From Beyond Visions…
by The Lost Girl
SPOILERS: Everything up to Book Three of "Breaking Dawn".
SUMMARY: Bella didn't survive childbirth, and now the Cullens and the wolves have to deal with the repercussions… But when Alice starts having unusual visions, they will have to make a choice that will change their family, and their perception of themselves, forever…
DISCLAIMERS: All the characters in the story belong to Stephanie Meyer and whoever else has the right on the Twilight series.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Please keep in mind that I strongly believe that suicide/death is NEVER the answer. This is a work of fiction, and fiction alone. If you suffer from depression, or are having any kind of suicidal thoughts, I strongly suggest that you read something else, and seek help in your community (friends, family, psychologist, doctor, etc.). Thank you! : )
From Beyond Visions…
Introduction
(Everything in italic at the beginning is from page 359 and 360 of "Breaking Dawn").
The murderer stared past Rosalie's shoulder at me, its gaze more focused than any newborn creature's gaze should be.
Warm brown eyes, the color of milk chocolate – the exact same color that Bella's had been.
My shaking jerked to a stop; heat flooded through me, stronger than before, but it was a new kind of heat – not a burning.
It was a glowing.
Everything inside me came undone as I stared at the tiny porcelain face of the half-vampire, half-human baby. All the lines that held me to my life were sliced apart in swift cuts, like clipping the strings to a bunch of balloons. Everything that made me who I was – my love for the dead girl upstairs, my love for my father, my loyalty to my new pack, the love for my other brothers, my hatred for my enemies, my home, my name, my self – disconnected from me in that second – snip, snip, snip – and floated up into space.
I was not left drifting. A new string held me where I was.
Not one string, but a million. Not strings, but steel cables. A million steel cables all tying me to one thing – to the very center of the universe.
I could see that now – how the universe swirled around this one point. I'd never seen the symmetry of the universe before, but now it was plain.
The gravity of the earth no longer tied me to the place where I stood.
It was the baby girl in the blood vampire's arms that held me here now.
Renesmee.
From upstairs, there was a new sound. The only sound that could touch me in this endless instant.
A cry so horrifying, so filled with pain, that my own heart caught in my chest, then hurt as if some demon was trying to tear it apart.
At the sound of that inhuman wail, Rosalie spun around eyes wide and fearful, and looked in the direction of the stairs from where the sound came.
Alice fell on the floor sobbing, and repeating "I can't see her anymore… She's gone… Jasper… Edward…"
Jasper? That's when I saw him… Huddled in some corner of the room, his whole body shaking violently, his breathing erratic, as if his whole being was somehow being suffocated.
It could only mean one thing… As if she had read my thoughts, Renesmee started crying, echoing the pained cries of her father upstairs…
Her distress hit me like a brick wall, waking me up from my own shock and stupor. I immediately grabbed Jasper, easily lifting him in my arms, and ran outside as fast as I could to my pack.
Seth was beside me in an instant, followed by his sister.
"What happened to him? Where's Edward? Is Bella okay? Jake, what's going on…" I ignored all of their questions, trying to get Jasper to snap out of it, hoping that the distance I just put between the house and ourselves would be enough for him to come back to his senses…
Finally, the shaking did subside, and intelligence began to return to his eyes… Good, I need you to focus… I thought, then realised that he didn't share his brother's ability, and wouldn't hear my thoughts unless I spoke them. Stupid vampires… Couldn't they just have one set of rules?
"Jasper, breathe, just calm down…" I didn't get the time to say anything else that the blond vampire was already in motion, ready to pounce and trying to run back to the house from which he just came.
Damnit "Seth! Leah! Restrain him!" I yelled, grateful that they didn't question my order, and managed to hold Jasper into place as he trashed and tried to get away, but without any real focus or intent.
"Alice… You have to let me go back! She's in pain! I have to get back to her!" he half-screamed, half-sobbed, though no tears could fall from his eyes. Finally, after a few seconds, he gave up and just lay on the ground, trembling…
"Jake… I know what just happened between you and Renesmee… If it was her from whom I was asking you to stay away… What would you do?" he pleaded, looking deep into my eyes for any sign of understanding. My gaze softened and I knelt down right next to him…
"That's why I won't let you go back… Your mate would probably kill me if I did…" I said, smiling a little while remembering just how fierce that little pixie could look in a fight "…The pain in that house is too raw and too strong for you to withstand right now… Edward needs Alice, she's probably the only one who can keep him from doing anything stupid right now… And I need someone who can track down Carlisle, Emmett and Esme fast. Can you do that?" I asked, motioning to Seth and Leah to let him go.
Jasper sat up, rubbing his arms, seeming to ponder what I'd just said… From the corner of my eyes, I could see that Seth was crying, having finally understood what this was all about. Even Leah looked sad. She'd never been a fan of the Cullens, but she knew how it felt to lose someone you loved. She wouldn't wish it upon anyone, even if that person happened to be a leech.
"Jasper, Bella is gone, Edward is in pieces… You heard him, you felt him… Now you guys may be over a hundred years old, but the person he probably needs the most right now is his father… Get Carlisle, then come back as fast as you can. I swear on my life to protect your family… Our family, the best I can until you do. Alright? Trust me…"
For a second, Jasper kept his gaze locked on mine, then nodded, sensing the truth behind my words. When I imprinted on Renesmee, it had healed my soul of any hate or resentment I may have felt towards him, or his family. Renesmee was now my own personal angel, my world, my responsibility. If her happiness resided with the Cullens, then so did mine. And I was willing to fight my way through Hell and back before I let anything happen to any of them.
Then the impossible happened. Jasper hugged me! I mean he truly hugged me. As in: the heavily scarred and usually reserved vampire actually put his arms around my shoulders and pressed my body against his chest in a slightly awkward and affectionate, yet still profoundly masculine gesture.
He must have sensed my shock because he had a slightly amused look on his face when he withdrew from his embrace. "Well, Jacob Black…" he said half-amused, half-solemn "…welcome to the family…" then took off in a blur before I had time to say anything, or recover from my flabbergasted expression.
A slight chuckle coming from Seth brought me back to reality.
"Someone should probably go and tell Sam that you imprinted on Renesmee…" Leah said, having guessed that this was what Jasper had referred to… I stood up in front of her, looking apologetically into her eyes… "I didn't mean for it to happen…" I whispered sorrowfully.
Over the last few days, Leah had become my confidante, my friend, a kindred spirit with whom I had shared my hopes, and my pain. For some reason, the fact that I had imprinted while she had not felt like some part of me had betrayed her. "I'm so sorry…" I said, almost too low for anyone to hear.
"Well I'm not…" she replied, keeping a brave façade though I could see that she did feel shaken by the whole ordeal. "…not really…" she then admitted, her stance relaxing ever so slightly.
"I won't pretend to understand it because I don't…" she declared, a flash of anger or frustration passing in front of her eyes "…but I don't hold you responsible for it, and still am a part of your pack. Now is not the time to ask ourselves questions or dwell on it. Your imprint needs you, and we have to make sure there won't be a feud between Sam's clan and ours. Everything else will be answered in time".
The truth and maturity behind her words stunned me. "Thank you" I said, making a step forward to embrace her. She took a step back, looking at me disapprovingly. I looked at her utterly confused, but then saw her smile…
"Now you're pushing it, Black! Don't expect any hugs and kisses while you still reek from that leech!" she said. Had the circumstances been any less tragic, I would have laughed! Unfortunately, all I could give her was a weak smile. Still, it was enough for her to understand that her statement had had the desired effect.
"I'll get to Sam, and come back as soon as I can to let you know what he intends to do about our two clans, and your new imprint. You boys go back to the Cullens. I'll meet you there".
She then quickly undressed and changed, running as fast towards La Push as her paws could carry her. Jacob watched her leave for a second before turning his attention back to Seth.
The younger werewolf had a pained and guarded expression "You don't intend to fulfill your promise to him now… Do you?" he asked, making it clear that he would face some VERY strong and potentially lethal opposition if he did.
"No…" Jacob admitted, knowing that his feelings for his former rival had suddenly and irrevocably changed. "…but I don't know if I can save him".
With that they both ran back to the house, bracing themselves for what awaited them on the other side of the door.
To be continued…