Rosalie always loved the feeling of running. She would feel her feet vibrate as she would pound them on the ground, the fast she ran the fast they would vibrate. Though she couldn't feel pain like a human, she would be able to feel the pressure of a rock or a stick, if she steps on them the right way. Running was a great way to clear her mind, but today was different. She needed to get home as soon as possible. She knew Emmett was angry with her for leaving her car in Italy, but she didn't care, she needed to talk to Esme.
Esme was sitting on the couch, with a book in her hand, rubbing her stomach with the other. Carlisle was upstairs in his office, she could hear him pacing, and knew he was getting worried about Esme giving birth in about 6 weeks. Alice and Jasper were out hunting, while Edward and Bella were trying to teach Renesmee how to play Chess.
The day was a pretty normal day, but Esme couldn't shake off the feel that something was wrong. When she heard the front door being slammed open and a muddy Rosalie was standing in front of her, she knew her feelings were right.
"Rose? Are you alright? What happened? Where is Emmett?" She asked, standing up from the couch as fast as she could. By the time she was fully standing, Carlisle was by her side while Bella, Edward and Renesmee were standing in the doorway of the kitchen.
"Emmett is okay, he should be here in a day or so. He is driving up, but I couldn't wait, I needed to tell you what is happening in Italy." Rose said,sounding panicked.
"Okay, well take a second and gather your thoughts. What is happening in Italy? It is Gracie?" Esme asked, trying her hardest to keep her voice even.
"Yes, it's Gracie. Emmett and I found out there are looking for a certain Vampire. We were unable to find out the name. What we do know is that this particular vampire can manipulate time. They can move time forward or backwards. It can be as big as an entire city or.." Rose couldn't bring herself to finish her sentence. She felt her heartbreak as she thought of the rest of her speech.
"Or as small as a single person, even a baby." Edward finished. "The Volturi, they are planning on aging Gracie, to study her more. They want to age her so they can legally change her, without breaking their rules. For some reason, they believe she is very powerful, and want her to become one of them."
"What? They can't do that! Can they?" Esme asked her husband, looking up at him.
"The Volturi has a set of rules every Vampire has to follow, including themselves. There is no rule about this. They can't change her now, she would become an immortal child which is not allowed, but aging her with permission of the guardian is allowed." Carlisle said, his voice sounding tired and defeated.
"Since they have been taking care of her." Bella started to say.
"They are her guardian." Rose added.
"They can legally change her age and turn her." Esme finished.
Only a couple of silent seconds dragged by, but it felt like hours for the group. Edward's face suddenly changed, and Esme began making her way to the stairs.
"Mom…" Edward started to say.
"Esme?" Carlisle called after her.
Without saying anything, Esme made her way up the stairs and into her bedroom and straight to her closet. Carlisle close behind.
"Esme." He called again when he entered the closet.
"What?" She asked innocently as she began reaching for some bags.
"What are you doing?" he asked, clearly confused.
"I'm packing some things." she answered plainly, walking past him to put the empty bags on the bed, before going over to her dresser and grabbing her some clothes.
"And can I ask where we are going?" he asked, leaning against the frame of the closet.
"To Italy." She said matter-of-factly.
"What?" Carlisle asked, suddenly straightening himself up from the doorway and made his way over to his wife, grabbing her hands lightly, to stop her from packing. "Love, you are 32 weeks pregnant and a human now. You are not going to Italy where there are blood thirsty Vampires. I won't allow it."
"I made a promise to Tia and Benjamin that I would help them get Gracie back. I thought making the deal with the Volturi was enough, but they found a loophole. I won't break this promise." Esme exclaimed, her eyes filling up with tears.
"Love, let us handle this, or we can wait until the baby is born." he tried to reason with her.
"No! By the time the baby gets here, it might be too late." Esme argued.
"Please, let's not make a decision now. Let's go back downstairs and discuss this as a family. Alice and Jasper will be back soon. We can ask Alice if she has seen anything and to keep an eye on them. When you wake in the morning, Emmett should be back and we can all come up with a plan." He said, pulling her in for a hug. "I promised myself nothing will happen to you or the baby, I can't bear to lose either of you."
Breaking the hug, Esme stared into her husband's loving eyes. "You won't lose us, but I also won't let anything happen to any child that could be saved."
"You have a big heart my love, I promise we will do everything we can to help Gracie." he said, helping his wife make it down the stairs to talk with the rest of the family.
Once downstairs, Esme sat on the couch, holding onto her stomach, feeling her little girl move around. As soon as she sat down, she felt Renesmee sit beside her, placing her hands in the middle of Esme's stomach. Esme watched as her face became blank. She knew she was using her powers, and wanted to see what Nessy could see.
As if on cue, Alice and Jasper walked through the door. Relief washed over Esme but vanished as quickly as it came when she noticed Alice was in the middle of a vision.
"She has been like this for 20 minutes." Jasper said softly, helping Alice sit down onto a chair. "She has been watching so many people lately, and today seems to be the day they are all changing their minds."
"Who is she watching?" Esme asked.
"She has been watching the Volturi, Tia and Benjamin. She was keeping an eye on Emmett and Rose when they were in Italy. She has also been watching you and the baby." Jasper admitted.
"Why were you watching me?" Esme asked.
"She wanted to make sure that you and the baby are safe and stay safe, we all do." Edward said.
Guilt began to fill Esme. She caught Jasper's eye and quickly pushed her feelings down, ignoring them completely. "Who has her attention now?"
"Edward." Alice said, her face still blank, her mind raced with images of her vision.
"She is watching the Volturi. They haven't found the Vampire they need." Edward stated, watching the images flash in his own mind. "But they will."
Esme suddenly felt sick. Her own mind raced with what could happen, but the worst thought was Tia and Benjamin never being able to see or raise their little girl.
"We won't let that happen, Esme." Edward stated. "We promised we would get Gracie back to them and that is just what we are going to do."
"Alice, how much time do we have before they find the Vampire they need." Carlisle asked.
"Three, maybe four days. "Alice said, her face no longer expressionless. "They keep changing their plan and looking in different parts of the world. I can't see the Vampire they will choose, but I know it's coming soon. "
"How far away would you say Emmett is?" Esme asked.
"He should be here just after midnight." Alice said.
"I think it would be best for us to put this conversation off until morning. When Emmett gets here and Esme wakes up, we will come up with a plan." Carlisle stated. Everyone nodded in agreement.
Esme looked down at Renesmee who still was focusing on the baby. "Sweetheart, what are you seeing, or showing her." Esme asked.
"She's not, she's sensing." Edward explained.
"Sensing what?"
"Nothing bad." Was all Edward would say.
After a few minutes, Nessy removes her hands from Esme's stomach and smiles up at her. "What did you sense?" Esme asked.
"Daddy told me not to say." Nessy stated.
"He did, did he. Well, what can you tell me?" Esme asked, giving a quick glare to Edward, before returning her attention to her granddaughter.
"That she is healthy."
Later that evening, Esme was laying in her bed, doing her best to keep her mind clear, listening to the sound of her family. Bella and Edward carried a sleeping Renesmee back to their home, while Alice and Jasper , went for a walk to help Alice clear her mind. She heard a car door close and knew Emmett was home. She heard Carlisle asked Emmett and Rose to listen for her while he went for a quick hunt. She smiled inwardly, knowing how much he loved her.
When she heard him leave, she whispered in her empty room. "Emmett, can you come here for a moment."
Without a moment's hesitation Emmett was knocking on her bedroom door. Sitting up in bed she told him to come in.
"Everything okay Mom?" He asked.
"Yes, but I need to ask you for a favor." Esme said. Her courage building.
"Anything." He stated with a smile.
"I need you to take me to Italy."