Chapter Twenty

No matter if you knew beforehand if you were going to become a vampire nothing prepared you when you actually became one.

The pain, oh the pain, as Bella's body began to heal itself from the intense birthing process, she had gone through became sharper.

Her once paralyzed state was one of the first things that was healed, the venom soaking itself into her vertebras. Her hands twitched as her muscles were pinched and prodded during the whole transformation process.

Bella knew she would be spending three days in this immense pain. She was able to stay still where she was during the majority of the time she was going through her transformation. She was moved at the end of the second day and the beginning of the third in order for them to wash her body along with her hair, to get her ready in order for her to wake up and be welcomed with her family once more. She would never have to leave them again, her eyes would never close as a sign of death ever again.

Each moment that came closer for Bella to wake up into her second life as a vampire she wondered if Atticus had inherited his father's eyes or if he had inherited Bella's? Did he have redder in his hair, or would he just have dark hair? Would he be a talkative baby, or would he be one that is silent and brooding, just like she imagined Jane and Alec had been when they were babies.

The pain and burn in her body traveled away from all other parts of her body till it reached her heart. She could not take a breath, but she almost tensed as the pain began to increase. She was having her heart burnt to a crisp, steam would be rising off of her heart and if she tried to hold it in her hands it would crumble into ash. Sulfur would be the only smell left that would come from her, not the floral shampoo and conditioner that Heidi must have put into her hair.

Then it was gone.

Her heart stopped beating, and her once brown irises opened, revealing crimson irises instead of brown.

Above her she could see the hairline cracks in the stone ceiling from the age the castle was. She knew she was wearing a ball gown; she would rather be wearing some jeans and a t-shirt if she was being honest but knowing Heidi, she was worse than Alice and had made sure to place her in whatever dress she wanted her to be in.

She opened her mouth, as though she was going to say something, only to decide not to in the end. She sat upright and ran her fingers against her throat, flinching from the unbearable heat that was in the back of her throat. She knew this was what it must have been like when a vampire was thirsty, she just wondered if it was something that was always there no matter how many times, she would drink blood. She hoped she wouldn't have the burning in her throat forever.

Slowly but surely, she got up from the bed, flinching when she could hear the bed break underneath her from the sudden surge of strength, she had gotten from becoming a vampire. She didn't have any shoes on, and as she looked around, she saw that everything was of basic necessity, for a moment Bella wondered if the room was an extra room for a human servant of the Volturi.

A standing oval mirror was in the corner of the room, and Bella went towards it.

She almost stumbled backwards at the beautiful creature that was looking back at her in the mirror.

Her features were symmetrical, her skin was clear, and her hair had its natural red become more than just a simple side feature. It was striking, demanding and made her hair look redder than it did a dull brown when she was a human. Her nose was cute, long, and her lips were plump with red lipstick smeared across both the top and bottom lip. Thankfully her curves were only a little thicker but not too much, but the dress screamed Heidi more than it ever did scream Bella.

The dress was a long, obsidian evening dress with a halter neckline, showing off the middle of her chest but covered enough of her breasts that they didn't show too much of them and part of the halter neckline went around her all her neck.

The skirt bellowed around her, tulle, while the top of the dress was velvet. It made her look as though she were a dark goddess even though she felt as though she was a vampire that wanted to sate her thirst before being reunited with her husband and little half vampire son. She hated it, instantly, she wanted to just wear a t-shirt and jeans, how hard was it to find some around here?

She had barely studied herself in the mirror when the door opened, revealing Alec coming into the room. He was posed in a way that let her know he was prepared to counterattack if she wanted to attack him. Yet there wasn't anything inside of her that demanded she attack him. He was her husband, he was her mate, the father of her son, why would she want to attack him? Why did he think she would attack him at first sight?

She moved towards him, and he was patient with her, she was certain that if he needed to use his numbing powers he would. Yet when she came closer to him, she could see the worry seem to slide away from him. He could tell that she was unnaturally calm, there was no reason why she should be attacking everything in her way. She wasn't angry, she was ecstatic! She was able to survive the transformation like she said she would and now she could be with her husband and Atticus for the rest of eternity without fear of death!

"Isabella…"

Alec breathed as he reached his hand up and pressed his fingers against her cheekbone. Her eyes widened in surprise when she could feel no true temperature from him anymore. He didn't have that freezing temperature he always seemed to carry when she was human.

"Alec…"

Bella's mouth fell open from what she had said, she couldn't believe that her voice was that beautiful. She never had a beautiful voice when she was human. She almost wondered if someone else was talking but there was no other female in the room, and as far as she knew her husband didn't have the power to change his voice on command.

Alec's eyes widened and he gave her the most beautiful smile she had ever seen. His eyes were so warm, there were no solid lies behind his eyes whenever he would have to be on guard duty. This was his true self; this was the side that he showed only to her. This was the look that reminded her they were soulmates, even if many thought that vampires didn't have souls.

He leant forward to press his lips against hers, but she shook her head and pressed her hand against her throat, reminding him how she needed to drink before anything else would happen. Disappointment came across his features for a moment before he nodded his own head, allowing her to know that he understood that burning craving.

"Come with me. We'll take care of that thirst."

Although she had undeniable thirst, she also craved to have Atticus in front of her. She wanted to see her precious bundle. Bella whined some, gaining the attention of her husband. He caressed her wrist with his fingers in a soothing, circular manner but it wasn't the same. It was frustrating to say the least, she wanted to feed but she also wanted her son. She needed to feed first, but that maternal instinct was almost overpowering, she needed her son.

"Atticus. Where's my Atticus?"

They were in the corridor now, heading to another section of the castle. To the feeding room, since the kings were not having ceremony today and there was no need for them to feed in the throne room. The feeding room was for those that preferred to feed just by themselves or with their mate. Not those that liked to feed in a pact. Feeding was sacred, it wasn't something that should be just used without knowing consequences. Especially when it came to the first feeding.

"You need to feed first, mi amour. Then you can see Atticus. He still is part human," Alec remarked, making Bella dig the heels of her feet into the stone floor. She gasped as the stone underneath her cracked and broke away, until she was certain if she didn't calm down, she would fall through the rest of the stone and onto the corridor below.

Alec scooped her up in his arms and held her, since her emotions were messy for the time being. She accepted this; she didn't feel degraded. It was nice but her son still wasn't in her arms. She could be in the arms of her husband anytime she wanted to be, but she had yet to have Atticus in her arms once since she had become a vampire.

"Atticus is with Uncle Marcus, if you must know. He insists that he be the one to watch after him while you feed and get adjusted to the whole Newborn stage. Things would get ugly if a female vampire had decided to watch after Atticus for us. You'd decapitate the vampire's head before they could even know what was happening. I'm sure that you don't want our son to think back to his first true meeting with you to be with you decapitating the head of Jane most likely," Alec confessed, while his wife took in all he said and observed the information that was mentally thrown in front of her.

She didn't say anything, not until they came across the second corridor that they were walking in, but then again, she didn't really say anything. She moaned in excitement when she could smell the pumping blood in the other room, there was so much blood that was there for her to consume. She couldn't wait until she would have that sweet, sweet blood flowing down her throat. The burning might stay after she drank from him, but she was certain it wouldn't be so bad.

"Bella, I want you to know that the person we've chosen for you to drink from is a criminal…he's tortured many people and often targeted children–" Alec slowly started, only for Bella's eyes to darken at the mention of children, and before he could say anything else she broke the door through the middle before she stalked forward.

The middle-aged man they had bound with chains against the walls and tortured without any mercy because he killed others without mercy had lost very little blood. They wanted him to be drunk out of almost completely by Bella. They knew she would want to drink from someone that had a true reason to be killed. He molested and raped children, and although Alec wanted to attack the human at the very thing that he had done he knew his lovely wife would be the one to do it for him.

She was a blur, black dress reminiscent of Persephone in her underworld queenly dress. He stood there calmly as she attacked with a vengeance, teeth and nails ripping apart flesh and screams. So many screams came from the man. She was done with him a moment later, going away from him with blood soaked across her face and her body, her lips coated in that sweet, sweet blood.

"Where's Atticus?"

Alec sighed as he came forward to where she was, he knew her mind would automatically turn back to their son. He saw no reason why this should be different or odd or aggravating. He didn't want to be away from Atticus either, but Uncle Marcus wanted to be the one who would take care of him while Alec went and cared for his now vampire wife. Their son couldn't be in safer hands, both by Uncle Marcus and in the entire castle also.

"You need to bathe, mi amour. Then we can go and see Atticus," Alec mandated, which in return made Bella growl at the mandate that her husband had given her. Yet when she saw that he wasn't going to budge from his decision she slumped her shoulders.

"I never even got to hold him; do you think he'll know it's me?"

Bella was terrified that her son would be placed into her arms only for the boy to start crying because his mother was human the last time, he was around her, not a vampire. The last thing she wanted was to ever cause distress or sadness from Atticus. He was only a few days old, and she wanted to give him the entire world.

"Of course he'll remember you, Bella. You're his mother," Alec assured her.

Alec put his hand out, palm facing her, not only to try and show peace to her but also to let her know he was going to be patient with her. She bit the corner of her lip but nodded her head and placed her hand in his. He led her towards their private chambers, whereas they entered she swore she could smell something new in another room within the chambers.

"Why does it smell different?" Bella probed him, making Alec look flustered (if he were human, it would have been obvious and natural for him to blush at the question).

"I'll show you the reason why after we bathe."

"We? You're not dirty, Alec. I'm the one who's covered in blood and the one who destroyed Heidi's dress she had put me in. Which by the way, you did me dirty by that, you know I'm perfectly fine to have been put in jeans and a t-shirt. Even a cotton dress like the ones I was wearing during the pregnancy," Bella remarked, folding her arms against her chest. She knew that she was going to have more blood stained across her arms from the blood on the fabric now.

"Heidi is terrifying, Bella. If she doesn't get her way, she'll be complaining for weeks about it. Besides, I knew that with the first feeding you'd end up destroying the dress. Then we could put you into the jeans and t-shirt that I had saved for you."

Entering the bathroom chambers, Alec helped Bella out of her dress, though she smacked his hands away when he began to run his fingers against her skin. Something animalistic appeared towards her, making her want him to continue until they would consume each other. Yet the maternal part of her was stronger and she wanted to solidify her motherly bond towards Atticus.

"No sex. We have the rest of eternity to have sex. You can look but you can't touch."

Alec pouted but knew she was right.

What kind of father was he if he was more focused on his own sexual needs than the emotional state of his wife?

He knew that it was tearing her apart to be away from Atticus, she had lost her family last year through different ways and now to know that she had her own son she would want to do everything to be with him. She wanted to let him know that she wasn't going to leave him, like her mother had died from the tumor and her father ended up in coma because of a complication in surgery.

"Can I at least wash your hair?"

"Of course. I'll probably end up cutting it, but that's only if it can grow out again. I don't know the whole venom thing completely," Bella mused aloud, though Alec soon agreed with her on the whole venom thing. They thought they had it figured out, but apparently a male vampire could get a human female pregnant.

Bella smiled as her husband washed her, cleaned her, and was allowed to press kisses among her hair and her face. Anywhere else she would swat him away. He'd do so willingly, laughing some at how she was constantly reminding him that although she was very undeniable to him, they had plenty of time to have sex in the future. He was looking forward to it, but he was also looking forward to the future he would have with Atticus, though he was quite worried with how he was right now.

Eventually, Bella was washed and cleaned and given the necessary underwear and bra to slip on. She noticed how her breasts were a little bigger, and her butt obviously was shaped more rounded than before. She didn't have that many curves when she was human, but she wasn't just flat chested and flat bottomed. She just wasn't accustomed to the fact that she looked like a walking goddess, Persephone was the running joke between her and Alec–for he was the grumpy and alone Hades, and she was the warm and innocent Persephone who came to him willingly.

A deep purple cotton t-shirt with a small little pocket sewn on it that would rest over her right side of her chest, along with light washed denim jeans were laid out on the bed for her. Some simple white tennis shoes were next to the bed, which Bella eagerly slipped on once she had gotten her shirt and jeans on. Alec brushed out her hair and pulled it in a ponytail for her, before he picked up her wedding ring and placed it upon her martial finger once more. He kissed that finger before he pulled away and led her out of the bedroom and in the direction of where the spare bedroom was. (She didn't even know there was a spare bedroom! Could they have made it when she was pregnant?)

"Bella, there's something I need to tell you about Atticus before you see him."

Bella stiffened as she swore a deadly chill went through her entire body despite the fact that she was a vampire now and she couldn't really have reactions to temperature. It was kind of foreboding and she straightened up her back before she turned to look at her husband. The early morning light shimmered through the stained-glass windows of the corridor, which only reminded her how it had taken days for her to become who she was now.

"What are you talking about? Atticus is perfect, I'm sure that–"

Alec shook his head and reached his hand out slowly so that he could touch his wife, but she shook her head and took a step backwards. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously at Alec as though he was going to tell her Atticus was born without an arm or an leg, but as far as she knew she didn't hear anything of grievance importance when she was giving birth.

"Bella, it's not…this is the first case that we know about hybrids. We didn't know they existed, but it turns out that they exist. So, when Atticus came out, he looked as though he was days old instead of less than a day old. He was bigger than an average newborn," Alec explained, making Bella absorb what he was telling her before she looked away.

"Okay…"

Alec sighed and reached his hand out and put it in hers.

He ran his fingers against her wrist and the top of her hand to let her know that everything was going to be okay. She didn't know how to feel about the whole situation though, if what Alec was telling her there was something wrong about their son. Something that was quite concerning, more concerning than they expected.

"Take me to our son, Alec."

Bella knew if it were possible her heart would be racing in her chest, her breathing would be unsteady, and her palms would be sweaty. She would be close to hyperventilating because not only was she meeting her Atticus for the first time, but he also happened to have rapid aging and looked days older than he already did–for all she knew he could look like he was a month old instead of three days old! She didn't know what she would be greeted with.

The doors opened and the first thing Bella saw was her family gathered in a circle around Uncle Marcus. They were in a specially built nursery for Atticus, all in the soft shades of blue and silver. It was beautiful, and perfect for Atticus but that was the last thing that Bella cared about. Sure, she was happy and flattered they had made a nursery for her son, but she was more focused on Atticus himself, not the nursery made for him.

Everyone tensed where they were, and Bella kept herself from growling when her eyes landed on the familiar redhead that had been her sister-in-law's destined mate.

Thankfully Edward Cullen knew to keep his opinions to himself, if he ever wanted to be with Jane then he would have to learn the ways of the Volturi. There were certain things that you said and there was certain thing that you just didn't say, talking about forced abortion was one of those things that you would never talk about in the Volturi.

Slowly everyone began to turn to look at Bella, all of them seeming to be standing on the edge of a cliff. They were waiting to see if they needed to stay or if they needed to be far away from her.

She could hear the tiny hummingbird heartbeat, one she had constantly been hearing since she was awake (something in her told her it was her baby boy's), and now that she was in front of her child, she knew for certain that it was her Atticus's heartbeat. His blood didn't smell anything close to tempting, nor did she see why she would want to drink the blood of her child (she wasn't Sulpicina, she was certain that woman would drink the blood of her children if it meant her reign would be unquestionable).

Each step she took closer to meet her son; she knew she was one step closer to having her forever finally. Her family was still gathered too close to Atticus. She wondered if the change in his appearance age wise was a lot more concerning than Alec saying he looked a couple days older than he already looked.

Thankfully everyone had common sense and moved out of the way when she got close enough to smell the calming scent of her infant. The last thing they wanted to deal with was the wrath of a newly transformed vampire mother if they didn't let her become properly introduced to her hybrid vampire/human son.

Finally, everyone was out of the way and Bella fell onto her knees in surprise when she had her crimson irises land on the same blue shade, she remembered Jane and Alec having in her vision of them when they were about to become burned to the stake. He had thick, curly brownish red hair that was already becoming quite large on his head. Tiny heart shaped pink lips, large irises, smooth long nose. He was the perfect mixture of his mother and father.

Tears rose in her tear ducts and Bella knew if she were able to, she would be having tears flowing down her cheekbones without mercy. Her arms shook as she reached her hands out for her to take her son in her arms. He looked as though he was over a week old instead of just three days old, but they could deal with that later.

"My Atticus," she breathed aloud, while Atticus shot her a cheeky smile to let her know he was glad she had acknowledged him. He reached his hands out in a grab-like manner, demanding he receive love and kisses and hugs from his mother.

The moment Atticus Oliver Volturi was put into his mother's arms everything was perfect, at least for a while.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I wanted to post two chapters together this time. Bella during her pregnancy and then her meeting Atticus. I hope you enjoyed the latest chapters of Handle with Care

-Emmy

as always: Twilight doesn't belong to me