a/n Hello, my darlings! I got a new job, and it's cutting into writing time, so apologies, but I know you will understand. I'm actually under the weather today, but I'm so miserable with misery I'm looking for an escape.

Set about two years after "Pregnant." And in case anyone's wondering, no, I do not like typing in accents. This chapter will demonstrate that well. Just use your imagination...

GOING ALONE

She had to work hard to remind herself that she was in neutral territory, technically speaking. As far as anyone knew, she was on her own - and she was alone. She'd left everyone at home, because Alice had been able to deduce that Renesmee going would create the least amount of confrontation.

Confrontation that would only lead to the family having to defend themselves, unnecessarily taking out those who viewed them as competition.

After hours of driving, she finally found the place. There weren't many cars - the receptionist informed her it was an off time for them. She could see why - rainy, wet, and freezing didn't seem to be a great way to attract tourists.

Unless one of them was a vampire.

"I thought this might be a room you'd like." The boy from the front desk led her into a big, white bedroom with a view of the river. "And the gentleman asked me to inform you he's waiting in the boardroom whenever you're ready."

Renesmee would normally have investigated the room out of curiosity, but today, she really couldn't care less. "Did he take a room?" she asked, digging in her purse for a tip.

"No, ma'am." The boy looked a little uncomfortable. "He said he would need to return right away for business."

"Fine." Renesmee forced a smile. "Thank you."

"Anything else, ma'am?"

"No, thank you, I'm fine." A lie, but still, she didn't need to scare the life out of this poor kid. "I'll ring if I need anything."

The boy smiled, took his tip, and left, closing the door softly behind him. As soon as he was gone, Renesmee stripped out of the clothes she'd worn to travel in and changed into the outfit Alice had packed for her.

It had been a very long time since she had actually seen Aro, and she intended to use this to her advantage. The outfit wasn't what one would normally wear for a meeting like this, but Alice had insisted. The Oscar de la Renta dress was black and made of Chantilly lace. It was ornate and lovely, and Alice promised it would be appreciated by a man obsessed with beauty and perfection.

She made her way back to the conference room, not even stopping to call her husband. She was half afraid if she did, she might not leave the room.

Because if she was nervous and anxious, Jacob was in hell. He was still in Canada with the rest of her family, and while it sucked for him, she was reassured. The amount of distance between here and there had already caused her to become overanxious several times.

Focus. She blinked rapidly, shaking her head briefly to clear it.

There was a bottle of wine on the conference room table, and Aro smiled at her from his seat in front of the window.

"I hope you don't mind, my dear," he crooned. His voice seemed weaker than she remembered. He was weaker, she reminded himself. "It's not often I am able to offer wine to an old and dear friend."

Renesmee wanted to throw up, but she forced a pleasant expression onto her face. The wine had been opened and allowed to breathe, and a glass sounded heavenly right now. She read the label. "I love Europe," she said wryly, finally able to smile a little as she poured the red wine into the glass.

"A little Tuscan treat for you." He smiled, and the expression made her want to rip his head off. "You've never been able to visit the Tuscany area, if my memory serves me correctly."

"You would be correct." She swirled the wine in the glass a bit before taking a sip, and sighing with a small smile despite herself. "Very good."

"I'm glad you enjoy it," he breathed. She successfully held back a shudder - something in his voice unsettled her.

"Speaking of Volterra," she said, no longer in the mood to beat around the bush, "I was informed that you need to return for business." Just as Alice had instructed, she didn't sit down at the other end of the long table. Instead, she leaned against the mantle of the fireplace, fixing her most charming smile on her face. "I'd hate to keep you longer than is necessary. I'm sure you miss your family." She gave him the sympathetic smile she gave to the families of patients who she'd merrily and cheerfully strangle.

"Ah, yes." His voice was higher, now, and he fretted with his hands a bit. "My dear ones - they await my return so anxiously. They are so precious to me, my loyal beloveds."

"I'm sure." She kept the smile in place - it was easier seeing his own anxiety rise a bit when she added, in the gentlest tone she'd learned from Carlisle, "And, of course, you've refrained from grabbing a drink of your own since you've been in the area, I'm sure." She cocked her head slightly, meeting his eyes fully for the first time. They weren't bright or dark - they were burgundy under the fog. "You must be getting thirsty."

"I will, of course," he said, and she could hear the tight tone betraying the rage he had to be feeling, "feed with my dear ones when I return to my home." He smiled, the expression saccharine. "And how are your family, my dear? You're certainly looking quite well."

It was difficult not to clench her fists. This was, after all, the entire reason she'd had to come to the middle of nowhere in England. Here, they both had mutual acquaintances just far enough away to offer no help to either of them.

"Inconspicuous." The sweet smile was still glued onto her face. "It's really quite remarkable how good we've all gotten at blending in." She laughed, waving a dismissive hand. "Especially with the baby crawling all over the house."

"And you live in a home with your parents?"

"Not anymore." She shrugged, as if this most important of conversations was completely irrelevant - only the small talk that it may seem to an outsider. She knew giving him the right details would keep him away for a while longer. "We moved a while back." She smiled, and this time, it was natural and real. "Jacob wanted to have the baby in La Push. It's just nice to be back where the only people who remember you are in on your secret, don't you agree?"

Aro's eyes narrowed a little. "I do," he said, and his tone was guarded. "And how is the child?"

Hold your temper. "He's perfect." She could hear the bite in her tone. It was difficult to keep back entirely. Aro needed to know what he was dealing with - he seemed to have had difficulty in the past understanding how far a mother would go for her child. "Talks up a storm, and you can understand about a third of it now." She smiled. "Little baby sentences, you know."

Perfectly normal, she thought, focusing into Aro's milky eyes with hers, not letting her focus break for a second. It was still difficult, but she was able to show him just enough...

"When..." Aro's eyes were wide, and his voice seemed to have stopped working.

"Gradually." She let the ice creep into her voice a little. "Carefully." She kept her eyes focused, showing him everything he needed to see...

...The dining room table was crowded again, for the first time in years. The only person missing was Rosalie, and Renesmee could hear her in the next room, crooning a lullaby.

"They need to understand that times are changing." Garrett pounded the table, not hard enough to break it, but enough to make his point. His golden eyes flashed. "They cannot dictate our rights to us, when they should have no say over how we live to begin with!"

"And we will find a way to voice those feelings," Carlisle agreed, "but we must be careful, Garrett. If Aro feels threatened in any way -"

"I'll do it." Renesmee had been staring at her father wordlessly for about five minutes, and his eyes had gone very narrow, but his face was resigned.

He nodded. "Renesmee will go," Edward declared. "She can help him understand that we have no quarrel with them, so long as they leave us be." He sighed softly. "And she'll have to go alone..."

...Another night, this time gathered around the fire outside, swapping stories. Renesmee rested her head on Jacob's shoulder, laughing as their friends told jokes to cheer them up...

...Seth and Jennifer were climbing out of the car. Seth had news, Renesmee was sure. News that Felix had defected from the Volturi, she found out quickly, and Dimitri, as well...

..."And you're quite sure?" They were in Alaska, visiting their cousins at Denali. Eleazar was speaking, and his voice sounded shocked.

"Trust me, man, I was as shocked as you are." Seth's face was a mask of disbelief. "Came right up to me and told me both of them just disappeared. No warning, no rumors, not even any reason."

"Jesus," Garrett whispered. "Chelsea - defected. It just seems so odd."

There was more discussion of motives, but Renesmee tuned them out. It was enough to have to get used to the idea of having Felix dropping in and out with news from Italy. It was an entirely different thing to realize that the Volturi were crumbling...

"Yes, yes, a very lovely trick." Aro's voice was sharp, and she blinked, interrupting the flow of thoughts through nothing but air from her mind to his. "And your point is well made."

"I don't think it is." She made her eyes wide. "We really don't want a fight. We just want to be left alone. We've always managed on our own, and it's in our best interest to stay inconspicuous. It's just easier. Can you imagine if the townsfolk found out that their emergency room nurse likes to break into the blood supply from time to time?" She smiled wryly. "I think they'd panic and set our house on fire. Not that it would hurt us, but it would be terrible to lose my wardrobe." She gestured to her dress. "I'm pretty invested in it."

"Yes, yes." Aro waved his hand. "Very good, your point is made." He rose violently from his seat, but she didn't let her relaxed pose change. "And it is valid. You can expect no visits from us, as long as you continue to remain unexposed."

"I expect no visits regardless," she informed him. She narrowed her eyes, and the icy tone that had threatened to creep into her voice now filled it completely. "Your legs are weak, Aro. You would be foolish to try and run against a force much more powerful than your own." Her voice was filled with the authority she'd assumed over the past two years. "Don't forget, some of your old friends are now my friends. You'd do well to remember how loyal friends of the Cullen family are when times are tough."

Aro said nothing more, turning on his heel and disappearing. Renesmee drained the rest of the wine from her glass before sitting down gracelessly at the end of the table with the bottle and downing the remaining contents. When it was gone, she set it down and sighed heavily.

"Thank fuck," she said to the ceiling, "that is over."

Once she was back in her room, she realized that it was still a little too soon to call home - Jacob would be sleeping, and if she woke him, she woke the baby. Heaving a sigh, she sat down on the edge of the bed, turning on the flat screen. Some British comedy show was on, but she paid it little attention.

She was in the middle of the English countryside with no family, no friends, no acquaintances. It felt like a hole had been drilled into her heart. She'd never been so completely alone a day in her life. Even when she and Jacob had first gotten married and lived in Seattle, her parents were just across town.

They weren't in a time zone eight hours behind hers.

She had five days before Makenna was due to come meet with her. She'd cryptically gotten a message through Tanya that she had information she'd like to give Renesmee while she was abroad, and the information should be given in person. Unfortunately, Makenna hadn't known exactly when she was coming, and the sudden date had thrown her a little. Now, Renesmee had to wait until Makenna could get away from whatever obligations she had to be able to see her. Seeing the European vampire again would be a welcome break from the monotony, but in the meantime, she was on her own. She could do touristy shit, but with no one to keep her company...

Her phone lit up, chirping happily at her, and she picked it up, sighing listlessly. The number was one stored already, and she smiled, just a little.

"Well, hello, neighbor." Renesmee smiled wryly out the window at the rainy English countryside. "Guess where I am?"

"Well, a little birdie told me she felt terrible that you were going to be stuck in dreary England for almost a week and that I should call to cheer you up." Renesmee could almost see Maggie's red curls bobbing. "How do I find you today, my love?"

"Terrible, but good." Renesmee flopped back onto the bed. "Aro just left."

"Well, at least he left." Maggie sounded pleased. "I don't trust him, you know, and I've been fretting all day waiting to hear how that meeting went." Renesmee had to think back a bit to hear what she was saying - the accent was so thick.

"Come see me tomorrow," Renesmee begged. "I'll tell you all about it. The inn's got a lovely restaurant, and there's really not a lot of people here right now. It's kind of nice."

"I'll come for you tomorrow then, little love," Maggie crooned. "You poor thing. You must be lonely."

"Jake's home with the baby, and my parents and I agreed it would be least threatening if I came alone."

"And Alice?"

"Alice spent two days staring at a wall and not talking to anybody before she said it was best if I went, and I went alone. She looked at every possibility, and it was the only one where everyone seemed intact at the end."

"The burden of the gifts we have," Maggie intoned solemnly. "And speaking of gifts..." She trailed off.

"He knows what I can do now," Renesmee replied, not needing the question. She smiled. "I think it freaked him out. He saw everything, but only what I wanted him to see."

"So he doesn't know the suspicions." Maggie cut off sharply. "Perhaps this isn't the best phone conversation."

"Right, just in case." Renesmee nodded, even though Maggie couldn't see it. "Besides, the more we have to talk about tomorrow, the longer you have to stay. I still have to call my husband today, but it should wait until it's at least after seven in the morning."

Maggie laughed, the sound sympathetic. "You poor thing. I'll stay a day or so if you like."

"I'd love it," Renesmee moaned. "You can keep me company while I drink myself to sleep."

"Well, don't drink yourself down just yet, miss," Maggie ordered. "You still need to call your husband."

"Yeah, yeah." Renesmee smiled. "See you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow, then, love." The line disconnected, and Renesmee sighed.

Time to check out that bar.

Talking to Jacob did nothing to calm her down. She was upset to hear their son had been crying every night, calling out for her.

"Don't tell me that," she'd begged. "You'll kill me."

"Don't worry, baby," he reassured her. "We're fine. He's hanging out with your mom right now. They're attempting to eat oatmeal." His deep chuckle was soothing. "More like he's using it as paint, and she's trying to convince him how good it is without actually eating it."

And even though she could tell speaking to each of them in turn that they did miss her, none of them sounded very lonely. It was something only her father picked up on, commenting with a brief, "You'll be fine, darling. Home soon."

She inhaled and exhaled heavily and quickly. "Right."

Now, after a sleepless night spent out on the English moors, she was back in her hotel room, sulking in front of her window. A soft knock pulled her from her thoughts, and she knew it must be Maggie...

It wasn't Maggie, but the man in front of her was from Irish descent. A smile burst across her face as she flung herself into the secure arms, inhaling honey and fresh lilacs in spring and home. She held tight, not moving or saying anything, just breathing the scent that she hadn't expected to be exposed to for another week.

"I assumed," the man said, "that you'd want one parent left at home, but you sounded far too miserable to leave to your own devices." Renesmee nodded, still not speaking. "Well then, in that case, I have the room next door if you need me." He chuckled, resting his head on top of hers when she still made no move. "Are you alright?"

"I'm really happy to see you," she said, and she inhaled deeply again before peering up at him. "My son puked on your shirt."

"I didn't have a chance to change. Not a big deal."

"I miss him," she moaned. "How is he?"

"Other than night times, he's doing very well." She finally pulled back to look up into her father's face, which wore a small smile. "He misses his mother, certainly, but your mother seems to be a good substitute." Renesmee felt her bottom lip quiver, and her father's face shifted. "Oh, darling, I didn't mean it like that."

"I know." She sniffled a little, swiping the back of her hand over her eyes. "Stupid, really. I'm actually glad you're here. Yesterday was... odd." She made a face. "Aro was odd."

For a while after, neither spoke. Edward stepped into her room and sat down. She recalled the meeting, Aro's drastic mood swings, and his sudden departure.

And more than that - the fear she'd seen when she'd looked into his eyes.

"I don't think he thought I came alone," she finally said, mostly so there would be sound in the room again. Too much silence was disconcerting to her. "I think he was afraid someone was going to jump him. He knew when he left we were alone, but he didn't believe it at first."

"Not surprising." Edward sighed and rubbed his temples as if the burden of so many thoughts gave him a headache. He smiled at her analogy. "Sometimes," he chuckled in response. "In any case, nobody has really seen anyone since Felix and Demitri left. It would be interesting to know if he knows what happened with Chelsea."

"You still don't think she left." Not a question.

"I don't understand why he'd destroy her, but I just don't know where else she could be but dead. The rest of them have all popped up somewhere. Most have found us and talked to us, but not Chelsea. And I don't understand why he insisted on seeing you himself, and both of you alone." Edward frowned. "I just wish..."

"Don't be so hard on yourself," she ordered, reaching up to scrub at his scalp. He sighed, leaning into her hand. "They're going to leave us alone. And I didn't show him anything he didn't need to see." She grinned. "Everything is fine, for now. Makenna is coming in a few days, and who knows? Maybe Renata told her something. Felix said she defected, as well."

Edward heaved a weary sigh, and turned his head up to stare at Renesmee. "Sometimes, it still shocks me how pretty you are when you look so much like me."

An involuntary burst of laughter escaped her lips, and she clapped a hand over her mouth quickly, eyes wide. "That's not very nice," she chided. "Especially since my son looks like you, too."

"And even mixed with Jacob, he's going to be a strapping young man," he assured her, but his face softened. Her mind had drifted, again, to the first time she'd seen her son.

Jacob was peering over Carlisle's shoulder. They were staring at her baby with shocked expressions. Renesmee felt a pang of worry, and her father squeezed her shoulder.

"It's fine," he said, smiling wryly. "I think you probably picked the best name for him you could have."

Carlisle had shaken his head, now looking a little bemused. "Indeed," he said, handing the baby carefully to Jacob. "Very fine."

Renesmee reached for him, anxious. Jacob was staring down at the tiny baby in his huge hands, and he didn't move his eyes as he handed the child to his mother. Renesmee took him, bundling him up a little and clutching him. Ten fingers, ten toes, two ears, nose, and...

"Oh!" She blinked rapidly before a smile split her face. She didn't say anything else - she just stared for a long time down at her newborn son's tiny face, and he stared back, his bright eyes wide.

"That's impressive," Jacob said, nudging his father-in-law. "Some strong genes you've got there, gramps."

"Apparently." Edward shook his head, but Renesmee paid them little attention.

Her focus was on the green eyed child in her arms.

"Well," she said coyly, in response to his reassurances, "you have always told me I'm pretty."

Edward laughed. "So I have."

Renesmee gave him another smile. "Thanks for coming, dad."

"You're welcome." He leaned forward, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "You are the only child I have."

"Does it ever make you sad?"

"Sometimes, a little," he mused, reaching for her hand and twining their fingers. "But, I never expected to have a child in the first place. Having you at all was such a gift I didn't even think about it for years." He brushed some hair from her face. "Are you sad?"

"I don't know," she said. "Sometimes, a little, but mostly I'm just happy to have him. So, like you said." She smiled softly, nudging her father's shoulder. "So, speaking of parents and children, why are you here and not mom?"

Edward cocked an eyebrow. "Masen is one and a half," he reminded her. "There needed to be a woman around."

"Rosalie?"

"She gets greedy," Edward said, scowling. "Your mom has a genetic link and therefore a trump card." Renesmee giggled. "Besides, I don't get to spend very much time with you anymore just you and me."

"I know." Renesmee scooted back on the bed, patting the spot beside her. "Come on - watch some crazy British comedy with me. Maggie's coming later, and then I have to go over all the Aro shit again."

"Language," her father said automatically, sitting down next to her and kicking up his long legs.

"Dad?" She flipped the channel on the TV. "I've given birth. I'm allowed to say 'shit.'"

"Fair enough." And out of the corner of her eye, she could see him smile.

a/n I hope you still love me. Leave me reviews if you do - they're like crack to me. You guys have been great with the suggestions! Keep 'em coming, 'cause they make me think..