Life goes on And dreamed of para- para- paradise
It gets so heavy
The wheel breaks the butterfly
Every tear, a waterfall
In the night, the stormy night
She closed her eyes
In the night, the stormy night
Away she'd fly.
Para- para- paradise
Para- para- paradise
Paradise-Coldplay
It's been about a two weeks since Emmett and I's weekend alone—two weeks that I had been engaged—and to say that it was a slow month, well that would be a lie. Nessie's growth had started coming to the forefront of all our minds and we all had been trying to find something to give us some insight on what might happen, especially Carlisle and Edward. While Bella arranged to go to Italy to prove that she had been changed, since my change was pretty evident when Jane had come for the newborns and it was only to be Bella so Nessie would be exposed.
It had been decided that we would all go to South America to continue research for Ness and because of this Alice thought that we should have the wedding before we went. So on top of the trips and moving I was trying to plan a wedding along with Alice, Rose, and Esme.
"What about colors?" Esme asked and I looked up from the dresses laid out in front of me.
"Dark crimson and silver," I bit my lip thinking about it before nodding. "But no red roses I'd like white hydrangeas for the bouquets and springs of evergreen for the boutonnieres." Esme and Rose nodded since they were mostly taking care of the decorations and flowers while Alice and I did the clothing and invites which there weren't many of but it was still a lot to do overall. For the invites it was mostly just the Denali coven, a couple wolves, Charlie, Sue and I think Billy then of course the Cullen's.
'This is ridiculous, what am I doing?' I asked Alice who was looking through bridesmaid dresses. Without even speaking she got up and pulled me outside past Bella and Edward's cottage where they were with Nessie at the moment out into the woods.
"Piper you need to focus." She pulled me to face her, "do you want this?"
"Well yes of course I want this," I scoffed, "I just…there's so much to do…and there's so much that's going on around us."
"You need to decide this, do you want to do this right now. Do you want this wedding?"
Closing my eyes, I dropped everything around me. I pushed out the planning, I pushed out the trips, I just saw Emmett standing at the end of the aisle.
"Yes," I nodded opening my eyes and saw her smiling.
"Now that you realized that, we need to get that dress." She pointed to a bridesmaid dress in the catalogue she brought out.
oOo
"Alright the date is set for January first," Alice smiled, "I see snow on the ground."
"Ok, the dresses and tuxes will be done by then," I nodded picturing my pure white gown.
After about 50 dresses I had finally found one that I loved. It had a silk taffeta ballgown with the same material rouched around the natural waist. The deep v-neck bust was lace scalloped along the edges and it had string thin spaghetti straps.
For the wedding party all three girls were acting as bridesmaids wearing a dark red chiffon, floor length dress with a side draped bodice. Around the waist was a thin silver ribbon tied in a bow on the side. Nessie was playing the part of a flower girl and she was wearing a simple empire waisted silver chiffon dress with a dark red sash around the waist. Jasper and Devan would be acting as the groomsmen wearing a simple black tux and dark red ties, Edward would also wear that but he would be playing the piano. All the girls and boys would then sit in the front row for the wedding leaving just, me, Emmett and Carlisle at the alter since he would be marrying us.
"Everything will be set and ready, Piper." Esme assured me, "Now go downstairs and relax."
Nodding, I walked downstairs as she and Rose continued planning what to pack for the big trip. Looking down I saw Bella watching Nessie sleep and walked over to her.
"I thought you guys would have gone home by now."
"No Edward's with Carlisle planning."
"Oh," I nodded and sat down in the chair curling up into a ball.
"How's your planning going?" She asked.
"Good," I replied smiling up at her before focusing in on Alice who was trying to focus on something in the future while tidying already straight garland and moving onto the vases.
"Let it go, Alice; she's not our concern," Jasper said looking up from his discussion with Devan and Emmett about hunting possibilities in South America.
He must have been talking about Irina who had seen Bella out with Nessie and Jacob who was in wolf form at the time. I have a feeling she wasn't and still isn't our biggest fan since she growled at Bella.
Alice's only response was to stick out her tongue at him before picking up a vase with roses and go to the kitchen to make it utterly perfect. Sighing I tipped my head down onto my knees just as the whoosh of air hit my ears and I looked back up as the vase shattered on the floor. The only sound in the room was the tiny crystals tingling against the floor and all eyes turned to Alice.
Quickly she turned to all of us halfway focused on the present, the other half locked onto the future both conveyed horror.
Edward gasped as he caught what she was seeing, and only made that more clear.
"What?" Jasper finally spoke dashing to her side. "What Alice?" He shook her.
Emmett and Devan moved to the windows anticipating an attack.
"What is it?" Jasper shook her again.
"They're coming for us," Both Alice and Edward whispered. "All of them."
All of them…I watched Bella quickly snatch Nessie up and I got up standing beside her.
"The Volturi," Alice clarified.
"All of them," Edward groaned.
"Why?" she whispered. "How?"
"When?" Edward asked.
"Why?" I whispered again more to myself.
"When?" Jasper repeated.
Alice became blank once more with the same expression of horror.
"Not long," she and Edward said.
"There's snow on the forest, snow on the town. Just as I saw for the wedding," She expanded and looked at me as I let out a slow calming breath.
"Why?" Carlisle asked this time.
"They must have a reason. Maybe to see…"
"This isn't about Bella or Piper," Alice said. "They're all coming, Aro, Caius, Marcus, every member of the guard, even the wives."
"The wives never leave the tower," Jasper contradicted. "Never. Not during the southern rebellion. Not when the Romainians tried to overthrow them. Not even when they were hunting the immortal children. Never."
"They're coming now," Edward whispered.
"But why?" Carlisle said. "We've done nothing! And if we had, what could we possibly do that would bring this down on us."
"There are so many of us," Edward answered. "They must want to make sure that…"
"That doesn't answer the crucial question! Why?"
"Go back, Alice," Jasper pleaded. "Look for the trigger. Search."
"I came out of nowhere, Jazz. I wasn't looking for them, or even for us. I was just looking for Irina. She wasn't where I expected her to be…" Alice trailed off looking again. "She decided to go to them. Irina decided to go to the Volturi. And then they all decided…It's as if they're waiting for her. Like their decision was already made, and just waiting on her…"
"Can we stop her?" Jasper asked.
"There's no way. She's almost there."
"Piper can you get her?" Jasper turned to me grasping at straws.
"I've never seen her, let alone that probably wouldn't be pleasant to have an unknown voice in your head."
"What is she doing?" Carlisle asked as I looked over at him I caught Nessie.
"Did she see Renesmee…I mean like really see her, not just a glance…" I asked Bella and her eyes broke from her daughters face and by the look of horror I knew she was thinking the same thing. "You said it yourself Jazz, the immortal children. Irina lost her mother because of one…"
"But she's wrong," Bella added. "Renesmee isn't like those other children. They were frozen, but she grows so much every day. They were out of control, but she never hurts Charlie or Sue or even shows them things that would upset them. She can control herself. She's already smarter than most adults. There would be no reason…"
Edward walked over to her side as she looked back down at her daughter. "It's not the kind of crime they hold a trial for, love." He whispered. "Aro's seen Irina's proof in her thoughts. They come to destroy, not to be reasoned with."
"But they're wrong," she said stubbornly.
"They won't wait for us to show them that."
"What can we do?" she demanded and I felt Emmett quickly dash to my side pulling me into his chest.
"We fight," He spoke tightening his hold on me.
"We can't win," Jasper growled.
"Well, we can't run. Not with Demetri around." He scoffed. "And I don't know that we can't win. There are a few options to consider. We don't have to fight alone."
"We don't have to sentence the Quileutes to death, either Emmett!" Bella snapped.
"I don't think he meant the pack," I explained and he nodded.
"But be realistic, though, do you think Jacob or Sam is going to ignore an invasion? Even if it wasn't about Nessie? Not to mention that, thanks to Irina, Aro knows about our alliance with the pack now, too. But I was thinking of our other friends."
"Other friends we don't have to sentence to death." Carlise whispered.
"Hey, we'll let them decide," He said in a calm voice. "I'm not saying they have to fight with us. If they'd just stand beside us, just long enough to make the Volturi hesitate. Bella's right, after all. If we could force them to stop and listen. Though that might take away any reason for a fight…" He said a bit regretfully and I elbowed his stomach.
"Yes," Esme said. "That makes sense, Emmett, all we need is for the Volturi to pause for one moment. Just long enough to listen."
"We'd need quite a show of witnesses," Rose replied harshly.
"We can ask that much of our friends. Just to witness." Esme nodded.
"We'd do it for them," Emmett said.
"We'll have to ask them just right," Alice murmured, "they'll have to be shown very carefully."
"Shown?" Jasper asked and Alice's eyes glazed over.
"Tanya's family, Siobhan's coven. Amun's. Some of the nomads, Garrett and Mary for certain. Maybe Alistair." She named off those she saw.
"What about Peter and Charlotte?" Jasper asked with a hint of fear.
"Maybe."
"The Amazons?" Carlisle asked. "Kachiri, Zafrina, and Senna?"
"I can't see." She said after a few seconds and finally coming back to the present.
"What was that?" Edward asked. "That part in the jungle. Are we going to look for them?"
"I can't see," She repeated. "We'll have to split up and hurry, before the snow sticks to the ground. We have to round up whomever we can and get them here to show them." She zoned out again. "Ask Eleazar. There is more to this than just an immortal child." We were all silent while Alice stayed in the future. "There is so much. We have to hurry," she whispered.
"Alice?" Edward asked. "That was too fast, I didn't understand. What was…?"
"I can't see! Jacob's almost here!" She exploded.
"I'll deal with…" Rose move towards the door but was cut off by Alice.
"No, let him come," She grabbed Jasper's hand and moved towards the door. "I'll see better away from Nessie, too. I need to go. I need to really concentrate. I need to see everything. I have to go. Come on, Jasper, there no time to waste." Quickly they darted out the door Jasper and Edward both with confusion in their eyes.
"Hurry!" She called. "You have to find them all!"
"Find what?" Jacob asked coming in the front door. "Where'd Alice go?"
We were all silent and I gripped onto Emmett's hands which were wrapped around my shoulders his body bent slightly almost protectively around me.
"Hey, Bells! I thought you guys would've gone home by now…" I glanced up to see him taking in the situations from the shattered vase on the floor to Bella's protective hold on Nessie. "What? What happened?" He walked across the room and dropped to his knees by Nessie and her, "Is she okay?" He demanded. "Don't mess with me, Bella, please!" He pleaded.
"Nothing's wrong with Renesmee," She choked out.
"Then who?"
"All of us, Jacob," She whispered. "It's over. We've all been sentenced to die."
At that I flipped around and buried my face in Emmett's chest clutching to his shirt.