I don't think I had ever truly seen before. The light - it was blinding and multifaceted, much like Oliver's skin, but I could see it perfectly. I had never thought of air before, but it wasn't the nothingness I had known. It ebbed and swirled like water. It was liquid. I could see the many tiny things that had gotten caught up in the flow. Pollens, dust, and other things I did not yet recognise, it was magical.

I watched as I breathed in and out, my breath disturbing the quiet flow of the air, swirling, creating eddies in it. Everything I did changed the balance. Everything was connected. I was part of the world again.

I could hear the muted voices surrounding me, which I had thought had become familiar in the past month, but I had known nothing. There was so much I had missed, and it all seemed so obvious now. I listened desperately for the one voice that meant anything to me, but it remained absent.

Where was my Oliver?

"Kaia?"

Ah my beautiful symphony! My eyes searched out the source. And there he was, perfection that I had held so close but had never really known. I had never realised the layers of his eyelashes, the swirls of his iris, the soft texture of his lips. I had never noted the way each thread pulled across his shirt, each slight change in the direction of the weave outlining the perfection that lay beneath. I had never noticed the pattern that his hair fell into - haphazard but perfect. I had never known anything before. I may as well have been blind.

Suddenly I threw myself at him, crossing the distance in an imperceptible moment. He was in my arms and he was mine. My lips found his, and each cell in my body was aware of where we touched. It took me a moment to memorise every molecule of his being. I would never forget it.

He felt warm in my arms. Perfect. He grasped me tightly, tighter than he had ever held me, but it was not tight enough. I grabbed his hair and pulled him closer to me, moulding my body to his shape. And for once, he was able to mould to mine. We were like two pieces of a puzzle. We belonged together.

I heard someone cough.

I released Oliver, and fell to the floor in a defensive crouch, searching out what disturbed our privacy. My eyes fell on Emmett, who chuckled to himself. Jasper was standing beside him, but the way he held himself looked to be more on edge than he wanted to let on.

Emmett. Everything had to be a big joke to him!

I righted myself in another blindingly fast movement (I would have to learn how to slow down at some point), and folded my arms across my chest.

"Do you mind?" a tinkling soprano snapped.

My hands flew to my mouth - that was my voice?

Emmett laughed, "Relax, Aunty K."

I looked at Oliver, then back at Emmett.

"Oliver." I shuddered as I heard my voice again. "Do they need to be here?"

He grinned the first truly relaxed smile I had seen since before the wedding.

"They're just here to protect you from yourself, Kaia. We didn't know how you'd react to this." He waved his hand at me.

"I'm fine!" I snapped. My hands flew back to my mouth. Evidently I hadn't left my temper behind with my previous life.

"I know. You're doing surprisingly well. We're all very impressed." He chuckled.

"Do not laugh at me, Oliver Monroe! I am more than able to crush you now."

He chuckled again. "Yes, yes you are. And I'd be more than willing to let you do so. But tell me, how do you feel?"

I sighed. "I feel amazing. I can't believe how…everything, everything is!"

"I remember the feeling. It will take a while to adjust. But tell me, are you thirsty?"

I thought about that for a second. There was a burning in my throat, as though I had not drunk in a very long time. My throat felt so dry. But it was bearable - I had burned worse than this.

I shrugged, "Yes, but it's ok?"

I heard Jasper guffaw.

"It's ok?"

"Yes." Of that I was certain. "It's not important. Where's our daughters?"

Oliver smiled. "They're with Rosalie and Nessie."

My eyebrows furrowed. What was Rosalie doing with my daughters?

"They're fine, they're so…perfect. You have no idea."

"Can I see them?"

It didn't seem fair, I had never even seen my children, and some woman who never even spoke to me in my previous life had her dirty hands on them. They were mine.

Oliver looked at me. "Not just yet. I know you're feeling in control at the moment, but I'd still prefer if you hunted before you went near them."

I frowned. I was not going to hurt my children - I was sure of my self-control. But the way Oliver looked, I knew he wasn't going to budge on this issue.

"So what are we waiting for? Let's go hunt so I can see my babies."

He smiled.

"Ok, let's go."

Oliver and I left the white house by leaping through a window. I was surprised how easy it was to fall from such a height - if I was still human, at the very least I would have broken my legs, if not died in the attempt. Oliver and I ran through the forest, and I could finally understand how he could drive like a mad thing - everything must seem sedate when compared to these speeds. It felt so exhilarating to let loose!

It was amazing how familiar this new body felt, even though I had no idea yet of what I was capable of. It did not tire, and I was attune with every fibre of my being. I had learnt each and every cell in by body during my burning. For once, my mind and body were one.

Oh God, I sound like my parents.

I don't know how far we ran, but Oliver came to a halt in a clearing in the forest. He turned to face me.

"There's a herd of deer on the other side of these trees. How do you want to play this?"

I thought about this for a second. He was offering me assistance, which I should have been glad of, but I knew I wouldn't take it. It didn't seem fair - whatever I did take the life of should at least have the chance to escape if it could. It felt like cheating to let Oliver pick which ones were to die without them getting a say in it.

"I think I should do it myself. It seems fairer that way."

He smiled at me. "Fine."

"…I don't know what to do…"

His grin grew. "Just listen, smell, and follow your instincts. You're built for this."

"But what happens if I smell something I shouldn't?"

Emmett had been regaling me with newborn stories after I had made that discovery. I didn't want to risk stumbling across someone.

"I've already checked the area for human scent, and there is none. Besides, if you do, I will stop you." He hugged me comfortingly. "I won't let you do anything you would regret. Now, hunt."

And he released me.

I closed my eyes, and listened, and smelled. I had never before realised what a rich aroma the forest held. There were a multitude of flavours, and I knew that I would remember each individual scent for the rest of my existence.

I smelt the deer, I could hear their thudding hearts. I knew exactly where they were, I knew that one would be mine. I let myself go, allowing my muscles to carry me forward as they saw fit. I did not make a noise. And so soon, I had captured my prey. The stag didn't even see it coming.

I felt the hot fluid gush down my throat, and in that moment, I understood my burn had been worse than I thought it was. The relief was instantaneous, if not complete. I needed more and more fluid to cool the burning, and I drew hard to get as much as I could.

When I finished, I saw Oliver leaning on a tree. I was worried that I had disgusted him - he was such a pacifist, he didn't hunt. His prey never felt pain, but I had hoped that mine didn't. I couldn't tell.

I looked up at him, and he smiled. He looked…proud.

"Had your fill, or should we hunt some more?"

I thought about that for the briefest moment.

"I want to see our children."

And his face lit up.

"Ok, let's go meet them."

We talked the entire way home, our pace a bit slower on the return trip. We had a lot to catch up on. I had been unconscious for just under two days - it turned out, the rate of transformation was proportional to the amount of venom that was injected, and Oliver had used a lot of venom. Edward had developed a technique for Bella of injecting venom directly into the heart. Oliver had elaborated on this slightly, also injecting venom into my liver. It had sped up the process considerably.

Our daughters he had named for our mothers - it didn't seem right for them to go around nameless seeming they were already aware, so he had used one of the ideas that we had discussed while we were in bed during my pregnancy.

Evelyn and Adele. (My mother's real name was Adele.)

He had left the middle names for me to pick. It seemed only fair.

Our girls were identical twins, with blonde ringlets like me, but blue eyes from Oliver - I had never known that Oliver had had blue eyes during his human incarnation. But I could only imagine that they would be beautiful.

Even though physically our daughters looked alike, mentally they were completely different. They were both gifted, but their talents were on opposite ends of the spectrum. Evelyn was…I guess you could say compelling. She had the ability to project her emotions and desires into another person, meaning that if she was hungry, you would feel compelled to bring her a bottle, or your tummy would start grumbling. It was an interesting talent, but it meant that she made her feelings easily known. Adele, on the other hand, was telekinetic. She was able to move objects just by thought alone, so when she was hungry, you would have to duck from the flying bottles. She was fairly independent, and could look after herself.

I did bring up the matter of their diet with Oliver - I didn't want them to live off solely blood as Renesmee did. According to Carlisle, she was able to survive on both food and blood, so I thought that they were spoiling her a bit by allowing her to drink only blood. I wanted my children to be as normal as possible. Just because they were half vampires did not make them monsters. Oliver agreed with me, in fact, thus far they were living off mostly a diet of formula. Occasionally, there was lapses in this, mainly due to their little talents, but now that they were more aware of them, they were taking precautions to stop it from happening too frequently.

My head was giddy when we reached the Cullen's house once more. I was finally getting to meet these two strangers who were meant to be mine.

Edward and Bella were waiting at the back door, his arm wrapped casually around her shoulders. Bella had a wide smile on her face.

"Welcome home!" she called. "Hunting's good, I see."

I looked down at myself, and was a bit ashamed to see that my clothes were a mess. I was covered in mud and grass stains, and had a fine speckling of blood. I must have looked hideous.

Oliver laughed. "Give her a break, Bella. It's her first time hunting. Remember what your first time was like?"

Edward and Oliver laughed together. I could only imagine what he was seeing in Edward's mind. (Oliver and Edward had gotten a lot better at coexisting with their talents in the past month). I was sure that Bella would have blushed if she could have.

It was Edward's turn to speak. "So Kaia, do you want to see your babies?"

"Yes!" The word was out of my mouth before he had sounded his last syllable.

He smiled. "You have to understand we have to take precautions. You're doing very well, but still, we don't want to take any risks. They're too special for that."

I frowned, jealousy welling up in me. It wasn't fair - they were my children, but everyone else already had a special relationship with them and felt protective over them. I didn't like the idea of sharing. I was instantly ashamed of my feelings - how could I hate anyone who cared for them? I nodded my head, trying to appear as if I was answering Edward, but in fact trying to set my thoughts straight. I was a little bit emotionally labile at the moment. I had to be in control when I saw them.

I was surprised that I heard footsteps inside the house, coming towards us. When I was a human, I had never heard the Cullens move. They were too delicate for that. And I also heard a fluttering - three flutterings. I felt my breath catch - they were heartbeats.

Oliver slid his arms around my waist, and gently pinned my arms to my side. He kissed my neck and whispered into my ear, "Just in case."

Edward and Bella parted, looking on alert. Renesmee bounced out first and into her mother's arms. I pined to have that same moment.

Control, Kaia, control.

Emmett and Jasper came out of the door then, acting as body guard to Esme and Rosalie, who each carried a small bundle in their arms. While Emmett had been joking before, he was entirely serious now. He understood I could be dangerous, and he wasn't taking risks. Rosalie looked grumpy that she had to be there, but she held onto her bundle protectively. She looked at me with scorn, and I felt Oliver tighten slightly. Whatever she was thinking, Oliver wasn't impressed with it.

The party walked slowly towards us, and I stopped breathing. I hadn't yet smelled a human scent, and I did not want my babies to be the first I smelt. Even though I felt I could trust my control, I didn't trust my judgement entirely. I was not going to take the risk.

Esme walked up to me first. I could see Carlisle had come to stand near Edward, but he looked relaxed. Evidently he expected me to be as successful as Bella. I had no idea where Alice was.

Esme smiled at me, and pulled the swaddling away from her bundle. Inside it lay the most beautiful baby I had ever seen. She had short golden ringlets, maybe three centimetres long. Her eyes were shut, and she breathed in and out rhythmically. Her cheeks were cherubic, and she had plump red little lips. There was so much of Oliver and myself mixed in that little face. She looked like an angel. She also looked large for her age - about the size of a six week old - but I expected this. She was perfect, and she was mine.

"Evelyn," Oliver said, and there was a reverence in his voice that told me he felt the same way about this little girl that I did.

"Evelyn Marie Monroe," I whispered, trying to not waste by breath.

Although it was hard to tear my eyes away from that tiny face, I forced myself to do so and looked towards Rosalie. She was standing beside Emmett, and was not moving. She looked like she was going to be stubborn.

"I don't want to risk it," she hissed at Emmett.

"Rose," he chuckled. "You knew you were going to have to give her back at some point. Kaia's going to be fine. She's her mother, she has a right to see her daughter."

"She already has one," she grumbled.

I hissed with fury, and suddenly Oliver's arms clamped down on me, and Esme was whisked away with Evelyn behind Jasper.

I gasped. "I wasn't going to do anything!"

I had taken a breath, and a swirling aroma filled my lungs. It was the sweetest, most beautiful scent I had ever smelled, and it made my throat burn slightly.

I shut my mouth abruptly and tried to maintain control, but was happily surprised when I realised that I didn't need to. The scent, belonging to Evelyn, wasn't tempting in a food way. I knew I was not going to kill her. I did not desire her blood.

I smiled, and took another deep breath in.

Oliver squeezed my arms to my side even more tightly as I sampled the aromas of the others in the air.

I looked back at him and smiled.

"I'm fine. See? Not food-y. Let me go."

I heard Emmett chuckle as Oliver released me from his grasp. I walked over to Rosalie, seeming she was so against coming to me. I didn't even look at her face as I reached for her bundle and pulled it into my arms.

I was surprised by the heat of it. It was like holding a little flame, and I smiled. I brushed the cloth away from her face, to reveal Adele. She was identical, and just as beautiful as her sister, except the way she held her face in sleep looked frustrated. I laughed. I could see my human face in her, and my human emotions. My temper didn't need to be passed on, but it seemed as though it had.

"Hello Adele Louise Monroe. I'm mummy."

I felt Oliver wrap his arms around my waist again. "And she's the most special mummy in the whole world."

I smiled as I sat there, rocking my child. I was completely content in my existence.

Rosalie stormed away back inside the house, and I couldn't help but growl a little at her passing. Emmett shot me an apologetic glare, then followed her inside. Esme walked back over with Evelyn, and handed her to Oliver, who had extricated himself from me. I smiled as I looked into his eyes, and he smiled back at me. Our little family was complete.

I heard something moving through the meadow the house was situated in, but I couldn't look away from my family to see who it was. I breathed in again, and I could tell from the scent that Alice had rejoined us. I could hear her muttering something sympathetically to Jasper.

"It's ready," Alice chirped at us.

My brows furrowed. What was ready?

Oliver sighed. "It's lovely you went to the trouble Alice, but it's not necessary. I don't think Kaia's going to want to hand over our children for a while yet."

While he was right about that, I hated being left out of the loop.

"Oliver, what's going on?"

He sighed again. "Alice thought that we would need some…privacy. So she's set up a tent for us in a nearby meadow."

Oh.

"Oh come on, Oliver. It's not like you're waiting till you're married - it's a bit late for that!" She giggled. "By the way, I still call dibs on the wedding."

Oliver grumbled, but I smiled at him. Alice's plan didn't sound like a bad idea (not the wedding bit), and besides, it looked like the girls would be sleeping for a while longer yet. We could be there as soon as they woke up in the morning - privacy sounded good.

"Esme, Bella?" I called, and they were at my side instantly. I passed Adele to Esme, as Bella gently extricated Evelyn from Oliver's arms. I grabbed hold of Oliver's now free hand, and tugged on it gently.

"It will be rude, Oliver. Alice has gone to so much trouble." I grinned cheekily at him.

I heard Emmett laugh from inside the house and I scowled. I had hoped he wouldn't hear that.

Oliver sighed, but relented to my request, and followed me as Alice bounced her way through the underbrush. We had to cross the river again, and soon we were in a smaller meadow. I could no longer hear my daughters' hearts beating, and I knew she had chosen this location because we were out of earshot of the house. I could only be thankful for that.

What I had thought of as a tent and what Alice did seemed to be on completely different ends of the spectrum. It more resembled a pavilion than a tent. Alice kissed me on the cheek and bounded away as quickly as we arrived, and I looked at Oliver, surprised.

He was grinning. "You know Alice never does anything by halves."

I shuddered. "Just think what she'll do with our wedding."

His smile grew bigger. "So you still want to marry me? It wasn't just baby brain?"

I frowned. "Don't be stupid, of course I want to marry you! I want all of you, Oliver."

I smirked at him, and pulled back the door to our "tent". I twitched my finger at him, inviting him over.

He smirked back, and scooped me into his arms and threw us into the tent.

We didn't come out for a very long time.

We lay there in each other's arms, Oliver gently playing with my curls. I just smiled and pulled myself closer to him, snuggling into his warm chest, and sighed.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked.

"Just about how perfect everything is."

He chuckled. "Perfect's a fairly big word for you, are you sure?"

I shrugged. "There are some things I'm going to miss, but they were well worth the sacrifice."

Oliver rearranged himself to get a better view of my face. "What are you going to miss?"

I smiled. "It's nothing important, and it's more it feels funny than anything I'm actually going to miss…"

Oliver sighed. "You know how desperately I wish I could hear your thoughts sometimes - you can be so obtuse when you put your mind to it."

I smiled. "It's one of my charms."

"Kaia, please?" He looked at me with smouldering eyes, and I could feel the passion well up in me.

I leant forward and kissed him, pulling him closer to me, but Oliver pulled away. I pouted.

"Later, first you can tell me what you're going to miss."

I sighed. "That's not fair, you know."

"It wasn't meant to be." He grinned evilly at me.

"Fine! I just think it's funny that today's been the longest day of my life and I'm not exhausted. It feels like I could keep going forever."

His smile grew wider. "Kaia, you are going to keep going forever."

"I know that," I sighed. "It's just one thing hearing that you're never going to sleep again, another thing entirely for it to be your reality."

"And that's it?" he prodded.

I smiled at him. "That, and diet. I'm going to miss chocolate. I'm sorry, but deer really doesn't cut it."

"I'm sure we could rustle you up some human if you want something tastier," Oliver teased.

I shuddered. "Now who's being silly. So, is there anything you're going to miss?"

He looked thoughtful. "The sleeping thing. You always looked your happiest when you slept."

I smiled. "That's because I dreamt of you. That's it, not my scent or anything?"

He shuddered. "I'm sorry, the scent wasn't a perk - it was torture. You smell much nicer now. Still like you, just less edible."

"Less edible is good."

"Plus, you're a lot more sturdy now. I don't have to worry about hurting you if I did something like this…" And with that, he leaned in to me, and kissed me passionately. We weren't able to talk for a while after that.

Although it was hard to pull myself away from Oliver, when the sun rose, we did. Our daughters should be waking up soon, and I had yet to see them when they were conscious yet.

We walked back to the big white house slowly, enjoying the scenery. Even though I had changed clothes since yesterday (there was a large chest in the corner filled with expensive confections, but there was a sports bag filled with more reasonable jeans and shirts behind it - thankyou Bella), I had decided to go barefoot. The sensation of the underbrush beneath my feet was interesting - I could tell exactly what touched my feet, and it wasn't like I was worried about hurting myself anymore.

When we entered the lounge, I found the Cullens surrounding two small forms on a thick rug. I smiled and crossed over to meet my children, who were playing with a mobile that was set up above them. Well, Evelyn was playing, Adele appeared to be having fun destroying her half - most of the decorations had been removed from the strings attaching them and floated around in the air, frequently bashing into each other as she giggled.

Renesmee sat in Bella's lap, her hand resting against her mother's cheek. I smiled at the small child - she hadn't been allowed near me since showing me her vision of her birth. She looked towards me, then to her mother.

"Yes, Nessie, you can go near Kaia now," Bella chuckled, and with that, she hopped lithely off her mother's lap and danced over to me.

I leant down towards her. "Hello Nessie."

She smiled, and said, "I have a present for you."

"Really?" I was touched. "Ok little one, where's the present?"

And with that, Nessie reached up and touched my face.

Grandma and Rosie were exiting Granddad's study, their arms filled with small bundles of fabric. Rosie cooed at her bundle, completely ignoring the muffled noises that came from within the study. Suddenly I was bouncing towards Rosie, who looked down at me worshipfully.

"Look Nessie, it's a baby," she said, leaning down towards me and showing me the tiny baby in her arms, which looked around the room with piercing blue eyes, taking everything in.

"Don't get too attached, surrogate-mum Barbie. In a few days, mum's going to come to take baby back." my head spun around towards my Jacob, who was sitting where I was previously, cleaning up the collection of forks I had been playing with. No fair, I hadn't finished with them yet.

Rosie hissed at my Jacob, and I frowned. They never played nice, except with me.

Rosie and Grandma were in the kitchen with Granddad.

"Rosalie, Oliver says they want to try them on formula before a blood diet, it's their decision what they get fed."

"But Carlisle, they're half vampire! Nessie gets blood…"

"And that's Bella and Edward's choice. If you can't behave, you're going to have to hand over the baby, Rose."

Rosie grumbled, and grabbed the bottle that Granddad held towards her.

Grandma sat cooing to the baby in her arm, trying to negotiate with her to feed from the bottle which held the icky white stuff. Suddenly, Grandma went stiff, turned and walked towards the fridge where the yummy stuff was kept.

"Esme?" Granddad looked worried.

Grandma held a packet of the yummy stuff in her hands, but then blinked and turned to Granddad.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me." she said, sounding vaguely dazed.

Suddenly, the bag flew from her hand and smacked into the back of Rosie's head.

Granddad looked from Grandma to Rosie and back.

"…Oh dear."

I snuck a look through the door into Granddad's study. Uncle Ollie was sitting cross-legged on the floor, singing gently to the babies who lay on the comfy rug. In the back ground, Aunty Kaia - who I am not allowed near - lay on a metal bed, not moving. She looked different, more like Uncle Ollie. Prettier.

Suddenly I was back in the lounge, and Nessie was standing in front of me, a wide grin upon her face.

"Thank-you," I whispered to the small child.

Oliver walked up beside me, holding two bottles filled with formula.

"Nessie didn't want you to miss anything," he said, looking at the small child, evidently having seen what she had shown me.

"It was wonderful," I said, and looked towards my little girls, already so much bigger than the newborns shown to me in Renesmee's vision.

Oliver passed me a bottle, and then reached down and picked up Adele. Instantly, the toys from the mobile fell to the floor. He then passed her the bottle that she held for herself as she sucked deeply.

I bent down to pick up Evelyn, and had the uncontrollable urge to hold her closer to me. I didn't know if this was instinctive or her little gift, but I didn't care. I passed Evelyn her bottle, and crooned gently to her as I watched her feed. It was magical.

Oliver smiled at me. "They're getting used to formula. We keep the blood locked away now."

"Not fair," I heard Nessie grumble, and I couldn't help giggling.

My chuckle sounded like music. That was still going to take some getting used to. I just thought of something, and turned to Oliver in one of those blindingly fast movements I hadn't gotten control over yet.

"Oliver, what do I look like?"

I knew that the transformation into a vampire heightened and perfected your existing looks - the example was perfectly illustrated with Bella. Even though she was beautiful as a human, in her vampire incarnation, she oozed perfection, just like all her other kin. I hadn't even thought about what I looked like now that I, too, was part of their family.

Oliver chuckled. "You look beautiful, but then again, you always did."

I pouted. That was hardly a detailed answer.

"Oh!" Alice bounced up from the couch where she sat in Jasper's lap, "Let me! I'll be right back."

And with that, she bounded towards the door, stopping abruptly by my side, "Don't you dare go looking at anything reflective till I'm back," she said accusingly, then dashed away.

I laughed - that was very Alice.

She was back in the blink of an eye, holding a very large mirror.

"Ta da!" she announced.

I looked into the mirror, and gasped.

My curls, always unruly in my human life, now fell like spun gold in ringlets down to my shoulders. My nose, whilst retaining the little bulb on the end that ran in my family, now seemed more sculpted and less unusual. My lips pouted with deep pink perfection, and glittered slightly in the reflected light. My eyes had retained their openness, but at the moment my irises were a blinding red rather than the chocolate brown they had been (I hope that faded soon). My curves seemed to be smoother, and fell away in a perfect hourglass. My chest, whilst always ample, was definitely perkier. Everything that had made me me was still there, but they had just been perfected. I was amazed by the Goddess that stared at me from the mirror. Although I would never hold a candle to Rosalie, I was beautiful. I had never been beautiful before.

I looked down at Evelyn, who lay in my arms, and saw many of those features that had belonged to me replicated in her small and perfect face. She had finished her bottle, and smiled at me, showing me two rows of small white teeth. I couldn't help but smile back. She was beautiful, so much of me and Oliver rolled into one. Maybe I had been beautiful before, because Evelyn and Adele were the most beautiful children on the face of the planet.

"Well," Alice asked impatiently, "You like?"

I looked at her then, then at Oliver, "I love."

"Good," she said, "So now we can talk about wedding details."

Thank God I had the excuse of being a newborn! It seemed that was the only way I could convince Alice to postpone her wedding plans. Although I knew I wanted to marry Oliver, and I knew it had to be soon (I was meant to be ten weeks pregnant - I needed to get wedding pictures before I was meant to be "showing"), I wasn't quite ready for the whirlwind of enthusiasm that was Alice. I could tell Oliver was a bit disappointed, but when he heard my reasoning, he understood. Alice could just be a little overwhelming. I told him, I was more than happy to marry him as long as he dealt with Alice. He had agreed, and had descended into the lion's den to discuss our impending nuptials with the wedding planner from hell.

Evelyn and Adele were asleep on the fluffy rug in the lounge. Babies - even vampire babies - needed a lot of sleep. It was a relief that my children at least could retain some level of normality. That morning with the pair of them had been one of the happiest in my life - I mean, in my existence. I had spent the morning getting to know my two little bundles of perfection, and it amazed me how well developed their personalities were already. Adele reminded me a lot of me - she had a temper, she was stubborn, and she hated to be left out of the loop. In fact, you could not leave Adele out of the loop - while Alice was trying to convince me of marriage, I had gotten a glass paper weight thrown into the back of my head. I knew at some point Adele and I would have to talk about her temper, it's just, how do you discuss things like emotional control with a four-day-old? Evelyn was much more like her father, she was sweet, and quiet, and loved physical contact. A smile from her cherubic face would light up your entire day. She was just sweetness and light, and she adored her bossy sister dearly (you could tell - whenever you held her you felt compelled to hold Adele too. Evelyn couldn't stand to be away from her). It was only when they slept, holding onto each other, that they had the same temperament. They both looked so peaceful when they slept.

Everyone had enough common sense to leave my children and I to it when they were conscious, but soon after they fell asleep, Emmett joined me on the couch, definitely looking like he had an agenda.

"So, Aunty K, feel like a rematch?" He grinned at me evilly. During my pregnancy, I had lost five games of chess to him, which I had a feeling I would never live down. But now - whilst I was bright before, my head had so much extra space in it, I knew that beating Emmett would be easy. It didn't seem fair. He really was asking for it - Emmett brought out my competitive side, and I must admit, I wasn't a good winner.

"Are you that desperate to lose?" I baited him, an equally evil smile across my face.

"Loose? Bah!" he declared. "We shall see who will be the loser!"

And with that, he rose from the chair and walked to where he had set the chess boards up against the window. I sighed as I rose, the need to stay with my babies competing with my need to beat Emmett. I tried to console myself - I was only going to be a few meters away - and went and joined Emmett, where the competition began.

Nine games and nine victories later, I heard my children start to stir into wakefulness. As I started to rise so I could rejoin them, Emmett grabbed at my arm.

"One more match."

I sighed at him. "I think nine is pretty definitive, Emmett. Go get some practice, then you can rechallenge me. Evelyn and Adele are awake, and they come first."

As I walked towards my children, I heard the back window smash. I spun around so fast, I saw the glass shards fall to the floor as a chess board fell from view.

"Emmett! What are you doing!" I yelled at him, hearing my girls start to cry. I rushed over to them, and started trying to console them and feeling terribly inadequate.

Oliver joined me in a moment, a number of different coloured ties draped around his neck, as he collected Evelyn from my arms to help console.

"What happened?" His eyes flashed from our daughter to the window and back as they started to settle.

"Emmett threw a chess board out the window," I grumbled. That was the last time I was playing chess against him.

"I didn't!" he defended. "I threw it at her," and he pointed his finger at me.

Oliver's eyes caught Emmett's and just stared at him for a moment, his eyes going wide.

"Oliver, what happened?"

"You didn't get hit by the chess board?" he asked, his eyes still holding Emmett's gaze.

"I think I would have noticed. Why?"

"It didn't touch her," Emmett said. "It just bounced away when it got about a foot from her."

"Interesting," Oliver mumbled. "I think we know what your gift is," he said, turning to look at me and smiled.

I was confused. "Aren't I meant to be a shield like Bella?"

Although we hadn't tested that hypothesis in my new form, we had assumed that seeming Bella and I both suffered from having private heads that we would have the same gift.

"A shield, yes. Like Bella, no." Oliver was grinning. "No two gifts ever manifest themselves in the exact same way. After Emmett's little experiment, it would appear that you have a physical shield - like a force field."

I looked at Oliver, slightly agog. "So you mean I had a force field that deflected the chess board?"

"Yes," Oliver continued to grin, as I heard Emmett grumble in the background.

"Oh, ok."

Just then, Esme came into the lounge, "Emmett! What have you done to my window! Go and fix it now."

"Yes mom," he said guiltily, walking off towards the garage to get what he would need to fix the window.

My days after that were busy, but they were happy. Evelyn and Adele - who now had the nicknames Evy and Addie thanks to Nessie, were growing well and becoming more and more advanced by the day. They were, however, growing more slowly than Nessie did, maybe at two thirds of the rate. It's thought that maybe the human diet may have had an influence. Personally, I didn't see them staying younger for longer as a bad thing, so I was more than happy to keep up the formula diet as long as they remained healthy.

In a house as full as the Cullens, you realise that you have no choice but to share your children around. Esme doted upon the girls as though they were her grandchildren, as did Carlisle. Bella and I spent a lot of time together, especially seeming Nessie loved playing with Addie and Evy. In fact, Nessie was a good influence on Addie - whenever she did something inappropriate with her gift, like breaking windows (it was amazing how fast Emmett was at replacing them), Nessie would tell her off. It was quite funny to watch, but Addie did get the message after the third time, and it hasn't happened since.

I hardly get to see Alice most days - she's busy organising my wedding, so I have been avoiding her like the plague. I'd hate to think of what she's turning it into, but it would break her heart for me to tell her to stop. Personally, I don't see the point of such a large wedding, seeming only the Cullens will be attending - it's not like we know anyone over here and we're not planning on inviting anyone from Australia. Oliver, however, has been roped in to helping, and he tells me he's trying not to let it grow into a monster, and that we'll be getting married here in the Cullen's house. I just hope he can keep Alice under control. If not, he'll just have to do the fainting trick on her.

I have made a few new friends in the week since I've woken up. Jacob, Nessie's pet werewolf, started coming over again a few days after I woke up, when it was obvious I was not a crazy newborn. Although, on his first visit, Oliver did restrain me until I told him I didn't find Jacob foody. Jacob's a funny soul and he teases Rosalie mercilessly (something I can only encourage) - he's a Quileute Indian from a reservation near Forks called La Push. Jacob is the alpha of one of the two La Push packs, and as such, occasionally other pack members come over, like Seth and Leah Clearwater. Seth is the cutest little boy (I have become so maternal since becoming a mother), but his sister, Leah, is a little bit severe. She doesn't like vampires and doesn't pretend not to. Turns out they're not really werewolves, but ashape-shifters like Dale. I wonder what it is about natives and turning into animals…Well, anyway, it doesn't matter.

I sighed when I thought about Dale. I had to admit, I felt pretty guilty about him. Although my human memories were dull and faded for the most part, there was still a part of my heart that cared for Dale Wannapingu. Not in a romantic way, more in a nostalgic way. I felt guilty because when I last saw him - what seemed like a life time ago but was less than two months ago - I had told him that Oliver and I were no longer a couple, which had made it ok that Dale and I were no longer involved either. I worried sometimes that if he were to ever contact my parents again and find out from them what happened… well, that would be bad. The problem was I couldn't figure out what to do about it. Do I ring him up and tell him about my new vampire life and family, or do I spin him the same lie about my death that I was going to give my parents? Even though I knew that Dale and my lives were separated, I knew he deserved better than the lie. But could I give him that, and not hurt him more than I had previously?

I had tried talking to Oliver about Dale, but I hadn't gotten very far with him. He was uncomfortable with any conversation involving the time that we had spent apart, especially if it involved my shape-shifting ex-boyfriend.

My parents, however, had gotten air time. Oliver knew it was important to settle matters with them personally, and he was entirely enthusiastic about getting married to give them one final happy ending before I left their lives forever. The wedding date had been tentatively set as Saturday next week, but I was under no illusion that the closeness of the date would prevent Alice from doing anything too outrageous. My funeral, however, I was not so sure about. Whilst I was still sure this was the path I wanted to pursue, I was in no rush to fulfil this end of the arrangement. I had met Bella's father, Charlie, and I knew that he knew something was going on with Bella, but I knew my parents and they would never be able to agree to the don't-ask-don't-tell relationship they shared. Me dying was the easiest way for them. I just hoped they understood I was happy when I left them.

The more I thought about Skysong and Heartbeat, the more nostalgic about my upbringing I became. They hadn't been bad parents, just a little ditsy. They had never treated me badly, and had never prevented me from following my dreams, even when they didn't agree with them. And I did love them, maybe not as most daughters think of their parents, but there was love for them there. And I would miss them when they finally exited my life.

Although I was reluctant to talk about my "death", Oliver had thought it important to be prepared with the details. We had negotiated through a lot of options - would I die in a car accident? Would it be just me that died or both of us? Who would we tell that I died? Who would come to my funeral? Turns out, there's a lot of details that need to be ironed out beforehand. We had decided that the easiest death I could be given would be that I died of a brain aneurysm - painless, and in my sleep. Also, it meant that I would be able to be viewed during the funeral - good thing about being a vampire, no heart beat and you don't need to breathe, so we're very effective at playing dead. Oliver thought this would give me a chance to say my goodbyes too (well, not verbally anyway). This death also had the added benefit of Oliver being able to be around with his mind reading abilities to field the barrage of questions that would come with my death. I wasn't sure how many people would attend my funeral, seeming it was so far away, but I hoped at least a few people did. Oliver had agreed to fund the expedition. The only thing that had to be decided was the timing, and I wasn't entirely sure of how soon I wanted it.

I did, however, get more and more anxious the closer to the wedding we got. Alice kept doing things like trialling hairstyles on me while I was blindfolded, and lots and lots of dress fittings. I had no idea what my wedding dress would look like, and Oliver didn't either - Alice wanted it to be a surprise for both of us. A few days before the wedding, Alice forced us out of the Cullen's house so she could prepare. She didn't want either of us peeking. Because I refused to relinquish Addie and Evy for those days, we were moved into Bella and Edward's cottage. At some point, Oliver and I would need to get a house. I wasn't sure if we were staying with the Cullens in perpetuity, but we needed some personal space. The cottage was as if it came from a story book - it was a magical little place. Oliver spent hours reading to the girls, who listened with wide blue eyes, completely taken in by the story. They also started walking that week - something that was vaguely disconcerting seeming they only looked about three months old. This, however, did give me some much needed practice with my force field - having two small children capable of walking around meant that it was important to establish boundaries, and my force fields filled that need quite amply. Unfortunately, sometimes one of them would run into it a little too forcefully (normally Addie), which was followed with a round of tears. It always broke my heart to hear my childen cry, and Oliver and I would pretty much just flap around whoever was in tears until they stopped crying. Addie came to quite like the attention, and eventually just started falling to the ground and bawling regardless. It was sort of cute.

It was Friday, the day before the wedding, and I was nervous. Really, I couldn't understood why - Oliver and I were already bound more intrinsically and permanently than a piece of paper ever could - but still, I had butterflies. I hoped tomorrow would go off as perfectly as Alice promised. I also hoped desperately that my dress wouldn't be too garish. Oliver appeared to be as nervous as I was - whenever I caught his eye, he gave me a nervous grin. Evy and Addie had no idea what was going on, but they had noticed we were distracted. Evy was just a little bit more forceful with her suggestions today - once, when she wanted me to bend over so she could show me something, I actually face-planted into the ground. I had always thought that Addie had the more powerful gift, but the more I saw of Evy's talent, the more I started to think that maybe she was just more polite about the entire thing.

I had been pacing around the lounge for the past hour, and I was a little worried that I may be starting to wear a path in Bella and Edward's flooring. I made myself stop and take a deep breath. I needed to calm down.

Just then, Dale popped into my head. I was surprised - why was I thinking about Dale on the eve of my wedding? Was it because he had proposed to me and I turned him down? I didn't think so. I think it was because I felt guilty for keeping him out of the loop. There was no need to keep this a secret from him - he would find out after I was "dead", anyway. I didn't need to double the pain of that day for him. Suddenly I knew I had to ring him - he deserved to know. I wouldn't have survived long enough to reunite with Oliver without him, I needed to show him some thanks somehow.

I picked up Oliver's mobile off the bench and slipped it into my pocket, and went in to the bedroom where he sat reading to Evy and Addie as they prepared for their afternoon nap.

"Hey Oliver, I think I'm going to go for a walk for a little bit. I'm suffering from just a bit from cabin fever."

He smiled at me. "Sure, we'll be here when you get back, won't we?"

Evy and Addie nodded at me, and waved.

I smiled back at them. "Mummy will be home soon. Then you'll have to tell me all about the story daddy's telling you."

They nodded at me again, and I turned and left the room.

I listened to their heartbeats as I walked further and further into the forest, knowing that when I stopped hearing them, I would be able to make my phone call. Eventually, when I could no longer hear their fluttering, I ran a few more kilometres before I stopped - just to make sure. I sighed and pulled the mobile from my pocket, and typed the numbers that I had rung so frequently only a few months ago and listened to the phone ring. Just then, I realised I had no idea what time it would be in Australia - was I going to wake him up? Maybe I should hang up…

Just then, a voice down the line said, "Hello?"

"Dale," I breathed, trying to make my voice as human-like as possible.

"Who's this?" He sounded confused. Evidently I hadn't done a very good job.

"It's Kaia."

There was silence.

"What's happened to your voice?"

I laughed, which didn't help very much with trying to make my voice sound normal. "It changed. That's why I rang."

"You rang because your voice changed?"

I sighed. "No, I've rung because I've changed. A lot of things have happened in my life since you left, and I thought you had a right to know. I was just too chicken to call before now."

"Oh. So, what's up?" He still sounded casual. Maybe he would take this better than I thought.

"Where to start?" Really, I had no idea.

"How about from where we left off…" he supplied.

"Oh, there's a good a spot as any. Well, you know how when you visited, I was, well, eating a lot? As it turns out, I was pregnant. To Oliver. I'm so sorry, I truly didn't know while you were there, otherwise I would have told you…"

Why wasn't he interrupting me?

"Dale?"

"You were pregnant to a vampire." His voice had no emotion in it.

"Yes."

"And then?" He still sounded deadpan.

"Well, Oliver arrived on my doorstep, and, well, we went to America to visit his relatives for help. And it turns out vampire pregnancies are very brief - I gave birth a little more than two weeks ago. Vampire pregnancies aren't easy, and well, to live I had to sort of…change."

More silence.

Eventually, he grumbled, "I guess that explains the voice."

I sighed with relief - I didn't have to come out and tell him directly.

"Why are you telling me this now, Kaia?" he sighed. He sounded tired.

"I thought you needed to know. It wasn't fair keeping this secret from you…"

"There must have been more to it than that, Kaia." he interrupted.

"Well, I'm getting married tomorrow," I admitted. I felt like I could drown from the guilt.

"Congratulations. I'm glad to see he's making an honest vampire out of you." he sniped sarcastically.

"Don't be like that, Dale!"

"What am I meant to be like, Kaia?" He sounded angry. "Am I meant to be happy for you? Happy that the woman I loved is effectively dead?"

"I'm not dead," I protested.

"No, you're worse than dead - you're a monster."

That hurt. Truly, if I still had a functioning heart, I think it would have broken.

"You're the monster," I hissed down the phone. "I've just been through the most horrible and terrifying part of my existence, and you can't even try to understand? I didn't have a choice, Dale Wannapingu. I had a choice of death or life, and I chose my family. You're meant to love me, don't you understand why I would choose that?"

More silence. I wished I could cry - it would be easier.

"Yes, Kaia. When you put it like that, I can see. I still can't be happy for you. I'm sorry. Goodbye." and with that, he hung up.

I collapsed in the underbrush, and just held onto my knees and rocked backwards and forwards until the pain started to ebb. I looked up into the sky, bracing for the tears that I knew would never come. And that just made me hurt more - Dale was right. I was a monster.

The sky was starting to darken, and I realised I needed to go home - Oliver would be wondering where I was. I stood myself up, and brushed the bracken from my jeans, turned and ran home.

When I got back to the cottage, Oliver was standing at the front door, waiting for me. He looked worried, and the pain that had been eating at me all afternoon was overwhelming. I don't know what it was that alerted him, but he came over and wrapped me up in his arms, stroking my head and whispering, "It's okay, Kaia."

Dry sobs ripped from my throat. I just felt so guilty - this man didn't know why I was upset, but he would still comfort me. And Dale, Dale couldn't. He wished I was dead. Well, he would get his wish - in a way - soon enough…

Eventually I managed to get control of myself, and pulled myself away from Oliver.

"Evy and Addie?"

"They're asleep. Should be for a while yet."

"Ok."

"Kaia, what's going on?" Oliver's eyes were filled with concern.

I couldn't keep anything from Oliver. "I rang Dale. It didn't go well."

"Oh."

"I didn't expect him to be happy about it, but he took it really hard. I never wanted to hurt him. But I thought he deserved the truth…"

Oliver pulled me back into his arms and held me tight.

"You did the right thing, Kaia. He did deserve to know. He'll recover, and then he'll call back and be all apologies. It's just a shock."

"You don't know Dale," I muttered.

"No, I don't. But he loves you, Kaia, and I do know what that's like. He will recover from this."

"You know I don't deserve you, right?" I looked into his eyes.

He smiled. "It's me who doesn't deserve you. You gave me a family; you gave up your humanity for me. If all I have to do is comfort you after phone calls with the ex, then I'm definitely getting the better side of the bargain."

Oliver leaned in and kissed me then, and his tenderness washed away my pain. For the first time, I was glad I was getting married tomorrow. Even though I already owned Oliver Monroe, it would be nice having a piece of paper saying it. I had already given up my humanity for this man, my last name seemed a small price to pay.

Just then, we were interrupted.

"Easy up there or you won't have anything left for tomorrow!"

I growled - I knew that voice, and I didn't want him around the night before my wedding.

I pulled away from Oliver and saw Emmett, Jasper and Edward standing in the clearing.

"Sorry, Oliver. I couldn't convince them not too," Edward sounded apologetic.

I looked towards Oliver and back to the boys, slowly taking in the scene. They were all wearing garish Hawaiian shirts, and Edward appeared to be holding an extra one. Emmett seemed overly excited - always a bad sign, and even Jasper looked happy to be there.

It was a bachelor party.

"No," I heard Oliver say, as I was slowly descending into giggles.

"Come on man, you have to have a bachelor party! What sort of nephews would we be if we let you spend the night with the family? Live a little!" Emmett took the shirt from Edward and walked towards Oliver.

"What's with the Hawaiian shirts?" I asked Oliver, as Oliver sighed as Emmett slid his red Hawaiian shirt over his clothes.

"It's the closest thing they have to what they think Australian's look like," he sighed again. "You're an idiot, you know that?" he directed at Emmett.

"What, they're surfy - Australians surf. It was either this or Crocodile Hunter khakis," Emmett was defensive.

I smiled widely at them, and I felt sorry for my future husband. I could only imagine what they had planned for him tonight.

"What are you getting up to, anyway?"

"We'll never tell!" Oh Emmett…

"Not sure yet, we took Edward hunting, but considering Oliver doesn't hunt…whatever it is, it'll be fun," Jasper supplied, looking excited about the evening ahead.

"Traitor!" Emmett declared, and tackled Jasper to the ground.

I just shook my head at them, and turned to Edward, as he appeared to be the only one sensible enough to talk to right now.

"You guys better get going, I want him back in time for the wedding."

"I promise, he'll be back with time to spare and he'll be in one piece, even if I have to restrain Emmett to manage it." Edward leaned in and kissed me on the cheek. "We'll see you at the wedding."

Oliver gave me one last pleading look before Jasper and Emmett picked him up by the arms and they ran into the forest surrounding Edward and Bella's cottage.

I heard noises as my daughters began to stir, turned, and entered the house to welcome them both back to wakefulness.