{{{{{{{{{{RENESMEE}}}}}}}}}}}

I had been pacing around our property for at least two hours, going nowhere in particular, trying to keep down the "rush" that happened to a vampire after they fed on adrenaline-laced human blood. Usually, it hit within moments of the first taste, and reinforced the frenzy. However, "usually" did not usually apply to me. It took several hours for it to come on in my case. I'd avoided the experience from my first kill because Jasper had forced me into a comatose state. This time, however, it hit me, and hit me hard. The euphoria disorientated me, and I rose from my nap tasting prey, any prey and every prey, and wanting to kill something, or someone. Edward and Bella had circumvented me and sent me outside, where I tracked and killed my first mountain lion. The rush made it easy. It increased my abilities, heightened my senses, and made me feel empowered.

But as my father had warned me, the rush was short lived. Two hours later, with the blood of the lion in my system, and the relatively small amount of Mathias' s blood that I had actually ingested, I crashed. I paced, and walked, and strolled, trying to equal out my composure and jitters. Jittery was a human condition, of course, and I just looked silly as all get out to the others as they watched me from the house, swinging my arms wildly and walking up and down the drive way; anything to get my metabolism up and get Mathias's adrenaline to burn off. I was completing another circuit and had reached the front of the house when I heard the familiar rumble of a precision-tuned engine turning down our drive, and the shear squeal of its female occupant as she attempted to set a new land-speed record between the road and our house, bringing her Bugatti to a stop just inches from my mortified body.

Moira and Jasper burst out of the car laughing and screaming, like they just won the lottery. I wasn't even sure for a moment that she had seen me when she nearly plowed me down.

"So," I called to break up the revelry, "BFFs are we, now?"

Of course, it was all Moira's doing, I told myself. Jasper was feeding off her exhilaration.

"Sorry, Ren, but really, I never would have hit you. Did I frighten you?" She had a hand on Jasper's arm, and I wondered at their closeness. It didn't seem inappropriate, only surprising. Jasper usually did not warm up to anyone easily, and Sekhmet's reputation made him reluctant to accept her altogether. Yet, it appeared that a cross country road trip had bonded them.

"Your driving was okay, but you're kind of freaking me out now," I answered.

All of the sudden, her joy evaporated, her laughing froze, and she looked at me sternly.

"What happened? Where is Mathias?"

Damn. She saw my eyes. "He's fine. He's sleeping in the cottage, last I knew of. I… um. Well, I only took a small taste, but it was his fault. He told me to do it."

Jasper's body likewise stiffened. Behind me, I heard a few of our guests open the door and look out, but they were all considerate enough not to emerge.

"What do you mean, he told you to do it?" Moira asked leadingly.

"I mean … he…. TOLD … me to do it," I said, nodding as I over-accentuated.

A sense of understanding broke out over Moira's face. Her anger seemed to intensify, but at the same time shift away from me. She began cursing loudly in a language I didn't understand, occasionally throwing in Mathias's name at intervals.

"Where is this cottage?" she suddenly demanded, a sense of urgency in her voice that I had not heard from her before.

I turned towards Jasper with pleading eyes- pleading human blood-stained eyes. "Can you take her? I can't face him yet."

Jasper regained his composure for my benefit and nodded. "Quite a high, isn't it, Nes?"

My face broke into an uncontrolled grin. "I see why it was so hard for you to stop. I don't think my body has ever been so… alive."

They took off running and I flipped out my cellphone to learn the time: 7:35 PM. Too early to go to bed, and even with the rush ebbing more and more by the moment, I still didn't think it wise to be close to Mathias yet. Still, I found myself overcome with weariness, and I sought out the only remaining bunk at Cullenwood that I knew of: the hospital bed.

A few hours later, Esme was nudging me awake.

"What's wrong?" I muttered through sleepy eyes and tingling lips.

"We have to go down to the cottage with everyone else," she whispered. "I don't you up here all by yourself."

My lips formed the obvious question. "Why is everyone going down to the cottage?"

Esme only folded her arms over me and raised me up, handing me a cup filled with aromatic hot liquid. She smiled at my questioning gaze.

"Coffee."

"Um, thanks?"

I drew a sip of the nectar from the mug, and was surprised to find yet another human food that wasn't just nearly tolerable, but quite appealing of its own accord. No wonder there was a coffee shop on every corner of every Washington town. It was almost as good as cherry gelato. I gulped it all down greedily as we made our way outside, joining the contingent of almost forty moving en masse through the woods. I flipped out my cell phone again, 11:55 PM. I looked through the surrounding darkness as flashes of fur sweep by - many, many flashes of fur. Were both packs here? Sam's and Jacob's? I felt a rush of exhilaration come over me: us plus the wolves would total nearly 70. In a struggle with the Volturi, we were beginning to look like a force to be reckoned with.

On the porch of the cottage stood Bella, Alice, and Eleazar. I made to move towards my mother, but Esme pulled me back gently with a smile. This was not the time to be at the center of attention. I felt a brush of fur against my right leg, and looked down to see Seth sitting beside me.

I crouched down to him, embracing the wolf around the neck,. "Taking Jacob's place at my side, are you?"

He licked my hand lovingly, and I kissed the top of his head.

The cottage door opened, and Edward, Jasper, and Garrett emerged. Two wolves took to their sides: Sam and Leah. How these months must have ripped at Leah's heart, having to lead the pack in Jacob's place, which would have required constant interaction with Sam on a human level. Since Jacob was only in jail and still technically the alpha, Leah would not have been able to mindspeak with him. Even now, I noted that they perched themselves on opposite sides of the porch, Sam next to Garrett, Leah on the other side next to Alice.

An expectant silence fell over us. The door stood open behind them, and my breath caught when Moira stepped out, and Mathias behind her. I had seen her only a few hours ago, but she looked so different now. I barely recognized her. Was it because in Maine she was always enveloped in her human persona, playing the part of a sweet, run-of-the-mill high school history teacher? She had always looked nice, but never flashy. Her long hair had always been either hanging plainly at her side, or tied back in a simple bun. Even her Boo Ball costume had been extremely tame, a full length dress that left nearly everything but a small sampling of her cleavage to the imagination, despite Alice's attempts to mark her up with cosmetics. Even then, I thought, Rosalie had given her a run for her money.

Now, as she stepped out on the porch of our quaint cottage, I could see her as the Goddess the ancients held her as. She was "sexy" personified. She wore all leather- tight and sleeveless around the top and sloping outward to a full length skirt from her hips, and a design down the front that vee-dipped all the way to her navel. Her breasts were exposed like half moons in the valley. Even her shoes, high-heeled and black leather, added to the package. Her hair had been straightened and cascaded over her shoulders and chest. I could see why she had once been worshipped.

Mathias, on the other hand, seemed the odd one out. He was surrounded by divine bodies, and as handsome a human as he was, he didn't fit among them. He shifted uncomfortably, almost cowering behind Moira. Others, those especially who were new and had not been with us the last time, eyed both of them suspiciously. Finally, the silence was broken.

"And just who are you, peach?" asked a blonde-headed vampire a few feet from me in a heavy Australian accent. His eyes and his question were clearly directed at Moira.

"I have many names," she replied in her high-brow English accent. Funny, it had never occurred to me to ask her why she spoke that way, and not like an American. "But none will tell you who I am."

"How about sexpot?" Rosalie, who I now noticed standing behind me with Emmett, mumbled lowly. Clearly, she was not immune from jealousy.

But the Aussie didn't accept the indirect answer. "Try me. Clearly, you're the one everyone's been whispering 'bout. But, funny thing is, we don't bloody well know who the hell you are. Or why it seems someone has decided you're our leader."

Moira stepped purposefully down the steps and cut across the crowd at vampire speed. As she approached, her gaze was almost strong enough to knock him over. A few feet from him, she twitched her hand absently through the air, only raising a few fingers as if pointing, and the vampire found himself helplessly suspended five feet over the ground.

"What the bloody fuck!"

"Since you're so concerned with labels, perhaps we'll start with your name."

"Fuck off! And put me the fuck down!"

With a sneer and a twitch of her eye, we observed in horror as his hands severed from his body and fell with two light thuds to the ground. He screamed in agony, and his demands turned to grovels.

"Jesus, please, put me down. What the hell! Aidan. They call me Aidan."

He fell in a clump inches from my feet. His severed hands twitched and flailed, but Carlisle rushed to his side. He acted the doctor, though a little out of character with a vampire, and held Aidan's hands as the venom worked its magic and reunited the appendages.

Every fearful eye found its way to the goddess and observed as the corners of her mouth curled ever so slightly, showing her content with her demonstration.

"You ask for my name, and I will offer you these: Moira Arrashk. Akeldama Hermapolou. Evangeline Croix. Mai-Fan Li. Ugandi Betrayu. Raihranya Sai Rayanna. Hecate. I have been called a thousand names in a hundred tongues by a million men, vampires, and creatures you've never dared to believe exist. What name you know me as is of little consequence. What you need to know of me is that I am you're only hope for survival. "

As I caught a glimpse of Carlisle's face and its loathing for Moira, I could not recall having seen him ever so cross, so angry, so vampiric.

I understood his frustration. This was not our friend. Moira had been strong, but compassionate, and hardly the domineering. As Sekhmet, she presented herself as controlling and harsh, and lacking of any shred of kindness. She was cold. I had seen her only a few hours before, and she seemed full or grace and joy, driving her stupid car even delighted her. Where had my friend gone? Was it because of me, and what happened with Mathias? Was this the way she was funneling her anger?

"That was uncalled for!" Carlisle shouted at her.

Esme pulled me close, unaccustomed as well to this side of his nature, only seen fleetingly the moment before he killed prey.

"This is not a social junket, Carlisle," Moira retorted, making her way back to the porch. "We are going into battle, and I will suffer no disobedience."

Carlisle snapped. "No one here has even yet pledged you loyalty or agreed to fight!"

Moira sneered at him, and motioned with her arms and gaze outward to every side of those standing next to her on the porch. "Those you see before you have already pledged loyalty. But the loyalty, brothers and sisters, is not to me. The loyalty is to our goal."

Aidan, the Aussie, barked up again. "And, pray, love, what is your lofty goal?"

She let silence grow, using the tension to further isolate her intent, and then answered very softly and lacking of any uncertainty:

"To destroy the Volturi."

A great clamor arose, some shouting in support, others appalled and in disbelief. The wolves added to the confusion with howls and yips. Esme shuttered as Carlisle came to her, his face drawn in clear disappointment and anger. Seth squared his body next to me, and directed a low growl in Moira's direction.

"Impossible!" Liam shouted. "We were lucky last time, and our purpose was just: the defense of Renesmee's right to live. What now, then? What can justify such a desperate and doomed measure?"

Moira drew herself level with the crowd again, like a general addressing his troops before battle. "We fight for our right to survive, brother, though I know each of you has come here for different reasons. Some of you have come in defense of the Cullens, knowing of or being witness to the events of seven years ago. Some of you are nomads without a coven, scared of the rumors of the coming war, and seeking out defense in numbers. Some of you have come to exercise your own demons against the Volturi's interventions into your existence. I do not seek to justify your purpose, or validate your decision to join us or not. But, I will tell you this. Whatever brought you tonight, the result of your presence is universal: you are now associated with me, and as such the Volturi, if left unstopped, will kill you."

Tanya scoffed. "Why should you be so important that the Volturi would destroy us for just having been near you?" She hesitated suspiciously. "Who are you really?"

"I am Sekhmet."

Tanya's expression was incredulous, like many of the others. "Yeah, right. Sekhmet is just a legend."

But Maggie of the Irish Coven stepped forth. "She speaks true. I detect no falsehood. But that means little. What's in a name? How do we know how to separate the legend from the truth? Some call you the scourge of the Nile, the eye of Ra, the punisher of mankind. And some call you the great defender and savior of house of Pharaoh. Your legend is a contradiction of mythic proportions. How do we know which of your faces you'll show to us? How can we trust you anymore than we trust the Volturi."

"I vouch for her honor with my own." Bella drew the attention of the crowd away from the goddess as she descended to her side. She took her hand in her own and smiled at her warmly. "She has been a friend to us. She shielded us from discovery, and defended us at great personal risk against Alec, Jane and Demetri when they found us in Maine. She has made decisions for our benefit which have cost her in ways you cannot imagine, and greatly. You have no reason to doubt her intentions." She glanced quickly at Aidan. "Even if her methods are sometimes a little drastic."

Tanya continued. "Okay, Sekhmet, how are you so convinced that they will come for all of us? If they're after you or even the Cullens, why take all of us out in the process?"

Moira glanced appreciatively at Bella, but then smiled ruefully to Tanya. "Because, that's what I taught them to do."

I felt even my own breath catch, as did that of all the others around me. I flashed a glance at Edward and Jasper, and they seemed equally surprised. For a moment, my eyes met Mathias, and I was hurt when he lowered his head in shame. He had known. He had known the truth all this time.

"Fifteen centuries ago," Moira continued, "when the Dracule destroyed my family, I swore that I would have my revenge. But, being weakened by the recent attacks I had endured, I was too weak a warrior to do so on my own. I had heard of the coven growing in Volterra. I sought them out, and using my talents and my knowledge as a lure for their allegiance and aid, I led them in battle against the Romanians, destroying all but two of the coven.

"In the human world of that time there was a great shift in ideology. The new religion that was spreading was painting the ancient beings as spawn of Satan, as demons, as the unholy. Of course, on a one to one basis, no human was a match for a vampire, but there were others- the wolves, the shapeshifters and … other beings … and they were not strong enough to defend themselves. We could hardly be an army of virtue and appoint ourselves as defenders of the non-humans, because I knew we also had to protect humanity from ourselves. But our world needed an overseer, a structure. I forged the Volturi into that authority. I made them kings. I taught them in the ways of war, both human and vampire, in the art of negation and politics. I crafted Aro and Caius into men of great influence and disclosed to them all the secrets of the ancients and the manners and ways in which power could be sought, held, and left unchallenged. I taught them how to manipulate and wield weaker minds, and how to destroy those who refused to yield. In the meantime, I used their growing guard to seek out other covens which might pose a threat to them and destroy them, and I convinced them of the threat posed by the children of the moon, and set out their guard to hunt down and destroy them as well.

"And then, when I felt they were secure in their foundations, I tried to leave. I wanted to be left alone with the pain of my memories, of my lost children, both my human children who had been murdered in front of my eyes thousands of years before, and my hybrid daughter and son who had been taken by the Dracule. I wanted to mourn the loss of my mate. The Volturi refused to let me go. My gift was too useful to them, and would be an even greater strength against them, they realized, if I ever found cause to oppose them. We brokered an accord. I promised to never again establish a coven, and to offer obeisance to their authority, in exchange for their promise to maintain one credo: keep our world secret and contained. Then, in 1946, I visited the Volturi to call them out for their intrusion into the human world, despite our agreement."

After her speech, the voice of another person almost registered a shock, as Carlisle, now cooler headed, asked, "What had they done?"

"They were preparing near the end of the war to administer a concentration camp under the Nazi occupation on the outskirts of San Cipriano, not far from Volterra. They were to use it as nothing more than a human farm. The Nazis wouldn't have cared how the Volturi exterminated their prisoners, and in exchange the Volturi would have a near constant source of food. But in order to make these arrangements binding, it was necessary to share some of the secrets of our world and offer certain favors to some of the senior German officials. Hitler had an odd fascination with the occult, and his officials were all too eager to believe in the truth of our existence. Luckily, I uncovered the plot before the captains were able to relay the information back to Berlin. Soon, the tide of the war turned. The camp at San Cipriano was never able to become a reality, the technical fact of which, along with the death of the humans involved in the transaction, meant that our accord was technically in place.

"And so it had held for so long, until last week, when they came for Renesmee. Wisely Bella and Edward refused to allow her to be taken. I understood the lure a full grown hybrid would hold for the Volturi. As powerful as our kind our, we have limitations. A hybrid can interact in the human world in ways that might be difficult for us. I also knew that once they had Renesmee, they would easily be able to manipulate the rest of her family to join them. Once Marcus and Caius had opportunity to observe their minds, they would know how much I cared for the Cullens, and how I could be bent to their will again to protect Renesmee from harm. I choose to fight that destiny, and to send a clear message that my adherence to the accord was over. I claimed the Cullens as my coven, and killed Demetri."

Moira paused, looking at the sea of shocked faces staring back at her in awe, in contemplation. I held close to Esme, feeling the burden of being the turning point that had caused Moira to destroy a peace which had held for so long. Now she had been forced to turn to war. She might die, like so many of us might as well. Mathias would be exposed. The Volturi would come for him; surely they'd assumed any human who captured Moira's attention held secrets. Once they knew his, he'd be turned and used.

And it was entirely my fault. I could not help the tears from beginning to fall, and the eyes of everyone drew to me. Bella crossed the crowd and Edward joined her, holding me closely in a comforting embrace.

"You mustn't think that," Edward whispered softly, stroking my hair. "You can never blame yourself for the actions of others."

"But, it all comes back to me!" I whimpered through my tears. "Maybe I should just surrender myself to them. I would rather lose my own life than to ask another to die for me. I am not worthy of such sacrifices!"

Bella looked sternly at me, the way only a scolding mother could. "Renesmee Carlie Cullen! Don't you ever dare say such a thing. You are worth every sacrifice we have ever made for you, and a thousand more. Don't you understand the miracle you are, dear? How could you ever question yourself like this?"

"So, what is your plan?" Liam called, breaking through my tearful cries and forcing my focus back to Moira.

"The Volturi use a swarm and conquer strategy. It's was what I taught them to do in ancient times, something I learned from the Carthaginians. Based on what I've gathered from their attempt to bring about a battle last time, they are still using it. Their weakness is that they have not adapted, and that weakness is our greatest strength. We must force an offensive on Volterra, I propose in six days."

"We cannot be ready for a war in six days!" Aidan shouted. "There are far too few of us, besides the fact that Volterra is a fortress surrounded by a human population. How do you propose we take a fortress and kill at least forty vampires without being noticed?"

"I don't propose we do any such thing," Sekhmet answered. "We will launch an offensive on Volterra, alright, but we'll flush the fortress. We will engage them outside the walls of the city. About six miles to the east, there are nothing but open fields which will be dormant this time of year. We must bring them to us. They will be all too willing to cooperate to move the fight away from their beloved nest."

Jasper nodded in agreement. "I see. You're saying, send a small contingent into the fortress, while our forces lie in wait outside the city. If we supplement by laying snares in their path, it will weaken them all the more."

"They will use their pawns to pick off as many of us as they can, before throwing the guard at us," Garrett added. "If we had the wolves actually in the walls of the city, on the path they will need to take, they could cut the numbers before they even breach the walls."

Sekhmet smiled widely and circled her hands in the air as though she were shifting imaginary objects about. "Yes, and once the Volturi are flushed out, the wolves can bring a secondary attack from the rear. Of course, it will be the more dangerous front, as the guard will tend to hold towards the back. Seth, Leah, your thoughts?"

Edward became their spokesperson. "Sam agrees. Leah says the decision for her pack will have to be made by Jacob. And…oh. They wonder how they are going to get into Italy. It seems none of them have passports."

"Passports?" Moira squealed in delight. "Good heaven, do you still use those? Don't worry, I have a very simple way to smuggle the whole pack into Italy undetected. Passports? Ha! Really, that's too good, wouldn't you say Mathias?"

Drawing attention to Mathias proved to be her first mistake. All the vampires and the wolves had come off the porch, as the crowd was now beginning to break apart and discuss in smaller groups. But Mathias had remained, leaning against the frame of the front door. He was exposed to us all, and it seemed the strain of his recent outburst of laughter had reopened the sutures, and several distinct, crimson drops of his blood started to soak through the bandage.

I got to him just as I heard the growl of the Aussie ring across the opening.

"No!"

The force of my body impacting with his threw him into the open door of the cottage and landed him onto the floor. Aidan's attack landed instead on me, his teeth down over my back left shoulder blade, and the force strong enough to break the skin. I could feel the heat of my own blood being pulled forth for a split moment, and then the pressure released, and his growls descended into shrieks of pain.

Edward and Bella rushed forward intending an attack, but Moira used her power to hold them back.

"You mustn't touch him, he is infected! It will kill you both."

A quick glance at Mathias told me that he was not injured by the fall, only knocked windless. He was already attempting to stand. Aidan, on the other hand, was ruined. He clutched his throat, gurgling and gasping. Convulsions racked his figure as he fell to his knees and then to the ground. Rolling over on his back, I could see his eyes bulging, the little blood he drew from me swirling over his irises, and turning them unvampiristically bloodshot. His skin became like parchment, cracks stretching across his face and neck like parched mud on a river bank. Graying over, his hair began to turn into dust and blow away. Little by little, the body that had filled his clothes disappeared; leaving only granules of sand.

I felt a tug at my arm, and realized that Mathias was attempting to bring me through the doors and into the cottage. I yielded, still trying to make sense of what I had seen. In my confusion, it took a few moments for my brain to register that the dull pain on my back was intensifying and that it was beginning to burn like fire.

"Moira!" Mathias called. "Help her."

Blurred in my vision, I did not know if it was she or Alice or Bella that came rushing forward. Someone picked me up and put me on the floor of my room. A clicking sound reached my ears, and I discovered it was the sound of my teeth chattering. Other noises became mottled and indistinct.

I thought I heard someone, perhaps Bella, yell for Jasper. The smell of sandalwood tickled my senses as I was rolled on my side and the shirt I was wearing ripped away from my body, followed by an icy sensation over the fire. The contrast made my body stiffen, then quiver.

This must be what death feels like.

With my last shreds of self-control, I reached out my hand, hoping for someone to take it. Someone did, and held it firmly. If I were to die, I wanted him to know my last thought was of him. I forced my last strength into releasing the image, to pouring forth all my love focused on his face.

Jacob.

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{Moira}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

I had hunted too much. No amount of blood, be it from beast or beauty, could satiate this thirst. The amount of concentration I had focused over two and a half days of withholding and slowly drawing out the venom from Ren's bloodstream had drained me. I was burning through deer blood like rain puddles evaporating in the summer heat, leaving her side briefly every few hours to seek out more prey.

I needed something human, but I'd sooner die than partake of the only option available.

Thank goodness Jasper and Carlisle's combined sensory and medical efforts had been able to keep Ren more or less sedated. The venom would have been painful enough to endure, but I could not have borne the guilt of seeing her face wretched and hear her screams of anguish if she had been awake as we repeatedly drilled into her body, finding pockets of the Aussies' venom, isolating it with my mind, and draining it out through the brutally-made puncture wounds. The process made me feel like a heathen, but the weeks of pain she would have experienced if I had allowed her body to process the venom on its own until it burned away would have been too difficult for all of us the suffer. Thank the gods that would not be one memory she would ever be able to share with us.

"Moira, we're going."

Mathias was standing Ren's bedroom door with Jasper right over his shoulder, both dressed in suits. It never hurt to look nice when going to court.

"Are you certain you don't want me to come with you?" I asked, even though we had had this conversation six or seven times in the intervening days since Ren's incident. No, Carlisle and I would stay behind while the others made their way into Port Angeles and found a way to sneak Mathias into the jury's chambers. Without Jasper nearby to reinforce the human sedative, Ren was likely to wake up soon. She might have questions, the likes of which I was uniquely qualified to answer.

"We'll be back soon. If everything goes well, perhaps he'll be here, too, when she wakes up," Mathias answered.

I released Ren's hand and laid it gently at her side. Carlisle kept his eyes averted from me, and locked onto her. I took Mathias's hand instead, and led him from the cottage.

"Give me two minutes with him first?" I asked as we passed Bella and Edward waiting on the porch. As soon as we were out of the clearing, I drew him into my arms and moved us quickly, more quickly than running or flying, moving atoms around us in a blur. In the space of six seconds, we had traveled miles, well out of earshot of any of the vampires, and especially Edward.

"What was that?" Mathias laughed as he stumbled around from the dizzying experience.

I smiled back, a little dazzled myself. "I wasn't actually sure it would work, but Eleazar said he was pretty certain I was capable of it. I should know better than to doubt him. Whoa, that really socks the energy though. I'll need another deer tonight."

Mathias's face grew solemn. "And the other thing? What did he say about that?"

I shut my eyes to block any sadness that he may perceive and turned away from him. "Yes, he thinks I'm right about that, too. Of course, there's a catch. Isn't there always? You know what I mean. I couldn't bring myself to do that again."

He threw his arms around me from behind and held me as tightly as his little human strength would allow. "You would, if it was the only way, and you would be strong enough to overcome it."

Lifting his hand from in front of me, I kissed it very gently and held its warmth against my cheek. He shuddered slightly, and I recoiled at the recollection of how different things were between us now. But, I reflected, it was not because I was no longer clinging to being human, or as much a human as an anucktumai was. It was certainly more human than being a vampire. No, it was because somewhere in the events of the recent weeks, Mathias had ceased to be a child. Even as temporal as mortality was, it was still a wonder to me to watch children grow, to become men of the world, and heart breaking ultimately to see how all the life and vigor that the world brought them was useless. Their bodies would age, and wither, and die.

Someday, Mathias would age, and wither, and die. And I would be alone. Again.

"You know how proud I am of you?" I asked with broken tones. I may have cried if such a feat was still possible. "You have become a symbol of my very hope for humanity. You are the greatest treasure I have ever unearthed."

"I wish she had seen it that way," he grumbled, reissuing his arms around me as I let go his hand. He pressed his warm cheek to mine and rocked us side to side. He was so much taller than me now, at least three or four inches. He rested his chin on my shoulder.

"You think you have no hopes of winning Ren, then?"

He shook his head in my hair. "None. That blinding flash of Jacob she downloaded in my head when she thought she was dying was the cap of it all. They're meant to be together. I'm just content now that I get to play a part in making sure that happens."

I smiled and closed my eyes, throwing all my being into enjoying the sway he was leading me in. I felt like a willow in the wind, light and airy. "You loved her so selflessly, even though you had yourself convinced that fate was presenting her to you on a silver platter. I'm really impressed with how you're finally overcoming that silly belief in fate."

He scoffed. "I haven't overcome anything. I just read the sign wrong."

My eyes rolled. "Oh, god, not again. You really are such an annoying gypsy sometimes, do you know?"

With a speed a vampire might have envied, he pulled my chin towards his face and focused his blue eyes intently into mine.

"And you are a frustrating goddess who doesn't realize fate has set her up too," he boldly stated, and his gaze softened oddly. "But a very beautiful one, nonetheless."

I was certain we both felt the electricity flowing between us, but I didn't even realize I'd made the decision to act on temptation until it was too late.

Too many emotions raged through me when I pressed his warm lips to mine. My hands reached up to embrace him of their own volition. The panic of what I was doing ebbed the moment he answered in kind. He led my body to face his and pressed fully into me, backing me against a nearby tree. I felt a rage of passion run up my spine. My breath was racing, as was his, and the taste of him on my tongue was fueling dangerously the temptation of his blood. And at the same time, flashes of him in more innocent times forced themselves forward in my mind, ripping my soul into two different directions.

"Stop!" I yelled as I pushed him stalwartly away. His face was full of hurt, but his breath was still staggered, and his eyes confused. "Oh, my god. How? This can't….it's insane!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to… I only… What the hell? Did that just really happen?"

I paced about trying to roll back the bloodlust. And, the other lust. Mathias took a few steps back. He knew my pacing about never signaled anything good for him.

"Happened. Past tense. And won't happen again!"

Mathias shook his head in confusion, and I saw that devilish curl of smile come across his face. "But, it felt so… right."

I closed my eyes in denial. "It doesn't matter. We both know it was wrong."

"Why?" Mathias questioned. "We're not really related."

I scoffed. "Well, isn't the pot calling the kettle black? I think that's the argument I've been having with you for years. Now, I finally accept it, and you decide you don't want me to be your mother."

Mathias's temper was rising as quickly as my own. "I never would have pressed it so hard if I had known that I was going to fall in…"

"Stop!" I screamed, and then calmed myself before my temper drew out my baser instincts. "Don't finish that sentence. This is impossible. I can't! You can't! "

"I KNOW!" Mathias yelled. "This is so fucked up."

I recoiled at his profanity. It was rare that Mathias acquiesced to the use of such terms.

"Fucked up is right," I agreed. "No, this stops here. We will never speak of it again."

I began to walk away, thinking perhaps to run. But we were miles from the cottage, and they needed to leave in just minutes to get to the court house. I was going to have to take him back with me, and that would mean holding him close again. Damn.

Damn damn, and damn again.

"It would change things between us considerably," I muttered.

"Invariably," he agreed.

But he was right. Kissing him felt so right, natural. Almost like kissing Sorin had felt, but softer, more endearing.

No, I must not allow myself to consider it. No matter what my body said, on its face the idea was abhorrent. "We have to get you back. The others will be waiting. Now, if I hold you so we can go back, do you promise to be good?"

He nodded curtly. Gingerly I approached and wrapped my arms around him. His breath on my neck sent the senses reeling. I bit my tongue to deny myself the temptation of tasting of either his lips or his blood.

"Well, let's see if I can handle this in reverse then. Hold me tightly."

That was a foolish thing to say. As the woods around us twisted and turned in my occluded vision, I felt his lips find me again. It broke my concentration, and instead of ending up in front of the cottage, we ended up on top of it, his lips still to mine, Edward, Jasper, and Bella staring at us perplexed from below.

"Moira?" Bella called. "How did you do that?"

"You promised!" I hissed through clenched teeth, lowering my forehead to his chin.

"Actually, I didn't," he smirked, and tried for my lips again.

"Catch, Bella!"

I pushed him forcefully off the roof and into Bella's arms. Edward looked on from a few feet away intrigued, half smiling. No doubt he heard all the overly romanticized gobbly-gook that was going through Mathias's head, and knew for certain his daughter was no longer the object of his desire.

Or, he just really liked seeing Mathias pushed him off the roof.

Bella lay him on his feet and Edward put an arm around him and began leading him towards the main house.

"Look like you're having quite a week, Mathias," Edward chuckled.

Bella glanced up at my questioningly. "Are you okay?"

With a groan and a slap on my forehead, I gave her a shame-faced nod. I stepped off the ledge and landed next to her.

"No need to linger, Bella. Go, I'll give you call if Ren wakes up."

She still hesitated, and looked as though she were trying to say something that refused to be uttered. Finally, she drew me into her embrace.

She kissed my cheek and whispered a quiet, "Thank you."

I circled my arms around her breathed in her scent. Freesia. It took me back across thousands of years to memories of South Africa, to cloudy memories now veiled by venom and time.

"You're welcome, dear. But for what?"

"For being there for Renesmee these last few months when I could not," she muttered, pulling herself back. "I don't think you understand how much it's meant to me and Edward. I only hope we're able to repay you someday."

I gave her a little giggle. "Want to help me take on an ancient and powerful coven of vampires and crush them into nothingness before they kill us all and destroy our way of life? Then we can call it even."

"Deal!"

She turned on heel and ran off into the forest. I chuckled for a moment at her innocence. Bella was still so young, so inexperienced in the world despite her multiple encounters with the Volturi. What was more surprising, she had chosen this life willingly, and Edward had seemed to embrace it. That was Bella's undeniable sacrifice. Even heading into the murkiness of our current predicament, they were still giddy with love.

I went back into the cottage and returned to Ren's little side bedroom. She lay on the makeshift bed on the floor, Carlisle sitting a few feet from her with his back against the wall, staring off into space. I sat silently beside him, waiting to see if he was going to say anything. It was the first time he and I had been alone since the gathering, and I sensed that he was looking for the opportunity to address his frustrations to me.

"Why did you have to be so quickly cruel?" he finally asked, still staring blankly ahead.

"Aidan was hot-headed. He would have been difficult to control in battle. I had to establish myself as his superior unquestioningly," I answered just as emotionlessly. "If I had known he would have tried to attack Mathias, I would have killed him straight away, and Ren's ability would not have been exposed."

This triggered in him the anger he had been suppressing the last few days. He shifted his body in my direction, and I could see his eyes weighed heavy with misunderstanding. "What gives you the right to deny a life so quickly? Don't you believe in redemption?"

"I could ask you the same thing, Dr. Cullen. Tell me, in all your years doctoring humans, have you ever had to save a patient who was in peril due to their own heinous actions? A thief perhaps, who was shot while trying to make a getaway? Or a rapist whose attacker had somehow gotten the upper hand and found a way to stick a knife in his chest? And yet, you did it, didn't you? You picked them, put them back together, and tossed them back out in the world. What gives you the right to grant a life so quickly? Don't you believe in condemnation?"

"That's not the same," Carlisle argued. "A doctor takes a Hippocratic oath, to uphold certain standards of professionalism and humanity. The doctor treats the body. I help sustain life, you take it away."

I scoffed. "Carlisle, sustaining life is one of your biggest faults."

He shot me an offended look.

"Your intent was no doubt just. You crossed Esme, Edward , Rosalie and Emmett out a sense of compassion. I would say your decision was even valiant. But, really, Carlisle, what kind of life have you provided them? You play doctor, and they fall into line to allow you to do it by posing over and over as high school students? Edward and Bella have a child of their own, for the love or Ra! Why are you so resistant to letting them grow beyond you?"

"I never demanded they stay. If they wanted to leave and be on their own, they would be more than welcomed to," Carlisle returned. "Rose and Emmett actually do from time to time. Bella and Edward haven't, but with Nessie's situation, it made sense for them to stay close."

"Well," I said, motioning casually at Ren's unconscious form, "she's finished. And you know why they're still here. They feel like they owe you too much to ever leave you. I guess that's our pack mentality partly to blame. Oh, don't look at me like that, Carlisle. Our instinct to group isn't as obligatory as the wolves, but we certainly have that tendency."

Silently we sat for some time, keeping an unbroken watch on Ren.

"All I wanted was a family," Carlisle offered quietly after an hour. "I was alone for so long. I've never regretted what I've done for my part, though some of them have at times have begrudged me the decision. Still, I can't deny the ramifications of our existence. Esme, Edward, Emmett- they all have taken human lives. I guess I see myself as balancing out the equation a bit. I work to save humans, to somehow compensate for those that my creations, my family, have taken. I have tried to be an example to them of humanity and compassion. I know the danger posed by Aro and Caius, but I can't resolve the conflict of your preemptive strike based merely on your assumption of knowing what they will do. It goes against the grain of everything I have labored to instill in them."

"Carlisle, as old as you are, you're still like a child to me. You have not paid witness to the horrors I have known. Jasper understands a little, but even his experience is nothing like mine. You befriended the Volturi. I can understand even given their attempts on Ren why you are so reluctant to go to battle with them. But I know them in a way you don't. I forged them. They are a reflection of me, Carlisle. And knowing what I would do in their position, I cannot afford to take chances. I am protecting your family as much as my own. If that means I must commit murder to save the lives of those closest to me, I will do that, without hesitation, and I will make no excuse or seek forgiveness for doing what I know must be done. I could not have lived for so long if I had done any less."

"Yes, but what do you live for?" he queried.

I turned a confused grimace to him.

"Go on, now. You just analyzed me to a tee. Turn that spotlight on yourself. What. Do. You. Live. For?"

"Redemption." I bowed my head. "I have convinced myself that I can somehow make up for all the consequences of my existence by seeing this one end through. If I can destroy the creation I made, I will have done my part. If I can keep Mathias… safe, I will have saved a life worth saving."

My memories betrayed my confidence as images of the kiss ran through my mind. I stood finally, and paced across the room to look out of the window. In the not too distant forest, I saw the wolf they called Sam patrolling. The afternoon wore on as I stood motionless in the window, waiting for Mathias to emerge from the trees. The sun had crossed its zenith, and a sunbeam shot at a lazy angle through the canopy and sent rainbows fracturing through the room. Behind me, Ren stirred, a slight groan emanating from her chest.

Carlisle was beside her in a moment, doctoring her lovingly.

Ren 's voice was soft and weak. Her eyes fluttered open. "What happened?"

"You threw yourself in front of Mathias and were bitten by Aidan," Carlisle informed her in a very professional-sounding doctor voice.

"Is he okay?" she asked.

I shook my head. "No, Ren, he's dead. Your blood is poison, just like I told you."

"No, not the vampire!" she exclaimed and she labored to sit up, Carlisle assisting her. She grabbed her head and flinched. "I mean Mathias. Is he okay?"

Yes, great. Great kisser to as it turns out, but you already knew that. "You knocked the wind out of him, but he's just fine. In fact now that you're up, Carlisle?"

"Yes, right." Carlisle nodded and exited the room. He returned just twenty seconds later, and handed Ren a sports bottle. "Sorry that it's cold. There's nothing to heat it with here except hot water, and that doesn't seem to be doing the trick."

"What is it?" Ren queried.

"Mathias's blood." She turned to me in shock. "Taken very cautiously by the good doctor here. You'll heal faster if you have human blood. And Jasper kept him very calm during the donation, so there shouldn't be adrenaline for you to deal with."

A surprised look came over Ren's face as she took a swig from the bottle. "Jasper was able to sit by calmly while human blood was drawn?"

"Jasper's progressed substantially," Carlisle answered with the prideful smile of a father radiating from his face. "Are you in any pain, Nessie?"

She gave a slight nod. "My head hurts a little, and my muscles are sore, but not so bad. I thought I was dying when he bit me, though."

"A little of you was," I told her. Both Carlisle and she looked at me confused. "The venom was attacking your human anatomy. It never would have actually killed you, but it would have left in horrible pain for weeks while your body processed it. Luckily, we were able to remove most of it, though it did take a while."

A slurping noise echoed through the room as she chugged the last of the blood, and she gave a little belch.

Her cheeks blushed and she tried to quickly change the subject. "So, will I be good enough to go to Jacob's sentencing on Monday?"

Carlisle and I exchanged timid looks.

"It is Monday," Carlisle said. "The others are already down at the courthouse. In fact," and he glanced at his watch, "they should be back anytime now, if everything's gone well."

"WHAT?"

She jumped up and ran to the bathroom before slamming the door. Carlisle may have been as confused as I was, but I doubted it. We both followed her, but only knocked lightly at the door instead of knocking it open like I was tempted.

"Nessie, what's wrong?"

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{Renesmee}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

Were they kidding? Couldn't two vampires of their years put together the simple facts? I was about to be reunited with the love of my life, who also happened to be a werewolf with an overdeveloped sense of smell.

I opened the door reluctantly and gave their blank expressions disappointed stares.

"Jacob already knows I had a fling with Mathias, but by the grace of God he forgave me for it. Now, he's going to show up here any minute, and I'm going to reek of his blood!"

I saw the understanding cross their face.

Moira grinned. "Oh, Ren, he'll understand. Take a quick shower, maybe some of the smell will dissipate."

A shower couldn't hurt in any event. Besides, according to them, I had been laying unconscious for the better part of three days. I'm sure I didn't look to appealing after that.

"Fine. I'll try that."

"Well, then, I'll go up to the house and see if I can find you some of the clothes Alice has for you."

Carlisle took his leave. Moira turned more slowly.

"Moira, wait," I begged. "Are you sure that Mathias is okay?"

She drew a confused smile and nodded. "Yes, he's quite fine. Why do you ask?"

I shook my head reproachfully. "When I asked before, this really peculiar look came over your face, almost like you were trying to hide something from me. I just wanted to be sure."

She gave a slight chuckle. "He's… perfect."

I smiled my thanks, and closed the door. Her suggestion had been a good one. The hot running over my body soothed my sore muscles, and the remnants of the headache began to cede. I overindulged a bit, and after twenty-five minutes the water ran cold. I stepped out of the shower and searched the cabinets for a towel.

No towels. No washcloths. Not even tissue paper. Damn.

I cracked the door slightly, and billows of condensing steam rolled out into the cool air of the cottage.

"Moira, is there anything out there I can use to dry off? Could you maybe hand me one of those blankets I was sitting on."

A few moments later, a cotton sheet was thrust into my hands from the door. I held it up to my face first and began to pat myself dry. A peculiar scent in the sheet made my senses twitch as my mind tried to comprehend the possibility. Without pausing to think, without any regard to the fact that I was wet and naked as the day I was born, I nearly tore the hinges off the door as I threw it open.

He smiled at me broadly; his eyes a little shocked perhaps, but met my gaze directly, before moving his eyes to survey the rest of me.

"Hello, Nessie," Jacob whispered. "It's good to see you. All of you."

There were no words I could offer, only actions. Without another hesitation, even if it would cause my father to burst in the doors and find my naked, wet body pressed to his, I threw myself at Jacob and pressed my lips mercilessly to his.