From Beyond Visions…
by The Lost Girl
SPOILERS: Everything up to Book Three of "Breaking Dawn", and part of book three (regarding certain characters).
SUMMARY: Bella didn't survive childbirth, and now the Cullens and the wolves have to deal with the repercussions… But when Alice starts having unusual visions, they will have to make a choice that will change their family, and their perception of themselves, forever…
DISCLAIMERS: All the characters in the story belong to Stephanie Meyer and whoever else has the right on the Twilight series.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Please keep in mind that I strongly believe that suicide/death is NEVER the answer. This is a work of fiction, and fiction alone. If you suffer from depression, or are having any kind of suicidal thoughts, I strongly suggest that you read something else, and seek help in your community (friends, family, psychologist, doctor, etc.). Thank you! : )
From Beyond Visions…
Chapter 9
When he came back to his house, a few hours before dawn, Edward found that everything had been cleaned, and they were all waiting for him in the living room. To allow them more privacy, Nahuel and Huilen were going to stay at the Clearwater's house for the rest of the night. So it only left his immediate family and Jacob, who was now, according to them, becoming a Cullen as much as he was a wolf. They had a werewolf in their family, while a werewolf family was welcoming a vampire and a half-vampire for the night in their home in La Push… If, less than a year ago, someone had dared make such a prediction to either clan, they would probably have laughed!
But here they were… All of it because Edward had fallen in love with a wonderful human girl that had come into their lives, and completely changed their world into a much more colourful, and beautiful one. But, like in so many tragic love stories, it seemed that peace, once again, had come with a price… And it was a price that, once again, had to be paid by the lovers…
Edward took the seat that they had left open for him on the sofa, with Jasper and Jacob on either side of him. Jacob was carrying Renesmee on his laps, and she kept watching her father with large, expecting eyes, eager to finally share her thoughts with him.
Since no one was talking, and the silence was becoming uncomfortable, Carlisle decided to start…
"Edward, as I was explaining to you earlier in the meadow, after Bella died, Alice has been experiencing strange visions that were not connected to what she usually would see. These visions not only pictured potential future events, but these events were shown from a perspective that was entirely new to her. At first, we didn't quite know what to make of it… But it seemed that everything she saw came true…" he said, motioning for Alice and/or Jasper to continue…
"But even though we had proof that my visions weren't somehow fabricated, we couldn't understand where they were meant to lead us…" she said, right before Jasper took over.
"You see, on the day that Bella died, and the days that followed, I couldn't help but feel very strong emotions coming from someone else in the house… Someone I couldn't see, and someone whose pain and longing was just as strong, and as potent as yours… The more troubling part was that I recognised to whom these emotions would normally belong to. You see, all of us share the ability to feel joy, fear, pain, happiness in a similar way, but the emotions one feel still carry a certain signature to them. It's very subtle, but it's there, and there's only one person that I knew that could ever feel that way…" he said, letting his words sink in, in an effort not to overwhelm Edward.
By the end of Jasper's speech, Edward had closed his eyes, and forced himself to take long, deep breaths in an effort to stay calm. He could feel Jasper's influence as he too tried to help him remain in control of his emotions, and he was grateful for it.
"So, are you saying that you two have been seeing and feeling Bella? That she's still here?" he asked, his voice both hopeful and afraid… Jasper had told them that the vibes he'd gotten from her were feelings of pain, and the thought of his Bella still in pain while he was powerless to help her was simply unbearable…
"I think it will be easier for you to see…" Alice said… "Ready?" she asked taking her brother's hand into her own, and waiting for him to give her the signal before entirely opening her mind to him.
When he finally did, and Edward tried to read her, he was assaulted by images from the last two months, with one very important difference…
He saw himself lying on his bed, staring mindlessly in the distance while Bella was lying next to him, trying to touch him but failing miserably, her hand going through his face or his body every time, and crying with each failed effort.
He saw himself playing at the piano; Bella watching him with an expression that conveyed so much longing and sadness, that Edward felt his heart break into a thousand pieces… In the vision, Nessie started crying and Jasper had to leave the room as Bella's sadness threatened to overpower him.
In the next visions, he saw Nessie showing her drawings to Bella, who at some point began making some funny faces while she talked with her daughter, making her laugh.
Each and every single day, ever since she died, Bella had been with them, looking in from the outside, apparently unable to communicate with any of them except for Nessie.
When they broke the connection, Edward was in shock… He didn't know what or how to feel… Relief that she was still there, in one form or another; anger at the Fates for having been cruel enough to take her from them, yet force her to witness everything she was missing without taking part in it; heartache that though some part of him had felt her, she'd still been unable to touch him or fully get his attention; pain, sadness…
He also realised that over the last few weeks, one of the things that had kept him going was the belief that wherever she was, Bella would be in a beautiful, and peaceful place. Away from all the pain and heartache that this world may bring. And now that he'd just found out she wasn't, his first impulse was to run to her. Find her, shower her with love, and make sure that she would never EVER have to shed a tear again…
"Daddy…" his daughter said, bringing him back to the present time… "There's also something I'd like you to see…"
He nodded, and let Renesmee's hand move to his cheek. Though he didn't need the physical connection to sense her thoughts, he took some comfort from the feeling of her warm hand on his cool cheek, and closed his eyes.
Watching from his daughter's perspective, he saw Bella comfort her while she was still lying in her crib, telling her daughter how much she loved her, and that she wouldn't break her promise… She would always be there to watch over her.
He watched her as she explained that it wasn't her fault that she died, and tried to convince Nessie that Daddy wasn't angry at her, just sad… And that he also loved her very much.
He watched Bella break down, cry, and confide in her daughter that although she knew that she should probably let go of Edward, and allow him to move on, she found herself being unable to do so… Every time she'd tried, it felt as if her soul was burning or being torn apart. She needed and craved his presence just like a drowning woman needed and craved air… He was a part of her and there was nothing she could do about it… Worse, every time she'd tried to move away from him, she'd seen Edward hurting too… So far, he had been able to function only when she was near.
Then, she quickly tried to dry up her tears and asked Renesmee to forgive her for saying such things, as she thought she shouldn't show her anguish to her child, nor place her in a position where the roles were reversed and she was the one who needed comforting. But Nessie had been the only one Bella had been able to directly communicate with since her death.
When she was done showing her memories through her thoughts, Renesmee broke the connection, and Edward slowly opened his eyes to look into his daughter's. Hers were filled with tears, as his own would have been if he'd been able to produce any…
"I think Mommy needs you…" she said in a very small, tearful voice. "…maybe even more than I need you…"
Edward didn't know what to do or what to say… All of this was being a little much for him to take in… So he embraced his daughter, and held her close to his chest as she quietly cried with him…
"Edward… There's one last vision I need you to see…" Alice said, her voice breaking with emotions… "It came while Carlisle and you were in the meadow…"
To be continued…
Author's note:
I have to give some extra points to JacobAPotter for guessing that "ghost Bella" was responsible for the strange happenings around the house, and also for Edward feeling more at peace by the end of chapter 5 (Yes, Bella was near, and trying to comfort him). : )
I have to admit that I'm feeling a little nervous with this chapter though, as it seems that expectations have been running quite high regarding the subject of Alice's visions… I just hope that no one will be disappointed (well, at least not too much! ; b).
Big Hugs!
Amélie
X X X