Chapter 3

"I assure you, Carlisle, I am perfectly fine," Alice promised again, her eyes slanted in Resesmee's direction. "Nessie overreacted."

"But your vision-" Esme protested, her golden eyes drowning in maternal concern.

"My vision," Alice interrupted coolly, folding her bare arms across her chest, "is an inevitable complication, nothing more."

"A complication- the nature of which you refuse to share with us," Edward snarled, running a hand through his mussed hair. "And you're guarding your thoughts. What are you hiding from me, Alice?"

Bella rested a pale hand on her husband's bicep. "I trust Alice in this decision, Edward."

Jasper paced closer to Alice, his arms twining around her tiny waist, dragging her against him. "Alice, please."

"I'm sorry, Jasper, but I can't tell you-any of you," Alice stared at each of her family members in turn, lingering longest on her mate. "You'll know soon enough, anyways." Wriggling free of Jasper's strong grip, she swiveled to smile at her newest sister. "Bella trusts me. The rest of you must trust me, too. I know what I'm doing."

"But Alice-" Carlisle interrupted, his voice heavy with a false-calm Bella envied.

"I cannot disrupt the chain of events. By telling you, I endanger our family."

As Bella spoke, her gaze did not stray from Alice's face. "I trust you, Alice, I do. But even I feel... uneasy."

"Oh, Bella," Alice huffed. "Fine, I'll say this: you're right to be uneasy. Your feelings are not at all unfounded. But if we play our cards in exactly the right manner, we may come out the richer. Now if you'll excuse me," Alice turned away, scampering off in the direction of the Cullens' cavernous garage.

"Alice!" Esme and Jasper called in unison as they, too, hastened toward the garage.

"Well, that was fun," a deep, husky voice drawled from the dimmest corner of the spacious parlor.

Edward let out an annoyed snarl, "stifle it, wolf."

"Whatever you say, pops," Jacob replied, his tone playful. "Your dad's a grump, Nessie. Maybe we should put him out to pasture, yeah?"

"Jacob!" Renesmee pulled free of the arm Jacob had slung across her shoulders and went to stand beside her mother, placing her warm, long-fingered hand into Bella's. "Mom," Renesmee turned her eyes, the color of rich melting chocolate, on her mother. "I'm worried about Alice."

Sometime before her fifth birthday, Renesmee started voicing her opinions instead of employing her own, special form of communication. Still, whenever her spoke, Bella could not help but pause and listen. Renesmee's voice was reminiscent of a thousand violins, weaving Bella's favorite sonata; high and tender and devastating in its intricacy. "I know, Renesmee," Bella murmured. "I'm worried, too."

Renesmee leaned against the high, one-way windows in the parlor where, only hours before, Alice had refused to share the details of her vision. Fiery red and gold clouds seeped into the swirling grey-blue waves of the the revelrous ocean, a myriad of life and color. A soft sigh burst from her chest, fogging up the otherwise spotless glass. She lifted a finger, wiping away the most, careful to not smudge the glass further.

"Ness," hissed a low voice by her elbow.

"Alice," Renesmee replied, not bothering to turn around.

"I'm sorry about earlier," Alice nudged Renesmee's shoulder, "if I scared you-"

"You did."

"I'm sorry, Renesmee,"

"You can tell me about your vision. Whatever you witnessed isn't your fault-"

"That," Alice admitted, leaning her head on the glass, "is not entirely accurate."

Renesmee blinked once, "excuse me?"

"I've been having similar visions for weeks, each more intense than the last. At first, they were muddled, abstract- that happens sometimes. As of yesterday, however, my visions became frighteningly exact."

"Why Are you telling me this? When Carlisle and Jasper asked you earlier, why didn't you tell them any of this?" Renesmee allowed her shock to leech into her tone.

"Because you -like I- will be playing the part of the observer. As with me and my visions, you will have little control over the actions of those around you."

Before Renesmee could open her mouth to reply, Alice tightened her grip on Renesmee's elbow. "No, I'm sorry, but you can't do anything to hinder the events to come. We'd lost hope. Ha! There was no hope to be had. But," Alice broke off, cupping her niece's face, "we've been yearning for this chance for ages. Rosalie would give her life- an eternity with Emmett- for even the possibility. And Esme," Alice extracted her hands and stepped away from Renesmee. "She wants what she almost had. Carlisle wouldn't begrudge her this opportunity. On the contrary..." She closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose. "We covet the one happiness immortality stole away."

"And you, Alice?" Renesmee asked, almost in trepidation.

She nodded, "I, as well."

The two women shared a long look before Renesmee stepped backward from the window and wordlessly fled the house in search of a place to contemplate Alice's ominous divining.

We covet the one happiness immortality stole away.

Alice's words chased Renesmee down the narrow path that led to Astoria Beach, where she stayed long into the night.

-AUTHOR'S NOTE-

This chapter contained quite a bit of foreshadowing- did you notice?

There's a big surprise waiting for you in the next chapter, so read on!. Also, please leave your theories for me to read.

Thanks, guys!