What's Next...

It took over an hour to get the bullet out of Mason's shoulder... It was another day before he was in a stable condition... It all felt like a dream.. a nightmare.

I remember passing out against Jake, listening to the gentle thud of his heartbeat, hearing in my subconcsious the acceleration with every high and low of Mason's recovery... him whispering in my ear through salty, warm tears that he was going to be alright, but physically not being able to lift myself up to see... Opening my eyes as I watched without thinking, Carlisle and my father working feverishly over Mason, covered in blood...

But I couldn't get up, you needed a heart to function, and mine was broken. I hurt for Mason, and Elizabeth, neither of which had any control over this crazy world we had brought them into.. I hurt for Jake, who fell in love with a woman who carried the baggage that I brought and all that it ensued... I hurt for my family who would have happily continued their feud with the werewolves till the end of time, and now were with them every waking hour... talking, laughing, operating, caring.... loving them..

The only guest present at this pity party was me, my family.... my family was thankful for their relationship with the werewolves, thankful for my family, Jake's family... our amazing children, our future's, to which they dedicated much thought everyday, Jake, who had never been happier than he was since the birth of our children...

And, I realized, it wasn't just the extraordinary that had to deal with things beyond their control... Everyone had to hold their head high and make it through problems, especially those with children...

"To have a child is to make a conscious decision for ones heart to walk outside of their body..."

This was never more true than on this day, and I would never give my children something broken, I slowly worked in my subconscious to piece my broken heart back together, pull myself back up... I felt Jake sleeping under my cheek, and tried to lift myself as carefully as possible. I rubbed my eyes and saw Mason watching me, my father by his side.

"I told him he should rest, but he was worried about you.." my father said.
I laughed, sitting on the edge of the bed, rubbing his shaggy hair from his brow... he looked so much like his father..."You, were worried about me? Honey, I'll be fine you need to get some rest."
"Well, I know you worry about me Ma, and you were talking and tossing and turning in your sleep, you only do that when your really worried... So, I couldn't sleep until I knew you were okay..." he said, letting his eyes full of worry, sheepishly look away from my face...
I could feel the tears well up in my eyes, and I took a deep breath, not wanting to let him see the pain... and love... "Mason, you are one crazy kid... and I love you.." I said, wiping a tear from his cheek, "I'm here now and I'm not going anywhere, you get some rest, okay."

He gently shook his head, and lay his face into my hand, immediately slipping into unconsciousness... Just like his father, I thought laughing...
I could breath now, I looked up into my father's eyes, filled with understanding... and next to him Leah was passed out, snoring sitting straight up in a chair, her hand resting on Mason's leg...
"I tried to get her to go lie down, but she growled at me..." my father said, he stood up kissing me on the forehead, smoothing my hair... and I felt my mother come in and lay her hand on my other arm, I could feel the cool touch of her skin through my sweater and was instantly comforted.. I leaned into her, hugging her as she stroked my hair...
"How did it go with Charlie?" I asked leaning back...
I saw the glance between my father and she, and looked at him, a playful glint, shimmering in his eye...
"Well...." she said, "Apparently, Elizabeth's been keeping a few things to herself these days..."


As Always With Love Renesmee Cullen-Black as interpreted by Elizabeth Queen

The Crushing Blow...

I heard the bang... felt the vibration of it rip through the forest, my vampire senses kicked in as my eyes scanned the forest I saw where it had came from, just as Mason let out the most horrid moaning sound I'd ever heard and his weight fell against me.
Jake lunged through the air and a hissing sound spewed from Elizabeth. I looked at Jake and I could tell he didn't yet know what was happening yet, I was the only one that saw the two hunters in the midst of the trees, but I couldn't speak.... couldn't feel. All I knew was that they saw what would appear to anyone, to be a wolf attacking a young woman in the woods. I knew that, that would raise questions, and I had to protect him. I felt a cold hand against my arm, as I looked into my father's eyes, full of pain... the hunter's had retreated into the woods, my father could hear their thoughts and they were leaving to inform the police...
He lifted Mason in his arms and we started back to the house, Jake following ahead and my mother trailing from behind...
We ran and I realized we weren't alone, of course Jake would have let them know what was happening and we were being flanked by wolves in every direction...
And as thankful as I was for them, right now I hated them and everything they stood for.... my Son.....my heart...

"The hunter's..." I said.
"Carlisle's casually running into them on a nature walk and taking their account right now..." my father said.
My eyes fell to the faint trail of blood following my father as he ran to the house...I could feel the calm slipping and prayed that God would help me hold on, just a little longer...I had to keep repeating just a little longer...

We got Mason home, and just as we all knew he had started to heal... unfortunately this was a bad thing since the bullet was still lodged in his left shoulder. We cleaned him the best we could, applying pressure to the wound, as we waited the ten painstaking minutes for Carlisle to return..

He came in requesting that Mason be moved to his office... he would have to operate. My father followed him upstairs holding Mason, unconscious and breathing shallowly, Carlisle worked feverishly gathering his supplies, while he recounted the conversation he'd had with the hunter's in his head...

"They recognized him, knew he was a Doctor at the hospital. He informed them he had seen the whole scenario and called the authorities, Animal Control... 911. He took their names and told them they would be contacted..."

This meant that Charlie, in his love for me and our children, was about to get alot more involved in our "world" than any of us had ever hoped, in fact my mother was there now as we speak. This had to be kept quiet, the Volturi knew of our relationship with the wolves and anything involving them in this area would definetley warrant a visit...

But, the time for that was not now... Now, Carlisle was about to operate on my Son, and the freakish calm that had fell over me since the incident, shattered like a thousand shards of glass... As, even in unconsciousness Mason screamed out in pain... And I collapsed against Jake....

Psalm 18:2
The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the hornof my salvation, my stronghold.

As Always With Love Renesmee Cullen-Black as interpreted by Elizabeth Queen