We arrived just six hours after leaving our home, and even at night, Miami was glowing with all of the lights of the various buildings and night clubs. Alice had arranged for a rental car to be waiting for us at the airport, and I had hoped it would have been a little less conspicuous, but it was Alice.. So Bella and I climbed into the shiny, electric blue Benz and we were off.
"Bella, are you OK? There are a lot more humans than I thought. Do we need to hunt before going any further?"
"No, Edward, I'm fine. I just want to find Renesmee and Jake soon. How long do you think we'll have to look? "
I really didn't know myself, but I didn't want to alarm her so I told her, "I'm sure we'll find them in no time, honey."
While driving down the highway, the scents didn't ease up. I thought about where Jake would go. Maybe somewhere on the water. We had a huge area to cover. I considered maybe splitting up with Bella to cover more ground, but quickly shot that idea down. I couldn't stand being away from her anymore than I already was made to. And the last time we split up, things didn't turn out so well. Call me selfish. Oh well. I glanced down at the built in navigation and saw that I needed to get to A1A if I wanted to get as close to the water as possible. It was hard to drive my normal speeds, due to all of the extra cars on the road, and the cops, not that I couldn't outrun them, or just "dazzle" my way out of a ticket. I decided to play it safe. Soon we were in a city called South Beach. I was sure this is where Jake would bring Nessie. I parked the car and noticed, our car didn't stick out like a sore thumb. It fit right in. It seemed like the humans down here liked to drive fast and furious as well. We walked along Ocean Drive and the music was loud and some of it sounded like thunder. OK, so they like fast cars and loud music. I might really like this place. And it was a lot easier to blend in with everyone. We walked further and further down along the beach, and Bella said exactly what I had been thinking, "Edward I'm not sure Jake would bring Nessie to this part of South Beach. Maybe we need to find someplace a little more quiet. What do you think?"
"I think you're right, love. I don't see how he could expect Nessie to sleep through any of this. Do you think he'll be in a hotel?" I hated the idea. Him and my baby in some common hotel. One bed and shower. I didn't like it one bit.
"Actually, I really don't think so. I gave him enough money to buy a house, car, and anything else they may need. They would have been set for at least ninety years! But all of these buildings-I think they're all apartments, not hotels."
She was so observant, and right. The high rises looked to be offices and apartments. So that meant even more ground to cover.Well, let's get to it then.
Before we had walked too far, I noticed a very familiar scent, and Bella had noticed it as well! It was Jake. Maybe he did bring Nessie here. We started walking as fast as we could, without bringing attention to ourselves, towards the scent. We stopped in front of a large house with old iron gates in front that were locked. The gates had strange markings and what looked like a lions head carving inside of a diamond shape. I listened in as much as I could towards the house. I could hear a fluttering heartbeat inside and another that was more steady. Heavier. Nessie and Jake.
But what in the world was this large house doing on Ocean Drive in the middle of a strip of clubs? And more importantly, what had Jake done with the owners?
I looked to Bella and she knew what to do. We ran as fast as we could to the back of the house and jumped on to one of the balconies. I popped the sliding glass door off the track, which was pretty easy. Then, we heard a growl coming from within the dark room.
"Jake." Was all I said. He phased back into human form and greeted us both with bear-like hugs.
"You guys made it! How did everything go? Did we win? Tell me EVERYTHING!"
He said everything so fast it all sounded like one long word. We indulged him for a moment with the details, and told him he was the only alpha now and what had happened to Bella and Esme. Then, when my patience ran out so did I. i ran towards the fluttering heartbeat in the other room. I stopped short to take in everything. Her curls still hung the way I remembered, her scent, stronger than ever, her breathing, her perfection- just the way I left it. I walked at a human pace towards her, and picked her up. She awoke in my arms and stared at me with her big, chocolate brown eyes. I was whole again. The hole in my existence was null and void once more. Bella was at my side and I passed Nessie to her. Our family was whole once again, never to be divided again as long as I could help it.
Nessie spoke to us both with words this time, "Momma, where you go?"
Bella and I glanced at each other for just a moment, and she responded, "Daddy and I had to take care of a few things, but we're back now and we'll never leave you again, Nessie."
Nessie looked like she was thinking over the words her mother had just said, and wondering if they were true, after she decided they were, she reached out for me to come closer, and snuggled up to my chest. We stayed like that until Nessie fell asleep again, then Bella sat down with her and let her sleep through the night.
I went to talk to Jake about what had been going on. "Jake, whose house is this? Did you buy it?"
I knew it bothered him when I would just rummage through his mind like a garbage can, so I tried to give him the courtesy of having a 'normal' conversation with me, without me listening to his thoughts.
"When we got to South Beach this house was empty, so I just made us at home. Well at night, as you can see, this area is just so busy! And after a few nights of us being here, I noticed a lot of people- mostly women- who would just stop here in front of the house and take their pictures. Sometimes they would lay down on the steps pretending to be dead. I got interested and started listening to their conversations more closely. Apparently some guy named Versaci or something lived here. He made clothes and stuff, this was his house and I guess he was killed on the front steps. The markings on the gate are the same as the print on his clothes or whatever. The house was vacant but it looked like everything was still being used. I dunno it's weird, man. But I was thinking about buying it. It's really roomy and Nessie really likes it here. But I'm not sure about all the noise and everyone taking their picture on the front lawn."
"Leave it to you to pick a famous dead guy's house, Jake! I agree, this is a charming house, but the noise level is way out of hand. I'm sure we can replicate it in no time though. If you and Nessie want….. You know…Later… In a few centuries.." I felt myself starting to trail off. But I just couldn't help it. Just the thought.. One day they would be together. And they would need their own space. I suddenly knew the feelings Charlie held for me were completely in check and accurate. In his eyes I took his baby away from him. And Jake would one day take mine.
