"She's our daughter."

My admission silenced the room. Poker faces were in place all round, save for Rosalie who huffed and glared.

Keeping myself guarded, I tensed, uncertain what events might transpire now. At that moment, a pressure nudged my shield. My eyes snapped in the direction and I saw Jasper looking at me intently; a small line between his brows.

I raised my own in a silent rebuke. His mouth twitched in apology.

The prolonged stillness fraught my controlled facade. The anxiety I felt nudged at the pit of my stomach. Only the beep from the upstairs monitors kept me grounded enough to stay here.

Eventually, Rosalie broke the silence: "That's it?" She raised her brow, her tone matching the defensive stance. The hostility she openly displayed meant the bite of her words came razor sharp between her teeth. "That's all you are going to say?"

I folded my arms across my chest. "What is it that you want to know, Rosalie?"

I mirrored her disdain. I didn't care for pleasantries; I didn't owe these people anything. They needed an explanation, yes, but they didn't deserve my kindness.

"Let's start with 'how'?" She spat, bitterly.

I bristled. "How do you think babies are made?!"

My emotional state was not controlled in the slightest, she should not be challenging me like this or the entire family would receive the outcome.

I heard Edward growl and I turned to glare, thinking he was growling at my attack on Rosalie. Instead he was scowling at Emmett, who was smirking right back at Edward.

"I don't think that was what she meant," Esme commented from her spot next to Carlisle.

I knew that, of course I did. Rosalie wanted kids more than anything; Edward had told me that. All she wanted was hope that it was possible.

But she didn't need to make me the enemy.

I took a meditative breath and sighed it out, buying me time to think. I shook my tense body and then in a split second decision I moved to the couch and sat down. Standing up was too offensive; this was not a battle or a confession, so all of us being on edge was unnecessary.

Alice followed my lead first and sat on the opposite end of the couch. Esme followed and sat beside Alice; Carlisle sat on the arm of it and rested his hands on his lap. Jasper came and sat on Alice's other side whilst Edward, Rosalie and Emmett remained standing.

"I was human," I began hesitantly, "...when I gave birth, not a vampire."

"We know that already!"

I snarled, "If you keep on at me with that tone, Rosalie, I will refuse to tell you anything."

My anger was already piqued thanks to the events of today – a triad of emotions assaulted my body and she was adding more fuel to the flame with her verbal attack. Despite my resolve to remain calm, she was severely testing my levels of control.

"Well, get to the point then, Bella."

"Rose, shut up," Edward added without looking at her.

Rosalie's fire rounded on Edward incredulously. "She kept your child from you, from all of us – her family – and you're telling me to shut up?"

I stood. "You left me, Rosalie, remember that!"

The collective mood in the room deflated; the acknowledgement that they had no one but themselves to blame for missing out on Renesmee's life so far, sinking in. Rosalie turned back to me. Her eyes danced with rebellion; her tensed lips an indication that she wanted to keep sparring but she didn't have anything to say again that fact: they left me.

Esme spoke firmly, shocking me: "Rosalie, please leave the room."

"Excuse me?" Rosalie's eyes snapped to her adoptive mother.

"If you can't control your thoughts and emotions long enough to hear Bella's story, then please leave," Carlisle said, siding with Esme.

Rosalie shot me a final glare before she went to stand by the windows. She didn't leave the room, just the conversation.

A heavy silence fell again, the Cullens looking at me sceptically. Despite my current hate for Rosalie, at least she dared to ask the questions that were on her mind.

"Look, if you aren't willing to ask questions, then I am going upstairs to sit with my daughter – you're wasting my time," I huffed.

Alice spoke first: "How old is she?"

Regardless of the question, I still couldn't relax, I wouldn't relax. The circumstance I found myself in was different to how I had imagined. But we came here for the sole purpose of sharing our history, so I did. "She turned ten a couple of months ago."

"But she looks nineteen..."

"Everything has been accelerated from the beginning: the pregnancy, her appearance, her mind and her growth. Two years ago everything slowed down, but didn't stop. We expect that to happen within the year."

"How do you know that?" Carlisle asked. As much as he was concerned, I knew he was fascinated by Ness now that he knew what she was.

"Justin – Dawn's son – is also a hybrid. He's older than Renesmee and he was ten when he stopped changing," I told him.

"From what Victoria said it was James that fathered him; is that right?" Jasper asked.

I nodded in answer as my mind became preoccupied. I remembered what happened before Victoria attacked Renesmee and my chest clenched. "Is Jenna alright? Where are they?"

Alice moved next to me and rested her hand on my shoulder. I flinched involuntarily and ignored her defeated look at my reaction to her. "Once Dawn's friend had finished with the newborn, he picked Jenna up and they went somewhere. We don't know where though, they just left."

"We offered to help but I think they wanted to deal with it alone," Esme added.

I nodded in understanding. Dawn's priority right now would be her daughter, and Jenna had been bitten. They'd want to be in the best place for that. I just hoped that Jenna would be okay as well as Renesmee.

"Bella," Carlisle started, "you said that your pregnancy was accelerated," he awaited my confirmation before he continued with his question. "How long did your gestation last?"

"Approximately five weeks," I answered bluntly.

Carlisle's eyes widened as Esme gasped. I could see Carlisle calculating in his mind how the baby adapted that quickly and at what crucial points.

Esme on the other hand, tried to ask a question. She stopped herself continuously, trying to figure out how to structure the sentence she wanted to ask. I could comprehend what it was she wanted to know, so I made it simpler for her: "I looked six months pregnant after three weeks."

I heard Edward take a shaky inhale; his emotions were getting the better of him. His eyes were closed and he was pinching the bridge of his nose.

Without opening his eyes he asked, "When did you find out?"

I paused before answering. When he showed no signs of looking at me, I answered: "A week after you left I started being sick. At first I pinned it on stress and not looking after myself properly after-"

I stopped myself and screwed my eyes shut to prevent the onslaught of memories. Talking about what happened only made it worse, which is why I never admitted the truth to Renesmee until recently.

I took a deep breath before I continued, "I took a test a few days later after I felt her first move. I gave birth three weeks later."

A wolf howl ripped through the silence from somewhere outside. I prayed it was a sign that they had caught Victoria.

"What did you do once you had found out?" Esme asked.

My face turned to stone and I felt my body tense. Esme's question reminded me just how much they'd let me down. How much they had abandoned me without any consideration for my feelings.

"I came here," I told them in a dead voice. The feeling invoked from our previous spar came back to the surface. "I came here hoping that you had left me something that would help me find you, but there was nothing to find. I was completely alone and scared. I knew that the baby inside me was different, and the only person I could have trusted to help me and give me answers had gone," I looked directly at Carlisle. His head lowered in shame, "along with everyone else I had counted on to support me through it. Instead, I sat in this house and cried myself to sleep. Jacob found me like that."

A lump had built in my throat. The memories were too powerful and I wished constantly that they would fade, but they never did. Instead they plagued me, my only comfort being that they gave me the best outcome – a beautiful daughter and a lifetime with her.

A daughter who's life had been jeopardised because of me. A sob escaped me before I could catch it. I flung my hand to cover it before another escaped.

Alice moved again to comfort me, but I stopped her with a sharp 'don't' and shifted myself so I was seated on the edge of the couch, my body shaking.

Esme asked the next question: "What happened after Jacob found you?"

I looked up at Esme, thankful that her question changed the subject.

"He hated it at first, but when he saw how scared I was of being alone he stayed. It was Jake who eventually figured out what the baby wanted," I told them. "It's a bloodsucker after all, Bells." My attempt at Jacob's voice failed miserably, but it got the message across.

Esme was wide eyed. "You drank blood?"

"Animal blood," I confirmed. "Anything Jake could get his hands on during a hunt and bring back."

Seeking clarification, Carlisle asked, "What was wrong with human food?"

"The baby rejected it."

Esme nodded, accepting my answer. Another thought came to her: "Was it only Jake who was with you the entire time?"

I shook my head. "No, it wasn't just Jake. Charlie knew too and the rest of the pack."

"You told Charlie?" Rosalie asked from across the room. Clearly she felt it was okay to intervene again.

I sighed knowing there was no point in hiding the truth from them, but my voice still came out filled with resentment towards her. "Charlie was there because I asked him to be. The blood made me stronger but it also made the baby stronger. There was a high chance I wasn't going to survive. The pack knew from Jake because their thoughts are connected. If I died then they would have blamed the baby and killed it. They didn't exactly hide their disgust-"

Rosalie scoffed. Assuming it was aimed at me, I growled. That was until she spoke: "They wanted to kill an unborn child!"

"They didn't see it that way. Vampires are their enemy and I was infected with one in their eyes. He watched as I came closer to death each day because the baby wouldn't let me eat. Of course they wanted to kill it."

I closed my eyes and forced myself to control my emotions. One, I couldn't show them weakness – I wouldn't. Two, I wanted to forget. That time with Jake was intense; I feared for my unborn child, praying that in the end Jake would not go through with his plan. But I had no one else to turn to, so I had to rely on him.

I schooled my features and returned to answering Esme's previous question. "I managed to convince them to wait until the baby was born because if they tried to do anything while I was pregnant, they would be the ones to blame for my death. I asked Jake to tell Charlie because I wanted to say goodbye."

"What did he tell him?" Alice asked.

"He phased first, and then took him to Billy so he could explain their history," I replied; an edge to my voice still.

"We weren't painted in the best light then, I presume," Alice commented.

I didn't reply. They didn't deserve any praise – not then and not now.

"Charlie came to me and, like any parent whose teenage daughter was pregnant, told me how stupid I was. He already knew what was happening but he asked me to explain anyway. He asked me why I wouldn't just get rid of the baby but it was too late for that. There was no way to get the baby out without killing me. So, I asked for his help. I made him promise that he would take care of the baby once it was born. He understood my side; the baby was half human so there was a chance the baby could be raised that way. Charlie agreed because although he didn't like it, he knew that if I died then the baby would be the only part of me left."

There was silence for a time; everyone letting the information sink in as I relayed my memories. They were blurred now but far more prominent than others. I refused to allow myself to forget my pregnancy. Despite the heartbreak it was still a fond memory – to an extent.

"Bella," Carlisle asked, "What happened during labour?"

My face must have changed as everyone's expressions darkened.

I hesitated but answered what I could, "Victoria was around; it was the first time she'd come back so everyone was tense. I was scared and the stress alerted the baby. My spine snapped and then there was a pain in my stomach. That's all I can remember."

Carlisle's face changed as he imagined the outcome. "That's all you remember?"

"I blacked out," I confirmed bluntly. "When I came to, I was a vampire."

"A painless change…" Jasper whispered.

I grimaced. "No it wasn't."

"Who changed you?" Edward asked. I knew the look on his face. It was remorse. The one thing he did not want was for me to become like him.

"Nobody changed me-"

Rosalie snorted. "Don't lie! Venom is the only thing that can change a human."

"I didn't say that venom didn't change me; I said no vampire did!" I spat at her. "I wasn't bitten!" I spat at her.

"Okay," Edward tried to placate. "So, where did the venom come from?"

I stared right at him. "You."

Commotion broke out as everyone spoke of their disbelief and expressed their opinions. I had questions slung at me from all directions. The change of noise was deafening and it made me angrier.

"Will you let me finish?" I shouted rhetorically.

The conversation stopped. "I didn't get the venom from Edward, but it was his."

"How?" Carlisle asked dumbfounded.

"We used my amniotic fluid," I answered.

"Who's 'we'?"

"Charlie and me," I admitted. "It was his idea. At first he wanted to get the baby to bite me but we wouldn't know how responsive she would be or how long I would be awake until she could, so the fluid was a backup plan. He explained that he'd rather have me live forever as something else than die at any moment as a human. There was no guarantee that it would work but it meant that Charlie had at least tried everything to help me survive, and that if I did die

then he wouldn't blame himself. Turns out it worked."

"How did he get it?"

"They extracted it with a needle – which wasn't easy – and then when it came to it, Jake injected it into my heart and used chest compressions to circulate it."

More silence.

Carlisle was the only one to eventually respond, and made the observation that meant I had to share the one thing I didn't want to tell them about, "Bella, if the venom was mixed into the amniotic fluid then it wasn't pure..."

He drifted off; the silent question hanging in the air.

I attempted to delay, "My change wasn't normal. At least I don't think it was based on what I knew from you."

The delay didn't work. Carlisle asked the question: "How long did it take?"

The way he asked made it seem like he already knew, or had somewhat of an idea.

I sighed, "Five days."

Edward's breath stuttered as he exhaled. Disbelief filled the room, everyone looking to and fro. They remember the pain of a change. So did I. I wasn't going to elaborate further.

"You were here… all this time…" Edward attempted to say. I turned away from his face, I couldn't look at his expression without lying to myself. "If I'd have, just once, you wouldn't have… I-"

A throat cleared behind me, cutting off Edward's irregular sentences. I turned and saw Jake at the bottom of the stairs; a scowl on his face.

"Her breathing has changed, Doc," he told Carlisle.

Carlisle dismissed himself quickly and disappeared up the stairs. I stood to follow; I'd answered enough questions.

Jake's hand snapped out and grabbed my arm, stopping me.

"Seth has news," he explained, eyeing the front door of the Cullens' house.

I turned too, hoping the news Seth brought was what we wanted to hear.

A second later he was at the door in his human form: ripped jeans hanging low on his hips, his feet were bare and his hair was a mess. He was breathing heavily but showed no sign of discomfort at being in enemy territory.

"Seth?" I said as I walked towards him. His hands were shaking still; normally a reaction to his phase. Something in his expression told me that it was more than that keeping him edgy.

I took hold of his hand and it slowly stopped shaking. I heard the Cullens stand behind me, having seen their new guest.

"Seth, did you get her?" I pleaded.

He looked at me and his face filled with sorrow. I knew my answer. She'd managed to evade them once again.

He looked at Jake, his eyes full of apology for not being able to please his alpha. He looked over my head at the Cullens before he realised they weren't going anywhere. He turned back to Jake and cleared his throat. "Leah, Embry and Quil are patrolling the house. Sam took his pack back to the res to strategize."

Jacob nodded but didn't say anything.

"Seth," I asked, "can you go and tell Charlie what has happened, please? He'd want to be here to see Ness."

Seth looked at Jake for confirmation before he nodded and left.

I turned back to Jake and took his hand in mine to calm him. He pulled me into a hug and I sighed into his chest, both of us comforting the other from our mutual torment.

"What is up with you two?" Emmett mumbled. Despite having good hearing, he was quiet enough that we barely heard him… but we did.

I broke away from Jacob but didn't release his hand. I glared directly at Emmett. "We have a common priority, and at the moment you're keeping us from her."

Emmett looked at us then raised his hands for a second as a sign of surrender, then folded them across his chest.

"Does he really have to be here?" Rosalie sniped.

Jake bristled, "I have more right to be here than you, Blondie."

"You're not family!"

"He's my family, Rosalie." There was no room for argument. "And he's Ness' family."

I felt Jake's hand shake in mine. I held it tighter hoping it would help him. I heard his breathing deepen. I knew he was counting to ten.

When he opened his eyes, they were on fire – pure hatred. I squeezed his hand both as a warning and also as a sign of comfort. It wouldn't take much to overload him right now: the knowledge that Renesmee could be dying and we were stuck with the very people he hates the most, plus the fact Nessie's attacker hadn't been caught. His emotions were running wild. I could see it and feel it in the tiny tremors that rippled through his body and ended at his arm.

I decided then to put ourselves first; I'd told the Cullens enough and now I wanted to return to my daughter's bedside.

"Jake, come on, Ness needs us, I don't want to leave her alone."

He didn't look at me when he replied, "You go ahead, Bells, I'll be up in a second."

I followed his eyeline and saw he was looking directly at Edward.

I tugged on his arm to get his attention. He looked at me and smiled slightly, but it looked more like a grimace. There wasn't much to smile about at the moment. "I promise I won't be long."

"Don't do anything stupid," I warned. Jake was looking for a fight. Normally, I would have stopped him but Jake's main flaw was his stubbornness, and I didn't have time to stand and argue with him about doing something rash when Renesmee was upstairs fighting for her life.

So I left him there, walking up the stairs to the only innocent member of this entire commotion who was currently bearing the scars of the explosive aftermath.

As I made my way towards the room, I heard Renesmee's heartbeat, both on the monitors and from her chest. It was still weak.

The door was left open.

As I walked in, my heart clenched at the sight of Renesmee so small on the bed. Her hair was cascaded beautifully over the pillow. The scar on her neck glistened pink as the venom I used to close the wound worked with her blood to fix it.

Carlisle stood by her bed looking at a thermometer and comparing it to his previous notes.

"Her temperature is rising slowly which is a good sign, but it's still in critical numbers," he informed me. He glanced up and offered me a reassuring smile.

I gave a small smile back in appreciation. He might not have been there for me during my plight, but I was so thankful he was here for Renesmee now. I couldn't have taken her to a normal hospital; there were no medical records for her and her blood work was likely to be completely different to a regular human's.

I proceeded into the room and sat by her head, admiring her face. It was cherub-like; she looked so innocent. To everyone, she looked nineteen, but in reality she was still a baby; when she slept it was still obvious. I reached out my hand and stroked her cheek with my finger. I used to do this to her as a child when she told me she wasn't tired. I'd sit by her and stroke it until she relaxed enough to sleep. It calmed her nightmares at night; it comforted her when she'd been crying.

But now there was no reaction. Not even a subconscious tilt toward the source. She was completely unresponsive.

Refusing to believe it, I took her cold palm in my own icy grasp and waited. And waited.

Nothing. She wasn't dreaming or thinking. Her mind was void of anything. I choked up. Her mind was usually full of thoughts, rapidly overlapping one another – I'd never seen anything like it. I used to tease her fondly for her fantasyland. I'd give anything to have that intricate craziness dashing across my own mind right now.

I kissed her hand before resting my cheek against our clasped hands. I wouldn't let go; not when her mind would be the first indication that she was getting better. As soon as it switched on, I wanted to be here.

Nothing would draw me from her side. Not now, not ever. As a mother, she's all that matters to me.