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"England?!"
"Or somewhere else." Carlisle says, "Another state at least."
The discussion didn't turn out as Bella had hoped, and neither had the vote, everyone but Edward voting to move. And then, as if the decision had been final, they'd begun suggesting possible locations.
Bella doesn't understand why everyone is set on moving. Surely they could stay on Isle Esme for however long it took Paul to get used to his new life, he isn't even a newborn anymore. And even if his control never got good enough to stay around other human, he could stay in the house like Esme did. There were options!
But Bella knew she couldn't outright refuse anymore. The vote had been final, but still, "Couldn't we wait? At least until Renesmee turned seven."
Edward squeezes her hand, and Bella smiles at him with a grateful nod. She knew he's on her side.
"Its too risky." Jasper argues back.
"I'd help, but—" Alice gestures towards Renesmee.
"Oh, I can go!" Renesmee jumps to her feet, "I'll show Uncle Paul around!"
Renesmee had almost immediately taken up to calling him Uncle Paul once his joining the family became final. Paul looked awkward about it, but Bella had been relieved. It would help avoid any future misunderstanding when Jacob arrives.
She watches as Renesmee pulls Paul out of the house, the sound of her excited voice still clear as she tells him all about her favorite places to play. Bella frowns, knowing it should be Jacob with her. Renesmee must be lonely without him here.
Jasper got up, and Alice gave him a thankful smile he returns before he's out of the door catching up with Renesmee and Paul.
"We don't have to decide right this moment, but we should prepare." Carlisle says, returning back to the discussion.
"Canada?" Emmet suggest, his tone unserious.
"Were not moving to Canada, Emmet." Rosalie rolls her eyes, but she doesn't hide her smile.
Bella turns towards Edward, but he shakes his head at her, mouthing a silent 'later'. She frowns, but nods in understanding. Its fine. She'll have a better chance at changing their minds with Edward's help anyways.
Instead, Bella leaves the house, stopping far enough for Renesmee not to notice as she looks at her daughter excitedly telling Paul about the first time she raced everyone, and how he should join them next time. Bella sighs, suddenly feeling guilty at being so distracted she hadn't considered how lonely her daughter must feel. This was the longest she and Jacob had been apart.
She took out her phone, ready to fix it. It'll be good to have another person on her side. Bella smiles, feeling much more optimistic.
"Maybe we'll move to Poland?"
Uncle Paul—and it still feels odd calling him that, but Renesmee is set on getting used to it as soon as possible—smiles at her. "Maybe."
Which probably means no, but he doesn't want to tell her outright. Renesmee gotten pretty good at figuring this stuff out. Like how 'we'll tell you later' means they won't, and how 'do you want to play with Jacob?' isn't actually a question.
"Is there anywhere you'd like to go, Uncle Paul?" Renesmee tries again.
"Not really. I didn't get to travel much before I was turned, and after, well, after I tried to stay away from anywhere with too many people." Uncle Paul shrugs as if to say it can't be helped, "Was there anywhere else you wanted to show me?"
Renesmee considers it. She showed Uncle Paul most of the place already, but she doesn't want to go back yet. Momma hadn't been happy and she didn't want to end up having to take sides, especially when Renesmee was excited to go somewhere new.
But before she can decide, Uncle Jasper is in front of her, and pushing her further behind him. Uncle Paul steps closer to her, close enough for her to reach him, but with a clear sight of whatever Uncle Jasper had seen.
"Its me!" A familiar voice shouts, still to far away to see.
Renesmee turns to look at Uncle Paul, confused why she could hear his voice coming from a completely different direction. Uncle Paul looks—tired maybe, but that wasn't quite it. Resigned?
She pulls at his sleeve, "What's happening?"
He looks back at her, and then smiles the same way other adults around her did when they tried to comfort her. "It's my gift."
Uncle Jasper gives him a sharp look, still on guard and shielding Renesmee from what she could only guess was a time traveling Uncle Paul. She hadn't thought she'd get to see his gift in action so soon, if at all.
Uncle Paul grimaces back at him, but before he could say anything, there was another Uncle Paul with them. He looked exhausted and manic in a way Renesmee hadn't seen another vampire be, his eyes dark like he hadn't had time to eat.
"I don't have long."
"Something happened." Uncle Jasper says, a guarded look on his face as he turns towards where the rest of their family is.
"It's okay, you can go." Uncle Paul said, "I'll hear him out."
Renesmee's hold on his sleeve tightened, speaking before they could decide for her. "I'll stay too. You'll be faster without me."
Which isn't true, but Renesmee hopes they wouldn't call her out on it. She won't get another chance to see Paul's gift if she leaves, Renesmee is sure of that.
Uncle Jasper sees right through her, "I can't leave you alone."
"I did mean it when I said I don't have long." The other Uncle Paul cuts in, "Its fine. No one is dying."
"Yet." Uncle Jasper says, a certainty in his voice Renesmee didn't like. Suddenly this wasn't very fun at all.
"Yeah, things go very wrong."
"The Volturi."
The other Uncle Paul laughs, and Uncle Jasper narrows his eyes at him. "No. Not even a little bit."
It takes him a second to calm down, a hysteric note to his laughter that makes Renesmee glance towards their Uncle Paul who only looks exhausted, as if this was expected.
"Its Jacob."
"Jacob?" Renesmee asks, confused by the unexpected name. What could have possibly happened?
"Yeah. A lot of things go wrong once he gets here. I tried going back after he's here, but that never goes well. He really doesn't like me. I tried warning the others, but it somehow always goes wrong! Especially Bella, that might been the worst outcome yet. Everyone ends up dead."
"She dies?!" Renesmee shouts, memories of all the ways Momma had almost died before playing in her mind.
"No, no she lives. And nothing will happen! Just—I don't even know how that happened. Everything had been going really well, and then everyone started going missing." The other Uncle Paul says, his voice strained and not even a little comforting. "But that's not relevant. Telling the others just doesn't work when Jacob is here. He always finds us eventually when we move, and that's if we manage to convince Bella before he arrives. Something about this imprint thing. If we can stop him from having a reason to come here at all, maybe then—"
And then he's gone, his voice cut off before he could finish. Still, Renesmee had heard enough.
Renesmee turns to face Uncle Paul. "You can fix it, can't you?"
"I don't think that's—"
"Something bad is going to happen." Renesmee cuts him off, insistent and anxious. She feels a firm hand on her shoulder, and turns to look at Uncle Jasper, pleading, "We have to do something."
Uncle Paul looks conflicted, and she was convinced he was going to argue, but in the next moment the fight leaves him. "I suppose this would count as an emergency."
Renesmee grins at him.
"He mentioned an imprint. What is that?"
She hesitates, unsure how to explain it. She never had to before. Everyone just knew, and when they didn't, Momma would explain it. Renesmee opens and closes her mouth, before giving up and lifting her hand up towards Uncle Paul, a silent request for him to lean down.
She shows him the first time Jacob saw her. And then tries to remember the time, which is a bit harder, but she figures it out. That's probably important information to have. Shows him how Jacob had explained it, and how Momma talked about it to Renesmee, a happy smile on her face every time.
Uncle Paul's face went from confused to a strange blankness the more she showed him. She's not explaining this well, but that thought must transfer too because Uncle Paul blinks, and stands back up.
"I see." He nods, and then seems to come to a decision, "If he doesn't—imprint, he won't have reason to come here. That must've been my next plan."
Renesmee frowns at the pause, she really hadn't explained it well then, but Uncle Paul doesn't asks and she can't think of a better way to do so.
"You'll go back?"
"I'll go back." Uncle Paul confirms. He doesn't move out of her grasp, letting her continue to keep hold of his sleeve, and closes his eyes. Renesmee waits, holding her breath, and its as if the forest was holding its breath with her.
Her grip tightens. A hand lands on her shoulder. There's a pull, and then darkness.
Renesmee opens her eyes to a familiar house. Their house. In Forks. Uncle Paul stares at her in shock. The hand on her shoulder pulls her away.
A thud breaks the silence, and Renesmee is once again behind Uncle Jasper. In front of them is Aunt Rosalie. She's pressed against the wall, and in her hands is Renesmee. That's—weird. She wonders if this is how Uncle Paul feels every time he meets another version of himself. Baby Renesmee looks at them, fear in her eyes she remembers feeling. Except this wasn't how it went. As if on cue, Jacob appears.
He looks exhausted and angry, but mostly shocked. His gaze travels from Uncle Jasper, to Uncle Paul, and then—like in her memory—to her. Jacob's eyes widen, his mouth falling open. Renesmee moves back, Jacob steps forward, but then Uncle Jasper is between them.
Jacob snarls, and shifts. Uncle Jasper moves. She smells blood. Something pulls her out of the door, and then they're running.
She tries to think. Jacob imprinted, but it wasn't on her baby self. Does that mean it worked? Did they fix it?
Will Momma and everyone be alright?
Someone grabs her, but before she can scream, a familiar hand is on her back. "Its okay."
They don't stop moving, Uncle Paul in front and Uncle Jasper holding her, running further and further away. She wonders how long they will have to go before she feels the pull, and then they're gone.
The house is empty.
After they had returned, all of them had went straight back to the house in Isle Esme. And when they found no one there, they returned to Forks. Everything had been packed up, and the furniture covered.
"Maybe they moved out after—we happened. Do you know were they might've went?"
Uncle jasper shakes his head, "Rosalie saw me with you. Its unlikely they moved to anywhere I would think to go look."
Renesmee sat in one of the sofa chairs, her feet up and arms around her knees, watching the two try to figure out what might've changed.
"Maybe." Uncle Paul nods, "We need to find out what happened that day, afterwards. And what it changed."
"What if we can't find them?" Renesmee's question is quiet, but both them turn to look at her, and then glances at each other.
Uncle Paul speaks first. "It'll be fine, Renesmee. We'll find them."
Renesmee wasn't sure if she believed him.
"The Denali might know where they are." Uncle Jasper adds.
"Sounds like a plan. I'll go find out what I can."
And then it was just her and Uncle Jasper in the house.
"Where did you get all of that?"
Uncle Paul stood still, leaning slightly sideward so he could look at both of them, a pile of newspaper in his hands. "Library."
"Why?" Renesmee asks.
"Old newspapers, one of them must mention that day. Might give us a clue."
Uncle Jasper seems to agree with the idea, taking half of the pile out of Uncle Paul's hands without a word, and begins to look. Renesmee joins them, wanting to do something with her hands.
Its a process. There's a mix of everything. Some where a full decade before Renesmee was born, others only a couple of days old. Eventually Uncle Paul relocates to a sofa, a pile on one side of him, and a growing pile of discarded newspaper on the other. Renesmee stays on the floor, a pillow beneath her and various newspapers around her. Uncle Jasper claimed the table.
She pauses when she notices an article about a near-fatal accident at Forks High School. Renesmee remembers Momma telling her about it. She turns, happy to have found something at least somewhat relevant after a full hour of fruitless searching, only to hesitate when she sees Uncle Paul.
Uncle Jasper is next to him, both of them frozen as they look at a newspaper Uncle Paul is holding. Renesmee moves closer, going round the sofa, and climbing onto the back of it to get a better look. Whatever they won't, she doesn't think its good.
Renesmee stares at the headline, but the words stay the same no matter how many times she rereads it.
'Charlie Swan investigates the suspicious death of the newly married Bella Cullen'.
Oh. She didn't—Renesmee didn't even consider this to be a possibility. They hadn't even seen her. She doesn't understand.
"We can fix this?" She asks, hoping they'll tell her everything will be fine, of course they can.
Uncle Paul looks at her. Hands pick her up, moving her onto the sofa between them.
"It's going to be okay." Uncle Jasper answers.