Chapter 5: Singer

On the way home I drove by my old house, as Alice had said, there were no unfamiliar scents here. I needed to get home to Renesmee, I would focus better with her in my sight. We would come by later, if Charlie didn't turn up. There was an empty void where the idea of my family's safety once was, Charlie's safety. It was as though we had all fallen off the tightrope we were so precariously balanced on. So obvious to me now, as it should have been all along, humans can never remain for very long in the supernatural world. I felt sick, and I knew it was all in my head, but it felt like nausea, like I would pass out, or throw up, any second now. Passing out would actually be a welcome relief.

Pulling into the driveway I was out of my car and across the porch in a heartbeat... One of Renesmee's heartbeats. I slowed down once inside, noticing that besides Alice and Jacob being gone, everyone else was pretty much exactly where we left them. Going straight to Renesmee and trying to be calm for her, I picked her up into a hug. She squeezes my neck and pulling back, cups her hand to my face. It was a loud Grandpa!? and her last memory of him, leaving with Sue and Seth.

Cupping her face in my palm, the same way she was holding mine and looking straight into her eyes, my old eyes, I told her the truth. "I don't know, honey. He wasn't at work." I wanted to offer her more but I wouldn't lie to her. She was too smart for it anyway, she could feel the tension as well as I could.

I heard Esme suck in a shocked breath, and the whisper of fabric as Carlisle wrapped his arms around her. I looked over Nessie's shoulder, at Edward, his beautiful face tortured as he read his daughter's thoughts along with me. She was afraid for Charlie and was considering the worst possible scenario. A scenario I hadn't even let myself imagine.

The Volturi.

What would the Volturi want with Charlie though? He didn't know a thing about vampires, we all made sure of that. Aro knows it as well as we do. And even as I thought this, I was afraid that maybe my father did know too much, more than he was letting on. What if Edward had caught wind of that and Aro knew? Maybe Edward couldn't tell me about it, afraid to let himself consider it at all. I tried not let my mind wander down that path. Besides, that strange scent... If it had been any of the Guard (at least, any that we had met) we would have recognized their scent.

"Nessie, Alice would have seen if the Volturi was planning this." I tried to reassure her, but given my own state of frantic worry, that was difficult to do. Not sure what else to say, we sat in silence for what seemed like a really long time before Jasper finally spoke, "No, Nessie. This isn't the Volturi, it isn't their style." It was hard not to let his words (and his emotional aura) calm me but I didn't want to be calm, I wanted to be out there... Doing something...

"What happened?" Edward asked, his voice quiet but so quick that, without vampire hearing, I wouldn't have heard him.

It was Jasper who answered him, his jaw stretched tight, throwing his scars into relief. "Jacob came by, in a hurry, said he needed Alice, only Alice." Jasper looked uncomfortable, not being by Alice's side, I was sure. "He didn't explain anything, just said it was urgent and they had to hurry."

"Jacob wouldn't do that." Edward answered Jasper's thoughts. "I would have known if he had been planning anything. Alice would have known if her own future suddenly disappeared. Jacob is every bit as invested in this family as you or I. More than that, he is bound to this family in a way we'll never fully comprehend."

Esme turned to Jasper with a pained expression, "Jacob will bring Alice back Jasper, he said as much himself."

Renesmee brought us all back to the major issue, "Grandpa?" She said again, out loud this time. She showed me that she wasn't worried about Jacob or her aunt. She trusted Jacob completely, replaying her memory of him telling her that he would be back soon. To her, it was as good as any promise. She's more concerned about her grandpa. I was too, Jacob and Alice are much more durable than Charlie.

I felt the need to be doing something... I just wasn't sure where to even start. I wanted Alice and Jacob to hurry back. I would feel better when we were all here, together, forming a plan.

As it was, I paced. Back and forth and, back and forth. I couldn't let myself stand still, afraid that if I took my attention away from putting one foot in front of the other, my mind would wander in places I was too afraid to even consider.

Jasper gave up any pretense of remaining calm and went out on the porch to wait for Alice. Esme and Carlisle stood in exactly the same place, holding each other. Emmett got up from the couch and suggested going for a hunt but Esme (fortunately) wanted everyone to stay together to wait until Alice and Jacob returned. I understood exactly how she felt because I felt the same way, I would relax a little when everyone was here.

To get her mind off the worst, Edward offered Renesmee a game of chess. She agreed, I think, only for Edward's amusement, and Emmett was already trying to place a bet. He must need a distraction too.

"I wouldn't be so sure Emmett, you know I'll make sure Ness gets a fair game." I had already expanded my shield to include just Edward and I, so that he couldn't hear what she was thinking. Still, Emmett bet against her, though she was the only one up for the bet.

Everyone looked on as Edward and Ness played, Edward explaining to her why he was making this move instead of that one throughout the game. It looked like Edward was going to win until the last moment. Renesmee effectively took his queen out of the picture, leaving her rook, king and queen still in play, with only Edward's king remaining. "Check-mate!" She shouted, enthusiastic. This is the first time she had actually beaten her dad, when it wasn't obvious he was letting her win.

Turning to Emmett and grinning brightly, "Pay up, Uncle Emmett..." She told him, extending her open hand towards him. Laughing his booming laugh he slapped the hundred-dollar-bill into her open palm. "Looks like I'll have to show your daddy how to play next time-Alice!" Emmett turned expectantly towards the door.

Finally, Alice came home bringing Jacob along with her. I was so relieved I pulled Alice into a tight hug before she even made it through the door.

"Easy Bella, you're still too strong for that you know..." she mumbled into my shoulder. As I inhaled, my throat was engulfed in flames. Jasper snatched Alice out of my arms before I even had time to react to the burn.

"What... Is... That... Smell?" I said, throat scorching so badly it was hard to get the words out. The scent that came off her was unlike anything I had ever experienced. It was the most delicious scent I've ever come across, part of me wanted to be out there, looking for it but my more rational side kept me grounded, along with Edward's arm, tight around my shoulders. She must have crossed my "singer," that was the only explanation I could imagine. Hot coals raked down my throat as the venom pooled in my mouth, just thinking about it. I was far enough away that it wasn't as potent as it had been.

For the first time, I began to really understand the torture Edward had put himself through while I was human. I only thought I had understood during our first hunting trip. If this was what having a "singer" was like, well, I would never have been able to control myself as Edward had. As this was all running through my mind, Alice answered my question. "You all might want to sit down for this... It's a bit of a shock."

A/N: I'm curious... What do you think? Please leave a review and let me know!

And again, as you may already know (but just in case) I am not Stephenie Meyer, and therefore do not own the characters, or the Twilight Saga. No copyright infringement intended. However, these thoughts are my own. Please R&R. (Pretty please?)

Thanks, Gabbi