Dawn of the Phoenix: Cedric goes to Forks
Story and Characters owned by
Stephenie Meyer and JK Rowling
Story Adaptation by Erica K. Bailey
Chapter 43: Imprint
I don't recall how much time had passed when Alice finally walked in the room.
"It's enough." She said, "I can see her now… it's enough."
Edward pushed on.
"Edward, it's not helping anymore, see."
He pushed down several more times, then slowed, then stopped. He blinked once and looked up at me and Alice and then back down at Bella.
"See her heart is beating on its own now." Alice said.
He took a deep breath.
"Go ahead." Alice called out toward the door. A moment later the lights flickered. "Sirius said he could clean up the down stairs if we didn't mind a power surge."
"Oh." I replied, finding my voice. "I suppose I could do the same up here… Scourgify!" I flicked my wand, the lights flickered and suddenly the blood, all that blood was gone and Bella's body lay there pristine…and naked.
"Edward, Cedric, go get yourselves cleaned up. I'll get Bella dressed." She smiled, trying to usher us out of the room.
Edward just sat down on a stool beside Bella, taking her hand in his, kissing it over and over… "I'm sorry… I'm so, so, sorry Bella." he repeated again and again.
"Come" Alice said, "Let's leave them for a bit."
Just as the upstairs library was suddenly clean, the horrible mess in the living room was gone, but the most puzzling sight met my eyes. There, sitting on the couch, was Rosalie holding the baby, cooing and murmuring to it, and nestled up right beside her was Jacob, looking at the baby with an even greater level of adoration and devotion. What in the world had happened?
"You're the sweetest baby in the whole world." Jacob said.
Rosalie glared at him for a second before turning her attention back to the tiny baby in her arms. At least some things hadn't changed.
"Can't I hold her for just a minute?" He begged her.
She rolled her eyes, "What is with you, mutt? Can't you just run along with the rest of your flea infested herd?"
Surprisingly, he ignored her barb. He was solely focused on Renesmee. He gazed over her with wonder and adoration. He looked like Edward as he looked over Bella… like she was his life… He looked like a man in love. What the?
"I believe he's imprinted." Sirius finally said after a few minutes.
"Imprinted?" I asked.
"You idiot!" Rosalie hissed. "You imprinted on my niece?"
He jumped up at her warning growl as she advanced toward him. "Cedric, take the baby." She said as another growl ripped from her throat. I suddenly found the child in my arms as she backed him out of the house. He wasn't even trying to fight back, just backing up step by step to her advancing crouch, his eyes, constantly on the baby in my arms. When he took his final step out the front door, Rosalie paused in her pursuit and slammed the door. I heard the click of the lock.
I, however, was looking down into the sweetest face I'd ever seen. She was truly a beautiful baby. There was something about her deep brown eyes, as if she knew something, as if she was figuring out the world. For a second she was restless, then her one arm had made its way out of the blankets she was bound in. I brought my hand up to reach for her tiny hand, but instead she made a deliberate movement toward my face. I didn't think much of it until she touched my cheek.
Suddenly Rosalie's and Jacob's face flashed before my eyes looking down on me in complete adoration. What was that? I gave my head a quick shake. The scene went away, and then it was back again.
"What is it?" Sirius asked, watching me carefully.
"I – I – I don't know." I replied honestly. Was I having hallucinations?
She started to fuss a little in my arms, but not as I would have expected a baby. She didn't really cry out, she just tried to move in my arms as if she wanted to look around the room. Strange. I didn't think babies had that good of eyesight. I adjusted my hold on her so she could look around. Suddenly another vision, hallucination, or whatever hit me. It was of Bella' face with her blank, staring, almost lifeless eyes, like she'd been on the table just before Jacob had hit me out of the way… I saw it again… er, no, it was actually more like how she looked just before Edward injected the venom in her heart.
I shook my head again, "Sirius, maybe you should hold her for a minute." I said, "Something is wrong with me."
Rosalie was standing at the front window, glaring at Jacob on the outside. He was begging to come in, all the while watching Renesmee. I handed her over to Sirius and went to sit down. I tried to reason through what had just happened. I suppose I had been through a lot of stress tonight, maybe this was my mind's way of handling it. Somehow that didn't seem quite right.
"Oh!" Sirius called out from his seat, as he cradled Renesmee. I looked up as he looked back down at her in wonder. What was it with this baby and everyone loving her? I also felt completely enamored with the child, even though I hadn't really held a lot of babies. I was an only child and so only when a relative came over with a baby had I even been in close contact. They were sweet, but not terribly interesting as newborns. I'd never been one to coo over them.
"Cedric?" Sirius called, "Did you… did you see something?"
How did he know? "Um, ya… that's why I gave her over to you. I think I'm having hallucinations or flashbacks"
"Are you still?" he asked.
"Not in the last few minutes."
Rosalie gave Jacob one last glare, hoping he'd leave. Only he just hovered around the window moving closer to Sirius, craning to get a glance of the baby. Rosalie came over and took the baby from his arms and started trying to tuck Renesmee's arm into the blankets.
"You're going to get cold, little baby. Yes you are… Auntie Rosalie will get you all toasty… Yes she will."
Sirius stared after the baby as it fought with her aunt to keep her arm out. Suddenly, Rosalie stopped and gasped. Sirius jumped to her side. "Did you see something?"
"Ah… yes. Just now." She scowled and shook her head. Then she gasped again, this time accompanied with a low growl… "mutt" she muttered.
"Rosalie." Sirius said very clearly, "Tell me, what did you see?"
She glanced up at him in embarrassment. The first time, I saw Bella's face, looking almost dead like she did upstairs. Rosalie looked almost guilty or full of regret as she said it. Then she searched around, finding my location. "She's okay, right? Edward saved her, did he?"
"Yes, she isn't talking or anything. But Alice says she can see her. Edward's still up there with her."
Rosalie breathed a sigh of relief.
"What else did you see?" Sirius prodded.
"Jacob." She scowled… "Do you think I'm going crazy?"
"No" Sirius chuckled, "I saw the same faces. Cedric?"
"Me too." I admitted. Did this mean I wasn't crazy?
"No, you're not going to St. Mungo's yet." He smiled, "Rosalie, stop fighting with her and let her keep her arm out." He ordered. She paused, mostly in shock at Sirius being so stern with her. In that moment, Renesmee again reached up and very purposely put her hand on Rosalie's cheek. She gasped again.
Suddenly it all clicked into place. Renesmee touching my cheek, the faces, especially of Rosalie and Jacob looking down on me adoringly, all of us with the same hallucinations, "It's Renesmee, isn't it?" I asked.
"I think so." Sirius said.
"What? What with Renesmee?" Rosalie hissed. "Is she okay?"
"I think she is quite fine, though I'd be interested on Dumbledore's take on this." Sirius said, "I think the visions are from her… I think she's trying to communicate."
"What?" Rosalie said, shocked. Just then Renesmee reached up again. "Not him again." She hissed.
"What did she show you?" Sirius asked.
"What do you mean?" Rosalie asked, "She showed me that? But why would she… why…" she paused as it all came together, "Why would she want to see Jacob?" She paused again, "Oh my, she's talking!"
"More or less." Sirius said.
"We have to tell Carlisle." She said, shifting Renesmee to one arm and pulling out her silver phone.
"Carlisle… good, you're on your way… everyone is fine… Bella is upstairs in the library… sorry – I kind of lost it… Yes… Edward is with her now… I'm holding her… She seems fine… He doesn't seem to want to be disturbed right now" I could hear her annoyance rising, "Listen Carlisle, something is happening with Renesmee – the baby…no she seems fine, but she, ah, is talking to us… talking… well, not with words – she's giving us hallucinations… no he's been upstairs the whole time…okay, I'll try…see you soon." She hung up. "He should be here within the hour. They're running back now. They would have liked to try another supplier, but given recent events…"
"What does he want you to do?"
"He's insisting on Edward looking at her." Rosalie sighed, "Not that it will do any good…" she glanced back up and growled, "Fine – let the mutt back in."
I got up, unlocked the door and Jacob rushed past me, knocking me to the side in his hurry to get back to Renesmee. "I'll go get Edward." I said to a non-responsive room. Rosalie and Jacob were completely focused on Renesmee while Sirius looked on. I bounded back up the stairs, finding Edward still by Bella's side, holding her hand to his chest.
"Edward?" I said.
He didn't move… didn't even glance in my direction.
"Edward, it's me Cedric." I tried. Was it possible for vampires to loose their mind? If so, he'd been through enough in a very short period of time. I wouldn't blame him if he did.
"Edward…" I moved closer to the bed. It was a dangerous move. If he snapped on me I wouldn't have time to react. Still, I reached across Bella's body to clasp one hand on his shoulder. "Edward, can you hear me?"
He sighed, "Yes…" he tore his eyes away from Bella, "yes, Cedric?"
Relief washed through me. He would be fine. "Edward, Carlisle just called. There's been a development with Renesmee. He wants you to check it out."
At the sound of her name he snapped straight out of his seat on the metal stool by the bed. "Is something wrong with her, is she okay?" he started for the door.
"No, we think she's fine. It's just that she's doing something unusual."
At that he disappeared. When I reached the downstairs, he was already there, Renesmee in his arms, the phone to his ear. "Yes, I just experienced it now… as I was holding her… she showed me a picture of my face… it must have been right after she was born… I don't know, I haven't seen anything like this… yes… see you soon."
He gazed down at his daughter in wonder and amazement. He couldn't take his eyes off her for ten minutes. No one dared interrupt him but for Jacob who constantly hovered trying to get a look at her himself. Suddenly, Edward's head whipped away from and toward Jacob. His eyes changed from loving adoration to furry and then darkened black and glazed over as if he wasn't thinking at all, only focused on one target, Jacob.
A growl ripped from his throat more intense, more vicious then I'd ever heard. Jacob jumped back a few steps. Edward roared again, his body curling into a crouch. Jacob quickly backed out the front door, his hands up indicating he didn't want to fight.
"I don't want to fight you, Edward… I can't help it. You know that."
In an instant Edward was outside, roars ripping out of him one after the other while Jacob cowered behind two massive wolves. Leah and Seth had materialized from the forest and were blocking Edward from attacking. Still in human form, Jacob was trying his best to talk himself out of the situation, but Edward either wouldn't or couldn't hear him. He was pacing back and forth looking for his opening between the wolves. He looked like a wild animal set in his kill. Rosalie was gloating merrily in the living room, holding Renesmee.
"I didn't want this to happen. I hated her, I wanted to destroy her… then it happened… it just happened, Edward. I had no control."
I started after him, wanting to help keep it from a fight, but Sirius held out his arm, signaling me to stay back. His eyes gazed to the top of the stairs.
Alice flitted down from the second floor. "Come on, let's stop him from doing something he'll regret." She raced out with Jasper on her tail and began to persuade Edward back in the house.
"Get out of my way, Alice." Edward warned, "I don't want to hurt you."
"You couldn't if you tried," She said back just as sternly. She was between him and Jacob, while Jasper took a hold of him and began pulling him backward. A strong wave of calm hit me. Jasper must be using all his power to bring Edward down to a level where he can think rationally.
"Edward," Jacob started again, but Alice held out her hand to stop him.
After a few moments, Jasper was able to haul Edward back in the house. As Alice passed through, she turned her head back, "Jacob, go away for awhile. You should probably inform Sam anyway… go."
Jacob took one last panicked look back at the house.
"We'll talk to him, Jacob, just give us some time… go."
Seth whined at his chest and pushed him back toward the woods. Between him and Leah, they managed to get him away from the house. Then I heard a pained howl and they were gone.
When he got back into the house, Edward didn't pause in the living room. Instead he ran back up the stairs to the second floor – back to Bella.
