So, Mother-my-Love, let me take your dear hand,
And away through the starlight we'll wander,--
Away through the mist to the beautiful land,--
The Dreamland that's waiting out yonder.
Eugene Field
Bella and I walked quickly back to the house the next morning. Jasper had indicated he would listen to the news releases and, if he was able to obtain any information, make contact with Jenks. Renesmee begged to stay at the house to watch over the baby. She was enraptured with him. The baby had been asleep when we were ready to leave so I was unable to determine if he could understand us. Bella and I were hesitant at first, since we were still uncertain as to just what would happen if she were bitten. Esme had been the deciding factor. She promised she'd stay with Rose and help with the two of them until Nessie went to sleep.
I looked over at her just before we arrived at the river; Bella's face was frozen in concentration. I stopped to turn to her. "Tell me what you are thinking," I asked.
I grabbed both of her hands and draw her close to my chest. We'd decided to not spend the night worrying over the situation. I knew it would be harder for her to follow than myself so, when we arrived home, I made a fire in the stove and we spent most of the evening ensconced in a chair together reading. I could tell the worry had finally reappeared.
"I'm a little scared for Rosalie," she stated.
"Bella, I saw Alice's visions last night. She was trying hard to hide them because she was also fearful of what she might see. But the child is here to stay. Alice can't completely see his future, but she can see Rosalie's and Emmett's. She is going to call him Henry Jamieson Cullen. Alice saw him with Emmett playing ball. He won't be as big as Emmett but he's close. She saw Henry giving Rosalie fits. Alice was enjoying every minute of it. She was planning on being on the computer all night ordering monogrammed baby boy clothes. She decided to hold off on decorating the baby's room, but it was only by a slim margin. I'm sure, as soon as the pack is gone this morning, she'll have Rose tied up for hours on the computer or in a car speeding to Port Angeles."
Bella seemed to relax at this information.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you last night, love. I didn't realize the source of your fear."
She looked up at me and asked, "What did you think I might be worried about?"
"I really didn't know, other than I surmised you would feel affinity for the child's mother and possibly have regret about her life ending in that way."
She nodded. "I have to admit I wonder how she carried him full-term. If the family and Jake hadn't have rallied around me, figuring out my body needed the blood … I wouldn't have made it. I wonder how she did?"
I'd pondered this question as well and gave her my thoughts. "I assume the women who bore Nahuel's sisters were able to survive because of the plentiful wildlife. It isn't unheard of for them to eat raw meat so when they felt a need for sustenance, fresh blood would have been readily available. With this situation, I just don't know. We may never know all the answers to our questions. Too bad we don't have a sibling who can see the past."
She laughed at my attempt at humor. She released one of my hands and we began to walk again.
As we approached the house I looked to her and said, "I'm sure Alice is going to tell the group about her visions this morning but, until then, let's not discuss it where ears can hear."
She turned to me and smiled as she released my hand, then leapt across the river in front of me. When we entered the house, Carlisle met us near the door.
"Jasper was able to get the name of the apartments off the news last night, so he and Emmett left before I knew where they were going."
I could see Jasper on the computer and Emmett on the couch with Rose and the baby. They were both attempting to look chastised, but they couldn't hide their pride at successfully accomplishing their tasks.
Carlisle continued. "They broke into the office and were able to find the file on the renter of the apartment. The information seems to match the information Jacob described about her being young and the only one in the apartment. Her name was Lucy Jamieson. Jasper has already called his contact this morning to get him to search out information."
I saw Bella look toward Jasper. Sensing her mood, he looked up and winked at her.
"Bella this is one of those times my way of dealing with Jenks will probably garner us quicker results."
She hissed slightly at him. Jasper held his hands up and pressed his wrists together, pantomiming that his hands were tied. Bella walked over to the computer, slapped Jasper on the back of the head, earning an "Ouch", and then went to sit beside Rosalie.
I heard Rose tell her Nessie was still asleep. Bella reached over to slightly move the blanket away from the baby's face. Rose began to fill her in on the events of the evening and morning.
"He slept through the night. This morning he woke up hungry, took a bottle and went right back to sleep. He seems stronger though, already. He's holding his body up like Nessie did. He seems as perceptive as she was at this age."
Bella looked to Rose and acknowledged the good news. I had approached the sofa and sat on the arm.
She looked to me and asked, "Can you hear him?"
I acknowledged her question with a quick affirmative nod. Her eyes were brimming with her unspoken questions.
"He is dreaming of you. And his bottle, of course." We all chuckled. "He's a little confused by the situation. When he wakes up, we can try talking to him, and I'll see if he can understand us."
Rose sighed in relief.
"Where did the clothes come from?" Bella asked.
I noticed then the boy was wrapped in a blue blanket and I could see a matching outfit peeking out near the child's face.
We heard Alice's voice as she came down the stairs. "I was prepared for both possibilities when Nessie was born. But he'll only stay in those plain things until Rose decides on a name." She said it with just the right amount of disgust, as if the fact the child spending a second in "regular" clothing was a punishable offense.
Esme had followed Alice down the stairs and interrupted. "Alice, we aren't sure where this will go."
Rosalie answered in a voice painful in its sincerity. "I WANT HIM. Is it so wrong to think he could stay here? Where else is he going to go? The others of our kind don't have the lifestyle it would take to raise him. Look what happened to Nahuel's sisters when they didn't get guidance, like you and Carlisle provided us…like Huilen gave to Nahuel. He'd turn into a monster like his father. Someone who either cared less about the destruction he would leave behind or didn't care enough to think about it either way." Sensing her struggle, Emmett wrapped his arms around her.
Esme rushed over to Rosalie, going down on her knees in front of her and Emmett. She placed both of her hands on Rosalie's knee staring up into her face.
"Rose, honey, please don't misunderstand me. I want nothing more than for this child to be ours. We've gone so long with no change, and then Bella comes into our lives and instantaneously throws everything into chaos."
Bella huffed at this declaration, earning a loving smile from my mother - everyone else burst out laughing in agreement.
Esme reiterated, "Just think of the changes since the day Bella came to Forks. I have new children in Bella, Jacob, and Seth. I have Nessie as my grandchild...and now I may even get him." She looked over to Carlisle for assurance, and a smile quickly ghosted across his face. "Your father and I would've never thought we could've been any happier than when we had just the five of you. Now look at us. I just don't want you to plan too far ahead until we know more."
Then my nurturing, loving, gentle mother rounded on Alice and hissed, "Unless my gypsy daughter wants to go ahead and put us all out of our misery and tell us the future."
Alice's eyes widened perceptibly in response to Esme's uncharacteristic assault.
"I'm put out you've held back on telling us what you saw last night. Don't tell me you don't know anything because you were burning up the Internet lines last night, and I think you probably wore the credit card number keys off the keyboard." Esme stood up and placed her hands on her hips glaring at Alice.
I could hear Carlisle's amazement at her assertive behavior. Hmmm, amazing…she is incredibly seductive when she gets… then he noticed the quirk of my mouth…Stay out, Edward, or I'll turn her on you. She knows you read Alice's thoughts. My eyes even widened in fear of that threat. Carlisle had traditionally been the one to reprimand us over the years, but when Esme's near-infinite patience was tested, my siblings and I ran for cover until she cooled down.
Alice looked around the room, and the little pixie began to vibrate almost imperceptibly. Then she lost control over her thoughts and actions, broke out into a huge smile and squealed, "Yay!" She clapped her hands together and began to dance across the floor. Jasper sprinted over to lay his hands upon her shoulder.
Whether or not it was the hold he had on her, or the incredible wave of peace her threw at her, Alice did finally get it under control. She said, "I can't see everything perfectly, you know how these half breeds mess with my visions. There are a few things that are still blurry, but I am about 90 percent sure he's stuck with us for the rest of eternity."
Although unnecessary, every vampire in the room took a large collective breath.
Emmett blasted her. "Why didn't you just tell us this last night so we wouldn't have to worry. It messed with what little time alone I had with Rose."
We all laughed at the fact Emmett was more concerned about being without Rose's attention, than the fact his sister had just pronounced him a dad.
Alice turned to stare at Emmett and Rose, suddenly solemn. "This is a pivotal moment for you, Rose, as big as finding Emmett. This little boy is going to change everything for you. You deserved the chance to make the decision to keep him on your own, not just because I told you I saw it in a vision."
Then she smiled impishly and looked at the rest of us. "Besides, you know how Rose is. If I'd just announced the fact right then, for all I know, she would have turned all pouty because it wasn't her idea. I slipped up when I made the comment about her getting around to naming him."
All eyes turned to Rose to see her response; both to Alice's announcement and her "pouty" declaration. Rosalie remained frozen for a moment. Then, as if a hurricane force wind had blown across the horizon, breaking apart the storm clouds and revealing the glorious sun, comprehension dawned in Rose's mind and on her face. She glowed from within, and a glorious smile blossomed on her beautiful face as, at long last, she held her son in her arms.
All credit goes to my two totally awesome Betas:
CullenFest - for her patience with me and my anxiety about writing.
Crmcneill - for his mighty red pen, and help in mapping out strategy.
