Chapter Text

— BIRTH —

It's painful to be born. Your mother’s body pushes you out, tearing you from the warmth you thought eternal. The oxygen line is severed, and you’re forced to gasp your first breath, wild and desperate. Light cuts through your eyes like knives.

I suppose it’s a good thing, in the end, that humans don’t remember any of it. But forgetting is a merciful privilege that was never granted to me. Memory, in my case, is not a thing I grew into. It was there from the beginning. A burden. A gift. A curse.

I will remember it all, for as long as I live.

The metallic scent of my mother’s blood, flooding the room like smoke from a fire. The sound of her ragged breathing, the way it stuttered and cracked. The cold hands of my father as he tried to save us both. And the thirst — sharp and burning — twisting inside me like coals shoved down my throat.

"No, Renesmee," he whispered.

Calm, controlled. And somehow, I knew.

I didn’t need psychology or science or fables. I didn’t need Electra or theories about bonds between daughters and fathers. I knew . He was my father. Just as I knew the woman beneath me, whose body was breaking open to give me life, was my mother. But it wasn’t until his subtle rebuke that the fog began to lift, and I started to understand what was happening.

My first breath came wrapped in grief. Torn between desperation and loss.

"What are you waiting for?"

Another voice, husky and gasping. My favorite. I couldn’t see him yet. But I knew him too.

"Take the baby."

"Throw it out the window."

Then a third voice. Distant, but sure. "Give her to me. I've got it under control. Give me the baby, Edward. I'll take care of her until Bella..."

Edward, my dad, reached out, passing me from his hands. And I knew who she was. Rosalie. Rose. My guardian.

The names came easily. The faces fit the sounds, like pieces of a puzzle I’d always known.

In one smooth, practiced motion, Rose gathered me in her marble arms. She was careful — not out of fear, but reverence. She cleaned me, wrapped me in a soft blanket, her eyes warm with fierce love.

Still, even safe in her arms, the moment she carried me from that room, something inside me fractured.

The world below was quieter. Disconnected.

She sat down on a couch and offered me a metal bottle, filled to the brim with a thick liquid I instantly knew was blood. I drank eagerly, the hunger too strong to deny.

But it wasn’t the blood that comforted me most. It was the warmth. The sudden wave of it, settling over me like a lullaby. I hadn’t realized how cold I’d been until that moment. How desperately I needed to be held.

And then I felt him. Closer now. The warmth had a center. A source. It was easier to sense it without the terror and death clouding the other room. Easier to breathe.

Then came the scent. Earthy and sharp. Citrus and wood heated by sunlight. Rain and forest and something alive. So different from everything else — from the ice and blood and the cloying sweetness that coated the air upstairs.

The warmth approached, expansive, and it was only then that my eyes met his for the first time. He was something else .

Jacob. I knew even more certainly than all the rest.

He stopped, but I wanted to reach for him. To cling to that strange, unwavering sense of belonging that seemed to guide me — to be a part of me. As if pulled by the same instinct, Jacob took another step forward. I could hear his heart — the only one beating beyond mine — steady and strong, a metronome keeping time with the rhythm of my own fragile existence. 

He was so close now, I could feel the heat rising from his skin, a warmth so similar to mine it stirred something deeper.

My fingers curled instinctively, a primal urge pushing me to reach for him. Something inside me knew Jacob in a way that transcended understanding. But before I could act on it, Rose stood abruptly, and in a heartbeat, we were on the other side of the room — her marble hand cradling my head against her chest.

“Stay away from her, mutt,” she growled, her voice a low, frigid threat.

For a moment, silence filled the room like fog. Jacob didn’t move. His eyes were locked on mine, shimmering with something wordless. The air shifted; charged, vibrating with a quiet force. He could feel it too. I was certain of it.

And then, in a rush of near-silent steps, we were no longer alone. Two lithe figures emerged from the doorway, falling into place on either side of Rosalie. One small and silent, the other marked with scars etched deep into his skin. Alice and Jasper.

Then Edward. His eyes searched for mine first, steady and sharp, before settling on Jacob and staying there. Something inside me twisted strangely as my father’s stance seemed to harden further, impossibly so.

“Rosalie,” he said at last, his voice low and dry. “That’s enough.”

But Rose only stared at him, her face rigid with disgust. “I don’t trust him, Edward. You should understand that.”

“I do,” he murmured.

And in the next second, my father was beside me as well.

For the first time, Jacob’s deep gaze flickered slightly from mine to meet my father’s. Even without understanding the meaning behind it, I knew there was something important in that moment. Something unspoken but heavy.

“He’s not going to hurt Renesmee, Rosalie,” my dad said, quiet but firm, his fists clenched tight. “Jacob… he… imprinted on her.”

Rosalie’s fingers tightened instinctively around me as the rest stood frozen, motionless as stone. Only the ticking of the old grandfather clock dared to fill the silence.

Then, without his usual grace, my dad turned his head sharply toward the door. “I’m afraid there’s no time for questions,” he growled. “Alice, Jasper, come with me. Rosalie, protect Renesmee.”

The three of them vanished before I could even register the movement, gone as swiftly as they had come.

Outside, something wild was approaching, powerful enough to make the ground tremble beneath us. The tall trees surrounding the house shuddered as it neared. Then, close — too close — a howl tore through the night. Jacob moved before the echo faded. His body streaked across the room in a blur of heat, reaching the door in a flash. But just before crossing it, he turned, casting one last look over his shoulder. A look directed only to me.

“I’ll be right back,” he promised, before glancing at Rose. “Look after her.”

And then, just like the others, he disappeared into the darkness.

Chapter Text

— WOLVES —

Solid walls shuddered with the impact that rippled across the lawn, a muffled boom reverberating through the structure of the house. And yet, the tall glass windows beside the door Jacob had vanished through remained unbroken, untouched. Through them, I could see the shadows moving in the woods. Massive, fierce, relentless.

Wolves.

There was nothing fragile or tame in their forms. They were colossal, larger than any creature my mind could have conjured, their presence radiating something as raw and primal as the blood in their veins. Logic insisted I should fear them. Perhaps even recoil. But I couldn’t.

Their scent filled the air. Thick, earthen, and overpoweringly like Jacob.

The silver light of the moon revealed the first of them more clearly; his fur black as midnight, his eyes hard as smoldering iron. He stood at the edge of the porch, sniffing the air, and a deep growl rumbled from his throat.

Another followed, his coat a deep, earthen brown, eyes sweeping the perimeter with sharp vigilance. More shadows took shape between the trees, forming a silent perimeter around the house. They looked ready. Determined to advance.

And yet, like sentinels, Alice, Jasper, and my father stood between the woods and the house, motionless, strategically placed. Then, from the fringe of the trees, in a subtle shift of movement, three new wolves emerged from the shadowed brush, but only one held my attention.

He stood ahead of the others, as though leading the march, his enormous frame humming with the energy of something untamed and true. His fur was a warm reddish-brown, the color of sunlit earth. But it was his eyes that held me. No matter the form, I would always know them. Somehow, beyond reason, I knew it was Jacob.

Even from afar, he lifted his head toward me. His howl split the night—long, low, and laced with something I couldn’t name, something that echoed inside me like a summons buried deep in my bones.

The larger group stirred beneath the trees, circling one another in agitation. Jasper raised an arm instinctively to shield Alice, but Edward simply shook his head once, as a calm, decisive gesture.

“They won’t fight tonight,” my father said, his voice barely above a whisper.

The black wolf at the front didn’t move for a long moment. His gaze locked on Jacob’s. The low growl in his chest began to fade, his piercing stare flickering for the briefest beat. He looked around at the other wolves near him, as though absorbing the shift none of them had expected.

Jacob stepped forward, his stance defensive, unshakable. Edward —my dad— turned slightly in my direction, and for a brief moment, his expression shifted as well.

“They can’t hurt her,” he said, his voice laced with something caught between shock and relief. “Whoever a wolf imprints on can't be harmed. It's their most absolute law.”

The wolves exchanged glances, a silent understanding rippling through the group. The massive black wolf took a step back, and one by one, the others followed, retreating until the heavy tension in the air dissolved like mist beneath the sun.

Jacob didn’t move, but his eyes returned to me—something unspoken written across his face. Something that felt like a promise, something I didn’t yet understand, but could feel blooming in every fiber of my being, undeniable.

Chapter Text

— EXISTANCE —

“Go, Jacob,” my father’s voice came out solemn. And yet, there was an undeniable firmness in his tone that struck me with surprise.

Jacob hesitated as his dark eyes flicked from my face, but my father’s gaze remained calm. 

“Take Leah and Seth back to the reservation. They need rest. And so do you. All of you deserve that… after everything.”  He paused briefly before walking over to me, gathering me gently into his arms. “Maybe Renesmee needs it too. I’ll watch over her tonight. You can come back tomorrow. We’ll still be here. She’ll be here. I promise.”

Jacob seemed to weigh those words. However, his posture shifted and his expression seemed to soften as he turned to watch me again. The tension drained from his body, his stance becoming calmer, almost peaceful. He exhaled briefly above my hair and then turned, running toward the forest. 

The two other wolves—Seth and Leah, for what it seemed—followed closely behind.

My father merely inclined his head, in a gesture that felt unusually slow for him. As soon as silence settled into place, I felt his arms shift me carefully in his embrace. His touch was firm, but gentle, as if he feared I might fall apart if he held me too tightly.

“Let’s go home, Renesmee,” he whispered, and in an instant, the world around us blurred into wind and shadows.

Before I could truly process it, we had arrived at what I presumed was our home. A small, cozy, and lovely stone cottage, nestled so perfectly in a clearing of towering redwoods it looked as though it had been carved to belong there. My father opened the door and carried me inside. Everything smelled like him—a mixture of honey and frost, something timeless and safe. He brought me to a small room, sat down with me in a corner chair, and wrapped me in another blanket, settling me gently against his marble chest. Although the room looked undeniably new and clean, it also felt strangly unfinished.

There was no other furniture besides the rocking chair, and only the soft glow of a single lamp bathed the space. My father's golden eyes gleamed in the dimness, watching me with endless patience. “Are you alright?”

I wanted to say yes. I wanted to let him know everything. And even trying to speak, the words simply wouldn’t come. It was frustrating. I understood so much, knew so much… but my mouth was still clumsy with full sentences.

My face twisted in frustration, but my dad smiled gently.

“It’s okay, Renesmee,” he said softly, reassuring. “I know what you’re trying to say.”

I blinked at him, surprised.

“I can hear your thoughts.” He brushed his fingers gently against my forehead, a featherlight gesture. “It’s a little different with your mother. Her thoughts have always been a mystery to me. But yours… I hear them as clearly as if you were speaking aloud.”

He kept his eyes on me, the soft smile still resting on his lips. But suddenly, something shifted. His expression grew distant for a moment, as though he were choosing his words with care. He took a long breath.

“There’s so much you need to know…” His voice was gentle, but it carried a weight I couldn’t fully measure yet. “I was born more than a century ago,” he began, his voice adopting a rhythm almost like a lullaby. “In a time entirely unlike this one.”

His free hand rested on the arm of the chair. “I had another family then, different dreams… But an illness brought me to the edge of death. My mother, even in her final moments, begged the doctor to save me… Carlisle.”

I watched his eyes change, growing deeper, filled with distant memories.

“Carlisle is the kindest man I’ve ever known. Everything he does is out of selflessness, generosity, compassion… And yet, in that moment, he knew there was only one way left to save me. The only way… was to make me like him. To turn me… into what he already was.”

The answer was obvious in my mind. A vampire.

My father’s lips tightened just barely; his eyes narrowed slightly in the dim light.

“But Carlisle was never like the others, Renesmee. He never took a human life. Not even to survive. Instead, he chose animal blood. And that’s what he taught me, too, when he changed me. He didn’t do it out of cruelty. He did it out of compassion. Carlisle gave me a second chance. Over time, he became like a father to me.” 

His words hung between us. I stood very quietly, just waiting for more.

“A few years later came Esme, then Rosalie, Emmett… Alice and Jasper.” His voice softened at their names. “They became my family, too. Our family.”

That caught my attention in a whole new, different way. Where were they? The others I hadn’t seen yet? Carlisle, Esme, and Emmett?

“Hunting. They’ll be back soon.”

I felt a curious necessity surge in me. To know them better. To talk to them. Maybe that would be possible. Do they all read thoughts? Is that something vampires just master?

“No, it’s not. Only a few develop prominent gifts. And even those are unique. Aside from me, in our family, there’s Jasper, who can influence emotions. And Alice, who can see the future.”

Incredible. Our family.

He leaned a little closer. “And yet, for a long time… I was alone. Even surrounded by all of them all of the time, something inside me always felt incomplete.”

Strangely enough, I knew what was coming next.

“Until I met your mother.” He said it like it was a secret. Something treasured. “I didn’t know someone like me could… love that way. But then she appeared.” He let out a soft laugh, as though remembering something quietly absurd. “And everything turned upside down.”

His eyes gleamed as they rested on mine. “Bella, your mom, she was different. She was human. But more than that. She saw me for who I truly was, and still — she didn’t run.” He paused, just briefly. “And then… you came.”

Silence folded over the room for a moment.

 “You are the best of both of us, Renesmee. You were born, not transformed. There is no one else in the world like you,” he said, voice low, sincere. “Complete from the moment you arrived. A whole soul in a small body. You amaze us more than you can possibly know.”

My head raced. I wasn’t exactly a vampire like my father, and certainly not human like my mother. So what am I? Is there truly no one else in the world like me? And what about her ? About Bella? How could he be holding me now, after I… after what I’d done to my own mother?

“Don’t think that way, Renesmee. This wasn’t your fault. Bella… your mother… she will come back to us. No longer as human, but… like me. She’ll begin her new life with us.” He paused again. “I know it’s confusing. I know there’s so much happening all at once. But you need to know that you will never be alone. And more than anything…”

He brushed my cheek gently, his gaze locking with mine. “Know that you are loved. Absolutely.”

My breath caught for a moment; another worry rising to the surface. And what about Jacob?

My father didn’t look surprised by the sudden question, but his head tilted slightly, thoughtful. “Jacob is… a friend of the family. He is your mother's best friend. He is a boy from the Quileute tribe, located near town, out on the La Push reservation. And he's also one of the protectors of their tribe. A shape-shifter. Although they consider themselves as werewolves of a kind because… well, you saw them today.”

So… that meant Jacob was a little like me, wasn’t he? Two things at once. The realization made my chest fill with an unrecognizable warmth. 

But… what did it mean to be a protector?

“They protect people— humans— from others of my kind. Most vampires out there… they’re not like our family, Renesmee. We’re actually an exception to the rule. That’s why the shape-shifters agreed to make a treaty with us. We’re allowed to live near their lands as long as we don’t bring harm to anyone…”

The words fell from my father’s lips and faded into silence. The implication hung in the air, unspoken but heavy. That was why the wolves had come tonight. 

The treaty had been broken—and it was all because of me.

“They didn’t know you yet, Renesmee. Just as I had no idea what to expect. But it only takes a moment, a single glance at you… a glimpse of your kind nature, and everything changes,” he said, his voice soft as velvet, close to my ear. “People are simply afraid of what they don’t understand, my sweet girl.” Gently, he rested his cool, unyielding cheek against my forehead. “All the confusion that followed…was my fault. So please, let me bear that burden alone.”

Something in me loosened with the cold press against my brow. I could feel his arms shifting slowly beneath me, a steady rhythm rocking me.

“Then you can sleep,” he murmured, a quiet satisfaction in his voice, something like pride. “And dream.”

For a moment, my father’s voice became a lullaby.

“Never forget how deeply you are loved, Renesmee,” he whispered, his cold lips brushing against my temple. “Now rest, my little one. I’ll be here when you wake.”

And for the first time, I let my eyes close.

Chapter Text

— SACRED —

I wasn’t sure how much time had passed when I awoke. The sensation was strange. Not of fatigue or grogginess, but as if one moment had quietly dissolved into the next without me noticing.

To my surprise, I was still cradled in my father’s arms, wrapped in the cold, steady safety of his embrace.  The same place. The same armchair.

“Did you sleep well?” His voice was like a gentle melody.

I blinked a few times, trying to brush the haze of sleep from my eyes. Everything still felt a little distant. You really can’t sleep?

My dad shook his head, a half-smile dancing on his lips.

  Never?

“Never,” he echoed, the amused glint in his golden eyes making it feel as though my curiosity genuinely entertained him.

Though he didn’t seem sad, there was something contradictory in his expression… melancholy, maybe. I wondered if one day I would feel that way too. If my need to sleep would become some ambiguous, unwanted oddity.

“Come,” he said then, shifting the subject as effortlessly as he rose to his feet, still holding me against his chest. “There are people eager to meet you. And I think you’ll be happy to see them too.”

My pulse quickened. The others? And… my mother?

“She’s still recovering,” he said, briefly. “You’ll see her soon.”

I wanted to ask more, but there was something in the way he said it that made me pause. Instead, I let him lead me from the cottage into the dawn.

The sky was painted in soft shades of blue and gold, and the light filtered through the trees, dancing across the damp forest floor. The air was thick with the scent of wet earth, wood, and the fresh breeze that moved gently through the branches.

There was comfort in it—in the sound of the leaves rustling. Everything felt new, heightened. Every sound, every shifting shadow, every heartbeat of some hidden creature in the brush. But my attention faltered when I saw the big house ahead, and the figures waiting for us on the porch.

My family. Almost whole.

Carlisle, Esme, Jasper, Alice, Emmett, and Rosalie stood in a line, side by side, watching us as if they were a perfectly composed painting in a harmonious frame.

There was something warm in the way Esme smiled at me. Beside her, Alice waved enthusiastically, and even Jasper, more reserved, joined in. Rosalie clasped her hands against her chest, her eyes shining as if she was holding herself back from rushing to me. Emmett, on the other hand, crossed his arms and looked at me with a mischievous grin spreading across his face.

But my eyes drifted along their marble contours until they landed on the central figure: Carlisle. The benevolent man my father had told me about. The one whom everyone here seemed to follow. Not out of obligation, but out of respect.

“I think I already know who you want to start with,” my dad said, chuckling softly.

And in the next moment, we were already on the porch, face to face with Carlisle.

His features were refined and aristocratic. Golden-blond hair fell gently across his forehead, and his amber-colored eyes shone with genuine curiosity. Still, there was something in his face—in the gentle lines around his mouth and the way his smile came so easily—that made me feel safe. It was innate in his posture. Even standing still, he radiated the calm and commanding presence of a leader. Stripped of severity.  Every movement, every glance, seemed measured with patience and wisdom.

And then, dazedly, I understood what it was—that feeling he so effortlessly conveyed. 

It was serenity. 

A higher state of peace, almost sacred. The kind that everyone who walks the Earth longs to reach. Carlisle was a man who had seen much, learned much, and yet didn’t carry the weight of time on his shoulders.

At last, he stepped forward, as if his presence didn’t disturb the world around him. His golden eyes studied me with genuine interest, with no trace of hesitation or doubt.

“Renesmee,” he said my name with a smile, his voice soft like the murmur of a quiet stream.

Carlisle leaned in slightly, approaching without hurry, his golden eyes glowing with gentle curiosity. “May I?” he asked, extending one hand, without touching, just waiting for my father’s response.

I looked up, anxious, as my dad suppressed a smile. “She would like that very much.”

Instinctively, I lifted one of my hands and pressed it against Carlisle’s cool skin as he held me. The texture was the same as my father's—smooth, like polished marble—impossible to feel unfamiliar to me.

Suddenly, a flood of possibilities rushed through my mind. So many questions I wished I could ask. So many things I wanted to know and learn from him…

He was the leader of our family, but… who had changed him? Did his creator also feed on animals? Where was he now? And how did Carlisle manage to be a doctor? There must be so much blood around him all the time… A swirl of crimson platelets, viscous and plentiful like nectar. Pouring out as if it longed to be part of the world. Just one cut and—

The sensory memory of the hot, thick scent of my mother’s blood surged back like a wave. I remembered it so vividly. Even now, I could still feel it, see it—the clots dripping, the pools that formed and soaked everything around them with their scent. The scent that burned the nostrils, crushed the lungs, devoured the insides.

So how… How could he endure that? Again and again, through the centuries?

“Extraordinary.”

Carlisle’s voice brought me back, so low it was almost like a whispered thought. I noticed his beautiful golden eyes were slightly widened. Not in alarm, but with genuine curiosity.

“She has that effect,” My father said, his smile carefully controlled. “Though I didn’t know about this gift either. Perhaps she never needed to use it with me.”

My gaze shifted between the two of them. My father leaned in closer to my face.

“The moment of your birth. That’s what you were remembering just now, isn’t it?”

I nodded.

“And do you remember what we talked about yesterday, Renesmee? About how some vampires, like me, have special gifts?”

Another nod. My father gave a faint smile. “Well, it seems that peculiarity has extended to you.” He paused, gauging my reaction. “And just now, it wasn’t only me who saw your thoughts, Renesmee… It seems you shared them with Carlisle as well.”

My eyes returned to the serene face of the vampire who held me. My dad’s finger touched my hand, still resting on Carlisle’s arm.

“The moment you touched him, I think you allowed him to access that memory.”

Carlisle’s ancient eyes shimmered, full of renewal. “You are even more special than we could have possibly predicted, Renesmee,” he whispered, smiling at me with sincere affection.

In that split second, Carlisle’s aura expanded around me, wrapping me in his majestic calm. If there was anyone in the world who could be described as sacred, I started believing it could only be him.

Chapter Text

— SECRET—

As soon as we entered the house, I was taken straight into one of the rooms that had been converted into an improvised examination area. It was an immaculate space. Organized, efficient, and equipped with everything he might need. Even though it was inside the big house, there was nothing amateur about it; from the modern monitors to the precisely aligned instruments on the counter, everything seemed ultra-professional.

My father carried me to the padded examination table at the center of the room and placed me there gently. Rosalie positioned herself at my side, her golden eyes tracking my every movement with unwavering attention.

Carlisle smiled at me before beginning. “I’m just going to run a few basic tests, Renesmee. We only want to make sure you’re healthy.”

I knew I was. I felt stronger with each passing moment—more aware, more grounded. But the careful, focused expression on his face made me nod in agreement.

His cool fingers brushed against my skin softly as he checked my pulse. I watched as he took note of each detail. I noticed that behind his gentleness, his eyes were sharp, quick and calculating. Clearly, humility did not preclude intelligence.

“Fascinating,” he murmured slowly. “Your skin is clearly more resilient than a human’s, but it doesn’t seem as solid or impenetrable as that of a vampire. Your body temperature is also higher than average.”

“What about her diet?” Rosalie asked, her voice laced with urgency.

Carlisle’s gaze shifted to me. “So far, we know she reacts well with blood, but we haven’t tested solid human food yet. We’ll need to try that soon to better understand her metabolism.”

Rosalie nodded, still watching me closely. It was easy to see how deeply she cared.

The examination continued. Carlisle measured everything—my torso, my hands, the subtly defined fingers that were already remarkably coordinated for someone who, technically, had only just been born. His gaze swept over my dental arch, and for a brief moment, his expression turned pensive.

“Fully formed teeth…” His eyes gleamed with a mixture of surprise and something more guarded. “All in all… your physical development is clearly accelerated.”

That’s when I noticed a subtle shift in the atmosphere. My father and Rosalie exchanged a silent look, and Carlisle seemed to hesitate before continuing. It was clear that the matter of my growth was a sensitive one. I could feel the tension in the room; the extra care behind every word spoken. As if there was something they were afraid to say aloud.

Finally, Carlisle looked up at me, offering his best smile. “For now, you’re incredibly healthy, Renesmee. That’s what matters most.”

For now.

There was something unspoken behind those words, but no one seemed willing to disturb that fragile moment of peace. Still, it was clear that there was much more to understand about who, or what, I truly was.

The next tests were more varied, more cognitive. Carlisle presented different objects, colors, shapes. He ran small exercises on coordination and memory. Nothing seemed to escape his notice, and yet, there was something about me he still couldn’t know. Something I hadn’t allowed him to discover.

With each new challenge, I deliberately slowed my responses, hesitated when I already knew the answer, let small errors slip into my replies, blinked in feigned confusion when, in reality, every piece of the puzzle had already fallen perfectly into place in my mind.

I knew my father could see it all, but in my thoughts, I was pleading with him, begging him not to say anything yet. Asking him to let me hide this one exception: the truth about my fully formed cognition.

Even with what little I had managed to absorb, it wasn’t hard to see how much my vampire family clung to patterns of an entirely human life. I saw it in Carlisle’s love for his profession, in Rosalie’s maternal longing to nurture a child… And, in some way, I wondered if this was what my mother was hoping to see when she finally woke up, too.

My beloved mother… who adored me back so deeply. Who absolutely loved me enough to give up her own life to bring me into the world...

Just the possibility of not meeting that expectation tore something inside me. But somehow, that same feeling seemed to echo within my dad as well. His gaze softened as a silent weight settled on his shoulders. And in that moment, shared quietly between the two of us, I knew we had an understanding; an unspoken agreement. A secret he was willing to keep.

For me. And for her.

Chapter Text

— ANSWERS—

I had been right about Rosalie. She truly loved me in the way I imagined a mother ought to love her daughter. That thought alone softened my pride, making my decision to hide the truth from my family feel all the more justified. The joy Rosalie carried, nurturing the hope of shaping a child in the years to come, was something I could never bring myself to destroy.

Time seemed to slow after the appointment, as I forced myself to mimic the clumsy movements a baby was supposed to have. Calculated gestures, deliberate stumbles. Little tricks to uphold the illusion. And as much as I doubted my own ability to continue appearing fragile and sluggish, Rosalie didn’t seem to notice anything strange. She seemed completely content just having me there, cradling me with utter devotion. Just like the others.

While my father stayed upstairs — possibly with my mom, I figured — the rest of my family gathered enthusiastically around me. Almost entertained, even. They all had very intelligent, attentive eyes, and the slightest change in my expression seemed enough to make them speculate about my needs, or my mood.

“She’s good,” Jasper said from the opposite corner of the room.

He and Alice were the only ones not sitting on the couch next to us.

“Although I think she might be starting to get a bit… hungry again,” he added. “It’s causing her some discomfort. Not exactly pain. Her thirst is different from ours. She’s allured to blood, but she’s not losing herself to it. It like... she can control herself.”

Carlisle’s eyebrows arched, mesmerized. “Maybe this is a good opportunity to try the alternative option with her.”

“I’ll get it,” Esme offered with a kind smile.

I looked after Carlisle and Esme’s backs — already disappearing through the kitchen door — and then focused on Rosalie’s eyes, still glancing gently down at me.

I reached my fingers to touch her face, trying to concentrate as much as I could, remembering Jasper’s words, repeating what had just happened in my head. Rose gasped, blinking quickly, but it only took her a second to recover. She held me tighter, then smiled. 

“Jasper is an empath. That’s his ability. He can feel whatever people around him are feeling and influence those emotions, if he wishes to.”

I turned my head slowly until my gaze found Jasper across the room. It was similar to what my dad had already told me about him. Jasper was standing tall, arms loosely crossed, his expression nearly unreadable. Still, his eyes were very strange; focused on mine, as if he was trying to reach for something through them.

Before I could dwell on it, however, Esme reappeared, stepping softly beside us. In her hands, she carried the unusual metal cup, but the liquid inside was not red. Not even close. It was a strange, pale white — thick like paint, gently sloshing with each step. I stared at it, uncertain, my nose instinctively pulling back as the smell reached me — dense, slightly sweet, and artificial in a way that didn’t appeal to me.

Still, I accepted it when Esme lifted the cup to my lips, careful and gentle. Rose adjusted me slightly in her arms, allowing better access as I let the tip of the cup brush against my lips.

The taste was worse than the smell. It coated my tongue like chalk. Bitter, with a trace of something sour and wrong. My body recoiled slightly, and Rosalie’s arms tightened protectively around me.

Jasper’s voice came heavily from across the room, thoughtful.

“She doesn’t like it. The taste is unpleasant to her. Almost nauseating.” He paused, tilting his head. “But it satisfies her. The discomfort is fading, slowly. There’s no pleasure in it, but it’s… effective.”

Carlisle glanced at me, hopeful, then inclined his head slightly toward the ceiling. Toward the room upstairs. I wondered if my father was paying attention to what was happening — and if he already knew, even without being in the room, how much I hated the alternative.

Oddly enough, that was when I heard it.

A low hum. A rhythmic beat. A sound that resonated with something deeper than hearing. Footsteps, but not like my family’s feather-light movements. These were grounded, familiar... Distinct from everyone else. A cadence that, to my surprise, I immediately knew it could only belong to Jacob. 

He was here.

My heart, and every cell of my being, surged with something close to adrenaline. For the first time all morning, the uncomfortable sense lingering in my stomach didn’t seem to matter anymore. I sat up straighter in Rosalie’s arms without thinking. Her hands steadied me, surprised by the sudden motion. Then she let out a low growl, and her arms instinctively pulled me tighter against her stone-cold frame.

Before she could speak, I lifted my hand and touched her neck, showing her a memory from the night before: the exact moment the wolves had dispersed, and my father had assured Jacob that he was welcome to come back and visit me.

My eyes met hers, shimmering with unspoken pleading. Rosalie hesitated. I saw the conflict flicker across her face, a shadow of doubt, before her expression hardened again. And yet… something inside her gave way.

With visible reluctance, she turned on her heels and walked toward the door, still holding me tightly in her strong arms.

She opened the door with a heavy sigh, but I hardly noticed the impatience in her movements. My eyes locked instantly on the tall, composed figure waiting outside.

It was different, seeing him in the morning light. It was almost as if he belonged there, blending perfectly with the freshness of dew. The golden shimmer of autumn leaves, the deep tones of damp earth—everything around him seemed to shape itself to his presence, as if nature itself acknowledged him.

His deep eyes fell on me, and a radiant smile spread across his face. Jacob’s joy, I realized in that instant, was impossibly hard to ignore. It was pure and expansive.

My reaction was immediate.

My arms reached for him before I could even think. His warmth was like a beacon against the coldness that surrounded me. Jacob stepped forward in a movement perfectly in sync with mine. Rosalie tensed.

“Don’t even think about it,” she muttered to him, clutching me tightly.

Jacob ignored her completely.

“Of course I’d be back,” he said, still looking at me. His voice was rough, but there was an unexpected tenderness woven through it, something that contrasted with the rigid way his muscles shaped themselves beneath his skin.

Carlisle appeared at the door before Rose could snap back.

“Rosalie,” he said calmly. “You know the imprinting can’t be changed. I suppose it must be only natural for him, an instinct reaction maybe… Oh, and it seems he didn’t come alone.”

I was slightly startled by Carlisle’s words, but quickly confirmed them as true. When I managed to pull my focus from Jacob, I noticed another figure standing a little farther back, partially obscured by the forest branches. He stepped forward cautiously, his movements deliberate and firm.

“Sam,” Carlisle greeted. “I'm glad to welcome you. I understand that the idea of renewing the treaty is no light matter. Rosalie, please, receive Jacob warmly while I speak with Sam. We have important matters to discuss with our Quileute friends.”

Rosalie let out a low growl, like she was holding back an argument, but hesitated. Her beautifully sculpted eyes searched mine, and I knew she was torn between the promise she’d made to protect me and her desire to see me happy.

I loved her for that.

I reached out and touched her porcelain cheek. This time, the image I projected was different: Rosalie sitting on the porch step, holding me protectively in her arms, while Jacob sat beside us. I needed her to know. I wasn’t rejecting her. I wasn’t choosing Jacob over her. I just needed this moment—with him.

Rosalie didn’t say anything. Her perfect lips pressed into a thin line, her eyes scanning Jacob with a mistrust that seemed etched into her very being. I could feel the tension radiating from her, solid and unyielding like the arms that held me. But then, very slowly, she lowered her gaze to meet mine.

I kept my fingers on her face, waiting. With a resigned sigh, Rosalie relented, though I knew it wasn’t a full surrender. In one fluid movement, she stepped down the porch stairs, keeping me secure in her grasp.

At last, Jacob approached slowly. His jaw was clenched, as if he were bracing himself for an inevitable confrontation. But as he let himself drop beside us, I noticed the shift in his expression, a subtle return to ease. He laughed softly. Not for her, but for me. He looked at me like I was something beyond his understanding, and I looked back at him the same way.

“Hi, Renesmee.”

That name— my name—sounded different in his voice, as though it carried a deeper meaning than I could possibly comprehend.

I stared at him intently, absorbing every detail.

Jacob was young, but something about him suggested a maturity that didn’t match his appearance. It was as if he, like me, was somehow ahead of the time that belonged to him. His dark eyes reflected an innocent sweetness, contradicting the hardened features shaped by the transformation he’d undergone. It was a strange incongruity — a body carved by strength, and a gaze still searching for its place in the world.

My mind filled with questions. Who was he to me? Why did his presence draw so much of my attention?

And that word. The word I didn’t know, but that somehow felt important. Imprinting. Carlisle had said it, and I had heard it the night before too, repeated in the tense voice of my father and in looks filled with meaning. What did it mean? And why did it seem connected to the two of us?

I reached out to him in a deliberate motion. Jacob hesitated for a moment, as if that simple gesture carried immense weight. Then, slowly, almost reverently, he lifted his hand to meet mine, waiting.

I leaned in just a little more, and when my finger finally touched his, the world seemed to expand.

The images came like a river breaking its banks, flooding him in a torrent of memories I barely understood myself. They weren’t just moments from the previous night, but every instant my awareness had ever registered his presence. I had known when he was near even before I could open my eyes. I had known it was him beside my mother, trying to protect her, to comfort her. I recognized his footsteps, his voice, the warmth he radiated.

Even when my world was still silent and unknown, somehow, even then—I knew he was there. There was safety in his presence, a comfort I never needed to understand in order to feel.

Jacob’s chest rose in a trembling breath, like he’d forgotten how to breathe. His eyes were wide, his mouth slightly open, his mind trying to process all that I had just shown him. He looked toward the forest, toward Rosalie, and then finally, back to me.

I could feel him trying to gather scattered thoughts while I was still deciding the best way to proceed. But before I could find an answer, his lips curved into a new smile. A beautiful, calm, incredible smile. Bright and broad, like the sun itself.

“Yes,” he murmured. “I’m here for you now, Nessie. Is it okay if I call you that? Nessie?”

Nessie.

The sound slipped from his lips as though it had always belonged to me, even though no one had ever called me that before.

I tilted my head to the side, testing the name in my mind. Nessie. It sounded right. Friendly. Like him.

“Do you like it?” he asked softly.

My fingers were still wrapping around his hand. The heat from his skin radiated differently than the rest of the world — not burning like fire, nor icy like my family. Just… comfortable. A perfect in-between, with our temperatures so similar to one another. I blinked, nodding eagerly, and the light in his eyes grew.

For the first time, I felt my own smile bloom without effort. And then, as if with only one look Jacob had read every silent question I carried straight from some invisible manual, he began to speak all the answers I had been looking for.

Chapter Text

— BOND —

Jacob told me everything. He spoke of his tribe’s history, of the first spirit warrior who shifted into a wolf, of the first encounter with the Cold Ones — the name the Quileutes used for vampires. He explained how his transformation, like the others’, was triggered by a genetic trait, activated by the presence of a vampire. And how the wolves’ relationships were governed by the hierarchy of Alpha leadership.

Sam Uley had been the first to phase in the new generation of protectors, and because of that, he’d naturally taken on the role of Alpha. Yet, some reason, I wasn’t surprised when Jacob told me he led a second pack; one formed by the siblings Seth and Leah Clearwater. But I was intrigued to learn he was still relatively new to it, still figuring things out as he went. All the wolves in the same pack shared a collective mind, but the Alpha held the most control over the connection.

That meant Jacob could issue direct commands the others were biologically compelled to obey, though he admitted he didn’t like using that kind of authority. Still, after forming his own pack, he discovered that his mind and Sam’s remained intertwined, linked by an Alpha bond. He said it had proven useful, especially in keeping the two packs coordinated.

Jacob also told me about Charlie — I had a grandfather! — someone he’d known his whole life, since Charlie and his own father, Billy, had been best friends since childhood. That’s why he and my mother had also known each other as kids, even if, back then, she spent more time with Jacob’s older sisters, Rachel and Rebecca, the twins. However, over time, they all lost touch with my mother. She didn’t grow up in Forks, because her parents had split when she was still just a baby, and she’d ended up on the other side of the country with her mother, Renée.

For some reason, that thought alone made me momentarily sad for her, but it also made my desire to meet her even stronger.

As if he had guessed my thoughts, Jacob went on, telling me all about her return to Forks, less than two years ago. That’s when she met my father. They fell in love quickly. So quickly, in fact, that when Jacob described my arrival into the world, it sounded almost like magic. Something apart. One day, they met, and soon after... poof . There I was. Maybe it was a simplistic way of telling it, but I didn’t care. What truly mattered came when he spoke about the imprinting.

Jacob described it as something absolute and ancient. Aforce beyond choice, beyond chance. Something as inevitable as the rising sun. And as he spoke, the doubts inside me began to scatter like leaves in the wind. The answers found their place, fitting into the hollow spaces in my mind. It was comforting, at least, to have some kind of explanation, something coherent, for this flood of irrational, overwhelming feelings that seemed to have come with me into this life. Despite being this strange, mismatched creature, maybe, just maybe, there were still fragments of sanity left to find within myself, after all.

He mentioned other examples he knew: Rachel and Paul, Sam and Emily, Quil and Claire, Jared and Kim. Imprinting meant unconditional devotion. It meant that the wolf would do, or be, anything to ensure their imprint’s complete happiness and absolute safety.

Anything. Everything.

So, if I wanted, Jacob could be just that: a silent guardian, someone always there, but never too close. That idea stirred an inexplicable discomfort inside me. Somehow, I felt like I needed him more than he needed me, as if he was some undeniable and fundamental part from the understanting of this world.

Just like me, Jacob wasn’t fully human, but I found it fascinating how he was able to move through life in a way I still couldn’t. He went to school, interacted with people, had friends, relatives, ancestors... a family . And maybe, someday, he could even build one of his own too, the way ancient protectors had done before him. But would any of those possibilities ever extend to me?

Going to school. Meeting new people. Making friends. Building a career. Creating a family. Leaving a legacy. Thoughts consumed me in a way that was almost painful, and it was strange how all those mundane desires seemed to gnaw at me at once, as if they were naturally woven into who I was. An innate haze of uncertainty.

And just as easily, I could imagine what my family must have been thinking about my growth, too.

From yesterday to today, I already looked weeks older. It had to be terrifying for them to witness it unfold in front of their eyes. And yet, I didn’t feel the change. I couldn’t even feel truly sad about it. From the very first breath I took, I already felt ready to live. Ready to experience the world.

It was, however, the inability to walk, to run, to speak... that gnawed at me like a curse. The wait was tedious, and my only solace was the thought that it might all pass in a blink. Then, maybe, the wait would bring a reward.

Maybe I wouldn’t have to go through it alone. Maybe I’d have someone to face it all beside me, after all. A blessing to balance the curse. A kindred presence who, with luck, might even feel joy in sharing those moments with me as well. And with that, at least, I could dream about.

Little by little, all of it made me start to see the imprinting as a two-way path. An invisible, pulsing thread between us.

In the end, Jacob spent the whole day with us, and I savoured every second of his distinguished company. As intense and unexplainable as it was, the truth is that this bond, this connection I shared with him, actually made me feel more anchored to the world somehow.

More whole.

Even in a life made of halves.

Chapter Text

— AWAKENING —

Jacob had arrived early again. I knew it before I even saw him. The simple awareness of his presence filled a significant space inside me. Something that had once felt vague and undefined was now warm, comforting, and constant.

Even if reluctant, Rosalie seemed to be trying to accept it in her own way. Maybe it mattered that she’d been part of that moment between Jacob and me, after all. In the end, the bond between us was undeniable. Just as undeniable as the quiet joy that bloomed inside me every time he was near.

The two of them took turns more than anyone to make sure I was never alone. They were followed by Esme and Carlisle, who always made a point to watch over me with a kind of tangible tenderness. But soon I found that I enjoyed being around Emmett, too. He was funny and completely unfiltered. His presence brought with it a breath of normalcy; unpretentious and comforting.

Alice showed up to check on me only now and then. Always lively, vibrant, like a ball of energy that never seemed to run out. Jasper came along, silently following wherever she went. I imagined he felt responsible for keeping Alice balanced, but it was hard to tell. They never stayed long. Alice confessed that her visions became fuzzy around me. And, interestingly, around Jacob too. It was as if we both were some sort of interference for her. A block on her gift.

And I couldn’t tell if that brought her relief or just frustration.

Still, there was someone whose absence was impossible not to notice.

My father hadn’t returned since the night before. His concern had only grown as another dusk settled over the sky. He had spent the whole night; the whole dawn, with my mother in that room.

I tried to focus there. On the room that was practically forbidden to me. On that heavy silence.

My mother was likely still unmoving, trapped in a deep sleep no one could say when, or if, she would wake from. My father had to be by her side, caught in a lonely vigil. I could picture him there, leaning over the bed, eyes fixed on her face, as if he could decipher some invisible secret in her sleeping expression. As if, by watching closely enough, he might pull her from that limbo between life and the unknown.

I tried to imagine how he must be feeling, but it was too much. The anguish had to be tearing him apart.

And then, I noticed.

A sound broke my line of thought — a heartbeat, quickening. Frenzied.

For a second, I thought it was mine. But I was wrong. The only heart upstairs was pounding out of rhythm, each beat echoing through the house like the whir of speeding blades. The others in the room noticed it too.

Carlisle stood first, his expression serious, without hesitation. Alice followed close behind, and together they disappeared up the stairs.

My body tensed. Something was wrong. Rosalie pulled me tighter against her chest.

The heart beat faster.

Now it pounded in a wild frenzy, each pulse a hammering against the silence of the house.

My hands clenched into fists on Rose’s shirt, Jacob’s eyes dropped to me as if searching for a way to comfort me. “It’s okay, Nessie. It’s going to be okay.”

When Alice returned, her face seemed more pale than usual. She didn’t have to say a word. The others rose immediately. Jacob moved beside Rosalie as she lifted me, and in an instant, I was taken out of the house.

The chill of the morning wind hit me, but I barely felt it. All that echoed in my mind was that sound.

The final beat of my mother’s heart.

And what it meant.

What would come next.

Chapter Text

— TANGIBLE —

Everyone's reaction resembled clowns at a circus. Honestly, six tense vampires, frozen in the middle of the room, as if bracing themselves for an imminent confrontation. And for what? To protect me... from my own mother?

Even Jacob was in on it, choosing to go speak with my parents outside.

As soon as my mother awoke to her new life, she and my dad went off together to hunt. It was her first hunt as a vampire. Her first day in the endless, eternal cycle. And while she took her first steps into her new world, I was brought back home. To the escort. To the protection.

It was ridiculous.

How could they believe that Bella — that my mother — could possibly hurt me. She, who sacrificed everything for me. She, who loved me from the very first moment until her last breath.

Finally, Jacob came back inside, and shortly after, I heard my parents' footsteps crossing the threshold as well.

The atmosphere became heavy in an instant.

Every vampire around me stiffened. Muscles pulled taut like ropes stretched to the limit, eyes fixed on the doorway. I saw Emmett and Jasper position themselves almost imperceptibly in front. Carlisle and Esme maintained calm expressions, but their bodies remained alert, ready for any unexpected movement.

Rosalie, still holding me in her arms, took a step back. We stayed apart from the others until Jacob moved closer to me. Instinctively, I leaned away from the strong hands holding me, searching for some kind of support from him.

"I was out just two days?" The new voice was sweet and perfect, yet filled with disbelief, and I automatically turned to its direction.

There she was. Bella. My mother. But not as I remembered.

She was beautiful.

A beauty that didn’t seem of this world, as if she had been sculpted from polished marble and illuminated from within. Her skin, once pale, now gleamed like immaculate porcelain, smooth and flawless. The eyes, which had once been warm and full of life, were now a fierce crimson — intense and penetrating. Her face, with its delicate and symmetrical features, was somewhat more expressive than before, despite its perfect stillness.

She looked... untouchable. Just like the others. My mind wavered. I reachead out and touch Rosalie’s neck just to make sure. Is that her? Are they the same person?

“Yes, that’s her,” Rose assured me.

Wow.

For some reason, she also seemed younger now. More than I had imagined. I knew that my father’s transformation had taken place at an equally early stage in his life, but there was something about him — perhaps all the decades he had crossed, or his origin from a different era — that gave him an air of maturity. But my mother, on the other hand...

No matter how dazzling and elegant she appeared, there was still something undeniably youthful about her. A lightness, a purity, as if her eyes still held traces of innocence.

My mother.
So different.
And, at the same time, still the same.

I couldn’t help but smile at her. She took a hesitant step in my direction.

And then, everything happened way too fast.

Emmett and Jasper moved in unison, positioning themselves in front of her, shoulder to shoulder, in defensive stances. My father held her arms from behind, his fingers gripping her marble skin tightly. Carlisle and Esme advanced to stand beside Emmett and Jasper, forming a shield around me. Rosalie pressed her body against mine, retreating to the door. And Jacob... he moved in sync with me, as if every instinct within him was ready to intervene.

The only one who remained still was Alice.

“Oh, give Bella some credit,” she reproached, crossing her arms. “She wasan’t going to do anything. You'd want a closer look, too.”

“I’m okay,” my mother assured, slapping my dad’s hand, only to frown and immediately regret it. “Keep close, though, just in case.”

My father let her go, but Jasper stayed exactly where he was — rigid, alert, his eyes analyzing every tiny detail. Something about that irritated me. I squirmed uselessly in Rose’s arms.

“Jazz, Em, let us through,” my father requested. “Bella's got this.”

Jasper didn’t move. “Edward, the risk...”

“Minimal,” my father countered. “Listen, Jasper, on the hunt she caught the scent of some hikers who were in the wrong place at the wrong time—”

"Edward!" Carlisle chastised. "How could you be so irresponsible?"

"I know, Carlisle, I know. I was just plain stupid. I should have taken the time to make sure we were in a safe zone before I set her loose."

"Edward," my mother grumbled, sounding... embarrassed?

"He's absolutely right to rebuke me, Bella. I made a huge mistake. The fact that you're stronger than anyone I've ever know doesn't change that."

Alice rolled her eyes. "Tasteful joke, Edward."

"I wasn’t making a joke. I was explaining to Jasper why I know Bella can handle this. It’s not my fault if everyone jumped to conclusions."

Jasper gasped softly, as if only now grasping something important.

"Wait..." He narrowed his eyes. "She didn’t hunt the humans?"

My father smiled, clearly amused. "She started to. She was entirely focused on the hunt."

"What happened?" Carlisle intejected, his eyes suddenly gleaming, and a surprised smile beginning to form on his lips.

My dad leaned slightly towards him, excitement evident in his tone. "She heard me behind her and reacted defensively. As soon as my persuit broke into her concentration, she snapped right out of it. I’ve never seen anything to equal her. She realized at once what was happening, and then... she held her breath and ran away."

An incredulous silence fell over the room.

"Whoa," Emmett murmured. "Seriously?"

"He's not telling it right," my mother said, averting her gaze, looking even more embarrassed than before. "He left out the part where I growled at him."

Emmett's eyes widened, visibly thrilled. "Did ya get in a couple of good swipes?"

"No! Of course not."

"No, not really? You really didn’t attack him?"

"Emmett!" she reprimanded.

"Aw, what a waste," Emmett groaned dramatically. "And here you're, probably the one person who could take him - since he can't get in head to cheat - and you had a perfect excuse, too." He sighed heavily. "I've been dying to see how he'd do without that advantage."

My mother seemed to shudder, even though it shouldn’t have been possible, and then she stared coldly at him. "I would never."

Jasper frowned at her response; he seemed even more unsettled than before. As if to ground him, my father lightly tapped his shoulder with a playful, faux punch. "See what I mean?"

"It’s not natural," Jasper murmured. "She could have turned on you. She’s only hours old!"

Esme placed her hand over her heart, worried. "Oh, we should have gone with you..."

Apparently, it was an enormous deal that my mother hadn’t attacked the unaware hikers who crossed her path. But to me, none of that mattered as much as the way she kept looking at me. Her gaze was intense, almost hypnotized, fixated on me as if she was trying to process something deeply personal. Without thinking, I stretched my hands toward her — an instinctive gesture, a silent call. And she... She immediately mirrored my gesture.

"Edward," she said, leaning around Jasper to get a better look at me. "Please?"

Jasper’s teeth were still clenched. Again, he didn’t move an inch.

"Jazz, this isn’t anything you’ve seen before," Alice said gently. "Trust me."

Jasper stared at my mother for a long moment, assessing her. Then, reluctantly, he nodded. Finally, he moved out of the way, but kept a firm hand on her shoulder, guiding her at a slow pace. For someone used to the agile fluidity of vampire movements, it looked theatrical. The longest march in history. As the impatience of it all bubbled up inside me, impossible to contain, I did the only thing that seemed achievable at that moment: I cried.

A loud, insistent, attention-seeking cry.

To my surprise, their reaction was unanimous and immediate. Everyone froze, staring at me in astonishment, and then, almost in sync, they began to soothe me with gentle pats. Everyone... except Bella.

"What's the matter? Is she hurt?" Jacob’s voice cut through the air, anxious, overlapping the others.

I leaned forward, and Rosalie, hesitant, extended her arms to hand me to him. "No, she’s fine."

I touched Jacob’s warm neck, sharing with him what I wanted, before twisting again toward the newborn vampire.

"See?" Rosalie said to Jacob. "She just wants Bella."

My mother blinked, surprised. "She wants me?" 

I stared at her, impatient. Wasn’t it obvious?

My father moved closer, placing his hands gently on her arms. "She’s been waiting for you for almost three days," he said, guiding her at my direction.

I felt Jacob’s body go rigid, and then the inevitable trembling began as she drew nearer. For a fleeting moment, her gaze shifted toward him.

"Jake, I’m fine," she murmured suddenly, as if wanting to reassure him.

But Jacob didn’t respond, still too wrapped up in the idea of handing me over to a vampire barely a few hours old. Only then, for just a breath of a moment, and through Jacob pleading eyes, I could finally understand everyone’s concern. I could see the reason behind the hesitation that only my father, Alice, and I seemed willing to overlook: I was still human enough to have clean blood pulsing through my veins.

But still… I trusted her. I had to trust her. She was my mother. She was the only reason that I was here right now. I whimpered again, stretching my arms out in earnest this time. Just a few steps separated us now. Just a little more and...

Finally.

It took so long that, for a second, I could barely believe her touch was real. That it was her hands holding me. It was her fingers, both delicate and firm, pulling me closer. I nestled there, absorbing her presence, feeling the coolness of her skin against mine. My smile grew efortless. I could barely contain my happiness.

She had made it. She was back. We hadn’t lost her forever. I could still see that adorable smile. I could still look into those selfless eyes, overflowing with the purest and most sincere love.

Without realizing it, my hand rose, gently tracing the outline of her face. And through that touch, I knew she saw it too. The memory so strong, so deep, as if rooted in my soul.

The last breath of life she had courageously set aside for me.

We looked at each other, wrapped in a mutual and intimate silence. And I couldn’t help but smile at her again.

Chapter Text

— EXALTATION —

“What… was… that?” my mother murmured slowly.

“What did you see?” Rose asked curiously, leaning slightly toward Jacob to reach me. “What did she show you?”

“She showed me what?” She whispered again, stunned.

“I told you it was hard to explain,” my father murmured in her ear. “But efficiently as means of communications go.”

“What was it?” Jacob asked.

She blinked rapidly, several times.

“Um. Me. But I looked terrible.”

“It was the only memory she had of you,” my father explained naturally. He had obviously also seen what I had shown. “She’s letting you know she made the connection, that she knows who you are.”

“But how did she do that?”

She was so baffled by my simple gift that I once again felt entirely proud of my choice to keep my only secret. I smiled deliberately as I leaned in to gently pull a tuft of her hair, just like normal babies were supposed to do.

If that brought her any comfort, some peace of mind, then maybe continuing to pretend wasn’t such a bad thing after all.

“How do I hear thoughts? How does Alice see the future?” my father continued, his rhetorical questions echoing through the room. “She’s gifted.”

“It’s an interesting twist,” Carlisle observed, addressing my father. “Like she’s doing exactly the opposite of what you can.”

“Interesting,” Edward agreed, thoughtful. “I wonder…”

The two continued to speculate about my gift, but I didn’t pay attention. My mother was still staring at me, her eyes locked on mine, as if she were trying to unravel something much greater than just the memory I had shown her.

And then I felt it.

There was this new bond. This other unbreakable connection. Maybe because, once, I had been part of her too.

“I remember you, too,” she told me quietly.

I didn’t pull away when she leaned down to kiss me. The gesture felt simply natural.

“She’s fine,” Alice murmured, probably to Jasper.

Everyone was still tense, suspicious of her.

“Haven’t we experimented enough for one day?” Jacob asked, his voice calm but laced with stress. “Okay, Bella’s doing great, but let’s not push it.”

At that moment, my mom shot him a genuinely irritated look. Jasper approached us, hesitant. We were so close that any small movement felt significant.

“What is your problem, Jacob?” she growled.

She held me closer as pushing him away. Jacob, of course, didn’t move. He was still looking very clearly worried with the risk she represented; and above all, with my safety.

However, my dad didn’t let it slide. “Just because I understand, it doesn’t mean I won’t throw you out, Jacob,” he warned, his voice low and dangerous. “Bella’s doing extraordinarily well. Don’t ruin the moment for her.”

“I’ll help him toss you, dog,” Rosalie promised, fuming with indignation. “I owe you a good kick in the gut.”

I squirmed, shifting nervously. What had happened? I thought there had been some change, some positive development in their relationship. I looked anxiously at Jacob, but I wasn’t the only one. My mom was staring at him too, her gaze both furious and confused. But he didn’t seem to notice. 

His eyes remained fixed on me, attentive and limpid, with that kind expression he usually reserved just for me.

“No!” my mom suddenly shouted.

The snap of Jasper’s teeth came almost at the same moment my dad’s arms wrapped around her body, as if trying to hold her back.

And then, in the next second, Jacob pulled me from her arms.

Chapter Text

— UNCONTROLLED —

“Rose,” my mother said through clenched teeth, slowly, with precision. “Take Renesmee.”

Rosalie obeyed immediately, and, surprisingly, Jake didn’t protest. The tension around us was palpable. I tried to move as little as possible, even controlling my own breathing.

“Edward,” my mother continued. “I don’t want to hurt you, so please let go of me.”

My father hesitated.

“Go stand in front of Renesmee,” she suggested.

He deliberated for a second, then released her. As soon as she was free, she moved directly toward Jacob.

“You didn’t—”

Jacob raised his hands, palms up, clearly signaling that he didn’t want to argue. “You know it’s not something I can control.”

“You stupid mutt! How could you? My baby!”

A tight knot formed in my throat. What was happening?

Jacob positioned himself between her and the door as she confronted him.

“It wasn’t my idea, Bella!”

“I’ve held her one time, and already you think you had some monoric wolfy claim on her? She’s mine!”

“I can share,” he said pleadingly, backing away toward the lawn.

I stretched out in Rosalie’s arms, touching her cheek, repeatedly asking her to take me outside too. She moved past the vampires lined up on the porch and stopped next to Emmett.

“Pay up,” I heard him say absentmindedly to my father, as if the two had bet on this terrible outcome.

I looked nervously between them and my mother. This was the first time I couldn’t find any humor in something coming from Emmett.

"How dare you imprint on my baby?!" my mother continued yelling. "Have you lost your mind?"

"It was involuntary!" Jacob insisted, backing toward the trees.

But he wasn’t alone anymore. Two large wolves appeared at his side. Leah stepped closer to my mother, and she responded with a terrifying growl that tore through her clenched teeth.

"Bella, would you try to listen for just a second? Please?" Jacob pleaded. "Leah, back off," he added.

Leah bared her teeth at my mother but didn’t move.

"Why should I listen?" she snarled disapprovingly.

"Because you’re the one who told me this. Do you remember? You said we belonged in each other’s lives, right? That we were family. You said that’s how you and I were supposed to be. So… now we are. It’s what you wanted."

She glared at him fiercely.  "You think you’ll be part of my family as my son-in-law!"

The words shocked me. Emmett laughed.

"Stop her, Edward," Esme said. "She’ll be unhappy if she hurts him."

But my dad didn’t move. The wolves lined up behind my mother.

"No!" Jacob protested, incredulous. "How can you even look at it that way? She’s just a baby, for crying out loud!"

"That’s my point!" she shouted.

"You know I don’t think of her that way! Do you think Edward would have let me live this long if I did? All I want is for her to be safe and happy… Is that so bad? So different from what you want?"

He was shouting back at her by now, and my mother responded with a fierce, irrational loud snarl.

"Amazing, isn’t she?" I heard my father say.

"She hasn’t gone for his throat even once," Carlisle agreed.

"Fine, you win this one," Emmett muttered begrudgingly.

"You’re going to stay away from her," my mother hissed at Jacob.

"I can’t do that."

"Try. Starting now."

"It’s not possible. Do you remember how much you wanted me around three days ago? How hard it was to be apart from each other? That’s gone for you now, isn’t it? That was her," he explained. "From the beginning. We had to be together, even then."

"Run while you still can," she threatened.

"C’mon, Bells! Nessie likes me, too," he insisted.

"What... did you call her?"

Jacob took a step back, looking sheepish.

"Well," he mumbled. "That name you came up with is kind of a mouthful, and—"

"You nicknamed my daughter after the Loch Ness Monster?"

She lunged for Jacob’s throat just as Seth stepped between them to defend him.

Everything else happened too fast.

Seth was thrown aside, crashing against the thick trunk of a conifer. Leah sprang forward, launching herself at my mother, but was quickly intercepted by Emmett, Jasper, and my father.

My mom froze in place while Jacob and Carlisle rushed to help Seth. Rose hurried to take me to the other side of the house. The two of us stayed there alone until Jacob came back to sit beside me again.

I reached out to him anxiously. What happened? How’s Seth?

"Seth broke his arm and dislocated his shoulder, but Carlisle’s taking care of him."

It was my fault. I should have shown her our bond first. It’s not what she’s thinking. She would have understood better...

He must have been terrified. I had never used so many sentences in a row with him before. Regret hit me immediately, but his reaction took me by complete surprise.

Jacob placed his hand gently on my hair, giving me the warmest smile in the world.

"Don’t worry, Nessie. Seth will be back to normal in less than two hours. And Bella... Well, she might need a little more than just a couple of hours, but... Eventually, she’ll understand too. You’ll see."

My heartbeat slowed a little, and I let my hand slip from his jaw, falling back into my lap. Somehow, I knew I could blindly trust him with all of this.

Chapter Text

— WEIGHTS AND MEASURES —

We went back inside only after they made sure I was fed. As I had predicted, Carlisle was already waiting for me. He came down the stairs prepared, carrying a measuring tape and the scale. Across the room, I saw Jasper move nimbly to my mother’s side. Leah sat outside, peering through the window with a look of expectancy, mixed with total disinterest.

I couldn’t blame her; our reactions had been eerily similar.

"Must be six," my father remarked casually.

"So?" my mom asked, confused, her eyes darting between Rose, Jacob, and me.

"Time to measure Ness—er, Renesmee," Carlisle explained.

"Oh. You do this every day?"

"Four times a day," he corrected, motioning for them to bring me to the couch. I sighed.

"Four times?" my mom continued. "Every day? Why?"

"She’s still growing quickly," my dad informed her.

My mom’s flawless, youthful face seemed to contort. An automatic reflex, I guessed.

While Rose held me, Carlisle measured my body with the tape, then wrapped it around my head. I figured my mom’s newly formed vampire mind wasn’t struggling with the math...

"What do we do?" I heard her whisper, horrified, to my dad.

"I don’t know."

"It’s slowing," Jake murmured.

My dad’s jaw tightened. "We’ll need several more days of measurements to track the trend, Jacob. I can’t make any promises."

"Yesterday she grew two inches. Today it’s less." Jacob’s voice carried a firm certainty that both surprised and, strangely, comforted me.

It was as if he was holding onto a thread of hope he refused to let go of. Carlisle nodded softly.

"By a thirty-second of an inch, if my measurements are perfect."

"Be perfect, Doc," Jacob said, his tone almost making the words sound like a threat.

Instantly, I felt Rosalie’s body stiffen behind me.

"You know I’ll do my best," Carlisle reassured him.

Jacob sighed. "Guess that’s all I can ask."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my mom lean toward Jacob, as if she were irritated with him again. I squirmed, lifting my hand imperiously to Rosalie’s face.

“What does she want?” Jacob asked.

“Bella, of course,” Rosalie sighed.

I needed to clear things up, to let her know how I felt.

“How are you?” my dad asked her, holding her protectively.

“Worried,” she admitted.

He pulled her closer. “We all are. But that’s not what I meant.”

“I’m in control,” she promised.

Then she leaned toward me just as I leaned toward her. There was still so much she needed to know. I nestled into her arms instinctively and carefully lifted my hand to her cheek. She seemed to shiver slightly under my touch. The recent memory I projected into her mind wasn’t a pleasant one, after all.

Her throwing herself at Jacob on the lawn. Seth stepping in between them. Seth being thrown aside. The loud, cracking sound of his large bones breaking.

My parents groaned uncomfortably at that part, and I allowed myself a tiny smile. Well, at least it was working. They could feel my displeasure too.

Jacob was important to me. Just as important as I was to him, apparently. And I found that I didn’t like the idea of him getting hurt.

She needed to understand, to see as Rose had seen, that his presence wasn’t a mistake, a distraction, or a risk. It was something good. Pure. Honest. Nothing like what she imagined. It was more than companionship, more than comfort. He was a constant, a fixed point in the world that bent around me. As if his mere existence kept something essential in me grounded. My safe harbor. My balance. My… Jacob.

“Oh, wonderful,” she groaned. “Perfect.”

“It’s just because he tastes better than the rest of us,” my dad assured her, his voice tight with his own irritation.

But I couldn’t quite see the connection there. Did vampires have tastes? They didn’t even have blood.

Now Jacob…

The times I’d tasted his blood had been completely accidental and beyond my control. It only happened when I’d gone too long without feeding and his pulse was too close, too warm, almost vibrating beneath the skin…

It took me a while to realize what I’d done at first. I felt almost intoxicated. His blood flowing through me was like divinity itself, washing away the burning thirst, like a calming wave.

Jacob hadn’t protested. He hadn’t even moved until Carlisle appeared, quickly pulling me from his arms.

“Jacob,” Carlisle’s voice sounded shattered, terrified in a way I’d never heard before.

That scared me too, even though I knew I hadn’t drunk enough to hurt him, not enough to cause any damage.

“I’m fine,” Jacob assured him. “I heal fast, remember, Doc?”

“But... the venom?”

I deliberately stretched out my fingers to touch Carlisle’s jaw. Venom? What venom?

He sighed, his eyes narrowing at me.

“Vampires carry the venom that can transform humans into beings of our kind, Renesmee. And in the case of the wolves…”

Carlisle stopped mid-sentence, and I felt a sudden chill run through me. In less than a second, Jacob was standing in front of me again.

“There’s no irritation, see? I’m still in one piece. Nessie was just hungry. Starving, actually. I'm starting to think her metabolism makes her hungry faster. Maybe we should try feeding her more often."

Jacob winked at me, and the trembling in my chest eased a little. Carlisle’s eyes, however, remained fixed on the spot where I assumed there should have been some sort of bite mark.

“Jacob, you... really didn’t feel anything?”

“Nope.”

“Amazing,” Carlisle smiled, intrigued. “This can only mean that she… That Renesmee... She’s not venomous.”

I blinked uncomfortably, realizing I had lost my train of thought for a second. By instinct, or maybe just habit, I sought Jacob’s reassuring gaze across the room. My mother followed my look. He smiled unpretentiously.

“I told you she likes me too,” he said, easily.

My mother’s grip tightened around me, as if she was unconsciously losing her temper with Jake again. I tryed to distract her, nudgging her face, while focusing again on what we were previously doing. I gadered in my mind the moments my mother and I had missed together when she still couldn’t come back to us, and let the flow of memories expand: Rosalie carefully brushing each of my curls. Carlisle and his measuring tape...

“Looks like she’s updating you on everything you missed,” my dad whispered in her ear.

Rosalie feeding me with her weird metal container... Jacob—

Without any warning, I felt a very fast agitation reach me. I was pulled out of my mother's embrace before I even had any time to notice. My dad’s firm hands lifted me into the air, and my mom’s arms were suddenly being pulled back.

Chapter Text

— ASSUMPTIONS —

It was Jasper who immobilized her, pinning her arms.

"What did I do?" my mother asked, calm. Almost complacent.

My father glanced at Jasper before looking back at her.

"But she was remembering being thirsty," he murmured to himself, his forehead creasing. "She was remembering the taste of human blood."

Jasper tightened his grip on my mother’s arms. Yet she didn’t struggle.

"Yes. And?"

My father grimaced, and then his expression softened. He chuckled this time.

"And nothing at all, it seems. The overreaction is mine this time. Jazz, let her go."

The hands disappeared from behind her back, and my mother reached for me as soon as she was free.

"I can’t understand," Jasper said. "I can’t bear this."

I watched in surprise as Jasper headed out through the back door. Leah moved to give him plenty of space as he passed by her, walking to the river before leaping across to the opposite bank.

Confused, I touched my mother’s cheek, replaying the scene that had just happened, trying to make sense of it.

"He’ll be back," it was my father who answered. "He just needs a moment alone to readjust his perspective on life."

"Is he mad at me?" my mother asked softly.

My father’s eyes widened. "No. Why would he be?"

"What’s the matter with him, then?"

"He’s upset with himself, not you, Bella. He’s worrying about... self-fulfilling prophecy, I suppose you could say."

"How so?" Carlisle asked, voicing the collective doubt.

"He’s wondering if the newborn madness is really as difficult as we’ve always thought, or if, with the right focus and attitude, anyone could do as well as Bella. Even now, perhaps he only has such difficulty because he believes it’s natural and unavoidable. Maybe if he expected more of himself, he would rise to those expectations. You’re making him question a lot of deep-rooted assumptions, Bella."

"But that’s unfair," Carlisle said. "Everyone is different; everyone has their own challenges. Perhaps what Bella is doing goes beyond the natural. Maybe this is her gift, so to speak."

My mother’s body suddenly seemed to freeze underneath me. I slid my fingers along her arm, asking her what was wrong. She turned her face to look at me but said nothing in response. Instead, it was my father’s voice that echoed through the room once more.

"That’s an interesting theory, and quite plausible," he said, addressing Carlisle. "Have you ever seen an equivalent to self-control as a talent? Do you really think that’s a gift, or just a product of all her preparation?"

Carlisle shrugged. "It’s slightly similar to what Siobhan has always been able to do, though she wouldn’t call it a gift."

"Siobhan, your friend in that Irish coven?" Rosalie asked. "I wasn’t aware that she did anything special. I thought it was Maggie who was talented in that bunch."

"Yes, Siobhan thinks the same. But she has this way of deciding her goals and then almost... willing them into reality. She considers it good planning, but I’ve always wondered if it was something more. When she included Maggie, for instance. Liam was very territorial, but Siobhan wanted it to work out, and so it did."

My father, Carlisle, and Rose sat down in chairs as they continued the discussion. Jacob was sitting next to Seth, looking bored away from me. I was also starting to feel a little tired, so I turned my attention back to my mother and what we had been doing before we were interrupted.

She held me close to the glass wall, her arms rocking me automatically as we looked into each other’s eyes.

Sometimes, her mind seemed to wander in other directions beyond the memories and moments I was sharing with her, but it didn’t bother me. I imagined her new vampire brain was good enough to handle more than one thing at a time.

I couldn’t get enough of looking at her. At her new face, so much healthier, so much happier. After a while, I started to notice that her expressions were also very simple and very transparent. And even without my dad’s gift, it was easy to understand her. It was easy to love her.

When her attempts to rock me to sleep started to take effect, I didn’t resist. I realized, with a quiet sense of satisfaction, that I would love to keep falling asleep like this: in my mother’s arms, at last.

Chapter Text

— MOVING OUT —

At some point, my mother’s arms were replaced by Rosalie’s. When I opened my eyes, I was greeted by her perfect and dazzling smile, bright like sunlight on snow.

 "Good morning, sleeping princess," she whispered against my cheek, her voice filled with affection.

I stretched lazily before turning, tilting my neck from side to side. Esme and Carlisle were standing by the kitchen. Alice and Jasper were in armchairs. Emmett was next to us, his arms around Rosalie’s waist. But no matter how much I looked, I couldn’t find who I was looking for. Where were my parents? And where was Jacob?

"Jacob left early, and your parents... well, let’s just say they’re enjoying Bella’s birthday gift," Rosalie laughed softly, as if sharing a private joke.

Gift?

"Remember the cottage your father showed you? It’s ready now. Just in time."

 When are they coming back? I want to see my mom again.

I didn’t want to tell Rose that I had hoped to wake up in different arms today, but part of me was selfish enough to feel that way. I was eager to build more memories with my mother too. To make up for lost time. 

In my mind, every day, every hour, every minute counted. A lot.

"I assume they’ll be here any moment," Rosalie promised.

And, as always, everyone quickly gathered around me. It was unnerving how still they could be, just watching me as if I were the newest and most fascinating attraction in their world.

"Here, Nessie, how about trying something different today?"

Esme approached carefully, showing me a plate of oatmeal with mashed banana. Despite not wanting to ruin the gentle smile on her face, it was hard to suppress the involuntary gag that came every time they showed me any kind of solid food. I didn’t know why it happened, but I tried to be polite as I pushed the plate away from her hands and confiscated her shiny silver spoon, just in case. Then, Alice started showing me the new line of dresses — now that I had grown enough to wear them. I was sitting on the carpet with Rose, distracted by the silvery fabrics, when I heard the familiar presence carefully approaching from outside.

Finally.

I didn’t need to turn around to know it was my mom, but I did anyway. When I saw her on the other side of the glass, I threw the spoon I was still holding on the floor — it bounced off the wood, leaving a small mark — and pointed at her. The others laughed, but I didn’t care. She came running to me as soon as she stepped through the door, her laughter mixing with the others’, and we smiled at each other. That personal exchange that was just ours.

I leaned toward her, touching her cheek in the hope that she could help me. I was hungry again, and I didn't want to lose it with Jake when he came back.

"How long has she been up?" she asked my father as he disappeared into the kitchen.

"Just a few minutes," Rosalie replied. "We would have called you soon. She’s been asking for you... demanding might be a better description. Esme sacrificed her second-best silver service to keep the little monster entertained," she added, giving me a look full of gloating affection before turning to my mom again. "We didn’t want to, er, bother you." Rosalie bit her lip and looked away, trying to hold back a laugh. 

Emmett’s low, rumbling laughter echoed behind us, sending vibrations through the house.

"We’ll get your room set up right away," my mom told me, completely ignoring them. "You’ll like the cottage. It’s magic." Then she looked at Esme. "Thank you, Esme. So much. It’s absolutely perfect."

Before Esme could respond, Emmett was already laughing again — and not quietly this time. "So it’s still standing?" He managed to speak through his smirks. "I would’ve thought you two had knocked it to rubble by now. What were you doing last night? Discussing the national debt?" He howled with laughter.

My mom clenched her teeth as if trying to stop herself from leaping at his throat. I thought she was going to explode again, but that didn’t happen. Instead, her attention shifted. She looked outside, her posture relaxing a bit. "Where are the wolves today?"

"Jacob took off really early this morning," Rosalie repeated, a frown on her face. "Seth followed him out."

"What was he so upset about?" my father asked as he returned to the room, holding my usual cup.

Apparently, there was something else on Rosalie’s mind that she hadn’t bothered to tell me. My mother handed me over to her as if she were holding her breath. Maybe it still wasn’t the ideal time for us to be together while I fed, but I took my chance when Rose held me, letting my hand rest on her wrist and repeating my dad’s question. Was Jake upset aboutsomething?

"I don’t know, or care," she said, though she made an effort to elaborate. "He was watching Nessie sleep, his mouth hanging open like the moron he is."

I couldn’t help but laugh at the image.

"And then he just jumped to his feet without any kind of trigger — that I noticed, anyway — and stormed out," she added. "I was glad to be rid of him. The more time he spends here, the less chance there is that we’ll ever get the smell out."

My eyebrows frowned.

"Rose," Esme said gently.

Rosalie flipped her hair. "I suppose it doesn’t matter. We won’t be here that much longer."

The information hit me like a bolt of lightning. Were we supposed to move out? But then... what about Jacob?

Emmett’s voice boomed through the room. "I still say we should go straight to New Hampshire and get things set up. Bella’s already registered at Dartmouth. Doesn’t look like it’ll take her all that long to be able to handle school," he said, turning to my mom with a teasing grin. "I’m sure you’ll ace your classes... apparently there’s nothing interesting for you to do at night besides study."

Rose laughed, but my mind was still spinning, trying to fit all the new information into place. Why did we have to move? Was it irreversible? And if it was, was there any chance Jake would want to come along and join us?

My chest tightened, and my fingers were about to reach for Rose’s jaw when an abrupt, fierce growl tore from my father’s throat; fury swept across his face like a storm. Before any of us could react, Alice had already sprung to her feet.

"What is he doing? What’s that dog doing that just wiped out my entire schedule for the day? I can’t see anything! No!" She shot a tortured look at my mom. "Look at you! You need me to show you how to use your closet!"

Then my father’s fists clenched.

"He talked to Charlie. He thinks Charlie is following after him. Coming here. Today."

Chapter Text

— COUNTERPOINT —

Alice said a word that sounded completely out of place in her usually cheerful, soft voice, and then she slipped out the back door.

"He told Charlie?" my mom asked. "But... doesn’t he understand? How could he do that?"

"No!" My father growled through clenched teeth. "Jacob’s on his way in now."

Jacob came in, shaking the rain from his wet hair. A huge grin stretched across his face when he saw me; his eyes were bright and exhilarated. His presence brought an invigorating energy that clashed harshly with the tense, charged atmosphere growing around him.

"Hey, guys," he greeted, still smiling.

But it was perfectly silent. I moved uneasily. To my relief, at least Leah and Seth flanked him on either side, both in human form — for now; their hands were trembling from the tension in the room.

"Rose," my mother said, stretching out her arms.

Without needing any further explanation, Rose quickly handed me back to her.

My mother pressed me against her still heart, as if holding me tightly would keep her hands occupied rather than launching herself at Jacob’s throat again.

I tried to stay as still as possible, just to be safe.

"Charlie will be here soon," Jacob announced to her. "Just a heads-up. I assume Alice is getting you sunglasses or something?"

"You assume way too much," she hissed through her teeth. "What. Have. You. Done?"

Jacob remained unbothered, still entirely too pleased with himself. "Blondie and Emmett woke me up this morning going on and on about all moving cross-country. Like I’d just let you go.” his deep eyes flicked back to me only for a second. “Charlie was the biggest issue there, right? Well, problem solved."

So that was why he’d disappeared earlier. I felt a bit less foolish realizing our worries had been mutual. The anxiety about the move hadn’t been just mine.

"Do you realize what you’ve done?" my mother snarled. "The danger you’ve put him in?"

He scoffed. "I didn’t put him in danger. Except for you. But you’ve got some kind of supernatural self-control, right? Not as good as mind-reading, if you ask me. Way less exciting."

Then my dad moved, getting right up in Jacob’s face. He was half a head shorter than Jacob, but even so, Jacob took a step back when my father leaned forward, entirely menacing.

"That’s just a theory, mongrel," he snarled. "You think we should test it out with Charlie? Did you consider the physical pain you’re putting Bella through, even if she can resist? Or the emotional pain if she doesn't? I suppose what happens to Bella no longer concerns you!" He spat the last words.

I pressed my fingers anxiously against my mother’s cheek. I didn’t like the tone dad was using, and it seemed to strike Jacob too. My father’s words finally broke through his enthusiasm. His mouth dropped open. "Bella will be in pain?"

"Like you’ve shoved a white-hot branding iron down her throat!"

I felt her body shudder against mine.

"I didn’t know that," Jacob whispered.

"Then perhaps you should have asked first," my father hissed again through clenched teeth.

"You would have stopped me."

"You should have been stopped—"

"This isn’t about me," my mom interrupted. She stood completely still, holding me tightly between her fingers. "This is about Charlie, Jacob. How could you put him in danger this way? Do you realize it’s death or vampire life for him now, too?"

Her voice trembled. Jacob sighed. "Relax, Bella. I didn’t tell him anything you weren’t planning to tell him."

"But he’s coming here!"

"Yeah, that’s the idea. Wasn’t the whole ‘make him make the wrong assumptions’ thing your plan? I think I provided a very nice red herring, if I do say so myself."

My mother’s fingers started to twitch away from me, but they quickly curled back in safety. "Say it straight, Jacob. I don’t have the patience for this."

"I didn’t tell him anything about you, Bella. Not really. I told him about me. Well, ‘show’ is probably a better verb."

"He phased in front of Charlie," my father hissed.

My mom gasped. "You what?"

"He’s brave. Brave as you are. Didn’t pass out or throw up or anything. I gotta say, I was impressed. You should’ve seen his face when I started taking my clothes off, though. Priceless." Jacob laughed.

"You absolute moron! You could’ve given him a heart attack!"

"Charlie’s fine. He’s tough. If you’d give this just a minute, you’ll see that I did you a favor here."

"You got half of that, Jacob." My mother’s voice was cold again. "You have thirty seconds to tell me every word before I give Renesmee to Rosalie and rip your miserable head off. Seth won’t be able to stop me this time."

"Jeez, Bells. You didn’t use to be so melodramatic. Is that a vampire thing?"

"Twenty-six seconds."

Jacob rolled his eyes and sat in the nearest chair. His pack followed, standing by his side, not as relaxed as he seemed to be; Leah’s eyes were still fixed on my mother, her teeth bared.

"So I knocked on Charlie’s door this morning and asked him to come for a walk with me. He was confused, but when I told him it was about you and that you were back in town, he followed me out to the woods. I told him you weren’t sick anymore, and that things were a little weird, but good. He was about to take off to see you, but I told him I had to show him something first. And then I phased."

Jacob shrugged. My mother growled. "I want every word, you monster."

"Well, you said I only had thirty seconds—okay, okay." He straightened up at the look my mother gave him. "Lemme see... I phased back and got dressed, and then after he started breathing again, I said something like, ‘Charlie, you don’t live in the world you thought you lived in. The good news is: nothing’s changed— except that now you know. Life will go on the same way it always has. You can go right back to pretending that you don’t believe any of this.’ It took him a minute to get his head together, and then he wanted to know what was really going on with you, with the whole rare-disease thing. I told him that you had been sick, but you were fine now— it was just that you'd had to change a little bit in the process of getting better. He wanted to know what I meant by ‘change,’ and I told him that you looked a lot more like Esme now than Renée. After a few minutes, he asked, really quietly, if you turned into an animal, too. And I said, ‘She wishes she was that cool!"

Rose made a disgusted noise, but Jake burst out laughing.

"I started to tell him more about werewolves, but I didn’t even get the whole word out when Charlie cut me off and said he'd ‘rather not know the specifics.’ Then he asked if you'd know what you were getting into when you married Edward, and I said, ‘Sure, she’s known all about this for years, since she first came to Forks.’ He didn’t like that much. I let him rant till he got it out of his system. After he got calmed down, he just wanted two things. He wanted to see you, and I said it would be better if he gave me a head start to explain."

"What was the other thing he wanted?" My mother took a deep breath.

Jacob grinned. "You’ll like this. His main request is that he be told as little as possible about all of this. If it’s not absolutely essential for him to know something, then keep it to yourself. Need to know, only."

For the first time since Jacob had returned, I felt my mother start to relax, even if just a little. "I can handle that part."

"Other than that, he’d just like to pretend things are normal," Jacob’s grin widened again.

"What did you tell him about Renesmee?"

"Oh, yeah. So I told him that you and Edward had inherited a new little mouth to feed." He looked at my father. "She’s an orphaned ward—like Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson." Jacob paused for a second before snorting. "I didn’t think you’d mind me lying. That’s all part of the game, right?"

My father didn’t respond, so Jacob continued. "Charlie was way past being shocked at this point, but he did ask if you were adopting her. ‘Like a daughter? Like I’m sort of a grandfather?’ were his exact words. I told him yes. ‘Congrats, Gramps,’ and all of that. He even smiled a little."

I blinked, surprised by it all, but also a little shocked that suddenly I was feeling... happy?

I was going to meet my grandfather. And apparently, he was smiling at the idea too.

"But she’s changing so fast," my mom whispered.

"I told him she was more special than all of us put together," Jacob said calmly, his voice oddly soft.

He stood up and walked toward me, nodding to Leah and Seth as they began to follow. I tried to reach out for him, but my mother’s embrace was stronger.

"I told him, ‘Trust me, you don’t want to know about this. But if you can ignore all the strange parts, you’re going to be amazed. She’s the most wonderful person in the whole world.’"

I couldn’t help but smile, despite the sudden, strange urge to hide my face behind my mother’s hair.

"And then I told him that if he could deal with that, you all would stick around for a while and he’d have a chance to get to know her. But that if it was too much for him, you’d leave. He said that as long as no one forced too much information on him, he'd deal."

Jacob then turned to my mother with half a smile, as if he was just waiting for the inevitable.

"I’m not going to thank you," she said. "You’re still putting Charlie at a huge risk."

"I’m sorry about it hurting you. I didn’t know it was like that. Bella, things are different with us now, but you’ll always be my best friend, and I’ll always love you. But I’ll love you the right way now. There’s finally a balance. We both have people we can’t live without." He smiled his usual bright smile. "Still friends?"

And unexpectedly, I saw my mother give him a small smile back. Jacob raised a hand, and she took a deep breath before shifting my weight to one arm and shaking his hand back. "If I don’t kill Charlie tonight, I’ll consider forgiving you for this."

"When you don’t kill Charlie tonight, you’ll owe me big time."

She rolled her eyes, but he didn’t pay attention. Instead, he raised his free hand toward me, this time as a request.

"Can I?"

My mom pulled me closer to herself again. "I’m actually holding her so that my hands aren’t free to kill you, Jacob. Maybe later."

Jacob and I sighed together, but neither of us dared to push it.

Chapter Text

— PREPARATION —

Alice ran back through the doors, her hands full and her expression promising violence.

"You, you, and you," she said, pointing at Jacob, Seth, and Leah respectively. "If you must stay, get over in the corner and commit to being there for a while. I need to see. Bella, you'd better give him the baby, too. You’ll need your arms free, anyway."

Jacob laughed triumphantly. My mother bit her lip but handed me over to him. "Take her."

A slight shiver ran through me at the sudden change in temperature between the arms holding me. Jacob motioned to the others, and we all moved to the farthest corner of the room together. Seth and Jacob sat with me on the floor, but Leah shook her head and pressed her lips together.

"Am I allowed to leave?" she asked.

She looked uncomfortable in her human form. Her hands were still trembling.

"Of course," Jacob said.

"Stay east so you don’t cross Charlie’s path," Alice added.

Leah didn’t look at Alice; she slipped out the door and headed for the trees to phase. My dad moved closer to my mother, watching her face.

"You can do this. I know you can. I’ll help you—we all will."

She stared at him with panic in her eyes before he continued:

"If I didn't believe you could handle it, we'd disappear today. This very minute. But you can. And you’ll be happier if you can have Charlie in your life."

My mom remained completely still. Alice stretched out her hands. There was a small white box in her palm.

"These will irritate your eyes. They won’t hurt, but they'll cloud your vision. It’s annoying. They also won’t match your old color, but it’s still better than bright red, right?"

She tossed the box into the air, and my mother caught it.

"When did you—"

"Before you left on the honeymoon. I was prepared for several possible futures."

I giggled and Jacob looked at me. As prepared as Alice was, I bet she never saw me coming in the picture.

My mom opened the box, taking out a small brown sphere and pressing it to her eye. She blinked before murmuring, "I see what you mean."

Then she put the other lens into her remaining eye, this time without blinking.

"How do I look?"

My father smiled. "Gorgeous. Of course—"

"Yes, yes, she always looks gorgeous," Alice concluded impatiently. "It's better than red, but that's the highest commendation I can give. Muddy brown. Your brown was much prettier. Keep in mind that those won't last forever—the venom in your eyes will dissolve them in a few hours. So if Charlie stays longer than that, you'll have to excuse yourself to replace them. Which is a good idea anyway, because humans need bathroom breaks." She shook her head. "Esme, give her a few pointers on acting human while I stock the powder room with contacts."

"How long do I have?"

"Charlie will be here in five minutes. Keep it simple."

Esme nodded and took my mom’s hand. "The main thing is not to sit too still or move too fast."

"Sit down if he does," Emmett offered. "Humans don’t like to just stand there."

"Let your eyes wander around every thirty seconds or so," Jasper said. "Humans don’t stare at one thing for too long."

"Cross your legs for about five minutes, then switch to crossing your ankles for the next five," Rosalie added.

My mom nodded at each suggestion.

"And blink at least three times a minute," Emmett said.

He frowned and then walked over to where the remote was on the table. He turned on the TV and put it on the college football game.

"Move your hands, too. Run them through your hair or pretend to scratch something," Jasper said.

"I said Esme," Alice complained when she returned. "You’ll overwhelm her."

"No, I think I got it all," my mother said. "Sit, look around, blink, fidget..."

"Right," Esme approved, wrapping her arms affectionately around my mother's shoulders.

Jasper furrowed his brow. "You’ll be holding your breath as much as possible, but you need to move your shoulders a little to make it look as if you're breathing."

My mom took one breath and then nodded again. My father hugged her, wrapping his arm around her waist.

"You can do this," he repeated against her ear.

"Two minutes," Alice said. "Maybe you should start out already on the couch. You’ve been sick, after all. That way, he won't have to see you move right at first."

Alice pushed her toward the sofa. She tried to move slowly, looking more awkward than graceful.

"Jacob, I need Renesmee," she suddenly said.

Jacob frowned, not moving. Alice shook her head.

"Bella, that doesn’t help me see."

"But I need her. She keeps me calm."

There was a hint of panic in her voice. Alice groaned.

"Fine. Hold her as still as you can and I'll try to see around her." She sighed, as if working on a holiday.

Jacob sighed as well, and then handed me over while avoiding Alice's glare. My dad sat next to my mom and put his arms around us. He leaned forward and looked right into my eyes seriously.

"Renesmee, someone special is coming to see you and your mother," he told me in a solemn voice. "But he’s not like us, or even like Jacob. We need to be very careful around him. You shouldn't tell him things the way you tell us."

I touched his face instinctively, even though it wasn’t necessary. Charlie. He’s my mom’s dad, my grandpa. Jacob told me. And he’s human.

"Exactly," he replied. "He’s going to make you thirsty. But you mustn’t bite him. He won’t heal like Jacob."

"Can she understand you?" my mother whispered.

"She understands. You’ll be careful, won't you, Renesmee? You’ll help us?"

I touched him again. Should I stop biting Jake as well? Carlisle already tasted me to confirm I’m not really venomous, but I still bite him sometimes…. It's always by accident, though. It only happens when I’m really thirsty…

"No, I don’t care if you bite Jacob. That’s fine."

I heard Jake’s laugh grow from the other side of the room.

"Maybe you should leave, Jacob," my father said coldly, looking in his direction.

"I told Charlie I’d be here. He needs moral support."

"Moral support." My father coughed. "As far as Charlie knows, you’re the most repulsive monster of us all."

"Repulsive?" Jacob protested before quietly laughing to himself.

I wanted to protest too, but then I heard the tires turning onto the road ahead, coming closer to our direction. My mom’s fingers tightened around me. My back was firmly pressed against her chest.

"Well done, Bella," Jasper whispered approvingly.

My mother’s eyes flew to my father's face. "You’re sure?"

"Positive. You can do anything," he smiled and then kissed her.

It was at least a little uncomfortable being stuck between the two of them in that situation. Jasper sensed the change in mood.

"Er, Edward, you might not want to distract her like that right now. She needs to be able to focus."

My father pulled back. "Oops."

"Later," my mother whispered decisively to him.

"Focus, Bella," Jasper said.

"Right."

"Bella."

"Sorry, Jasper."

Emmett chuckled.

The sound of the car grew closer. A second passed, and everyone was completely still. I looked at Jacob, and he gave me an encouraging smile. The car stopped in front of the house and idled for a few seconds. I wondered if Charlie was as nervous as I was, and as everyone around me seemed to be.

Then the engine cut off, and a door slammed. Three steps on the grass, and then eight echoes on the wooden steps. Four more footsteps crossing the porch. And then silence. Charlie took two deep breaths.

Knock, knock, knock.

My mother inhaled what seemed to be her last breath, and I buried my face in her hair.

Chapter Text

— HUMAN —

Carlisle opened the door. His tense expression shifted to one of hospitality, like flipping a TV channel.

"Hello, Charlie."

I leaned closer to my mother, closing my eyes and pressing my nose against her sweet scent.

"Carlisle," I heard Charlie greet him. "Where’s Bella?"

"Right here, Dad."

Charlie’s footsteps bypassed Carlisle, and then nothing. Absolute silence filled the room.

Shock. Pain. Loss. Fear. Anger. Suspicion. More pain. Maybe all of it crossed his face at once, but I still didn’t dare risk looking in his direction.

"Is that you, Bella?" he whispered.

"Yep. Hi, Dad."

He took a deep breath to steady himself. His scent was much stronger than Jacob’s. The irritation shot straight through my nose and down to my throat.

"Hey, Charlie," Jacob greeted him from the corner, trying to mask my discomfort. "How’re things?"

Slowly, Charlie crossed the room, stopping just a few steps away from us. "Bella?" he asked again.

"It’s really me," she assured him in a low voice. "I’m sorry, Dad."

"Are you okay?" he demanded.

"Really and truly great. Healthy as a horse."

"Jake told me this was... necessary. That you were dying," Charlie said the words as if he didn’t believe any of them.

My mom tensed, pressing me against her and leaning into my father. He tightened his grip on her shoulders, and Jacob shot us a look of redemption from the other side of the room.

"Jacob was telling you the truth," my mom finally replied.

"That makes one of you," Charlie whispered.

And his scent seemed to thicken as he moved, leaning closer to us. I squirmed more, burying my face entirely in my mother’s hair, and she squeezed me gently in encouragement.

"Oh," I heard Charlie murmur softly. There was no anger left in his tone. "This is her. The orphan Jacob said you’re adopting."

"My niece," my dad lied.

"I thought you’d lost your family," Charlie said, the accusation creeping back into his voice.

"I lost my parents. My older brother was adopted, like me. I never saw him after that. But the courts located me when he and his wife died in a car accident, leaving their only child without any other family."

My dad was apparently very good at this. His voice was calm, mixed with just the right amount of innocence. I shifted under my mother’s hair, trying to gather the courage to look at my grandfather. But he was too close now, and his scent was twice as strong. I thought it best to hide again.

"She’s... she’s, well, she’s a beauty."

"Yes," my father agreed.

"Kind of a big responsibility, though. You two are just getting started."

"What else could we do?" my dad asked, lightly tracing his fingers along my cheek before brushing them against my lips. "Would you have refused her?"

"Hmph. Well." Charlie muttered. "Jake says you call her Nessie?"

"No, we don’t," my mom snapped, her voice sharp and thick. "Her name is Renesmee."

"How do you feel about this?" Charlie asked. "Maybe Carlisle and Esme could—"

"She’s mine. I want her."

"You gonna make me a grandpa so young?"

My dad smiled. "Carlisle is a grandfather, too."

I wondered how different they must seem for my father to make that comparison. Charlie let out a muffled laugh. "I guess that does sort of make me feel better."

But I could still feel his gaze fixed on me. "She sure is something to look at."

His warm breath floated lightly over the small space between us. Slowly, I leaned into the scent, looking at him fully for the first time.

So, that’s how humans look like.

My grandfather had a thick mustache under his nose, messy curls, plenty of expression lines, and deep creases on his face. Time had left its mark on him. With a hint of fascination, I realized that his eyes—no, my eyes—were exactly like his.

Charlie coughed. Then he started to hyperventilate. His lips trembled, and I could make out the numbers he mumbled. He was counting the months backward, trying to fit nine into one. Trying to piece it all together, but he couldn’t quite see what was right under his nose.

Jake stood up and gave Charlie a pat on the back. He leaned in to whisper something in his ear—except Charlie didn’t know that we could all hear it.

“Need to know, Charlie. It’s okay. I promise.”

Charlie swallowed hard and then nodded. His eyes only opened when he took a step closer to my father, his fists clenched.

“I don’t want to know everything, but I am done with the lies!”

“I’m sorry,” my father said calmly. “But you need to know the public story more than you need to know the truth. If you’re going to be part of this secret, the public story is the one that counts. It’s to protect Bella and Renesmee as well as the rest of us. Can you go along with the lies for them?”

The room was full of statues. My mom crossed her ankles, trying to appear more relaxed. Charlie huffed once and then turned back to look at her.  “You might've given me some warning, kid.”

“Would it really have made this any easier?”

He frowned before kneeling on the floor in front of us. His face looked tired, his eyes slightly disturbed. Still, there was something comforting about him. Something that made him easy to sympathize with. And I wanted to hug him. It seemed like that was what he needed right now. A hug.

I smiled as calmly as I could and tried to reach for him, but my mom stopped me, pulling my arm back. I let my free hand rest against her neck so she could understand my intention. I was curious to know more about Charlie, to learn more about my... grandpa. I understood that he was human, and I understood the thirst, but I knew I could control it. She didn’t need to worry about it.

“Whoa,” Charlie coughed, staring at my smile. “How old is she?”

“Um...” my mother mumbled.

But it was my dad who answered. “Three months. Rather, she’s the size of a three-month-old, more or less. She’s younger in some ways, more mature in others.”

Very deliberately, I waved at him.

Charlie blinked, stunned. Jacob put a hand on his shoulder.  “Told you she was special, didn’t I?”

My grandfather leaned into the touch.

“Oh, c’mon, Charlie,” Jacob said. “I’m the same person I’ve always been. Just pretend this afternoon didn’t happen.”

The reminder made Charlie’s lips go white, but he nodded.  “Just what is your part in all this, Jake? How much does Billy know? Why are you here?”

Jacob turned to me with his bright smile. “Well, I could tell you all about it—Billy knows absolutely everything—but it involves a lot of stuff about werewo—”

“UNGH!” Charlie protested, covering his ears. “Never mind.”

Jacob laughed. “Everything’s going to be great, Charlie. Just try to not believe anything you see.”

My grandpa mumbled something indistinct.

“Woo!” Emmett suddenly shouted in his booming tone. “Go, Gators!”

Jacob and Charlie jumped. The rest of us froze. Once Charlie recovered, he looked over his shoulder at Emmett. “Florida winning?”

“Just scored the first touchdown,” Emmett confirmed. Then he glanced toward my mom, raising his eyebrows like a mischievous villain. “‘Bout time somebody scored around here.”

I rolled my eyes, but Charlie seemed far from being able to catch any subtle hint at the moment. He took a deep breath, sucking in as much air as he could before getting up and collapsing back into the chair.

“Well,” he sighed. “I guess we should see if they can hold on to the lead.”

Chapter Text

— BET —

Charlie spent the entire afternoon with us. He watched two games, then the after-game commentaries, and finally the news. He didn’t really seem in a hurry to leave, as if any small disturbance might shatter the fragile equation of that moment.

Several times throughout the day, I tried to put myself in his shoes, as if that could somehow help me understand him better.

I tried to picture a father who, just some hours ago, didn’t have any real news about his daughter. A father who had just found out he was also a grandfather. And whose world had been turned upside down by the supernatural. A world he clearly didn’t want to be a part of, yet here he was.

Not for his own sake, but out of love for his daughter.

Charlie was a good man.

I realized that I liked him right away. And it wasn’t hard to like him.

During the day, I tried to stretch toward him a few times, and I noticed that his eyes would drift to me during the game breaks too, with a slightly goofy smile appearing under his thick mustache. Still, my mom’s hands were always quicker, keeping me close to her the whole time.

At some point, I just stopped resisting and let sleep take me in the curve of her cold arms. I wasn’t sure how long I stayed like that before I felt her move more precisely, standing up with me in one fluid motion.

“You gonna stand Billy and my mom up, Charlie?” I heard Seth hum in his ever-optimistic tone. “C’mon, Bella and Nessie will be here tomorrow. Let’s get some grub, huh?”

Charlie mumbled something unintelligible, but in the end, he just let out a defeated sigh and got up slowly. “Alright, alright. Only because I don’t want Sue giving me a hard time.”

 “Oh, she’ll do that anyway.” Seth chuckled, leading the way out.

My mom kept her arms firmly around me as she walked Charlie to the door. For some reason, I thought it was best to keep my eyes tightly shut while the two of them talked on the edge of the porch. This was the closest they had to a private moment, after all.

“Jake says you guys were going to take off on me,” Charlie murmured quietly to my mother.

 “I didn’t want to do that if there was any way at all around it. That’s why we’re still here.”

“He said you could stay for a while, but only if I’m tough enough, and if I keep my mouth shut.”

“Yes…” My mom sighed. “But I can’t promise we’ll never leave, Dad. It’s pretty complicated…”

“Need to know,” he reminded her. 

“Right.”

“You’ll visit, though, if you have to go?”

“I promise, Dad. Now that you know just enough, I think this can work. I’ll keep as close as you want.”

I stayed still, breathing softly and rhythmically, keeping my body completely relaxed against my mother’s shoulder. The warmth around us shifted slightly, and even without opening my eyes, I could sense the hesitation in the air.

Charlie was silent, but I sensed his movement, leaning forward—slow and cautious—in our direction. My mom adjusted the weight of my body, and I felt the tension in her muscles as she held her breath. Then, with the slightest touch, an almost imperceptible displacement of air, I realized I was gently wrapped in the embrace between the two of them.

“Keep real close, Bells,” he murmured, his voice low and tense. “Real close.”

My mom’s arm tightened a bit more around me, and then her voice came out soft. “Love you, Dad,” she whispered.

There was a subtle tremor. Charlie stepped back.

“Love you, too, kid,” he replied, his voice rough, heavy with an emotion I couldn’t quite name. “Whatever else has changed, that hasn’t.”

Then I felt the light touch of his finger on my cheek.

 “She sure looks a lot like you,” Charlie murmured, and I wished I could have seen the expression on his face while saying it.

"More like Edward, I think," my mom replied. "She has your curls."

Charlie huffed. "Huh. Guess she does. Huh. Grandpa. Do I ever get to hold her?"

My heart skipped a beat, but I tried to keep my expression as calm as possible, not wanting to intentionally ruin the moment between them.

"Here."

Charlie made a cradle with his arms, and my mother placed me there. His skin wasn’t as warm as mine, but the way his scent enveloped me made my throat itch involuntarily.

He grunted a little as he felt my weight. "She’s... sturdy." Then he added, "Sturdy is good. She’ll need to be tough, surrounded by all this craziness."

It was hard not to laugh, but I tried to focus on how gently he rocked me in his arms, moving slightly from side to side.

"Prettiest baby I ever saw, including you, kid. Sorry, but it’s true."

"I know it is."

"Beautiful baby," he said again, but this time it was more like a coo. "Can I come back tomorrow?"

"Sure, Dad. Of course. We’ll be here."

"You’d better be," he said, but I could feel his gaze still lingering on me. "See you tomorrow, Nessie."

"Not you, too!"

"Huh?"

"Her name is Renesmee. Like Renee and Esme, put together. No variations." My mom seemed to struggle to calm herself. "Do you want to hear her middle name?"

"Sure."

"Carlie. With a C. Like Carlisle and Charlie put together."

Again, I had to summon all my self-control not to smile.

"Thanks, Bells," his voice sounded very different this time. Calm. Controlled not to break.

"Thank you, Dad. So much has changed so quickly. My head hasn't stopped spinning. If I didn’t have you now, I don’t know how I’d keep my grip on — on reality."

Charlie’s stomach growled.

"Go eat, Dad," my mom added. "We’ll be here."

Charlie handed me back to her, but a complete silence hung between the two of them for a moment, and that helped to intensify the sounds coming from inside the house. Jake raiding the refrigerator; Esme humming to herself; My dad playing softly on his piano.

Charlie sighed. "See you tomorrow, Bella." He made another a pause, and then I heard him add:

"I mean, it’s not like you don’t look... good. I’ll get used to it."

"Thanks, Dad."

After that, I heard Charlie’s footsteps moving toward his car. A few minutes later, the tires were already on the road.

"Wow," my mom whispered.

The calming sound coming from the piano abruptly stopped, and soon I heard my father's footsteps halting behind her. "You took the word right out of my mouth."

"Edward, I did it!"

"You did. You were unbelievable. All that worrying over being a newborn, and then you skip it altogether."

"I’m not even sure she’s really a vampire, let alone a newborn," Emmett said, his voice coming from inside the house. "She’s too tame."

My mom pulled me closer against her, and I heard her growl softly.

"Ooo, scary," Emmett laughed.

This time, she didn’t just growl. She truly roared. I stretched out in her arms, blinking a few times before looking around. This definitely seemed like a good moment to open my eyes. I sighed, reaching for my mother’s face, trying to steer her attention toward a safer topic to calm her down. Where’s Charlie?

"Charlie will be back tomorrow," she told me.

"Excellent," Emmett forced, and Rose laughed along with him.

"Not brilliant, Emmett," my dad remarked, slightly mocking, extending his hands toward me so my mother would hand me over.

She hesitated, but then passed me into his arms.

"What do you mean?" Emmett wanted to know.

"A little dense, don’t you think, to antagonize the strongest vampire in the house?"

Emmett threw his head back and scoffed. "Please!"

"Bella," my father commented casually. "Do you remember a few months ago, I asked you to do me a favor once you were immortal?"

"Oh!" She opened her mouth in a perfect "O."

I straightened up. From somewhere in the room, Alice burst into a tinkling laugh. Jacob poked his head out of the hallway, his mouth full of food.

"What?" Emmett growled.

"Really?" my mom asked my dad.

"Trust me," he said.

She took a deep breath. "Emmett, how do you feel about a little bet?"

Chapter Text

— DIGNITY —

Emmett was on his feet in a flash. “Awesome. Bring it.”

My mother bit her lip for a second.

“Unless you’re too afraid…?” Emmett teased.

She squared her shoulders. “You. Me. Arm-wrestling. Dining room table. Now.”

Emmett’s grin stretched across his face.

“Er, Bella,” Alice said quickly. “I think Esme’s fairly fond of that table. It’s an antique.”

“Thanks,” Esme added.

“No problem,” Emmett said with a dazzling smile. “Right this way, Bella.”

Everyone followed the two of them out the back, heading for the garage. There was a massive granite boulder near a pile of stones beside the river. Clearly, that’s where Emmett had been aiming. The big rock was uneven and slightly rounded, but it would do the trick.

My dad stood just behind my mother, holding me in his arms. Jake stepped up beside us. Rose crossed to Emmett’s side. The rest of the family fanned out around the boulder in a loose semicircle. Emmett planted his elbow on the stone and gestured for my mom to do the same. She looked a little nervous as she eyed the thick muscles flexing along his arms, but I noticed she still managed to keep a nonchalant expression as setting her elbow down.

“Okay, Emmett. I win, and you cannot say one more word about my sex life to anyone, not even Rose. No allusions, no innuendos — no nothing.”

His eyes narrowed. “Deal. I win, and it’s going to get a lot worse.”

My mom took a deep breath and Emmett smiled wickedly. There wasn’t a hint of bluff in his eyes.

“You gonna back down so easy, little sister?” Emmett taunted. “Not much wild about you, is there? I bet that cottage doesn’t have a scratch.” He chuckled. “Did Edward tell you how many houses Rose and I smashed?”

She clenched her jaw and gripped his big hand. “One, two—”

“Three,” Emmett growled, yanking her hand down — but nothing happened.

Her hand stayed frozen in place while his arm trembled, pushing with visible strain. Emmett growled; his brow furrowed, and his entire frame tensed like a bow drawn too tight. When she flexed her arm slightly, Emmett lost an inch. We all snorted with laughter, but Emmett snarled through clenched teeth.

It was obvious my mom was in complete control.

“Just keep your mouth shut,” she told him calmly.

And then, as if the gesture required no real effort, she slammed his hand into the rock with a deafening crack that echoed through the trees. The boulder shuddered, and a large chunk cracked off along an invisible seam, landing squarely on Emmett’s foot. Both Jacob and my father tried to stifle their laughter. Frustrated, Emmett kicked the broken piece across the river. 

It sheared clean through an apple tree before slamming into the base of a tall fir, which groaned and collapsed into another tree. 

“Rematch. Tomorrow.”

“It’s not going to wear off that fast,” my mom told him. “Maybe you ought to give it a month.”

Emmett growled, baring his teeth. “Tomorrow.”

“Hey, whatever makes you happy, big brother.”

As he turned, Emmett punched the granite, sending up another spray of fragments and dust. It was kind of cool, in a childish, comic-book sort of way. Like watching a superhero duel. My mother looked genuinely excited by it.

With fingers spread wide, she pressed her hand against the rock, slowly pushing it inward until the surface gave way.

“Cool,” she murmured.

A distinct smile lit up her face before she spun in a sudden circle and struck the boulder with a precise blow. The rock trembled and cracked, bursting into a cloud of grit and splitting clean in two. And then, she just laughed. 

Not just her usual, quiet laugh, but a real, full and genuine burst of joy before beginning to land more punches and kicks on the remaining pieces, reducing the boulder to rubble. It took me a second to realize that somehow, it was strange to see her like that. Almost like a kid playing at recess. 

I couldn’t help smiling, too. 

From my very first memory of her — back when she was still human — and even now, I’ve come to the conclusion that there just had always been a certain tension in the way she held herself. An unusual anxious behavior, a simple trace of her personality. But seeing her now… it was completely different. 

It was really like watching this other, new, and undeniable better version of herself bloom right in front of my eyes.  And I hadn’t realized how comforting seeing a totally, effortlessly happy version of my own mother could feel until experiencing this very moment.

Before I could even notice, my smile had turned into an actual laugh; the kind that bubbled up straight from joy.

“Did she just laugh?” my mom asked, pausing mid-punch. Everyone turned to stare at me with the same awestruck expression she had.

“Yes,” my dad confirmed.

Jacob laughed, too. “Who wasn’t laughing?” he said, rolling his eyes like it was some sort of prived joke between only the two of us about my mom’s behavior.

“Tell me you didn’t let go a bit on your first run, dog,” my father said with a huff, though there wasn’t the slightest hint of threat in his voice. If anything, he sounded like he was trying to be… playful?

“That’s different,” Jacob replied, giving my dad a mock-punch in the shoulder. “Bella’s supposed to be a grown-up. Married and a mom and all that. Shouldn’t there be more dignity?”

I pouted and touched my dad’s arm, perfectly within my reach, showing him a replay of what I’d just seen a moment before: my mother’s glowing face, lit with pure delight in the middle of the rocky debris.

“What does she want?” my mom asked.

“Less dignity,” he answered with a grin. “She was having almost as much fun watching you enjoy yourself as I was.”

“Am I funny?” she asked me, leaning toward me as I leaned toward her. She took me from my father’s arms and offered me a small chunk of stone she’d been holding. “You want to try?”

I squeezed the rock, testing my own strength. A crack appeared and a little dust crumbled off — nothing impressive. I frowned and handed it back to her.

“I’ll get it,” she said, crushing the piece easily into powder.

I laughed and clapped, hoping that would be enough to encourage her to keep going, letting everything go. Even more. But then, something incredible happened. Right then, the clouds broke apart, and sunlight poured through in sudden, golden and ruby streams across us. All at once — except for Jacob and me — the others’ skin began to shimmer. But it was no longer like marble.

They looked like they’d been carved from the finest diamonds, catching the sunset light in a thousand dazzling sparks. It was mesmerizing, and I found myself stunned. Carefully, I reached out and touched the radiant facets of my mom’s cheek, then held my arm next to hers. My skin only glowed faintly, mysteriously, but it wasn’t dazzling. Not diamond-like at all.

“You’re the prettiest,” she said.

“I’m not sure I can agree to that,” my father added.

I made a face, and Jacob shielded his eyes dramatically with his hand. “Freaky Bella.”

“What an amazing creature she is,” my father murmured, as though Jake’s jab had been a genuine compliment.

Jacob and I shared a laugh, and I wished the moment would never end. For the first time, I realized we were far from shadows and whispered tension.

At last, we were all standing together in the light.

Chapter Text

— COMPETITION —

Time didn’t feel like a straight line to me. Maybe it made more sense to picture it folded in on itself, bending and moving in strange ways under my orbit. Three months had passed, and with each day, my body kept strengthening, reshaping, becoming more capable. And I loved it. I loved feeling my muscles respond with precision, my legs moving with speed, my mind expanding without limits.

Learning to walk, to run, to speak, to understand the world… Every milestone gave me a new kind of freedom.

Meanwhile, Alice and Rose tried to make me seem… normal. Or at least, normal within the frame of a childhood that would never truly be mine. They dressed me in different outfits each day, took pictures to fill albums that told a story that didn’t exist. My growth needed to appear less dizzying than it truly was, but even so, I couldn’t bring myself to feel afraid.

Growing was what allowed me to fully exist, and with every passing second, I became more myself. Stronger. Sharper. Still, I could realise the inevitable worry etched into the faces around me.

My mother tried to hide her fear behind gentle smiles, but I could feel her unease every time her hand brushed my cheek, as if she were trying to memorize each detail before I changed again. My father, always so introspective, watched each new stage of my development with eyes that were far too intense. Observing and calculating. I knew he avoided speaking about future plans when Jacob and I were around.

Each passing moment brought me closer to my uncertain destiny. In the end, time was both my ally and my adversary. 

My first word came at the end of my very first week — mama — and my first full sentence came soon after: “Mama, where’s Grandpa?” I’d already asked Rosalie the same thing through my gift, but she hadn’t known the answer. So I had to speak, actually speak, with my mother, casually standing across the room. 

The moment brought joy and fear in equal measure.

The first time I walked — less than three weeks in — was like an echo of Alice’s grace. There was clapping, and everyone tried to do their best to celebrate the small triumph. But I also caught the silent glance exchanged between my parents. The unspoken fear.

So they researched. My dad and Carlisle looked for answers in every source imaginable, but I remained a mystery. A living myth. A precedent no one had ever seen. They were afraid of what would happen to me, of course. Of when it would happen.

But as for me, tomorrow could wait. I wanted to live in the present. To appreciate what I had. I wanted to run, to read, to learn, to feel the rare light filtered through the trees. To dive into the texture of the world with every unbelievable sense that I was fortunately blessed with.

My existence was a blank book, and I was too busy still trying to color the first pages.

I imagined the cover had started off in an undefined color. Not human, not vampire. Something between ruby and amber. But now, the more recent pages were beginning to shift in hue, as if each important person in my life left behind an important trace of color in its corners. 

The colors around me were vibrant, full of unexpected contrasts.

The deep, earthy hues of the wolves; so different from the vampires’ ethereal glow, were becoming more and more entwined in my world. Jacob had always been there, of course, usually accompanied by Leah and Seth. But now Quil and Embry had joined his pack too, bringing with them a laid-back energy that filled our days with endless challenges and laughter.

I found them fascinating. Not just because of the way they instinctively followed me, or tried to make sure I was all right, but because they were so intensely alive . Every joke, every teasing comment, every burst of laughter added a new, vivid tone to my days.

The wolves were the most fun, no doubt. But humans could be interesting too, I discovered. Sometimes even… grey. Kind of complicated to read, or to understand. Strangely enough, that’s what I liked the most about them. So I also loved it when Billy and Sue came to visit with Charlie.

I liked the way Sue looked after Charlie, even when she pretended not to. And I liked how Jacob seemed more at ease whenever Billy was around. The deep affection between them was obvious, maybe because Billy had raised him alone, as Jake had told me his mother, Sarah, had passed away when he was still a child. I wasn’t surprised, however, for the fact that there was something comforting in watching them. In trying to make sense of their expressions and their silences. It reminded me that, despite all the undeniable duality in my life, there was something beautifully simple in just being with the people we love. And I wanted more of that. 

I wanted to fulfill my life with more colors, more experiences. I wanted the world . But for now, I knew I had to wait.

My mother and Carlisle already had tickets to Europe later this month. Jacob had told me about the Volturi — the most powerful vampire coven among all, who enforced strict rules to keep our kind a secret. As my mother knew the truth while she was still human, the Voltruri sentenced her to an ultimatum and her transformation became inevitable. Now, she needed to prove to them that she honored her part of the deal, but she was hoping to make the visiting trip a quick one. 

She wanted to stay in Forks at least through the end of the year, to spend the holidays with Charlie. So, in the meantime, I would make the most of it as well, but my biggest hopes were undeniably tied to the following year. My dad and Carlisle were already discussing a trip to Brazil. They were looking into a tribe in Rio that might hold legends about children like me. The Ticunas had stories of half-mortal beings. And if there was one thing I’d learned about legends, it was this: every legend begins with a sliver of truth.

I planned to insist on going with them. And of course, Jake had already made it clear he would be coming too. My mom was still arguing with him about it when she joined us for a hunt. I didn’t really like the animal blood diet,  but Jacob always found a way to make things more interesting. He’d turned hunting into a competition, which made it easier for me to take part.

All in all, I’d always been able to tell right from wrong, and hunting humans was definitely wrong, but donated blood felt far more just. Human food sustained me just fine, and it seemed to work well with my body, but for some reason, the taste never did anything for me. Whether it was a burger or a plate of bland vegetables, my reaction was always the same: forced patience and zero excitement.

I still hoped my palate might change someday — maybe in the not-too-distant future — but for now, animal blood remained the better option. And if there was a challenge involved? Then there was no way I’d say no.

“Jacob…” my mom began, trying to sound rational again, while I danced around the clearing in front of them, trying to find a scent that might appeal to me. “You have got obligations here. Seth, Leah—”

Jake grumbled. “I’m not my pack’s nanny. They’ve all got responsibilities in La Push anyway.”

“Sort of like you?” my mother pressed, her tone sharper now. “Are you officially dropping out of high school, then? If you’re going to keep up with Renesmee, you’re going to have to study a lot harder.”

“It’s just a sabbatical. I’ll get back to school when things… slow down.”

I knew exactly what “things” he meant, and just like that, I could feel both their gazes drifting toward me again, wary and unspoken. Still, I didn’t let it break my focus. I was watching the snowflakes swirl above my head, melting before they even touched the faded grass in the triangular clearing we just reached. My marble-toned dress was nearly the same color as the snow, just one shade darker, and my auburn curls shimmered, even with the sun hidden behind the clouds.

I pushed off the ground and jumped into the air, a burst of freedom lifting me as my fingers closed around a snowflake. I landed softly, my feet barely stirring the earth. I turned back toward them with a smile and opened up my palms before the snowflake could melt.

“Pretty,” Jacob said appreciatively. “But I think you’re stalling, Nessie.”

I leapt again, this time straight into Jake’s arms. He was ready, of course; his arms out at the perfect moment to catch me midair. It was a choreography only we knew. I touched his cheek with one hand, letting him know I wasn’t especially thirsty, and pulling a slight face as I caught the sound of a herd of deer moving through the forest.

“ Suuuuure you’re not thirsty, Nessie?” he teased, his tone more indulgent than anything else. “You’re just afraid I’ll get the biggest one again!”

The deer were on the move now, their scent coming from the right direction. I slid down from his arms, landing lightly, and rolled my eyes in a half-bluff. Then, flashing him a playful grin, I bolted toward the forest.

Let him try to catch me.

“It doesn’t count if you cheat!” Jacob shouted after me, and I could hear the laughter in his voice.

I let out a soft giggle as well, but didn’t slow down. The air was cold and crisp around me, the snow that had once fallen more steadily now beginning to fade. Alice had mentioned the season wouldn’t last much longer. 

My senses sharpened as I rushed deeper among the trees, but Jacob caught up easily with me. He appeared in his wolf form, a flash of red-brown muscle and speed beside me. The sound of my soft boots against the snow mixed with the heavier thud of his paws. We ran in sync. Each step, each movement; like a dance. Adrenaline sent my heart racing as we challenged each other, only quick glances and our quiet laughter flitted between the leaves.

It was almost as if the forest felt more alive now, the trees cracking under the weight of winter, the snow falling more gently. The evening light painted everything in cold gold, casting the perfect scene for a hunt. I couldn’t help but smile. Hunting with Jake always had that rush of adventure; that priceless feeling of freedom, like the world was ours for a moment.

I inhaled deeply, catching the scent of the prey ahead.  They were close — the herd we’d tracked together. But I knew that if I wanted the biggest one, I had to act fast.

The thrill surged through me, and my body moved before thought could catch up. I leapt from a high rock, gliding over the frozen terrain, my mind firing a thousand calculations a second; every angle, every opening, every advantage. Jacob howled behind me, challenging me. He was faster, no doubt, but I was more determined. I spotted the biggest buck just ahead, its hooves skimming over the slush, trying to flee. Suddenly, mid-stride, it lifted its head, those yellowed eyes wide.

I crouched, ready for the final leap. Now or never.

Jacob's pace escalated, the air shimmering with his raw power. But the largest deer veered off, moving exactly where I’d hoped. With one swift, precise jump, I reached it first. My teeth sank into warm flesh, feeling the tension of muscle and bone.

It wasn’t arrogance I felt. It was a rush — pure energy, the kind only a hunt could deliver.

Jacob appeared beside me with another deer, his muzzle low, wearing an expression that said, You won this one. Barely.

I laughed softly as he nudged my elbow absentmindedly with his massive head. I didn’t understand how he could be both protective and provoking all at once, and yet I always found myself amuzed by it.

“Don’t pout, Jake,” I said with a mischievous grin.

He let out a playful huff in return, the kind that held a spark of amusement and a flicker of respect, letting me have my moment. The hunt was never really about the prize.  It was about the fun, the freedom. The wild joy of running without limits.

We stayed there for a bit, breathing deeply, snow falling gently all around us, and for a while, it felt like nothing could touch us — not the future's improbability, not the world beyond. It was just us, the wind, and the hunt. Living in the present.

“Mine is bigger,” I teased him again, just to keep the spirit alive.

Jacob was about to let out one of those deep, exaggerated wolf-snorts when we both froze, and we heard it. The impossibly fast steps of my mother. She burst through the thorny brush with wide eyes, looking at us in absolute terror.

Chapter Text

— UNWATED VISIT —

Jacob and I became alert at the exact same time. Instinctively, he shifted into a defensive stance. Teeth bared, ears high and his nose pulled toward the forest. I dropped my prey and leapt into my mother’s arms, placing my hand gently on her face. What happened?

“I’m overreacting,” she said quickly. “It’s okay, I think. Hold on.”

She pulled her phone and pressed speed dial. There was only one ring. Jacob and I were paying enough attention to immediately recognize my father’s voice on the other end.

“Come, bring Carlisle,” my mom said, fast and urgent. “I saw Irina, and she saw me, but then she saw Jacob and she got mad and ran away, I think. She hasn’t show up here — yet, anyway — but she looked pretty upset, so maybe she will. If she doesn’t, you and Carlisle have to go after her and talk to her. I feel so bad.”

Jacob growled low.

“We’ll be there in half a minute,” my dad assured before hanging up.

We turned toward the large clearing, waiting in silence for any sound we didn’t recognize — anything that might signal Irina’s presence. If she had really been as upset as my mother said, it was entirely possible she’d come looking for us. But when the sound finally came, it wasn’t her. It was something much more familiar. Light, agile footsteps cut through the woods, followed by heavier, pounding ones.

My dad appeared first, Carlisle right behind. A second later, we heard the impact of massive paws hitting the earth. Seth and Leah. I wasn’t surprised Jacob hadn’t wasted a second calling in reinforcements. I leaned toward him, and he lowered his head to my arm in silent acknowledgment. My mom pointed toward a far-off cliff, in the direction of the mountains.

“She was up on that ridge,” she explained to my dad. “Maybe you should call Emmett and Jasper and have them come with you. She looked… really upset. She growled at me.”

“What?” my father snapped, his voice already edged with irrational fury.

Carlisle placed a calming hand on his shoulder. “She’s grieving. I’ll go after her.”

“I’m coming with you.”

The two exchanged a long look, Carlisle probably weighing whether my dad’s anger would be a hindrance or if his gift might be helpful. In the end, he nodded, and both of them vanished into the trees, following Irina’s trail without calling for Jasper or Emmett. Jacob huffed impatiently and nudged my mother’s back with his nose. He wanted us to go home; he wanted me safe. My mom didn’t argue. In the next instant, we were running back, Seth and Leah close behind.

I didn’t know Irina personally, but I had heard of her. She was one of our cousins, part of the Denali coven.  A clan that learned about the 'vegetarian' lifestyle from Carlisle and therefore developed strong ties to our family. However, from what Rose had told me — and Rose was always more than willing to narrate every part of my parents’ dangerous love story, though never without inserting her own commentary — Irina had once fallen in love with a vampire who tried to kill my mother while she was still human.

He found her alone in the woods and might’ve succeeded, if he hadn’t underestimated the wolves. They saved her, destroying the threat, but somehow, it was Irina who still seemed to hold a huge grudge agaist them. Alice had recently had a vision suggesting a possible visit of reconciliation from her, and I could only assume that seeing us running along so friendly with Jake today hadn’t helped.

So much for reconciliation.

Maybe I was being insensitive, or maybe I just didn’t know enough of the backstory to fully understand. But from what I did know, I couldn’t bring myself to care all that much. Her mate had tried to kill my mom. And she was the one who still harbored this deep, uncontrollable hatred toward the wolves?

Yeah, no. Perhaps the one thing my mom and I could agree on this one was that she was definitely overreacting. I stayed nestled in her arms for the rest of the way home, my hand still resting on her cheek. Now that the hunt had been cut short, I could at least settle for the donated blood.

Chapter Text

— UNEXPECTED —

Carlisle and my dad hadn’t been able to catch up with Irina before her trail vanished completely. When they returned, Carlisle had to call our cousins from Alaska, Tanya and Kate, to share the discouraging news. Suddenly, a tense atmosphere had taken hold around everyone.

Alice was only able to catch glimpses surrounding Irina’s immediate future, but nothing concrete. One thing was certain: she wasn’t heading back to Denali. All the rest was still too murky, according to Alice. The most she could see was that Irina remained upset, storming through the wilderness with no clear destination in mind.

In the days that followed, it was only natural that routine began to slip back quietly into our lives.

My mom’s trip to Italy was getting closer, as was our eventual departure for South America. Every detail had been gone over a thousand times. We were starting with the Ticunas, tracing their legends as thoroughly as we could, straight from the source. However, my mother’s opinion about Jacob coming with us seemed to have changed overnight, and I couldn’t help feeling just a bit suspicious about her true motives. 

No matter how I tried to look at it, it felt more like Jacob just fit conveniently into her plans. After all, it was obvious that anyone who even slightly believed that vampires could exist wouldn’t dare speak to anyone from our family. But Jake, on the other hand, would have no such issue with that. Besides, if we didn’t have any success with the Ticunas, there were plenty of other tribes nearby or related that we could try reaching out to. 

Carlisle knew a trio of old friends in the Amazon, and if we could find them, maybe they’d have information, or at least some good advice on what direction to follow. It was unlikely they were directly connected to any legends about hybrid vampires, since all three were women, but they've definitely known the area long enough to have at least heard the rumors.

There was no way of knowing how long our search for answers might take, but it was easy to see how excited Emmett and Jasper were getting as they planned for the new hunting opportunities ahead. The Amazon forest would definitely offer a welcome change from our usual, somewhat repetitive diet. Gradually, Esme and Rosalie began sorting through what to pack as well. And Jake now had to spend more time away, aligning everything with Sam’s pack before the trip.

I had assumed things would continue in this slow rhythm of preparation at least until the end of the year, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. Just a few weeks before Christmas, I woke up on the living room couch to the sound of hurried footsteps, rushed whispers, bags being dragged — and the world spinning right in front of me, quite literally. 

A globe had been placed on the coffee table, and everyone stood around it, staring at it with anxious expressions.

“Hey, Nessie.”

I blinked a few times, still groggy, and turned toward that unmistakable husky voice. Jacob was sitting next to me, his hands clasped too tightly together, and something about his smile wasn’t quite right. It wasn’t as natural as it usually was. It almost felt more… restrained.

“Jake, what’s the matter?”

He swallowed hard. Carlisle, Esme, Rose, and Emmett all turned to look at me at once. Alice, Jasper, and my parents were nowhere to be seen.

I reached out, brushing the edge of Jacob’s jaw. Seriously, Jake—what’s going on?

He looked at me with worried eyes, like he didn’t want to be the one to say it, but then he exhaled. “Nessie… do you still remember the vampire your mom saw in the clearing a while ago?”

Irina.

He let his hand drift slowly through his hair, still trying to keep a soft smile. “Right, that vampire. Alice had a vision about her. Irina went… she went to the Volturi, Nessie. She thinks you’re an immortal child. But she’s wrong.”

“An immortal child?”

In less than a second, Carlisle was kneeling in front of me. He took my hands gently in his; his eyes soft, yet full of urgency.

“Renesmee, listen carefully. Immortal children are considered a grave threat to the secrecy of our kind. They can’t be controlled, they can’t be taught, and their behavior can expose our existence to humans. Over the centuries, the Volturi have destroyed them all… along with anyone who tried to create one.”

My stomach twisted.

“But I’m not an immortal child,” my voice came out sharper than I meant. “I learn every day. I can control myself.”

“We know,” Jacob murmured, his jaw clenched tight. “But they don’t.”

My eyes moved from Jacob’s tense expression to Carlisle’s calm but grave face. “So… what does that mean?”

This time, it was Rose who flew to my side. Her arms wrapped tightly around me. I sank into the curtain of her golden hair, letting her embrace steady me for a moment.

“It means we’re going to prepare for when they come, Nessie. Alice left us instructions.”

“Alice… where is she? Where’s Jasper? Where are my parents?”

The room suddenly felt too small to hold all the tension that had built up in the air. Everyone exchanged uneasy glances, their eyes darting between one another too quickly.

“Your parents are on their way,” Carlisle said with his usual composed smile. “As for Alice and Jasper… well, they’re free to choose their own path too, Nessie.”

I looked at Rose’s face, though I didn’t know exactly what I was hoping to find there. Distrust? Contempt? Maybe both?

But there was none of that. Just pain. Pain and sorrow.

So that was it. The sense of mouring filling the room. Alice and Jasper had left. They had really left us. But why? Could Alice have already predicted the end of this retaliation?

It didn’t feel real. Nor possible, but... was it? I reached out to touch Rose’s beautiful face. At least she left us instructions, right? So maybe—Maybe there’s still hope?

“Yes,” she told me, her brows drawn together as she stared at the globe on the table. “We’re going to seek help, Nessie. Carlisle has friends all over the world, and we’re going to find them. If they’re willing to meet you, they’ll be able to see the truth for themselves, and they can stand as witnesses. Witnesses for what’s right.”

Her topaz eyes narrowed into a hard line, but softened when she turned back to me. “You’re not an immortal child, Nessie. The Volturi just need to understand that.”

“Do you really think they'll listen to us?” My voice came out very low.

This time, it was Esme who answered, her expression gentle, though still laced with worry. “We hope so, sweetheart.”

But no one said they were certain.

Chapter Text

— DEPARTURE —

My parents arrived only minutes later. Jacob was still beside me on the couch. Emmett, Rose, Esme, and Carlisle were disturbingly still, waiting in the entrance hall, all ready to go.

“We’re to stay here?” my dad asked Carlisle the moment he stepped through the door.

He didn’t sound pleased.

“Alice said we’d have to show people Renesmee, and that we’d had to be careful about it,” Carlisle replied calmly. “We'll send whomever we can find back here to you. Edward, you’ll be the best at fielding that particular minefield.”

My dad gave a sharp nod, clearly displeased. “There’s a lot of ground to cover.”

“We’re splitting up,” Emmett said. “Rose and I are hunting the nomads.”

“You’ll have your hands full here,” Carlisle added. “Tanya’s family will be here in the morning, and they have no idea why. First, you have to persuade them not to react the way Irina did. Second, you’ve got to find out what Alice meant about Eleazar. Then, after all of that, will they stay to witness for us? It’ll start again as the others come–if we can persuade anyone to come in the first place,” he sighed. “Your job may well be the hardest. We’ll be back to help as soon as we can.”

Carlisle placed his hands briefly on my father’s shoulders and pressed a kiss to my mother’s forehead. Esme embraced them both, and Emmett wrapped his arms around them in a quick but warm gesture. Rose gave them a tight-lipped smile, blew me a kiss, and made a face in Jacob’s direction as goodbye.

“Good luck,” my dad told them.

“And to you,” Carlisle answered. “We’ll all need it.”

Silence lingered as we watched them disappear through the trees. I reached out to Jacob, my fingers brushing his cheek as the anxious weight began to build in my chest.  Do you think someone will come?

Jake tried to smile again, but there was no joy in his eyes. “I don’t know if Carlisle’s friends will come. I hope so. Sounds like we’re a little outnumbered right now.”

But… isn’t it strange, just waiting here? There’s nothing we can do to help?

“No, we can’t help; we’ve got to stay here,” he said softly, his voice low and amused in spite of everything. “People are coming to see you, not the scenery.”

I pouted. You don’t need to go too, right?

“No. I don’t have to go anywhere,” he smiled again, then turned to look at my father, stunned to the realization that he might be wrong. “Do I?”

My father hesitated.

“Spit it out,” Jacob muttered, tension crackling in his tone.

“The vampires who are coming to help us are not the same as we are. Tanya’s family is the only one besides ours with a reverence for human life, and even they don’t think much of werewolves. I think it might be safer—”

“I can take care of myself,” Jake cut in quickly.

“Safer for Renesmee,” my dad clarified. “If the choice to believe our story about her is not tainted by an association with werewolves.”

“Some friends,” Jacob growled. “They’d turn on you just because of who you hang out with now?”

I shook my head in agreement. My father sighed.

“I think they would mostly be tolerant under normal circumstances. But you need to understand — accepting Nessie will not be a simple thing for any of them. Why make it even slightest bit harder?”

“The immortal children were really that bad?” Jacob asked.

“You can’t imagine the depth of the scars they’ve left in the collective vampire psyche.”

Jacob took a long breath and closed his eyes for a second. “Edward…”

“I know, Jake. I know how hard it is to be away from her. We’ll play it by ear– see how they react to her. In any case, Nessie is going to have to be incognito off and on in the next few weeks. She’ll need to stay at the cottage until the right moment for us to introduce her. As long as you keep a safe distance from the main house…”

“I can do that. Company in the morning, huh?”

“Yes. The closest of our friends. In this particular case, it’s probably better if we get things out in the open as soon as possible. You can stay here. Tanya knows about you. She’s even met Seth.”

“Right.”

“You should tell Sam what’s going on. There might be strangers in the woods soon.”

“Good point. Though I owe him some silence after last night.”

“Listening to Alice is usually the right move.”

Jacob clenched his jaw, clearly still bitter about Alice and Jasper’s departure. My mom had moved away, drifting silently toward the back windows, unusually still. Her anxiety usually made her more kinetic — leaning on my father, pacing — but today, she was quiet. Withdrawn.

She leaned her head against the hallway window, just beside one of the computer desks. Her fingers brushed the surface of the desk, and the screen blinked to life. She tapped again but didn’t sit down. She just stood there, unmoving, her back toward us.

“This is too much for Bella,” my dad murmured from a distance.

“It’s too much for Nessie, too,” Jacob added. “She shouldn’t have to go through any of this.”

“I know. That’s probably what’s hurting Bella the most,” my father said, his gaze flicking to me with sorrow before returning to my mom’s silent figure. “She’s always been quick to sacrifice herself for the ones she loves.”

I couldn’t argue.

Without thinking, I stood and crossed the room. My mom turned as I reached her, and I pressed my head to the curve of her neck as her arms closed around me. I didn’t know if I could bear the guilt of all this again. She’d already given up her human life for me. How could I keep taking things from her? How could my very existence still be a threat to my family? To the wolves? To Jacob...

I reached up with a trembling hand and pressed it to her cheek, showing her their faces — hers, my father’s, Jacob’s, Rose, Emmett, Esme, Carlisle, Alice, Jasper. Then Seth and Leah. Charlie, Sue, and Billy. Again and again. The worry spinning like a whirlpool inside me, pulling everything under. Even the instructions Alice had left behind couldn’t anchor me this time.

Alice.

My mind focused on her face. I forced the image to rise, scattered and cloudy with emotion. Maybe there was still something there, something we could hold on to. Maybe my mother would know. They had always been so close…

 Do you know where she is?

“I don’t know,” she whispered. “But she’s Alice. She’s doing the right thing, like always.”

Suddenly, I felt a pang for having accepted her departure so quickly. The ache tightened in my chest before I could stop it.

“I miss her too.”

My mom’s ribcage trembled under my cheek, and I pulled back to look at her face. I’d never seen her expression like that before. Twisted. Unguarded. Without the bright veil of happiness she always wore, like armor.

For the first time, I saw my mother cry, and a knot closed in my throat so tight I couldn’t speak. I smoothed her cheek instinctively, trying to offer comfort, but there was a sting pressing behind my own eyes.

She leaned in and kissed the skin above my eyelid with soft precision, and it was only when I pressed my fingers to that exact same place that I realized... I was crying too.

“Don’t cry,” she said. “It’s going to be okay. You’re going to be fine. I’ll find you a way through this.”

And I knew she meant it. She would. She would do whatever it took to protect me. That was what everyone seemed irrefutably willing to do.

And that was also what terrified me the most.

Chapter Text

— SANCTUARY —

I didn’t want to let go of her. Not yet. But eventually, the silence around us began to stretch, and we both knew it would not be long until Jacob or my dad came looking for us. My mom kissed the top of my head one more time, very gently, and we walked back toward the living room in quiet understanding.

The soft murmur of voices filled the space as we approached. Jake’s low voice rolled like thunder under the steady cadence of my father’s. They were seated across from each other, Jacob still in the same spot on the couch where I’d left him, but now leaning forward, his elbows on his knees, focus carved into every muscle of his posture.

He only paused when we entered. His eyes flicked to me, offering one of his easy, bright smiles, but it vanished as soon as his attention returned to my father.

“I just need to know who leads what,” he continued. “How they move. Who speaks for whom. What kind of powers we’re dealing with. I need the whole picture. For the pack.”

My dad nodded once, slowly. “You’re right to ask. Every detail may count.”

I stayed close to my mother as she slipped silently beside my dad. His voice came out deliberately, not judgmental or bitter, but as every word was part of a larger truth.

“The Volturi were formed by Aro, Marcus and Caius. Aro can read every thought a person has ever had with a single touch. Not just what they’re thinking at the moment, but every memory, every secret, every piece of knowledge, as if their mind were a library he could walk through at will. Marcus, on the other hand, can sense relationships — the emotional bonds and loyalties that tie people to one another. He sees connections as clearly as colors, and can tell when those bonds shift, strengthen, or break.”

My father’s voice continued steady, as fearing missing something important when he spoke of them.

“They are a rarity, even among our kind. When the three of them first came together, it wasn’t affection that bound them, as most covens do. It was vision. Idealism. They sought order and structure in a world ruled by chaos. And so, they began shaping a system. One with rules, boundaries, and, eventually, consequences.”

Jacob grunted softly, but said nothing.

“They established Volterra as a home base, neutral ground,” my dad murmured. “From there, they enforced the most fundamental laws of our world: secrecy above all, no creation of immortal children, and absolute respect for the masquerade we live by. They didn’t do it alone. Over time, they surrounded themselves with others, powerful vampires loyal to their vision.”

“The guard,” my mom sighed shakily.

“Yes,” my father said. “The Volturi Guard is composed of vampires chosen not only for loyalty but for ability. Their gifts make them nearly impossible to challenge. Jane, for instance, can induce the sensation of burning pain with a single thought. Alec, her twin brother, can cut away every sense — sight, sound, touch — leaving his target completely helpless. Demetri can track anyone, anywhere. Once your scent is in his mind, there’s no escape.”

Jacob whistled under his breath. “Sounds like a dream team.”

“They are,” my father agreed, without sarcasm. “At least, that’s how many see them. They have ruled quietly for over three thousand years.”

I watched Jacob’s jaw tighten. His fists had closed slowly, almost unconsciously, fingers curling in toward his palms. The tremor was subtle at first. A fine, familiar quiver that it has always been very easy for me to notice. It rippled through his forearms like a low hum of thunder gathering beneath the surface.

I slipped out of my seat and crossed the room without a word, and the second my hand found his, the shaking stilled. I could see in the way his neck relaxed, just a bit, and in the way his gentle eyes seeked for mine. He had been pulled back from the edge where thoughts became too loud, too heavy to hold in his human form.

“Come on, Jake,” I whispered. “I wanna go for a run.”

His smile was controlled, but there was relief in it. His shoulders dropped a fraction, the tension ebbing like a tide drawn back by the moon. He stood without question, letting his hand stay in mine as we stepped quietly past the front door, my parents following us just behind.

Jacob disappeared into the trees for only a moment, the sound of his shift just a breath in the stillness, and when he returned, it was on four paws. Enormous, wild and hypnotizing. I smiled, brushing my fingers through his thick russet fur before taking off into the dark trees, letting my feet carry me forward with reckless ease. He ran beside me, silent and sure, our movements syncing like instinct. Like engraved memories. 

The wind whipped through my hair, laced with frozen moss and pine and the combination of dozens of savage sounds melted together. Out here, I could still pretend, just for a little while, that there was no crown, no law, no invincible trial waiting for me in the shadows. 

Jacob let out a long, bone-deep howl. I turned to him and tried to echo it. Mine came out thinner, a high-pitched wail in comparison, almost like a whistle swallowed by the wind, but I didn’t really care. Neither of us did. We were both holding on to what we had, like we always did. Gripping the present with everything we had because, one way or another, everything in my future always seemed too fragile. Too stained by doom.

I didn’t want to think about the visitors arriving in the morning, or the ones who might come after, or how much time I still had before the verdict fell. That would be its own kind of torture.

I had known happiness. I had tasted it. And I wanted to keep it, even if only in fragments.

And I knew he felt the same. Because he was like me. He was the only one who clung to the incontrovertible now with the same urgency I did,  because he knew it was the only thing we truly owned. So I could just run, knowing that he was with me. No matter what came next, I still had this — this one thing that was mine and mine alone.

My stronghold in the forest.

Chapter Text

— EXPECTATION —

My mom insisted on taking me back to the cottage once the sky had darkened. I must’ve fallen asleep almost immediately, because the next thing I knew, my eyes fluttered open to find that I was no longer in my bed, or even inside our home at all anymore. I was cradled in her arms again, feeling the coolness of the morning air brushing past my cheek and a cadance coming from the gentle rise and fall of her walking; her embrace surrounding me like the walls of a castle.

I didn’t need to ask where we were. I recognized the familiar path even with half closed eyes. We were making our way back to the main house, and the unwanted reminder struck me quite quickly. The first of our visitors should be arriving already. Coming to see me .

I stayed nestled where I was, trying not to move, though my pulse had already picked up speed. The day hadn’t even begun, and I was already exhausted by the weight of it. However, a thread of curiosity pulled me from the haze as I caught the quiet conversation happening just above my head. My mother’s voice was softer than usual, but not uncertain.

“Do you think Alec is a very good fighter?” she said, her tone edged with a kind of dark curiosity I’d never heard from her before. “Aside from what he can do, I mean. If he had to fight without his gift. I wonder if he has ever even tried…”

I was immediately more alert. I’ve come to learn a lot more about the Volturi in only a day. My father glanced down at her, a frown forming between his brows. 

“What are you thinking?” His voice was cautious, tight with concern.

She hesitated, then looked ahead, continuing in that same contemplative tone. “Well, he probably can’t do that to me, can he? If what he does is like Aro and Jane and you. Maybe… if he’s never really had to defend himself… and I learned a few tricks—”

“He’s been with the Volturi for centuries,” My dad interrupted her, his voice clipped with panic. “Yes, you’re surely immune to his power, but you’re still a newborn, Bella. I can’t make you that strong a fighter in a few weeks. I’m sure he’s had training.”

She didn’t flinch.

“Maybe. Maybe not,” she said. “It’s the one thing I can do that no one else can. Even if I can just distract him for a while—”

“Please, Bella,” he said, pain threading through each word. “Let’s not talk about this.”

“Be reasonable.”

“I’ll try to teach you what I can,” he relented, his voice so low it was nearly a whisper. “But please don’t make me think about you sacrificing yourself as a diversion—” He choked, and didn’t finish.

She didn’t answer. Instead, they both fell into a stretch of silence that pulsed louder than words. And then, barely above the sound of the wind:

“I have to learn everything,” she murmured. “As much as you can possibly cram into my head in the next month.”

He didn’t reply. His jaw was set, his eyes ahead, but I saw the quiet war happening behind them. And still, she pressed on.

“Demetri…”

“Demetri is mine.”

My father’s voice came out low, tight and severe, almost spoken through his teeth. I lifted my head to look at him. His expression had sharpened into something violent. Feral. My mom stopped walking and turned toward him as well, her brows drawing together.

“Why?”

He didn’t answer right away. They walked on in silence, their steps following the familiar trail down to the river, and for a while the only sound was the wind weaving through the trees.

“For Alice,” he finally said, his voice barely above a murmur. “It’s the only thanks I can give her now... for the last fifty years.”

Before my mom could spiral further into worry, I heard the distinct rhythm of paws pounding against damp earth, heavy and fast. Just a heartbeat later, Jacob appeared at my side, his dark eyes locking onto mine with immediate purpose. I smiled at him, letting the warmth of his presence seep into me, steady and grounding. As always, he made it easier to breathe. The light on the horizon was still dim, soft due the early morning mist.

My mom gave him a small nod of acknowledgment before her gaze swung back to my dad.

“Edward,” she said, her voice firmer now, “why do you think Alice told us to ask Eleazar about the Volturi? Has he been in Italy recently or something? What could he know?”

“Eleazar knows everything when it comes to the Volturi. I forgot you didn’t know. He used to be one of them.”

“What?” My mother gasped.

My father’s expression softened, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

“Eleazar is a very gentle person,” he said. “He wasn’t entirely happy with the Volturi, but he respected the law and its need to be upheld. He felt he was working toward the greater good. He doesn’t regret his time with them. But when he found Carmen, he found his place in this world. They are very similar people, both very compassionate… for vampires.” He gave a dry smile. “They met Tanya and her sisters, and they never looked back. They are well suited to this life easily. If they’d never found Tanya, I imagine they would have eventually discovered a way to live without human blood on their own.”

I tried to fit that image into what I already knew. The concept of a former Volturi guard with a kind heart. It was strange. But if more of the Volturi’s inner circle had been like Eleazar, maybe, just maybe, there was still hope for what awaited us. Maybe our story would be heard.

Beside me, Jacob must’ve asked something along his thoughts, because my dad turned to him and answered:

“No, he wasn’t one of their warriors, so to speak. He had a gift they found convenient.”

In a way, it was comforting to realize that Jake and I were thinking along the same lines. He must have asked another smart question in his head, because my father went on:

“He has an instinctive feel for the gifts of others — the extra abilities that some vampires have. He could give Aro a general idea of what any given vampire was capable of just by being in proximity with him or her. This was helpful when the Volturi went into battle. He could warn them if someone in the opposing coven had a skill that might give them some trouble. That was rare; it takes quite a skill to even inconvenience the Volturi for a moment. More often, the warning would give Aro the chance to save someone who might be useful to him. Eleazar’s gift works even with humans, to an extent. He has to really concentrate with humans, though, because the latent ability is so nebulous. Aro would have him test the people who wanted to join, to see if they had any potential. Aro was sorry to see him go.”

My mother frowned. “They let him go? Just like that?”

My father’s expression was calm, though the muscles along his jaw flexed. 

“The Volturi aren’t supposed to be the villains, the way they seem to you.They’re the foundation of our peace and civilization. Each member of the Guard chooses to serve them. It’s quite prestigious; they all are proud to be there, not forced to be there.”

I bit the inside of my cheek and stared at the ground while Jacob let out a sharp, low snort of disapproval beside me. My mom didn’t look convinced either, which earned a long, audible sigh from dad.

“They’re only alleged to be heinous and evil by the criminals, Bella.”

“We’re not criminals.”

Jake scoffed, nodding in agreement.

“They don’t know that.”

My mom studied his face for a long moment, her eyes narrowed slightly, as if trying to decipher some deeper meaning beneath his steady expression.

“Do you really think we can make them stop and listen?”

He hesitated. “If we find enough friends to stand beside us. Maybe.”

If. I suddenly felt the urgency of what we had before us today.

“Tanya shouldn’t be too much longer,” my Dad added. “We need to be ready.”

Both my parents started to move faster, breaking into a run. Jacob followed close, keeping to my side. We stepped through the front door of the dining room, and Jacob joined us a second later, appearing in his human form. My mom led me to sit with her at the large polished table, and I let myself curl into her arms, even as I felt the tension humming through her body. Jacob was just as on edge, keeping a close, alert watch around us.

My father, as always, was still, leaning against the wall by the back window, his eyes fixed on the front door. But I knew he wasn’t just watching. He was listening, too. The silence stretched heavy across the room, broken only by the faint passing of a car far down the distant road.

I wasn’t sure what I was expecting. I had imagined countless scenarios, considered every type of reaction — but still, I didn’t know what I should do to make this go well. Should I be visible from the beginning? Or stay hidden at first? Should Jacob be in the room or wait outside? My dad had insisted that Jake should remain unseen — though he was allowed to stay close. But what did that really mean? What were Jacob and I supposed to do?

I wrapped my arms around my mother’s neck and poked her cheek, but I didn’t use my power or share any images with her. I didn’t want to burden her with my spiraling thoughts — not now, not when everything was already so fragile. Still, I couldn’t shake the unease that clawed at the edges of my mind.

“What if they don’t like me?” I whispered, not really directing the question at anyone.

But all three of them turned to look at me at once.

“Of course they will—” Jake began, but my mother silenced him with a glance.

She turned toward me gently, though her eyes remained serious. “They don’t understand you, Renesmee, because they’ve never met anyone like you. Getting them to understand is the problem.”

I sighed, and without meaning to, I projected a flash of images into her mind: vampires, humans, wolves. Where did I truly belong? Nowhere ever seemed to fit completely.

“You’re special. That’s not a bad thing.”

I shook my head. It didn’t feel like a good thing. Not when the fear in their eyes was still so easy to read. Not when the weight of the silence felt like it was made of stone.

“This is my fault.”

“No,” all three of them said at once — my parents and Jacob, in one united voice.

Before they could try to convince me otherwise, the sound we’d been waiting for finally came: an engine slowing on the road, tires crunching across wet earth.

My father launched toward the door.

Instinctively, I ducked into my mother’s hair. Jacob and I locked eyes, and I saw the same emotion mirrored there: desperation. The car approached fast — faster than Charlie or Sue would ever drive. We heard the brakes engage, the engine die, and four doors opening and slamming shut. No one spoke outside. Just footsteps drawing closer.

My Dad opened the door before they could even knock.

Chapter Text

— FRIENDS OR FOE —

“Edward!” A woman’s voice rang out with unmistakable enthusiasm.

“Hello, Tanya. Kate. Eleazar. Carmen.”

Polite replies followed from the three others, their voices smooth, measured.

“Carlisle said he needed to talk to us right away,” Tanya added.

They were all still outside. I pictured my father standing in the doorway, body angled just enough to keep them from crossing the threshold.

“What’s the problem?” Tanya pressed. “Trouble with the werewolves?”

Jake rolled his eyes beside me.

“No,” my dad replied calmly. “Our truce with the werewolves is stronger than ever.”

Tanya laughed softly. “Aren’t you going to invite us in? Where’s Carlisle?”

“Carlisle had to leave.”

A pause. Tense and brittle.

“What’s going on, Edward?”

“If you could give me the benefit of the doubt for just a few minutes,” he said slowly, “I have something difficult to explain, and I’ll need you to be open-minded until you understand.”

“Is Carlisle all right?” Eleazar asked quickly, a note of concern sharp in his voice.

“None of us is all right, Eleazar. But physically, Carlisle is fine.”

“Physically?” Tanya echoed. “What do you mean?”

“I mean,” my father said carefully, “that my entire family is in very grave danger. But before I explain, I ask for your promise. Listen to everything I say before you react. I am begging you to hear me out.”

Another stretch of silence followed. Beside me, Jacob exchanged a glance with my mother. His lips were pressed white with tension.

“We’re listening,” Tanya said at last. “We’ll hear it all before we judge.”

“Thank you, Tanya. We wouldn’t involve you in this if we had any other choice.”

My father stepped aside. We heard the sound of footsteps crossing the threshold.

Someone sniffed once, audibly.

“I knew those wolves were involved,” Tanya muttered.

“Yes,” my father answered, voice steel beneath velvet. “And they’re on our side. Again.”

That tone was enough to silence her.

"Where is your Bella?" another female voice asked. "How is she?"

“She’ll join us shortly,” my father replied. “She’s well, thank you. She’s taken to immortality with amazing finesse.”

“Tell us about the danger, Edward,” Tanya said softly. “We’ll listen, and we’ll be on your side, where we belong.”

My father drew in a breath, steady and deep.

“I’d like you to witness for yourselves first. Listen—in the other room. What do you hear?”

Silence. A moment passed. Then, the quiet shuffle of movement.

“Just listen first. Please,” he urged.

“A werewolf, I assume. I can hear his heart,” Tanya said.

“And what else?” he asked.

There was a collective pause, brief but alert.

“What is that thrumming,” one of them—Kate, or maybe Carmen—asked, puzzled. “Is that… some kind of a bird?”

“No, but remember what you’re hearing. Now, what do you smell? Besides the werewolf.”

“Is there a human here?” Eleazar asked, confusion heavy in his voice.

“No,” Tanya objected immediately. “It's not human, but… closer to human than the rest of the scents here. What is that, Edward? I don’t think I’ve ever smelled that fragrance before.”

“You most certainly have not, Tanya. Please, please remember that this is something entirely new to you. Throw away your preconceived notions.”

“I promised you I would listen, Edward.”

“All right, then. Bella? Bring out Renesmee, please?”

My mother stood—too slowly. Behind me, I could hear the sudden quickening of Jacob’s heart. I took a deep breath and peeked out through the strands of hair still half-shielding my face, bracing myself for rejection.

I thought I was ready. Ready for the suspicion, the anger, the rising panic. But somehow, their reaction hit me harder than any of those things would have.

Tanya staggered back four full steps, her strawberry-blonde curls quivering as she shook her head in disbelief. Kate leapt toward the door, pressing herself against the wall, a sharp hiss escaping between her teeth. Eleazar stepped swiftly in front of Carmen, his stance instantly defensive.

“Oh please,” I heard Jacob complain under his breath.

My Dad pulled my mom and me closer beneath the shelter of his arm.

“You promised to listen,” he reminded them.

“Some things cannot be heard!” Tanya exclaimed. “How could you, Edward? Do you not know what this means?”

“We have to get out of here,” Kate said urgently, her hand already on the doorknob.

“Edward…” Eleazar was speechless.

“Wait,” my father said, his voice sharper now. “Remember what you heard, what you smell. Renesmee is not what you think she is.”

“There are no exceptions to this rule, Edward,” Tanya snapped.

“Tanya, you can hear her heartbeat! Stop and think about what that means.”

“Her heartbeat?” Carmen whispered, craning her neck to look past Eleazar’s shoulder and get a better look at me.

“She’s not a full vampire child,” my dad continued, turning toward Carmen, whose face had softened, her stance no longer defensive. “She’s half-human.”

All four of them looked at him as though he’d begun to speak in a language no one had ever heard before.

“Hear me,” he said again, his tone shifting, low and velvety, a gentle compulsion layered in every syllable. “Renesmee is one of a kind. I am her father. Not her creator—her biological father.”

Tanya was still shaking her head, disbelief carved into every line of her face. Eleazar’s grip on her shoulders tightened.

“Edward, you can’t expect us to—”

“Tell me another explanation that fits, Eleazar. You can feel the warmth of her body in the air. Blood runs in her veins, Eleazar. You can smell it.”

“How?” Kate breathed.

“Bella is her biological mother. She conceived, carried, and gave birth to Renesmee while she was still human. It nearly killed her. I was hard-pressed to get enough venom into her heart to save her.”

“I’ve never heard of such a thing,” Eleazar said, his expression frozen in stunned disbelief.

“Physical relationships between vampires and humans are not common. Human survivors of such trysts are even less common. Wouldn’t you agree, cousins?”

Kate and Tanya scowled at him.

“Come now, Eleazar. Surely you can see the resemblance.”

But it was Carmen who moved first. She stepped carefully around Eleazar, ignoring his instinctive reach to stop her. Her eyes searched my face with open curiosity.

“You seem to have your mother’s eyes,” she said gently. “But your father’s face.” And then, as if she could not resist, she just smiled at me, and I let myself smile back, just a little.

I reached up to touch my mother’s cheek, keeping my eyes on our guest. I thought about reaching for Carmen’s face instead, wondering if it would be all right to show her my gift.

“Do you mind if Renesmee tells you about it herself?” my mom asked, her voice barely above a whisper. “She has a gift for explaining things.”

Carmen didn’t take her eyes off me. She smiled again, wider this time.

“Do you speak, little one?”

“Yes,” I said.

I felt the air shift as my voice carried softly through the space between us. Our guests startled, as an involuntary reaction, but I kept my gaze steady, locked on Carmen’s gentle face.

“But I can show you more than I can tell you.”

I reached out and laid my hand on her cheek. Carmen flinched as though an electric current had suddenly passed through her, her whole body tensing. Eleazar was at her side in an instant, his hands on her shoulders, as if to pull her away.

“Wait,” Carmen breathed, her wide eyes scanning my face.

I could feel her shock, the intensity of her curiosity. I let the images flow slowly, calm… deliberate. Everything I needed her to see. Behind her, I caught my dad watching intently, absorbing every image I shared. Jacob stood just behind me, his stance tight, tense. I knew he was trying to understand what was happening, too.

“What’s Nessie showing her?” he muttered under his breath.

“Everything,” my dad murmured.

I smiled proudly as I lifted my hand from Carmen’s face. Her expression was stunned, but beneath the disbelief, something was shifting. Understanding.

“She really is your daughter, isn’t she?” Carmen whispered, her golden eyes moving from me to my dad. “Such a vivid gift! It could only have come from a very gifted father.”

“Do you believe what she showed you?” he asked her.

“Without a doubt,” Carmen said simply.

Eleazar’s face was carved in stone. “Carmen!”

She took his hands in hers, gripping them tightly. “Impossible as it seems, Edward has told you nothing but the truth. Let the child show you.”

With quiet insistence, Carmen led Eleazar closer to me. “Show him, mi querida.”

I smiled at her, feeling the warmth of her belief, and gently rested my hand against Eleazar’s forehead. He gasped, jerking away from my touch.

“What did she do to you?” Tanya demanded, moving forward with slow caution. Kate stood beside her now, her brows drawn together in confusion and growing interest.

“She’s just trying to show you her side of the story,” Carmen said soothingly.

“Watch, please,” I told him, holding out my hand again, leaving it suspended inches from his face.

Eleazar looked to Carmen for reassurance. She only nodded, urging him on. He exhaled slowly, then leaned forward, letting his forehead brush against my hand again. This time, though he shuddered when the images began, he stayed. Eyes closed. Silent.

The moments stretched, and I waited.

Then, finally, he let out a long breath. “Ahhh, I see.”

I smiled, reading his expression, watching it soften ever so slightly. He hesitated, but despite his reservations, he gave me a small, reluctant smile in return.

“Eleazar?” Tanya asked, voice tight.

“It’s all true, Tanya. This is no immortal child. She’s half-human. Come. See for yourself.”

Tanya stepped forward slowly, her steps measured. Then Kate followed, her eyes locked on mine. When my hand touched their foreheads, one after the other, I felt the shift again; acceptance blooming gradually, steadily. Like Carmen and Eleazar before them, they became utterly absorbed in the memories I chose to share.

When I pulled back, I turned instinctively to my father. His golden eyes were fixed on me, unblinking. His arms were crossed over his chest, but there was nothing defensive in his posture. It was pride I saw in his stance, clear and unwavering.

“Thank you for listening,” he said quietly.

“But there is the grave danger you warned us of,” Tanya said. “Not directly from this child, I see, but surely from the Volturi, then. How did they find out about her? When are they coming?”

I wasn’t surprised she grasped the truth so quickly. As I came to learn, there was no greater threat in our world than the Volturi. 

“When Bella saw Irina that day in the mountains,” my dad began, “she had Renesmee with her.”

Kate let out a sharp whistle. I saw the flicker of surprise in her expression; her eyes narrowed to slits. “Irina did this? To you? To Carlisle? Irina?”

“No,” Tanya murmured, her voice laced with pain. “Someone else…”

“Alice saw her go to them,” Edward said, and I heard the tremor in his voice when he said her name—a subtle, involuntary break.

“How could she do this thing?” Eleazar asked, though it wasn’t directed at anyone. 

“I imagine if you’d seen Renesmee from a distance. If you had not waited for our explanation.”

Tanya’s eyes tightened. “No matter what she thought… You are our family.”

“There’s nothing we can do about Irina’s choice now. It’s too late. Alice gave us a month.”

Eleazar and Tanya both tilted their heads, visibly processing his words. Kate’s brow furrowed.

“So long?” Eleazar asked.

“They are all coming,” my father confirmed, his jaw clenched. “That must take some preparation.”

Eleazar inhaled sharply. “The entire guard?”

“Not just the guard. Aro, Caius, Marcus. Even the wives.”

Shock rippled across their faces like a wave crashing over still water.

“Impossible,” Eleazar said blankly.

“I would’ve said the same thing two days ago,” my father replied darkly.

Eleazar’s expression twisted, and when he spoke, it was nearly a growl. “But that doesn't make any sense. Why would they put themselves and the wives in danger?”

“It doesn’t make sense from that angle. Alice said there was more to this than just punishment for what they think we’ve done. She thought you could help us.”

“More than punishment? But what else is there?” Eleazar began pacing, heading for the door before turning back again, his brows drawn high over eyes fixed to the floor, as if he were suddenly alone in the room.

“Where are the others, Edward?” Tanya asked. “Carlisle, Alice and the rest?”

“Looking for friends who might help us,” he answered, only weary honesty.

Tanya stepped closer to him, clasping her hands at her chest. “Edward, no matter how many friends you gather, we can’t help you win. We can only die with you. You must know that. Of course, perhaps the four of us deserve that after what Irina has done now, after how we’ve failed you in the past, for her sake that time as well.”

My father shook his head slowly. “We’re not asking you to fight and die with us, Tanya. You know Carlisle would never ask for that.”

“Then what, Edward?”

“We’re just looking for witnesses. If we can make them pause, just for a moment... If they would let us explain...” He reached out and touched my cheek. I held his hand and pressed against my face, calming myself with his cool skin. “It’s difficult to doubt our story when you see it for yourself.”

Tanya nodded slowly, considering. “Do you think her past will matter to them so much?”

“Only as it foreshadows her future. The point of the restriction was to protect us from exposure, from the excesses of children who cannot be tamed.”

“I’m not dangerous at all,” I said firmly, surprising even myself with the strength in my voice. It wasn’t something I usually allowed to show, but this, this was different. I imagined they were tallying new entries on the list of my weirdness, but I didn’t care. The desperation to be understood outweighed the risk of seeming odd. “I never hurt Grandpa, or Sue, or Billy. I love humans. And wolf-people like my Jacob.”

I released my father’s hand and grasped Jacob’s arm instead. He smiled gently. Tanya and Kate exchanged a quick glance. My dad frowned slightly, lost in thought.

“If Irina had not come so soon,” he said aloud, “we could have avoided all of this. Renesmee grows at an unprecedented rate. By the time the month is past, she’ll have gained another half year of development.”

“Well, that is something we can certainly witness,” Carmen said with conviction. “We’ll be able to promise that we’ve seen her mature. How could the Volturi ignore such evidence?”

“How, indeed?” Eleazar murmured, still not looking up. His eyes were distant, his thoughts clearly tangled in threads none of us could see.

“Yes, we can witness for you,” Tanya said. “Certainly that much. We’ll consider what more we might do.”

“Tanya,” my father said softly, though something had shifted subtly in his tone, an edge of warning. He was listening to her thoughts. “We don’t expect you to fight with us.”

Tanya lifted her chin. “If the Volturi won’t pause to listen to our witness, we cannot simply stand by.” Her eyes flicked toward Kate. “Of course, I should only speak for myself.”

Kate snorted. “Do you really doubt me so much, sister?”

Tanya smiled, something wild and gleaming in her golden eyes. “It’s a suicide mission, after all.”

Kate rolled her eyes then shrugged. “I’m in.”

“I, too, will do what I can to protect the child,” Carmen added. Then, before I could react, she opened her arms toward me, her voice softening. “May I hold you, bebé linda?”

A rush of relief and gratitude swelled in my chest. These people barely knew me, and still they were willing to protect me. Without hesitation, I stepped into her embrace, feeling the quiet strength of her arms encircle me. She began to hum something soft in Spanish, her voice like velvet and warmth.

For a moment, hope bloomed inside me. Maybe if I could repeat what I did today, and use my power to share my side of story with the ancient vampires from Volterra, they would believe us. And then I’d also be able to save Jake; and the wolves; and my family would once again live quietly and peacefully through eternity. 

But then I remembered. Alice had left us. And my vague hope unraveled, fading almost as quickly as it had come.

Chapter Text

— ACQUISITION —

“What is the werewolves’ part in this?” Tanya asked then, looking at Jake.

He answered before any of us could.  “If the Volturi won’t stop to hear about Nessie, I mean Renesmee,” he quickly corrected himself, “we will stop them.”

“Very brave, child,” Tanya said with a note of dry amusement, “but that would be impossible for more experienced fighters than you are.”

“You don’t know what we can do,” he replied, his voice even but edged in steel.

Tanya shrugged. “It’s your own life, certainly, to spend as you choose.”

A chill traced the length of my spine. Jacob’s eyes flickered to me, unreadable. I resisted the urge to reach for him. Carmen still held me gently, and Kate paced nearby like a watchful shadow.

“She is special, that little one,” Tanya mused aloud. “Hard to resist.”

“A very talented family,” Eleazar murmured. He was pacing now, gliding from the door to Carmen and me, back and forth like his thoughts were racing ahead of his feet. “A mind reader for a father, a shield for a mother… and then, whatever magic this extraordinary child has bewitched us with. I wonder if there’s a name for what she does, or if it is the norm for a vampire hybrid. As if such a thing could ever be considered normal! A vampire hybrid, indeed!”

Magic? A name for what I did?

My gift was useful, at least, for my singular condition, but it never struck me as anything remarkable. Not compared to the talents of those Eleazar must have lived among in Volterra, certainly. So... what exactly was he talking about?

“Excuse me,” my father’s voice cut the air like ice, and it startled me.

There was something strange in his tone, something uneven, like he’d been shocked out of balance. He reached out and grabbed Eleazar’s shoulders just as he was about to whirl toward the door again.

“What did you just call my wife?” he asked.

Eleazar blinked, surprised by the interruption. The manic rhythm of his pacing vanished.

“A shield, I think,” he said thoughtfully. “She’s blocking me right now, so I can’t be sure.”

“A shield?” my father repeated, clearly thrown.

“Come now, Edward. If I can’t read her mind, I doubt you can either. Can you hear her thoughts right now?”

“No,” my father admitted, his voice faint. “But I’ve never been able to do that. Even when she was human.”

“Never?” Eleazar blinked again. “Interesting. That would indicate a rather powerful latent talent, if it was manifesting so clearly even before the transformation. I can’t feel a way through her shield to get a sense of it at all. Yet she must still be raw, she’s only a few months old.” He looked at my Dad, exasperated.  “And apparently completely unaware of what she’s doing. Totally unconscious. Ironic. Aro sent me all over the world searching for such anomalies, and you simply stumble across it by accident and don’t even realize what you have.”

Eleazar shook his head in disbelief. My mom’s brow creased, confusion shadowing her expression.

“What are you talking about? How can I be a shield? What does that even mean?”

Eleazar tilted his head to one side as he studied her more intently. “I suppose we were overly formal about it in the guard. In truth, categorizing talents is subjective, haphazard bizness; every talent is unique, never exactly the same thing twice. But you, Bella, are fairly easy to classify. Talents that are purely defensive, that protect some aspect of the bearer, are always called shields. Have you ever tested your abilities? Blocked anyone besides me and your mate?”

She took a few moments before answering. “It only works with certain things,” she said slowly. “My head it’s sort of… private. But it doesn’t stop Jasper from being able to mess with my mood, or Alice from seeing my future.”

“Purely a mental defense,” Eleazar muttered, half to himself, nodding thoughtfully. “Limited, but strong.”

“Aro couldn’t hear her,” my Dad added. “Though she was human when they met.”

Eleazar’s eyes widened further. My mom continued, her tone calmer now, though still tinged with wonder. “Jane tried to hurt me, but she couldn’t. Edward thinks Demetri can’t find me, and that Alec can’t bother me, either. Is that good?”

Eleazar nodded, still slightly agape. “Quite.”

“A shield,” my father echoed, sounding both awed and exasperated. “I never thought of it that way. The only one I ever met before was Renata, and what she did was so different.”

Eleazar seemed to snap out of his reverie, if only partially. He straightened his posture and clasped his hands behind his back. “Yes, no talent ever manifests in precisely the same way, because no one ever thinks in exactly the same way.”

"Who’s Renata?" my mom asked the question I’d been about to speak myself. “What does she do?”

I shifted slightly in Carmen’s lap, leaning forward so I could see better around Kate.

"Renata is Aro’s personal bodyguard," Eleazar explained. "A very practical kind of shield, and a very strong one. I wonder..." he mused, his eyes thoughtful again. "You see, Renata is a powerful shield against a physical attack. If someone approaches her—or to Aro, as she’s always close beside him in a hostile situation—they find themselves... diverted. There’s a force around her that repels, though it’s almost unnoticeable. You simply find yourself going a different direction than you planned, with a confused memory as to why you wanted to go that other way in the first place. She can project her shield several meters out from herself. She also protects Caius and Marcus, when they have a need, but Aro is her priority. What she does isn’t actually physical, though. Like the vast majority of our gifts, it takes place inside the mind. If she tried to keep you back..." He turned back to my mother. "I wonder who would win?"

He shook his head slowly.  "I’ve never heard of Aro’s or Jane’s gifts being thwarted."

It sounded incredible, like something from a sci-fi movie. Unreal. But somehow, it wasn’t. It was just another part of the world I’d been born into. And more than that, it felt like a turning point. A secret weapon we hadn’t known we had.

I looked at my mother with wide eyes, awe swelling in my chest. "Momma, you’re special."

She stared at me, bewildered. Kate turned to her, almost at the same time. 

“Can you project?”

“Project?” My mom asked.

“Push it out from yourself,” Kate explained. “Shield someone besides yourself.”

“I don’t know. I’ve never tried. I didn’t know I should do that.”

“Oh, you might not be able to,” Kate said quickly. “Heaven knows I’ve been working on it for centuries and the best I can do is run a current over my skin.”

“Kate’s got an offensive skill,” my father added. “Sort of like Jane.”

My mom took a step back. Kate laughed.

“I’m not sadistic about it,” she assured her. “It’s just something that comes in handy during a fight.”

My mother’s eyes went distant, but then they locked on Kate again. She closed the distance between them in the blink of an eye, her hand suddenly squeezing Kate’s arm. “You have to teach me what to do! You have to show me how!”

Kate recoiled slightly. “Maybe—if you stop trying to crush my radius.”

“Oops! Sorry!”

“You’re shielding, all right,” Kate said, rubbing her shoulder. “That move should’ve knocked your arm off. You didn’t feel anything just now?”

“That wasn’t really necessary, Kate,” my Dad muttered. “She didn’t mean any harm.”

But no one paid him any attention.

“No,” my mom said. “I didn’t feel anything. Were you doing your electric current thing?”

“I was. Hmm. I’ve never met anyone who couldn’t feel it, immortal or otherwise.”

“You said you project it? On your skin?”

Kate nodded. “It used to be just in my palms. Kind of like Aro.”

“Or Renesmee,” my father interjected.

“But after a lot of practice, I can radiate the current all over my body. It’s a good defense. Anyone who tries to touch me drops like a human that’s been Tasered. It only downs him for a second, but that’s long enough.”

I was so focused on their conversation that I didn’t notice my father’s attention had shifted to Eleazar again.

“Can you think of even one exception, tough?” he asked quietly to our guest.

And once I also turned over to look at Eleazar, I noticed how uncomfortably tense he seemed. Troubled in a way that felt deeply personal. Almost as he was being… haunted.

“I don’t want to think of them that way,” he finally muttered through clenched teeth. “If you’re right—”

“The thought was yours, not mine,” my Dad cut in.

“If I’m right... I can’t even grasp what it would mean. It would change everything about the world we’ve created. It would change the meaning of my life. What I have been a part of.”

“Your intentions were always the best, Eleazar.”

“Would that even matter? What have I done? How many lives...?”

Tanya placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “What did we miss, my friend? I want to know, so that I can argue with these thoughts. You’ve never done anything worth castigating yourself this way.”

“Oh, haven’t I?” he growled, shaking her off and pacing faster.

Tanya watched him for half a second, then turned to my father. “Explain.”

He nodded, very briefly. “Eleazar was trying to understand why so many of the Volturi would come to punish us. It’s not the way they do things. Certainly, we’re the biggest mature coven they’ve dealt with, but in the past other covens have joined to protect themselves, and they never presented much of a challenge despite their numbers. We are more closely bonded, and that’s a factor, but not a huge one.”

He paused, as if to catch a breath he definitely didn’t need; a twinge of hesitation.

“He was remembering other times that covens have been punished, for one thing or another, and a pattern occurred to him. It was a pattern that the rest of the guard would never have noticed, since Eleazar was the one passing the pertinent intelligence privately to Aro. A pattern that only repeated every other century or so.”

“What was this pattern?” Carmen asked.

“Aro does not often personally attend a punishment expedition, but in the past, when Aro wanted something in particular, it was never long before evidence turned up proving that this coven or that coven had committed some unpardonable crime. The ancients would decide to go along to watch the guard administer justice. And then, once the coven was all but destroyed, Aro would grant a pardon to one member whose thoughts, he would claim, were particularly in repentance. Always, it would turn out that this vampire had the gift Aro had admired. Always, this person was given a place with the guard. The gifted vampire was won over quickly, always so grateful for the honor. There were no exceptions.”

“It must be a heady thing to be chosen,” Kate suggested.

“Ha!” Eleazar scoffed bitterly.

“There’s one among the guard,” my father said, explaining Eleazar's angry reaction. “Her name is Chelsea. She has influence over the emotional ties between people. She can both loosen and secure these ties. She could make someone feel bound to the Volturi, to want to belong, to want to please them.”

Eleazar stopped abruptly. “We all understood why Chelsea was important. In a fight, if we could separate allegiances between allied covens, we could defeat them that much more easily. If we could distance the innocent members of a coven emotionally from the guilty, justice could be done without unnecessary brutality. The guilty could be punished without interference, and the innocent could be spared. Otherwise, it was impossible to keep the coven from fighting as a whole. So Chelsea would break the ties that bond them together. It seemed a great kindness to me, evidence of Aro’s mercy. I did suspect that Chelsea kept our own band more tightly knit, but that, too, was a good thing. It made us more effective. It made us coexist more easily.”

“How strong is her gift?” Tanya asked sharply.

“I was able to leave with Carmen,” Eleazar said. “But anything weaker than the bond between partners is in danger. In a normal coven, at least. Those are weaker bonds than those in our family, though. Abstaining from human blood makes us more civilized. Lets us form true bonds of love. I doubt she could turn our allegiances, Tanya.”

Tanya nodded, calmer. Eleazar continued:

“I can only think that the reason Aro had decided to come himself, to bring so many with him, is because his goal is not punishment, but acquisition. He needs to be there to control the situation. But he needs the entire guard for protection from such a large, gifted coven. On the other hand, that leaves the other ancients unprotected in Volterra. Too risky—someone might try to take advantage. So they come all together. How else could he be sure to preserve the gifts that he wants? He must want them very badly.”

My Dad’s voice came out as low as a breath. “From what I saw of his thoughts last spring, Aro never wanted anything more than he wanted Alice.”

“Is that why Alice left?” My mom stirred.

“I think it must be,” my father gently cupped her cheek. “To keep Aro from gaining the thing he wants most of all. To keep her power out of his hands.”

Tanya and Kate gasped quietly near me. They hadn't known about Alice’s departure, afterall.

“He wants you, too,” my mom whispered to my dad, but everyone could hear.

His shoulders slumped, his face too composed. “Not nearly as much. I can't really give him anything more than he already has. And of course that’s dependent on him finding a way to force me to do his will. He knows me, and he knows how unlikely that is.”

Eleazar frowned at his careless tone, then glimpsed at my mother. “He also knows your weakness.”

“Nothing we need to discuss now.” 

"He probably wants your mate, too, regardless," Eleazar went on. "He must have been intrigued by a talent that could defy him in its human incarnation.”

My Dad tried to change the subject ever so slightly.

“I think the Volturi were waiting for this, for some pretext. They couldn’t know what form their excuse would come in, but the plan was already in place for when it did come. That’s why Alice saw their decision before Irina triggered it. The decision was already made, just waiting for the pretense of a justification.”

“If the Volturi are abusing the trust all immortals have placed in them...” Carmen whispered.

“Does it matter?” Eleazar asked. “Who would believe it? And even if others could be convinced that the Volturi are exploiting their power, how would it make any difference? No one can stand against them.”

“Though some of us are apparently insane enough to try,” Kate muttered, and my Dad shook his head. 

“You’re only here to witness, Kate. Whatever Aro’s goal, I don’t think he’s ready to tarnish the Volturi's reputation for it. If we can take away his argument against us, he’ll be forced to leave us in peace.”

“Of course,” Tanya whispered.

No one looked convinced. Silence fell. Then, the sound of tires turning off the highway echoed up the path to our home driveway.

“Oh, crap. Charlie,” my mom muttered. “Maybe the Denalis could hang out upstairs until—”

“No,” my Dad cut in; eyes locked on the door. “It’s not your father. Alice sent Peter and Charlotte, after all. Time to get ready for the next round.”

Chapter Text

— TESTIMONY —

I had never seen Jake in such a foul mood, but I couldn’t ever blame him. The house was more crowded with guests than anyone could possibly find comfortable. Still, I knew it didn’t bother him the slightest compared to our guests' mealtimes. The wolves existed to prevent the loss of human life, and now, a massacre was taking place almost at the very edge of the pack’s borders.

I knew Jake only stayed so close to them because of me, and most of the time he preferred to stare at the floor rather than at any of the new vampires, but I just couldn’t help my curiosity. All of sudden, that unexpected variety of people I had always longed to meet was all gathered right in the middle of our living room. 

I replayed my story the same way I had with the Denali a dozen times before. First with Peter and Charlotte, who Alice and Jasper had sent to us without the faintest explanation. Yet, like most people who knew Alice, they seemed willing to trust her word despite the lack of detailed information. Unlike our cousins, however, Peter and Charlotte hadn’t been horrified at the suspicion that I was an immortal child, and somehow that made their reactions less extreme. Their curiosity alone had made them accept my explanation quickly, and that was all it took. Now they were as committed to helping as Tanya’s family had been.

Carlisle had also called on friends from Ireland and Egypt. The Irish coven arrived first, and they were surprisingly easy to convince. Siobhan, a woman of great presence whose immense frame moved with a hypnotic grace, was their leader. But both she and her stern-faced mate, Liam, had long grown accustomed to trusting the judgment of the youngest member of their group, Maggie. She was thin and delicate, and her small frame and angelic features could easily deceive her astonishing gift: she always knew when someone was lying, and her verdicts were never questioned.Maggie declared that my father was telling the truth, and Siobhan and Liam accepted the entire story without hesitation, before I even had to touch them.

I wished the same could have happened with Amun, from the Egyptian coven, but I hadn’t been as nearly as lucky. Even after the two younger members of his coven, Benjamin and Tia, had been convinced by my explanation, Amun continued to refuse my touch, forbidding his mate, Kebi, to even get near me and ordering his entire coven to leave altogether. I was absolutely certain that would have happened if Benjamin—strangely cheerful, looking barely older than a boy, absolutely confident and reckless all at once—hadn’t threatened to break his alliance unless they stayed. They seemed an odd grouping, despite their physical similarity. 

Amun was the eldest member, the leader, and the one who usually spoke in the name of the others. Kebi never strayed farther from him than his own shadow would, and I had never heard her utter a single word. Tia, Benjamin’s mate, was quiet as well, though when she did speak there was always weight and perception in her words. Still, it seemed that all of them—Amun included—looked to Benjamin, as if he carried some invisible magnetism the others depended on to keep their balance.

I noticed the way Eleazar’s eyes widened the moment Benjamin arrived, and I asked about it as soon as I had the chance.

“Benjamin has a gift, doesn’t he?” I whispered to Eleazar. “Is that why his companions follow him? Maybe he can draw people to him, make them want to be close…”

“No, that isn’t it,” Eleazar corrected me, looking almost startled. “His gift is so unique, I’ve never seen anything like it before, Renesmee. Something not even your mother’s shield could resist.”

That frightened me. Right after Alice, I had always thought of my mother as the most special of us all.

“I believe Benjamin has the ability to… manipulate the elements.”

“Elements? You mean—”

“The fundamental elements of nature, yes. Earth, air, water, and fire. True physical manipulation, not some illusion of the mind. It’s a difficult talent to master, and his control is far from refined, but…”

But surely it had the potential to become one of the most powerful offensive gifts ever seen , I thought, pressing my hand into Eleazar’s to share the idea with him.

Eleazar narrowed his eyes at me, but nodded. I imagined his years next to Aro had sharpened his instinct for recognizing what could be weaponized in a battle strategy. Maybe that was why Eleazar, too, was gradually leaning toward Benjamin. Despite Amun and Kebi’s withdrawn manner—spending more and more time closed off to themselves—Benjamin and Tia quickly grew friendly with everyone. They both had an unmistakable curiosity for the world, and I think, just like my parents and me, the other covens also found their company quite amusing and refreshing.

Then, it wasn’t long before Carlisle’s scattered friends, those Emmett and Rosalie had tracked down along their way, also began to arrive. 

Garrett came first. He was tall and long-limbed, with eager ruby eyes and sandy hair pulled back with a strip of leather. He was the clear image of an adventurer, but he hadn’t doubted my story, and he fit in almost instantly with the Denali sisters. Whenever Garrett had the chance, he peppered them with endless questions about our unusual lifestyle, and I wondered if our restricted diet would come to be another challenge for him to take on, just to see if he could. Right after, Mary and Randall arrived as well. They were already friends, though they didn’t travel together. They listened to my story and stayed to see how they might help. Like the Denali, they thought hard about what they would do if the Volturi refused to listen to reason, but in the end, all three nomads decided the idea of standing with us was worth it.

“I swear, Nessie, someone ought to hand me a list,” Jacob muttered slyly, knowing full well everyone could hear him. “It’s the only way I’ll ever keep all these bloodsuckers’ names straight.”

I couldn’t help but laugh and jab him lightly in the back. Even if he pretended otherwise, I knew Jacob would remember them all. Every vampire standing here was risking their own neck to testify for my family. To testify for my own salvation.

Chapter Text

— ILLUSION—

Emmett and Rosalie returned after five days. Carlisle and Esme after a week apart. All of us breathed easier once they were home again, but Carlisle did not come back alone. He brought with him another friend, though friend might not have been the best word to describe him. 

Alistair was an English vampire, a misanthrope whose closest acquaintance was Carlisle, though even that friendship could hardly draw him near more than once in a century. Alistair preferred solitude above all else, and Carlisle had collected more than a few debts to bring him here. He avoided every form of company, and it was plain he inspired no affection among the other covens now gathered. 

Though the brooding, dark-haired vampire accepted Carlisle’s word about my conception, he flatly refused to let me touch him, just as Amun had. Jacob and I accidentally overheard my father explaining quietly to Carlisle, Esme, and my mother that Alistair was actually frightened to be here. Frightened of what kind of ending awaited us. He mistrusted authority in every form, and the Volturi were the very embodiment of that mistrust. What was happening now seemed only to confirm his fears.

“Of course, now they’ll know I was here,” we heard him mutter to himself in the attic; his chosen place to bury himself away. “No way to keep it from Aro at this point. Centuries on the run, that’s what this will mean. Everyone Carlisle’s talked to in the last decade will be on their list. I can’t believe I got myself sucked into this mess. What a fine way to treat your friends.” 

But if he was right about having to run from the Volturi, at least he had more hope of doing that than the rest of us. As Eleazar came to tell me, Alistair was a tracker, though not nearly as precise or unerring as the Volturi’s own tracker, Demetri. Alistair simply felt a strong pull toward whatever he pursued. But that pull would be enough to tell him which direction to take. A shadow in reverse of Demetri’s deadly certainty.

And then, a pair of unexpected friends arrived—unexpected, because neither Carlisle nor Rosalie had been able to find the Amazons.

“Carlisle,” the taller of the two greeted, as they pareded through the front door.

In a certain, unique way, they were unlike the others. Lithe and pale bronze skin, long limbs that promised speed and precision and fingers honed to draw bows or wield blades. Both had black hair hung in thick braids, and fierce, strong-boned faces. Their expressions were intense, with eyes that seemed to see further than what lay before them, but what held me was not only their appearance, it was the way they moved. This wasn’t merely vampire grace, there was something more rhythmical about them, too. They actually looked like warriors from another age. Presence and power. These were the allies Alice had sent? 

It was hard to imagine my aunt—so elegant, so light—convincing such women to stand with us. Yet she had. And if Alice had been the one to find them, then surely there was no one else in the world who could have.

“Zafrina and Senna! But where is Kachiri?” Carlisle asked, surprise breaking his composure. “I’ve never seen you three apart.”

“Alice told us we needed to separate,”  Zafrina answered, her voice deep and rough. “It’s uncomfortable to be away from each other, but Alice assured us that you needed us here, while she very much needed Kachiri somewhere else. That’s all she would tell us, except that there was a great hurry… ?” 

Her statement trailed off into a question, and I felt my mother’s hand close over mine, guiding me towards our new guests. Zafrina’s gaze fell into me immediately. It was sharp, searching, not like the wonder in the others’ eyes when they looked at me, not fascination with something rare and strange. She looked at me as a predator studying prey. As a hunter measures the unknown. Senna stayed silent at her side, as a shadow made of still. But unlike Kebi, who bent to Amun’s command, Senna did not seem bound by obedience. Her quiet was something else; something deeper. As if she and Zafrina were two halves of a single will, moving and breathing together without need of speech.

Still, they listened very calmly to my story. When I reached out to Zafrina to prove our point, I caught Jacob in my peripheral vision taking an uncomfortably small step forward, pressing his knuckles into his palms. I took a deep breath and smiled at him as gently as I could. I guess it didn't matter how many times I did it, he would never stop worrying about the possible hostile reactions of some of our visitors towards me, and I couldn’t say I didn’t understand how he felt.

Zafrina must have noticed something was going on. She bent toward me, with her eyes catching light, and I let my palm rest at the angular side of her face. The impact was sudden. As let her see my story for herself, I could notice Zafrina’s sharp curiosity giving way to wonder. Her face lit as though she had glimpsed the unknown. She turned briefly to Senna, whose expression softened at once, as though a silent question had been answered. From that point forward, we all seemed to realize they were also unchangeably convinced that I was worth fighting for.

“Thank you both for understanding,” my father said, before turning his attention specifically to Zafrina. “Now, if I recall correctly, last time we met you were intent on refining your already astonishing skill, my dear friend. I wonder how far you’ve come with your illusions…”

“Oh, you have no idea,” she laughed, to my amusement. The sound rolled like thunder. She straightened herself up again, but her glance lingered at my mom. “I see you’re no longer alone, Edward. Good. Then, should I show it to your mate as well?”

“Even if you shall, I’m not quite sure if you could , Zafrina. Bella is a mental shield.” 

Zafrina's expression twisted in confusion and my mom’s eyebrows furrowed. My father took her hand very calmly and drew her into his arms. “Bella, my love. Our friend Zafrina is enormously talented with the tricks of the mind.”

“Oh, I see,” she whispered back, blinking rapidly. “I’m honestly still not sure how to work around my shield, but… If it is okay with you Zafrina, I would very much like to try.”

My mom's eyes darted away from Zafrina's, as if embarrassed by the intense look she was giving her. After a while, Zafrina’s head tilted slightly, observing the blank expression in my mother’s face.

“Nothing.” my father murmured, although pride filled up his voice. “Absolutely nothing.”

Then, Zafrina's eyes flew directly at him, like darts to a target. His eyes unfocused slightly.

“It’s a very straightforward illusion,” he explained, as Zafrina hovered restlessly. My mom’s immunity to her power was probably something she’d never encountered before.  “She can make most people see whatever she wants them to see—see that, and nothing else.” he continued, describing to my mom what she was missing out. “For example, right now I would appear to be alone in the middle of a rain forest. It’s so clear I might possibly believe it, except for the fact that I can still feel you in my arms.” 

Zafrina’s lips curved into a sort of satisfied smile. A heartbeat later, my father’s eyes sharpened back into focus, and he smiled at her in return.

“Impressive,” he said.

And I was burning to understand the source of his delight. Eagerly, I leaned toward Zafrina. “Can I see?”

“What would you like to see?” she asked.

“What you showed Daddy.”

Her brow arched, but she did not question me further. Her brilliant eyes held mine, and then, everything around me changed.

The walls around us vanished, swept away like breath into the wind, and I was standing in the midst of a living forest. The air was drenched in the scent of rain, leaves broad and glistening as they filtered molten light down from the canopy above. I could almost feel the damp cling to my skin, the earth soft beneath my feet. It felt so real. I spun, taking in every detail. It was as though I had been lifted out of my world and placed in another—so vivid, so perfect, my mind could not find the seam where truth ended and illusion began.

“More,” I begged, unable to help myself.

Faced with my expansive enthusiasm, not even Jake could contain a reluctant grin. Zafrina smiled as well, eyes shimmering with delight, and the jungle dissolved in a flood of visions.

I saw a sunset burning across the horizon, its fire staining a river red as spilled blood. I saw a star-filled sky with no moon above a giant canyon, the constellations glittering like secrets from a forgotten time. I saw creatures I had never imagined—majestic, strange, and impossibly beautiful, born from a dream yet moving as if alive. I scarcely blinked, but at my side, I could feel my mother’s body tension, her watchful stillness upon me.

Since she couldn’t really see the extensions of any of the illusions, I wondered if she worried about what Zafrina might be revealing to me, but it felt like an irrational fear. I held my mom’s hand and let her see what I was seeing, letting her experience Zafrina's powerful and wonderful gift through me for the first time. Once she experienced everything I felt, I thought as if she had calmed herself just enough.

Zafrina’s illusions were not simple pictures, they were real time transpositions; doorways to worlds so complete in detail it was impossible not to lose yourself inside them. As I looked back to my Dad, his eyes still glared with something unspoken, but it was easy to imagine the path of his thoughts. Now, at last, I understood his sudden, fervent interest towards Zafrina’s talent.

Her gift could also make a very dangerous offensive weapon.

Even if I couldn't visualize him asking for Zafrina to side with us in the battle, I could sense the weight of his reasoning shifting to something more tangible; the threads weaving into new possibilities. If the Volturi did not pause when they saw our witnesses, perhaps there were other ways we could consider to make them stop.

Chapter Text

— INCENTIVE —

Zafrina and I had been spending a surprisingly large amount of time together. Though my mom wasn’t accustomed to letting me out of her sight so easily, she was trying to focus more and more hours of her days on relentless combat training. At first, she fought only with my dad, but soon she began sparring with the others. Emmett had been thrilled by the idea, though his lessons often seemed more like attempts at revenge for all the arm-wrestling matches he’d lost. Rosalie, Tanya, and Eleazar were patient and encouraging. A few of our visitors even found the lessons entertaining, and offered to help.

The nomad Garrett had given a few sessions—he was, to my surprise, an excellent teacher. He interacted so effortlessly with everyone that I couldn’t help but wonder what drove him to wander alone. And beyond him, my mother had also taken a few pointers from Zafrina.

I’d watched the two of them spar with Jacob. Their fight had been intense, and Zafrina’s tricks were clever. Still, for reasons I wasn’t sure I would ever fully understand, my mother seemed slightly unsettled in her presence. Zafrina’s gift was dazzling, and she would never harm anyone she considered important. But my mom never sought her help again. Instead, she began training with Kate in the yard, struggling to stretch her shield outward; trying to learn how to protect anyone else besides herself.

Yet, my father encouraged her efforts, hoping she would find in them a purpose strong enough to keep her away from the line of fire. He seemed so certain of it that he offered himself as the subject of her experiments, taking shock after shock from Kate as my mother wrestled with the inner workings of her gift.

Even from the distance where I kept myself, the groans of pain in my dad’s voice still carried to me. I preferred to stay at the bend of the river, only with Jake and the Amazons. Everyone else had gathered near my mother, the small audience growing silently day by day. First Eleazar, Carmen, and Tanya. Then Garrett joined them. Then Benjamin and Tia. Siobhan and Maggie. Even Alistair, now, watched from a window on the third floor.

I tried not to pay much attention. Maybe because I knew there was nothing I could do to contribute. Maybe because if I thought too hard, the guilt would creep back in, as it always did. No matter how many times Jacob tried to tell me otherwise, part of me could never forget that everyone here was at risk because of me. That my parents wouldn’t be pushing themselves so hard if it weren’t to try to protect me. For all the speed of my growth, my body felt nowhere near prepared. And beyond showing my memories to Aro, what use could I possibly be when the decisive time came?

The idea of watching my family fight, of watching them sacrifice themselves while I stood by helplessly—it hollowed me out.

“Kate.”

From the yard, my dad’s voice rose in sudden warning. But in the same instant, the tall, lithe vampire was already halfway to me. She bent at the knees, leaning toward me.

“Nessie,” she said softly. “Would you like to come help your mother?”

“No,” my mom snarled.

My eyes flew quickly from Kate to the gathered spectators, then to my father’s disheveled hair, standing in chaotic spikes after so many shocks. And finally, to my mother’s face, twisted in fury as she glared at Kate. My dad slipped an arm around her, trying to soothe her. That was when I realized what kind of help Kate meant. 

No one else had offered to be the guinea pig for my mom’s practices. No one except my father. And clearly, that wasn’t working. I darted across the yard toward my mother before Jacob had time to connect the dots and try to stop me. She shook off my dad’s arm and clutched me tightly to her chest.

“Absolutely not, Kate,” she hissed.

“But Momma, I want to help,” I said, my voice steady, though my heart thudded like it might crack me open.

My hand rested against her neck, pressing my thoughts into hers. Images of the two of us working together, side by side, as a team. For all the effort she was pouring into forcing her shadowy shield beyond herself, her success had been faint, scattered at best. But if there was any chance we could stretch it wide enough to keep the packs and our family safe, then we had to try. No matter what it cost.

“No,” she said quickly, stepping back.

Kate moved forward in deliberate measure, one hand outstretched toward us.

“Stay away from us, Kate,” my mother warned.

“No.” Kate’s smile curved like a predator’s, slow and certain, as she began to stalk forward.

My mom shifted her stance, pulling me behind her in a swift, defensive motion. I clung to her back as she retreated at the same pace as Kate’s approach, her hands now free, her body tense as steel.

I could feel the fury trembling through her frame. From the corner of my vision, beyond the ring of spectators, Jacob broke into a run toward us, alarm etched across his face. I shook my head desperately, pleading clear across my eyes, and he froze mid-stride. His body held taut, wavering, but he stayed back. I knew he would throw himself between Kate and I in a heartbeat, but I also knew I could never bear to see him struck down because of me.

Kate stepped closer. A violent snarl ripped from my mother’s chest, baring her teeth like shards of ice.

“Be careful, Kate,” my father warned.

But Kate kept coming, and in her next movement, even I could notice something was off. She let her gaze flick away from my mother’s lethal snarl and turned it toward my dad. My mom’s body bent low to spring. I tightened my grip around her shoulders.

“Can you hear anything from Nessie?” Kate asked suddenly, her tone unnervingly light, almost casual.

My dad moved at once, sliding between them, breaking my mother’s line of attack.

“No. Nothing at all,” he said firmly. “Now give Bella some space to calm down, Kate. You shouldn’t goad her like that. I know she doesn’t seem her age, but she’s only a few months old.”

“We don’t have time to do this gently, Edward. We’re going to have to push her. We only have a few weeks, and she’s got the potential to—”

“Back off for a minute, Kate.”

Kate scowled but heeded my dad’s warning more than she ever had my mother’s. My mom’s breath still came too fast, the snarl rattling low in her throat.

I slid my palm down the stone line of her neck, trying to anchor her with my thoughts that Kate wasn’t trying to hurt her, that she only wanted to help, and that dad was right here, pretty close to us. I thought reason might reach her through the haze of her newborn mind, but it didn’t seem to soothe her at all.

“Kate,” my mom growled, her hand pressed flat against dad’s back. “Again. Edward only.”

Our Denali cousin rolled her eyes, but stepped forward anyway, laying her palm on my father’s shoulder.

“Nothing,” he said, his voice touched with quiet amusement.

“And now?” Kate pressed, her focus sharpening.

“Nothing at all.”

Kate grunted in frustration and stepped away.

“Can you see this?” Zafrina’s voice came suddenly, low and probing as she moved closer, her dark eyes fixed on us.

“I don’t see anything I shouldn’t,” my dad answered.

“And you, Renesmee?” she asked, her gaze softening as it found mine.

I smiled faintly at her and shook my head. By now, I was more than accustomed to her gift. And yet, there was nothing. No illusion pressing at the edges of my mind, no trick of hers at all.

“No one panic,” Zafrina cautioned the small gathering around us. “I want to see how far she can extend.”

A ripple of shock moved through the group—Eleazar, Carmen, Tanya, Garrett, Benjamin, Tia, Siobhan, Maggie—all of them except Senna, who already looked braced for Zafrina’s next move. The others’ eyes were wide, their expressions taut with a mix of curiosity and unease.

“Raise your hand when you get your sight back,” Zafrina instructed. “Now, Bella. See how many you can shield.”

I felt my mother’s breath surge all at once, as though she were gathering every ounce of herself into that invisible push. Kate was the closest to us after my father, though still at least ten meters away. I kept my eyes fixed on her face, watching the anxious furrow of her brow. And then, with a sudden blink, Kate’s eyes cleared, coming back into focus. She raised her hand.

“Fascinating,” my dad murmured to himself. “It’s like one-way glass. I can read everything they’re thinking, but they can’t reach me behind it. And I can hear Renesmee, though I couldn’t when I was on the outside. I’ll bet Kate could shock me now, because she’s underneath the umbrella. I still can’t hear you… hmmm. How does that work? I wonder if...”

He went on in his low, distracted voice, but my mom ignored him. Her jaw tightened as she concentrated on Garrett, the next closest. A moment later, his hand rose into the air.

“Very good,” Zafrina praised warmly. “Now—”

But before she could finish, a shiver shot down my spine.

Without warning, the world vanished.

It was as if someone had torn away the light itself. Blindness crushed over me, raw and absolute. I had never known disorientation so complete. My mom staggered too, her shield snapping back like a cord pulled too far, recoiling hard against herself. For a moment, I was adrift, untethered, trembling in silence. I pressed my lips shut, swallowing the panic that surged in my throat, desperate not to alarm Jacob unnecessarily. The only anchor left to me was the steady rhythm of his heartbeat, pulsing steady and strong somewhere just beyond the void.

Then, slowly, the darkness thinned. The barrier pushed outward again, stretching, reaching. And the moment it wrapped back around me, I felt it. My mother’s shield, expanding to claim me once more, pressing the blindness away.

“Can I have a minute?” she asked at last, her voice unusually weary.

“Of course,” Zafrina replied.

Jacob rushed to my side as most of the others drifted away, murmuring uneasily. The brush with helplessness had rattled them, even the most seasoned. Vampires were not accustomed to vulnerability, not even for a few seconds.

I still felt the remnants of that empty sensation clinging to me, sticky and disorienting, but before I could begin to process it, Garrett stepped forward.

“Kate,” he called, his voice threaded with curiosity.

My eyes flicked toward them. Unlike the rest, the tall, sand-haired nomad didn’t look shaken at all. If anything, he looked intrigued.

My dad’s brow furrowed. “I wouldn’t, Garrett.”

But Garrett ignored the warning. His gaze stayed locked on Kate, lips curling into something speculative. “They say you can put a vampire flat on his back.”

Kate’s smile also curved faintly, a mischievous glint lighting her eyes. “Yes.” Then, as though to tease him, she raised her hand and wiggled her fingers playfully. “Curious?”

Garrett shrugged, unfazed. “That’s something I’ve never seen. Seems like it might be a bit of an exaggeration…”

Kate tilted her head, feigning consideration.

“Maybe,” she said. Her tone was serious, but amusement flickered just beneath it. “Maybe it only works on the weak. Or the young. I’m not sure. You look strong, though. Perhaps you could withstand my gift.”

She extended her hand, palm up, a silent invitation. Garrett didn’t hesitate. With a confident smile, he touched his finger to her palm.

What happened next was as sudden as it was startling.

With a sharp gasp, Garrett lost all balance. His knees buckled violently, and he collapsed backward as though an invisible weight had been hurled against him. His head struck a granite stone with a hard crack.

I flinched.

Watching a vampire fall like that seemed wrong. Vampires didn’t topple. But there he was—Garrett—sprawled across the ground, stunned.

“I told you so,” my father murmured, unsurprised.

Garrett blinked rapidly, regaining focus. His eyes lifted to Kate, who stood over him with a small, satisfied smile. To my astonishment, his expression lit instead with delight, a speculative gleam sparking there.

“Wow.”

Kate arched her brow. “Did you enjoy that?”

“I’m not crazy,” he laughed, shaking his head as he rose, “but that was sure something!”

Kate chuckled under her breath. “That’s what I hear.”

My dad rolled his eyes, unimpressed, but before he could say anything further, an unusual stir from the front yard stole the attention of everyone present. Carlisle’s voice carried over the low hum of unsettled murmurs; his tone edged with rare irritation, even uncertainty.

“Did Alice send you?”

The tension in the air shifted at once. Carlisle never sounded like that.

It seemed another unexpected guest had arrived.

Chapter Text

— VENDETTA —

My Dad was the first to step inside the house. Though most of the others followed him, my mother lingered. I guessed she was trying to give Carlisle a moment, especially since I was still by her side. As a rule, it was always better to prepare new guests before presenting myself.

She pulled me into her arms and carried me carefully around the house to the kitchen door. Jacob followed like a private escort, his stride measured, protective. From where we were, the newcomers were still hidden from view. We couldn’t be sure what they looked like, or even how many there were, but at least we could hear their voices.

“No one sent us,” a deep, low voice answered Carlisle’s question.

I knew the living room was full. Nearly everyone had gathered there to glimpse the new arrivals, but there was hardly any sound at all. Just shallow breaths, nothing more.

Carlisle’s voice was cautious when he spoke again. “Then what brings you here now?” 

“Word travels,” a different voice replied, as weightless as the first. “We heard hints that Volturi were moving against you. There were whispers that you would not stand alone. Obviously, the whispers were true. This is an impressive gathering.”

“We are not challenging the Volturi,” Carlisle said.“There has been a misunderstanding, that is all. A very serious misunderstanding, to be sure, but one we’re hoping to clear up. What you see are witnesses. We just need the Volturi to listen. We didn’t—” 

“We don’t care what they say you did,” the first voice cut him off. “And we don’t care if you broke the law.”

“No matter how egregiously,” the second added.

“We’ve been waiting a millennium and a half for the Italian scum to be challenged,” said the first. “If there is any chance they will fall, we will be here to see it.”

“Or even to help defeat them,” the second finished. They spoke like a duet, their voices so alike that less discerning ears would mistake them for one. “If we think you have a chance of success.” 

“Bella?” My father’s voice was sharp. “Bring Renesmee here, please. Maybe we should test our Romanian visitors’ claims.” 

The moment we stepped into the room, all eyes turned on us, and I felt the weight of attention shift toward me. The silence pressed down harder than before, too thick, too brittle. It was easy to feel the difference in the atmosphere, a charge of electricity that hadn’t been there before the Romanians.

Zafrina and Senna moved almost at once, subtle but sure, angling themselves in front of me. Across the room, Tanya and Carmen mirrored them, just as instinctive. That set my nerves on edge. They weren’t the kind to overreact. If they felt the need to shield me, then there was a reason.

Jacob shifted closer, his body coiled, every line of him ready. He didn’t speak, but I could read the warning in his eyes. He was waiting, daring the strangers to give him an excuse. I had to lean over his shoulder to finally get a glimpse at the newcomers.

Two figures stood in the entryway, both lean and short. One with hair so pale it was nearly white, the other dark as ink. They didn’t look like any immortal I’d seen before. There was something about them that felt… old. Not weak, not worn, but aged in a way that was almost impossible to name. Their skin was lighter than marble, touched with a strange grayness, like stone weathered by centuries. Their eyes burned red, but not with the sharp edge of hunger, it was something more deeper and darker. Their faces were harsh, the planes too severe, as though invisible lines had been carved there long ago and never faded.

The dark-haired one smiled when his eyes found me. His voice came edged with mockery.
“Well, well, Carlisle. You have been naughty, haven’t you?” 

“She’s not what you think, Stefan.”

They studied me openly—my strange half-mortal skin, the beating of my heart, the way my parents stood close around me. But there was no wonder in their eyes, no trace of awe. Only cold calculation.

“And we don’t care either way,” the blonde responded, his tone was just as careless. “As we said before.”

“Then you’re welcome to observe, Vladimir,” Carlisle said, still calm and collected, “but it is definitely not our plan to challenge the Volturi, as we said before.”

The two exchanged a glance.

“Then we’ll just cross our fingers,”  Stefan said.

“And hope we get lucky,” Vladimir finished.

Their indifference set my teeth on edge. Jacob shifted forward, a low warning in the movement. Without thinking, I caught his arm, squeezing just enough to hold him still. His eyes flicked to mine, then back to them. He froze, but didn’t ease.

They spoke as though the Volturi’s law meant nothing. As though rules had never mattered. The bitterness in their words was plain enough that even I could sense it. For the rest of the day they lingered, silent shadows, watching every show of ability—the way Zafrina bent sight to her will, the way my mother’s shield stretched to cover a dozen at once, the way my father answered thoughts before they were voiced. Benjamin’s tricks with water and air seemed to amuse them most.

They never touched me, never recoiled, either. Instead they looked entertained by Jacob at my side, by the wolves themselves, by the strange assembly we’d gathered here. Every piece of it seemed to please them in some dark way. I only forced myself to approach them again once night had fallen and Jacob had gone. 

They were still, too still. The others always shifted, some small imitation of humanity—a breath, a gesture, anything. Not Stefan and Vladimir. They really proof to be very unlike the rest, afterall. My curiosity burned too sharp to keep in. 

“Why is your skin like that?” I babbled before I could even stop myself.

But they didn’t look offended. If they were, they hid it well. For the briefest moment their empty eyes seemed to drift elsewhere, as though my question had pulled them back into some distant century.

“We sat still for a very long time, child,” Vladimir said. Stefan inclined his head in agreement, though for once he didn’t finish the thought. “Contemplating our own divinity,”  Vladimir went on, lips curving into what might have been a smile. “It was a sign of our power that everything came to us. Prey, diplomats, those seeking our favor. We sat on our thrones and thought ourselves gods. We didn’t notice for a long time that we were changing—almost petrifying. I suppose the Volturi did us one favor when they burned our castles. Stefan and I, at least, did not continue to petrify. Now the Volturi’s eyes are filmed with dusty scum, but ours are bright. I imagine that will give us an advantage when we gouge theirs from their sockets.” 

I hardly blinked, even as my mom’s hand folded into my arm, pulling me away from both. Their fury was terrifying, but I couldn’t find in me the straight to deny it also felt justifiable. Slowly, my gaze swept the room. Counting Stefan and Vladimir now, we had gathered seventeen witnesses—the Irish, Siobhan, Liam, Maggie; the Egyptians, Amun, Kebi, Benjamin, and Tia; the Amazons, Zafrina and Senna; and the nomads, Charlotte, Peter, Garrett, Alistair, Mary, and Randall—added to our family of eleven, with Tanya, Kate, Eleazar, and Carmen.

They had each stayed for different reasons; some out of loyalty, others out of curiosity, and some, like the Romanians, only because they saw opportunity. 

But still, they had all stayed.

Chapter Text

— SUSPICION —

I’d been awake for a while, but I hadn’t left my room yet. The cottage wasn’t big by any stand and I could hear my mom’s voice carrying easily through the walls. She was on the phone with Charlie, but there was something odd in her tone. I pressed my ear against the bedroom door so I could hear Charlie's voice better.

“When can I go pay my granddaughter another visit?”

“Charlie, we’ve still got that strictly need-to-know company situation going. I know it’s been more than a week since you saw Renesmee, but a visit is just not a good idea right now.”

My mom made a brief pause, then an almost indistinguishable tension broke over her voice.

“How about I bring Renesmee over to see you?” 

It took Charlie a moment to answer, and I wondered if he heard the strain beneath my mom’s  façade as well. She had been acting strangely these past few days. Small things on their own, but together forming a pattern too obvious to ignore. Usually, once my parents decided it was already time to head back to the main house, I would always be carried along with them, asleep or not. Today, however, my mom offered to stay behind, insisting she would wait until I was awake and ready to go.

From the other side of the phone, Charlie finally muttered, “Need to know, ugh,” and I realized it was just his wariness of the supernatural that made him slow to respond. “Okay, kid. Can you bring her over this morning? Sue’s bringing me lunch. She’s just as horrified by my cooking as you were when you first showed up.” 

“This morning will be perfect,” my mom said with an urgency she couldn’t quite hide.

“Is Jake coming with you guys?” Charlie’s voice carried faintly, but clear enough to make me want to smile.

Of course Jake would come along. Even if Charlie didn’t know anything about imprinting, anyone could tell that we were just inseparable.

“Probably,” my mom said, which meant yes.

“Maybe I should invite Billy, too. But… hmm. Maybe another time.” 

“See you in a few,” was the only brief answer she gave him before ending with the call.

Her steps came down the hall toward my bedroom and I tucked myself back into the blankets very quickly. 

The knob turned carefully.

“Renesmee?”

“Yes, Momma?”

In an instant she was beside me, kneeling by the bed, her face framed by a soft smile.

“Did you sleep well?”

I threw the covers aside and wrapped my arms around her neck, my fingers tangling in her hair. “Very well.”

“Renesmee,” she said again, pulling back just enough to meet my eyes. “What do you think about doing a visit to Grandpa Charlie today?”

Before the moment could dissolve, I touched her cheek and sent her the image of the three of us—Jacob, her, and myself— together at Charlie’s house.

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

“No. I won’t be staying today. But Jake can go with you.” Her words came quickly, almost too quickly. “Would you like that?”

I pressed another picture into her mind: her, walking away alone to somewhere I couldn’t see. She hesitated only for a heartbeat, then smiled again, as if nothing had slipped.

“I’ll be back before you even notice I’m gone,” she promised.

I pouted, but nodded. Her honesty made lying unbearable, even though I already knew she was hiding something. But what?

“I’ll call Jake. You can get dressed.” Her hand smoothed over my hair before she turned and left.

As I dragged myself up to the wardrobe, I heard her voice drop to a whisper, back on the phone. Jake would be here soon. We left the cabin together and crossed to the big house. We stayed only long enough for her to tell my dad we were going to Charlie’s, so he wouldn’t decide to come down. I was sure my father didn’t even need to read my mind to know something was off with my mom as well, but he gave no sign of it. Instead, he only pressed the Volvo keys very gently into her hand.

We were sliding into the car when Jacob arrived. He opened the passenger door, his warm grin aimed at me.

“Why can’t we take your Ferrari?”  He asked to my mom as I leaned toward him, though I had to admit—he had a point.

After my mom’s transformation, my dad had given her a bright red Ferrari, although she almost never drove it.

“Too conspicuous,” she said simply.“We could go on foot, but that would freak Charlie out. How are you?”

“How do you think? I’m sick of all these reeking bloodsuckers.” 

My mom gave him a bad look and he spoke before she could answer. 

“Yeah, I know, I know. They’re the good guys, they’re here to help, they’re going to save us all. Etcetera, etcetera. Say what you want, I still think Dracula One and Dracula Two are creep-tacular.”  

She smiled faintly.

“I don’t disagree with you there.” 

I shook my head but said nothing. After our first, brief conversation, I had to admit that the Romanians’ unshakable confidence in our group was almost fascinating. Centuries of watching alliances rise and fall, and still they’d chosen to pin their hopes on us. But I could also understand why Jacob and my mother never dropped their guard around them.

“How long do we get to hang out with Charlie?” Jacob asked. He was visibly relaxing, his shoulders uncoiling as we pulled away from the crowded house and all its new inmates.

“For quite a while, actually.”

I turned my face to the blur of grey and white outside the window, so she wouldn’t see me sigh. Her tone had shifted oddly enough that even Jake caught it.

“Is something going on here besides visiting your dad?”

“Jake, you know how you’re pretty good at controlling your thoughts around Edward?” 

“Yeah?” he said, waiting.

But she didn’t answer. She didn’t say another word for the rest of the drive.

When we arrived, Jake and I jumped out quickly, hurrying through the fine mist. Charlie was already at the door, holding it open before we could even knock.

“Hey, guys! It seems like it’s been years! Look at you, Nessie! Come to Grampa! I swear you’ve grown half a foot. And you look skinny, Ness.”  He frowned at my mom. “Aren’t they feeding you up there?” 

“It’s just the growth spurt,” she murmured quickly, avoiding his gaze as she looked past him into the house. “Hey, Sue.” 

The smells coming from the kitchen were thick. Chicken, tomato, garlic, cheese. Probably mouthwatering to Jake and Charlie. Beneath that, I caught pine and dust. Christmas was pressing close, but with our future stretched out in question marks, it was hard to imagine celebrating anything as a truthful jubilee. Still, I smiled at Charlie. I never spoke around him. He smiled back, easy, deepening the lines around his eyes.

“Well, come on in out of the cold, kids. Where’s my son-in-law?” 

“Entertaining friends,” Jacob said with a snort that made me giggle. “You’re so lucky you’re out of the loop, Charlie. That’s all I’m going to say.” 

Charlie winced while my mom punched Jake in the kidney. I supposed it ought to be a light move in her new-born mind, but he still muttered under his breath.

“Actually, Charlie,” my mom said, too casually. “I have some errands to run.”

Jake and I traded a look, but she offered nothing more.

“Behind on Christmas shopping, Bells?” Charlie asked. “You only have a few days, you know.”

“Yeah, Christmas shopping,” she said lamely.

“Don’t worry, Nessie,” Charlie leaned in, whispering just for me. “I got you covered if your mom drops the ball.” 

I nodded, winking back, though I was certain presents weren’t anywhere near her thoughts.

“Lunch’s on the table,” Sue called from the kitchen. “C’mon, guys.” 

“See you later, Dad.” 

Before slipping out the door, my mom gave Jacob a strange look.

“Bella must be really busy with Christmas this year, Nessie,” Jake muttered. And I knew instantly we were thinking the same thing.

Whatever my mother was planning, it was important enough to make her feel the need to dodge my father and keep him in the dark.

Chapter Text

— DISAGREEMENT —

My mom ended up spending the whole day away, and I fell asleep before I even saw her come back. I still didn’t know what she was hiding from us, but her behavior had only grown more withdrawn in the days that followed. We only returned to Charlie’s on Christmas morning. My parents, Jacob, and I. Leah, Seth, Billy, and Sue were already there.

The little living room felt even smaller than usual, but somehow it managed to be cozier than the wide and usually cold space of our main house. The smell of pine and heated wood lingered in the air, mixing with the spices rising from the food everyone had brought. The laughter was soft, the faces so familiar, that for one fragile moment I allowed myself to forget everything waiting for us outside the bubble of comfort that had taken shape here.

Without thinking, my fingers found the golden locket around my neck. It was my mother’s Christmas gift. She had slipped into my room in the early hours, when the dark hadn’t fully lifted, waking me with the small velvet pouch in her hands. We sat together on the bed while I opened the delicate circular locket, its edge carved with a thin border of vine. On one side, she’d placed a picture of us: me in her arms, my father’s embrace surrounding us both—a moment Alice had captured just days after my mom's transformation was complete. On the other side, there was an inscription in French. She whispered the translation against my ear: more than my own life.

I’d stared at the words pressed into the metal for a long time. Since waking, everything had felt sharper somehow. Like today was suspended in time. One last breath before the storm.

Maybe that was why, when Jacob came to surprise me with his own gift, I couldn’t stop myself from feeling both endlessly happy and utterly overwhelmed. The bracelet he’d woven with his own hands was perfect in every way. Slim leather strands bound with tiny polished wooden beads, the colors deep and warm, standing out even against the strange tone of my skin.

“It’s a reminder, Nessie,” he’d said, smiling the smile that always made it impossible not to smile back. “A promise that I’ll always do everything I can to keep you safe. No matter what happens. There’s nothing in this world you need to fear.”

My chest lifted sharply. At that moment, I decided it wasn’t worth holding back the urge to hug him. The season’s blizzards were starting to increase, reminding me just how close Alice’s vision of the Volturi’s arrival were to become real. And still, I couldn’t imagine facing any of it without Jacob by my side. Having him always being part of my days was a blessing I could never be thankful enough for.

There was something unshakable about his certainty. Something that made me believe everything really was possible. Something that always eased me when I looked into his steady eyes. It was as if even the simple act of breathing became easier when he was round.

Then, suddenly, I realized I was staring at him in a way I couldn’t quite disguise. A wave of urgency pushed me to look away, fumbling for the new MP3 player my dad had given me. My attempt wasn’t subtle, as Jake’s laugh broke through Seth’s excited monologue, giving me away completely. Luckily, Charlie decided that was the perfect moment for more presents. He shuffled forward, trying to look casual, though the big box wrapped in colorful paper ruined the attempt.

“Er… I know you’re a smart one, Nessie,” he said, clearing his throat, his cheeks red. “I’ve been reading a little about, uh, advanced kids and… seems like it’s always good to keep the challenges coming. Anyway, I’m sure you’ll do just fine, kid.”

Inside the wrapping was a massive puzzle of the Acropolis of Athens. Heat rushed to my cheeks, and I threw my arms around him to hide it. Charlie froze, then awkwardly patted my back, his hug kind of stiff. Nobody needed much time around my grandfather to realize he wasn’t used to open displays of affection, but I could see he was trying to change, bit by bit. And secretly, I liked to believe I had something to do with that.

Charlie spent most of the late morning sunk into his favorite armchair, absorbed in the thick instruction manual for his new fishing sonar. My dad had taken care of buying the gift in my mom’s place. Apparently, she’d forgotten all about it. Still, Charlie looked content, puzzling over the buttons and settings with Billy leaning in, just as intent.

The only thing able to pull their attention away again was the wide variety of food spread across the table. The dishes were full and the meat juicy, at least for those who could truly enjoy it. The way they tore through Sue’s glazed ham seemed proof enough. She smiled, pleased, watching my grandfather serve himself another helping. There was something going on between them, that much was obvious. But I couldn’t deny that I was glad she was looking after him. By now, even Billy seemed aware of it, and not even Leah or Seth showed any sign of disapproval.

Jacob had already filled me in on the whole Clearwater situation long ago. Leah’s transformation had caught everyone off guard, even the Council, and the shock had ended in Harry’s cruel, sudden death. Maybe that was why Sue had stepped in so naturally with Charlie, once Jake had revealed the truth to him. Few people could understand the weight of having their lives pulled into the supernatural through their children more than she did.

Suddenly, the sight of everyone together so easily made my chest tighten with something bittersweet. The smell of fresh coffee at the end of the day. The sound of Billy and Charlie’s laughter when Jake cracked a joke about one of the gifts. The steady warmth of the fire. Seth and Leah side by side with Sue. My parents going out of their way just to build new memories with me. My first Christmas was so perfect it hardly seemed real. The air was nothing like the last few days, when fear and uncertainty had hung in the halls of the main house like an invisible shadow over us all.

And then, all at once, that fear was back—gathering heavier than before. Because maybe… most likely… we wouldn’t get to be together like this again.

I probably hugged everyone longer than I should have when it was time to go, but my mother’s farewell was briefer than I’d expected. Almost like she was trying to avoid the weight of this being her last chance to say goodbye to Charlie properly—to leave a note, or remind him of how much she loved him. She could barely meet his eyes before hurrying to the Volvo with my dad. Jake and I followed them quietly, because deep down, I knew I couldn’t really blame her. She seemed so fractured right now that maybe she simply wasn’t capable of taking it all in.

I curled into her lap on the drive back. The silence was heavier than the mist clinging to the windshield—no raindrops against the asphalt this time, only a thin veil hanging between liquid and ice. I wondered how long before the snowstorm would build, before crystals thickened on the ground and Alice’s vision was confirmed.

Only a few more days, probably.

When we pulled into the drive, though, it was obvious something had changed. Not the outside of the house, as it was as pristine as ever, but the noise rising from inside. Voices, layered and sharp, rumbling like a storm caught in the walls.

My father stopped short of the garage, parking at the front. Jake and I shared a glance. Carlisle’s and Amun’s voices stood out, circling louder than the rest. My mom shifted my weight onto one arm as she slid from the car, and Jake moved quickly close at my side. I saw his posture tighten, his expression sharpen—the Alpha in him taking over.

“Alistair is gone,” my dad murmured as we walked.

Inside, the confrontation was laid out in the open. Carlisle, Benjamin, and Amun stood at the center, ringed in by the rest. Everyone had fallen back toward the walls, forming an uneasy circle. Esme, Kebi, and Tia hovered closest. Amun’s body was coiled, his lips curled in hostility as he hissed at Carlisle and Benjamin.

“Amun, if you want to go, no one is forcing you to stay,” Carlisle said, his voice even.

You’re stealing half my coven, Carlisle!” Amun snapped, jabbing his finger at Benjamin. “Is that why you called me here? To steal from me?” 

My father’s jaw flexed. In a breath, he’d moved to Esme’s side, tugging my mother closer. She crushed me tight against her chest.

Carlisle sighed. Benjamin rolled his eyes.

“Yes, Carlisle picked a fight with the Volturi, endangered his whole family, just to lure me here to my death,” Benjamin said, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “Be reasonable, Amun. I’m committed to do the right thing here—I’m not joining any other coven. You can do whatever you want, of course, as Carlisle has pointed out.”

“This won’t end well,” Amun growled. “Alistair was the only sane one here. We should all be running.” 

“Think of who you’re calling sane,” Tia muttered under her breath.

“We’re all going to be slaughtered!” Amun pressed on.

“It’s not going to come to a fight,” Carlisle said firmly.

“You say!” 

“If it does, you can always switch sides, Amun. I’m sure the Volturi will appreciate your help.” 

“Perhaps that is the answer,” Amun sneered.

But Carlisle’s reply was soft, honest. “I wouldn’t hold that against you, Amun. We have been friends for a long time, but I would never ask you to die for me.”

For an instant, Amun’s voice steadied, too. 

“But you’re taking my Benjamin down with you.” 

Carlisle laid a hand on his shoulder; Amun shook it off. “I’ll stay, Carlisle, but it might be to your detriment. I will join them if that’s the road to survival. You’re all fools to think that you can defy the Volturi.”  His glare swept the room before he exhaled hard, and then turned straight toward me. Jake shifted instantly between us, blocking Amun’s view. “I will witness that the child has grown. That’s nothing but the truth. Anyone would see that.” 

“That’s all we’ve ever asked,” Carlisle replied.

Amun grimaced. “But not all that you are getting, it seems.” He turned on Benjamin. “I gave you life. You’re wasting it.” 

Benjamin’s expression hardened, colder than I’d ever seen it. The boyishness erased in a breath. “It’s a pity you couldn’t replace my will with your own in the process; perhaps then you would have been satisfied with me.” 

Amun’s eyes narrowed. With a sharp gesture to Kebi, he stormed past us and out the front door.

“He’s not leaving,” my dad murmured, more to my mom than anyone else, though every ear in the room caught it. “but he’ll be keeping his distance even more from now on. He wasn’t bluffing when he spoke of joining the Volturi.” 

“Why did Alistair go?” she whispered back.

“No one can be positive; he didn’t leave a note. From his mutters, it’s been clear that he thinks a fight is inevitable. Despite his demeanor, he actually does care too much for Carlisle to stand with the Volturi. I suppose he decided the danger was too much.”

“From the sound of his mumblings, it was a bit more than that,” Eleazar added. “We haven’t spoken much of the Volturi agenda, but Alistair worried that no matter how decisively we can prove your innocence, the Volturi will not listen. He thinks they will find an excuse to achieve their goals here.”

My fists clenched, my jaw locked—and I was only half-surprised to realize Jacob’s reaction had mirrored mine exactly. Around the room, the other vampires shifted uneasily, whispers threading through the tension. It was plain enough: the idea that the Volturi might twist their own sacred laws to their advantage was not one many could easily accept.

But no matter how much I disagreed with Alistair’s ways, on this… I couldn’t help but think he was entirely right.

Chapter Text

— DECLARATIONS —

Only the Romanians remained composed, their half-smiles carrying a hint of irony. They seemed almost amused by the way everyone else tried so hard to think well of their former enemies. As for the low murmurs and petty arguments that followed, it was only Vladimir’s and Stefan’s voices that captured my attention.

“I do so hope Alistair was right about this,” Stefan murmured to Vladimir. “No matter the outcome, word will spread. It’s time our world saw the Volturi for what they’ve become. They’ll never fall if everyone believes this nonsense about them protecting our way of life.” 

“At least when we ruled, we were honest about what we were,” Vladimir replied.

Stefan nodded. “We never put on white hats and called ourselves saints.” 

“I’m thinking the time has come to fight,” Vladimir said. “How can you imagine we’ll ever find a better force to stand with? Another chance this good?”

“Nothing is impossible. Maybe someday—”

“We’ve been waiting for fifteen hundred years, Stefan. And they’ve only gotten stronger with the years.” Vladimir paused, then glanced in the direction where my parents, Jacob, and I stood. He did not appear surprised that we returned his gaze. “If the Volturi win this conflict, they will leave with more power than they came with. With every conquest they add to their strengths. Think of what that newborn alone could give them,” his eyes narrowed on my mother. —“and she is barely discovering her gifts. And the earth-mover.” Vladimir nodded toward Benjamin, who stiffened. Almost everyone was listening to the Romanians now. “With their witch twins they have no need of the illusionist or the fire touch,” he said, pointing his chin at Zafrina, then inclining his head toward Kate.

Stefan looked to my dad. “Nor is the mind reader is exactly necessary. But I see your point. Indeed, they will gain much if they win.”

“More than we can afford to have them gain, wouldn’t you agree?”

Stefan sighed. “I think I must agree. And that means… ”

“That we must stand against them while there is still hope.” 

“If we can just cripple them, even, expose them . . .”

 “Then, someday, others will finish the job.” 

“And our long vendetta will be repaid. At last.”

They locked eyes for a moment and murmured in harmony. “It seems the only path.”

“So we fight,” Stefan said.

Whether for revenge or something more, the smile they exchanged afterward was full of anticipation.

“We fight,” Vladimir agreed.

At this point, just as Alistair, I was certain the battle was unavoidable. Even in an ambiguous way, the addition of two determined vampires sounded like a good thing.

“We will fight, too,” Tia said, her usually deep voice solemn; her wide, round eyes fixed on her partner. “We believe the Volturi will overstep their authority. We have no wish to belong to them.”

Benjamin smiled and cast a mischievous look at the Romanians.  “Apparently, I’m a hot commodity. It appears I have to win the right to be free.”

“This won’t be the first time I’ve fought to keep myself from a king’s rule,” Garrett said in a teasing tone. He walked over to Benjamin and patted him on the back. “Here’s to freedom from oppression.”

“We stand with Carlisle,” Tanya said, exchanging a glance with Kate, then Eleazer and Carmen. “And we fight with him.”

Carmen smiled at me with a subtle nod, but I was way too surprised by how the Romanians’ pronouncement  seemed to inspire the others to declare themselves as well. 

“We have not decided,” Peter said, looking down at his tiny companion; Charlotte’s lips were pressed in discontent.

It seemed she had already made her decision, and I wondered what it was.

“The same goes for me,” Randall said.

“And me,” Mary added.

“The packs will fight with the Cullens,” Jacob said firmly, looking at me. “We’re not afraid of vampires,” he added, a broad smile crossing his face.

“Children,” Peter murmured.

“Infants,” Randall corrected.

Jacob rolled his eyes, but laughed; in a way that was almost defiant and yet somehow surprising. I thought I would never grow accustomed to how his way his of facing challenges always dissolved my tension.

“Well, I’m in too,” Maggie said, shrugging off Siobhan’s restrained hand. “I know truth is on Carlisle’s side. I can’t ignore that.” 

Siobhan regarded the youngest member of her coven with worried eyes. “Carlisle,” she said as if they were alone, ignoring the suddenly formal feeling of the gathering, the unexpected outburst of declarations. “I don’t want this to come to a fight.

“Nor do I, Siobhan. You know that’s the last thing I want.” he replied with a half-smile. “Perhaps you should concentrate on keeping it peaceful.” 

“You know that won’t help,” she said.

It was impossible not to recall Rose’s discussion with Carlisle about the Irish clan leader’s ability; Carlisle believed that Siobhan possessed some subtle gift, yet powerful enough to bend events her way—even if she herself didn’t believe it.

“It couldn’t hurt,” Carlisle added.

Siobhan rolled her eyes. “Shall I visualize the outcome I desire?” she asked sarcastically.

Carlisle was openly smiling now.“If you don’t mind.”

“Then there is no need for my coven to declare itself, is there?” she retorted.“Since there is no possibility of a fight.” She placed her hands back on Maggie’s shoulders, drawing the girl closer to her.

Siobhan’s partner, Liam, remained silent; his face unreadable. Almost everyone in the room seemed mesmerized by the subtle exchange of teasing between Carlisle and Siobhan, yet they offered no explanation.

That marked the end of the night’s dramatic pronouncements.

The group slowly dispersed, some heading out to hunt, others to spend time with Carlisle’s books, or watching television, or navigating at computers. Jacob and I went hunting. My parents joined us.

“Stupid leeches,” Jake muttered under his breath as we stepped outside. “Think they’re so superior,” he huffed.

“They’ll be shocked when the infants save their superior lives, won’t they?” my dad added.

Jacob grinned and gave his shoulder a friendly punch. “Hell yeah, they will.”

Chapter Text

— Renesmee's Gift —

This wasn’t our last hunting trip. We all would hunt again nearer to the time we expected the Volturi. As the deadline was not exact, we were planning to stay a few nights out in the big baseball clearing Alice had seen, just in case. All we knew was that they would come the day that the snow stuck to the ground. We didn’t want the Volturi too close to town, and Demetri would lead them to wherever we were. I wondered who he would track in, and guessed that it would be Edward since he couldn’t track me. 

I thought about Demetri while I hunted, paying little attention to my prey or the drifting snowflakes that had finally appeared but were melting before they touched the rocky soil. Would Demetri realize that he couldn’t track me? What would he make of that? What would Aro? Or was Edward wrong? There were those little exceptions to what I could withstand, those ways around my shield. Everything that was outside my mind was vulnerable—open to the things Jasper, Alice, and Benjamin could do. Maybe Demetri’s talent worked a little differently, too.

And then I had a thought that brought me up short. The half-drained elk dropped from my hands to the stony ground. Snowflakes vaporized a few inches from the warm body with tiny sizzling sounds. I stared blankly at my bloody hands.

Edward saw my reaction and hurried to my side, leaving his own kill undrained.

“What’s wrong?” he asked in a low voice, his eyes sweeping the forest around us, looking for whatever had triggered my behavior. 

“Renesmee,” I choked. 

“She’s just through those trees,” he reassured me. “I can hear both her thoughts and Jacob’s. She’s fine.” 

“That’s not what I meant,” I said. “I was thinking about my shield—you really think it’s worth something, that it will help somehow. I know the others are hoping that I’ll be able to shield Zafrina and Benjamin, even if I can only keep it up for a few seconds at a time. What if that’s a mistake? What if your trust in me is the reason that we fail?” 

My voice was edging toward hysteria, though I had enough control to keep it low. I didn’t want to upset Renesmee. 

“Bella, what brought this on? Of course, it’s wonderful that you can protect yourself, but you’re not responsible for saving anyone. Don’t distress yourself needlessly.” 

“But what if I can’t protect anything?” I whispered in gasps. “This thing I do, it’s faulty, it’s erratic! There’s no rhyme or reason to it. Maybe it will do nothing against Alec at all.” 

“Shh,” he hushed me. “Don’t panic. And don’t worry about Alec. What he does is no different than what Jane or Zafrina does. It’s just an illusion—he can’t get inside your head any more than I can.” 

“But Renesmee does!” I hissed frantically through my teeth. “It seemed so natural, I never questioned it before. It’s always been just part of who she is. But she puts her thoughts right into my head just like she does with everyone else. My shield has holes, Edward!” 

I stared at him desperately, waiting for him to acknowledge my terrible revelation. His lips were pursed, as if he was trying to decide how to phrase something. His expression was perfectly relaxed. 

“You thought of this a long time ago, didn’t you?” I demanded, feeling like an idiot for my months of overlooking the obvious. 

He nodded, a faint smile pulling up one corner of his mouth. “The first time she touched you.” 

I sighed at my own stupidity, but his calm had mellowed me some. “And this doesn’t bother you? You don’t see it as a problem?” 

“I have two theories, one more likely than the other.” 

“Give me the least likely first.” 

“Well, she’s your daughter,” he pointed out. “Genetically half you. I used to tease you about how your mind was on a different frequency than the rest of ours. Perhaps she runs on the same.” 

This didn’t work for me. “But you hear her mind just fine. Everyone hears her mind. And what if Alec runs on a different frequency? What if—?” 

He put a finger to my lips. “I’ve considered that. Which is why I think this next theory is much more likely.”

I gritted my teeth and waited.

“Do you remember what Carlisle said to me about her, right after she showed you that first memory?” 

Of course I remembered. “He said, ‘It’s an interesting twist. Like she’s doing the exact opposite of what you can.’”

 “Yes. And so I wondered. Maybe she took your talent and flipped it, too.” 

I considered that. 

“You keep everyone out,” he began. 

“And no one keeps her out?” I finished hesitantly. 

“That’s my theory,” he said. “And if she can get into your head, I doubt there’s a shield on the planet who could keep her at bay. That will help. From what we’ve seen, no one can doubt the truth of her thoughts once they’ve allowed her to show them. And I think no one can keep her from showing them, if she gets close enough. If Aro allows her to explain. . . .”

I shuddered to think of Renesmee so close to Aro’s greedy, milky eyes. 

“Well,” he said, rubbing my tight shoulders. “At least there’s nothing that can stop him from seeing the truth.” 

“But is the truth enough to stop him?” I murmured. 

For that, Edward had no answer.

Chapter Text

— PROMISES —

It began snowing heavily two days before New Year’s Eve. This time, the small flakes didn’t dissolve. The cold was sharper, the damp gathering until a thin layer of ice formed over the ground. This was the sign we had been waiting for. Snow enough to cover everything. Snow enough to fulfill what Alice had seen. My parents and Carlisle had stayed in a distant clearing, waiting for Demetri to trace them and lead the Guard to the chosen ground. We didn’t want the Volturi anywhere near the town.

When the time came, they set up a small tent for me to spend the night. It stood just a few paces deeper into the forest, only apart enough not to interfere. Soon it grew too cold, and it was a relief to have Jacob close. The steady sound of his breathing filled the space, and I wondered how something so simple could make me fall into such a deep sleep. How it could still make me feel safe when every possibility argued against it.

By the first rays of morning, everything was in place. The scene from Alice’s vision was at last complete. I could hear the march of our witnesses gathering with us, and then the thunder of the wolves cutting through the forest.

“Don’t worry, Nessie,” Jacob told me. “Nothing’s going to happen to you. I promise.”

I caught his wrist in an almost desperate grip. Nothing’s going to happen to you either.

He gave me one of his big, reassuring smiles.

Promise me, Jake.

“I swear it, Nessie. I’ll always be by your side.”

I tried to stay strong, clinging to his words even after he left the tent, listening to him run toward the packs. When my mom entered, she helped me into the clothes she had laid out. Thick, durable fabrics. She fastened a small pouch beneath my coat, and I felt the faint weight of whatever was inside. Not enough to burden, but still enough to make me notice. I wondered if it was a part of her private plan; the secret she had been keeping from us. It could only have led to this moment.

Her eyes were heavy before she spoke.

“I love you,” her voice was soft, but it cut against my skin like the cold wind outside. “More than anything.”

My throat tightened, but I didn’t hesitate. “I love you, too, Momma”

My fingers automatically searched the locket at my neck, the one that held the picture of the three of us. My parents and I. “We’ll always be together,” I whispered, as if the words themselves could be enough to seal our fate.

My mother’s eyes closed for a heartbeat, but when her voice came out again, it was only a breath. “In our hearts we’ll always be together,” she said, cupping my face gently in her hands. “But when the time comes today, you have to leave me.”

The air seemed to freeze around me. No. I pressed my fingers against her cheek to force her to see, to feel what I felt. Her eyes squeezed shut, and then she swallowed hard. 

“Will you do this for me? Please?”

My grip on her skin tightened. Why?

She hesitated. Her answer came as a whisper, a fragile thread between us. “I can’t tell you, but you’ll understand soon. I promise.”

And then, through the haze in my mind, Jacob’s last smile broke through. My heart stumbled. Would I have to let him go too?

My mom shook her head and pulled my hand gently from her face, her voice nearly inaudible. “Don’t think of it,” her breath brushed my ear. “Don’t tell Jacob until I tell you to run, okay?” 

I understood. I didn’t want to understand, but I did. Wherever it was she meant to send me, Jacob would be there, too. This was her final secret and the fulfillment of her promise. This was my mom, once again, choosing to sacrifice herself for me. Slowly, uncharacteristically slow, she pulled a thick gold chain from her pocket and fastened it around her own neck.

“Pretty,” I murmured, dull, watching the gleam of it against her pale skin while the weight inside my chest grew heavier.

I couldn’t name the feeling. It pressed down on me, dark and unstoppable, like a storm about to break. And then, without hesitation, I just felt the urge to throw my arms tight around her neck, holding on with all the desperate, silent fear I couldn’t speak. She pulled me close against her chest, and for a moment we were still. As if we could hold time still, too. Then she carried me outside, through the snow and into the clearing. The air was colder there. The tension, suffocating. 

My dad lifted one eyebrow as we approached, but said nothing about her extravagant necklace or about my long face. Instead, he wrapped his arms around us both, holding on for a long moment before letting go with a deep sigh. His golden eyes were steady, showing no trace of farewell. I couldn’t help sighing too. I knew my father way too well. He could lie when he had to, but this was not one of his masks. He truly believed there was a chance for us in this.

We moved into place, and I climbed onto my mother’s back, freeing her hands. The snow crunched beneath the steps of the others as they lined up. Behind the front formed by my father, Carlisle, Emmett, Rosalie, Tanya, Kate, and Eleazar, my mom took her position with me beside Benjamin and Zafrina. I knew she would try to protect them as long as she could. They were our strongest weapons. If the Volturi failed to see that, even for a few moments, it might be enough to change everything.

Zafrina stood rigid, fierce, Senna mirroring her at her side. Benjamin crouched low, palms pressed to the ground, muttering something about defense. Last night he’d managed to pull small rocks from the frozen meadow. Not enough to hurt a vampire, but maybe enough to distract. Around us, the witnesses were scattered, some closer than others. Those who had openly declared to help us stayed within reach. I saw Siobhan pressing her temples, eyes shut in concentration. Was she thinking of Carlisle? Imagining peace?

Behind us, close to the trees, Jake and all the wolves waited, hidden. I could hear their breathing, heavy and controlled, their hearts pounding a steady rhythm as the tension hummed in the air like electricity before a storm. Above us, the clouds shifted and the light scattering, making it impossible to tell if it was morning or afternoon. My father’s eyes narrowed as he searched the horizon. I knew what he saw. The same vision Alice had shown him before. Every detail falling into place. Every moment aligning exactly as she had foreseen. Now there were only minutes left. Maybe seconds.

Then, he came. Jacob. The massive russet wolf broke from the trees, taking his place beside me, falling into a protective stance without hesitation. He didn’t need words. I knew how hard it was for him to stay back, to stand idle while danger pressed so close. It was hard for me, too. I leaned down, threading my fingers through the thick heat of his fur, feeling the tension thrumming in his body. Yet, somehow, seeing him steadied me. I felt my own shoulder loosening, my heartbeat finding its rhythm again. I couldn’t imagine facing this moment without him.

Right in front of us, my dad reached one hand, never looking away from the horizon, and my mother caught it. He closed his fingers around hers, but neither of them spoke. Another minute dragged past. My ears strained for any sound. Any sign of movement.

And then, it finally happened.

My father went rigid, a low snarl ripping through his teeth. His eyes locked on the northern forest.

I followed his gaze. Everyone did.

And we waited.

The last seconds slipped away.

Chapter Text

— ARRIVEL—

They came with splendor, with a kind of terrible beauty.

They arrived in rigid, formal formation. They moved as one, but it was not a march; they flowed through the trees in perfect unison. A dark, unbroken shape that seemed to glide just above the snow, their advance so smooth it barely touched the earth.

The outer ring of the formation wore gray, but the color deepened as it drew inward, until the figures at the core were robed in absolute black. Every face was shadowed, hidden. The faint rhythm of their footsteps was so steady it became music, a complex beat that never faltered.

At some signal I did not see—or perhaps there was no signal at all, only millennia of practice—their shape unfolded. Too precise, too measured to resemble the opening of a flower, though the shifting colors suggested it. It was graceful, yet sharply geometric. The gray-cloaked guards spread outward as the darker forms emerged at the center. Their approach remained slow and deliberate. 

It was the march of the invincible.

The Volturi had revealed too much discipline to betray emotion. They showed no surprise, no horror at the unlikely gathering that faced them. A gathering that suddenly felt ragged, unready in comparison. They did not even falter at the sight of the enormous Alpha wolf standing right at my side.

I could not stop myself from counting. There were thirty-two of them.

Even setting aside the dark-cloaked figures lingering at the rear—whom I understood to be the wives, their protected position suggesting they would not fight—we were still outnumbered. Only twenty-nine stood ready on our side, counting the wolves.

“The redcoats are coming, the redcoats are coming,” Garrett murmured cryptically to himself, then let out a short laugh. He slid one step closer to Kate.

“They did come,” Vladimir whispered to Stefan.

“The wives,” Stefan whispered back. “The entire guard. All of them together. It’s well we didn’t try Volterra.” 

And then, as if their numbers were not already crushing, while the Volturi moved closer with their slow, terrible majesty, more vampires began to spill into the clearing behind them. The faces of this endless stream were the opposite of Volturi discipline. They were a kaleidoscope of emotions.

At first, there was shock—and even a flicker of unease—when they saw the force that waited for them. But it passed too quickly; their numbers made them confident, their position behind the unstoppable Volturi a shield against doubt. Their faces slid back into the expressions they had worn before our gathering surprised them, and it was easy to comprehend their motivations. This was a furious mob, whipped into a frenzy, hungering for justice. 

I hadn’t fully grasped the weight of the immortal child taboo until I saw it reflected in their faces, but there it was, written across the strange, unorganized horde—more than forty vampires—witnesses, of a sort, for the Volturi. Maybe they were the ones responsible to spread the story that justice had been done, that the Volturi had acted fairly. Most of them looked ready for more than observation as they kept their erratic gaze fixated at me.

They wanted to tear and burn.

However, one figure among them didn’t seem to belong. Her pace was completely hesitant; her eyes locked on Tanya at the head of our line with undeniable terror… She could only be Irina.

My father’s growl rumbled low, but it was fierce.

“Alistair was right,” he murmured to Carlisle.

“Alistair was right?” Tanya whispered back.

“They—Caius and Aro—come to destroy and acquire,” my father breathed so softly only our side could hear. “They have many layers of strategy already in place. If Irina’s accusation had somehow proven to be false, they were committed to find another reason to take offense. But they can see Renesmee now, so they are perfectly sanguine about their course. We could still attempt to defend against their other contrived charges, but first they have to stop, to hear the truth about Renesmee,” his voice dropped even lower. “Which they have no intention of doing.”

Jacob let out a short, sharp huff.

And then, unexpectedly, the procession did pause. The soft music of their perfect rhythm dissolved into silence. The discipline did not falter; the Volturi froze in absolute stillness. Behind me, at my sides, I heard the pounding of great hearts, closer than before.

I risked a glance out of the corners of my eyes, left and right, to see what had stopped the Volturi’s advance.

The wolves had joined us.

On either side of our uneven line, they spilled forward in a fierce rush. There were sixteen in all, seventeen counting Jacob. The newer ones stood taller than the wolves I already knew, their movements less assured, as if still testing the weight and strength of their bodies. It was obvious their lives had changed too quickly, too completely. Yet none of them looked afraid. 

Perhaps because Jacob led them. 

Or perhaps only because they just hadn’t yet grasped what awaited us.

“So young,” I couldn’t stop myself from whispering. 

My throat closed on some sort of guilt, swallowing me from the inside, until Jacob turned his head toward me, his dark eyes finding mine for the briefest second. There was no blame there. Only resolve. Strength.

And something deeper, steadier. 

Ahead of me, a low, vicious growl suddenly tore from my mother’s throat. Zafrina and Senna joined her, but the Volturi faces remained shrouded, completely expressionless. At the center of their formation, three figures halted, hand in hand. Every soldier behind them froze, waiting on some unspoken command. Their cloaks were different, a black deeper than the rest, darker than the shadows of the forest. 

That utter darkness made them seem more solemn, more feared.

My body froze with the awareness that I was standing before the ancients everyone had been whispering about so many times in recent, tense murmurs. I hadn’t known it was possible to feel such fear and piercing curiosity in the same heartbeat. They were unlike anything I had known so far. Even compared to the Romanians, the ancients were more… refined. 

They didn’t glance at each other, but their bond was almost visible, as a current running between them, directing everything around them without words.

The one in the center looked the calmest, almost pleased, his eyes bright with contained eagerness. Aro. It was easy to recognize him; I had paid too much attention to every stray description of the Volturi so far. Then, at his right side, lips pressed in a thin line and face carved from ice… this had to be Caius. The third one, holding Aro’s left hand, could only be Marcus. 

Unlike the other two, Marcus seemed apart. His eyes were open but distant, his face so unmoving it was almost unreal. Not inattention, but apathy. As if all of this were meaningless, as if it had played out a thousand times already. His mask of boredom was so pure it hurt to look at him too long.

The Volturi witnesses leaned forward, their furious gazes locked on me, but they kept to the tree line, leaving a wide gulf between themselves and the black-cloaked guard. Only Irina stood closer, just behind the ancients—behind two pale-haired, weathered women flanked by massive bodyguards.

It took me focus to adjust my sight, but then I saw her: a gray-hooded figure lingering just behind Aro, almost pressed to his back. I would have bet anything this was the other shield Eleazar had spoken of. Renata. Aro’s personal protector. 

Right beyond her, there were two guard members who easily caught my attention. They were smaller, younger than the others, and too alike not to be what Vladimir had nicknamed them: the witch twins. Alec and Jane. Both of them were strategically placed at Marcus’s side, close to the ancients’ deepest black.

Their beautiful faces were blank, betraying nothing. Their powers were obviously the keystone of the Volturi offensive force. 

Aro’s rarest treasures.

His clouded red eyes flickered across our line, and it was easy to read the disappointment in his face when realizing our family was incomplete.

A forced grin tightened his lips.

At that moment, I couldn’t help but feel slightly presumptuous that Alice had decided to run.  As the pause lengthened, I heard my father’s breath speed. 

“Edward?” Carlisle asked, low and anxious. 

“They’re not sure how to proceed. They’re weighing options, choosing key targets— me, of course, you, Eleazar, Tanya. Marcus is reading the strength of our ties to each other, looking for weak points. The Romanians’ presence irritates them. They’re worried about the faces they don’t recognize—Zafrina and Senna in particular—and the wolves, naturally. They’ve never been outnumbered before. That’s what stopped them.” 

“Outnumbered?” Tanya whispered incredulously.

“They don’t count their witnesses,” my dad said. “They are nonentities, meaningless to the guard. Aro just enjoys an audience.” 

“Should I speak?” Carlisle asked. 

My father hesitated, then nodded. “This is the only chance you’ll get.”

Carlisle squared his shoulders and paced ahead of our defensive line. He spread his arms, holding his palms up in some sort of peaceful greeting. 

“Aro, my old friend. It’s been centuries.” 

The white clearing was dead silent for a long moment. Jacob’s posture stiffened besides me and I could feel the tension rolling off my dad as he listened to Aro’s assessment of Carlisle’s words. The strain mounted as the seconds ticked by.

Chapter Text

— CONFRONTATION —

Aro finally stepped forward from the heart of the Volturi formation. The other shield, Renata, moved with him as though her fingertips were stitched to the folds of his cloak. For the first time, the Volturi line stirred. A low ripple of growls rolled through their ordered ranks; eyes flared, sharp beneath dark brows; lips curled back to reveal gleaming teeth. Some of the guard members even bent forward, crouching as if to spring.

Aro lifted one pale hand toward them. “Peace.”

He took only a few more steps before tilting his head to the side, his milky eyes glinting with curiosity.

“Fair words, Carlisle,” he said in his thin, high voice. “They seem out of place, considering the army you’ve assembled to kill me, and to kill my dear ones.”

Carlisle shook his head and stretched out his right hand, as though the hundred yards between them simply did not exist.  “You have but to touch my hand to know that was never my intent.” 

Aro’s shrewd eyes narrowed. “But how can your intent possibly matter, dear Carlisle, in the face of what you have done?” His brows drew together, and a shadow of grief crossed his face — perhaps honest, though in that moment my own bitterness would not allow me to believe it.

“I have not committed the crime you are here to punish me for.” 

“Then step aside and let us punish those responsible. Truly, Carlisle, nothing would please me more than to preserve your life today.”

Once more, Carlisle offered his hand. “No one has broken the law, Aro. Let me explain.”

Before Aro could answer, Caius swept forward to his side.

“So many pointless rules, so many unnecessary laws you create for yourself, Carlisle,” the white-haired ancient hissed. “How is it possible that you defend the breaking of one that truly matters?”

“The law is not broken. If you would listen—” 

“We see the child, Carlisle,” Caius snarled. “Do not treat us as fools.”

“She is not an immortal. She is not a vampire. I can easily prove this with just a few moments—”

Caius cut him off again.

“If she is not one of the forbidden, then why have you massed a battalion to protect her?”

“Witnesses, Caius, just as you have brought.” Carlisle gestured to the seething horde at the forest’s edge; a few of them growled in answer.  “Any one of these friends can tell you the truth about the child. Or you could just look at her, Caius. See the flush of human blood in her cheeks.” 

“Artifice!” Caius spat. “Where is the informer? Let her come forward!” His gaze swept past the guard until it locked on Irina, who still lingered behind the wives. “You! Come!” 

Irina stared back blankly, her face like someone still lost in the grip of a nightmare. Impatiently, Caius snapped his fingers. One of the wives’ hulking bodyguards moved to her side and shoved her forward. Irina blinked once, then began to stumble toward Caius in a daze. She stopped a few paces away, her eyes still fastened on her sisters.

Caius crossed the space between them and struck her across the face. It might not have hurt, but there was something unbearably degrading in the gesture. It was like watching someone kick a dog. Tanya and Kate hissed in unison. Irina’s body went rigid, and at last her eyes locked on Caius. He thrust a finger toward me, half-hidden behind my mother’s back, my fingers still twined in Jacob’s fur.

For some reason, Caius flushed a furious red, his gaze burning hotter. An involuntary growl broke from Jacob’s chest.

“This is the child you saw?” Caius demanded. “The one that was obviously more than human?” 

Irina looked at us then, really seeing me for the first time since she’d entered the clearing. Her head tilted to the side, confusion etched across her face.

“Well?” Caius snarled.

“I… I’m not sure,” she faltered, her voice disoriented.

Caius’s hand twitched, as though he longed to strike her again. “What do you mean?” he said, his voice like steel.

“She’s not the same, but I think it’s the same child. What I mean is, she’s changed. This child is bigger than the one I saw, but—”

Caius’s breath hissed out, enraged, his teeth flashing. Irina fell silent. Aro moved to his brother’s side and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Be composed, brother. We have time to sort this out. No need to be hasty.”

With a scowl, Caius turned his back on Irina.

“Now, sweetling,” Aro murmured, his tone warm, almost sugary. “Show me what you’re trying to say.” 

He extended his hand to the bewildered vampire, and though uncertain, Irina gave him hers. He held it for only five seconds.

“You see, Caius?” Aro said lightly. “It’s a simple matter to get what we need.”

Caius did not answer. Out of the corner of his eye, Aro glanced once at his audience, his mob, before returning to Carlisle.

“And so we have a mystery on our hands, it seems. It would appear the child has grown. Yet Irina’s first memory was clearly that of an immortal child. Curious.” 

“That’s exactly what I’m trying to explain,” Carlisle said, and I could hear the renewed relief in his voice.

This was the pause we had begged for in all our fragile hopes. And yet I could not feel any sense of peace, numb beneath my father’s warning of the other outcomes the Volturi had already considered.

Carlisle stretched out his hand again. Aro hesitated.

“I would rather have the explanation from someone more central to the story, my friend. Am I wrong to assume that this breach was not of your making?” 

“There was no breach.”  

“Be that as it may, I will have every facet of the truth.” Aro’s feathered voice hardened. “And the best way to get that is to have the evidence directly from your talented son.” He inclined his head toward my father. “As the child clings to his newborn mate, I’m assuming Edward is involved.” 

Of course he wanted my dad. Once Aro touched him, he would know every thought we all had, except for my mother, but still including my secret. I held my breath only briefly. I didn’t care for him to expose me in front of everyone as long as he also came to learn I was definitely not an uncontrollable child. Their safety was endlessly more important than that.

My dad turned, brushing quick kisses to my mother’s forehead and mine, careful not to meet our eyes. Then he strode across the clearing, his shoulder brushing Carlisle’s as he passed. Behind me came a muffled sob — Esme’s terror breaking loose. For a moment, I thought my mother might echo her. But instead, she laughed.

The sound startled me and I could feel the others staring, too. Even Jacob twisted to look at her, as though wondering if she had gone momentary mad.

My father stopped only a few paces from Aro, and suddenly, silence blanketed our side. This was the culmination of all our preparations: to make Aro listen to our side of the story. My dad lifted his chin arrogantly, raising his hand to Aro as though he were bestowing a great honor.

Only Aro seemed delighted by his bearing, his pleasure most certainly not shared.

Renata quivered nervously in Aro’s shadow. Caius’s face was so hollow it seemed his skin had thinned to paper permanently translucent. Little Jane bared her teeth, and beside her, Alec’s eyes narrowed in concentration.

Aro closed the distance between himself and my father without hesitation. The heavy shadows of the lighter gray cloaks, worn by the massive vampires that clearly were the physically strongest of the guard hovered only a few steps behind him. With an unbothered smile, Aro took my father’s hand, and their eyes closed at once. To my surprise, Aro’s shoulders bent under the violent assault of information.

Every secret thought, every strategy, every insight. Everything my father had heard in the minds surrounding him over the past month was now Aro’s. And more than that—every glimpse from Alice, every quiet moment with our family, every image that had ever crossed my mind, every understanding of the Quileute protectors, every memory of Jacob and our special connection… all of it belonged to Aro now as well.

My fists tightened on my mother’s shoulders, and she began to tremble unconsciously.

“Easy, Bella,” I heard Zafrina whisper in her ear.

But my mom only clenched her jaw harder in response.

Aro continued to sift through the memories. My dad’s head bowed, the tendons in his neck tightening as he read again what Aro had taken from him—and Aro’s reaction to it all.

The unequal conversation stretched long enough for even the guard to grow uneasy. Low murmurs rippled through their ranks until Caius snapped a sharp command for silence. Jane stepped forward as if she couldn’t stop herself, and Renata’s face went rigid with distress.

Then Aro straightened. His eyes flashed open, and the faces behind him shifted—fearful, cautious. He didn’t release my father’s hand, but I saw the faintest relaxation in his stance, a subtle loosening of muscle.

“You see?” My father's voice was smooth as velvet, but there was something sharp beneath it.

“Yes, I see, indeed,” Aro breathed, almost amused. He smiled in a way that unsettled me. “I doubt whether any two among gods or mortals have ever seen quite so clearly.” 

The guard didn’t move, though disbelief flickered across their disciplined expressions.

“You have given me much to ponder, young friend,” Aro mused, savoring the words. “Much more than I expected.” 

He still held my father’s hand when his gaze slid to me. The sudden hunger that lit his eyes made my stomach twist.

“May I meet her?” Aro asked, his tone growing more eager, almost pleading. “I never dreamed of the existence of such a thing in all my centuries. What an addition to our histories!” 

Caius’s hard features sharpened even further, his voice cutting through like a blade of ice. “What is this about, Aro?” 

The disbelief in his tone sent a chill down my spine. My mother pulled me closer to her chest. Jacob growled a low, contained sound that rumbled through the air like distant thunder. I felt it before I saw it, the heat radiating off his body, the strain in his muscles, his eyes locked on me as if ready to cross the clearing and tear me away from there.

“Something you’ve never dreamed of, my practical friend,” Aro replied smoothly, relishing the provocation. “Take a moment to ponder, for the justice we intended to deliver no longer applies.”

Caius hissed, startled by Aro’s words.

“Peace, brother,” Aro murmured calmly.

I knew those words were meant to bring relief. That it was supposed to mean everything we had been waiting to hear. The law hadn’t been broken. Aro knew that now. But something felt wrong. I couldn’t fool myself into believing otherwise. He didn’t sound like someone ready to grant peace entirely, but rather someone who merely paused to ponder about it.

“Will you introduce me to your daughter?” Aro pressed, his gaze swiftly returning to me.

Caius’s hiss was joined by a chorus of murmurs. I felt Jacob’s body tremble beside me as I forced myself to stand firm, holding our enemy’s gaze. I had already shown the truth to so many others. The ancient leader seemed intrigued. Fascinated, even. If I could convince Aro to stand with us… could the others truly turn against him?  

But then my eyes drifted to my dad, on the tension in his back, the tightness in his shoulders. Aro’s previous words suddenly echoed heavily with double meaning, circling still around the idea of the justice they believed themselves destined to deliver, even if it came by some other offense.

This wasn’t an invitation.

It was a test.

Aro already knew the truth.
And we were not yet safe.
What else could he possibly want from me?

Chapter Text

— CONDEMNATION —

“I think a compromise on this one point is certainly acceptable, under the circumstances. We will meet in the middle,” my father declared solemnly, his firm voice echoing alone across the clearing.

Aro finally released his hand, and my dad turned back toward us. But Aro quickly slipping an arm casually around his shoulders, as if they were old friends. I couldn’t stop the small click of my tongue — his intention couldn’t have been more transparent. Like my own gift, Aro’s power was entirely tactile. As long as he remained in contact with my dad, he could know every thought in our minds.

They began to cross the field back toward our side. The entire guard fell into step behind them. Without even glancing back, Aro lifted a pale hand.

“Hold, my dear ones. Truly, they mean us no harm if we are peaceable.” 

His soldiers reacted more openly than before, hissing and snarling in protest, but they obeyed. Renata clung closer to Aro’s side, a whimper of anxiety escaping her lips.

“Master,” she whispered.

“Don’t fret, my love,” he murmured back. “All is well.”

“Perhaps you should bring a few members of your guard with us,” my father suggested. “It will make them more comfortable.” 

Aro nodded, as though this had been his idea all along. He snapped his fingers twice. “Felix. Demetri.”

The two appeared at his sides instantly. Both were tall and dark-haired, but one was lean and sharp as a blade, while the other was heavy and menacing, like a hammer wrapped in steel. The five of them paused at the center of the snow-covered field.

“Bella,” my father called. “Bring Renesmee… and a few friends.”

I felt my mother’s body tense below me.

“Jacob? Emmett?” she asked.

They both nodded. Emmett grinned; Jacob met my eyes. We crossed the field together, the two of them flanking us. A low, immediate rumble broke from the guard. Their distrust of the massive red wolf beside me was painfully clear.

Aro raised a hand again to silence them.

“Interesting company you keep,” the slender one murmured to my dad.

He didn’t answer, but a low growl slipped between Jacob’s teeth.

We stopped a few feet from Aro. My father stepped out from under his arm and quickly rejoined us, taking my mom’s hand. For a moment, we stood in silence. Face to face, unbreathing. Then the larger vampire greeted my mother.

“Hello again, Bella,” he said with a cockily grin, his eyes flicking warily toward Jacob.

She smiled wryly back at him. “Hey, Felix.”

He chuckled. “ “You look good. Immortality suits you.”

“Thanks so much.”

“You’re welcome. It’s too bad . . .” 

He let the words fade into the cold air, but no one needed my father’s gift to guess how that sentence ended: It’s too bad we’ll have to kill you afterward.

“Yes, too bad, isn’t it?” My mom murmured back, her voice edged with quiet defiance.

Felix blinked. Aro paid no attention to their exchange. His head tilted slightly, eyes closed, as if savoring the moment.

“I hear her strange heart,”  he murmured, his words almost musical.  “I smell her strange scent.” Then his eyes opened slowly, settling on my mother.“In truth, young Bella, immortality does become you most extraordinarily. It is as if you were designed for this life.” 

She merely inclined her head in acknowledgment.

“You liked my gift?” he asked, glancing at the pendant she wore.

“It’s beautiful, and very, very generous of you. Thank you. I probably should have sent a note.” 

Aro laughed, the sound light and charming. “It’s just a little something I had lying around. I thought it might complement your new face, and so it does.” 

A soft hiss rose from the Volturi line. My mom and I both glanced over Aro’s shoulder, but he cleared his throat delicately, calling the attention back to himself.

“May I greet your daughter, lovely Bella?” he asked sweetly. 

My breath caught for a heartbeat, but then I reminded myself this was the opportunity we’d all hoped for. Jacob bared his teeth as my mother stepped forward with me. Aro moved closer, his expression alight.

“But she’s exquisite,” he murmured. “So like you and Edward.” 

And then, his voice turned louder.

“Hello, Renesmee.”

I looked at my mother. She nodded once.

“Hello, Aro,” I replied formally.

Aro’s eyes flickered with beam.

“What is it?” Caius hissed, and his tone made me shiver. He sounded infuriated by the need to ask

“Half mortal, half immortal,” Aro announced to him and to the rest of the guard, never taking his enthralled gaze from me. “Conceived so, and carried by this newborn while she was still human.” 

“Impossible,” Caius sneered.

“Do you think they’ve fooled me, then, brother? Is the heartbeat you hear a trickery as well?” 

Caius scowled, looking both furious and humiliated, as if Aro’s soft-spoken questions were blows.

“Calmly and carefully, brother,” Aro warned gently, still smiling at me. “I know well how you love your justice, but there is no justice in acting against this unique little one for her parentage. And so much to learn, so much to learn! I know you don’t have my enthusiasm for collecting histories, but be tolerant with me, brother, as I add a chapter that stuns me with its improbability. We came expecting only justice and the sadness of false friends, but look what we have gained instead! A new, bright knowledge of ourselves, our possibilities.” 

Aro extended his hand toward me, as an invitation. The gesture mirrored my own when I used my talent. I couldn’t help the faint smile at the irony before I rose on my hand and brushed my fingertips against his almost translucid cheek. I knew what I had to make him understand. My family had gathered witnesses only in defense, never as an army. Carlisle never sought to lead anyone towards violence. The wolves stood with us only because of Jacob, and Jacob… He only remained here for my sake.

And I didn’t want any of them hurt because of me.

My arm dropped back to my side, heavy with the weight of that unsettling truth. Aro didn’t react with shock as others had; he seemed entirely accustomed to the flood of thoughts and memories that weren’t his own.

His smile deepened, and he sighed in delight. “Brilliant.”

I frowned slightly. “Please?” 

Aro’s smile softened into something almost tender. “Of course I have no desire to harm your loved ones, precious Renesmee.” 

His voice was so comforting, so affectionate, that for a moment he fooled me. But then I heard the grind of my father’s teeth, and Maggie’s outraged hiss somewhere behind us. Aro was lying to me.

“I wonder,” Aro said thoughtfully, as if unbordered by the reaction his words had caused. 

His eyes drifted unexpectedly toward Jacob. Instead of being threatened at the sight of the enormous wolf who stood as his enemy, Aro’s gaze brimmed with something closer to desire.

“It doesn’t work that way,” my father said sharply, the careful neutrality in his tone slipping into something rougher.

“Just an errant thought,” Aro mused, openly studying Jacob before his gaze began to wander, slow and deliberate, along the line of wolves gathered behind us.

“They don’t belong to us, Aro. They don’t follow our commands that way. They’re here because they want to be.”

Jacob growled, a low and dangerous rumble.

“They seem quite attached to you, though,” Aro observed. “And your young mate and your… family. Loyal.” His voice caressed the word as if tasting it.

“They’re committed to protecting human life, Aro. That makes them able to coexist with us, but hardly with you. Unless you’re rethinking your lifestyle.”

Aro laughed merrily, the sound rich with amusement. “Just an errant thought,” he repeated. “You well know how that is. None of us can entirely control our subconscious desires.” 

“I do know how that is,” my dad replied evenly. “And I also know the difference between that kind of thought and the kind with a purpose behind it. It could never work, Aro.” 

Jacob turned his head toward my father, a sharp hiss sliding between his teeth.

“He’s intrigued with the idea of… guard dogs,” my father murmured under his breath.

There was a heartbeat of silence, then the air tore open with furious snarls from every direction.

It took only a single sharp bark of command—Sam’s, probably, though I didn’t turn to see—and the chaos stilled into an ominous quiet.

“I suppose that answers that question,” Aro said with a soft, delighted laugh. “This lot has picked its side.” 

My father growled and leaned forward. My mother caught his arm, holding him back as Felix and Demetri dropped into mirrored crouches. I could only wonder what kind of thought could have crossed Aro’s mind to make my father react so violently.

Aro waved his hand once more, and the tension folded back into stillness.

“So much to discuss,” Aro said, his tone shifting back to that of an inundated businessman. “So much to decide. If you and your furry protector will excuse me, my dear Cullens, I must confer with my brothers.”

Chapter Text

— PUNISHMENT —

Aro did not rejoin his anxious soldiers waiting on the north side of the clearing; instead, he waved them forward. My father immediately began to retreat, pulling my mom’s and Emmett’s arm without once taking his eyes off our adversary. Jacob backed away slowly, the fur along his shoulders rising as he bared his teeth at Aro. I clung to the end of his tail, unable to let go for even a heartbeat as we withdrew.

We reached our family just as the dark cloaks closed around Aro once more. Now only forty feet separated us, barely a distance at all for any of us.

Caius wasted no time before bursting out in fury.

“How can you abide this infamy? Why do we stand here impotently in the face of such an outrageous crime, covered by such a ridiculous deception?” His arms were stiff at his sides, his hands curled into his own claws.

I wondered why he didn’t simply touch Aro and share his outrage privately. Were we witnessing a fracture between them already? Could we be so lucky?

“Because it’s all true,” Aro answered softly. “Every word of it. See how many witnesses stand ready to give evidence that they have seen this miraculous child grow and mature in just the short time they’ve known her. That they have felt the warmth of the blood that pulses in her veins.”  Aro’s hand swept slowly from Amun to Siobhan across the field.

Caius reacted strangely to Aro’s words. The anger drained from his face, replaced by a cold, calculating mask. His eyes flickered toward the Volturi witnesses, his expression one of faint, almost imperceptible, unease.

I followed his gaze, and realized the furious mob we’d faced moments ago no longer fit that description. The frenzy for action had dissolved into confusion. Whispered conversations rippled through the crowd as they tried to piece together what had just unfolded.

Caius frowned, speculating.

“The werewolves,” he murmured at last.

“Ah, brother…” Aro sighed, his tone almost pitiful.

“Will you defend that alliance, too, Aro?” Caius demanded. “The Children of the Moon have been our bitter enemies since the dawn of time. We hunted them nearly to extinction across Europe and Asia. Yet Carlisle embraces this familial bond with a massive infestation—no doubt a scheme meant to destroy us, to protect his perverse way of life.”

My father cleared his throat loudly, and Caius turned on him with blazing eyes. Aro lifted one delicate hand to his own face, as if embarrassed by his fellow elder.

“Caius, it’s the middle of the day,” my father pointed out, gesturing toward Jacob. “These are not Children of the Moon, clearly. They bear no relation to your enemies on the other side of the world.” 

“You breed mutants here,” Caius spat back.

My dad clenched his jaw, opening one hand as though steadying himself before replying.

“They aren’t even werewolves. Aro can tell you all about it if you don’t believe me.” 

“Dear Caius, I would have warned you not to press this point if you had told me your thoughts,” Aro murmured, “Though the creatures think of themselves as werewolves, they are not. The more accurate name for them would be shape-shifters. The choice of a wolf form was purely chance. It could have been a bear or a hawk or a panther when the first change was made. These creatures truly have nothing to do with the Children of the Moon. They have merely inherited this skill from their fathers. It’s genetic—they do not continue their species by infecting others the way true werewolves do.”

Caius turned on Aro, his expression blazing with fury and something else. An accusation of betrayal, perhaps.

“They know our secret,” he said flatly.

My father looked ready to respond to the accusation, but Aro spoke faster.

“They are creatures of our supernatural world, brother. Perhaps even more dependent upon secrecy than we are; they can hardly expose us. Carefully, Caius. Specious allegations get us nowhere.” 

Caius drew in a long breath. The two of them exchanged a loaded look.

It was easy to understand the silent message behind Aro’s measured expression. False accusations would not serve them well before an audience of witnesses. Aro was clearly the one trying to warn Caius this was their chance to move on; to try another tactic. 

I wondered then if the tension between them—the reason Caius hesitated to share his thoughts through touch—was that Caius cared little for appearances. That the massacre itself meant more to him than the illusion of justice. 

“I wish to speak to the informant,” Caius announced abruptly, his eyes snapping toward Irina.

Irina hadn’t been following their argument; her face was twisted in agony, her eyes locked on her sisters—lined up to die. Guilt was carved into every line of her expression. She already knew her accusation had been false.

“Irina,” Caius barked, his voice full of disdain, as if even addressing her offended him.

She looked up, startled, instantly afraid. Caius snapped his fingers once, and with visible hesitation, she stepped out from the Volturi line, stopping before him again.

“So,” Caius began, “it appears you have been quite mistaken in your allegations.”

Tanya and Kate leaned forward anxiously.

“I’m sorry,” Irina whispered. “I should have made sure of what I was seeing. But I had no idea. . .”  She gestured helplessly in our direction.

“Dear Caius,” Aro interjected lightly, “Could you expect her to have guessed in an instant something so strange and impossible? Any of us would have made the same assumption.”

Caius flicked his fingers toward Aro in a sharp gesture, to silence him.

“We all know you made a mistake,” he said brusquely. “I meant to speak of your motivations.”

Irina frowned her eyebrows. “My motivations?”

“Yes, for coming to spy on them in the first place.”

Irina flinched at the word spy. 

“You were unhappy with the Cullens, were you not?”

Her eyes turned miserably toward Carlisle. “I was,” she admitted.

“Because… ?” Caius prompted, his voice almost impatience again.

“Because the werewolves killed my friend,” she whispered. “And the Cullens wouldn’t stand aside to let me avenge him.” 

“The shape-shifters,” Aro corrected mildly.

“So,” Caius concluded, “the Cullens sided with the shape-shifters against our own kind—against the friend of a friend, even,”

I heard a low, disgusted sound escape my father’s throat. Caius was sifting through possibilities, searching for the accusation that would ignite.

Irina’s shoulders stiffened. “That’s how I saw it.”

Caius paused again, then pressed, “If you’d like to make a formal complaint against the shape-shifters—and the Cullens for supporting their actions—now would be the time.” He smiled faintly, a cruel curve of satisfaction, waiting for her to give him the excuse he needed.

But perhaps Caius just didn’t understand what true families were—bonds built on love, not on the hunger for power. Perhaps he overestimated the strength of vengeance.

Irina lifted her chin, her shoulders squaring. 

“No, I have no complaint against the wolves, or the Cullens. You came here today to destroy an immortal child. No immortal child exists. This was my mistake, and I take full responsibility for it. But the Cullens are innocent, and you have no reason to still be here. I’m so sorry,” she said to us, and then she turned her face toward the Volturi witnesses. “There was no crime. There’s no valid reason for you to continue here.” 

Caius raised his hand, holding a strange metal device, engraved and ornate.

That was a signal. The response came so quickly that we all froze in stunned disbelief. Before any of us could move, it was over.

Three of the Volturi soldiers lunged forward, and Irina disappeared beneath their gray cloaks. A metallic shriek split the clearing. Caius stepped into the swirling gray mass, and the sound erupted into a flash of sparks and flames.

The soldiers leapt back from the sudden blaze, resuming their flawless formation as if nothing had happened. Caius stood alone beside the flaming remains of Irina, the metal device in his hand still spitting a thick jet of fire. Then came a soft click, and the stream vanished.

A horrified gasp rippled through the witnesses behind the Volturi. None of us dared to make a sound. It was one thing to know death was coming. It was another to watch it happen.

Caius smiled thinly. “Now she has taken full responsibility for her actions.”

His eyes swept to the front of our line, pausing on the frozen forms of Tanya and Kate.

In that instant, I understood. Caius had never underestimated the strength of true family bonds.

That was the strategy.

He hadn’t wanted Irina’s complaint, he’d wanted her defiance. He wanted an excuse for the violence that now filled the air like a thick, combustible mist. He had thrown a match. 

The fragile peace of this summit wavered more precariously than an elephant on a tightrope. Once the fight began, there would be no stopping it. It would only grow until one side was completely wiped out. Our side. Caius knew this. 

And so did my dad.

“Stop them!” he shouted, leaping forward to catch Tanya’s arm as she lunged toward a smiling Caius with a scream of pure, furious grief.

She couldn’t break free before Carlisle wrapped his arms around her waist. “It’s too late to help her,” he urged, his voice sharp with urgency as she fought him. “Don’t give him what he wants!”

Kate was harder to restrain. Screaming with the same fury as Tanya, she charged forward into the first step of an attack that would have ended with all of us dead.

Rosalie was the closest to her, but before she could grab Kate by the neck, Kate struck her with such force that Rose folded to the ground. Emmett caught Kate’s arm and threw her down, but he staggered back immediately, his knees giving out.

Kate rose again, and for a moment it seemed no one could stop her until Garrett hurled himself at her, pinning her to the snow. He locked his arms around hers, hands braced against his own waist. I saw his body convulse in violent spasms as she electrocuted him. His eyes rolled back, but he didn’t let go.

“Zafrina!” my father shouted.

Kate’s eyes went blank, her screams dissolving into whimpers. Tanya stopped struggling.

“Give me my sight back,” Tanya hissed.

Suddenly, Garrett seemed to regain control of himself too, holding Kate to the snow.

“If I let you up, will you knock me down again, Katie?” he whispered.

She only ground her teeth in response, still thrashing blindly.

“Listen to me, Tanya, Kate,” Carlisle said in a low but urgent whisper. “Vengeance doesn’t help her now. Irina wouldn’t want you to waste your lives this way. Think about what you’re doing. If you attack them, we all die.”

Tanya’s shoulders arched with grief, and she leaned into Carlisle for support. Kate finally went still. Carlisle and Garrett continued murmuring to them—words too tense to sound comforting. My attention drifted back to the weight of the stares pressing in on our moment of chaos. From the corner of my eye, I could see that everyone, except Carlisle and Garrett, had already returned to their guard.

The heaviest gaze came from Caius, glaring at Kate and Garrett in the snow with sharp disbelief. Aro was watching too, incredulity the most vivid emotion on his face. He knew what Kate could do. He had seen her power in my father’s memories, and like most of us, he wasn’t entirely sure how Garrett had managed to hold her down.

Worse still, the Volturi guard had lost their precise discipline. They were crouched forward now, ready to spring the moment someone on our side moved. Behind them, however, forty-three witnesses looked on with expressions very different from those they had worn when they entered the clearing.

Confusion had turned into suspicion. The lightning-fast destruction of Irina had shaken them all. What had been her crime?

Without the immediate attack Caius had planned to distract from his rash act, the Volturi witnesses were left wondering what, exactly, was unfolding. Aro’s gaze faltered for a fraction of a second, his face betraying him with a flash of shame.

His need for an audience had backfired.

I heard a soft murmur of amusement and satisfaction from Vladimir and Stefan at Aro’s discomfort. He was clearly concerned about keeping his white-hat image intact, as the Romanians had already pointed out. But I didn’t believe for a moment that the Volturi would let us go simply to protect their reputation. Once they were finished with us, surely they would slaughter their witnesses too.

Aro touched Caius’s shoulder lightly. “Irina has been punished for bearing false witness against this child.” So that would be his excuse. He continued. “Perhaps we should return to the matter at hand?” 

Caius straightened, his expression hardening into something unreadable. He stared ahead, as if glancing at nothing in particular. 

Aro moved forward, and Renata, Felix, and Demetri automatically fell into step beside him.

“Just to be thorough,” he said, “I’d like to speak with a few of your witnesses. Procedure, you know.” He waved one hand dismissively.

And then, two things happened at once. Caius’s eyes fixed on Aro, that small, cruel smile returning to his lips while my father hissed. His hands clenched into fists so tight it looked as if the bones beneath his diamond skin might shatter through.

Carlisle turned toward my father as well, and then his own expression hardened. While Caius had tried to destroy us with reckless accusations and desperate attempts to provoke a fight, Aro was already devising a more effective plan. 

One likely to work beyond any doubt.

Chapter Text

— JUDGMENT —

Aro moved like a phantom through the snow to the end of our line, stopping about ten meters from Amun and Kebi. The wolves nearest to them were bristling with fury, but they held their ground.

“Ah, Amun, my southern neighbor!” Aro said warmly. “It has been so long since you’ve visited me.” 

Amun stood rigid with anxiety, Kebi as much a statue at his side.

“Time means little; I never notice its passing,” Amun said through lips that barely moved.

“So true,” Aro agreed. “But maybe you had another reason to stay away?” 

Amun said nothing.

“It can be terribly time-consuming to organize newcomers into a coven. I know that well! I’m grateful I have others to deal with the tedium. I’m glad your new additions have fit in so well. I would have loved to have been introduced. I’m sure you were meaning to come to see me soon.”

“Of course,” Amun said, his tone so void of emotion that it was impossible to tell whether there was fear or sarcasm behind the words.

“Oh well, we’re all together now! Isn’t it lovely?”

Amun nodded once, his face a blank page.

“But the reason for your presence here is not so pleasant, unfortunately. Carlisle invited you to witness?”

“Yes.”

“And what did you witness for him?”

Amun spoke in the same cold, detached tone. 

 “I’ve observed the child in question. It was evident almost immediately that she was not an immortal child—”

“Perhaps we should define our terminology,” Aro interrupted. “Now that there seem to be new classifications. By immortal child, you mean of course a human child who had been bitten and thus transformed into a vampire.” 

“Yes, that’s what I meant.” 

“What else did you observe about the child?”

“The same things that you surely saw in Edward’s mind. That the child is his biologically. That she grows. That she learns.”

“Yes, yes,” said Aro, a hint of impatience in his kindly tone. “But specifically in your few weeks here, what did you see?” 

Amun’s brow furrowed. “That she grows… quickly.” 

Aro smiled.  “And do you believe that she should be allowed to live?” 

Beside me, every hair on Jacob’s body bristled. It was strange, and at least unnerving, to listen to them discuss my life as if it were nothing more than a casual decision. A matter of direction, like a turn in the road they hadn’t yet agreed upon.

A hiss escaped my mother’s lips, and half the vampires in our line echoed it. The sound rose and hung in the air as a commotion of fury. Across the clearing, some of the Volturi witnesses answered with their own wild hiss.

Aro didn’t turn, but Amun glanced around uneasily.

“I did not come to make judgments.”

Aro chuckled softly. “Just your opinion.”

Amun lifted his chin. 

“I see no danger in the child. She learns even more swiftly than she grows.” 

Aro nodded, considering. After a moment, he turned away.

“Aro?” Amun called.

Aro pivoted back. “Yes, friend?”

“I gave my witness. I have no more business here. My mate and I would like to take our leave now.” 

Aro smiled warmly. “Of course. I’m so glad we were able to chat for a bit. And I’m sure we’ll see each other again soon.” 

Amun’s lips pressed into a hard line as he inclined his head once, acknowledging the hidden threat. He touched Kebi’s arm, and together they darted southward, disappearing into the trees.

Aro drifted then along our eastern flank, his guard waiting tensely. He stopped before Siobhan’s towering form.

“Hello, dear Siobhan. You are as lovely as ever.” 

Siobhan nodded, silent, waiting.

“And you?” he asked her.  “Would you answer my questions the same way Amun has?”

“I would,” Siobhan said. “But I would perhaps add a little more. Renesmee understands the limitations. She’s no danger to humans—she blends in better than we do. She poses no threat of exposure.” 

“Can you think of none?” Aro asked soberly.

My father growled, a low sound deep in his chest. Caius’s clouded crimson eyes gleamed. Renata shifted protectively toward her master. And Garrett finally released Kate, stepping forward despite her warning hand.

Siobhan answered slowly. “I don’t think I follow you.”

Aro turned slightly, almost lazily, though in truth closer to his guard. Renata, Felix, and Demetri hovered nearer than his own shadow.

“There is no broken law,” Aro said in a soothing voice. “No broken law. However, does it follow then that there is no danger? No.” He shook his head gently. “That is a separate issue.” 

The only answer was the taut tightening of already stretched nerves. At the far end of our line, Maggie shook her head in fury. Aro walked pensively, seeming to glide rather than touch the ground. 

“She is unique… utterly, impossibly unique. Such a waste it would be, to destroy something so lovely. Especially when we could learn so much . . .” He sighed, as though unwilling to go on. “But there is danger, danger that cannot simply be ignored.” 

No one answered him. The silence thickened as he continued, his voice taking on the distant quality of one speaking half to himself.

“How ironic it is that as the humans advance, as their faith in science grows and controls their world, the more free we are from discovery. Yet, as we become ever more uninhibited by their disbelief in the supernatural, they become strong enough in their technologies that, if they wished, they could actually pose a threat to us, even destroy some of us. For thousands and thousands of years, our secrecy has been more a matter of convenience, of ease, than of actual safety. This last raw, angry century has given birth to weapons of such power that they endanger even immortals. Now our status as mere myth in truth protects us from these weak creatures we hunt.”

He paused, his eyes moving first over our witnesses. Then significantly over his own.

“This amazing child,” he lifted a hand as if to touch me, though he stood nearly forty meters away, completely close now to his own formation again, “if we could but know her potential—know with absolute certainty that she could always remain shrouded within the obscurity that protects us. But we know nothing of what she will become! Her own parents are plagued by fears of her future. We cannot know what she will grow to be.”

His voice sounded torn by the very words it spoke. Still, he kept looking at his own witnesses.

“Only what is known is safe. Only what is known is tolerable. The unknown is... vulnerability.”

Caius’s smile spread.

“You’re reaching, Aro,” Carlisle said in a desolate voice.

“Peace, friend.” Aro's face was gentle, his voice as sweet as ever. “Let us not be hasty. Let us look at this from every side.”

“May I offer a side to be considered?” Garrett asked in a raised tone, stepping forward.

“Nomad,” Aro said, granting permission.

Garrett lifted his chin. His eyes were locked on the great mass at the far end of the clearing, and he spoke directly to the Volturi witnesses.

“I came here at Carlisle’s request, as the others, to witness. That is certainly no longer necessary, with regard to the child. We all see what she is. I stayed to witness something else. You.” He pointed a finger toward the cautious vampires. “Two of you I know—Makenna, Charles—and I can see that many of you others are also wanderers, roamers like myself. Answering to none. Think carefully on what I tell you now. These ancient ones did not come here for justice as they told you. We suspected as much, and now it has been proved. They came, misled, but with a valid excuse for their action. Witness now as they seek flimsy excuses to continue their true mission. Witness them struggle to find a justification for their true purpose—to destroy this family here.”

He gestured toward Carlisle and Tanya. 

“The Volturi come to erase what they perceive as the competition. Perhaps, like me, you look at this clan’s golden eyes and marvel. They are difficult to understand, it’s true. But the ancient ones look and see something besides their strange choice. They see power.”

I gasped uneasy and Jacob turned towards me. I could see myself perfectly reflected in his deep black big eyes, the worry and affliction crossing both mine and his expression simultaneously. Yet, Garrett continued.

“I have witnessed the bonds within this family—I say family and not coven. These strange golden-eyed ones deny their very natures. But in return have they found something worth even more, perhaps, than mere gratification of desire? I’ve made a little study of them in my time here, and it seems to me that intrinsic to this intense family binding—that which makes them possible at all—is the peaceful character of this life of sacrifice. There is no aggression here like we all saw in the large southern clans that grew and diminished so quickly in their wild feuds. There is no thought for domination. And Aro knows this better than I do.”

I watched Aro’s face as Garrett’s words of condemnation fell upon him, waiting tensely for a reaction. But Aro’s expression remained politely amused, as if he were humoring a child’s tantrum, waiting for the noise to fade so he could move on.

“Carlisle assured us all, when he told us what was coming, that he did not call us here to fight. These witnesses,” Garrett gestured toward Siobhan and Liam, “agreed to give evidence, to slow the Volturi advance with their presence so that Carlisle would get the chance to present his case. But some of us wondered,” his eyes flicked toward Eleazar, “if Carlisle having truth on his side would be enough to stop the so-called justice. Are the Volturi here to protect the safety of our secrecy, or to protect their own power? Did they come to destroy an illegal creation, or a way of life? Could they be satisfied when the danger turned out to be no more than a misunderstanding? Or would they push the issue without the excuse of justice?

We have the answer to all these questions. We heard it in Aro’s lying words—we have one with a gift of knowing such things for certain—and we see it now in Caius’s eager smile. Their guard is just a mindless weapon, a tool in their masters’ quest for domination. So now there are more questions, questions that you must answer. Who rules you, nomads? Do you answer to someone’s will besides your own? Are you free to choose your path, or will the Volturi decide how you will live? I came to witness. I stay to fight. The Volturi care nothing for the death of the child. They seek the death of our free will.” 

He turned, then, to face the ancients. “So come, I say! Let’s hear no more lying rationalizations. Be honest in your intents as we will be honest in ours. We will defend our freedom. You will or will not attack it. Choose now, and let these witnesses see the true issue debated here.” 

Once more he looked toward the Volturi witnesses, his eyes probing each face. The power of his words was clearly evident in their expressions.

“You might consider joining us. If you think the Volturi will let you live to tell this tale, you are mistaken. We may all be destroyed,” he hesitated then, his lips curling faintly, “but then again, maybe not. Perhaps we are on more equal footing than they know. Perhaps the Volturi have finally met their match. I promise you this, though—if we fall, so do you.” 

He ended his fiery speech by returning to Kate’s side and crouching slightly, ready for the onslaught.

Aro merely smiled. “A very pretty speech, my revolutionary friend.”

Garrett held his ground, still coiled to strike.

“Revolutionary?” he growled. “Who am I revolting against, might I ask? Are you my king? Do you wish me to call you master, too, like your sycophantic guard?” 

“Peace, Garrett,” Aro said tolerantly. “I meant only to refer to your time of birth. Still a patriot, I see.”

Garrett glared back, unflinching.

“Let us ask our witnesses,” Aro suggested smoothly. “Let us hear their thoughts before we make our decision. Tell us, friends”—he turned casually toward the outer ring of vampires, drifting a few paces closer to the edge of the forest—“what do you think of all this? I can assure you the child is not what we feared. Do we take the risk and let the child live? Do we put our world in jeopardy to preserve their family intact? Or does earnest Garrett have the right of it? Will you join them in a fight against our sudden quest for dominion?”

The witnesses watched him warily. One, a dark-haired woman, glanced quickly at the blond man beside her. 

“Are those our only choices?” she asked suddenly, her eyes fixed on Aro. “Agree with you, or fight against you?” 

“Of course not, most charming Makenna,” Aro said, sounding genuinely horrified that anyone could reach such a conclusion. “You may go in peace, of course, as Amun did, even if you disagree with the council’s decision.”

Makenna looked again at her partner, and he nodded at once.

“We did not come here for a fight.” She paused, exhaled, then said, “We came here to witness. And our witness is that this condemned family is innocent. Everything that Garrett claimed is the truth.” 

“Ah,” Aro said sadly.  “I’m sorry you see us in that way. But such is the nature of our work.” 

“It is not what I see,” Makenna’s partner said in a taut, uneasy voice. “But what I feel. Garrett said they have ways of knowing lies. I, too, know when I am hearing the truth, and when I am not.”

With fearful eyes, he stepped closer to his mate, waiting for Aro’s reaction.

“Do not fear us, friend Charles. No doubt the patriot truly believes what he says,” Aro laughed softly, and Charles’s eyes narrowed.

“That is our witness,” Makenna said firmly. “We’re leaving now.”

She and Charles departed slowly, not looking back until the trees swallowed them. Another stranger began to retreat in the same way, then three more darted after him. I counted the thirty-seven who remained. Some looked too bewildered to choose, but most seemed fully aware of the confrontation that was about to come. I guessed they stayed only because they knew exactly who would chase them if they ran.

And I was certain Aro saw the same thing I did.

“We are outnumbered, dearest ones,” he said, addressing his soldiers in a loud, clear voice. “We can expect no outside help. Should we leave this question undecided to save ourselves?” 

“No, Master,” they whispered in unison.

“Is the protection of our world worth perhaps the loss of some of our number?” 

“Yes,” they breathed. “We are not afraid.”

Aro smiled and turned to his dark companions. 

“Brothers,” he said solemnly, “there is much to consider here.” 

“Let us counsel,” Caius said with relish.

“Let us counsel,”  Marcus echoed in a disinterested tone.

Aro turned his back to us once more, facing the other ancients. They joined hands, forming a solemn triangle. Three figures cloaked in their own shadow.