Chapter VII

Vampires and Dancing are Meant to Be.


Beauty is unbearable, drives us to despair, offering us for a minute the glimpse of an eternity that we should like to stretch out over the whole of time.

-Albert Camus


Sometimes she always wondered why people continued to do things that weren't any good for them, why they would continue to go back to everything that hurt them. Yes as she sat before the vanity mirror she couldn't figure out why she'd ever thought that as she stared upon herself.

She was a complete hypocrite in that moment, she couldn't tear herself away from her reflection, couldn't stop the anger that was beginning to build up as she watched her brown eyes.

Those brown eyes that had cursed her life and had caused her naiveté and pain, they saw human, they saw her mother and so they treated her as such, he treated her as such.

… And she allowed him to.

She didn't know which was worse, being a hypocrite in that moment or allowing someone to believe that she was someone she could never be? She wondered if this was how the evil queens in all those fairy tales felt when they looked upon themselves in their magic mirrors and still couldn't compare their beauty to another.

While she wasn't a queen, and she was of no true royal blood she knew that her family was rather noble and influential in their own community. Even in Forks, she had heard some stories from her cousin Nathanial, how people talked about 'The Cullen's' still to this day despite none had officially been seen since her mother and father had left town those long nineteen years ago. The humans talked of her family like they were the queens and kings of the town; they were prestigious, noble, and royal in their own rights. Yet here she stood feeling less queen like and even less princess like and feeling more haggish than anyone her age should. The mirror showed her nothing of what she felt though; it merely showed her what others saw.

They saw youth, they saw beauty, and they saw her parents. Her high cheek bones, straight nose, the jaw and full lips those were her fathers, her bronze hair color his as well. The curly hair, a courtesy of her grandfather Charlie.

Those brown … brown, brown, mud colored eyes. … Her mother's eyes. She saw nothing of Renesmee she merely saw them. Was she one of those daughters whom faded behind the backdrop of her kin?

She responded to her own answer within her head 'I truly am'. She cracked and she watched as the frown moved upon her features.

There she was, those brown eyes that frown, there she was. 'Bella.' She thought in her head as she stood quickly and screamed while she hit the mirror with all her might.

Once more she stood looking at the reflection in the broken glass.

Now did the mirror think her Bella still? Since she could remember it had always said she was Bella. She can't pretend though, not anymore, it was too tiring, too hard to play her, to play perfect. The mirror didn't own her though, they didn't own her. In the mess of broken glass though she saw a different person, she saw Renesmee. She hoped one day someone would see this person, someone who thought she, Renesmee, was beyond beautiful, whom had beauty all her own, whom was only her own.

This glass though, this mirror, this reflection, she wouldn't allow it, she wouldn't allow them to tell her what she needed to be, who she needed to be. There was no more needing to listen to people tell her what to do, she didn't need to try to compare to anyone any more. She wouldn't allow them to define her anymore, she was Renesmee and that should be the only thing too define who she was.

There was another headache coming and if she continued to linger she was sure she'd die from an aneurysm. Drama-queen right now, very much. Sighing she grabbed her cardigan off the chair and slipped it on as she walked into the bedroom.

Collapsing onto her bed she grabbed her phone and found that the sun was barely going to come up. Could one believe that she had actually slept a whole day away? What surprised her more was that no one came for her, not once had Aro called upon her, and she was grateful, she needed, had needed to rest, she was sure that four hours of sleep a day was not good for one's body or psyche.

… Then again she wasn't completely human so it shouldn't have made any difference how much sleep she had each night seeing as any problems it might have caused would be healed by the time she woke up.

There was a shuffling of feet outside just then and she groaned as she heard the quick and quiet vampire speech, they were speaking in a language she didn't know, but by the way they talked it seemed as if it was a language they had known for a rather long time.

A knock on her door then, she didn't answer, there was no need, the door opened anyhow. The footsteps were soft, barely heard and confident, it was Demetri. His feet seemed to move to a beat that was all his own, it was as if he was dancing as he walked unlike how the others and she merely walked.

"Renesmee good to hear that you're awake". Amusement dripped with every syllable he made and she knew that if she were to open her eyes she'd find a smirk on his handsome face. She was prepared to say something when she heard his voice come from the bathroom.

"Hmm. ... was the mirror not to your liking?" He asked. The memory of what she did to the mirror popped into her mind then and she could barely keep her mouth shut. "No, the reflection was what was not to my liking."

When he spoke next she nearly jumped from her position on the bed, he sat right at the end of the bed then. His words charming and she wondered how long it had taken for him to become so. "I see not why, I believe that you are rather beautiful. … especially considering the fact that you're Edward Cullen's daughter."

She chuckled. "I'm only beautiful because of what I am and because my mother was incredibly beautiful even as a human." There was a scoff and she sat up from her position and leaned against the headboard as she listened closely to his rather lovely and touching words.

"Isabella incredibly beautiful I think not. … I'm not sure who had ever told you this but I know and have seen incredible beauty and your mother is not such. I can agree to her being pretty, actually I would say if anything she is what you would call a … plain Jane; but you don't get your looks from your actual parents … Aro once said that the very first moment he saw you he only saw the beauty of your grandmother in you."

That was completely unexpected, especially if such a thing came from Aro. "Aro thought that Renée was beautiful?" She asked.

The look she received from him was open and she saw a mixture of contempt, pity and amusement all wrapped up together as he shook he spoke. "Not that grandmother … Edwards mother."

She spoke with a surprised whisper "Elizabeth!" Moving closer to him she watched him closely for any signs of misleading. "Aro knows what she looks like?"

"Of course he's seen your fathers mind many a times, have you never seen what she looks like?"

Amazingly enough she knew nothing about her father's biological mother other than she had died in Chicago the same day her grandfather Carlisle had changed her father. There was also the small snippet that her father had given her engagement ring to her mother. Other than that she'd never been told anything about her late relatives from her father's side.

What was worse was that Aro knew Elizabeth Mason and she did not. There was another chuckle and she didn't realize that she was laughing until she saw Demetri's lovely face contort into worry. "That's just fantastic! It's become official, I truly no nothing."

The piece of bed that she'd been holding onto seemed to break apart as she gripped it harshly in her hold and she looked down at the piece of teak in her palm. She knew she wasn't angry with the bed and she wasn't angry with Demetri but right in that moment she was mad? Angry? Furious? … 'No I'm just pissed off.' She thought to herself as she threw the piece of wood to the wall with all her might.

The two of them watched as it hit the wall and destroyed the teak wall revealing the marble behind it. That only made her anger worse, all she wanted to do was destroy something and she wasn't strong enough to destroy a wall like her parents could.

"I'm sensing some anger issues here." Demetri's voice seemed to float in the stillness of the room.

Collapsing back onto her bed she grabbed a pillow and threw it over her face not caring if the Volturi saw her break as she screamed into the soft object. The pillow was torn from her grasps then and she knew that her tears were finally showing.

"All better?" He asked softly. She wasn't paying attention to him anymore as she lost herself in her own thoughts.

Had she truly been living such pretty lies her whole life, had her parents really been so deceiving in their ways to protect her from everything to keep her? She had merely thought she was just running from marring a man she didn't love yet here she lay realizing she was running from her family and all they're lies and manipulation. The worst of it all was realizing that pretending to be happy only caused them to continue in their deceit and selfishness and she'd become so blind that she smothered herself to the point of not being able to see the insanity of it all.

… Right now all she wanted was insanity so badly.

She couldn't understand things anymore and she was beginning to wonder if de-evolution was possible as she felt like an idiot. Everything was inside out and upside down and just spinning and she was becoming dizzy with the truth. She was starting to become sick and tired of trying to explain everything and trying to keep a calm and cool composure when everything was perfectly wrong.

Just right now she'd allow herself to become swallowed by the darkness of her reality and be free from everything and everyone. 'It's official I'm losing my mind'.

There was a sigh and she was lifted up as if she was a mere piece of paper and placed against the headboard gently. "You're not losing your mind love … merely seeing the insanity of those around you" He said gently.

She lifted a brow and realized he did it again, that thing where he knew what she was thinking and before she could say anything about it he spoke up once more with an answer to her thoughts. "You mumble when in deep thought."

She sighed and leaned her head against the headboard. "I don't know how to feel about all of this … I've been living a lie for so long now I …" She couldn't finish as she felt fresh tears and a hiccup come through.

"Calm down, your alright." She tried, tried to control her breathing, to catch her breath. "You know" He continued. "It's merely a lie … my reason for leaving Amun for Aro … Chelsea never had to manipulate our relationship to bring me to Aro" He said as he avoided her attention by letting his eyes wonder anywhere other than to her face.

That caught her attention. "… I … I don't understand" She said softly before another hiccup made its way up. He scratched his head then, still continuing to avoid eye contact, obviously this was not a conversation he was comfortable with. "You see, Amun was a great teacher … amazing really. … As you have seen yourself though he is a fairly … possessive creator. Possessive and jealous and those are two things no newborn should have in a creator. You'd think that he'd be happy to see that I was adapting well into my new life and into my ability. He didn't want that though; he wanted someone that would cling to him as if he were their air, their life force." There was a flash of Kebi's face in her mind as she remembered just how loyal and devoted she was to her mate. Demetri continued on though. "He couldn't handle the fact that I better than he wanted me to be. He feared me and the possibility that I would be the one … calling the shots as you would say. So when I was approached by Marcus I had saw an opportunity that was too good to pass up. … Not wanting to hurt Amun though I asked Chelsea for a favor the first of many might I add, in doing so I gave people another reason to fear the Volturi, to fear Chelsea. … During my first month though I came to realize that even if I had said no and covered up our tracks and ran, even if I was loyal I would never satisfy him. I would never be able to be what he wanted no matter how much of myself I gave."

She stared at him then and she could see the centuries he lived in his bright gem colored eyes, and as she looked upon his powdery pale complexion she saw just how old he truly was. "I can't begin to understand what you're going through. I can tell you what I learned from my own troubles. There will always be people that are envious of you, people who hate you no matter where you go, sometimes it's the people you least expect, you just have to remember to let it be. Unlike everyone else you can live your life not caring what others think of you and that makes you so much better because you will survive unlike all of them" He stared right back at her with a playful smile upon his lips as he continued while lightly tapping her leg "Now do me a favor and stop crying it's truly most unbecoming of such a pretty little thing like yourself".

She smiled softly truly the blonde was something else, something she was sure she'd never figure out. He was up then and he held out a hand for her. "Come now; let's get you out of this gloomy atmosphere and into the world of the living" She looked up at him with a lifted brow as she placed her gloved hand into his own.

"Maybe not the best of words I suppose" He replied with a small smirk upon his features as he pulled her up. He looked down at her with a critical eye before he turned away from her and walked over to her bathroom and disappeared into it.

"What are you doing?" She asked as she followed the vampire and found him shifting through her closet. He didn't turn away from his search as he spoke. "Looking for something other than that to wear" He replied.

Looking down at herself she saw nothing wrong about her apparel, it was in style and fashion. Black leather boots, the pants while not baggy were saggy in the crotch area and she wore a simple cardigan with a simple tank top beneath it, it was all black but she hadn't really been in a colorful mood when she woke up.

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" She asked as she watched him look over her shoes. He answered much too quickly for her liking. "There not appropriate for dancing." Finally He turned to her and pushed the clothes into her chest as he spoke. "Change then meet me outside" she blinked and he was gone and she looked down at the pair of leggings and heels in her arms.

They were black; at least he was considerate enough to allow her to continue with her choice of color.


…Cullen's Residence…

She was pacing and she was biting her nails and he watched and waited patiently for something to happen, anything really. Coming back from Slovenia he had been hoping maybe if they talked about the situation with Renesmee they could figure things out, instead she had walked out of the family room and into their bedroom. He'd waited a few hours before following after and when he had he'd found her exactly like this and it had been an hour since finding her this way and it would seem she would stay that way until her mind seemed to figure out whatever it was it was trying to.

Sighing he walked back into the family room where he found Tanya waiting patiently for them as she looked upon their family photos that seemed to cover the entire room. Her mind a jumble of thoughts and sadness as she looked about the pictures of a child she could never have and the child she had come to love as if she were her own family.

"I take it she's still in her thoughts" she said carefully as she flipped through the pictures. He sighed as he walked over and sat next to her on the couch as he replied. "Everything has been such a mess since Renesmee left and whatever they talked about on the phone has really gotten to her." He explained.

He wasn't sure what was said between his wife and daughter but whatever it was Bella wasn't willing to share with him, and when he'd shown her the letter he could see in her eyes the anger she'd felt about something that had to do with Renesmee.

"I understand." Tanya replied softly as she finally looked up at him. "I couldn't imagine what it must feel like to unintentionally run my daughter off" she continued gently.

He could see in her head that she had meant that to be for both of them and didn't actually point the finger at Bella alone. "May I ask you a personal question?" He asked carefully as he turned his complete attention onto her.

She smiled softly at him as she answered. "Of course, there's nothing I wouldn't tell you." He'd always known that, and she knew he knew it. He preferred it though that he asked instead of plunging head long into such a personal topic.

"Had you ever left home when you were of age?" He asked carefully knowing that her human life was something of a touchy subject for her as it contained memories of her dearest mother. She wasn't shocked though as he saw into her mind and saw the thoughts that floated about it. "During my human times, woman of age weren't allowed to leave home unless they were to marry. … Such thoughts of a girl leaving her home without her family was unthinkable during such times."

Of course they were; sometimes he forgot that Tanya and Kate were from ancient times, their personalities and adaptability made it impossible sometimes to remember exactly how old they actually are. "What about after? Had the thought ever come to you about leaving your mother and sister now that you were capable of protecting yourself?"

She smiled softly and he could see the memories surface to the top of her mind as she reminisced about a time after her transformation from newborn as she waited for her mother to leave to hunt for them before fleeing the small shack they lived in.

"Of course I did. … Just as you did Edward" her smile was soft, warm and welcoming as she continued. "I understand that she is your daughter and she is your child, but you have to understand that the vampire in her is going to be stronger than the human side of her. That vampire in her is going to want to run free and fight and love and live without reservations and consequence. Do you not remember what your time was like after the feeling of being reborn was like? That feeling of just wanting to lose yourself in the blissful feeling of running and that blood of yours wanting to take the reins and exploring and existing in your own way? I remember when I first met you, Carlisle had brought you too us so you could learn our way of life and I remember how eager you were to flee from him just so you could see the world with your new eyes. … That is all this is, that vampire is Rene is just finally breaking free from your hold. She means no harm and she feels she has too and so she needs to, you must be patient she will come back to you. … We always come back."

As always she was so completely insightful and she knew exactly what to say to get that unease and jittery feeling to leave his body. This was the part of Tanya that he had always thought he could be with, but for some reason she would revert back to that other side of her that believed that sex was all that he would need to make him happy that her body and face were all that was needed for a good mate. She was insecure on the inside, but it wasn't her fault, during her times men would only want a wife for strong and beautiful heirs, a cook and of course a bed-warmer nothing more nothing less.

"You should not worry so much Edward, she's fully capable of taking care of herself, you and your family have taught her well just as Vladimir and Stephan have and I hope that somewhere she might have learned something helpful from my family as well. … She's a smart girl and a good girl. There is nothing to worry about."

If she only knew what the dangers were outside of Denali and outside the realms of Vampires and Hybrids. "I do not fear that she can't take care of herself … I worry that someone would take advantage of her innocence. She's still a child and I know I'm protective of her but I can't help it, being a father of a beautiful child is hard enough, being the father of a hybrid is even harder and being a vampire and a father I couldn't stop being protective even if I wanted to" He explained as she grabbed his hand and held it in her own in a comforting manner as she spoke.

"Oh Edward, I told you not to blame yourself I get it, everyone does. Being a father to an exceptional daughter is rough and it doesn't help that as a vampire you are protective of what is yours and she is. There's nothing wrong with that and someday she'll come to understand herself the hardships you must have faced as her father."

That was to true, so true, if only people knew what it was like having to be put in his position. "Besides … I don't think you have anything to fear … while Rene is innocent she's not … how should I put this? …. Gullible? Foolish? … Easy? … I don't think that she will allow someone to put her in a position she does not like without a fight. She's not like human girls and she's nothing like we vampires who are over ridden with stronger emotions than humans can imagine. There is nothing you should have to worry about in that aspect."

"Say she does let someone …. Do such …. Things. … She wouldn't be my little girl anymore, she wouldn't be … Renesmee."

"Edward" She began only to stop short as they heard the footsteps approach the room and stop before them, he faced the pale beauty that stood in the threshold and waited for her to finally speak.

Instead his wife merely stood there and stared at something, something he could see in her eyes that she was not happy with, and he could not say what exactly. Tanya knew it though as he heard her thoughts bounce around his head. ' … There's the look.'

Look. What look? He saw nothing as he looked back at his quiet wife trying to decipher what the older vampire was thinking about, but as the faces of so many women seemed to pass through her mind he found the common denominator. They were all angry, jealous wives of the men that were infatuated with her.

It seemed that now as he looked upon his wife alongside the one woman whom before he was married was not shy about her intentions was joining the ranks of past women that had run off his blonde friend. "Bella" He began only to be stopped as she turned a glare onto him.

"I would appreciate it if you would stop throwing yourself onto my husband" She said with a clipped tone. Tanya didn't seem upset with the cruelness in which she was talked to, she seemed to have already anticipated it as she stood without a problem and grabbed her purse.

"I think I know when I'm not welcomed" She said as she quickly walked her way towards the front door, as she opened it though she turned her attention back to him and spoke softly and sincerely. "I do hope everything with Renesmee will work out for the better" then she was gone out of sight and he knew she was already somewhere closer towards their family's home.

"Bella, you didn't have to act so cruel towards Tanya" He spoke softly as he turned his attention on his obviously mad wife. She stood there with her arms crossed atop her chest and her pose defensive she was ready for a fight and he knew he was dealing with someone that he had not married.

"She was using your vulnerable state to take advantage of you … how could you not see that?" While he'd never seen this side of his wife, he knew when a vampire was not in their right state of mind, and his wife was not. Tanya had been doing no such things.

If there was one thing he could say about Tanya, it was that she was not the type of woman nor vampire to take advantage of a broken hearted parent. "She was only trying to help". She looked outraged and he was wondering if this had anything to do with Tanya at all.

"Help? What would she know about children? What would she know about being a parent? A mother she knows nothing about such things so how could she help?" If there was a reason to breathe he would have sighed just then at how she was acting.

"She's an old vampire, she's been around a long time and has seen many things, even with these sorts of situations" he explained softly. Bella rolled her eyes. "Of course she does, because someone who's knows so much about a runaway daughter tells the parents to let her be, because she's seen so many runaway girls come back to their parents."

Lashing out was obviously her only gateway of release of all that she's been holding in since Renesmee decided to run off. "Bella this isn't you" he said simply. She merely ignored his words as she commanded simply before walking away.

"I don't want to see you with her anymore". Well it would seem that his wife was going to take out all her issues with Renesmee out on the rest of the world including her own husband and mate. This time he really did sigh as he rubbed his neck before walking towards the front door. He needed to get out of the small cottage that was his home and get some fresh air before he started to act like his wife.


… Volturi Castle …

"So you never did tell me what we are doing here in the first place" Renesmee said as she found herself leaning against the threshold of the large ballroom, watching as Demetri shuffled about. He turned his attention back to her with a clap that bounced off the cold marble walls.

"That looks much better". He completely ignored what she had said instead opting for commenting on her changed apparel. He walked over to her then, and she noted how he slid across the large room with a hop in his moves, he was happy about something.

Deciding to go along with him she agreed with him. "Of course you did choose it after all." There was an ego boost she should not have given. She noticed then as she placed her hand upon his that he'd removed the dark coat that he'd been wearing as well as the gloves, leaving him only in a dark gray suit.

She'd never noticed before but the charming vampire was truly something to look at while in a suit, and she could tell that the craftsmanship of the suit was of excellent and expensive taste, it was made to fit his form and hug the contours and sharpness of his lean and long body.

He really should have kept the coat on his body; nobody should look so good in a suit, especially someone like Demetri. "Still have your gloves on I see." He said as he pulled her into his body.

Of course he of all people would want her to have her gloves off, smirking she replied in a cool tone as she looked him straight in his eyes. "Well of course. … I wouldn't want to give such an advantage so early on in our little game".

He nodded his head with a playful smirk. "Of course; your gift would completely ruin what we have wouldn't it?" She laughed softly at him. She shook her head; he was so easy to be with that it was unusual in a comfortable way.

"Seriously though what are we truly doing in here?" She asked trying to figure out what he was up to. He smiled down at her as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a remote she looked about him questioningly wondering why he had a remote in his pockets.

Music started to bounce off the walls and she took note that it was a classical piece, something that she'd never heard before and he pulled her close to her. He was staring at her; she wondered what he was thinking as she stared at her ruby colored reflection, he was something different from what her mother had described him as.

Then again she couldn't exactly rely on her mother's knowledge, the words of a paranoid was somewhat tricky. "What are you thinking of?" She blinked, not completely aware of herself as she felt her body stop in its movements, she hadn't realized they had begun moving. She blushed; she'd never been caught off guard like that.

It was strange, since she'd arrived in Italy she'd found herself more and more in her own thoughts, usually she had always been so alert to the world around her. Always so careful of what she was thinking, fearing what her father would say to her if he ever heard her thoughts, fearing she'd hurt him and her mother.

Life without a mind reading father and a perfect mother was so utterly blissful and she would do right by not taking advantage of that.

Now all she had to do was say something, but should she tell him what she was thinking or just continue on the way they'd been the entire time? She did enjoy their playful banter so she would just continue on that way. So she smiled at him knowing he'd have a quick retort for her on the tip of his tongue.

"Dare I say I'm shocked, here I thought you knew what I was thinking most of the time" and she was right about that quick retort as he spoke up defending his name. "I would never claim mind-reader love; I am just a humble tracker".

"Yes you are just so humble" She replied teasingly. He questioned her once more though, seriously with no way of letting her out of it with pretty worded distractions once more. "Honestly though; what are you thinking of?"

She shrugged her shoulders as she stood there wrapped within his arms. A part of her was comfortable with him and the other part, the part that she wanted to tear apart, the part that trusted, loved and followed her mother wanted to leave the room and never speak to him again.

That little piece of her, that blind sheep only angered her and she had to say something then. "You are not as she said you were".

There was no question as to whom she was speaking of as he seemed intrigued with the question as he inquired with an amused smirk plastered upon his face. "And how exactly does she say I am?"

There was no hesitation in her answer; she had no reason to fear him as most would take it as a compliment. "She said that despite your charm and your calm and cool facade you are positively the worst of them all. She says you are gleeful in your quest of bloodshed and dominancy … and that I should do as Alistair does and stay in the complete opposite direction of where you stand." She shrugged her shoulders once more and offered up her own personal challenge towards him.

"I admit that maybe I should stay far, far away from you and every Volturi member, but I don't exactly feel like it when Aro is such an amazing host" She took in a breath before she supplied her thoughts some more. "Besides so far, I see no charm or cool facade that she told me your were infamous for … I think the Casanova of the Elite Vampires she spoke of was nothing more than her imagination"

He gripped her tight then and she knew he was taking her silent challenge. "Would you like to see what your mother saw all those years ago?" He questioned as he pushed himself upon her his face, his nose, his lips nearly touching her own.

She held back a gulp well it would seem that her mother had been correct in the fact that Demetri was an intense one. Then all she could feel was his hard body, all she could see was his beauty and all she could smell was him, the sweetness that was associated with vampires and those pheromones that were purely masculine and purely Demetri.

Before she knew what was happening she was being twirled out of his arms and twirled back in and this time he was not pushing himself on her and he only frowned. "For someone so small you truly are a testy one" He commented as he returned to moving them around the room.

She arched her brow at him as she replied. "I am not testy" There was an eye roll from him and she was surprised by his smoothness. "Of course you're not and I'm God's gift to humans" this did make her laugh. "Okay instead of asking me questions why not answer my first one this time. What are we doing in here?"

He chuckled as he swayed their bodies across the ballroom floor before looking around the room, looking a bit more bashful than she thought him capable of. "If you must know" He began as he moved them. "Ognissanti is coming up soon." She stopped him there even though he grimaced at her she spoke. "To be exact it's forty-four days away." He tilted his head as he looked down at her and continued on. "Yes, forty-four days to be exact and that is about a week away in vampire time no amount of time for preparing."

Preparing? Did she really want to know what they were preparing for? No she truly didn't but she must ask just for appearance sake. "What exactly needs to be prepared for All Saints' Day … and why exactly do vampires care about such a day?" She really hoped he wouldn't answer her but she was horribly put down as he answered.

"It's a long and old tradition, we celebrate because we wish to, and it gives an excuse to invite other covens to Volterra for Aro to scout." Of course Aro loved his scouting. "We begin the celebrations with the humans, here in Volterra because of the Vampires that are rich in the history many come far to celebrate All Hallows' Eve and Aro allows us to go out during this night and … I guess you could say celebrate alongside the humans. Mostly we scare them".

Yes of course that would be the only reason Aro would let them prowl the streets of Volterra on Halloween night. "We also use this time to get the other covens inside before anyone else realizes that there a bunch of vampires congregating." She really should stop him, she knew deep down that the reason vampires were gather at such a time during was because of something she was absolutely against. "See for us All Saints' Day as you call it is a very special day … we hold an annual Ball". Oh she knew where this was going and yet she did nothing to stop him from continuing.

"There is a feast before the day is over." She should have stopped him, she really, really should have. Holding up a hand she stopped him from continuing any further. "Okay I get it, there's a Vampire Ball, sounds lovely, but it has nothing to do with me. … I'm a vegetarian remember."

He smiled amusedly at her as he spoke. "How could I ever forget? …. That was not the reason why I am telling you any of this though". If she whined right now would she be wrong? "See I've been a bit of a procrastinator this year, see there have been a fairly large number of changes going on and I seemed to have completely forgotten about the ball that's been coming up". There was that bashful look again and she knew she should walk away while she had the chance but instead she just had to stick around and see and hear what she was expecting.

He looked around the room once more and she could tell that he was also trying to listen and see if there was anyone else around that would hear before turning back to her and she could swear that if he could blush he'd be as red as a ripe roman tomato. He rubbed the back of his neck then and she spoke up finally.

"Let me guess you forgot to ask someone to accompany you?" He smiled again as he spoke. "What gave it away?" She laughed softly as she replied. "Everything".

He looked at her then expectantly and she wondered how far she could take this with him. "Well?" He asked her and she stole his amused smile from him as she mimicked him. "Well what?" She asked she faked a scoff at him. "Oh Demetri you can't actually think I'd except after that horrible excuse of asking do you?"

He looked at her with his ruby eyes and she could swear that he was silently pleading with her. She sighed she couldn't reject a person when they looked at her like that now could she? "I will only go with you under the conditions that I will leave before the actual … 'festivities' begin." She really didn't want to think of what she had just said as it had left a bad taste in her mouth.

There was that grin that the Volturi members all seemed to be able to carry again as he gripped her tightly to him once more and began to move then around the room once more. It was then that it hit her, he had never actually answered her damned question.

Placing her foot down she stopped their movements and looked up at him with a glare as she spoke. "You still haven't answered my question. … What are we doing in here?" She waited and when he opened his mouth to speak she interjected him. "And I want my question answered nothing else" she commanded. He smiled at her. "Had your family ever accepted the invitations to our Balls you'd know that as a tradition, the Elite guard and their respective partners take the first dance".

'Uh oh.' She thought to herself as she realized what exactly he was saying. "We have to dance in front of a bunch of vampire covens don't we?" She asked with a frown. What if someone her parents knew were there? Surely Aro knew that if she attended the Ball that word would spread about her being with the Volturi and she really didn't want to know what would happen if her family got the wrong impression. Her being here could cause a great misunderstanding that would lead to a horrible war.

What had she been thinking when she decided to come here? Demetri's voice broke through her walls and she calmed a bit at what he was saying. "We will, there's nothing to worry about though, the covens and nomads that join us are usually … how would you put this … they are … not in your families good graces and they certainly don't care if they are or aren't"

"So I won't have to leave in fear of my family finding me." He smiled down at her as he answered. "Not unless you provoke any of the covens into telling your family where you are" She nodded her head in understanding.

"So no provoking" She replied with a nod and she realized she should have just nodded her head and said nothing. "Not unless Aro gives the okay, in which case either he wants to dispose of the coven or vampire or he just wants to be amused."

She didn't want to go into that kind of conversation so instead she decided to change the subject as she looked around the room and focused on the information he had given her. "So Vampire Ball huh. … what kind of dance are we expected to do? Waltz, Foxtrot, Vienna Waltz, Paso Doble … stop me when I get to it."

"None of the above." He replied as he continued on moving around the ball room she was about to question him when he continued. "See while all those are very beautiful dances … they are all human dances. What we will be dancing is well … only for immortals."

"There's going to be a lot of vampire speed isn't there?" She questioned she wasn't sure if she could keep up with the vampire movements if that was the case. "I have no doubt that you can do it, while you may only be half immortal you are still vampire." He replied with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Haven't you ever wondered why you love to dance?" He asked suddenly as he spun her around and she realized that she never had questioned why she loved to dance she had always figured it came from her father who loved music and dancing.

"See dancing is positively the most entrancing thing in the world second only to us, since the dawn of time humans have been dancing, and since we can remember we vampires have existed, the two of us, we simple mesh perfectly together, we are meant to be. A vampire that does not like dancing is simply non-existent; it is a part of us that simply cannot be ignored. None can exactly say why we love to dance but the only conclusion any of us can come to is because we are meant to be one, we are meant to do it to lull the humans to pull them into the fantasy."

She had never thought of it that way and as his words bounced around her mind she understood, she agreed with him it was something that just made sense, something she could not argue about for it was true, there was never a time she or her family ever denied themselves a dance.

"When we dance amongst ourselves we dance to represent what we are and who we are, we must dance with grace and ease, with confidence and aristocracy. We must dance for the fantasy and for the reality, the horrors and the dreams. We must be vampires. … And so today we shall focus on what kind of vampire you are."

"The kind that does not drink tap" she commented saucily. Demetri inclined his head. "Not what I was talking about … I was speaking not about preferences, but about you as a whole" Her as a whole, well, she was at a complete loss of words as she couldn't come up with anything for her as a whole.

"I'd like to start with the basics. You are Renesmee, you are a vampire and you are a human and you are a girl, let us move to that". She could not dance to such a thing though, for while she was a human, a vampire and a girl she did know who Renesmee was. "But who is Renesmee?" She asked quietly.

Demetri seemed to understand as he spoke. "I know not who she is completely and wholly but I can say what I see of her from my eyes. She is youth, she is smart, she is strong in her ideals, she is lost and she is beautiful"

Of course back to the beauty, she scoffed. "Beauty is merely skin deep and neither of us knows what exactly I am beneath my flesh to say I am beautiful". He looked down there was something in his eyes that she couldn't name and she didn't like the look on him that was directed at her.

It made her feel uneasy and angry all at once. "What you say is true, but I can say I know enough to call you beautiful. You are in a league of your own and you may not know it but everyone here does, sooner or later you will have to except what I say is true" He said softly.

She smiled grimly at him knowing what made her beautiful was the monster inside of her that she refused to let out. "You truly know how to flatter a girl, perhaps if my parents made me less cynical I would actually believe what you said, but I cannot accept it as I am not a fool and I know I am not this beautiful girl that people dream about."

There was a clap in the room and she jumped in the vampires arms as she saw Aro walking over to them with a grin on his face. "Lovely, just lovely, you dance more lovely than a crane or a swan do, the two of you will be the center of attention during the Ball." He said as he stopped before them.

She was let go of as Demetri stopped the music and turned his attention to Aro. "I take it, you'll be stealing her from me?" It did not go unnoticed how the younger vampire seemed so at ease with talking to Aro as if he was an equal.

She would question him later. "Yes, yes, there is much I would like to catch Renesmee up on, I will give her back sometime later" Aro said as he waved his hand signifying that Demetri was good to go. Turning his attention back to her, the vampire bowed before her as he spoke. "Miss. Renesmee it was a pleasure".

Ah there was the charming and elegant Demetri people spoke of. "Truly a pleasure Demetri" she replied as he stood smirking and turned away before disappearing before her. "So I take it today was a good day?" Aro asked as he looped his arm with her own.

It hadn't started out as one, but Demetri had made it better. "It's beginning to become one." She replied softly. "That's good I had heard that the day before yesterday was not a great one, I had hoped that some rest and time away from some of the others would help."

Considerate, she was sure that all said he was not capable of being so. "That was kind of you I thank you for it, it did help with some of the problems". She wasn't sure what he wanted but she was going to tread carefully starting now.

"Glad I could help … Now I wanted to see if perhaps you could tell me some things about this social networking I've been hearing so much about from the other covens".

Oh she wanted to laugh right then but instead she merely smiled at him, trying her best not to let him know how humorous that question was coming from him. She nodded her head as she replied. "Yes I believe I could tell you what I know of it."

She would forever remember this and never tell a soul, it would be her little secret about, it was just too good of a story to tell to others.


So a bit of a short chapter compared to others, but I didn't feel like packing this with so much this time and I was just at a bit of a loss for this chap, but any how here it is. Hope you all liked it.

I would like to say that I decided against putting any Renesmee and Alec in this chapter as I just felt like I wanted to focus on other areas of Renesmee's journey of find herself, and while Alec is a big major role in the story he's not the major role of helping her figure things out about herself as there are many others that are probably better suited.

Another thing, I felt as though when I was going through the previous chapter that my Demetri was way off character so here we get a come-back of the traditional Demetri of the Volturi in a bit of a side glance sort of aspect instead of the full-blown character. I see it as when we are not always the same with everyone we hang around, different people bring out different pieces of us and I wanted to showcase that in this chapter between Renesmee and Demetri.

And yes this is still a Renesmee-Alec story and no there will be no triangle between Demetri, Renesmee and Alec. … Cannot stand triangles so please, please don't ask for it with these three, to many clashing personalities and too much drama and trouble and possibly war to be done if I would do it.

So I would like to thank all those that favorite, my story and added this to their alert list as well as those few reviewed. (A little bummed that I didn't get as many reviews as the last)

Still love you all for reviewing though.

Alycesaundra Mathews

NotoriousNat

FatFaceChey

Alecvolturiswife – Sorry about the confusion I fixed that about that chapter so if you look back at it, there should be less craziness to it.

IsobelFrances – One reason why her books were published and my stories that are my own have not been is because you have to buy an agent unlike in being a model or actress where they find you and get you the jobs before they ask for payment at least from what I've been told.

*side note the name Tanya uses for Renesmee is pronounced Ren-'E' also Ognissanti is Italian for All Saints Day.

Thanks for reading hope to see you all next chapter. – Lady Grimshaw.