For the first time in my life, I was happy. Genuinely happy. I've spent most of my life making sure others were happy, but now I can join those people in their happiness. I have Edward, I have Renesmee, and we're all going to live together, forever. It's almost too good to be true. "Careful Renesmee, don't trip!" I said as I watched her chase Jacob around. Edward chuckled and squeezed my hand. I knew it was silly to worry about her tripping; she wouldn't hurt herself much. But I couldn't help it; it was my maternal instinct. I never would have thought that I could love someone as much as I love Edward. But then Renesmee came along, and she and Edward mean everything to me. They're my world, and what makes me so happy is that I know that nothing can take them away from me. Not sickness, old age, or death. We'll be together forever.

As I watched Renesmee run around giggling and chasing Jacob, a bad thought hit me. I realized that there was something that could take them away from me; something I couldn't protect them from. I tried to suppress the thought, but the name rang through my head, filling me with a sense of dread and fear. The Volturi. Our last encounter with them had been absolutely terrifying. And they hardly did anything. It's not what they did that scared me; it's what they could have done. Edward must have noticed my worried expression and immediately asked, "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"Yes, of course, why wouldn't I be?" I said, smiling, "I was just wondering…"

"Wondering what?" he asked quickly. The fact that he couldn't read my mind still bothered him, and he wanted to know what I was thinking constantly.

"Well…If the Volturi are so terrible, why hasn't anyone stood up to them before?" I asked. I had been pondering the question ever since Edward had told me that they were afraid to fight because of me.

"Because whoever tried to do that was immediately killed. People were terrified of them, and with good reason," he said.

"But you said that my ability could give us an advantage over them, wouldn't it?" I asked. He looked at me for a second, and I knew that he wanted to know what I was thinking.

"Yes, it would, but we're not going to go and fight them. We barely got out of the last one! Can't we just have some peace and quiet for once?" he said with a smile. I laughed and gave him a quick kiss. I saw the house through the trees and turned to Edward. "I'll race you," I said slyly.

"You're on!" he said. And we were off. I had been a vampire for a while, but the speed at which I could run without feeling tired still amazed me.

We got to the house at the exact same time. "So I guess we'll call it a tie?" Edward said.

"Nah, I think Bella won," Jacob said from behind us. He emerged from the forest with Renesmee running at his side. She ran towards me and I pulled her into my arms and lifted her above me. She giggled and laughed so wholeheartedly that everyone who heard it felt like laughing with her. "Fine, take her side!" Edward accused, laughing.

"Mom and Dad both win!" Renesmee said between giggles.

"Well thank you Renesmee, I think that settles it!" I laughed. We entered the house, and I put Renesmee down. She ran to Rosalie, who was sitting on the couch reading a magazine. She greeted her with a shower of hugs and kisses, resulting in more laughs and giggles. Esme emerged from the kitchen with a popsicle and Renesmee ran towards her squealing with delight.

As I watched my family all together, laughing and having fun, I felt happier than I had ever felt. But along with that happiness came that terrible sense of dread; a fear that all of this could be taken away in a moment. Even if the Volturi feared my abilities, I knew what they could do, and it scared me to death. I could only protect people from abilities that had to do with the mind; if they found a vampire who could incinerate anyone on contact, I wouldn't be much help. They were the only ones who could ruin my perfect world. I was brought out of my thoughts by a light touch on my shoulder; Edward. He took my hand and led me up the stairs to his room. He went to his CD player and turned it on. A happy, optimistic waltz filled the air with sound. "I think we should try dancing again," he said, and he smiled the smile that I loved.

"As you wish," I said. I felt more confident as a vampire; my human clumsiness was gone. AS he took me in his arms and started dancing, I followed his steps with ease. "See? You were born to dance," he said grinning.

"I was born to be a vampire," I said pointedly. He sighed, and pulled me in closer. As we kissed, my sharp senses picked up a smell and the sound of footsteps. I could tell Edward felt it too, because he stopped kissing me and looked up. It didn't smell like a human, or a vampire, or a werewolf. It smelled quite nice, actually. Not in the mouth-watering way; it smelled more like a flower or perfume. "What's--" I started, but Edward was out the door before I could finish. I followed him, and from the top of the staircase I saw Carlisle slowly open the door.

Standing outside was a girl about my age. She looked completely human. But she didn't smell human. Her scent was something I had never encountered before, and from the expressions of the others, I knew they had never felt it before either. She definitely wasn't a vampire; her eyes were not red or golden. They were a mix of crystal blue and silver, and they seemed to penetrate whatever they touched. She wasn't bothered by all the stares; she walked in as if she owned the place. After a few seconds, she looked at us impatiently. "Well stop gawking and say something!" she said in a flawless British accent. We were taken aback by this, but Carlisle managed to compose himself and comply with her wishes. "Who are you?"

"My name is Lydia. I've come here so you can help me. And you can save the introductions, I already know who you are and what you can do," she said, looking straight at me when she said that last part. I felt uncomfortable in her gaze; I felt like she could see straight to my soul. I looked away quickly. "What's she thinking?" I whispered.

"I don't know," he said bluntly, "Alice didn't see her coming either." That hadn't occurred to me before; could she be like me? Vampire powers had no effect on her? I looked at Jasper to see if he could feel anything. "He can't feel anything either," Edward said. I looked up at him, but he was just staring at Lydia with absolutely no expression on his face. "Why are you here?" Rosalie spat at her. She looked at her, and I didn't even want to imagine the glare she must have given her to make her turn away so quickly. "I already said why I've come here," she said icily, "I need your help."

"With what?" Carlisle asked.

"A Revolution. I want to defeat those bloody Volturi, and I want you to take their place," she said with a sly grin. We were too shocked to speak. Part of me wanted to defeat them, but I couldn't imagine what made her think we had a chance. "I can do all the fighting if you're too scared," she said, "I just need you to take their place."

"What makes you think that you can defeat them by yourself?" Emmet scoffed. She looked at him with that sly smile.

"I'll show you. But first, I have to explain to you what I am," she said. Her gaze drifted to Carlisle, and so did the rest of ours. For on his face was an expression of pure fear, awe, amazement, and dread. His eyes were wide and his face seemed paler than before, even if that was impossible. "Wait….Are you a--?" he started. But Lydia cut him off.

"Yes, Carlisle. I am."