Hey...!!! This is my first fanfic so please judge accordingly. Please (please please please please!!!) review. The cold hard truth (except not too cold, or too hard. Just cold and hard enough. ) I will get better by following your advice, you will get better by following your advice, and we will all hold hands and skip off into the sunset. Just do it :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters. Stephenie Meyers does.

It was the first day, the first day of my immortality when my fate started coming for me. I figured they had always known what it would come down to, death one or the other, but there was no way they could have given up. After all, the Volturi doesn't work that way.

It wasn't the first day that it started, but it was symbolic; the first day of forever, the first day they start to try and take it away. Of course, it was planned. Their pride was wounded, and like my mother said, they would want to pick us off one at a time. But in our beautiful, secure bubble, we had never imagined anything would happen, not after the first time. After all, we had my mom, Bella, the shield, and with her we were impenetrable.

But even the best plans go astray.

This is my story.

My last birthday. It was the mantra I chanted to myself as I glided through the door of my bedroom. Today, I am finally eighteen. And there will be no more ridiculous celebrations after that. My last birthday… my absolute last.

As I stopped to settle in the grand white kitchen—a change from the woodsy cottage where I spent my nights—Alice came dancing lightly into the room, her eyes alight in a frenzy of excitement for my special day. "Nessie," she sang to me, "you need to get dressed."

I rolled my eyes and gestured to my pajamas, bright blue pants with snowflakes and a top to match. "This is dressed," I told her serenely. The words… they felt so choppy and pushy on my tongue. Rather than struggling with them, I placed my hand on her cheek and showed her my image in the mirror in my room, as I saw it.

I remembered seeing my bronze hair cascade down the back of my tank top, hanging around my waist because Rose always struggled against cutting it. My pajamas hung loose on my small frame, the bright blue of the fabric contrasting with my pale skin. It was simple and homey, like the cottage, the way I preferred it. This is Nessie, I thought at her. Not… this. I sent her another picture, one of her showing me extravagant, over-the-top gowns.

Alice caught my wrist and pulled it from her face. Her fingers were cool, but very firm. "You are so like your mother," she informed me. I smiled, and remembered something.

Placing my hand on her face again, I dragged up a thought I'd been brooding over. I'm as old as Mom now, I said to my aunt. And I'm older than Dad. I sent her pictures of her brother and sister, Edward and Bella, Dad and Mom. Bella was eighteen, Edward was seventeen, and neither of them could pass as my parents anymore. "I know," Alice sighed. "We'll say you're their sister when you go to high school with us."

Once we moved from Forks, leaving Charlie, I would go to high school. Even with Jake posing as human with us, it would probably be excruciating. All those humans in one crowded place… It would be so different from my simple life here in the white house with my vampires and my werewolf.

I softly withdrew my hand and let it dangle limply by my side. "It doesn't matter," I said to Alice, using the square words that tumbled off my tongue. "I still have a few years before we leave, anyway." I smiled at her again, waiting to see if she would smile back. When she did, the light from the early morning sun sparkled off her teeth.

Alice distractedly glanced into the hallway. "Sorry, Nessie, I've got to go. I need to be at my Porsche in about one minute to see about that oil change…" She sent me an apologetic glance and darted towards the door to the garage, leaving me contemplating my future.

I softly padded out of the kitchen, my walk not quite as graceful as a true vampire's. Not like Alice's when she had danced into the room. I headed upstairs, keeping a slow rhythm and pretending I was human. When I finally reached the source of the werewolf scent, I saw Jake in his wolf form zonked on the floor. Emmett was reclined on the couch, watching a recorded football game. Without turning around, he greeted me with a deep "Hey, Nessie! Happy birthday!"

He had obviously heard my heartbeat. "Morning, Emmett," I replied with a nod, not acknowledging the other part of his greeting. I darted to where my wolf was sleeping and sat down, leaning my back against his giant furry body. He groaned and shifted, but didn't wake up. Guess he really needed those Z's, I thought to myself. Out loud, I said, "Where's Rose?"

"Down in the garage with Jasper, fixing up Alice's 911," was his answer. It amazed me that he never took his eyes off of the screen the entire time he was talking. "Carlisle's at the hospital and Esme is cooking for the party." I shifted uncomfortably against Jake's warm fur.

"Have Mom and Dad gotten up?" I immediately regretted my question. Emmett was known to have a dirty sense of humor.

He snickered and said, "No…" He drew out the o. "I haven't seen them. But it's not like they can sleep in…" He snickered again.

I rolled my eyes. Emmett still hadn't looked away from the flat-screen. "You know what, Emmett? Shut up." That brought on his full laugh, and it boomed in my ears before I turned away, my face buried in the fur of my wolf. Stupid, stupid Emmett. I was breathing in the woodsy scent before I realized that Jake was stirring.

One giant eye blinked fuzzily and then adjusted. It rolled up to look at Emmett, than down at me. Emmett's laugh must have woken him up, I figured. Then Jake yawned, opening his mouth widely and exposing sharp canines. He held the yawn open extra long, probably showing off his teeth.

I grinned and sat up, my irritation mysteriously gone. Putting one hand on the side of his cheek, I replayed his yawn. You don't scare me, dog breath, I said truthfully. This was an interesting thought, because teeth that sharp could scare the toughest of vampires. Go be human, I ordered him. I needed him in his human form for our guests coming today. Sliding my hand away from his cheek, I jabbed the pack of clothes on his back leg. "Go," I instructed aloud, mock serious but unable to resist a smile.

Jake stopped yawning and pretended to growl out me. "Silly, silly," I chastised. "Behave." When I leaned over him, my hair dangled over his mouth. He caught a piece between his teeth and gently tugged it, using it as a leash for my head, until I was bent over and almost on the floor. I laughed at his mischievous expression. "Ew, Jake! I just took a shower!" He let my hair go, and I fell on the ground next to him, taking in his barking chuckle.

We lay there for a minute, two, or maybe five... The only thought in my head was mine, Jake is mine. After all, he was. We were soul mates, marked by the universe since the day I was born. In my mind, it was simply a fact. Of course he was mine. Simple as Mom and Dad being my parents and the Cullens my family.

After indefinite moments, I heard Emmett suck in a breath through his teeth. I turned in time to see his head snap up and his eyes bore into the wall. He was looking in the general direction of the front door. He glanced down at my worried expression and grinned. "No worries, little niece," he told me. "Your parents just brought some party guests."

"Who?" I nudged Jacob with my toe. "Go get changed," I instructed the wolf next to me.

Emmett answered. "It's Zafrina, Senna, and Kachiri." That was nice; it had been almost a year since I had seen them.

That's great. They came early. Standing up, I nudged Jake again and then raced downstairs, not bothering to be slow. In a second, I was out into the grand hallway.

The first one I saw was Bella. Mother. She was gorgeous, as always, with thick dark hair that tumbled down her back like a red-brown waterfall. Her heart-shaped face had a different beauty than Rose's or Alice's, a soft, deep one that made just being beautiful seem cheap. Behind her I saw Edward, Dad to me. He was muscled but lean and elegant, and he was absolutely perfect like Mom.

Zafrina, Senna, and Kachiri were standing in a small group next to them. Just like I remembered, they were wild, beautiful, and… long. It was like they were stretched out, but in a nice way.

I ran to Zafrina, my favorite of the bunch. "Nessie," she cried. "It's been so long!" I put my hand to her face, giving her a silent but enthusiastic greeting. After I had slipped my hand away, I proceeded to give each guest a hug. I barely came up to their shoulders.

A couple of minutes later, when everyone in the family had a chance to greet the visitors and we had all settled down, Carlisle sat at the kitchen table reading the mail. I was nestled on the couch and leaning quietly against Jake, who had regained his human form, when Carlisle froze.

I turned toward him, but Dad and Alice were already there. My ears were sensitive enough to hear Alice's hiss from across the room, but it was loud enough that human ears could have probably detected it.

"Dad?" I said, trying to keep my voice from quaking. Jake's hand ran down my arm, a gesture of either comfort or restraint, but he whispered no soothing words into my ear. "Carlisle? What is it?"

I ran through possibilities in my head. What would have made Carlisle freeze like that? What would be threatening enough? There was only one that made sense: the Volturi.

But then, it can't be that bad, I thought. It's just a piece of mail. Just a letter.

In a swift movement, I was on my feet. Another second and I was standing by Carlisle's side. I stared over his shoulder, looking at the piece of thick, fancy paper in his hands. Embellished by a swirly V in the top right-hand corner, the note bore few words in Aro's hand. But we all knew how much he could say in a small note.

Dear Carlisle & Company, it read…

We are extremely delighted to hear that the most recent members of the family are doing well. Say hello to Bella and "happy birthday" to Renesmee for us; we will hopefully be able to deliver the greeting in person, soon.

Sincerely,

Aro, Caius, and Marcus

"Could they be any more obvious?" I wondered, gesturing to the paper. I heard Dad clench his teeth behind me and Alice uncomfortably shift her weight. Carlisle was still frozen.

Then Alice gave voice to the question that was looming in our minds. "How soon is soon?"

Yes, I know... it's a little long. I'll work on that so you don't have to go sorting through piles of boring dialogue. Or descriptions. Or whatever you think is boring.

Next chapter, I'll put a little more dialogue between Nessie and Jake. I failed to do that this chapter because I was kind of introducing the scene, I guess. Bad, bad, bad, bad me.

But in order for me to do what you want, you know what you must do. This is your mission: Write back and REVIEW. (Pretty please with a cherry on top?) --L