being around Charlie after my transformation. This made that a possibility, so I’d gladly take the trade. I had a feeling that Charlie suspected that the story was fabricated, but thanks to Jacob’s efforts, he never questioned it.

"I think she’s out in the shed!" Charlie called. He’d heard what Jacob had said, as was obviously the intent.

Jacob and I walked towards the small, makeshift garage. We had timed our search perfectly, due to careful timing on Jacob’s behalf, I’m sure. Everyone else had come outside and commenced to devouring the food that had been prepared. I could avoid any further questions regarding my eating habits, or more appropriately my lack thereof.

Charlie had been right—Renesmee was in the shed, as was Edward. Edward stood in front of Jacob’s dismantled Voltzwagon Rabbit, his hands in his pockets, slowly shaking his head from side to side. "Jacob…" he began.

"No! Don’t say it!" Jake began, "I know what you’re going to say, don’t say it!"

"Jacob…" Edward said, his voice almost pleading. "Face facts. She’s dead. Think about how nice a new, shiny Mustang GT would look parked here…or a Corvette even…"

I sighed, and felt sorry for Jacob. Edward was relentless when he made up his mind about buying something, particularly cars. Jacob would not likely win this battle without a long, hard fight. I ignored them, looking around the garage. There was something vaguely familiar about it. I sensed that I knew the place well, yet I couldn’t quite put my finger on why.

I approached an old white refrigerator, rust creeping over the paint in several spots. And long extension cord, mended in several spots ran from it’s base up to the house. A low, mechanical humming told me that it was running, though I couldn’t see how. I opened it and saw several cans of soda. I reached out and took picked one up. Even with my ice cold skin, I could tell the drink was not as cold as it should be.

Jacob’s voice pulled me back to the present. "Fine, fine. Have it your way!" I turned back and saw a triumphant smile on Edward’s face. I didn’t have to ask what the cause was—I was pretty sure I had a good idea. Poor Jacob.

"So, who’s ready to head out to the beach for a bonfire and some stories?" Jacob said, quickly changing the subject.