A/N: Oh my fucking God. Yes, dear readers, we made it. After three and a half long years, this is the last regular chapter! I can't tell you how much this journey has meant to me. There were times along the way I thought we'd never get here. I don't blame anyone for giving up on me - I almost gave up on myself so, so many times.

After this there will be two short-ish epilogues, wrapping up loose ends and giving a little peek into the future. Once those are done, this story will be marked complete. Over the next couple of weeks I will be going through the chapters and cleaning things up (typos, etc). It will then be posted at The Writers Coffee Shop and Archive Of Our Own, and I'll also be making a .pdf so anyone who wants to download it can do so easily. I have no intentions of pulling this. It will remain here indefinitely.

This story is dedicated to my UK Consultant and one of the best people on earth: hev99. She's been with me almost from the beginning, and I couldn't love her more if I tried.

All standard disclaimers apply.


As Children After Play

Bella yawned, rolling to her side in her bed in the Cullen house. She wasn't sure how she felt, exactly, about not being pregnant anymore. On the one hand, it felt wonderful to be able to move her body in ways she hadn't in months. On the other, it was unnerving to put her hand to her belly, expecting to find the swollen swell of her daughter under her skin, only to feel the mild pain of her sutured incision.

It helped that Edward had kept his promise, letting her keep Ellie by her side more often than not. She knew he brought the baby downstairs for the rest of the family to fuss over while she slept, but she didn't mind as long as Ellie was there when she woke up.

A gorgeous wooden cradle had appeared next to her bed soon after Ellie's birth, the headboard decorated with an ornate carving of the Cullen crest, the inside filled with soft white and lilac bedding. Edward told her it was a gift from Esme and Carlisle, but Bella didn't need his words. She could tell just from looking—it was exactly the sort of thing they would delight in giving the new member of the family. The carved crest was all Carlisle, and the exquisite bedding just had to be Esme's doing. She was beyond grateful for the outpouring of love and support from her family, but Ellie hadn't spent much time in her little cradle in the two days since her birth. She slept either next to her mother in the big bed or on Bella's chest, which Edward didn't like at all. Bella's illness hadn't gone away, and he didn't like the idea of any pressure on her chest at all—even the measly four pounds that Ellie weighed.

Bella didn't really care what Edward thought. Not about this. She was too sick to do much, but she needed her daughter near.

Would she always feel like this, she wondered? This intense desire for the daughter she'd borne? Would she always wake and immediately seek the tiny bulk of that little body, before anything else? Would love and fear always wrestle for dominance in her heart?

Ellie was her secondborn, but her experience with Mason had absolutely not prepared her for this. Mason was taken from her directly after birth—she had glimpsed him only for a moment, funny-colored, still covered with birth fluids. She had not borne him by choice and, though she worried about his well-being and felt a great deal of responsibility, she did not feel the draw, the intense love, she felt for this new baby.

"Don't feel guilty," Esme had told her earlier in the day, stroking her hair as Bella held Ellie. Under Edward's orders she was not to hold the child unless a member of the family was there to spot her—something she chose not to argue, because she could see for herself how her arms shook with even that tiny weight. So Esme sat on the bed next to her and they cooed over Ellie's little fingers and toes, her fair little eyebrows and sweet little rosebud mouth. "Don't let guilt take away this time you have with your daughter. There are so many reasons why you couldn't have this with Mason. It's not your fault, and he now has loving parents who would do anything for him. Go ahead, Bella. It's okay to love your baby."

And love her Bella did. She'd had no idea—no fucking clue—what it would feel like until it really happened. Her thoughts before the birth were all of trepidation, worry that she would screw up this monumental task of raising a child. She'd comforted herself by saying that the Cullens would make up for anything she did wrong, anything she lacked as a mother. Now, though...everything was different. This wasn't a gift she had given Edward, but a gift for herself. She loved her little girl fiercely, fully, and instantly. Ellie wasn't just Edward's daughter in her mind—she was hers. Hers. That Edward was her father only made everything that much better.

The rest of the family yearned for more time to snuggle and play with little Ellie and Bella knew that, but she just couldn't bring herself to pass her into other arms...except Edward's, and even that wrenched at her gut, though she forced herself to do it. The others seemed to understand, or at least to accept it. They didn't push—not even Alice. Gratefulness flooded Bella. She needed this time—time alone with her thoughts, and her daughter. Time when it was just her, Ellie, and Edward. Time to think. Time to start to heal.

Charlie was dead. Bella still felt strangely empty and numb when she thought of her father—emotionless. She didn't understand it, but she kept faith in Esme's belief that the emotions would come in time. She would feel what she was supposed to feel, when she was supposed to feel it. Until then, just knowing that he could never hurt her again was a great relief. Yes, she'd been protected from him for six months or so now, but knowing that he was absolutely gone, never to return, eased tension in her body and mind that nothing else could thaw. He wasn't just held at bay by an order of protection or Edward's incredible strength. He was gone. Mason had never been in the same room with him except during his birth, and Ellie, her precious Ellie, had never shared even a planet with him. Not one moment of her life was lived in a world where the danger of Charles Swan lurked and prowled. That one fact gave Bella real, true joy.

Ellie fussed, crying her little baby-bird squawk, pulling Bella from her thoughts. Smiling at the little girl lying beside her in the bed, Bella smoothed a soft fingertip down her tiny forehead and nose, tracing the midline of her sweet face. The baby twisted with jerky little movements, waving her hands, kicking her bowed little legs. Bella didn't need Edward to tell her what she was thinking—she was hungry.

Careful not to pull at the stitches in her abdomen, Bella carefully rolled onto her side and unbuttoned the front of her nightgown, shivering as the air hit her feverish skin. Carlisle had given her a unit of blood through her IV yesterday which made her feel much better, but she was still sick and uncomfortable. Forcing down a cough, she situated herself on the bed so she didn't have to hold the baby up, then drew Ellie to her. Ellie latched on and suckled for a moment, but almost immediately turned her head away. She rooted, definitely looking for something, but her mother's milk definitely wasn't it.

Frowning, Bella rubbed her daughter's back slowly. "That's not what you want? Guess not, huh? What can I do, baby?"

Ellie continued to search, bleating piteously, refusing to settle for breast milk.

"Okay, I'm totally leaking now, which is kind of...weird. Baby, c'mon. Can you give me a clue? We're a team here, you and me."

A coughing fit came on that refused to be suppressed, and Bella grimaced at the intense pain in her throat. It felt like she was coughing her poor throat to shreds, like there wouldn't be anything left by the time she got well. Trying to swallow was agony, but coughing felt so, so much worse. Unfortunately it wasn't something she could control, and even the strongest antitussive Carlisle brought her did next to nothing.

Swallowing back the physical pain, Bella kissed her daughter's warm little head, breathing in her comforting baby scent. She thought hard—Ellie didn't need a diaper change, because Edward was always on the ball about that. She'd just woken up about fifteen minutes ago, so she probably wasn't sleepy again quite yet. Was she just plain cranky? Was she turning colicky? Was it even possibly for a two-day-old half-vampire newborn to get colic?

No. Bella's ears were honed in on her baby's cries, and even after just two days, something inside her told her that this was a cry of hunger. Ellie was clearly searching for something, but she didn't want breast milk.

"I wish I knew what you wanted." Bella stroked her daughter's little wisps of hair. The site of her IV line, now just a little pinprick scab with some bruising around it, ached at the movement. She did her best to ignore it. At least she didn't have that tube running into her body anymore. Carlisle had removed it right after he gave her that unit of—

"Oh." Bella barked a short, sharp laugh that hurt almost as much as a cough. "I'm an idiot. Wait right here, baby." Double-checking that Ellie was well away from the edge of the bed, Bella eased herself upright.

She could go to the ensuite bathroom by herself by edging along the wall, using it to steady herself when necessary. Edward had not liked allowing this, but she absolutely refused to have anyone waiting on her while she took care of her human needs, and eventually he reluctantly backed down. Now she limped very slowly to her toiletry cabinet, and fished out a pair of sharp little cuticle scissors.

Bella had to stop on the way back to bed for a coughing fit to pass, and she was exhausted by the time she curled back up with Ellie. She could feel how hard her heart was working, pounding at her ribs, and she silently apologized to it for all the difficulty it had been through lately. Holding the scissors open with her right hand, she brought them to her left and made a quick slice along the pad of her index finger.

Ellie zoned in on the smell of blood immediately, whimpering with want, and Bella tossed the scissors to the nightstand before easing her fingertip into her daughter's mouth. Her baby latched on immediately, sucking with single-minded intensity, and Bella felt the trouble in her own mind ease. This was what Ellie had needed. "There," she said, smiling as she watched her daughter drink. "There, see? It just took me a minute to figure it out is all. We're fine."

Without a warning sound the door of her bedroom flew open, admitting a panic-stricken Edward. "Bella! I smell blood. How did you hurt—"

"Shh. Ellie's eating." Bella settled herself more comfortably in bed, trying to find a position where not too much of her had to be out in the cold air at once. The electric blanket was a godsend. "Oh—did I bother Jasper? I'm sorry." She bit her lip, looking repentant. "Ellie was hungry."

"Ellie was..." Edward stepped closer to the bed, only then realizing what Bella had done. "You—what on earth do you think you're doing?"

"Feeding my daughter."

"But..."

Bella wrinkled her nose at him. "But what? She's hungry."

Edward opened his mouth to argue, but nothing came out. Bella felt slight amusement at having rendered her lover speechless, but she also understood his dilemma. He didn't like the thought of her having to hurt herself in order to feed her child.

Edward closed his mouth and swallowed, his Adam's apple moving. He breathed in, then out again—things he didn't have to do. Stress brought out the human reactions—physical memories from a time when his body was just like hers.

"It's not...normal. That's not normal, Bella."

"For a human baby, no. But Ellie's half vampire. Or did you forget all the congealed blood I was eating the past eight months? Because I sure haven't." She winced as another cough tore through her.

"But you...there's...Carlisle!"

His last word was a call, and Carlisle entered the room a moment later. He took in Bella's reclined position, her finger in Ellie's mouth, and the distinct smell of blood with much more calm than Edward had.

"I'd wondered whether she would continue needing blood."

"Is that all you can say?" Edward demanded. "Tell her to stop!"

Carlisle eyed him carefully. "Why?"

"Because this can't be right!"

"Why not? A newborn child needs sustenance, which usually comes from the mother. If Bella doesn't mind, which she clearly doesn't, then what's your concern?"

"She was taking too much blood as a fetus," Edward argued. "How will that be any different now?"

Carlisle seemed to think on this for several moments. "It's a reasonable worry, I suppose. But look—Bella's body is not doing nearly as much work supporting the child now. Ellison's own heart is circulating her own blood, her own lungs supplying her oxygen. Bella, by feeding either milk or blood, is providing the nutrition she needs to grow. It's certainly a lot, but it's not the same as being pregnant. For now, as long as we can keep Bella fed so her body can take care of itself, I don't foresee a problem. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but neither is breastfeeding. Eventually a child's body needs more than the mother's can provide. Then we'll have to find a new source of blood as well as human nutrition for the little one."

Ellie blinked rapturously, Bella's finger still in her mouth. Bella smiled and stroked her daughter's hair.

Edward did not look appeased, but he remained quiet. After a moment, Bella spoke. "Edward, I know you don't like it, but Ellie's not fully human. She's half vampire, too. I don't care what she is—she's perfect. And I won't deny her what she needs."

He exhaled deeply, and she watched as the fight went out of him. Truly, she knew he felt the same as she—he adored this fey little creature they'd created, and he'd do anything for her. The way he held her, so heartbreakingly gentle despite his incredible strength, spoke in ways words never could. But he loathed reminders of his own inhuman nature—not the least the echo of it reflected in his daughter.

"Huh." The side of Bella's mouth quirked up in an ironic smile.

"What?"

"I was just thinking. You want so much to be human. You think you're inhuman. But that word, it has two meanings. And no, you're not human anymore, but you're not inhuman, you know? You're not a monster. You and your family—you're the furthest thing from cruel I've ever met. Charlie and Frank, they're the real monsters, no matter how human they are. Were." She dropped her head and cooed at her daughter. "You'll never have to worry about monsters like them, you sweet little thing. You have a daddy to protect you. He loves you so much, and he won't let anyone with mean thoughts get anywhere near you."

"No way in hell," Edward agreed in a low growl. "She's never dating. We haven't discussed this before, Bella, but she's not dating. Ever."

Bella chuckled. "We'll see."

A knock at the front door of the house surprised everyone. A second later, Edward made a face. "It's Jacob Black."

Bella blinked. "What does he want?" Her free arm curled protectively around her daughter purely by instinct. She didn't truly believe Jacob was dangerous, but she couldn't help it.

Carlisle touched her head lightly with a comforting, fatherly hand. "Let's go find out, shall we? Edward?"

"Be polite," Bella warned. "He was my friend for a long time."

Edward grimaced. "I'll try." With a last, worried glance, he was gone.

Downstairs, Esme was just opening the door and letting Jacob in. Jasper stood back warily, his thoughts open to his brother. Through him, Edward knew that Jacob was upset and didn't really want to be there. He delved into the werewolf's thoughts without compunction, searching for the reason for the visit. Jacob's mind was jumbled with various concerns—about the wolves, the tribe, Charlie...many things.

"Look, I don't want to make trouble," Jacob said, rubbing his palms together. His nose wrinkled slightly, but it was enough for Edward to notice. They didn't smell appealing to Jacob? Well, he didn't smell good to them, either. "I just want to talk to Bella."

"No." Edward crossed his hands over his chest and stood tall next to his brother, creating as intimidating a wall as possible.

Jacob ignored him, speaking instead to Esme and Carlisle. "It's...kind of serious. I just need to tell her something, and then I'll go."

"Bella is extremely ill and you're not getting anywhere near her," Edward said, pushing forward.

At that, Jacob bristled. "Did you bite her? Is that why she's 'sick'?" He made air quotes around the word. "Because the tribe won't stand for that. The treaty—"

"Bella has not been bitten." Carlisle stepped slightly between the two young men, his voice calm as always. "We're well aware of what the treaty says. She is, in fact, quite ill with a bad strain of the flu right now."

"The flu isn't that bad. Really, this is important."

Carlisle shared a glance with Esme, then turned to Edward.

"Don't you dare," Edward snapped. "Ellison's up there."

"What's an Ellison?"

"None of your fucking business!"

"Edward." Carlisle's light rebuke met with no verbal complaint, but Edward looked anything but compliant. His entire body tensed for a fight, and his eyes remained locked on Jacob. "I apologize, Mr. Black. Things are...delicate right now, as you can see. We can assure you that Bella is still very much alive and human at the moment, but her illness is extremely serious." He shared another glance with Esme. "To be perfectly honest...we're not really sure yet if she'll pull through. And, if the choice put before her is death or change, she has already expressed her wish to be changed. It's not something I take lightly at all, but that child is my daughter now, and I will do everything I can to save her."

Jacob was already shaking his head. "No—no, you can't. The council met about this. They've been watching the house. They know Bella's alive right now, but they don't trust you. If you turn her the treaty is null and void, they said. It'll be a declaration of war."

"I'm well aware that wolves have been around the house. We haven't done anything wrong, so there was no reason to stir up trouble about it." Carlisle adjusted how the cuff of his sweater lay against his wrist, choosing his words carefully. "Right now, the only way we would change Bella is if death can no longer be staved off. I can promise you that."

"I don't think that's enough. They're already suspicious, and they're worked up because Charlie's gone missing, too." His eyes narrowed. "Know anything about that?"

The lie flowed smoothly from Carlisle's tongue—centuries of practice at work. "I know what the state police told me when they came to give us the news and ask if we knew anything. They said no one has seen him for several days, and when they checked his house he wasn't there."

Jacob stared at the Cullen patriarch for a long moment. "No," he said finally. "No, I need to hear it from Bella. Her life's fucked up enough already, okay? She doesn't need you messing with her any more, and she definitely doesn't need to become some bloodsucker. Let me talk to her. You can't keep me away."

"Actually, I can," Carlisle said reasonably. "It's my house."

"I thought you had pretty good ears," Jasper chimed in, trying to smooth things over in his own way. "Can't you hear her heart beating upstairs? She's happy—other than being sick. She's fine."

Jacob stilled, head cocked to the side in a listening pose. He looked like a confused puppy. "I hear...two heartbeats. Who else do you have up there? Did you kidnap Charlie?" He pushed forward, trying to duck around Edward, who sank into a light crouch and growled low in his throat—low but loud. Jacob growled back.

"Edward," Carlisle said softly. "I understand how you feel, but the time for hiding this is past, I think. Best to let Bella talk to him. He doesn't trust us."

"Damn right I don't." Jacob darted around Edward; he would never have got past without Carlisle's words. Edward followed directly behind, both bolting up the stairs in the direction of the warm, soft heartbeats.

Jacob stopped two steps into Bella's bedroom. His knees quivered and gave out as all the breath left his body. He fell heavily to his knees, shaking the room.

Bella gasped, pulling Ellie tightly to her chest. "Edward! What—did you hurt him?"

"I didn't touch him!"

Edward circled Jacob's still form, coming to stand warily at the end of the bed. He stared at the werewolf on his knees in a vampire household. "Black! Get up. What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Oh!" Bella clutched Ellie tighter, velvet eyes widening. "Edward, stop. Is he—" A fit of coughing took her, and her arms shook. Edward darted close and took the baby, cradling her against his shoulder. Jacob's eyes moved with the child, staring at her with an expression of rapturous awe.

"Don't gape at my kid like that. It's creepy, even for a dog." Edward took a deliberate step backward, eyes dark and thunderous, hand splayed over Ellie's tiny back, almost hiding her completely from Jacob's sight.

"Let me see." Jacob staggered to his feet and stepped forward, eyes intent on the child in Edward's arms. "Let me see her."

"Back the fuck up, Black, or you'll be sorry. I don't care about any treaty when my daughter's at stake." Edward planted his feet and remained where he was, but his eyes burned dark yellow and his low, warning growl rumbled through the room.

"Edward, stop." Bella struggled to move, pushing the blankets down her legs. "You're scaring her." She threw her feet over the side of the bed.

"Bella, stay out of the way." It wasn't a request.

"No! You both are acting like children. I won't let you hurt each other or scare Ellie. Calm down!"

No one else in the family had followed them upstairs—clearly they felt this was Edward's battle, and they knew he wouldn't appreciate more people butting in. Bella forced herself to her feet, unsure of the look on Jacob's face. She'd never seen him look like that before. Almost like someone had punched him in the gut, but—

"Let me see her." Jacob's voice broke. "Let me see her!"

"Why the hell does it matter to you?" Edward hugged his daughter close to his shoulder, protecting her with his big hands. She whimpered her dislike of the loud, angry voices.

"Edward, just let him see." Bella walked unsteadily toward her vampire, holding onto the bed with one hand. Her head swam, and it was difficult to keep upright. "Jake, don't get any closer. Please." When she reached the foot of the bed, she grabbed the sturdy wooden post and hung on it, touching Edward's arm with her other hand. "Edward. Go on. He won't move."

"Why should I?"

"Just...please?" Bella felt her entire body tremble. This fight was the last thing she needed right now, but something about the tension in the air told her this moment was extremely important. "Edward."

The muscles in his jaw tightened, and Bella could see how much he did not want to do this. But for her sake, not Jake's, he shifted his grip on his daughter and slowly turned her around.

Jacob stared. His big, burly body shook like a leaf in the wind, and he almost fell again. He swallowed hard, once, twice, shallow breaths panting softly in the silent room. Ellie whimpered again and wiggled in her father's grip. She didn't take any notice of the stranger in the room, but she didn't like how Edward was holding her. She much preferred to be anchored against someone's body, not held away with only hands to support her, no matter how large and strong they were.

Without warning, Jacob took a step forward.

Edward's growl burst from his chest again, loud and dangerous. He brought Ellie back to his shoulder, calming her cries. "I won't warn you again." His voice was low, his body sinuous, poised to defend his family.

Jacob paid no attention to the warning signs. His black eyes glowed, his face almost feverish. "Give her to me. Let me hold her. I need—"

"Like hell I will," Edward snapped. "Bella, get back. I don't want you getting hurt."

"No one's getting hurt here." She flicked her eyes between the two men, wondering which was more dangerous at the moment. Edward would not attack without provocation, but Jake wasn't taking the vampire's threats seriously. It was like he ignored everything Edward said. The only thing that mattered to him was Ellie, for some reason she couldn't comprehend.

"Jake, what's this about? Why do you want to hold my daughter?" He'd never seemed terribly into babies before, as far as she knew. The protective part of herself felt much like Edward did—there was absolutely no reason for Jacob to be so obsessed with her newborn daughter. But she didn't fear Jake; didn't seem his as a threat, which Edward obviously did.

"She's mine." Jacob managed to force the words out of his mouth, though it was clearly a struggle. "Those eyes—the moment I saw. She's my future. My intended. I want to see her. Give her to me!"

The strangled quality of his words and the feverish look of his face finally clicked in Bella's mind. She'd never seen such a thing in Jacob before, but she'd seen something very, very similar.

From Edward.

"Like hell she's yours!" Edward growled.

"Edward, stop," Bella whispered, her eyes wide. She tugged at his sleeve. "He's not going to hurt her. She's his—his mate."

"Imprint," Jacob managed to say, his voice hoarse. He swallowed hard. "We call it imprinting. She's mine..."

"She's mine!" Edward snapped back. "She's my daughter, and she's two fucking days old! What kind of sick bastard are you?"

"Edward, please." Bella held her hand out. "Come sit, and stop yelling. It's not Jake's fault."

"The hell it isn't. If he thinks for one second that I'm going to let—"

"Edward." Bella was sickly pale, her eyes standing out stark against her hollow face. "Please. I don't have the energy to argue with you."

He came to her, then, unwilling to keep her standing when she was still so sick, still holding his daughter firm against his shoulder. Ellie fussed for a moment but desisted when Bella ran a finger softly over her cheek.

"How did—is she yours?" Jacob breathed. He sank all the way to the floor, sitting cross-legged, staring at the child in Edward's arms.

Bella nodded, managing to give him a weak smile now that a fight seemed less likely. "Unplanned. We didn't think it was possible, and Carlisle delivered her early because I've been so sick, but she's here and she's healthy." She paused. "Her name's Esme Ellison. We call her Ellie," she offered.

"She doesn't smell like him."

"I think she does, a little. But I like it." Bella caught the miniscule hand Ellie waved in her direction.

"I want to hold her."

The low growl rumbling in Edward's chest exploded in a furious roar, upsetting Ellie, who cried her dislike of the loud noise. Bella looked back and forth between a yearning Jacob and an irate Edward, knowing the rest of the family would step in if she called, but feeling that this was something she had to handle herself. Under normal circumstances she wouldn't have the heart to deny Jake when he looked so lost, but Edward's growl had not ceased, only lessening in volume as he tried to calm his daughter. She could ask him to be polite to Jacob, but this? No. It was just too much to ask of him right now.

"I'm sorry, Jake," she said finally, and her heart wrenched cruelly as she saw his face fall. "I understand how you feel, but...it's just not a good time." She struggled to repress another coughing fit for a moment, then gave up and struggled through it. Her forehead pricked with perspiration when she finally sank back, exhausted.

"You can't keep me away from her!"

"I can." She bit her lip, wishing she wasn't in the middle of this, wishing that she and her daughter could just rest peacefully. But like it or not, she was the lynchpin. Without her, Edward and Jacob were just two enemies with no reason not to fly at each other, claws and teeth bared. "I'm sorry, but she's my baby. I'm responsible for her. You—I always thought of you as a friend, you know? We grew up together. But that's just it. We saw and heard and experienced the same things. You knew exactly what I went through, but you never spoke out. I get that you were just a kid and you couldn't physically fight Charlie, but you didn't do anything else, either. You never told anyone. You never even told me you felt bad about what happened. I always comforted you after your dad spanked you or yelled, but you never did the same for me." She smiled, but there was no happiness in the gesture. "I have to look out for Ellie now. I have to be so, so careful that I never become the sort of parent that mine were, and I also have to be careful about the people in her life. How do I know you didn't internalize that stuff from Charlie and your dad? How can I be sure you'll never lash out, even accidentally?"

"Because she's mine," Jacob whispered.

"That didn't stop Charlie, or your dad. For that matter, it didn't stop Sam. I've seen Emily's face. I don't know how it happened, but it doesn't matter. I'm not letting it happen to Ellie. This has to stop somewhere, and I'm choosing to stop it here, with our generation. I won't pass it down to the next."

"You can't keep me away from her! She's my imprint!"

"And right now she's two days old." Bella sucked in a wheezy breath. "She's no use to you as an infant. When she's older—we can talk then."

"It doesn't matter how old she is," Jake protested. "I'll be whatever she needs me to be."

"I know you'd try." Bella swallowed past an extremely painful lump in her throat. Telling Jacob no was killing her inside, but it had to be done. For Ellie's sake. For Edward's. For her own. "But the thing is...she's got a very large and loving family right here, and more in Alaska. She doesn't need anything from you." Plus, Edward wouldn't stand for it. And Bella, she needed some space. Time and distance from the reminders of her childhood, of the pain Charlie put her through. Jake didn't mean any harm, but he was one of those reminders, and she just couldn't have him constantly around. She needed to think of herself and her family first.

Jacob blinked hard. He looked...confused. As if he'd never considered the possibility that Ellie might not, in fact, need him.

"If you really do love her, and I believe you do, then you'll give her space. Give her her childhood, Jake. Let her grow up to be herself. If she really is your imprint, she'll find her way to you when she's ready."

Jacob didn't argue any more. It was as if, by telling him that Ellie had no need for him, Bella had taken all the fight out of him. After a long moment, he struggled to his feet. He approached Edward, whose rumbling growl increased with each step. Bella watched, not breathing, as Jacob reached out. Very, very gently, he cupped the palm of his hand around Ellie's tiny head. "I'll be waiting," he whispered.

Then he turned. The sound of angry feet echoed on the stairs, and then he was gone.

Only when the front door slammed did Edward's growl fade. He cuddled his daughter in his arms, stroking her hair, removing the traces of wolf scent, replacing them with his own. "I can't believe you're so calm about this. He just waltzes in and says he's going to marry your daughter? And you're okay with that?"

Bella shrugged and shifted slowly, returning to her spot in bed. She was exhausted, physically and emotionally. All she wanted was to have her baby back, and to sleep. "I'm sort of learning that I have good reason to be angry with him, even though I don't feel angry. Mostly I feel sad." She coughed. "But if Jake really did imprint on Ellie, he's not getting his happily ever after."

"Why not? He seemed pretty decided."

"He was so proud about becoming a wolf." She managed a small smile. "It was, like, the best thing that ever happened to him. He desperately wants a son to follow in his footsteps and become a wolf, too. That's why he wouldn't marry me, take me away from Charlie. Not because he didn't like me, but because to him his future son was more important."

Edward lifted his head to meet her gaze. "And that won't likely happen with Ellie. She's not Quileute."

"Not only that, but she's a hybrid. Most hybrid animals are sterile. We can't know what will happen when she grows up but, statistically speaking, she may not be able to have children at all."

"And we don't know how long it will take her to grow up, either." Edward stroked Ellie's little back with his gentle hand. She cooed, and he finally cracked a smile. "Yeah," he said, speaking softly to his daughter. "We don't know how you'll grow. Your so-called suitor may be waiting a hell of a long time, sweet thing."

"What do you mean?" Bella stretched, trying to work out some of the tension in her neck and back. She was tired of being so uncomfortable all the time, tired of feeling so sick and weak.

"Because of the flu you weren't able to carry to term, so we don't know how long she might have stayed inside you naturally. But she's so small that both Carlisle and I agree she wasn't near term."

"But we already know that. She was something like three weeks early."

"Size differs among human newborns, but Carlisle says she's small even for three weeks early. He thinks you would have remained pregnant for a longer period of time than normal. But she's fully formed and has none of the problems that plague premature infants."

"What are you getting at?" Bella felt like grabbing for her daughter at even the mention of physical issues. Ellie was fine, but she remembered well her fear when Edward told her they had to deliver her early. She'd been so afraid that the tiny heart wouldn't be ready to support her body on its own, that the lungs weren't developed enough to breathe, to keep breathing, steady, strong, every day, for the rest of her child's life.

"It's just a theory, but it's what Carlisle suspects right now. Vampires are so much more...complex, if you will...than humans. Physically, I mean. Stronger, faster. Superior senses. He thinks for Ellie that might mean a longer time in the womb and slower development now that she's born."

"You mean, because her body is working to become so much more than a normal human, it's going to take longer?"

"Exactly." Edward adjusted his daughter against his shoulder. She was falling asleep on him now that the excitement was over. "He thinks that her human traits have developed first, but her vampire traits will start showing up later, as she grows."

"So she'll get strong and fast, too. Will she have a gift?"

"If so, Carlisle thinks it will develop later as well."

Bella considered this. It made a certain amount of sense. And she kind of liked the idea that Ellie might stay a baby longer than usual. It would give the vampire members of the family more time to enjoy her at each age—to them, her infancy would be no more than a blink of an eye otherwise.

But she had worries, too. "Do you think she'll get so strong that I might not be able to safely care for her anymore?" She sucked her chapped lower lip into her mouth, chewing on it in worry. The metallic taste of blood hit her tongue. Edward tsked and tugged her lip free. Ellie, half asleep, flared her nostrils and made a tiny smacking sound.

"It's possible." Edward eyed her carefully. "Does that mean you want to remain human for a while?"

Bella shrugged. "I'm too tired to make that decision right now."

"You don't have to make it until you're ready. I just wondered. It's so frustrating when I want to read your mind and I can't." His soft, velvet voice wrapped around her, filling her with warmth. "All through this...existence of mine, ever since I awoke with Carlisle, I've yearned for silent minds. Dreamed of them. Now..." He shook his head. "Of course it would be you."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's just one of many things that make you unique." He checked the baby on his shoulder. "She's asleep. Do you want her?"

Bella nodded fiercely, but she knew better than to hold out her arms. Edward placed the child in her lap, and she stroked the little body reverently. "I thought being changed was an easy choice. It was an easy choice—until two days ago."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I...I'm scared of how the change will be for Ellie. I won't be able to feed her anymore, and that's...it means a lot to me. To be able to do that." Bella hadn't realized how much she'd want to nurse her baby until she experienced it. Being able to breastfeed and give her daughter blood was such an intense bonding experience, one she didn't want to forfeit. "And I worry that she won't recognize me when I'm your temperature. I'll smell different, too. Will she still know me?" Tears pricked at her eyes, but she pushed them away. "Also, I'll have to spend three whole days without her. I don't know if I can."

"Longer than that, I'm afraid." Edward was careful to keep his voice neutral. "When you wake, the only thing you'll know is the hunger—the thirst for blood. Until you can control it, which can take upwards of a year, you'll be too dangerous for her."

Bella shook her head, vehement. "No. No, Edward. I understand what you're saying and in general I believe you...but not about Ellie. I could never hurt her, vampire or no."

Edward wanted to believe her. He did. But she had never experienced the thirst, and he knew better. No matter how much she loved her child, it didn't conquer the ravenous hunger of a newborn vampire. Nothing did. And he was sworn to keep his daughter safe, even from her mother.

"Well," he said, unwilling to argue when Bella was so sick, "we'll see. Carlisle hasn't given any indication that you need to make the decision soon. Just relax. We all want you to get well."

She sighed, caressing her child with slowing fingers as sleep hovered close. "I felt terrible sending Jacob away. I don't know that he deserved that."

Edward didn't care. He hoped Ellie would take centuries to grow up. It would serve the dog right—not for anything he'd done, but for everything he hadn't.


Five days later, Carlisle deemed Bella well enough that Heidi could come for a home visit. Bella cried openly, unable to help herself as all traces of the baby were removed from her room.

"I can't d-do this!" she whimpered, holding Ellie in her arms, fat tears slipping from her eyes as she watched Edward carry the precious little cradle away to put in Mason's room for the time being. His face was a stoic mask, but she knew from the rigid clench of his jaw that he felt the same. He knew how much this hurt her, and it killed him to have to do it. "I can't sit here and t-talk to Heidi and pretend everything's fine!"

Carlisle perched on the side of her big bed, facing her as she curled protectively around the baby in her arms. His gentle face held the understanding that Edward couldn't bear to show, and he rested his hand on Bella's knee above the mound of blankets. "I know. I know, sweetheart. It wrenches, doesn't it?"

"I can't, Carlisle."

Sensing her mother's distress, Ellie whimpered unhappily. Her little arms jerked and waved. Bella pressed her lips to one tiny palm, simply holding her mouth there, breathing in the warm, comforting smell of her baby.

"I'm sorry it has to be this way. Truly I am." Carlisle's words were laced with gentle regret. "I know this is extremely difficult, but it won't be for long. Esme can stay with you—anyone but Edward." It was too dangerous for Edward to be near her with Heidi around, and Bella understood that. He wasn't good at hiding their relationship and, at this point, the social worker finding out would be devastating. Reluctantly, Edward had agreed to take Ellie—well bundled against the spring chill—into the woods circling the house. No inopportune newborn cries would give her away, and once Heidi left, she would be back in her mother's arms.

The problem was, Bella didn't think she could be parted from her daughter for so long while keeping up the farce. Ellie was so new, so fragile, and Bella herself was still tired, sick, and overwhelmed by the last few weeks. Charlie's death, her illness, Ellie's abrupt birth, Jacob... Now to be tasked with pretending that Ellie didn't exist and she knew nothing about her father's death except what the police told Carlisle...she couldn't do it. She really couldn't do it.

Bella's cries increased, not in volume but in severity, and Ellie's soon followed. Carlisle's forehead wrinkled in concern as he watched his daughter struggle for breath against the fear and despair that swept through her. She sat hunched over in her bed, hugging her newborn tightly, as if to protect the child from the world that had given her so much pain. Edward cursed under his breath and was back from Mason's room in an instant, unable to keep away when his mate and child were so distraught.

The situation wrenched at Carlisle, and he considered the small human girl in front of him carefully. She was still recovering from her difficult brush with influenza, not to mention the severe mental and emotional stress she'd been in for so long. Charlie's death helped in some ways, but increased the strain in others. She'd watched the man die. The aftermath of that was coming; there was no way she could witness something like that and be fine afterward. In addition, she now had to lie even more to police and state workers, hiding the truth that Edward had killed her father to protect her. Bella was not a liar by nature, and he knew it weighed heavily on her conscience. She had so many secrets to keep—the vampire nature of her new family, Charlie's death, Ellie's birth, her whereabouts when she was in Britain... It all added up to a lot of lies, coupled with the actual events themselves.

"Shh...Bella, listen to my voice." Her heart raced far too fast, and she was struggling to breathe. "Sweetheart, you're hyperventilating. Listen to me. I'm going to help you calm down. Inhale slowly...that's it. Breathe in for a count of four, or as close as you can. One...two...three...four. Now out for four. One...two...three...four." At first, Bella could only manage breaths of about one and a half, but she struggled to obey, her body slowly calming. "Focus on your breath. Try not to think about anything else. One...two...three...four. You can do it. Inhale. Exhale. Calm. Good girl."

It took close to ten long minutes before Bella could breathe as Carlisle asked. She moved slowly, unbending just a little, her swollen eyes still spilling tears even as she struggled to bring herself under control.

Carlisle exhaled a long breath through his nose. It hurt him to see his newest, most fragile daughter like this, and he knew Edward felt the same. Bella's arms trembled, but she refused to let go of her baby. This was supposed to be her special time to bond with her infant, to cement that all-important mother-child relationship. It was clear she loved her little girl deeply and desperately wanted to be everything Ellie needed. Even though Bella understood intellectually what they were asking of her and why, her heart rejected it. She couldn't wrap her intense, hormone-fueled emotions around the reality of pretending her daughter didn't exist, of erasing every trace of her, even for just a short while. To her rational mind, it was necessary. To her heart, it was a rejection of the child—something she, with her history of being rejected herself, just couldn't make herself do.

Edward had once asked whether the strain of going to trial might be enough to break Bella. It hadn't been but now, facing her on the bed, watching how tightly she held her little one, Carlisle wondered if this might be that moment. In the end, perhaps it wasn't Charlie that would break her, but the intense weight of everything she'd been through.

And because Carlisle could not stand to do that to his daughter, he reached forward and touched her cheek very softly with the tips of his fingers. "Bella," he said, calling her attention back to him. "Let's talk about this, please."

Watery, red-rimmed eyes blinked, watching him warily. She sniffed, but refused the tissue box Edward held out to her. Her arms were full of Ellie, and she was absolutely not letting go.

"So...is this it, then?" He tilted his head slightly to one side, watching her, monitoring her physical body with all of his senses. He could still hear a faint rasp when she breathed, and she'd lost a fair amount of weight from all the nausea—weight she needed if she was going to continue nursing Ellie with both milk and blood. Ideally he'd like to try the baby on formula for at least a little while, to give Bella the chance to regain some strength, but he knew better than to ask. No way would she allow that unless forced, and he refused to force her. After everything she'd gone through, she needed some control over her world. "Let's talk about our options, please?"

Bella swallowed thickly, wincing against the lingering pain in her throat. "I didn't realize I had options."

"You always have options. They all come with consequences because that's how life works, unfortunately, but you have options." He squeezed her knee gently. "Heidi is coming. She's already on the road, and I can't stop her. If I tried to reschedule I'm afraid she'd get suspicious that we're hiding something. That much can't be changed. But you don't have to hold yourself together and talk to her. You could curl up right there in bed and refuse to speak. No one but you can make that choice."

"But she'll only get concerned. She might stay longer, and she'll come back sooner. She'll be nosy."

"Probably," Carlisle agreed. He watched Edward shift impatiently in the chair by Bella's bed. He was hurting almost as much as she was, and Carlisle felt a great deal of sympathy for his son as well as his daughter. They both needed unfettered time—time to heal, and grow, and learn to be a family together with their newborn. They didn't need all this pressure from the state. "You could also refuse to let Ellison go—I know that's your biggest hurdle right now. Absolutely no one in this family will forcibly take her from you, and I hope you know that."

"But then Heidi will know. Everyone will know. She'll call you unfit parents, and she'll try to take me away from you." Bella's lower lip quivered. This had been one of her biggest fears for a long time now.

"Unfortunately, that's probably correct."

"I can't do that. But I don't think I can just let her go, either."

"Then let's see if we can find a solution to the problem."

Bella's dull eyes rose to meet his for a moment before they dropped again. "How?"

Carlisle paused. He glanced at his son, then back at Bella. "Edward could bite you. Now. You'd be thrashing as if in the middle of a seizure when Emily arrived. I could rush you away to the hospital, and we would tell her later that you'd died. It would be no more than the truth, technically. To become like us, you must die first."

Bella bit her lip, staring down at the child in her arms. Carlisle knew that she still wanted to change, but she also wanted to nurse her baby and she could not do both. For now, remaining human was her priority.

"Or what about this?" Edward's face was a frown of concentration as he thought through his idea. "Bella, do you think you could go through with this meeting if you knew it was the last one?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, she said before that we were free to move within the state of Washington, and she could probably be convinced to let us move out of state."

"But not out of the country." Bella coughed, but the sound was neither as deep nor as raspy as it had been several days ago. She was on the mend. "I want to go back to Ellison House."

"I know, love. Listen for a moment." He touched Ellie's head lightly, his fingers brushing against her lacy curls. "If Carlisle can convince her to let us move out of state with you, we could tell her we're moving to Alaska. The Denalis will help us build a cover. Then we'd go to Ellison House, just as you wanted. We might have to fly back a few times to keep up appearances, but it'd only be for six more months or so. Then you turn eighteen and you can legally live wherever you want."

Carlisle considered Edward's suggestion. It hinged on multiple people's agreement, so he couldn't say for sure whether it would work. Their Denali cousins would help; he was confident enough about that. But while Heidi might be persuaded to let them move to Oregon or Idaho, Alaska was...a little different. It would be a big move, almost like settling in another country because of the distance. Would she allow it? He honestly couldn't say. And there was the legal process to consider, as well. Heidi's word was not final—she merely made a recommendation to a family court judge, who then issued a final ruling. Judges almost always deferred to the recommendation of social workers, but it wasn't a guarantee.

Still, Carlisle was determined to try when he saw the gleam of hope in Bella's tired brown eyes.

"Really?" she whispered.

"We can certainly try," he agreed, willing to do almost anything to help Bella recover from everything that had happened to her in her short human life. "I can't make any promises about Heidi's decision, but we can try."

Bella took a deep breath, her lower lip quivering again when she looked down at the baby in her arms. "I still don't want to let her go. I really don't. But I think...I think I can try. If it means I don't ever have to do it again."


Forty-five minutes later she and Esme were waiting, seated on her bed as Carlisle led Heidi into the room. Bella had cried again when Edward took Ellie, but she managed to pull herself together enough to put on a brave, if delicate, front. Her overwhelming sense of fragility didn't bother Carlisle too much—it would work in their favor when Heidi saw it, as long as Bella could hold herself together and not let anything slip for just a little while.

"Bella!" Heidi greeted, standing at the edge of the big four-poster bed. "I'm so glad you're feeling better. Carlisle says you were one sick young lady for a while there."

Bella nodded, doing her best to smile at her social worker. Really, Heidi had been immensely helpful. Not as soon as she should have been—she should have known something was wrong the day of Mason's birth—but, in the end, she'd come through. She wanted Bella to thrive just as much as her new family did.

"Please, tell me how you're feeling?" Heidi sat in the rich brown leather chair Carlisle carried in from his office. "It's been a while since we've talked."

Bella shrugged, sucking her lower lip into her mouth. She was vibrating with tension, so terrified that something would happen and Heidi would learn their secret. Everything of Ellie's had been moved to Mason's room and Bella had thick nursing pads stuck in her bra in case she leaked, but she was still so anxious. This was it—the moment where she had to perform her best. Everything she hoped for hinged on Heidi agreeing that she could leave the state with the Cullens. "Still sick," she admitted, "but not as bad. I'm so tired, though. Everything's just so...much." She looked to Esme, the only true mother she'd ever really known.

Without fail, Esme slid an arm around her and pulled her close, her gentle, calming smile offering a moment of refuge from Bella's internal storm. "We were notified of Charlie's death soon after she took sick," she said. "It was quite a blow to all of us."

"Yes. I wanted to ask you about that as well. How are you holding up? I know Leia Hendricks was with you when the police questioned everyone. I'm sorry I couldn't make it on such short notice."

"Yes, the police were very polite, and I'm sure Bella felt better having Leia there, even though you couldn't make it." Esme smiled graciously.

"Do you understand, Bella, why the police had to question you?"

Bella leaned into Esme's comforting presence, nodding as her mother's arm held her steady. "Because we don't like him, and I was pressing charges. We had motive, the police said. But they weren't mean. I don't think they really thought we did it."

"They didn't, and neither do I. They'll wait for the tox screen results to come back before officially closing the case, but it looks like a simple fishing accident. He was found with his fishing gear near a spot Billy Black confirmed they frequented. It looks like he stepped wrong and slipped, hit his head on a rock, and that was it. He died quickly and painlessly, if it's any consolation."

One of Bella's shoulders hitched upward. "Not really."

Heidi tilted her head to one side. "Can you tell me why not? Did you want him to suffer?"

Bella shuddered. She didn't like anyone thinking that of her, even momentarily. If she'd wanted to, she could have told Edward or Rosalie to make Charlie suffer. They would have done so gleefully and not regretted it for an instant. But that wasn't how Bella did things. "No," she said, glad of Esme's comfort and Carlisle's steady presence. "I never wanted him to suffer. That wasn't the reason I pressed charges."

"What was your reason, if you don't mind me asking?"

Bella chewed on her lower lip. She knew her reasons, but it was difficult to put them to words. "I...well, I didn't want him to hurt anyone else. That's why I wanted him off the police force."

"And the criminal charges?"

"He never apologized for anything—none of it." She looked down at her hands twisted in her lap. Two fingers sported Band-Aids—the result of Ellie's thirst. "He never thought he was wrong. I always wanted that from him. Not the apology—I mean, I wanted one, but I knew I'd never get it. But I wanted someone important, like a judge or a jury, to tell him that he was wrong. That what he did was not okay. I wanted him to understand that. Now..." She shrugged. "Now he's just dead."

They sat for a long moment in silence, Esme holding her tightly with one arm, and Bella knew in her heart that her little Ellie would always be loved and cared for. When she had questions, Esme would be there to answer them. She could have no better teacher or guide for motherhood, and she didn't know if there was any way to truly express her gratitude to the woman who had become the thing she'd sorely needed.

"That is...an extremely perceptive and mature way to feel," Heidi said finally. "I'm extremely sorry that you'll never get that resolution you crave. With time and space it will begin to feel better, though, I promise."

"About that." Carlisle rested an ankle on his opposite knee and folded his hands. "Ms. Fischer, Bella has expressed to us, and we agree with her, that she needs a new start. We need to move."

To Bella's relief, Heidi looked neither surprised nor upset. "Where do you plan to go?"

Carlisle and Esme exchanged a glance. "I have cousins in Alaska," Esme said. "They live out in the bush. We'd want to be closer to civilization, of course, what with the children still in school. Fairbanks was our hope. Then we could have the best of both worlds—good schools for the kids and family nearby."

Heidi tapped her pen rhythmically against her yellow legal pad. She considered the idea for what felt like an eternity while Bella held her breath and hoped.

"That's a long way," Heidi said finally.

"We truly believe distance is what Bella needs right now," Esme replied. "We've spoken to the other kids as well. They don't mind moving, especially after everything that's happened. There's a great deal of talk in town, what with Charlie's disappearance and Bella coming to live with us. We could all use a fresh start."

"That's true enough." Heidi nodded slowly. "We'd have to get in touch with social services in Alaska, see what they can offer. I still really want Bella in therapy."

"When she's ready. I don't want to push." Carlisle leaned back slightly in his chair. "She'll always be part of our family and whatever she needs, we'll do our best to provide. College, of course. Whatever continuing healthcare she needs, including mental health. A home for however long is required. Family for the rest of her life." He smiled Bella's way, and she managed to give him a faltering smile back.

"We'll need to run this by a judge," Heidi said, settling her papers in a neat pile on her lap. "But as far as I'm concerned, I trust your judgment of what your kids need. And I wish you all the best."


And so, two and a half weeks later, Bella found herself in a sleek black Mercedes—Carlisle seemed to have a fondness for the brand—gliding up the long, familiar drive toward Ellison House. Her heart pounded in her chest but, for once, it was a happy feeling. More even than the lovely modern house in the middle of the woods in Forks, she felt at home here. This was where she'd found herself, where she'd faced some of her biggest fears and done a great deal of growing up. First with Edward and then with Alice, she'd had a chance to really focus on herself for the first time in her life. She wasn't expected to wait on anyone, to cook and clean except as it pleased her. No one cursed at her, called her useless and ugly. No one beat or abused her here. Oh, she'd been lost and afraid in this house at first, but those feelings hadn't lasted.

Best of all, this was where Ellie had been conceived. Bella had named her daughter after Carlisle's ancestral home, the place that had become so dear to her.

As they rolled slowly over fresh gravel, Bella could see that much work had been done to the grounds. Lawns were mowed, trees and hedges pruned and trimmed. A small pond, once silty and covered with scum, was now dredged and glittered blue under a beautiful springtime sun.

"The renovators have been hard at work on Esme's plans," Carlisle said from the driver's seat on the right—Bella would have to get used to people driving on the wrong side of the car and the wrong side of the road. "Look—we're almost there."

Esme sat in the front passenger seat, Ellie behind her in her carseat. It was cramped in the back with the carseat, Edward, and Bella, but Bella would not be parted from her daughter and Edward would not be parted from Bella, so they managed. Bella ducked her head, staring out the window as the grand old house came into sight.

There—there it was! And oh, it took her breath away. Even the old stones on the outside of the manor had been washed and they looked so much brighter than she remembered. The car came to a stop outside the main entrance and Bella opened the door, climbing to her feet. Edward was at her side with Ellie an instant later, two more cars containing the rest of the family parking behind them.

Bella took Ellie from her fiance, turning the baby to face the grand house. "Look, little lovely girl," she whispered, breathing in, smelling sweet grass and rich, damp earth on the wind. "This is Ellison House, and you're my Ellison. This is your grandfather's house, and your birthright."

"Actually." Carlisle cleared his throat and glanced at Esme, who was failing horribly to hide her smile. "Bella, there's something we have to tell you."

"What?" She looked at her parents, watching as Esme wound an arm through Carlisle's. The old Bella would almost certainly feel fear at those words, but the old Bella was gone. This Bella had a family who loved her, and she trusted them implicitly. They would never hurt her. Whatever Carlisle had to say, she didn't fear it.

"This house..." He put his hands in his pockets, looking up at the aged edifice. It spoke of centuries of splendor—of wealth and magnificence, but also of the pain that went along with so long a life. The house belonged to a time when rigid codes of conduct ruled—when economic and social classes remained separate, some meant to serve, others to be waited upon. The servants' entrance, almost visible at the side of the house, was proof enough of that. This grand old manor held the history of Carlisle's human family and the secrets, written in black-bound journals, of his long vampire existence. It sat empty, untended and unloved for centuries, until Edward's hasty decision to kidnap her plunged two lost, hurting souls into the ancient hallways. They'd been searching for home, for family, for love, unaware that the answers were right in front of them.

Now, that love had brought the house back to life.

"I couldn't sell this place, but I thought I couldn't live her ever again, either. Too many memories, too many shadows on my heart." Carlisle faced the house as he spoke, his family gathered around him. Two of his daughters held babies in their arms—grandchildren for a man who believed for centuries he was doomed to walk the earth alone. "But you, Bella. You gave it back to me. And now I'm giving it to you." He turned to his human daughter and smiled, a smile bright with the happiness of a man who had everything he'd ever wanted.

Bella's eyes grew big and her knees faltered. Edward, just behind her, rested his hands carefully on her waist. He would always be there to catch her—just as she would be there for him. "What did you say?"

"Consider it a wedding present." Carlisle smiled at his wife, then at Bella once more. "It's yours now, sweetheart. This house...it speaks to you, and you to it. It was waiting for you—it was yours the moment you set foot inside. So, in a way, you were right. It is Ellie's birthright—from you as much as from Edward and I."

Tears welled in Bella's eyes. "I don't know what to say. Thank you, Carlisle. Thank you, Esme."

"I was planning the renovation with you in mind." Esme blinked as if pushing back her own tears, though by now Bella knew her family could not cry. "Oh, baby girl. I'm so happy for you!"

"Can we go in and see?" Bella looked eagerly at the massive doors of Ellison House—her house. She was determined to fill the silent old halls with laughter and music. Children—Mason, Ellie, and their schoolfriends—would run wild here, having adventures during the dreary winters of northern England. There was more than enough room for everyone to spread out and have private space, and also come together as a family. She envisioned evenings in front of the fireplace in the library, reading to Ellie as she fell asleep in her arms. She and Edward would have a new bedroom now—a room that was theirs, together. Her cheeks pinked as visions of what they'd do behind locked doors filled her mind. Charlie Swan and his ex-wife, Renee? They were only memories now. They twinged once in a while, as the incision from her C-section had. Eventually, she knew, they would fade.

She had waited so long. Now, she was ready for life to begin.

"Just one more thing." Edward pulled gently at her waist, backing her up several steps. "Look up there."

Above the doorway, a massive stone carving of the Cullen crest sat in pride of place. Except it wasn't quite right. The roaring lion now had his front paws curled around a graceful column.

"Do you see that?" Carlisle pointed. "That column is for the two of you, Bella. You and your daughter."

"What does it represent?" Bella whispered, awestruck that they would do such a thing for her.

"Fortitude, constancy, and wisdom."

Bella's dark velvet eyes were huge in her delicate face, and she swallowed hard. "I-I don't think I'm all that wise."

Carlisle chuckled. "Your heart is. The rest is just learning to trust it." He put a hand back in his pocket and pulled out a small box. Opening it, he removed a leather cuff much like Edward's, but smaller and softer, more fitting for her delicate wrist. He fastened it carefully, tickling Ellie's chin when he finished. "I wanted to give this to you during your birthday party, but Esme said it was too soon, that we'd scare you away if you came on so strong. It's been waiting since then—Alice was so sure you would be part of our family. I don't tend to bet against her."

Bella's watery smile was bright, tremulous but wide. "Thanks, dad," she said, testing the name on her tongue. Charlie had never been "dad." But with Carlisle, it just felt right.

He kissed her forehead. "Anytime. You know that."

"Well?" Edward wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, hugging her to his chest. It felt so good—so right. With his arms to hold her, there was little she would ever fear. "Shall we go in?"

Bella lifted Ellie to her shoulder, supporting her little head. "Are you ready, baby? Welcome home."


A/N: Two epilogues left, and then this journey is officially over. Welcome home, indeed.

PS. Don't worry about Frank, or Bella becoming a vampire. We've got epilogues to come, remember.