Disclaimer: Believe it or not, I own nothing you recognize here. It all belongs to Ms. Meyer.
And… a huge thank you to my wonderful beta, Devione_Delacour!
Day -9
"Hello?"
"Hello, Mr. Jenks. This is," the woman pauses for dramatic effect, "Renesmee Cullen." She pauses again to let it sink in, then adds, "Jasper's niece."
"Oh, h-hello, Ms. Cullen. How are you today?"
"Perfectly fine, thank you. I find myself requiring a certain service that I feel you could help me with."
"Uh – well, how can I help you?"
"I am in need of three passports and birth certificates."
"Names?"
"Hm. The first. . . Tessa and generic middle and last names. One for Renée, same for the middle and last names. . . . And one for Vanessa Wolfe." The sound of a pen, which could be heard faintly scratching, stops. After a short pause, it resumes.
"Ages?"
Nessie thinks for a second before deciding she can pull it off. "Seventeen. Birthday doesn't matter, but they should all be the same."
The pen stops again. "Seventeen?" His voice sounds a little shaky.
"Yes." She smiles. Good, he remembers. "There is a problem, Mr. Jenks?" Though she won't admit, she very much enjoys showing off her dramatic streak.
"N-no, no problem. Would you like to finish them? I will need pictures, if not."
"I do not believe I will have the . . . resources to finish them. It will work to email you them, yes?"
"N-yes, of course."
"And they will be ready in nine days, by the time I arrive in Seattle. You will receive payment then." The voice, previously warm, hardened.
"I require half befo – I mean, yes, that will be fine."
"Good. I'm glad to do business with you. I will see you on the twenty-second. Have a nice day."
She hangs up and does a victory dance. Yes!
Day -7
Ring.
"Interesting next couple months," Alice answers by way of greeting.
"So it'll happen?"
"It could happen."
"But you can see it?"
"With some effort, but yes. Almost all of it."
Yes! Outwardly, though, all she does is sigh, relieved. Then, cautiously, she asks, "Will you help me?"
"I'd love to! But I have to ask, I'm so curious—why?"
"Why are you helping, or why do I want to go?" Not bothering to wait for an answer, Nessie continues, "It's too crowded. They still treat me like a kid – I never have any space and . . . well, it's a little complicated."
"I understand. Well, he won't find out from me." Alice smiles delightedly. She never could resist a challenge.
"Thanks. Do you think you could call Rosalie and Emmett?"
"Sure. When?"
"When would be best?"
"Probably whenever you leave. Any earlier and he might find out."
"Sounds good. When would be best to leave?"
"Whenever you decide."
Nessie growls. She knew Alice wasn't going to have all the answers, but surely she could at least have some. "Well, that's helpful."
"I can't tell until you decide, sweetie."
"Sorry. I'll call you with details later, okay?"
"Sounds good. Love you."
"You too."
Day -1:
Casually, ever-so-casually, she opened the fridge. Grabbing a bottle, she slipped the note behind a couple containers and turned back to him as if nothing had happened.
Day 0:
Quillayute Airport:
BOARDING TICKET:
Passenger: Renesmee Cullen
Departure Time: 6:05 AM
To: Seattle, WA
Flight #: 8
Board seat: 6A
Please keep this ticket until your arrival. We reserve to cancel any trip if the pilot deems conditions unsafe. Present this ticket to the information desk for a full-refund. Enjoy your flight!
Bank Withdrawal:
6:15 AM
From Account #: 784358459 (under: Edward Cullen)
In: Cash
Amount: $50,000
Seattle-Tacoma Airport:
BOARDING TICKET:
Passenger: Vanessa Wolfe
Departure Time: 7:45 AM
To: San Antonio, TX
Flight #: 8231458
Seat: 24B
"Hello, Alice, how are you?"
"Oh, I'm fine, Esme. Everything normal up there?"
"Perfectly. Nessie is still sleeping, Bella and Edward are still out, and Carlisle just left for the hospital. He really works too many hours, you know, but they do need him. People are going to get a little suspicious if he keeps working such long shifts, though. They're going to wonder if he ever sleeps."
"Have you talked to him at all?"
"Will it work?" Esme asks, smiling.
"Nope. But you know Carlisle, if he can help, he will."
"Yes, I know. It doesn't help when he's gone for so long, though. I think we need to take a vacation soon. My island's been deserted for a while. And it's lonely, what with Nessie spending all her time at Jacob's, and you and Jasper off traipsing across the world . . . we miss you and Jasper."
"Yes, we miss everyone, too. I did call with a favor to ask, though."
"Of course, dear. Someday you're going to call without a reason, and I might just keel over with shock." They share a laugh. "What is it?"
"When Bella and Edward come back, can you tell them Nessie went over to Jacob's? Oh, and try to hint that they should go hunting?"
"Nessie left? My goodness, I didn't hear her. She gets better and better every day, doesn't she. And she called you, too? How considerate of her."
She leaves it hanging for a second, then continues, asking, "Why hunting?"
"They'll need it. I'll explain everything later, I promise, but Edward doesn't really need to know yet, so try not to think about it, please? When they're gone, you can call me again."
"As long as we have a nice, long conversation."
Alice laughs. "I promise. I'll talk to you later."
"Dr. Cullen speaking."
"Hey, Carlisle. We have an . . . interesting situation."
SMS Log: Forks, Washington to Arizona
To: Contact: (Nessie)
Sent: 11:03 am
Hey, what's up? I thought you were coming over. You planning on showing up sometime today? You aren't bailing on me, are you? :)
To: Contact: (Nessie)
Sent: 11:24 am
Everything all right? You aren't in any trouble, are you? Something wrong? Do you need help?
To: Contact: (Jake)
Sent: 11:27 am
I'm fine. Just a little busy. Didn't mean to bail on you.
To: Contact: (Nessie)
Sent: July 22, 11:29
Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know you were doing anything. I'm sorry. Talk to you later?
To: Contact (Jake)
Sent: 11:31 am
I'm sorry – I'm just in the middle of something. You'll find out later ;)
To: Contact: (Nessie)
Sent: 11:33 am
Okaaay, if you're sure. I'll see you later, then?
To: Contact: (Jake)
Sent: 11:34 am
Um, well, I might not be able to hang out for a couple of days, but I'll call you when I can, all right?
San Antonio International Airport:
BOARDING TICKET:
Passenger: Tess Moore
Departure Time: 12:45 AM
To: Mexico City, Mexico
Flight #: 4447584
Seat: 14A
San Antonio International Airport:
BOARDING TICKET:
Passenger: Vanessa Wolfe
Departure Time: 1:15 AM
To: Paris, France
Flight #: 1549858
Seat: 12C
San Antonio International Airport:
BOARDING TICKET:
Passenger: Renée Thomas
Departure Time: 1:25 AM
To: Beijing, China
Flight #: 1526658
Seat: 44B
Day 1:
Forks, WA
He's worried – there's been no sign of her for over a day. He needs a drink. Opening the fridge, Jacob blindly reaches in and surprised, pulls a note out. It's from her, of course – she would leave a note hidden in his fridge.
Hey, Jake!
Sorry, I couldn't go with you today – I didn't want to leave you hanging, but I couldn't think of any other way to do it. You're probably wondering where I am. I'm fine, don't worry.
Anyway, by the time you read this I'll be in Europe.
Jacob almost drops the note in shock. What the hell is she doing in Europe? He quickly returns to it, anxious to find out.
I know, surprising, right? Well, I wanted to see the world, get a little more experience and a little time away. I just need some space, ya know? No one's fault, I just felt a little caged-in.
You should probably show this to Mom & Dad; I'm sure they're going crazy by now. Everyone else knows. They weren't going to stop me. But don't be mad at them! They were supposed to keep it secret.
I'll see you in a couple weeks!
Love, Nessie
He swears loudly. How the hell is he supposed to explain this to Edward, much less Bella?
He goes over to the phone and dials rapidly. Half a ring later, it's picked up. "You've found something?"
"Yeah, and you probably want to see it. I'll be over soon." He hangs up and, carrying the note, runs out.
"You knew about this?"
"Calm down, Edward. She's fine."
"What happens if she gets caught in the sun? Or runs into the Volturi? They can't have forgotten about her. She said that's where she was headed and even if she's not going there first, she's probably going to stop there sometime. And if she does, she won't be able to protect herself against them."
"She'll be fine. Stop worrying."
Unconvinced, he lowers the phone. Seeing his expression, Bella grabs the phone.
"You're going to tell me where my daughter is, Alice, or I swear to God I will hunt you down and make you tell me."
"Didn't she say Europe? I'd assume she's there."
"You know as well as I do she won't be there. Where is she?"
"I can't tell you that, and before you try getting it out of anyone else, they don't know."
"Why didn't she tell us? We would've taken her anywhere she wanted. She had to know that. Why'd she feel she had to run away?"
"Bella, think about it. You treat her like she's still a child. She's not – and she knows it. Like she said, she needs space."
She pauses, trying to collect herself. "I don't care. She's still my child, and there's no way I'm going to let her go traipsing across the world with dangers everywhere."
"Bella . . ."
Click.
Alice sighs. Jasper, sitting across the room, looks up. She answers his unasked question. "They didn't. They're going to try to find her."
"Where's she going?"
"I don't even know. She's being very careful not to make any decisions yet."
She visibly shakes off the strain and smirks. Mischievously, she adds, "I wish I had seen their faces when they found out." They both laugh.
A/N – "SMS" (Short Message Service) is the technical term for texting. A text is a short (160 characters or less) message sent cell phone to cell phone. I don't know if you could have a SMS log, but I'm not sure what else you'd call it.
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