Disclaimer: This chapter contains some dialogue and lots of plot points from Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer, Chapters 20 through 28. No copyright infringement intended.

Acknowledgement: Have you heard I have the best betas ever? Thanks palmofafreezinghand and Alice's White Rabbit for the time you spend and the help you provide. Before palmofafreezinghand saw this chapter, it was a hell of a lot different than it is now. I'm endlessly thankful for her constructive criticism.

Author's Note: Alice summarizes how she perceived the events of the past few months. I'm tired of being married to SMeyer's text, so I'm getting it all out in this chapter. That said, there are still moments that didn't appear in the books in this chapter.

Visions Interrupted: Chapter 11 - Reflections

Our family had finally settled into a sense of normalcy. Everyone was gathered in the living room pursuing their own interests, just taking pleasure in being near one another without dividing lines and unbearable stress. As I rearranged lilies in the vases throughout the lower level of the house, I reflected on the events of the last few months. They'd been monumental—so much happening in a rather short period of time.

When Bella woke up, we were all prepared for what we thought would be a tumultuous first year. Jasper and Emmett were ready to restrain her, but she was totally calm! Instead of attacking us, she made out with Edward, for crying out loud. She asked after her daughter while Carlisle and Edward peppered her with mundane questions about her transformation. I was much more focused on fulfilling my vision of Bella seeing herself for the first time and went in search of the mirror. I finally found it in Rosalie's walk-in closet, and I carried the big honking thing that dwarfed me back into the room, demanding that Bella look at herself. So, yay, I made my vision come true.

Even though Bella was exuding calm, Jasper was on a razor's edge the whole time, waiting for her to unravel. He only settled down when Edward finally took her for her first hunt. She hadn't even seemed to remember her thirst until it was pointed out to her. Bella's unprecedented control over her thirst and behavior caused Jasper to have a bit of a crisis. After all these years, I was attuned to his emotions. I could feel them bleed out of him and identify the source most of the time. Perks of being soulmates. Anyway, all Jasper ever knew was chaotic newborns, ones he had to manipulate to keep them under control. The fact that Bella was already mentally prepared for her transition, unlike any of us, was probably the reason she has such a good grasp on her control. She was prepared to be reborn and raised into the Cullen lifestyle. All of Carlisle's children had been raised with it, but aside from himself and Rosalie, we'd all made mistakes and had murdered people.

Even though I hadn't been bitten by Carlisle, I had still been raised a Cullen. Once I had my visions of them eating deer, I knew that was the path I was meant to follow. But Jasper never had such guidance. He didn't do this diet because he cared about humans; I knew that. He says he does it for me because he loves me and knows it makes me happy to see my visions come to fruition. But I know the real reason is because he felt his victims' emotions, and it was horrifying and heartbreaking for him to drink from humans instead of pleasurable and satisfying, like it should be. It was making him depressed, suicidal. Thank God I'd found him when I did and could show him another way. Jasper does stay with the Cullens for my benefit, but he stays for his own too, even if he wouldn't admit it to himself. He didn't want to feel fear and pain whenever he fed. I could understand that. I don't want to kill them either. They fascinate me—the humans. So frail and determined and unpredictable. It's fun to watch their interactions, but I had to admit it made me wistful for my forgotten life. It made me wonder what I'd been like, what experiences I'd had. They couldn't all be sad, right? I had a childhood, a life before the asylum. I just wish I could remember.

When the newlyweds returned from their first hunt, we were shocked to learn of Bella's amazing feat of resistance to human blood while she was mid-hunt. This revelation, however, made Jasper have a total silent breakdown. I knew what was eating at him. After all these years of him catering to others' emotions, I was the only one with a window into his. How could Bella, only an hour-old newborn, resist human blood so easily when Jasper, a centuries-old vampire, had no such control; every day was a struggle of resistance for him. Most of my school days were just focused on his future, looking for places he might fail and heading them off. I knew him well enough to understand his internal struggle, yet he still stood protectively in front of Renesmee, keeping up appearances. It was amazing how he could do that, act one way but feel another.

Bella did just fine with meeting Renesmee. Everyone had acted like imbeciles, so worried Bella would attack the very creature she fought so hard to protect, the girl Bella gave up her life for. It was amazing to see it plain in front of me—they would protect Renesmee at all costs, even from her own mother. That was how powerful this girl's pull was. It made them willing to lay down their lives if it meant it would protect her.

I ended up winning ten thousand dollars when she got pissed about the imprint, but then I lost five grand of it when she got violent about it. I didn't think she'd go that far. I got to keep five grand of it though because she ended up hurting Seth instead of Jacob. So, partial win. While Carlisle set Seth's bones, we talked about having to leave Forks soon. With Bella's control the way it was, we could leave sooner than we expected, and we were going to have to because Charlie was going to be knocking on our door soon.

Eventually, the baby got thirsty, and Bella had no adverse reaction to the blood bottle whatsoever. This was the real kicker for Jasper. If she didn't even react to human blood right next to her, then what was wrong with him? He looked at me sideways, his face carefully schooled, and then the expression faltered, revealing his distress. I hurried after him as he stalked out the back door.

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We ran full throttle to the sex cottage. After all, last minute checks needed to be made and the fire needed to be lit, so it was a good place for Jasper to deal with his crisis of identity and jealousy of Bella. When we arrived, I made quick work of the fire and gave the place a once over before joining Jasper on the couch. He held his head in his hands, a look of misery adorning his scarred face. I rubbed soothing circles over his back, and he leaned into me, comforted by my touch.

"How is she doing this, Al? How can she resist?" I didn't have an answer, so I remained silent. He didn't really want an answer anyway; he just needed to let his emotions out before facing Bella again. "Maybe if I'd been more determined, not taken it as a forgone conclusion that resisting human blood was unnatural and nearly insurmountable. If I only had the right attitude, maybe it wouldn't be so hard for me after all. I should expect more of myself."

"Oh, babe, no. What you've accomplished is nothing short of incredible. Your past was saturated with human blood. And you're surrounded by six vampires every day, eight now with Bella and the baby, feeling everyone's thirst plus your own. The fact that you are able to resist at all is something to celebrate, Jasper. Slips happen to all of us."

"Not Bella."

"Give her time."

The prospect of Bella eventually letting her guard down and killing a human was enough to cheer him up, and he kissed me with gratitude. The kiss became more and more passionate until we found ourselves using Edward and Bella's sex cottage for its intended purpose, christening the shaggy rug in front of the roaring fire.

Afterward, I saw that they would smell our heavily concentrated scents but couldn't see how they felt about it.

Jasper reassured me. "We've been working on this cottage for weeks while they were on the honeymoon, so naturally our scents would be all over the place, along with Esme's. Edward won't be angry because he wouldn't suspect anything like this, especially the way I was feeling when I left. Just don't think about it when we go back."

I rolled my eyes. "That's like asking for it to be all I think about. Trying not to think about it always makes me think about it."

We laughed together. "Maybe we should take this with us," Jasper said, smirking as he indicated the defiled rug.

"Definitely."

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Fears of being caught alleviated, we did the deed a few more times. Eventually, we decided to get back since we'd been gone awhile. Jasper upended a tree on our way and ditched the ruined rug underneath it, hoping no one in our family would decide to bury their kill under this particular tree. A quick check into the future showed me our secret was safe.

We returned at the right time. Renesmee had just fallen asleep, and it was the perfect moment to give them their gift and maximize their alone time. Edward gave me an approving look, and I smiled at him. I was happy for him to finally be getting some, excited for him, really. For both of them. My two favorite people were finally able to be happy together, complete. I rushed over to my best friend and handed her a large key, ready to lead the way to the cottage. It had been built as a wedding present for the two of them so they could live separately as newlyweds for a while, but coincidentally, it happened to be Bella's birthday today, so I presented it as a gift for the occasion.

Of course, Bella not only resented that I was celebrating her birthday, she also didn't want anything to do with receiving a gift or two. She was really going to have to get over her aversion to material possessions. After a few decades, she would learn that elaborate and extravagant gifts were one of the only things that made life interesting through the monotonous and repetitive days and nights. She eventually relented and followed me into the woods to discover her new sex cottage. When she finally saw it, she just kind of stared silently with her mouth hanging open. I got a little heated—did she not like it? Esme had put so much effort into tailoring it to suit her tastes, even recreating the bedroom on the island for them (kinda gross, but whatever). And I'd seen her loving it! Why wasn't she loving it?!

She was stuck in a trance for what seemed like an eternity, but she eventually snapped out of it and told me it was perfect. Her naïveté was amusing though; she had yet to understand the cottage's purpose. Edward smirked at my thoughts, relishing in her endearingly innocent confusion, and I left them, but not before telling her to explore her fully stocked closet. Have fun, I thought to Edward as I raced back home in an effort to get away before I had to hear their sex noises. It was bad enough having to see the visions; I didn't want to hear it firsthand. As if on cue, a vision came to me:

Edward was laughing. "The closet is through those double doors. I should warn you it's bigger than this room." Bella didn't even look at the closet, her eyes zeroed in on Edward's lips. "We're going to tell Alice that I ran right to the clothes. We're going to tell her I spent hours in there playing dress-up. We're going to lie."

That little brat! I was going to give her a piece of my mind when—and then I was assaulted by far too much nudity. Usually visions like these turned me on inadvertently, like the lingerie vision I'd had while they were on their honeymoon, but this time I was just pissed. All that hard work hand-picking her outfits for nothing, just like Esme and Jasper had warned me. Wishful thinking on my part, I guess. I had hoped vampirism might change her mind about clothes, but it obviously didn't, which I should have realized when she purposefully ripped up the beautiful blue dress I'd altered and tossed my Louboutins back through the window. Sacrilegious, truly. This girl was hopeless when it came to fashion, but damn it, with a little more effort, I would turn her into a clothes enthusiast yet.

As I ran home, I had a vision of all of us having a good laugh, and I smiled, happy to join in on what seemed to be something rather amusing. When I got closer to the main house, the vision got clearer and longer, and I realized what had triggered our mirth. I told the family about Bella not understanding the purpose of the cottage as soon as I got there, eager to have a laugh.

Emmett guffawed loudly, holding his midriff as he doubled over. "Oh, yeah, they're going to knock down walls, aren't they?" he said sarcastically. "Sounds like Eddie's in for a wild night." He erupted into laughter again, slapping his thigh, Jasper snickering into his fist beside him. They really looked their youth in that moment.

Rosalie scoffed. "Please, Edward getting anything will be wild for him." She smiled wryly. "Bet he comes quick."

"Rosalie!" Esme exclaimed, righteously appalled, but the corners of her mouth were turning up. "Be kind."

"Rosalie's got a point," Jasper managed to say, his shoulders shaking as he tried to hold back his chortling.

Carlisle was stifling a laugh that was close to breaking free, and Esme smacked the back of his head, even though she was about to break too. Rosalie's body shook with laughter, threatening to wake the baby. I just loved my family being silly like this. I'd missed it. It was nice to see them feeling so carefree again. And frankly, it was nice to get back to normal, and normal included Edward being the butt of our jokes sometimes. He made it really easy, unfortunately, because he was sensitive, so there were a lot of different ways you could get a rise out of him. Now Bella would join him at the bottom of the totem pole. I adored Edward; he was truly my favorite family member and the one I wanted to spend the most time with aside from Jasper. But there was no denying he was the Omega of the family.

Anyway, I was happy to see the people I loved being happy again. Finally, it seemed we were done with the drama.

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When Edward and Bella finally decided they were done enough to return, horror of all horrors, Bella was wearing denim. The utter blasphemy of it all. She should be reveling in accentuating her new gorgeous figure. I glared daggers at Edward for allowing this travesty to happen, but he only stifled a laugh. That bastard, helping her find the only casual outfit I'd included in her wardrobe. Why did I even do that, anyway?

Emmett then proceeded to tease the two of them mercilessly for leaving the cottage in one piece, and I couldn't help smiling along. Bella shot me a withering glare, and I quickly schooled my features, not wanting to offend a newborn's delicate temper, but my mirth remained, amplified by Jasper's, which bled into me through his arm around my waist. It was all I could do not to burst out laughing with the extra amusement he was infusing me with. Ah, poor Bella. Didn't she understand we teased each other constantly? It seemed like she would make just as easy a target as Edward did.

Our good time was cut short, however, when my mind took on that numbing sensation that told me a wolf was approaching. Edward was suddenly shaking with anger, and he dropped a bombshell on us—Jacob had shown Charlie his true nature, and now Charlie was on his way here to see Bella. Fear and rage flashed through me. How dare the wolf put my friend Charlie in danger like this? I had a soft spot for his brusque demeanor and his rugged good looks. He may have been gruff on the outside, but on the inside, he was a total softie, and he loved me. Few humans could handle my energy, but he was charmed by it. It would be devastating to me if he were killed by his own daughter's teeth. I mean, Bella too, but also me.

I couldn't see Charlie's future at all through the blind spots, but the vision of him knocking on our door was clear and defined, so he would be here any minute. The others were rapidly briefing Bella on the fundamentals of acting human, and Jasper was sending out calming vibes, doing his best to aid the fraught and tense situation. I flashed into the upstairs bathroom, grabbing a box of the colored contacts I saw she might need in a vision I'd had during the wedding planning. I hadn't known why, but it was possible she'd need the contacts, and so I bought them. I always trusted my visions, and again, they were proved correct. I gave her a pair for now, stashing the rest in the bathroom for when the first pair began to dissolve.

Minutes later, Charlie was knocking at the door. I couldn't see past Renesmee in Bella's lap, and Esme and I watched the encounter from the kitchen doorway, holding one another's hand tightly as we steeled ourselves for a possible bloodbath. Esme knew I cared for Charlie, and she squeezed my hand and whispered, "It will be all right, dear. Bella's doing so well. You have nothing to fear." Even though I couldn't see, her motherly words comforted me, and I was grateful for her presence of mind. Thankfully, Bella's super self-control showed itself again; she was able to resist his blood and appear fairly normal, so much so that Charlie stayed for several hours to watch the game with Emmett.

Everyone drifted off to their own endeavors as the tension evaporated. Jasper and I spent the duration of the game lounging at the bottom of the staircase, me on the bottom step with Jasper's head in my lap, stroking my small fingers through his long, wavy locks. Bella's ability to resist so easily was really doing a number on his self-esteem, and I could feel hints of his self-loathing emanating from his body. Even though Jasper had assisted in keeping her calm before her father arrived, she had hardly needed his help once Charlie was actually there in front of her, which only made him feel that much worse about his own control.

While I silently soothed my mate, I looked around the room at my family. They were all so happy and normal, a state that four days ago, I thought I'd never see again. I listened to Jacob rummaging around in the fridge in the kitchen. I was so grateful to Jacob. His presence had really soothed the horrific headaches, and aside from the smell, he was funny, and I wasn't offended by his constant presence. Even Rosalie was softening toward him a tiny bit. After all, she couldn't hate too much on one of Nessie's most dedicated caretakers. Carlisle was reading a medical tome, and Esme was sketching him. Rosalie and Emmett started in on showing off with their epic houses of cards. Edward was softly playing his piano—the first time he'd played in months. Everyone was relaxed and happy. It all seemed to be working out for the best, and I saw no trouble ahead.

Charlie left after the game ended, and Bella gave Emmett a piece of her mind. Bella was having a hard time controlling her newborn temper, first with Jacob's imprint, and now with the constant string of innuendos Emmett had dropped in Charlie's presence, even though her father hadn't seemed to catch on to them. It was so funny and ironic to me. Bella had wanted to have sex with Edward so badly while she was a human; it was weird that she was being so prudish now. (Though I guess that made her a fitting mate for my uptight brother.) Edward ignored my thoughts, probably being bombarded by similar thoughts from all of us. He asked Bella to remember something he'd requested while she was still human, and her recognition prompted a vision, slightly blurred by the blind spots of Jacob and the dhampir:

Bella and Emmett arm wrestling on a boulder by the river. Emmett putting in a valiant effort, but Bella easily beating him.

I couldn't help but giggle, and Edward laughed along, Bella smiling at us both. When she challenged him to an arm wrestling match, Emmett eagerly accepted. I saw a flash of them heading for Esme's prized dining room table, so I redirected them outside, and we all followed them to the river and the large rock from my vision. They took up their positions on either side of the rock, perfectly matching the image I'd seen in my mind. A feeling of completeness rose up in me, and I beamed with happiness. It was such a rush when my visions matched reality to the letter! Jasper grabbed my hand and squeezed it, grinning along with my feelings of elation. Meanwhile, Emmett agreed that if he lost this match, he wouldn't make any more comments about Bella's sex life. Of course, he never expected to lose, and by the look on his face when Bella smashed his hand into the rock, his pride was severely wounded. How I wished there had been time for a bet! I would have won so big.

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Life was fairly normal after that. Well, no, it wasn't normal by any means really, but it wasn't quite so turbulent. Emmett's bruised ego led to a whole lot more wrestling matches with Jasper and Carlisle, who I think was starting to miss his job a little—the man was a workaholic, the vampire one-track mindedness aiding him in his life's passion. He'd lived his passion for centuries without companionship and was mostly happy aside from the loneliness. He always got agitated after he'd missed work for a while, and Emmett's matches were a good outlet for that.

It had been a few days, and I still hadn't had one-on-one time with my best friend. I wanted to apologize for avoiding her during the pregnancy and wanted to teach her how to use her closet. It was in that closet where it happened. I was showing her some of the tamer outfits that were still chic and more comfortable than the truly couture. I gave her some to try on, and she really enjoyed how fast she could get out of one outfit and into another. She reveled in the ability, and it was probably the most willing to try on clothes than she'd ever been in her life. As I rifled through the wardrobe, throwing various pieces toward her to try on, I figured I ought to address the elephant in the room.

"Bella, I need you to know something." She put down the outfit she was about to change into, giving me her full attention. "I am so sorry for avoiding you while you were pregnant. You needed support, and I wasn't there for you. I wasn't being a good friend."

Bella shook her head. "Oh, Alice, I get it. Renesmee gave you terrible headaches. Nothing to be sorry about."

I swallowed thickly. I could run with that, let her think the headaches were the only reason I'd avoided her. From what I'd read in books, best friends told each other the truth. But I couldn't tell her the whole truth about how I felt—it would serve no purpose and only hurt her. So I told her most of the truth. "No, Bella. It wasn't just that. I couldn't watch you die. I hated her for killing you."

"Alice," Bella gasped, pulling me into her tight embrace. "It's all right. You just love me. I love you too. I forgive you." Giving me another tight squeeze, she pulled away, her hands still on my arms. "I mean, it's not like you still feel that way about Renesmee, right?"

She looked at me with wide eyes, filled with blind trust. Obviously, I was going to have to try and like this kid for Bella's sake. My decision to accept her daughter would ultimately make Bella happy. "Of course not; don't be silly," I lied as I tossed her a chic, billowy pantsuit.

She didn't question me further and quick-changed into the outfit. She smiled, smoothing down the fabric with her palms, feeling the texture and give of the fabric. "Wow, um, okay. This is surprisingly comfortable."

Bella. Liked. A. Fancy-ish. Outfit. That was truly cause for celebration. The first step toward tomboy liberation! The pantsuit also just so happened to be the same outfit I had seen the very first time I had a vision of Bella and I as best friends, both of us vampires, dressed as we were now, arms linked and walking through the woods.

"Come on, let's go back," Bella said, and I followed her out the door. She crooked her elbow and smiled at me, and I offered up my arm with a triumphant grin, and we walked back to the house, arm in arm, exactly as I'd seen it. If I could cry, tears of joy would be streaming down my cheeks. As it was, I just sported a grin so wide it might break my face.

Best friends, for eternity.

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The dhampir was growing at a breakneck speed. She didn't really seem to be harmful. Maybe she would be dangerous when she grew up, but then, maybe if I got in good with her now, I would be safe when the time came for the huntress to emerge. Getting close to her seemed like the right move. If only my visions could guide me when it came to the child. This living-in-the-moment crap was for the birds. On the whole, Renesmee seemed like a sweet-natured little girl, and it was hard not to love her. Jasper kept me wary, but I found myself falling for her charms despite my misgivings. After all, Jasper couldn't be by my side 24/7, though he did try.

As I got more used to her, I could see "Nessie" in my visions, sort of. Everyone else had a clear future, solidly represented in my mind's eye. Jacob presented as a blank, void space, and Renesmee presented as a silvery distortion. So, while I couldn't see their futures or the futures that were tied to their decisions, I could sense their presence in a given scenario, just not what they were doing or saying. If it looked like Edward was talking to no one, for example, he was probably talking to Jacob. If Rosalie or Esme had a silvery blob in their arms, it was Nessie.

Whether he liked the situation or not, Jasper was drawn to the happy moods of those who loved the child and could often be found near Bella and Nessie. He never touched the girl though, nor did he get close enough for her to touch him accidentally. He would always be wary of her latent powers.

I, on the other hand, was starting to be swayed by her charms. From what I'd experienced over the last few months, she was sweet and innocuous, certainly not sinister at all. Jasper knew my feelings had changed. Of course he did; there was no point ever trying to hide it from him. Sometimes when Jasper was in the room, I would catch myself doubting my conclusions about Nessie. Maybe that should make me angry, but I didn't mind too much. Jasper was only trying to protect me from what he saw as a threat. He loved me so much.

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Renesmee grew so fast that Rosalie and I were changing her outfits to a new size every couple of days. Esme was lamenting that she wished she could have a photo album full of all of Nessie's growing up stages, and That. Sounded. Awesome. Sign me up. Rosalie was excited for the project too, and we became whirlwinds of clothing, changing her outfit at least three times a day and taking hundreds of photos so we could make it seem like she was born years ago instead of weeks ago. Rose and I were having the time of our lives. Luckily, Nessie was game to let us dress her up like a living doll. She enjoyed the many frilly, pretty outfits, and this filled my heart with joy, let me tell you. I had been so worried she'd take after her mother, and I'd have another woman who didn't care for fashion on my hands. But thankfully, she loved to dress up and look pretty and had lots of fun posing for pictures doing various activities—a whole childhood packed into a couple of weeks. That was all she was going to have as a small child. Now, Nessie looked like she was two years old when she was only two months old. At the rate she was growing, nobody could ignore the harsh truth. Nessie was likely to die in a few short years.

Of course, this was devastating news to many. Edward and Carlisle had exhausted their research options when Edward recounted what the cleaning woman on Isle Esme had been thinking about when she declared Bella "muerte". Obviously, she knew something, and Edward wanted to go back to Brazil to see if he could find out more about the fate of the children this time, as opposed to the mothers. He and Carlisle had found some legends about children who could be like Nessie. Edward asked me to look and see if they would find anything useful, but I couldn't see anything clearly because Jacob was determined to accompany us to Brazil. Jasper thought that made sense; the natives would be more likely to listen to a fellow native. Never mind that they weren't the same race of native, and Jacob couldn't speak a lick of Portuguese. What were they going to do? Without my visions to guide me in this case, it was amazing what my own mind could conjure. Would they have him wear a wire and they'd feed him responses through an earpiece? Ridiculous, really. But it was our last hope of finding a definitive answer to Nessie's mortality.

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A couple of weeks after Nessie was born, Aro sent Bella an ominous-sounding note accompanied by an extravagant diamond necklace, declaring he wanted to meet the "new Mrs. Cullen." Edward and Bella were kind of angry when I confessed to sending him an invitation to the wedding, but I'd seen it would delay Aro's intention to check up on Bella's immortality. I had seen a vision of Caius sending key members of the guard on a hunting excursion designed to find out if Bella was still human. Of course, this had been in the wedding planning stages, so of course, Bella was still human, so I'd sent the invitation as a safeguard. It turned out to be a blessing because who knew what the Volturi would make of Nessie. Aro was well known to be something of a collector of oddities in our world, and Nessie would certainly qualify. They knew I couldn't see anything that involved her directly, so Bella and Edward didn't hold it against me.

To further deter Aro from visiting Forks, Bella decided to go to Volterra herself to show them she was immortal so there was no chance they would discover Nessie. I could see the result of her decision would be well received, but there was a strange haziness around the vision that gave me pause. This unexplainable aspect of Bella's trip completely freaked Edward out of course, but he relaxed a little when Carlisle agreed to accompany her for the first leg of the journey.

As I actively searched Bella's future for her safe return, I had other visions of some things of interest:

We should definitely buy stock in a DVD-by-mail company called Netflix. Irina felt bad about keeping her family from helping us in the newborn battle and was considering paying us a visit to apologize.

I wondered what she would make of Edward and Bella's rapidly growing love child. I mean, no one could have ever dreamed of the possibility. If I saw Irina decide to come, we would have to brainstorm how to introduce Nessie to her.

Emmett would wrestle with some blank space, so it must have been one of the wolves, but no one would get hurt—it would be in fun. Carlisle and Esme would go off together in a few hours to "recharge their batteries" AKA "fuck in the woods." Bella, Jacob, and Nessie would go off in the other direction to hunt, so Bella was completely obliterated in my visions, surrounded by blankness.

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When the trio returned from their hunt, we learned that Irina had indeed come to visit but had run off when she saw the three of them in the forest. The conclusion the others came to was that she was still raw from Laurent's death and got angry seeing Bella fraternizing with a wolf. Something in my gut told me it was more than that, and I continued to look ahead, trying to see Irina's future. But Irina wasn't making decisions; she was just wandering a wintry landscape, visibly upset. The fruitless searching was making me increasingly agitated, and Jasper tried to talk to me, to calm me down, but I just couldn't stop searching. It was compulsory. I couldn't take the lack of resolution. I was compelled to search for her future. So Jasper just stood by my side and squeezed my hand, and that did make me feel a little calmer.

After a few days, I stopped actively seeking out Irina, seeing as nothing appeared to be happening with her. Plans were being solidified for the trip to Brazil. We would talk to the Ticuna, and if that failed, we would seek out a trio of vampires—Amazonian women Carlisle and the rest of the family had met on a hunting vacation about ten years before Jasper and I joined the coven. The women had lived in the area since they'd been born human; if there were others like Renesmee, they might know something. Of course, Bella was a newborn, and who knew how Nessie would fare surrounded by humans on an enclosed airplane for several hours when all she consumed was human blood. Luckily, Emmett, Jasper, and Esme had gotten pilot's licenses when the coven was younger, and we'd gone travelling extensively. We should do that again, now that we had Bella. Take a break from school and show her and Nessie the world. Carlisle had an aircraft stowed at the Galvin Flying Flight School in nearby Seattle. Once Carlisle and Bella got back from Europe, we would get on that plane and set off for South America to put our search for answers in action.

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I had finished the floral arrangements in every room but the living room. As I meticulously checked each petal of each flower for perfection, Emmett and Jasper were talking excitedly about the hunting possibilities in the Amazonian rainforest, Emmett regaling Jasper about the large animals he'd bagged when they'd gone to the rainforest in the '40s—panthers and tapirs and anacondas.

I moved on from my reflections on the recent past and went back to searching Irina's future. I just couldn't let it go. She couldn't just wander the snowy expanse forever, could she? Would she return to her sisters in Denali soon? Or would she choose another path? I was worried about her. The tendrils of my gift probed her undecided future. Irina had always indulged my love of fashion, a kindred spirit when it came to looking good. As I moved around the living room, looking for any flaws in the lilies, I lost myself trying to call her future into my mind, curiosity killing me. "Let it go, Alice. She's not our concern," Jasper gently chided me, and I stuck my tongue out at him. But he had successfully shaken me out of my trance-like state, and I went back to my flower inspection. One of the lily's petals was a little wilted, and that just wouldn't do—the living room decor required perfection. I picked up the vase and turned toward the kitchen to dispose of it when it hit me:

The Volturi were coming here, to Forks, intent on destroying us all. The entire Guard and then some were advancing on our family, dressed in full formal regalia. Caius's twisted grin was sinister as Marcus drifted by his side. Aro looked almost apologetic. Almost. And the rest, well, they looked bloodthirsty and ready to attack.

I heard Edward gasp sharply and people trying to get me to tell them what I'd seen, but I was speechless for a few moments. Finally, I managed to say, "The Volturi."

"All of them," Edward added.

"But why?" I whispered to myself, trying to see. "How?"

"When?" Edward whispered.

"Why?" Esme echoed me.

Jasper was all business. "When," he quietly demanded.

I concentrated hard on the background of the vision. There was a thin, fresh coating of snow on the ground, it seemed to be the first snow of the season to stick, and it was a large clearing. We'd been having a rather dry season so far since it was already mid-December. I told them what I'd seen and they kept asking why they would come here, but I didn't know. Jasper begged me to search for the trigger, and I told them I hadn't even been looking at the Volturi, only at Irina. I truly couldn't understand why the Volturi had suddenly popped into my head until another vision hit me.

Irina walking into the circular, stone room that was all too familiar to me. Aro taking her hand, his eyes widening at what he saw.

"Irina decided to go to them," I whispered before shaking myself out of the vision. "It's almost as if they're waiting for her. Like their decision was already made, and they were just waiting for her."

And then, Bella reminded us of the story Carlisle had told us of Irina's past—that her mother had been killed by the Volturi because she had created an uncontrollable immortal child, the sisters only spared because they'd had no idea it was happening. It stood to reason that Irina would consider Nessie an immortal child, especially with one look from quite a distance away. She wouldn't have been able to see the living aspects of the girl from that mountaintop.

Once we realized the implications of Irina's actions, everyone started making rapid-fire decisions, and my gift struggled to keep up. Emmett wanted to fight the Volturi head-on. Jasper argued we'd lose. Bella didn't want the Quileutes involved. Eventually, Emmett gave up on the fighting plans and thought of another idea to ask friends to stand with us and witness the fact Nessie grew and changed. With that decision, my mind began to swirl, and faces appeared in my mind's eye. I didn't know all of them personally, but their names spilled from my lips all the same: The Denalis. Siobhan. Amun. Garrett, Mary, Alistair. Jasper asked about Peter and Charlotte, and I wasn't sure. Carlisle asked about the Amazonians, and a jungle flashed in my mind, visions forming and reforming too fast for me to comprehend.

"I can't see," I said quietly, feeling lost. My visions flashed through my mind rapid-fire.

An unfamiliar, foreign hand squeezing my bicep. A pulling sensation in the center of my chest. Me, looking at my own reflection, dressed in a black hooded cape, my eyes blood red. The deep ocean. The lush rainforest. Three tall, beautiful black women.

"What was that?" Edward demanded.

"I can't see," I repeated, not wanting him to see what I saw. A flash of confusion crossed Edward's face, and I hurried to speak, keeping my mind distracted from remembering anything of what I'd seen. "We'll have to split up and hurry before the snow sticks to the ground. We have to round up whomever we can and get them here to show them." An image of Eleazar, deep in conversation with Carlisle and Edward flashed through my mind, and I warned them, "Ask Eleazar. There is more to this than just an immortal child." It was all I was willing to say. If I thought of the real reason the Volturi had already decided to advance on us, it would only result in death and destruction.

"There's so much. We have to hurry," I whispered.

"Alice?" Edward asked. "That was too fast. I didn't understand. What was—?"

"I can't see!" I exploded back at him. He couldn't know the truth. It would endanger them all. No one could know. The wolf was approaching, the perfect excuse to get out of there so I could see clearly. "Jacob's almost here!"

Rosalie took a step toward the front door. "I'll deal with—"

I cut her off, grabbing Jasper's hand and dragging him toward the door. "No, let him come. I'll see better away from Nessie, too. I need to go. I need to really concentrate. I need to see everything I can. I have to go. Come on, Jasper, there's no time to waste!"

Impatiently, I yanked on his arm, anxious that if we didn't leave right now, I'd lose my grip on my visions, and Edward would see it all. My mate followed me without question, and I took one last look around the room at my agitated and confused loved ones before darting out the door into the night, calling out one last warning to them:

"Hurry! You have to find them all!"

A/N: Well, that's all folks. Say goodbye to the Cullens. It's just Alice and Jasper from here on out until the very end.