Prologue:
Why have you invited them?
"Aro! Come here, now!" Sulpicia searched through the halls, trying to find her husband. He's not in any of the studies, none of the libraries, none of the gardens. Maybe he's in here wi- Sulpicia was cut off from her thoughts when she saw them standing in a tight group across from her husband.
"Ah, darling, there you are!" Aro cried delightedly as Sulpicia just stood there like a deer in headlights. Suddenly, all of the attention was on her and she was not so thrilled about that.
"I have been looking for you for the past hour, Aro! Why didn't you tell me where you would be? More importantly, why didn't you inform me that they would be here?" She was close to seeing red. Aro had told her what he saw and it absolutely broke her heart. She had to do the only thing she could think of; to protect her lover from anyone and anything. How she would do that, she's not exactly sure, but it had to be done.
"I thought I told you. Hm, must have slipped my mind. Any how, the Cullens are here because they have offered to help us in our time of need. How lovely is that?" He smiled wide- God. She couldn't be mad at him, not when he looked so happy that they had voluntarily come here.- and held his hand out. She realized long ago that it wasn't because he wanted to see what was going on in her world- his curiosity did get the best of him, sometimes- but his need to be so close to her when he knew she was near.
She crossed the room quickly, flickering to his side and interlocking their fingers. Everyone but Carlisle and Esme looked shocked that she would act this way with Aro of all people. You see, it wasn't exactly common for outsiders to see the softer side of Aro, let alone see him react this way to someone they didn't know would even be wandering the halls of the castle.
"Sulpicia, it's wonderful to see you. How have you been?" Carlisle offered with a soft smile, stepping forward to pull her petite form into a quick hug. Esme followed suit, smiling at her as if Sulpicia was an old friend she hadn't seen in a while. Well, I suppose we are friends... Maybe. Aro wrapped his arm around her waist protectively, squeezing her hip lightly.
"I've been great, yourself?" She hadn't seen Carlisle since the incident with Renesmee years ago.
"I've been stupendous." She smiled at them and turned to Aro, silently asking what was to be happening.
"Love, perhaps you did not notice, young Renesmee has grown." He gestured towards a rather tall teen standing behind Bella and Edward. She followed his gaze and, sure enough, saw an older version of Renesmee standing there.
"She's grown quite a bit. How old is she now?" She looked at Edward and Bella, feeling a bit scared from the small glare in Bella's eyes. Sulpicia clutched Aro tightly, feeling a growl rise in her throat before Aro ran a hand up and down her back, trying to soothe her.
"In school, she's 17, but in reality, she's 8." Edward smiled and guided Renesmee to stand in front of him.
"Ah, she looks a little too grown up for 8, I must say." Everyone laughed and she smiled a little, feeling like there was too many attentive eyes watching her every move.
"Sulpicia, we just want to say that, no matter what, we're all here for you. It's the first of it's case, yes, but we'll try to help out as much as possible." She nodded slowly, looking at Esme gratefully.
"Wait, no one ever told me why we're here. Does everyone just leave me out of the loop or?" Renesmee looked confused, Jacob standing next to her with his hand in hers.
"No, of course not, sweetheart. Ms. Sulpicia is pregnant and we offered our help." Sulpicia cringed at the name they used.
"Please, call me Sulpicia. The Ms. makes me feel old." She chuckled softly, remembering that even though she was changed when she was young, she's still ancient.
"My dear, Athena wants you in her room." Marcus walks up behind Sulpicia to stand next to her, patting her head lightly. She smiled up at him like a child before nearly skipping out of the room. Aro laughed lightly and shook his head. He had married a grown woman who acted like a child.
"I see she still acts as if you're her father." Carlisle smiled, glad to see Marcus again.
"Yes, that she does. Although, I must admit, I cannot imagine what it would be like if she didn't." Marcus smiled at everyone.
"Alright, I didn't want to say this with her in the room- it would have worried her far too much and I can't possibly do that- but, the pregnancy is starting to speed up rather quickly and I'm not sure what will happen in just under a months time. I don't know if she'll make it, if the baby will-" Emmet cut Aro off.
"I'm sure she'll be fine. Just needs some help is all." He shrugged as if this wasn't a big deal.
The thing is, it is a big deal. Sulpicia is the first known case of a female vampire being able to carry a baby. No one knows what will happen to Sulpicia as the pregnancy goes on. No one knows if the baby will survive. No one knows what the baby will be. It's all a new experience. But, what worries her most is that if her baby turns out to be an immortal child, something she's spent years yearning for will be taken away just as quickly as it came.
As Marx said of the bourgeois class:
all that is solid melts into air.
St. Peter's verse.