Moving Forward - J. Black

xxviii.

With Jasper and Alice gone, there was more ground for the Cullens to cover. Jacob refused to leave Seth alone and Seth refused to leave Renesmee's side as a new danger loomed over her. Eliza decided that the first Coven they were going to witness to were the Denali's, which is how they got to the Alaskan home. The two cars pulled up and the Denali family had already come out to meet them. Edward stepped out of his car, leaving behind his wife and daughter, while Eliza and Jacob stepped out of their own vehicle. Jacob lingered near the Cullen car as Edward and Eliza stepped forward to meet the Cullen. "Eliza, is everything alright? Why didn't you tell us you were coming?" Tanya was the first to speak as the pair approached them. "Is it Irina, have you heard from her?" sadness and hope lingered in the eyes of Kate. "Not directly." Edward tried his best to hide the anger that he had for the woman. Eliza took in the family's demeanor, taking notice that Bree wasn't present, and could tell they were suffering in Irina's absence. "Why is your bride waiting in the car?" Eleazar spoke next, standing at the side of Carmen. "And why have you brought wolves with you; I can smell them from here?" Kate was weary of Jacob, despite the distance he kept.

"My family is in danger; I need your help." Edward ignored the bias towards Eliza's mate and Seth. "What's happened?" Carmen immediately grew concerned for the family. "It's hard to explain but I need you to be open minded. Can you do that?" Edward avoided meeting the gaze of the coven in front of him. "Of course." Tanya looked to Eliza wearily, the blonde simply giving a small and encouraging smile.

Eliza glanced back at Jacob, who nodded and opened the door for Bella. A few moments lapsed for Bell stepped out of the car and Seth stepped out of the back as well. Gasps erupted from the family as soon as Renesmee followed Seth out of the back seat, the atmosphere immediately going stiff. "The Volturi will come for us." Kate immediately grabbed onto Tanya as the family recoiled. "You get that thing out of here." Tanya glared at Edward, angered by her immediate perception. "She's not what she looks like, we would never have come here if it was." Eliza tried to reason with the sisters that she had once been close to. "This is a crime!" Tanya launched herself at Edward in rage, Edward immediately shoving the woman into the white snow. Kate launched herself next and Eliza stepped forward to intervene, only for Jacob to hold her back. Eliza glanced at Jacob, who gave her a look of warning, she was not to get hurt for Edward's sake. Kate shocked Edward until he hit the ground from pain and Bella immediately rushed to her husband's aid, immune to Kate's powers. Bella sent Kate flying backwards as she ripped Edward from the blonde's grasp, the two sisters quickly came running back. "Stay back." Bella's warning paused the attack as stood protectively in front of her husband with a glare of warning.

Eliza stepped forward as a voice of reason, but Jacob kept his grip on her hand protectively. "She has blood in her veins, you can feel her warmth." Eliza glanced back at Renesmee, who was being held protectively in Seth's arms. "I can feel it." Carmen looked from Eliza to Renesmee in awe. "I'm her biological father, Bella's her mother." Edward began to explain the situation. "Impossible." Kate shook her head as she looked between Eliza and Edward. "It's true, she was born while I was still human." Bella took a step back to Edward's side as she defended her husband. "I've never heard of such a thing." Eleazar looked suspicious but did not make any threatening moves. "She can show you, if you let her." Eliza reassured the couple, knowing that they would be the most open. Eleazar and Carmen hesitantly nodded, and Eliza turned to motion Seth forward. Swooping the small girl in his arms, Seth approached the two couples.

"Tanya, you owe us this much. We're all under a death sentence because your sister didn't let us explain." Edward tried to get the sisters on board as the pair approached. Eliza took Renesmee from Seth's arms, before moving closer to the sisters. Renesmee smiled in the arms of her aunt and brought her hand forward for Tanya. "Don't be afraid." Bella spoke up as the woman looked at the small child's hand hesitantly. "This is how she communicates." Bella explained as Renesmee's hand made contact with the woman's cheek and she shared the memory of her birth with Tanya. "It's true." Tanya gasped as Renesmee slowly pulled her hand back, taking the memory with her. "She's not immortal." Tanya glanced back at her family as she pried her eyes away from the child in awe. The coven warmed up to the idea of Renesmee and Eliza set the girl down.

"Let's hope everyone is this receptive." Eliza sighed as she leaned back in Jacob's arms, watching the smiles on everyone's face. Jacob didn't respond as a figure emerged from behind the home. The shifter blinked and suddenly his imprint was ripped from his body. Eliza was unprepared for the hug as the impact of Bree's body yanked her forward. Jacob tensed in preparation for a fight but relaxed when he recognized the familiar brunette. "I missed you too." Eliza let out a laugh as she hugged the young girl back tightly. "What are you doing here? I've been trying to reach you for weeks!" Bree pulled away from her mentor, concerned about the lack of communication. "Things got a little crazy after the wedding." Eliza smiled brightly at the teenager, whose golden eyes shined in delight. "In order to explain, there's someone who we would like you to meet." Eliza turned the brunette to face Renesmee and the family.