Chapter 25
"Family week, let's go!" Emmett called, "We're taking it through the weekend."
When everyone didn't immediately join him in the back yard, he called again, "Let's go!"
Alice emerged from the house dressed up in one of her typical cute outfits. Emmett made a face and referred to his own clothing, "Alice. This is like a camping trip. You're suppose to back pack it up there and wear boots, sneakers... something."
She sighed and disappeared inside, reappearing in sporty gear and sneakers with a pink headband, "Happy?"
"Yes," he said, twisting his hat to the back and adjusting the straps to his backpack. "Jacob and Renesme are already there. They went right from the game last night."
Everyone began to filter out of the house, "Where is this place?" Esme asked him.
"By the water," Emmett told them, "Pretty secluded. Jake and his little posse have been going forever."
Alexandra and Michael walked out behind Esme, and Carlisle was behind them. Rosalie quietly emerged from the woods, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. Jasper stood with Nicole at Alice's side and Edward and Bella headed up to where Emmett and, now, Rosalie stood.
"Point us in the direction," Edward said.
"Where are William and Madison?" Bella asked.
"They're probably already there, too," Rosalie told them.
"Are Garrett and Kate going to join us?" Carlisle asked.
Emmett and Rosalie both nodded. "Ready?" he asked.
"Me and Jas will just follow your trail," Alice told them, "We're taking it slow with Nicole."
"Oh yeah, where's Cassie?" Emmett asked, looking at Esme and Carlisle.
"Sue took her for a couple of days," Esme told him.
"Gotcha," he said, then waved a hand, "Let's go."
They began following Emmett's lead, traveling at high speeds through the woods.
Carlisle adjusted so he was next to Alexandra as they went. "You don't have to go to Denali on Friday," he told her, not missing a beat in his words despite the speed he was going.
Alexandra turned to look at him and spoke just a normally as she would have if they were standing side by side, "We'll go," she told him, "Why do you say that?'
"You just seemed a little... disappointed," he said, "And Mom said the two of you, as well as Seth and Lucy, seemed to have possibly had something else planned."
"Mom said that? Oh, look out!"
Carlisle ducked beneath a low branch, "She just thought it appeared that way from the way the four of you were... acting. And it's okay if you want to do something with the two of them. We didn't give you much notice on the gift. We probably should have."
Alexandra felt horrible inside. She didn't want to deceive her father, and she would not go against his wishes by going right to Michael's parents, but going to ask Aro for permission seemed like the respectful thing to do. Her longing for making Michael happy overtook her wishes to be honest with her parents. "I'll, uh, I mean I'll think about it."
"Okay," he said, "What were you guys going to do?"
She scanned her brain for excuses rapidly. They hadn't previously discussed what lie to tell, which was currently a huge blunder on her part. "Um, I think we were just going to, like, make a weekend out of it and do a bunch of things. Seth was just waiting to ask his mom for permission, then I was going to talk to you guys."
Carlisle's mind bounced between skepticism and the want to believe what she was saying, "Let us know by the end of the day what you decide."
"I will," Alexandra promised.
He waved her on, "You can catch up to them if you want."
She smiled and darted up ahead to where Michael ran close to Emmett.
Esme dropped back and looked over at Carlisle, "I was trying to keep up with your conversation."
"I'll tell you everything when we get there," he said.
She nodded and smiled as he grabbed her hand while they ran.
Twenty minutes went by before everyone heard fireworks being shot off with loud booms.
"What's he sending off a flare gun?" Edward asked aloud to no one in particular.
"Over here!" Jacob's voice called.
"We can smell you from here dog," Rosalie called to him, "No need to shout."
"Shut it blondie," his voice called back through the trees.
"Some things never change," Carlisle said with a chuckle, shaking his head as he and Esme slowed their pace to a walk behind everyone else.
The sound of an engine in the water caught everyone's attention and they rounded into a clearing shadowed by trees, filled with a number of Quileute members. Paul and Jacob were both on jet skis and Quil was setting up a large tent about fifty yards from the water.
Paul let out a loud human howl and pumped his fist, revving the engine, "Come on Rachel, let's go."
Rachel Black darted from out of nowhere and splashed through the shallower waters to reach where Paul sat with a smile. He reached one arm down and hoisted her up onto the back of the jet ski.
Renesme was the first to go up and greet everyone.
"Hey Dad! Mom!" She hugged and kissed them both, "Hey everybody."
"This place is safe, Jacob says," Edward said, looking around.
"No one ever comes out here," Renesme assured him, then glanced around at everyone else, "The guys made this clearing themselves. It wasn't all cleared out like this. It was just trees. We're definitely off the beaten path."
"I still don't always trust the wolves," he mumbled under his breath to Bella.
Renesme put her hands on her hips and made a face, "Dad..."
He smiled and pulled her in for a hug then kissed her forehead, "He's waiting for you."
She looked over her shoulder and Jacob who sat patiently in the water as Paul and Rachel took off. "You're staying for a few days, right?"
"We'll be here when you get back," Bella assured her, then called to Jacob, "Take care of her out there Jake."
"We've done this a thousand times," he called back, "She's usually the driver. Much more reckless than I am."
Renesme snickered and smiled, then shook her head, "I'll be back in twenty minutes."
"Have fun," Bella told her, "Be careful."
She nodded and ran off toward Jacob, splashing through the water in the same fashion Rachel had to get to him.
Sam and Emily approached them next, holding hands as they walked.
"Welcome to our little getaway," he said with a smile, letting go of Leah's hand to shake Carlisle's first, "No one ever bothers us out here. Never been a human in sight." He smiled and looked at Emily, "Well, a normal human."
Carlisle looked out at a long dock that stretched to about where Jacob and Renesme had just left from, "You guys built all this?"
Sam nodded, "The dock, yes. And that floating dock way out there." He pointed to a spot about ten yards beyond where the landing dock ended. "We cleared out this spot here and made it into our own little camping spot, I guess. I'm not sure what to call it. But you're welcome to use the jet skis, the boats, anything."
"Thanks," Carlisle told him. He looked up at the blue sky above them as sun rays trickled through the tree branches and illuminated the water.
"Don't worry," Sam told him, following his eyes, "Like I said, no one comes out here."
He nodded with a smile.
"There are also a bunch of little games we have set up," Emily said, "Horseshoes and things like that. There's a few of those games where you have to aim and get it in the hole. We tried volleyball but," she laughed and looked at Sam.
He gave a laugh and put an arm around her shoulders, "It just didn't work out so well the few times we played, but the net's set up so that's obviously up for grabs too."
"Thanks a lot," Esme told them, "This is really nice."
They all started walking to where everyone else was spread out doing miscellaneous things. Jasper and Alice emerged a few minutes later with Nicole. Jasper was in the process of handing Alice a bottle and their daughter eagerly began to drink the second Alice put it in her mouth.
"Sure is bright here," Jasper said, joining everyone else. He looked over at Alice as she stepped into the sunlight with everyone else.
"I think it'll be alright," Carlisle told them, looking around to where Alex and Michael had already made their way out to the raft that floated in the middle of the water, their skin sparkling in the open light. He looked down at his own sparkling skin and felt a little uneasy, though trusted Sam and Jacob's words that it was safe where they were.
"Whoa!" Jared said, passing by them with a kayak, "I need sunglasses with all of you standing in one spot."
Bella smirked and shook her head as he met up with Embry to take the boats out.
"Think we're okay?" Esme whispered as quietly as she could to Carlisle.
He looked around at their surroundings then back to her and nodded, "Yeah."
Edward reluctantly removed his shirt, though Emmett wasted no time and took off running down the long dock and jumped in with a loud, upbeat holler.
"Where are Madison and William?" Rosalie asked aloud, hoping someone would answer.
"They're out with the blonde and her shaggy haired male friend," Jared told her as he began paddling away, "Hunting, or whatever." He rolled his eyes, "They left a few minutes before you guys got here."
She nodded and looked down at Emmett with a smile.
"Come in babe," he said, smiling back.
Rosalie quickly ditched her tank top and shorts, revealing a bright pink two pieces swimsuit, and dove in to join him. One of the younger boys whistled as she went and Rosalie's neck snapped in their direction, "You wish," she said loud enough for them to here.
Emmett snickered and splashed her a few times before she pushed him under the water.
"Want to take out the last jet ski?" Bella asked Edward.
He smiled and shrugged, "Sure."
She grinned and leaned into him, "Maybe we can catch up to Renesme and Jake."
"Hey, before you go," Carlisle said, "Did you happen to sense anything out of the ordinary with Alexandra's thoughts? About their trip to Denali or anything..."
Edward thought for a moment and nodded, "I've heard her thinking 'I don't know what to do' on several occasions, and some feelings of guilt for lying to you."
"Anything specific?"
He continued to think, "She thought once or twice that the plane tickets you gave her were bad timing, and thought also something along the lines of ' if it were only a week later'."
Carlisle nodded and looked to Esme.
"I'll let you know if there's anything more specific," Edward assured them, "I'll keep an extra eye out."
"Thanks," he said, the gave a head nod in the direction of the jet ski, "Go have fun."
Edward and Bella smiled, making their way toward the dock immediately.
"You drive," Bella told him, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist.
"Hold on," he said with a laugh and whipped the water vehicle past Emmett and Rosalie, giving them each a splash as she did.
"Edward..." her voice called.
He spun his head around and grinned, "Whoops."
Bella laughed as they took off through the calm water.
Jasper and Alice had set up a blanket and were both basking in the sunlight while Nicole continued to eat. Jasper laid flat on his back with his eyes closed, sporting only a pair of board shorts.
"This is kind of nice," he said, "I just wish we'd actually get tan."
Alice laughed, "You make pale look good, Jas. I couldn't handle you as dark as our wolf friends." She looked up at Carlisle and Esme, "We'd all look weird with tans."
Esme nodded with a smile, "I have to agree."
Carlisle kicked off his shoes and removed his shirt, "Come on," he said, "How often do we get to do this?"
She smiled at him and shrugged, "You're right. We should just enjoy ourselves."
"That's right," Alice said, "Now show off that beach body, mama."
Esme shook her head and removed her shirt and shorts, taking Carlisle's hand as he pulled her toward the water.
"If you guys want me to watch Nicole, just ask," she called back.
Alice waved her hand back, "You two go have fun!" She leaned over and pecked Jasper's unsuspecting lips as he still laid with his eyes close. His mouth twisted up into a smile.
"We should go out on one of those jet skis when someone gets back," Esme told him as the two of them made their way deeper into the water.
"Sure," Carlisle said with a smile, going under for a second, then popping back up. He ran a hand through his hair and looked around before giving Esme a kiss.
"Get a football, Carlisle," Emmett's voice called from deeper out.
He looked around on the beach and saw located a ball not far from Alice and Jasper.
"Jas," her voice came. She pointed to the ball and he tossed it in before laying back down.
Esme lead the way to the raft that was now vacant and pushed herself up onto the ledge. Carlisle followed and handed her the ball before he did the same.
"Throw it!" Emmett called.
She handed him the football and Carlisle launched it in their direction, almost landing it in Michael's hands, though Emmett reached one arm out and grabbed it. The two boys began tossing the ball back and forth, increasing their distance with each throw. Alexandra and Rosalie merged together and began talking and laughing together.
Esme looked on with a smile before laying flat on the wooden raft. Carlisle joined her, immediately enjoying the feeling of the sun as it hit them directly where they laid. He placed his hand over hers and she let her foot graze his.
"I'm trying to relax," he admitted with a laugh, "I just hope they're right and people don't come to this area."
She turned her head to face him, "I think we'll be okay. Jacob said he comes here with Nessy quite a bit, and she has the same skin as us."
Carlisle nodded with a sigh and closed his eyes, feeling his worries diminish as Esme got a little closer. The feel of her shoulder against his shoulder, and her leg against his leg made him smile. He opened his eyes for a minute to glance at her as she laid parallel to him, taking in the sun's energy with her eyes closed. It was rare that he got a chance to see her in the natural light. To him, she was a goddess, and he intended to enjoy their few days "away" at the Quileutes' local getaway without letting his anxious thoughts get the best of him.