10. CHANGE OF PLANS
AFTER A BRIEF INTERLUDE IN WHICH THE GUESTS MILLED AND EXCHANGED pleasantries while the wolf-workers, under Alice's direction, rearranged the chairs, brought the tables, and laid the transportable dance floor, everyone reconvened for dinner and dancing. We, of course, didn't eat, but no one seemed to notice -- or maybe they just didn't care. It seemed that most of the Quilieute and some of the Makah and Ho reservation filtered through the reception before the evening was over. There were certainly more guests than had been formally invited.
There were the traditional "first-dance" and "father-daughter" dance, the "money dance" that Billy had insisted on (I thought mostly so he could watch his son squirm -- seeing Quil, Embry, and Seth seductively placing dollar bills in Jacob's pants was certainly priceless), and even a performance of a traditional Quilieute wedding dance presented by seven children from the Quilieute Tribal School. The sun set, fires were lighted, and still the party showed no signs of slowing down. Eventually, as the moon was high in the black sky (and with the hint that Jacob and Renesmee would need some rest before their plane left for Paris at six o'clock in the morning -- though Alice and I would be riding to the airport with them to catch our own flight to Cancun, we, of course, needed no time to recuperate), the gathering began to dwindle. Finally, when mostly only family remained, Alice urged Ness and Jacob to open their gifts. Renesmee was all for waiting until they returned from their honeymoon to unwrap presents, but Alice was not to be deterred.
After a handful of the usual china sets and silverware and coffee-makers, Jacob hefted a large package that seemed very heavy, even for him.
"For Pete's sake! It feels like someone got us matching bowling balls!" He grunted as he set the gift down in front of his wife.
"Maybe it's those dumbbells I got -- you look like you could use a workout," Quil snickered. Jacob punched him in the shoulder.
Renesmee rolled her eyes, still smiling, as she pulled off the very thick, very expensive-looking wrapping paper. We all stared, dumbfounded. A chill of fear went through me, though I hoped I was overreacting.
"What is it?" Billy asked, craning his neck to see around his son.
Renesmee pulled the paper off the rest of the way to reveal the cumbersome gift. It was a rectangular-shaped box about two feet high, made out of some sort of heavy metal -- it looked like iron -- with solid grommets along the seams. It was etched with an intricate design on every side, the lines of the engraving shining brighter in the fire and lamplight than the dull silver of the rest of the box. The lid was shut with a simple -- but serious-looking -- latch and an ancient lock. It looked like something you would find in a sunken ship ... or a damp castle dungeon somewhere. Taped to the back of the box was an old-fashioned iron key, as long as Renesmee's hand. She held it up, a puzzled look on her face.
"What is it?" Jacob repeated. I could feel fury rising in Edward, and I could see that Bella's face had gone even whiter than usual.
"Who is it from?" Edward asked through gritted teeth. Renesmee mulled through the paper, searching for a card or a tag.
"It doesn't say. What's the matter, Dad?" She looked worried.
"Nothing, I hope." Edward replied, his teeth still clenched. The chill rippled through my body again, this time colder and stronger. I had an idea where such an ancient box would come from, and it wasn't good.
"Should we open it?" Jacob asked, alarmed by Edward's reaction. Apparently the thought that was turning all of us to icy statues had not occurred to him yet. Edward hesitated, then nodded once. I realized all the guests who didn't need air had stopped breathing -- even some of those who did seemed to be holding their breath, anxious and frightened by our strange response to the even stranger gift. The gathering had gone from light and happy to worried and tense in a split-second.
Renesmee slowly took the long key and pushed it into the archaic lock. She turned, and with a loud "click" the fixture popped. After a quick look at Edward, Renesmee reached for the lock and pulled it from the latch. She hesitated a moment, then lifted the fastening.
"No, I'll do it," Jacob interrupted, gently brushing her hand aside. Although I was certain the contents of the box could portend nothing good, I was equally certain there was nothing inside that would actually harm Renesmee.
Jacob lifted the latch and slowly, as though poisonous snakes were waiting inside to strike, lifted the lid. We all stared inside. Jacob placed his strong hands in and pulled out a huge metal goblet, inlaid with rubies, diamonds, emeralds, and sapphires.
"What is it?" Billy asked again, staring blankly at the immense chalice. Like the box, it was etched all over with an intricate design. It looked almost like symbols or runes from a forgotten language. Sarah Uley reached out her hand as if to touch the priceless object, though she was five feet away. Emily pulled her hand back, as though the goblet might electrocute her.
"There's something in here," Renesmee said, leaning over the box and extracting a stiff paper envelope, the kind high-priced lawyers sent their Thank You cards in. On the back, penned in elegant calligraphy, was the word "Renesmee." Renesmee looked at her father again, puzzled and half-frightened. Edward nodded for her to open it. She pulled another expensive sheet from the envelope, read it carefully once, twice, then held it up for us to see.
Deepest congratulations, dearest Renesmee! We were
overjoyed to learn of your nuptials to the shapeshifter
Jacob. An unusual pairing, to be sure, but one which
we hope brings you and your family all the joy and happiness
in the world. We so look forward to seeing you and your
new husband, and hope you will honor us with a visit soon.
Our greatest wishes for you on this wonderful occasion, and
a fond and belated greeting to your lovely family. Molto
felicita, caro una!
-Aro
"What does it mean?" Bella asked in a whisper, clutching Edward's arm in a vice-like grip.
"I don't know." Edward nearly hissed, "Carlisle?"
Carlisle shook his head, "It's much like your gift, Bella. You don't think they want to check up on Renesmee, do you?"
"But why?" Esme gasped, her hand around her throat.
"They wouldn't have changed their minds, would they?" Bella asked, barely speaking the words.
"Why would they? They decided Renesmee was no threat to them," Emmett replied angrily, already tensing for a battle.
"Maybe they discovered something in South America, something that made them change their minds..." Rosalie breathed, horrorstruck.
"No!" Bella shrieked, throwing herself protectively over her daughter, as though she could shield her from the possible threat of the Volturi.
Edward whirled to face Alice, who was standing frozen, just as terrified as everyone else. "What does it mean, Alice? Why didn't you see this--"
Alice shook her head swiftly, as though she could shake out the memory of what had just occurred.
"I -- I don't know -- I wasn't looking -- I didn't even think to watch out for them -- I was so excited for the wedding and my anniversary, and it's been so long! Years and years and nothing, not even a shimmer of a plan. I -- I --"
Edward took a deep breath to calm himself. "Look now," he ordered. I glared at him as I stepped to Alice's side and put my hands upon her shoulders. This was hardly her fault.
Alice closed her eyes and her face went slack. A minute passed. Two. Bella was still holding Renesmee tightly as they watched Alice in breathless silence. Jacob was at Renesmee's side now, too, crouched with his arm around them both. Edward concentrated on Alice's thoughts, trying to pull any visions that might be useful. Suddenly he gasped and Alice's eyes flew open.
"I don't think that's what they have planned for her," Alice assured him quickly. "See, Aro's just giving Caius his way for now. They just want to see what she's become."
"What don't they have planned for her?" Jacob and Bella demanded at the same time.
"They took Nahuel's father, Joham. They talked with him for days about his daughters and his purpose in creating half-vampire offspring. They..." Alice looked pleadingly at Edward.
"They decided he should be ... punished." Edward said in a flat tone. I sucked in a gasp of air.
"But I don't think they plan to hurt Ness," Alice added swiftly, "They let Nahuel and his sisters live. They left them in the jungle, untouched."
"For now," Emmett growled. Edward looked at him, but didn't speak. He didn't need to. I knew that look. Emmett was right.
"So what should we do?" Carlisle asked, "Are they going to come here?"
"I don't think so," Alice shook her head, "Caius is trying to pressure Aro to send for Renesmee, but Aro is fascinated by her. He doesn't want to lose all possibility of adding her -- or any of us -- to his 'collection'--" Jacob and I growled at the word. Alice continued, "--by forcing her into anything, by making an enemy of her."
"Too late for that," Emmett snarled, "What did they think would happen when they brought their entire army here to slaughter us? That we'd fall all over ourselves to sign up and join?"
Carlisle shook his head, "No, Aro is patient. He knows that we'll hold the grudge for a long time, but he doesn't think it will be forever. He's been around for thousands of years -- another century or two of waiting is not enough to deter him, not if he wants something badly enough. He can be very patient."
I clenched my fists. A haze of red seemed to color my vision. The idea of Aro waiting for eternity -- no matter what we did or where we went; waiting, waiting -- to get his greedy, grasping hands on Alice, or Renesmee, or Edward, or Bella... If he had been here now no one would have been able to stop me from lunging at his throat, nothing Jane or Alec or Felix tried to do to me. I would sink my jaws into that papery skin and rip and tear, laughing at the metallic scrape of flesh being torn from bone. He would not haunt my family forever. He would not live to hurt Alice or Renesmee. Nothing Alice could say would tear me from the fight this time. If they came, I would be here. I would fight. This could not continue.
"So, what? Should I go to them?" Renesmee spoke, softly but determinedly.
"No!" resounded from every pair of lips. I saw Jacob's large frame trembling all over, beginning to blur. He clenched his teeth and fists tightly, trying to calm himself.
"Well, if they won't rest until they've seen me, if they're going to come here..." she argued, her jaw beginning to take that stubborn set she inherited from Edward. I huffed in exasperation. She was so much like Bella! Determined to put her own life at risk to protect us -- we who were so much more capable of defending ourselves than she was. We who would die a thousand times over to protect her. I began pacing, not worrying much about human speed. If there was anyone left here who didn't know about us, the cat was out of the bag now. I glanced around anyway, peering into the darkness as far away as the tiny convenience store. No one. It must be later than I thought. And, luckily, there wasn't anyone left here but my family, Tanya's family, and the two wolf packs and their families.
"You are not going anywhere near the Volturi," Edward growled. A rumble of growls echoed in agreement. I realized one was my own.
"Then what do we do?" Bella whispered, her arms around Renesmee's face, still shielding her from the unseen danger.
"We'll go," Emmett said, folding his arms across his chest and looking for all the world like a fairytale giant blocking a knight's passage across a bridge.
"I don't think that will be necessary," Alice disagreed, rubbing her temples, "I think if we just stay put for now, send a 'thank you' card and some pictures..."
"You want us to send a thank you card?" Emmett growled incredulously.
"Just something to acknowledge that we understand what they want, but we aren't ready to give it to them," Alice explained.
"We are never giving them Renesmee," Edward spit through clenched teeth.
"No, I didn't mean --"
"Spit it out, Alice! What did you see?" Jacob nearly howled, jumping to his feet. He looked as though he wanted to shake my tiny angel to hurry her explanation -- I clenched my teeth to keep the protective growl from escaping. Jacob would be at least as terrified as the rest of us about Renesmee's safety. I tried to cut him some slack.
Alice took a deep breath. "The Volturi were ... concerned about Joham and his creations. Nahuel has a mind of his own, but his sisters were practically brainwashed to think they were superior not only to humans, but to most vampires. The Volturi thought Joham might be raising an army with some human weaknesses, but also some human strengths -- his offspring can survive on both blood and food, they can walk around in sunlight without risk of exposure ... they have a few advantages."
Edward snorted. "The Volturi like to be the only ones to play God," he sneered.
Alice continued, "Well, whatever their reasons, they executed Joham, but they left his children alone while they questioned him. Nahuel will convince them that he will take responsibility for his sisters and that he will keep them from creating any threat or nuisance to the Volturi. They will leave them alone. Aro is quite fascinated by the vampire-hybrids -- he doesn't want to destroy them unless he has to."
I didn't know if this made me feel any better. So Aro didn't want to destroy Renesmee -- did that mean he never would? Would he eventually give in to the pressure from Caius? Bella had always felt that Aro was the "leader" among the Volturi brothers, but did his vote really count any more than Caius' or Marcus'? I doubted it. It had always seemed to me that Aro was just the mouthpiece for the Volturi because he was the most diplomatic -- less likely to betray the mockery they had made of the law than Caius was, and Marcus, well, it seemed Marcus could never be bothered to care much either way.
"So what should we do?" Esme asked softly, her face anguished.
"If we acknowledge that Renesmee is still here, still undiscovered, still no threat to our way of life, I think Aro will be satisfied for now. Carlisle can vouch for her as Nahuel will vouch for his sisters."
Carlisle nodded. "Of course."
"But that's only a temporary solution," Rosalie said, looking from Alice to Edward and back.
"Yes," Alice agreed, "But it will give us time to think of something better."
"Time is good," Billy spoke clearly. He had been listening intently to the conversation, not speaking, but now he leaned forward, carrying the weight of his birthright. "We might have been able to destroy the monsters the last time they came. Now, with all our pack grown and well-trained, we would certainly put up a bit of a fight."
I saw Jacob and Sam exchange glances, both frowning.
Carlisle shook his head, "I cannot ask you to put your people's lives in danger for us again."
"Well, if the Volturi do come here again, you won't have to ask," Sam said, softly but fiercely. "We cannot let scum like that continue to terrorize our lands."
I saw Seth, Quil, Embry, and Paul nodding enthusiastically. Jacob didn't speak. He was troubled. I suspected how he would feel -- there was nothing in the world that would keep him from fighting to protect Renesmee, but he wished he could be the only one to be in danger. If there were a way to face the Volturi alone, with any chance of victory, he would do it.
"So, for now, we send a card and some pictures," Bella summed.
"I think that would be best for now... Yes, it will deter them. They will not bother us again any time soon." Alice answered.
"Will it be okay to go to Dartmouth?" Rosalie inquired, biting her bottom lip.
Alice paused for a fraction of a second, then responded, "Yes."
After a moment of troubled thought, Renesmee spoke up.
"What about the honeymoon?" she asked, her face still distressed. I was sure she had been looking forward to her time with Jacob, but Paris was just too damned close to Italy. Alice closed her eyes and began to search the future.
"No!" Edward and Jacob hissed at the same time. I looked at Jacob in some surprise.
"I am not taking you anywhere near those filthy bloodsuckers!" he spat. No one argued, though I could feel Renesmee's disappointment.
"But our --" Renesmee bit her lip. It was clear the honeymoon was important to her. I didn't want to, but I could imagine how she felt. She actually warranted the white dress, and two weeks at the Forks Lodge was hardly the romantic tryst she had been envisioning.
"What about Cancun?" I asked quietly. Alice stared at me incredulously. I shook my head.
"Not for us," I clarified, "What if Ness and Jake took our tickets and beach in Cancun? It's not much closer to the Volturi than Forks, and that way they'd still get their honeymoon..."
Edward still looked defiant, but I could feel Renesmee's mood lift.
"Aunt Alice?" she asked.
Alice frowned for a moment, then stared past the gift table, her striking porcelain face blank.
"Yes, that would be all right. They wouldn't even know you were gone."
"It might even be safer than Forks," I added. I knew the thought of an actual honeymoon was making Renesmee feel less terrified by the current situation. I would do whatever I could to ease her anxiety, to make her happy if possible.
Edward still frowned and Bella still looked panicked, but Renesmee seemed to be lightening with every second. Jacob looked doubtfully at me, then at Alice.
"I don't know... How can you be sure? You can't see us, and you didn't see this coming," Jacob gestured disgustedly to the thick iron box.
Alice raised her chin and looked straight into Jacob's eyes. "I told you, I wasn't looking before. I should have been, but after six years of nothing -- not a whisper, not a hint -- it just didn't cross my mind. Why would they care who Renesmee marries?"
Jacob raised an eyebrow at her. Obviously they did care.
"Yes, but now I'm looking. Carefully. And I don't have to see you, just the Volturi. Carlisle's course of action is set, as is mine: he will vouch for Ness, I will send some form of correspondence, and the Volturi will do nothing for now."
"You sure?" he asked, looking torn. I could only imagine -- honeymoon versus your bride's safety.
"Yes," Alice responded certainly, "If you take our plane and our reservations tomorrow -- or is it today? -- you will have no trouble at all from the Volturi. They will not mobilize -- they won't know anything is going on at all."
Jacob didn't answer. He looked imploringly at Edward, apparently hoping he would make this tough decision for him. Edward took a deep breath and turned to Alice.
"Show me again," he commanded in the haughty tone he sometimes acquired when making a difficult decision, as though the weight of the world rested on his shoulders alone. Alice closed her eyes again and everyone watched as another three minutes ticked painfully by. Finally Edward exhaled and relaxed, turning to Jacob.
"It will be all right. The Volturi won't be doing anything for the next three weeks, then they plan to send Dimitri, Jane, and Felix to Torronto with a few soldiers to clear up some coven rivalry that is spilling over into the streets. They will do nothing until then."
"And even if they do come here," Quil interjected, "you two will be thousands of miles away in Mexico. I hate to have you miss all the fun, bro, but if somebody's got to rip some bloodsuckers to shreds, it might as well..." He trailed off as he caught Rosalie's icy glare.
Renesmee finally stood, pulling her mother with her. She slipped her hand into Jacob's reassuringly.
"See, we'll be fine. And a private beach in Cancun is none too shabby," she smiled, trying to lighten the mood. Even without my gift, though, the tension was still palpable. It hung on the air like a heavy fog, thick and weighty.
"I don't know..." Jacob muttered, his dark brows pushing together in uncertainty. Renesmee looked at him with large, pleading eyes. Chocolate brown and soulful -- could anybody say no when looking in those eyes? No wonder Edward had always given Bella her way. "Well...if Alice is sure..." Jacob mumbled, looking hard at Alice for any sign of doubt or deception. Alice only nodded.
"And you and Uncle Jasper could take our trip to Europe," Renesmee continued.
I started to protest, but Alice closed her eyes and said, "Yes, that will be all right. As long as we stay away from Volterra, the Volturi will have no reason to bother us. We'll be fine."
I shook my head. Maybe Alice was not Aro's prime target right now, but she was certainly on his list of "To Acquire"s. I didn't want her any closer to him than I wanted Renesmee. It was still too dangerous. A stupid risk to take. We could celebrate our anniversary in Port Angeles for all I cared -- I wasn't putting Alice in harm's way.
As she did so often, she seemed to guess my thoughts. She flitted to my side and linked her arm in mine, speaking softly, soothingly.
"We won't stay in France. We'll go someplace else in Europe, somewhere far away from Volterra. They won't even know we're there."
I frowned. I felt Jacob's same indecision. An anniversary trip to Europe versus Alice's safety. If her safety were really in question, there would be no question. But if she was sure there would be no danger... I pressed my lips together into a hard line, vacillating between keeping Alice unquestionably safe and celebrating the fiftieth anniversary we had both been anticipating for years. Europe was a large continent, after all. Did I worry about the unknown times the Volturi had visited the United States, kept tabs on the Southern clans or rebellious nomads? No. So why should I worry so much about being on their continent? I tried to reason with myself, but the instinct to protect Alice was still strong.
"We will stay on the other side of the continent," I stated flatly. That would be practically as far away as Washington, really. Alice smiled, tentatively at first, then brighter as her visions solidified.
"Oh, it will all work out! You'll see," she chirped, turning to the assembled families, "I'm sure Jacob and Renesmee will have a wonderful time -- it really is beautiful down there -- and Jasper and I will visit Russia, maybe, or Finland -- we haven't decided."
I couldn't help the twitch to the corner of my lip. I was relieved that the trouble was averted, at least for now. It felt a little wrong to be leaving my family now, when they were all so distressed, but there would be nothing to do until Jacob and Renesmee returned at any rate. And Alice was rarely wrong.
"Dad?" Renesmee said softly, as if asking for permission. Edward hesitated.
"You're sure?" he asked Alice, watching her vision as she replayed it for him again. He sighed loudly, still frowning. "Yes, I suppose so. You will promise me that you will be careful," he added sternly, looking first at his daughter, then at his new son-in-law. To Jacob this was not a request, it was a command. Jacob nodded soberly.
"Don't worry, I'll protect her if--" he sucked in a breath. Edward nodded.
"Alice--" Bella squeaked. It was clear she was still terrified for her daughter's safety.
"It will be ok, Bella, I promise. The trip to Torronto, that's it. Nothing in Mexico, nothing in Europe outside of Volterra."
Bella moved her head slowly up and down once, then finally released her daughter. She moved to Edward's side and he wrapped his arms tightly around her, as if to support her. She pressed her head into his chest.
"It's ok, love. Alice is telling the truth. They'll all be all right." He stroked her back with his hand. Bella didn't respond.
"Well, we'll need to re-pack you if you're going to Mexico," Rosalie gestured to Renesmee decidedly, trying not to dwell on the unpleasant events of the past half-hour.
"And you two will need some rest," Billy added, nudging Jacob with his wheelchair. Jacob turned and half-smiled at his father.
"You'll need your strength," Quil chuckled. All the vampires glared at him. Renesmee giggled nervously.
"We really should get some sleep," she said, tugging lightly on Jacob's arm, "It's a long flight and there's only a few hours left before we need to be at the airport.
"Sleep. Right," Quil snickered. Bella stomped on his foot. "I meant because of all the, er, excitement today," Quil amended, his face the picture of innocence. Bella rolled her eyes. I glared again. Ugh. Renesmee on a honeymoon...