Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters created by Stephenie Meyer and that belong to the Twilight series.
Edward Cullen let out a long breath as he watched his daughter Renesmee twirl around in front of her mother and Edward's wife, Bella, acting like the little girl Renesmee was only nine years ago, before she matured two years ago into the being she was today. His eyes studied every movement Renesmee's white dress made as she continued to twirl in her excitement, Edward's face filled with sadness as he realized that today was the day his baby girl was going to no longer be his but someone else's.
'Who am I kidding? She was partially his since the day "Nessie" was uttered that first time by him years ago,' thought Edward with a flare of annoyance mixed in with amusement, only a hint of what range of emotions he felt on this day, his daughter's wedding day. Edward concentrated on his breathing again, forgetting that he stopped for several beats longer than he should have when Bella shot him a warning glance just before Renee, his mother-in-law, shot him a worried look from where she stood close to her daughter and granddaughter.
"Are you okay Edward?" asked Renee, her gaze lingering on her son-in-law.
Edward evened out his breathing and nodded his head. "What can I say, so much beauty in one room would take any man's breath away," he charmed, smirking a little as he saw the identical blushes on Renesmee's and Renee's cheeks while Bella simply rolled her eyes at her husband.
"Honestly Edward, do you have to be that cheesy, even on your daughter's big day?" teased Bella, walking over to wrap her arms around Edward's waist, gazing up at him with a smile on her face.
"Bella, you simply wound me," replied Edward, one arm wrapped around her waist while placing his right hand over his motionless heart.
"Honestly you two, can't you keep your lovey dovey romantic stuff to yourselves today? This is my day!" exclaimed Renesmee, giggling as she was quickly embraced by her parents. She reached up her hands and placed both palms on a cheek of a parent, silently communicating her love for them without Renee suspecting anything odd as Edward and Bella both kept their faces neutral.
Renee had surprised them all nine years ago when she came for a random visit to Forks, just weeks after the battle with the Volturi. She and Phil had both come to spend some time with the newlyweds since they didn't make it for the wedding and had to wait for when schedules allowed it. They had shown up at Charlie's house just as Bella, Edward, Renesmee, and Jacob were leaving, Renee's sharp eyes immediately seeing the resemblance the little girl had to both her own daughter and her new husband.
"Renee, what a surprise it is to see you," mumbled Charlie, instantly uncomfortable with the situation.
"Cut the crap Charlie. What exactly has happened since I last saw our daughter?" demanded Renee, her narrowed eyes turning from the little girl who was now clinging tightly to Bella to her ex-husband. "Well?"
"Well Renee…" started Edward, wanting to step in as he heard the nervous and somewhat frightened thoughts cross Charlie's mind.
"No, I want to know what happened from Bella's father, the adult here!" interrupted Renee, leaving Edward with no choice but to let Charlie handle this on his own.
Charlie saw the apologetic look Edward gave him and huffed, annoyed that he was being the one put on the stand when this was all Bella and Edward's doing. 'Need to know basis my ass,' grumbled Charlie in his head while he tried to think of something to say that would pacify Renee, deciding that perhaps the truth as he know it would suffice. "Well, Renee, I guess I need to be the one to introduce you to your granddaughter, Renesmee. She was named after you and Edward's mother."
Renee's face instantly softened at this, a smile appearing on her face before it quickly dropped away, being replaced by a frown. "She looks months old. Those wedding pictures we were sent didn't hint at all that Bella was pregnant."
"I wasn't," whispered Bella, receiving a concerned look immediately from Edward.
Phil coughed a bit uncomfortably, shifting from one foot to the other as the tension in the room built. Renesmee placed an open hand on Bella's cheek, asking who the strangers were and if she could touch them. Jacob and Edward both stood, tense, beside the females in their lives, trying to figure out what would happen next.
"She's not mad Bella, she's just trying to understand how this all happened," murmured Edward, low enough and through the side of his mouth so no human would hear him, well besides Jacob.
Bella nodded, grateful that Edward was able to give her that little insight. She glanced over to her father, who seemed to be struggling with the right words to say as well. "Mom, Phil, I'd like you to meet Renesmee Cullen, your granddaughter. We, umm, adopted her."
This time, Renee's eyes flashed up from the little girl to meet her daughter's gaze, shocked when she saw that Bella didn't quite look the same way either, something she failed to see when she first entered the house because of the shock she received by looking at her "granddaughter." "Bella, what has happened to you?"
Bella bit her lip, looking at Edward anxiously as she too remembered she didn't look the same as she once did, grateful that she had just slipped on a new pair of contacts from the large stock Alice Cullen had given her just days before. "Marital bliss has created a glow?" offered Bella, knowing it was a thin response but not having anything better.
Edward saw the whirlwind of thoughts and suspicions cross Renee's mind, each seeming to leave his mother-in-law more and more unsatisfied. He glanced over at Charlie as his father-in-law was now thinking some rather strong thoughts, getting defensive at the idea that Renee thought he had managed to screw up Bella in the short amount of time he had her living with him compared to growing up with Renee.
"I think she looks lovely," threw out Charlie, meeting Renee's gaze. "Bella does look different but I think she is somehow even more beautiful than she was before Edward found her. As to Renesmee, aren't you at all happy to be a grandmother? I'm proud to be this little girl's grandfather."
Renesmee grinned over at her grandfather, a tinge of pink gracing her cheeks.
"I am but I'd rather her be my own blood, not that there is anything against adoption. However, I suspect that she really is and that something is being left out here. It's hard to believe that this little girl would look so much like both Bella and Edward if she truly was adopted. I'm not blind Charlie," replied Renee, now curious as to what really happened.
"Hi Renee, I'm Jacob. I don't think we've met officially before," greeted Jacob a little late, knowing that this was the only diversion he could think of to save the situation.
Renee's eyes shot over to see the teenager who hovered close to Bella, a protective hand on Renesmee's back. "Jacob? As in the Jacob that Bella used to talk about all the time?"
Jacob grinned at this, increasing the size as he heard Edwards low curse at reading his triumphant thoughts just then. "The one and only. It's great to finally meet you."
"You too," replied Renee. "This is Phil, my husband."
Jacob and Phil shook hands, both grateful that the atmosphere had eased a little with Jacob's diversion. "Good meeting you."
"Likewise," returned Jacob, unable to resist glancing at Edward, who had a tight expression on his face.
As Jacob was about to crack a joke to try to alleviate the mood of the room some more, Renee doused the room in lighter fuel just waiting to ignite as she returned to her previous inquiries. "Someone, please, just tell me what is going on here. I know she's your daughter Bella and I can see you aren't lying when you said you weren't pregnant at the wedding but how did this all come to be then?"
Before Bella could reply, Charlie stepped in, wondering if Renee would accept the explanation as well as he did as Jacob had put it to him months ago. "Renee, if it meant that you could still see Bella and her new family for the years to come, even if randomly, would you accept the fact that Renesmee is their biological daughter and leave it at that? That knowing your daughter is happy and, well, healthy be enough?"
A thick silence transcended into the room, Bella making an active effort to keep breathing and to shift her body weight some realizing she hadn't really moved since Renee's unexpected arrival. Edward placed a comforting hand on the small of her back, reading his wife's thoughts as she allowed him into her shield for a few moments before closing it back around herself and their daughter who was now boldly looking at both strangers, wondering how she could charm them to accepting of her and her parents, who were both distressed.
The ticking of a clock in another room echoed through the house, the even breathing of those in the room being the only sounds as Renee thought about it and then slowly nodded her head, concluding that if Charlie could accept it that she could too. "If that's what's best for our daughter and her family and I know everyone is happy and healthy, that's all I can hope for. Can I hold my granddaughter?"
There was a collective sigh of relief before Renesmee anxiously reached out to her, communicating to Bella with another hand on her mother's cheek that she knew Renee was just like Charlie, along with Phil, and that she would behave as such. Bella released her daughter into the outstretched arms of Renee, sagging back into the ready and comforting embrace of Edward, who instantly pulled Bella into his arms, letting her lean up against his chest.
"It's going to be okay. Nessie has already won both your mom and Phil over. Perhaps she does more than one gift. Then again, she is her mother's daughter, charming in every way," soothed Edward, grinning as all three humans in the room now focused on the little girl with wavy pigtails in Renee's arms, knowing that if nothing else, Renesmee would be well loved by all types of beings on this planet.
Edward let out a low hiss as Jacob's thoughts from a nearby room invaded his mind and interrupted his memory that he was sharing with Bella. He saw the concerned look on his wife's face and shook his head, immediately letting go of both daughter and wife. "I better go check on Jacob. I'll leave you three ladies to finish preparing. I think Alice, Rosalie, and Esme are on their way here anyway."
He kissed Renesmee on the forehead and then Bella lightly on the lips before he quickly escaped the room, itching to strangle the boy that would be marrying his daughter in less than an hour for thinking such a lustful thought as to what Jacob would be doing to Renesmee later that night. When he reached the room where he smelled an overwhelming amount of foulness coming from, Edward opened the door without knocking, his cold eyes focusing on Jacob, who was surrounded by Seth, Quil, Embry, and surprisingly Leah.
All the talk in the room stopped as the members of the room smelled Edward's presence before they saw him. Jacob lost the grin on his face as he saw the murderous look on Edward's face. "What? What is it?"
"Don't you ever think that way when I'm near you all right? I may be rooms down, spending the last few moments I have with my daughter as I know her, before she is eternally bound to you officially, but I can still hear you!" bit out Edward, making sure to keep his voice low but still filled with steel.
Jasper and Emmett were in the room immediately, silently opening and closing the door behind them as Jasper got wind of the extreme emotions Edward was feeling just then. "Edward?" questioned Jasper.
"This mongrel was just fantasizing about what he plans on doing to my daughter, who is only nine years old," grounded out Edward, feeling a restraining hand be placed on both of his shoulders from both of his own brothers.
"Hey, it's not like you and Bells don't do it," defended Jacob, knowing instantly that was the wrong response.
"Smooth Jacob, real smooth," replied Leah, rolling her eyes. "You really know how to win over your father-in-law to be don't you?"
"Young pup strikes again," murmured Emmett, shaking his own head. "How about you stop talking Jacob and let us calm Edward down before his daughter ends up with a mate for life that doesn't have a certain member you seem to treasure so."
"He wouldn't," got out Jacob, realizing by just looking at Edward that he actually would. Jacob realized in that moment that he was cowering, something he never did, and straightened his back. "Well, maybe we should finally have at it. Neither Bells or Nessie are here to stop us. Come on Edward, take your best shot."
"Stupid idiot, do you really want to ruin your mate's wedding day, a day she has expressed time and time again that she is so excited about?" demanded Quil, knowing that had it been his own wedding day with Claire, his still too young mate, Quil wouldn't dare jeopardize her happiness. "Not only is Nessie never going to speak to you again for ruining her wedding day but Bella is going to kill you for hurting not only her daughter but also for purposely riling up her husband."
"Not to mention Nessie ain't going to give you any action in the near future if you hurt her dad," added Embry, getting a sharp jab in the ribs that he barely felt from Seth.
Seth groaned, seeing the fragile restraint Edward had on his emotions, feeling bad for the vampire. "Dude, so not helping Embry. Edward, look, Jacob is sorry."
Edward scanned Jacob's thoughts and dismissed that idea with a shake of his head. "No he isn't. Thanks for trying though Seth."
"Vampire lover," mumbled Leah, almost laughing as Seth stuck his tongue out at her.
Jacob let everyone's reasoning sink into his brain, unable to deny that it would be hard to explain to both Renesmee and Bella why there was so much damage to the small inn they had rented out in the middle of the woods somewhere in Washington to get married outdoors, among the softly falling snow. True to Alice's vision of it being just the right day for them to get married that matched Renesmee's desire to be married in the snow, there was a nice layer outside already with only flurries falling down from the sky now. "All right, all right. No challenging of each other right now but only for the sake of Nessie. My thoughts are my own though Edward so if you don't want to hear them, stay out."
"Gladly, just stop shouting them in your head," returned Edward shortly, taking one last look at the shape shifters before leaving the room with Jasper and Emmett by his side.
"Does Edward know?" asked Seth tentatively, somehow realizing that he must not.
Quil let out a dry laugh. "Do you think he would have left that easily if he did?"
"Dead man walking!" teased Embry, chuckling with Leah.
"Not funny guys! I really have no desire to leave my future wife a widow or fatherless anytime soon," got out Jacob, forcing himself not to think of the news that would bring Edward back into the room in a heartbeat, grateful that the glimpses of his friends thoughts hadn't registered and stuck in Edward's mind just then.
Bella wished she could take away Edward's gift of reading others' minds as she felt her husband stiffen for the hundredth time as they sat in the front row, watching Emmett marry Renesmee and Jacob under a lovely arch covered in snow and flowers that Alice had chosen that looked just right for the wintery scene Renesmee dreamt of. Edward had briefly told Bella what was bothering him when he returned to Renesmee's room earlier, Bella too feeling disgusted with the idea of what Jacob and her baby would be doing that night. 'To think Jacob and I were going down this road at one point in our lives and to now have him going down the same road but further with my daughter, who is not even ten years old,' thought Bella, shivering despite the lack of coldness she actually felt.
It was Edward's turn to give his wife a worried look, knowing she couldn't possibly be cold. He stretched out his left arm and wrapped it around her shoulders, pulling her more tightly to his body as he tried to concentrate on Emmett's words and even Renesmee's loving thoughts as she stared at Jacob, trying to block out the lustful thoughts that were back in Jacob's mind.
He glanced over and saw Renee bundled up in a jacket, wiping away a few tears as the ceremony came to a close, feeling his own sadness sweep through Edward's body. Charlie too, also bundled up next to Bella, seemed reluctant for the ceremony to end, to see his granddaughter, who grew far too quickly for any of them, belong to someone else. Over the years, Edward had slowly won over Charlie, leaving the older man to care for both Jacob and Edward equally instead of the way he used to clearly favor the shape shifter.
On the other side of the small aisle was Billy, Jacob's father, along with Sue, and numerous members of Jacob's current and former packs, all dressed up. It was easy to spot the humans as they were the only ones bundled up while everyone else was content to just sit or stand in the snow.
Once Emmett was done, he announced it was time for the first kiss to be shared as a married couple and everyone besides Edward cheered as Renesmee's lips met Jacob's in a soft kiss, followed by a more heated one. Edward barely held himself in check as the newly married couple turned towards their audience and grinned, putting a tight smile on his lips as he felt both Bella and Renesmee looking at him.
After pictures were done and congratulations were given to the new couple by the small group present, they moved indoors to the small dining room with a dance floor so Renesmee and Jacob could share their first dance together, leaving Edward to watch darkly next to Bella at their table they shared with Carlisle, Esme, Phil, Renee, and Charlie.
Picking up on Edward's mood, Bella intertwined her fingers with his, letting Edward know she was there for him. He gave her a grateful look before looking at Charlie on his other side, seeing his own father-in-law giving him a knowing look.
"Sucks doesn't it?" Charlie said simply, seeing Edward nod. "Now you know how I felt all those years ago when you took Bella away. Thing is, no matter how old they get, your daughter will always be your baby."
Sudden clarity hit Edward as he clearly understood now Charlie's moods and thoughts on their wedding day, realizing how tough it really was to be the father giving away his daughter to a man who would never be worthy of her, no matter what. "Thanks Charlie. For giving me Bella and for being so understanding. I can totally see where you were coming from then and even now. At least Bella was eighteen when we got married. Jacob's robbing the cradle."
Bella let out a laugh at this, seeing some type of humor in the situation that Edward clearly didn't. "Love, Renesmee may be only nine but she's matured so much in those nine years. My mom calls me her little old souled daughter but I think that can be applied to our daughter as well. You said that if this made Renesmee happy that you would go along with it."
"And I have, but that doesn't mean I'm happy with it. I was just tired fighting with them both all the time for the past two years since she matured," replied Edward, sulking a little as his eyes went back to watching the newlyweds, unable to escape the fact that they both were overly happy in that moment, dancing in each other's arms as husband and wife. "Why couldn't they have waited until she was eighteen like you were?"
"Because they've been committed to each other since Jacob gave her that commitment bracelet, even before then when Jacob and she formed the bond when I was pregnant with her. I admit it's still bothersome to me to think of them this way, with my own history with Jacob, but it is what it is. Mentally and physically, our daughter has grown up," said Bella, kissing her husband's tense face on the cheek.
"It's just not fair. We should have had a good eighteen years with her before she became Jacob's, not half that time," complained Edward.
Charlie patted Edward's arm in a comforting manner, giving him a sympathetic look. "I completely understand you on that point but at least Renesmee will still be with you, part of your family for you to see daily. I don't get that luxury with my own daughter, neither does Renee."
Edward knew in that instant that Charlie was right, that Edward did have at least that bit going for him. "Thanks Charlie."
Dinner began shortly after, Edward and Bella both holding hands under the table as they ate and conversed with their parents, looking over at the small table where Renesmee and Jacob were currently eating their own meal, lost in their own little world. After the main entrée was finished, the DJ started the music again, calling both Edward and Renesmee onto the dance floor to share in their father-daughter dance.
Bella smiled encouragingly at Edward, kissing him on the lips before she whispered, "Treasure this moment Edward and let our daughter go."
Edward nodded before he kissed his wife on her forehead, turning to meet Renesmee in the middle of the dance floor. He gently took his daughter into his arms, remembering years ago when he had danced with Bella for the first time, thinking back also to the time when he had danced with Renesmee standing on his feet when she was less than a year old. Edward breathed in her scent, savoring what he could of her own scent and ignoring Jacob's that was clearly intermingled now. Focusing on the moment as Bella advised, Edward kept his gaze on his beaming daughter, his throat tightening as he saw how very happy she was.
"Are you truly happy?" he asked, knowing the answer already.
"More than anything Daddy," she replied, Renesmee, lifting her hand to his cheek to assure him of the truth to her words, knowing that she didn't need to as he already saw her thoughts but wanted to offer the happy visions in her head to him willingly.
"You sure you want to spend forever with the pup? It's not too late," offered Edward, this time smiling back at his daughter.
"You know I love him Daddy, just as you love Mommy. Nothing will change, honest," replied Renesmee, wanting to comfort her father who seemed so distressed despite his smile. "Why are you so upset? I'll always be your daughter."
"But you'll be more his wife than my daughter. It's just hard for me to accept, especially as you've grown up so much, so fast," returned Edward, never letting them miss a beat as they continued to dance together. "You really look beautiful today Nessie."
She blushed at his compliment, lowering her gaze for a moment before looking back up at her father. "Thank you. I love you Daddy."
"I love you too sweetheart," he replied, kissing her on the forehead just as the dance ended, leaving Edward to reluctantly let go of his daughter. Edward almost stumbled though, earning a few chuckles from Emmett nearby, as he heard something he hadn't heard before, wondering then if he was imagining things. Standing at the edge of the dance floor, Edward looked at Renesmee and Jacob both, narrowing his eyes as he focused on the extra sound, sitting down back in his chair at the table as Jasper quickly got up and moved him there, sensing the building emotions in Edward.
From then on, the wedding reception continued on in a blur for Edward, barely remembering dancing with Alice, Rose, Esme, Renee, and even Bella, only able to focus on that constant and unexpected sound for the rest of the evening. It took all of Edward's well-developed control not to launch himself at Jacob, his new son-in-law as they said their goodbyes to the newlyweds. It wasn't until Jacob was helping Renesmee into the car that Embry was driving that Edward finally decided it was time to let go of some of his feelings by cluing Bella in.
"Bye Renesmee, Jacob! Have fun on your honeymoon!" called out Bella, waving excitedly as both of them waved back at her and the crowd before Jacob closed the door to the car.
They were all watching the car leave when Edward said, "Bella, I think you are going to break Renee's record of being a grandmother."
If she could have, Bella would have gotten paler at those words, instantly turning her attention to her husband. "What?"
Edward only grimly smiled at her. "Unlike us, Jacob and Renesmee didn't wait and she's pregnant. I heard the fetus' heartbeat just as Renesmee and I parted on the dance floor. Couldn't you hear it?"
Bella thought back to the whole day and the days before, realizing she had but had just dismissed it to Renesmee's heart beating faster than normal in her excitement to explain the double heartbeats. "Oh my God... I'm going to kill him!"
Seeing Bella react this way brought a smile to Edward's face, relieved that he was not overreacting, at least by perception. "Now now Bella, remember what you told me. Treasure this moment and let Renesmee go."
Bella could only glare at her husband for using her own words against her, especially as he smirked at her, both knowing there was nothing they could do now, especially as the target for their anger was happily running off with their daughter to their honeymoon destination. She sighed before she let herself lean against Edward's side, his arm instinctively curling around her waist, knowing for sure that her baby was gone, glad she did treasure all the moments she had with Renesmee while she grew up before this day. "Love, I guess we both are learning to let go of our daughter today aren't we?"
Edward nodded, kissing the top of Bella's head. "We are, learning to let go of her together but we at least still have each other, forever and forever, right? I love you Bella."
Bella smiled back at him, forgetting her annoyance at her best friend for the moment as she got caught up in Edward's eyes. "I love you too Edward, forever," she agreed, leaning up to catch his lips with hers, both forgetting their strong instinct to protect their daughter, both knowing that Renesmee was, admittedly, in good, loving hands and that there wasn't anything either of them could really do now.
"Go get a room! You are acting more like the newlyweds than they were just moments ago!" called out Emmett, earning chuckles from many of those still lingering where they were before Jacob and Renesmee left, each representing a member of the world's most unusual family, pack, coven, and human family combined.