New Beginnings

The bright New Hampshire city lights were almost blinding.

Even to my overly alert eyes that needed no help from the streetlamps that lined our path. We drove, too fast, through the crowded streets. However, for once Edward did not seem to mind the clusters of cars that slowed our progress. He wound the powerful car through the angry motorists with the greatest of ease.

Behind me Reneesme was sleeping silently in the backseat. The quick glow of passing streetlamps illuminated her angelic features. Her expression was peaceful but the way the edges of her full lips pulled slightly upwards told me that she was dreaming pleasantly. Her growth was slowing, yet at the age of eight months she had reached the size of the average four year old. Her intelligence and maturity greatly surpassed that of any ten year old which showed on her wise and beautiful face. Her brilliant copper curls hung gently down her petite shoulders, resting lightly at her waist. I still could not bring myself to cut them, though I knew they would soon become a nuisance to her.

Edward had noticed my gaze and released his eyes from the road ahead, turning to match it. His face was a mixture of excitement and underlying nervousness that had transformed his features into a dazzling smile so stunning it sent a tingle of electric pulses down my spine. He turned his smile to me, very nearly taking my breath away.

"Not far now." He reassured me. His excitement was evident in his voice too. I returned his smile but not as enthusiastically. Don't get me wrong. I was excited. The thought of our own home, just Edward, Reneesme and I. A place where we could be a family, a real family. At least as normal as possible for a family of vegetarian vampires. The idea made me very, very happy, too happy to express in words. It was the people I was leaving behind, people I loved, that made me apprehensive. It had been hard enough to say goodbye to my Mom almost three years ago, but now I had said goodbye to Charlie too. Not to mention my new family, Jacob included. The move was the hardest on him. He couldn't stand to be away from Reneesme but at the same time he was tied to his pack and wouldn't - couldn't - leave them. Though they could all hear his pain, and feel it too. Instead, he had worked out that in wolf form he could run the distance in a little under an hour. Edward had also included a third guest bedroom to the house for his frequent visits. This had made both Jacob and me feel slightly better about the whole situation. Reneesme was not adverse to the idea either.

My thoughts must have been evident on my face because Edward suddenly exhaled loudly, taking his hand from the gearstick and running his fingers down the back of my hand, locking his fingers in mine. My skin tingled slightly where his soft fingers touched and an uncontrollable smile crept over my face.

The streets around us slowly became less crowded. The towering skyscrapers gave way to smaller residential buildings and homes forming large suburban areas. We drove until the gaps between the houses increased and dark grassy paddocks took their place. Edward turned off at a small gravel driveway that wound out towards an immense forest that bordered the edge of this side of town. We were still a few kilometres away from the house when I caught my first glimpse.

Its large grey, stone walls stood strong against the soft lines of the trees behind it. It had a medieval sort of appearance to it, especially the way the left and right sides of the building jutted out protectively like turrets. It was the high pitch of the roof and the large bay windows that lined every available space on the exterior wall, which gave it a more modern look. The elaborate, brightly flowered gardens and stone water features added the cosy touch.

"You certainly didn't disappoint your need for extravagance." I teased, but not sourly. It was beautiful, there was no denying that. Something easily out of a home and garden magazine. The perfect home to raise and protect Reneesme.

Edward chuckled, "If you're referring to the size then I must disagree. As well as the three of us, I'm sure we should be expecting many rather frequent visitors. You don't expect them to forget about us do you?" He laughed again, I did too. Mainly because my knowledge of my sister-in-law told me that she was at this very moment fighting the urge to speed her newly acquired Porsche 911 here to visit.

"Alice promised to wait a few days." He informed me, but his voice was not confident.

"Ha! Like she'll be able to wait that long!"

"Hmm...we should at least get tonight and tomorrow alone. She has enough self-control for that."

"Or she'll be too fearful of the wrath of Edward to show up for a week." I teased again. He replied with a playful growl and a flash of his stunning white teeth.

We were rounding the final corner now and suddenly the car was drowning in the presence of the enormous house. I had to twist my head to be able to see the top story through the windshield. It was a lot larger up-close than it had looked from further down the driveway.

"So, how many bedrooms did you say it was?" I asked, while mentally trying to calculate how the large walls only held three or four bedrooms.

"Well..." A stunning cheeky sort of grin spread broadly over his face, "Um...six." His eyes flashed quickly to my face, obviously trying to read my expression. "But in my defence I do have a rather large family and I did include some necessary extras that most homes don't have." His voice was barely more than a whisper by the end of his sentence. His expression was preparing for the onslaught he thought I was about to throw in his direction. The car came to stop in front of the expansive wooden decking that lead to the large oak front door.

"Necessary extras?" I asked calmly.

"Ugh... yeah." His words came in a rush "A playroom, for Reneesme... and a classroom so I can tutor her, since schools obviously out of the question. A library and office were obvious necessities for our studies. Plus, there's more than enough room for any guests and plenty of entertainment as well... only a few luxury items." When he was finished he sat patiently, awaiting my disapproval. So my response shocked him significantly.

"It sounds like we have everything we need then," I greatly enjoyed the way his jaw dropped open and his brilliantly golden eyes opened wide in surprise. I giggled at him loudly and after a few seconds, his expression relaxed. "Thank you, Edward." I added

"Well that was unexpected." He remarked. Taking in my expression again to make sure I wasn't messing with him.

"So, can I go explore?" My question brought to his face my favourite lop-sided smile.

"Certainly." He was out of the car and holding my door open for me in flash. I stepped out and lifted Reneesme gently from the back seat. As I cradled her in my arms, I took a few seconds to capture in her stunning beauty. Edward came to my side and beamed down at his angelic baby daughter. Wrapping one arm tightly around my waist and brushing a stray curl away from Reneesme's face with the other. He kissed both of us lightly on the forehead before turning and leading us up the steps to the front door.

Contrary to the cold exterior of the house, the inside was warm and inviting. A wide oak staircase stood in the middle of entranceway leading up to the higher stories. The walls were painted the same brilliant white as the Cullen's home back in Forks but the light from the chrome chandelier threw a yellow glow over the paint. The floor was tiled with black marble that reflected the light on the base of the walls. To the left was a large wooden archway that led to a very large cosy looking lounge room that was filled soft grey lounge suites and completed by the presence of a large grand piano that stood against the far wall. The thick carpet and paint were very similar to that in the Cullen's lounge room in Forks. The room was lit dimly by an enormous open fire that crackled warmly against the south facing wall.

"The kitchen and dining room are through that door there," Edward raised his arm pointing to a door on the far left wall, "but perhaps we should get Reneesme to her bed first and then I'll show you the rest of the house." I agreed and he led me up the staircase to the second story. The décor was the same in the upstairs hallway as the lounge and I guessed that the same theme ran throughout the house. Edward led me to the far western end of the corridor and into the door to the left.

Reneesme's room was stunning. The white walls and thick carpets had been replaced with a soft pink that was bordered by a deep scarlet. The south and west walls held two large windows that looked out over the front garden and neighbouring paddocks. Opposite to the window sat a large four-posted bed; the railings were hung with a soft material that formed a canopy which was drawn around the mattress. Both the curtains on the bed and the windows as well as the soft duvet were the same brilliant deep scarlet as the bordering on the walls. On the left hand side were two large oak doors which supported a wide full-length mirror and I presumed opened up to reveal Reneesme's elaborate wardrobe. Further across the wall another door stood slightly ajar revealing a bright white, marble tiled bathroom.

"Wow." I exclaimed as I stepped further in the doorway.

"I can't take full credit for this one," Edward explained, "It was Rosalie mainly. Most selfless thing I think she's ever done." He laughed softly then crossed the room to draw the heavy curtains over the windows. A twinge of jealousy rippled through me as I remembered all the time Edward and Rosalie had been spending together lately. Even though I knew better the thought of them here, together and alone had made me crazily jealous, though I think I hid the fact very well. Edward had told us that the house would be a surprise for Reneesme and me and that I wasn't allowed to help with the preparation. So I was banished to Forks with my imagination running wild about my husband and the beauty queen that had once been 'meant' for him, alone and uninterupted. I knew I was being unfair to Edward, after all, it had been me that was unfaithful to him so long ago and he had never given me any reason at all to doubt him. It was my guilt at how I had hurt him with Jacob that forced me to brood silently while he was away, hiding my sadness and envy.

"You're probably right," I agreed, "but I must remember to thank her when I see her next. This really is extraordinary." I pulled back the curtaining on the bed and the duvet with one arm then placed Reneesme down on the scarlet satin sheets with the other. Her tight curls fanned and softly framed her peaceful face against the pillow, like a sleeping angel. The sight was so beautiful it was almost painful. Edward returned to my side replacing his arms around my waist and bending his head to rest his cheek against mine. We both stood there watching in silence as the angel slept. After a few minutes I tore my gaze away from her and up to meet Edwards.

"Ready to see the rest of the house?" Excitement was pulling at his voice again.

I smiled sheepishly "One room in particular actually." I said in the most innocent sounding voice I could manage.

My favourite smile stretched naturally across his face and suddenly I was being pulled from the room and into the hall again. Edward drew the door half shut as we left then gestured across the wide hall towards the door opposite to Reneesme's.

"I wanted our room to be as close as possible." He explained as he reached out his hand to take the handle.

"I like that idea too." I mumbled as he pushed open the door.

It only took me a few split seconds to take the scene in but it was just as beautiful as Reneesme's room. The walls this time were the same brilliant white as the rest of the house except for the south wall, which was a dark blood red. It contrasted very effectively with the gigantic, iron bed that stood against it facing out towards the large window on the northern wall. The chrome bars of the headboard twisted gently together, forming two doves with their heads bowed together in the centre of the bed. Their bodies framed by soft winding lines and curves. A thick duvet that was the same blood red as the wall and also matched the curtains that hung over the window, covered the bed. On the far right wall were two sets of white wardrobe doors framed in the blood red and divided by a another large full-length mirror. Our room also had an adjoining bathroom but this one was set in a deep black marble.

Edward dropped his arm from my waist and took my hand leading me to the foot of the bed where he proceeded to climb to the middle, lying on his back with his hands tucked behind his head triumphantly.

"So what do you think?" He asked slightly nervously and locking me firmly in his gaze.

"Edward it's absolutely perfect."

"It was quite difficult you know, to find the right one. You are rather hard to please." He taunted, giving a light laugh but not breaking my gaze. I twisted my face into an exaggerated pout and he laughed even harder tilting his head back against the pillows. I took his moment of weakness and quickly but gracefully threw myself at him.

To anyone watching I would have been nothing more than a blur of white skin, mahogany hair, cream cotton and blue jeans but he caught me easily around the waist just a few inches from his chest. My arms landed either side of his head, my face just inches from his. His smouldering golden eyes were locked onto mine, making my breathing accelerate instantly and my mind swirl incoherently. My hair fell down the sides of my face and around his like a curtain. I took a few seconds to take in his scent; it filled my head and made my more than perfect vision slightly hazy. He took full advantage of my trance like state, lowering my body slowly onto his making my face drop a couple of inches towards his but never loosening the grip his eyes had on mine. He had me by my very soul. If my heart had still been beating, I was sure it would have been jumping out of my chest with the sheer intensity of his dazzling eyes. It was overwhelming. Before I was conscious of the movement, my mouth was on his, kissing him affectionately, passionately. To stop would have been all but impossible, not that any fibre of my being wanted to stop kissing him. A vampires mind was ruled by desires and the desire for Edward gripped every thought, every urge and threw them out the window. I was powerless against him and I liked it. His hand moved quickly up my back to my hair, pulling me in closer to him. I allowed myself to remove the weight from my arms, which meant I was able to hold my hands to the sides of his face. Both our breathing was now coming in gasps but neither of us showed any signs of stopping or even slowing. His hands were running up and down my back under my shirt, sending spikes of electricity through my skin. His right hand dropped, running over my hip and down the back of my thigh to rest at the back of my knee then hitching it up to his hip. In one sudden movement I was on my back and he was on top of me kissing me with more urgency than before.

When I was definitely out of breath, I pulled away slightly, breathing hard. He moved his lips down my throat to the base of my neck, kissing every inch of skin along the way, then back up to the hollow under my ear.

"I love you," He whispered breathlessly against my skin, but my breathing had not returned enough for me to be able to answer him. I tried to tell him that I loved him too, more than everything in the world combined, more than should be physically or emotionally possible but all I was able to do was pant something that should have been, 'me too'. Instead, I reached my arms around his back and held him tightly to me. My hands grabbed longingly at his back and I felt the material of his shirt pull away from his skin and turn to shreds in my fingers. I bent my head and kissed the warm skin of his shoulder softly. He returned to kissing my neck, my throat, my jaw. My skin tingled at every point that his lips touched. His hands ran across my ribs and hip, pushing urgently against my side.

At that exact moment his cell phone vibrated loudly in the pocket of his pants. He paused for the briefest moment then his lips turned their attention to my collarbone, ignoring the rude interruption. I patted my hand down his side until I found the cause of the disturbance in his pants pocket and removed it. My intention was to turn it off but when I saw the name that flashed across the screen I thought better of it. It was hard to prioritise my brain, seeing as my mind refused to make sense of anything other than Edward held strongly in my arms. I waited a few seconds to make sure my breathing had definitely returned to normal and that I was able to think straight, then flipped the phone open to answer.

"Carlisle? Is everything ok?" Edward drew back in surprise, at the fact that I had answered the call or that it had been Carlisle, I was unsure which, but his expression told me that he shared in my concern for why Carlisle could be calling. He listened intently as Carlisle spoke.

"Bella, Oh. Well I'm not sure," His voice was different, strained somehow. It was an emotion I had never heard in his voice before, panic. It was well reserved but there was no disguising it, "Its Rosalie, she's... asleep." Edward and I exchanged a very confused glance with each other, his eyes were locked onto mine as mine were to his. I was trying to make sense of what Carlisle was telling me but it was impossible.

"How?" I questioned

"I have absolutely no idea." That shocked me.

"Oh." Was all I could manage then.

"It was very quick. One minute she was perfectly normal and the next she was complaining of being tired, yawning and looking very... human. She was unconscious within minutes and has been for almost three hours now. I've done all the tests I can but I still have no idea why this is happening. Her body is still physically frozen. It makes no sense."

It took me a few split seconds to take everything Carlisle said in. Eventually I gave up and simply asked, "So what do we do now?"

"Well I don't know if there's anything we can do, Bella. I've never seen or heard of anything like this before. I'm concerned that if this happened to Rosalie we may all be at risk and I don't know if there's anything we can do to stop it." I was speechless. In a state of shock no doubt and lost in the emotion I saw in Edwards eyes; fear, confusion, concern. He raised his hand up towards the phone at my ear.

"Uh, hang on Carlisle. I think Edward wants to talk to you." I handed the phone over and he spoke quickly, without hesitation.

"Carlisle? Is anyone else showing any symptoms?" His voice was restrained, like Carlisle's, unlike mine.

"No, nothing." Carlisle paused for a moment. I could hear Alice's voice in the background but couldn't make out what she was saying. After a few moments he returned. "Edward, there's been a development. I'll pass you along to Alice, she can explain further." And with that he was gone, his voice replaced seconds later by Alice's.

"Edward? I can't believe I didn't see this coming. Not even a hint. Nothing. And now...I'm so worried about her." Alice's chime-like voice was on the point of hysterics.

Edward's was sympathetic and calming. "This is not your fault Alice. It's out of your control, you can't blame yourself."

"I should have seen. I should have been more alert. This is all my fault..."

"Alice you know that's not true." Edward interrupted her. After a few seconds she sighed in response and seemed hesitant to speak.

"I need you to focus Alice. What are the developments?"

Alice's was more controlled when she spoke again, slowly this time. "She's cold. She started shivering, like a human. When I put a blanket on her she stopped though. Also, it seems like she's dreaming. Her eyes are going crazy..."

"REM?"

"...Yeah that's it."

"Hmmm...I think we should come home." Edward watched as I nodded quickly in agreement.

"Don't be rediculous. You only just left and I doubt you'll be able to help any more than we can or have. You should just try to enjoy your new home, at least for tonight. We can call you if anything else changes."

"I suppose your right."Edward said, but he was still unsure.

"I know." She said happily and they said their goodbyes. As soon as Edward hung up the phone he fixed his gaze back on me. Neither of us said anything for a long while. Both of us searched our minds desperately for a possible reason, an explanation, anything that could make what was happening to Rosalie make more sense. My own theories were weak and very unrealistic. I thought maybe it could be just one of those things that happened to a vampire after a while, they got tired, and it made sense in theory. However, Rosalie was young, for a vampire anyway. If that were the reason then Carlisle of all people would have heard about it before, had it happen to him even. No that definitely wasn't it.

Frustrated by my thoughts now I decided to concentrate on Edward's.

"Any theories as to why this might be happening?" I asked hopefully. He sighed and rolled onto his back, gazing up at the ceiling and shook his head.

"Nothing worth giving any thought to."

"Do you think it could happen to us? To Reneesme?" My voice broke slightly at the end of my sentence.

"Reneesme already sleeps Bella."

"I know that! I mean, we don't know if Rosalie will wake up. What if she never does? What if one day Reneesme never does?" Edward rolled back onto his side, his body against mine and his head lay beside me on the pillow. I turned to face him and he reached his hand up to gently stroke the side of my face.

"It's very possible that there's a simple explanation behind all of this. There's no use in getting too worked up about something that we have no control over right now. Reneesme will be fine. In a few hours she'll be awake and then we can go back to Forks." His voice was confident but I knew it all too well, I could tell he was hiding something. I brought my hand up to his face.

"Edward when was the last time you hunted?" I asked, running the tip of my finger over the dark circles under his eyes. His eyes closed slowly as my finger passed under them and he took in a slow, deep breath. He opened his eyes again before he spoke. The apologies in them told me his answer before he could speak it.

"Two days ago."My breathing stopped.

"NO!" The deep circles were much too elaborate to be the result of just two days of hunger. He looked like he hadn't fed in weeks. My stomach knotted in horror as I realised the truth. He was tired and it was obvious. Obvious in the way his eyelids seemed heavy over his eyes and the way he quickly dropped his arm from my face not long after putting it there, like he didn't have the energy to lift it. How had I not seen it before? And why was he being so casual about all of this?

"Why didn't you say something?"I finally managed to say as my breathing returned.

"At first even I didn't know what was going on, until the phone call. I thought maybe it was just a side effect of my over excitement, or the long drive. It was disconcerting all the same."

"Why didn't you tell Carlisle? Or Alice?"

"I needed time to think, to get my head around it. We should inform them for sure. Though I doubt it will change anything. It seems like my fate is inevitable," If tears had been a possibility they would have been gushing now. Instead tearless sobs rippled from my chest, "Bella please don't cry. It's going to be ok."

"How can you say that?! You're going to sleep and neither of us know if..." I couldn't finish my sentence. I just buried my face in his chest and continued to sob loudly. How had such a great day turned into such a disaster? He patted my hair delicately with one hand and pulled my body closer to him with the other. He took another deep breath.

"It's true that aspect of this situation terrifies me. That I might never wake up, never see your beautiful face again. That you and Reneesme will be alone, but Bella, you must remember all of the obstacles our love has already conquered. We have survived much, much more than this. We must have faith that we can survive this obstacle too. I promised I would never leave you and I intend to stick to my promise. As frightened as I am, we must be brave." He pressed his lips lightly into my hair and I held him tighter not wanting to let him go even one millimetre. After a few moments he flipped open the cell phone that was still in his hand and began dialling. Carlisle picked up the phone on the first ring.

"Edward! I was just about to call you." Something about his tone made me raise my head from its spot in Edward's chest. My expression was confused. "It's Rosalie, she waking up!" An unbelievable food of relief washed over me as he said the words and I began to sob again, with joy this time. Edward brought his free hand around and cradled my face. He smiled at me, the relief was evident on his features too but it was mixed with the look of being warn.

"That's great. How is she feeling?"

"Still a little sluggish but she's improving rapidly by the minute."

"And the others?"

"No-one else seems to be showing any symptoms so far but it's just a matter of waiting. How are you and Bella feeling?"His tone was overly curious, I guessed he could hear me sobbing quietly in the background.

"Bella's a little emotional at the moment. It seems that I'm the next in line for a nap." I did not laugh at his joke; the thought of Edward going to sleep still terrified me. Even if we did just find out that he would wake up.

"Oh I see. I suppose this is very good news for you both then, Rosalie waking up I mean. Certainly Emmett was very relieved. Tell Bella not to worry. I'm confident you will be perfectly fine."I could almost hear the reassuring smile in his voice. "I was wondering if I would be able to talk with her actually. There are some things she needs to know before you take your, ugh, nap."

"Certainly." He said passing me the phone. I took a few seconds to compose myself before answering.

"Hello."

"Hello again Bella. Now listen, there's some things that you need to be aware of when Edward goes to sleep. While Rosalie was sleeping she experienced some rather vivid dreams." Edward's eyebrows rose at this, it was no secret that he wished very much to be able to dream again. "Unfortunately, it seems that she was...unprotected in her unconscious state. Her dreams appear to be able to affect her physically."

"I'm... confused."I said as I watched Edward lay his head down on the pillows and blinked wearily.

"Well while she was sleeping I noticed a graze had formed on her arm and as she slept it didn't heal like normal, rather it seems to be healing like a graze to a human would. When she awoke, she described to me how in her dream she had fallen and grazed that very arm. I'm concerned that these dreams may be more than just that. They may be dangerous. Do you understand what I'm telling you?"

"Yes, of course. But how can I help if Edwards unconscious?"

"Well Rosalie seems to think that she was aware of us outside of her consciousness. Much like a human can be if their sleep is light. She said she could hear our voices, like they were connected to her dream."

"Oh, right."

"I just ask that you keep an eye over my son. Try to keep him safe. Oh, and remember to keep him warm. That seemed to affect Rosalie too."

"Not a problem." I said nervously, grinning weakly at Edward who was becoming wearier by the minute. "I'll keep a good eye on him."

"Thank you Bella. Now if you'll excuse me I must go and check on Rosalie."

"Ok. Goodbye Carlisle."

"Goodbye Bella, and good luck." I hung up the phone and turned my attention back to Edward who was fighting very hard with his eyelids.

"Did you catch all that?"

"Yeah, I think so." He murmured quietly. "No taking risks, got it." His words were slightly slurred and run together. It was unnerving to see Edward in such a weakened state. For as long as I had known him he had never strayed from perfection, always strong and alert. Now as I looked down at him he seemed young in a way. Like a normal, fragile, seventeen-year-old boy, only with devastatingly good looks. All signs of maturity his years had brought to his features had been lost to the fatigue. For the first time ever I saw that he was breakable. I smoothed his hair with my hand kissing him gently on the forehead. His eyes fluttered open for a moment and then shut again quickly.

"It's ok. You don't have to fight it anymore Edward. I'm staying right here until you wake up."

"I love you..." He slurred. "See you in my dreams."

"I love you too. Be safe."

Then he was gone.