A/N: Sorry for the delay, I have been suffering from insomnia lately, and it doesn't help with focusing enough to get the chapter written between class and homework…..but it's done, and it's a long one!
Hey there loyal readers, I'm glad that you all seemed to like the last chapter, it was definitely an intense one. I hope you all bear with me through the twists I threw into the story, I know that some of you expected them, and I hope I didn't disappoint.
Wow, I mean, Wow, I am almost at 500 reviews, that's just awesome! I never even expected to cross the 200 mark, much less the 500 one, so I am just flabbergasted.
For those of you who haven't checked it out, the first two chapters are up on Socks for Sex, so go check it out, disgruntled Bella is fun! And Nostalgicmiss is the best co-writer ever…..she drives me to push up my word count like no tomorrow….and a special thank you to her for continuing to critique my chapters of this story, because she keeps me focused when I get all A.D.D.….:)
Chapter Thirty-six: Breathe
Jacob POV
Waiting for Carlisle to leave the house was more boring than I ever thought imaginable. Like clockwork, every hour he would peek his head in his study, which had turned into my makeshift hospital room, and check on me. I felt like a little kid that was grounded; but at least I was alive, and conscious.
The suspense was killing me, Carlisle had yet to hear from anyone in the family, and it was making me nervous, they should have found her by now, and it was making me paranoid. If anything ever happened to her, I would surely fall apart. Not only was she my best friend, but she was my future, and I couldn't do it without her, nor did I want to for that matter.
My babysitter wouldn't even let me leave the room to go to the kitchen to get something to eat. Although, in his defense, neither of us really knew how to cook, so I was probably more of a danger to myself if I did attempt to operate the kitchen appliances. Past the microwave, I was clueless.
After he decided that I was hydrated enough to take me off of the IV drip, he ordered me half a dozen pizzas, and I happily inhaled them all as Carlisle watched in awe. Greasy cheese had never tasted so good, and when I was done, I fell back against the bed in a pizza coma and plotted my escape.
It was nice not having to worry about Edward invading my thoughts, because he would have just tried to stop me, but I was determined, I was leaving this place and going to her whether they liked it or not. Edward would do the same thing if it was Bella, so as long as I didn't manage to hurt myself on the way, they could all back off.
My injuries were fading fast, and I knew that it was only a matter of a few more days until I was as good as new. Although right now, my body was a sickly shade of yellow-green, so I could hope that my bruises would heal the rest of the way before I left the house.
I knew that the itinerary for the family's trip would be on Carlisle's computer, so I just had to wait until I was alone to go and look it up. Emmett and Rose had flown directly there from Alaska, and Carlisle told me that Jasper had arranged everything for the family. He was very vague when he told me about where they were, but I knew it was somewhere in Brazil.
The only problem I could foresee was the fact that I would need a passport to get out of the country, so I would have to brave going to the apartment, but I was unsure of that because that is the first place that he would look. If I stood a chance of getting out without him noticing, I had to get to the airport and just go. I would play it by ear until then.
I heard a light tap on the door and sat up against the headboard, pretending to watch the television that was switched on in the corner.
"Yes?" I said loud enough for him to hear me. It was nice being around someone with superhuman hearing, because I never had to strain my voice; not that I had any problems controlling my volume.
"Jacob," he said pushing the door open. "I just got paged, there was some kind of accident on the highway, they need me at the hospital, you need anything before I leave?"
Yes!
I tried to bite back my excitement, and replied, trying to keep my voice even. "No Carlisle, I think I will be fine, I'm just going to rest for a while. I guess I will see you whenever you return."
He appraised my calm exterior for a moment and then nodded.
"Alright, just call if you need me, my number is programmed into your new phone, it's on the desk over there," he said motioning to the large desk along the wall underneath the large picture window.
"Ok, I'll be here, attempting to heal," I mused, still trying to play innocent.
He gave me another questioning look and smiled before he closed the door again.
I tried to keep my excitement in check because I knew that if he heard my heart beat accelerate he would come back to investigate.
Once I heard the door to the garage open, and then an engine start, I pulled myself out of the bed and headed towards the door. I needed to find clothes before I did anything, because I doubted that they would let me on a plane barefoot, only wearing athletic shorts and a sling.
I groaned as I tried to readjust the sling on my arm after I stood up, the strap was digging into my neck, but I knew that I wasn't ready to take it off yet. I would probably end up hurting myself more if I went without it.
Once I got into the hallway, I listened intently, making sure that the house really was empty, because I didn't want to get caught red handed, it would only make matters worse. Carlisle was not a violent man, but he was under strict orders to keep me safe, and healing. Running off to Brazil would definitely put a kink in his plans.
After a few minutes, I made my way to the staircase and up the stairs to my tiny bedroom in this house. I knew that Alice had recently replenished my wardrobe, so I wanted to pack a bag and get changed quickly before I scoped out the history in Carlisle's internet browser.
When I opened the door, the familiar smell of Renesmee assaulted my senses, and I was transported back to the last time I had spent in this room. It had been over the summer when we were forced to stay in Langford with the rest of the family, and I had brought her up here for a nap when she fell asleep watching a movie with Emmett and Rose in the basement.
A pang of sadness resonated in my chest and I sighed, hoping desperately that she was safe.
After a few seconds of daydreaming, I forced myself back to the matter at hand and ventured into my oversized closet.
I pulled down a small duffle bag from the top shelf and threw in a few pairs of jeans and some button down shirts. I knew that I would not be able to tolerate t-shirts for the time being because I still didn't have full use of my arm, so they would be easier to get on and off with buttons.
Deciding that I didn't have time to waste with a shower, I walked into the en suite bathroom and wet a wash cloth. I rubbed it over my face and chest, collecting the majority of the grime that had built up on me. Then I grabbed my deodorant from the medicine cabinet and swiped some on, finishing with a light mist of axe body spray. I may look like shit, but that doesn't mean I need to smell like it too.
I came back into my room and walked over to my dresser. I pulled out several pairs of boxers and some socks.
I shoved all but one pair of each into the bag and tried to awkwardly shift my shorts and boxers down my legs with only the use of my one arm.
Once I had gotten them off, I pulled on the clean pair of boxers and went back into the closet to grab another pair of jeans and a shirt.
It only took me a few minutes to wrestle the jeans up my long legs, but the shirt was a little more challenging. I had to remove the sling, and try to delicately slide my arm into the sleeve without moving my shoulder too much.
Five minutes later, I had finished buttoning the last button, and pulled the sling back over my head and situated my arm into it before I sat down on my bed to put on my socks. Then I grabbed a pair of tennis shoes quickly and fumbled around to pull them on. It took me a few tries to get them tied, but once they were done, I returned to the bathroom and added my deodorant and the body spray to the bag.
The house was still silent as I made my way back downstairs to the study.
I flicked open the laptop on the desk and opened up the email window.
Right there at the top there was an email confirmation for a flight itinerary for one Rosalie Hale and one Emmett Cullen. Perfect. Ok, Victoria to Denali, Denali to LA, LA to Rio de Janiero. Pretty simple itinerary. I could get the next flight to LA and then work from there. Maybe we would get word from the family by that time.
I printed out the email and shoved it into the duffel before I sifted through the drawers in the desk.
Bingo.
My wallet with IDs intact, and a little wad of cash were tucked into the back of the center drawer. How convenient for me.
Throwing the cash in the bag, I zipped it up and made my way towards the bureau in the living room where the extra car keys were kept.
I didn't want to worry about the logistics of phasing to run to the airport. The forty five minute run would take too long, and the sun was coming up, so I couldn't risk it anyways.
Grabbing the first set of keys I could recognize, a small little Aston Martin logo came into view. Perfect, the Vanquish. I knew that Edward would probably kill me, but I didn't care, and the car was fast, and at this point, the faster the better.
I made my way down to the garage and opened the bay where the Vanquish was parked and pressed the unlock button on the key ring. It chirped with the most beautiful sound and the lights flashed indicating the security system had been disengaged.
Running my free hand over the curves of the hood, I made my way over to the driver's side door and opened it up. The smell of perfectly manicured leather wafted towards me, and I happily settled down into the seat.
I shifted the seat back and adjusted my mirrors before I turned the key and the engine purred to life. If I thought driving the Mercedes was fun, this would be like heaven.
Quickly pulling out of the garage, I pushed the button to lower the doors and revved the engine while I pulled out onto the gravel access road. I kept having the nagging feeling that I was forgetting something, but I was in a hurry, so I sped down the road towards where it neared the highway.
Carefully approaching the ramp, I eased into traffic, which was light, and made my way east towards the airport.
It only took me thirty minutes to get to the Victoria International Airport, and I carefully parked the Vanquish in a secluded corner of the long term parking garage. I wasn't sure how long I would be gone, so I opted for covered parking.
When I got into the airport, there was only the light hum of business travelers and the various family members probably wasting time waiting to pick up their loved ones.
I opened my duffel and grabbed the itinerary and the small wad of cash, sitting down on a bench. I identified the proper airline, and shoved the cash into my pocket before I made my way towards the ticket counter.
"Hello sir," the small middle aged woman said from behind the counter said happily.
"Um, hi, I need a one way ticket to Los Angeles, whatever is available first."
She began to type on her computer quickly, making a hmm noise for a few minutes before she responded.
"Well, we have a flight that leaves in an hour, if we hurry you can probably still make it in time to board."
"Perfect," I said pulling out my wallet. I grabbed my driver's license, which was for William Wolfe and slid it across the counter towards her.
"Well, it seems we only have a business class seat available and …," she said before I cut her off.
"Whatever is available I'll take it," I said adding my black Amex card on top of my license. I never used the thing, but Edward gave it to me for a reason, and this was just as good of a time to break it in as any.
Her eyes widened and she grabbed the card, swiping it along a channel in her keyboard.
She handed it back to me along with my ID, and began to print out my boarding passes. I tucked the card back in my wallet and returned it to my pocket. I put my ID in my front pocket because I would need it to get through security.
"Do you need to check any bags?"
"No, just the one carry on."
"Alright, William, have a good flight," she said as she gave me a little envelope with my travel documents.
"Thanks," I muttered as I checked my boarding pass for the correct terminal.
I made my way towards terminal A and pulled off my shoes to go through security. I shoved my bag and my shoes into a gray bin before I handed my boarding pass and ID to a man waiting next to the metal detector.
He looked at it, made some sort of mark and handed them back to me before he motioned for me to pass through the detector. I barely made it through without hitting my head and rushed to grab my bag and shoes before I made it towards my gate.
I didn't bother to put my shoes back on until I was seated next to my gate.
Once I had finished putting my shoes back on, they called for boarding and I rushed towards the gate, anxious to get that much closer to seeing Nessie again.
The flight was long and boring and I drifted in and out of consciousness during the two hours we were in the air.
When we landed, I immediately rushed towards the arrivals and departures screen to check for the incoming flights from Rio. I knew that I would be stuck waiting here for them to return, because I was unable to get to my passport.
The first flight in was landing in ten minutes, so I made my way towards the gate.
I sat there for what seemed like an eternity, but eventually a plane pulled up to the gate, and ten minutes later passengers began to file out of the door. Another ten minutes later, I had yet to see a familiar face and they began boarding for the flight leaving out of that gate.
Obviously, they hadn't made it back yet, so I found a seat near one of the digital arrivals boards and waited. All I could do was focus on the little numbers on the board.
After a few hours, I went to another gate as an incoming flight from Rio deplaned, and still there was no one I knew. I was beginning to lose hope that they were going to return.
I reached into my pocket to draw out my phone.
Crap!
In my hurry to leave, I had left my phone on the desk in the study, how could I have been so careless? Now they wouldn't even know where to find me.
Four long hours later, another flight from Rio landed, and I felt like my heart was going to leap out of my chest as I waited.
Several passengers began to make their way towards where I was waiting, but still there were no familiar faces.
I looked to the floor and resigned that this was going to take forever when I heard the sounds of familiar tinkling laughter echoing the walls of the boarding tunnel, Alice.
My pulse quickened again and I stood up peering over the heads of the people waiting to board the plane, and my whole world seemed to shift into place as I saw a head of messy bronze colored hair, and golden eyes met mine as he made his way out the door towards me.
Edward POV
Locked in the intense gaze of Demeitri's crimson colored eyes, I waited while those surrounding us shifted uncomfortably, their thoughts threatening to overload my consciousness.
My family was fiercely protective of each other, as well as our extended family, and I knew that they would all stop at nothing to save her. Nessie has worked her way into all of their hearts, and with the exception of the nomads, we would all do anything for her. If one of us had to make a sacrifice to save her, we would do it, no questions asked.
Demeitri was quickly losing patience as I narrowed my dark eyes at him, daring him to make a move. He knew that he would be on the losing end; my only worry was about who he was going to take out in the process of trying to turn this into a fight. Normally he would not be the careless one in his group, Felix usually held that honor, but he was too busy fawning over his new pet to pay much attention to his superior.
Renesmee was slowly regaining consciousness, and I could hear fleeting thoughts escaping her. She was disoriented and confused, and from the growling noises surrounding us, she was frightened. Her body was still limp, and from what I could gather, Alexei had drugged her with something. His mind was still shielded, so I couldn't tell with what, but whatever it was, it made her body nonresponsive to her mind.
Alice was standing to my right, her body partially shielded by Jasper, her eyes fixed and glazed as she continued to follow Demeitri's decisions. He had no way to contact backup, and it would take too long to get here regardless. He wanted to turn this into a fight, but he was grossly outnumbered. He wanted to order Felix to run, but I would catch him without any effort. More desperately than anything, he wanted to be the one to present Aro with my daughter, but he never got so much as a step out of this circle before she was retrieved.
All of a sudden, Alice's visions became clear, and I side stepped quickly as Demeitri's large frame bent and released in one swift motion, a low rumbling growl pouring from his lips. He landed just to my right, inches from my body, making dissatisfied growling noises, because he had failed to take me by surprise.
I spun around to face him, and pushed myself back into a defensive stance. Before I could even utter a word, Emmett had joined me, both of us standing tall feet away from Demeitri who was still in a crouching position.
I got this Eddie, Emmett silently informed me as an amused smirk donned on his face, his dimples fully evident.
Demeitri flexed himself up and tried to take a step forward and before Emmett or I could respond, Magda had grabbed Demeitri by the arm, and he fell to the ground on his knees making hissing noises.
At first, we were all confused, many of the family members taking defensive stances around us. Tanya, Bella, Esme and Rosalie had surrounded Heidi and Felix, who were growling as they backed towards each other on the other side of the clearing. There was no way that they would get past Bella, when she was angry; she was a formidable and stubborn foe.
It took me a few minutes to process what was going on, then I remembered her gift, the ability to emulate another's power. She was drawing off of Kate, who was still holding a submissive Alexei in her grip.
Magda increased her grip on his arm and tortured whimpering cries flew out of him as his face contorted in pain.
"Are you ready to behave?" she questioned, in an amused tone of voice. She was enjoying herself; that much I was sure of.
He growled in response, and she simply flexed her arm again, sending a new shockwave of electricity through his body.
Seeing Demeitri on his knees, struggling to submit to a woman who was probably half his size was more than entertaining, and with the thoughts coming into my mind clearly, I was not the only one who thought this.
"Are you?" she hissed as he jerked his arm to try to break free of her grasp.
After a few minutes of him protesting, and her shocking him again, he finally relented and nodded his head, while throwing curse words at me in retaliation.
"What do you want?" he growled through his clenched teeth, in a menacingly low octave.
"You know what we want Demeitri. Return my daughter and you can take Alexei and Huilen and go; don't and we end this now," I growled and Emmett pulled a Zippo lighter from his pocket, flicking open the cap to cement my point.
He mentally chastised himself for not bringing more help with him, and then he finally decided that it was a losing battle.
"Fine," he grunted as he turned his head towards Felix, who was in a staring match with my wife. "Give her to her mother."
Felix's dissatisfied whines echoed in my brain as he reluctantly passed her limp body to Bella before taking a step backwards.
Heidi hissed at Rosalie, and glared at Demeitri as she futilely tried to use her gift on Bella to convince her to give Renesmee back. Bella's shield held intact and she smiled brightly at the tall slender woman, rubbing in her obvious failure.
"How am I supposed to get him back?" Demeitri questioned as Madga pulled him to his feet.
I contemplated this, but I didn't get the chance to speak before Magda's deeply accented voice responded to him
"I will help you," she responded calmly as he shot a confused look at her.
"Alright," he said back to her, and they seemed to come to a silent understanding as she pulled him over to Kate's side.
She touched Kate, who still had a hand firmly planted on the back of Alexei's neck, on the arm, and motioned for her to let go of him.
During the handoff, Alexei attempted to break free of her grasp, and Magda hissed in response and flexed her hand on his forearm. He grunted loudly, and submitted as she and Demeitri dragged him back towards where an empty handed Felix, and Heidi still holding onto Huilen, were waiting.
Our family members seemed to look at me with a puzzled look on their faces as they all grouped together.
"She has always wanted to see what they were like," I responded aloud to their internal questions.
"Good luck with that," Emmett snorted as he clasped one of his large hands onto my shoulder.
I turned slightly, and made eye contact with Bella who was making her way across the field in my direction, Renesmee tucked securely in her arms. She looked worried, but triumphant, and I was happy that we were able to get our daughter returned to us somewhat safely.
No one from my group had mentioned the pregnancy, and I silently hoped that they wouldn't. I had yet to hear a heartbeat, so when we returned home, I hoped that we would be able to have Carlisle confirm anything before we all jumped to conclusions. For all we knew, Alexei could have been mistaken, but due to the fact that Nahuel was willing to sacrifice himself to save her, made me believe that it was true.
Before I could continue my internal analysis, Bella was standing before me, intently looking into my eyes. For the first time in days, she looked content, and I was happy that we made it through this as a family.
"Here squirt," Emmett said outstretching his arms in front of her, "I'll take her."
Bella's eyes flashed from me to Renesmee, and I nodded in agreement, before she lifted her into her uncle's arms.
Once she was secure in his arms, Bella leapt into mine sighing happily as she nuzzled her nose along my neck. I threw my arms around her, and hugged her tightly to me as I whispered in her ear.
"She's safe love, let's take her home."
I know Edward, let's go, she responded, obviously having let down her shield.
When she jumped down, I looked across the field, and the guard and their captives had vanished, obviously taking the hint that they were no longer welcome in our presence. I knew that Aro would eventually find out about this, but I could only hope that he would be too distracted by his new acquisitions to do anything about it.
Without any prompting, Alice and Jasper took each other's hands and ran towards the tree line.
You coming? She questioned in her head as we watched them vanish into the brush.
"I want to thank Zafrina," Bella said softly, taking my hand.
We walked towards Zafrina and her sisters, who had faint smiles on their faces while they looked at us. They had, once again, proven to be loyal to our family, and I could never express my gratitude in enough ways towards them.
"Thank you, all three of you, you risked yourselves to help our daughter, and we will always be grateful," Bella said as she enveloped Zafrina into a hug.
"Of course, Bella, you would do the same for us," she responded as she patted her on the back.
The women talked for a few more moments, before Senna told Zafrina that they needed to return home. The three said their goodbyes to all of us, and headed into the jungle in the direction of their settlement.
I turned back towards the family, and was actually surprised by one thing that was there.
Kate and Tanya were talking animatedly between themselves, while Garrett and Damon each had an arm around them. It was a surprising turn of events, but I guess that I was glad that Tanya had finally been able to find herself a mate. The two of us were never well suited to each other.
Cameron was talking to Rosalie and Emmett, who was still holding Renesmee, but he seemed to be anxious to return home to his small coven. Renesmee seemed to be gaining more consciousness, and her body was mildly responsive as she leaned into Emmett's large chest. Whatever was in her system was burning off quickly, and I was happy that she was no longer in any danger.
Esme was engaged in yet another conversation with Carmen and Eleazar, and they were discussing a possible visit to Denali when we all returned home.
Bella and I walked towards them, fingers intertwined, and I cleared my throat loudly and they all turned to face me.
"As much as I would like to stand here and talk all day, I propose we all get headed towards the airport so we can return home."
They all nodded and smiled, and broke off into pairs and small groups as they headed towards the break in the trees Alice and Jasper had disappeared towards moments earlier.
Bella walked towards Emmett and patted him on the back with her free hand.
"You drop her, and I'll hurt you," she said as a smile crept onto his face.
He laughed loudly and said, "Yes ma'am," as Rosalie grabbed him by the arm and turned him towards the jungle.
As all of our family members headed towards the trees, I turned to Bella and dropped her hand as I faced her, taking her cheeks in my hands and kissing her lightly on the lips. When I released her, she was smiling brightly.
"Shall we?" I asked as I offered her my arm.
"We shall, Mr. Cullen," she replied as she placed her hand on the inside of my elbow.
We took off after the rest of our family, and we could hear their laughter echoing in the canopy and all around us.
In a few days time, we had been through so much together, and we all made it out safely because of our strong bonds and loyalty towards each other. I would forever be thankful to all of them for preserving my family, and I was anxious to be getting back to our boring, normal lives.
I was sure that we would move by the end of the school year again, because we could not afford to stay where the Volturi might find us, but wherever we went, it would be together, and with our family, which would soon be getting one more addition.
Nessie POV
By the time the blackness subsided enough that I could open my eyes, I knew that I was being held tightly to someone's chest, with a warm wind whipping around my body.
For the first time in four days, I felt safe, even though I was disoriented and exhausted beyond measure.
I could hear tinkling laughter coming from somewhere nearby; and instantly recognized it as Alice's. Her high pitched giggle was unlike anything I had ever heard before, so wherever I was, I was with my family.
I wiggled my shoulders slightly, and tried to blink rapidly, a bright light flickering as I struggled to keep them open.
All of a sudden, the wind stopped, and I could hear the breathing of whoever was holding me pick up, and whispers coming from all directions surrounding me.
I was able to force my eyes open and everything was blurry for several seconds, but then everything slowly came into focus.
When I realized who was intently peering down on my face with a curious smirk on his face, I let out a breathless laugh as leaned my head against his heavily muscled chest.
"Em," I whispered, my voice raspy and low.
"Hey there little bit," he said happily, bringing his hand up to my hair to ruffle it a little bit as his smile got even wider.
"Can you stand?" he asked as his eyes became concerned.
I shifted slightly and nodded as he bent down and lowered his right arm, lowering my legs towards the dirt and brush as his left arm supported my back, holding me up by my armpits.
When he had me upright, still being held firmly by his one arm, I turned my head slowly and saw many familiar faces, all looking over to me in curiosity.
I tried to put weight on my legs and they buckled slightly, and he quickly moved his right hand to my hip to keep me from falling.
"Hey, don't have a human moment on us now," he scolded as a quiet giggle escaped my mother, who had an indescribably elated look on her face as she stepped towards me.
I pushed myself upright and pulled Emmett's arm out from underneath my own, and stood still as I adjusted to standing again. I had spent days trapped in a bed, and was still slightly wobbly on the power of my own legs.
I was sure that I smelled horrible, and I didn't even want to know what I looked like, but before I could even attempt to try to straighten myself out, I was being encircled in an innumerable number of arms, and being squeezed tightly as they all let out a collective sigh.
After being hugged to within an inch of my life, I was able to squeak out, "Ok, ok," and I was released.
I took a moment to myself and closed my eyes, calming my breathing as I readjusted to being fully awake and out of that horrible place.
I could hear the sound of hoof beats and faint heart beats in the distance, and before I knew what I was doing, my stomach was growling, and I jumped into the air, hurdling my petite body over whomever was standing in front of me, and broke off into a run.
As I neared my prey, I could hear the faint rustling of people pursuing me, but my instincts had taken over completely, and running towards the warmth and smell of the blood was sending the burn in the back of my throat into unstable flames.
The desire to feed had never been so strong for me before, and within seconds, I latched onto the animal, which was a good ten feet above me in the trees, and brought its body crashing onto the jungle floor. I drank greedily until its body could surrender no more of its sustenance, and dropped the large, black jungle cat and closed my eyes, licking the remainder of my meal off of my lips.
"Is she alright?" I could hear Esme whisper from behind me, and I quickly fought to compose myself, before I opened my eyes and turned around to face those who had followed me. They had never before seen me so overcome with bloodlust, and I was sure that I had probably startled them by being so aggressive.
"She's fine," I heard the velvety tones of my father's voice respond as I turned slowly, instantly embarrassed at my lack of control over my desires.
"She's just hungry, it's a perfectly natural craving, don't be embarrassed dear," he said softly as I turned to the curious faces of my parents, who were flanked by most of my immediate family and a few others I had not seen in years.
I smiled weakly and shrugged my shoulders as my uncle Emmett erupted into loud bursts of laughter from the back of the crowd. A loud pop filled the air, followed by an "Ow, Rosie!"
Before I knew what I was doing, I erupted into a fit of giggles, gasping for air. It was beyond hilarious watching Rosalie scolding Emmett for his behavior, but even I knew that I was being kind of hysterical.
After a few moments, I was gasping for air and clutching at my sides, doubled over, stomping my foot on the ground.
I could feel a cold hand on my back, and my father trying to whisper soothing words into my ear, and that is when I lost it.
The tears, which were always at the forefront of my mind, began to fall freely, and quickly, and I sunk into the soft earth on my knees as my gasps turned into loud, strangled sobs.
My vision was clouded entirely by the salty liquid, and my head hung limply down my chest as I could see the fat drops of water falling into the dirt in front of me. The sorrow and weight of everything that had happened was crushing me until I couldn't breathe anymore.
Here I was, surrounded by my family, people who loved me unconditionally, and I couldn't feel more alone if I tried. My heart was broken into a million pieces as the events of the last week ran through my mind. This was so much more painful than I imagined it would be, and I wished that Jacob would have just stayed away, at least then he would still be alive.
How could I have been so selfish? How could I have been so careless not to see the danger I brought to our doorstep?
"Shh, Ness, shhhh, he's fine, he's awake," my father's voice cooed into my ear as his strong arms enveloped me.
I couldn't listen to him, I wouldn't listen to him, I knew that he was just trying to lie to me to calm me down, he knew I was still grieving, still broken, never to be fixed again.
He shook me lightly and forced my face up to meet his, holding my head in between his cold palms as the tears still poured from my eyes.
"Stop it Renesmee, Jacob is alive, he's at home, waiting, right now," he said firmly as his golden irises begged for me to listen to him.
"What?" I whispered as I tried to blink to clear my eyes so I could look at him and tell if he was lying. I sat back on my heels and tried to breathe deeply to calm myself down so I could listen to him.
"We got to him after he took you, Bella restarted his heart, he has been at home with Carlisle this whole time, he's healing."
"Oh," was all I could say to respond. I felt so foolish for breaking down, but it was as if I couldn't control my emotions anymore. One minute I felt insatiable bloodlust, then I was consumed by hysterical laughter, and the next I was sobbing in the dirt.
I looked down to my lap and fidgeted with my hands as I absorbed this new information.
Jacob was alive, he was at home, and he was waiting for me. Slowly but surely, all of the pieces of myself that had been broken fused back together, and my heart began to beat wildly in my chest as I took in this new truth.
I jumped up from the ground and happily screamed, "Oh! Come on, let's go!", while tugging at my father's arm. He laughed at me and took me by the hand and we began to run.
The wind whipping through my tangled hair had never felt so good before, it was as if I was revitalized, brought back from the dead with him, and given a new chance at life. I could be whole again, and as soon as I was with him, I would be.
The jungle passed by me in a blur, and all of a sudden I could hear the sounds of cars and heart beats and water as my father tugged on my hand to slow me down.
We were nearing a city, and off in the distance I could hear the screaming of jet engines and knew that we must be close to an airport.
"Patience Ness, we have to be careful, it's sunny out today," he said as he stepped out in front of me.
He was right, there was bright sunlight streaming through the canopy overhead and in front of us where the trees began to thin out.
"What are we going to do?" I asked curiously, turning around to face my family.
"Well," he said, reaching into his back pocket, and pulling out his wallet.
"You are going to go rent us the largest vehicle you can find," he said taking out a wad of bills and placing it into my palm.
"Where?" I said curiously as I furrowed my brow. I had no idea where I was, much less where to rent a bus to transport over a dozen vampires.
"A few blocks, we are close to the airport, take Rose and rent a few vans," he said motioning behind him for my aunt to step forward.
She had already donned a ridiculously large sun hat and was dressed in long pants, and a long sleeved shirt, which fell down over the tops of her hands. Even covered from head to toe, she still looked gorgeous.
Rosalie stepped forward and grabbed my hand, towing me towards where the noises from the city were coming from.
It took us a few minutes, but soon we had hiked the few miles towards the airport, and large buildings were coming into view.
She reached down and grabbed the wad of hundreds out of my palm, and stuffed it into her pocket.
"Come on Ness, hurry up," she ordered as the rental car company signs came into view, and she dragged me into the air-conditioned building closest to us.
I grabbed her hand and we walked swiftly towards the counter, where a very tan, lean, dark haired young man sat in a high chair, leaning his head onto his arm, which was propped up on the counter.
Rosalie marched up to him confidently and smacked the wad of cash down on the counter, startling him as he sat back up in his chair and gawked at her. She was making the poor guy flustered, and loving every minute of it.
"Two of your largest vehicles, no contracts, they will be returned in thirty minutes," she ordered in her most authoritative voice, and when he didn't respond, she said, "Please?" while she leaned over towards him and stroked his cheek.
His heart hammered in his chest and I had to bite back a laugh as she dazzled the poor kid. It really was unfair the influence that vampires had over humans, no matter how funny it was to witness.
He fumbled around and jumped off of his chair and ran over to a cabinet filled with keys, he pulled out two sets and sprinted back over towards us.
"Um, here," he said extending his hand out towards Rose, and she snatched the keys out of his hand. I was surprised that he spoke English, but he was young, and the country relied heavily on tourism, so I was sure that he was probably fluent for his own welfare.
He reached into a drawer behind the counter, and pulled out a notepad; he wrote down a few numbers and tore off the sheet sliding it across the counter towards us.
"Vans, they are parked in these spaces, out door to your right," he told us as he slowly palmed the large chunk of money with a wide eyed starry look on his face. It was probably more cash than he made in a year, and I wandered if this 'rental' would even make it on the books.
Rose grabbed the paper and then took my hand again, leading me out the doors to the parking garage where the cars were located. After walking up a flight, we located the large vans, and luckily, they had tinted windows.
She tossed me a set of keys and pressed the unlock button on hers, and a chirping noise filled the air. I did the same with mine and hopped into the van.
Rose pulled out of the parking space and headed down the aisle before I even started mine, so I hurried and put the key in, and checked my mirror before I backed out to follow her.
We drove back in the direction we had come from, and when we neared where the family was waiting, I saw Rose pull over into the grass, roll down her window, and she whistled loudly, so I followed suit, the tires sinking into the soft earth.
A few minutes later, my family members were sprinting towards us quickly, the sun glinting off of their skin. I jumped out of my driver's seat and went to open the side door, and hopped into the back bench seat while I waited. I was sure that my father would want to drive, because he was a car hog, so I figured I would get out of the way.
Soon everyone was tucked into the small space, my parents in the front seat, and the extended family from Alaska, plus two men I didn't recognize filling the seats in front of me.
It only took us a few minutes to return to the car rental place, and then we all filed out into the parking garage, and headed towards the airport terminal through the underground tunnel way. Rose ran the keys back to the clerk, with Emmett possessively holding onto her waist the entire time, and they joined us quickly before we got into the airport.
My father grabbed everyone's passports and went up to a ticketing agent, pulling out his black credit card and placing it on the edge of the counter.
They spoke quickly in Portuguese to each other, and after about ten minutes, he returned, handing boarding passes to each of us.
The flight from Rio to LA, would hold all of us, but then we would part and head towards Victoria and Denali, from there.
"Can I talk to him?" I asked my father as we were walking towards our gate, the flight for Los Angeles would be leaving in an hour, and I wanted to speak to Jacob before we got on the plane, I needed to hear his voice.
He nodded and pulled out his cell phone and handed it to me. I took a seat by the window, and thumbed through the contact list until I got to his new phone number.
I pressed send and held it up to my ear as my heart thumped in my chest in anticipation.
It rang six times and then went to a generic voicemail notification, so I closed it and tried again.
Ten calls later, there was still no answer and I began to get worried.
I hung up and went to find Carlisle's number, but it started buzzing before I could press send. I answered it, and my grandfather's worried voice filled my ear.
"Edward, where are you? Jacob's gone, I need you to come home now," he said and my eyes widened in surprise.
"Grandpa? What do you mean he's gone?"
"Oh, Renesmee, I'm so happy to hear that you are alright, can I speak to your father?"
I stood up, my heart suddenly dropping into my stomach, and handed the phone to my father who was looking at me in concern.
He pulled it to his ear and I couldn't even focus on what they were saying to each other, I couldn't believe that Jacob was gone. Where? Why? How? What did he even mean by gone? Did he die?
I closed my eyes and took several deep breaths to calm myself down.
After a few minutes, I was being lifted up, and my boarding pass was being taken from my grip and handed to a gate agent. All I could do was stare blankly ahead as I willed my legs to move.
I was settled into a seat, and buckled into it. My body was working, but my mind was gone. Someone was trying to talk to me, but I didn't hear anything besides my own pulse hammering away.
My eyes closed, and the world went dark, but I didn't sleep. Some time later, it could have been hours, could have been minutes, I was being pulled up out of my seat and cradled into someone's arms.
I didn't even bother to open my eyes, but I put my arms around their strong neck and figured that it was probably Emmett.
As I was carried from the plane, I could hear the echo of loud footsteps as we made our way towards wherever we were going. Tinkling laughter filled my ears, as a familiar scent wafted into my nostrils.
I jerked my eyes open, and struggled free of my uncle's grasp, landing on the floor in a crouched position with a thud.
My body went into autopilot and I jumped up and sprinted towards the end of the long hallway, towards the gate entrance. I pushed past my father, and ran until I saw the face I had been waiting to see for almost a week.
A large smile lit up his face and I launched myself into his arms, as a strangled yelp echoed into my ears.
I clung to him tightly as I peppered his face with kisses, loud laughter shaking me as I attacked him with my lips.
A single arm wrapped around my waist and held me tightly as he tried to lean back to look at me.
Deep brown eyes met my own and I felt whole again, my world was finally back in order.
Without a hesitation, I crashed my lips forcefully to his and he responded in kind, his warm moist tongue making its way into my mouth to tangle with my own.
I cradled his face into my hands and continued our sensual open mouthed kiss, not caring if either of us needed air to breathe, I would happily die of oxygen starvation to keep my lips fused to his forever.
This was it, I was home, he was my home, and everything felt right once again.
A/N: Ok, there it is, the reunion, this chapter turned into a monster, I just couldn't stop writing, you better love me, because it's over 8000 words! But yay! They are back together! Nessie's hormones are in overdrive, and she doesn't even know she's pregnant yet!
See you all on Saturday, and don't forget to review…..gotta make it over that 500 mark!