Chapter CXXIII

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It was like waiting for the other cold, undead foot to come stomping down on my happy little world. Jake had talked to the Pack and while Sam was still hesitant, they had all agreed to help protect Renesmee and my father. She aged too rapidly for me to put her in any summer camp or let her be a part of anything that would be beneficial for a young girl, but Emily offered to take her during the day. She'd always wanted kids and I think Nessie gave her a chance to practice being a mom. God knows the little monster needed one.

But it was less than a week later that the proverbial boot came to squash my happy little family. Even from Jake's house, I could hear the snarling and snapping that was going on a good distance away. Nessie reached up to show me her thoughts but I shook my head at her. "Use your words," I managed to say despite distraction. She deserved to have as much of a normal life as we could give her and that meant learning how to communicate with people without using her gift, regardless of how cool it was.

"Jake is shouting for us," she whispered in her perfect little voice.

"Get your coat. We'll head outside," I replied with a nod. She nodded back and zoomed off. What could Jake need from us right now? He was on patrol. I took Nessie's hand in my own, ignoring her thoughts, and left the house. "What's going on?"

"Bella and Edward are at the treaty line. They're threatening to cross and come take Nessie home," Jake said, swinging an arm beneath my knees and pulling me to his chest while Nessie clambered up onto his back.

"Are you sending me home?" Nessie asked in a quietly pained voice. We had talked more about Bella, about the lies. My sister was so desperate to make herself seem like the perfect victim, it was impossible to tell whether or not she knew how deep she was into her lies. Ness didn't want to go back. She felt like no one had protected her and told her the truth. Her father sided with her mother for some unknown reason. Her grandparents didn't seem to care about what was going on which was strange. If it wasn't for the fact that Bella and Edward were there, I would say that Carlisle and Esme should be raising Nessie. They were more like her than the wolves. They would be great parents for her. But I knew that it wouldn't happen like that; Bella would poison that for her too.

I think the most striking betrayal for Nessie, apart from her parents, was Rosalie. From what she'd shown me and told me, she and her Aunt Rosie were close. I had heard about how close Bella and Rosalie had gotten when Bella was pregnant. The blonde leech had always wanted a child and Renesmee was her chance. So it hurt the little spawn when her aunt, who had so desperately fought for her life, hadn't stood up for her. "No, Nessie, we're not sending you away unless you want to go," Jake said with surety. "And we've got to make this quick. Charlie will be here to pick you up in just a little while."

Seeing Jake and Nessie together was weird in some ways. They weren't supposed to like each other; they weren't supposed to be friends. But he was great with her. The two of them had this nasty way of teasing each other, of laughing and joking when it seemed completely inappropriate. The words mutt and monster were terms of endearment in my house. And what neither of them knew was how great it was to see them together for me. When the spawn was happily playing like a normal little kid, I had hope for her future. And when Jake was taking care of her, reprimanding her for doing something wrong, I had dreams about the kids that we could have one day and the father that he would be to them.

The treaty line came into sight. Emmett had his arms wrapped around Bella's waist. Edward stood impassive, probably listening in to hear all the lies that we had told Renesmee. After all, that would be the only reason that their monster would want to come and stay with us, right? "No one is blaming you for loving her. In fact, we're glad," Edward said in response to my thoughts. "But the witnesses are here for her, to help protect her. They can't very well do that when she's not with us, can they?"

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