Summary: Renesmee does the one thing that no one thought possible; she starts her period. But what does that mean?
Authors Note: This idea randomly came to me, as all my one-shots do, and I had to write it. But with school and other things, it's taken me all week to write. Now its the weekend, I've finally finished it, and here it is. I haven't seen anyone else write it before, so I thought I'd explore the issue. It was really fun.
Thanks to Alex (Thats-So-Alex) for Beta-ing my work, as usual.
Of course, I do not own Twilight; Stephenie Meyer does.
Happy Reading:
"Mom!" Renesmee called, panic-stricken, from the Cullen bathroom and immediately Bella was standing the other side of the bathroom door in the hallway that lead off the Alice and Jasper's room and Edward's old room.
"What is it, honey?" Bella gushed anxiously through the door of the bathroom. She wanted nothing more than to knock down the door and comfort whatever was bothering her daughter, but Bella respected her privacy, and with much restraint, kept herself apart.
"Mommy," Renesmee whispered hurriedly, using a word that hadn't been used in a long time "Shield me."
Bella did not linger to contemplate the request, instantly pushing her elastic protection out of her own mind, using it to feel whereabouts her daughter was on the other side of the door and position it comfortably around Renesmee's body.
"It's done, sweetie. Can I come in?" Bella asked quietly, noticing an increased bond to her daughter. Whether it was the fact they were under this shield together, or that her daughter had called her 'mommy', something she hadn't heard properly in ten months, two weeks and five days. At the age of five, Renesmee had decided she was too old for mommy, and with the appearance of a teenager growing, Bella could not force the name upon her.
"Yes."
Quickly, Bella turned the handle and moved into the room, closing the door behind her. It bothered Bella that Renesmee wanted to be shielded from Edward – it bothered Bella that she was allowing it, but at this time, she saw no alternative. She would give anything to make her daughter okay, even if it meant keeping Edward in the dark for a few moments.
But Renesmee was okay, or at least she seemed it. She was sitting on the floor of the bathroom, a white fluffy towel tucked under her shoulders and one wrapping her long bronze curls tightly into a turban on her head. Her long legs were extended, crossing over each other, and her shoulders were slumped forward.
Renesmee's large glistening eyes met Bella's, and what they saw confused the other. Renesmee saw fear and anxiety in her mother's and a deep sense of curiosity. Bella saw confusion, and embarrassment.
"Mommy," Nessie whispered again. "I think I've started my period." Maybe have her put her hand against Bella's cheek and think it, or show her? Wouldn't they hear it, even under the shield?
The words hit Bella so hard that she physically felt that she may fall over. To steady herself, she gripped the sink beside the door, but rapidly withdrew her hand when a cracking noise sounded and hairline fractures appeared in the glass.
Not only had Bella not been expecting such an announcement, she thought she'd never hear it.
"Honey, are you sure?" Bella asked, trying to sound comforting and definitely not patronising. But that was exactly what Nessie needed; comforting.
"I'm positive. I'm not stupid, momma, and…" Nessie cheeks suddenly flushed a beautiful red as her embarrassment became visible. Bella sat beside her, being sure not to touch her. She knew that when she'd started hers, the feeling of someone's skin against her had felt claustrophobic, especially as Renée had squealed dramatically and ran around for several moments.
"Renesmee? Bella?" Edward's voice sounded from downstairs, panic dripping in his voice as he sped up the stairs. "Nessie, are you okay?" He said, also standing out the door. He tried, as often as possible, to ignore the thoughts of others. Their voices became a gentle hum in the background and he lived with it. But he easily noticed the loss of a voice, in this case, his daughters. The worry and dread had spread through him like fire, burning his every cell until he knew his daughter was okay.
"Dad, I'm fine!" Nessie sighed, rolling her eyes and flashing a glance at her mother. Bella bit her lip, knowing exactly how Edward was feeling, and a rush of guilt flooded her as she'd been the one to hide Nessie's thoughts.
"We're okay, Edward. Girl talk," Bella covered up, trying to swallow the regret of the not informing him totally, but understanding that, right now, Nessie didn't need the interference of her father.
Standing confused on the other side of the door, Edward couldn't shake a feeling of betrayal.
"I'll be downstairs," he forced himself to say, fully aware that Bella's decisions would be correct, as always, and he'd trust her. He had no choice.
Bella sat, sitting quietly on the bathroom floor, until she heard Edward's footsteps reach the living room where she reached out and took Nessie's hand in hers, ignoring her own rule. Keeping her voice quiet, she spoke.
"Are you okay, honey?" Bella asked, not wondering what to do, and at the same time, trying to recover from this shock.
"Mom, I'm scared," Nessie admitted, feeling a huge gush of relief as she muttered the words, her heart lighter, and her head clearer.
"Oh, baby, why are you scared?"
"Because," Nessie paused, "because this isn't supposed to happen to me!" Her tear ducts began to water, causing a stream of warm tears to fall down her cheeks gently. "I'm half vampire. This isn't normal!" Nessie gulped back the lump in her throat, and Bella pulled her tightly into her.
The smell of blood was faint, providing no real temptation because of the dead cells. It would be a lie to say it smelt bad, but not exactly good either, especially when mixed in with her daughters pain.
"You are extremely rare, honey. No-one knows what's normal and what's not," Bella soothed, feeling a clenching pain in her chest. It was the pain that reflected the unknown, having felt it before she knew it as well as her own hand.
"That doesn't make me feel better, mom." Nessie sighed, looking around the bathroom with her brown eyes.
"What is it, honey?"
Nessie glanced at her mother quickly before becoming extremely fascinated with her pink painted finger nails.
"Vampires don't keep tampons in the house, do they?" She blushed, causing Bella to think hard. It had been over five years since she'd rid herself of the uncomfortable cramps and the feeling of un-cleanliness. Tampons? Did the Cullen's keep them? She honestly didn't know.
"I can ask Alice if you like-" but Bella was cut off.
"Not Auntie Alice, mom, please?" Nessie begged, trying not to smile.
Her Aunt would blow it all out of proportion. Completely. Not just the squeals, but then wanting to know everything. Rosalie would have been better for this kind of thing – she wasn't over dramatic, although sarcastic comments were guaranteed. But she was holidaying with Emmett in a place where the walls were probably crumbling from the way Emmett had been talking before their departure.
"I don't want to burst your bubble, honey, but they're going to find out sooner or later," Bella informed with a sad, apologetic smile.
Nessie rolled her eyes, but nodded in agreement. She knew that. She knew that from the minute she'd noticed the watered down red liquid in the bottom of the shower. They'd smell it if nothing else, a thought that disgusted her.
"Do you want me to run to the store?" Bella looked at her daughter who bit her lip; much like Bella did herself, but shook her head.
"Will Dad?" Nessie whispered, "I don't want you to leave me alone with the rest of the family."
"Of course he will, honey!" Bella smiled, knowing that the secret could be revealed. Dishonesty and secrecy towards Edward had always been hard, and Bella avoided it at all costs.
"Edward?" Bella said in a normal tone, knowing he would hear, listening for any sign of need. Like assumed, Edward was the other side of the door before Bella could close her mouth.
"Is everything okay?" Edward asked anxiously, and from the inside, Renesmee felt guilty because she'd caused the alarm in his voice. "Can I come in?"
Nessie quickly tightened her towel around her shoulders, pulling the one that was wrapping her hair onto her lap and covering herself even more in white towels. The bronze curls fell down her back, touching just above her waist.
"Okay," Nessie whispered, and Edward came in quietly. His eyes widened in confusion as he eyed his two beautiful girls on the floor. Despite what Bella wanted to do, she moulded her shield around Nessie's body shape, keeping Edward out for privacy.
"Am I telling him, honey, or you?"
Nessie shrugged nonchalantly, causing Bella to smile. Now came the teenage mood swings, she thought.
"Edward, Nessie has started her periods and we'd like you to fetch her some tampons." Bella's voice was calm, a complete contrast to Edward's face which suddenly turned rigid and fearful.
"Are you sure?" he asked disbelievingly.
Nessie snorted. "You two are so alike. That's what mom asked me, and I'm positive." She tried to push the embarrassment to the back of her mind, but every time she concentrated on it, it forced its way to the front like a canon on fire, burning her cheeks to a striking red. She eyed her father's expression; confusion. It pretty much matched her feelings.
"Of course," Edward muttered, trying to wrap his head around this new information. "What do… what kind of things?" He aimed this question at his wife, the only one who had recent experience in this department.
"Tampons and sanitary towels." She smiled. "They'll probably be near either the diapers, or the toiletries. Get all different sizes and absorbances too, please," she requested, trying to keep the image of her husband buying a kart full of tampons out of her mind for fear of laughing and causing offence to her daughter.
"Okay." Edward turned to go, ready to be of service to whatever his baby girl needed, but something made him turn back round again. "Nessie?" He paused and waited for her to meet his gaze. "Thank you for telling me."
Turning quickly, he left leaving Nessie with a small glow inside her. She truly was the luckiest girl alive to have such loving, understanding parents, even if she was scared at the moment.
Bella and Nessie sat in silence for several minutes; it was bordering on uncomfortable for Nessie when Bella spoke.
"Baby, I know you don't want the family to know just yet, but Carlisle will want to check you out."
Alarm and fear rose in Renesmee quickly, like the feeling of bile, as she shot her mother a glance.
"No! I can't have my grandpa check me out because I've started my period!" she exclaimed, her cheeks flaming again.
"Nessie, you know it's not like that. He's a doctor before a grandpa when it comes to things like this. You'll still be able to harass him for money when I don't give it to you when he's finished." Bella laughed, remembering a time that she'd told the whole family to refuse Renesmee money because she wanted to buy a motorbike; Bella completely held Jake responsible for that. Carlisle, however, had given it to her, but also a chat on responsibility and being careful. The whole thing had put Renesmee off, but she still had the money, spending it on a new computer instead.
Again, silence overcame them until a small tap sounded on the door. Edward walked in with several bags of sanitary towels and tampons flowing.
"Esme saw me on the way up and noticed the bags. She guessed but she's not going to tell anyone just yet." Edward smiled apologetically, laying the bags on the floor.
Renesmee looked at them, at first with disgust, but slowly it turned to confusion as the boxes advertised they were the cheapest, the comfiest, and the most effective.
"I'll leave you two to sort things out." He hesitated, and for the first time, Bella saw a sense of awkwardness pass through Edward's eyes. "Sorry baby girl, but maybe its best if Carlisle took a look at you after."
Again, Renesmee rolled her eyes. "You two really do think the same! Mom already mentioned it."
Both Edward and Bella chuckled in harmony, glancing at each other. Through one glance, they shared a lot; how scared they were for their daughter's well being, that they were both as confused as the other, not knowing what this meant for her future. With one glance, they told of their love for the other, and the pain was slowly diluted.
"Mom, you can let go now." The order was vague, but Bella understood straight away.
Through the years, the shield had been more flexible and under control, but she was not yet at the stage where it could be done without effort. As the elastic pinged back in, Bella felt herself relax.
Edward instantly saw Nessie's confusion and fear, even though she tried to hide it as she focused on the pretty patterns of the tampon boxes.
"Carlisle will know more than we do. He's got history and outstanding medical knowledge on his side." Edward smiled kindly, trying to soothe his own feelings as well as his daughters.
Turning around, he closed the door quietly but stood for several seconds with his back against the door.
For any father, it's a big step for their daughter to begin their periods and start on that path of adolescence, and boys, and moods, and their own future. Jake was only a small issue at the moment, although Edward knew that a relationship between the two would most definitely happen, the question was when. On top of that, Edward worried about this abnormal situation. How would this affect her growth? Her health?
He tried to leave his thoughts behind him as he made his way downstairs. Esme was sitting in the living room, tapping her knee in an upbeat rhythm, but Edward saw the impatience behind it.
"Is she okay?" she asked instantly, worrying just as much as he and Bella were.
"I think so. I suggested Carlisle look over her afterwards," Edward informed his mother. Her caramel hair was brushed back into a ponytail, emphasising her anxious eyes. Esme nodded in agreement and began drumming her fingers to a different rhythm.
After a few minutes, Edward found it comforting and familiar as he waited for his wife and daughter to join him downstairs.
Almost as soon as he'd thought it, Renesmee and Bella were walking down the stairs. Renesmee was dressed, and she was scared. She eyed her grandmother and father waiting for her and suddenly blushed again. The fact that no one was expecting it made the whole thing even worse; more of a big deal.
"Just like Bella," Edward whispered, causing Bella to glance at him in confusion for his supposedly random comment before shrugging it off and going over to kiss him gently.
Daddy, I've been thinking. Can Carlisle see me now? Renesmee thought, directing it at Edward who nodded eagerly, desperate for answers. Now he'd been given permission, he could finally find out what was happening.
"Esme, do you know where Carlisle is?" Edward asked, causing Esme to jump up with a swift nod and run outside and off into the trees gracefully.
Bella watched her daughter for several minutes. It had been… embarrassing teaching her daughter about tampons and sanitary towels. She'd shown her basically how to apply them before leaving Renesmee for a moment to experiment in private.
"Tampons," Renesmee had said as she exited the bathroom. "Sanitary towels will make the family uncomfortable." She had smiled warmly, and Bella had felt her heart expand at the thoughtfulness and sincerity of her daughter. Bella had glowed with pride.
"Carlisle is coming now," Edward informed, and Renesmee felt herself blush just that extra bit more. She felt as if she was radiating heat, even more than usual as Carlisle and Esme walked through the front door.
"Esme told me," was all Carlisle said, and Edward noticed his panicked thoughts that he, unsuccessfully, tried to hide. Even had they been buried deep beneath the thoughts, his face was easily read by both Nessie and Bella.
"What's wrong?" Bella demanded, the lioness mother seeping out of her calm exterior as she studied Carlisle's face.
"Nothing, Bella, don't worry," he soothed, but Edward heard the hypocrisy in his words as he worried too. He did not, however, mention this aloud. "Nessie, I know you might be a little embarrassed, like every teenage girl, but would you mind me taking a look?"
Nessie opened her mouth in protest, but closed it almost as soon as it was open; a blur if any human were present.
"I'd like to just do some tests, and see if I can predict anything." Carlisle's thoughts were running over any test that could possibly be carried out on a half vampire half human hybrid. During pregnancy, the ultrasound did not penetrate the womb lining because of its thickness. Carlisle imagined the outcome would be similar, if not identical, now with any technology.
"Turning into Alice?" Nessie snapped.
"Renesmee!" Bella scolded, shocked at her daughter's hostility. Only deep in her mind did the moods worry her – she wanted her daughter to be the tiny toddler she used to be. Didn't every mother want their child to stay small? Every change in Nessie, Bella had to take with a deep breath and think of the never ending future that most mothers didn't have.
"Sorry," Nessie muttered, hardly audible as she fiddled with her fingers awkwardly. Edward felt sorry for her, in a way; she had so much to deal with, the abnormality and the isolation of people her own age, and now more surprises coming her way.
Carlisle smiled warmly at her. "Do you want to come to my study?" he offered, and Nessie nodded shyly before following him up the stairs. Bella's grip on Edward's hand tightened.
"Is she really scared?" Bella asked her husband, turning to face his golden, enlarged eyes.
"She's just shocked, like the rest of us." Edward paused. "It seems too…normal for this to happen." He explained, and however vague and strange it may sound, Bella agreed with him. For a half human half vampire hybrid, starting her period was definitely odd. But blood still ran through her veins, she blushed and she could bleed. Why not this too?
Carlisle sat upstairs, prodding and poking Nessie as gently as he could, trying out one of the ultrasounds to see if it gave any clue to the breaking down of her uterus wall. But it came to no avail.
Eventually, when Renesmee refused any more of Carlisle's ideas, she ate a packet of cookies in her rare cravings for human food, and took herself to bed, much to Bella's disappointment.
Embarrassment was a part of growing up, Bella knew. She'd distanced herself from her own mother and hated more than anything the discussion of periods, boys or sex. But that was an inevitable part of growing up, she realised. Now the shoe was on the other foot and Bella was the mother, she sensed the need for such talks.
So much to Nessie's begrudging, Bella followed her to the cottage and knocked quietly on the door. From behind the door, Bella heard the ruffling of the covers as Nessie buried herself. Bella rolled her eyes and went in anyway, sitting on the edge of the bed.
"You embarrassed, sweetheart?" Bella asked rhetorically, not really waiting for an answer to continue. "We all went through it; me, Auntie Alice and Rose. God, even Nana Esme. It was all a part of us, even if they eventually stopped."
A small pair of brown eyes poked out from the pile of covers that Renesmee was buried beneath. Bella continued with her monologue.
"I know things are different for you, but in many ways they're better. You have a family who want to help and are ready to talk. Can you imagine me asking Grandpa Charlie to go and get me some tampons?" Bella laughed at the thought, before shuddering with the possible cringey situation. Bella had always bought her own, even if Charlie had paid for them.
"Carlisle will find things out. It's going to be alright, honey, please don't worry. Worrying changes nothing; it's something to do but it doesn't change anything." Bella sighed with a smile, and then a nose, and then a mouth came out of the covers until finally, a whole head emerged. Bella took in her daughter's comforted face.
"It's so weird!" Nessie admitted with a scrunched up face. It was true, she was scared; scared about her being different and the implications that may have on things that are supposed to be normal. She was shocked too, because she had never been expecting this. And definitely embarrassed. Her grandpa was her doctor, for goodness sakes!
"You'll get used to it, honey, I promise." Bella moved closer to her daughter and kissed her warm, bronze hair. "Night, baby girl." Bella smiled before moving away and closing the door behind her.
Reluctantly, Bella went back to the house to see the rest of the family and spend her evening. The cottage wasn't that far away, and it pained her to leave her daughter, but she could sense Renesmee's desperation for privacy. With a vampire mother, being in a close proximity to her, even in the other room, was not enough.
As she entered, she joined Edward on the couch who sat still, eyes glazed over as he was deep in thought about Bella during her human years and her moods when she'd been on her period. The blood had never really affected him more than normal with Bella's consideration to his nature; she had always worn a tampon. She'd always been particularly stubborn and sulky during that week, and he'd always found it amusing.
As Bella sat beside him, he instinctively wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close.
"She wants privacy." Bella explained at Edward's curious look. He nodded knowingly and kissed her gently.
They sat there, each thinking, and occasionally muttering a few words. It was a peaceful silence though, no awkwardness, and sometime during the night, Alice and Jasper joined them too; Alice desperate for news of the day, each detail, and Jasper wanting to play a video game.
None of them noticed Carlisle drooling over book after book, mixing his minimalist knowledge of his granddaughter with his understanding of the average human to try and explain and figure out what was happening. None of the noticed, either, as a few stray tears fell from Renesmee's eyes onto her pillow as she questioned her future and her well being. When would life get normal to a hybrid like herself?
Morning broke, and the light awoke Renesmee as it peered through her blinds. The scent of her mother and her father was evident in her room, clear to her that she'd been checked on numerous times in the night whilst she'd been sleeping. It didn't annoy her; only made her feel safe, despite her mental age.
It was only when Renesmee had dressed and made her way to the main house that confusion began etching its way into her mind. She saw Carlisle enter the living room via the stairs, and she walked in seconds later to her mother and father, curled up on the couch, stretching along its entire length. Esme had been reading, although the book was now rested of her lap. Alice and Jasper had long since disappeared.
"Great timing, Nessie," Carlisle praised, excitement coursing through him. He took no liberty to hide his thoughts from Edward who read each one with an undeniable fascination. "We're in luck," he announced.
Renesmee took a seat on the chair opposite Esme's, shuffling to sit in a comfortable position with her freshly applied tampon. It would take some getting used to.
"I've come to the conclusion that Renesmee is experiencing what every other girl experiences." Bella suppressed her feelings; they knew this already, didn't they? Carlisle continued, "Although Nessie's growth is accelerated, she is still going to develop in a somewhat normal way, covering each of the stages of a normal child. With the body of a teenager, menstruating should have been expected. Of course, we overlooked this. It's my guess that when she reaches the age of seven, fully grown and therefore unchanging, her periods will stop." Carlisle paused and looked around at each of the expressions.
Edward was looking further into Carlisle's predictions, shuddering at one thought in particular. Esme was watching Renesmee, whose face was scrunched in concentration, applying all of what Carlisle had said to a more personal situation. Bella sat in disbelief, but also relief – Renesmee was safe.
"There's another issue that I think I need to bring up," Carlisle said seriously, and Edward closed his eyes, knowing what was coming. Nessie strained her neck forwards, as if to focus her hearing. Bella's face fell, and cursed herself for reacting so positively so soon.
"It's basic science knowledge that you have to menstruate to bare a child." He paused. "It's my guess, and only a guess, that if Nessie ever wants to have a child, then it must be within the next two years before she begins to stop changing, and stop menstruating."
Edward felt sick at the thought of his daughter having to act upon this information; if she was so desperate for a child, then surely sex would have to happen, despite the fact she was physically thirteen and without a boyfriend?
Nessie's thoughts weren't far from Edward's, taking in all the new information. This information differed from the first bout – this was crippling. In her eyes, she was thirteen. She was ignoring the amount of birthday's she had, because she felt like a thirteen year old. She had the breasts and the period cramps to prove that she was, in fact, a teenager. But to a teenager, how could you decide that you wanted a child?
How could you possibly make the decision that would affect your whole future now? Career choices could be changed, a tattoo could be erased, neither of them compared to having a child!
"I'm sorry!" Renesmee excused, standing up quickly and rushing out of the front door quickly. She ran and ran, the wind brushing her bronze curls as it parted the strands. The tears ran down her cheeks as Carlisle's words echoed in her mind.
The family sat shocked in the living room, but both Bella and Edward stood almost instantly to follow Renesmee. She was their daughter, and she was upset. Maybe she wanted privacy, but neither of them would allow it at the moment.
Hand in hand, they followed the precious scent of their beautiful daughter to a tree. A tree with no particular significance, other than the fact it was the backbone holding Renesmee vertical as she leaned against it, her cheeks burning from the tears.
"I don't know what to do," she admitted in gushes. Bella moved closer to her and pulled her into a hug, a proper mothering hug as she rubbed her back gently in circles.
Edward stood at a distance, summarising her thoughts, trying to organise them because it was clear that Renesmee couldn't do it for herself.
It was a mixture of disbelief and anger that she had to decide. Two years she was given to have a child, and at the age of thirteen that was a ridiculously huge decision to make. At the age of thirteen, how did you even begin to consider a child when you are still a child yourself?
Yet another side of Renesmee was debating the positives. A child had never been discussed before, almost as if it were a taboo word. She'd always assumed she couldn't have a child because she was half vampire. But now she was given the option.
What was worse? A choice or no choice? With a choice, you could always make the wrong one and regret it later. With no choice, it was exactly that. Nothing could have been made any differently – there was no choice.
"Renesmee," Edward began, awkwardly taking a step towards his daughter and extending his arms. Nessie moved from her mother's arms to her fathers, pulling him in close and burying herself in the protective barriers of his arms. She was safe there.
"You don't have to make the choice now," he encouraged. It made him sick to even be thinking about this. His daughter, after five years of life, making such a huge decision. About sex. About children. "Two years you were given, so you have two years to decide. You'll get older and wiser, at the same pace as now. In a year's time, you might feel differently about it, when you're mentally fifteen, sixteen."
There was only a small part of Edward's mind that let him dwell on the fact that her pregnancy may be like Bella's. Only now, there was no where to go. Bella could be transformed from human to vampire. Well what happens when you're already half there? Does it make her stronger, and more able to survive? Or does it make her weaker for having no alternative and drastic survival method to fall back on?
Renesmee wiped her eyes and sighed. She, too, thought of her mother's pregnancy. She also thought who would ever want to have sex with a freak like her?
"Jake," Edward croaked with a crippling stomach ache rushing through him.
Nessie's eyes widened at the name, and Bella caught onto the unsaid conversation between the two of them. Her feelings mirrored Edward's.
"Not now," Renesmee whispered. "I can't decide now." She paused and looked into the trees that were surrounding her. Jacob would visit later today; he came every day. The imprint was known to her and secrets were not a part of their relationship. They were best friends. She knew he'd do it if she asked because he'd do anything for her.
But at the age of thirteen, she didn't want to. She didn't want to think about it yet. There was no decision yet to make because she wasn't ready. Only when she understood, and felt capable of such a decision could she make it correctly. The only problem was: what if she still wasn't ready when the last grain of sand fell from the timer that had begun to fall?
I liked this ending, and I feel it could develop further. However, it is a one-shot for now, maybe being developed at a later date. I do not have the time to have a multi-chapter story because of the commitment and school etc.
If you liked this, then please review with your thoughts! It's great to hear what you think, and criticism is welcome too :)
Thanks for reading! xx