I don't own any characters. They belong to Stephenie Meyer.
Abilene was a perfect child. I've read that children cry throughout the whole night and are fussy sometimes, but she was none of that. The little girl was all a parent could ask for, she barely cried and was just wonderful with everyone. Edward, Esme, Rose, and I took turns, so little Abilene was always in someone's arms. I enjoyed feeling her warmth in my hands and listening to her heartbeat. I promised myself I would do anything to keep her heart beating.
There were a few things that would make my life complicated though. First, Isabella. She didn't die, like Edward and I thought. Carlisle did the exam and informed us that she is overgoing transformation, and the fact that she's not moving or talking is due to morphine. I was ecstatic and shocked to hear that. She was alive!
The second problem was Isabella's parents, who even though didn't call a single time during these three days, had to be notified that Isabella was dead now. Carlisle would have to tell them that the doctors found a huge aneurism near her heart and it ruptured during the surgery.
The third one was Felix, who was getting on my nerves about Isabella. He, not even once, asked me to hand him Abilene or even inquired how the little girl was doing. I was so angry, she was his daughter after all, how could he not care?
And last, but certainly, the one that I was worried about most was time. Abilene was growing, too fast for a regular human baby. After just a couple of days, she was already opening up her eyes, rolling over and smiling at people. I was afraid that we were going to lose her just as fast as we got her. The thought of it was terrifying. I made Carlisle talk to Amun…a lot, but his friends from Amazon didn't know anything. We planned to wait for Isabella to wake up, so some of us could go to Brazil and seek answers since Alice was still unable to see Abilene's future.
A lot of problems, I know! Felix has made calls to Volterra a few times, I eavesdropped on every one of them. There was no need for Volturi to come here and threaten my family. I knew Felix was talking to someone named Demetri, who as Carlisle told me, was a tracker, so I made sure my shield was around all of us at all times. Felix, of course, tried to assure me that Demetri is his best friend and he would never track him, but it was not the time to trust a member of the Volturi. I mean, I've never trusted them, so why start now?
Closer to noon on the third day after Abilene was born, there was a change of sound in the house. Everyone noticed it and rushed to Isabella's room. Felix was still there, holding her hand, which he never let go of since he came back from the hunt. I listened closely to Isabella's heartbeat. It was getting more intense with every second. And just like a song slows down before the end, her heart started doing the same. At that time, I asked Alice to take Abilene downstairs, she was still half-human, and it wouldn't be smart to have a half-human and a newborn vampire in the same room.
Edward was right behind me, his hands on my shoulders. "Soon."
I looked at him and couldn't help but smile. She was alive…well kind of alive. As alive, as any vampire could be. Her song was coming to an end, and with the last beat, it stopped. I looked at Edward, then Carlisle. The last one nodded his head and I stepped into the room. I carefully lifted my shield from Isabella, so Edward could search her mind if we need to.
Isabella's eyes shot open, and she sat down on the table.
"Hello, darling," Felix spoke.
Isabella looked at him. Her eyes, red as a beetroot, circled the room before stopping on his face again. "Hello."
"Isabella? I'm sorry, I know it's disorienting. But you're all right. Everything is fine." I spoke calmly and made a few gentle steps towards her.
The girl looked in my direction, and not even a second, she was already next to me, crushing me into a hug. I heard Edward and Jasper getting closer. I knew they wanted to protect me.
"Thank you, for saving me." She sobbed. "I was so scared."
"It's…alright." I squeaked. Her tight hug was making it very hard for me to speak. "Ouch."
"Sorry." She immediately let go.
"It's alright. You're much stronger than any of us right now." Felix spoke.
Isabella turned around to him and the whole room had to witness their very…um…passionate embrace. There were kissing and inappropriate noises, which only stopped when Emmett started whistling and clapping his hands. Frankly, I didn't know who was more inappropriate – the happy couple or my big brother.
"You have to go hunting," Felix spoke.
Okay, and now there was problem number 5. Diet. During Isabella's stay, we've never discussed that. I was hoping she would take upon our vegetarianism, but with Felix in the picture, it complicated things. I gave my family a look, and Carlisle cleared his throat.
"Would you prefer I take you for your first hunt or Felix?" My father was the best person for conflict solutions.
Isabella looked at me. "I'm sorry, Bella."
"It's okay. It's your choice." I whispered and locked my jaw in one place. I knew if I didn't do that, I would definitely blurt my real opinion on her choice.
Isabella gave me a shy smile and took Felix's hand. They jumped out of the window and disappeared into the garage. A few seconds later I heard a motor roar and saw a car disappear into the road. I breathed out and looked at Edward.
"You did the right thing." He spoke.
"Then why does it feel so wrong?" I asked.
"She is an adult now, at least she has to be. We can't make decisions for her; you can't make decisions for her." He spoke as he hugged me. "She has a mate and a daughter, she will have to become responsible for her actions, and we need to let her."
"She never asked about her!" I got out of Edward's arms. "She never asked about Abilene! What if she doesn't remember?"
I saw Esme gave a look to Carlisle.
"Edward…" My father spoke.
"She remembers." That's all that my husband said.
"Oh, okay. Well, then why…"
"I don't know. Maybe Isabella was afraid she would hurt her. Maybe she's waiting to see her after the hunt when she has at least some self-control." Edward gave me a weak smile. There was something he wasn't telling me.
"Edward." I pushed.
"It's not my place to tell. She didn't say anything, so she is not ready to say it."
"But you know!" I protested.
"And trust me, I don't want to know." He placed his hands on my shoulders and lowered himself, so we could be at each other's eye level.
"Fine." I sighed. "Let's go see if Abilene is hungry."
Edward followed me downstairs and Rose placed the baby in my arms.
"She just ate. But she might need her diaper changed." She smiled at me.
"Thanks."
Edward stayed with me while I changed Abilene's diaper, and came outside to sit in the sun with us. It was the first time that the sun came out during the past three days. The weather was getting better now that it was nearly April. I still made sure the baby was dressed warmly, even though Carlisle was sure she wasn't bothered by the temperature.
Abilene was absolutely beautiful, she had brown hair, just like Isabella's and mine were. Her cheeks were large and pinkish, and her eyes were a very nice brown. Not like Isabella's, a little lighter. When the girl looked at the sun, I could see some green around her irises too.
"Will you cite for her?" I asked Edward. "A journal of modern medicine maybe?"
He smiled at me. "A journal of modern medicine?"
"The study has shown that if a child is read complex information, it will boost their intellectual level in the future," I spoke.
"Whatever you say." He chuckled but started talking anyways.
Edward and I were sitting under the tree for a few hours; Abilene fell asleep while my husband was still reciting the journal. It was calming to see this little girl's peaceful face, untouched by any worries adults had.
Isabella came back around noon, with Felix, of course. She waved to us and came closer to the tree.
"How did you do?" I asked.
"Perfect," Felix replied. I tried my best not to kick Felix in the shin. She can talk for herself.
"Good," Edward spoke when he saw my face.
"You want to hold her?" I asked Isabella.
"No, no, I better not."
"Edward and I are here. If you lose control, we can stop you." I assured her.
"Still, let's not risk it." She shook her head.
"Honey, it'll be alright. You are her mother; you can't hurt her." I tried again.
"Bella." Isabella looked at me. "Don't make me." She whispered.
"Later then." I switched my eyes back to little Abilene.
I switched my eyes not only because I couldn't stop myself from looking at the perfect baby girl in my arms, but also because I knew if I continued to look at Isabella, my heart would break. What kind of mother wouldn't want to hold their baby? Maybe she was actually scared she was going to hurt Abilene? Whatever it was, the little girl in my arms deserved more than that.
In a few minutes, Edward mentioned it would be a good idea to feed Abilene and we went inside. Esme was ready with the bottle by the time we came to the kitchen. For the past couple of days, we tried giving her formula, just the right thing for any baby, but not Abilene. She absolutely refused to take it and even when she did, we still weren't able to get her to drink all of it. Our fridge was now packed with some new blood bags, which felt so odd to give to a three-day-old. The little bloodsucker enjoyed it very much though.
I was feeding Abilene in the kitchen when I heard a loud shatter upstairs. The girl in my arms stared curiously at the ceiling, a simple thing that would make me awe in a regular situation; however, in a house full of vampires, there were not a lot of situations where something would break.
I looked at Edward and his face told me something was wrong.
"I think Alice saw something." He whispered angrily and disappeared from the room.
I ran upstairs. Abilene giggled in my arms; she liked the speed. Everyone was in the living room, staring at my sister. Jasper was by her side, holding her steady in one place. Carlisle and Esme were exchanging worried looks. Rose came closer to me. I think it was her maternal reaction to protect the smallest person in the room. Emmett was standing next to Felix and Isabella, cross-armed, next to the couch. Everyone had the same worried look on their faces.
"Alice?" I asked sheepishly.
"They are coming." She whispered so quietly; I was barely able to hear her.
"Who is coming?" Rosalie asked, but I think I knew the answer to that question.
"Volturi," Edward said and switched his angry stare to Felix.
"Rose…" I spoke.
Without another word, the blond vampire took Abilene from my arms and went into another room. I ran to the couch and grabbed Felix's collar. In less than a second, I threw the man out of the window, which got shattered by the impact. I jumped out of the house and landed on top of still shocked Felix. I scratched and bit the man who just ruined my family. Felix put out a good fight, so many years in the Volturi guard was not something anyone could live through without attending proper fighting classes. I was winning nevertheless. I had more than a decade in the army, training with my family as well as pure anger and the need to disassemble his body on my side.
"Stop it! You are going to kill each other!" Isabella screamed. "Edward, do something!"
"I'm not getting into that. He's so lucky that it's just Bella, and not all of us attacking him." My husband spit.
"Bella! Please, stop!" She kept screaming at me. "If you love me, stop! If I mean at least a little bit to you, please! Can we talk first?!"
My fist stopped mid-air. I growled under my breath, but let go. Edward was by my side at that exact moment.
"Are you okay?" He asked warily.
I felt a burning sensation in my left arm, and I was sure some of my skin around the abdomen was shattered. But those injuries didn't mean anything to me. We will probably all be dead by the time the Volturi are done with us. I kept going until I reached Isabella.
"Was it you or him?" I asked.
"It's not so simple, let me explain." She begged.
"Just answer. Were you aware he was doing it?"
"Yes, but..."
"Did you try to stop him?" I cut her off.
"No, but Bella..."
"I don't want to hear an explanation." I spit. "I'm not interested in listening to any excuses that you have. After all that my family has done for you…That was the last straw. You mean a lot to me, and I love you, but that was it. That's the last thing that I'm doing for you. I'm not going to put my family in danger any more times."
"I thought I was your family."
"I thought so too."
I looked her in the eyes one last time before I went into the house.
I heard footsteps behind me. "Don't follow me," I spoke.
The footsteps stopped. I ran to the library, a place where the only heart in a few kilometers radius was beating. Rosalie was sitting in Carlisle's chair, humming the La La Lu lullaby. Seeing Abilene's face calmed me down a little.
"I heard, I'm sorry," Rose whispered. "But, if I can interject…Thank you, Bella. I appreciated what you said there."
"I wish I didn't have to choose between you and Isabella." I sighed.
"It must have been hard." She smiled sadly at me. "You want to hold her?"
"I'm going for a walk, actually. Do you mind keeping her company for a little while?" I asked.
"Not at all."
I left the house and ran towards the clearing. Not even two hours later, I heard someone coming closer to me.
"Not now, Edward," I spoke into the forest.
"Good thing I'm not Edward." Jasper chuckled quietly.
"Jazz, sorry. I just want to be alone for a little while."
"No, you don't."
"Since when are you the mind reader?"
"I don't need to be. I know you well enough. Besides, I can sense what you feel." He chuckled again.
"And I got stuck with a stupid shield." I sighed. "Fine, I give up. You can come to sit with me."
Jasper sat down right next to me and I put my head on his shoulder. He dropped his arm around me and sighed.
"How did you know where I was?"
"Edward told me."
"Why didn't he come then?" I asked surprised.
"He knows you pretty well too."
"I thought I knew Isabella well enough." I sighed.
"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked, a smile disappearing from his face.
"I don't know what to say. I had a choice, her or my family."
"It must have been hard."
"See, Rose said the same. But honestly, it wasn't. It wasn't hard at all. I have a wonderful group of people, who have never let me down. People who love me and would do everything for me. People who never tried to sabotage my happiness or put me and others who I love in grave danger. And besides Alice, there are no bloodlines involved. Sure, our family is messy sometimes, but families are messy. Immortal families are eternally messy, I guess." I felt Jasper's smile. "Sometimes the best we can do is to remind each other that we're together for better or for worse...and try to keep the maiming and killing to a minimum."
"Are you talking about Emmett and me?"
"Or Rosalie and me." I giggled. "Anyway, you became my family in the first few months of my new life. And the way we met wouldn't suggest that at all, but I'm very glad you're here. You are my brother. We might not look alike, or have the same background or ideologies, but you are my brother. And so is Emmett. I do feel like Rose is as much my sister as Alice. We sure do bicker and fight a lot, but isn't that what sisters do? And Carlisle and Esme. They are my parents. Even if I didn't inherit Esme's beautiful smile or Carlisle's gorgeous hair." I laughed.
"We all have his eyes, though," Jasper whispered.
"I should tell him what you just said." I laughed. "You'll definitely get some brownie points for that."
"Are you telling me I'm trying to be the golden boy of the family?" He laughed with me.
"Are you not?"
When Jasper and I finally came home, Carlisle and Edward met me on the porch. Their facial expressions saddened my mood again.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"Isabella left this for you." Carlisle handed me a piece of paper.
"Did she leave?" I asked.
"About an hour ago."
"Did she take Abilene? Where is she?" I rushed inside the house but calmed down when I heard the hummingbird heartbeat upstairs. "How could she leave without her?" Now I was angry.
"You should read it." Edward insisted.
I grabbed the folded piece of paper from Carlisle's hand and opened it.
"Dear Bella,
I'm sorry for everything. You're right, I did ask a lot of you and the rest of the Cullens. You and Edward saved my life. I will forever be grateful for that. I thought I was stronger than a word, but I just discovered that having to say goodbye to you is by far the hardest thing I've ever had to do. You were my first real parent, but we met when I was more or less an adult. Speaking about bad timing. Felix was the one who told Volturi about the child.
I know you love her, and to be honest…She looks adorable, but…Bella, no one knows what she can do or who might become. I thought I wanted her. I really thought I wanted to have her, but don't trust that feeling. I can't explain what it is, but I am sure she can manipulate the emotions. When I went hunting today, my head was finally clear from that manipulation.
If she bears no danger, Aro will let her live. He is wise, he knows those things. Felix told me stories. If he finds her dangerous…I only ask one thing. Please, don't fight him. Let him deal with her and blame it all on the child's manipulation. Be smart, keep living.
In case Aro finds her safe to be around…I hope you will be a good mom to her. God knows I wouldn't be. I'm too young and careless. I'm not a mother. Felix is not a father. You and Edward, on the other hand, are perfect parents material. Any child would be lucky to have you. Change her name to Cullen, do whatever. You have every parental right. She is yours.
Hope everything will turn out to be good for both of you. If you find it in yourself to forgive me one day, I will happily come back to your life.
Yours,
Isabella."
"Crap." I sobbed. Edward was holding me now. "That son of a bitch!"
Three days have passed since the night Isabella left us. By that time, Abilene was forming sentences and looked like she was at least four-month-old. The girl was developing very fast, both physically and mentally. I was proud of the smart baby she was, while her growth was terrifying me. Edward felt the same way.
Alice told me personally about her vision. Volturi were indeed coming and there was no time left for us to flee. Even with my shield, we wouldn't be able to run forever and what kind of life would that be? Our best option was to look for witnesses. If we could find others who believe that Abilene wasn't an immortal child...if we could find anyone who would stay long enough to witness the girl's growth and thought development. Maybe we could make Volturi believe us and go away. Just maybe.
I called Tanya, for the first time in two weeks. All my friend knew is that Isabella was dating Felix from the Italian royal coven, nothing more. And I preferred to tell her about my baby in person rather than on the phone... I didn't tell her about our situation, which caused a lot of questions from my Alaskan friend, but she agreed to come along with the rest of her coven. We were expecting them to arrive later that night.
Carlisle tried getting Amun to come to Forks as well, but the leader of the Egyptian coven was too afraid of the Volturi. His adoptive son Benjamin and daughter-in-law Tia were on their way though, to Amun's anger, he was listening to his and Carlisle's conversation.
Alice and Rose flew to Brazil to find the other half-vampires or at least people who knew the stories of them.
Emmett went to the East Coast getting everyone who knew us to come to Forks. Jasper went North, he and I knew some vampires who lived in Canada. Carlisle called all of his friends; some were braver than others. We were expecting a lot of guests.
Tanya's coven arrived closer to midnight. "Bella!" a female voice enthused.
"Hello, Tanya. Eleazar, Carmen, Iryna, Laurent, Garrett, Kate. Hi everyone." I spoke.
Everyone murmured their hellos.
"You said you needed to talk to us right away," Tanya spoke. All of us were still outside. I imagined Edward was in the nursery, while I was blocking their entrance. "What's the problem? Troubles with Isabella?"
"Yes, more than ever now."
Tanya got serious.
"Aren't you going to invite us in?" Iryna asked. And then she continued without waiting for an answer. "Where's Carlisle?"
"Carlisle's hunting."
There was a short silence.
"What's going on, Bella?" Tanya demanded.
"If you could give me the benefit of the doubt for just a few minutes," I answered. "I have something difficult to explain, and I'll need you to be open-minded until you understand."
"Is Carlisle all right?" Eleazar asked anxiously.
"None of us is all right, Eleazar," I said, and then I patted Eleazar's shoulder. "But physically, Carlisle is fine."
"Physically?" Tanya asked sharply. "What do you mean?"
"I mean that my entire family is in grave danger. But before I explain, I ask for your promise. Listen to everything I say before you react. I am begging you to hear me out."
A longer silence greeted my request. I stared wordlessly at our guests.
"We're listening," Tanya finally said. "We will hear it all before we judge."
"Thank you, Tanya," I said fervently. "We wouldn't involve you in this if we had any other choice."
I moved. Seven people walked through the doorway.
"Where's Edward?" Kate asked. "How is he?"
"He'll join us shortly. He's well, thank you."
"Tell us about that grave danger, Bella," Tanya said quietly. "We'll listen, and we'll be on your side, where we belong."
I took a deep breath. "I'd like you to witness for yourselves first. Listen - in the other room. What do you hear?"
The room fell quiet, and then there was movement. Carmen took a few steps.
"Just listen first, please," I spoke.
"What is that thrumming?" Carmen asked. "Is that... some kind of a bird?"
"No, but remember what you're hearing. Now, what do you smell?"
"Is there a human here?" Iryna whispered.
"No," Garrett disagreed. "It's not human... but... closer to human than the rest of the scents here. What is that, Bella? I don't think I've ever smelled that fragrance before."
"You most certainly have not. Please, please remember that this is something entirely new to you. Throw away your preconceived notions."
"I promised you we would listen, Bella." Tanya reminded me.
"All right, then. Edward? Bring out Abilene, please."
My husband took one step into the bigger room and then froze, unable to force himself farther forward. Abilene took a deep breath and then peeped out from under his arm, her little shoulders tight, expecting a rebuff.
I thought I'd prepared myself for their reaction. For accusations, for shouting, for the motionlessness of deep stress, but the reaction that followed was not something I expected. Tanya skittered back four steps, her strawberry curls quivering, like a human confronted by a venomous snake. Iryna and Kate jumped back all the way to the front door and braced themselves against the wall there. A shocked hiss came from between Kate's clenched teeth. Eleazar threw himself in front of Carmen in a protective crouch. Laurent and Garrett were blinking at Abilene.
Edward put his arm around Abilene and me. "You promised to listen," I reminded them.
"Some things cannot be heard!" Tanya exclaimed. "How could you, Bella? Do you not know what this means?"
"We have to get out of here," Kate said anxiously, her hand on the doorknob.
"No..." Eleazar seemed beyond words.
"Wait," Edward said, his voice hard. "Remember what you hear, what you smell. Abilene is not what you think she is."
"There are no exceptions to this rule, Edward," Tanya snapped back.
"Tanya," I said sharply, "you can hear her heartbeat! Stop and think about what that means."
"Her heartbeat?" Carmen whispered, peering around Eleazar's shoulder.
"She's not a full vampire child," Edward answered for me, directing his attention toward Carmen's less hostile expression. "She is half-human."
The seven vampires stared at him like he was speaking a language none of them knew.
"Hear me." Edward's voice shifted into a smooth velvet tone of persuasion. "Abilene is one of a kind. Felix is her father. Not her creator - her biological father."
Tanya's head was shaking, just a tiny movement. She didn't seem aware of it.
"Edward, you can't expect us to…" Eleazar started to say.
"Tell me another explanation that fits, Eleazar. You can feel the warmth of her body in the air. Blood runs in her veins, Eleazar. You can smell it." I spoke.
"How?" Kate breathed.
"Isabella is her biological mother," Edward told her. "She conceived, carried, and gave birth to Abilene while she was still human. It nearly killed her. I was hard-pressed to get enough venom into her heart to save her."
"I've never heard of such a thing," Eleazar said. His shoulders were still stiff, his expression cold.
"Physical relationships between vampires and humans are not common," Edward answered, a bit of dark humor in his tone now. "Human survivors of such trysts are even less common"
"Wouldn't you agree, cousins?" I added, implying their past as succubuses.
Kate, Iryna, and Tanya scowled at me.
"Come now, Eleazar. Surely you can see the resemblance. We've sent you pictures of Isabella and you are acquainted with Felix." Edward continued.
It was Carmen who responded to Edward's words. She stepped around Eleazar, ignoring his half-articulated warning, and walked carefully to stand right in front of him. She leaned down slightly, looking carefully into Abilene's face.
"You seem to have your mother's hair," she said in a low, calm voice, "but your father's eyes, I assume." And then, as if she could not help herself, she smiled at Abilene.
Abilene's answering smile was dazzling. She touched my arm without looking away from Carmen.
Carmen was still smiling at Abilene. "Do you speak, little one?"
"Yes," the girl answered in her trilling high soprano. All of Tanya's family flinched at the sound of her voice except for Carmen.
Abilene reached her tiny hands to the dark-haired vampire and I exchanged a worried look with Edward. I was afraid Carmen might hurt my little angel. Edward nodded his head and put Abilene into the woman's arms.
After a few minutes, they both smiled at each other. "She really is Isabella's daughter, isn't she?" Carmen breathed, switching her wide topaz eyes to my face.
"Such a vivid gift!" Eleazar spoke for the first time since he saw my baby.
Gift? I was so confused. Abilene didn't have any gifts, at least not that we knew of.
"Do you believe what we are telling you?" Edward asked, his expression intense.
"Without a doubt," Carmen said simply.
Carmen took Eleazar's hands into her own and squeezed them. "Impossible as it seems, Edward and Bella have told you nothing but the truth. Here, let her show you." Carmen nudged Eleazar closer to Edward and me and then nodded at Abilene in her arms. "Do it again, mi querida."
Abilene grinned, clearly delighted with Carmen's acceptance, and touched Eleazar lightly on the forehead.
"Hey!" he spit and jerked away from her.
"What did she do to you?" Tanya demanded, coming closer warily. Kate crept forward, too.
"She's just trying to show you the truth," Carmen told him in a soothing voice.
Show him the truth?
Abilene frowned impatiently. "Watch, please," she commanded Eleazar. She stretched her hand out to him and then left a few inches between her fingers and his face, waiting. Eleazar eyed her suspiciously and then glanced at Carmen for help. She nodded encouragingly. Eleazar took a deep breath and then leaned closer until his forehead touched her hand again.
He shuddered when it began but held still this time, his eyes closed in concentration.
"Ahh," he sighed when his eyes reopened a few minutes later. "I see."
Abilene smiled at him. He hesitated, then smiled a slightly unwilling smile in response.
"Eleazar?" Tanya asked.
"It's all true, Tanya. This is no immortal child. She's half-human. Come. See for yourself."
In silence, Tanya took her turn standing warily before Carmen, Edward, and myself, and then Kate and Iryna, all three showing shock with my little girl's touch. But then, just like Carmen and Eleazar, they seemed completely won over as soon as it was done.
I shot a glance at Edward's smooth face, wondering if it could really be so easy. His golden eyes were as confused as mine. I haven't missed anything then.
"But there is the grave danger you warned us of," Tanya said. "Not directly from this child, I see, but surely from the Volturi, then. How did they find out about her? When are they coming?"
I was not surprised at her quick understanding. After all, what could possibly be a threat to a family as strong as ours? Only the Volturi.
"When Isabella woke up, she went hunting with Felix." Edward explained, "He was never fond of Abilene, and made Isabella think she was dangerous."
Kate hissed, her eyes narrowing to slits, "Isabella did this? To you? Isabella?"
"No," Tanya whispered. "It's Felix's fault..."
"Alice saw Volturi coming after the hunt," Edward spoke.
"How could she do such a thing?" Eleazar asked of no one.
Tanya's eyes tightened. "No matter what she thought... You are her family."
"There's nothing we can do about Isabella's choice now. It's too late. Alice gave us three months."
Both Tanya's and Eleazar's heads cocked to one side. Kate's brow furrowed.
"So long?" Garrett asked.
"They are all coming. That must take some preparation." I spoke.
Eleazar gasped. "The entire guard?"
"Not just the guard," Edward said, his jaw straining tight. "Aro, Caius, Marcus. Even the wives."
Shock glazed over all their eyes.
"Impossible," Eleazar said blankly.
"I would have said the same three days ago," Edward spoke.
Eleazar scowled, and when he spoke it was nearly a growl. "But that doesn't make any sense. Why would they put themselves and the wives in danger?"
"It doesn't make sense from that angle, I know. Alice said there was more to this than just punishment for what they think we've done. She thought you could help us." I told the group.
"More than punishment? But what else is there?" Eleazar started pacing, stalking toward the door and back again as if he were alone here, his eyebrows furrowed as he stared at the floor.
"Where are the others, Bella? Jasper and Alice and the rest?" Tanya asked.
My hesitation was almost unnoticeable. "Looking for friends who might help us." I didn't want to mention Alice and Rose's most-certainly impossible mission in South America.
Tanya leaned toward me, holding her hands out in front of her. "Bella, no matter how many friends you gather, we can't help you win. We can only die with you. You must know that."
Edward shook his head quickly. "We're not asking you to fight and die with us, Tanya. You know Carlisle would never ask for that."
"Then what, Edward?"
"We're just looking for witnesses. If we can make them pause, just for one moment. If they would let us explain ..." He touched Abilene's arm; she grabbed his hand and held it. "It's difficult to doubt our story when you see it for yourself."
Tanya nodded slowly. "Do you think her past will matter to them so much?"
"Only as it foreshadows her future. The point of the restriction was to protect us from exposure, from the excesses of children who could not be tamed." I spoke. "She controls herself, and she's growing."
"I'm not dangerous at all," Abilene interjected. I listened to her high, clear voice with new ears, imagining how she sounded to the others. "I never hurt anyone." She dropped Edward's hand to reach mine.
"If Isabella had not believed Felix," Edward mused, "we could have avoided all of this. Abilene grows at an unprecedented rate. By the time the three months are passed, she'll have gained a full year and a half of development."
"Well, that is something we can certainly witness," Carmen said in a decided tone. "We'll be able to promise that we've seen her mature ourselves. How could the Volturi ignore such evidence?"
Eleazar mumbled, "How, indeed?" but he did not look up, and he continued pacing as if he were paying no attention at all.
"Yes, we can witness for you," Tanya said. "Certainly, that much. We will consider what more we might do."
"Tanya," Edward protested, hearing more in her thoughts than there was in her words, "we don't expect you to fight with us."
I wasn't expecting them to fight with us, but I sure hoped they would if it came to that. Abilene was now my child, my responsibility. The promise that I gave myself, the promise to protect her no matter the cost, now mattered more than ever. She had to survive.
"If the Volturi won't pause to listen to our witness, we cannot simply stand by," Tanya insisted to my happiness. "Of course, I should only speak for myself."
Kate snorted. "Do you really doubt me so much, sister?"
"And me?" Iryna added.
Tanya smiled widely at them. "It is a suicide mission, after all."
Garrett flashed a grin and then shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm in."
"If I die, it will be alongside my family," Laurent spoke for the first time since I saw him.
"I, too, will do what I can to protect the child," Carmen agreed. Then, as if she couldn't resist, she held her arms out toward Abilene. "May I hold you again, Bebe Linda?"
My little girl reached eagerly toward Carmen, delighted with her new friend. Carmen hugged her close, murmuring to her in Spanish.
For a moment I thought that maybe what we were attempting might be possible. Maybe Renesmee could do the impossible and win over our enemies as she had our friends.
"She is special, that little one," Tanya mused. "Hard to resist."
"Just like her…" Kate asked.
"We are her parents." Edward finished for her and exchanged looks with the rest of the crowd.
"A very talented family," Eleazar murmured as he paced. His tempo was increasing; he flashed from the door to Carmen and back again every second. "A mind reader for a father, a shield for a mother, and then whatever magic this extraordinary child has bewitched us with. I wonder if there is a name for what she does, or if it is the norm for a vampire hybrid. As if such a thing could ever be considered normal! A vampire hybrid, indeed!"
"You keep saying that. But what exactly did Abilene do to you?" I asked.
"You mean she's never done that to you?" He asked confused.
"Did what?" I started getting angry.
"Mi corazón, will you show your mommy and daddy?" Carmen asked Abilene. My baby smiled at me guiltily but put her right hand out for me and left hand out for Edward.
"I don't see anything," I spoke.
"Lift the shield, Bella," Eleazar spoke to me like I just answered three to his what is one plus one question. "No wonder you didn't know, for how long have you kept the whole family under it?"
"Six days," I whispered and then looked at Edward. His eyes were as confused as mine, again.
I got my shield off of Edward and myself and held Abilene's hand in mine again.
I could see it now. She played out the conversations that she heard, sort of played back the exact things that people around her said. Interestingly, most of the lines in my head were green, but the one when Edward said we were her parents, was red. The same thing happened when Eleazar called us her mother and father...Was she able to see when people lie as well? Somehow, even though I couldn't explain how, but I knew that was exactly the case. Another thing I knew for sure, Abilene was able to replay the conversations that she listened to. It was strange, hearing my own voice play in my head.
"Why haven't you told me you could do that?" I asked her.
"Secret. A little secret." The girl laughed. I couldn't help but smile at her and then at Edward.
"Our baby is an evil little monster," I whispered in Edward's ear and heard him chuckle.
I grabbed my daughter's hand again and closed my eyes. It felt like I had never wanted anything so badly before this; to know what she remembers.
Because I was so preoccupied, I didn't notice the silent exchange going on between Edward and Eleazar until it became a spoken conversation.
"Can you think of even one exception, though?" Edward asked.
I looked over to make sense of his comment and realized that everyone else was already staring at the two men. They were leaning toward each other intently, Edward's expression tight with suspicion, Eleazar's unhappy and reluctant.
"I don't want to think of them that way," Eleazar said through his teeth. I was surprised at the sudden change in the atmosphere.
"If you're right…" Eleazar began again.
Edward cut him off. "The thought was yours, not mine."
"If I'm right... I can't even grasp what that would mean. It would change everything about the world we've created. It would change the meaning of my life. What I have been a part of."
"Your intentions were always the best, Eleazar."
"Would that even matter? What have I done? How many lives ..."
Tanya put her hand on Eleazar's shoulder in a comforting gesture. "What did we miss, my friend? I want to know so that I can argue with these thoughts. You've never done anything worth castigating yourself this way."
"Oh, haven't I?" Eleazar muttered. Then he shrugged out from under her hand and began his pacing again, faster even than before.
Tanya watched him for half a second and then focused on Edward. "Explain."
Edward nodded, his tense eyes following Eleazar as he spoke. "He was trying to understand why so many of the Volturi would come to punish us. It's not the way they do things. Certainly, we are the biggest mature coven they've dealt with, but in the past other covens have joined to protect themselves, and they never presented much of a challenge despite their numbers. We are more closely bonded, and that's a factor, but not a huge one. He was remembering other times that covens have been punished, for one thing, or the other, and a pattern occurred to him. It was a pattern that the rest of the guard would never have noticed since Eleazar was the one passing the pertinent intelligence privately to Aro. A pattern that only repeated every other century or so."
"What was this pattern?" Carmen asked, watching Eleazar as Edward was.
"Aro does not often personally attend a punishing expedition," Edward said. "But in the past, when Aro wanted something, in particular, it was never long before evidence turned up proving that this coven or that coven had committed some unpardonable crime. The Italians would decide to go along to watch the guard administer justice. And then, once the coven was all but destroyed, Aro would grant a pardon to one member whose thoughts, he would claim, were particularly repentant. Always, it would turn out that this vampire had the gift Aro had admired. Always, this person was given a place with the guard. The gifted vampire was won over quickly, always so grateful for the honor. There were no exceptions."
"It must be a heady thing to be chosen," Kate suggested.
"Ha!" Eleazar snarled, still in motion.
"There is one among the guard," Edward said, explaining Eleazar's angry reaction. "Her name is Chelsea. She influences the emotional ties between people. She can both loosen and secure these ties. She could make someone feel bonded to the Volturi, to want to belong, to want to please them…"
Eleazar came to an abrupt halt. "We all understood why Chelsea was important. In a fight, if we could separate allegiances between allied covens, we could defeat them that much more easily. If we could distance the innocent members of a coven emotionally from the guilty, justice could be done without unnecessary brutality - the guilty could be punished without interference, and the innocent could be spared. Otherwise, it was impossible to keep the coven from fighting as a whole. So, Chelsea would break the ties that bound them together. It seemed a great kindness to me, evidence of Aro's mercy. I did suspect that Chelsea kept our own band more tightly knit, but that, too, was a good thing. It made us more effective. It helped us coexist more easily."
"How strong is her gift?" Tanya asked with an edge to her voice. Her gaze quickly touched on each member of her family.
Eleazar shrugged. "I was able to leave with Carmen." And then he shook his head. "But anything weaker than the bond between partners is in danger. In a normal coven, at least. Those are weaker bonds than those in our family, though. Abstaining from human blood makes us more civilized - lets us form true bonds of love. I doubt she could turn our allegiances, Tanya."
Tanya nodded, seeming reassured, while Eleazar continued with his analysis.
"I could only think that the reason Aro had decided to come himself, to bring so many with him, is because his goal is not punishment but acquisition," Eleazar said. "He needs to be there to control the situation. But he needs the entire guard for protection from such a large, gifted coven. On the other hand, that leaves the other ancients unprotected in Volterra. Too risky - someone might try to take advantage. So, they all come together. How else could he be sure to preserve the gifts that he wants? He must want them very badly," Eleazar mused.
"He wants you and Alice," I whispered.
Edward shrugged, his face suddenly a little too composed. "Not me, not nearly as much. I can't really give him anything more than he already has. And of course, that's dependent on his finding a way to force me to do his will. We've met before. He knows me, and he knows how unlikely that is." He raised one eyebrow sardonically.
Eleazar frowned at Edward's nonchalance. "He will also know you have weaknesses now, right after he touches your hand again." Eleazar pointed out, and then he looked at me.
"It's nothing we need to discuss now," Edward said quickly.
Eleazar ignored the hint and continued. "He will probably want you, Bella, too, regardless. He will be intrigued by a talent that could defy him, maybe Jane and Alec too."
Edward was uncomfortable with this topic. I didn't like it, either. If Aro wanted me to do something, anything really, all he had to do was threaten Edward or any other member of my family, and I would comply. And vice versa.
Was death the lesser concern? Was it really capture that we should fear?
Edward changed the subject. "I think the Volturi were waiting for this...for some pretext. They couldn't know what form their excuse would come in, but the plan was already in place for when it did come. Your coven is the largest after theirs, after all."
"If the Volturi are abusing the trust all immortals have placed in them...," Carmen murmured.
"Does it matter?" Eleazar asked. "Who would believe it? And even if others could be convinced that the Volturi are exploiting their power, how would it make any difference? No one can stand against them."
"Though some of us are apparently insane enough to try," Laurent muttered.
Edward shook his head. "You're only here to witness. Whatever Aro's goal, I don't think he's ready to tarnish Volturi's reputation for it. If we can take away his argument against us, he'll be forced to leave us in peace."
"Of course," Tanya murmured.
No one looked convinced. For a few long minutes, nobody said anything.
Then I heard the sound of tires turning off the highway pavement onto the Cullens' dirt drive.
"Who is it?" I muttered.
Edward's eyes were far away, staring blankly at the door. "Jasper sent Peter and Charlotte. Time to get ready for the next round."
The Cullens' enormous house was more crowded with guests than anyone would assume could possibly be comfortable. It only worked out because none of the visitors slept. Mealtimes were dicey, though. Our company cooperated as best they could. They gave Forks a wide berth, only hunting out of state; we didn't need to get the local werewolves to create more problems for us than we already had, it was better if nobody knew. Edward and Esme were gracious hosts, lending out our cars as needed without so much as a wince.
Abilene was busy fascinating the strange collection of Carlisle's friends. We'd replayed the scene of Abilene's introduction to the Denali coven a half dozen times. First for Peter and Charlotte, whom Jasper had sent our way without giving them any explanation at all; like most people who knew him, they trusted his instructions despite the lack of information.
Neither Peter nor Charlotte had ever seen an immortal child. Though they knew the rule, their negative reaction was not as powerful as the Denali's had been at first. Their curiosity and my friendship with them had driven them to allow Abilene's "explanation." And that was it. Now they were as committed to witnessing as Tanya's family.
Carlisle's friends from Ireland and Egypt came next.
The Irish clan arrived first, and they were surprisingly easy to convince. Siobhan - a woman of immense presence whose huge body was both beautiful and mesmerizing as it moved in smooth undulations - was the leader, but she and her hard-faced mate, Liam, were long used to trusting the judgment of their newest coven member. Little Maggie, with her bouncy red curls, was not physically imposing like the other two, but she had a gift for knowing when she was being lied to, and her verdicts were never contested. I made a note to myself to ask the little woman about her gift, as it seemed to be similar to what my daughter could do. Maggie declared that I spoke the truth, and so Siobhan and Liam accepted our story absolutely before even touching Abilene.
Benjamin - an oddly cheerful vampire who looked barely older than a boy and seemed both utterly confident and utterly careless at the same time - persuaded his mate Tia to stay. The Egyptians looked so alike, with their midnight hair and olive-toned pallor. Benjamin whom Eleazar seemed to revolve around as if he had some invisible magnetism he depended upon for his balance. I saw him staring at the boy with wide eyes and assumed Benjamin had a talent that drew my old friend to him.
"It's not that," Edward told me when we were alone that night. "His gift is so singular. Amun created Benjamin, knowing he would be special."
"What can he do?"
"Something Eleazar's never seen before. Something I've never heard of. Something that even your shield would do nothing against." He grinned his crooked smile at me. "He can actually influence the elements - earth, wind, water, and fire. True physical manipulation, no illusion of the mind. Benjamin's still experimenting with it, and Amun tries to mold him into a weapon. But you see how independent Benjamin is. He won't be used."
"You like him," I surmised from the tone of his voice.
"He has a very clear sense of right and wrong. I like his attitude."
Emmett sent individuals - any nomad friends of Carlisle's that they could track down.
Mary and Randall came - friends already, though they did not travel together. They listened to Abilene's story and stayed to witness like the others. Like the Denalis, they considered what they would do if the Volturi did not pause for explanations. Both nomads toyed with the idea of standing with us.
Emmett came back a few days later, and all of us felt better when he was home. He brought another Carlisle's friend home with him, though friend might have been the wrong term. Alistair was a misanthropic English vampire who counted Carlisle as his closest acquaintance, though he could hardly stand a visit more than once a century. Alistair very much preferred to wander alone, and Carlisle had called in a lot of favors to get him here. He shunned all company, and it was clear he didn't have any admirers in the gathered covens. The brooding dark-haired vampire took Carlisle at his word about Abilene's origins, refusing to touch her. Edward told Carlisle, Esme, and me that Alistair was afraid to be here but more afraid of not knowing the outcome. He was deeply suspicious of all authority, and therefore naturally suspicious of the Volturi. What was happening now seemed to confirm all his fears.
"Of course, now they'll know I was here," we heard him grumble to himself in the attic - his preferred spot to sulk. "No way to keep it from Aro at this point. Centuries on the run, that's what this will mean. Everyone Carlisle's talked to in the last decade will be on their list. I can't believe I got myself sucked into this mess. What a fine way to treat your friends."
But if he was right about having to run from the Volturi, at least he had more hope of doing that than the rest of us. Alistair was a tracker, though not nearly as precise and efficient as Demetri. Alistair just felt an elusive pull toward whatever he was seeking. But that pull would be enough to tell him which direction to run - the opposite direction from Demetri.
And then another pair of unexpected friends arrived. Unexpected because Carlisle hadn't been able to contact the Amazons.
"Carlisle," the taller of the two very tall feline women greeted him when they arrived. Both of them seemed as if they'd been stretched - long arms and legs, long fingers, long black braids, and long faces with long noses. They wore nothing but animal skins - hide vests and tight-fitting pants that laced on the sides with leather ties. It wasn't just their eccentric clothes that made them seem wild but everything about them, from their restless crimson eyes to their sudden, darting movements. I'd never met any vampires less civilized.
"Senna, Zafrina." Carlisle smiled.
"Alice sent us here," Zafrina answered in the rough, deep voice that matched her wild appearance. "It's uncomfortable to be away from home, but Alice assured us that you needed us here, while she very much needed Kachiri, our sister, somewhere else. That's all she would tell us, except that there was a great hurry... ?" Zafrina's statement trailed off into a question, and - with the tremor of nerves that never went away no matter how often I did this - I brought Abilene out to meet them.
Despite their fierce appearance, they listened very calmly to our story and then allowed Abilene to prove the point. They were every bit as taken with her as any of the other vampires, but I couldn't help worrying as I watched their swift, jerky movements so close beside her. Senna was always near Zafrina, never speaking. Senna and Zafrina were like two limbs of one organism - Zafrina just happened to be the mouthpiece.
Carlisle's voice was coming from the driveway a few hours after we met the Amazons. "Then what brings you here now?"
"Word travels," a different voice answered, just as feathery as the first. "We heard hints that Volturi were moving against you. There were whispers that you would not stand alone. Obviously, the whispers were true. This is an impressive gathering."
"We are not challenging the Volturi," Carlisle answered in a strained tone. "There has been a misunderstanding, that is all. A very serious misunderstanding, to be sure, but one we're hoping to clear up. What you see are witnesses. We just need the Volturi to listen. We didn't - "
"We don't care what they say you did," the first voice interrupted. "And we don't care if you broke the law."
"No matter how egregiously," the second inserted.
"We've been waiting a millennium and a half for the Italian scum to be challenged," said the first. "If there is any chance, they will fall, we will be here to see it."
"Or even to help defeat them," the second added. They spoke in a smooth tandem, their voices so similar that less sensitive ears would assume there was only one speaker. "If we think you have a chance of success."
I heard Carlisle asking me to bring Abilene out now. It helped to know that probably half of the vampires in the other room would come to my daughter's defense if these Romanians were upset by her. I didn't like the sound of their voices or the dark menace in their words. As I walked outside, I could see that I was not alone in that assessment. Most of the motionless vampires glared with hostile eyes, and a few - Carmen, Tanya, Zafrina, and Senna – came out with me and positioned themselves subtly into defensive poses between the newcomers and Abilene.
The vampires at the door were both slight and short, one dark-haired and the other with hair so ashy blond that it looked pale gray. They had the same powdery look to their skin as the Volturi, though I thought it was not so pronounced. I couldn't be sure about that, as I had never seen the Volturi except for the painting in Carlisle's study room; I could not make a perfect comparison. Their sharp, narrow eyes were dark burgundy, with no milky film. They wore very simple black clothes that could pass as modern but hinted at older designs.
The dark one grinned when I came into view. "Well, well, Carlisle. You have been naughty, haven't you?"
"She's not what you think, Stefan."
"And we don't care either way," the blonde responded. "As we said before."
"Then you're welcome to observe, Vladimir, but it is definitely not our plan to challenge the Volturi, as we said before."
"Then we'll just cross our fingers," Stefan began.
"And hope we get lucky," finished Vladimir.
In the end, we had pulled together sixteen witnesses - the Irish: Siobhan, Liam, and Maggie; the Egyptians: Benjamin and Tia; the Amazons: Zafrina and Senna; the Romanians: Vladimir and Stefan; and the nomads: Charlotte and Peter, Alistair, Mary, and Randall - to supplement our family of thirteen. Tanya's coven insisted on being counted as part of our family.
Aside from the Volturi, it was probably the largest friendly gathering of mature vampires in immortal history. We all were beginning to be a little bit hopeful. Even I couldn't help it. Abilene had won over so many in such a brief time. The Volturi only had to listen for just the tiniest second.
The last two surviving Romanians - focused only on their bitter resentment of the ones who had overthrown their empire fifteen hundred years earlier - took everything in stride. They would not touch my daughter, which, frankly, I was happy about, but they showed no aversion to her. They watched me practice my shield with Zafrina and Kate, watched Edward answer unspoken questions, watched Benjamin pull geysers of water from the river or sharp gusts of wind from the still air with just his mind, and their eyes glowed with their fierce hope that the Volturi had finally met their match.
We did not hope for the same things, but we all hoped. But of course, as soon as I had found hope, I lost it again, when another unexpected visitor showed up. I was terrified at first when Edward said who was coming our way, ready to fight him as soon as he steps a foot on our driveway. Demetri. Aro's tracker.
Please review!
Sorry for not posting for a long time. The end is coming soon. The next chapter will be the last, and I will post an epilogue to the story as well. Post a comment if you want me to review all the chapters of the story and make some parts more clear!