The Renesmee Series

by greenpeach20

The Story of how, through her many life experiences, Renesmee fell in love with Jacob. It's primarily romance and humor, but also has a hint of everything else in between.

28. A Father's Love

A Father's Love

After Carlisle agreed to help Dante and his siblings, Jacob ran straight to the reservation and told the pack what was happening. A lot of them weren't too happy about this little development. But they agreed that helping them was the right thing to do. But I kept thinking about what Vladimir and Stefan had called them. Dhampir. Aida had called me that, but daddy and Carlisle had sneered at the word, so I assumed it was just a gross taboo. But when they referred to Dante and his siblings as such, daddy and Carlisle didn't respond nearly as harshly. I decided to ask daddy about it when he was driving me home from school. I looked at daddy, asked my mental question, and daddy sighed.

"There's a lot to it, Nessie. Explaining it would take a while." I shrugged.

"You know I don't mind. I love it when you tell me stories." Daddy chuckled lightly and looked at me with a silly grin. Then he looked back at the road and sighed.

"If you say so, Nessie." Daddy took a deep, unneeded breath before continuing. "You see, Nessie, if we were to completely disregard myth and look at just the facts, which are that your mother was human when she conceived you and you were fathered by a vampire, then yes, you are technically a Dhampir. The more common term is Dunpeal though.

"But that's not all there is to the Dhampir myths. A Dhampir, by myth and definition, is a creature that was fathered by Dracula and had a human mother. They are considered to be hateful and bitter creatures that usually live their lives trying to get revenge against their father, Dracula, for abandoning them and their mothers when they were young, or something along those lines."

"But why does that make it such a bad thing to say?" Daddy shrugged.

"The idea alone of a vampire and human having children together, or even being together for that matter, to the majority of the vampire world, is considered grossly inappropriate and, to some, is even compared to bestiality. Humans are supposed to be our food. Most would find it strange to fall in love with your food, let alone conceive a child with it. The word Dhampir is, for us, the same thing as calling a black person a nigger. It's a derogatory word and, by most, is frowned upon. "

"But no one said anything about you and momma." Daddy shook his head.

"Far from it, Nessie. Carlisle and Esme were the only ones that didn't turn my relationship with your mother into something sick and wrong. Alice was more open to it, but even to her, it wasn't normal. They would never say it to my face, but they would think it. And truthfully, no one wanted you at first." I don't know why this took me by surprise. I knew that momma's pregnancy was hard, but it was still hard to hear.

"No one wanted me?" Daddy looked at me with sad eyes. Then he pulled the car over on the side of the road and turned off the car in the same second. When the car was off, he undid his seatbelt and reached across the seat for me and took me in a hug. The hug was warm despite his cold hard skin.

"We weren't expecting you. And we didn't even know that it was possible for your mother and I to have you. We didn't know what to think of you at first. The only thing we did have to go on were the myths about Dhampirs. And you've proven that myth to be nothing but wrong." I was teary eyed, but I didn't let myself cry. "Your mother loved you from the moment she felt you nudge her. I'll admit that it took me longer. I thought you were going to kill her. I couldn't bring myself to love something that was going to kill the woman I loved. But then I heard your thoughts. I finally knew that you loved her as much as I did. That was the moment I loved you, honey. And everyone else loved you the moment they saw your brown eyes." I kept myself from crying, but I hugged daddy tighter.

"I love you daddy." I felt him smile into my hair.

"I love you too, Renesmee. And I always will. You're my one and only little girl and you always will be." We hugged for a long time after that. I never got cold in daddy's arms. After a few minutes, daddy and I let go of each other and he started the car back up. But another question popped into my head. Daddy sighed when he heard my question.

"If Dhampirs are supposed to be spawn of Dracula, then how did the myth come about in the first place? Dracula not being real and all." Daddy shook his head.

"Dracula was real, honey, just not in the way most people know him as. He was fabricated to be a vampire after he died. After his death in 1472, he became known as Vlad the Impeller Draculya. It was said to be his favorite method of killing his enemies, whom at the time were the Turks and other groups throughout Romania and Serbia."

"Draculya?" Daddy nodded.

"His father before him, by the Hungarian prince at the time, was Knighted into the Dragon Order. These men all had dragons on their coat of arms. He became known as Vlad Dracul, or Devil, by those that knew him. His son, the man we all know, called himself Draculya, or son of the Devil. It was morphed into Dracula over the centuries and that name was finalized when an Englishman named Bram Stoker wrote his famous story, Dracula in 1897. That was the book that painted the picture most of the world know of Dracula."

"But how did the myth about Dhampirs come about?" Daddy's face became thoughtful.

"Well, Nessie, few people in Transylvania knew that Count Dracula had died in Hungary while staying with Hungarian royalty. To most of them, he had just disappeared. And they all knew the stories about how he would impel his enemies and that Dracula had suffered a great loss to the Turks a short time before he went 'missing'. Rumors started spreading that he had sold his soul to the Devil for revenge."

"Okay." Daddy chuckled lightly.

"But the truth is, there had been a vampire there in Dracula's castle for several centuries after his death."

"What was his name? Do you know?" Daddy nodded.

"His real name was Titus Valerius. No one knows when he was born. They only know that he was changed shortly after the murder of Julius Ceaser. He was more or less a nomad for most of his life as a vampire. He took over Dracula's castle shortly after he left."

"Why did everyone think he was Count Dracula?" Daddy shrugged sort of indifferently.

"He never bothered to correct them. He didn't see the point in correcting his livestock."

"So he was the one that formed the myths about Dracula?" Daddy nodded.

"Yeah. It was all him. He ruled over Transylvania in Dracula's castle for over four hundred years." I was about to ask what this had to do with Dhampirs. "I'm getting to that, Nessie." I smiled a little and waited for him to start again. "While Titus Valerius was living there, he hunted the humans that lived in Transylvania. But he only took beautiful young women."

"So they assumed they were having his children?" Daddy laughed lightly.

"Pretty much. But they weren't too far from the truth." I gave daddy a confused look.

"What do you mean?" Daddy sighed.

"You know that, in the novel Dracula, Dracula kidnaps a beautiful woman and plans to make her his bride?" I nodded. "Well, that's the rumor that formed amongst the townspeople of Transylvania and the story that Bram Stoker presented to the world." My face became interested.

"What really happened?" Daddy chuckled lightly at my eagerness.

"Well honey, like me, he feel in love with a human woman." This fact surprised me.

"He did?" Daddy nodded.

"Yeah, he did. He had kidnapped her and one other girl. He killed the other woman within moments of arriving back to the castle. But when he was about to kill her, he couldn't do it. From what Aro got from his thoughts, there was something in her eyes that made him unable to kill her even though her blood smelled so sweet."

"Do you know what her names was?" Daddy smiled and nodded.

"Yes. Her name was Nicoleta of the Nastase." I looked at daddy and he chuckled again at my thoughts.

"Could you tell me that story?" He smiled and nodded his head.

"This all happened in 1887. As I said, Titus had kidnapped her and another woman whose name is unknown. He couldn't bring himself to kill her, so he just kept her in the castle with him as his prisoner more or less."

"Before you keep going, how do you know all these details about it?" Daddy smirked.

"I heard this whenever Marcus or Caius touched Aro. These are memories they have of that incident and Aro would always think more about the story. He thinks it's romantic." I giggled.

"That sounds about right. So anyway, she's his prisoner." He nodded.

"Anyway, Nicoleta didn't warm up to Titus at first. She was, understandably, scared of him and would try to keep to herself. But Titus, for reasons he didn't understand at the time, wanted to know more about her. So he made sure that she was comfortable and had everything that she needed.

"He would bring her dresses, jewelry, good food, he gave her a bed to sleep in, everything she could possibly need. He had become fascinated with her and would watch her live her life in that castle, but he didn't talk to her. He remained a silent observer for a solid year. Over that time, he started becoming more and more attached to her, and she became reliant on him and looked to him for her every need.

"One night, about a year after he had kidnapped her, he finally decided to approach her. When he did, she didn't run away from him. She'd come to trust and respect him. Shortly after that, they fell in love. But he never changed her. They just lived together in that castle for seven years."

"Did she ever become pregnant?" Daddy shook his head.

"No. She never did. But that didn't stop people from spreading rumors that she did. Somehow, one of the villagers had found out about Titus and Nicoleta and it was spread around town. A few people tried attacking the castle, but he killed the mob off easily. That's actually how Dracula got his supposed immunity that he has in a lot of the vampire folklore. No matter what the villagers did, he wouldn't stop. After that mob was massacred, the people of Transylvania were too scared to attack again and they left him and Nicoleta alone. But then the Voulturi heard about that little incident.

"They heard all the rumors as well as the truth. Aro and the others agreed that Titus was infringing upon several laws. First off, he was keeping Nicoleta human. Secondly, his presence wasn't being kept a secret. And thirdly, he was attempting to create his own highbred creatures. At least, that was what the villagers were convinced was happening. That third offense wasn't true."

"Why did he keep Nicoleta human?" Daddy sighed and his face became serious.

"He didn't want to turn her into a monster." Daddy looked out the window a moment thinking to himself before he finally continued with the story. "So when the Voulturi hear about all this, they sent the guards to see if this was in fact what was happening. They found that the Dhampir rumors weren't true, but everything else was. They killed Titus shortly after Aro heard the story from his and Nicoleta's minds." I looked at daddy.

"What did they do to Nicoleta?" Daddy sighed.

"They killed her. But it wasn't until after a month. Titus had managed to get her away from the castle before the guards could kill him and he told her to run. They finally caught her after she'd reached France."

"She got that far?" Daddy nodded.

"They were more concerned with all of Titus' many experiments. He used to take dogs, rats and bats and would inject them with his venom. That's where the myth about vampires being able to turn into those animals comes from. Sometimes, these animals would get out and would hunt humans. The villagers thought the animals were Dracula in a different form." I nodded my head awkwardly.

"This Titus guy was just a full bag of tricks wasn't he?" Daddy laughed lightly and nodded his head.

"Yes, Nessie, he was." I sighed.

"That story's better than Romeo and Juliet." Daddy laughed again.

"I won't argue with you there, Nessie."

"It's so sad though." Daddy nodded.

"It is." Daddy and I drove back home in mostly silence after that. We reached the house moments after the conversation was over anyway. Daddy and I walked into the house and saw everyone engrossed in their own little activities. Dante and the others primarily kept to themselves. Daddy said it was because they were still getting used to us and were just really shy. Seeing Lia, I didn't doubt that for a moment. Whenever anyone tried to talk to her, she would immediately hide behind Dante or one of the other older siblings.

She was adorable all the same, though. Her gift aside, I could see why she was the favorite. Her shy smile and warm bright green eyes were enough to soften even Goliath. And whenever she hid behind Dante, one couldn't help but love her more. I had a hard time believing she was Felix's daughter. She may have his olive complexion and the same hair color that Felix evidently had. His hair was so short, it was hard to tell what his hair color was. Lia's hair was a chocolate brown with hints of auburn throughout.

But despite all the physical similarities they shared, I just couldn't see it. Felix, when I had met him, struck me as overconfident and extremely cold and hateful. Momma got just about the same impression. Daddy told me that Felix was, by nature, a very hard and strict vampire that was very set in what the rules were and how things should be done. Daddy figured this was probably instilled in him from when he was human. Apparently, he had been in the Roman army when he was alive. Knowing how Felix was, this didn't surprise me in the least. I felt so bad for Lia. I couldn't imagine that Felix was a very good father.

At least with Dante, I could picture Demetri getting used to being a father. He was so polite and reserved. He knew to check the facts of a situation first, then take action later. And he struck me as a man with structure. What I knew about the Voulturi guard and their personalities, I knew from what daddy read in their minds. At least Demetri seemed like he would be able to raise a stable child.

Same thing with both Afton and Corin from what daddy heard in their thoughts. Afton was slightly more outgoing, but was for the most part to himself and hardly spoke to anyone except his mate Chelsea. Corin was pretty much dead silent. He was very rule intensive and was dead set on what he believed was right, but he kept all those thoughts to himself.

Today, I saw Dante sitting on the couch with Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper and Alice watching the news. Armando, Octavia and Amadora were playing my Clue game board together. They were smiling happily as they tried to figure out who murdered who in what room with what instruments. I had never seen them smile before. They always looked so sad. Now, their brown and blue eyes were shining with joy. Just about everyone else was out hunting. Carlisle had called Siobhan, Zafrina and Ben to let them know what was happening. Everyone had arrived yesterday.

I saw Lia sitting on the railing on the back porch, sitting in the mist of the light rain. Her hair was soaked black by now. None of us were worried she would get a cold. Her skin was hot enough that this wouldn't cause her any problems. I walked over to where she was sitting on the railing and leaned on it next to her. She looked at me, then looked back at the sky. We had given all of them fresh clothes. All the boys in a pair of jeans and a different colored cotton shirt and the girls in either a dress or a more feminine version of what the boys were wearing. Lia was the only girl amongst them that had agreed to wear a dress. But for some odd reason, she simply refused to wear shoes. Daddy said it was just one of those toddler things she was going through was all.

"Hi, Lia." She kept looking at the sky.

"Hi, Nessie." Her sweet soprano was like a song. Lia was like an angel without her wings. I just couldn't see Felix as her father. She must take after her mother.

"Do you like the rain, Lia?" She nodded.

"It's relaxing. I like the sound it makes when it touches the rooftops." I smiled and nodded my head. She kept looking up at the sky, watching the rain fall. She had such a sweet looking face. But there was always a timid sadness there. I didn't wonder why. I couldn't imagine she'd had a good childhood. Even if she was only a few months old. Especially with a vampire like Felix as her father. I knew that it was probably a bad question to ask her, but I was curious.

"So. What's it like? Having Felix as a father, I mean." She looked at me with bright green eyes.

"Daddy?" I was taken by surprise. I'd expected her to address him by something like father or dad or even his name. Not daddy. It was such an affectionate word. I kept a straight face despite my being taken back by the word. I nodded.

"Yeah. What's he like?" For the first time since I'd met Lia, she smiled. Really smiled. It wasn't her usual shy smile or her contented smile that she'd had while looking up at the rain. This was a for real, happy smile.

"What can I say about daddy?" She looked around the sky as if looking for an answer to that rhetorical question. Then she sighed with that same smile on her face and looked back at me. "He's very strict. He gets mad at me if I wonder too far from him. He doesn't trust me with anyone but himself." I couldn't hold back my shock. The strict part sounded like Felix. Everything else threw me for a curve ball.

"Wow. He must love you to pieces." That was the term Esme always used to descried daddy. He loved me to pieces. Whenever she said or thought that, daddy would laugh lightly and hug me tightly. Lia's face immediately became sad when I said that though. Then she looked at her feet and started twiddling her bar toes.

"I don't know." I kept looking at her sad face.

"What makes you say that? He wouldn't be so strict with you if he didn't care." She shook her head.

"That's what I thought too. But Aro told me that he and the others were that way with me and my siblings because they were ordered to keep us safe. It had nothing to do with love."

"But you still love him?" She nodded her head and I saw a little tear escape her emerald eye.

"Yes. How could I not? He's my daddy. He's all I have. I never knew my mommy. And daddy doesn't know a whole lot about her other than that she had tan skin, brown hair and brown eyes. He doesn't even know what her name was." Lia was crying now. I took her in my arms and cradled her in my arms. She was a quiet crier, but I knew she was crying.

"It's okay. You have Dante. And you have all your other siblings. They love you." She didn't say anything to that. She just kept crying. Suddenly, Esme was standing right behind me and looking over my shoulder at Lia. Then she looked at me with concern in her eyes.

"What's the matter with her?" I had thought that Esme would have overheard the conversation, but evidently, she hadn't. I brought my hand to her face and showed her our conversation and what was said. When I was done, Esme sighed. "Poor baby." She reached out her arms for her and I handed Lia to her. Lia didn't seem to mind it. She just kept crying silently.

I stood there and watched Esme take Lia with her into the kitchen, whispering sweet, reassuring nothings in her ear as she let her cry. I almost cried too. I couldn't imagine what she was going through. What all of them were going through. They weren't conceived out of love like I had been. Their parents hadn't loved each other. They were conceived because Aro wanted power and something to collect. And he was ready to kill them as if they were livestock just like their mothers had been. I couldn't imagine that any of the Voulturi guard loved them. Why would they? They were one of Aro's little experiments, just like one of the immortal children had been.

When I looked up, I saw Dante from the couch in the living room, staring at me. His eyes weren't angry or judging. He was just looking at me the way a person would look at a passerby on a street. After a moment, he got up from the couch and started walking over to where I was. When he was standing right next to me, he sat against the railing like I was. I looked directly into his eyes and he did the same to me.

"Don't feel bad, Nessie. This happens a lot. It's nothing you said."

"How can I not feel bad? I just had to bring up Felix." He shook his head.

"No. She's cried throughout the day on and off ever since we left. She usually just cried at night. She never wanted Felix to know she was crying though, so she learned how to be a silent crier."

"Well no wonder. How do you guys live with that? How can you tolerate knowing your parents don't love you?" Dante continued to look at me a moment, then took his eyes away from mine and stared at his feet.

"We like to pretend they care about us. Since they're always keeping an eye on us, it's easy to pretend." I could feel my heart being compressed. This was awful. Even for the Voulturi, this was cold and callous.

"You shouldn't have to pretend your parents love you." Dante shrugged.

"I don't suppose you should. But I'd rather believe that my father loves me instead of admitting the truth to myself."

"It must be harder for you since you're the oldest." Dante shook his head.

"I'm not the oldest. I'm the first one to live." I looked at Dante wide eyed.

"What do you mean you're the first one to live?" He sighed, stood up straight, and looked at me with empty eyes.

"There was one other child born before me. He was born the February following the encounter with your coven. Aro wanted what your parents had. A hybrid. So he took one of his strongest, Alec, and put Gianna to good use." My eyes widened further. Daddy had told me minimally about Gianna. She had been the receptionist or something.

"Put her to good use?" He nodded his head.

"Alec made Gianna pregnant on Aro's orders. She died giving birth of course, but Aro was extremely unhappy with the results."

"Why?" He sighed.

"You know what Alec's power is right?" I nodded. "His son's name was Santino. Santino was the oldest. I was born that following March to a mother whose name I don't know. Amadora was born December that same year. Armando and Octavia were born June of the next year and Lia was born April of this year."

"Why isn't Santino with you?"

"Because he died five months after he was born."

"How?" Dante sighed.

"He starved to death. Most of us are the reverse of our parent's gifts. Santino was no exception. He was born blind, deaf, mute, he couldn't feel, he couldn't move on his own and he couldn't work any of his muscles. He could breath and his heart was beating. That was the only solid indication that he wasn't already still born. He might as well have been. Aro had ordered Alec to try and fix his defect. Possibly by using his gift on Santino to reverse it. But nothing Alec tried worked. When Santino died, I couldn't see a single shred of emotion on his face. Jane walked up to him and told him that he was better off."

"You're kidding me." Dante shook his head.

"Jane didn't like Santino. She felt he was taking up too much of Alec's time. It's the same thing between Chelsea and Amadora. Aro ordered Afton to keep special care of Amador because of her gift. Chelsea didn't like having to share him with a child Afton didn't even want." I sneered at my feet.

"How did you guys even manage to escape?"

"We made a distraction. I wrote a letter saying that there was foul play going on in the Voulturi castle, gave a lengthy note as to what was happening, and threw it out one of the windows and hoped that a cop would find it. A cop did find it, and the entire Police Force of Volterra came to our castle doors. We were supposed to be in bed at the time. Sulpicia and Athenadora, who were watching us that night, left us alone to see what was going on. Me and the others made our escape then. I put my shield around everyone, and we ran."

"But what made you decide to run?"

"Aro was planning to kill us." I froze for a moment.

"How do you know that?"

"I overheard him talking to Caius and Marcus. I wasn't wearing any shoes, so my feet weren't making any noticeable noise as I was walking. That's the only explanation I can think of for them not hearing me."

"They didn't hear your heartbeat?" Dante shrugged.

"Probably. But they didn't acknowledge my presence, so I listened in."

"Do you think your father knew about it?" He shrugged again.

"It wouldn't surprise me. I doubt Aro wouldn't share that with everyone before going through with it." I sighed.

"I'm glad you got out. You all deserve better than that. Especially Lia." Dante nodded.

"She really does. And yet she still misses him. Every time she thinks about Felix, she starts crying." I was sure she would get used to it. She needed to learn to differentiate a good relationship from a bad one. It was only healthy.

Dante didn't say anything else. He walked away and went to where Amadora, Armando and Octavia were sitting still playing Clue. Then I heard a car approaching the house and I instantly felt better. I ran to the garage and watched Jacob get out of his car. He was smiling at me at first, then his face turned nervous and concerned when he saw the look on my face. I ran to him and all but leaped into Jacob's arms. Jacob held me tightly. He held me for a moment, not saying anything. After about two minutes of just holding me, Jacob had enough of the silence.

"What's wrong, hun? You can tell me." I held on tighter. I brought my hand to Jacob's cheek and showed him the conversation with Lia and the conversation with Dante after that. I ignored the sound of several footsteps approaching the house. Everyone was back from hunting. I kept holding onto Jacob. He sighed when he'd seen all the images and thoughts.

"It's not fair." Jacob nodded into my hair and I buried my face into my nook.

"I know, Nessie. I know." Jacob's grip tightened on me and he kissed the top of my head. "Not everyone can have the life you do. I'm just glad that you're treated far better."

Garret had told us all that he'd sent the word out for everyone to come to us and help us. Dante was keeping up his shield until Carlisle gave him the okay to let it down. We were worried that the shield would come down when he was asleep, but it turns out he can keep his shield at a certain distance and keep it on what he calls a locked mode. Garrett's friend, Mary, was the first one to arrive at our house. She told him that she'd informed one of her other friends and the news was being passed amongst all the American nomads.

Jacob had the pack on high alert and everyone was patrolling every night, no exceptions. Aida, of course, knew something was wrong when I had come to school the Monday after that. We were in science class listening to the teacher giving a lecture on wind movement patterns when she texted me. I had my phone on vibrate thankfully.

I forgot to ask you the other day, are werewolves immortal? I rolled my eyes.

Why didn't you just ask? I'm sitting right next to you.

Because teachers can hear whispering. Answer the damn question. I took a deep breath and replied.

No, they're not. The mutation causes them to live longer, yes, but never over two hundred years. The virus strengthens the immune system and all the body's other defenses. Unfortunately, you're too much of an animal to appreciate it. I pressed send and heard her type her reply.

Totally shit. Now that that's out of the way, what's the matter with you? You look so depressed. I sighed.

Frankly, it's nothing I can explain to you, my familiar or not. This is a strictly family thing. I pressed send and she sighed.

"If you say so, Nessie. I'm here if you want to talk about it." I rolled my eyes playfully.

"I thought your god didn't approve of happiness." She rolled her eyes in response.

"That's his followers Nessie. I'm the one that's supposed to be wallowing in a big black pit of despair, not you. Forgive me for trying to do my god proud and increase my pain." Once again, I wasn't sure if she was being sarcastic or if she was being serious. I thought it best not to ask.

She didn't pester me about it for the rest of the day. And no one else noticed that something was wrong, so I was relieved I didn't have to explain myself to anyone. But after talking to Dante and Lia, I knew I looked even more depressed. Aida knew better than to pester me about it. She knew I would talk when I wanted to. Madison was a different story though. She saw it the moment I walked into class that morning, and I hadn't heard the end of it since.

"Nessie? What's the matter? What's made you so sad? Do you want me to do anything for you?" Endlessly asking if I needed anything. I didn't want to yell at her to stop. Thankfully, Aida did it for me. She did it with more rudeness than I think was called for, but beggars can't be choosers I suppose. Mackenzie had asked me once. I told her I didn't want to talk about it, and she understood to not bug me about it.

Jacob already knew why I was upset, so he didn't ask. He only stayed close to me. He was never more than a foot away from me when he was at the house. And he agreed to stay close to me at night while I slept. He would faze into his wolf form and stay close to my room all night as I had asked. And he would be there in the morning when I woke up. I had begun to worry that I was cutting into his work time. Jacob always told me not to worry about it, he was getting in enough hours, and that everything was fine.

It was the same every night of that week. I would ask him if I was interfering, and he always told me that I was his first priority and to just let him worry about it. No matter how much I brought it up, he kept saying the same thing. I couldn't imagine what the pack thought of me and my family right now. They had their own families and people they loved. It was hardly fair that they had to watch over kids whom they've never formally met. None of the pack members had met Dante or the others. None of them really wanted to.

Every night when Jacob tucked me into bed, he would kiss the top of my head and I would kiss his cheek. I wondered if he noticed how dangerously close to his lips I always came. I think he did. He just never said anything about it. I wanted so badly, more than ever, to just kiss him. But I could never do it. I would be so close, then the courage I'd once had would leave me as soon as it came. I would look deep into his eyes and he would look deep into mine. I would come so close every time. And every time, I would tear my face away and force it into the pillow blushing. Jacob would rub my back a little each time, and he would do so until I finally went to sleep.

JPOV

I was out on patrol with the pack. As I promised Nessie I would, I stayed right next to where her room was outside. I always kept my face near her window and watched her sleep. I was worried about her. This was becoming serious. I couldn't understand why she was letting this bother her so much. It wasn't her fault that Dante and the others came from a broken family. So why was she making it her fault? It was almost as if she felt bad that she had it so good when they didn't.

Why is she beating herself up over that? It's not her fault. Paul said. I sighed. I knew they were all listening in on my thoughts. But it never ceased to bother me when they commented on my soliloquizing and foreshadowing.

I don't know why she's beating herself up over this. If you were listening to what I was thinking, then you would know that. Paul huffed and Quil intersected into the conversation.

What have you told her? To make her feel better I mean.

I've told her it's not her fault. That's all I can say.

Remind her how lucky she is. Brian said. Brian was one of the youngest members of the pack. He may have been young, but he was always one to give good advice. But this wasn't his better advice.

What am I going to tell her, Brian? 'Well, Ness, their lives suck, but at least yours isn't so bad'. That would just make her feel worse. Brian sighed and I heard his mental nod. Paul offered the next word.

Take her out to do something. Halloween's coming up. Go crash a Halloween party or something.

Yeah. And you could invite those other kids. I mean, maybe not Dante, but at least the others. Dante's a bit depressing for my taste. Embry added. I rolled my eyes mentally at Embry.

Come on Embry. The boy comes from a family of vampires that want him dead and he's convinced that his father thinks as much of him as he would about dirt.

Sam's dad is an ass and left him and his mom when he was little, but you never heard him bitch about it.

He did bitch about it for a while when we were younger if you recall. He had to learn to get over it just like anyone else in that situation. That's what Dante needs to do. Quil spoke next.

But didn't he say that he likes to pretend that his dad loves him? That's denial, Jacob, and denial is worse. I sighed.

Well, Dante isn't the one I'm worried about. I'm worried about Nessie.

I still say take her to a Halloween party. Get that creepy friend of hers to take her ghost hunting or something. Or even that Madison girl. I'm sure she would bend over backwards to get the chance to see Nessie in a slutty nurse outfit. Everyone in the group laughed lightly. They knew about Madison from what Nessie shows me. We all feel like we know her and Aida. We've even started making our own jokes about them.

I don't know if she's really in the mood to deal with Madison. For all we know, she might try to make Nessie's costume. Everyone laughed lightly and Quil added.

I can just see her turning Nessie into a hooker bunny or something. Everyone laughed again. I couldn't help but laugh too.

Quil, if I let her do that, Edward would skin me alive and use me as a throw rug.

I think you'd look good on their floor. I couldn't stop laughing. Neither could everyone else. As it was, we were all standing in place, just barking in laughter. I saw everyone picture it in their minds and we all laughed harder. It was something that Edward would definitely do. I heard Edward laugh at the thought. He was tempted to go ahead and do it, I was sure.

Thanks for that you guys.

Any time, Jacob. Any time. We continued the patrol in more or less silence. I thought a little more about Embry's idea. I wasn't sure about Madison , but Aida might not be a bad idea. Send Nessie out to go ghost hunting or attempt to create a zombie or something. She'd like that. And I would take time off patrol for that. I was allowing everyone at least one night off. Seth wasn't on patrol tonight because it was Alyssa's birthday today.

We all got off at around six in the morning. I was exhausted. I was missing the trade routine we usually went by.

I walked to the door of the cottage and fazed back before putting back on my sweats and walking in. Bella and Edward were sitting together on the couch reading a book together. I read the title as Withering Heights . I laughed lightly and so did Edward when he heard my thoughts.

"Bella, how many times are you going to read that book before you finally realize that they never end up together?" Bella rolled her eyes.

"They do end up together. They're buried together."

"So were Romeo and Juliet, but that wasn't exactly a nice love story either."

"Romeo and Juliet is one of the most famous love stories out there." I rolled my eyes playfully.

"It's over rated."

"Says you, Jacob." Edward was still laughing lightly when he spoke.

"Nessie will be up soon. Go wake her up and bother her." We both laughed lightly before I nodded my head and made my way to Nessie's room. She didn't use an alarm whenever I was over. She said that I always woke her up. When I came into her room, she was still asleep. Her face looked peaceful, like she didn't have a care in the world. I loved watching her sleep. She was always so peaceful and contented.

I walked to the side of her bed and brushed a stray bronze curl out of her face. I let her sleep a few minutes more before I stroked her cheek gently to wake her up. She groaned a little in protest. She squinted her eyes before she opened them a last. She looked at me and smiled lightly.

"Morning, Nessie." Her smile widened slightly.

"Morning. Anything happen on patrol?" I nodded.

"One of Mary's friends showed up late last night. She said her name was Lindsey. She should be at the house now. She promised at least three more arrivals soon." She nodded.

"That's good. How much longer do you think it'll be before daddy and the others let Dante take down his shield?" I shrugged.

"It depends on how many nomads show up. Alice said that she saw Peter and Charlotte coming too." Her face became surprised.

"I thought they wouldn't want to get involved with the Voulturi." I nodded my head. I had thought the same thing. But Jasper had explained it.

"When Peter was alive, he'd had a daughter. But she died when she was five. He doesn't remember how. Only that it was a disease that killed her. But he heard what we were doing and he's probably feeling a sort of pity for them. At least, that's what Jasper thinks." She nodded her head and started pushing herself out of bed.

"Are you driving me to school today?" I nodded my head. I'm sure Edward had been planning to, but I needed to find Aida. Edward didn't respond, so I assumed that he didn't have a problem with it.

"Yeah. Get dressed and I'll take you to school, okay." She smiled lightly and nodded her head. I rose away from her bed and let her get out of bed to go do her usual morning routine. I walked out of her room and went to the couch where Edward and Bella were sitting. Edward looked at me.

"If that Madison girl puts Nessie in anything above the thigh.." I fought a laugh.

"Don't worry, she won't. Nessie wouldn't let her and neither would I or Aida." Edward nodded.

"Good. How do you plan to find and talk to Aida?" I shrugged. Bella looked at Edward questioningly. Edward faced her, hearing her thoughts when she lifted her shield. "I'll explain later." Then Edward looked at me again, waiting for me to say my answer out loud.

"I don't know. But I can't imagine it would be too hard to find her in a school of a total of eight hundred students." Edward shrugged and turned back to face the book Bella was still holding.

"If you say so, Jacob." I sighed.

"Look, Edward, she's been sad. I know this isn't the greatest idea, but it's better than doing nothing." Edward nodded.

"I agree." Nessie walked out of the bathroom and back into her room after Edward said that. I looked over my shoulder to see her. She wasn't looking at us. She just stared blankly and went back into her room. When she closed the door, I looked back at Edward.

"Did she hear us?" Edward shook his head.

"She didn't hear us, don't worry." I sighed in relief and nodded. I decided to change the subject so as not to risk Nessie overhearing this time.

"Just out of curiosity, Edward." Edward heard my question in my head. I asked him about Lia's gift. Edward shrugged.

"I doubt it, Jacob. She can't turn you into what you already are. You just happen to have a power that most humans don't have. And as far as werewolves are concerned, real werewolves are still human. It's just a mutation caused by a virus is all." I nodded in acknowledgement.

"Ah. So basically, she can turn you human, but she can't cure a mutation." Edward nodded.

"Yep." With that, Edward and Bella got back to reading Withering Heights. I waited in the living room for Nessie to be ready, staring at the walls. I turned around when I heard her open her door. Alice wouldn't be happy. She was only wearing jeans and a black slipknot t-shirt with her hair down and some old tennis shoes. But I always thought she was beautiful. She still looked distant, though.

"Ready to go, Nessie?" She looked up at me when I spoke. She smiled lightly and nodded her head and made her way to where I was standing.

"Let's go." She walked out of the cottage and I followed after her. We walked to the house first. Nessie wanted to say goodbye to Lia. She had grown very fond of her in the time she'd known Lia.

Lia was without a doubt one of the cutest kids I'd ever met. Second only to Nessie. And she was so sweet. Vampire or not, I couldn't imagine a reason a father wouldn't love her. She had a face that could melt your heart and a smile, when you actually saw it, that would stop anyone dead in their tracks. And she was so nice and considerate. Nothing like her father from what I knew of him.

When we'd reached the house and found where Lia was, Nessie gave Lia a hug and kissed her head. Lia kissed Nessie's cheek, then took a bite of the granny smith apple she was nibbling on. Since she'd come here, she discovered she really likes green apples. Dante discovered a love of garlic and onions ironically enough. Amadora liked vanilla and the twins liked pickles. It was actually funny watching those two eat. They'd never eaten human food before coming here. So they treated eating like a science experiment. We'd also learned that Armando and Octavia both had a fascination with calculus and Physics. They would really just sit down together and do little problems together. It was the last thing one would think two eight year olds would like.

Octavia and Armando got up from their seats to hug Nessie too. Amadora stood from her seat and kissed Nessie's cheek. Dante just stayed in his seat and waved goodbye to her. I waited for Nessie as everyone said their goodbyes to her.

As Nessie was making her way out of the kitchen, Marcelo walked over to her and grabbed her arm to get her attention. He let go of her as soon as she was looking at him. He started mumbling something to her. I heard him ask her if she was feeling okay. Nessie nodded her head in response to that question, saying that she was fine. Marcelo patted her back in response to that. Then he looked like he was about to say something else. I came a little closer so I could hear what was going on.

"You sure you're alright, Nessie? You haven't had that glow in your face that I love so much lately." I rolled my eyes. He never quit. Nessie always said he was just kidding with her, but frankly, I knew he wasn't. He was trying to get her to like him. I knew a womanizer when I saw one.

"Yeah, Marcelo, I'm fine. I better get going. I don't want to be late for school." Marcelo smiled at her and laughed lightly. I felt a chill go down my spine.

"Yes, you better go. But let me give you something to brighten up your day." Nessie was about to ask what he meant, but before she could, Marcelo's lips were on hers in a quick pecking kiss. Nessie stared at him wide eyed a moment, then looked at the ground and started walking away from him. I could feel my blood boiling and I knew I was shaking.

"Um, thanks for that, Marcelo." He smiled cockily at her and bowed his head.

"Any time, meu encantadora." Nessie laughed nervously, then made her way back to me. She grabbed my arm and dragged me with her to the garage and to my Rabbit. As we left, Marcelo was waving goodbye, and Yaretzi was walking up behind Marcelo and looked like she was about to hit him over the head. I laughed lightly when I heard her fist make contact with his head.

When we both got into the car, Nessie wasn't really as talkative as she usually was. She was staring out the window watching the scenery pass by. I would glance at her from the driver's seat every now and then. When we got to the school, I put the car in park and gently grabbed Nessie's arm before she could get out. She looked at me with a confused stare.

"What is it?" I smiled at her awkwardly.

"You know you can talk to me, Nessie." She let go of the door handle and sighed.

"Jacob, you know what it is. I've showed you everything." I nodded.

"Yeah, I know." I looked at her a moment before speaking again. "I'm worried about you is all Nessie. What happened to them isn't your fault. You shouldn't have to feel guilty for having a father and mother that love you." Nessie looked at me a minute with sad eyes. She was forcing her voice to stay calm when she finally answered me.

"But I can't help it." I breathed out and just looked at her. She was staring at her hands now, just twiddling her fingers. I brought my hand away from her arm and ran my fingers threw her hair. She looked at me then. She looked so guilty, and she shouldn't have to. I went through my mind trying to think of a way to make her feel better.

We looked at each other for a few more short minutes. I kept running my fingers threw her hair. It seemed to relax her. She closed her eyes at one point and took a deep breath. Then she opened her eyes and looked at me again. I was about to say something, but then the bell rang, signaling the beginning of class. She sighed.

"I better get going." I smiled awkwardly and nodded my head.

"Yeah." She smiled lightly at me.

"See you later Jacob."

"Yeah. Have a good day, Ness." She smiled a little wider.

"You too." And with that, she opened the door and let herself out. I watched her make her way to her first class. I had to force my eyes away from her. I needed to find Aida. If anyone would have something coming up to distract her, it would be her. I looked for her from my car, but I didn't find her.

When the bell rang and I still hadn't found her, I got out of my car and made my way to the school's main office. Thankfully, it wasn't raining too hard today, so I wasn't wet when I finally found the damn office. There was an older woman sitting behind the desk when I got there. She had that really short curly hair. I wondered briefly if she possibly dyed her hair. I walked up to the desk and stood there until I had her attention.

"Yes, can I help you?" I smiled politely and nodded my head.

"Yes, actually. I'm here because I need to speak to a Miss Mathews." Her face became concerned.

"Which Miss Mathews." Damn it. I'd forgotten about Coralline.

"Aida Mathews." The lady behind the desk sighed.

"What did she do?" I had to force myself not to laugh at that. I wasn't sure what to tell her at first. But then something came to me. It was something she would do anyway.

"She was caught poking around in the graveyards on the Quileute reservation. Needless to say, it pissed off the elders something awful, and they've requested that I speak to her about the matter." The woman at the front desk didn't look surprised by this at all. She just sighed, rolled her eyes and reached for a piece of paper on her desk. When she got the piece of paper, she started writing something on it.

"You aren't planning on arresting her or anything are you?" I shook my head.

"No ma'am. I've just been asked to talk to her. We will press charges if it ever happens again, though. But we're hoping we won't have to do that." The lady behind the desk sighed. She finished writing on the little piece of paper she had gotten out and called a student that was in the office.

"Hey, Stacy, could you take this to building 3. It's a pass for Aida Mathews." The student that had been in the corner nodded her head, took the pass, and walked out of the main office to go to building 3. "She'll be here in a minute. You can take a seat while you wait." I shook my head.

"I was just going to wait outside if it's all the same to you." Her face became shocked.

"But it's freezing out there." I shrugged.

"It won't take long. I'll be fine." I waved goodbye to the lady and walked out of the office to wait for Aida. It took about two minutes of waiting before I saw Aida walking to the main office. She looked surprised when she saw me. I smiled politely at her. She stood in front of me when she'd closed the distance between us and looked at the other girl demanding that she give us some privacy. When the girl walked into the office, Aida laughed lightly. Another dead puppy.

"I was roaming around the Red's graveyard with a shovel huh?" I shook my head.

"I never said anything about a shovel. That other girl added that." She gave me an amused, accusing look.

"Okay. I wasn't in the reservation, so I'm assuming that you have something else you want to talk about." I nodded.

"Yeah. It's about Nessie." She nodded in understanding.

"Somehow I figured it was. You mind explaining to me why she's been so damn depressed lately? I'm supposed to be the miserable one." I held back a nervous laugh.

"Yeah. It's not something you really need to know about. It's a long, complicated story, and frankly, I don't have the time to explain it to you." She shrugged.

"Whatever. So what are you talking to me for?" I sighed.

"I need your help." Her face became a mask of mock shock.

"Really? Do tell me what it is you need me to do."

"The fact of the matter is that she's been pretty depressed lately. And I think she needs some time with friends. You know, get away from the house. And I know that Halloween's coming up this week."

"You were hoping I would get her busy with something to help take her mind off of what's making her depressed." I nodded.

"Yeah. That's about it. And maybe even get Madison involved somehow. If anyone would be able to distract Nessie, it would be that crazy broad." She laughed lightly. Another dead puppy.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea. Unless, of course, the idea of seeing Nessie in a hooker nurse outfit turns your little wolf on."

"Okay, that was just grossly inappropriate." She rolled her eyes with an amused smile.

"But oh so true. I guarantee it that Madison would put her in the slutiest thing she could find. It wouldn't surprise me if she tried to convince her to go as a playboy bunny or as a Victoria's Secret angel." I was pinching the bridge of my nose now. How strange that Edward's little quarks were starting to rub off on me.

"I'll eat you if you don't shut up. I swear I will." She laughed lightly again.

"I'm teasing you, mutt." That little name rubbed me the wrong way, but I let it go. "Besides, Nessie hasn't been looking like she would care either way. She's really fucking upset." I rolled my eyes.

"Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?"

"Do you lick Nessie with a doggy tongue?"

"That's it. In the woods. I haven't had breakfast yet." She laughed lightly again.

"Okay, okay. Shutting up." I breathed a little before I opened my eyes and looked at her again. "Okay, look. I'll bring it up at lunch today. She'll have plenty of little Halloween activities to choose from that she'll be invited to. And if all else fails, I'll tie her to the roof of my car and take her ghost hunting. Sound good?" I nodded.

"Yeah. Sounds good. But I'm coming with you guys just so you know." She rolled her eyes.

"I assumed you would actually. But worry not, she'll have options. Just let me handle it." I nodded my head.

"Thanks. I appreciate the help."

"No problem." When I had finished talking to Aida and she made her way back to class, I walked back to my car and got off to work. I wasn't sure if trying to distract her would work, but it was better than not trying at all. Nessie always liked Halloween anyway. I just wanted to see her give me her sincere smile. The one that always made my heart race and always made me want to kiss her. I really hoped that this would work. If it did, I would gladly owe Embry big time.

RPOV

The day passed on routinely. Nothing all that exciting happened. Madison and Matt babbled about what they were planning on doing for Halloween and Candy was describing, in detail, what she planned to wear to a little Halloween costume party she was going to this weekend. Whenever they asked what I was planning on doing for Halloween, I just told him that I would be going trick-or-treating with Claire and the other kids. They thought that was a bit strange for someone my age, but they didn't question it.

When lunch came around, everyone was talking amongst themselves about their plans. What I did find strange was that Aida was sitting next to me at the lunch table. She usually sat across from me. She always said it was easier to talk to me that way. But today, she snatched the seat before Madison could sit down and was immediately asking me questions.

"So, tell me Nessie, what are your plans for this Halloween?" I smiled politely and gave her the same story I'd been giving everyone else.

"I'm going trick-or-treating with Claire and her friends." She smirked at me and I felt another chill go down my spine. I knew that smile. She was plotting.

"Not anymore."

"What?"

"A girl your age shouldn't be trick-or-treating. You should be going to costume parties and getting drunk and high out of your mind." I rolled my eyes.

"Aida, alcohol tastes like sour mud to me, and the smell of pot makes me sick."

"I never said pot specifically, but whatever. You don't need to drink or get high, though that kind of defeats the purpose of going to a high school party in the first place. But yeah."

"Oh, Nessie, you should come to a party with me, Candy and Megan. It's a costume party. There'll be food and drinks and lots of games. You'll have lots of fun." I sighed.

"Madison, I already promised Claire that I would go with her."

"I'm sure she won't mind, Nessie." I glared at Aida.

"Have you no heart."

"My god doesn't approve of having a heart." She brought her face close to my ear. "And I happen to know that you don't actually have any plans. So stop bullshitting us and do something." I looked at her shocked a moment. Then I sighed.

"Alright Madison. It sounds like fun." Madison bounced in her seat, stood up, and ran around the table to me and hugged me.

"Oh, Nessie! You'll have a blast, I promise!" I sighed and put my hand on Madison's arm that was around my neck.

"I'm sure I will, Madison." I wasn't happy with Aida for the rest of the day. She invited herself to go to the party. Madison was all too eager to help me find a suitable costume in Port Angeles. After school that day, I called daddy and told him that I was going to Port Angeles with Madison, Aida and Coralline to pick out a Halloween costume. I told him about the party I was invited to. He said that as long as Jacob was there, he didn't mind.

When we all got to Port Angeles, Madison took us to a Spirit Halloween that I had never seen in the area before and started looking at all the costumes they had available. They had a lot more in stock than I thought they would with Halloween being this Friday and all. And figures, the first thing Aida showed me was a vampire costume.

"What do you say, Nessie? Be the slutty Bride of Dracula this year." I just stared at her a moment. Then she sighed and put the costume back. Madison hopped over to us, already with an armful of costumes.

"Aida, we are not making Nessie a vampire. That costume's been over used and over done." Aida rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, and what did you have in mind, a nurse? That's original." Madison stuck her tongue out at Aida, then looked at me.

"I was thinking, 'Alice in Wonderland Gone Naughty'." I saw the little dress she showed me. It was pretty much exactly the same as Alice in Wonderland's costume, only the skirt was three times shorter than its original length.

"I don't think so Madison." Madison pouted.

"Why not? It would make you look so sexy. And Matt and Kevin will be at the party. I know they would get a kick out of this outfit." I sighed and Aida rolled her eyes and spoke.

"You just aren't going to stop until you see her naked are you?" Madison glared at Aida. Then she looked back at me.

"How about this one." She held up something fuzzy and pink. Something that was the playboy bunny. I held in my aggravation.

"Madison, I don't want to wear anything that'll make me look like a hooker."

"You won't look like a hooker, Nessie. You'll just be wearing a cute costume." Madison's eyes were bright. Aida added something.

"Something cute in which the whole world will be able to see her ass." Madison glared at Aida again.

"Not if she wears leggings or pantyhose. And even if they do, they should feel proud to get to see Nessie's ass." Aida rolled her eyes again and I held in my aggravation as Madison showed me more of the costumes she had chosen for me to try on. Madison threw every costume with a short skirt at me that the store had. Eventually, I settled on a dead ballerina costume. The skirt was a bit short, but it was the lesser of all the evils Madison had presented to me. She ended up taking the angel outfit I had turned down. Aida went with the Bride of Dracula outfit I had turned down.

Once we'd paid for everything, Madison decided she was hungry and wanted to go to a restaurant to eat. I told her that I needed to get home and that I would call for my ride. I did feel bad for leaving Aida, but not enough to tolerate the horrid smell of garlic that overwhelmed the restaurant of Madison's choice.

I stayed outside the Spirit Halloween and they left to go to the restaurant. Aida gave me dirty looks as they walked away, and I only shrugged a half hearted sorry. When they were out of sight, I texted Jacob asking him to come get me and told him where I was. After about twenty minutes, Jacob made it to Part Angeles and found where I was. When he stopped in front of me, I opened the door and stuffed my bag of purchases in there before getting in myself. Jacob smiled his silly smile when he saw the bag.

"So what'd you get?" I sighed and reached my hand to his cheek. I let the image of all the costumes I'd seen go through his head and then finally let it all stop with the image of my costume of choice. Jacob chuckled lightly. "A dead Ballerina?" I nodded.

"It was the only costume that covered my thighs." Jacob chuckled.

"That would be a nice plus I suppose." Jacob started driving the car along the streets trying to make his way to the highway.

"I assume that daddy's already told you that if I go to this party, you need to be with me, right?" Jacob nodded.

"Yeah, he told me. I'm not going to bother with a costume this year. There aren't any good costumes left and I don't have time to make one. You don't mind do you?" I shook my head.

"No, I don't care. As long as you're there to keep trouble away." Jacob laughed lightly and smiled at me.

"That's what I'm here for." Jacob and I talked a little more on our way back to the house. I already figured out that he asked Aida to get me out of the house, but I didn't bring it up. When we got back, Lia walked over to me and gave me a hug. All the other kids, except for Dante, followed.

When they asked me what was in the bag, I took it out and showed it to them. They didn't have Halloween in Italy and the Voulturi don't really celebrate holidays anyway, so I explained to them what Halloween is. Lia thought it sounded like fun and said she wanted to go to the party with me. It broke my heart to have to say no to her. When I said no, she pouted and everything. Daddy at least helped by promising to take her and the others trick-or-treating this Friday. Jacob said he would just give the candy to all the pack members and their families and so on.

I wasn't thrilled about going to the party once Friday came along. By then, three new nomads had shown up at the house and were promising more to come. All the vampires that were at my house were flooding it. They were everywhere and always doing their own little activity.

Madison had begged me to wear my costume to school. Apparently, a lot of the other freshmen were doing it. After fighting for a solid hour, I gave in and wore the stupid thing to school like Madison had begged me to. At least I wasn't alone. Just about everyone at the school was in their costumes. Aida had shown up as the Bride of Dracula, and Madison wore her angel costume with white leggings. She needed the leggings, otherwise, the costume wouldn't be school appropriate.

The party was starting at five after school. And Madison mentioned to me that whoever was throwing the party had parents that were out of town. Meaning the party would be wild. I could feel myself getting sicker and sicker to my stomach the more the others talked about it. Daddy picked me up from school that day and was sure to tell me what he expected of me while I was there. He didn't want me getting into any trouble. He knew I wouldn't drink and he knew I wouldn't do any drugs, but he wasn't sure what else could possibly happen, so he told me anyway.

Jacob came to the house from work an hour after I got back from school. Lia loved my costume and had asked to dance with me several times. Dante said it was just her little fascination with music and that she was just a natural at this sort of stuff.

Jacob and I drove to the address we were given by Madison and knew we were in the right place when we saw a line of cars on the street and several people outside holding beer bottles. Jacob sighed.

"Stay close to me, okay." I nodded.

"Keep in mind that you were the one that wanted me to get out and do something."

"I know. But keep close anyway." Jacob then got out of the car and opened my door for me. He stood close to me as we walked to the elaborately decorated house. When we got in, it took no time for Madison to find me.

"NESSIE!!" Jacob grabbed my arms to keep me from falling when Madison leaped onto me. "I'm so glad you made it. We've got so many fun games." Madison pulled me with her to the middle of the house and Jacob kept close to me the whole time. "Do you want to play twister or something?"

I shook my head. A lot of the guests were drunk. Drunk meant throwing up. Enough said. But Madison kept looking until she found an activity we were both happy with. We ended up bobbing for apples in the back yard. When I bobbed for the apple and snatched one in my mouth, I immediately spit it out.

"That was horrible." Jacob came closer to me.

"What's wrong?" I pointed at the apples.

"These apples taste disgusting. I think there's something wrong with them." I already hated apples. But these apples didn't taste like mud. It was like biting into acid. Jacob went to the bucket and took out an apple. He took a bite out of it and his face instantly became aware.

"They taste weird because these are all filled with Vodka." I looked at Jacob a moment and sighed. This was ridiculous. Madison followed me and Jacob back into the house. I finally spotted Aida sitting next to the food. I walked up to her and we smiled at each other.

"How's the happy bride enjoying herself?" Aida laughed lightly.

"Not bad. I got my hands on a long island ice, so I'm good." I didn't know what that was and I didn't care, so I didn't ask. Aside from the vodka in the apples, nothing interesting happened at the party. I just talked to Jacob, Aida and Madison the whole night and didn't converse with anyone else. Plenty of guys at the party approached me asking if I wanted to dance or have a drink. I just told them no and went on with the night.

And, Madison being Madison, she was video tapping the whole thing. She kept the camera on me and would put it, occasionally, on someone else depending on what was going on.

I nearly leaped for joy when we left. I wasn't in the mood to mess with a bunch of drunk teenagers. And I knew Jacob didn't want to deal with them either. Jacob sighed and rubbed his face as we made our way back to the house.

"You didn't have fun." It wasn't a question. It was an observation. I nodded.

"Not really."

"I'm sorry, Nessie. I just thought that I should get you out so you can take your mind off of things you know." I nodded.

"I know. You meant well and I appreciate that. Just don't ever ask Aida for help cheering me up ever again, okay." Jacob looked at me, then smiled as he turned his face back to the road.

"How'd you know I asked her for help?" I laughed lightly.

"Because Aida was acting strange. Besides, it's something that you would do." Jacob laughed lightly as he watched the road.

"Glad I'm easy." Jacob and I laughed while he drove along. A few minutes later, Jacob spoke again. "Did it at least take your mind off things for a while?" I smiled at his eagerness for my answer.

"It made me think about other things, yes." Jacob breathed out and smiled.

"Good. At least I got that part out of it." We laughed lightly. It didn't take long after that to get back. When we came home, the house was busy with everyone doing their own thin. I saw Lia pop her head through the archway from the kitchen to look at me and she smiled.

Lia practically leaped into my arms when I got back from the Halloween party. She was anxious to tell me all about her very first Halloween. As promised, daddy and momma had taken Lia and her siblings trick-or-treating. They took them to a neighborhood in Port Angeles so as not to raise any questions about Dante and the others. Marcelo had even tagged along for trick-or-treating just to see what it was like.

"How was the Halloween party, Nessie?" Marcelo was giving me a cocky smile, so I assumed he was up to something. I went along with it, though.

"It was okay. Everyone had really good costumes." He laughed lightly.

"None as beautiful as the Ballerina corpse, I'm sure." I laughed lightly and I heard Jacob growl. I was honestly used to Marcelo's teasing and flirting. I'd come to think of it as something he just did. And Yaretzi always gave him a good whack on the head afterwards. Rafael just thought it was funny.

"I wouldn't say that, Marcelo. How was trick-or-treating?" He gave me an over exaggerated sigh of sadness.

"It's only fault was the lack of your company." Jacob growled again. A little louder this time. I sighed.

"I'm sure, Marcelo." He smirked a little.

"We were sure to get plenty of candy for the mutt and his friends. It's all in the kitchen." Jacob didn't move from where he was. He kept glaring at Marcelo.

"Be nice, Marcelo." He shrugged.

"If you wish meu encantadora." With that, Marcelo went to the other room with Rafael. Yaretzi was in the TV room watching the news with Rosalie, Alice, momma and Esme. Emmett, Jasper, Garrett, and Eleazar were outside play fighting with daddy and Carlisle watching on the sidelines. I could hear the other nomads all throughout the house occupying themselves with whatever was in the house. Tanya and the rest of the coven had gone out hunting.

Lia, who had been standing next to me the whole time, took my hand and led me to the kitchen where Dante, Amadora, Armando and Octavia were, playing a game of Monopoly. I personally hated Monopoly. It always ended with daddy owning the bulk of the board and me being dirt poor. I could see from the looks on all their faces who was in what situation.

Amadora was the one that looked to have the most money in front of her and was grinning a little at the board. Octavia didn't have as much play money, but it was enough to put her ahead. Armando and Dante looked frustrated. They were actually glaring at the board.

"How are you doing?" Lia giggled.

"I'm only watching. Dante wasn't playing at first either. But he started helping Armando a little later in the game." I laughed lightly at the little glance Dante sent our way before he looked back at the board.

"Is it safe to assume that Amadora and Octavia are in the lead?" Lia giggled.

"Yep. They own everything."

"They don't own everything." Armando barked under his frustrated breath. I smiled. Octavia looked at her brother with a proud smile.

"You're right. You own that one little boardwalk. Good for you." I laughed lightly with Lia and Amadora. Armando glared at his sister.

"I would have more if you didn't keep sending me to jail. There shouldn't be that many jail cards." I laughed lightly again.

"Are you shuffling the deck after every card you return to the deck, or something?" Octavia nodded. I smiled and looked back at Armando.

"That's why you keep getting jailed." Armando's glare burned at Octavia. His voice remained calm, but the anger in it was potent.

"I knew you were cheating Octavia." She giggled.

"I wasn't cheating. It's not my fault that you have bad luck." Armando stood from his seat. His voice was still calm, but it was a harsh, angry, bone chilling tone.

"I'm done. We've been playing for seven hours, Octavia. You win." With that, he threw the little hat pawn at Octavia and walked out of the kitchen to go do something else. Octavia rolled her eyes.

"He's such a sore loser." Dante looked after Armando until he was up the stairs and out of sight. Dante sighed.

"Did people really used to do this to each other in the eighteen hundreds?" I nodded. Daddy and Carlisle had explained this nasty process to me a long time ago.

"Unfortunately yes. Instead of having multiple businesses doing the same thing, steel companies would combine into one. That way they could charge as much as they wanted for their steel. And no one could complain because there was no one else to go to." Dante rolled his eyes.

"Clever." I laughed lightly at his hint of sarcasm.

"Will Armando be mad for a while?" Octavia shook her head.

"When it's me, he's never mad for long. His record for staying mad at me was a half hour." She laughed lightly.

"Are you saying you two fight a lot?" Octavia giggled. Dante commented.

"They fight like an old married couple. The only ones worse than them are Caius and Athenadora." Octavia shrugged and still had a smile on her face. Amadora and Octavia redid the board for them and Dante. Lia and I watched them play for another four hours. And as Octavia promised, Armando wasn't mad long. He was back downstairs with us and cuddling close to Octavia after ten minutes.

Octavia and Armando were like the poster children for twins. They were always together and always close to each other. The only distinction between them was the Armando was more masculine looking than Octavia. Other than that, it was like a mirror image. They had their own personalities that were different as day and night, but they blended perfectly. Armando was more to himself and didn't talk all that much. When he did talk, he was really quiet and brief. Octavia was the complete opposite. She was always talking. And she always made sure her voice was clear. And she was a lot more open to others. She would often speak for Armando.

A few more days went by. Peter and Charlotte had arrived to the house a short time ago. As Jasper had said, Peter felt pity for Dante and his siblings and didn't think what Aro planned was right. Charlotte stood behind Peter on that. Alice also saw one more nomad coming to us. She said he would be here by the end of the week.

When I went to school the Monday after Halloween, Madison had lots of pictures and her camera with her, showing anyone who wanted to see my costume. I got several complements, even from people I never talked to. Aida took her usual seat across from me at lunch. Madison claimed her usual seat next to me. Kevin complained that he didn't see me at the party and how sad it made him.

Other than all that, the week went by normally. At the end of that week when I got home, daddy let me know that the final nomad had arrived to our house. His name was Austin. He was a friend of Garret's that he'd known for centuries. I could tell why they were friends. They both had sometimes inappropriate senses of humor. Needless to say, Emmett and Austin were instant friends.

"Nice to see you again you old dog. How long has it been?" Austin laughed at Garret's half hearted insult. Austin was tall and bulky, but was still a handsome man with dark, cropped hair. He looked like he might have been changed when he was in his late twenties or early thirties. He had a charming smile and a manly laugh.

"40 years. Were you ever planning on telling me you finally settled down?" Garret shrugged with a big smile.

"How would I get a hold of you?"

"You could write, call, get off your lazy ass. Something." Garret laughed lightly. "So are you going to introduce me to her or not?" Garret rolled his eyes and nodded. He looked at Kate, who walked to Garret's side. She looked at Austin and smiled politely. Garret gave Austin a cocky smile.

"Kate, Austin. Austin, Kate. Happy now?" Austin laughed lightly and looked Kate over once. He nodded approvingly.

"Congratulations, Garret. You've finally found a woman that doesn't think you're a complete dumbass." Kate laughed and caressed Garret's chest affectionately as a reassurance. It wasn't often that one saw Kate be affectionate in front of others. Then Austin's eyes wondered. "So where are the Voulturi kids I've heard so much about?"

Everyone's face became serious. Dante and his siblings brought themselves forward and in sight for Austin to see. I walked forward too. Austin looked them over with a serious face, trying to determine if they were a threat or not. After a few minutes of him just staring, I walked up to him and took his hand. I showed him everything that had happened, what they could do, who their fathers were and what they were doing here. Austin sighed when I had finished showing him everything.

"That's quite a story." I smiled and nodded my head. "So Dante has his shield up now?" We all nodded and Carlisle responded.

"We were waiting to get as much support as we possibly could before we let Dante take it down. Do you know if any more are coming?" Austin shook his head.

"All the nomads I know are here. There wasn't anyone to me to invite. So I'd say you've got just about everyone." Carlisle smiled lightly and nodded his head.

"That's all we needed to know." Carlisle looked at Dante with a well hidden nervous face. He smiled at him lightly. "Alright, Dante. You can take down your shield." Dante nodded his head. He breathed out and he looked instantly more relaxed. Dante's shield was down now. The Voulturi would be here any day now.

Volterra

Demetri was sitting on a perch on the castle in Volterra staring out into the city. He already knew that he couldn't sense his son. He was trying to find the tenor of the others and has had no luck so far. Dante and the others had been gone for a good month now. Aro and Caius weren't pleased with them. Marcus, of course, had remained horridly indifferent. Demetri sat on the perch patiently waiting for anything, even if just a glimpse. He hadn't fed since Dante left. He was determined to find him.

Suddenly, as Demetri watched the moon in the horizon, he heard a tenor. It was Amadora's first. Then he heard Octavia. Armando. Lia. Dante had finally taken down his shield. Demetri stood on the perch where he'd been sitting and stared in the direction the tenor was coming. It was coming from the West. Just as he heard the tenor at last, Demetri heard Felix making his way to the top where he was. Felix had been pestering Demetri every hour on the hour for information. At least now he would have something. When Felix was standing right behind Demetri, his tone was tortured and almost routine.

"You get anything?" Normally, Demetri would just shake his head as an answer and Felix would go away. But today, Demetri looked Felix in the eyes.

"They're somewhere West." Felix's face became shocked and eventually demanding. He wanted answers as much as all the others. "Vladimir and Stefan are with them, as I suspected." Felix's eyes seemed to blaze at that realization. Demetri didn't wait to give Felix further detail. He ran straight to the main room where Aro and Caius were eagerly awaiting any news.

Aro and Caius had begun to lose hope that they would ever find them. But they stood up in anticipation as they saw Demetri walk into the main room with Felix close behind. Corin and Afton stood to immediate attention while most of the others just looked curiously. Aro looked as if he would leap for joy.

"You found them." Demetri nodded his head.

"They're out West." Aro clapped his hands together and sighed in relief.

"Finally, we found them." Caius spoke next.

"Those little brats will pay for putting us through so much trouble. First the police are hollering at our door, then they run away." Aro looked at Caius.

"Never mind, Caius, calm yourself. We know where to go to look for them. We'll handle them when we come back." Aro looked slightly annoyed himself, but he wasn't nearly as theatrical about showing it as Caius was. Marcus, of course, remained his usual mask of indifference. Felix's impatience was potent.

"Why are we just standing here? Let's go!" Everyone looked at Felix with bewildered eyes. Felix was always the most obedient, to the letter member of the coven. Not once had he ever raised his voice at Aro and Caius. No one had. No one dared. Until now.

"Relax, Felix, relax. I know you're anxious. As are Afton, Corin, and Demetri." Aro turned his attention to Demetri. "Do you know how far west they are, Demetri?" Demetri nodded.

"In the U.S." Caius' face became impossibly angrier.

"I knew it! The Cullens have them!" Aro rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to Caius. He was acting as if this wasn't a big surprise. It probably wasn't.

"Calm yourself, Caius. You've always wished for a solid, irrefutable reason to destroy the Cullens. Well now we have one. Kidnapping." Everyone in the room became slightly confused. The Cullens hadn't kidnapped them. They had run away on their own. No one knew why they would go to the Cullens. But if anything, Corin, Afton, and Demetri were just grateful that someone was looking after them. Felix on the other hand just looked like he was about to massacre a whole village.

"You better not dawdle this time, Aro. I don't care how many witnesses they have, I don't care how many powers they have on their side, and I especially don't care about our possible loss. I want them dead. All of them. I won't tolerate their meddling anymore. And I certainly am tired of putting up with your need to collect things."

Afton, Corin, Demetri, even Felix, froze when they heard those words. What was that supposed to mean? What were they planning on doing to them? Felix certainly didn't care what Caius ordered them to do to the Cullens. They could be fucked up the ass by the devil himself for all he cared. But Lia. What were they planning to do to her? Marcus stood from where he was sitting and grabbed Aro's hand, letting him hear his thoughts. Aro nodded.

"You're right. Now's not the time to argue. We need to find them." Aro looked around the room. "The wives will stay here. Demetri, Afton, Chelsea, Renata, Felix, Alec, Jane, and Corin will come with us. The rest of you will stay here and protect the wives and the castle." Everyone nodded their heads acknowledging the order. The guards called to come with Aro, Caius and Marcus stood to attention ready to go.

Aro looked at Demetri, letting him know he was free to start running and show the way. As they ran behind Demetri, following, Felix was right behind him. Corin and Afton were following very close behind. When they reached the Atlantic, they started swimming as fast as they could to reach the states. At the rate they were going, it would only take them by the end of the next day to get there.

Forks

We had until tomorrow night before the Voulturi would arrive in Forks. Alice assured us all the entire coven wasn't coming this time and they weren't bringing any witnesses, but they would be here soon. Dante and the others were immediately really anxious. But Lia seemed oddly hopeful. She was scared, but she was hopeful about something.

"Daddy?" I decided I wanted to know what Lia was thinking. While daddy, momma, Jacob and I were walking to the cottage, I brought it up. Daddy sighed at my question.

"She loves him, honey. That's all there is to it." I looked at daddy. Jacob and momma looked at the two of us questioningly, but didn't interrupt our conversation.

"Why? They've been so horrible to her and the others." Daddy stared off in the distance a moment before answering me.

"Nessie, he's her father. Nothing will ever change that. It's the same way for Amadora, Armando, Octavia and even Dante. They can't bring themselves to hate them. They want to believe that their fathers love them."

"But they deserve better." Daddy nodded.

"A lot of people deserve better than what they have, Nessie. But, unfortunately, life doesn't work that way. You can't always help the hand you're dealt." I looked at the ground a moment. I wanted to help them so much, but there was nothing I could do. "Nessie, we'll do everything we can for them. That's all we can do." I nodded.

"I know." I had a hard time sleeping that night. Jacob agreed to stay with me after I begged him to. The pack was still on high alert and they knew the Voulturi would be here tomorrow. Alice figured they would be here by nine tomorrow, so we were going to the clearing an hour before that. Benjamin already had the natural defenses set up and ready to go. The rocks he'd buried under the ground were still there from the last encounter.

Jacob sat next to my bed just watching me try to sleep. I remembered the Voulturi all too clearly, and trying to sleep was impossible when I knew they were coming. Even though it wasn't me they were after this time, I didn't feel any less anxious. Jacob noticed it easily.

"I won't let anything happen to you Nessie. You know that right?" I looked at Jacob, taking my eyes away from the ceiling. I smiled at him.

"I do know that. That's why I always feel so safe with you." His face didn't change from its look of concern. He wasn't convinced. I lifted myself up so that I was sitting upright on my bed. When I was sitting and I was eye to eye with Jacob, I took his face in my hands and showed him how safe he really made me feel.

I showed him every incident where I had been in trouble or had done something wrong and how his presence always made it seem like it would be fine. It wasn't me I was scared for. It was Dante and his siblings. There was no way Aro would let them live after something like this. I knew, at least, that my security blanket would never leave my side. When I had finished relaying my thoughts to Jacob, he was smiling my favorite, loving smile.

"Get some sleep, Nessie. We have a big day tomorrow. I just hope we can fight them. With those kids on our side, I think we've got a better chance of succeeding." I nodded.

"I hope you're right Jacob." He smiled at me.

"I hope so too, Nessie." With that, Jacob kissed the top of my head, cheek and nose. He got into my bed with me and let me cuddle into my nook so I could listen to the lullaby of his heart. It still took a while, but when I fell asleep, I felt safe and happy and warm all over.

The next morning, everyone was preparing for later today. Everyone was fighting each other to learn new skills from one another and to strengthen their gifts, even if only marginally. Dante was with Jasper and Emmett, training for a fight. The Voulturi had taught Dante how to fight, that was for sure. He wasn't as good as Jasper, but he was cutting it close.

Amadora was practicing her gift. If we were lucky, we would be able to use her as a physical shield. With her helping momma as a shield, there was no way that any of them would be able to get to us without running into a solid piece of air.

The twins and Lia were watching everyone work. Armando and Octavia, though their gifts were strong, weren't a great deal of good to fighting. They could only control the time of inanimate objects. And Lia could only turn you human if she was touching you. There wasn't much chance she would be able to grab hold of anyone without getting badly hurt.

The day had seemed to go by so slowly. We were all anxious. We were more confident than we had been before since we had two shields on our side as opposed to just momma's mental shield. But that didn't mean they wouldn't still be able to beat us. They had their own physical shield, and she protected Aro. If anything, Aro was the one we needed to concentrate on. Him and Caius.

Jacob and his pack were all at the house by seven, ready for the fight. There were two new members to the pack I noticed. Both looked no older than thirteen. Jacob said that it wasn't something that he liked doing, but if we had to fight the Voulturi, then we would need all the help we could get. Even Marcelo was less cocky today.

"I'm sorry you guys got dragged into this." I said to Marcelo when we were standing on the porch. We would be leaving soon. I knew it wouldn't make much difference now to say this, but I wanted to get it out of my mind. Marcelo looked at me and smiled kindly.

"Don't worry about it, Renesmee. I have no complaints or regrets. It meant I got to meet you." I sighed and was about to say something, but Marcelo silenced me by putting his finger on my lips. "I know, Renesmee. You love Jacob. I should never have attempted to change that. You're a girl with moral standards and a bright future and you deserve better than a womanizer like me." I smiled in spite of myself.

"You're a good friend Marcelo. And despite you being an arrogant pervert, I'm glad you're my friend." He laughed without humor.

"Sure, Renesmee. I'm glad you tolerate me enough to be my friend at the least. I don't deserve it." I laughed lightly.

"You really don't in all truthfulness. But I'm glad that you understand how I'm feeling. Thanks for that Marcelo. Really, thank you." He smiled kindly again.

"You're welcome, Renesmee." I smiled back at him kindly. Marcelo gave me a quick, friendly hug before going further into the yard to wait for everyone else.

When it was time for us to go, we went to the clearing that was planned on and waited. Ben and Tia stayed near the middle of the group. Siobhan and her coven and the Denalis were standing close to us. All the nomads spread in a line, prepared for anything. Jacob's pack stood behind us and watched towards the end of the clearing. I heard some of them pace and fidget in anticipation for what was to come. I stood close to daddy with Jacob standing right behind me protectively.

I had Lia standing next to me. She was staring out just as we were. Dante stood next to Emmett and was slightly more in front of the group, prepared and confident. Octavia and Armando stood on my other side. Armando held onto Octavia's arm protectively and she held onto that hand. Amadora stood behind Dante. All of them stood in the line tall and proudly the way the Voulturi guard always did. They looked so disciplined. Even Lia was standing tall, though her level of confidence wasn't quite as prominent as the others.

We only stood in the clearing for an hour, but it felt like an eternity. It was too quiet. The only sounds were our breathing and heartbeats. It started to rain about twenty minutes after we got there. The rain poured down hard. There was thunder and lightning booming in the distance and lighting up the sky with a brilliant light. I tried not to think of the storm as symbolic. But it seemed too convenient a scene for me.

Daddy and the other vampires stood motionless in the clearing. It was like looking at a long row of stone figurines. They weren't even breathing. They were just looking out like we were, waiting. Then at long last, but all too soon, we heard marching in the distance. The sound wasn't as loud as I remembered it being. At least Alice had been right about their numbers.

It took only a minute. Their feet marched to the same beat and never faltered. They marched into their army line with Aro, Caius and Marcus in the middle of that long line. The line of black and off black clocks seemed to form its own army, even with their numbers. I had expected to see more of them. Aro looked like his usual overly confident self. Marcus remained almost excruciatingly indifferent, and Caius looked like he was about to receive a gift he'd always wanted. The guards stayed composed as well, not letting any form of emotion, if there was any emotions involved at all, show on their face. I looked at daddy, but was taken by surprise of daddy's expression. I touched daddy's hand.

What's the matter daddy? Daddy didn't look at me. He kept looking ahead. He kept his voice so low that only I would be able to hear.

"They're angry. But not the way I expected. Some of them are actually in pain right now." I gave daddy a surprised expression.

What do you mean? Before daddy could answer my question, Aro spoke. His statement directed at Carlisle, but was meant for all of us.

"Carlisle, my old friend." Carlisle nodded his head politely.

"Aro." Aro kept smiling despite the lack of welcoming in Carlisle's voice. Aro continued.

"I'm disappointed in you Carlisle. The Romanians take what is mine and you help harbor them." Felix, Afton, Corin, and Demetri looked at Aro with shocked, angered eyes. I wondered why they would be angered by that. Stefan, who was standing next to Vladimir and Carlisle, responded arrogantly.

"We did no such thing. Dante took them and ran of his own free will. We just happened to come across them while they were running." I heard Felix hiss. Lia started shaking. I looked at Lia. She didn't look scared of him. She looked impatient of all things.

"Watch what you say Stefan. I have no patience for this." Aro's tone was unusually harsh. He came forward slightly with Renata following closely behind him. "Now give them back and we will take our leave." Carlisle looked at Aro thoughtfully a moment. Then he looked at daddy. Daddy's face stayed hard.

"You know as well as I do that he's lying, Carlisle. Caius has no intention of leaving here until we're dead." Carlisle nodded his head and looked at Aro. Aro looked slightly offended.

"Carlisle, my old friend. All I want is for you to hand the children over. Why is this such a difficult task?" Daddy's face stayed hard and Carlisle remained composed. Everyone else looked prepared to fight. So did they.

"If they wish to go back to you, then I won't stop them, Aro. But as far as I know, they do not wish to. I won't force them to do something they don't want to do." Aro's face remained composed while Caius' face seemed to blaze. If his heart beat, I imagine that his face would have turned red.

"That's not for you to decide!" Aro held his hand up in front of Caius, demanding that he stay silent. Marcus' face was still indifferent as ever, but now he seemed to actually be listening to what was going on. Aro turned back to face us again.

"Forgive his outburst. But his point remains valid Carlisle . It's not your place to say whether they come with us or not. It's my say." Aro looked like he was lecturing a child when he said that. Dante, who'd already been near the front, came slightly forward and stood proud.

"No, Aro. It's our say. And I have no intention of staying in Volterra waiting for you to kill me and the others." With that said, Demetri, Corin, Afton , and especially Felix, looked at Aro a little surprised to hear this. It was a crack of composure. I imagine that wasn't the extent of the emotion they were feeling at the time. Even Alec looked shocked. Aro laughed lightly and kept his tone that of a man correcting a child.

"My god, Dante. Where would you get an idea like that? You think I would waste your talents?" Dante nodded.

"In truth, Lia's the only one I can imagine you would tolerate keeping. Though, as I recall, Caius thought her power worthless. Seeing as she needs to be touching you to do so." Caius' eyes held further furry towards Dante. I looked at Felix, trying to find a reaction of any kind. His face was ice cold. I couldn't tell what was going through his head. Aro didn't shake his composure.

"You always did have a habit of snooping." Aro even laughed lightly. Dante stood his ground. He didn't let Aro's obvious humor to the situation shake him. When you looked at him and looked at Demetri, there was no doubt he was his father. Dante smirked.

"The beauty of no one knowing where you are." Aro's face went to its original composure. I saw Demetri actually smirk at Dante's comment. Afton , Corin and Felix continued to stare at Aro. Alec was looking at him from the corner of his eye. Aside from them, no one stopped looking ahead at us. Caius spoke this time.

"The more you provoke us, Dante, the worse the punishment will be for you and the others. Especially for you. I suggest you quit while you're ahead." Lia and the others looked at Dante nervously. They had no more idea where he was going with this than we did. Dante looked over his shoulder for a nanosecond with a smirk. He was asking us to keep up our guard. He relayed that same smirk at Aro and Caius.

"Do your worst Caius." Caius' face became appalled. I'd seen him angry, but this was different than any anger I'd seen before. His scarlet eyes burned with furry. Aro actually looked slightly surprised. Marcus didn't look surprised at all. He looked like he'd seen that coming. I wasn't sure what to make of Demetri's reaction. He looked like he was forcing himself not to smile.

"Believe me. We will." Caius said with a hiss to his voice. Everyone looked at Caius for a moment. Then the rest of the Voulturi put their attention back to us. Aro breathed, trying to contain his frustration.

"Let them go." Everyone stared wide eyed at Marcus. I had never heard him speak before. He had a flowing voice that was wise and gentle. It was deep and heavily accented. It reminded me of an Italian accent, but was much older. Probably Latin. Even the Voulturi looked shocked to hear him speak. Aro was fighting for composure and Caius looked like he was about to burst into flames.

"What?" Caius' voice was raged and sent a shiver down my spine. Marcus looked at Caius.

"Let them go. If they do not wish to serve us, then let them be."

"You can't be serious. They're a danger to us." Caius looked like he was fighting not to raise his voice, but his tone remained angry and harsh. The guards were all watching this argument take place. Marcus' face resumed its usual indifference. But now, it also held a shred of annoyance.

"I said they would be from the beginning. I told you both that they would only form a wedge between all the Voulturi. I told you that they couldn't be controlled and I told you that they wouldn't be alone if they decided to turn on us. Neither of you listened to me."

"You act as if you knew that they would go to the Cullens." Caius' words were accusing and bone chilling. Marcus didn't even flinch. Aro had his eyes open. Cold. But they weren't looking at us. They were searching through his guards.

"It's not the Cullens he's talking about." Aro was pinching his nose now. Caius was fuming.

"Well then what are you saying, Marcus?" Marcus' face changed. It was no longer indifferent. It was angry now. I couldn't believe it. I'd never thought Marcus was capable of showing any emotion. He even raised his voice when he spoke this time.

"What I am saying, Caius, is that it never occurred to you that our guards would chose their children over you!" Caius didn't look convinced.

"Listen to yourself, Marcus! Do you honestly think that they care at all for those little brats?!" We heard a hissing sound. When we looked in the direction it came from, we realized it was Felix who'd made it. I simply couldn't believe I'd heard it from him.

I looked at Lia. She looked like she was about to cry. But she didn't look sad. She looked happy. Happier than I'd ever seen her look. Her bright green eyes looked at Felix as if he was the only one there. Caius gawked at Felix with bewildered anger. Aro was rubbing his temples.

"You dare hiss at me?!" Felix was glaring at Caius and Caius back at Felix. Marcus rolled his eyes and his face returned to its usual mask of indifference. Caius looked like he was about to attack Felix. But something else got his attention.

"Demetri, where are you going?" Renata asked from behind Aro. We all looked at Demetri, who had left the line and was proceeding towards our group. Everyone hissed and prepared to fight, but daddy stopped them.

"He's not going to attack us." With that, everyone on our side relaxed. The rest of the Voulturi, with the exception of Marcus, was shocked at what they were seeing. Even Aro's face was no longer a confident or arrogant glow. It actually looked close to scared.

"Demetri, get back in formation." Demetri ignored Caius. He was walking straight to Dante. Dante looked shocked to see him coming. But then his face became something else. Hopeful. When Demetri was finally in front of Dante, he looked down at him for a moment. They only stared at each other as Caius yelled at every member of the guard and Aro and Marcus.

After a while, Demetri kneeled down in front of Dante, leaving Dante standing tall and above Demetri. We all watched in shock when Demetri took Dante in his arms in a hug. Dante looked shocked too. It was a minute before he was able to respond and hug Demetri back. When he did, Demetri finally spoke.

"I'm sorry, Dante." Dante looked out, but his face became confused, but still happy.

"What are you talking about dad?" When Demetri answered, I could swear he would be crying if he were human.

"I've failed you as a father. I couldn't even protect you from danger. You had to do it yourself." Dante appeared to hug Demetri tighter. He shook his head into his father's shoulder and breathed in a harsh breath.

"That's not true. You taught me everything I know. You're the one that taught me how to confuse scents." Demetri laughed lightly.

"Yeah. I guess I am aren't I." Dante laughed lightly and so did Demetri. We all looked at the Voulturi again. They all still looked mortified. All except the fathers. As if he'd experienced a revelation, Corin walked away from the Voulturi lines and made his way to Armando and Octavia.

They just stared at him bewildered at first. They watched him walk closer to them with an apologetic smile on his face. Then, Octavia began to walk towards him too. Armando followed closely behind.

"Daddy. Daddy." Octavia chanted as she started running to Corin. She leaped into his arms and Corin caught her in a tight embrace. When he had Octavia in his arms, he looked over her shoulder at Armando and let out one arm to invite Armando into his arms. Armando didn't even hesitate. He ran the rest of the distance and went into Corin's arms.

They didn't say anything to one another. Corin and Armando remained silence while Octavia was crying quiet tears of joy.

"Afton?" I looked up to the line of Voulturi and saw Afton making his way to our line. Chelsea reached out to him but didn't grab him. She had pain in her eyes as she watched Afton walk to Amadora. Amadora started getting teary eyed when she saw Afton walking over to her. "Afton." Chelsea's face remained in pain.

Amadora went to Afton and they had as beautiful a reunion as all the others. Amadora was crying by the time she was in her daddy's arms. They uttered loving words and promises that things would be better from now on. Then Afton took Amadora into his arms and lifted her up with him as he stood up straight. Then he looked at Chelsea, who still looked like she was in pain.

"Chelsea." Afton's voice was kind, loving, and pleading.

"Afton, why?" She looked like she would cry, possible or not. Afton shook his head.

"Chelsea, please." Chelsea was shaking her head subtly. "I love you, Chelsea. I always have. And I always will. I need you with me. And Amadora needs a mother. I can't think of a single woman I'd rather have help me raise my little girl. I don't love her more or less than I love you. I only want for you to love her as much as I do, my love."

Chelsea looked at him and Amadora. Amadora and Chelsea looked deep into each other's eyes as if trying to search for something there. Chelsea looked to the point of tears and Amadora already was in tears. She looked at her Coven once, then looked at Afton and Amadora again. Eventually, she started smiling and began running to them. Afton and Amadora smiled back at her as she ran to them. When she finally reached them, she was instantly in Afton's arms with Amadora. They shared a passionate kiss and then Chelsea looked at Amadora after their lips parted.

"I'm sorry Amadora. I've been so cruel to you. I just couldn't bear sharing Afton with you. I haven't had to for so many centuries. But I know that Afton loves you. You're so much like your father. It only makes sense that I love you too. Please say you forgive me. For everything I've done." Amadora let out another rush of tears as she smiled and nodded her head.

"Mamá." It was a simple word, but it had more significance than anything else in the world. Chelsea took Amadora in her arms and kissed her cheek. They continued to stand there, all three holding each other tightly. We heard growling. It was coming from Caius.

"I told you Aro, Caius." Caius scowled at Marcus. Marcus looked over Caius' shoulder and actually laughed lightly. "Looks like we've lost our best fighter." Caius stared wide eyed and looked where Marcus was looking. Then we looked too. Felix was looking at Lia with a strange look. It was a look that I'd seen daddy give me all the time. I looked at Lia, who was looking at Felix the way I looked at daddy.

Felix started smiling. It wasn't the cocky, arrogant smile I remembered. It was a smile that a man would give to his little girl. Felix left the line, just as all the others, and started walking to Lia. Lia started crying and ran to Felix. As she ran, she was calling out to him. Felix's face seemed to be happier and happier the closer he came to Lia. When they finally closed the distance, Lia jumped into Felix's arms and he held her tight, spinning her around in a circle while kissing her cheek.

"Don't you ever scare me like that again. You hear me, Lia?" Lia nodded into his neck and held on tighter. I almost cried myself. I was happy for them. For once in my life, I was glad to be wrong.

"I won't daddy. I promise."

"JANE!" Caius yelled. Jane looked at all of us and looked like she was about to use her gift. But then, her face went blank. Caius looked at her bewildered. "Jane, what are you waiting for?"

"I won't let you." We looked at who'd spoken. It was Alec. Normally I'd say I was shocked. But after hearing Marcus talk, nothing shocked me anymore. I looked behind me at Jacob and his pack. They all looked as shocked and happy as we all did. Caius looked at Alec.

"What?!"

"I said I won't let you." Alec's face was angry. It even looked broken and in pain. Jane's face lost its blank stare, indicating that Alec had taken off the effect of his gift. But she simply replaced that look with one of shock and heartbreak.

"Why did you do that?" Jane asked in a quiet, questioning voice. Alec's face didn't change.

"Because this is wrong." He looked at Caius and Aro now. "All of you." Caius raised his voice in response.

"What difference does it make to you? Your little bastard is dead!"

"DEAD AS A DOORNAIL, CAIUS! And there isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about it! It was my fault that he died! My gift killed him! My one and only son! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT THAT WAS LIKE?!" Jane walked closer to Alec.

"Alec, it wasn't your fault." Her voice was small as she spoke to him. Alec looked at Jane, sorrow burning in his eyes.

"My gift makes me able to make people dead to the world. That's what Santino was. Dead to the world. No matter what I did, his condition never improved. Nothing I did helped him, Jane."

"You did everything you could." Her voice was only getting quieter.

"And it still wasn't good enough, Jane! I watched my son die before my eyes. And all I could do was stand by and watch." He brought his pained face a little closer to Jane's. "I've never felt so helpless in my life, Jane." Jane was looking at Alec with fear and sadness in her eyes.

"Don't do this Alec. You're all I have."

"Don't you dare turn on us, Alec! We created you and by god we can destroy you!" Alec hissed and looked like he was about to attack. Marcus rolled his eyes and spoke again.

"We have lost, Caius. Let it go." Caius and Aro both glared at Marcus. Aro spoke with a chilling voice.

"It isn't over until I say it is." Marcus looked at Aro with his indifferent eyes.

"It is over for me." Aro looked angry and confused now. "In plain truth Aro, Caius, I've grown tired of you both. Aro, your obsession with power and your greed have torn several families apart. You had Dante and the others created for the sole fact that you wanted more. And now, as I warned you it would, it has come back to haunt you. Caius, I simply do not like you. I never have. For lack of a better word, Caius, you are a monstrous cuss. And I will not tolerate the two of you anymore. If you still wish to fight the Cullens and gain back your power, fine. But do not expect me to help you do it."

"You're deserting us?!" Aro yelled this. It was odd to see Aro so out of control. Marcus nodded.

"Yes, Aro, I am. It's something that I should have done centuries ago." Caius walked closer to Marcus.

"You're just scared. Fine. We'll kill off all these traitors and come to get you once we're done." Marcus rolled his eyes.

"Caius, you stand no chance. You've just lost your best soldiers to their children. They are all fathers before they are members of the Voulturi. That is a fact that any imbecile could figure out. You both should have listened to me when I told you that forcing Demetri and the others to have children with human women was a bad idea. Before you is proof of what I had been trying to tell you all these years that they were alive. Now if you will excuse me, I will take my leave. Goodbye Caius, Aro. May they be kinder to you than you have been to others."

With that, Marcus ran in the other direction and was out of sight. I heard Vladimir and Stefan start laughing quietly in victory. It seemed the moment they had been waiting for after five thousand years was finally here. We all looked at them. Alec was staring at the ground.

"I don't want to lose you Jane. But I'm not staying." Jane looked at Alec.

"You can't be serious."

"I WON'T HAVE IT!!" Caius all but leaped at Alec. Alec looked about to use his power, but he didn't need to. Suddenly, what was once only air, had become a large solid block that forced Caius away from Alec and Jane. I looked at Amadora. She had her hand out and was concentrating hard. When Caius was pushed back, Amadora let down the shield. Alec looked at Caius in shock, then at Amadora. After a second, he smiled gratefully and Amadora smiled back. He then looked at Jane.

"Please Jane." She looked at him torn. Moments passed. Then her face became happy and relaxed as she took his hand. When their hands were joined, they ran away into the woods just as Marcus had. All that were left were Aro, Caius, and Renata. I heard someone laugh coldly. I realized it was Vladimir.

"Give up, Aro. You can't win." Demetri said in a stern voice. Just then, Renata started backing away. Aro and Caius looked at her with fury blazing in their faces and eyes.

"Renata!" Aro said. But Renata shock her head.

"No. My gift can't help you, Aro. Not anymore. And I won't die for your petty greed." Before they could even retort, Renata had ran into the woods, leaving them alone. I heard the same cold laughs again. I looked at Stefan and Vladimir, who had walked to the front and center of the line on our side.

"Can you taste it, Stefan? That sweet taste of revenge?" Stefan laughed a little harder.

"I most certainly can, Vladimir. For thousands of years, we've hoped for this day to come. It finally has." They continued to stare at Aro and Caius.

"We will make you pay for what you've done. You killed off our coven, destroyed our castle, and took away our power. When we only enjoyed our power, you use your powers to enforce ridiculous laws and petty excuses to kill of your enemies."

"But that ends now. Once and for all." They both had one last maniacal laugh, then launched themselves at Caius and Aro. Caius and Aro were so taken by surprise from today's events, that their defenses were weak and futile. I felt a large paw wrap around my waist and pull me into the fur of the main body. I buried my face into Jacob's coat, still hearing the cries of pain. Then I smelled a strong, sweet scent, and knew Aro and Caius were dead.

Jacob nuzzled me with his nose when the scene was over. I turned around and saw the burning purple pyre and the smoke that reached for the sky. Everyone in the group just stared at the scene before them of Vladimir and Stefan living their most prized dream and laugh together as they watched their enemies burn.

I don't know how long we were in that clearing. But at one point, the rain stopped pouring down and I looked up at the sun that pocked through the clouds and shined off of every vampire's skin. I saw a small rainbow form in the distance and I couldn't help but smile. Neither could everyone else. I actually started to hear some of them start cheering for joy. Tanya and Kate especially. They danced together with the joy that their sister's murderers had finally been put to rest.

Eventually, we all started walking back to the house. Vladimir and Stefan stayed behind to watch the burning pyre they had created. The members of the Voulturi that had come to our side followed with us to the house. When we reached the house, I was shocked to feel a cold hand touch my shoulder. I looked behind me and saw Demetri, Afton and Chelsea, Corin, and Felix, all with their children either in their arms or by their side. Demetri was the one who spoke to me first.

"Thank you, Renesmee. We owe you more than words can say." They all nodded in agreement. I smiled and shook my head.

"No. You don't owe me anything. I was wrong about you guys. I thought you wouldn't care about them. I hated you for that." They all smiled at my honesty. Felix answered me.

"We didn't at first. To us, it was just another one of Aro's little experiments, so we went along with it." Felix looked at Lia and they smiled at each other. "But when Lia smiled at me, I felt a joy I'd never felt before." Corin nodded.

"I used to think your father was a fool for fighting so hard to keep you. But now I understand his reasoning. I wouldn't trade Armando and Octavia for the world. From all of us, thank you for keeping them safe." I smiled.

"I'm just glad that this all worked out in the end." Afton smiled, then looked at Chelsea, both of them beaming at each other with love.

"We are too." Lia then whispered something in Felix's ear. He looked at her a moment, smiled, and put her down on her feet. She walked over to me and gave me a tight hug, which I returned without a moment's hesitation.

"Thank you, Nessie. For everything. You made it all right. I always knew daddy really loved me." She was crying now. "Thank you for proving me right." I hugged tighter.

"You're welcome Lia. Really." After I hugged her for several minutes, we finally let go of each other and she ran straight into Felix's arms and kissed his nose.

"I love you, daddy." Felix smiled and kissed Lia's little forehead.

"I love you too, Lia. More than anything in the world." After that, they all left, going their separate ways. They said they would now live out their lives as nomads and that we should expect them to visit every couple decades or so.

I smiled as I watched them all go away. I felt a could hand touch my shoulder. I didn't need to look around to know it was daddy. I was forcing myself not to cry. I was so happy. Everything was finally right again. I turned around and hugged daddy tight. He hugged me back.

"I love you daddy." I buried my face into his shoulder and he did the same on the top of my head.

"I love you too, Renesmee. You're my baby. You always will be." I smiled as he kissed the top of my head. We stood there just hugging each other for several minutes. When we parted, daddy and I walked back into the house to join everyone in the celebration that we would never have to live in fear anymore.