After Dark

61.

It takes a long time until I hear the familiar sound of the gravel of the driveway again.
We get out quickly and take our stuff. After Edward already greeted us in his mind, he steps through the door and hugs Bella and Renesmee. I can feel how much he missed them.

Now the others appear too. Tom comes up to me smiling and hugs me. I'm glad to see him again, but it doesn't feel like it used to.

We're sitting in the living room. Everyone except Renesmee, she's in the kitchen, getting some blood. When we were in Alaska, she got just normal food. We all know that she prefers blood.

Edward starts to speak. Then he's interrupted by Carlisle. So we do not get any further. We urgently need a plan to prevent the fight.
Otherwise they will destroy each other.

But the only thing that would soothe both sides is the baby.
No way!
It's Renesmee's child and they have no right to take it away. Even if they think they are entitled to.

After a while it gets too much for me and I stand up,
"That useless!", I say.
"What shall we do?", Rosalie asks.
"We can try to persuade the Volturi and the pack to break off, and if that doesn't work, we'll fight. The kid will be born before the fight, and after the birth we'll have to bring Renesmee away so they both can be safe", Alice says. She knows that we can do nothing against it, too.
"No, I'm just back home, I'm not leaving here!", Renesmee shouts, standing at the door crying.
"Renesmee, sweetheart, there's no other way, you must to safe", Edward says and wants to calm her, but unfortunately futile. She runs into her room, still crying.
Presumably it's the hormones that make her so upset. Not even Jasper and I can change her emotions.

Bella and Rosalie follow her.
We others discuss how to proceed. Tomorrow I will contact Leah for informations.

In the evening, I'm standing with Tom on the balcony and talk to him about the past and the future.
Then he puts his arm around me and looks at me, but I only look thoughtfully into the sky.
"Is something wrong?", he asks, tearing me out of my thoughts.
"No, everything's okay", I say, even if it doesn't feel like.
What's wrong with me?