Chapter Twenty-One:

Renesmee's lips cracked into a brilliant smile, "Sao, I want to show you something,"

Before I could guess what such a thing could be, she'd knelt down and scooped up some water, flinging it at my face.

I screeched, throwing my hands up in a feeble attempt to block the attack.

Alright. If that's how she wanted it.

"How sweet of you," I grinned despite my dripping hair and unbutton the jeans Alice had been kind enough to lend me, pushing them down. "There was something I wanted to show you, too,"

Her eyes light up. "Really?" Fuck, she was adorable, "What?"

With the water up to my waist, I slam my hand down, sending up a wave that nearly engulfs her.

"Eeeyyyahhh!" She screamed, but it turned into laughter as the water cascaded down her body. She threw her head back and her bronze hair caught the sun, warning it up to the shade of autumn leaves. "God, don't you just love it here? It's so warm. So bright,"

"It might become a battlefield," I moved towards the shore, absently ringing the water out of my hair. "I wouldn't get too attached to it,"

"My favorite place became a battlefield when I was little," She shrugged, wading up to the bank. Flopping onto her back, she raised her arms above her head and gave a low sigh, "Doesn't help to be bitter about it,"

"How old were you?"

"A few months? I think?" Her nose scrunched up. "I felt older. I looked much older than I actually was,"

"Still," I sighed, and drew my knees up to my chest, "You were so young. I'm sorry. For everything that happened, Renesmee,"

Her lips turned up into a faint smile; it radiated sweetness.

"I could be angry about it. Like mama. But… it's always been very tiring for me to stay mad about something. I just find it much more pleasant to be happy," She cocked her head to the side, "You're really good for him. Alec. You should see how he looks at you,"

"Alec doesn't look at me any particular way,"

"Yes! Yes, Saoirse, he does. He looks at you… like. God, I don't know. Like how my mama looks at my dad,"

"Blind devotion?"

"Didn't you tell him you love him earlier today?" She smirked, her features momentarily darkening. "Is it really hard to believe that he might look at you like he loves you?"

"I did, but that isn't going to change things between us automatically. We're taking things slow so-"

"Before you told him that you love him, though, he looked at you like he loved you. You looked at him the same way. Uncle Jasper noticed it the second he and Auntie Alice met you,"

"I already know all of that-"

"He loves you. He really loves you. I think it's the most wonderful thing, to be honest,"

"You're horribly obsessed with love. It's not healthy," I paused, and turned to her, "Are you in love with someone?"

"A lot of people thought I should have been. But, no,"

I cocked my head, "Explain,"

"Well, mama has this friend named Jacob and…" She paused to groan and run her fingers through her hair. "He's a wolf. A shapeshifter, really. Not one of the full moon types. When I was a baby, he imprinted on me. Everyone thought that meant we were destined to be together. No one asked if that's what I wanted. We were best friends. Really, great friends. He was everything I could ask for but…"

She sniffed and wiped her nose, "But I didn't love him. Not like that. I loved him like a brother. A best friend. Everyone believed that once I grew up I'd fall in love with him. I didn't."

"He didn't take it very well, did he?"

"It was on my birthday," She muttered, tucking a lock of hair behind her ears as she perched her chin on her knees. "September. Just a few months ago. He gave me the charm to put on the bracelet he got me as a child. Does it every year, so I didn't think much about it until he explained what it meant. Eternal love. I should have been happy. Everyone was so sure I'd be so happy, but when he gave it to me, I understood that I'd been living a lie. I asked to meet him by the river and then I told him. Needless to say… it was bad. He wasn't angry. He was….sad. Devastated. I made mama stay with him for a week because I worried he might do something dramatic."

"That isn't fair, though," I huffed, "Not for you, I mean. He should have understood, better. You weren't born with the requirement to love him,"

Her lips flutter into a tiny smile, "I want to be able to decide my own destiny. I didn't choose to be born. I didn't want to put everyone in danger when Aro decided I might be an immortal child. I just…"

She broke off and buried her face in the back of her knees.

"Jacob hasn't spoken to me since then. No card. No letters. No phone calls. Nothing. I wanted things to remain as they'd been up until my birthday. I wanted to keep my best friend but I ruined that,"

"Ren, you didn't ruin anything,"

She looked up, "You're the first person to call me that. Most people call me Nessie. Except for mama, because she hates it."

"Your mother is particular when it comes to your name,"

Edward leaned against a tree behind us, his face crumpled with a strange combination of amusement and exhaustion.

"Mama wouldn't have that problem if she named me something normal," Renesmee protested, pushing herself up. "She's given me a sad life of no keychains or coke bottles with my name on it,"

Edward laughed, "I'm sure we can order you a custom keychain if you want it. Saoirse,"

I jerked.

"Alec sent me to get you. Some people just arrived and they want to meet you,"

"Lovely," I sighed, brushing the mud off of my ass, "Should I be worried? I don't want to get strangled by anyone who still has their panties up their butt about the Volturi,"

"Whoever it is," Renesmee stood up and slung her arms around my shoulders, "I'll make sure they're nice to you,"

"Now, Bella, move!"

We'd come up the embankment to the house and found Bella in front of Alec and Jane, her stance defensive. In front of her, two women with golden eyes and silken, white-blonde hair. One wore it straight, while the other's hair fell in dainty waves around her lovely face.

"Tanya, be reasonable," Bella groaned. "We knew you wouldn't have come if you knew everything an-"

"So you told Garrett to lie to me," The other woman hissed, her eyes briefly darting to the couch, where Garrett lounged with a brilliant grin. "You lied to me, Bella," Her eyes darkened and she took a step closer, though despite Bella's less-than intimidating stature, didn't just push her out of the way. "Have you forgotten what they did. How she tortured Edward, how he would have murdered everyone if it wasn't for your shield. Remember how eager they were to see your daughter dead. Ripped from your arms?" Her voice cracked. I stood against the door. Alec, his face smooth with hints of amusement, seemed hardly concerned, "They killed Vasilii, the baby our mother changed. Bella- they killed Irina. How can you- with- why,"

Renesmee broke away and ran in front of her mother

"People can change, Auntie Kate," She declared, throwing her arms wide, though Bella didn't seem to be in need of assistance. Both of the woman's expressions softened at the sight of her. "Auntie Tanya, please. Please, just trust me? We would never have called you here if it wasn't necessary. We-"

"If I may, I think I could explain things better,"

I stepped into the room and sat on the armrest at Alec's side. With a grin, he lay his head against my side. "This is getting tedious,"

Tanya and Kate snarled.

"Peace," Edward sighed, holding a hand up as he moved to wrap an arm around Bella's waist. "This is Saoirse. I think you'll find it wise to listen to what she has to say,"

They exchanged glances and took a step back.

"We'll here you out, for the time being," Tanya said as the both of them sank into the opposite couch. Bella's face relaxed and she and Edward moved out of the way, "So, Saoirse. Tell me, who are you? What role do you have in all of this?"

"Alec and I were imprisoned next to one another in the Volturi castle," I began, and I felt him tense against me. "We were there from February to November,"

"Why?" Kate demanded.

"I was part of a small group who worked to overthrow the Volturi," I said, "I was caught and taken prisoner,"

"I was there because I'd fallen in love with Aro's daughter,"

At his declaration, a low hum of murmuring spread over the room.

"A daughter?" Kate murmured, "How so do you mean?"

"A hybrid," He explained, "Born of him and a human woman named Avery. Her name is Euphrasie. Aro doesn't like others to have that which he does not. In Euphrasie, he got a hybrid and a psychic."

"Why didn't he like that you'd taken to her?"

"Aro didn't like many of the things my sister or I did, lately," He sat up straight and leaned forward, "After the incident with Renesmee, he became unhinged. Everything any of the guard did was suspicious in his eyes. I'm sure he thought that I planned to leave the coven. Jane, too. If we were gone, he'd be quicker to fall apart,"

Jane hummed, and tossed her head back. "I think we should make his dreams come true."

"This is unbelievable," Tanya declared, her brilliant golden eyes darting from Edward, then to Alec and Jane, and to myself, "They've been the pillars, the cornerstones of the Volturi for centuries. Why would they give up a life like that?"

Jane's lips curled into a cold smile, and despite her beauty, the scars on the side of her face gave her a terribly demented appearance.

"Cornerstones? Perhaps, but only when we're deemed useful. If our gifts work properly, of course Aro cares for us. It means he can use us to control the rest of the supernatural world," She inclined her head partly towards Bella, "When something causes our gifts to fail, he isn't happy about it. No," She turned to the side and indicated a broken scar that went down her temple to her cheek, "When we came back to Volterra, he shattered my face. Took more than a week to heal,"

Bella's mouth hung open, "I-I'm sorry," She managed to stutter after a numb silence.

"Aro's talent is keeping up appearances. He organized the Voturi so flawlessly...it's astounding. Chelsea to cut the ties of other covens, to rebind vampires that he has interest in to him. Corin keeps everyone content. He made one mistake though- Alec and I,"

I turned to face her, "How?"

"He didn't have Chelsea bind us," She explained, tucking a lock of hair behind her ears. "Assumed that we'd remain loyal- regardless,"

"Why?" Renesmee questioned, leaning against the armrest on Jane's side of the couch.

"Aro changed us. We were burning and...and he saved us," Something flickered in her expression and her hand instantly sought out her twin's touch, "See. Twins weren't common when we were born. If they were, both or one died before birth. The villagers thought we must have been witches- filed with black magic- just for being alive,"

"That's terrible!"

"Renesmee, it's fine,"

"No, it's not!" She screeched, gripping the armrest until her nails sunk into the leather. "I wasn't supposed to be born, either. Everyone thought that I'd be dangerous- at least at first. I'm just sad that no one would give you that chance."

"It was a different time, alright?" Jane sighed, but her lips twitched into a tiny smile. "Don't get too sympathetic, okay? You'll give your mother a conniption,"

Kate held up a hand, "This is all very nice, but it doesn't explain everything. I understand the difficulties with Aro, but… why are you here? Why are the Cullens here? Are we in danger?"

I slid off the armrest and nudged myself in between Alec and it.

"Alec and I escaped the castle. We came to Bosnia to find Jane. Aro'd sent one of his new guard to kill her. We found her and ran into Jasper and Alice and they took pity on us,"

"Believe me, Tanya," Jasper said, his beautiful voice a soothing melody of tones, "Had I suspected any malicious intention, I'd have taken advantage of their conditions and killed them on the spot. When we came across them, the only emotions I could detect were fear and exhaustion,"

"I, too, analyzed their thoughts when I arrived," Edward said, "Jane's thoughts were never outwardly sadistic before. They were prideful, eager to please. When I looked through her and Alec's thoughts this time, they were different. She's tired. He is too. If those thoughts change at all, I will be the first to act."

Renesmee bounded over to her aunts and took their hands, "You can trust them. I promise. Please, just try?"

They exchanged glances,

"Very well. We'll indulge your foolishness for the time being," Kate wiggled her fingers. Lightning crackled between them. "Just remember. I've been practicing with this,"

"Noted," I murmured, "Do we have plans to reach out to anyone else?"

"Carmen and Eleazar will be along soon, once they finish in Spain,"

"It'll be nice to be on the same side as him, after so long," Alec said, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. Against my better judgment, I lay my head against his chest. "Anyone else?"

"I can call Zafrina and Senna," Renesmee announced, "Kachiri, too. Maybe,"

"I'll reach out to Peter and Charlotte,"

"And I'll see if I can find where Mary and Randall are," Alice grinned, swinging her arms back and forth, "Once everyone learns to trust you, we won't have anything to worry about. Bella'll protect everyone with her shield. We'll take Aro down in minutes. Boom. Done."

"If her gift doesn't work on Audrey, though, we're fucked," I spat the name. It left a bad taste in my mouth, "We'll have to be weary of Tamsin and Kiersten, too. They could cause us to turn on one another,"

"We'll have more time to strategize," Alice said, "I've been watching Aro since we found you and Alec in the forest. He doesn't have any plans to attack. Not yet. We could make a battle plan and take it to him. Take over Volterra,"

"It would unsettle him," Jane mused, her eyes lighting up, "Aro's always been the place he's felt safest. If we can take it over- even if we aren't able to kill him on the first go- it'll give us an advantage,"

"Aro shouldn't be our first target," I said.

Jane glared, "Perhaps you can propose a better idea?"

"Of course. We need to take out Chelsea, first,"