Disclaimer: I own nothing.
BPOV
Edward had let me know that we were going to try a C-Section, and fairly soon. He didn't really explain the process to me completely, which I was okay with. I trusted Edward to keep the both of us safe. I was more worried about what would happen after we brought this little one into the world. As of right now, it was going to be the three of us, plus Jasper to help ease any pain or worries, during the delivery.
Once again, everyone was taking care of anything around me, leaving me with very little to do myself.
Esme, Alice, and Rose had taken it upon themselves to prepare a nursery for the baby. They were keeping a surprise from Edward and myself. I knew this was all a brand new experience for them, something that was hard to come by with people who had lived as long as they all had, so I let them enjoy themselves. If this was something I could do to allow for a smoother entrance into this word for my little nudger than I would gladly do it.
It still felt strange that we were bringing a child into the world. I have never thought that it would have been possible, but maybe I had been correct? Maybe there were no rules that could bind you once you found your other half. This certainly had defied everything I had come to know about the world.
Carlisle and Edward didn't want to freak me out, so they told me as little as possible, something about a large scalpel laced with venom, not enough to leave a permanent mark or scar, just enough to break through my skin. After hearing that, I didn't want to know much more. While I was a pro at medical procedures and with weird, I had no desire to combine the two.
"For someone who usually like to be in the know, you truly don't want to know about this?" Edward asked with an eyebrow raised.
I vehemently shook my head, "Let me put it this way, as a human, whenever I was having a surgery or procedure done, I only wanted to know the general idea of what was being done, I didn't want or need to know the mechanics of it or how they were going to slice into me, I figure the same principles apply."
Edward laughed at my explanation, but I think after that he understood my perspective.
Once they were done, Rose, Alice, and Esme revealed the nursery to us. It looked like something off of a children's furniture catalogue. The walls were a light muted pink, with white bookshelves filled with leather-bound editions of children's classics. The crib in the middle had stuffed animals, and a mobile adorned with stars hanging above it. And a rocking chair in the corner of the room, it looked like a replica of the one from my infancy. It looked like a place where magic was possible, something out of a storybook.
Only a couple days later, it was time for possibly the strangest delivery in history. It probably would have been easier back in Forks, but we had to make do with our circumstances.
Edward and Carlisle had set up one of the spare rooms, as the room where I would be delivering, I tried to ignore the tray of medical tools sitting next to the bed I was laying on. It wasn't an actual bed, it looked like a hospital bed, just a bit more welcoming. As I laid on bed, there was a sheet keeping from seeing exactly what was going to happen. Jasper was facing away from everything, while Edward was watching everything Carlisle was doing. Jasper and Edward both held each of my hands.
"You're unnaturally calm, Bella," Jasper snickered.
I chortled, "Not my first medical procedure."
As a human I had countless of procedures and treatments done over the years, this wasn't much different.
However, there were three key differences: this time I didn't have my mortality hanging over my head- even if they tore me apart completely, I could still survive as long as they didn't burn the pieces, the second was what I would be getting after this- a child, and the third was Edward, he was here with me, he made me feel safe enough to be able to jump into the unknown. I knew that together there was very little we couldn't do, in that I was confident.
"Alright, Bella, are you ready?" Carlisle's calm tone helped ease any worries, or maybe that was Jasper's doing.
"Yes," I tried to sound sure.
I barely felt anything, just a little pressure, and some stinging from what I assumed was the scalpel.
Then I heard the small little cry, this brought a strange pricking feeling to my eyes, like I wanted to cry.
"It's a girl, it's Renesmee," Edward's voice was thick with happiness, suddenly all of our worries were gone once we laid our eyes on our beautiful daughter.
He gently placed her on top of my chest, she was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, she was covered in a thin layer of what I assumed was venom. She met my eyes, and I was met with a familiarity that I hadn't expected. Looking back at me were my eyes, at least my human eyes. But it was more than that. I could see the expectance and familiarity in her expression, something I didn't expect from a newborn child, like she had already known me and was just waiting to meet me. Perhaps she remembered Edward and I from our numerous one-sided conversations with her.
"So beautiful," I whispered. She had Edward's copper hair, but the curls that Charlie had. She had my human eyes, the brown that I inherited from Charlie, the ones that Edward had fallen in love with. I always had thought they were bland, and on me I'm sure they were, but on Renesmee, they were gorgeous, it looked like you could get lost in her eyes. She had my button nose, but the rest of her features were exactly like Edward. She was absolutely perfect.
It took one finger and gently stroked her cheek, she was warmer than us, I hadn't been around many humans, but I remembered the excessive warmth I felt from Jake on the day of my funeral, she was a little cooler than him. I felt the warmth of blood flowing through her, I wasn't sure how that was possible, but evidently it was. She nuzzled herself into my chest, she raised her tiny, chubby little hand and pressed it to my face. I saw a flash of the last two minutes just repeated, but it was different, my face from a different perspective, from her perspective.
"What was that?" I asked gently, never taking my eyes off of my daughter.
"What?" Jasper asked. I could see he was carefully watching me, they all were. Like they were waiting for the thirst to overwhelm me, or maybe trying to gauge how much pain I was in.
"I think Renesmee just showed Bella one of her memories," Edward explained with the same awe-filled smile, never taking his eyes off the two off us. "She's gifted."
"Incredible, but I suppose considering who her parents are," Carlisle theorized, but there was a tenderness in voice. The kind one would have for their grandchild.
"Bella, how do you feel?" Carlisle inquired. Edward took Renesmee from my arms, and I instantly missed her. I slowly sat up, there was a slight ache, but it wasn't anything awful, I hardly even noticed it with my beautiful baby girl in the room. I kept her in my sight as Edward cleaned her up and wrapped her in a blanket.
"I'm fine," this was a line I had said many times with varying degrees of truthfulness, but I don't think you'd find anyone more okay that I was right now.
"I hardly feel any pain from her, don't worry," Jasper confirmed to Carlisle and Edward.
Within the hour, our family had arrived at our house, everyone took turns cooing over our little one.
Esme and Carlisle both incredibly touched that we partially named her after them. I knew that this was the first child in our family so I let everyone take their time with her. Everyone was completely enamored by Renesmee, each member of our family clinging to each little adorable sound that came from her.
She was unusually calm for a newborn, it was amazing, as each person held her she showed them her first memories, our beautiful baby girl had everyone wrapped around her finger within her first few hours. Three days after her birth, Renesmee's teeth already began coming in.
Most evenings, everyone was over here cooing over Renesmee. Each morning revealed a slightly more mature Renesmee. Carlisle was carefully monitoring her growth, and it was slowing, but still incredibly fast.
As everyone left each night we put our daughter in her crib that she was quickly outgrowing. It was lucky that when building out the nursery, they had bought one of those convertible beds.
"Everyone is so drawn to her," I whispered as we walked out of the nursery. Edward started snickering.
"What?" I chuckled at Edward's sudden laughter.
"Nothing, I don't know if I ever told you this, but that's how I used to describe you." I think Edward saw that I didn't understand, so he continued. "Everyone was so drawn to you, I always described it as a gravitational pull, constantly pulling unwitting people closer to you, constantly fighting off your line of suitors."
I scoffed in disbelief. I had no such effect on people, at least I didn't remember having such an effect on anyone. I always felt the disease the ravaged my human body did a thorough job of keeping people at bay.
"It's true, maybe you didn't see it, but I certainly did. All those humans had just met you and were planning your future together. Vampire, werewolves, humans, all like moths to a flame. And now you passed that damn magnetism to our daughter, let's just hope we don't encounter any Mike Newton's when she goes to school."
I couldn't help but laugh at Edward's protectiveness, I had no doubt it would irritate and endear our daughter in the same way it had me.
Carlisle and Edward used their research to figure out watch would sustain Renesmee, they came to the conclusion that like the half-vampire children, she could survive on either, but I think she had a preference for blood, we still only gave her animal blood. We had explained to her our 'vegetarian' ways before she was born and from what Edward said, she understood our reasoning.
She didn't mind sleeping in her crib, but I could tell she preferred to be held, and Edward and I were more than happy to oblige. Whenever she fell asleep in my arms, I lifted her little hand and watched her dreams. I had never understood Edward's fascination in watching me sleep, but now I completely understood, I loved watching her dream. Usually it was just flashes of our family's faces. I was incredibly and selfishly pleased that my face showed up more than anyone else's.
Now that I knew the love one could have for their children. I couldn't help but think about my own parents. They had loved me so much, and despite all the heartbreak they had endured because of me. I wanted them to know that they had a grandchild, that she had Charlie's curls. To share the joys of motherhood with my own mother, but I couldn't. And that broke my heart each time I thought about it.
Renesmee grew very quickly, and she also mentally developed quickly, she was very inquisitive about the world around her.
"She's as curious as her mother," Edward teased.
She no longer slept in our arms, but she liked to have Edward and I read to her at night before bed. Since she had been born she slept through the night.
"The only parents in the world who don't need sleep, and our child already sleeps through the night," Edward chuckled.
During the day she liked to have us play for her, most of the time it was Edward, I had told her that he was much better than I, but there were times she specifically requested that I play for her.
In her short time she had her favorites, and with her gift she requested them pretty frequently. It warmed my heart to think that something that I wrote could bring my daughter this much joy. She had a tendency to favor songs that I had written as an ode to my love with Edward, but even more so the one I had specifically written for her.
From what she had shown me, she liked knowing how in love we were, and while she didn't fully understand the complexity of love, she understood the overwhelming feeling of happiness in our little family. I was more than happy to continue writing about how much I loved our little family.
You Are In Love
One look, dark room
Meant just for you
Time moved too fast
You play it back
Buttons on a coat
Light-hearted joke
No proof, not much
But you saw enough
Small talk, he drives
Coffee at midnight
The light reflects
The chain on your neck
He says, "Look up"
And your shoulders brush
No proof, one touch
But you felt enough
You can hear it in the silence, silence, you
You can feel it on the way home, way home, you
You can see it with the lights out, lights out
You are in love, true love
You are in love
Morning, his place
Burnt toast, Sunday
You keep his shirt
He keeps his word
And for once, you let go
Of your fears and your ghosts
One step, not much
But it said enough
You kiss on sidewalks
You fight and you talk
One night you wake
Strange look on his face
Pauses, then says
You're my best friend
And you knew what it was
He is in love
You can hear it in the silence, silence, you
You can feel it on the way home, way home, you
You can see it with the lights out, lights out
You are in love, true love
And so it goes
You two are dancing in a snow globe, 'round and 'round
And you understand now why they lost their minds and fought the wars
And why I've spent my whole life tryin' to put it into words
'Cause you can hear in the silence
You can feel it on the way home
You can see it with the lights out
You are in love, true love
You are in love
You can hear it in the silence, silence, you
You can feel it on the way home, way home, you
You can see it with the lights out, lights out
You are in love, true love
You are in love
You can hear it in the silence, silence, you
You can feel it on the way home, way home, you
You can see it with the lights out, lights out
You are in love, true love
You are in love
"You know for someone who dislikes dancing so much you do write about it quite a bit," Edward snickered.
"Only for you," I whispered and Edward gave me that beautiful crooked smile. I wondered if he knew the electricity that flowed through me each time he merely looked at me, I wondered if it would ever fade. I sincerely hoped not.
"And the rain?"
"Huh?"
"I just wanted to know about the rain, another recurring theme. Is it a girl thing? I've never understood the notion behind kissing or dancing in the rain. Is it supposed to be romantic?"
"I guess you'll have to find out someday."
Edward laughed at my coyness.