DISCLAIMER:

Me: I don't own Twilight.

. . .

. . .

Random Guy: What?

Me: What, I said I don't own Twilight. . .

Random Guy: I know! That's my point! Normally you say a load of other nonsense first!

Me: Well maybe I'm just tired and want to get to the point. .

Random Guy: Oh, I see, what time is it, FailCullen?

Me: Dude, you don't want to know.

Random Guy: Yes I do.

Me: Fine. It's 4am :|

Random Guy: Oh. Go get some coffee. . . .

A/N – Rise and shine, fanficioners! It's 4am! The perfect time for reading – or in my case, writing – The New Cullen! Enjoy. . .

Chapter 23

Bella's POV:

I lay on my bed, Renesmee holding on to the shoulders of my shirt with tiny fists. It was 8pm. Carlisle and I were leaving for the airport in 5 minutes.

I still hadn't told Renesmee where we were going, why I was leaving her. But I could just leave her to wake up and find I was gone. That would be too much for her. I had to tell her. Now.

"Renesmee?" I shook her gently, so as not to alarm her. "Renesmee sweetheart, wake up. Mummy needs to talk to you." Her little eyelids fluttered open and I stared into her deep brown eyes.

Looking at her, I understood why my eyes had always amazed Edward. When I was human, of course. Her eyes were so full of colour, and they stared into my dulling red irises innocently.

"What is it mummy?"

There was no easy way to explain this to a little girl who was physically only 3 or 4. If she started crying, it would rip my dead heart in two.

"Listen Renesmee, Mummy's going away for a few days," I saw the panicked look surfacing on her small, round face. "But it's okay!" I added quickly, "I'll be home before you know it." I tried to smile, but even my little girl knew it was a put on grin.

"Where are you going?" She asked, quickly followed by a harder question to answer. "Why can't I come with you?" Her bottom lip began to tremble.

I spoke in a minuscule whisper, but I knew she would her. And understand.

"I'm going to the Volturi." My voice broke on the last word, and a tiny gasp came from my baby in my arms.

She raised her palm up to touch my jawline, and showed me an image of last year, when Aro and everyone else had showed up, expecting to find an immortal infant. She showed me a pair of menacing ruby red eyes. And I felt her fear through her memory.

Her hand slid down my neck before she withdrew it all together. I nodded silently, and she flung her arms around my neck.

"No Mummy! You can't go! I won't let you go! Please Mummy! Please!" She squealed, and Jacob walked through the bedroom door, closing it behind him.

"Shh, Renesmee, calm down. I'll be home in a couple of days. Jacob is going to look after you. You can go to the beach again. That'll be nice." Again, a false smile rose to my face, only to fall again as a tear slid down her cheek. Damn.

"Renesmee. Shh. I'm going to try and get Daddy back. You want that don't you?" She stopped crying for a few seconds. Long enough to nod her head twice. "Well, someone n the Volturi can find Daddy, so Grampa Carlisle and I are going to see if they can help us. We will be back soon. I promise."

She sniffed back her tears. "Pinky promise?" She asked, and I couldn't help but smile at her superstitious optimism.

"Pinky promise." I declared, wrapping my little finger around hers, before kissing her forehead and handing her over to Jake. "You be a good girl while I'm gone okay?" She nodded solemnly "I miss you loads already sweetheart." I blew her a kiss and ran out of the bedroom door, shouting my goodbyes to Jake on the way out.

When I reached the bottom of the stairs I saw Carlisle and Esme standing talking befind one of the sofas. Then I saw what was in Esme's right hand.

"Esme, why have you got your suitcase out?"

"Because I'm coming with you." Her tone was matter-of-factly, as if she'd made a final decision.

Not if I had anything to do with it.

Louise's POV:

I lay in our bed, with my head resting on Paul's chest. I was so happy, content. I wanted to pause this moment and never have to press play.

I felt like I was an actress, and at any moment, a director would shout 'Cut!' and I would have to step out of the scene, out of my fantasy, and enter real life again. But it hit me. This was my real life. I was living a dream that I had never imagined possible before. I was engaged. I was pregnant with twins. I was in love. I was loved. And it was the best feeling in the entire world.

"Good morning, love." Paul's voice startled me. I hadn't know he was awake. Had he been thinking the same thoughts?

I rolled over onto my stomach to kiss him lightly, and to my pleasure he kissed me back, his mouth eager and his hands tracing my face.

I pulled away, gasping for oxygen. When he kissed me like that, it was easy to believe he loved me.

"How's my baby today?" He asked stroking my stomach. I laughed light-heartedly.

"Which one?" He laughed too, and answered.

"All three of you." He kissed the tip off my nose before throwing back the duvet and standing up, stretching his arms out and yawning.

"Fine I think. Did you sleep okay?" I knew that when I had first found out I was pregnant, Paul had hardly slept for worrying about me, for some reason.

He snorted. "Yeah, fine. Except for your horrendous snoring."

I glared at him, and he stuck out his tongue at me. I didn't snore. I'm sure my sister Claire would have told me if I had. We had shared a room since she was born.

"So what's on the agenda today?" I asked uncertainly, knowing what he would say.

"Well, Mrs Watson, I was thinking about a little trip to your parents' house."

Yep, I had been right. He had been nagging me recently to go and tell them about the engagement. I had suggested doing it over the phone, but he had disagreed, saying that it had to be face to face. Joy.

"First of all," I said, climbing out of bed to go and stand in front of him. "I am not Mrs anything yet. And second, I love you too much." I went on my tiptoes to kiss him and he slid his arms around my waist.

"What has you loving me too much got to do with anything?" he whispered against my lips. I pulled my face a few inches away from him, but his arms stayed securely around my waist.

"I love you too much to risk your life. If my dad finds out were getting married, he'll shoot you in the head." Paul laughed at me. "It's not funny!" I demanded adamantly, but he continued laughing.

"Then it's a good thing I heal quickly, isn't it?" He asked, before kissing my nose gently. It was so unfair. He knew that when he did that I couldn't stay mad at him. "I think," He began, after he'd stopped chuckling, "That if I can handle evil, bloodthirsty vampires, I can handle your Dad, Louise."

Damn.

He'd won the argument, and he knew it.

It looked like we were taking a trip to my parents' house.

Bella's POV:

"Esme. . You can't come with us." This was not going to be settled without an argument, by the looks of it

"I don't see why not." She sounded adamant that she was coming. I had to think of an excuse. Quickly.

"Because. . .You need to look after Renesmee!" There. That might work. . .

"Jacob's here. He's more than capable of looking after her. She'll be fine." Damn. That didn't work. Rosalie tried to help too.

"Esme, are you seriously going to leave your granddaughter in the hands of a werewolf?" She snorted in disgust.

"Well, you and Alice can help. Come on, we don't want to miss the flight." Perfect! The flight!

"Esme! We only booked two plane tickets. You can't come."

"I'll stand." I groaned. This was impossible.

"Esme, do you really want Jazz and I to trash the house while you're gone? Do you remember the last time you left us for more than 24 hours?" Oh, thank god for Emmett! Surely this would work. . .

"I trust you" She smiled angelically. What was I going to so next. I couldn't put Esme in danger by taking her with us, but I couldn't tell her the danger because then she wouldn't let Carlisle go.

"Esme. . Renesmee really needs you. I don't want her to die of food poisoning. She loves your pancakes. Please stay." I was literally begging now.

Esme stared at me for a long time, and her bottom lip began to tremble ever so slightly.

"Promise me that you'll come back, both of you, in one piece." I walked over to her and put my arms around her shoulders.

"I know you're worried, but it's okay. We'll be back before you know it." She sniffed back the tears that would never fall, before falling into Carlisle's waiting arms. He soothed her lovingly, and kissed her forehead.

"I love you, Esme. Try not to worry. We'll be home soon." And with that, we left. Walking out to Rosalie's BMW in silence.

* * *

"Thank you, Bella."

We had been driving for over twenty minutes in silence, and Carlisle's words were the first since we'd left the house

"For what?" I wondered.

"Esme wasn't going to give up. Thank you. .For convincing her to stay." I nodded, "I couldn't have her in such a dangerous place. She's too precious to me."

"I understand, Carlisle. I didn't want her in danger either."

And so the silence began again. We were both to nervous to talk. We arrived at the airport, boarded the plane, and fled America, still in silence.

It was a long journey.

A/N Yay!! Okay, I need to go soon. My internet time is running thin. . Hope you liked it.

FailCullen, Over and OUT! ;)

Lawl, why do I always say that?