After Forever (a Twilight Saga fanfiction: 10 years after Breaking Dawn)

13 ∘ Dangerous (BPOV)

September 14th, 2016

"Edward?" I heard my mother say. Alice wrapped her arms tighter around me.

"Hello, Renée."

"He doesn't look any older than the last time I saw him..." she said to herself.

He acted like he didn't hear her. "How have you been?"

"What are you doing?" I heard Jacob's voice, lower than any human could hear.

"She would have kept insisting."

"I've been... better." She sounded dazed, and took a long pause. "Another Cullen?"

"Yes. Renesmee is my biological niece. Carlisle adopted her a few years ago. My family is here to plan the wedding."

"She's your niece? Why'd she say Charlie was her grandfather?"

"She likes to tease me about my age," Charlie commented. She was about to say something again, but she was cut off.

Joseph started crying. Edward, Nessie, and Jacob told her they should get him. Before she could ask any more questions, they were gone, and Charlie sat her back down. Emily was already upstairs.

Edward grabbed me and held me as he ran out the door. Everyone else followed behind.

Edward laid me on the couch, and sat on the floor next to me. I felt sick. But I didn't know what to do about it.

I didn't know what to do about anything. My mother just showed up out of the blue.

I suddenly remembered why, and my mood shifted.

Her husband just died. Her allegedly dead daughter's birthday was yesterday, and she needed comfort. I felt selfish.

I didn't think she could handle knowing. That's why I never continued to be in her life. Charlie knew.

Well, he didn't know. We never told him, but we knew he had his suspicions. He didn't like to know every detail of everything. He didn't care. He just wanted to be with me. And he was. So everyone was happy.

Until now.

My mother would never stop asking questions. She couldn't know. She would be killed if the Volturi found out.

The only other solution is to change her. And I didn't think she would be happy in this life.

But I didn't know her anymore.

She didn't have any family left. She might love having a second chance.

I didn't even think she knew Charlie got married. She hadn't been involved in our lives since she was informed of my death. Well, as far as I was aware. Maybe Charlie hid her from me to protect my feelings.

Charlie told her I caught something in Rio during my honeymoon. I died on my nineteenth birthday. Which, in a way, I did. She just didn't know I came back to life.

I desperately wished I could turn both of my parents. They're the only the family I had left that wasn't already ageless. I didn't want to live without them. I wouldn't ever be the same.

But it's not like I could ask. I'm in this life because I chose it. I belong in it. I didn't know if they did, even though Charlie adapted well to our current situation. He was good with weird. Like father, like daughter, I guess.

"What are we gonna do?"

"I don't know if there's anything we can do, love," Edward whispered. "She believes Renesmee is another adopted sibling of mine."

"Maybe she did then. But now that she's had over an hour to ponder, who knows what she thinks? Renesmee called Charlie her grandfather right in front of her. Why would someone from your family, sibling or otherwise, call him that? She's not stupid, you know."

"I know... But there's no logical explanation, Bella. Not to her. She's never been introduced to any kind of supernatural or magical world. She only knows what she knows."

He was probably right. But she said something about his aging, too. She could put two and two together. It's slight, but it is possible. Vampires are all over the media now.

Even more, I wanted her to know. A very small part of me did. I missed her. Everyone else got to have their parents know their secret. Why shouldn't mine?

The Cullens had Esme and Carlisle. Renesmee had Edward and me. The wolves had all their parents. Charlie even knew about the werewolves. Why couldn't he and Renée know about me? It wasn't fair.

"Bella," Jasper called out from upstairs. He must've felt my frustration.

"I'm fine."

Edward knew what Jazz knew, so he kept bugging me about it. I didn't want to say anything. Nothing I said would change anything.

I wasn't in the mood to humor him today, so I stood up from the couch, and started walking toward the front door.

"Emmett!" I called out. He came running down the staircase, but I didn't turn my head.

"Yeah?"

"Wanna come with me?"

"Sure. Bye, babe." He kissed Rose, and we went hunting for the rest of the day.