Chapter 21
Renesmee didn't say a word to anyone since leaving the reservation. Lt. Col. Humphrey had attempted to make some degree of small talk, but she simply wasn't having it. She'd not stopped shaking since they'd left. After several failed attempts at speaking with Renesmee, Lt. Col. Humphrey looked at Sgt. Lovejoy.
"What do we tell Mr. Wallis? Perhaps in all these months you've known him you might have an inkling on how to break bad news to the man gently."
"He already knows the worst of it. Frankly, I say we tell him Mrs. Wallis had been through a great deal and is simply in shock. She certainly looks to be in shock at present."
"Indeed," Lt. Col. Humphrey sighed. "Men," he said, addressing all the soldiers at his back.
"Yes, sir?" they all asked in unison.
"When we arrive back to Forks, we're not to say anything about what we saw between the Squaw and Mrs. Wallis. We shall tell Peter his poor wife is simply in shock and will need time to recover from the horrors she's suffered. Is that understood?"
"Yes sir!" they all answered in unison.
"Good. That's one less thing to worry about." Lt. Col. Humphrey looked down a moment and noticed the bracelet around Renesmee's wrist. Three braided bands with a little seashell as if it were a jewel. "Mrs. Wallis," Lt Col. Humphrey said. "You may want to remove that bracelet before we get into town." Renesmee's only response was to hold onto her wrist so the bracelet was out of sight. "Please, Mrs. Wallis, do take that off. It might upset your husband if he were to see that." Renesmee remained silent and kept her hand on her wrist.
"Permission to speak sir?" Harrison said to Lt. Col. Humphrey.
"Granted."
"I speak for myself, Pvt. Mitchell and Sgt. Lovejoy when I say this is a load of bullshit. We come all this way for this broad and she's not said a peep of gratitude since we left and worse, she may not have wanted to leave that little garbage heap those heathens call a home."
"You've completed your mission and retrieved Mrs. Wallis from her captors. But that mission took months to complete. It's not so strange that a woman might acquire some sort of affection for her captors. It is the frailty a woman must endure that causes them to love most all creatures, even those less deserving. We must be patient with Mrs. Wallis. Soon she'll come to realize she's been wronged and she'll be grateful to be out of their choke hold."
Renesmee stayed silent as the men talked. She feared if she stood up to them, she'd make the situation worse. She wanted to ensure as best she could that they would hold their end of the bargain. If that meant letting them slander Jacob and the tribe to rationalize Renesmee's behavior, so be it. When they arrived back in Forks, they were first seen by some children playing in the streets. They all ran from the group into town to announce that they were back and they had a woman with them. Upon people hearing the announcement from the children, people started flooding from their homes to come see the infamous Mrs. Wallis and to see if she was really as beautiful as they said. Most certainly, she was lovely. Though she was blemished with a look of sadness and blankness. Not nearly as cheerful as the famed picture that so few had seen had claimed. Lt. Col. Humphrey ordered everyone to move aside and make room for them so they might make it to the Inn. Peter had overheard the commotion and had come back outside to see if it was really true. Low and behold, there was Renesmee. Not bothering to put on his coat and gloves, Peter ran out in just his normal clothes and boots to greet Renesmee. He went straight to Lt. Col. Humphrey's horse and reached up for Renesmee. She put her hands on his shoulders so he could pull her off the horse and he hugged her suddenly.
"Oh, Renesmee, you're finally safe," Peter said with tears in his eyes. "I was so scared I'd never see you again. I'm so sorry. I never should've left you alone at the house. I should've brought you to town with me."
"It's alright," Renesmee said weakly.
"Oh, Mrs. Wallis!" a woman yelled suddenly from behind them. "Please, you simply must allow me to get you some proper clothes. Think of it as a gift from me welcoming you back to the real world."
"And who might you be exactly?" Renesmee said with a slight harshness in her voice and Peter turned to look at the woman. She didn't seem to notice Renesmee's tone.
"I'm Mrs. Gable. My husband and I own a little boutique and tailoring business just a few blocks from here. I'll get some nice winter clothing for you to wear on your way home."
"That's very sweet of you, Mrs. Gable," Peter said.
"Very sweet indeed," Lt. Col. Humphrey said, jumping down from his hose as did all the others. "Perhaps we should let Mrs. Wallis rest first. The poor dear need to relax above all else."
"You're right, naturally," Mrs. Gable agreed. "Have her come by tomorrow and I'll be happy to prepare her for the long journey home."
"You simply must stay long enough to allow my husband and I to prepare a big feast for this happy occasion."
"Debra," the Innkeeper said to his wife rather shortly.
"Oh come now, dear, how rude would it be not to hold a celebration for a beloved wife being returned home?"
"We'll all contribute some food!" Mrs. Gable and all the ladies agreed.
"Oh," the Innkeeper said. "Well, if they're helping, then I suppose it's fine."
"Thank you ever so much, darling," Debra said to her husband. "We'll have it tomorrow after Mrs. Wallis has had some time to rest."
"Much appreciated," Peter said awkwardly. He had enough trouble with parties surrounded by people he did know let alone people he didn't know.
"That sounds like a splendid idea," Sgt. Lovejoy said. The chatter continued while Peter hurried to lead Renesmee back inside. Everyone spoke amongst themselves while they walked inside. Peter led Renesmee upstairs to the room he'd been sharing with Sgt. Lovejoy and his men. When they got inside, Renesmee walked away from Peter and went to the bed closest to the window and just stared outside. Peter walked over and sat on the bed with her.
"I really am sorry about all this. We took so long to find you." Renesmee didn't say anything. "I missed you so much. Your parents will be so relieved to see you too."
"My parents?" Renesmee finally said, looking up at Peter.
"They were on their way to visit and they'd heard you were kidnapped on the way. Needless to say, your father was very sore with me."
"That sounds like him," Renesmee said. "If daddy was mean to you, I apologize."
"No need. He was just worried. I can't say I acted civilly the whole time we were looking for you. I snapped at people more times than I care to admit." Peter smiled attempting to joke. For his sake, Renesmee smiled her own weak smile. Or as much of a smile she could manage.
"I'm sorry you were worried."
"What are you apologizing for? None of this was your fault. It's mine."
"Don't blame yourself, Peter," Renesmee said. "It would've happened no matter what you did."
"Who was it that took you?" Renesmee thought long and hard before she answered.
"I don't know," she finally said. I couldn't understand them and neither could Caevia. We just kept getting passed around until we ended up with the Quileutes."
"I can't imagine what you've been put through. You won't have to worry about it again once we get home. I hope your father has cooled down since we left. Last I'd seen him, he was threatening to bring up divorce papers on your behalf."
"He was threatening to bring up divorce papers before we even married. He was never pleased with me getting married. He thinks I was being rash."
"I suppose choosing to move out west would seem like that. But I'm happy you did. Now that we can get you back home, we can move on." Renesmee was silent. Peter looked at her and realized she still looked rather upset. So he took a hold of her hand. "I know it will take some time for things to get back to normal." Again, Renesmee stayed quiet. "That boy had said things to me the night I'd come to try and save you. Slanderous things. He'd said he'd laid with you and married you. I think he was trying to upset me. I told him you were too sweet and loving a woman to fall for a brut like him."
"He seems brutish," Renesmee said. "He is that way with white people I'm afraid." Peter looked at Renesmee, realizing she'd not denied his claims.
"He was lying was he?" Renesmee didn't answer. When she didn't answer, Peter looked at her left hand and realized her ring was gone and there was a little bracelet he'd not noticed before. "What happened to your ring?"
"It was taken," Renesmee lied. "The people who kidnapped me stole it from me."
"And did you? Did you marry that boy?" Renesmee nodded and Peter released a breath he'd not realized he'd been holding.
"I'm sorry, Peter," Renesmee said. "I never wanted to hurt you."
"Don't be sorry," he said. "I know this was forced on you. I will not blame you for what that man did to you. When we return home, we'll pretend this never happened. You're still my wife and I'll always love you." When he said that, Renesmee started crying. He really was a good man. Yet she wanted no more to be his wife than she had wanted to leave Jacob. She cared for Peter and wanted the best for him, yet she did not love him. Because of that, his love and affection was gut wrenching. Peter took Renesmee in his arms and hugged her tightly. "It's alright, Renesmee. It's all over now. You're safe."
It made Renesmee cry more. She longed for Jacob's touch and his comfort. She had felt safe with him and now that she wasn't with him, she felt lost and heartbroken. All the more so given light of recent circumstances. Renesmee cried most of the night until she just fell asleep and did not wake until morning. In the morning, Renesmee woke up to see Peter sleeping in a chair next to the bed. Renesmee sat up and looked back, seeing some of the soldiers in the room with them. She realized one of them was awake and reading. He looked up and smiled.
"You're awake," he said. "I don't think we were properly introduced. I'm Pvt. Mitchell."
"Nice to meet you," she said.
"How are you feeling? You seemed really upset yesterday."
"Alright, I suppose," Renesmee answered.
"That's good to hear. We went through hell and back to rescue you. It's good to know they didn't hurt you."
"No, they never hurt me," Renesmee said.
"I suppose since the Chief's son took such a shine to you, I guess they wouldn't have." Renesmee was quiet. "I sure hope he was nicer to you than he was to us."
"Sgt. Lovejoy shot at Caevia," Renesmee said harshly.
"Yeah," Pvt. Mitchell said. "I'm sorry he did that. I've never seen him do such a thing. He's been losing his patience with this whole mission and Peter wasn't helping. The man was so worried about you that he ran Sgt. Lovejoy up a tree."
"I can imagine."
"You got to know Leah and Seth a bit while you were there, right?"
"I know them well enough I suppose. Leah and I were on very rocky grounds when we first met but she came to like me well enough. Seth is a little more approachable. Why do you ask?"
"Well, I found out they're my cousins."
"How did you come to that conclusion?"
"My uncle's name was Hugo Jagger. He and my mother lost touch after she got married. Mitch, the General Store owner, had mentioned it and I put two and two together."
"Mitch? Do you mean the Meat Monger?" Renesmee said in Quileute without realizing it.
"Is that what they call him?" Pvt. Mitchell chuckled. "I'll assume it best I not know what that means. Yes, Mitch told me a little about them. My mother did not become a heavy drinker like Uncle Hugo did, but she had her own ways of venting. When that woman got angry, she would throw things."
"I remember Leah mentioning their father would never tell them about Germany."
"Nor would my mother ever tell me. I spent years wondering what could've possibly happened to them that would've been so horrible. Apparently, Uncle Hugo had told Mitch the whole thing. He said that Uncle Hugo never wanted his children to know about it."
"It must've been awful, then," Renesmee said.
"It was," Pvt. Mitchell said. "I'll be giving my mother a tight hug when I finally come home."
"Do you think your mother will be alright with you knowing?"
"I don't know," he said. "I suppose I'll have to ask father first. He always knew. He'd told me that there are some things that should never be repeated and that was one of them. Given what Mitch told me, I understand what he meant."
"I'm curious now," Renesmee said. "Would it be inappropriate to know?"
"Since you won't be telling Leah or Seth, I suppose there's no harm in it." Renesmee's face went sullen as Pvt. Mitchell explained what happened. "I'd had a chance to really sit down with Mitch and have him tell me the whole story. My grandpa was a taxidermist with rather unusual tastes. He was a grave robber and dissected human bodies. Creepy things like that. He'd taken my mother and uncle out of grandma's care and he'd raised them until Uncle Hugo managed to escape with my mom." Pvt. Mitchell shuddered a little. "Mitch said that Uncle Hugo admitted to killing grandpa."
"Why did he kill him?"
"Turns out Grandpa was a bit of a sadist. He'd burn them, cut them, he'd locked my mother in the closet with no food or water for a week before Uncle Hugo managed to get her out. One time, he forced them to eat food from a hot pan he'd laid on their legs. He made Uncle Hugo help him steal from graves. According to Mitch, he'd even claimed grandpa's relationship with my mother was less than father-daughterly. One day when Uncle Hugo was a teen, he realized he was strong enough to stand up to grandpa. So one night, he told my mother that she would hear things, terrible things, but that she was not to leave her room until he came and got her. Mitch said Uncle Hugo had snuck into grandpa's room with a knife and stabbed him in the chest. After that, apparently, Uncle Hugo couldn't stop and he just kept stabbing grandpa. He didn't stop until he was too tired to stab him. After that, he went to my mother's room and told her to come with them. They ran away and went to Grandma. Then they fled to America. When my mother met my father, she stayed with him and Uncle Hugo kept moving. Mother said Uncle Hugo had wanted to get as far away from Germany as possible."
"No wonder he drank," Renesmee said. "It certainly explains a lot."
"It really does. My mom never really liked hugging me. She'd said she hated being touched. Now I know why."
"Maybe a big hug won't be the best thing to give her, then," Renesmee said, making Pvt. Mitchell chuckle.
"I guess you're right. I'll have to think of something else."
"Don't tell her such things," Sgt. Lovejoy grumbled as he pushed himself up from the bed. "She's suffered enough without hearing about your Uncle Hugo."
"Sorry, sir."
"Now then, I'd say we should entreat Debra to make us breakfast. Wake your husband, Mrs. Wallis and we'll all go down and eat together."
"Alright," Renesmee said. Those two walked out after Sgt. Lovejoy woke the two other men that were in the room. Renesmee patted Peter on the shoulder and woke him. "Sgt. Lovejoy said to go downstairs for breakfast."
"He's certainly pushy," Peter said before he yawned and stretched. "How do you feel?"
"I'm alright," Renesmee said. In truth, alright wasn't the word. She felt numb at this point. She stared at her hands while her fingers touched.
"You still seem sullen. You'll feel better once we're home. I know I'll be relieved once we're home." Peter stood from the chair. "Are you coming down?"
"Yes," Renesmee said, standing from the bed and walking downstairs with Peter. Rather than sit with the soldiers, Peter led Renesmee with him to a more private table so they could be alone. It didn't last at all since Debra wandered over with her ass on fire ready to ask all the questions she could.
"Oh, I'm just thrilled you're alright, Mrs. Wallis!" Debra said. "I'm Debra Handler. My husband and I run this Inn."
"It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Now what can I get you for breakfast? You must be desperate for some real food."
"Just potatoes if you have them," Renesmee said.
"Alright, dear, I'll get you plenty of potatoes." After taking Peter's order, she ran off to the kitchen to tell her husband, coming back mere seconds later. "So how are you feeling dear?"
"Fine," Renesmee answered.
"I'm so pleased to hear it. I can only imagine the horrors you went through being stuck with the Quileutes. They're brutes, all of them. Why, they nearly strangled Mitch to death and nearly did the same the poor Sgt. Lovejoy!"
"Mitch tried to give them rotting meat and Sgt. Lovejoy shot at a pregnant woman," Renesmee said shortly. Debra was a little taken off guard a moment.
"Well, it's still not right to choke people."
"It's not right to poison or shoot people either." There was a moment of awkward silence at the table before Debra cleared her throat and smiled again.
"So are you looking forward to going home?"
"Yes, very much," Peter rushed to answer. "I'm sorry, but I think Renesmee would prefer to be left alone for the time being."
"Alright," Debra said after a moment's hesitation. "I'll leave you two love birds to catch up then." Debra finally walked away and left them alone.
"I'm sorry about her," Peter said after a momentary silence. "She can be a chatty woman."
"Catty," Renesmee repeated. "That's a nice way to say she's a busybody." Peter smiled and let out the smallest chuckle.
"I didn't want to be rude," he said. "Her husband calls her the self-proclaimed Forks Gossip Column."
"I take it she's been harassing you since you arrived then?" Renesmee said and, again, Peter managed the smallest little chuckle.
"'Harassing' would be putting it kindly as well." Renesmee managed a small smile, but it quickly went away. Yet despite its briefness, the small made Peter happy. "I'm glad to see a smile."
"I think I may have offended her," Renesmee said rather sarcastically.
"It's about time someone did," Sgt. Lovejoy said, who'd started walking up to them and overheard the last bit of their conversation. "I fear if I'd bothered saying our mission and its details were confidential, Forks would've known that afternoon instead of the next day."
"Busybody," Renesmee mumbled again.
"She cooks an excellent shepherd's pie, so I'm willing to forgive it."
"She doesn't use lamb, she uses beef. If my father were alive to see it, he'd throw it to the dogs."
"I didn't realize your father made shepherd's pie," Renesmee said.
"It was on the rare occasion we could get lamb meat. I recall mother suggesting we use pig and father threatened to divorce her." Peter smiled a little at the memory. "I never told you my father was born in Scotland did I?"
"No, you didn't. I assumed you were Scottish by the last name, though."
"My father was Scottish. My mother was born here in the states. Her side of the family's been here since the colonies."
"A true American," Sgt. Lovejoy affirmed. "What of your family, Mrs. Wallis?"
"My grandparents were from Scotland and my Grandpa and father are from England."
"I didn't realize you were Scottish too," Peter said with a smile. "What was your mother's maiden name?"
"Swan," Renesmee answered. "They're from Southern Scotland. Glasgow specifically."
"My family was from Arbroath I think. My grandparents still live in New York I believe. Father came out to Washington looking for Gold and when that didn't work out, he moved to Olympia because if reminded him of back home. What of you, Sgt. Lovejoy?"
"My family's been here since the beginning," Sgt. Lovejoy answered proudly. "We've been soldiers every generation that I can recall. My father was a Lieutenant before he retired. My grandpa had been a Lieutenant Colonel before he died in the war and my great grandpa had served alongside General Washington as a young man."
"That's certainly exciting."
"Anyway, to the reason I came over. Debra has informed me that people will be bringing food for a celebration around late noon today. So we'll celebrate, enjoy good food and then we'll leave in the morning. Does that sound good Mrs. Wallis?" Renesmee didn't answer.
"It'll be a relief to be home," Peter answered instead.
"It certainly will be." Sgt. Lovejoy walked away and Debra returned a few minutes later with their breakfast. She wasn't near so chatty when she delivered their food. It was a small pleasant event in that day.
Peter led Renesmee to Mrs. Gable's little shop so she could give her some 'proper' clothes, particularly a dress for the little party that night. The dresses Renesmee were given were lovely. Mrs. Gable was a wonderful seamstress. Yet in the dresses, Renesmee felt confined and uncomfortable. She'd gotten used to wearing the dresses made from skin that were loose and low in the neck and sleeve. The dress she'd be wearing for the party was a little pink dress with a little leather belt and long sleeves. She thanked Mrs. Gable for the dresses, saying nothing of whether she liked them or not, and she and Peter returned to the Inn.
As Sgt. Lovejoy had stated, people from all over town came to the Inn with pounds and pounds of food eager to get better acquainted with the infamous Mrs. Wallis. Debra was quick to advise all who would listen that while a beautiful girl, Renesmee was, contrary to her looks, a rather short and unpleasant woman. Mrs. Gable stepped in saying, 'I give her three of the best dresses I have in the shop and she doesn't so much as smile! Ungrateful!' She'd overheard Debra but was unconcerned with her opinion or the opinion of the others. Through the whole 'celebration', Renesmee sat at one of the tables just staring out the window into the snow as if hoping Jacob might creep into Forks to get her. Alas, he never did. Peter was just as uncomfortable with the large crowd. More so in fact. But he forced himself to converse and stood up for Renesmee when he overheard Debra saying things about Renesmee being rude. "She's been with Indians for months after they've done God knows what to her! Have some compassion for her feelings." To Peter's knowledge, they didn't bad mouth Renesmee anymore, though Renesmee was certain that the women would have plenty to talk about once she and Peter left tomorrow. Renesmee kept looking outside and as she looked, she saw something approaching in the distance. She ignored it for the most part at first until she realized it was a little girl. She looked a little closer and she realized it was Claire. When Renesmee realized who it was, she jumped to attention and yelped, "Claire!" Everyone stared at her.
"Did you ask for me?" an older woman in the crowd stepped forward. Renesmee looked at the moment just briefly before looking out the window again and then running for the door. Sgt. Lovejoy, Lt. Col. Humphrey and Peter ran after her. Everyone stayed inside where it was warm, but looked out the windows to see what was going on. Renesmee ran towards Claire, who was in her little boots, the heaviest coat she had, her pants and a little fur hat.
"Claire!" Renesmee repeated when she realized she'd started crying when she saw her. When Claire started crying, she stopped and started rubbing her eyes with her knitted gloved hands. Renesmee reached Claire and kneeled down to her with the men still following behind her. "Claire, what are you doing out here?" Renesmee said. Peter was shocked when he heard Renesmee speak.
"Why did you leave?" Claire sobbed and cried.
"Claire, what are you doing out here? Your parents are worried sick."
"Why did you leave? You said you love Jacob! You said you would stay with us! You said you would stay with us forever and ever!" Claire continued to cry and Renesmee took Claire in her arms.
"Claire, we need to get you back home. It's cold out here."
"You come back with me! I came to bring you back. Jacob hasn't come back from the woods since you left."
"Mrs. Wallis, what's going on?" Lt. Col. Humphrey said. "What has the poor thing so distressed?" Rather than tell them what Claire had said exactly, she chose selective pieces.
"She misses me. This little girl is very fond of me."
"Well, that's sweet, Mrs. Wallis, but we need to get you back home. Tell that little girl to turn around and do the same."
"She can't just go back by herself! It's a miracle she hasn't gotten frost bite getting here. We should at least warm her up before someone takes her back."
"I'm not sure how the people here would take that, Mrs. Wallis."
"Well, they'll take it all the same." Renesmee picked Claire up and started walking back to the Inn with Claire in her arms. No one realized at first that Renesmee was holding a little Indian girl, but when they did, they all backed away. Renesmee took Claire with her to the fire that was going in the small furnace and allowed Claire to warm up. The men came back inside with Renesmee and closed the door.
"Why did she bring that into my establishment?" Debra said to Peter.
"I think she knows her."
"I don't care if she knows her. I don't want an Indian in my Inn!"
"Debra, please calm yourself. She's only staying to warm up and then she'll be leaving."
"Someone will come and get her," Renesmee said. Quil would come and get her when he realized she'd run off. She was surprised he wasn't there already in truth.
"Well, sooner rather than later!" Debra huffed. "As long as she doesn't do anything."
"One of you bring me a plate of food," Renesmee ordered.
"For you I hope," Debra said.
"No, for Claire. Peter, get a plate of food," she repeated since she figured no one else would listen to her. Peter awkwardly walked to the table where all the food was and plated a few things up. He brought them over and handed them to Renesmee, who sat back on the floor with Claire and handed her the food. "Go ahead and eat that, Claire."
"What's this thing?" Claire asked, tears still coming, holding up the fork.
"It's called aforkClaire. You use it to eat food." Renesmee looked around and saw the piano in the parlor room. She'd only just seen it. "Do you want me to play for you while you eat?"
"I want you to come home," Claire said, putting the food and fork down. "I thought you were happy with us. Don't you like us?"
"Of course I like you. I never wanted to leave. I had no choice, Claire." Renesmee hugged Claire. "Those men would've hurt Sara and William if I didn't go with them. Believe me, Claire, I never wanted to leave. In fact I will come back as soon as I can. I promise."
"When!"Claire demanded as she continued to cry.
"When I'm able. Please just trust I will come back."
"When?!" Claire yelled again, not satisfied with Renesmee's answer.
"Please tell her to stop yelling," Debra said suddenly. Renesmee ignored the woman and lifted Claire into her arms again, leaving the food by the furnace.
"Don't touch that," she said, pointing at the plate, before walking to the parlor room with Claire crying on her shoulder. Renesmee sat at the piano keeping Claire in her lap and to cheer her up, she started playing Auld Lang Syne. Renesmee hummed along with the music and people gathered to watch Renesmee play. It was the first time Peter had been given the pleasure of watching Renesmee play.
After that song, she played tidbits of other songs she'd taught Claire how to play on the violin and eventually Claire stopped crying and watched Renesmee's fingers move on the keys. She kept playing until she heard someone in the distance yelling Claire's name. She stopped playing suddenly and sat up with Claire.
"Why did you stop?"
"Quil's here," Renesmee answered.
"He can take us back!" Claire yelled in excitement. Renesmee said nothing and walked past everyone who'd been watching her play. They saw her walk outside and she was followed again by Sgt. Lovejoy, Lt. Col. Humphrey and Peter. Renesmee could see Quil approaching and saw him start running when he saw her and Claire.
"Claire!" Quil said when he was near them and grabbed for Claire. "How did you get here? Why did you run off in this weather?"
"I came to bring Renesmee back. We can get going now that you're here."
"Claire, if I go back, they'll come after me again. I have to stay for everyone's safety."
"But you have to come back!"
"Claire, she's right," Quil mumbled. "They'll just keep coming for her."
"Quil," Renesmee said, making Quil look at her. "Claire said Jacob went into the woods and hasn't come back. Is that true?"
"It is," Quil affirmed sorrowfully. "When we were on patrol last night, he'd shifted into his wolf and hasn't stopped running. He's angry."
"If I stayed, I would've gotten you all killed. I'd sooner return than allow that to happen."
"Jacob's not angry at you. He's angry with Lovejoy. He is upset with you, though. He doesn't understand why you didn't trust him to handle it."
"Because it was getting out of hand and if I'd continued to stay hidden, Sara and William would be dead. Can you please tell him that I didn't want to leave? Make sure he knows I love him."
"He knows," Quil said. After that, Renesmee reluctantly said her goodbyes to them and they walked away. Claire started crying and wailing again, demanding they go back and get Renesmee. No one approached Renesmee as she walked back to the Inn. She ignored the stares and went right upstairs and silently cried.
They got everything together to leave the next morning just as St. Lovejoy had said they would. Renesmee sat with Peter on his horse and they left Forks by mid-morning. Renesmee didn't say a word to anyone or offer any goodbyes. Surely they would call her rude for that for years to come. She wasn't terribly concerned with it. Deciding it would be easier, Lt. Col. Humphrey led the group to Port Angeles. It was a long, half day trip, but when they arrived, there was a cabby service available that would go to Seattle. From Seattle, Renesmee and Peter would return to Olympia. They all parted ways three days later when they arrived in Seattle and from there, Peter continued to ride his horse alongside the cabby service that Renesmee used to get them back to Olympia. Renesmee didn't speak to any of the people that were in the cart traveling with her. She didn't really speak to Peter at any point either. He'd asked about the little girl and the conversation she'd had with Quil, but she'd only said, "They're good people," and left it at that. A week and a half after Lt. Col. Humphrey and Sgt. Lovejoy, Renesmee and Peter finally returned to Olympia and were greeted with cheers and hurrahs.
It was a case of the same thing. Everyone greeted Renesmee home, some praised the apple butter and jams she'd made months ago and all insisted they throw a celebration to welcome her home. Peter reluctantly agreed to the celebration but begged they postpone it until tomorrow night. They were all eager to agree to that. It gave them all time to prepare. Renesmee was irritated that no one so much as noticed Caevia wasn't there, but they'd never cared for her to begin with, so it wasn't a surprise. Peter did all the talking and was the one to eventually get everyone to leave Renesmee alone and allow them to go back home. Peter helped Renesmee onto his horse and they made their way back to the house. When they got back, her father, mother, Aunt Alice and Rosalie, and Uncle Jasper were already outside waiting for her and she closed her eyes with a heavy sigh. She'd forgotten that they'd come. Peter nudged the horse to a gallop so they would reach the front of the house. Peter was relieved that John had been so kind as to look after the pigs while he was gone seeing as they were all in the large warehouse so they could keep warm in the winter. Peter leaped off the horse and helped Renesmee down. She looked right at Edward and she knew he already knew everything. He looked really upset. Bella, Rosalie and Alice ran to Renesmee and embraced her, welcoming her home and obviously blissfully unaware.
"Oh, Renesmee, you're finally back! We were so worried!" Bella said. Rosalie and Alice repeated the sentiments and Jasper and Edward came to the group and entered the hug, also stating how worried they'd been.
"Good job, pig farmer. You managed to bring my daughter home."
"Edward!" Bella said to Edward. "Our daughter's home. This is no time to be facetious with Peter." Bella looked back at Renesmee. "Welcome back, Renesmee."
"Thank you, mom," Renesmee said solemnly. They all looked at her strangely, except Edward, confused by her less than enthused attitude.
"Was it so terrible, Renesmee?" Rosalie asked. "Tell us who did this to you and we'll see them dead." A tear escaped Renesmee's eye and she ran away from them all and went right upstairs. "What's the matter?"
"I'll talk to her," Edward said. "You and I will talk afterwards," Edward said pointedly at Peter. Edward walked upstairs and entered the bedroom where Renesmee was. She was sitting on the bed tearing up and staring out the window. Edward closed the door behind him. He knew the family would still hear, but Peter wouldn't. That's what he was concerned about. They needed to have a very serious talk. "How long have you known?" Edward asked. Knowing instantly what he meant, Renesmee took a deep breath before answering his question.
"Since three or four weeks ago. I realized it when potato cakes started smelling good to me and tasting good."
"I'll get Carlisle to come back," he responded after a moment of awkward silence. "I can't imagine this pregnancy would be anywhere near a problem like your mother's pregnancy was, but it's still good to have a doctor."
"Are you angry?" Renesmee asked, not only referring to the baby, but also referring to her marriage to Jacob, the genuine happiness she'd found with him, and that she had every intention of going back.
"That little brat kidnapped you and you end up married with a baby by him. What else would I be but angry. Hell, the pig farmer would be better. At least he's a respectable member of society and not a mutt with nothing to his name but a dinky village in the middle of nowhere."
"I love him, daddy. I don't know what else you want me to say." Edward started pacing an rubbed his face.
"There's really nothing you can say. I will tell you this," Edward went on. "You aren't staying married to that pig farmer. I'll get a divorce for you and you can come back with us. We're going to be living in New England again. You liked New England."
"I don't want to go back to New England, I want to go back to my husband. Are you suggesting I raise a child myself without Jacob ever knowing his son or daughter?"
"It's not like you told him you were pregnant. He doesn't know and he never needs to."
"You might consider that acceptable, daddy, but I don't. I only withheld my pregnancy because I knew things were getting bad and if he'd known, he would've never let me go. That man would've fought to the last man if he'd known. He was ready to fight to the last man without knowing." Edward didn't bother asking her why she didn't allow him to. He already knew.
"We aren't talking about this now," Edward said. "We'll focus on making sure the baby's alright."
"Be happy, daddy. I'm having yours and mother's first grandchild."
"This wasn't exactly what I had in mind," Edward sighed heavily. "You get plenty of rest. I'll go into town and call Carlisle. I'll see if we can get Emmett to come back. He's been looking for you all over." Edward made to walk out. When his hand was on the door, he looked at Renesmee. "We won't be able to hide this from Peter forever."
"I'm not concerned about that," Renesmee said.
"If you say so. We'll wait a while before we do at the very least." Renesmee said nothing. "We stay here until the baby's born. We'll talk about where we go from there later." Edward finally stepped out of the room, leaving Renesmee alone. She looked outside again towards the forest she realized she'd first seen Jacob in her back yard. She remembered she'd seen eyes in the forest that had startled her. She knew now they'd been Jacob's eyes. The more she thought about Jacob, the tighter her chest felt and it all made her start crying.