Disclaimer: The papers were never found….

Chapter 9: Stratagem

"Alice, I've already told you that I don't want a bouquet." I sighed in frustration. We'd been in Alice's room all day, unsuccessfully trying to get a grip on the wedding plans. We had little to agree on at this point in the afternoon; I was exasperated and Alice just wasn't getting it.

"Why don't we come back to that later, Nessie? " my aunt smiled, oblivious to my glaring eyes.

"No, Alice. This is the 5th time that we've 'come back' to the subject today," I bit back a sneer. "I really would love to have this over and done with." Alice looked back over her notes.

"Let's just review what we've decided so far," Alice murmured, flipping through her packet of loose leaf sheets. I didn't need to go over the notes; I could practically recite them verbatim.

Alec and I would be getting married in Volterra in the beginning of December, on the private shore-front where we spent most of our time. It was supposed to be a very simple affair, at least in theory. The word "simple" seemed not to exist in my aunt's vocabulary. I wanted a gracefully casual dress, preferably strapless and flowing; no bouquet was necessary as I planned on braiding a few wildflowers throughout my hair. It was a bit of nostalgia from the days that I would take Gwyn to a meadow while hunting and show her how to weave circlets from them. No jewelry, no makeup, and definitely no sequins.

Could it really be that hard to explain?

"Okay Alice, I'm just going to cut to the chase and show you what I've decided." I said in a clipped tone. She looked confused for a moment before I held out the palm of my hand. She placed her equally small hand on mine and I started the movie.

I showed her my bridesmaids, Heidi, Gwyn, Corin, and of course, Jane, in their blue-silver gowns. I showed her the groomsmen, Felix, Demetri, Rhodes and Jasper, decked out in their best. Then, I pictured myself in my gown with the flowers in my hair and the sea breeze making my hair and dress bloom out in the most perfect way. I conjured up the congregation, sitting in their chairs in the sand, watching the basic alter, where an unfeatured officiate presided.

I gently set Alice's hand back on the desk and rose from my chair. Her eyes fluttered like she had just received a vision. Blinking, she glanced up at me softly. I smiled back, feeling regret for being so short with her earlier; if only I'd thought if this tactic right off the bat.

"That's gorgeous, Ren..." Alice breathed, picking up her pencil. "Are you sure, though? "

"A sure as anyone could ever be." I replied, walking towards the door. Nodding politely, Alice began sketching out my images on the spare loose leaf. I bid her goodbye and slipped out into the hallway.

My foot was on the first step of the staircase to the 3rd floor when I head a door open. Glancing down the corridor to my right, I saw Edward approach me. I eyed him curiously, remembering how "incredibly well" our previous encounters had gone.

"What's up, Edward?" I asked in a strained monotone. He smiled at me, his topaz eyes, identical to the rest of the Cullens, shinning merrily.

"I was wondering if I could speak to you, Raven." Edward answered in his usual cordial tone. It was the only bit about him that labeled him from another time. "It'll only be for a minute, I promise." Chewing the inside of my lip, I followed him into his room. The walls were a light blue that screamed Esme's design and lined with shelves filled to the absolute capacity with vinyl, CDs, and books of all sorts. Looking over a breif few of the titles, I gained a bit more respect for my father. Edward gestured to a couch and I sat down next to him, feeling slight discomfort ridding my chest.

"What do you want to talk about, Edward?" I forced out, trying not to sound cynical. Edward gave me a pleasant expression, but it looked very pained. Like he was seriously considering not starting it but knew it needed to be done.

"Ren, I never really got the chance to fully apologize to you-"

"You have nothing more apologize for, Edward." I blurted out. Clamping my hands over my mouth, Edward watched me with his amused eyes and chuckled a bit.

"I do, though. I haven't been very accepting of anything in your life, Ren." His eyes turned sad, but he kept on. "I just wanted to give you and Alec my blessing. Even if you've been gone for 100 years, you're still my daughter, despite whether or not you want me to be your father." I was shocked; I felt my throat get sticky with the tears threatening my eyes.

"Thank you so much, dad." Slipped out and I almost felt relieved. Edward looked just as stunned as I felt, putting a face to my mind's churning.

"I hate to press this matter further, but I need to understand exactly what happened to you and Alec." He sighed, a weighty-ness in his voice. "I saw your wedding plan when you showed Alice and it convinced me to ask you if you would show me the ordeal."

I swallowed hard, narrowly avoiding gagging. No one, not even nosey Chelsea, asked to see what had happened to us. That was probably the reason that Alec and I hadn't discussed the incident in 40 years. Well, until now.

"I must warn you, this is incredibly painful for me, but I'll show it to you." I grasped Edward's out-stretched fingers and dug back into my memories.

• • • •

Alec and I walked hand in hand to the guard meeting. Last night we had finally agreed to put the last piece of being completely together in place. It was incredible and I still felt light-hearted, almost giddy, from the mere thought of what we had done. I smiled at Alec as we took our place along the the throne room, getting a shy one in return.

Aro went about that meeting in his usual manner; assigning jobs and checkpoints, announcements and the like. I never thought it was odd that he didn't give Alec, Jane or I an assignment. I was too lost in my head.

"You are dismissed, except for Jane, Alec, Demetri and Raven." Aro's voice brought me back to reality. I looked at Alec, wanting to question him, but his features told me not to. The three of us approached the front as the others filed out silently behind us. When the ancient oak doors slammed shut, Aro beckoned Alec towards him. Hesitantly, he stepped forward, dropping my hand as he did so. Instantly, the room turned colder and a wave of anxiety washed over me. Jane and I exchanged an uneasy glance when Aro took Alec's hand; a usual gesture turned suspect. My body stiffened, watching Aro's expression change a thousand times.

"Thank you, Alec." Aro dropped Alec's hand and asked for Jane next. He led her behind the thrones, out of earshot. When they returned, Jane wore a stony expression, uncharacteristically pained even for her. Making eye contact with me, she mouthed something I didn't originally catch. The next second, Alec had collapsed to the ground, his muscles clenching from pain.

Demetri was holding me back, rendering me nearly paralyzed. I tired myself out, trying to wriggle from Demetri's grip. There was a pause as Alec's torture ended, then a searing pain shot through my spine, spreading out across my limbs. Demetri let me drop to my knees as I screamed uncontrollably. It couldn't have ended sooner; I fell onto my chest, gasping for air, the room going in and out of focus.

"Again, Jane." Caius drawled, his voice as unfeeling as ever. I looked up at Aro, a silent pleading look, but he avoided my eyes. He commanded Jane to repeat the torture, a threatening lilt to his normally cheerful tone. Jane stood frozen, her eyes downcast and fists clenched. This was as much of a test for her as it was for us.

"I can't," she murmured, her voice barely there. Aro eyed her curiously.

"Jane, listen to me." Aro's voice had an odd quality; stern and slightly parental. Jane glanced at him helplessly before closing her eyes, inhaling jaggedly. Then the blinding pain began again.

• • • • •

I stopped the memory there; it was too painful, too raw even now. I dropped Edward's hands and broke down, losing all control of the emotions I pretended to harbor: hate for my father and mother for something they couldn't have controlled, the anger towards anyone who defied my coven; even the love between Alec and I seemed fake in that moment of sheer defeat. I quickly tried to pull myself together, but failed.

Suddenly, I felt Edward wrap his arms around me, pulling me to his chest. For the first time in my life, I didn't fight him. In fact, I clung to my father like he was the one thing that held me back from the brink of insanity. I sobbed openly into his shirt, soaking it to his skin. Edward rubbed my back and stroked my hair, whispering small words of comfort. And in that instant, Edward became my father; not my worst enemy, not a threat to my lifestyle, and definitely not my constant attacker. He was my protector just as much as Alec was.

"Renesme, sweetie, I want you to know that I never stopped looking for you." He whispered, pushing me back to wipe away my stray tears. "Your mother, she didn't give up as easily as she comes off as. She kept me looking, if anything. You need to understand, honey, after nearly 27 years of constant searching, hope starts to dwindle. Do you know what I thought?"

I shook my head, sniffling like a toddler. Dad smiled at me.

"Everyone thought they'd killed you, but I disagreed. Look who was right after all?" He answered proudly. A watery grin broke across my face. "You are too interesting to him, too exotic..."

A silence filled the room. I snuggled back into dad's chest, feeling totally drained. I couldn't help my mind from wandering as I strayed into sleep. Gwyn and I braiding the circlets, Jane and I teasing Alec mercilessly, Felix deciding that dropping me into the fountain during the New Year's Eve ball 2030 would be a laugh. I knew dad saw them; they were meant for him. Showing someone else the memory the haunted Alec and my every move was freeing. I had this strange desire to show him every memory I possessed.

"Dad," I yawned, feeling sleep coming on fast.

"Yes, honey." Came his soft reply.

"I love you," I whispered, trying not to cry again. "Please forgive me..."

"I always will, sweetheart. Now go to sleep."

• • • • •

The next thing I knew, Alice was hovering over me, shaking me shoulder excitedly. Sitting up, I realised I was still in dad's room.

"Rise and shine, Renesme! I just finished your dress!" She said quickly. I smiled and followed her into her design room. I was actually excited for it.

• • • • •~

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Hey everyone!

Happy New Years! My family and I just got back home from a 10 hour long drive. Visiting family is part of the holidays, I know, but why do my relatives have to live so damn far away? Anyway, I wrote this the whole way back, just in time for New Years! No, I'm too tired for watching the ball drop. Never really can stay up till midnight anyway, ha ha...

This is a shorter chapter, but I hoped you enjoyed! Up next is gonna be my favorite scene that I have ever written. And it's a secret! So stay tuned.

If you want, you all can submit names for children. I'm toying with that idea, but I'd at least like some name help. If you want, you can also submit them to my blog and/or Facebook page, accessible through my profile :3 Happy 2012!

Carie Lea