Chapter 26: Resisting Rescue

Dark. Everything around me was completely dark.

I couldn't see anything above me or below me, not even the hand I waved in front of my face. I was completely in darkness, but more important I was completely alone. "Zach…" I called into the darkness. "Zach where are you?"

There was no answer, but I tried not to panic. "Okay Reenie, what was the last thing you remember?" I asked myself.

I was eating junk food with Nina waiting for Zach… I went downstairs to get a can of whipped cream for the Oreos … and I came back just in time to keep my parents from killing Nina.

Asima! She put me to sleep before they took me home. But this isn't home and where are they? This is nowhere!

"Nina…Melanie…Penelope… anyone?" I called walking, hoping I didn't trip or fall over anything since I couldn't see three inches in front of me.

Maybe I'd dreamed my parents and Asima up, though I couldn't fathom why my brain would do that. Why I would let them lead me into darkness and leave me here. No— this had to be a trick. Daniel and Peter were pushing their practical jokes up a notch, they had to be.

"Daniel…Peter…this isn't funny," I declared into darkness hearing only my voice echoing back to me. "If you're mad about me getting you back remember you started it when you rigged Nina's chair with the air horn." Nina had sat down and scared us to death one day, Penelope even spilled her drink on Melanie. Normally the girls would just scowl at them for a week before forgiving them but then again none of them had Emmett and Jasper for uncles.

I had talked Melanie and Penelope into luring their husbands outside on the patio to talk and when their guard was down I used my inhuman speed to pour itching powder down their backs. Melanie and Penelope rolled at their reactions but they were too focused on getting into the house to wash it off.

The real frustration came when they turned on the shower and went to soap up, but the soap wouldn't work since I had instructed Nina to coat them in clear polish. They were pissed to say the least, but once it was over they hugged me, congratulating me on being able to actually get them since no one had before. I think even Jinny cracked a smile that day—a small one.

"If you're trying to scare me its working now turn on some lights…" I insisted hearing the anger leave my voice, replaced with fear. "Zach…where are you…I need you..."

Zach wasn't with me— but that didn't make sense. Zach was always with me. Was he mad at me? Did I do something wrong? Did he not—want me anymore? The thought of that possibility made me ache, so I ran from it. I started running, no longer worried about falling over anything. Tears blurred my vision but it didn't matter, I needed to get out of the darkness, I needed to find Zach. "Zach… I'm scared. You promised…"

"Renesmee…" a name called in the darkness, but that wasn't right. It was his voice, but the name was all wrong. He always called me Reenie. His Reenie.

"Zach… it's Reenie, Zach…" I called trying my best to run towards a voice that seemed to echo from everywhere.

His voice echoed again, "Nessie…"

"Zach, I don't understand." I breathed stopping to look around. He needed to show himself, he needed to explain why I wasn't his Rennie anymore.

A more irritated voice cracked through the silence. "Ness!" It was female, "Ness!"

No… that's not right. Where did Zach go? The voice was more forceful this time, "Ness wake up!"

I shot up in a panic surrounded by familiar faces in an unfamiliar setting. My family—well most of them. But where was I?

My dad answered my thoughts, "We have you. You're safe."

That wasn't what I asked.

"You were having a nightmare," My mom explained, running her fingers along my head trying her best to ease my fear. "It's alright now, baby."

I wiped the wetness from my eyes to get a clear picture.

"Carlisle...Alice…Asima…Jasper…Emmett, Seth, Jabril, MomDad, you're all here. Really here." I breathed feeling relieved because in my dream I was so alone.

Asima sat on the foot of the bed, "We're here." She promised looking apologetically to the corner of the room behind me. "Jacob too."

"Jake?" I breathed, letting the word trail from my lips feeling so foreign to me now. It'd been ages since I said the name aloud it felt like.

My parents parted to give him room on the side of the bed. "I'm here Nessie. We got your call, and we came for you just like you asked." His sweet brown eyes looked on the verge of tears. "I knew I'd see you again, but God I'm glad you're here."

Warm strong arms locked around me and I breathed feeling genuinely safe. My tears came back and I buried my head in his chest letting him nuzzle my hair. "I was so scared, and so lost. You were calling me but I couldn't find you. I didn't understand."

"You're not lost anymore," He promised not even controlling his sobs. "I've got you, and I'm never letting you go again."

"I knew you'd keep your promise." I smiled weakly relishing in his warmth. "My Zach…" His arms turned to stone and I lifted my head. "Zach what's wron—Jacob…" I noticed breathlessly. "I—I.."

The only thing that surpassed the shock on everyone's faces was the anguish on Jacob's. Slowly and very carefully he pulled away from me and disappeared on the other side of the room behind me.

"It's alright," Carlisle assured carefully. "You're confused and that's understandable."

I nodded. I was confused. "Where am I?"

Carlisle and my dad had a mental so quickly he didn't miss a beat, "That's not important, what's important is that you get better."

"What's important is that you all take me back to Zach, right now." I declined. "I have to go back."

"We aren't taking you back, we rescued you." Emmett rejected.

I shook my head, "But I didn't need rescuing."

Jacob scoffed from somewhere behind me but didn't voice a real response.

"You called us." Asima insisted. "You told us you wanted our help."

Alice added, " That you wanted to come home."

I tried to think back to why I would ever call for them. I promised Zach I would stay with him. Then I remembered my bad reaction to feeding, but I overacted. "I overacted. I was wrong. I'm okay now, honest. I just want to go back home."

"We're your home," Rosalie insisted.

I shook my head stubbornly, "No, my new home. I want my new home."

"None of that is real baby. All the feelings you have for Zach, and the others. It's not real." My mom told me carefully. Like she was telling a child Santa wasn't real for the first time.

It made me angry. "You can't say that, you don't know how I feel!" I snapped making her flinch.

A lady's voice from behind me interrupted the conversation. "You're wasting your time, she can't be helped by talking."

I whipped my head around to plant a face to the voice that had the audacity to interrupt a conversation with me and my family. I recognized the long black hair and bronze skin immediately. "You're the girl from the tarot shop," I sneered. "Why are you here? And where is here?"

She smiled at me sadly, like she felt sorry for me, but otherwise ignored me turning to Asima and Carlisle. "Her connection's obviously been reinforced, she's lost to us this way."

"So what do we do?" My dad asked walking over to their conversation.

She went on, "We need to give her space, so close to the full moon she'll be openly hostile to anyone that tries to tell her anything she doesn't want to hear. We should probably clear the room."

"What's to stop her from leaving?" Jacob refused.

The woman with the shingle bracelet took his hand and squeezed it. "The fact that there are way too many vampires here for her to get out. She won't go anywhere, she won't do anything without Zach's instructions."

I fumed in disbelief that everyone was having a conversation about me like I wasn't in the room. That this lady was touching my husband, and giving my family advice.

"If you're certain, we'll give her the space you suggest." Carlisle surrendered.

I lost it, "You're gonna fucking ground me? I'm not seven years old!"

"You aren't grounded," Asima corrected. "We're just giving you your space to cool off."

"Everyone out," My dad instructed, all of them watching me apologetic and worried.

Jacob was the last to leave, he lingered in the doorway waiting for me to say something. But what could I say? Eventually he gave up and left with a sigh that almost broke my heart.

—

I wasn't sure how long they left me in the room by myself. But I knew quite a bit of time had passed because every time I'd peek my head out a different member of my family was posted outside the door.

With each changing face, the more I paced, and the more impatient I became. I rubbed the moonstone around my neck, trying to remind myself that Zach was close even when he wasn't, and he'd come back for me.

But I was worried about what would happen when he did. He'd be angry that they took me.

I swung the door open to find not just Jasper sitting there, but a red eyed Phillip Chase. "Phil? You're here?! You're a vampire? How in the hell—?"

"Carlisle did it, it's a long story for another time." He grinned and I let him hug me. "How are you?"

"I've been better." I admitted grimacing at my uncle hoping he could feel how mad I was with him. I knew he could.

Not that he let it show, "Is something the matter?" He asked innocently.

"I'm hungry," I announced in a huff. "My appetite is accelerated since I'm close to the full moon."

"She's gotta eat," Phillip agreed.

Jaspers eyes furrowed, and he nodded. "Of course, but we can't take you out."

I frowned, "Oh yeah I'm grounded. Looks like you're going to have to bring me food."

"What would you like?" He asked pulling his phone out of his pocket.

I smirked and rolled my eyes, he couldn't be that oblivious. "Not people food."

"Well Ness we can't exactly bring you a mountain lion…" Phil joked from the door of the room I was in.

I fell backwards on the bed and put my hands behind my head. "Nope, but the non-vegetarian variety are a lot more at the ready."

They both went silent. I smirked.

"Ness…" Phil started carefully. "Are you saying what I think you are?"

"That I'm not exactly hungry for camels? Yep." I confirmed popping the 'p'.

I heard Jasper whist away, but Phil lingered a bit longer. "Um… I'll be right back." He promised before shutting the door behind him.

Neither of them came back any time soon after that. In fact I almost thought that they were bringing my dinner to me until a pair of furious feet stormed in interrupting my thoughts.

"What is this?" Asima demanded.

The tarot girl was behind her, "This isn't the way to talk to her… I told you that."

Asima ignored her, "Tell me you're just saying things to rile us up. Tell me you're trying to make us angry and push us away because that makes sense. Tell me you haven't been feeding on humans Ness."

"It isn't that big of a deal. Animals eat the plants, humans eat the animals, and vampires eat the humans, it's a circle of life or whatever…" I deadpanned a defense still staring up at the ceiling.

Asima gasped, "Ness, you sound like a crazy person right now."

"Why?" I snapped sitting up; I didn't like her judging. "Because I'm looking at the way life really works? Humans aren't considered monsters for eating cows and chickens for survival so why am I?"

"You're not a monster." Her green eyes softened a bit as she vowed. "No one thinks that."

"Really? Because you're judging me like I'm one. We have friends that eat humans and you're looking at me like I have two heads." I argued back.

Her eyes widened, "Because this isn't you."

"Asima, just let her cool off. We should leave." The tarot girl repeated grabbing Asima by the wrist and tried to tug her out of the room.

My temper flared, "No, you need to leave and stop butting in before I eat you."

Fear flashed across her face while shock flashed across Asima's but I wasn't joking. It was the second time she'd butted in on something that had nothing to do with her. What made her an expert on my life?

Asima sighed, "You should go Merit. Don't walk upstairs without one of the guys with you."

She waited to make sure, "Bye Merit." I pushed motioning for her to close the door behind her. Asima stared at me with disbelief, "What?"

She was a lot less tense when it was just us. "What is with you? I just got you back—"

"What? Disappointed with what you found? Wish you'd just left me in Russia?" I fumed laying my head back to stare at the ceiling again.

Asima denied my assumptions, her voice sounding hurt by them. "No—never. I'm glad you're here. I've missed you so much, Ness."

I didn't believe her, "You sure replaced me easily enough."

"Merit? You think she's replacing you?" Asima snapped wounded with disbelief. "Ness, you're my best friend. I love you, you're not replaceable. Merit's here to help you."

I rolled my eyes, "I don't need help."

"Yes you do." She insisted, and I could hear her crying as she sat in a chair next to the bed. "You're mean to people that love you, you're eating humans, and you think you belong with the werewolves instead of here."

"Asima…" I breathed, her tears making me sad. I didn't want to hurt my friends and family. I loved them, but they needed to understand, they needed to let me go and pushing them away is the only way to keep them for fighting for me. "You don't know anything."

Asima wiped her eyes. "You're wrong. I know that no matter how much you push us away we'll never stop fighting for you. Families do things together, and together we'll fix this."

She read my mind and it annoyed me to no end. "Why do you insist on fixing something that doesn't need to be fixed?"

"Because you're lost," She snapped losing her patience. She was angry and offended, and I'd just pushed her over it "and it is my job to help you find your way. You did it for me more times than you know and what kind of person would I be if I didn't help you?"

"Yeah…" I deadpanned. Asima pulled my arm, yanking me up to look at her, "Hey!"

"Sit up and listen carefully! Your vegetarian diet is back on, as of now. I won't let you dig yourself in a deeper hole. You're going to stop pushing away the people that love you and we're going to work together to fix this."

She always had to save, always had to be a hero, "You're impossible Asima."

"Well get used to it! That's what love is. Anytime you lose your way I will be there to help you find it again, no matter the cost." She vowed with wild eyes, grabbing my wrists so that I couldn't look away.

When she released me, I buried face in my hands, "Asima, I'm tired. I don't want to fight and since you won't let me eat, can you at least let me sleep?"

I could tell my aversion to the topic disappointed her, but she agreed, and I could feel her magic working nonetheless.

—

Darkness took me again, and I wanted to kick myself for asking Asima to put me back to sleep. Part of me was hoping that I'd be at my oasis and Zach would meet me there, but now that I was stuck where ever this was an argument with Asima and my family was looking better by the second.

"Zach…" I called out again trying to walk and find something.

Then I stumbled across it, a small flicker of light. It seemed ages away, but I ran for it. "Zach…Mel, Penelope, Nina is that you? I'm coming!"

As I got closer, the light got gradually got bigger, warmer, the fear of the darkness fading from me. I knew based on the feel of that light, that all I had to do was go thru it and everything would be okay. It was my path to wake up.

So I ran for it, letting the warmth consume me. "Zach, I'm coming." I promised pushing my legs harder, inhuman speed nowhere near fast enough.

Then I heard it. It was low and barely clarified as a whisper, but I could pick that whisper out of a thousand shouting voices. "Reenie…"

I stopped in my tracks, "Zach?"

"Reenie…" He called again and I could distinctly hear where it was coming from this time. It was coming from the way I just came.

I was confused, and only had two options. I could go into the light, that was barely a foot away from me, or I could go back into the cold, scary, darkness and find him.

And almost as if the light knew and understood my conflict, it illuminated me. Wrapping me in comfort, and warmth begging me to follow it through all the way.

Then Zach called for me again, "Follow my voice, my Reenie…"

His Reenie. Oh how I needed to hear that small two letter word in front of my name. I couldn't enjoy the warmth the light gave me anymore because Zach was still in the coldness of the dark. He needed me, do I turned in the opposite direction going back the way I came.

"Zach…" I called running in the direction the voice came, feeling uneasy as the warmth of the light left me. My ability to see shrinking.

The only comfort I got was him answering back, "I'm waiting Reenie…"

"I'm coming, but I'm scared." I admitted feeling the chill of darkness more than anything. Having once felt the warmth and security of the light, made the darkness more unbearable.

But Zach consoled me as I ran, "Shh, just close your eyes, Reenie. It'll be over soon."

Was he crazy? Close my eyes? You don't close your eyes when you're scared. You keep them open and stay alert so you can see what's going to snatch you out of the darkness.

"Trust me Rennie…" The whisper insisted sounding so far away. But I closed my eyes and trusted him.

Zach was all the way out here? This lonely, this scared. Zach needed me, to bring him into the light. No one in the world was bad enough that they deserved this feeling.

My thoughts were interrupted when I ran into something hard, making me scream. Firm arms wrapped around me and consoling words met my ears. "I've got you, don't worry. You can open your eyes."

I did, and I looked up into the familiar set of cool grey eyes. "I found you…" I breathed grateful.

Zach was angry, I could feel it, but for just a moment it faded and he smiled. "I found you."

He didn't release me, but he did turn us around so that I could see where I was. "This isn't the oasis." I accused with a small smile creeping up on my lips.

"No, it's not. I assumed you'd like a place that was just our own." He explained as we looked over the edge of the tallest building in Moscow. The city of capitals—our first date.

He held me in silence and over the dark city awake below us, I felt safe. "Tell me this isn't a dream, Zach. And if it is, tell me I'm going to wake up next to you like any other day."

Zach was silent so long I had to turn around and check on him. "This isn't a dream, and as much as I want to tell you I'll be there when you wake up I won't be. But trust and believe that I am coming to get you."

"But I don't know where I am Zach. My family won't tell me because they know you'll come." I informed sadly.

Zach let out a hard scoff and a smirk that was just as sinister. "Oh I know where you are."

"Where?" I demanded.

He scowled, "You're in Italy, with them."

"Volterra? The Volturi?" I gasped, my eyes widening when I realized what exactly that meant. "Then that means, my family—"

"—Sided with them to get rid of us." Zach finished, letting me go. His anger peaking at an all time high.

I shook my head, "But they wouldn't—"

"They did," He swore taking my hand. "They took you from me, and now their hiding behind the Volturi and their army to keep you from me. But don't worry, I'm already on the way, and I'm bringing the army from hell with me."

I didn't want him to fight, I didn't want anyone to get hurt. I just wanted Zach, and he was angry with everything and everyone— me included— I could feel it. "You mad at me."

"Yes I am Reenie. You left me when you promised you'd never leave." He blamed, and I could see the faintest of misting in the corners of his eyes.

My heart strings tugged when I realized what the misting was. He was crying? I made him cry. "Zach…"

"Do you know how it feels to have your life snatched away from you when you were promised it'd never happen? I felt it, the moment it happened. I was a hundred miles away and I felt you decide to leave me." He informed, tears spilling over and I could barely make out the whisper that followed, but if I had to guess he said, 'they always leave'

I wasn't anyone else, and I wouldn't leave. I wiped them away immediately, "Zach… I had to go. They were going to kill Nina, I couldn't let that happen."

He searched my eyes, looking for the truth. "Nina said that you left to protect her, but she should have been protecting you."

"She couldn't fight my parents and Asima, they would have killed her Zach. You know what they can do. I didn't have a choice. I didn't want any fighting, not over me. I'm hardly worth it." I muttered.

Zach snatched me close, a growl ripping through him. "You are worth it Reenie. And I will always fight for you."

"If I'm in Volterra, you should stay away…you'll get hurt."

Zach shook off my words. "We're fighting, now more than ever. All of them are going to regret the things they've done."

I shivered at his use of the word all. "Zach, you have to spare my family and friends. You promised."

"You promised you'd stay with me," He reminded irritated but he calmed himself when I flinched. "They invaded our sanctuary Reenie, they took you from me. I can't forgive that."

"Zach, they thought they were helping. Please, just let me convince them to leave. If you hurt them it'll end me." I cried.

Zach ran a frustrated hand through his hair and screamed. Then took a few breaths to calm himself. "Reenie, you have one day to get them out of Volterra. We're already on the way, we just can't travel as fast in human form. Tomorrow is the first night of the change so we'll make up for the time lost, and we'll attack when we're at our strongest. One day."

I nodded at his instruction.

He kissed my forehead, and then my lips. "Sleep well my love."

I grabbed his arms, scared that if I let him go I'd end up in the darkness again. "Will you stay? I don't like being without you."

My admission made him smile, and he nodded. "Close your eyes and don't open them until I say."

I did as he said, and the noise of the city disappeared. He planted another kiss on my lips, "You can open them now…"

"We're back," I smiled recognizing his bedroom.

He pulled back the covers letting me slide in first. "It's not the same, but it's the best I can do under the circumstances."

He grimaced, and I kissed him to keep the bad thoughts away. "Hey…not now. Not after I found you."

Zach pulled me closer to him, all of his anger melting away. He didn't say anything else, but I could feel the change. I was right, Zach needed me. I kept him out of the darkness. And being at peace with that thought, I closed my eyes.

Hey all, hope you liked the chapter. Let me know what you think. The next chapter is mostly written and from a completely different perspective You might not like it but i think it's a fresh view of the story. Hope everyones holiday went well.