When I woke up I couldn't breathe. I could hear absolutely nothing, and I didn't understand what was going on. There was a dull thumping in my head, and I dared to open my eyes. I had to shut them instantly. I was completely blinded by a confusing bundle of bright lights - orange, blue, red. I tried to breathe in and my inner eyelids speckled with color. I tried to breathe out and I couldn't either. I wasn't even panicked, just confused. Light headed probably. I opened my eyes again, squinting through the cacophony of light. There was an orange blaze to my left, that was undoubtedly a fire. Behind that appeared to be a fire engine, and a police car. Oops. A drop of water splattered onto my eyelid, and my eyes flickered up. I did not see an empty, rain filled sky. In fact - at first my eyes only saw a black negative of the bright fire. After that, I was extremely confused to find - within my field of view, Jacob, and Charlie. Jacob's head was buried in Charlie's shoulder, and both men were very close. After a short mental analysis, I realised that I was still at least partially unclothed, and it was raining. On top of that, I realised that I was lying in Charlie's lap, and he had twisted away from me to hug Jacob. I was suddenly crunched tighter, folded up towards Charlie's chest, unwillingly, and I heard a low oath, in Renesmee's voice.
"Stop fucking moving her. This is hard enough as it is."
That too made no sense. I closed my eyes again and waited for something else interesting to happen - like breathing. I thought that a breath would probably be a great idea. I felt a very strange heat suddenly in my chest, around my heart and my lungs and my eyes snapped open again. I took a frantic and pained breath that seemed to explode out of my chest. As soon as I did, I tasted blood and my body shuddered in pain. My ears began thrumming with the sound I hadn't noticed I was missing - my heartbeat. It seemed thunderously loud, and painful, and I suddenly wished I was back to not breathing and beating. With each beat and breath I found that more things in my body were hurting.
"Bella? Bella!" I heard Renesmee scream, and her face appeared above mine. In seeing my face, she let out a distinct cry of happiness. She looked strained, tired, scared even. I could hear the rumble of my father's chest and recognised that he was frantically repeating my name as well. I could feel a burning hot hand grasping mine, far too tightly, and I had to assume it was Jacob, as Charlie was busy crushing me to his chest. Tears streamed from my eyes as if they were being pressed out by Charlie's squeeze. It wasn't until I felt the icy cold shock of a pair of familiar hands that Charlie released me. My eyes flicked up to the concerned, relieved face of Carlisle Cullen. He was less comforting than Charlie, but it helped immensely. He tore me away from Charlie's grasp, setting me on my side, and his piercingly cold hands probed over my chest and back. The tears were running freely down my face, and I didn't understand what had happened, or why I hurt everywhere. Renesmee walked around into my line of sight again, bending down to press her face close to mine.
"Sleep now, love. You'll be alright. We'll talk later."
That sounded certainly a lot more logical than being awake right now. So I trusted those endlessly brown eyes, and floated off.
...
...
...
Alice - An hour earlier
Bella was away - running somewhere. Away from us, away from her life, from her problems, from everything. According to Jasper, she felt lonely, distant, burdensome, separated here. With Jacob and Ness and their new relationship she had gotten even worse, more pronounced. The only enjoyment she got in her days was through the practice of their fire gift. I was nestled in Jasper's arms, trading emotions with him. It was something small, slow, intimate, that we did. I was currently sending him a tasteful mix of concern, sadness, and grief, which Jazz knew was regarding Bella. He sent back some reassurance, love, patience, similar concern, and resignation. It would take time, dealing with her. She'd lost as much - more, even - than what we had, and had much less brain and body room to deal with it. Not to mention she had the added trouble of Renesmee in her body. I sent Jasper complication, confusion, and unease. He sent back patience, empathy and the long, lonely wait he had previously endured waiting for me, for connection and family. The message was clear; this wasn't any easier for Ness than for us. She'd waited a lot of lifetimes to find her family, and had to work her way into settling in. We weren't exactly easy to accept or live with after all.
Suddenly, my environment changed into the clear dream-like state that made up my visions.
Someone was walking up to the front door of the Cullen house. A bare-foot, nomadic vampire, tall, relaxed, smiling. Familiar. Carlisle greeted him before he reached the door, Esme by his side.
"Garrett! It's been an age!"
"Carlisle, Esme" Garrett smiled, "I do apologize."
Small talk, including how long it had been since they themselves had met, acquaintances, and a tour of the house ensued. Garrett was surprised by the lack of presence.
"I thought you all lived together? It smells like there's only a few residents here, at least one a human, and a... dog?" Garrett asked, casually.
"Rosalie and Emmett are travelling. Edward is taking an extended personal vacation." Carlisle replied delicately.
"Trouble with the missus?" he asked. Carlisle paused a moment, looking questioningly at Garrett.
"I met her - Bella, I think - in Phoenix with Edward. It smells like she's still here, and human. She had quite a distinct smell. Can't place the other one, or their awful wet dog."
"It's a long story, to be honest with you." Carlisle replied carefully, as they made their way into Carlisle's library. Jasper and I were already there, perched delicately on the window bench. Esme curled up quietly on a couch, and Garrett sat down, lazily in an armchair, facing a fresco of the Volturi family. He sneered distastefully.
"I don't much like your decor, but I can appreciate the tribute to your royal life."
"A life I was quite happy to leave. Better things awaited." Carlisle gently squeezed Esme's knee. "But I am aware you haven't come here today to talk socially..." Carlisle nodded towards me. Garrett winked, and laughed.
"That's quite true. I came to deliver a warning." He started, as I heard the vibrating staccato of Carlisle's phone in his pocket. "At least...I ... think... it's... a... warn..."
My vision blurred out, the familiar, hated, black and confusing haze that pertained to Bella and Ness, or Jacob and his pack. I wouldn't be able to see anything else after they became involved. I skimmed forward, testing people's futures, and found that all of ours were blurred in the same manner for a large chunk of the foreseeable future. I sighed aloud in discontent. It had been nice, rewarding even, having a vision that was useful, interesting, and long. I loved Bella to the moon and back. I was starting to enjoy Ness, and really warming up to the endless happiness that was the little lap-dog Jacob.
Mild interest and contentment radiated from Jasper. He liked it when I was happy, and I was always thrilled at intriguing visions.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we're expecting an unusual house guest." I said in a lightly loud voice, playing with Jasper's collar. "Of the vampire variety."