Renesme's Dream

Epilogue: Part I: Waking Up and Running

Epilogue: Part I : Waking Up and Running:

Rene awoke a week later, a little groggy but refreshed.

“I’ve never seen a vampire pass out before.” Carlisle told her as he examined her. “That was certainly a first.”

“What did I miss while I was out?”

I laughed. “A lot!” Carlisle and I brought her a raccoon that was by the house, and sat with her on the front porch as she regained her strength. We filled her in, telling her all that she had missed.

“Oh honey! I’m so sorry! I wish I had been able to hold on for a few more minutes, I could have healed him.” She said when I told her of Edward’s death and healing.

“It’s ok, it’s not your fault, mom.” I put my arm around her, hugging her to me.

“How is Charlie doing?” She asked.

I smirked. “Pretty well, actually. He and Tanya seem to have hit it off pretty well. They’ve been spending a lot of time together.”

“Really? Well good for him!” She smiled. “Has Phil been ok without me?”

“He’s done alright. He spend most of his time sitting with you, watching over you, telling you every little detail of what’s been happening. He’s sweet.” I smiled at her.

Renesme and Max came out to see her, and showed her the get well cards they had made for her with crayons and construction paper. 

“What happens next?” She asked me after they went back inside.

Carlisle sighed. “That’s a very good question. We’ve had a few meetings to try and decide that…everyone seems to have different ideas of how our world should be run now that the Volturi are out of the picture. We have been unable to decide anything, and after yesterday’s meeting, we decided to take a few days and just recover from the war and mourn those we lost.”

“Was it a war? I thought it was just a couple of fights.” Rene asked, confused.

“It was definitely a war.” Carlisle said darkly. “The Volturi have reigned as our rulers for hundreds of years. It was not always my family who fought them, but vampires have been oppressed, hunted, tortured, and murdered by them during their entire reign. People fought back against them. They never won, until now. But yes, Rene. This war has been drudging onwards for hundreds of years. We may not have lost a large number in this battle, but over the years many people have died under the Volturi.”

Rene sat quietly, not sure how to respond. “I didn’t know things had been that bad for so long.”

Carlisle nodded sadly. “That is one thing I wish we could do….have a written history of our kind. It’s too dangerous, though. If humans ever found it….” He trailed off, lost in thought. “Well, I had better go let Esme know how you’re doing.”

Rene turned to me. “Dear…how are you, really?”

I sighed. “Exhausted. I know I can’t be physically tired, but mentally and emotionally…”

“I hear you…I haven’t gone through half of what you have, but I’m fried. So what happened at yesterday’s meeting that made them decide to take a break?”
“It was….intense. The vampires have all split into three groups: those that want a monarchy, a single ruling vampire; those that want a democracy; and those that want a free people with no rules. Each group feels strongly about it, and yesterday things got so heated that some unkind words were exchanged between Siobhan and Amun. We decided that we all needed some space to cool off and think things through. It’s a huge decision, no one is taking it lightly. Especially Carlisle and Garrett.”

“Who is in these meetings? I mean, is it just leaders, or does everyone get a say?”

“Everyone does! Even the kids.”

“So….would I be able to contribute? Even though I’ve only been a vampire for a couple of weeks?”

I smiled. “Absolutely. I’m sure they would like your opinion.”  

“Hmm…I’ve got some thinking to do then.”

*~*~*~*~*~*

“Bella!” Charlie called to me right as I was about to jump across the river with Jacob and the kids. “Can I join you?”

“Sure, Dad.” I was a bit surprised- Charlie had been almost avoiding me this past week, spending all of his time with Tanya.

“I have something I need to talk to you about.” He said gruffly. His uncomfortable stance and posture were typical “I have something awkward and emotional I need to talk to you about” body language, and it subconsciously got my defenses up. Charlie and I hated emotional conversations.

“Um…okay.  Run with us.” I motioned for Jacob to take the kids and get a head start.

“Well,” He said after a few minutes of silent running. “It’s about Tanya…”

I figured that much. “What about her? You two seem to be getting along pretty well.”

“Yes, we are. I…I really like her, Bella. I want to go with her back to Denali when she and her family leave. I just wanted to make sure that was okay with you.”

“Of course!”

“Are you sure? I mean, we haven’t seen each other for so long, then when we finally do get to see each other I get bitten and turned into..well, one of these things. I was counting on some time with you and the kids…but I haven’t felt like this since Sue died. I don’t want to miss my chance.”

“Dad, I want time with you too. But that’s one of the perks of being a vampire- we have plenty of time, trust me.” I smiled as we ran. “Do whatever makes you happy Dad. If it’s going with Tanya then you should go- I’m sure there will be a lot more visits between our families now.”

“Thanks, Bells.”

I laughed. “It’s the least I can do- you let me get married at eighteen, after all.”

I heard him grumble in a low voice, “Don’t remind me.”

***I'm so sorry I was away for so long! I had massive writer's block! Also sorry this one is so short, it was just to get back into the habbit of writing again. I am already almost done with the next chapter! I hope you like this one, please vote and comment! And a HUGE THANK YOU for all comments on the last chapter!! It really kept me motivated to keep going =)