"A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world."
Oscar Wilde
In the Elders' Tower the official residence of the High Elders and their families during whichever one happened to be in power at the moment, the Vampire Queen sat facing her children.
Every time she gazed upon their faces, the wife of Markus, who was a powerful sorceress in her own right long before the firstborn of Alexander Corvinus had entered her life, despite all the millennia had never ceased to be amazed and grateful for these children. It didn't matter if only two had been borne by her; she loved them all the same.
Her mother had predicted that while it would be millennia before she would bear but two, she would be the mother of over a thousand more. Only long after did she understand her mother's wisdom and foresight.
Now, she was seated facing them in her rooms, located within a different tower than the one which Viktor had consigned her to be imprisoned to. No matter her hatred and loathing of her imprisonment, and her jailor, the Vampire Queen knew she had no choice, not merely to acquiesce to her imprisonment but to put it forward as a proposal. Else, these children and many more would not have lived. Viktor would have either seen to their end- or their enslavement. It all depended on whether he was in a particularly ambitious mood. Viktor was never truly benevolent.
And while she loathed being imprisoned for no less than two centuries, she did not regret this choice. They were worth it. She had never once complained.
But unlike the Volturi wives, she at least possessed her own capacity to feel emotions of her own free will. And she had entered this imprisonment willingly, even voluntarily.
Now, for the first time in two centuries she was free. With the sole exception of her daughter Ruxandra, who was away with her new husband David, all were present within the room. As her mother prophesied, only the twins would be born to her, but the rest were no less dear to her.
Lady Laima exhaled silently.
"It's done," she announced softly.
"I take it that... particularly ugly episode is done then?" Klaus arched an eyebrow. The Lady gracefully inclined her head. Her eyes closed wearily, if only for a moment.
"Done. And this entire event will not even a footnote in the annals of history. The child will grow and live freely and happily. Although it can be said," the Vampire Queen noted grimly, "that her life will not be as joyful had her mother chosen humanity."
Rebekah furrowed her brow. "How can she be the same child as the one in the future her mother would have chosen?"
"The concept of 'soulmates' being merely two spouses, does not entirely and accurately convey its true meaning." her adoptive mother replied. "Yes, it can mean two souls who are romantically entwined for eternity, but it can also mean that of a parent and a child, a family whose bonds are so strong they can transcend even death. Renesmee would always have been the child of her mother, regardless of what path Isabella Marie Swan had chosen to take."
Rebekah made a disgusted look, as did her brother Kol. "You're kidding," his voice dripped with revulsion.
"I fear not." came the breezy reply. "Then... that Jacob Wolf-" disgust was a mild understatement to what the siblings all felt.
Lady Laima shook her head. "No. He and the mother, Bella, would not have remained together long enough for them to wed, much less to have a child. They were always destined to part one way or another. Even if this meant they merely had to grow apart."
After a moment of silence, Rebekah spoke. "And Edward?" She asked quietly.
Their adoptive mother sighed. "Their love was merely an illusion," she said quietly.
"Even if they closed their eyes for a very long time, as it was, without this trial and Edward being brought to justice, with or without the curse or a destructive falling on all our heads, she would have had to come to terms with this sooner rather than later. She never loved nor accepted him for who he truly is because she never saw the real person. Merely who or what she believed he was, and a means to lift her from the drudgery and misery of her unhappy childhood and youth.
"For him, she was also a means to an end. He never accepted nor saw her for who she truly is, but unlike her, that is because he refused to see it. He already had so many wishes and desires. He longed for the life and the future which he had been brought up to wish and long for. A human life. And he wished to play and pretend, like a child."
Rebekah let out a breath. "And she turned into a vampire and married him." She said shortly. "What was she thinking?"
"She feared losing the one person whom she believed loved her more than life itself." Lady Laima said shortly. She paused. "And he wanted to live that dream as soon as he was able. He did not think to care about her wishes, her lack of readiness, anymore than he cared for her true self."
The Mikaelson siblings all looked at one another, but Radu remained silent. His eyes fixed at a point ahead.
"So what is your plan?" He asked quietly. "Tell me this at least: why did you ensure that Gabrielle Delacour would be the Cullens' guide into the confederation? Was it merely to ensure that the bonds linking those Wolves to the two small children are properly reversed? Or was there something else? You always have more than one reason, Mother."
The others slowly turned their gazes back towards her. The Lady opened her eyes.
"Yes," she said quietly. "You are correct. Your father and I have long awaited the coming of Gabrielle Delacour."
This caused them all to stare at her. "Millennia we have waited since the moment Viktor had chained your uncle to his mountain prison." She said forebodingly. "And now..."
They kept staring at her. Even Niklaus. "Surely, you don't mean-" Rebekah began hesitantly.
"I predicted that one day, my husband's brother would be set free," she stated calmly. Lady Laima stood and faced the window. "And he will."
"But how?" Kol blurted. "He cannot control himself- he's-" he froze.
Slowly, for vampires anyway, it dawned upon them. "You believe she can cure him." Niklaus said softly.
The Lady made no response. Her back was still facing them.
"Mother..." Radu breathed. "You cannot be serious."
Rebekah interrupted. "How is this possible?"
"I assure you," came the response "it is."
Stunned beyond imagining, they all looked at one another. Radu was the first to break his gaze, turning towards her wide-eyed and incredulous.
"Just because she is able to sever a mystical emphatic connection between Loup-Garou Wolves does not mean-"
"No, it does not." Came the abrupt response. "But it does not mean that she is incapable of other things. Of course, we still have to wait. But we must also work to lessen Viktor's power."
Lady Laima breathed deeply.
"We will strike soon." She swore quietly.
"In the meantime, I have done all that I must for the Cullens, including the young bride and her daughter. We must put this episode firmly behind us. There are other matters that greater necessitate our attention. None need worry for the Cullens: with the sole exception of the one who lies buried beneath the earth, all will be well... for the most part. It is uncertain, perhaps even doubtful, whether Bella Swan will stand and move forwards on her own. But her daughter has a chance."
"The goddess of destiny and fate," Klaus' lips twitched into a smirk. "You know the Balts still pray, right? Even after the Christianisation- and they were the last to convert- well, even these days they still worship Laima, the goddess of fate under her linden trees."
After a moment of contemplative silence, his adoptive mother answered in a quiet voice, "I never claimed to be a goddess. Not during my mortal lifetime, and never afterwards. Not even my sister, for all you can say about her, ever truly did."
Klaus shrugged. "But you control their lives, their fates, their destinies. The Balts- including a certain Neo-Pagan sect- also believe that the goddess Laima is the architect of destiny and fate. While some say she controls them on her own, others claim her to be part of a triad of sisters, influencing birth and shaping the course of their existences. While mankind has sway over the course of each destiny, they can only choose and decide from within Laima's influence." He gave her a pointed look.
"So why not punish the whole of them?" Klaus asked quietly. "If you control their fates, and you not only See their futures, you can decide them... before we move on from this matter, I would like to know why we simply didn't punish all of them." He gave his brother Elijah, who had so far been silent, another pointed look, this time twinged with annoyance.
Elijah sighed and shrugged.
"They were going to be punished enough." He stated calmly. "I think the public disgrace, their wives severing ties with them, their enslaved breaking their chains and seeing them for who and what they truly were, and the painful ending was more than enough, don't you?"
Klaus snorted. "That may be, but that doesn't change the question on whether the Cullen boy and his wife have been sufficiently punished," he insisted "nor why his sister, the pixie seer remains unpunished."
"How do you know that?" His adoptive mother asked quietly. All eyes turned towards her.
"She has suffered a severe blow which she will never emerge unchanged from," the Vampire Queen said quietly "being confronted with the knowledge of what she has done or aided; witnessing her brother's arrest; trial and subsequent imprisonment; witnessing also his public fall from grace and, soon enough, his being shunned from their entire kind, particularly their species and the ones who had once stood by his side; the destruction of his marriage, his wife and child no longer viewing him in the same light, much less trusting and loving him the same as before, and slowly becoming estranged before the former severs all ties with him completely... knowing that she has played a part in all of this, facilitated all these events when things would have been better off without her steering things in their direction... she will have to live with this for the remainder of her eternal life. She will watch her own brother destroy himself... knowing she has played a part in all of it."
The rest of them fell silent. "And the Wolf boy?" Elijah spoke. "Jacob? What will happen to him?"
"Exactly as I have already said." Came the reply. "He may heal and move on... if he so wishes."
Kol scoffed. "And if he doesn't?"
The one whom they referred to as their mother shrugged. "Then that is his choice." She said flatly.
"In the end, the boy is young, as they all were. Only now does he have the opportunity to grow, unlike the other two; transforming a child before the age of twenty-one, or better yet, twenty-five... is never wise."
On that they all agreed, even though some had involuntarily been turned prior to that age, thanks to their birth mother.
"What about his leaving home, never to return?" Elijah raised an eyebrow. "What would ever make him leave?"
The Vampire Queen did not answer.
"Everyone has a different life story. Things happen rapidly for someone, and things move slowly for others."
Barun Sobti
A sudden pop ensued outside of the house. With her supernatural senses Gabrielle could hear it as clear as a ringing bell.
She sighed and, without turning, waved her wand. Even though she was in an upstairs bedroom, the front door swung open in accordance with her will.
The Cullens had gone. Despite not even being four hours since they had left for good, the Cullen house, although not stripped completely bare of furniture and ornaments, felt empty, impersonal, devoid of a single telltale sign of the characteristics that a family or even a single individual's home would have possessed. The house felt like an empty husk, a hollow shell whose hermit crab had been swallowed up and eaten by a much larger predator, leaving not a single trace of anything that had happened here, let along the persons who had left all this behind. Even the scent of vampires had disappeared since Gabrielle took care to remove that scent, knowing the Loup-Garoux' natural aversion for it.
Of course, the sense of emptiness that settled was assisted by the fact that the Cullens did not actually sleep in this house. Only Renesmee did, and they had all been very careful to remove her scent, and Gabrielle had even for stray strands of her hair that may have lingered in Rosalie and Emmett's old room. Of course, she had last stayed there days ago, since she was mostly at her grandfather's, so since all traces of her vanished without a trace, Gabrielle deemed it safe to put Jacob there and to leave him until he woke up.
Now this house was currently and temporarily occupied by the Loup-Garoux themselves, although Gabrielle also made a mental note to clean everything up and vanish every trace of them, especially if they included traces of their DNA to be picked and inspected, before the realtors came. Sam's pack, Jacob's- no, Leah's pack, and the Council of Elders along with the imprints including Jacob's inconsolable sister, sat in the living room or crowded around his bedside upstairs, as was the case with Rachel and Billy.
Adsila Sizemore strode in. "Gabrielle told me it was over," she said softly, sensing the grave and sombre mood in the house. Well, that was to be expected. "I need to check up on her." She looked around, brows furrowing as she took in the heavy atmosphere that weighed and thickened the air like lead, filling the entire house.
Sam bowed his head, barely reacting to her presence. He sat alone in the corner on an armchair, his entire form radiating solitude or a desire for it. Emily sat hunched at another corner on the sofa, Kim beside her, trying vainly to console or to provide some sort of comfort for her.
Adsila didn't know precisely what had happened, but she knew that, regardless if it had been the outcome that everybody- with the sole exception of Jacob- had desired, it was still not something to celebrate. The air was much too heavy. Gabrielle's message had been brief but clear: they got what they needed.
Adsila sighed, closing her eyes briefly. She supposed she couldn't blame them. Before anyone could speak and she could ask where Gabrielle was, a door upstairs opened, indicating the location of her friend.
Adsila excused herself quietly and made her way up.
When she got to the top floor, she peeked inside the room. Adsila briefly caught a glimpse of someone who looked between a teenage boy or a man- it must have been a Loup-Garou adult- with cropped black hair and russet-coloured skin, which would have looked admirably beautiful except that it also looked ashen and sickly. He lay on the bed, eyes shut, completely unconscious and motionless, as a wheelchair-bound middle-aged man and a young woman, who might've been his family sat anxiously on either side of the bed, while Gabrielle stood at its foot. Adsila recognised the wheelchair-bound man as one of the council members she had questioned and informed of everything during her previous visit to their reserve. The boy and the young woman she also recognised, having had a brief glimpse at the meeting, just before she Disapparated after giving them her warning.
As soon as Gabrielle had seen her however, she quickly but silently made her way out of the room without disturbing the man and the woman who didn't seem to notice the intrusion.
Silently, Gabrielle closed the door behind her.
"It's done?" Adsila asked expectantly, waiting for a better confirmation.
Gabrielle nodded. "It's done." She confirmed. Adsila let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding.
Although this outcome was preferable to any of the others, especially since Leah showed the signs of making what would at least be a good ruling Luna, no one could deny that it was still a painful thing. Gabrielle agreed: Jacob's father and sister, his pack-mates and friends, all of them had to witness the very worst and ugliest part of him, as did Renesmee who, despite what she felt now and their increasingly strained relationship and how it had initially came about, had looked up to and trusted him as an older brother and a friend at some point. The same could be said about Bella, and Gabrielle could only imagine the weight of responsibility she must have felt after seeing Jacob in such a state, as well as her own daughter, knowing full well that her casual teenage flirting and an indulgence in her own curiosity for matters which weren't initially any of her business, was what led to all this, even though both Jacob and Edward were equally to blame. And maybe to an extent, Alice for facilitating and encouraging both Bella and Edward to get together, but most of that was Edward and Bella's fault, along with Jacob who emotionally blackmailed and manipulated Bella. Alice didn't do anything that they didn't let her do to them first.
As for Jacob, Quil had managed to give up Claire, and he did it voluntarily, but Jacob...
Perhaps it was for the best the pack had a new leader. Jacob could now focus on his recovery. He had no other choice.
Adsila looked at her gravely while Gabrielle warded the room from outside to be sound-proof until when Jacob left it. She cursed her oversight for not doing this sooner, but she had other things in her mind and other matters to occupy her attention.
"Everything's finished." She informed Adsila flatly. Gabrielle was fully aware that while she may have warded Jacob's room, the other Wolves were downstairs and could hear every word, but frankly she didn't have the energy to set up a single silencing charm. "Leah Clearwater is officially the new Luna of the pack, Renesmee and Jacob's imprint-bond is completely gone, as if it had never been there in the first place, but they would both need their recovery, especially since Renesmee has been put through traumatic things that would weigh heavily an adult and Jacob never voluntarily surrendered his imprint-connection. It just snapped." Adsila's eyes widened as Gabrielle explained what had happened.
"The entire connection was already built on unstable grounds, and Jacob was never willing to accept or even see the girl for who she is, as opposed to whatever her mother was or did to him, whether he hated or thought she was his soulmate. Besides, he only imprinted because he was in so much pain he couldn't he lost all sense of reason and was about to kill a newborn baby out of revenge for what his parents put him through." Gabrielle said bluntly, causing Adsila to reel back. "There was never anyone there for him to form and feel any sort of connection with, because even after all his pain and rage was gone, he never saw her for who she truly was."
"So you were right?" Adsila asked quietly "he fell in love with the shadow of a shadow?"
Gabrielle nodded. "Leah and I were both right." She corrected gently. "Jacob didn't know the mother that well, either. Much less accepted and loved her for everything she was." She remarked, shaking her head. "The reason he remained friends with her after she transformed was because it was convenient since she was the mother of his imprint. They both made adult decisions and choices, but with the reasoning of teenage children, and they bore the full consequences of adults. The same goes for Edward Cullen, who is perpetually frozen in the mental and emotional state of a seventeen-year-old Edwardian schoolboy. Jacob Black would never normally have killed a child- or anyone- out of revenge for something their family members did to him. And he knew that deep down. That's why his Pull instinct reacted. He didn't do it out of malice, Adsila. He was in pain, he's suffering then and now, and he needs treatment. This is out of anyone else's hands." She said sternly.
"Of course," Adsila said hastily. "I just never imagined..." her voice trailed off softly.
Gabrielle sighed and rubbed her head. "Then that makes everyone, Adsila. Because the rest of the Quileutes are also in shock about this whole thing and what's happened to Jacob and Renesmee, so please keep that in mind." Adsila nodded.
"Of course." She cast a cursory glance towards the direction of the stairs, even though neither could see the crowd in the living room.
"Where is she?" She asked quietly.
"By now, she is bound to be safely ensconced at her grandfather's house which has been safely warded against unwanted intrusion." Gabrielle assured her. "And then she'll be gone. As soon as she is strong and stable enough- and I will go to her to make sure- Renesmee will be moved to the Carpathians."
Adsila bowed her head. "Poor child." She said quietly. She murmured something in her native Cherokee and Quenya, a prayer apparently. Unlike many of the No-Maj division of the tribes in America and Canada, Adsila had learned English as a second or third language taught by someone from the north, whereas Cherokee and her father's Narragansett had been her first two. As a result, despite being from North Carolina she lacked the distinctive Southern accent which was predominant in the state, and upon meeting her most people tended to mistake her for a foreigner due to her Cherokee accent, which also had a tinge of Narragansett from Rhode Island. Like Gabrielle, albeit to a lesser extent, she also honoured the ancient ways and beliefs of her Eldar ancestors.
"And no one attacked you?" Gabrielle shook her head. "None whatsoever. The only person who did any attacking was Jacob, but to Leah, not me, and only after the challenge had been issued. Besides, he had plenty of chances to back out." She sighed, looking thoughtful. "Perhaps this is for the best. Everyone can now heal and move on, and this includes Jacob who can now focus on his recovery without looking over his shoulder and constantly trying to run back to someone who would never want that, and now wants absolutely nothing to do with him. It will be wrong of him to force her to do anything, and I suspect that he knows that, deep down."
Adsila grimaced.
"And the little girl- Renesmee- she was never..." she trailed off, her eyes as well as her voice laden with meaning but also fear as they searched her friend's. "The two of them didn't..."
Gabrielle shook her head. "It never got to that point, and believe me, I've checked." She stated bluntly. "Although grooming isn't that much better than straight-out paedophilia, he never touched or made any inappropriate advances to her- yet. Of course, everyone took it for granted that it was going to happen someday, and she was going to be receptive to it. They never considered that the alternative was going to happen, or that it was ever even an option.
"Physically Renesmee is perfectly fine. Emotionally and mentally..." she sighed. "Well, she's been through a lot more than people more than twice her age. She's gone through a lot of trauma, betrayal from the men she trusted and loved the most at one point, even if it wasn't in a romantic manner for Jacob." Adsila winced in sympathy. "They had been there since her birth, surrounding and keeping her safe, and although she chafed under their control, she always believed it was due to misguided love, unless she was emotionally blackmailed and made to feel guilty, just because she wanted new friends or to go places outside of the only ones she was ever allowed to go to. Renesmee will need a long period of recovery, but Jacob is out of our hands." She reminded Adsila quietly but firmly, her voice filled with more than one meaning.
"Of course." Adsila stated. "Well, I'll have to report back to the president's office about this new development, so would you mind elaborating on the details? What happened exactly after I left?"
As Gabrielle explained Adsila fell silent. Then she said the one thing that was on everybody's minds.
"What a mess." Her voice was flat.
"Still," she sighed. "A limifëa?" Adsila raised an eyebrow, the Quenya word rolling musically off her tongue and melodious voice. "That isn't human magic, Gabrielle. How do we explain this to MACUSA, to the ICW? To anyone?"
Gabrielle scoffed, "Well, firstly this isn't a wizard affair. It's a Wolf one. It really isn't any witch or wizard's business if the Wolves don't involve them in this. This is an internal Loup-Garou affair." Gabrielle insisted. "I only got involved because I was asked to, first by Bella, yes, in more personal matters, but then it led to the Wolves who did know about what had happened and was let in on everything that was discussed between us- some even accidentally overhearing things- and this led to some of them asking me for my direct assistance. Even more so when small children were involved and intentionally groomed for romantic purposes against and without their freely given and uninfluenced consent." Adsila winced and Gabrielle sensed that she wasn't the only one who did when they heard that. "Even more so since none of the imprinters chose to do this to them but would find themselves in extreme agony and mortal peril if the imprinted so much as exerted their right to freely live their lives the way they wish, and their personal choice in who they wished to live them with. I don't think anyone can dispute that this was an emergency, Adsila.
"Secondly, I did as MACUSA told me to: stayed out of the way for the most part, only piping in whenever the more scientific and psychological side of things needed to be explained, same as what I was offering. Emphasis on the word 'offer,'" Gabrielle insisted.
"They are free to take or to leave it." She repeated firmly. There was no room for any argument in her words. "The imprinted couples can stay and make things work, regardless of what anyone will ever say, and no one will ever stop them. No one has the right to. Or they can leave. My option of a limifëa or soul-link is only there because just in case- against all the odds- things don't end up working out between a couple, no matter how much they've tried and how desperate they were to make things work. If that happens, then the soul-link will only make sure that nobody has to die or be killed, or have their entire lives destroyed in any way. That is it. And that includes suffering from extreme pain and guilt because things didn't work out between you and your partner and they can't live with that. Nobody deserves the burden of such crushing guilt, or to be forced to stay against their will because they're afraid the other person might do something: either to them, to other people, or themselves. With this, they can all heal and move on."
In actuality, a limifëa was a general term for spiritual and psychological surgery. Just as the term 'surgery' itself can mean and consist of anything from marrow or organ transplants, removal of a tumour, or the removal of bullets and the patching of such wounds, the limifëa Gabrielle was offering them consisted of both reversing the imprint-connection between the couples or prospective couples, and ensuring that the species' population would never do something like this ever again: be in so much literal agony that the further they merely step away from their imprints that only touching them can bring them any form of pain relief. Or to never to allow them any sort of freedom, including freedom of choice free from their influencing them. Especially in regards to underage children who were more emotionally and psychologically vulnerable than the adults who had already experienced life and knew their own minds and what they wanted. Gabrielle decided to make that issue clear and informed Adsila of this, knowing perfectly well the Wolves were all eavesdropping downstairs.
Adsila sighed, and she was frowning worriedly. It reminded Gabrielle that her friend had a good reason to be so worried and now it was her turn to wince... in guilt as was the case.
Like Gabrielle, Adsila was part-Fey. Gabrielle was part-Veela or Vila, and in Adsila's case, she was part Nunnehi. Both species, despite coming from separate genera as well as continents, were all descended from the Eldar or High Elves, and a limifëa was a branch of an ancient healing magic which belonged to them. But Adsila had been reluctant to use or to endorse the use of any Fey magic for several reasons: firstly, it drew too much attention to all Fey beings and their magic across the world, especially from humans who sought to either use and exploit them- even if they simply wanted to learn how to do it themselves for the greater good- or to see them as a threat, before panicking and finding any sort of excuse to stamp them out since they couldn't control them as they weren't at their beck and call. It had happened in the past, with all manner of Fey beings. And it was what the non-magical humans, and the traitorous Scourers, had hunted and brutally executed witches for as well, when the latter proved to be out of their control and uninterested in aiding them in their affairs. The Fey were already scattered and vulnerable as it was. They didn't need that sort of attention from humanity, if any.
Secondly, Adsila's boyfriend and potential fiancé in the sometime future, Kohana, was likely to be a strong potential candidate for the presidency someday. If Adsila was going to stay with and even marry him at some point, people were going to be watching them both. Adsila's family, the Sizemores, had played a major role in the founding of MACUSA, the formation of Magical America, and its separation from the general No-Maj population, along with the Cherokee one. They had also given Magical America at least one president, the first in the family to be named Adsila, but this Adsila, who was the fourth person to bear that name, could become the first part-human to be involved with a MACUSA president on a more personal level. So if anything suspicious or dubious happened, people were likely to immediately start pointing fingers and claiming that Kohana was completely under her control, and the control of the Nunnehi, or even the other Fey beings who did not put Magical America's needs and interests first. This could all lead to terrible diplomatic relations and a general public outcry at best, and people targeting and attacking members of the Nunnehi population at worst. It wouldn't matter if Adsila was more human than faerie, that her family played a major role for the benefit of Magical America since the beginning, or that she herself had given her all and did more good for her entire country than anyone could have imagined. In people's eyes, she could be nothing more than a wicked, manipulative seductress in the pay of an inhuman race, embroiling the president's office in a sordid scandal that marred the reputation of the presidency and undermined the nation's government. All because she dated Kohana and was born with a faerie grandmother, while still working for MACUSA.
While the Wizarding World had mostly moved past many a prejudice, for some the old views still lingered, even unconsciously or subconsciously in the back of people's minds. It would be hard enough to accept that a sitting president, Magical America's head-of-state, was romantically involved with a human witch who also worked in MACUSA in a different department, especially if that witch had risen to a high enough position. That itself could lead to allegations of corruption and nepotism, without even adding said-witch's part human blood status into the mix. Even if these accusations were all baseless and the couple proved that Adsila had earned her way to her position on her own, as did Kohana, and that he did not involve her in affairs of state as anything other than what her official occupation entailed, the first whisper or rumour could still stain both their reputations and all of their efforts would likely come crashing down. And MACUSA wasn't the British Ministry of Magic prior to the rise of Kingsley Shacklebolt; they were meticulous when it came to rooting out corruption and treachery from the beginning, and took every allegation and accusation seriously, even if they didn't pronounce judgment until the investigation was complete. The Scourers had left a dark mark on the psyche of American wizards and witches. But even if they found no evidence for such things, whispers and accusations of scandal could still shake the public's trust in their government, and could ruin if not the two of them, then MACUSA and, potentially, the whole of America.
Adsila looked exhaustedly towards Gabrielle who was still cringing. Both knew that by being romantically involved with a potential future president, or at least a future candidate for the presidency or a very high office, would mean that Adsila's own position in MACUSA was on shaky grounds. Her career could come to an abrupt end before Kohana was even officially nominated for the presidency. And as much as she loved her job and valued her reputation, she also loved Kohana, likely even more than her job, but it was still hard to give everything up. And it was completely unfair for her to potentially be put into such a position where she would have to choose between both.
Gabrielle felt very guilty knowing all of this. Her personal involvement would not likely make Adsila or Kohana's lives any easier.
"No one has to know," she assured Adsila "this is an internal Loup-Garou affair," she repeated.
Adsila sighed. "Very well. I'll just inform the president that you've reversed the imprint-connection and the little girl is free from any potential or lasting threat or harm, with no physical damage. No need to elaborate, even if he does ask questions." She stated dryly. "I'll just tell him it's too complicated for us who don't have the expertise to describe that sort of thing, which is technically true, so I'm not lying to the president of MACUSA. But it's very hard since you're in the employ of the ICW, to keep a tight lid onto things. The Wolves are one thing, but the Fey..." she trailed off and Gabrielle, once again, involuntarily winced. "I can only hope they can leave them all alone." She warned darkly.
"I suppose it would have been too difficult to do things the traditional way of wizards." That wasn't a question, but Gabrielle sighed and nodded.
"There was little time and it was far too complex." she stated. "Even if witches and wizards have explored and done similar things to this at some point in our history, most of the information is now lost. Not that they were likely to, since I have never heard or imagined anyone binding their souls permanently together, not even happily married couples- and wizards have fewer divorces than non-magicals. They'd have to be mad to do something like this, hindering their own personal internal growth, as individuals, especially since anyone can change their minds. I had to do it the faerie way for the sake of effectiveness and time, especially since it was an emergency that put them at risk."
Adsila hummed thoughtfully. "Fine. I'm not going to dispute that you did the right thing. No one in their right minds will." She agreed, her voice and expression softening. "Besides, Astral-Projection isn't a common ability in humans, as you know. In fact, it's more rare than seers."
Gabrielle was fully aware that, due to their sharp senses and the involuntary need to distract themselves from the desperate tension below, the Wolves downstairs were all listening to everything the two of them were saying, but she didn't care. Besides, she thought that it might at least convince the few who were still uncertain and undecided to do the right thing. Dare she hope?
"But can you blame me for worrying?" Her friend was asking. "If what everyone said is true and these guys can't even manage it when their girlfriends make a weekend getaway, spend time with their other friends, or have any time on their own without them..." she trailed off. "I couldn't imagine how they were going to react when you come up with a solution- a solution to a problem that they may not even accept that they have- and one certainly didn't." Adsila's eyes flicked pointedly towards the direction of the closed door. Her arms crossed. "If they had reacted badly and attacked you when you offered them help- which has a tendency to happen in the past, despite all the diplomatic skills in the world, don't deny that- then this could have caused a severe backlash from the international magical community- and the Fey." She warned darkly.
"No wonder the other Wolves didn't even want to approach the Quileute packs until all of this had been resolved. Violence could have easily erupted, fuelled by international and interspecies outrage- and you've made a lot of friends. Don't kid yourself, Gabrielle. You are not an ordinary diplomat or a scientist. We need you." Adsila stated coldly. "And I don't think anyone who couldn't think clearly in letting their girlfriends have their personal space, or allow them to choose anyone of their own free will without trying to push them in order to accept them by any means, will hesitate in trying to hurt you. Can you not think about that for a second?"
Gabrielle sighed. "I understand," she murmured gravely.
"Good." Adsila stared her down, her eyes deep liquid orbs of polished jet. She sighed, shaking her head. "We've just resolved this diplomatic issue with the vampires," she warned "we don't need another conflict with another kind. And we certainly don't need to lose you, for any reason." Her eyes softened.
"The next time you do something like this, you're going be assigned a security detail." Gabrielle's jaw dropped to the floor.
"You cannot be serious!" She said aghast. Gabrielle felt outraged, but Adsila shook her head. "Don't be stubborn, Gabrielle. No one cares if the violence was directed at somebody else other than you. You were still there, in its near vicinity. I know that since I work for MACUSA, I represent them in all its official capacity, meaning I have to think about the entirety of the nation- and its government whenever I encounter a new species or kind of being. So while I understand I am required to leave so that hostilities and conflicts don't erupt between both kinds- and maybe even the Fey as well- it doesn't mean that no one is going to target you, especially since you work for the ICW, even if you weren't there on any official business. You're still representing them, and even though you promised to Disapparate at the first sign of hostilities targeted towards you, that was still too close a call and you've made yourself invaluable- to everyone." Her eyes flashed. "So unbend your idealism and look at this more realistically: you are not just another scientist or a diplomat. To the international magical community, and other societies worldwide that you've aided and made contact with while helping to establish or mend diplomatic or other relations, you are indispensable. We cannot afford to lose you." She said darkly.
"Especially not with what's happening in the non-magical world and in ours."
Gabrielle was silent. Her irritation dissipated. "I understand," she said quietly after a while. Guilt welled within her again.
"And as your friend," Adsila emphasised "I know I would never forgive myself if anything happened to you that anyone could easily prevent, including myself." She stated. "Even though I have to put the nation first. I would prefer it if you never ask me to walk away from a tense situation that could potentially escalate while leaving you behind." She shook her head. "Never again, do you understand?"
Gabrielle sighed again. Her guilt was reaching to rather high levels. Adsila looked like she'd been staying on high alert just waiting to leap at the slightest bit of news from Forks. Even worse was the knowledge that Adsila had been through war. While the Second Wizarding War had decimated Britain, other countries had also been affected. Adsila had been sent to school one year early, as did Ava, their families thinking that the children would have been safer there; but Ilvermorny, like Durmstrang, Beauxbatons, Mahoutokoro, Castelobruxo, and Uagadou, along with every other major magical school in the world, had all been targeted by Voldemort's overseas supporters, even though they didn't have as much control and manage to breach their defences as they had Hogwarts- and that was only because they had orchestrated a coup and taken over the Ministry in Britain. Still, Gabrielle had been eleven at the start of the darkest point of the war, in her first year at school, and Adsila and Ava had both been but a year younger. Each of them remembered the Death Eaters' attempts to breach and prevent MACUSA and the French Ministry of Magic from coming to the schools' aid, while they huddled in fear with the younger kids. Gabrielle also had a close brush with the enemy when they had crashed her sister's wedding celebrations, especially since not only were Bill's family a known group of 'Blood-Traitors' who were friends with both Muggle-borns and Harry Potter, the Death Eaters had more contempt for part-humans than anyone with non-magical blood. The only reason that she and her parents managed to return to France was because the Death Eaters didn't want to risk open hostilities with foreign nations just yet and Viktor Krum was a prominent, well, famous foreign national, and he was intimidating when he defended them.
Yet while the Death Eaters' attempts to breach Beauxbatons had quickly failed, they got much closer to breaching Ilvermorny's, although they still hadn't quite made it. Yet the students had all lived in abject fear and terror for their lives and those of their friends and families, especially since the teachers and older students took it upon themselves to defend the castle personally, and trained and armed the younger students just in case the castle was breached, and all attempts at communicating with the outside world had been magically halted. Adsila had also lost a great many family members during the war, and she had seen some of her friends and teachers die. And she was only ten at the time. Compared to her, Gabrielle and her family had been lucky, even though they had been forced to reluctantly leave Fleur behind at her request. Still, Adsila wasn't overreacting. She had a point: not everybody had liked Gabrielle's discovery and published evidence explaining how non-magical parents could produce an actively magical child. And especially now that the scientific proof could not be denied, the various remnants of Pure-Blood supremacist groups felt threatened by this revelation- and of Gabrielle's success since she was a part-human.
"I am sorry, Adsila. I didn't mean to put you into that situation." She said quietly. Adsila nodded. "I know. Just be careful next time. And for the Valar's sake! Accept the president's offer of a damned security detail whenever you're in America, before I hex the next idiot who tries to cross me! I am not in a good mood!"
She huffed and turned on her heel, descending down the stairs. Gabrielle winced as she disappeared from view and exited the house. Seconds later she heard a pop.
Embarrassment and shame filled her, but she knew she deserved it. And she appreciated Adsila, as both a friend and an ally. Gabrielle had not been unmoved.
Gabrielle sighed as she inwardly decided that a visit to New York to the president's office was in order- along with something for Adsila. She rubbed her head.
Deciding that she had done all that she could for Jacob, and what he needed now was undisturbed rest, she made her way downstairs.
I hate politics, Gabrielle thought. But it was something that nobody simply could escape from. Politics defined their everyday lives. But the Wolves at least had a simpler version of things, and so did the Fey. Honestly, she would never question or belittle Adsila's choice in either career or romantic interest, but Gabrielle wasn't sure if a career in politics was worth all the trouble. Percy Weasley himself must have had shoulders made of iron.
Poor Leah, she thought. And poor Sam as well, since he had to deal with all his personal issues as well as leading the pack. Now everything had been publicly exposed. Well, they had always been that way for Leah, but it still was far from ideal. And she certainly also felt sorry for Emily too, even if she wasn't directly involved in politics.
Gabrielle was fully aware of all the stares she was receiving due to their conversation, some attempting to be covert, but she ignored it.
She entered the kitchen, waved her wand and conjured a tin full of tea bags and several mugs, since they could hardly be expected to have the energy to be dainty. She made sure that she had enough for the whole crowd, and for Billy and Rachel who were upstairs. The tea was a specially designed mix to calm anxiety, nerves, and to de-stress. In full view of the crowd watching from behind, Gabrielle used magic to levitate the bags out of the tin and into each mug, before conjuring water into them.
She turned to her audience, before conjuring a tray and breaking the awkward silence. "The Cullens don't consume human food and drink, and all their cutlery and dining services were for decorative and collective purposes only. Besides, they're gone. Still, tea's here if you want it. Personally, I think we all need it."
She waved her wand and the steaming mugs of tea floated towards each individual in the room. They stared, wide-eyed.
"I haven't poisoned it," Gabrielle promised dryly, knowing that they were still unused to the sight of magic. She drank from her own mug. Sue was the first to move. She sighed and took her mug, murmuring her thanks. Seth and Leah did the same, as did Quil and Embry. The rest soon followed, cautiously sipping at first, but Gabrielle saw the tension in their muscles had relaxed somewhat.
"What's going to happen to Jacob now?" Embry asked.
Gabrielle swallowed her tea. "Well, once he wakes, I'll do another check. Even though it's largely superfluous by this point, it's better to be safe than sorry. Once he recovers his strength, we'll contact another pack up in Canada. They have a treatment centre for Wolves, and its best for Jacob to be looked after and brought back to his normal self from there, as well as sorting out all the... internal issues that he has. We've contacted them and the Alpha of the Appalachians pack has ensured admittance and treatment for Jacob by speaking to their Council and Alpha. It's free of charge apparently, so you don't have to worry about that," Gabrielle assured them hastily. "He will be with other Wolves, and he will be surrounded by family: both Billy and Rachel have decided to go so they could be there for him for every step of the way. Rachel and Jacob's sister, Rebecca, has also been contacted. She doesn't know anything yet, but she knows it's an emergency and she wants to be there for her brother. She'll come as soon as she's able, if she's able to make it." Gabrielle frowned. "They said she was pregnant and no one wishes to give her any strain, so she can't be there for long, but she still wants to come."
Not that anybody wishes to rub anything further into Jacob's face, Gabrielle thought. His older sister, another person whom he loved but had abandoned him, happily married and expecting her first child... well, she only hoped that when Rebecca Black did make it up to Canada, after first hoping that she didn't freak out when she found out the truth, that Jacob had recovered sufficiently enough to not get upset at the sight of his other missing sister. Or the one that was currently present, anyway.
"I suggest you give them some time and space," she said gently "this is a trying time for them all and they don't want to be disturbed. Everyone is very upset. Jacob..." she sighed closing her eyes. Gabrielle put the mug to one side.
"Jacob will be well taken care of," she assured them firmly but gently. "He will recover, but the rest... is up to him. Jacob's fate is firmly in his own hands and no one else's. He can imprint again, not when he tries to force it to happen just to move on and heal but when he's ready for it internally; emotionally and mentally, not just physically. But he won't feel like he's in pain if he walks away from her so much that only walking back to and being right next to her is the only thing that can make it stop. And while it's always devastating when a relationship doesn't work out, Jacob won't die or feel like he won't survive, or even feel like his entire life's been destroyed and has no meaning if that does happen again, although God forbid." She reiterated calmly. "He can simply imprint again after a while until he finds his perfect match and they've found a way to make things work for both of them."
No, Gabrielle thought that once Jacob woke and recovered enough to know what had happened, he would be in severe grief- so much that they would likely have to restrain him. Firstly, because the girl who had been the centre of his universe was now gone, but when it sunk in and he knew that what Gabrielle and everyone else had said was correct, because he finally realised what he did was wrong, and that it had all been for nothing since he was completely wrong about Renesmee being either his soulmate or a monster as well. In the end, Jacob was likely to be suffering from so much shame and guilt he was unlikely to even want to return and show his face here.
Once again, silence ensued as the audience absorbed everything she had just said. Gabrielle stood in silence, understanding and a bit of sympathy in her gaze.
"It's up to Jacob to do what he wishes with his life," Gabrielle repeated quietly, after a moment. "He is able to heal and move on- if he wishes. He can't force himself the way he tried when he was broken about Bella. It doesn't work that way. And the Cullens are gone, including Renesmee. They're not coming back, even if Bella and Renesmee visits their father and grandfather- which, of course they have a right to do-" Gabrielle arched an eyebrow, daring anyone to dispute her claim, but no one said a word "-they'll be leaving for good. This house, and the cottage that the Cullens have built for Bella and Edward, have been put up for sale or for rent. I don't know which, but it's no longer their home. This place... has too many memories, and they're fully aware that they've overstayed and overextended their welcome, or rather Edward has, and this has stained them all in your eyes. Or at least, you may acknowledge and even accept that the rest of them are not to blame, but they know you aren't going to be comfortable with them hanging around. And they neither blame you for that nor would they expect you to be. All they ask is that you allow Bella and Renesmee to visit Chief Swan. That is all. The rest of them have no intention to come back, even if they wanted it." She paused.
Slowly, one by one, all the Wolves and council members nodded in agreement. "I don't know where the Cullens will settle in the end, but they're heading to the Old-World Coven in the Carpathians. They'll stay there for about a year, along with the other vampires you've seen on New Year's Eve, the ones who stood with them, with the exception of Stefan and Vladimir of the Romanian coven who were executed by the Volturi. This is a testing time for them all, since the Volturi are now dead and gone."
That got some startled looks. Sam looked up, blinked and straightened, returning his full attention as he slowly realised what Gabrielle had just said. Jared blinked in shock, his eyes widened, and the council members exchanged startled looks at the mention of that the enemy, who had threatened them with an army marching to their very doorstep and forced some of their adolescent sons to phase prematurely (for their species), had suddenly just been eliminated. While Gabrielle had informed them of Edward's ultimate sentence, they didn't know what happened to the Volturi. The imprints and the other Wolves all looked at each other and back to Gabrielle, astonished.
"Aro, Caius and the guiltiest members of their guard were sentenced to death and executed for the crimes of murdering Luciano Della Rosa and his nine-year-old daughter Vittoria, along with the non-magical humans who had accidentally spotted Edward trying to expose himself- and the rest of his kind- to the crowd in Volterra's town square, when he attempted to provoke them into assisting his suicide, due to Bella's own supposed suicide." Gabrielle sipped again from her mug. "There were also other crimes involved, more sordid ones complete with backstabbing, betrayal and other intrigues all in the name of power." She grimaced remembering what they had done to Sulpicia, Athenodora, Didyme, Heidi, the twins, and Marcus. "Their sentence has already been carried out." No need to tell them how they met their end. "Which means that the vampires of the Cullens' species are completely leaderless. They have to establish a new government and a society completely separate from the human world, as both my kind and the other vampires won't tolerate them preying upon or even endangering humans. It is no longer permitted or tolerated."
This sent a massive wave of pure relief throughout the Quileutes, as a few even shivered or shuddered as that statement sank in. "And when they established that law and agreed upon it, as it's no longer seen as morally acceptable or even tolerable, as well as endangering their own kind as well as the humans, they will be able to receive blood and blood-products to sustain them from my kind and the other vampires, as well as their assistance in staying hidden from non-magical humans, along with alliances of all kinds, in return for their compliance with this newfound agreement. It wasn't hard to convince many of them, since it's becoming increasingly more difficult than it was, even mere decades earlier, to find a single human who won't be missed and searched for, or who can be easily disposed without clueing in the non-magical humans who are growing increasingly sharp. It's no longer a safe world for any being or animal belonging to the supernatural, not if they wish to be left alone by the non-magical human world. That's part of the reason why other packs such as the one from the Appalachians and Vermont have reached out to you. They claim that it's safer for everyone, themselves as well as you, if you could help each other stay hidden and safe from not just non-magical humans and their governments, science and intelligence agencies, but from other supernatural threats that may mean them harm. While the Vampire Confederation aren't interested in starting a war with you, there are still tensions, and it's becoming increasingly hard to stay hidden from CCTV cameras, satellites, government agencies, or just human cryptid hunters hunting for proof of the supernatural that they could publish." Gabrielle paused briefly, silence lingering until she spoke again.
She had now broached the second topic that she needed to discuss with them.
"They reached out to you because they want an alliance, and because they're afraid that if even one person slips up, either one of yours or theirs, or another species and pack, and is accidentally glimpsed by a human, the rest is sure to follow." She paused. "The now-Vermont-based Wolves can attest to the many times they've lost their homes because they were driven out, the last time only being between 1996 and 1997. They don't want to take the risk of anyone, especially the non-magical governments of this world or an intergovernmental organisation like the UN or NATO, catching anyone off-guard, which some cryptid hunters already have with you."
Gabrielle pulled out an old flyer and showed it to the crowd. There was a caption in bold capitals that read: SAVE THE OLYMPIC WOLF underneath a detailed drawing of a large wolf howling under a fir tree. "There was also talk heard within the local high school nearby," Gabrielle pointed. "At least a few students claimed to have gone camping and seen something which a few- very luckily- brushed off as being a bear, but the ones that saw them insisted it wasn't a bear, and some even claimed it was a wolf but much larger."
There had been a lot of unpleasant revelations in less than twenty-four hours. Gabrielle conceded that the Wolves and their imprints, at least the ones who were determined not to go, needed more time.
But unfortunately for them, they didn't have much of it.
"You were all lucky that it wasn't an actual photograph that someone took, or that any of them didn't get a clear or closer look at any of you," she said calmly, putting the flyer to one side. "But that doesn't mean that it can't happen. A lot of cryptid hunters go around the Pacific Northwest. Some of them may not even be looking for you, but for Sasquatches and there's a community nearby. Still, it doesn't mean that at the first sign of having stumbled across something unusual, they won't capture anything on film or photograph, or spread the word and send more people your way. And before you say that you have at least one police officer on your side, do you really think that it's fair to put the entire burden of keeping your existence a secret and your species safe onto Chief Swan's shoulders? Especially since he's already been through so much, is probably going to have to deal with more, and has to do his job at the same time, while dealing with trying to keep you safe from the federal authorities?"
A few people winced. The rest looked at one another. "How long before they bring the guns?" Gabrielle asked calmly. "Or come knocking onto your front doors to question the humans living in your homes? Only last decade did the pack now in Vermont lose their home in West Virginia when it was set fire by a group of werewolf-hunting arsonists, and it all started because one teenage boy lost control, phased in front of, and attacked a girl at the back of their high school dance when she rejected him. Tell me that has no possibility of happening here."
Everybody flinched. Gabrielle knew that they must've had way too many close calls.
"While it may be up to you in the end, just know that it takes only one person being exposed for the rest to fall like a line of dominoes or a house of cards." She said bluntly. "That's why they want to make an alliance. The vampires have their Confederation and the High Council, magicals have the International Confederation of Wizards... Just hear them out, that's all they're asking now. You don't have to promise anything else, but..." she trailed off helplessly. "It's becoming undeniably less safe for supernatural beings and animals to live in a world that seems to be shrinking and has already been increasingly dominated by non-magical humans."
That was all she could do for Vivian, Gabriel, and James' causes, and those of their packs. But Gabrielle knew how to make a point.
Her mind returned to the Carpathians, where Radu was. She knew there was no future for either of them, especially where Viktor and his supporters were involved. They would soon have no choice but to cut their journey together short, or else it would be done for them.
"There are people who make things happen, there are people who watch things happen, and there are people who wonder what happened. To be successful, you need to be a person who makes things happen."
Jim Lovell
Bella
In the end, we left like a group of thieves in the night. We didn't even have time to say our goodbyes properly. There was just so much to focus on, so much to worry about, especially since all immediate activities were suspended and everybody's attention were all focused solely on two individuals: Jacob and Renesmee' both fully separated now. And I already felt shame for my part in everything that had happened.
I couldn't even begin to imagine what Sam must be feeling, or Emily, or Paul, or Jared, or Kim. But I hoped that they could all look in Quil's direction and gain some strength through him from all this. And Leah too. Her world had been turned upside down and shattered so many times, yet she'd turned it back around and came out on top. She was now officially the Luna of the pack.
But at what cost?
The last sight I had of Jacob Black was him motionless and lying unconscious on the Cullens' dining room table, before the other Wolves slowly, gently and carefully, as if he were made of glass, carried him to one of the few rooms where a bed had been installed and remained, to begin his recovery. That one had thankfully been made with new sheets, although we had to strip the dustsheets off of it. Gabrielle had insisted we prepare a room for a soul-link to take place, just in case.
I never knew that this would be the last time I would ever see the boy who had been my best friend, my source of strength and worry, who had picked me up when I fell and helped me face another day, distracted me whenever I was anxious or afraid, and been through so much together with, even though I never deserved him.
I would never see him again.
But in that moment, I had my daughter to focus and worry about. I would have to trust Gabrielle and the other Wolves to look after Jacob. I had to get Renesmee to my father's.
We snuck away as quietly and gently as we could. When we knocked on the front door, Charlie opened it. I could see from the look in his eyes he had been warned what was about to happen. What he didn't expect was to find Renesmee, unconscious and motionless, in my arms.
"Help." I whispered.
Less than a minute later, we were all inside. I carried Renesmee up to my old bedroom. The bed was still there, same as the rocking chair and desk. Rosalie drew the curtains and I laid Renesmee gently down on the bed.
I knew Charlie was no aware that we were vampires, but right now, just by looking into his eyes, I could see that Renesmee was the only thing that mattered.
"What happened?" He asked urgently.
I swallowed a sob. On top of everything else I felt, including never-before-seen levels of guilt and shame, I felt so disgusted with myself, so pathetic, that here I was having caused all this suffering, including with my daughter's trauma, destroyed innocence, and unconscious state along with her life being potentially put in danger more times than I could count; as well as me causing unimaginable pain to Jacob, the boy whom I considered to be my best friend, who loved and picked me up when I was down, but whom I had used and played with, like a toy.
And here I was, being able to only cry about it. Just like when Jacob overheard about my engagement.
Hastily, Carlisle and Esme explained what had happened, with Jasper and Emmett occasionally piping in. They moved everyone away from the bed to give Renesmee some space and some peace and quiet to rest. Only Rosalie and I stayed by her bedside.
My window was sealed firmly shut. When I saw that through the flimsy curtains that Rosalie had drawn, I could relax.
I was fully aware of the irony: once that window being left open and someone climbing in had been the source of my greatest joy and the highlight of my day.
I wanted to nail the damned thing shut.
Alice also drew the drapes. I felt a brief rushing of gratitude towards her for that one action; despite knowing that this house was filled with magical wards and that Leah was now in charge of one of the packs, more than anything I feared that someone could look in, and worse, get inside. It had been too easy for Edward in the past, and, at one point, Jacob.
How could things have ended this way?
I asked myself. And again, I kept asking the one question I seemed to be asking since Adsila Sizemore came and questioned us, Charlie confronted me, and Edward was arrested. How could I have been so stupid?
But I didn't have time to ponder my answer... or my regrets. I had to focus on the one remaining figure I had in my life left to focus on: Renesmee.
I took a deep breath and exhaled, shuddering. I couldn't weep. I didn't have time for even tension. My daughter needed to recover and heal from all this. Even without the imprint-connection being harshly and suddenly severed, she still had a lot of trauma she had to deal with and heal from.
And it was all my fault. Well, my fault, Edward's and Jacob's.
Renesmee breathed evenly in her sleep. Her bronze curls were spilled across the pillow. Her ruby lips were slightly parted, and the colour had started to return on her cheeks. That was a good sign, right?
It had to be. I had so little left to pray for, only for my daughter and Jacob to recover, and for them to heal and move on with their lives without this having destroyed everything completely for them both. If God would ever listen to someone who disrespected and almost disowned her own father, consequently breaking one of the Ten Commandments; traded her soul for an alluring and dazzling monster and became one voluntarily for the sake of beauty, grace, eternal youth, and invincibility as well as a false love; and then been a bad mother and first unintentionally and then intentionally pushing her daughter to be with a man whose heart she had broken, even for the sake of her child's safety as well as healing Jacob and appeasing Sam's pack... Well, even if I couldn't be forgiven for any of the sins I'd committed, then at least no one else should have to pay for them. Especially not the one who did any wrong because of everything I did, even though he was also guilty of other things, as well as an innocent child.
They didn't do anything wrong, I prayed. Well, Renesmee didn't. But even Jacob's sins weren't solely his fault.
If anyone should be punished, it should be me.
I squeezed my eyes shut, my bruised, battered and already-broken heart feeling like it was ready to give out, if it still needed to beat in order for me to live. I wasn't even sure if there was any hope for either Jacob or Renesmee's futures. Or Edward's.
Or mine. But I could live with the last one. I'd asked for that.
What do I do? Oh, God, what should I do?
What can I do?