Chapter 2

The serenity reverberating through the island instantly relaxed Jasper as he walked past Edward and Bella's cottage. He glanced inside the window in the living room to see the mates cuddled up by the fire. Bella's head was in Edward's lap as she read another book from Carlisle's study and Edward was absentmindedly stroking her hair as he concentrated on the music he was composing. Jasper left them to their time alone and headed toward the cliff Alice was usually sitting at when he could not find her in the house. Instead, he found Renesmee and Nahuel gazing up at the stars after their evening picnic. Nahuel surprised his mate with a freshly prepared meal that Esme taught him how to make years ago and it was one of Renesmee's favorites. The sound of the waves crashing against the rocks below melded into the soothing music echoing from the small speaker Nahuel brought along for ambiance. The love and desire rolling off of them was so strong that Jasper had to clear his throat to alert them of his presence.

"Uncle passing through," called Jasper as he walked over to them and Renesmee giggled as she perched herself up on her elbow to greet her uncle.

"Hey Uncle Jasper, Aunt Alice is letting us borrow her spot for the evening," informed Renesmee.

"I see that. You two seem to be enjoying yourselves."

"It is a beautiful night and we wanted to make the most of it before the others return tomorrow and the house is full again," said Nahuel.

"It is interesting to me how much you miss Kaya. I knew you would, but you two still see each other practically every other week," observed Jasper.

"We have spent practically her entire life living together and she is the baby sister I am most protective of. I simply worry about her in Forks, surrounded by wolves."

"You know Seth will protect her," assured Renesmee and Jasper grinned slyly.

"Yes, but he is also one of her protectors and it is his job to make sure she is always safe like any good big brother would do. That is how I feel about my siblings and even more so about my niece and nephew," said Jasper.

"Love you too, Uncle Jasper," giggled Renesmee.

"Well I will leave you two alone. I need to go see my mate," said Jasper as he turned to leave.

"Ask Aunt Alice how my grandpa and Sue like their cruise. I hope he is embracing his newfound youth and wealth. Grandpa has always been a bit reserved," explained Renesmee and Jasper winked at her.

"I will make sure to ask her, even though I am sure she is already on it," assured Jasper. Renesmee snuggled back into Nahuel's side as Jasper raced to the other side of the island. Alice's scent called to him from the beach and he grinned when he saw her sitting on a boulder by the water. Her eyes were closed and she sighed in defeat as he approached. The waves of serenity dissipated as he sensed his mate's concern and he immediately pulled her into his arms.

"What is it, darlin'? Trouble," he questioned.

"No. At least I don't think so. I think my visions are going haywire for some reason. It isn't like when wolves are around though. It is hard to explain."

"Well try me," he urged with a charming smile and she giggled as he pulled her into his lap.

"I keep getting blind spots….but not like spots that I can see around or blank visions in general. I could see Zach and Josh at school today. I even saw Carlisle and Esme at home and Seth and Kaya in their cottage, but when it came to Rosalie, Leah, Em, and Jacob, I lost them for a bit."

"What do you mean you lost them?"

"I mean I couldn't see them at all. I just stopped being able to see their paths. The odd thing is that I didn't feel a sense of dread when it happened. Sure, I panicked, but even though I was in the dark, I didn't think they were in danger. I know I am not making any sense."

"Sure you are, darlin'. Look, even when your visions are acting funny you still can rely on your instincts. You have always been able to tell when something is going to happen, even if you feel like you are blind. You have a very strong gift and I am sure there is an explanation for this."

"Oh there is and I will find out. You know I will. I don't know why this is happening, but I have to figure it out soon. In the meantime, I don't want to put the family on high alert unless it is necessary and it doesn't feel necessary….yet."

"So you aren't going to freak out and scream about being blind?"

"No, silly, because I am not blind. I see everyone clearly right now. It was just some weird glitch for a bit and you are right, I should follow my instincts and they are telling me to wait this out. Maybe it was just a one-time occurrence. At least it isn't messing with my visions today, which reminds me, I need to check on Charlie and Sue for Renesmee. You know she worries about them," giggled Alice as she closed her eyes. She suddenly gasped and perked up.

"Well that was unexpected," she said in awe and Jasper frowned at her mixed feelings about her vision.

"What is it, Alice? Are Charlie and Sue okay," questioned Jasper.

"Come on Jazzy, we need to speak with Edward and Bella," said Alice as she pulled him to his feet. They raced across the island to Edward and Bella's cottage. Edward was out the door and frowning at his sister before she could even reach it.

"Why didn't you see it before, Alice?"

"I told you, Edward, my visions are a bit off today and I wasn't exactly looking for it or them. Trying to follow Charlie and Sue isn't as easy these days since they are so lustful for each other. There are some things even I don't want to see," informed Alice and Edward shuddered as he caught a glimpse of a previous vision in her mind about Charlie and Sue immensely enjoying their honeymoon suite on the cruise ship.

"Okay, I get your point, but why are you so calm about this? This could be bad," said Edward and Bella gulped as they entered the cottage.

"What could be bad? Is my dad in danger? Is Sue," questioned Bella, but Alice waved her off.

"Nothing like that, it is just a bit complicated," giggled Alice as she skimmed through her visions and Edward snickered as well.

"You are right, Alice. I definitely did not think of this as a possibility," laughed Edward as he shook his head. Jasper growled in frustration at their vague remarks.

"Will someone tell us what is going on," asked Jasper. Renesmee and Nahuel walked in with matching scowls on their faces.

"Yes, what is going on and why are mom and Uncle Jasper looking worried, but you two look amused," questioned Renesmee. Alice glanced at Edward and nodded for him to speak up. Edward tried to hide his smile as he took Bella's hands in his.

"Love, it is your mother," informed Edward and Bella frowned even more in confusion.

"Okay, you still aren't making sense. You wouldn't look so amused if she passed away, so…."

"Oh she is alive and kicking, Bella. She may faint in a bit, but she will be fine," assured Alice and Edward had to clear his throat to stop from bursting into laughter.

"Alice has been a bit preoccupied lately…."

"And I don't keep up with Renee very often," added Alice.

"And she doesn't keep up with Renee very often, so she wasn't expecting a run-in at the port. Your mother lives in Greece now." Bella's eyes widened as realization dawned on her, along with the others.

"Greece, as in one of the stops on Charlie and Sue's Mediterranean Cruise," questioned Bella and Alice nodded in amusement.

"Let's just say the boys are picking a great weekend to come back to the island. There will be much to talk about," assured Alice and Bella groaned as she put her face in her hands. Edward turned toward Renesmee.

"Your Grandma Renee is coming to visit soon and she will have a lot of questions….about everything," announced Edward and Renesmee shared a look with her mother, knowing that things were about to get complicated.

Renee hummed as she perused the huge selection of jewelry at a market in Athens, Greece. The cool breeze swirled around her and the people buzzed as they haggled and negotiated for better prices for goods. She grinned from ear to ear as a silver Byzantine cross necklace caught her eye. She reached for it just as another hand grabbed for the necklace and giggled at the action.

"I guess we have similar….." Before she could finish speaking, she looked up and was frozen in place when she saw Sue, a much younger, age-defying version of Sue.

"Tastes," finished Renee as Sue dropped the piece of jewelry and blindly reached behind her for Charlie, her eyes never leaving Renee's.

"Dear," called Sue and Charlie chuckled as he turned around to kiss her neck.

"What do you see now my beautiful….."

"Charlie," whispered Renee in utter shock and Charlie's eyes widened as the blood drained from his face.

"Renee," he gasped. Sue and Charlie shared a look as they silently communicated, trying to figure out how to handle the unique situation. Before they had a chance to, however, Renee's legs gave out from under her. Charlie caught the seventy-four-year-old woman in his arms as other shoppers noticed her fainting spell.

"Is she okay? Is that your grandmother," questioned a merchant in concern and Charlie glanced at Sue, who looked just as clueless as he did.

"Yea, why not," said Charlie as he carried Renee to the nearest bench. Sue immediately pulled out her cell phone and was relieved when Alice called before she could even dial.

"Was there something you failed to mention about us going on this cruise," asked Sue and Alice laughed nervously.

"Yea, sorry about that, wasn't exactly looking for Renee. Besides, it isn't my fault. She moves around too much and don't even get me started on the amount of men she has….."

"Alice, help now, ramble later. What do we do," asked Sue as she noticed Renee starting to wake up.

"Don't worry. I am already on it. He should be there shortly."

"Who," questioned Sue, but Alice simply was silent. Sue checked the phone to make sure they did not get disconnected, but the sound of Connell's voice made Sue sigh in relief.

"Aw my wee grandma done fainted again. Charlie, I thought I told you to watch out for her. I was always her favorite you know and now you see why," announced Connell. The crowd that had gathered around began to disperse as Connell wrapped one of Renee's arms around him. Tia wrapped the other around her as Renee came to. Her eyes widened when she saw them.

"Who are you people," she gasped and Connell chuckled lightheartedly.

"Aw, grandma, don't worry, we got you. The dementia breaks my heart I tell you," said Connell a bit louder than needed and more for the benefit of the crowd as they ushered Renee into a nearby cathedral. Charlie and Sue were dumbfounded by the events and simply followed behind them in stunned silence. As soon as the doors were closed, Connell and Tia let Renee go and she shrugged away from them.

"Who do you people think you are? Charlie….I mean it is you, right? But you look so….and Sue….what….."

"Renee, calm down. It is us and we will explain as soon as we get home," assured Charlie, but Renee scoffed.

"Home, what do you mean home? This is my home, at least for a while," shrieked Renee and Sue sighed.

"Please try to stay calm. We don't want you to faint again, do we? I am sure it is not good for you," tried Sue.

"Like you would know! You are supposed to be my age...or at least closer to it, but you look, you look, this is insane. Look at you! I am going senile. I thought I at least had a few more years before that happened," mumbled Renee in disbelief.

"Renee, you are not crazy or senile. I know this is a lot to take, but you need to trust us. Come with us," urged Charlie, but Renee laughed in his face.

"I am not going anywhere with you people. How do I even know you are Charlie? Wait, that is it! You aren't Charlie. You can't be. Charlie is older than me!"

"Then how do I know your name," challenged Charlie.

"Technology is a miraculous thing these days. This is probably one of those scams. You are probably working for someone. Yea, that's it. They found a Charlie doppelganger and knew it would freak me out. You are here to steal all of my money. I am calling the police," yelled Renee as she pulled out her phone and Connell rolled his eyes.

"Alright, no need to get hysterical. I will be taking that," said Connell as he grabbed Renee's phone at vampire speed. Her eyes widened and she gulped.

"What, what are you people," questioned Renee as she stepped away from all of them and Connell chuckled.

"Well these two are complicated, but my mate and I are just your run of the mill vampires," he assured. Charlie threw up his arms in exasperation as the blood drained from Renee's face. She fainted again and once again Charlie caught her.

"Damn it, Connell, you can't just spring that stuff on people! Whatever happened to the most basic rule in the vampire world? Oh and I know you were a guard, you should know better," scolded Charlie as Sue ran a hand through her hair.

"We have to get back to the island before we do some serious damage to her," warned Sue and Connell huffed.

"She is fine. I can hear her heart beating and it is strong. Besides, the wee one said she already knew," defended Connell.

"No, Alice said she was about to find out," argued Tia and Connell shrugged.

"Simple misunderstanding, alright, all aboard, Tia and I would like to get back to our hunt soon," announced Connell. He picked Renee up into his arms and the others stepped closer to him. Within a blink of an eye, they were in the living room of the main house on the island and were surrounded by Alice, Jasper, Bella, Edward, Renesmee, and Nahuel.

"Oh my God, mom," said Bella as Connell placed her on the couch, but Renee did not respond.

"She will be fine," assured Connell. Alice smirked at him.

"No thanks to you. I told you to go get her, not to drop the vampire bomb on her," chastised Alice.

"You told her," asked Edward as he read their thoughts and Connell threw his arms up in frustration.

"This is the last time I do a favor for any of you and by the way, you are welcome….wee one," he said tauntingly and before Alice could jump on him, he and Tia were gone.

"Ugh, that man drives me crazy sometimes. Bella, do not worry about your mother. She will be fine. She does need her rest though so Nahuel, will you take her into one of the guest rooms. She will be asleep until dawn. The others will arrive before she wakes. Charlie, Sue, you can continue your cruise in a bit. You will be docked in Athens for a few days anyways, so this is perfect!"

"Perfect, Alice, his ex-wife saw us in the market and is currently passed out upstairs. This is not perfect," argued Sue and Alice eyed her for a moment.

"Leah gets her pessimism from you doesn't she," questioned Alice and Sue rolled her eyes. Bella groaned.

"My poor mother, I never expected for her to find out, let alone like this. I figured since so much time has passed, she would be better off not knowing," exclaimed Bella.

"I am glad she will know," announced Renesmee as she re-entered the room with Nahuel after placing Renee in bed.

"Renesmee, how can you say that," asked Bella.

"Because now she can actually get to know me, just like grandpa does," defended Renesmee and Bella slowly nodded.

"Yes, but you will have to experience loss this time because she is not like grandpa. There is no more water from the Fountain of Youth or a miracle cure for old age. She will die soon and I wanted to protect you from that," explained Bella.

"I know that mom, but I think it is better to at least know who she is before I no longer have that chance," assured Renesmee. Edward kissed the top of his daughter's head and grinned crookedly.

"She is right, love. Maybe this is a blessing in disguise," added Edward and Bella glanced at Alice, who nodded.

"She can handle this, even at her age. You know I wouldn't put her in danger," assured Alice as she hugged Bella.

"When will she wake up," asked Bella and Alice giggled.

"She needs to sleep off the shock….and the alcohol. Your mother sure does know how to party."

"Alcohol, I was so worried about her having a heart attack from the shock that I didn't even notice the smell on her," said Bella. Edward winked at his wife.

"No worries, love. Your mother will be just fine. She has seen plenty in her lifetime. This will be just another milestone for her," chuckled Edward.