Someone had left a radio on somewhere. 'Unchained Melody' floated into where I had laid my head, irritatingly accurate to how I felt. It was one of the few songs I normally enjoyed, but I had never been ably to fully relate to it. Right now, I was wishing my Leah was with me, and I desperately needed her, just one touch from her, anything... so it was tearing into my mind. Her head lay beside mine, and she was unconscious, as she had been since the birth of our babies four days ago. I was thankful for the fact that she had not worsened over that time. But she had not improved, either. In addition to my daughter I had a son. They shared the same dark, smooth hair, but that was as far as their resemblance went. Our daughter was russet skinned, like her mother, with huge teak eyes in her tiny face. Our son, however, had my dark skin, and deep black eyes. I couldn't deny they were both perfect, but I had left them in the care of Jacob and the Cullen's to keep my vigil by Leah's bedside. I had no idea what either of them were, or weren't, and at the moment I was ashamed to say I didn't care. Leah's chest rose and fell in shallow, tiny gasps. I willed her to take a full breath, to show any sign of improving, of returning to me, but nothing. The beep of the machine monitoring her heartbeat continued its same, slow pattern. Her skin was obviously degrees below normal. She was barely clinging to life. I tried not to think about what that would eventually mean.

Carlisle entered the room quietly, to extract another phial of blood, trying to gauge what was happening.

"All is going better than expected, Nahuel, your venom should have killed her by now."

I couldn't figure out if he was trying to comfort me or not. I stared at him blankly. He sighed, nodded at me and left me to my misery once again. I was more tired than I could ever remember being, but I dared not close my eyes. Occasionally someone had been through, told me to come away. Get some rest. It had only happened a few times though. I had been so harsh with anyone foolish enough to expect me to leave, they hadn't bothered again. Rosalie and Emmett had returned the day after the birth. She was the only person who dared enter the room, but she sat against the far wall, her face showing a muted version of the agony I knew mine wore. We never spoke, just sat there, silent spectators to deaths little game. She was there now.

"I'll never forgive myself." They were the first words she had spoken to me since she had returned. At least, I assumed she was speaking to me - her face was raised to stare at the light on the roof.

"Hm?" I couldn't manage even one full word.

"I should never have left her. I was so selfish. I'll never forgive myself if she..."

I growled, weakly, and cut her off.

We went back to sitting there in silence. I thought I heard her sigh. And then the machine changed. The beating became erratic, racing and slowing. Carlisle burst into the room, checked the monitor, Leah's eyes, her breathing. He straightened slowly, looking at me seriously.

"I think my tests have been correct."

That meant absolutely nothing to me, but Rosalie sat up sharply.

"Really?" the spark of hope I saw made me curious. I lifted my head off the bed.

"What? What tests?"

"When Leah didn't immediately...when she survived, I had a theory...and I have been testing her blood, trying to confirm it..."

I waited anxiously for him to continue.

"When a human mother is rhesus negative, and the baby positive, during pregnancy the blood can transfer from the baby, making the mother ill, and the mothers can transfer back, which can cause miscarriage, ectopic pregnancies, etc. I thought it was possible that her babies, your babies, may have been passing her their venom through her blood stream for the entire time she was carrying them, in the same way. We might assume if they had, that it would have been immediately fatal...but what if it acted as a sort of...antidote if you will. Helped her body to build up immunity."

I looked pointedly at her still form. The heart monitor had returned to normal.

"I have an idea about this too of course." He nodded to Leah. "Whatever venom would have passed through to her would have been in minute amounts, which is why her body would have been able to accept it, and learn from it. When you bit her...the sudden large influx of venom would normally kill immediately, instead, with the months of preparation, it caused her to instead become unconscious, near death but not quite. If she was to survive it," I reacted as if hit, reeling backwards at his words. "Then I believe it will work like a permanent vaccination - she will not be affected by vampire venom again."

If she survived. I dropped my head back to the bed.

"What are the chances?" Rosalie asked, eagerly, from the other side of the room.

"Well, the change in heart rate seems to indicate something akin to an electric jolt, like the venom has spread, and is making a last ditch attempt to pull her under. Her breathing is steady though, even if it is shallow. I think she's going to pull through."

I wanted to believe him, to feel so positive, or even just hopeful, that she was going to make it. Instead, I allowed numbness to wash over me. It was easier than the pain. Carlisle crept quietly from the room.

* * * * *

My eyes flickered and then snapped open. I hadn't even realized I was falling asleep and now I berated myself for my stupidity. The heart monitor was still beating, but it seemed...faster? Was that possible? And her breathing...I watched carefully. It definitely looked like her chest was rising higher than it had been before. There was only me in the room, and there was no chance I was leaving, so I called to Carlisle. It was merely a moment before he entered the room, closely followed by Esme, Rosalie, Jacob and a devastated Seth.

"I think..." I began, but I didn't need to say a word. Carlisle's eyes had widened at the sight of the monitor. He was a blur as he darted to the bedside, checking her for what seemed the thousandth time. A huge grin spread across his face, I barely dared to breath.

"She's improving." The relief in the room was tangible. Seth began to cry.

"Whinging again, Seth? Are you never going to grow up?" Every mouth in the room fell open at the weakly spoken words.

"My Leah." I whispered.

"Nahuel." She barely breathed my name, but it was more than enough. My tears fell on the pillow, right beside her head.

"Our baby?"

"Our babies, Leah. They are perfect."

"Babies?" she murmured. "How many?"

Jacob laughed, as relieved as the rest of us.

"A whole litter, Leah."

She let out an almost silent giggle. "How big a litter?"

"Two." I whispered. "A boy and a girl."

"Ah..." a small smile spread across her ravaged face. "Just what I wanted."

"I know. Rosalie is back. She was so excited for you."

"Huh." Her eyes flickered open, found my face. "Love you." She slurred.

I pressed a tender, emotional kiss to her head. "Love you, Leah, my life."

"Mmm."

"Sleep." I demanded. "I'll be here when you wake up."

Her eyelids dropped closed.