DISCLAIMER: Several characters within this story and the universe they interact in are the intellectual property of Stephenie Meyer.
CRESCENT MOON
Written by
Horatio Zedekiah Jaxx
CHAPTER 4: OUT OF THE BLUE
For the next four months, the Cullens were nearly exiles from the rest of the world. They trusted themselves to be safe in small groups and pairs in public spaces during the daylight hours. They were confident the Volturi would not violate their most sacred commandment and attack them in full view of mortals, but in the surrounding wilderness, or the desolate spaces of the night, they were loathed to be there at less than full strength. The decision to stay in one tightly packed group whenever possible may have been Carlisle's, but for Edward, it was an obsession. His greatest fear was that some member of the family, other than himself, would come to harm when he was not there to stand between them and it.
During their off hours, which were most of the day, Emmett, Jasper, and Edward took to teaching Bella the hand-to-hand combat techniques of vampires. Edward was determined to develop Bella's combat potential to its furthest extent. He often pushed Bella, Emmett, and Jasper beyond their patience to this end. Bella's fighting skills improved considerably for the effort, despite the fact she remained no match for any of the elder Cullens.
Carlisle withdrew his services as a physician from the local hospital, citing personal reasons for this decision. He'd spent the past four months safeguarding his family from whatever danger he feared the Volturi might throw at them. He'd accomplished this by keeping himself available to guard the house, or for any ventures the family undertook. He considered leaving the area altogether, but only briefly. He knew the Volturi had the means to track them if they ran. He also knew that if he were to assemble an alliance of covens to counter the Volturi, then the nearby presence of the shape-shifters might be enough to discourage a confrontation.
This new level of threat to the family took Edward's sullen demeanor, and expanded it into a full blown depression. The usual playful relationship he had with his family devolved into brief, polite expressions, and devolved again into self-absorbed silence since the attack on himself and Bella. Overwhelming feelings of guilt and sorrow tormented him constantly.
Attempts by the family to lighten his spirits had no effect. Bella's and Esme's concern for him was nearly a preoccupation. They would both go out of their way to try and find something to amuse him. In response, Edward would simply do his best to avoid them both and their humorous devising. Exhausted by her many unsuccessful efforts to relieve her son's anxiety, Esme approached him head-on one day.
"What is it, Edward?" Esme implored of him in finality.
"This is my fault," Edward whispered back despondently.
"No Edward, this is not your fault," Esme quickly insisted. "This is life, and there are always things that happen in life that are beyond our control. All we can do is stand together as a family and weather them."
"A son does not visit harm upon his family," Edward spoke with defiance, as he stormed away from her.
From then on, Esme resigned herself to the idea that she would not be able to provide solace for Edward, and that the only relief for him would be a successful resolution to this predicament.
The Quileute shape-shifters were also on guard for the Volturi, or any strange vampire wandering through or about the reservation. Unlike the Cullens, they were pumped up for a fight, and eager to show off their prowess. Despite this hunger for battle, the shape-shifters closed ranks within the reservation. The brutal beating that two of their numbers, Joseph and Paco, had endured, convinced Sam to shelter individual members of the pack within the fortification of the whole. The past two months had convinced him that the Cullens were far better at protecting the residents of Forks from stray vampires that were moving about it.
Over the past four weeks, there was little for the shape-shifters to do other than wait and watch. The new vampires within the peninsula skirted the Quileute Reservation on numerous occasions, as if they were doing so deliberately. Most of the shape-shifters felt emboldened by this deference to them. Sam and Jacob knew this was simply a tactical decision, and were forever encouraging the pack to stay on its guard.
This new tension among the shape-shifters and the Cullens did not escape the notice of Charlie. Carlisle's resignation from the hospital, the Cullen family's sudden confinement to their home, and Jacob's sudden reluctance to leave the reservation all combined to make Charlie very suspicious about what had happened or was about to happen.
"Everything is okay, Dad," Bella insisted during one of Charlie's visits.
"Everything has changed," Charlie complained. "You, the Cullens, Jacob, Sam, and the rest of that pack are all acting strange, even for you."
"It's nothing to concern yourself with," Bella continued to implore. "We're just doing what we have to, to keep everyone safe."
"Safe from what?" Charlie quickly challenged.
"Dad, please don't ask questions."
Charlie knew he had reached the end of his query, and backed away reluctantly.
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Renee was Bella's only close relation not in distress about anything. Her life in Jacksonville, Florida, was as close to perfect as she had ever known it. She was entering the third trimester of her pregnancy, and was very much looking forward to the birth of Phil's son. The absence of a child to care for, namely Bella, and the addition of a second husband combined to make Renee an eager mother-to-be. She also jested to Bella that the possibility of becoming a grandmother in the near future was a motivating factor, as well, but this was more humor than truth. Mrs. Renee Dwyer was deliriously happy with her marriage, and desperately wanted to make the union complete with a child. A child that was as much a gift for Phil as it was for herself.
Renee learned of the sex of her unborn child the instant her doctor found out, and she was ecstatic to learn it was a boy. Having already raised a daughter, Renee was ready for a son, and all the more so for Phil's son.
The name Phillip Dwyer Junior was very much in contention within the Dwyer household. This was Renee's name of choice. Phil was pushing back for something that did not involve adding the suffix Junior onto it.
"There's nothing wrong with being called Junior," Renee protested with a laugh.
"Juniors are dweebs," Phillip argued jokingly. "He'll be picked on and laughed at all through school."
It was early into the night. The sun had set two hours earlier, and the hockey game they had been watching ended ten minutes ago. Renee and Phil sat snuggled together on the couch in their home, arguing about their favorite subject of late. In her lap was a list of his and her choices for names.
"Phil, where do you get these ideas," Renee laughingly pondered out loud. "It's just an appendage to your name. It doesn't define who he is."
"Names are important," Phil argued back with a smile. "He needs a name that inspires him to do great things, like this name." Phillip pointed to a name on the list. "Conan."
Renee gave her husband an exasperated look. "Understand this, Mr. Dwyer; we will not be naming our son Conan."
Phil took the assertion with a smile.
"Okay, maybe not Conan, but what about Joseph? I like Joseph; it's a good, solid name."
"Joseph is all right," Renee agreed, "but if we're going to go biblical, how about Daniel? I always had a fondness for Daniel. He was beautiful and smart."
"Who's talking biblical?" he questioned in an incredulous tone. "Joe is a good ol' American name."
"Our son is not a Joe," Renee quickly corrected. "Our son will never be a Joe."
Phil gave Renee a laugh and a hug before speaking. "You know this kid is going to be in college by the time we give him a name."
Renee was in the process of returning his hug and laugh when the phone rang. She completed her moment of affection in defiance of its ringing, before getting up to answer it.
"Hello."
A few seconds after answering the phone, Renee's happy expression transformed into surprise and disbelief.
"Where is she?" Renee made an alarmed query.
Phil got up from his seat to stand next to her. "What's wrong?"
Renee was too intent on hearing what was being said by the person on the other end of the of the phone connection to respond to this. Another twenty seconds had gone by before she spoke again.
"Okay, we're on our way," Renee spoke into the phone in a panicked voice, before returning the receiver to its cradle.
"What happened?" he questioned in a concerned voice.
"It's Bella," Renee responded in a voice near to tears. "Bella has been in an accident. We have to get to Forks right away."
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The sun was in its final hour in the sky above Forks. A heavily overcast sky concealed its exact location, but the illumination glowing through them betrayed its general location as not far above the western horizon. Inside the Cullen home, the family members were disbursed and engaged in whatever hobby or study amusing them at the time. Alice was the exception to this. Her thoughts were pursuing visions of the Volturi and Charlie. She sat alone in her room, staring at the view out her window as she sorted through the visions tumbling about in her head.
Bella was in the kitchen, attending to Renesmee's nutritional and academic needs, when she heard a muffled cry from Alice.
"Oh no..."
An instant later, she could hear the sound of Alice racing down the stairs and into the living-room.
"No, no, no!" Alice repeated in a panicked tone.
"What is it?" a concerned Esme questioned.
Bella quickly abandoned Renesmee and raced towards the living room. Renesmee followed her lead an instant later. Even as she moved, Bella could hear the sound of the entire family converging on the living room, peppering Alice with simultaneous questions as they arrived.
"What did you see, Alice?" Edward queried gravely.
"What is it, Alice?" Carlisle questioned anxiously.
"What's happening?" a confused Rosalie asked.
"You okay?" Jasper questioned Alice quickly.
"Hey, what's going on?" Emmett wondered, intrigued.
"What's wrong, Alice?" Bella's asked her question at nearly the same instant the others spoke theirs, but it was hers that Alice gave all her attention.
"Oh, Bella, I'm so sorry. I-I didn't know. I didn't think."
Bella was suddenly frozen with worry about what Alice might say next.
"Tell us, Alice," Carlisle said in her stead.
"Bella, it's your mother. Someone is going to," Alice struggled with the next word, "kill your mother."
"When?" Bella nearly shouted the question.
"I don't know, but it's going to be soon."
"I have to go there," Bella loudly announced as she turned to leave.
Alice quickly grabbed her arm. "It's too late to help her," Alice reported solemnly. "You have to get her out of that house, now." Alice punctuated the last word to emphasize the urgency.
Bella was momentarily shocked by this report. A moment later, she streaked to the nearest phone in a blur. Before she could dial, Esme streaked up beside her and grabbed the phone.
"Let me. If she believes you're hurt, she'll drop everything to get here."
Alice quickly cut in to support Esme's position. "Esme is right. She's not going to hurry if she hears your voice."
Bella quickly relinquished the phone to Esme with a one word remark. "Please."
Esme quickly dialed the phone, and then waited for a pick up at the other end.
Suddenly, Alice turned to look at Carlisle to the surprise of everyone.
"Call Charlie," Alice insisted.
"Why?" Carlisle questioned shortly.
"Renee will call Charlie before she boards the jet," Alice insisted in a frantic voice. "You have to convince Charlie to come to the house right now. His cell phone won't have a signal once he leaves the city."
Carlisle did not waste time responding to this, before turning away and towards the satellite phone in his room. An instant later, Esme got an answer to her call.
"Renee, this is Esme," she announced in a panicked tone. "You have to get here as quickly as possible. It's Bella. She's been injured. There was an automobile accident."
Esme paused to listen to Renee's query.
"She's on her way to the hospital. It's very serious. You need to get here as soon as possible."
Esme paused again to listen to Renee's response.
"There will be tickets waiting for you and Phil at the US Airways counter. You both have to come right away."
Esme listened for a minute, before hanging up the phone.
"They're on their way."
Bella was only slightly relieved to hear this. Apprehension still had its grip on her, and it showed. She looked to Alice for some relief of her fears, but she had nothing to offer. The Cullens settled in to wait. The entire family watched Alice, in anticipation of her next vision.
After a few minutes of doing nothing, Alice began to ponder out loud about the whole event.
"I don't understand why I didn't see this," Alice mused. "The Volturi has been a constant concern of mine for the past few months. I should have had a vision of this sooner."
"You can't see everything, Alice," Esme said in a comforting tone.
"But I should have seen this."
"Maybe it was a last minute decision-just like the thing with Bella and Edward," Emmett threw out.
"But I saw that. I saw Aro give the order. I saw it too late to stop it from happening, but I saw it."
"Alice is considering the possibility that someone else might be pulling the strings this time," Edward reported knowingly.
"Who?" Bella quickly questioned, a hint of desperation in her tone.
"I don't know, Bella. I'm sorry. I don't know."
"But can't you see who's attacking us?" Bella questioned in a more urgent tone than before.
"Alice's visions center around her. The more distant the event is from her, the more removed her visions are from the event." Edward spoke in a calming tone. "If it's too far away, she has to direct her thoughts at it to see anything at all."
"What does that mean?" a confused Bella questioned back.
"I need to know who they are in order to see what they're doing," Alice spoke up in a pleading tone. "I'm sorry, Bella."
"But... but," Bella fumbled out in a confused tone, "I thought you could warn us if anything were about to happen."
"I can," Alice answered with a plea.
"Alice's visions are always about things that are going to affect her in one way or the other," Carlisle instructed softly. "The more immediate the effect, the more likely it is she will see it. If someone were planning to harm one of us, Alice would probably see that as soon as the decision was made to do it."
"I would know that," Alice nearly cried as she spoke. "I would see the moment anyone dared to plot against my family."
"Her visions are linked with her emotions," Esme spoke up softly.
Carlisle closed the distance between himself and Bella, and softened his demeanor as he prepared to continue his lecture. "Renee is not an immediate member of the family for Alice. The decision to do her harm was too distant for her to see it when it was formed. Now that the attack is imminent, she sees the aftermath. She sees the affect it will have on you, and subsequently, how that will affect her."
Alice was nearly reduced to tears by Carlisle's explanation. "I'm sorry, Bella. I should have been looking out for Renee. I should have held her in my thoughts. I'm sorry, Bella. I'm so sorry."
Bella shrank away from this revelation, her thoughts too far away to produce the absolution that Alice silently begged for.
Suddenly, Alice became aware something that shocked her intensely. She suddenly began to back away, as if to put distance between her and what she was seeing.
"Oh no..."
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Renee and Phil were racing down the freeway towards the airport at a speed that was slightly above the limit. It was the middle of the night. A mixture of anguish and fear were expressed across Renee's face as she stared out at the lights flickering by. Phil made intermittent attempts to comfort her with his right hand as he drove with his left.
"Baby, please, try not to worry yourself so much," he implored. "We don't know how she is. It could be something minor."
"She said serious," Renee corrected in a tearful voice.
"She said Bella was on her way to the hospital. So there is no way she could know how serious," he insisted. "If she's on her way to the hospital, then they're taking care of her."
Renee took no solace from this, and continued to stare out the window. Dozens of horrible scenarios were racing out of control in her mind. All attempts by her to stifle these thoughts seemed to accomplish the opposite. Anger at her inability to control her own mind welled up inside her, and finally spilled out upon Charlie.
"Where the hell is he?"
"Who?" Phillip inquired, surprised by her tone.
"Charlie. He should have called to tell me something. I'm her mother. Why isn't he calling me?"
After taking a moment to consider, Phil answered back. "He probably doesn't want you to do what you're doing now."
"And not knowing is supposed to help," Renee angrily replied back.
"He doesn't know you know," Phil rationalized.
"How can he not know?" Renee angrily retorted. "The Cullens know. They had to have told him they called me."
"We don't know that," he responded in a calming voice.
"He still should have called," Renee insisted with a hint of anger and worry in her voice. "I left him messages." Renee broke down into tears. "I need to know how my little girl is doing."
Phil reached out and placed his hand gently onto Renee's arm. A few seconds later, he suddenly snatched his hand back and began patting his pockets. Renee looked over at him with only a modicum of interest.
"What's wrong?"
"I left my cell phone at the house," Phil reported casually.
"That's all right. I have mine," Renee advised impassively.
Phil tacitly concurred with this, and continued to drive down the freeway with two hands gripping the wheel. A few seconds later, a sign flashed by the windows that read, "Jacksonville International Airport, One Mile."
"We didn't set the house phone to forward our calls," he mused out loud.
"It doesn't matter, Phil," Renee implored, sensing his desire to go back to the house and correct these missteps. "I need you with me."
"Okay," Phil acquiesced, and continued to drive towards the airport. Several seconds later, he merged onto the airport exit.
"I'm sorry. You're right. You should go back and set the call-forwarding on the phone," Renee confessed reluctantly.
"It's okay. I can do without the phone," he amended.
"No," Renee insisted, feeling all the more guilty. "I know you're waiting for a call, and you can catch a later flight."
"Are you sure?" Phil questioned hopefully.
"Yeah, I'll be all right. Just come up as soon as you can," Renee urged softly.
"Okay."
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"What is it?" Carlisle asked, as he closed the distance between himself and Alice.
The entire family had their eyes fixed on Alice. Her sudden outburst and shocked expression had everyone fearing for the worst. Bella was the only member of the family who took a half step back in response to Alice's shocked outcry.
"What is it?" Bella implored of a hesitant Alice.
"He didn't get on the jet," Alice reported in a shocked tone.
"What?" Bella brusquely asked for more information.
"Phil," Alice whimpered. "He didn't get on the jet."
"Well, we've... we've got to stop him. We've got to call him," Bella trippingly blurted out.
"It's too late," Alice countered.
"No, no, we need to do something; we need to call his cell."
"He doesn't have his phone," Alice somberly reported. "That's why he didn't leave with your mother. He plans to take the next flight out."
Bella paused to absorb this, before putting Alice to the question she feared to ask.
"Will he?"
With reluctance, Alice softly shook her head no.