Forever
Chapter One
Happy Birthday
Alice fluttered around the house getting all the decorations just perfect. She hadn't made this big a deal of any event since my wedding to Edward. But even I could agree this was a big occasion. Call me sentimental, but it wasn't every day you celebrated the first birthday of your only child. It was Renesmee's first birthday, technically anyway. If you looked at her you would think she was a four year old. She stood three feet tall already. Her slender build was topped off by flowing brown curly hair that, to my dismay, had to be cut or it would have hit the floor. Her eyes were a piercing golden brown. When she looked at you she appeared impossibly old, with the knowledge of a thousand years, yet she had lived only the one. She just gave off this aura of wisdom and beauty.
As Rosalie styled her hair, Renesmee sat patiently, as she always did. She was used to Rosalie playing with her hair. She had little choice in the matter. She had as much luck of avoiding all the glamour and doll perfection as I had before she was born. I would have thought it would be Alice doting over every strand and misplaced curl, but Alice had assumed charge of Renesmee's wardrobe instead. Together, Rosalie and Alice saw to her every indulgence, dressing her up in only the latest fashions. Everyone was at Renesmee's beck and call, and she loved every minute of it.
When Alice finally finished, the house was nothing less than perfect. Pink balloons hung from everything. Matching pink and white roses bloomed in glass centerpieces on the tables, white and clear rocks glistening with the incoming sun. Silverware and white plates gathered around the four tier cake (strawberry and vanilla frosting with cream cheese filling) on the kitchen table, not that any of us would be eating any. Every tier was lined with white fondant and pink edible roses, clear gems like diamonds sparkled in accent. You would think someone who actually ate food had ordered it. No detail was overlooked. Even I found everything to be beautiful, if way over done. The guests would be impressed.
Just as I was admiring all that Alice had done, Renesmee appeared at the top of the stairs. The sight of her took my breath away. My little girl was wrapped in a delicate balance of pink and white. Lace lined the trim of her dress and a pink velvet ribbon hugged her waist. Her hair was up in braids pinned around her head, with just a few curly locks lining her face. She looked like a flower girl about to walk down the aisle. A porcelain doll of pale glass and satin. And as soon as her eyes found me, she glided down the steps and jumped rather unceremoniously into my open arms.
"I love you mommy," she said in her sweet song like voice.
"I love you more," I whispered in her ear. She chuckled.
There was about an hour to kill before the party was supposed to start. Edward, Emmett, and Jasper had left to hunt and weren't back yet. Esme and Carisle were shopping for last minute snacks and soda. Jacob was doing his final Renesmee shopping, buying her much more than she could want or need. For me there was little left to do but sit and wait. I was dressed and had met Alice's outfit approval. The fussing over the party left to Alice and Rosalie. It was nice being left to simply daydream, my Renesmee in my arms, enjoying her warmth against my cold skin.
So much had happened since her birth a year ago. All those events seemed so far away now, but I could see them all as clear as daylight. Not an image or word was lost to my memory. And when the Volturi had left us in peace, it seemed there was nothing we couldn't conquer together. My family. I had grown for so long with no real concept of community, but I could not imagine a life without these people. Things were good. Very good. Possibly too good.
Jacob had become part of the family in that year as well. As if anyone had a choice. He never left Renesmee's side for very long. I thought it would calm down a bit over time, but for this entire past year he stayed focused on her, making sure she was happy and had everything she needed. It infuriated Rosalie to no end, but I have to admit she has grown to tolerate him quite nicely. When it comes to Renesmee's happiness, everyone is willing to do anything to ensure it. And it's not just one sided either. Renesmee loves Jacob just as much as he loves her. To hurt him is to hurt her, and vice versa.
When 4:15 rolled around I was still standing with Renesmee in my arms, she was most content when someone was holding her. I heard the back door open and Edward was at my side before the latch clicked in place. I still missed him when he was gone. Like we were one person, separate us and we can't breathe. He gently kissed my neck and Renesmee on her forehead. She smiled, eyes alight at his return.
Renesmee was like Edward in many ways. She had taken on his love of music and could play the piano like a pro already. Edward had planned on giving her lessons, but she didn't need any. She played by ear, her little fingers, a musicians fingers like her father, gliding over the keys masterfully. And she loved playing too. At first, she loved the applause and attention we all gave her, giggling when she would finish a piece, curtsying, and covering her smile with her hand. Now she played for herself, without any need for an audience. Just like Edward. They didn't need applause. Playing music was something they just loved, something they needed. It made them happy.
Emmett wasn't far behind Edward and already starting with the wise cracks. "Man Alice, have enough pink here? Is this a baby shower or the inside of a cupcake?" he laughed. Alice ignored him with a lift of her chin. When it came to parties, no one could top Alice. She would go over and above what any normal person would do. But then again, Alice wasn't normal. She was special. A vampire with a big heart. Who would'a thought?
Rosalie was quick to nudge an elbow into Emmett's ribs at the comment, whispering, "It's for Nessie so shush it," under her breath. He just smiled. He loved her too. Everyone loved her. This little girl, half human, half vampire. This beautiful vision that kept us all wanting to just please her, to give her anything and everything. They all considered her a miracle, their miracle. Secretly though, I considered her my miracle, my little beautiful nudger. Every ounce of pain I felt, every broken bone, it was all worth it for her. I would have done it again if I had too. I would have done anything for her, and still will.
As the clock struck 4:30, just as I predicted, the door bell rang. It was Charlie. He was always early. Alice let him in and led him to the living room to sit down. This was her party and she was going to play hostess if it killed her, not that anything else could.
"Bring me my Nessie." He said to me in that grandpa voice. As I placed her in his lap, I couldn't help but think of how happy I was that he was still in my life. This past year had been hard for him. With every visit he saw how Renesmee aged more than normal. He wanted so badly to question, to ask us why the heck his granddaughter looked like a school girl rather than a toddler. But he didn't. He kept his questions to himself. In a way, he didn't want to know. He just wanted to enjoy it. Whatever was going on with us was fine as long as he was able to be a part of it. We were all his family now. Everyone loved him, and he loved his granddaughter. He fell under her spell like all of us did. Who could resist her?
Two hours later the party was in full swing. It was a funny scene actually. A house full of snowy white vampires, tan werewolves, or as they were most recently called, shape-shifters (a name Jacob hates), and humans. Of course, the pack loved all the expensive snacks and food. Cold cuts and cheese arranged on platters that could have fed a hundred people. There were all assortments of toppings for fresh bread and rolls. Soda, beer, and all the chips and dip you could imagine. All of it looking appetizing from my memory, but none of it would taste good to me now. It was a guy's paradise. That is, if you weren't a Cullen.
Charlie would always send us looks when he noticed we didn't eat. Like he knew something, but didn't dare ask it out loud. And none of us were ever going to tell him. We would never risk another visit from the Volturi. One encounter was enough, two was enough for a lifetime. As long as Charlie was alive, we would keep our secret from him. It was for his own good. A few times I caught myself considering the prospect of changing Charlie, making him immortal. He could enjoy his family for eternity, never having to say goodbye. Having a grandpa for Renesmee was nicer than I had imagined. The way he loved her and she loved him made me indescribably happy. She could bring a smile to his face I never could. An immortal Charlie would never have to leave her side. But then I knew that I was being selfish. I would want him to change so that I would never have to say goodbye. Every time the thought entered my head, I quickly made it leave. Changing a human like that would push the treaty to its limit. What would Sam or Jacob say to that? Would they suddenly break from being our family to our enemies again? It was all too upsetting. I kept the entire idea to myself, even from Edward. Though he probably knew me well enough to know the thought would cross my mind anyway.
"Okay, time for the presents!" Alice shrieked with excitement and a small clap of her hands. Alice seemed to enjoy this as much as a regular child would. It was sweet, though. Nothing about Alice was ever selfish or self serving. She was the most unselfish person I knew. And she sincerely enjoyed making other people happy. It was one of her best qualities apart from seeing the future.
At a normal birthday party, you would eat the cake first. But it seemed Alice forgot about it. I laughed to myself when I realized it. I didn't dare remind her. It was bound to be just another awkward moment for us anyway. Maybe she did this purposely. No one else seemed to notice either, so I just left it alone.
"Renesmee, you sit here." Alice ordered as she pointed to a chair with more pink and white balloons streaming from the arms than any other piece of furniture. A thrown was probably a more appropriate word for it. A throne for the princess. Renesmee calmly left her grandpa's lap to take her seat. She was so refined. Any other child might run and scream, giggle or squirm, punch spilling down their dress, wanting to open all the presents at once. Not my daughter. She elegantly strolled across the room, smoothed her dress under her and sat down. The perfect princess poised for her subjects, with posture and grace. And we were all her subjects for sure. Every eye was on her as she opened one present after the other, saying a gracious thank you to the giver with her golden eyes saying more than her words.
Jacob's gift was saved for last. It was the biggest of course. He didn't let any of us know what it was either. "No chance," he said as each person asked him for a hint. By now, we were all more curious than Renesmee.
She had to stand in order to open Jacob's gift. It was too big to fit on her lap. As Jacob looked more excited than she did, and all of us more curious, she began to untie the ribbons carefully. Then she meticulously removed the wrapping paper as she had with all her presents. When the paper finally fell away and the huge box was taken down there was a gasp through the room.
It was beautiful. A dollhouse made in the exact image of our cottage. My hand hovered over my mouth, I was unable to speak. It was amazing, actually made of real stone like our home. I don't know how he did it. Each room had beautiful furniture, with rugs and working lights. The little brass beds were covered in soft linens. There was a replica of our room, the living room, and even Renesmee's bedroom. As she looked at it, unable to take it all in fast enough, she jumped into Jacob's arms and squealed, "Thank you Jacob! Thank you! It's so beautiful."
"I thought you'd like it." Jacob said proudly. Everyone was telling him now what a nice job he did, complimenting or nodding approval.
"Setting the bar high. You'll have to top that next year, man." Emmett commented, the only one not murmuring praise. Jacob, who had been beaming under the attention, sent him a sarcastic sneer. I knew he had worked hard on it, so I decided to refrain from sarcasm.
After the birthday song was sung and all the food eaten (even the cake was eaten, although no one made a huge deal over it like normal), the last of the guests left at around 10:00. Renesmee was sound asleep on the couch, her head on Jacob's lap. His was cocked back against the sofa, loud snores coming from his lips. Edward and I sat on the back porch watching the moon and stars. I never enjoyed nature as much as I have since being changed. With my new vision I was able to see every detail, every color. Even looking at the moon I could see it closer than any human could.
"This was a great day." I sighed as Edward stroked the back of my hair.
"Yes it was, my love." He said softly and he leaned down to kiss the top of my head. I tilted my neck so I could look up at him, letting him kiss my forehead and nose. With a smile I pulled him to my level and had just opened my mouth when I heard banging on the door. Our noses were touching as he let out an annoyed breath. "Remind me where we left off."
He got up to answer it, but I followed to see who it was. It was Sam. He looked distressed and was breathing like he had run to get here. His dark eyes went from Edward to fall on me, looking squarely at me. And I didn't breathe. With his eyes on me, he spoke to Edward.
"It's Charlie."
A/N: I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! This first chapter is mainly just fluff to get the story started, the rest won't be as slow and actionless. This is my continuation of Breaking Dawn. So there will be drama and danger, but it is mainly to just keep the story going because I love these characters and I didn't want it to end. This is a collaboration with celticvampriss, where I came up with the story and celticvampriss beta read. This is my first story on here, so I'm still new to writing fanfiction and specialize with technical writing not fictional writing. Reviews are appreciated, I'd like to know how I'm doing and if people are even interested in more from this. Hope everyone enjoyed reading and I will be posting the second chapter very soon. :)
