3
"Blurred Vision"
I'd never seen Alice act this way before. Then again, I'd never seen her have this much trouble with her visions. The more she tried, the worse it got; her visions were now frequent, and worse...distorted beyond comprehension. This infuriated her, and rightfully so. She'd always had a hard time seeing Jacob and Renesmee, but as she grew to love Jacob as a member of the family and became more familiar with her niece, she was able to see them a little more clearly, although never perfectly. And since the announcements went out, Alice's blurred vision had taken a turn for the worse.
In the past few days since she'd seen Aro reading the announcement about Jacob and Renesmee, she'd only been able to see the Volturi. Her visions of them had become maddening, blurred often to the point that she couldn't tell Aro from Caius, or Felix from Demetri. Trying to look around them, as she'd once put it, proved worthless as well. She couldn't see us properly either. Whenever she tried to focus on one of us, the images in her head would flicker, and then blur. She'd growl in frustration, only for her visions to involuntarily return to the Volturi. It reminded me of a computer virus, only none of us had a clue as to what was interfering with her ability.
According to Alice, her visions were unsteady, and often nonsensical; she would see Aro staring at the engagement announcement with a smile on his face. Just as quickly as the vision would appear to her, it would blur and distort until she could barely see his face, much less what he was doing. We'd all begun to fear that something was wrong. Unfortunately, none of us could confirm that the Volturi were up to anything sinister. We were blind, and that was the scariest part of the whole thing.
But Alice refused to believe that her abilities were fading or that she couldn't find some way to see what her visions were trying to show her. The constant tension in the house, along with Nessie and Jacob's steady presence only added to the confusion of the visions, so she began to separate herself from the family. To our shock, that meant Jasper too. He would continuously attempt to calm her and, given the state of her visions, he only succeeded in aggravating her more.
So I was stuck staring at Jasper now, unable to look away out of sheer empathy. I knew how he hurt he must have been; I knew the unwanted feeling that plagued him, having experienced it myself long ago. He sat on the couch, looking lost and dejected as Alice held her post beneath a large tree in the front yard. She sat with her knees drawn to her chest and her fingers pressed against her temples. Her eyes were closed, and her face was scrunched up in determined concentration. Nessie stared out of the window in concern at Alice, whom she often called her 'fairy godmother'.
"I think I should spend a few days at the reservation," she frowned.
"Don't even think about it," Edward growled from upstairs, "You're not going anywhere."
"Dad, she can't see because of me," Renesmee complained, standing up.
Edward was in front of her a half second later. "There's more to what's going on with Alice than that minor detail which frankly, really isn't even an issue anymore. The fact remains that we don't know what's happening. We don't know what they're up to. It concerns me that Alice's visions, however distorted, keep pushing her back to the Volturi. We need to stay together."
Nessie challenged his gaze, and I looked away to smile. "I'm not asking to go visit with Tanya, I just want to go to the reservation! I'll be close by, and maybe Alice can clear her head a little bit more. Dad, you can't stop me."
Edward raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I can't? You're just like your mother, do you know that?"
Nessie straightened her back, but smiled and put a hand on his arm. Whatever she showed him, he smiled instantly. He ended up moving away from her with a laugh. He turned to me with an amused grin.
"Your daughter seems to think I'll be comforted by the thought of her and Jacob having puppies," he smirked.
I laughed a little. "Where does she get her sick sense of humor?"
Emmett laughed and called from upstairs, "That would be me!"
Carlisle entered the living room through the dining room. His expression hardened when he saw Alice under the tree.
"She's been out there for days," he stated, his voice dark, "I'm worried about her."
"Do you think it's possible that her gift is...disappearing," I asked carefully. Jasper's head shot up, he looked agonized.
"Carlisle, do you think that's what it is?" Jasper asked, his voice dripping with concern for the woman he loved.
Carlisle answered thoughtfully, "I don't believe that's what it is. Aro has had his gift for centuries. If Aro's talent disappeared tomorrow, Alice would still have a very long way to go before even beginning to fit any sort of standard."
I nodded, knowing that if anyone had the final word in this house, it was Carlisle. Jasper stared out at Alice, standing up and walking to the window, simply because it was the only way he could be closer to her.
"I wish I could help," he spoke sadly.
"I wish I could too, son," Carlisle replied in agreement, "But we have to give her room to think clearly."
I watched Alice rock back and forth beneath the tree, as I gazed out of the window around Jasper's slight but muscular form. It broke my heart to see my sister in such agony; her body remained tensed and perfectly still as she fought to bring more distinction to what she was seeing. What made the situation worse was that what she was seeing directly involved those who would pose the greatest threat to our family, if their anger were so aroused. There was nothing any of us could do other than wait, and hope that Alice would find clarity. In the middle of our vigil, several things happened at once: Alice's eyes shot open, Edward gasped...and she screamed.
We all moved to rush toward Alice. Rosalie and Emmett shot down the stairs, and Esme emerged from the kitchen with a panicked look on her face. Edward had beaten us all to the door, holding his arms out.
"Let Jasper go," he growled, stepping aside only to let Jasper out of the house.
"What's happening, Edward," Esme asked as I watched my husband with an uneasy look.
Edward ran a hand through his tousled bronze hair. He looked more concerned than I'd seen him in a very long time. "Something's wrong. Alice can't see us anymore."
The response was simultaneous. "What?"
I strained to capture a distant memory from my human years, back when Edward had left me, supposedly for my own good. Recall came better this time, perhaps because of the severity of the situation: the last time someone had blurred out of Alice's vision was when I jumped off of the cliff, and it was because she believed me to be dead. And when I blurred out of Alice's vision when I first became pregnant with Renesmee, it was because based on tradition, I had been destined to die giving birth to her.
I sat down, the force of the connection between the past and present so overwhelming that I was barely able to register it. Both Edward and Renesmee were at my side.
"Mom?"
"Bella, what is it?"
I looked to Edward. "Do you remember when you left for Volterra? Do you remember why you went there in the first place?"
Edward's face fell. He looked as if he had no desire to be reminded of that point in our lives at this moment. "Yes, I do."
"And why did you go there?"
"Because I thought you were dead."
Renesmee looked stricken, like she'd been slapped in the face. "Mom!"
I shook my head. "Edward, why did you think I was dead?"
Rosalie's face fell, guilt ridden. "I told him you were. Alice had a vision of you jumping off a cliff, and then you..."
Clarity fell upon the household; they had all understood what I had just put together in my head.
Esme gasped. "You don't think we're...?"
Carlisle interrupted. "No. We can't be sure of that."
"Be sure of what," Renesmee asked loudly, demanding more information.
I placed my hand on my daughter's arm. I didn't want to worry her just yet. "Let's just say that blurring out of Alice's vision isn't a good thing."
"Tell me!"
"Nessie, I think you should call Jacob. Get him over here now."
Without another word, she disappeared up the stairs, pulling her cell phone out of her pocket as she went. Edward placed an arm around me, and I looked to Carlisle.
It hurt me to say it. "You have to admit, it makes sense."
Carlisle closed his eyes. "I know it does. Keep an eye on Jasper and Alice. Esme..."
He looked at Esme for a moment, and she nodded. He headed toward the back of the house, and she followed. Emmett and Rose sat in front of the television, but neither moved to turn it on. We could all hear Jasper and Alice clearly. From where I sat, Jasper had perched himself in front of her, and he was holding her hands.
He spoke firmly with her now, unlike the way he would normally treat her as if she were made of porcelain. "Alice, this is serious. You have to find a way around this."
Her voice was a growl. "Don't you think I know that?"
"Come on, dearest, I'm here," he replied strongly. Jasper had clearly found a way to help, which is all he'd been looking for the last few days. "Let's work this out."
Alice tugged her hands away from his. She clamped her fingers against her temples. "Jasper, what am I not looking for? The Volturi...Aro...Caius...Marcus...the wedding...damn it!"
Out of the corner of my eyes, Edward dropped his head into his hands. He muttered a curse; he was sharing her visions, most likely in the hopes that two sets of eyes would be better than one.
Rose spoke softly. "Edward?"
"I can see what she means...it's almost painful."
I put a hand on Edward's back. "Shh, love."
Alice let out a pained cry. "I can't do this, Jazz."
"Yes, you can," Jasper spoke firmly, "You must. This is our family. This is our future."
Alice growled, snapping her teeth. "I know!"
"Think, my love," Jasper crooned at her, his voice velvety, "Who can you search for that might also know what's going on? Heidi? Alec? Jane?"
"My connections to them aren't strong enough!"
"Your connections to the brothers aren't strong either, but you've seen them in the past."
"Then why can't I see them now?" Alice's voice was distressed, and her shoulders sagged.
"Alice," Jasper pleaded, "What can I do to make you strong enough to keep going? Tell me..."
Jasper's body sagged and he fell forward slowly onto Alice's lap, sending her back against the tree. Alice put her head down towards Jasper, and she pressed her face into his hair. They sat there for a long moment as I watched, unable to turn my head away during such a private moment. Even with all I had experienced in love, it still amazed me to see such an act of eternal companionship. All the tension between the two of them had dissolved in one gesture. Alice drew her head back, resting it against the tree as she ran her fingers through Jasper's blond curls.
I turned to Edward, who was still holding his head as if he were suffering from a migraine. I rubbed his back consolingly, leaning over and planting a kiss on his shoulder. He looked up at me, pausing to stroke my hair.
"It's unbearable," he whispered, "I'm trying to focus on something else so that I can stay out of Alice's thoughts, but they just keep drawing me back in."
"Relax, love," I whispered, leaning my head against his shoulder.
My eyes went back to Jasper and Alice. The image of them temporarily warmed me. I turned my face to kiss Edward's shoulder again; he shifted beside me. It was a moment before anyone made a sound.
"Perfect!" Edward's exclamation made me turn sharply, and he let out a laugh.
Rosalie turned to Emmett. Carlisle's voice came from the dining room. "What is it?"
"She just remembered an encounter she had years ago with Caius' wife, Athenodora. She's focusing on that memory in the hopes that she can search for her."
We all watched Edward silently. He turned to me with a weak smile. "I'm still trying to focus on something else. I heard a couple in a Jeep break down on the freeway. Maybe we should call Charlie and let him...I..."
His eyes glazed over. I reached out and touched his hand. "Edward!"
Very suddenly, my husband shot up into a standing position at the same time that Alice stood up sharply, knocking Jasper away from her. They both yelled. "No! Carlisle!"
Rose, Emmett, and I were on our feet, and a feeling of dread washed over me. Carlisle and Esme barreled into the living room. I immediately grabbed a hold of Edward as he trembled with panic and rage. Carlisle paused for a tenth of a second; he knew that both Alice and Edward had called him.
"Esme, go to Alice," he demanded, then turned to Edward, "Son, what is it?"
The pain in Edward's eyes frightened me. He spoke slowly, and his words stung like a violent slap to the face. "The Volturi...they're coming to destroy us."
The reaction was instantaneous, and perfectly synchronized. Rosalie and I let out strangled cries. Emmett cursed loudly, and Renesmee grabbed me forcefully.
"No, Dad! Why?" I felt her body temperature rise, almost like her blood was boiling. Renesmee began to tremble, and we all surrounded her. I was reminded of the way we surrounded her as a baby, ready to give her anything she needed at the slightest cry.
The front door opened and Alice, Esme, and Jasper entered. Esme was by Carlisle's side immediately. She placed a hand on his arm, with a devastated look on her face. "Carlisle, we're not prepared for this!"
Carlisle's eyes darkened. His voice was dead as he placed his hand on Esme's. "How long do we have?"
Alice whispered. "Soon. They're anticipating arriving here within the next five days. Five days from when? I don't know, I'm trying to see."
Carlisle frowned. "Can you see what it's about?"
Alice nodded. "Finally, I can. It has to do with everything. For undermining their authority in front of their witnesses, for Nessie remaining alive..."
Renesmee protested, "But everyone saw that the Volturi was wrong! And I'm not a threat to anything or anybody!"
"I know, Nessie, I know," Alice continued, talking over my frantic daughter. "But they see us as a threat. We've allowed Nessie to grow, and we're allowing Nessie to marry Jacob. We've continued to remain in Forks, even though the risk is higher than ever that we could be discovered..."
Emmett growled. "But we've stayed away from the general population! We're not seen in public, and..."
"Can I finish, please?" Alice snarled, and Jasper stepped in front of her, facing Emmett.
Rosalie stepped in front of Emmett. "Easy, Jazz, it's alright. Emmett, love, let Alice finish."
Alice sighed. "It's okay, Jazz. According to them, we're a threat to the secret being kept."
A mischievous smile now spread across Emmett's face. "It sounds more like we're a threat to them!"
Alice nodded glumly. "They're coming to kill, according to what Marcus told Athenodora. The wives are participating, and they are bringing no witnesses. This is all about pride...and fear of our bond, I believe. They've decided that we will die. And when we are finished off, they will go after Charlie, Jacob, and anyone else who stands in their way."
For the first time in my memory, living or otherwise, Carlisle let out a ferocious growl.
"Then it's war," he said, his eyes dark with rage, "I won't allow them to continue to try and intimidate my family every time they get the urge to remind people of their power."
My breath caught in my throat. War. There would be no negotiations, and there would be no avoiding what was now inevitable. We would fight to the death; someone had to die, and whether or not it would be us was uncertain. But the Volturi had it right. At the end of this, one coven would be no more.
Esme looked up at Carlisle with a look of unease. "Carlisle, please think about this. Have you considered the repercussions if we fight? Win or lose, the entire vampire world will change."
Carlisle caressed the side of her face, leaning down to kiss the top of her head. "Of course I have. If we lose, we die. If we win...we become the law."
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Emmett's face light up. Destroying the Volturi would have naturally been high on his list of fun things to do. Winning and becoming 'the law', as Carlisle put it, was an added bonus. "So we'll be moving to Volterra, then?"
Carlisle let out a sigh as Rosalie shot Emmett an exasperated look. "Emmett, please focus. We have to organize. Perhaps now would be a good time to recruit some of our friends who stood with us the last time. I can reach Tanya by phone, and I'll be able to reach the Amazons as well. But the other nomads..."
"I'll run," Rosalie offered immediately, "We have no time to waste, and we need to cover as much ground as possible."
"I'll go too," Esme insisted, "We'll be able to have everyone back here within a couple of days, assuming we can avoid the path that the Volturi are taking here."
"Maybe Alice should go," Emmett suggested, "I can't leave the house. If someone pops up unexpectedly..."
"That's exactly why I can't leave," Alice replied, her voice trembling, "I have to be nearby to warn you guys of anything."
"I'll go," Carlisle responded quickly, "If I'm not mistaken, the American nomads have formed a coven. They were staying near Vancouver the last time I checked. I'll go to them, so that I can be close by. We have to be sure that they have an option. I don't want them to think that they have to fight..."
Emmett interrupted, "Maybe we should be sure to tell them that if the Volturi succeed in killing us, they may be next."
I nodded absently. "Should we try and contact the Romanians? They'd fight against the Volturi no matter what the circumstances."
As they discussed reaching out to the Romanians, I heard the distant thundering of paws. I looked to Edward. "Jacob's coming."
Edward nodded. "I know. I'll talk to him now. We have to warn the Quileutes."
He left the house to meet Jacob in the yard, and Renesmee sat in almost a slump. Her eyes glistened with terrified tears, and she put her head in her hands. She was in my arms before I had even completed the instinctual thought to comfort her. Her body burned against my cold marble flesh as she buried her face in my chest; my hair cascaded over her as I wrapped my arms around her protectively. With an ache that seemed to resonate through to my core, I thought again about the last time we faced certain danger. I remember with startling clarity how she had hid against me in the same way, seeking solace in my embrace.
A fire began to blaze inside of me that had nothing to do with my thirst. I knew I should have been afraid, but there was no time for that. The urge to protect my family, Renesmee especially, overrode everything. If we had to fight, so be it. I was sure of my capabilities as a vampire now. Unfortunately for the Volturi, not only had I nearly perfected control of my shield, but I'd learned how to fight while maintaining that control. I hoped for a brief moment that they weren't planning on Jasper and Emmett training me that well.
While I only paid close attention to comforting my little girl, I could still hear and register the conversation in the background: Rosalie's mournful cry, Emmett's soothing yet thunderous voice. Alice and Jasper discussing her route to the other covens, Esme's concerned murmur as Carlisle held her close and whispered reassuring words into her hair. I heard a low, drawn out growl come from outside as Edward murmured the words "they're coming to destroy us all."
I thought for a moment. What would happen if we lost? The fact remained that while we were a strong coven, there was a very good chance that we could all be killed. I frantically wondered what would become of us if our lives as we knew it came to an end. My thoughts were interrupted as the door opened abruptly, then slammed just as quickly. A second heartbeat pounded in my ears, and Jacob was at Nessie's feet. He wrapped his arms around her waist, placing his head on her lap. She reached for him with one arm; thankfully, she kept another arm firmly around me. I wasn't about to let her go, and I'm glad she chose to remain by my side while keeping Jacob near her.
Edward sat next to me, placing an arm around my shoulder. I looked down at Renesmee at the same time she looked up at me. Her eyes were filled with worry and fear as she reached up and flattened her hand on my face. An image of our family standing toe to toe with faceless, hooded strangers appeared before my eyes. Edward growled; I nodded my head.
I answered her question. "I'm afraid so, darling. We have to fight."
She shuddered, and another image appeared; our bodies were broken, torn apart and covered in smoldering flames. With a distraught groan, Edward covered us. I shook my head before answering.
With as much confidence as I could muster, I replied. "That's what they want, but I won't let it happen. No one will."
Then it hit me again; if I had to die for my daughter, I would do so without trepidation. But what could I do to be certain that she wouldn't? I looked up at Edward, retracting my shield so that he could hear my thoughts.
Edward growled. "Can we avoid the negative thinking right now?"
I frowned. "We have to consider it."
"Consider what," Jacob and Rosalie demanded together.
"How to keep Nessie safe," I answered slowly, "In case we all...if we all die."
Emmett growled, "You're actually planning our demise? Are you kidding me, Bella?"
I snarled in response, but Alice spoke in my defense quickly. "She's right, Emmett. It's not looking good for us right now, the least we can do is try and ensure that one of us will walk away from this unscathed."
Emmett turned his back on Alice, but Rosalie placed a hand on his chest as I glared at him. She wrapped her arms around his waist, almost desperately, and hugged him. "She should run with the Amazons. That will leave her far enough away that the Volturi won't be able to find her...at least not immediately."
Carlisle looked around the room, folding his arms as he stared with a fervor that pierced all of us. "Must I remind you all where the enemy is? I know that, in the end, nothing will ever destroy our bond as a family. But I have to say I'm a little shocked that any of you are giving each other the glares I'm seeing right now."
Involuntarily, I hung my head. He was right, and I so hated to disappoint him. In many ways, he'd become my father as well. "I'm sorry, Carlisle."
Emmett followed. "Sorry, Carlisle. Bella...I'm..."
I looked to him with half a smile. "It's okay, Emmett. I understand."
Emmett nodded. "So...we fight."
Edward and Jasper nodded. "We fight."
Jacob stood. "We've got to get Charlie out of Forks."
"He's gonna have to know everything," Nessie whispered as she stood to join Jacob, "He won't go anywhere otherwise. And we should encourage Sue and Billy to go with him."
Alice sighed with a nod. "She's right. The Volturi are convinced that he knows everything anyway."
Edward looked at Nessie as Jacob placed a protective arm around her. "Renesmee, I want you to go with Sue and Charlie."
Nessie shot him a horrified look. "You want to send me away?"
"It's for your own good," Edward insisted in a tone that Renesmee would not challenge now, "And for theirs as well. I know you can keep them safe."
"Where can we send them on such short notice," Esme asked softly.
"We should start in Seattle," Carlisle responded quickly, "They'll be close enough that we can get to them if need be, and far enough away that Demetri won't be able to track them."
My brow furrowed as I considered the plan. "How can we be certain he won't be able to track them?"
"Demetri knows nothing of Charlie, Sue, or Billy," Carlisle answered confidently, "And as far as Nessie goes, he hasn't been near her since her childhood. I see no way for him to track any of them."
Edward nodded. "Then it's settled. We've got to round everyone up and get them out of here now. We can stay in contact via phone until everything calms down."
"Dad, I want to fight," Nessie whispered, "Please don't send me away."
As Edward continued to firmly state that we needed her to keep the others safe, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I wouldn't be letting her fight. And I wouldn't have to worry about any member of the family bowing to her pleas...no one was willing to test her strength in battle. Despite our refusals, however, I acknowledged the fact that all signs pointed to the possibility that she was strong enough to hold her own. In the eight years that passed, she certainly had shown her strength on numerous occasions; a brief tantrum she had thrown in her first year when she'd found out she couldn't go with Jacob into Port Angeles ended in a sapling being uprooted and thrown unceremoniously onto the roof of the house.
Renesmee had even faced off with Rosalie when she and Jacob first made it official. Rose had teased her one time too many, and my daughter proceeded to let her aunt have it. Rose had tried to console her by laughing and assuring she was only teasing, but there was no mistaking the heartbroken look on her face when Renesmee became aggravated and stormed away. Nessie ended up launching a large boulder into the river.
No, my daughter's strength wasn't in question at all. The question that did remain, however, was just how human she was when it came to sustaining injuries. Renesmee had never been clumsy, unlike her once human mother. We'd never seen a scraped knee or a 'boo-boo' in her entire brief run as a child. Therefore, we'd never learned just how strong or weak her flesh was. There was only one way to find out if she was susceptible to human injury - suffice it to say, no one was that interested in finding out. The popular theory was that if blood ran through her veins, it was capable of spilling. As long as that theory held, none of us would let her fight. To keep her with Charlie was one thing; to risk her getting hurt was idiotic.
I stood up and pulled Nessie into my arms. I inhaled her scent for what hopefully wasn't the last time.
"I love you, little one," I murmured, and she hugged me tightly.
I felt Edward's arms wrap around the both of us. We shared in a family embrace for a brief moment before Alice stepped in. I released my hold on Nessie to allow her to reach for Alice.
As the rest of the family said their temporary goodbyes, I grabbed Jacob. I looked up at him, unable to hide the unease coursing through me.
"Once again, Jacob, I owe you one," I spoke with a small chuckle.
Jacob shook his head. "You don't owe me anything, Bells. You gave me all I need in this world. And I won't let her come to harm."
I put my arms around his waist and hugged him. Of course he would take care of Nessie. I never had to worry about her when it came to Jacob. I held him and hoped against the odds that were highly stacked against us at the moment that I'd be watching my daughter marry Jake after all of this was over.
And all too soon, Nessie and Jacob left. A sharp pain rose in my throat, and escaped my mouth as a sob. Crying as a vampire hurt so much more than what I had expressed as a human. With tears came release, and eventual relief. Without them, the pain simply circulated through your body, waiting for an end to the reason for your distress. This would all be over soon, and I prayed that we would come out of it alive. For now, though Alice had seen through the blur and clouds that interrupted her visions, we were still flying blind. The uncertain future hung over the house like a thick fog, with no immediate sign of clearing in sight.