Chapter 19:
Alice's Vision: 2 months later

                 Hunter had been watching Alice cut the stems of flowers for what felt like hours. The hydrangeas were a mix of white and green, a combination Hunter found to be interesting.

"So you and Edward," Alice giggled, fluffing the flowers gently, "is it official?" If Hunter had been drinking, she'd spit. Instead, she nearly choked on air and her eyes widen in surprise.

She knew everyone knew about her and Edward, but she didn't expect anyone to say it out loud. She wasn't ready for that type of confrontation, the type where she had to explain.

"Oh." Was all she could mutter. Her eyes had drifted from the flowers to the clean, granite counter top. She was uncomfortable, afraid too. She stole her best friend's husband and Alice was still happy for her.

Alice immediately sensed her change in mood. Her hand reached for Hunter's and she smiled, "Hey, it's okay. You don't have to tell me anything until you're ready."

Hunter released a deep breath and nodded. "Come on." Alice whispered. She grabbed the flower vase and walked towards the living room. The piano was being played, the melodic and soft notes floating through the Cullen household made Hunter even more anxious.

There was a bad feeling twisting in her gut as they neared everyone else. Renesmee had grown so much in the past two months, she looked to be six years old when she's only been alive for three months. It put a bad taste in everyone's mouth.

It's also been two months of Bella avoiding Hunter again. It has been hard to be in the same room for too long, Bella feeling too embarrassed to stick around while Hunter felt guilty.

But to balance it all out, she still had Edward. He was the only one keeping her from cutting loose.

Hunter looped her arm with Alice's and they waltzed into the living room. Everyone was gathered around, watching Edward teach Renesmee the piano song with ease. Hunter gnawed at the inside of her cheek, feeling out of place in the vampire ridden home.

She toyed with the wolf charm bracelet on her wrist and inhaled sharply at the change of tone in the song. Alice gasped and the vase slipped from her hands.

The vase crashed onto the ground and the flowers laid wet and homeless. Hunter glanced around the room and a gust of wind brushed past her face.

In the blink of an eye, she was no longer in the Cullen home. She was surrounded with snow and trees, hundreds of sounds and smells aimlessly flying past her face.

She could hear footsteps, many of them. The snow crunched beneath them and it made her heart skip a beat. She smelled the sweet smell of vampires, the warm vanilla scent of her mother's. She could see the red and black capes, they moved fast but not enough for her to miss the faces of their owners.

Pale skin, dark hair, blonde hairs too. Flawless skin and wrinkled skin, heavy boots and silver chains. The suspense seemed familiar, a foreign substance that Hunter could remember vaguely. But was it so hard to recall?

"Alice." She called out, seeing the pixie haired vampire stand out in the middle of the snowy field. She stared mindlessly but she seemed afraid.

Hunter breathed heavily, the vampires were nearing. She could feel the vibrations of their footsteps through the earth. So she ran. Her arms thrusted forward and backwards as her legs lifted up and down, each limb seemingly weighing a thousand pounds.

"Alice!"

The red capes were in sight. They glided across the icy cold ground and the atmosphere was bright. They walked right towards Alice, and she remained still. Hunter couldn't breathe. The harder she ran, the further Alice became. It felt like she would never reach her.

Then it stopped. The snow disappeared and Hunter blinked. Cold hands were tightly wrapped around her shoulders and suddenly she could breathe again. A light gasp fell from her lips and she pulled her arm away from Alice, the both of them staring at one another incredulously.

Jasper was beside Alice in seconds and Hunter diverted her attention to Edward who held a dozen questions in his eyes, more in his mind. She was confused. "What just happened?" Bella asked, moving closer to Renesmee.

"What did you see?" Jasper asked Alice.

Alice removed her eyes from Hunter, "The Volturi. They're coming for us. Aro, Caius, Marcus, the Guard. And lrina."

"Why?" Carlisle asked, a fearful yet defensive look swimming in his eyes.

Edward brushed a strand of hair from Hunter's face before turning to Bella, "What did Irina see in the woods?"

"We were just walking." Bella shrugged, avoiding Edward's eyes. Renesmee gripped onto Bella's hand tightly, sensing that the situation was bad.

Jacob jumped in, "Ness was catching snowflakes."

Edward stared for a few moments, contemplating and thinking. Hunter, on the other hand, was desperately trying not to scream. She witnessed Alice's vision, it was like she was on the sidelines watching on. It lasted long too, but in reality it had only been a few seconds.

"Of course." Edward whispered, "Irina thinks Renesmee's an lmmortal Child."

For the first time in a long time, Hunter felt cold.

___

Carlisle filled them in on the past of Immortal Children. How they were disobedient and hard to control. The Volturi was keen on destroying them for the sake of keeping their existence a secret.

Now, Hunter was in her room packing a small travel bag. She wasn't happy about road tripping in a car with Edward, Bella, and Jacob, but if it meant keeping her friends safe, she'll do what she can.

"You sure you're okay?" Edward asked her for the fifth time. She hastily folded her clothes and shoved them inside her duffle bag. He could see that she was unsettled in her mind and he wished he could help in someway.

Hunter shrugged, "I don't know. Another army is after us so, nothing new there, really. Also, my mom is in my head and now I'll be seeing her in person... again- are you seeing this pattern too?"

Edward zipped up his bag and made his way over to her side. He grabbed onto her warm hands and she exhaled deeply. She was stressing. "You didn't tell me you were seeing your mother again." He frowned, gently running his thumbs over her hands.

    "I know and I'm sorry. It's just- it's the same old thing and you're busy with Renesmee. I didn't want to intrude." Hunter rambled.

Edward's hands moved up to her face soothingly, "No, it's okay. I should be paying more attention to you. I feel like we never have alone time anymore."

Hunter nodded in agreement. "We'll have plenty of time to get better." She gestured to their packed bags.

   "I hope so." He leaned closer to her face and pressed a soft kiss on her forehead, then to her cheek. His breath fanned her face and it was warm unlike the rest of him. It's been so long since she's been this close to him.

It was quiet, apart from shoes echoing around the hallways of the house, everyone rushing around to gather what they needed. Hunter felt empty, like there was a hole in the middle of her stomach. It was eating away at her everyday.

But the soft feel of Edward's lips against her's provided a temporary high where she forgot all about her problems. Her hands grab onto his arms and she pulled him closer.

It felt like they were floating, dancing, gliding. They held onto each other tightly, as if they were afraid the other would disappear. It wasn't often when they got to kiss, so they relished in the moment everytime.

The kiss grew feverish quickly and Hunter felt the wall against her back in seconds. "I love you." She mumbled between kisses. Edward froze and slowly pulled away, surprise coating his eyes. She hasn't said those words since the first time.

Hunter wasn't embarrassed. She stared up at him as if he were a starry night, flawless and bright. His skin was like porcelain and his eyes drew the air from her lungs as they always did. She has loved him for so long and she fought it for even longer, but now she had the chance to accept it. She had the chance to live it. She deserved to finally be happy again.

   "I love you too." Edward beamed, lightly brushing the pad of his thumb against her cheek. He leaned down and their lips reconnected.

Then there was a knock on the door and the moment was ripped to shreds. Edward exhaled and slipped from her grasp, "Come in." Hunter stared at the floor, bliss finally filling her body.

   "We're ready to go, dad." Renesemee called from the threshold. She pushed open the door and smiled at the two adults in the room. "You're coming with us, right Hunter?"

Hunter patted her bag, "I sure am, kid." A small smile hugged her lips once she saw how pleased Renesmee was. The child had grown fond of Hunter in the past two months. They've had sleepovers in Hunter's room every Friday night.

Hunter didn't complain, but she worried that her nightmare would come true. Renesmee would see her and Edward together and assume that she's her mother as well as Bella. That would make things worse.

   "Jacob's coming too. I hope he'll be the big bad wolf again." Renesmee chuckled. Edward watched the way his daughter interacted with Hunter and it warmed his heart. He was glad Renesmee could trust her.

Hunter sighed, "How about this, I'll be the big bad wolf and Jacob can be the sick grandmother."

   "Sounds like fun to me." Edward chimed in, snickering at the idea of Jacob playing an old lady.

Renesmee giggled and nodded, "Deal." Her long brown hair flicked behind her back and she disappeared back into the hallway.

Hunter could clearly remember when she resented Renesmee's existence. The little girl was the cause of her best friend's death, and for that she was outraged. But Renesmee was harmless, sweet, smart, and fun. It was impossible for Hunter to hold a grudge against the innocent girl.

   "Sam is here." Edward announced with a frown. Hunter felt her blood run cold. 'Was he here to start trouble? Hurt someone?' Hunter couldn't help but feel paranoid. After what she did to Sam in his own home, she wouldn't blame him for retaliating.

Without another word, she grabbed her bag and exited the room. Her face wiped clean of worry and was replaced with eagerness. She dared Sam to do anything to anyone in this home.

Still, there was a piece of her that held regret for what she did to him. He has helped her in so many ways and the thought of constantly being on thin ice with him was too much. He felt like a guardian, a mentor, family.

She was down the stairs in a flash, Edward hot on her trail. "What the hell is he doing here?" She asked Jacob instantly. He snapped his head towards her's at the sound of her tone, it was sharp and venomous, one that wasn't directed at him thankfully.

   "I'm wondering the same thing." Jacob sighed.

Hunter let out a huff and walked out of the house. She wanted to yell. She felt like walking straight over to him and punching him. Just looking at his face felt aggravating. All he's done was insult her, it was only fair she got to do the same.

   "Why shouldn't I kick your ass right now?" She started, marching halfway down the front steps. Sam held his hands up, a single piece of paper in his grasp. He looked fine, unphased by her words yet apologetic.

A thick jacket covered his arms, something she has never seen him wear. She wanted to laugh. "I didn't come here to start a fight." Sam spoke, watching the rest of the household file up outside behind Hunter.

   "You seemed pretty determined last time you crossed the treaty line." Hunter hissed. Her arms crossed over her chest and she stood her ground.

   "Hunter." Bella eased once she stopped beside her. Her brown eyes poured into her own and Hunter felt herself relax.

   "Why are you here?" Jacob asked again, his face hard as well. He hasn't seen the alpha since he disbanded from the pack months ago. Jacob didn't hold an ounce of regret for his decision.

Sam kept his hands up and slowly ascended the stairs, "I have a message." The paper in his hand shook lightly from the wintry air that danced around them, though none of them were cold in the slightest. "Alice asked me to give you this."

Hunter stepped down one step and snatched it from his grasp. "She and Jasper crossed our lands to the ocean last night." Hunter peeled open the delicate paper and read the cursive handwriting of Alice's.

Gather as many witnesses as you can before the snow sticks to the ground. That's when they'll come.

Hunter blinked. They left them when they needed them, when Bella needed them. Alice was the timer and now she was gone. She refrained from crumbling the paper and turned around with a scowl.

   "Hunter." Edward egged, curiosity and concern written on all of their faces.

   "They left us." She spit angrily.

   "Why?" Rosalie asked with disbelief.

Hunter shrugged, "She didn't say." The wind picked up and suddenly she found it easier to accept the news. They had the warning from Alice and now they were on their own.

  "Can I see that?" Bella asked her. Hunter handed her the paper and rubbed her hands on her jeans anxiously. If they wanted to do this, they had to do it fast.