Edward's POV-
I looked down at the beautiful girl standing in front of me in awe. A deep blush spread across her cheeks at whatever words had just come out of my mouth. My smile faded a bit as a memory of my beautiful Bella danced through my head. I stroked her blush making it even darker.
She continued our conversation by posing the question of why I had hated her when we first got here and my heart sank—both remembering exactly why it was that I didn't like her and because of the regret I felt for acting so horribly toward her. I made a futile attempt at trying to avoid answering before I looked down into her large brown eyes, the ones that looked so impossibly identical to Bella's, and opened up.
I told her about my lost love and how much Renesmee resembled her. It had gotten easier throughout the week, but it still stung my heart every time she blushed, or when I got a good look at her eyes, or when she wouldn't share her thoughts with me. Aside from Bella, I'd never known anyone who could bring so much happiness and sadness to my heart with a simple look.
I apologized for being such an ass, which she obviously tried to play off as nothing. She was so kind too, just like Bella. She even apologized for appearing the way she did! It reminded me of the numerous times Bella had apologized for not being able to share her thoughts with me. The memory made me miss her even more.
As I continued to explain, I could heart Renesmee's heart start to race. I looked down at her and she looked like she was about to burst with anticipation. I chuckled.
"Are you alright, Renesmee?" I could see her consciously trying to come off as more relaxed although she didn't succeed very well.
She told me to continue, but I knew something was going on. She was so jittery, like she could cartwheel around the castle. I chuckled at her excitement. She was obviously really invested in my story. It was nice being able to talk about my Bella, as much as it hurt to do so. I wasn't able to talk with my family about her much anymore. They knew as well as I did that my suffering was my own fault. They didn't understand.
"I'm not sure I believe you, but her name was…" I began. I could hear footsteps approaching from where the thrones normally were but I couldn't hear a single thought coming from the direction. I looked past Renesmee and couldn't believe the sight that was in front of me.
"Bella?" I whispered. There she was, standing not fifty feet away from me. It was undoubtedly her. She had the same heart shaped face and almond shaped eyes. Her hair was longer and a shade darker than I remembered. It seemed as if she had barely changed at all since I had last seen her. Her facial features were a bit sharper, and her beautiful blush that I had once been so fond of was nowhere to be found.
From the corner of my eye I saw Renesmee whip her head around to look at the goddess standing across the room. Bella was looking in my direction and I thought my cold dead heart may just start beating again. She looked so beautiful, not that she wasn't extraordinarily gorgeous when she was human. When she was human. I repeated in my head. I never thought I'd be happier that my plans didn't work out as I had previously hoped.
I loosened my hold on Renesmee, not thinking about how tight it must have been before. I couldn't bring myself to look away from my lost love, afraid she may disappear. It could have been an hour or a few seconds that we were both standing there. I honestly had no idea. I was going to excuse myself from Renesmee and go to her when I saw her lips part ever so slightly and a single word escaped her lips.
"Surprise." She whispered. Her voice was like bells, so enchanting. I processed her words. I was definitely surprised to say the least. Her face when she said it was so broken though that I couldn't even smile at how happy I was to see her again.
I looked down at Renesmee when I heard her heart start to race even faster than it had before. I could see tears filling her eyes and rushing down her cheeks, and I began to reconsider the situation in front of me. Hold on…Would it be possible that Bella wasn't looking or talking to me at all? Could it be that she was talking to…Renesmee?
My question was answered when Renesmee started to pull away from me to head in the direction of Bella, who was now fleeing from the room. I quickly grabbed her wrist, intending to ask her what was going on, but she pushed my hand off of her.
In that moment, a clear vision filled my head.
I could see what I assumed was Renesmee standing in front of a mirror. She physically looked to be about four years old. Her face seemed pretty much the same except for the fact that her brown eyes appeared to be even bigger on her small face. She wore a purple dress and appeared to be struggling to brush the back of her long curly hair. She eventually gave up, tossing the brush on her bed, and began running into the hallway.
"Mommy!" She shouted, running down the hall of the east wing in the castle. As she ran farther down the hallway, only slightly faster than a human pace, the sound of sobbing grew increasingly louder. Renesmee either didn't notice or didn't care enough to take the sound into consideration. She ran up to a large door and didn't hesitate to turn the handle, bursting in.
On a small white bed with a golden comforter sat a woman, although her hands were covering her face. Renesmee ran up to the woman, immediately wrapping her arms around her neck. The woman immediately moved her hands from her face to hold Renesmee, and my heart sank at the sight of my Bella.
"Mommy, why are you crying?" Renesmee asked. I could feel her sadness radiating throughout me. Bella looked down at the child in her lap, stroking a piece of hair away from Renesmee's face.
"I just can't believe it's your birthday already. My baby isn't a baby anymore." Bella told her. I could see in her face that she was lying, but Renesmee didn't seem to notice at that point.
"Aww, Mommy. Don't be sad." Nessie said, this time she was the one to brush hair out of Bella's face. Bella smiled a bit and my heart sung. "I know that I grow quick, but I promise I'll always be your baby." She put her head on Bella's shoulder and hugged her.
"I don't know what I'd do without you, Renesmee. I love you more than anything in the world." She whispered. Renesmee pulled away from Bella, kissing her cheek.
"I love you too, Mommy. It's you and me against the world…forever." She spoke. The vision abruptly ended as Renesmee's skin left my arm. I was too in shock to chase her as she ran after her…mother. Bella's her mother. Everything immediately started to click into place. It suddenly made sense why her eyes and face were so similar to Bella's. She inherited them from her! It was understandable why I couldn't read her mind. Renesmee did say a shield was watching over her—that must have been Bella! It made perfect sense why it would be. Why hadn't I realized it before?! Oh my god—the phone call! It was Bella. I had spoken to the love of my life and I didn't even realize it.
Suddenly the realization hit me like a wrecking ball. It made sense why my family and I were all invited here days before anybody else was. It made sense why Renesmee was so insistent on spending time with us. It made sense why the two of us had an unexplainable connection. It made sense why she was practically on top of me trying to get her phone back when Bella called. It made sense why every time she spoke of her mother, she felt scared and guilty. It made sense why her hair was the same exact shade of coppery bronze as mine and her lips resembled my own. If someone had told me earlier this week that I was a father, I would have scoffed at them…but now everything made sense.
Now I was here standing alone as I watched my daughter crying her eyes out as she chased after her mother.
Oh god, what have I done?
Renesmee's POV-
I ran as quickly as possible after my mom, pushing past several of my guests, which hurt like hell. They were all basically gigantic boulders. Emmett and Rosalie seemed to be the only ones perceptive enough to actually move out of my way before I ran into them. I could tell from their facial expressions that they hadn't seen my mom. They seemed oblivious.
I finally made my way to where my mom had once been standing and sprinted for the doors. It had taken me much longer than I anticipated to make my way through the crowd of people, and by the time my mom was in my sight, she was already almost to her room.
"Mom! Please stop! Can we talk, please?" I begged her. She shook her head and kept on walking. Her long brown hair swung back and forth as she walked, and I couldn't see her face. "Mom?" I whispered.
"Don't follow me, Renesmee." She said in a monotone voice. I didn't listen.
"Mom, I'm so incredibly sorry! Please let me explain." I pleaded. She made it to her room and entered. I followed her, closing the door behind us.
"I don't think that's a good idea." She told me softly. I could hear the pain in her voice and a fresh set of tears escaped my eyes.
"Listen, I know that you're upset, but—" I started, but she interrupted.
"Please don't." She made her way over to her small white bed that she only had for the times that I fell asleep in her room. She laid down on her back and stared at the ceiling. Her eyes were filled with sadness and disappointment.
"I didn't mean for you to find out that way." I said quietly. She didn't respond and I took a step closer to her bed. "I know you may not believe me, but I swear I was going to tell you when you got home." I admitted.. Again, she said nothing. I took another few steps toward her. "Mom, please say something." I begged. I didn't try to stop my tears. I knew it'd be pointless.
"What do you want me to say?" She asked calmly. She sounded so…broken. I sighed and gathered up my voice.
"I don't know. Tell me that I'm stupid…that I had no idea what I was doing. Tell me that you're disappointed in me. Tell me that you're angry. Tell me that I'm grounded forever. Scream at me! Just please say something." I looked at her once more. She was still staring at the ceiling, but her calm facade was slipping. I could see her anger beneath the surface. I sat down near her legs on the bed, waiting for her to respond. Still, she remained silent. "Mom…" I said, going to grab her hand, but she quickly turned so that her back was facing me.
I looked down at my hands, sadness and regret crashing over me. This was far worse than anything I could have ever anticipated. She wouldn't touch me. She wouldn't talk to me. She wouldn't even look at me. A sob escaped me and I bit my lip hard in order to prevent more ugly sounds from coming from me. I sat there for another thirty seconds before I felt I could speak again.
"Please don't shut me out." My voice broke, and another sob escaped. I looked over at my mom and I heard her sigh.
"I think you should go now." She spoke softly. I recognized that staying would only make the situation worse, so I stood up slowly and made my way to the door, closing it behind me as I left.
Author's Note:
Many of you voted in my poll that you wanted to see Bella quiet and refusing to speak to Renesmee rather than screaming at her, so here you go!
I was really hoping to make this chapter longer, but I didn't think the quality would be as good if I tried to force it.
Next chapter is part 3 of the ball, so make your predictions. What else could possibly happen?!
Major THANK YOU to everyone who reviewed (faved & alerted too of course) last chapter. Last chapter hit 50 reviews! It is so amazing to know that you all actually enjoy what I write, and I love your predictions & comments. I read and reread them several times every week, and they always make me so happy! This chapter's magic number is 335 *crosses fingers*.
With that being said, I doubt I even need to say this, but please review. As I said, I live off of your feedback! If you don't know what to write, consider these questions…
1. Is Bella being too tame with Renesmee? Do you think she should flip out?
2. How do you want Edward to respond now that he knows?
3. Emmett and Rose didn't see Bella. Do you think the rest of the Cullens did? If they did, how should they react? If not, how do you want them to find out/react?
***PM with questions. Sometimes I don't respond to questions in reviews because I'm not sure if it's a serious question someone wants me to answer. I'll gladly respond if you make it clear though. I can't answer anon reviews, but I appreciate them anyway!