Chapter 14 - Blind

We all stood and stared at each other for what felt like a whole century. Something was wrong, everything was wrong. Is this why Edward and Alice ran? It all seemed to click into place and fall apart at the same time in my head.

I could feel Renesmee's fear, as I saw Jacob in double vision - mine and hers. He was still shaking, still trying to control himself, while a few of the lesser wolves in the pack lost their human shape to the much larger one that lived inside of them.

"What's going on?" I finally broke the deafening silence.

"I found a trail heading North." Seth answered. "I followed it, of course," he smirked, "he was waiting for me." He pointed to his left with his chin.

I followed the nod Seth gave and looked over to find a familiar face, a face I hadn't seen in a long time. A face that once brought so much peace and understanding at a time when it was most needed. A kind, concerned face, not pale like a vampire, but flushed like a human - Nahuel.

As I thought it, I saw the memories being shared through my daughter's hand. I saw the way he watched me, the way he watched Nessie back when we were both only a few weeks old - Nessie in her first life, and I, in my afterlife. I watched the return of Alice with the strangers following her. It hurt to remember the way she left us before. It hurt to know she had my Edward with her this time. But it helped to know she had a reason to leave, it made me happy to know she had come back back then, and she'd do it again, now.

"What's going on?" I asked again. The answer Seth gave hadn't explained anything, he just added more confusion.

"Jakey, talk to me, tell us what's happening." Nessie pleaded.

She let go of my hand and flitted over to Jacob, he stepped away from her as she got closer.

"No, Ness, I'm not in control of myself." He said - she didn't listen.

Nessie grabbed his hands and pulled them to her chest. She gently placed a soft kiss on the top of each of them, "I'm not scared, I know you won't hurt me."

"But I don't know that." Jacob replied, angrily, he pulled his hands back into tight balls at his side. It was hard for him to deny Nessie anything she wanted, I could hear his breath hitch and his heart race as he struggled to keep it together. Nessie stayed where she was, she didn't grab his hands again - she didn't back away. So much like her mother, she was never afraid when she should be - when she needed to be. It was easy for us to be comfortable with the "monsters".

"Just tell us what's wrong? Maybe that will help. I can help." Nessie pleaded again.

"Maybe I can help." Nahuel stepped forward.

The pack all shifted and crouched between him and Nessie and I - except Leah. Instead Leah held her hand out to him, a smile like I'd never seen painted on her face. This wasn't the Leah I knew. Even the spark that let me know Leah was under my protective barrier was different - brighter, warmer.

"They won't hurt you. They can't hurt you." She said to Nahuel, still reaching out to him, waiting for his hand to find hers.

I watched as Nahuel hesitantly took Leah's hand, his face screamed confusion, distrust, but there was an underlying hint of peace. The pack all stepped back as Leah brought Nahuel forward. None of them looked happy about whatever was going on, except for Seth, but Seth was always happy.

"I'm not really sure where to start." Nahuel began. The slight accent he had the first time I'd met him was no where in his words. "After I left here twenty years ago I decided not to return with Huilen. It was very hard to do, to leave her after she'd spent so many years looking after me. When I met your family here, Renesmee, Edward, and most importantly you, Bella," he nodded in my direction, "I knew something had to be done. Someone needed to stop my father, someone needed to save the next woman he chose to damn." He grinded his teeth as he spoke. You could hear the disgust, regret, the sheer bitterness in his voice.

"Just get to the point." Jacob spat out at him. The disgust just as prevalent in his voice as Nahuel's.

"I've been with my father and my sisters for the last fifteen years. I have successfully saved three women, if condemning them to a life of endless nights counts as saving them. I tried to do this without letting Joham know." Another level of sadness came with Nahuel's words.

An exaggerated sigh escaped from Jacob followed by a few more from the pack. They seemed to be getting restless. Jacob had at least controlled his fury, his shaking under control, he had wrapped his arms around Nessie protectively.

"Okay, I will give you the short version of the rest of the story." Nahuel started up again. "A couple weeks ago my father was murdered."

"Murdered?" I asked. Murdered is a term you don't hear in the vampire world very often. We are killed, every now and then, and sometimes we are murderers, but never murdered.

"The Volturi." Nahuel answered. "They sent a few members of their guard to speak with my father, to convince him to stop the madness." Nahuel looked down at the ground, still grasping Leah's hand. "They fought, my father lost, but not before my sister, Razinna, was destroyed." Tears were starting to form in his eyes as he spoke.

"I'm sorry Nahuel. I can't imagine the pain that you must feel. But I must know, why are you here?" I questioned.

"They blame your family, you, Renesmee, Edward. They know the Volturi wouldn't know about them if it wasn't for what happened here."

"Oh." It was the only response I could muster up, I didn't know what it meant they blame your family.

"They were coming here to destroy your Edward."

I hissed, the pack growled, Renesmee started to cry, at the words that Nahuel spoke.

"I followed them with the intent to warn you. That's when I ran into this pup here." Nahuel continued, pointing at Seth. "My sisters retreated when they realized Edward wasn't here. But they will wait, they will come back. Their dedication to my father is strong, much like the dedication you all have for Edward."

I doubt that, I thought to myself. Edward was a saint, an angel, Joham was a monster. He didn't deserve any kind of dedication.

"Edward has left us." I pushed the words out, trying not to think them as I spoke, it hurt too much to think. "Let your sisters know."

"I can't go back to them." Nahuel said. "They know I have come here, they know I have given away their secrets," he squeezed Leah's hand as he spoke, "and my heart." They stared into each others eyes before he continued. "They don't want to harm you, but if they do not get their revenge soon they will settle for someone else."

The control that Jacob had gathered up disappeared. He was squeezing Nessie as tight as he could to keep himself from shaking apart his skin and giving in to the anger. The world was collapsing around me, I grabbed at the pieces, trying desperately to put it all back together. All the control and reason I had gained since becoming a vampire flew out the window. Nothing made sense, why would anyone want to hurt my Edward? Why would anyone want to hurt my family? What do we do to stop them without our offensive line? Why would they leave us, blind, scared, and unprotected?

Wait. Stop being so pathetic, Bella. You may be blind, you may be scared, but you are definitely not unprotected. I screamed at myself. And in an instant I had my shield up, ready, waiting. If anything got to close to the ones I loved, I would know. I would feel their power, their essence, and I'd protect.

I pulled the band of power around the group that stood around me, getting used to the new light - Nahuel. Then, another light showed up, just at the edge, just past those trees, someone was standing, waiting. Then they disappeared, they all disappeared.