Disclaimer: All characters and things associated with The Twilight Saga belong to Stephanie Meyers and Summit Entertainment. This writing is for pure entertainment only.
Summary: First in my own series set after Breaking Dawn. Set seven years after Breaking Dawn. After unforeseen circumstances, Renesmee Cullen is gone, but can her family bring her back and does she even want to be found?
CHAPTER 13
Bella and Edward stood, starring at the child in front of them who was holding on to Charlie and trying to make sense of the fact that she had responded to Charlie's call for their supposedly dead daughter.
Suddenly, Carlisle's wall of lies in his mind broke down as he watched Renesmee and felt his heart break for his grandchild. His lies, Renesmee's real life, how Charlie had become involved, everything Carlisle had kept hidden from Edward for so long was now out in the open.
In an instant, Edward read Carlisle's thoughts and new everything. He knew the girl he had thought was named R.E. that was in front of him now, was in fact his daughter, his Renesmee. She had never died, Carlisle had lied and allowed both he and Bella to hurt for so long. More than anything, Edward was mad that Carlisle had caused Bella such pain.
"You son of a bitch!" Edward turned, grabbing Carlisle by the collar.
Carlisle did nothing to stop Edward; he knew he deserved whatever wrath his son had. He knew Edward knew the truth now.
Renesmee turned, her eyes pleading with Esme to get the commotion out of the room. She wanted to keep Charlie as calm as possible.
"Not in here, Edward." Esme pushed Edward and Carlisle toward the door and out into the hall, where she and Bella followed.
"Edward, what is going on?" Bella asked when they were in the hall.
"Ask Carlisle!" Edward pushed his father again. "Ask him!"
Emmett rose to calm Edward down as Jacob also moved forward.
"No." Carlisle motioned to Emmett and Jacob to stop. "I deserve what Edward chooses to do with me."
"What is going on?" Alice echoed Bella's question.
"Renesmee isn't dead…is she?" Edward growled at Carlisle, pinning his father against the wall. "Is she?"
"No…" Carlisle looked away from Edward, and his eyes fell to Bella. "She's not dead."
"What…what are you…what are you saying?" Bella's mind was trying to wrap around what Carlisle was saying. True, she had watched the girl inside respond to the name Renesmee, but she was numb to the idea that it could truly be her daughter; after all, for seven years, her daughter had been dead. Bella felt herself almost falling into Esme's grip.
"Tell her!" Edward said through a clenched jaw, pushing Carlisle into the wall. "Tell everyone what you did!"
"Renesmee never died." Carlisle said, glancing around to his whole family. "I lied."
"What?" Rosalie stepped forward. "How could you do that? To all of us? To Bella and Edward?"
"I did it to protect Renesmee." Carlisle said.
"We could have protected her!" Edward growled. "She was mine! My child!"
"Edward…" Esme spoke softly.
Edward turned quickly, facing his mother. "You knew…" He realized as he looked into Esme's eyes. "You knew she was live."
Esme nodded softly. "We had to keep her safe…"
Bella immediately let go of Esme, feeling betrayed, and moved to Edward's strong grip. He quickly wrapped his arms around his wife's shaking form.
"Wait so Renesmee is alive?" Emmett was a little slow.
"Yeah." Edward nodded toward his brother.
"How could you do this to us?" Bella snapped at Carlisle. "She was my baby…and you let me think…you let me think I lost her!"
"The Volturi were after her…she would have never been safe with us." Carlisle said simply.
"They are still after her." Edward shot back. "They never really stopped looking for her, so putting her with Charlie and lying about who she was and changing her name never stopped them. They found her!"
"You mean…R.E…." Alice realized.
Edward nodded. "R.E. is our Renesmee."
Suddenly, the weight of those words fell on Bella like a ton of bricks. She had heard R.E. respond to Renesmee but it did not fully hit her until Edward said it, that she had been so close to her daughter for some time now and did not even realize it. Bella fell to her knees, tearlessly sobbing, forcing Edward to crouch down next to her, holding her tightly.
As if on cue, the door of Charlie's room swung open and Renesmee stepped into the hallway, her face tearstained. All eyes were on her, as if the Cullen family was seeing her for the first time, for who she really was; their Renesmee.
"Charlie wants you…" Renesmee glanced at Bella on the floor and then side-stepped around mother moving toward Jacob, ignoring the fact that Bella was looking at her in awe.
Bella stood slowly, glancing at Renesmee and realizing just how much she did look like Edward, and herself, and how much she resembled the Renesmee in Bella's memory. Bella could not believe she had not seen it earlier.
"Bella…come…" Edward took Bella's hand and led her into Charlie's room. He was now able to read Renesmee's mind crystal clear as well, and he knew she was in no mood for a reunion now.
Bella struggled against Edward's pull, wanting to speak to Renesmee, but eventually she gave in and allowed him to lead her into Charlie's room, closing the door behind them.
The second the door was closed, Jacob moved toward his imprint. "Nessie..."
Renesmee stopped him, placing a hand on his hard chest. "Why didn't you come find me?"
"I wanted to." Jacob glanced back at Sam and then back to Renesmee. "But…we thought it was best to keep you away from here."
"If Charlie had died…and I wasn't here…" Renesmee could feel her blood boiling.
"He didn't die." Jacob told her.
"Not yet." Renesmee growled and then turned her attention to Carlisle, completely ignoring the fact that Bella and Edward were glancing up at her in awe. "Grandpa Carlisle…his breathing is bad."
"We did all we could for him." Carlisle spoke softly of Charlie.
"Well you better figure out a way to do better." Renesmee seemed to threaten. "Because I won't lose him…not like this."
Carlisle nodded, understanding. "I will."
Renesmee then turned to Leah, Paul, and Sam. "Thank you guys for coming…but if there are Volturi out there…someone needs to keep an eye on things. You should all go…there is nothing more you can do here."
"We don't want to leave you." Leah spoke up. She and Renesmee were close, and she did not want to leave her friend in the visibly awkward and stressful situation she was in now.
"I'll be fine." Renesmee gave a half-smile to Leah to reassure her.
"She is right." Paul said. "We should go."
Sam nodded. "If anything changes with Charlie…"
"I will call. I promise." Renesmee said as she watched Sam nod and led Leah and Paul out of the hallway.
"Renesmee…" Alice spoke softly to the niece she just now recognized.
But Renesmee ignored her, keeping her back to all of the Cullen's. "Jake, would you go get some air with me?"
"Sure." Jacob nodded, his eyes glancing up and offering almost an apology to Alice before he took Renesmee's hand and led her down the hall.
Suddenly, all eyes turned to Carlisle and Esme.
"How could you lie to us all like that for so long?" Rosalie spoke up.
"We wanted to keep Renesmee safe." Carlisle said. "We thought we were doing the right thing."
"Why didn't you tell us when we found Renesmee here then?" Alice asked. "You let us go around thinking she was someone else…"
Jasper put a hand of Alice's shoulder, trying to calm her. He could feel the sorrow and shame that filled both Carlisle and Esme and he knew they both thought they had done the best they could.
"It's done with now." Jasper spoke softly.
"Like hell it is!" Rosalie snapped. "Renesmee was gone for seven years! Her entire childhood was stolen from Bella and Edward! She is a teenager and she hates all of us…"
"She doesn't hate us." Esme said.
"It's pretty obvious she is not a fan of us." Rosalie snorted.
"Even so…what good would her childhood have done anyone if she had died in our care?" Carlisle asked.
"At least her parents would have known her…" Rosalie glared. "Especially since it seems like the Volturi are keen on killing her now."
"They won't touch her." Emmett spoke abruptly. "Forget what happened…or what Carlisle did…it's done and over with. Renesmee is back, and she needs our help and we need to protect her." Leave it to Emmett to make sense of such a messy situation.
"Emmet is right." Jasper said. "We just need to be supportive of Bella and Edward and Renesmee and do whatever we need to in order to make things right and keep everyone safe."
"Fine." Rosalie said after a moment, realizing both Emmett and Jasper had valid points.
"Thank you, boys." Carlisle smiled at Jasper and Emmett.
"Don't think we aren't just as pissed at you as the girls are." Emmett spoke up. "Because we are…we just know we have bigger things to deal with right now."
Carlisle nodded. "Fair enough." He knew he deserved all the anger and rage his family had bent up for him now. His lie had come out, and the truth stung, but he knew the idea that he had to lie to his family was what really hurt them.
Renesmee stepped outside of the hospital doors and immediately felt relief as the cool Washington air hit her face. A second later, Jacob was standing at her side. The pair stood, silent for a few minutes before Jacob decided to speak.
"Everyone inside knows who you are." Jacob dug his hands into his pockets, his muscles flexing, but he did not look at Renesmee, instead he stared straight ahead.
"I know." Renesmee said, also looking ahead.
"And you're not at all curious as to…" Jacob let his words trail off, unsure of how to finish his sentence. "Sometimes it's nice to have family around, Nes." He said finally.
Renesmee glanced over at her boyfriend, her soul mate. "I don't need family. I just need to know Charlie is going to be okay."
"You don't always have to be so tough, Renesmee." Jacob said. "It's okay to let people in every once and awhile."
"The only family I need is Charlie." Renesmee said, through a clenched jaw. Annoyed that Jacob wouldn't immediately take her side on this. In truth, she was curious about the Cullen's, but she had been to hurt and there were too many other things to focus on. She needed to know Charlie would be okay, that was all that mattered. She turned, moving back toward the hospital doors; she had talked enough with Jacob.
"And what if something happens to Charlie?" Jacob was getting annoyed at Renesmee's stubbornness.
"Nothing will happen to him!" Renesmee snapped, turning back to face Jacob.
"Maybe not today…or tomorrow…but someday Charlie won't be here. Someday I won't be here…then what?" Jacob asked.
"Then I spend my time alone." Renesmee seemed to growl. "I am not going to play pretend family just so I don't have to be alone." She then turned and moved back into the hospital, slamming the door and cracking the glass panel in it with her temper.
Jacob sighed, knowing that he had obviously pissed Renesmee off, and that usually was not a good thing. She had always had a temper on her, but Jacob knew from experience that her temper, mixed with stress usually turned Renesmee into a walking time-bomb, and she was certainly under stress right now.
Aro perked up suddenly from the chair he sat in. Alec, Jane, Caius, and Marcus all turned to look at him immediately.
"What is it?" Caius asked, noticing a smile creeping across Aro's face.
"I can sense her." Aro smiled.
"Who?" Alec asked.
"Renesmee…" Aro continued to grin. "She is close."
"She came back…for Bella's father." Jane concluded.
"Charlie…yes…she did return for him." Aro nodded. He had been so obsessed with finding Renesmee for the past few years that he felt as though he could feel her every move if she were close enough to him and now, apparently, she was.
"So then she will be easier to get to." Marcus sighed, almost bored.
"No…no we must wait." Aro said, rubbing his hands together.
"Wait? But we have waited so long…" Jane started.
"But it will be easier to deal with her once Charlie dies…the confusion and hurt surrounding his death will be great for the Cullen's. They will not be in the best shape to protect Renesmee." Aro stated.
"So we wait?" Alec asked.
Aro nodded. "We wait…but not here. Its too close…we need to let them gain a false sense of security."
"So what does that mean? We leave?" Jane asked.
Aro nodded. "We go back to Italy. Let the Cullen's think all is safe, and that Charlie's death is all they have to handle right now. It is not like they can get away from us again. When they lease expect it, we shall come for Renesmee…and kill whoever gets in our way."
The rest of the Volturi nodded, knowing that they could not argue with Aro or go against his wishes regardless of their personal feelings on the situation that now faced them. They knew they were all going back to Italy, at least for a little while.
Bella and Edward quietly made their way into Charlie's hospital room to find him in bed, his eyes following their every move as the couple came closer to him. Silence filled the room, aside from the beeping of the heart monitoring machine and Charlie's rapid and raspy breaths.
"Bella…" Charlie chocked out.
"Dad, please…you need to rest." Bella said, taking the chair Edward had pulled up next to Charlie's bed for her.
"Bells…" Charlie shook his head and shot his hand out to take Bella's ice cold one. "She is a good kid…" Every breathe was a struggle for Charlie. "Nes…she does love you…she…is just hurt…"
"Dad, please…" Bella did not want to hear Charlie like this.
"I am sorry…" Charlie took a deep breath, his voice fading to a whisper. "that…you didn't…know…"
"That's not your fault, Charlie." Edward told his father-in-law, as he leaned on the back of Bella's chair. In his eyes, Charlie was as innocent as Renesmee in the huge lie; Carlisle was the real one to blame in it all.
Before Charlie could muster up the strength to say another word, the door to his room opened and Renesmee answered, her eyes visibly shocked to see Bella and Edward sitting next to her grandfather.
Charlie's eyes lit up when he saw Renesmee, and that was obvious to both Bella and Edward. Even as sick as he was, as noticeably close to death as he was, Charlie Swan beamed every time he saw his granddaughter. "Nes…"
Renesmee, after a beat, moved toward Charlie's bed, but the opposite side that Bella and Edward were sitting on. "Yeah?"
Charlie reached out, grabbing Renesmee's hand that was in a fist, leaning against his bed and forced her fist opened. "Stop…being so…tough." Charlie managed out, with a small grin.
"Stop bossing me around…" Renesmee grinned back a bit, though tears threatened her eyes. She could feel it, even in Charlie's grasp, he was growing weaker with each breath and it was her fault. By existing she had put him in harm's way.
Charlie grinned back for a brief moment, but then his smile faded and turned sad. His face got more serious as he struggled to breath. "You…are…the best…thing that…that ever happened…to me….Nes."
Renesmee could feel the tears well up in her eyes as she realized what Charlie was trying to say to her. Immediately she shook her head, as if it would stop him. "No…no you don't get to say goodbye to me yet, Gramps."
"Nes…" Charlie struggled out.
Edward could feel Bella's muscles contract under her cold, unchanging skin. Being a vampire, he knew she could sense it as well as he could. Charlie's death was nearby. Edward gazed up at Renesmee, the girl he realized was now his daughter, and could see in the expression on her face that she could feel it as well.
"No…you're not going anywhere." Renesmee almost demanded of Charlie. "I…I still need you…you can't leave me. I can't live with this…" Renesmee looked away.
"Nes…" Charlie chocked out, each breath harder than the last. "This…isn't your…fault."
"Yes…yes it is." Renesmee told him. "I am the reason you are here…I did this."
"No…" Charlie grinned again, squeezing Renesmee's hand as hard as he could and forcing her to look up at him. "It's not…"
"Grandpa…" Renesmee almost whispered.
"I…love you." Charlie breathed out, and slowly let go of Renesmee's hand.
Renesmee could feel the life leave Charlie's body almost immediately and she began to hysterically cry, causing Carlisle and Esme to rush into the room. They too, could feel the death in the room.
Renesmee's eyes shot up to Carlisle. "Save him!" Renesmee pointed to Charlie.
Carlisle moved to Charlie's side, doing all he could to bring the life back into Bella's father, his in-law. But he knew he was too late; there was nothing he could do for Charlie. After a moment, Carlisle sighed, and checked his watch, noting the time of death.
"No!" Renesmee moved up to Carlisle, pushing him hard from behind. "You can't just…you can't give up like that!"
"I am sorry." Carlisle looked down at his granddaughter first, and then his glance moved to Bella who was trembling in Edward's strong grasp.
Bella just nodded, her body numb and her mind racing. Too much had happened to her in such a short period of time; she had gained a daughter who seemed to hate her and lost a father who had loved her unconditionally.
"No…fix it!" Renesmee spat, her temper flaring as the tears rolled freely down her cheeks. "Fix him! That's what you do! You're a doctor…you…you fix people…" She felt her body starting to heave with the grief and then she felt two cold arms wrap around her and for once, welcomed the cold.
Esme scooped her granddaughter up in her arms and kissed Renesmee on the head as she felt the girl's tears run down her cold arms. "Sh…baby…shh…" She glanced up to see the rest of the Cullen's and Jacob, standing at the doorway, staring in shock.
Bella, however, as she watched her daughter cry in her mother-in-law's arms, felt her body snap from its numb state. Renesmee was her daughter, regardless of the fact that she barely knew her, and her motherly instincts told her to comfort her offspring. She stepped forward, toward Renesmee and Esme.
Renesmee felt her mother coming closer to her, and even in her desperation forcefully turned her shoulder into Esme, knowing she could not hurt her grandmother, but giving Bella the hint to leave her alone, to not touch her. Renesmee did not want her mother.
Renesmee's actions caused Bella to freeze, and her unbeating heart break even more than it already was.