A/N: I wrote this a long time ago, wanting to add more but I can't remember exactly what I wanted to happen now... So here it is. I apologize for making you wait so long but I'm bad on a schedule so I won't make any promises for when a next chapter might appear. Enjoy!
"Emmett!" I ran over into my uncle's embrace. His chest rumbled as he laughed.
"Hey, Nessie!" Emmett was grinning from ear to ear.
"Wait a minute, you shouldn't be here," I scolded. "If they find you..."
"Kid, I could take all of them by myself any day!"
"Yeah, right," Aunt Rose scoffed as she stepped out of a nearby door. "Don't I get a hug?"
"Of course!" I wrapped my arms around Rosalie's slender waist.
"So what are you guys doing here?" I stepped back from Rose.
"We came to bust you out," Emmett motioned to his all black outfit, a polo-neck, pants and boots. Not to mention his black hat.
"Alice thought we should all look the part," Rosalie pulled her dark hood down. "We fit right in with the guards."
"And the shadows," Emmett finished.
"You guys still haven't answered my question," I raised an eyebrow at them.
"Okay so since you left in a hurry we didn't even get a chance to process the information," Rose said. "And Edward hardly got a read on Lucien's mind."
"But we could tell something was up," Emmett continued. "So we busted out the spy outfits and got our asses over here."
"And we would have been here the day you left but there were some complications..." Rose looked at the ground. She was so ashamed she couldn't even meet my eyes.
The force of what I had done crashed down on me. Hard. I had left Jacob to die. I had practically murdered Leah myself. I was a killer.
"Renesmee you need to come back home," Rosalie said solemnly.
"I don't belong there anymore."
"Nessie!" Emmett groaned. "Come on."
I heard approaching footsteps.
"Go get them away!" Rose whispered. "But you had better come back!"
I nodded and then hurried off down the corridor.
"Hey, Jane!" I casually blocked her way.
Jane raised an eyebrow at me.
"So what are you doing?"
"I'm looking for my brother."
"In the wrong direction. I heard him go that way a while ago." I was going for a casual tone but I could hear the tension in my voice.
"Move, Renesmee." Jane was getting irritated. Never a good thing.
"Jane, I'm telling the truth."
"I want to go this way. I will go this way." Jane flashed a burning look at me. It only lasted a second but it was enough to make curl over in pain.
Jane stepped over me and carried on down the corridor. I watched her go, hoping that Emmett and Rose had covered their tracks.
"Jane!"
I turned in the opposite direction to see Alec at the beginning of the corridor. Jane's head snapped around.
"I was looking for you," Jane said curtly before running, at vampire speed, to her brother. She only stopped to smirk as she, once again, stepped over me.
Thank you Alec!
"Will you never learn?" Alec shook his head, shot an apologetic look at me, before linking arms with his sister and heading off.
"Emmett! Rose!" I hissed. They both stepped out from the same place I had found them, just metres away from where Jane had got to.
"He's my favourite," Emmett grinned, referring to Alec.
I rolled my eyes. "Until he tries to kill you, that is?"
"Stop messing about!" Rose scolded, she slapped Emmett's chest playfully. "Now come on! We need to meet up with the others."
I ran over to where they were. "What others?"
"The rest of the family," Rose looked at me like I should have already known that.
"Mom and Dad?" I choked out.
"You know Eddie boy can't resist a good trip to Volterra!" Emmett wrapped his arm around me and led me to one of the alcoves that held a window. The glass was leaning against the wall, still perfectly intact.
"How did you do that?"
"No time for questions," Rose elegantly stepped out of the building.
"It's all clear," Rosalie's voice drifted up from two floors down. Emmett nodded for me to go and I stepped up to the ledge before diving down. I landed like a cat. Agile and soundless. Emmett soon followed.
"So where are we meeting the rest of them?" I asked as the three of us flattened ourselves against the wall. It was dark but there was still a faint evening glow.
"Each of the masters has their own courtyard. Marcus used to go to his with Didyme but since she passed away he hasn't set foot in it." Rose darted along the wall until we reached an archway. It was surrounded in ivy. I had never seen it before.
"Carlisle drew us a map," Emmett pulled out a sheet of folded up paper from his pocket.
Rose examined it before handing it back to him. "We need to go straight ahead, take out first right, second left and then follow the diagonal path."
Aunt Rosalie darted between the shadows silently. Even Emmett was good at staying under cover. I followed in their footsteps, making sure no-one was following us.
Once we were on the diagonal path there was nothing to hide behind. I felt completely exposed. If anyone on the west side of the castle was to look out of a window we would be in plain sight.
At the very end of the path was a large wooden gate. Rose knocked a rhythm into the wood before pushing it open. Emmett walked in and I followed hesitantly. I was suddenly nervous about seeing the rest of my family. What would they think of me now?
"Go," Rose patted me on the back before securing a latch on the gate.
I looked straight ahead. There was a maze full of overgrown bushes. You would hardly notice it was a maze, and not just a humongous bush, if some of the branches hadn't been pushed aside already.
Emmett led the way this time because he was better at making a path through all of protruding branches.
I was beginning to make out traces of Grandma's scent. Alice and Jasper's too.
Suddenly, Emmett stepped out into a square plot of concrete. It had four benches, one on each side of the square. Grandma, Grandpa, Alice and Jasper were all pacing the centre of the square. They turned to look at me.
"Renesmee!" Grandma was the first to reach me, quickly followed by Aunt Alice. They sandwiched me in their hugs.
"Oh sweetheart," Grandma cooed.
"Nessie we were so worried about you," Alice stepped back to let Grandpa kiss my forehead.
"What did we tell you about running away?" Grandpa said playfully.
"Do I not get a hug?" Uncle Jasper opened his arms and I ran into them. "I love you too, kid."
I rolled my eyes at him. Reading my emotions as usual.
"Don't cry," Jasper wiped a tear from my cheek.
"I love you all," I turned around to look at me loving family. "And I'm so sorry I disappointed you."
There was a chorus of 'no's' and a 'not possible' from Grandpa Carlisle.
"So what's the plan?" Emmett asked.
"We have to wait for everyone else to get back first. And then we're going to send Edward in to get a read on Lucien. And, depending on how much Chelsea has affected Ness, we might need to have a little fight," Alice said. "Don't try to object, I've seen us plan it."
Everyone settled down on a bench or on the floor. We just had to wait now.
"So... how was the food?"
Trust Emmett to ask that.
"It was fine."
"Did they treat you nice?" Jasper asked.
"I was sharing a room with Jane."
"That will be a no then," Jasper said.
I smiled. "She wasn't as bad as I was expecting."
Suddenly, Alice stood up.
I looked to the maze entrance just as Dad stepped through.
"Dad!" I squealed and ran into his arms. He wrapped me up tightly.
"Renesmee," He murmured into my hair.
"Dad, I'm so sorry-"
"Don't say it. I'm just happy to have you back where you belong, with your family."
"Dad, I love you," I whispered into his chest.
"I love you, too, Nessie."
I could have stayed in Dad's arms forever. It was the first time I had felt truly safe in days.
"Where's Mom?" I pulled back and looked over Dad's shoulder, expecting to see Mom. Instead I saw Seth standing in the maze entrance.
I gasped.
His eyes were dark pools. His face was drained of any colour. His mouth was set in a hard line, not a trace of his usual, ever-present grin. He looked years older. Seth was not the man I had once known.
And it was my fault.
"Seth..." I whispered.
"Don't speak to me," Seth snapped. "Murderer.
His cold words stabbed at my heart.
"Seth," Dad's voice had a warning tone.
"Are you trying to excuse what she did?" Seth shouted.
"No but-"
"SHE KILLED MY SISTER!"
"Seth! Keep your voice down," Alice warned.
"Don't tell me what to do!" Seth growled as he edged closer to me. "Tell me one thing, how did Leah die?"
I winced as I remembered. "You don't want to know.
"Tell me!" Seth roared. His whole body was convulsing.
"I had to go to La Push. I-I drugged her and brought her back here. Aro wanted to examine a wolf up close," I blurted out.
Seth tensed, his eyes focused on me. "What did they do to her?" Seth said each word slowly.
"They... operated."
"No," Seth choked. "Was she...?"
I nodded. He wanted to know whether she felt anything.
"Monster," Seth whispered. Then he fell to the ground.
Esme crouched down and wrapped him in a motherly hug. It was all she could do. He was inconsolable. Hysterical with sobs.
I had done that to Seth.
"No."
I felt like I was watching myself as I said those words. I wasn't attached to my body anymore. I didn't deserve to be alive. A life for a life.
"No."
"Renesmee," Dad hushed me. "Sweetheart, we'll be going home soon. You can make everything better again."
Suddenly I was hit with a pang of longing. Longing to see Lucien. I didn't want to go back home. This was my home. I hadn't made any mistakes here. I had made friends with people here. I liked it here.
"Renesmee, no," Dad gave me a hard look. "Oh, what has he done to you?"
"If you're referring to Lucien then he has done nothing to me!"
"I should damn well hope so."
My whole body froze. It wasn't Dad that had replied. It was a voice I had never thought I would hear again. It was the voice that sent my heart into a frenzy. The voice that was always so warm and caring. The voice of the man I loved. The voice that had been begging for me to save him.
Jacob.
I turned my head slowly, hesitantly, half expecting there to be no-one there. For it to be my imagination. But, true to form, Jake was standing at the maze entrance. He was alive. I started breathing again. He was alive. Jacob was alive!
I hurled myself at Jacob, tears streaming down my face.
"I- I didn't- Jake- I- wanted- sorry- so- so- Oh Jake!" I gave up trying to say anything coherent and just buried my face in Jake's chest.
He held me steady as my body shook.
"Sshh," he soothed, running his fingers through my hair.
I basked in his scent. Jacob's warm, musky, smells-like-muffins aroma. It was something I hadn't thought twice about leaving forever but now wondered how I could have lived without. How could I have ever thought I could live without Jacob? How could I have been so selfish to only think of myself when I left Jake for dead? And more importantly, how was Jacob alive?
"I found him," Dad's voice cut through the haven of being in Jacob's arms. "I didn't think I could do it. There was too much venom. But Jacob never did give up without a fight."
I could just predict the crooked grin on Dad's face and the triumphant smirk on Jake's.
"Which is exactly why I'm here," Jacob's voice had my knees trembling. "Because, Ness, I'm not giving you up without a fight."
I felt like it would kill me but, somehow, I pulled away. First, I couldn't speak. The sight of Jake in front of me was overwhelming. His russet skin. His glistening eyes. His bright, cheery smile. All the things I thought I would never see again.
"Jake," I was extremely aware of Jake's hold on my hand. Like he couldn't let me go. "Jacob, this is a fight that you can't win."
"Ness-"
I gestured for Jake to let me finish. "Jacob, you can't win this fight because I won't let you."
Jake's brow creased in confusion.
I took a deep breath. How could I be hurting him again? I owed him everything. "What happened between Lucien and me is unbreakable. Now I'm not even sure what it is but I know that I can't leave him. I can't disappoint him."
As Jake stood, processing the information, I could see the thoughts that passed through his mind. But you can leave me? But you can disappoint me?
Jake took a breath, "I-"
"Jacob, where is Bella?" Dad interrupted.
Jake looked around, confused. "She was right behind me..."
