I don't own Twilight.

Part III — Renesmee Cullen

The next morning, Sunday, I woke up early and decided to take a long, hot shower. I felt full and alert after hunting yesterday. I realized while washing my hair that this must have been my version of the "three day spell" into becoming a vampire. I was craving blood much more often than I had just two months ago at Charlie and Sue's wedding. Maybe this was the official sign that I was turning into a full-vampire.

Oh, what a thrilling thought.

After I was dressed in a simple pair of jeans with a green floral print t-shirt, Katherine led the way to the dining room. I had only been in this room once, four days ago, when I ate dinner with my "teachers." It was evening and the lights had been set on low, almost with a drowsy effect, and everything was stiff and serious. Now, though, it was bright and almost, dare I say it, cheerful.

When, I finally did decide to come down to breakfast, I thought dryly, Dominic really went all out with the food. From the head of the table down to the foot, there was every single breakfast food imaginable, some I didn't recognize. And, despite everything, it was completely egg-free.

I wish I could call that coincidence.

He was waiting at the head of the table. His feet rested lightly on a small free space on the packed table. By his black shoes was a big bowl of fruit salad. His golden hair was tussled, like it usually was, and he was actually wearing something cheery today: a thin light, blue plaid shirt and light, holey jeans. He didn't acknowledge my presence because was too busy reading a book. The title was Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl.

It was pretty significant considering he was alive during World War II.

I took a seat to his left and waited patiently. I didn't touch the human food; despite the lack of eggs, nothing sounded even the least bit appealing. Finally, after several long moments, he glanced my way. "Good morning, Nessie," he said teasingly, though his face was hard.

"It's Renesmee," I chimed and picked up my fork with delicacy. He raised an eyebrow. I did the same and for a moment, we stared at one another. Then, with a half-shrug, he turned his attention back to his book.

I started picking at the bacon on a plate nearby and then began eating. The meat was hard and chewy in my mouth. Sure, anywhere else, this would have been excellent bacon but it tasted vaguely of dirt to me. I closed my eyes and grinded my teeth together, swallowing hard.

Dominic didn't look my way. He probably knew what pain I was going through but didn't give me a second thought. Typical of the Devil, that was for sure. I made it through the rest of the strip and then worked on a pancake.

It was sticky and tasted like doe in my mouth.

This was going to be a long breakfast, I thought bitterly as I reached for an apple from a strategically placed basket. It was all the way in the center of the table; I nearly got sausage grease on my shirt reaching for it.

And the Devil sat there, like I totally didn't exist.

Jerk.

For the rest of the day, I hung out with Katherine.

We talked about a lot of things but most of all Casey. She described to me what he played the night before. "You would have loved it," she smiled. "He actually played on the piano, which he usually doesn't do … but, it was, just, amazing." She started humming a little bit of it, though I knew she was nervous; she stared at her feet while she did.

I laughed. "Katherine, you're so helpless," I told her.

She stopped humming and looked up at me. "I don't seem to desperate, do I? I mean, I don't want to appear too clingy or something …" She looked towards the door. "God, I probably sound like a babbling fan girl. It's been at least two decades since I've dated someone. I'm way out of it."

I smiled and tucked a strand of silky midnight hair behind her ear. "You sound a little like a fan girl," I told her honestly, "but you don't sound clingy or desperate. Just a little scared." She looked up at me and her eyes narrowed. "What?" I blanched.

"You're a love expert, aren't you?"

Caught off guard by her question, I laughed out loud. "Heck no," I replied, waving my arms as if warding away evil. "I just … I know what it's like. It took me a very long to realize that I was in love with Jake …" His name came out a strangled.

She nodded. "Thank you," she whispered.

I wrapped an arm around her back and brushed a piece of hair back from her face again. "He's going to fall for you," I whispered. If he hasn't already, I added silently.

The day progressed slowly. Katherine had to leave to do something, though she wouldn't tell me what. I was sitting alone in my room when Casey stopped by for a visit. He came in calmly, smoothly, like he always did. His eyes were troubled, however, and I had a pretty good idea why. Oh, wonderful, obvious Casey Jaejoong. He hung his head, like a puppy in serious trouble. It was so cute.

"Hey, Casey," I greeted, sitting on my bed. He looked up at me, like he didn't recognize where he was. His face filled with recognition and he sat down at the foot of my bed, resting his head in the palms of his hands.

"Good afternoon, Renesmee," he replied quietly.

"What wrong?" I cocked my head to the side, like I really didn't know what was going on. He must have seen Katherine from yesterday and known that she looked a little different. Maybe he closed his eyes and saw that her light was just a little lighter than they had the day before.

"It's Katherine," he sighed and I smiled. He glanced at me. "Something has … changed about her though I don't know what." "

I gave him a look.

"What? Is it that obvious?" he asked while I nodded, laughing a little at his embarrassment. "God, I'm so helpless. People used to not know what was going through my head. But now it's like … so obvious."

I laughed. "Why don't you ask her out or something?" He gave me a look which pretty much told me how totally stupid I was being. "What? Are you just going to skip around each other for the next decade? Just get it over with. You two like each other, that much is obvious. Um, hello?"

He chuckled and twisted his hands together. "Katherine Hayashi is a very … interesting woman," he started. "She follows statures and rules. If I asked her out, there's no telling what she'd say. On one hand, she could say yes and then the rest may be history. On the other hand …" He looked at me. "She could say no because she wants to follows these bullshit rankings and her damn laws."

I smiled sadly. "I think," I replied after a pregnant pause, "that you should still ask. Love conquers all, right? Sometimes, people will give up their laws and their 'normal' way of life for love. Katherine really, really likes you Casey. And I think she'd jump at the chance if you asked her. She's too scared to ask you. That's way out of her years."

He nodded. "Thank you, Renesmee," he said quietly.

I nodded back at him. "You're welcome. I know what it's like, that's all. And sometimes the time you spend skipping around each other is less time you have with each other."

"You're right," he said and slapped his palms on his thighs. "You're always right, Renesmee. I should never question a woman's words of wisdom. They're always, always right. At least, that's what everyone keeps telling me." He grinned and stood up.

I smirked and said, "That's right. And don't you forget it."

Monday morning came with rain.

After Mistress Plum's table setting lessons, Katherine and I headed to the "vampire room" where all the vampires "slept" at night. Since it was raining, all the vampires that usually worked outside changed around and started practicing on the inside.

Casey sat in the corner, with a guitar in his hands. He was strumming and humming below his breath. It sounded beautiful, even from far away. I could tell why Katherine would sit outside and listen every single night. He was beautiful when he sang.

"Ah, Renesmee," he said, "Katherine." He nodded to us both. After awhile, he said, "Renesmee, I need to talk to Katherine alone. Could you give us a second?" He winked and I smiled.

I headed over to Maddy, who was working away on one of the several targets placed inside the room because of the rain. She greeted me with a nod and a big grin and then turned around to finish her task. After another round of twenty, punches, she wiped the invisible sweat from her forehead and looked at. "We don't have lessons for another hour, Ness," she raised an eyebrow. "Don't you have your daily Casey Jaejoong hotness watching or something?" I laughed out loud. She smiled and wiped her hands on a white cloth.

"Well, I think today's the day," I replied shortly, looking over to where Katherine and Casey were staring nervously at each other.

Maddy's eyes widened. "Did he actually grow a pair and do it? Is he actually going to ask her out?" she whispered. I shrugged. She winked at me. "Let's go find out, shall we?" Sneaking behind a few vampires who paid us no attention at all, we sat down behind a small piano to the right of Casey and Katherine. We kept the giggling to a minimum because it wasn't possible that we could stop. It was just so dang cute.

"So," Casey said, "I heard you and Renesmee went hunting for animals." I could picture Katherine nodding shyly with her deer-caught-in-the-headlights expression. He chuckled a little. "How did you like it?"

"It went well, I think," she replied. "I mean … it's different than what I'm used to but I believe that I will adjust quickly. I have to say it's much more convenient and Renesmee can hunt now as well, while I'm with her. It's a win-win situation."

I could hear the smile in his voice. "A win-win situation for us all, I think." He stood up then and Maddy and I leaned over just far enough to see beyond the piano. Casey was at least a head taller than Katherine but in a cute way not the 'giant to a peasant' way. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously while she looked up at him with wide, scared eyes.

"I was wondering," he said. I nodded him on thinking, I wanted to ask you out. We should hang out sometime. I love you. Let's get married. Say it, Casey and ask her! Say something! "I was wondering," he started again, "if you wanted to go into town with me this Friday? We could go to the park there and watch the stars. I love the stars."

His rambling made him adorable, I decided. Now, the hard part came into play. Katherine. What would she say? It was almost like being on one of those reality shows on MTV where you didn't quite know what any of them were going to say or do next …

"Yes, I would love to go to the park with you," she said, smiling; he grinned. "I love the stars as well," she added and his grin doubled. Maddy and I sighed with glee at the same time. "And," Katherine said, "Renesmee and Miss Appleton —"

"Busted."

"Totally," Maddy replied swiftly and stood up quickly. I followed suit, my face bright red. "Totally worth it though. Finally, Romeo and Juliet notice that the other exists." I smiled wickedly at Katherine and Casey. They both looked away, embarrassment but smiley and happy.

Katherine stared at herself in my mirror.

As she picked up her hair and let it fall down her shoulders again, I couldn't help but notice that she looked at herself much like a stranger would look at her. I watched her from the door of the bathroom and smiled. "Are you excited?" I asked her.

She looked at me and I could see her face fall. She didn't smile. Her eyes shown with invisible tears, tears she would never shed. "I can't do it," she said sadly.

"Do what?"

"This is humiliating," she said. I walked over to the counter and jumped up on it, rubbing her back gently while she talked. "I mean, this doesn't happen. When I was born, for a male just to ask a female out would have required the consent of both parents and probably would have required …" She sighed. "It's just … it's so different than what I'm used to."

"Katherine, times have changed," I replied. "This is how the world works now. Casey likes you, you like Casey. You go 'get dinner' and hang out for awhile. This is how it is. You don't need anyone's permission to do anything. If you don't like him, you should have said no."

I huffed and she looked up at me through her hair. "I couldn't say no," she replied quietly, cautiously. I looked at her, feeling a little guilty about my outburst. Katherine needed me. There was no reason why that should have happened.

"Why not?" I asked.

She smiled then, the first time, I believe, since Casey had asked her out. "Because the way he carries himself, like he could carry the entire world on his shoulders and still smile, is honorable. Because he's such a kind man and he cares about everyone, even people he shouldn't. Because he has the voice of an angel." She looked at me with her beautiful eyes and dded, "You want to hear?"

We snuck down the hallway, by walking briskly and quietly. Compared to Katherine I was a cross between a musical concert and King Kong in a glass box. But she didn't seem to mind so it wasn't a big deal. At least, I hoped it wasn't.

"I have a room on the other side of the castle," Katherine explained quietly as we sat outside the vampire room. "If I'm seen in there, I don't really have a story to explain the reason. So, I sit out here. It is not really so awful. Besides, you can hear him since he's right on the other side of this wall."

She patted it softly and we slid down.

"Okay," she said, glancing at her watch, "it's time."

As if on cue, I heard a piano start to play on the other side of the wall. Katherine sighed happily. "Well, he's not playing the guitar but the piano is just as beautiful." I smiled and leaned my head back, staring at the ceiling as Casey started to sing.

I had no idea what he was saying but Katherine did. She was smiling and her eyes were closed, taking the lyrics, the beautiful music. He was an amazing singer. Even with the obvious translation problem, I immediately fell in love with his voice.

Following Katherine's lead, I closed my eyes and sat quietly, listening. I didn't even make it through the first song before I was fast asleep, leaning on Katherine's shoulder. It seemed like I was always leaning on her shoulder for something whether it be literally or figuratively.

A/N — Here is a link of the song that Casey sings during this chapter (the English lyrics are also included in the video): The singer/actor that I have on my website who "plays" Casey, also composed this song. So, it is pretty cool. =]
h t t p : / / w w w . y o u t u b e . c o m / w a t c h ? v = z l A g I Y J c A x 0 & f e a t u r e = r e l a t e d

I'm out of school, so yay! My last day was yesterday. My computer is visiting Hades, God of the Underworld right now (meaning it's broken) but I'm typing on my mom's old laptop and my Dad's while he's working, so I'm still going to have a computer.

Please review! There will be previews for anyone who reviews!

-Liz