Chapter 37

(Renesmee)

I lock eyes with every one of them. Jasper, Alice, Carlisle, Esme, Emmet, Rosalie, and three wolves. Jacob, Seth, and Leah.

"Well, what a pleasant surprise." Aro's dry voice rings through the still air. I walk through my new family and stand behind Mikkel. I project to him what I want him to say. I place my hand in his.

'Why are you here, Cullens? This isn't your fight."

Carlisle looks at Aro for permission and steps to the front of the group. "We are here because Aro has offered us a deal. If we help him destroy a dangerous coven, he would bring my granddaughter home."

I snort. I had been practicing my projection without touch. I could only do it when I was angry, and I was really angry.

Idiots. I project to the Cullens. They all gasp at me and Mikkel squeezes my hand. "No, Renesmee." He orders.

I drop my head.

"Your coven is dangerous, Mikkel." Aro starts again. "And, it is quite wonderful to see you again, my dear Renesmee."

Sheila snarls and pulls me behind her. I go back to Nadine and take her hand.

"What are you going to do, Aro? You don't have the mind reading Cullen or the shield."

I flinch at this. Instead of being smart and paying attention, I stare at Jacob. Memories of the last time I saw him flash trough my head. His burning eyes glaring at me. But he is here, so he must still care for me.

His head turns and he locks eyes with me. Emotions flood through my body. The pain of being away from him. The longing for him to hold me in his arms. I need him, but I couldn't hurt him again. He could never accept me; I am a monster. But I can't help the feeling of relief that he still cares enough to be here. They were all looking for me, even though I told them not to.

I am snapped out of my trance when everyone around us shifts and Aro grins. "Olivia!" I shout. Her shield erupts around us, a faint pink color. Jane narrows her eyes in confusion.

A grin of satisfaction shows on my face, and she snarls at us. "Alec." Aro says.

Aro's face is pure anger when that doesn't work either. "Cullens!" He shouts. "If you stand with us, we will spare Renesmee. If you don't, she will be the first to die."

Carlisle looks torn but he answers, "We will stand with you, Aro."

No. I couldn't watch my family get hurt. My old family, that is.

"I won't stop fighting!" The scream is through my lips before I can stop it. "I will stand here, and I will fight you all. I don't care who you are." My voice is wild. Would I hurt my family? That was the reason that I ran; so I wouldn't hurt them anymore. Was I really prepared to fight my family?

The terrified look on Cody's face answers my question. Yes, I would protect this innocent boy-this innocent family-at all costs.

"So be it." Aro hisses, and all hell breaks loose. We all run towards the fight, except for Olivia, Hailey, Logan, and Cody. Sheila stands in front of them to protect them.

Mikkel told me to stay back, but if the Volturi wouldn't hurt me, then what's the point in not fighting?

I fling myself onto the back of a Volturi member. He flings me off, but quickly realizes that he is not to harm me. I launch myself at his head and pull as hard as I can, removing it from his body. I take out the lighter we were all supplied with and set his body on fire.

I take in my surroundings and see Sophia in the middle of four men. Two are Volturi and two are not. Her face is pure horror but she is using her power to charm them into not hurting her. I know that her power only lasts for a short time on more than one person, so I run to her.

Nathaniel and I get there at the same time and behead two people. Sophia's power wears off and the remaining two vampires rush at her. I grab one's leg and project thoughts, hoping it distracts him.

I show him the pain I felt when Eddie burned me and he drops to his knees. His head is quickly gone. I set his pile of remains on fire.

A scream rips through my heart and I turn to see Nadine fighting with Emmet. I run, faster than I ever have before, towards my sister. I leap on Emmet's back and he spins so he can see my face.

I stare back at him. Can I really do this? Can I kill my uncle? I try to force myself to remove his head, but my body doesn't respond. I know then that I can't. I release him and run away, towards a new fight.

After a few minutes of fighting, I look around. Marcus and Caius are gone, as are most of the guards. The witch twins are dead, there fires right next to each other's. Aro is fighting like a mad man. All of the wolves and Cullens are alive.

I am confused. This couldn't be right. All of my new family couldn't be alive with all of the Volturi dead. Then I see Stefan and Vladimir. They have come with the Volturi and brought guests. Of course, they've turned on the Volturi.

Most of the people the Romans brought are dead, but my new family is holding up. All of a sudden, Nadine screams again. Aro has her in a choke hold and his teeth right next to her neck.

"STOP!" He shouts in a crazy voice. Everyone halts. Nadine is crying and trying to say something.

"I will kill her! Give me your most valuable talents and I will let her go."

This can't happen. I couldn't allow my big sister to be hurt. I step forward, closer to Aro and he waves his hand to a remaining guard member.

"Kill her." He snaps. The man leaps up to do so. I tense, ready to fight as the screams of the Cullens and my family echo in my ears.

Jacob leaps at the man and they both fall to the ground. Jacob yelps and stills. I run to him, not caring about anything. I dispose of the vampire quickly and, before I can assist Jake, Aro yells, "I guess it is time to kill her!"

I turn and glare at him. I am sick of this; sick of being terrified of him. I am done with people bullying me! I let out a scream and without any control, I project my thoughts of pain to everyone. They all fall to the ground in pain, cupping their heads.

Olivia even falls to the ground, me having broken through her shield. She recovers her senses the fastest and kills some Volturi members with my help. A couple run off, but I ignore them. I run back to Jacob as everyone scrambles to their feet.

He has phased back and I cover him with his shorts that are tied to his leg. His face is clenched in pain and his eyes are squeezed shut. I quickly spot the wound and gasp in horror. A bite mark is clear on his shoulder.

Vampire venom kills werewolves! "Carlisle! Carlisle!" I shriek. "HELP HIM!"

My family and the Cullens run over and surround him. He screams in pain and I rub his chest to soothe him.

Carlisle pushes me back into Leah's now human arms. I want to look at her but I can't tear my eyes from Jacob. He can't die! No, no, no, no, no!

Carlisle's eyes grow wide and he says a word he never would usually say. He slams his hands onto Jacob's chest. I realize what he's doing and scream.

The pain ripples through my body but I ignore it. Carlisle sits back and shakes his head sadly. My heart stops. No. "Fix him! Save him!" I order him.

"Renesmee, I can't bring him back, I'm sorry." No. I hear a long, high pitched scream and realize that it's me. My heart rips in half, and gets trampled all over. I am dipped in acid and burned. My Jacob. Not dead.

I feel pain and it hurts worse than anything I've ever felt. My heart physically hurts. I thrash my way to Jacob. I shake him, but he doesn't respond. His eyes are empty and blank as he stares towards the sky. Dead eyes. I scream, louder and louder until my own ears hurt. I drape myself over his chest. The pain in my head is no match to the pain in my heart. I could not live without my Jacob. He was the air I breathe. I refused to go on without him.

The world around me grows numb and I feel my energy draining. I want to die, and I don't care how painful it is. It is my fault that he is dead. My Jacob. I see a bright light even with my closed eyes, and I know I'm dead.

I reach out to find him, but even in death, he is not here.

I was so sure I was dead, but I could see things. It was a pitch black room with a beam of light shining right in front of me.

"Renesmee." A woman's voice calls.

"Mom?" I choke out. Her figure appears, blurry and white. "Am I dead?" I ask her.

She nods her head sadly, reaching her hand out. "Come with me, Angel. Grab my hand Nessie." She calls. I reach out, wanting to hold my mother again, but I hesitate.

"You're not my mother, are you? My mother hates that nick-name. She would never call me that." I ask.

Her face changes and she has that motherly look. I can't really see a difference in her features, but I can tell that it's her. "Renesmee? Run baby, go on!"

I shake my head. "I want to go with you!"

"I don't know what that other woman told you, but you're not going to die. Fight it! Go find Jacob. Don't follow the light! Go!"

Her voice fades as I take steps back. I turn and run, feeling the familiar pull that means Jacob is near. I run into a room that I saw earlier. An object hits me, and I feel myself blackout.

(Cody)

I walk over to my Nessie. A man that says he is her Grandpa is pushing on her chest and blowing in her mouth. I feel it then, her death.

My power was death. My entire family knew that I could kill someone with one thought, but they didn't know the full extent of my power. I didn't either, but I felt a difference.

I felt when someone close to me died, and I felt Renesmee's life force drift away. No! She was my sister now, and I couldn't let her die.

I push the Grandpa man out of the way and kneel over my big sister. My family yells at me, telling me no, but I ignore them. Hands wrap around my waist, trying to move me away. I put just enough pain on everyone that they pause for a minute.

I didn't know exactly what to do, but I decided to guess. I reached over and took the wolf-man's hand in mine. I grabbed Renesmee's too. I felt my power taking control, guiding me. The world around me goes blank, and I feel the dead ones' presence.

"I'm going to bring you back, Nessie. And you, Jacob. But I will have to die for you to return." I say. I can't see them, but I know they're there.

I hear Renesmee's faint voice. "No, Cody! You can't!"

I smile. "I have to, sister. I already have. I just wanted to hear your voice one last time."

"Cody, don't do this. Please!" She begs.

"Let me tell you a story, Nessie. There once was a half-breed little boy. He didn't kill his mother during birth because his father loved her, and he changed her. It was a few days later when the mother woke up, asking to see her baby boy. He was in her arms, staring up in her red eyes. The little boy felt anger, for no reason, and he killed her. He wanted someone to die, and she did. Now, the father hated the little boy and he left him in the forest, all alone. The little boy discovered that his powers were more than just death. He could refuse death to someone who had died too soon. A family took him in and raised him. But then, his big sister and her… friend, died. The little boy knew he could fix it, so he decided to give up his life for them. He knew that there was a chance he could see his mother again and make amends." I finish my tale.

"You're the little boy, aren't you?" Jacob asks.

"Yes. So please, let me see my mother again." I beg.

"Okay. I love you, Cody. I will never forget you." Renesmee promises. I could hear the reluctance in her voice, but she agrees I smile, and let death overtake me.

(Renesmee)

My chest rises. I breathe in deeply through my nose, welcoming the scent of life. I am alive, and Cody is dead.

I open my eyes. The sky is a dark blue and there are no clouds. I feel Jacob move next to me, and people start exclaiming.

I sit up, causing my head to spin. I look around for Cody, only to find him next to me, eyes closed and a slight smile on his face.

"No!" Nadine yells. "Cody!" My lower lips trembles.

"He's gone, Nadine. He gave up his life to bring us back." My voice is hoarse and tired. It sounds like it's been scraped with a cheese grater.

I tell them what happened when we were dead, and their sobs let up.

"He's happy." I promise them, only paying attention to Mikkel's family. The Cullens are quiet in the background.

I turn to them then, no anger in my eyes. "I'm sorry if me leaving hurt you. You read the letters, so you know why I left. But I have a choice to make. I can go with you, or stay here."

Instead of speaking more, seeing that I can't add enough emotion to it, I project.

When I died, I saw the light. I know that it was heaven, or whatever. And only good people go to heaven. They would never let a monster get a happy ending. They were trying to get me to go into the light. I'm not a monster. I see why my parents left, it was for my safety. I don't hate them, and neither should you. I want to go home with you, but this is my family too. I can't just abandon them. I want to stay and grieve with them, I don't want to leave my family. But I'm a Cullen, you're my family too. I don't know what to choose.

Esme gets an excited look. "I can build a house for them. We have the room, they can come live in Forks with us!"

Mikkel nods in agreement. "I would love to. But there is the problem of the Volturi. As much as I hated them, they kept the vampire world together. Without them, it'll be chaos."

Carlisle nods. "Well, we'll see. But let's just go home, and we'll worry about that later. Please, come live with us. Renesmee's family is our family."

They all nod. We walk towards the woods to leave. I was going home now, to my real home. Everything wouldn't be perfect; my parents were still gone, Cody was dead, and the Volturi was gone with no royalty in their place. But I was done replacing my parents. Mikkel and Sheila weren't my parents and neither was Rose or Emmet. My parents would come home to me, but until then, I would deal with it. Because I knew I wasn't a monster. They left because they love me.

I grip Jacob's hand in mine as we walk. I have my Jacob with me, and that's all that matters.

(A/N So, that was the end. The epilogue will be up next, but it's short. I've already started a sequel. It will be called Renesmee's Teenage Story and will be posted within two weeks. I need more reviews in the next story! I appreciate all of my reviewers, but I know more people are reading this. I don't want to sound pathetic, but I almost dropped the story because of the lack of reviews. I am still debating on whether or not to post the sequel. Please review!)