Chapter Thirty Five- Deadline

Chapter Number: 35

Chapter Name: Deadline

Page Numbers: 665-678

Date of Chapter: December 27-31, 2006

Summary: Bella sets off to meet with J. Jenks to pick up the new identification for Renesmee and Jacob. As she is leaving for Seattle, she wonders if Edward has figured out what she was up to but didn’t ask so Aro wouldn’t be able to pull the information from his mind later on.

The meeting with J. Jenks goes well; however, he does ask if she’s planning to kidnap Renesmee from her father. Bella is stunned by the assumption, tells him no, and says it’s in case something should happen to her and her husband.

Upon her return, she finds the house empty, save for Kate and Garrett who are too busy debating the merits of their respective diets to pay her any mind. She takes this rare moment of peace to go to Alice and Jasper’s room where she rummages around until she finds an appropriate bag for the job—something big enough to hold the necessities, and small enough to fit on her daughter’s back. She loads the bag with the forged documents, a substantial amount of petty cash pilfered from Alice and Jasper’s stash, and a piece of paper upon which she writes RIO DE JANEIRO in hopes that Alice might see it in a vision and know where to find Renesmee and Jacob.

Carlisle and Edward stand vigil at the clearing, the same one from their previous battle with the newborns, and wait. A tent is erected in the woods just behind the clearing where Renesmee can sleep and still be close to her family.

Bella and Edward withhold on having a final goodbye moment because acknowledging that this event could be their demise makes it seem so final. Instead, they stay close to the others and touch whenever the occasion arises.

The weather the eve of New Year’s Eve was the first indication that the time was near—it snowed and didn’t melt. The scene was now set, it was time to regroup and make ready for whatever fate was to befall them.

Bella dresses Renesmee in something both girlie and practical, so when and if she and Jacob are forced to flee, she will be comfortable. As she is getting her daughter ready, Bella takes a moment to say her goodbyes and prepare Renesmee for what might have to happen. The little half-human/half-vampire protests, just as any child would if they were told they would have to leave their parents, but in the end she comes to understand a little more that it’s very important that she go with Jacob when her mother tells her to go.

As soon as Renesmee is packed, dressed, and ready, and Bella had put Aro’s wedding gift to her around her neck, they go out to stand with the family. Edward embraces them tightly and sighs, yet there is still never a hint of goodbye in his eyes.

The witnesses and allies gather with the Cullens, forming a unified front against the uncertainty ahead of them. Steeling themselves for what was to come, Bella has a momentary reprieve from her concern for the fate of her daughter when Jacob, in wolf form, comes to stand at her side, within Renesmee’s grasp. She knows that he’ll never let anything happen to her if he can possibly prevent it.

Edward reaches back for Bella’s hand and they wait, for the Volturi and their guard aren’t far.

Characters Involved: Bella Cullen, Edward Cullen, Renesmee Cullen, J. Jenks, Kate, Garrett, Jacob Black, Renesmee Cullen, Carlisle Cullen, Emmett Cullen, Rosalie Hale, Eleazar, Benjamin, Zafrina, Senna, Siobhan, The Wolf Pack

Character Mentioned: Alice Cullen, Jasper Hale, Aro, Charlie Swan, Renee Dwyer, Demetri, the “other” Denalis

Places Visited: The Cullen house, Seattle (The Pacifico Restaurant), the clearing

Memorable Quotes:

“Hurry back to me.” Edward to Bella –page 665

“I must say, it’s a different experience working with you than it is with Mr. Jasper. Much less…unsettling.” J. Jenks to Bella—page 667

“If you could assure me that you are not planning to kidnap the little girl from her father, I would sleep better tonight.” J. Jenks to Bella –page 670

“In our hearts, we’ll always be together…But when the time comes today, you have to leave me.” Bella to Renesmee –page 675-676

Important Information learned:

Bella completes the transaction J. Jenks to procure fake identities for Renesmee and Jacob in case they are forced to flee.

J. Jenks prefers to deal with Bella over Jasper.

Renesmee is equipped with a bag containing the fake identification, a substantial amount of money, love notes for Renesmee, Jacob, Charlie and Renee, and a piece of paper with the words Rio De Janeiro written on it so Jacob will know where to go and Alice will know where to find them.

Edward and Bella choose not to say any official goodbyes because it makes it all seem too final.

Everyone gathers in the clearing on New Year’s Eve to await the arrival of the Volturi, their guard, and quite possibly, their own deaths.

Chapter Prepared By: Oleander