"Carlisle," Edward called. His voice was low but clear.

We all paused listening to Bella's heart, it was beating furiously now, so much different than that of the two wolves and three hybrids (myself included). It was coming on day three and Bella should be waking up soon.

"Ah," Carlisle said. "It's almost over."

"Soon," Alice agreed eagerly. "I'll get the others. Should I have Seth...?"

"Yes—keep the baby away." Edward responded.

Though Renesmee was a hybrid she still had the human smell to her, we were worried it might be too much for Bella. We wanted to make sure she could handle being around her, but we also wanted to make sure she could be around Leah and Seth too.

We needed to assess her mindset.

Seth and I would be the test subjects. One because I was a hybrid but i wouldn't let Seth go out alone in case Bella got mad or something like that.

With a smile I sent my mate and son upstairs, Seth and Leah followed. I was glad that Seth and Leah were taking on a role of older siblings rather than maternal or paternal figure. They were always around but it didn't interfere with Rosalie or Edward being parents, and I was thankful. I could tell Edward was too.

I stood next to Esme, who was more and more like my mom than I realized, it was nice. Even nicer when she told Seth, Leah, and I that she sees us as her children just as much as the others, Carlisle agreed taking on the paternal role all of us were missing. With forever in our futures, we felt better knowing that we had a forever family.

Leah seemed okay with phasing constantly to be there for Demetri, until he was old enough to take care of himself or until she found her mate. There was always the thought that Seth and Renesmee might be mates in the future, the same with Leah and Demetri but we never discussed it.

I focused on Bella when I heard the door shut upstairs, indicating the others were safe just in case. I wasn't worried about her being 'thirsty' and hurting anyone, everyone in the house had an undesirable... well a scent that they wouldn't associate with food.

Renesmee had a human scent like her mother, floral somehow but the sweet vampiric scent that would make vampires think she was one of them. Demetri smelled like a vampire. His human side was hidden much like mine, but to me, Leah, and Seth he smelled like fresh foliage and strawberries. Rosalie could smell it too.

I think for Rosalie it was a maternal thing, Leah maybe an imprint but it could be because I could smell him and I shared it.

Bella's hand twitched suddenly, and everyone held their breath. The room went silent besides the jackhammering of Bella's heart, it was so loud that it completely outdid mine.

"Bella? Bella, love?" Edward spoke as he squeezed her hand. Her heart took off, beating like helicopter blades, the sound almost a single sustained note. It was almost too loud.

She had been cleaned up before, redressed so that she would wake up completely new. All the bites that Edward had placed on her were gone, Bella's hair took on a new shine, her previously broken chest (by me and Edward when performing CPR) inflated back to its normal position, her sickly frail body was replenished. Muscles grew and we could no longer see her skeleton, her skin was pale, with no sign of flush.

And then her heart stopped. The sign we had been waiting for. Everyone heard it or the lack of it as my heartbeat was the only sound in the room.

Then, Bella opened her eyes.

For a moment nothing happened, then Bella pulled in a breath of air. Edward squeezed her hand again, Bella hissed, spitting through her clenched teeth with a low, menacing sound like a swarm of bees.

Before the sound was out, her muscles bunched and arched, twisting away from him. She flipped off her back and into a crouch, against the wall defensively, about a sixteenth of a second later.

Edward was leaning across the operating table that had been Bella's deathbed, the place where her heart stopped beating and the place where she started her new life, his hand was reached out anxiously.

Bella's eye flickered through the room landing on the group standing off to the side, Jasper, Lucia, and Emmett were up front, Alice, was peeking round Jaspers elbow a huge grin on her face. I stood behind Lucia, though it probably looked funny since I was at least half a foot taller than her.

Her eyes landed on Edward and in a second she straightened her back and she was standing, it was a little disorientating to see her move so fast. Edward moved slowly around the table—each step taking nearly half a second, his hand still outstretched.

"Bella?" he asked in a low, calming tone, but the worry in his voice layered her name with tension. "Bella, love? I'm sorry, I know it's disorienting. But you're all right. Everything is fine."

It was weird watching this, almost like we were invading an intimate moment between the two, a moment not meant to be witnessed or heard by anyone else. It reminded me almost how I felt when I had Edward in my head, it was closed now, so he couldn't see anything, and I was glad. I was getting exhausted keeping my mind open to him whilst trying to keep some things a secret.

This belief was furthered when the two began kissing. I looked away, as Emmett cleared his throat. Bella stepped away from Edward a little, since her... well she was so tightly connected to Edward that is was inappropriate.

Edward chuckled and stepped with her, keeping his arms tight around her waist.

"You've been holding out on me," She accused in her singing voice, eyes narrowing a tiny bit.

"It was sort of necessary at the time," he reminded. "Now it's your turn to not break me." He laughed again.

Carlisle stepped around Emmett and walked toward them swiftly; his eyes were only slightly wary, but Jasper shadowed his footsteps.

"How do you feel, Bella?" Carlisle asked.

"Overwhelmed. There's so much. . .." She trailed off

"Yes, it can be quite confusing." Carlisle responded.

She nodded one fast, jerky bob. "But I feel like me. Sort of. I didn't expect that."

Edward's arms squeezed lightly around her waist. "I told you so," he whispered.

"You are quite controlled," Carlisle mused. "More so than I expected, even with the time you had to prepare yourself mentally for this."

"I'm not sure about that." She whispered.

"It seems like we did something right with the morphine this time. Tell me, what do you remember of the transformation process?"

"Everything was... very dim before. I remember the baby couldn't breathe. . .." She looked at Edward, his eyes darted over to mine. A shared memory of the two of us trying to save them both, it was successful, but that night was filled with a lot of issues.

"Renesmee is healthy and well," he promised, a gleam I'd never seen before in his eyes. He said her name with an understated fervor. A reverence. The way devout people talked about their gods. He loved her already. "What do you remember after that?"

"It's hard to remember. It was so dark before. And then... I opened my eyes, and I could see everything."

"Amazing," Carlisle breathed, his eyes alight.

"I want you to think—to tell me everything you remember," Carlisle pressed excitedly, and Bella couldn't help the grimace that flashed across her face.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Bella," Carlisle apologized immediately. "Of course, your thirst must be very uncomfortable. This conversation can wait."

Her hand flew up to cup her throat, as if she just realized the burn that all newborns feel.

Edward dropped his arms and took her other hand, tugging gently. "Let's hunt, Bella." Bella responded with wide eyes.

"It's quite easy, love. Instinctual. Don't worry, I'll show you." When she didn't move, he grinned his crooked smile and raised his eyebrows. "I was under the impression that you'd always wanted to see me hunt."

"I'm fine," Bella said "Wait. First."

It was Carlisle who spoke now. "Yes?"

"I want to see her. Renesmee."

Everyone in the room exchanged a guarded glance, we weren't truly worried about the thirst, but strength and I was worried she would be angry at Seth.

"What?" She demanded.

"Bella," Edward said soothingly. "That's not really a good idea. She's half human, love. Her heart beats, and blood runs in her veins. Until your thirst is positively under control... You don't want to put her in danger, do you?"

She frowned. "Where is she?" then she was quite as if listening, then looked between us.

"Is Rosalie with her?"

"yes" Edward replied easily.

"Wait," she protested again "What about the pack? And Charlie? Tell me everything that I missed. How long was I... unconscious?"

Edward exchanged a weary glance with Carlisle, I understood. We had to find some sort of lie to tell them.

We were still worried about Bella, but I knew I would have to make an appearance eventually. If Charlie found out that everyone was lying... I didn't want to know what would happen.

"what's wrong?" Bella whispered

"Nothing is wrong," Carlisle told her, emphasizing the last word. "Nothing has changed much, actually—you were only unaware for just over two days. It was very fast, as these things go. Edward did an excellent job. Quite innovative—the venom injection straight to your heart was his idea." He paused to smile proudly at his son and then sighed.

"The pack is nothing to worry about, Alex handled it and we won't be seeing any problems from Sam. Charlie still believes that you are sick. He thinks you're in Atlanta right now, undergoing tests

at the CDC. We gave him a bad number, and he's frustrated. He's been speaking to Esme."

"I should call him...," she murmured "wait... you said problems from Sam but not the whole pack, what happened?" she looked at me, I glanced at Edward.

"Bella," Edward said quickly. "There's much to discuss, but we should take care of you first. You have to be in pain. . . ."

"but-"

"Don't worry about that too much Bella. Sam and I have an agreement. We can talk about it more when you get back" I told her gesturing her to follow.

"Wait, wait, wait," Alice trilled from the doorway. She danced across the room, dreamily graceful. "You promised I could be there the first time! What if you two run past something reflective?"

"Alice—," Edward protested.

"It will only take a second!" And with that, Alice darted from the room. I chuckled at the pixies excitement.

"What is she talking about?"

But Alice was already back, carrying the huge, gilt-framed mirror from Rosalie's room, which was nearly twice as tall as she was, and several times as wide. I say Rosalie's but it's really our room. I didn't pay attention to what they were all discussing only standing back and thinking about everything that was to come.

I told Bella she didn't have to worry about Sam or the council, but I was still worried about Jacob. Would he except this? Would he give up his hunt? Would he allow us to live in peace? I didn't need to sleep as much as before so I could always be alert.

When Edward and Bella left I went to see Rosalie. It was scary how easily we fell into the role of parents, though Rose had always wanted this so I shouldn't be surprised. I was only thankful that we didn't have to convince Demetri to drink formula like everyone tried to do with Renesmee.

He had very little want to drink blood and he had no teeth yet. They were starting to grow; he would be teething soon. Hopefully it went well, and he didn't start developing a thirst for blood.

Demetri looked at me with bright eyes. "hey buddy" his smile reappeared, causing Rose to laugh.

"how's Bella?" Rose asked.

"she's awake, Edward took her hunting. She wants to see Renesmee" I told them playing with Demetri's foot. He laughed earning a round from everyone else.

We sat in peace waiting. It was getting close to Demetri's nap time, but the excitement from before was still riding high in both the little ones.

I held Demetri and began walking back and forth, a gentle bop to my step, hoping to lull him to sleep. Seth was trying the same with Renesmee. It was working, a little bit but not enough.

I started humming the song I heard Korinna sing many times. "Praise for high tide, Praise for the seaside. Praise for the sun at high no-o-oon. Praise the lighting, praise for the singing. Praise the father sun and sister mo-oon. Praise for the red dawn, grass that we walk upon. Praise for the river's whispered tune. Praise for the wind brother, praise for the earth mother. Praise for the father sun and sister moon. Praise for father sun and sister moon."

Seth and Leah joined in and soon the two were fast asleep.