Rain had fallen over Forks for three straight days. It drummed against the tall windows of the Cullen house, turning the forest into blurred green and gray. From the road, the home would have looked abandoned beneath the endless weather. Inside, it was alive with quiet motion. Two years had passed since the Volturi had come and left without war. Since then, the witnesses from across the vampire world had returned to their own hidden lives. Peace had settled over the Cullens, fragile but real. Carlisle sat with a book he wasn’t reading. Esme arranged flowers out of habit. Emmett and Jasper played chess with unnecessary intensity while Rosalie watched with mild judgment. Alice hummed as Renesmee moved through the room in quick, impossible bursts of energy. Bella stood beside Edward, fingers lightly resting against his arm. For a moment, everything felt almost ordinary.

three soft knocks came at the door