((Welcome one and all to my fan fiction! For those who have read my previous work, I told you my next piece would be nothing like the others. ;) This is Irina's story, continued on which I'm sure you find strange to think about. Emgeal mentioned to me today that one of the things we never do find out is whether vampires go to heaven. That made me want to write a fic on what would happen if they did, but that led me to thinking of anyone who dies in the series who COULD go to heaven. I ruled James, Victoria, and Laurent out automatically. I also decided against the New Borns. Hence, I turned to Irina and started to ponder what happened after her death in Breaking Dawn.))
Chapter 1: The Strange Expanse
Carlisle was wrong…
Of the many confusing emotions flashing through my head, this was the strongest. The wise vampire I'd come to trust had at last been wrong about one of his assumptions. The last thing I could remember was the terrifying features of the Volturi overshadowing me. I could still hear Kate and Tanya in my mind, still had Renesmee's small face imprinted in my every thought. Now I was here, and the only possible description I could offer for my surroundings was the word "white".
Everywhere around me was completely blank… White as new fallen snow and eons more terrifying. There was no way that this was heaven, and I knew that left only one possibility. This white nothingness was my own personal hell. Quite effective quite honestly as I was already finding myself restless and upset by the absolute silence.
In the back of my mind I felt that I deserved this though. Carlisle wasn't the only one who'd been proven wrong tonight… I'd accused my friends of the very crime I hated with a passion, only to find out that I was wrong. I'd given those who'd done nothing but help me in the past a near death sentence without so much as giving them a moment to explain themselves.
In my defense I supposed they were responsible for my Laurent's death, but I had (mostly) let that go. I still found it hard to understand what was so special about that foolish human Bella as to risk the entire coven's life, but then, I'd never really understood the Cullens much. Though their lifestyle fit well with ours, somehow their teaming up with werewolves seemed traitorous.
I had expected to have the rest of eternity to wallow in my self pity, trapped in this solitary dimension, but to my great surprise I was wrong again. A popping sound echoed through my wall less cell, and I looked up in time to see that a door shaped crease had formed in the seemingly endless expanse of white. Seconds later a man stumbled through it, slamming the 'door' with no noise as it disappeared from sight again. Immediately I examined his features carefully, trying to decide if he was friend or foe.
He was a rather short man with untidy brown hair and glasses resting half off his nose. It seemed he was flustered as he hurriedly straightened his white robe and rearranged a glowing halo on his head. Once sure he was presentable, he approached me, holding out his hand.
"Robert Smith," he said politely, waiting for me to take his hand. Uncertainly I did, shaking it once. To my utter surprise we seemed to be the same temperature. Before I could offer my name in response he added, "I've been waiting for you Irina. Just had to pop out for a moment to get a cup of coffee you see. Wasn't thirsty of course, mostly just bored. All the new angels get this job though… It's something of a rite of passage if you will."
I stared at him blankly, trying to sort things out in my mind. What was an angel doing in hell?
"Excuse me though, I'm still new at this." He said, blushing as he retracted his hand. Rearranging his face he spoke as if giving a well-memorized speech. "Welcome to Limbo! You are stuck indefinitely in suspension between heaven and hell because of how you acted in your former life. It is my job to write down who is destined for where, and you were one of the few who was hard to place."
"I don't understand," I told him plainly, still confused as I looked around again.
He frowned for a moment, seeming to think over how best to explain it. "Let me show you what I mean," he said at last. Silently he walked to a chalkboard that had not before been visible, and at his touch, expanded to nearly ten times its original size. On the chalkboard was a seemingly endless list of names with three columns beside each name.
"This is the Chart of Destiny," He informed me solemnly. "It is kept for all human-like creatures as well as humans themselves. Every creatures name is on this census that has ever been alive. In the vampire section, you are placed along with the others that were grouped with you." As he spoke the angel touched three places on the board and it transformed into a much shorter list of names. Now as I read only the familiar names of 'vegetarian' vampires appeared to be read.
"Originally a list for vampires was not needed, though after a few centuries the Angel Council wanted to revisit the topic. It had been observed by a few of the messengers that certain vampires were doing a valid job of being good. Though nearly a fourth of the council wanted to open heaven as an option to all vampires if they behaved well, the majority decided to only allow non-human consuming vampires to enter to the Great Beyond. Hence, we have the list of those that fit into the 'vegetarian' category."
Beside every person's name was a check mark, and as I read through, I realized they were all marked beside heaven. All but one that is.
"Why is mine marked differently?" I asked him quietly, staring at my scrawled name apprehensively. Though I was relieved to see Tanya and Kate had been listed as one of the many vegetarians allowed in heaven, somehow being the only one not invited was awful.
"Well, that's what I was getting to," He said hesitantly.
It was obvious to me that he did not appreciate being interrupted, and I decided not to do so again.
"As I was saying, you have all shown a great effort to not take human life, and for that are to be rewarded. Your square was easily marked for heaven since the council first decided to admit vampires. However, after you made the choice to turn the Cullen family into the Volturi, things got rocky. Had you let them explain, or waited for even a while to find out you may have saved yourself. As things are though, you came very close to killing the only vampires on our heaven bound list."
"Close?" I said in surprise. "So they win the fight then?"
The angel gave me a pitying look as he nodded solemnly. "There is no fight my dear, but it comes quite close. You should be glad that your sisters could be restrained so they could not avenge you… They would have lost in that case."
My mind flashed to Tanya and Kate, both worried even when I had betrayed their friends. Both had still cared as deeply about me as I still did about them. I was not forgotten, and I was glad.
"So I'm going to hell then?" I asked hollowly, "Just because I made a mistake?"
"Well, that's where it gets tricky." He went on slowly. "You see, I wasn't entirely sure where to put you. You didn't necessarily deserve to go to hell for something you have already been punished for, yet you also can't easily be admitted to heaven. I marked you for Limbo until I could get advice on where to put you. After talking with my advisors about it, we have come up with a solution that seems fair for all parties involved."
"What's the solution?" I asked numbly. I wasn't entirely sure I wanted to know at this point.
"Since it was little Renesmee that you wronged, you must make it up to her." He told me firmly.
"I'm going to be alive again? That's your solution?" I asked in surprise. "To be some sort of personal slave to Renesmee?"
"Let me finish!" the angel snapped impatiently.
I blinked, staring at him expectantly. With a sigh he went on.
"You are going to be allowed to return to earth as a ghost of sorts. You will be invisible to everyone and able to go through things. You will only be heard or able to hold things when you choose, and you will be responsible for doing something worthwhile for Renesmee. It can't be small though… It must be something as large as saving her life or preventing her from being hurt. You will have all the angel knowledge you'll need to do this including the foresight of what will happen and the ability to notice danger around her immediately. In other words, until you can redeem yourself, you are Renesmee's guardian angel."
I continued to stare at him, still waiting for more. The catch perhaps… Maybe someone to jump out and say 'fooled you' would have been acceptable. When he only stared back at me blankly however, I realized that I should have listened closer to my task.
"What I did was that bad huh?" I pondered aloud.
The angel only laughed a little, shaking his head.
"When do I begin then?" I asked me softly. The sooner I got this over with, the better.
"Right now."
"But how will I do it? How do I even get out of here?" I demanded angrily. In the second it took me to blink I realized that the angel and chalkboard were nowhere in sight any longer. I was completely alone again.
Just as I considered passing it all off as a dream I noticed something strange about me. I was shimmering in a strange way… Not at all like I sparkled when in the sun. It was almost like a mirage far ahead when you can't quite distinguish what it is. I was there, and yet in many ways I wasn't. Looking up from my curious new skin I realized the white expanse had disappeared before my eyes.
((Also, I would ask that anyone reading this show their support for Stephanie Meyer in any way they can. Recently Midnight Sun was partially released illegally, and Meyer posted on her site about it. It's possible she won't finish the book, at least not for a while, and I honestly don't blame her. I ask that everyone show their support for Meyer's decision and discourage anyone from annoying mails to her such as "0mG F1n1SH M1Dn1GhT SUn 0R 3Ls3" E-mails. This is hard enough for her without junk like that.))
