Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns all.

Rated M for several reasons.

Chpt 46 Good Morning Sunshine

RPOV

The ranch is amazing. From the outside it's derelict and haunted looking. But the inside, any interior designer worth his salt would sell his soul to claim responsibility for this. I take my hat off to Char, I may like to live in opulent surroundings but I don't have the patience to create them, this place is mind blowing.

On the downside, The Charminator is going to have a shit fit when newborn Bella destroys it, and we're all going to have to live with the consequences.

Jazz carries her straight up to their room and sets her down in the tub which I fill with cold water and Char joins us quickly heaving in armfuls of ice.

"Were you a boy scout in a former life?" I ask incredulously.

"Nah." She chuckles. "I stopped at the store on the way in and the ice was on special."

Bella actually quits screaming for a moment and sighs, which is a relief to our sensitive ears.

Char and I sink down onto the tiled floor and watch as Jazz tenderly cleans her up, murmuring to her the whole time about how much he loves her and how great a life they're going to have together.

It's absolutely nauseating. Who is this vampire and what did he do with my irreverent twin?

When he's done we help him dry her and dress her in a simple cotton shift, leaving him curled up on the bed with her.

She's screaming again when Em arrives.

"Jeez." He groans into my hair as we hug. "That's some set of lungs she's got on her."

"You were a lot worse." I mumble into his chest.

"I did not scream." He huffs. "I made manly noises indicating how well I was coping with the pain."

"Whatever."

A few hours later she's mercifully screamed herself hoarse and the rest of us creep into their bedroom to see how things are going. Once he again he's stripped off and curled around her protectively.

"Jeez Jazz." Em growls. "Would it kill you to wear underpants?"

"Wow." Pete mutters to Char. "I'm afraid you're still gonna be the shortest in the family my delicate little wife."

"I don't mind." She sighs. "Almost makes me wish I was a brunette."

"She's beautiful J." Pete says appreciatively.

"She was always beautiful." He whispers without looking up.

"How long?" Em asks, tucking me into his side and beaming like a lighthouse.

"I'm not sure." Jazz shrugs. "You did a good job Rose, its goin' to be a real short one."

My bite marks have already disappeared and her flawless skin is starting to sparkle faintly.

"Jazz you'd better go and hunt again if it won't be long. We'll sit with her while she's quiet." I offer.

"Okay. If you all step out for a moment I'll put some clothes on."

Laughing we retreat into the hallway and he joins us almost immediately.

"J." Pete snorts. "I don't think it's a good idea you bein' dressed like that when she wakes up."

Jazz looks down at his naked, scar covered but impressive, chest and hip hugging jeans.

"Oh." And he darts back into the room emerging again with a t-shirt and a smirk. "I forgot how awesome I am there for a minute."

I roll my eyes. He hasn't changed that much.

"Call me if there's any change." He orders, suddenly serious.

"We will J." Pete chuckles, standing back to let him down the stairs.

As soon as he's out of sight the rest of us make an undignified stampede to get to Bella.

I get there first, sharp elbows, and settle against the headboard with her lying against my chest. Pete nabs the space beside me, resting his head on my shoulder with his arm on Bella's. Char, who fought in the southern wars, trips Em and gets to hold Bella's hand while my scowling mate has to settle for curling up around her legs.

"I wish we had a camera." Char giggles.

"I feel sorry for her." Pete mumbles.

"Why?" Em asks.

"She's goin' to be the most babied vampire in history." Pete chuckles.

"And the most spoilt." Char giggles.

I lean down to kiss her hair. And the most loved.

"Do you think she'll have a gift?" Em asks after a while.

"Carlisle thinks she's bound to be some sort of mental shield." I confide. "Because Edward couldn't hear her as a human."

"J can feel her though."

"I don't know." I shrug. "It doesn't matter either way as long as she's not so clumsy."

"Never heard of a clumsy vampire." Char snorts.

"This is Bells we're talking about." Em mutters and we all laugh.

"Do you think she'll remember much?" Pete asks after a while. "It'd be sad if she didn't remember us or the fun we've had."

"I don't know." I sigh.

Em didn't remember anything except me carrying him home to Carlisle, some of the rest came back to him slowly over time. I remembered everything from the second I opened my eyes. Alice had nothing, a total blank slate. But for all of us it's important to keep reliving the memories you do have, human senses are so dull they're murky at the best of times and if you don't take care of them they fade like old photographs. I'm obsessive about it but some vampires are happy to let it go.

"Her heart's beating faster." Char observes.

"Must be gettin' near the end." Pete sighs.

"Do we need to get Jazz back?" I ask, bowing to Pete's superior experience.

"No, there's still a couple of hours."

We lapse into contented silence.

Bella twitches and mumbles from time to time but is otherwise calm.

My cell rings and Char fishes it out of my pocket.

"Esme." She explains, putting it on loudspeaker.

"Rose?"

"I'm here."

"How is she?" She sounds worried.

"Almost done."

"Is she okay?"

"She's perfect."

Esme sighs.

"I wish I was there."

"You can come and visit as soon as she's settled. We'd love to have you."

"That's a date Rose." She giggles. "Edward sends his love."

"Is he alright?" I ask, curious as to how he's dealing with all this.

"He's coping." She sighs. "He's still hoping Jasper and Bella won't be mates if I'm honest."

"I think that boat's sailed Esme." I tell her gently.

"I know. I understand why Carlisle's been cautious about the whole thing, it's the scientist in him, but from everything you've told me I think you're right. And it must mean something, that the pull was there while she was human."

I laugh quietly. Esme Cullen, the incurable romantic.

"I spoke to him while he was here. He really loves her."

"Yes, he does." I confirm. "How's Alice?"

"Also coping." Esme laughs. "She's had a new vision and apparently the trip to Milan is now of the utmost importance, she won't tell me why but Edward knows and is planning to go with her."

"Humph."

"Rose." Esme admonishes. "Live and let live."

"Humph."

"Oh Rose, I miss you." She sighs. "How's the family?"

"Good." "Great." "Hi mom!" "Hi Esme."

"They're all great." I laugh.

"Where's Jasper?" She asks in concern.

"We sent him hunting, he's been trying to manage Bella's pain."

The almost vampire in question groans, startling us all.

"Was that Bella?" Esme asks.

"Yes."

"Oh bless her. Give her my love when she wakes up."

"I will."

"I'd better go, your father sends his love by the way, he's very proud of you."

"Humph." For the love of god . . . .

Esme laughs ending the call and Char tosses my cell into the corner where it immediately starts ringing again.

"I ain't gettin' it." Pete growls.

Apparently no one is going to and eventually Char chucks the bedside lamp at it, squashing it into silence.

We all sigh contentedly.

Time ticks by and we measure it in the sound of Bella's rapidly escalating heartbeats.

"Maybe we should call J?" Pete suggests.

Em digs his cell out, still snuggled around Bella's legs and dials.

"Em." Jazz snaps.

"Time to come home bro." Em chuckles. "Your mate's almost done cooking."

"On my way." Jazz responds curtly.

"What do we do now?" I ask.

"Well Blondie." Pete sighs. "Normally I'd say flatten yourself against the wall an' brace for impact but since this is our little Bells I'm plannin' on stayin' where I am an' fuck the consequences."

A round of nods.

Bella's heart is thumping erratically now as it struggles to pump ultra-thin venom around her dried out veins instead of thick blood. Other than that the silence is only broken by the thunder of Jazz's feet as he bounds up the stairs and crashes to a stop in the doorway.

"Don't just stand there lookin' stupid!" Char howls. "Take a picture before she wakes up."

Obediently Jazz whips out his cell and the click of the flash dove tails neatly with the last thump of Bella's heart.

As one, we freeze.

"CAKE!" She shouts and as one, most of the newly formed Whitlock Coven are flung into the corners of the room as Bella Whitlock, newborn vampire, surges to her feet on the bed.

We wait.

You can see the confusion and near panic on her face. It's a lot to take in. The super clear vision, she's seeing things now she'd have needed a microscope for before. The hearing, ants tracking across the forest floor outside the window, animals breathing, aeroplanes passing over at 37,000ft. The sense of smell, different types of grass in the yard, fabrics, wood, wallpaper, they all have their own smell. The new body, so much more there than the old one, more aware, more responsive. The lack of breath, blinking and heartbeat. The raging, all-consuming thirst.

The new mind, which helps you process the massive amount of sensory input. Waking up a vampire is an absolutely terrifying experience but if she remembers, she'll at least know what's happening and that should help.

The seconds tick by into a full minute during which she's gradually calmed down. She still looks actively freaked out but there's awareness in her eyes now as she looks around at us.

"I'm a vampire." She giggles and then her eyes go wide again and she clamps her hands over her mouth.

Ah yes, the new voice, that takes quite a bit if getting used to too.

"Rose, what happened to my cake?" She asks after a moment.

"I bit it Bella but it didn't turn, I'm afraid it's dead."

She giggles again and then sobers abruptly.

"Oh my god. Charlie!"

"He saw you, Em brought him, after we got you out of the hospital. He said goodbye Bella, he knows what's happening. We can talk to him later."

"I don't remember." She says getting distressed. "Why don't I remember? It's not fair, I want to remember."

Slowly I get to my feet and approach the bed instinctively opening my arms and she flies into them.

"It's okay. You might remember, give it time you've only just woken up. I remember, I can tell you everything when you're ready and you can speak to him yourself. It's okay."

New vampire emotions are a shock too, you get used to them over time but when you're a newborn they're the emotional roller coaster ride from hell, PMS on steroids, which is probably why females get over that part quicker than the males, more practice.

"You're soft." She gasps in surprise.

"Not exactly." I laugh. "You're a lot harder than you used to be. We'll all feel normal to each other now."

"Normal." She laughs shakily and then she hugs me back.

"Ow, ow, ow." I whimper.

"Oh, sorry." She slackens her grip but doesn't let me go.

"Newborn strength remember? You need to be really careful till you get a handle on it."

Tentatively she tightens her grip again but this time as soon as she feels my ribs move she stops with a happy sigh. The vampire brain only needs to learn how much force to use on something once and then it's stored forever.

"Quit hogging the hugs." Em says approaching us cautiously.

"Em!" She sings, abandoning me and throwing herself at him.

He catches her easily and they engage in a brief squeezing contest which Bella wins.

Then she has a group hug with Pete and Char, she doesn't even seem to have seen Jazz who's waiting patiently in the doorway with a strange smile on his face.

"Come on." Pete urges. "Bein' a vampire is even more awesome outside, let's go."

Eagerly we all turn and start out of the room, Jazz moving back into the hallway.

As she draws level with him she stops dead, inhaling deeply.

"Fresh cotton." She sighs appreciatively.

He smiles broadly and her eyes go wide.

"Jasper!" She squeals launching herself at him and wrapping her arms and legs around him.

Caught by surprise he just has time to close his arms around her before they plunge, boulder like, down the stairs.

Char growls loudly as their revolving bodies take out the bannister and opposite wall, leave a crater in the floorboards at the bottom of the stairs, flatten the couch and the coffee table before coming to rest, with Bella lying atop Jazz, in the fireplace.

Bella's hysterical laughter and Jazz's deep chuckle float up the wreckage of the stairs, which appearing to take offence, collapse in on themselves with a groan of splintering wood.

"Jasper fucking Whitlock!" Char howls. "You're repairing those stairs."

"I didn't do anythin'." He objects, rolling Bella over so she's underneath him.

"Yes you fucking did." Char screeches. "If you hadn't seduced her in the first place she'd never have trashed my stairs!"

She doesn't get a reply. Jazz's mouth is busy with other things.

"Ah." Char sighs, her mood doing a complete 180.

We all smile.

"Um." Em says after a minute. "They're not going to, um . . . ."

"I think they are." Char laughs indulgently.

With a heavy sigh I leap down the new gap in the upstairs floor and lope across to them, some things really should be private.

"Jazz, drop!" I order as forcefully as possible, poking his leg with my toe. "She needs to feed."

Abruptly Bella's hands leave his ass and fly to her throat.

"Burns." She gasps in surprise.

"Cock blocker." Jazz grumbles under his breath as he helps Bella to her feet.

Char appears beside me with an armful of clothes.

"Here." She offers. "More suitable attire for hunting."

After Bella's shredded the first pair of jeans Jazz helps her get dressed while she frets about the burn in her throat and whether or not she'll be able to hunt.

"It's completely instinctual." He explains as he buttons up her jeans and slides his hands around her waist. "We'll all help but you honestly won't need it."

"You feel completely different." She whispers, wrapping her arms around him.

"Better?" He asks, resting his head on hers.

"Much better." She answers, her hands roaming over the muscles of his back.

He shudders and she sighs.

"Ahem." Em interrupts. "I thought we were going hunting? I'm thirsty too."

Jazz and Bella share a secret smile and then turn to face us holding hands.

"Okay then!" She giggles, suddenly excited again, bouncing up and down on the spot. "Let's do this thing."

"You're mood swings are giving me whiplash." I huff as we follow them outside.

"I've still got that thermometer Rose." She growls and then stops dead at the bottom of the porch steps.

"Holy shit!" She squeaks.

"Take your time." Jazz says gently.

We watch her with goofy smiles on our faces as she looks around with eyes on stalks and her mouth hanging open slightly.

"Holy shit." She whispers quietly after five minutes.

"Ready?" Jazz asks.

She nods and he leads her off the steps at a gentle jog.

"Want to run?" He asks slyly as soon as we're in the trees.

"Okay." She responds hesitantly, looking around uncertainly at all the obstructions.

With a rebel yell he drops her hand and breaks into a run, catching his joyous mood the rest of us take off after him, with exultant shouts of our own. Running is one of the best things about being a vampire, out here in the middle of nowhere, when it's safe to let go and be all that we are.

"Holy shit!" Bella shrieks as she catches us up. "I don't believe this!"

"This is nothin' Bells!" Pete laughs. "Feel the power and really let go!"

With another yell we surge forward together, pushing ourselves as hard as we can, streaking through the forest after Jazz.