Lover | Edward Cullen

Ch. 38: Reunion

Kate and Garett left almost immediately, leaving the rest of us to await news from them. We were all tightly wound up, desperate for any information.

Thus, when we heard a knock at our door, we rushed to answer it.

"Ana!" My head whipped around at the sound of my husband speaking my sister's name.

"Anastasia," I whispered, a grin coming to my lips.

"Addie." She grinned back, running at vampire speed and embracing me. We held each other tightly, laughing almost deliriously.

"How's my little niece?" She inquired. Carmen stepped forward with Luna, offering the baby to my sister, who didn't hesitate to scoop her up.

"Your favorite auntie's missed you, darling!" She cooed, leaning down to kiss Luna's little nose.

I smiled. "She missed you, too." My little moon babbled as if to say she agreed.

"I think she actually is agreeing, Love." Edward corrected me, moving to stand behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist.

I grinned wider, then frowned, leaning my head against Edward's shoulder as I felt a rush of guilt. How could I ever be so happy when Luna's life was at risk and we didn't even know if Renesmee had a life at all?

"Don't feel bad." Edward pressed a kiss to the top of my head. "We know Nessie is alright, and we will find a way to keep both our daughters safe and sound."

"I love you." I murmured quietly, leaning away from him to look into his eyes. He smiled.

"As I love you."

"She's getting so big," my sister remarked, tapping Luna's nose. My baby giggled, a toothless grin on her small face.

"You're almost as big as Nessie," she croons, her smile gaining a sad edge. Luna reacts to the name, glancing around like she thinks she'll find her sister waiting to surprise her. I don't know, but I think she misses her.

Ana stays after that, becoming a part of our daily routines. We spend our time skimming the Denalis' library for anything that could help while taking turns caring for the baby. One would think it'd mostly be Edward or I, but Anastasia and Carmen were oddly fond of the little thing.

We settled into this monotonous routine, bored out of our minds, until a call from Alice shook us out of our stupor.

"Good morning, Alice," my husband had said when he answered the phone.

"Is Addie there? And Luna?" Her voice was panicked.

"Yes, they are. Alice, what is going on?" He demanded impatiently, a hand shooting out and gripping my arm, tugging me closer to him.

"I've just had a vision. The Volturi are accelerating their schedule at Bella's demand. We have two weeks, Edward." 

I nearly dropped the pile of books I was holding.

Two weeks? We've had no news from Harriet or any of her children, not to mention no preparation for any sort of battle, should it come down to it. Most of our witnesses hadn't even encountered Ayden yet, let alone Luna.

"It'll be okay, love," Edward said. But his voice was empty, like he was trying to persuade himself more than me. I wouldn't be surprised—if I'm worried, he must be terrified. He knew far better than I did what Isabella was willing to do.

"I'll call Katie right now." Tanya stepped into the next room like we wouldn't all hear them question each other anyway.

I met Edward's eyes, and we picked the stack of notebooks I'd been holding back up.

We'd need a lot more evidence if we were going to keep our family safe.

I put down another book, my eyelids heavy.

I hadn't found anything yet today, but Aro's library was extensive—there had to be something.

Isabella never knows it, when I come here. She, along with all the others, think I'm sound asleep. I should be, since I need rest desperately, but I can't stop thinking about my family.

Momma would disapprove, if she were here. She'd be herding me to bed, standing outside my door if not in my room until my heartbeat slowed and she was confident I was fast asleep. I longed for her now, her soft affection. It had been just three weeks since I'd seen her, but I still missed her like it'd been years.

Suddenly, the door creaks. I leap to my feet, preparing for a fight when I see the small silhouettes of Aro's children.

Jason and Sophia were born to Aro and a pair of now-dead human sisters. He wanted powerful hybrids and he got them—Soph can control people with her mind, and Jason can read memories off of objects, not people like his father.

They're young—Jason is just six months old, like a six-year-old in human years, and Sophia is essentially four.

"Ness?" Sophia comes in first, plopping into one of the chairs near me. Jace follows silently, a shadow. Wordlessly, they each pick up books.

They know what I do at night, and no matter how I discourage them, they persist. Just shows that no matter how monstrous one's parents are, a child can always be better than those who made it.