A/N: See if you can guess the artist of the quote and the title of this chapter. If you do, I'll dedicate the next chapter to you =]

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN EDWARD CULLEN, BELLA SWAN, ESME, NESSIE, EJ, ELIZABETH, RENEE, CHARLIE, ANGELA, BEN, OR ANY OF THE OTHER CHARACTERS MENTIONED IN THIS STORY EXCEPT FOR CALEB AND LILLY!

"'Cause you're my lullaby"

The light streaming in through the windows was tinted purple as the sun began its climb in the sky. I struggled to sit up in bed, my swollen belly making it difficult and rubbed the sleep from my eyes, yawning widely. I groped the sheets next to me, only to find them empty. Edward must have already awoken. I shoved the blankets to the foot of the bed, rising to my feet. My lower back ached and I reminded myself that it would soon be over. The twins were due in less than a week, and I felt a smirk pulling the corners of my mouth up in anticipation. Even though Edward and I were first time parents the idea of having children excited me surprisingly so. I made my way into the washroom, turned the shower on and shed my nightgown. I glanced at myself in the mirror. My mahogany curls hung in loose, flirty curls around my shoulders—a result of being stuck in the rain the night before. Edward and I had taken a short walk around the block and half way through it unexpectedly began to pour, drenching us to the bone. By the time we got back to the house I was too tired to do anything about myself, so I changed into my pajamas and clambered into bed.

For a fleeting moment I felt glum about wrecking the beautiful mistake my hair had made, but then dismissed the thought as I stepped beneath the spray of the water. The warmth rained down pleasantly over my skin and washed away the stickiness of sleep from beneath my eyes.

I scrubbed shampoo through my hair, the fresh scent of white nectarine and pink coral flower filling the echoey glass chamber.

On their own accord, my lips began to murmur a tune I had no clue to what it was. It wrapped its simple black notes around me, bringing the happiness I felt to the surface. Just as I was running conditioner through the tips of my hair, there was a heavy splash to the shower floor, and something slimy dripped down my legs.

The tune cut off mid-note and my eyes flashed open. My gaze quickly slashed to the floor, but the substance had already escaped down the drain. My hands flew to my stomach, as if, somehow, the feel of it would give me my answer. But my bloated stomach was still beneath my palms, the babies quivering only slightly.

I waited patiently for a contraction. But I stood there in the shower for five minutes, and nothing happened. Maybe it was just soap running down my legs, or maybe I'd just thought the water was heavier than it actually was.

I finished my shower, then slipped from the glass chamber, and wrapped a towel around myself. As soon as I'd dried myself off I moved over to the sink.

After running a comb through my hair, I squeezed a glob of toothpaste onto my toothbrush and began to run it over my teeth.

At the minute mark, as I spat into the sink, a sudden tightening in my lower abdomen caught my attention. I gasped, my fingers fluttering to the lower part of my ballooning stomach. But as soon as the pain came, it was gone; and when my fingers made contact with my skin, I felt completely normal again.

Straightening up from leaning over the sink, I stared into my own face in the mirror. The deep chocolate color of my irises had brightened in the sudden fear, and my cheeks were flushed. My lips were parted and a thin dribble of toothpaste was traveling down my chin. I swiped it away with the back of my hand and continued to brush my teeth.

About ten minutes later when I switched on the hair dryer, the pain came again, a bit more intense and lasted the tiniest fraction of a second longer than the last.

At that point I was pretty sure I was going into labour, but my research from the baby books and online told me that the progress was slow going. The pain wasn't so bad now, so I figured I didn't have to go to the hospital right away. I checked my watch. It wasn't even six in the morning yet.

After I'd styled my hair and applied some mascara, I tightened the towel under my arm pits and trekked back into the bedroom.

When my fingers touched the metal of the dresser drawer, another contraction squeezed my stomach and I had to sit on the edge of the bed. I opted out changing and crawled back beneath the covers, hoping the pain would fade if I rested.

Down the hall, I could hear Edward clambering around in the kitchen. Pots and pans clanged and a moment later, the sizzle of oil in a pan crackled through the air.

I shut my eyes, drifting surprisingly easily into a comfortable darkness.

It seemed that only five seconds later my eyes shot open, to recognize the familiar pain in my stomach. It struck harder, more painful this time though, and I pressed my lips together to hold back the whimper of pain.

"Bella?" I heard Edward say from the doorway.

I had my back to him and I let my eyelids flutter open, not even knowing I had had them shut. "Yeah?" I asked, my voice shockingly steady.

"I made breakfast. Are you hungry? Or… you could stay in bed. I figured you were awake. I heard the shower… but yeah, breakfast is on the table if you want any, okay?"

"'Kay," I whispered, trying to ignore the pain hopping back on board.

"Are you—?"

"What time is it?" I interrupted him, pinching the skin between my thumb and forefinger, hoping it would distract me from the pain lower in my body.

"Seven thirty. Why?" he answered automatically.

An hour and a half. I tried to remember what the baby books said, but the bell in my head was silent. Did they say that an hour and a half was when I should go to the hospital or that I was fine for another two?

"I'm just wondering," I told him. Edward would worry if he saw me in pain this early in the morning. I figured I could wait awhile until I told him we had to leave.

There was a slight, confused pause from Edward. And then, "Okay. Well, are you gonna come eat with me?"

"Yeah," I said, "I'll be there in a second."

"'Kay," he said. Then the door squeaked shut and I heard his footsteps retreating down the carpeted hallway of our bungalow.

Once the pain had faded, I sat up, taking a few deep breaths and slung my legs over the edge, onto the floor.

I was ready to push myself to my feet when the pain seared fiercely through my stomach, and I doubled over on myself, wrapping my arms around my torso. A silent cry of pain passed my lips.

The door swung open again. "Bella, do you want—" He cut off short when he took my slumped figure in. "Bella?" I could clearly sense the fear in his voice. "Love, what's wrong?"

I focused on the stain in the beige carpet, created approximately a year ago when Edward and I had tried wine in bed. I found myself wondering, for a moment, if that had been the night we'd conceived. Then the pain brought me back. It was climbing.

A breathy moan escaped my throat. "Babies," I managed to blurt.

"The babies?" His voice was closer. "Are the twins coming?"

I bobbed my head up and down, digging my nails into the flesh of my arms, waiting for the pain to subside.

"Are you, uh, having one of those things?"

"Contractions? Yeah," I gasped.

"Um, how many have you had? Shouldn't they be… like, not this bad, yet?"

I gritted my teeth, moaning pitifully through the bite, my eyelids squeezing together.

"Bella, love?" Edward whispered, and his voice came from directly in front of me.

When I opened my eyes, he was kneeling on the carpet in front of me, the stain covered by his shoe. His face was the color of a sheet of paper, and his fists were clenched at his sides. His lips had moulded themselves into a grim line. I could tell he was deathly worried. His jade eyes flickered about my face, probably searching for some way—any way, to rid me of my pain.

"What?" I whispered, forgetting what he had asked me.

"How many things have you had?" he asked, then shook his head, probably trying to clear it.

"Um," I said, exhaling as the pain subsided. I straightened up, tugging the towel with me. "They started at, like, six or something. I don't know how many I've had. Three, I think."

He stared with perplexed uncertainty into my face. "Well, should I put the food in the fridge? Should we go to the hospital?"

I shook my head. "No, I'm fine now. Let's eat, and then I'll see how I feel." I was avoiding the hospital at all costs. I had no idea why I was deathly afraid of them. I think it was that long needle they stuck into your spine to numb you so you wouldn't die from pain when you had the baby. Or was it the sterile smell that nearly burned the insides of my nostrils?

Edward's brows furrowed over his eyes. "Are you sure?"

I nodded in certainty. "Yeah." I rose to my feet, then made my way over to the door to retrieve my spiceberry colored, short-sleeved silk house coat. It only fell to my knees, and it let a lot of air flow through it. I emerged into the hallway. Through the sky light, the weak rays of sunlight filtered, and the shadows of rain drops lit my path on the way to the kitchen.

I slid into one of the teak kitchen chairs and lifted my glass of orange juice to my lips. A moment later, Edward appeared in the kitchen doorway, scrutinizing my face with severe wariness.

I smiled innocently his way, spinning my fork like a baton in between my fingers. I scooped up a forkful of eggs and popped them in my mouth. After I'd finished chewing, I gestured to the chair across from me.

"Sit," I suggested.

After he'd slid into the chair and taken a bite of his toast, he spoke. "I think we should go to the hospital."

I hung my head to examine the food on my plate. My hair fell between us like a curtain, hiding my face, and I was glad he couldn't see the grimace of pain on my face. I let my eyelids flutter, and placed a hand to my stomach, feeling the babies squirm lower in my stomach beneath my touch.

"Bella?"

I held up a finger, letting him know I'd be one moment.

"Are you having another thing?"

Somehow, laughter escaped me through the pain. "It's called a contraction, and yes, I am." I answered him. Then I lifted my head to look at him. "But it's gone now."

After I finished breakfast, I headed back into the bedroom to put on some clothes. I got a pair of panties, a bra and a white tank top over my skin before another contraction hit me like a freight train. I couldn't hold back the cry of pain, and clutched the dresser to steady myself, hunching over.

"Bella?" Alarm riddled Edward's voice, as he rushed through the bedroom door. His hands materialized on my lower back, and I inhaled deeply through my nose, out through my mouth, attempting to get through the gruelling pain.

"One minute," I squeaked, nails digging through the pine wood. Ten seconds passed, and the pain still did not subside. I moved my hands to cradle my stomach, sinking to the floor as Edward reluctantly moved away.

"I'm getting clothes on, and we're going to the hospital." he informed me, and he plucked up a pair of old jeans from the floor and replaced his pajama pants with those. He threw on a grungy grey t-shirt, and then flung open the closet door to retrieve the empty duffel bag. I heard drawers open and hangers clang as he tossed clothes into the bag, and then the clack of things against the marble sink as he grabbed things from the bathroom.

"Headband," I managed to gasp through the pain, "hair elastics."

"I know, love," he assured me, "I've got the list right here."

"Oh my Gooddddd!" I cried, "why hasn't it stopped?" I moaned, clutching my stomach harder. "Please stop, please. You're hurting me," I whimpered uselessly to my stomach. And just like that, the pain faded.

I took a deep breath of relief and lifted my face.

"Are you okay now?" Edward asked from the bed. I heard the bag's zipper as he shut it.

"Yeah," I sighed, swiping a sweaty strand of hair from my face. Then I groaned. "Look. I'm already sweating," I mumbled.

I stood from the ground as Edward uttered a laugh. It was shaky, but at least he was laughing.

I tugged on a pair of sweat pants, then turned to him.

"Ready?" he asked me, pulling the duffel bag from the unmade bed.

I nodded. "Do you have a dress in there?" I asked, pointing to the bag in his left hand.

"Yeah, and everything on this list," he said, holding up a piece of printer paper.
I took it from him as I followed him from the apartment. He locked the door and then we made our way down the hallway toward the elevator. Cool air washed over my exposed arms and the sweaty pieces of hair glued to my forehead.

There were people in the elevator, and I didn't mind at the moment. But when we got to the ninth floor, another contraction pierced my stomach and I moaned, knotting my fingers into the materiel of Edward's t-shirt. I felt my nails roughly scrape his ribs, but I didn't care at the moment. I buried my face in his shoulder, closing my eyes so I wouldn't have to take in the awkward faces of the other participants in the elevator. Edward's hands rubbed up and down my arms soothingly, but it didn't work. I whimpered into his collarbone, squeezing his t-shirt tighter in my fingers. I wasn't thinking, so when my teeth closed on his shoulder, I ignored his gasp of pain.

Unfamiliar hands touched my back. "Breathe, sweetie," a gentle female voice coaxed in my ear.

Tears slipped from my eyes and my jaws locked tighter.

"Ow," Edward cried.

"What?" the woman asked as her hands smoothing the knots I hadn't noticed till then from my back.

"She's biting me," he told the woman.

I managed to unlock my jaws from his body and rested my forehead to the spot I'd just bitten. "It's the only thing that helps!" I cried pitifully into the elevator shaft.

"Let's sit," the woman coaxed, and together, she, Edward and I sank to the ground. On my knees, I slumped into Edward, and he managed to get his arms around me.

The woman positioned herself beside Edward, and I turned my head on his chest to look at her.

"What's your name, honey?"

"Bella," I whimpered through the pain, gazing trustfully into her eyes.

The elevator lurched to a stop, and I bit my lip when the pain escalated.

"Angela?" a man asked the woman beside Edward.

"You take Lily outside. There's a park around the corner. I'll be right there." She ordered, her eyes never leaving my face.

Without another word, the man scooped up a girl who looked about four years old and exited the elevator with the rest of the eager occupants.

"Bella?" Angela asked me, and I dragged my eyes back to her face. "Which contraction is this?"

"Why hasn't it stopped?" I begged of her.

She looked to Edward and then back to me. She touched her fair fingers to my hand, attempting to comfort me.

"Um, it might be her… fifth or sixth," I heard Edward say, his voice vibrating his chest against my head.

Angela nodded. "You're probably moving into active labour. Which hospital are you going to?"

"Virginia Mason," I whispered to her.

Angela smiled at me. "Okay. Your husband is going to take you there. It is very important you keep breathing, okay?"

I nodded.

Then she stood. "I have to go, but good luck with your baby." And then the helpful, bright, happy angel was gone.

Edward rose to his feet, pulling me with him.

"Okay," he said, huffing as, he reached out to stop the elevator door from closing while supporting me with his other arm. "Let's go to deliver some babies!" he attempted to smile as we exited the elevator.

"Easy for you to say," I murmured, ignoring the people who had stopped to watch us struggle in the elevator.

Edward's Volvo was conveniently parked close to the doors. As soon as he helped me slip into the passenger seat, he slipped into the driver's seat, peeling out of the apartment parking lot.

When we hit the main highway, I rolled my window down, welcoming the refreshing mist of rain that washed over my cheekbones.

"Edward?" I asked.

"What, love?" he asked, and I could feel him glance at me for a furtive moment.

"Can you pass me your cell phone? I have to call my parents."

A moment later, his cell landed on my lap.

I scooped it up, flipped it open and dialled my old house number.

"Hello?" Renee answered.

"Hi, Mom."

"Hi, baby. How are you?" she asked.

Without warning, tears filled my eyes; and I felt like the foolish first grader I used to be whenever I called home sick from school. I would end up bawling in the school office, and too many a time I'd actually ended up hyperventilating.

"Mommy?" I whispered, sniffling. I wiped a tear from my face, turning to gaze out the window.

"What is it?" Her voice was abruptly concerned, and I heard a slight muffling on the phone as she pressed the device closer to her ear.

"Um, I went into labour a little before six o' clock," my voice was tight as I tried to hold back the useless tears. "Can you come meet Edward and me at the hospital?"

"Of course, darling," she told me sincerely.

I pressed my hand to my stomach as another contraction began to swell. "Okay," I quickly told her before she could even so much as hear my pain, "thanks, Mom. See you soon." I hung up the phone and tossed it onto the seat beside me; in the same instant, pulling my knees to my chest. I pressed my forehead to my kneecaps, grimacing in pain.

"Is your mom coming?" Edward asked from the driver's seat, but I didn't answer him.

"Owwww," I moaned, drawing the word out. It grew in volume until I was nearly screaming in pain. "Oh, God… it kills, Edward!" I yelled.

Helplessly, he turned onto a more urban street. "Just… breathe, love, breathe," he instructed.

"I am!" I screamed at him. The pain was throwing my manners off orbit.

The pain crashed in waves over me, too much to handle. I felt another pain clenching my stomach, and my eyes widened in horror.

"Stop the car." I ordered.

"Why? What's happening?" Edward asked.

"STOP THE CAR!" I yelled, cracking the door open so he had no choice.

As soon as Edward brought the car to a stand-still, I was violently sick on the cool pavement. "Ow," I whispered between heaves.

Almost in an instant, Edward was at my side, his hand moving in soothing circles on my back. I guessed he'd remembered his ways from when I was still sick earlier in my pregnancy. Another gag nearly heaved me from the car. I pitched toward the pavement, and in the same instant as my foot touched the pavement, Edward's arms wrapped around my shoulders, stopping my fall.

Finally, the vomit stopped. I dry heaved a few more times, and then straitened up, pressing my forehead to the cool, rain slicked door.

"Are you okay now?" Edward murmured to me gently.

"Yes," I whispered, my voice hoarse, "I don't know why… that happened. I guess the pain was just really bad."

"Are you ready to go now?" he questioned.

I nodded, climbing back into the car. He smoothed his hand over my forehead once, then shut the door, returning to the driver's seat.

I kept my eyes on the baby seats the rest of the way to the hospital, in the rear view mirror, telling myself that the pain would be over soon, and in seventy-two hours or less, two adorable, lovely creatures would be in those seats.

The rain blurred the red "H" atop the Virginia Mason when Edward pulled into the parking lot. He moved around to the trunk to get the duffel bag, and I wrenched myself from the car, the rain seeping into my hair a welcome change to the overwhelming heat inside the car.

We made our way through the sliding glass doors to the emergency room and sidled up to the desk.

"Hi," Edward greeted the young-looking receptionist.

She looked up from her game of solitaire, blinked in surprise at the angel-resembling features of his face, and then smiled warmly into his face. "Hello," she said. Her eyes flickered to my face, then down to my stomach.

"Can you direct us to the maternity ward?" Edward asked her politely.

She nodded, still smiling. "You're prohibited to take those elevators because they're reserved for emergency personnel only, but," she said, gesturing to the closest set of chrome panelled elevator doors, "around the corner, there'll be another set of doors. Take them to the sixth floor, and another nurse will sign you in there."

"Thank you," Edward said, plucked the suitcase off the floor, and turned toward the elevators.

I didn't move to follow him. I grasped the faux-granite countertop and bowed my head, attempting to cope with the pain of the contraction without making a huge scene to the scant occupants of the emergency waiting room.

Edward noticed I wasn't following and turned back to me. "Bella?" he asked.

The nurse was standing. "I'll get her a wheel chair," she told Edward, and then disappeared down the hall.

"No," I began to call after her, "it's fine, I can walk," but Edward hushed me by pressing his fingers to the back of my neck.

He smiled his heartbreaking, crooked smile. "Can't you just sit back for once and let someone else do the work?" he asked me.

I managed to smile through the pain. At least it wasn't as bad as the last contraction had been.

The nurse rolled a generic looking wheelchair toward us, and I lowered myself into the seat. Edward deposited the duffel bag in my lap and rolled me around the corner to the second set of elevators.

Ten minutes later, we were settled in room 613, me clad in a hospital gown and the duffel bag resting at the foot of the bed. Edward sat on the bed next to me, arm draped over my shoulders.

Renee appeared in the hospital room doorway and Edward and I looked up at the same moment.

"Hi," she said, smiling warmly.

Everything rushed at a much faster pace after that. The contractions came and went. Edward and I walked up the hall a few times, hoping it would help with the pain, but I preferred to be curled up on the bed. Soon after that, Edward's parents showed up. Elizabeth had the same, beautiful copper hair as Edward had, and it was tied to the back of her head in a ribbon the same color as her eyes were. A small smatter of freckles sprinkled the bridge of her nose, and the corners of her shell-pink lips were pulled up in a content smile. Mason, Edward's father stood off to the side most of the time, probably awkward.

A particularly bad contraction gripped me awhile later. Edward was hovering over me, the red plastic cup of ice chips in one hand.

"Do you want--?"

I swatted his hand away, grinding my teeth together. "I want drugs!" I screamed.

"Maybe these will help for now," he suggested, bringing his handful of ice chips back toward me.

"I DON'T WANT THE STUPID ICE CHIPS!" I screamed, taking them from his palm and whipping them across the room. "I. WANT. DRUGS!"

"Love," he said in his best velveteen voice, stroking my sweaty face, "you need to calm down."

My fingers tangled in the back of his hair, yanking him closer to me. "Edward, give me drugs now or so help me God—"

"Okay, okay, love." He reasoned, wincing in pain as I tugged harder on his hair. "You need to let go of me, though. I'll get a nurse to see if you're far enough along to give you the epidural. But you need to let go."

"Bella," Renee said from the other side of the bed. She tentatively stroked my arm. "Please let go of Edward before you give him a bald spot."

"That would be nice," he agreed, eyes never leaving mine.

I made my fingers loosen from his hair, and clamped the bar on the side of the hospital bed instead.

"I'll be right back, okay?" he murmured into my ear. He kissed the hollow part beneath it and then scurried from the room.

I whimpered, curling my knees closer to my chest.

A moment later, Edward and my doctor entered the room.

"I heard you wanted an epidural, Bella?" he asked me.

"Yes please," I told him once the pain had passed.

He nodded, smiling. "Okay. Let's just check you and then we'll see."

"We'll see?" I asked incredulously. My gaze flickered to Edward's face and his hands went up defensively. "You said that you'd get it for me," I hissed, venom on my tongue.

"Now, now," Dr. Chance assured me, "it's not his fault. Let's check you, okay?"

There was a moment of silence, and then the snap of latex as he pulled off his gloves. "Well, you seem to be fully dialated, so in the next ten minutes or less, we'll take you into the Operating Room, perform the anesthetic, and then bring Edward in."

"He can't come in with me?" I worried.

"Not while we do the epidural, I'm afraid."

I sighed. Then I tried to assure myself that five minutes without Edward would not kill me. Then I nodded. "I'm okay with it if Edward is."

"There's no other way, so I suppose it'll have to do," he added, gripping my hand in his. His thumb rubbed soothing patterns over my knuckles.

"Okay, we'll just get everything ready and then we'll bring you in, okay?" he said to Edward. "Bella, would you come with us, please?"

I nodded, sitting up in bed.

Dr. Chance's eyes flickered to the rest of the family standing off to the side in the room. "I'll wait outside," he said, and then slipped out the door.

I waddled over to my mom, hugged her, embraced each of Edward's parents in turn, and then kissed my father on the cheek. He'd arrived about half an hour ago. Then I turned back to Edward.

He stood by the bed, face ashen with worry. Beside him sat the clothes he would have to change into to go into the operating room.

I managed a shaky-lipped smile. "I'll see you in five minutes, okay?" I murmured in his ear.

He nodded, for once the one more afraid than I was. "Okay,"

"Don't worry," I whispered in his ear, "I'll be okay, the twins will be okay, and we're going to be a family in just half an hour."

He pulled me in for a hug, and I stretched up to peck him on the lips, then waddled toward the door.

Waving toward my family one more time, I let Dr. Chance guide me toward the Operating Room.

They positioned me on the edge of the operating table, and then untied the back of my gown. A nurse stood in front of me, wrapping her arms around me to keep me still. I could feel another nurse sterilize my lower back from behind me, and I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for the pain.

There was a prick, and then the drawn out pain of it being inserted deep inside me. I breathed deeply through my nose, coping with the pain, and then it was over.

They hung the sterile curtain, rubbed the sterilizing cream over my belly, and then let Edward in.

I forced a laugh when he walked around, toward my head. "You look hot," I teased.

Edward looked down at himself, holding his arms out to his sides in surrender. "You know it," he then said, winking slyly at me. His voice was slightly muffled by the mask me was obligated to wear.

"Okay, Bella, are you ready?" Dr. Chance called from the other side of the curtain.

"Yeah," I replied staring up, into Edward's eyes.

"I'm not going to leave you, okay?" he whispered.

I nodded, never unlocking my gaze from his.

I heard many scary sounds, but Edward's hand in mine assured me that everything was fine. I don't know what I would have done if he hadn't been allowed to accompany me into the Operating Room.

Finally, finally, I heard a tiny wail fill the air, announcing the arrival of our first child into the world. As soon as the sound reached my ears, my eyes welled and spilled over. Then a second wail filled the room, as the team pulled the second baby from my womb. That was the only time my eyes left Edward's. They flickered around the room, trying to get a glimpse of my babies.

"Congratulations, Mommy and Daddy," Dr. Chance told us, "you've got a girl and a boy!"

He rounded the sterile curtain, a pink bundle in his arms. Another nurse rounded the other side, this time holding a blue bundle. The tears of joy came faster as Dr. Chance and the nurse carefully placed the babies in Edward's arms.

He tilted the babies so I could see their faces. Even for a newborn, the little girl's face was surprisingly alert. Her shell pink lips were parted in such surprise it was almost comical. Her bright, brown eyes peered down at me, and I could make out a tiny fuzz of bronze hair atop her fair head. She had beautiful porcelain skin, and her nose was the cutest I'd ever seen on a baby. The little boy was almost the complete opposite of his sister. Bright jade eyes peered out over angular cheekbones, and a curly mop of mahogany hair sat atop his head. His cheeks were chubby, and the natural curve of his lips was a smile.

"Renesmee, Caleb," I croaked through my tears.

When I looked back up into Edward's face, I saw he was crying just as hard as I was.