***I had to reupload this because it wasn't showing up. Sorry for those who got 2 emails about it.
A/N: I updated another chapter yesterday, so if you missed that update, check that one out first.
Renesmee's POV-
I eyed the small photo in my hand, tears rushing to my eyes as I realized that I had been caught. My dad had said that Alice was hiding her thoughts before, but I didn't know how long that would last. I remained silent. I glanced up at Alice. I'm not sure if she was waiting for me to speak, but she wasn't looking at me.
She appeared to be lost in her thoughts. She looked sad, but didn't appear angry at all. I was slightly relieved at this discovery, although I still felt horrible. She looked over at me and began speaking again.
"I swear I wasn't trying to snoop through your stuff." She said and I sighed. "I was putting the clothes I bought for you away, and I accidentally knocked over the box on your shelf." I closed my eyes, tears starting to fall down my cheeks. I was so ashamed that she had to find out like this. "I caught it before it hit the ground, but a couple pictures fell out." She explained, quietly.
"Alice, can we not talk about it here? Please?" I asked. She looked at me and her eyes softened, not that she was angry before. She looked like she wanted to hug me. I only wish my mom would have the same reaction when I told her about the Cullens, but I knew that wouldn't happen. Alice smiled sincerely at me.
"Of course." She agreed and stood up. "Are you hungry?" She asked me. I had just eaten a couple of hours ago, but I could already feel the hunger coming on. Maybe it was the dancing. I nodded and Alice offered her hand to me. I took it with one of my hands and stood up. With the other hand, I wiped my tears. Alice gave me a sympathetic smile and I followed her out of my room.
We passed Emmett in the hallway and I tried to make myself look as normal as possible. I guess the red eyes from crying gave me away though.
"Woah, Ness. Are you okay?" He asked me, seeming very concerned. I smiled and nodded. I was still at a loss for words.
"Everything's fine, Em. Nessie's just a little overwhelmed about the big 100, so we're having a little girl time, just the two of us." She explained. I was thankful. "Can you let Rose know that we'll have to reschedule our manicures for later tonight or tomorrow?" Alice asked, changing the topic of focus. Emmett nodded and quickly glanced between Alice and I before walking away.
We didn't run into anyone else on the way out, thankfully. We both hopped into one of my mom's several cars. Alice drove because I hated driving. When we got into the car, I saw a smile cross her face. I took a deep breath and I could smell my mom's scent lingering. It was relaxing. Maybe that was what Alice had been smiling about, although I wasn't sure. Certainly, my mom would smell very different than what she had smelled like as a human.
"Anything specific you're in the mood for?" Alice asked as we pulled out of the garage. I shook my head and I looked over at her. We were well out of earshot by the time I spoke.
"Okay, we're out of earshot. Lay it on me." I told her. Immediately a gigantic smile spread across her face.
"So it's true then? Bella is your mother?" She asked excitedly. Although I still felt a little sick, I felt much better seeing Alice back to her normal, excited self.
"Yep." I replied simply. She smiled an extremely wide smile and glanced over at me.
"I can't believe I didn't realize it before! All of the signs are there! I mean, you look like her, you act like her…Gosh! You even have Edward wrapped around your finger!" She cheered and it looked like the reality of her words hit her all at once. "Oh my God, Edward. Edward's your…" She stopped and I chuckled, feeling calmer by the minute.
"I think the word you're looking for is father." I said. She squealed. "Was that necessary?" I asked her and she smiled.
"Oh, my goodness! Edward has a kid! He and Bella have a daughter. I'm an aunt!" She exclaimed and I smiled at her antics. She shook her head, with a huge smile on her face.
"Did that not occur to you right away when you saw the picture?" I questioned, jokingly.
"Well, I mean, it sort of did, but it didn't hit me until now." She explained, excitement in her voice. At least my scheming made somebody else other than just me happy. "Oh my god!" She exclaimed. I looked at her, chuckling.
"What?" I asked.
"You knew!" She accused me. I was confused. Of course I knew about everything. Why is this a surprise?
"What are you talking about?" I asked.
"When I told you about Bella, you knew the whole time!" She exclaimed. I smiled, recalling our conversation this morning.
"Mostly." I beamed, but then my smile faded. "I didn't know that everyone thought she'd killed herself." I added.
"You little devil. You let me ramble on about how sad I was that my best friend killed herself and you knew!" She shouted, lightheartedly.
"What did you want me to say? In case you haven't noticed, I didn't really intend for you or anyone else to find out." I told her. She looked sad. "I'm sorry." I told her.
"What for? If anything, I should be the one apologizing for how I acted earlier. I was just so in shock! I can't believe that my best friend has been alive all these years…and she has a daughter!" She was once again happy. "This could change everything!" She added and I felt my heart race again.
"Alice, you can't tell anyone!"I told her. She pouted.
"But Nessie—" She began.
"Alice, please! Nobody was supposed to find out." I told her.
"Yeah, but that was before. This is now. Things could finally be how they're supposed to be again!" She pleaded.
"No, Alice. My mom is already going to kill me for inviting you guys. I can't even imagine what she'll do if she knows that you know." I rebutted. Alice didn't say anything for a couple of minutes.
"You know I can't keep it from Edward forever." She said quietly. I sighed.
"I know, but at least for now, please don't tell anybody…and hide your thoughts." I told her. We pulled up to a small fancy restaurant and walked inside. Alice requested private seating and tipped the hostess with a wad of cash. Soon enough, we were seated in a small room with a single table and two chairs in it.
"You didn't have to do this, Alice." I said, referring to the private seating. She gave me a slight smile.
"Actually, I did. I would really like to learn more about you and your life. I didn't want to risk any humans overhearing us." She explained. I braced myself for the endless amount of questions she was about to spew at me.
"Okay. What would you like to know?"
I finished up my fettuccine alfredo and our waitress took away my plates.
"Is there anything else I can get for you two?" She asked. I shook my head, taking a sip of my drink.
"No, thank you." I told her.
"I'll be right back with the check." She said and turned, exiting the room. I looked up at Alice and saw her smiling at me.
"What?" I asked her, giving her a look.
"You're perfect." She said. I rolled my eyes.
"Stop. I'm the same person I was two hours ago." I told her.
"You were perfect then too. I just didn't realize it." She told me. I shook my head. "You're parents are Edward and Bella." She shook her head in disbelief. "I don't know if I have ever been happier than I am right now."
"Whatever you say, Ali." I responded.
"You know, if you want, you can call me Aunt Alice." She said, I rose my eyebrows.
"I don't know if that'd be such a good idea if we're trying to keep this a secret." I said. She smiled.
"Well, yeah, but I mean like when it's just us." She said. "You don't have to if you don't want to." I shook my head at her.
"No, I promise it's not that. It would make me really happy to call you Aunt Alice." She smiled when I said this. "It's just a little new. That's all." She nodded her head in understanding. I looked down to check the time on my phone and saw that it was almost time for my dress fitting.
"It was really amazing finally being able to sit down and get everything off my chest, but we need to head back soon. I don't want to be late for my dress fitting." I told Alice. She paid the bill and we soon headed back to the castle.
By the time we got back to the castle, I was already a few minutes late for my dress fitting. I ran down the hallways and didn't have time to acknowledge anybody I came across. I ran into the room to see an amused Miss Hillary. She was my usual tailor when I required one. She was a vampire too, but she didn't live in Volterra. She lived a few hours away. I didn't need her very often, so it worked out alright.
"No need to rush, Renesmee. I'm getting paid by the hour." She told me, jokingly.
"I'm sorry I'm late, Miss Hillary. I was at dinner with my friend." I hesitated a little when I said friend. I guess that's what anyone who didn't know the truth would call us. I saw that she noticed.
"Oh, is this friend a boy?" She inquired. I blushed at the idea.
"Miss Hillary!" She pulled me further into the room, smiling. "You've known me long enough to know that dating really isn't my thing." I said.
"Hey, I was just inquiring! I wasn't sure if it was sort of like a Romeo and Juliet thing you were hiding from your mama." She explained. I thought about the idea. I suppose she was right about the hiding stuff from my mom part, but definitely not the star-crossed lovers part.
"Not now, probably not ever." I responded and she stuck out her bottom lip.
"Now, now. Don't say that. Someday, the right boy will come along and you'll never be able to imagine a time when you didn't want to be with him." I scrunched my nose in protest. I don't want nor need to be dependent on any boy. I could take care of myself just fine. Love was messy anyway, and my life was already much messier than it needed to be.
"Okay, so I replaced the white at the lower part of your dress with the blue like you wanted. First, I'd like to see how it fits. That's essential. From there, we'll see what you think. We can add or get rid of any parts that you would like to. Okay?" She asked. I nodded and she grabbed by dress from the hook it was on. I changed behind a divider and walked to the middle of the room for her to get a good look at me.
"It's a little tight in stomach, but I think that's because I just had a fairly large meal. The waist is a little loose." I noted. She nodded and pulled out her tape measure.
"Okay, what about the bust?" She asked.
"I think it's fine." I told her. She smiled at me and began measuring and asking about different aspects of the dress. I changed back into my normal clothes while she went to work on fixing my dress. I knew it would only take a few minutes, so I stayed and talked with her.
Miss Hillary was in her late 30's and was quite the chatterbox. I enjoyed her company and she always told the best stories. Before settling in Italy, she had traveled the world with her mate, Patrick, who had been my arithmetic and science tutor when I was younger.
We kept going back and forth between trying on the dress and fixing it until we both agreed that it was perfect. It had been a few hours, but it seemed to pass by very quickly. I thanked her and made my way to my room. As I made my way to my room, I ran into my dad in the base.
"Hey, Renesmee. Wait up!" I stopped as soon as I heard his voice and turned to wait for him. He walked over to me, smiling slightly. "I've been looking for you all day. Where have you been?" He asked.
"Well I was with Alice for a bit and then I had a dress fitting. Why? Was there a reason you were looking for me?" I asked. I could see Alice watching us out of the corner of my eye. My dad smirked.
"I was going to inquire about what happened with Alice earlier." He said and my heart sped up. I hope he didn't hear anything.
"What about it?" I asked. He looked over at Alice, who turned her head as if she hadn't been listening and watching and chuckled.
"I was just curious about what happened. She's hiding her thoughts." He told me. I smiled.
"Well, I'd tell you, but then I'd have to kill you." I said, jokingly. He narrowed his eyes.
"Oh, come on! I told you what Jordan was thinking earlier. You owe me." He said. I scoffed and placed my right hand over my heart.
"Oh, no. If anything you owe me for scarring me with that disturbing information." I said.
"I told you that you wouldn't want to know." He said, smirking.
"Well, you should have absolutely insisted." I crossed my arms and he rose his eyebrows.
"And had you go ask Jordan for yourself?" He challenged. He got me there. I let my arms fall and smiled.
"I'm still not telling you." I responded.
"I hate it when she blocks her thoughts from me. It always makes me think that she's up to something." He confessed. I smiled.
"Oh, no. You can't read her thoughts. How will you survive?" I teased him, sarcastically.
"Okay. Answer me this—How long is she going to be hiding her thoughts from me?" I shook my head.
"That I can answer truthfully! And I have absolutely no idea." I flashed a dazzling smile and he gave up.
I sat on the couch, staring at my phone. It currently read 11:59 pm. The rest of the Cullens were scattered around the base. I waited patiently, until my favorite song started playing from my phone and it read 12:00.
"Happy birthday, Nessie!" Alice exclaimed, leading the rest of the Cullens to join in. I smiled and laughed, standing up from my seat.
"Thank you, thank you, everyone." I responded, bowing to them. Every year, I'd stay up until 12 on the evening that led into my birthday. It was a tradition that had started when I was three and hadn't stopped.
Alice stood up from the love seat, where she was seated next to Jasper and walked over to where I was now standing. She looked at me in awe, as she had been doing all day, and pulled me into a hug.
"The big 100! I hope that this is the best birthday ever! You deserve it, Ness." She told me. I hugged her back and soon enough I was engulfed in a big bear hug.
"Emmett!" I cried. He laughed at me.
"It wouldn't be the best birthday ever without a hug from me, now would it?" He joked and swung me around as I laughed. "Happy birthday, Nessie!" He exclaimed. Soon enough, Rose and Esme came up and gave me hugs.
"Hugs all around!" Alice exclaimed. I could see what she was trying to do. She winked at me and I chuckled. Following Rosalie and Esme, Carlisle and Jasper came to give me hugs and wish me a happy birthday, saving the best for last.
I finished hugging Carlisle and looked at my dad, who was standing close by, with a smirk on his face. He had his arms crossed. I rose an eyebrow and he laughed. I held open my arms and he leaned in and hugged me. He was significantly taller than me, so he lifted me slightly by the waist so that my feet no longer touched the ground.
"Happy birthday, Princess." He whispered and set me back down on my feet. I could feel tears starting to gather in my eyes. This felt so natural—him hugging me and calling me Princess. I wished it never had to end. We both pulled away and when he saw my face, he became concerned.
"Are you okay, Renesmee?" He asked, fear in his voice. I nodded, wiping the stray tear that fell.
"Yeah, of course. It's just surreal turning a hundred, you know?" I lied and he calmed down a little. "It's actually really late. I'm sure the fact that I'm tired also has something to do with why I'm so overemotional." I chuckled and turned to everyone else.
"I think I'm heading to bed. Goodnight!" I said and passed by my father. I walked to my room and soon enough, there was a knock at my door. I opened it and without any delay, Alice walked in.
"Ness. That was so cute, I almost exploded!" She whisper yelled. I smiled.
"Thank you, Alice." I said, recognizing that without her sneaky little plan, none of that would have just happened. She smiled brilliantly.
"Don't mention it. I love watching how you and—" She stopped and lowered her voice. "—your dad interact." I smiled. "Speaking of which, you will either love me or hate me when you see what I have." She teased.
"It's not another gift is it?" I prayed it wasn't. She shook her head and opened her phone, handing it to me when she found what she was looking for. I looked down and saw a picture of me and my dad hugging from just a few minutes ago. It showed him smiling while he hugged me, my feet dangling above the ground. It was perfect.
"I love it!" I told her and she beamed.
"I was hoping you would. It's so cute!" She squealed. I blushed and she smiled at my blush.
"It felt so right, Alice… So natural." I admitted.
"You love him." She commented. I looked at her skeptically. "Oh, don't deny it, Ness. It's okay. He's your dad. You're supposed to love him. Don't be embarrassed."
"I barely know him, Alice." I commented.
"I know for a fact that isn't true, and even if it were, it wouldn't matter. You don't have to know him well. Even earlier this week when he was being a complete ass, you loved him." She told me. "Trust me on this. My husband's an empath." She said, smirking.
"What? Did Jasper tell you this?" I asked, suddenly worried.
"Oh, relax, Nessie. He knows it's not anything romantic. He can feel that you love him, but he interprets it as like a brotherly love. He doesn't suspect anything." She reassured me. I sighed. As worried as I was before about Alice finding out, I was really enjoying having someone to talk to.
I walked into my bathroom to brush my hair and my teeth while Alice remained in my bedroom, sitting on my bed. From the bathroom, I could hear my ringtone going off on my phone. I saw Alice pick up my phone and look at the caller ID. As soon as she saw it, she tossed it like a hot potato on my bed, gasping.
"What?" I asked her, chuckling at her reaction.
"I-It's Bella." She whispered. I shook my head.
"You've heard me talking to her on the phone before, Alice." I reminded her, walking toward my phone.
"Well, yeah, but I didn't know it was her before!" She rebutted. I smiled and answered my phone.
"Hello?"
"Happy Birthday, Babygirl!" Her beautiful bell-like voice rang through the phone. I saw Alice sitting on my bed, with a hand over her mouth, preventing her from squealing. I chuckled.
"Thank you, Mama." I responded.
"I'm so glad you're still up! I was so worried I wouldn't be able to call. It's only a little before 7 over here." She told me.
"Mom, you didn't have to go out of your way just to call. You could've called me in the morning." I said, smiling.
"What? Are you kidding me? Staying up until your birthday comes is a tradition. I couldn't let a little distance get in the way of that—especially not on your hundredth birthday!" She sounded so excited. My heart swelled. I loved my mother so much. I wanted to see her so badly, yet I knew what would happen when she got home would tear me apart.
"Oh, lord. Don't remind me. I feel so old" I told her, chuckling.
"Well, no matter what, you will always be my little baby girl." She cooed. I rolled my eyes. I wondered how true that statement would be next week.
"I love you, Mom." I told her, sighing.
"I love you too, my precious Renesmee." She spoke softly. I missed hearing her voice all day every day. "I can't wait until you see your surprise" She added. I became curious.
"Mama, as much as I love surprises, you can't leave me hanging like that." I told her. I heard her chuckle through the phone.
"I guarantee it will be worth the wait, my dear." She promised. I sighed.
"Can't you give me a little clue?" I begged.
"Nope, I guess you'll just have to see when I get home." She chuckled at herself and I grinned at her laugh.
"I should probably get to bed. I'm glad I got to talk to you, Mom. I love you." I told her.
"Love you too, Princess!" We both hung up the phone. My heart swelled when she called me Princess. Both of my parents have a mutual term of endearment for me. I looked over at Alice who would have been crying if she was human.
"I think it's time for me to go. I've have witnessed beyond my share of tear-inducing sentimental moments today. Goodnight, Ness." She hugged me lightly and left the room.
As I laid in bed, I replayed everything that had happened today in my head. The strange thing about it though, was that I couldn't stop thinking about the surprise my mom had mentioned. For some reason, I spent more time thinking about the surprise than I did about the fact that my aunt knew of my true identity. I had to get my priorities straight.
Author's Note:
Yay! Second update for this weekend!
So Alice knows and she and Renesmee are starting to bond as niece and aunt. Nobody else knows yet, but as mentioned before, how long can that really last? Any predictions on who will find out next or when/how it will happen?
Nessie and Edward hugged! I loved writing that part. I could just see it in my head. Even if Edward is oblivious, I still think it's adorable (:
I really want to hear your thoughts about this chapter and/or your predictions for the upcoming chapters. Did you like the way Alice responded or do you think she should have been angrier that she had to put up with mopey dopey Edward for 100 years for no reason at all?
ALSO—There's a new poll on my profile! So vote, vote, vote!
Poll: How should Bella react when she initially finds out about the Cullens?
1. She is quiet and upset. She refuses to speak to Renesmee.
2. She is angry and yells at Renesmee.
Vote on my profile or leave a review (or both) to let me know what you think.
I am so pleased to say that with the addition of chapter 15, Life Unexpected hit the 200 review mark! Yay! Thank you so much to all of you who have reviewed. You make me eager to sit down and write (:
The goal for this chapter is to hit 230 reviews! I feel that is a very attainable goal and I know for a fact you'll all enjoy the next chapter(s depending how its split up). This week will be hectic, but I will make sure that there's an update by next Sunday at the latest. I could definitely use the motivation though.
Also, a big thank you to everyone who has favorited and alerted. You have not gone unnoticed and I thank you for your support!
Until next time, Taylor
~PM or review with any questions