Part Four

I was in the middle of braiding Renesmee's hair when Edward entered her room carrying a flat gift box. "She works fast," I mused. "And I didn't even hear her deliver it."

"She didn't," Edward admitted. "I made a quick trip to the house."

"Oh?"

"Did Grandma make pancakes?" Renesmee piped up.

"Since when do you like pancakes?" I wondered.

"Since Uncle Emmett drizzles blood on it instead of maple syrup," Edward replied, trying to hold back a grin.

"Renesmee!"

She turned and raised her small palm to my cheek. I saw images of her wolfing down a stack of pancakes with Emmett hooting in the background and Jake grimacing in disgust as he watched. "You have to learn to eat slowly, Renesmee, and you must remember to use a napkin if you're eating drippy messy foods like that. Blood ruins clothing, you know that."

"Aunt Alice told her it was an old shirt and could get messy," Edward explained.

I kissed the top of Renesmee's head as I finished her braid. "All done. Now how about you select an outfit so we can go over to the big house for breakfast?"

She was in her closet when I saw the corners of Edwards mouth turn downward. I indicated to the box he held, "Is it that bad?"

He shook his head, "I haven't opened it yet and Alice is humming Star Wars again."

Renesmee bounced back into the room, hugging her father's leg. He reached down to lift her up and smiled as she pressed her hand to his cheek. "Yes, Uncle Emmett's Jar Jar imitation is funny."

She giggled and I told her, "Daddy and I will be in the living room while you dress. Okay?" She nodded and Edward set her on the bed. She bounced a bit, giggling, before I asked her to settle down and get dressed.

I indicated to the shirt she chose and told her, "Let me know if you need help with the buttons. They're pretty small." I reached for Edward's hand and we left the room, closing the door behind us.

"Is she okay?" I asked him, staring down the hallway to Renesmee's room. "She didn't seem to have any explanation for her behavior last night. Was she thinking about anything in particular?"

"Nothing that should have triggered such a meltdown," he replied as he tugged me down onto his lap.

I let out a breath, "Maybe it was just a normal human toddler thing. I remember once being in a store where a kid just sat himself in the middle of the supermarket aisle and screamed his head off. His mother had to grab him and leave without buying a thing from her wagon."

He nodded silently and I saw he was focused on the box's ribbon. "Do you want to open it now?"

Instead he pinched the bridge of his nose and muttered, "What is it with Star Wars?"

"It's only the greatest sci-fi movie series ever," Emmett replied from outside with a booming laugh. "Are you decent?"

I rolled my eyes, "Come in, Emmett."

"I've come for my niece," he informed us as he plopped down on the side chair. "Esme said her breakfast is almost ready and Alice suggested you might become a bit preoccupied here so here I am. Uncle Emmett Express at your service."

"Prompt and quick service," I grinned, "I wonder how it compares to the Edward Express."

"Don't encourage him," Edward warned me as Emmett jumped up with an excited look on his face.

"A race!" Emmett clapped his hands once.

The door to her room opened just then and Renesmee came running into the room and tackled her uncle. "Uncle Em!"

I exchanged a smile with Edward. Neither of us missed the way Emmett's eyes lit up as our little girl hugged him. He set her back on the floor and then turned around.

Edward was about to lift her up when I noticed that Renesmee had missed a button on her shirt. I took a moment and fixed them all for her before I tugged the hem of her shirt and kissed the tip of her nose.

Edward then lifted her up and helped her scramble onto Emmett's shoulders.

"Watch the ceiling!" I cringed as Renesmee gleefully smacked the ceiling with her palms, her head just missing it.

Amused by my reaction, Emmett playfully warned, "Duck, Nessie."

"Emmett," Edward growled.

"Quack, quack," Emmett chuckled in reply as he jogged out of our cottage.

Edward stood outside the door watching them. I could still hear Emmett's laugh mixed with Renesmee's shrieks of delight when Edward finally came back inside and closed the door. "He's the perfect playmate for her," he chuckled.

I simply smiled and held out my hand, inviting him to join me on the sofa again. He sat next to me and I handed him the box. My gaze shifted from it to him as he opened it.

I couldn't believe how nervous I was as he slowly lifted out a beautifully bound white leather album. Alice couldn't have had time to pre-order it when my idea was barely even five hours old. It must have been from Esme's collection. "I hope Esme doesn't mind," I murmured, running my finger lightly over the soft leather.

Edward assured me Esme was thrilled to help with what she considered such a small contribution. He opened the cover. Right there was a picture of Renesmee taken within hours of her birth. I lightly touched her face. "She was so beautiful. She is so beautiful."

He kissed my temple and turned the page. "You're beautiful," he whispered, catching sight of me in the next photo.

I reached for his hand and snuggled closer to him. "Not like you," I murmured, running my finger over his image.

The pictures were all beautiful. A big part of me still couldn't believe it was me in them.

We lingered over some of the photos, smiling as we recalled some of our fun with last night's posing. We were nearing the end of the album when a sigh escaped my lips. Edward turned to me.

I shrugged, "It's just not…"

He waited patiently while I tried to come up with the right words to express my suddenly depressed emotions. "I guess it's…it's not…You were right, I guess."

He didn't even try to take advantage of teasing me for that confession. Instead, he drew me closer by wrapping his arm around my shoulders. I felt his lips in my hair. "Tell me."

"It's not real." I pointed to the photos where Edward's arms were around my waist, my arms cradling my "belly." "They're beautiful but I know they're not real."

"The love you see is real," he assured me, "just as you said it would be."

"But it makes me remember the truth and it's hard," I responded, "just like you said it would be."

"It's a beautiful reminder, Bella." he suggested.

"I don't know that I want to keep this," I quietly admitted. "I'm sorry for all the fuss but it's just not what I…"

"It's okay, Bella. I understand," he stated.

I stared at another picture of the two of us. "I guess I wanted…"

"A physical reminder, proof, if you will, that I love you and that I love our daughter."

"I know you love us," I fiercely told him.

Edward smiled and brushed my lips with his finger, "I stand corrected. You needed to know I loved you both back then, especially Nessie."

I distractedly turned the last page, "She knows, Edward. There are moments I think she bonded with you better than anyone else."

"No one more than you," he declared, turning my face towards his. "No one loved that little girl more than you. No one risked more, no one sacrificed more." I was shaking my head and he practically growled, "Your bond with our daughter is unshakable, unbreakable."

"The same goes for y--" My voice died immediately when I suddenly noticed the last photo. It was that last shot Alice had taken, the one where we recreated Edward's first hearing Renesmee's thoughts. It was all there for anyone to see. The intense love we had for one another that spilled over to our unborn child.

There was no doubt, no pain, no fear in either of our expressions, nor in the way our fingers were intertwined; just an overwhelming abundance of awe and love. It was truly a breathtaking photo.

I looked to Edward, for the first time wishing I could shed tears. "This is exactly what I wanted," my voice cracked with emotion.

He set the album aside and hugged me close, whispering his agreement in my ear, "It's perfect."

I wanted to be cute and tell him "I told you so" but I couldn't. It was too powerful a moment to ruin with such light-heartedness. Instead, I pulled back and reached for his hands, bringing them both to my mouth for a kiss. "Show me then," I requested, "show me how perfect we really are."

With a tender smile, and a smoldering gaze, Edward lifted me into his arms, carried me to our room, and proceeded to do just that.

the end