AN: This is probably my favorite chapter so far. We really get a look at the babies' personalities, and how they interact. And yes, they are advanced. I'm basing this on canon- Renesmee had complete control of her gift before Bella woke again, and Nahuel changed his aunt and stayed with her during her transformation. Not to mention Nahuel's sisters, who all survived on their own after their mothers died. Who knows what Renesmee was truly capable of- since no one would put her down for any length of time (my youngest was the same way- constantly held and totally spoiled- she didn't walk for 14 months...)
Anyway, I got sidetracked. Here's the next chapter ;)
Bella lost all track of time once the burning took her over completely. She thought she had made peace with the pain, until it suddenly doubled with the healing of her spine. Her thoughts were consumed with nightmares of cold, restricting hands, even as soft coos and warm little bodies attempted to comfort her.
The boys spent the next three days crawling around and exploring their new home. They were very thirsty, but they were learning to control their gifts and they used them to communicate with each other, much the way they did in the womb. They were learning to be separate, but they also learned that they worked very well together.
Most of their time was spent curled up on the mattress with their mother, though they did venture outside a few times as well. The unlucky squirrels that wandered up to the porch quickly became meals to two thirsty little boys, and one fat rabbit was a shared feast between them. They tried nibbling at the meat a bit, but found that the blood was much more appetizing to them.
Edward began to discern which thoughts were his and which were his brother's. While he was more introspective, and spent a lot of time contemplating how he came to be, Jasper was intrigued by the world around him—curiosity being his strongest emotion.
That curiosity led him into several minor mishaps in the first days of his life. While trying to catch a sunbeam, he toppled off the low mattress and fell over on the floor, hitting his head. Of course, the floor was the one that took the damage, but he was still quite startled from the impact. Poor Edward came racing over to make sure his brother was okay, and Jasper became a bit irritated at his concern.
This was repeated quite a few times before Edward finally growled in exasperation and used a previously undiscovered side of his gift to "show" his brother that he wanted them to wait beside their mother since her heartbeat was beginning to speed up rapidly. Jasper was so shocked at the new images that appeared in his head when Edward pressed his palm to Jasper's cheek that he went along willingly, staring at his twin in amazement.
Edward snuggled into his mother's arms, still grumbling a bit at Jasper's antics, and tried not to let his worry get to him. He thought his momma was okay, but he couldn't help but wonder what they would do if she didn't wake up.
Jasper also settled down for a brief nap, running his fingers through Bella's hair to soothe himself as he cuddled against her harder vampire body. She still smelled like his momma, but she didn't smell as edible anymore. He supposed that was an acceptable change.
Both boys had dozed off when Bella's heartbeat skyrocketed, and they jumped back when she couldn't hold in one long agonizing scream as her heart came to an abrupt stop. She didn't move at first, just enjoying the break from the pain, but eventually her mind tried to tell her she needed to open her eyes.
She took a deep breath first, growling lowly when she scented the traces of blood from the boys' births and their hunts, and then her eyes flew open as she caught the intriguing scent and rapid heartbeats of those sharing the room with her.
Venom tears that would never fall clouded her perfect vision as she looked between her babies. They already looked several months old, and she quietly mourned her missing days. Still, she smiled, hoping to put the babies at ease.
Edward was startled by the change in his mother's eye color, and he shrank back slightly as the borrowed memory of his father's red eyes floated through his mind. Jasper glanced over, sensing his fear, but Edward was already shaking his head and moving closer to his momma. Red eyes or brown, he knew she wouldn't hurt him.
Jasper followed his lead, crawling up to sit on Bella's lap, laying his head against her shoulder as he gazed up at her in awe. He had the prettiest momma in the whole world. Feeling Jasper's overwhelming love helped relax Edward as well, and he sighed happily as he tucked his little face up next to her neck.
Moving carefully, Bella wrapped her arms around her babies, making sure not squeeze them too tightly with the newfound strength she could feel coursing through her. She was relieved that the boys felt sturdy as well, not as delicate as a human baby, but not quite as hard and unmoving as her new cold skin. She relished the heat they projected, and just enjoyed a few peaceful moments with her obviously strong, healthy babies.
With the skin-to-skin contact, Jasper found that he could feel his mother's emotions once more. This made him blissfully happy as he soaked in her unconditional love and projected it to his brother. Unfortunately, he soon began to feel the thirst from two half-vampires and one full newborn vampire. Bella glanced down sharply as he whined and began to claw at his throat.
"What's wrong, sweet boy? Do you need something?" She looked down at her baby in confusion, having no understanding of his gift or what was bothering him.
Edward tugged shyly on a strand of her hair and reached his small hand up toward her cheek. When she lowered her face so he could reach her, she was startled by the images that filled her mind. Her tiny babies were drinking from the last jar, with her in the background of that scene, and then the two of them biting into a fluffy rabbit, drinking down the blood and smiling at one another as their little bellies were filled.
The memories triggered her own thirst, and Bella knew they all three needed the same thing—blood. She just had no idea how to go about getting it! When she had realized what was happening to her during her change, she had sworn to herself she would find another way. She didn't want to hurt humans if she didn't have to.
The problem was she didn't know all the little details about what she was. She knew that she and the babies needed to drink blood, but other than that she would have to learn as she went. Deciding there was no getting around it, Bella sat up carefully and grabbed a boy in each arm. When she stood up, she realized just how much of a mess they all were.
There was dried blood and other fluids covering the bed from the traumatic birth, and both babies had leftover dirt and blood from their previous meals coating almost every square inch of their skin. Sighing, she decided that it wouldn't do any good to clean them up before feeding them, so she put a baby on each hip and headed outside.
The sun was just setting and the sky was a hazy pink-orange color that she'd always loved. The babies squealed in delight when she stepped out into the light, and she froze as she saw the sun's rays refract and dance off her skin like a diamond. She'd only seen a diamond once, when Emmett took her into town one afternoon. A fancy lady had one on her finger, and Bella had asked him about it. "I'll buy you a diamond one day, Bells. When you're all grown up and ready to take care of it."
Bella froze at the memory, blinking back tears again. Emmett. How could she have forgotten? He must not have come back while she was unconscious, and she knew that meant he was probably gone forever. Her brother would never willingly leave her while there was still breath left in his body.
Hearing the quietly whispered name, Edward shared with her a borrowed memory—a hazy image of Emmett as seen through Bella's human eyes. There was a hint of a question to his thoughts, and Bella patted his hand and then kissed his little fingers. "That's Uncle Emmett, Edward. Has he been here?"
Big green eyes stared at her solemnly as he shook his head in a sad no to her question. He was hoping momma could tell him where Uncle Emmett was, but if she didn't know, he didn't know who would. He hoped they would find him after they got some yummy red stuff.
Jasper hugged them both, feeling insecure at the sad emotions they were sending him, but when Bella felt his hot teardrops on her cool skin, she straightened her back and focused on her task. She felt a little silly being outside in only Emmett's shirt, holding two naked, filthy babies as she sparkled brilliantly in the setting sunlight.
She took a deep breath, unsure what her instincts were looking for, but when she smelled a sharp scent, and heard a heavy heartbeat she took off running. One part of her brain was focused on the hunt, another on her babies. In yet another part she was thinking about the problems she needed to face with her new status.
Sparkling skin was clearly going to be an issue, so she would have to mind the weather when they eventually went out in public. Not that she felt that they would be ready to be in public any time soon. She also doubted if her boys would be able to play with other human children, especially if they kept growing as fast as they seemed to be growing.
When she came upon the deer she'd scented, she set her boys down carefully on a bare patch of ground and gave them a look to stay put. They joined hands and smiled back at her, sharp little teeth glinting in the sunlight.
Moving silently, she stalked forward and pounced on the unsuspecting doe, snapping its neck as she brought it down. Venom was pouring out of her mouth, and her throat was on fire, but she carried the deer back to where her boys were waiting.
When she set it down in front of them, they grabbed handfuls of fur and pulled themselves up so they were kneeling at the neck. Then they looked up at her and waited.
Bella was stunned. She knew the boys were thirsty, but they were waiting for her to feed as well? They were already little gentlemen!
Forcing down her instincts that were telling her to rip and devour, she leaned over and took a careful bite through the animal's tough hide—right where she could smell the blood the strongest. Following her lead, her babies pounced simultaneously, quickly gulping down the blood their little bodies were craving.
Edward and Jasper were finished before their mother, and they collapsed together in a heap, bellies full and contented smiles on their faces as they watched their momma finish draining the deer.
Bella wasn't completely sated, but she had a feeling that the thirst was just going to be a part of her life. Looking down at her precious little boys, she found that she didn't mind it too much.