"What do you think she meant?"

"Mm?" Ellie turned to find Christopher emerging from the bathroom, a towel sling low on his waist, which he quickly traded for a pair of dark jeans and a gray t-shirt.

"What did Alice mean before when she said that 'we're staying'?"

Ellie laughed and shook her head as she wove her damp hair into a long braid. "If she saw something, I suppose that means we will find out soon enough." Ellie glanced back at the mirror, straightening her simple tank top over the waist of her shorts.

Outside, the moon was high, and a fire roared in the middle of the meadow that separated the Cullen house from the tree line. A quiet din of chatter and laughter carried back to the porch steps. Christopher and Ellie linked hands as they approached the merriment, taking a seat on one of the purposefully positioned logs that had appeared since their departure at dawn. Ellie leaned against Christopher's shoulder, watching the fire blaze.

"How are you doing?" he asked quietly, pressing a kiss to her hair.

"All things considered," she looked up at him, "I'm okay. How are you?"

Draping his arm over her shoulders, he smiled. "I'm just fine. I've got everything I need, right here."

As they watched the fire burn, Christopher spotted Garrett and Emmett horsing around. Emmett was daring Garrett to try him in an arm-wrestling match. Ellie noticed the corner of Christopher's lips twitching as he watched.

"Go," she said, nudging his arm. "Go have fun." He grinned at her and ran off to join the fray.

Ellie stretched her legs out in front of her, crossing her ankles and leaning back to look at the stars that dotted the sky above them. They were far enough from city lights that they gleamed like crystal specs spread across a darkened blanket. She heard Renesmee approach and sit down next to her, mirroring her position and casting her eyes to the sky as well.

"Carlisle says you're leaving the hospital," Nessie said after a few moments of silence. "Is it true?"

"Yes," Ellie replied with a sigh. She sat up straighter, turning her head to look at Renesmee.

"So that's it? You're just…done with being a doctor?" Renesmee's mouth was set in a straight line, and she continued to look upward, not facing Ellie as she spoke.

From the corner of her eye, Ellie noticed Christopher's head tilting in their direction. She knew he was listening. "Not forever, I don't think," she said. "But I definitely can't go back there."

Renesmee nodded, but the edges of her mouth crept downward into a slight frown. She didn't say anything for a few moments until they both heard the sound of footsteps and heartbeats approaching the property.

"Jacob," she breathed. Ellie could see Christopher's shoulders tighten, sensing his tension even while he stood with his back to her across the yard. Renesmee noticed Ellie's anxious expression, and her cool demeanor softened.

"It's going to be fine," she said with a comforting smile. "Jacob knows Esme doesn't allow any real fighting. Everyone will behave." She jumped up to run to greet the newcomers, glancing over her shoulder as she walked away. "Plus, I told them about your hunt today. Alice seems pretty convinced that you guys are going to keep that up."

Ellie stared after her, feeling slightly confused by the whole exchange. Her distraction was such that she hadn't noticed Carlisle's approach until he sat down in the space that Renesmee had briefly occupied, just to Ellie's left.

"She is a little disappointed, I think. She was looking forward to working with you."

"I'm sorry about that," Ellie said quietly, wincing at the pang of guilt in her stomach. "Maybe one day…"

"Maybe," Carlisle agreed, looking around the yard at his family members scattered about before deftly changing the subject. "How was your hunt this morning?"

Ellie thought for a moment. "We had fun, more so than I've had on a hunt in a while, actually. And the animal blood itself…you know, it really wasn't that bad." She heard Carlisle chucking beside her and turned to flash a sheepish grin. "All due respect, Carlisle, I just really didn't know what to expect."

Carlisle nodded. "No offense taken, don't worry. And Christopher? How do you think he felt about it?"

"Fine? I think…" A slight blush crept across Ellie's cheeks. "We didn't actually talk too much when we got back…"

"Ah," Carlisle replied with another chuckle.

"But..." Ellie tugged on her wedding ring, turning it around on her finger. "He wanted me to just…let go, I guess…and it just felt natural to be able to do that without having to worry about…" She trailed off, but she could see Carlisle's small smile in the corner of her eye, signaling his understanding.

She tucked a loose strand of hair back over her ear, turning to face him with a wry smile. "I guess it went well, though. Apparently, Alice thinks we're going veggie."

"Indeed."

Carlisle picked something up that Ellie hadn't noticed before - a small manilla envelope that he'd placed on his left when he sat down. Clearing his throat, he tapped the envelope against his palm for a few seconds before holding it out to Ellie. With a quizzical look, she took the thin envelope and gingerly loosened the clasp at the opening.

"I know Alice can be overwhelming and downright confusing at times," Carlisle began. "But she sees pieces of information that may take many years to come together to form a full picture. And sometimes, the slightest detail or decision changes, and a whole new picture emerges."

"Her gift has strengthened as our family has changed. First, with Bella, she had to become more adept at seeing human futures. Then the wolves started to create blind spots, and Renesmee created even more challenges. But she learned to work around those roadblocks when she couldn't find a way through them."

He paused, watching Ellie fidget with one corner of the envelope. "Carlisle, why are you telling me this?"

"She can actually see Renesmee now," he continued, seemingly ignoring her question. "Or least, she can when there's some separation from the pack. But that doesn't happen too often anymore." As if to punctuate this remark, they both looked across the yard to see Jacob pull Renesmee against him for a kiss.

"Ever since the Volturi's incursion year ago, Alice occasionally scans the futures of the family and friends that stood with us, and of course, for any potential resurgence of tensions with the guard. I remember her musing how oddly Kate and Garrett's future intertwined. There were events she felt sure would take place years into the future, but within those were …"

"Blind spots," Ellie finished his sentence, starting to understand. "Me and Chris?"

Carlisle nodded. "We think so."

Ellie turned so that she was facing him again. "Well," she said thoughtfully, "I suppose we would have met somewhere along the line since Garrett is now a part of Kate's family, and they are so close to yours. Right?"

"Perhaps. Alice thinks there's more to it, though. That's where this comes in," he nodded toward the envelope, still clutched in her hand.

She peeked in again, retrieving a folded piece of paper.

"During the weeks immediately following the Volturi's inquisition, I kept notes on the experience and conversations I'd had with my family and others who were there. After your visit here, I remembered stowing this in my journal from that time. Alice had given it to me to keep with my records of that time. She hadn't offered any explanation. She just said I should keep it with my other records." He smiled at Ellie and gave a half-shrug. "We tend to just do what she tells us around here."

Carlisle reached for the paper, unfolding it and handing it back to her. Ellie gasped when she saw the drawing.

"Ellie," Christopher said quietly, placing a hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump in surprise. She'd been vaguely aware of his approach, but she couldn't pull her eyes away from the hand-drawn image of the woman she believed to be her mother.

Ellie smiled weakly in return, forcing herself to look away from the page in her hand. "Thank you, Carlisle…"

"We don't know exactly what it means yet, that Alice saw this woman so clearly, but Edward confirmed to me that this is the same woman he'd seen in your thoughts that night."

"That can't be a coincidence, right?" Christopher mused, looking over Ellie's shoulder to examine the image more carefully. The sketch was different than the one Ellie had shown him in Toronto. The woman's face was the same - still bearing a remarkable resemblance to his wife, but there was something different about her. Her hair was wilder, not ordered in neat curls around her head. She seemed more mature, less girlish in her features. "If Alice saw her so clearly?"

With a shake of his head, Carlisle replied, "In our experience, no." Carlisle stood, his eyes catching Esme's as she stood with Bella just a few yards away. He nodded his goodbye and walked off to stand beside his wife. Ellie saw Esme's warm but concerned glance in their direction as he said something in her ear. Ellie gave her a half-smile and looked up at Christopher, who moved to take the space Carlisle vacated.

"Wild stuff, isn't it?" he murmured, holding his hand out for the picture. Ellie handed it to him without a word. She rubbed her temples, leaning forward against her hands with her elbows pressed into the tops of her thighs.

Immediately, she felt Christopher's hand against her back. "Els? What's wrong?" She drew in a long breath and exhaled, sitting straight up again and blinking several times. As her vision readjusted, she caught Edward's eyes, his brow furrowed in concentration. He looked away a second later. Breathing in again, she scrubbed her palms against her eyes and rolled her shoulders.

"Ellie?"

"I'm sorry, it's nothing. My head felt…funny…for a second there. It's fine now." She managed a weak smile, but Christopher frowned, unconvinced.

"You look tired, Ellie." Ellie turned toward the sound of Kate's voice as she and Garrett walked over to them, hand-in-hand. Garrett sat down on one of the nearby logs, and Kate perched herself on his lap, leaning back against his chest.

Christopher gave a quick nod to them, but his attention stayed focused on Ellie. Still rubbing her back, Christopher's eyes narrowed as he studied her face. She put her hand on his cheek and smiled again.

"I'm fine, Chris. I promise."

"That's good," Garrett said, waiting for their attention. "Because Kate and I have an idea we'd like to run by you."

"Alaska?" Ellie asked incredulously after Garrett finished his pitch. Garrett grinned.

"We thought since you're taking time away from the hospital, and if you're going to make a go at giving up human blood, a little distance might be a good thing," Kate explained. "Plus, Eleazar has a history with the Volturi. Edward told me about what he'd heard when…" Kate paused with a shudder. Garrett rubbed the side of her arm, kissing the top of her head. "Anyway," she continued when she'd regained her composure, "while he obviously didn't know about hybrids at the time we first met Renesmee, perhaps he can give some insight on who was in the guard at the time."

Ellie looked up at Christopher to gauge his reaction. To her surprise, he grinned down at Ellie, an excited gleam in his eye. "What do you think, Els? We've never been to Alaska."

"I guess…." she paused, inspecting Christopher's face again, looking for any signs of hesitation or uncertainty. Finding none, she shrugged. His excitement was contagious; she could herself starting to anticipate the new adventure as well. "I guess we're going to Alaska."

Hours later, the fire had dwindled down to just a few glowing embers. Ellie sat cross-legged in the middle of the bed upstairs in their room, watching as Christopher readied himself to leave.

"You sure you don't want to come with us?"

Ellie shook her head. Christopher and Garrett had quickly started planning for the journey to Alaska as soon as Ellie had agreed. They would be leaving in a few days when Garrett and Kate had intended to depart for home. First, though, Christopher wanted to return to Boston to close up the house. Ellie, feeling uneasy about returning to the city, declined to accompany them.

Kate appeared in the doorway, leaning against the wooden frame. "You sure you want to leave him in charge of packing for you?" She raised an eyebrow at Ellie, and then looked at Christopher as he grabbed his wallet and keys. "Garrett is ready whenever you are."

Christopher gave one last meaningful glance to Ellie, and she offered a reassuring smile. He kissed her goodbye and then followed Kate down the stairs. Ellie watched from the window as Christopher and Garrett drove off before heading downstairs herself. Drawn by the smell of coffee, she made her way to the kitchen and found Esme standing near the sink pouring a cup. She held it out to Ellie, inviting her to sit down on one of the stools that lined the counter.

"I asked Christopher before they left if there was anything you might like," she said with a warm smile. "He said if you could live off of coffee, you probably would."

Inhaling deeply, Ellie let the aroma wash over her before taking a sip. "Thank you," she said. "This is really good."

Esme smiled at her again. "I usually keep some on hand for the pack. Plus, Carlisle has a tendency to take some with to work. An old habit to help him blend in."

Ellie took another swig and nodded. "Doctors and coffee are definitely a thing."

Raised voices in the yard caught both of their ears, and the women turned their heads to look out the large windows that lined the front of the house. Emmett and Jasper were wrestling, and Ellie gasped when Jasper's body went crashing to the ground. The walls shook, and Esme sighed.

"How do you keep them from destroying your house?" Ellie asked with a laugh. But, before Esme could answer her with more than just a raised eyebrow and a shrug, Ellie felt pressure on the sides of her head. With her fingers on her temples, she remembered the brief headache that struck her during the bonfire. Ellie looked up and noticed Edward standing outside. He wasn't looking at her, but no sooner had she spotted him than the pressure started to ease.

"Is everything okay, Ellie?" Ellie could hear the concern in Esme's voice.

"I'm not sure," she murmured. She turned back to Esme, her eyes pulled together inquisitively. "Esme," she said, "when Edward is…listening to you all…do you ever feel strange?"

"I'm sure it is a little strange," Esme replied, "but he can't help it, and he's not trying to invade anyone's privacy—"

"No," Ellie interrupted. "I'm sorry. That's not what I mean by 'strange.' I meant, do any of you ever feel something…physically."

Esme's head tilted to the side, just as Edward appeared in the doorway. "I'm sorry," he said, "what did you say?"

Ellie was confident that her budding theory was right; she could feel her head throbbing as Edward concentrated intently on her. She stood and backed away, holding a hand against her forehead.

"Edward," Esme admonished, seeing Ellie's distress. "Can you…maybe not focus so much on her?"

Looking baffled, Edward turned away from Ellie, concentrating on the other thoughts in the house, letting the din override specific mental voices.

"Is that better?"