Chapter 1: Good Bye's
As I traced the contours of his perfectly sculpted body, I thought how on earth was I this lucky? How did I happen across this miserable little town to not only marry the man of my dreams, but get to be with him for all of eternity? Edward constantly reminded me that the price was my one untarnished soul, but I never saw the comparison between a life with him or a blood free one. Being a vampire was only an improvement, as far as I was concerned; balance, beauty, powers, and the pure speed….but Edward and his pessimistic look on everything I found perfect, including himself, was a never ending cycle of misery.
"Bella don't you realize we have to move soon?" he pleaded.
"And why exactly is that??" I asked. I loved everything about my life, it was the best two years of a life anyone had ever had, and I was ready to put money on it.
"My love, you do not wrinkle, Renesme is aging to proper elementary age, and we can't have her start school here…Charlie will be very suspicious, as will the rest of the town if our child become a teenager by 4th grade." he always knew exactly what to say and when…and I still pondered when that intellect would come for me,, or if it was a talent you received through years, opposed to mere vampire skill.
"But Edward, I promised Jake we could wait another year or so, so that he could decide where his collegial path could take him, and Charlie will never forgive me if I don't let him take Renesme to her first day of kindergarten…and you he will want pictures.."
"Bella you can't possibly think Charlie is going to be a part of our lives much longer?!" he cut me off mid sentence, but I couldn't finish my explanation, because I did know, and I wasn't ready.
"You are right, as always, but what do I do? How does this work!" I was on the point of tears if this were possible, I was not ready to let go of my dad, and Jake would be heart broken if we moved too far…
"My love it is always hard at first, but we must leave for our own protection, as well as Charlie. I still have the house in New Hampshire, or if you prefer we can move somewhere else, anywhere else to make this easier…" Edward hated to see me hurt, especially my heart, though it stopped beating two years ago last week.
"Well lets go tell Charlie the bad news…" I was very sure my heart would break if it could, but
my head was completely able to differ what was right for my family, opposed to myself, and Edward and Renesme always came first.
Driving was a complete waste of time and gas in my opinion, but Edward insisted on taking the my car out for a drive, since it hardly ever left the safety of it's dust cover in our monstrous garage filled with baubles no vampire ever needed. "This car never get out in the open, and I want you to really appreciate the throttle and speed of it every now and then.." I sighed impatiley, as he chuckled under his breath. I preferred to run everywhere, I even bought a baby carrier backpack for days when Renesme wished to accompany me,
"This is not going to be a good visit…" I simply stated. We always planned to visit just after Charlie finished eating, so that I could do dishes and promptly say thanks but no thanks to leftovers.
When we pulled around to the drive, however, I was surprised to see we would not be the only ones paying Charlie a visit. Out on the street was a perfectly sculpted motorcycle, built for speed and made to look as expensive as it cost. I knew the owner was none other than my best friend, and werewolf, Jacob Black.
"I was hoping to tell them separately!! What is he doing here?" I groaned.
Edward let out a low growl, not in anger but in pure agitation. "Oh our young friend decided it would be fun to try and convince us not to in front of Charlie, giving us no way to tell him the obvious reason. Hope you've thought of some really good reasons for our departure…" Edward was usually the one to keep us out of trouble, so this caught me off guard.
"What do you mean/ I thought you knew why were leaving?!"
"Well love my reasons won't suffice with Charlie, especially when Jacob plans on fighting every reason imaginable." He explained. I let out a low hiss in frustration.
"Alright let just get it over with."
I pulled Renesme out of her car seat, and placed on the ground immediately so that she could go break the ice. She always had a way with those two, and to be honest it was embarrassing how easy two men could fall so completely in awe of my little schemer. "Grand-pa!!" she cried as she ran to the door, only to be met at the entrance by Jake.
"There's our little girl!" he exclaimed. Jake picked her up by the underarms , swung her all the way round twice ending with a triumphant landing into Charlie's waiting lap. "And what has my Nessie been up to all day!" he put a little bitterness on the last bit towards me; I had promised to make it up to the reservation today but never did,
'I'm sorry Jacob, but Edward and I were planning something important, so I'm afraid it took all day." I only gave him an excuse because of Charlie, otherwise I would've told him to shut is mouth, and to get over not seeing my daughter every second of every day.
Edward waltzed in shortly after hiding a very obvious grin. Over the last year my focus was on controlling my powers and directing them away from my thoughts, giving Edward the freedom to read my thoughts, but only recently had it become a talent I mastered. "Bella is everything alright?" he smiled his all too knowing crooked smile I loved.
"Yes, I was just telling Jake here about why were here in the first place." I stated casually. To any other couple this would be an odd way to express one's love, but there was nothing Edward love more than to read my mind, and I was definitely making it difficult for him to concentrate on our task, what with visions of our cozy honeymoon cottage on the outskirts of the property line, or the vague memories of our first night in the blue room….
"Dad…I was wondering if we could all talk about something, something important…" I wasn't quite sure what I should tell him, so at the moment I was stalling.
"Sure Bells, what's up?" He was so busy bouncing Renesme on his knee, he could see my worried face.
"Dad, Edward got a job, a position he has been waiting a good year for and we found out today that he was chosen to run the music program at Dartmouth!!" Isn't that amazing!?" I tried to act overly happy…but I still was not a great liar. Charlie was silent, for what seemed to be an eternity, so Edward stepped in.
"It is a new program to assist those aspiring musicians over sees, actually, so I will be moving around a lot, almost every month, to different countries, teaching abroad, as a reprehensive to Dartmouth. Sadly this means that Bella , Renesme and I will be moving to New Hampshire next month to work our the details."
"Wow. that's…great Bells, Edward congrats son, I don't know what to say…" Charlie was taking this much better than I thought, but of course Jacob would have to ruin it,
"Hey now wait just one second, you really think it's great idea to rip Bella from her family, not to mention moving little Nessie all over without any stable environment? What about your family Edward? Aren't you too close to move so far away? " Jake knew the answer to this, however he wanted to hear what we had come up with.
"Actually Jacob, after we get settled, before my first oversees departure, my family will be joining us in New Hampshire to keep Bella company. The job is only going to last a couple years at the most, but this is a dream of mine that has never been fulfilled and Bella and my family have been gracious enough to endure some vacation away from Forks." Edward knew he had Jake in a bind now, he would have to be better than that to corner my Edward,
"Hmm that is a very thoughtless gesture, and you know what I wouldn't want Bella to lose her family either…what would you think about me joining you for a year before I start college?" Jake had asked the question we all knew was coming, all of us except for Charlie.
"Uh Jake that's a little weird don't you think? I mean whatever, but come on…you are going to move all the way across the country just to be with Bella and Nessie? What about your family?" Charlie was in complete shock, and his reasoning was every bit as logical to someone who didn't know the unbreakable tie between Jake and my daughter.
I answer for Jake this time. "Dad Jake is more than welcome to visit…but this is the start of new chapter in our lives, one we would like to start on our own." Both Charlie and Jake knew that I was directing my words to Jacob, but Jacob still persisted.
"But what about Nessie and school?"
"What do you mean Jacob?" Edward cut in, becoming annoyed.
"I don't know, I just thought she would start school with us, here." Jake looked defeated and I knew this was the end of the questioning, at least in front of Charlie.
"I'm sorry Jacob, but we don't want her to start school here just to be taken out shortly after, that isn't fair to her." I explained. He knew we had won the battle or now, so he dropped it, excused himself out, and allowed us to finish our visit with Charlie. But I knew that this couldn't be the end of our fight, and in the distant corners of my mind, I wondered if Jake would ever give up or if we would someday have to fight for the rights to our own child. I knew the Renesme loved him too, and I knew I could trust him to take care of my daughter just as good as me, but I was worried that Jacob would bring this small move to New Hampshire into a huge custody battle, possibly invoking pack leadership to try and force us to stay.
Departure. Goodbyes. Two things I was never good at, and this morning was the morning I would have to do both. The week had been awful. Jacob had been spending every possible moment with Renesme, all the while guilt tripping me every chance he got. My excuses never silenced him and it got to the point where I threatened to leave in the night with out a word or set destination if he didn't stop. Jacob soon learned to suffer in silence, but Edward on the other hand was another story. He was cradling me in his arms, lounging in our huge four post bed, and I really could think of anywhere else I'd rather be.
"Bella, are you sure you can live through this?" he was always so worried about my health, when he knew perfectly well that I couldn't die.
"Edward, I'm sure my heart and take it." I teased. But, he didn't find it so funny.
"I'm serious! Losing those you love is hard, and this Sunday is the last time you will ever see your father ever again!! I didn't want to tell you this, but in a few months, Carlisle and I decided it was time to die in a tragic accident and.." But I cut him off, in anger and shock.
"What do you mean we are dying!? We can't!!! Charlie will never live through losing us all in one foul swoop! What are you thinking?" I shrilled, losing all composure.
"Love I told you to make sure you knew what you were doing when you fell in love with me, I told you it was dangerous for you, but you didn't listen and now I don't…"
"Oh stop Edward! You and your drama…I love you forever and always, and nothing will ever change that. EVER." I was done fighting with him about what's best for me, for goodness sake we were married.
"Alright my love, well then Sunday it is. And you should probably plan a visit with your mother, to say your good byes." Edward soothed me with his comforting tones.
Laying in bed with my perfect angel was a gift only god could've been so kind as to give me, but my thought were racing through everything to do that day. Renesme would be up soon, so I meandered over to her room, just to peak in to be horrified by my baby's absence.
"Edward! Get in here!" I reached another octave, but he was already beside me wondering what was wrong, only taking him seconds to hear the absence of his daughter's thoughts.
He let out furious growl, something I've only heard when it came to my harm, back when I was bit more breakable, and to my surprise it still sent a chill threw me. "Let's go now." he stated, and we were out of our sweet cottage, on our way to Carlisle.
The house was quiet, no doubt from lack of awareness, but soon our family would be informed on the horrid discovery of a missing Renesme. I cried for my sister, whom I needed most. "Alice!!!" it only took her a fraction of a second to reach us, and be filled in through Edward.
"How did this happen?" she hissed… "how did I miss her?!"
Then it struck me. Who would have the power to erase Alice's visions? "Jacob. It had to be; the wolves would've planned this without us ever being able to see it, and Jake has been desperate to find a way to make us stay…I never thought he would take my daughter!!!!" I was done with composure, I was livid with my former best friend. It was Edward who calmed me out of my fury.
"Love, we don't know for sure if it was him, but wouldn't it be the best possible scenario for Renesme? We know she would be safe, and not in the hands of…" but he couldn't finish his thought, for anything else would be too horrid to imagine.
"Jake has her Edward, I know it…He has to." I knew I was just trying to convince myself of this, but it could really be anyone.
I called over to Billy's but he said Jake wasn't around, and to try at Sam's. Edward was already on the phone with him as well, but he was a no show at anywhere obvious. This eased me surprisingly, for I knew this was a good sign if Jake was hiding. "Thanks Charlie." Edward phone clicked shut.
"Charlie? Does he know where Jacob is?" I was confused, why would Jake ever tell my dad?
"Yes, he said Jake was really strange and said that if we called to tell us he would not be home to say good bye, because he was going on a college tour in Washington." Edward looked peeved, and knew why. Jake wasn't really on a tour, but somewhere hiding my baby.
Where he really was could be anywhere…and it would take forever to figure out even where to start. We were sure he was in wolf form running, so we decided to call Seth, and see if he could get through to him. "Seth if he told you anything, you need to tell us!" Edward was getting anxious, and irritated with Seth's loyalty to a kidnapper. "Yes Seth I understand, but he stole our daughter, and I will not leave him in one piece if I have to live without her for much longer, so really it is in his best interest if you tell me where he is." Edward was trying to stay calm but it was difficult; and I understood how he felt.
"Put me on the phone Edward." I said, not showing my true emotion, afraid he wouldn't give me to Seth. But, Edward just handed the phone over without question. "Seth, it's me, yes I am mad, this is my daughter who was not in her bed when I went to check on her this morning, and believe me I can sympathize with Jake, I really can, but she is not even close to of age and I am her mother, so unless you want me to call the police on our good friend…no Seth not the human police…that's right I will call every vampire friend I have and hunt my best friend until I have her back in my arms…I will call upon the Volturi, if that's what it takes." Edward just started in awe and horror, because he didn't want to involve Aro and the rest of the clan, and neither did I, but I would, if it meant getting Renesme back.
I handed the phone back over, and Edward wrote down the directions to Jake's supposed destination.
