A/N: Hi again! So I've been updating REALLY frequently lately, I know… but that's because there are parts of the story I'm really itching to write and (after this chapter) I will be able to start! Yayyyy! In case people were wondering the exact reactions of the Cullens to the relationship (since I had no real opportunity to write it), Esme and Carlisle were kind of like "Oh… wow. Okay.", Alice immediately started thinking of what style of wedding dress would look good on Nessie, Emmett thought the whole thing was hysterical, Jasper was kind of a mixture of total confusion and mild disgust, and Rosalie was about ready to vomit (if she were able to). I'm sure you guys could have probably guessed on your own though. Enjoy the new chapter!
Chapter Six
Jacob breathed a sigh of relief. Bella's words had managed to lift some of the tension in the air. Rosalie and Edward were the only ones whose icy expressions remained completely unchanged. Nessie shifted to rest her opposite hand on Jacob's face and reached with the other for her father's hand, squeezing it gently. Her expression was both apologetic and pleading and Edward's eyes finally softened as they met hers.
Nessie smiled, relieved, and resumed stroking Jacob's soft hair. She turned toward her mother, nodding. "Mom, it's … amazing to see you again, all of you…" She beamed at the faces of her family, some of the tears from their earlier reunion threatening to return. She blinked a few times before continuing. "I can't tell you how many times I've dreamed of this… both of us did." Nessie smiled warmly down at Jacob for a moment.
"But this was definitely a surprise - I mean, we were sure we'd never see any of you again… So yes, we'd love to know what happened… and why you waited all this time to find us." Her smile faltered slightly. They had been alive, all this time, and yet never once had they tried to contact her. Why let her and Jacob suffer for so long?
Edward shook his head sadly as he heard the thought in Nessie's mind. "We can explain, I promise." He assured her. His eyes met Bella's for a moment and he nodded for her to begin.
Bella took a deep breath faced her daughter, her eyes occasionally flickering down towards Jacob's as she spoke. "Well, they began the attack just seconds after you started running; before you even hit the trees, Aro gave the signal. They tried using their powers to weaken us, at first…"
"But your mother wouldn't let them." Edward added proudly. "They couldn't touch us." Nessie smiled at Bella in admiration.
She shook her head. "No… they could touch us… and they did. Once they realized their mental attacks useless, they went the more… traditional route." Bella shuddered slightly.
"How bad?"Jacob finally spoke, his eyes full of concern.
"Better than any of us had anticipated, actually." It was Carlisle who spoke this time. "I know what they're capable of, Jacob. I was prepared to die that day." He sighed heavily. "I expected worse. Much worse."
Jacob's anxiety lessened slightly. "Well… How'd we do?"
"Only Demetri." Edward replied, sounding disappointed. "But he was the one we were after… he posed the biggest threat to both of you." He smiled slightly at his brother. "Emmett and I took care of him."
Emmett chuckled in reply. "It was fun." He began to laugh again, louder this time, but was cut off by a harsh look from Rosalie. "Sorry." He muttered. "Anyway, it was actually going pretty well… we almost got Felix too, but…" His voice trailed off suddenly and his usual grin vanished. All of the Cullens went silent, looking uncertain.
Jacob's relief that the tracker had been killed was immediately overshadowed by a sinking feeling in his stomach. "What is it?" He demanded suddenly. "What happened?"
"Stay calm, Jake." Bella leaned toward him, touching his arm gently. "It's not as bad as it sounds, but… Well, Seth was helping Edward with Felix while Emmett was finishing up with Demetri…"
"You would have been really proud of him, Jacob." Edward smiled weakly. "He got Felix in the perfect position for me to finish him off, but…" He hesitated a moment. "Felix bit him." He closed his eyes, fearing Jacob's reaction.
"What?!" Jacob cried, refusing to believe what he'd just heard. Vampire venom was extremely lethal to the wolves; the moment it reached their hearts, there was no hope.
"Is he okay?!" Nessie demanded.
"He's fine." Edward assured them.
Carlisle took a step forward. "The moment I saw it happen, I knew I had to act quickly. Seth was strong enough to run toward the trees, and I followed, of course. He phased back into a human, to make it easier for me, I suppose. I didn't even pause to think… and I'm glad I didn't, or I may have been too late. I managed to get the venom out before it had spread too far, but it had already done some damage…"
Jacob's eyes narrowed. "What kind of damage?"
"His leg was already injured when he was bitten." Carlisle explained. "And the venom… prevented it from healing properly."
Bella saw the panic in Jacob's eyes and cut in, trying to reassure him. "He can still walk and run, and all the things he used to do… it's just harder for him now." She sighed. "He hates not being as fast as he used to be…"
Jacob closed his eyes sadly. Seth was such a good kid… what had he ever done to deserve something like that?
"But Seth's injury brought other complications too." Edward brought the conversation back to the original point. "The Volturi saw it as a perfect opportunity to take out Seth and Carlisle at the same time… two birds with one stone."
"So the rest of us had to pull back, toward the edge of the trees, to protect them while Carlisle was working on Seth." Bella told them. "It really limited us… with most of us clustered together like that, we were easy targets." There was a strange sadness in her voice as she spoke.
Nessie understood immediately. "Who?" She whispered.
"Maggie …" Bella took a deep breath. "And Tanya."
The rest of the Cullens became particularly solemn as she spoke the second name, Carlisle more than the others. Silent tears fell down Nessie's face as she remembered the faces of the friends who had come to defend her… who had given their lives doing so.
Edward cleared his throat, fighting his emotions. "Garrett was injured pretty severely as well… but our kind are able to heal very easily, if given the chance…"
"So…" Jacob said slowly. "What stopped the attack?"
Six sets of golden eyes flashed immediately toward Jasper and Alice. They hesitated a moment, exchanging a look. "We came back." Jasper began. "It was very difficult… I'd never had to push my power so far before. But I was able to calm everyone at least enough to notice our arrival. Aro was curious, so he called for a halt in the attack."
"But you left us…" Nessie shook her head, confused. "Why did you decide to come back all of a sudden?"
Alice was the one who explained. "We never wanted to leave you… but we knew a way we might have been able to persuade the Volturi… and it worked." She paused. "Renesmee, you are not the only one of your kind."
Nessie's eyes widened. "What are you saying?" She'd always assumed she was totally unique… a freak. Could it really be that she was not alone in the world?
"There are others like you in existence." Alice continued. "We were able to track down one of them… his name is Nahuel. I'm surprised you've never run into him or his sisters… they live very close by."
"We don't get out much." Jacob muttered vaguely, still shocked by the revelation.
"What was he like?" Nessie asked eagerly.
"Very much like you…" Her father explained. "He has a heartbeat. He sleeps and eats, but prefers to drink blood. His body temperature is very high..."
"And how old was he?"
Edward smiled. "One hundred and fifty. He stopped aging once he reached full maturity." He eyed his daughter significantly.
Jacob leaned his head back, wearing a distinct "I-told-you-so" expression. Nessie shoved his shoulder playfully, thrilled at the news. So they really could be together forever…
"It was enough to prove to Aro that you posed no threat." Carlisle spoke again. "He apologized for the 'inconvenience' and they left." He said simply.
Nessie's eyebrows pulled together. "So why didn't you contact us? Mom, you knew exactly where we'd be!"
The Cullens fell into another uneasy silence. Jacob was growing impatient. Why all the build-up?
It was Bella who finally spoke. "Well… not all of the Volturi were totally content with just leaving. Some of them wanted to continue the fight… to try and hunt you down. Caius in particular…"
"I could see a plan forming in his head." Edward explained. "He knew they'd lost Demetri, but he was so determined… he refused to accept that you were not a danger to our kind." He sighed heavily. "Aro overruled him, of course. But I could see that he was not willing to give up so easily…
"We decided it would be best to go on with our lives, pretending we did not know where you were. Even something as innocent as a phone call or letter could be easily traced, especially by those as powerful as the Volturi. We couldn't risk Caius learning of your location. If Aro ever decided to change his mind, you'd be as good as dead."
Jacob could sense something Edward was not telling them. "But you're here now…" His brow furrowed suspiciously.
Alice moved forward slightly. "I've been getting these… flickers lately. Caius is planning something. He's gathering together some of the guard… he wants to try to find you himself, without Aro's permission." She shook her head. "I can't understand why he waited until now… but I can see him preparing – he should be ready to act any day now…"
Nessie's face paled as Jacob shifted to kneel before her, holding both of her hands in his. His eyes were fierce and protective. "But Demetri's gone… they've lost their tracker!" Jacob's voice was hopeful. There was no way he'd let anyone lay a hand on Nessie.
"They have someone new." Edward said softly. "Not nearly as skilled as Demetri, thank God… but good enough."
Jacob closed his eyes, fighting against his panic. "So they're after her."
"No." Bella corrected him. Both Nessie and Jacob's eyes flashed to her face, confused. "They're after you, Jake."
"What are you talking about?" Nessie cried before Jacob could even speak. "Why would they want him?"
"Because they know you're together. They saw you flee with him." Edward's voice was so soft, it would have been unheard by human ears. "Renesmee… to us, your scent is more like a human's than anything else. Demetri would have been able to track you easily, but to anyone less skilled, it would be like finding a needle in a haystack." His gaze shifted to Jacob's face, but he was unable to look him directly in the eyes.
"Jacob… the scent of one of your kind is… like nothing else. The only way we found you as quickly as we did was because you've left your smell all over these woods…"He fell silent. No one spoke. No one looked at Jacob. Only one pair of chocolate brown eyes never left his face. They widened in horror as the realization sunk in.
The tremors had already began down Jacob's spine as he spoke, his teeth clenched tightly together. "You didn't come to warn us… did you?" He closed his eyes, bracing himself for the answer he knew was coming.
"No." Edward whispered. "We need to keep my daughter safe. She can't stay with you anymore, Jacob... not now. We've come to take her home."
A/N: Nooooo! I know, I know… I'm evil and mean and terrible to the poor characters! Please forgive me! (And review!) Oh, and the sadness in Bella's eyes from the last chapter was because she already knew she'd basically break Jacob's heart yet AGAIN by taking Nessie from him, and the fact that they're now romantically involved would hurt him that much more. That's why she looked guilty/sad when she realized they were together.
