A/N: As always, thanks to Shug (SSHG316) who beta'd the original version of this story and a special thanks to Songster51 for beta'ing this revision. I'd also like to welcome and thank Renee Aubin for pre-reading.

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YULETIDE CANTICLE

Chapter 9

Edward persuaded Bella to sleep on their flight to Hawaii, since the wedding and reception had so thoroughly worn her out. On Dr. Burke's advice, they'd decided against a European honeymoon due to the impending surgery, so they chose the more tropical locale that was decidedly American. And of course, Drs. Webber and Burke had colleagues there who could step in and treat Bella if she required medical attention while away from Seattle.

After their uneventful flight, they landed on the Big Island and ferried over to the Mauna Lani Bay where they would be staying near the Kohala Coast. Rosalie had arranged by phone to purchase a variety of livestock on one of the local farms for Edward to feed on during their stay, since there was no wild game to speak of near that location.

Alice assured them that, while it was sunny a good bit of the time, during their stay it would be unseasonably cloudy. It was a welcome coincidence that where they stayed was called "cold country" by the locals because it was quite overcast, even on sunny days. The mountainside bungalow reserved for them was secluded and boasted a bird's-eye view of the ocean in the distance from a gorgeous lanai.

Edward decided once they settled into their bungalow that honeymoons intimidated vampires as much as they did humans. Though her outward appearance was one of calm understated excitement, Bella's heartbeat belied her understandable nervousness. She prepared in the bathroom for what she believed would be the most beautiful expression of love they could share with one another. However, he paced the floor in a pair of cotton pajama bottoms, running his hands through his hair in frustration. He feared that despite Alice's insistence everything would be fine, he could kill his bride on their wedding night.

Edward would heed Carlisle's admonition to just "take it slow," because the change Bella had wrought in him would not allow him to lose total control. He didn't want his wife to discover on their wedding night he was the monster he had always been convinced he was. If the Denali sisters could take human lovers they didn't care for at all, surely he could finesse making love to his wife, whom he loved more than his very existence.

He tugged his hair so hard he felt a few strands give way in his hands. Deciding he should stop doing that lest he worry a bald spot there that wouldn't grow back, he redoubled his pacing speed.

"I hope you're right, Carlisle," he muttered to himself.

Then remembering another piece of advice Carlisle had given him, he went to the drawer where he'd unpacked his undergarments and retrieved the box of condoms he'd purchased a few days earlier. Since Carlisle had no research on how his ejaculate, or the traces of venom in it, might affect Bella, he'd advised him to use protection. Edward removed one of the foil packs from the box and deposited it on the bedside table. No sooner had he done this than Bella emerged from the bathroom.

She was an angelic vision. Her hair, free from the elegant chignon that Alice had woven it into for the wedding, was now a soft frame around her beautiful heart-shaped face. Clad only in a short, white lacy gown that was covered by a peignoir of the same length, she was breathtaking. He hoped he didn't have a 'deer in headlights' look on his face and that she would not pick up on how extraordinarily nervous he was. Say something! he scolded himself.

"You are so beautiful, Mrs. Cullen," he said with a smile. He moved to her at vampire speed and picked her up just he had done when they'd crossed the threshold of their bungalow. This time, he carried her to the bed and gently laid her down.

"And you are equally as beautiful, Mr. Cullen," she said with a loving smile. She held her arms open to him, and he lay beside her and pulled her body flush to his.

He brought his lips to hers in a soft kiss and then locked eyes with her. "Promise me that if I hurt you in any way, you will tell me immediately."

"I promise," she said. "But we don't have anything to worry about. Alice says it'll be fine. Don't you trust her?"

"Yes, but while she might be able to ascertain that we would have a successful honeymoon, she didn't necessarily say I wouldn't hurt you in the process."

"There is always a little pain the first time. Please don't agonize over it. I trust you."

He had never placed his faith in a deity, but at that moment, he thanked Carlisle's God that he had a woman like Bella who believed in him and loved him unconditionally.

So anxious was he over what they were about to experience, it hadn't occurred to him that he was not in agony over her blood as much as he had been in recent weeks. It pleased him that he did not have to swallow large volumes of venom every few seconds anymore. He kissed his wife again, this time with passion, taking care that his razor sharp teeth didn't nick her tongue or lips in the process. His already throbbing erection was pressed insistently against her and it grew more rigid as he lost himself in making love with his bride.

~888~

Their bodies were primed through the foreplay of their first sexual experience as a married couple. Edward felt strange—as if he was in the fugue-like state he entered when he hunted-yet different. Blinded with mindless need, he gave in to the sensations that bombarded him as much as he safely could. Careful to maintain more control than he did while hunting, he held back for both their sakes.

He'd already kissed Bella over every inch of her body and brought her to orgasm once with his mouth. She seemed surprised he wanted to, and although shy about it, the resulting pleasure from it made her soon forget. Emmett had given him this pointer and assured him that it would make things infinitely easier for her later. She'd wanted to pleasure him in the same way, but he could hear that her heart was taxed by this activity and he didn't want to tire her out. There would be plenty of time for them to explore other ways of pleasing one another when she was healthier.

Everywhere Bella touched him elicited such pleasure that his body seemed to be electrically charged. The warmth from her hands exploring his back, her supple and pliant body pressed up against his, and her warm tongue on the cold muscle and sinew of his body drove him wild. Running his hand down her side, over her hip to the apex between her thighs, he felt that she was ready for him.

Through some unspoken agreement, they kept their eyes open, not wanting to miss a thing. The convention of shyness was abandoned because this moment was too important to both of them. Edward quickly donned the condom and positioned himself over her, careful not to crush her with the weight of his body. He entered her in a slow and reverent manner as if asking permission to proceed and she did the most surprising thing. She placed her hands on his bottom, cupped his cheeks firmly and pulled him down. Despite his inhuman vampire strength, he could not muster the willpower to refuse her. As her warm folds engulfed him, he felt the most divine sensation he had ever experienced in his existence, and his eyes rolled back of their own accord. At the same instant, Bella winced imperceptibly and afraid he'd hurt her too much, he moved to pull away.

"No, baby," she whispered. "We have to do it this way… quick pain, a little discomfort… and then only pleasure."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes," she said almost before he could pose the question.

He began again, and this time he thrust until he met and shattered the resistance of her hymen. Bella cried out, but she wound her arms possessively around him, and would not allow him to pull away. Even as he smelled the sweet fragrance of her blood mingled with the scent of her arousal, he released an involuntary growl and completed another thrust. He stilled himself to wait for her to recover, but she would have none of it.

"Make love to your wife, Mr. Cullen," she demanded and rocked her hips up to meet his.

Edward was all too happy to oblige. He moved over her in earnest. Within a few minutes, he could see and hear that the discomfort had gone away for her, and he was relieved to enjoy the act without the guilt that accompanied her pain.

Bella was beautiful beneath him as she made sounds of pleasure to rival his own, caressing him with her hands in every place on his body that she was able to touch. She arched up to meet him, her breathing becoming increasingly labored, but she stubbornly matched him thrust for thrust. If the pressure of his need was anything to gauge by, he could tell that she was close to release. Quickening his pace infinitesimally, he tenderly sprang the dam of her desire. Once again he witnessed the convulsive contraction of her body flooded with sensations that she seemed unable to control.

"Oh, Ed… ward… oh…" she babbled incoherently. The waves of her orgasm caused her to continue to rock her body to meet his with abandon.

The building of sensation in his loins had grown to a level of such taut, delirious pleasure; he knew he was seconds from his own release. He covered her mouth with his once again, and she kissed him back with eager urgency. His control broke completely and he came with an intensity that made him momentarily lose the use of his limbs.

"Bel… laa!" he ground out.

He sank toward her, but even in the throes of his orgasm, he was able to keep his weight from falling to rest on her body. He moved quickly, almost catlike, to roll onto his back and with the impetus, carried her to rest on top of him, without breaking stride and completing one final thrust.

Eventually, he felt her breathing even out and her heart rate return to its lilting, abnormal beating as he calmed her with feather-light caresses over her back, and gentle kisses on the top of her head.

"I love you, Mrs. Cullen," he whispered softly.

"Right back at you, Mr. Cullen," she murmured through a yawn.

Fully sated and exhausted, his bride was asleep in minutes. He rolled yet again until they were both on their sides and covered her with the sheets. He disposed of the condom at vampire speed and returned to their marriage bed to cuddle with his sleeping Bella. He re-dressed her in her gown without waking her, put a blanket between them to buffer her from his cold body, and drew her sleeping form into his arms. He would not sleep, but he would hold her all night until she woke up in the morning, when it would be the first sunrise they would experience together as man and wife.

~888~

Bella woke up to soft, cool kisses from her husband all over her face. When she opened her eyes, she was greeted with a fabulous breakfast in bed. Edward sat watching her eat with a smile that couldn't seem to leave his face. As she drank the last of her orange juice, she couldn't stand it anymore.

"What?" she asked.

"I'm just enjoying watching my beautiful wife eat breakfast," he answered playfully. She loved when he was like this. It was during these times they could both almost forget he was a vampire.

He approached her on the bed and moved the tray off to the side. Lifting her effortlessly in his arms, he carried her swiftly to the bathroom, where a bath was already drawn.

"How did you know I needed this?" she asked. She was deliciously sore and needed a lazy soak in a hot bath to soothe her residual body aches.

"I am, among other things, a doctor, you know."

"Right," she said, giving him a quick kiss on his gorgeous lips.

He set her down and she stretched languorously, her tiny nightgown riding up her thighs and just barely covering her hips. She did not remember putting it back on the night before and smiled when she realized that her husband must have aided her in this. Holding her arms high above her head, like a child, she invited him to pull the gown off for her. As he did so, she felt him stiffen and the playful smile disappeared from his face.

"What is it?" Bella asked anxiously.

Edward closed his eyes, a panicked growl issuing from his lips. Bella moved to the full-length mirror to get a look at herself. Her torso was littered with purplish-blue bruises, and a couple of them were unmistakably shaped like hand prints.

"Why didn't you tell me I was hurting you, Bella?" His voice was so anguished it sounded to her like a sob.

Her denial was quick. "You didn't hurt me." Moving into his arms, she wound her arms around his waist and squeezed. "I bruise easily, baby. Any human who has skin this white does."

It was as if he didn't hear her. "Are you in any pain?"

"No," she said. "I just feel like Emily Posa in 'Seven Pounds.' Making love with a weak heart takes a lot out of a person."

He looked confused.

"You know, the movie with Rosario Dawson and Will Smith…." He still regarded her quizzically. "Uh, never mind."

With a lascivious grin, she looped her fingers into his pajama bottoms and yanked them down far enough that they fell the rest of the way and pooled at his feet. "Come join me in the bath?"

~888~

The third day into their honeymoon, most of the sightseeing and tours they'd gone on were done by car. Edward didn't want to risk her having an episode while they were away from Seattle, but Bella felt like an invalid. Finally, she insisted they do some exploring on foot. They'd passed some quaint shops in the village and she wanted to see what they offered up close.

Edward tried to use his considerable skills in seduction to deter her, but she was determined not to let him win. As he kissed her down the column of her throat, he ghosted his palm over her breast, the coolness making her nipples pebble effortlessly. Warmth and wanting blossomed in her that she'd grown to recognize as desire.

"Baby, please," she said, steeling herself to resist.

"That's what I'm trying to do," he whispered against her skin, "please you."

She put her palms flat against his chest. He was so strong her push wouldn't move him unless he allowed himself to be moved. Bella pushed gently and he stepped away.

"You know that's not what I meant," Bella said. "We only have a couple more days here. I'd like to get gifts for my parents—for our families."

He smiled when she said our families, and it was the first indication Bella had that she might win this argument. But then he grew serious. "Dr. Burke made me promise not to let you overdo it here." His brow crinkled. "I thought you didn't like shopping."

She wove the fingers of both her hands in his and pressed her body back against his. "I don't like shopping for myself, but I'll make the sacrifice for people I love." She kissed him then, full on, holding nothing back.

He moaned, grabbed her up and within a split second she was on the bed, her beautiful husband hovering over her. "Give me one hour," he pleaded.

"One hour, and then we go out?" she said. She knew if she didn't clarify and get his word, he would find another way to keep her in.

"One hour…and then we go out," he murmured against her breast. His cool tongue sent shock waves of lust through her extremities and converged in the place he would fill and take away the aching need his kisses and caresses built in her. She grinned and ran her hands over the hard muscle and sinew of his back, happy that she had won this round with minimal persuasion.

~888~

The driver took them to Mauna Lani Bay where Bella found something for everyone on their list, including Angela and Ben. She rested on a bench after their final hour of intense browsing—she rolled her eyes just thinking about it—only her husband would describe browsing as "intense." Edward suggested they have a late lunch at a restaurant she had been eyeing in the Marketplace.

She gestured toward the bags. "Why don't we take these to the car so we won't have to wrangle them while—during lunch, sweetie?" She almost said "while we eat," but knew he would just pretend to do so. It was such a waste of money, she changed her mind. "Or maybe we should just go back to the bungalow and have something brought in?"

"You liked the menu at this restaurant, right?"

"Yeah, but—"

"No buts," Edward said, as he grabbed the bags up. "We're going. You rest here. I'll be right back."

With that he turned and headed in the direction of the car. Bella watched him walk away. He'd worn clothing, and a hat to cover every inch of his body, just in case the sun came out. He didn't want to sparkle and frighten any of the locals. She'd even covered his face and hands with some of her makeup to conceal his prismatic skin. If anyone inquired, they would fall back on his explanation of having circulatory issues. Only when the love of her life disappeared around a corner, did she turn her attention back to her surroundings.

The Marketplace was teeming with tourists, and filled with bright, fully-laden carrels of goods of every manner one could imagine. There were also services offered from nail salons and massages to astrology, psychics and tarot readings. A Filipino woman in brightly colored clothing approached Bella on the bench.

"You look like you could use some reassurance about your future," the woman said. She handed Bella a card, their hands touched briefly and the woman's eyebrows raised. "My shop is over there."

The name on the card and the sign read Madame Diwata. Apparently, she was a psychic.

"I don't think so," Bella said. "My sister-in-law does what you offer for free and probably with greater accuracy." She smiled to soften the blow of her words.

Madame Diwata smiled. "Are you sure about that? Has she told you that you face danger beyond what will happen with your surgery?"

Hair raised on Bella's neck. How did this stranger know about her surgery?

"Come on," Madame Diwata said. "If you still think I'm a quack after your reading, it'll be on the house."

Edward stepped between Bella and the woman, his voice low and even, but Bella could tell he teetered on the brink of losing control. "I think my wife indicated rather politely that she didn't need your services."

Madame Diwata shrunk back. "Aswang! Demon!" she hissed.

Bella stepped in front of Edward. "You're wrong," she said. "You don't even know us! My husband loves, demons don't."

Madame Diwata backed away. "You delude yourself, child," she said. "You put yourself in great danger entering his world!" And with that, she turned and ran back into her shop, bolted the door and flipped the Closed sign in the window.

"As if that would stop you if we really wanted to go into her little shop." Bella shook with anger. How dare that old woman insult her husband like that. Edward was a vampire, but he wasn't a monster as that woman had insinuated. Ignorance like hers is what keeps irrational prejudices alive and well in the world, she thought.

Edward pulled Bella into his arms, trying to soothe her. "It doesn't matter," he said.

"She doesn't even know us! Alice could run rings around her little sideshow."

"Forget it. Let's go get you something to eat," he said, as he smoothed her hair away from her forehead and tucked it behind her ear. He smiled. "Let's not let her ruin our day."

"Okay." Bella beamed at her husband, trying to push Madame Diwata's unsolicited predictions out of her mind.

~888~

Edward surprised Bella by having the concierge set the bungalow up for them to watch a movie on the final night of their honeymoon after they came in from dinner. The sitting room was lit up with the ambient light of dozens of candles, a portable movie screen and a High Definition projector ready for their viewing pleasure. There was also chilled champagne in a bucket, with a plate of fresh fruit, Godiva chocolates, and freshly popped popcorn.

Bella squealed and leapt into his arms when they entered the room, and Edward was satisfied that his surprise was well-received.

"Oh baby, this is great!" she said looking around the room. "What are we watching?"

"Seven Pounds," he said, holding her with one arm as he closed the door.

She looked touched, her eyes misting. "You remembered," she murmured against his lips.

He kissed her tenderly. "That's my job," he said, and led her to the divan where he wrapped her in a warm afghan and settled her into his arms.

They were about thirty minutes into the movie before she tasted the movie snacks. "You know I won't be able to eat all this, right?"

He placed a kiss on the top of her head. "I know. Just keeping up appearances for the humans."

"Ooh, Baby, doesn't Will Smith do a great job of conveying Ben's pain? He reminds me so much of you when we first met."

"Did I actually look like I was about pass a kidney stone whenever I was around you? Not that I could. Physiologically, we don't experience the pain that humans experience anymore."

"Pffhh! Yeah!" She giggled. "You had that look down pat."

Edward laughed. "Please tell me I don't look like that anymore."

Bella kissed him softly on the lips. "No, you don't. Lately, it's been more like that." She pointed at Ben/Will who looked at Emily/Rosario like he wanted to eat her. As the onscreen love scene progressed, Edward engaged his bride in their very own, off-screen love scene, which he was happy to say, ended a heck of a lot better than Ben and Emily's.

They showered together and dressed for bed. Edward cradled Bella, wrapped in the warm afghan, in his arms. It was only a matter of minutes before she was breathing evenly and dreaming. He grabbed his cell phone and went out on the lanai.

"You're worried that there was some credence to what that woman said in the market, aren't you?" Alice asked. She didn't bother to say "hello," or "how's the honeymoon?" because she was already attuned to what was going on.

Edward looked out at the ocean in the distance. The moon was reflected off the water; the waves crashed violently on the shore as the tides came in.

"Do you see anything that might harm Bella in the near future?"

"I see a successful surgery, but I get garbled images when I try to see further into her future. I see a Volturi guard running from you, Emmett and Jasper. I see Bella being kept in a dark room at some point. Nothing else."

Edward squeezed the iron balustrade so hard it waffled under his touch. "We can't allow that future to happen," he said. "What do you see if we leave Seattle after her surgery?"

There was silence, then Alice sighed. "The same."

"So, are you telling me there's no escaping that future?"

"No, that's not what I'm saying," she assured him. "I'll keep looking for her, and for the Volturi to make sure Aro doesn't make any decisions that might affect Bella's future. Together we'll keep her safe, Edward."

Alice's visions weren't enough for him. Edward had to know more. He wrote Bella a note, informing her that he had gone out to feed, just in case she woke up while he was gone. The truth was he had to go see the fortune teller, Madame Diwata.

He sat calmly in a chair in the corner of her room, when the 'madame' woke up with a gasp. Merciful Bathala, save Me! She addressed what Edward recognized as a Philippine deity. Maybe he won't get a chance to kill me if I scream for the neighbors, she thought next.

"Don't scream," he demanded. "I'm not here to harm you. I'm only here to find out what you know about my wife's future." He stood and walked slowly to her bed.

The woman sat up, eyes wide, clutching the covers to her chest. Maybe he's not Aswang, she thought. "You're a stregoni, aren't you?"

"Yes," he figured he would never see her again, so he answered truthfully.

"And you won't hurt me?"

"No."

She slumped against the headboard, relief rolling off her in waves. "I'd hoped that's what you were for your human wife's sake. Stregoni are not evil like the Aswang."

"What do you see concerning my wife's future?" He asked again, his voice harder.

"Only that she will be in danger as a human in your world."

"What's with you psychics not being more specific?" Edward wanted to punch something, but he held his anger in check.

"You've inquired of your sister?" Madame Diwata took a clove cigarette out of a packet on her bedside table and lit it.

His voice softened. "Yes, but she doesn't see clearly right now. I hoped you might."

"Do you have anything on you that belongs to your wife that she's touched recently?"

Edward came prepared. He handed her Bella's hairbrush.

Madame Diwata laid her cigarette in the ashtray, closed her eyes and held the brush with both hands. After a few seconds her eyes flew open and she dropped the brush.

"Someone will take your bride from you and keep her in a cold place. You must guard her very carefully, lest you lose her to an enemy."

He tried very hard to see what she saw, but he couldn't get a good visual. "Who is it? What does this enemy look like?"

"An Aswang," she said simply. "I don't see who, because I don't know this person."

Edward had known that bringing Bella into his world might prove to be dangerous for her, but he believed that being forewarned allowed him to be forearmed. He would not leave Bella's side as long as she was human. Somehow, he had to figure out a way to thwart the attempt that would be made to take her from him.

When he arrived back at the bungalow and checked to make sure Bella was still asleep, he went back out on the lanai and called his family. He would enlist their help in keeping Bella safe when they returned to the mainland.

~888~

Back in Seattle, a flurry of pre-surgery activities monopolized their time until the day came quicker than they anticipated. Bella was fully prepped for surgery, and Edward was at her side, dressed in sterile scrubs and holding her hand. The nurse had come in seconds ago and given her a sedative to get her ready for the anesthesia. Renee and Charlie had been in the room with them earlier, but they agreed that, as her husband, it was Edward's rightful place to stay with her until she was wheeled away.

Dr. Burke entered the room. "Hello, newlyweds," he said. "How was the honeymoon?"

Bella smiled at Dr. Burke, then looked up at her husband and smiled. "It was perfect," she said. Edward smiled, too, but she could see a bit of worry in his angelic face.

Dr. Burke stood opposite Edward on one side of the hospital bed, perusing Bella's medical chart. He scribbled something on it and looked down at her. "Why didn't you bring back some of that warm weather from Hawaii?" he teased.

Bella giggled. "Gee, Doc, we put that order in, but I guess there's a backlog of warm weather orders in Hawaii for the mainland right now."

"I guess it's just as well. Seattle wouldn't know what to do with that kind of weather this time of year." Dr. Burke glanced between Edward and Bella as he talked.

He took a small object out of his pocket, and continued. "This is the Edwards surgical valve. We will replace all of your valves with these via open-heart surgery. The anesthesiologist will be in shortly. At that time, Edward, you'll need you to take your place in the theater above the OR. Your father told me you're pre-med. Hospital policy generally doesn't permit family to be in the theater, but I'm making this exception because the Chief vouched for you."

"If you were in my position, where would you be, Dr. Burke?" Edward asked calmly.

Dr. Burke didn't equivocate. "In the theater." He looked at Bella and winked. "See you in the surgical suite."

With that, Dr. Burke shook Edward's hand and strode from the room to scrub in.

Edward moved closer to Bella took her hand again and locked eyes with her. "Are you ready for this?"

"Yes, I am. I am so tired of being tired all the time. This surgery means I'll be able to be almost normal again. And I think it's a good omen that the valve replacements are called Edwards surgical valves. It's like I'll have little artificial pieces of you in my heart. As damaged as it is, my heart already belongs to you, but these valves will make it even more yours, in a way." Her words poured out so quickly he couldn't help but smile.

"Is that you, or the sedative talking?" he teased.

"It's all me. I love you so much, Edward," she said, as hot tears began to course down her cheeks. "I need to tell you something."

"Yes, love," he answered anxiously, his hand gently gripping hers.

"I'm going to let your father make the call. I told Carlisle that if anything goes wrong in there, I want him to keep me alive, even if it's on the heart-lung machine long enough to change me."

"Bella… the transformation with a healthy heart is painful and excruciating enough. We have no idea how long it would take, or if the transformation is even possible with your weak heart. He should make that decision only if he fears you might code…"

"We have to trust Carlisle's judgment," she said. "He's going to be right there. I don't care how long it takes, I just want to come back to you in any way I can. I can't leave you to mourn for me for the rest of your existence."

"I couldn't bear my miserable existence, if you ceased to be."

"No… I won't hear any talk of ending your life…" she muttered, her tears flowing faster.

Edward hastened to comfort her, cupping her cheeks and sweeping her tears away with the pads of his thumbs. "Shh… I'm sorry, love. Please forgive my insensitive remarks. I didn't mean to upset you. But I would have no life without you."

"And I don't want to go wherever I would be going in an afterlife without you, so my request of Carlisle stands. I know he loves us both enough to honor my wishes."

Edward couldn't process in his vampire brain just how much his very human wife cared for him. Her willingness to give up her soul to be with him forever was absolutely mind-boggling. In this moment their love was so strong for each other, it was palpable.

He leaned over and kissed her gently on the lips, just as the anesthesiologist and a nurse entered the room. He whispered against her lips, "I'll be right here when you come out, Mrs. Cullen. I love you more than life itself. Come back to me."

~888~

Edward sat as close as he could to the glass separating him from the operating room where Dr. Burke, Dr. Webber, Dr. Yang, Carlisle, an anesthesiologist and three nurses had his wife anesthetized and splayed on the table, preparing to crack her chest open and repair her damaged heart. When they made the first incision, he growled and gripped the arms of his seat so hard, he felt the metal bending and the wood and plastic giving way. He took several deep, but otherwise unnecessary breaths and willed himself to calm down. In all likelihood, Bella wasn't feeling any of this, but it made him ache in the place where his heart had been to see her beautiful body desecrated, even if it made her whole again.

When Dr. Burke wielded the saw that would cut through her sternum, Carlisle looked up at Edward, his eyes conveying an unspoken message to his son to be strong. Edward blocked the thoughts of everyone in the operating room with the exception of Carlisle, because he had learned early on that having access to the thoughts of her healthcare givers infuriated him in ways that made him react violently. He didn't need to lose control in the hospital, especially while she was undergoing such a risky surgery.

He might have fared better by staying in the private waiting room with their families and friends. But knowing the intensity of his bond with his wife of just a few weeks, he would not have been able to bear being in a place where he couldn't see her while her life was in the hands of the human surgeon. It was of some consolation that Carlisle was in the OR with her, and he knew that his father would do whatever he had to do to ensure that no mistakes were made.

Carlisle was an internist by credentials, but he had been practicing medicine for so many decades, he had expertise in a wide variety of fields. With his keen vampire abilities, over the years he had been able to associate smell to certain conditions, could hear things that were undetectable by human ears, and see things almost on a molecular level that other physicians were not privy to. He was a good man to have in the room for any risky surgery.

Edward watched as Dr. Burke and his team opened her pericardium and placed her on the cardiopulmonary bypass, or heart-lung machine. Bella's breathing and the pumping of her blood was taken over by this machine to keep her and all her bodily tissues alive until her heart was restarted and would resume the process. After all the valves were in place, the stem cells were injected into the muscle, and an ultrasound of the heart through her esophagus verified that the new valves functioned properly.

Then pacing wires were put in place so that her heart could be manually paced should any complications arise after the surgery. Finally, they inserted drainage tubes to drain fluids from her chest and pericardium following the surgery. The surgery lasted five hours. Dr. Burke gave Edward a thumbs-up through the window of the theater when Dr. Yang began closing Bella's chest. The nurses wheeled Bella out of the OR to Cardiac Surgery Intensive Care, and Carlisle accompanied her there while Edward went to the private waiting room to give their family and friends the update.

When he entered the waiting room emotionally exhausted yet visibly relieved that Bella's ordeal was over, his family breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Charlie was in his face first, anxious. "How is she, Edward?"

"She came through the surgery just fine. She's in Cardiac Surgery Intensive Care now. Carlisle will let us know when we can see her," he answered.

Renee, who shed copious tears, threw her arms around Edward. "Thanks to you, your dad, and Dr. Burke, for taking such good care of our little girl."

Edward greeted Esme, his siblings, Angela and Ben and then went back to be near Bella until they would allow him to see her.

~888~

Bella's first coherent thought after coming out of the anesthesia was one of gratitude that she had come back to Edward as he had requested. They managed her pain, and she was placed on various medications to keep her repaired heart in tip top shape. She spent three days in CSICU where she saw Edward and her family on a schedule, except for Jasper, between mega doses of Demerol, her doctors and nurses coming in and out, and her chest slowly beginning to feel less and less like an elephant sat on it. Carlisle kept her admitted at Seattle Grace throughout her ten day convalescence until they took her pacing wires out and sent her home. Renee came back to Seattle when she was released from the hospital and set up camp in their guest bedroom at their condo. After several days of bickering with Edward over who got to fluff her pillows, assist her to the bathroom, give her medication, and bring her food, Bella'd had enough.

"Mom, I love you for coming to help take care of me, but you've done just that for 20 years. Edward hasn't had an opportunity to take care of me for very long, and he wants to, so much. Go home to Dad and take care of him. I'm sure he misses you." Bella used every available bit of ammunition in her arsenal.

Renee drove Edward crazy doing everything in slow, methodical, human speed. To his credit, he didn't complain, but Bella knew that having her mother around forced him to be extra careful about everything, so she wouldn't discover the secret. He pretended to eat, drink, and use the bathroom and did everything slow enough to convince Renee of his humanness.

"Are you sure, baby? You two have only been married a few weeks, and now Edward's doing all this. Are you sure it won't overwhelm him?" Renee asked pensively.

"Mom, Edward is pre-med. This is great practice for him, and he loves me and wants to do it. Go home to Dad. You can call us every day to check on my progress."

"All right, since you insist," Renee said, giving her a loose hug, so as not to squeeze her too tight and injure her healing sternum. When Edward came back from the kitchen with Bella's lunch, he pretended not to know what was going on.

"Mom's going home," Bella announced as he approached her bed with the tray.

"Really? Why so soon?" He positioned the tray in front of Bella and looked quizzically at his mother-in-law.

"My baby doesn't need me anymore," Renee teased.

"Mom…," Bella chided her softly.

"Just kidding, sweetie. I'm just glad you have such a capable husband to take care of you. I guess I'll go pack up so I can go home tomorrow." Renee started toward the door.

"I'll be happy to book a flight for you to Port Angeles and let the Chief know when your flight will be arriving," Edward offered.

Renee turned and smiled. "I was just gonna call Charlie and have him pick me up. Don't go to any trouble."

"It's never any trouble to take care of family," he said, trying not to look so happy that she was finally leaving.

~888~

E/N: The contest might slow my updating briefly, but I'll do everything in my power to keep that from happening.

Review and let me know what you think about Madame Diwata's predictions of impending doom. I'd like to hear your predictions.

An Aswang (or Asuwang) is a mythical creature in Philippine folklore. The aswang is an inherently evil vampire-like creature and is the subject of a wide variety of myths and stories, the details of which vary greatly.