Sophia's POV

I definitely felt broken as Demetri was absent...he never came back and I've done nothing but cry myself to sleep every chance I got...we were supposed to have forever together, we hadn't had enough time...we needed more time, our relationship had only just began which is why it felt like we weren't strong enough to survive this...I ruined us...I'm sorry Demetri.

"Sophia...you need to eat something" I didn't look up, I didn't make a move to say that I'd heard them. "Sophia"

"How much longer can she go without eating?" I heard someone ask.

"In her condition, not long" that was definitely Carlisle's voice. "She hasn't even eaten any normal food all day"

"One of us needs to find Demetri, he's the only thing that's going to get her to snap out of it"

"He left her!" someone growled out.

"Emmett" someone else scolded. "We have to try" their voices faded as they all left the room and I felt a fresh set of tears roll down my cheeks hearing his name as I kept chanting that I was sorry over and over in my head.

Edward's POV

I had my head in my hands feeling a vampire equivalent headache forming as I couldn't block out Sophia's thoughts, they were so loud with desperate longing and my un-beating heart broke for the girl.

"Edward" I didn't look up as Bella sat next to me placing a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"I can't block her out, she's screaming in my head"

"Let's go for a walk" she grabbed my hand and pulled me up and we left the house, Nessie was with Jacob so we were free to go as far as we needed for Sophia's voice to fade and the moment I was finally out of range I let out a sigh of relief feeling guilty as well.

"I thought we had it bad when you were pregnant" I sighed as we walked through the trees.

"I can't believe Demetri just left her here" she commented and I sighed since I felt for the guy as I'd been in his position but I'd never thought about leaving Bella even for a second especially when anything could happen but it's been nearly an entire day since he left, I would have stopped him if I'd been here and knew that he wasn't coming back but Bella and I had been hunting. "If you'd done that to me-"

"I would have never left you" I smiled at her and she squeezed my hand before I sighed knowing I had to get Demetri back before I could go back to that house. "I'm going to go find him"

"I'm coming with you"

"No Bella, one of us has to stay with Renesmee" she sighed hating it but we were parents now and had to think about our daughter. "I'll be back the moment I find him whether he comes willingly or not"

"Just be careful, who knows what state he's in" I nodded and kissed her before I began to track the tracker down figuring Seattle was a good place to start.

Sophia's POV

I felt someone sit on the bed and found myself finally doing something by turning to see who it was and allowed myself to smile when I saw Renesmee with her werewolf body guard standing protectively behind her.

"She wanted to come see you, wouldn't take no for an answer" he spoke gruffly sounding like he wanted to be anywhere but here.

"Why are you so sad?" Renesmee asked and I frowned for the reminder.

"Ness" Jacob said as if warning her but I didn't blame her, she was intuitive and inquisitive given she was only a few months old as far as I'm aware as I'd been told about how fast the hybrid children grow before stopping at 7 years of age to look like young adults.

"It's okay" I said and she took that invitation to move closer.

"Is it your boyfriend?" she asked and I nodded my head, not wanting to correct her that Demetri was my husband in fear I'd break down but my hand did move to my left feeling the space where my rings were missing from since Demetri took them with him which made me believe that maybe we were over and he'd left me here to be the Cullen's problem.

"It's complicated, we had a fight and he left"

"So can't you forgive each other?" she asked and I smiled at her innocence.

"No sweetheart, it's not that simple"

"Why?"

"Because he doesn't want our baby and that's not something people can just forgive and forget about"

"But why doesn't he want your baby, it's like me" she argued.

"He doesn't want to be a father, not like Edward does with you"

"But why?" she asked but I couldn't answer that since I didn't know myself and realized I never asked Demetri that question, why he doesn't want to be a father.

"Okay I think that's enough Ness" Jacob cut in. "Why don't you go and find Jasper and improve on your reading"

"But I can read fine" she argued.

"He could use the distraction from all the feelings around here" she huffed out an attitude 'fine' before leaving the room and I smiled at Jacob.

"Your good with her" I commented.

"Kind of have to be, she's amazing but holds all of Edward and Bella...including the frustrating parts"

"You look at her like she's your whole world, can I ask why?" I asked him since I'd noticed it and the way he protects her is strange.

"We call it imprinting, it's basically our soulmate and when she was born I imprinted on her"

"Weren't you like in love with Bella?" I asked since I'd noticed that too because at times it looked like Edward and Jacob hated each other and the way his tanned skin flushed I knew something went down between them when she was human.

"I had but it's complicated"

"That must have been weird" I commented and he laughed a good hearty chuckle.

"Yeah definitely, Edward still holds a grudge about it but being imprinted on his daughter he knows that I'll never hurt her, I'm her protector and nothing more"

"Sounds sweet" I smiled and he nodded before saying he should go see where she ended up and I didn't argue and fell back into my despaired thoughts.

"How you holding up kitten" I jumped turning eyes widening at the nickname seeing Felix standing in the doorway and blinked a couple times in case I was imagining him but Carlisle turned up as well.

"I called him" he explained. "I wanted to know if Demetri had gone back to Volterra because I need to get some food in you and we all thought getting Demetri back here was imperative"

"I can assure you doc after I get this stubborn kitten to eat I'll hunt him down and knock some sense into him"

"Felix!" I exclaimed finally believing that he was here and when he moved towards me I immediately sat up being careful to move slow before I wrapped my arms around his hulk figure. "He...he's gone, he doesn't want us"

"That's a lie, he wants you Sophia he's just being stubborn about it, a trait you two definitely share I hear" he replied pulling back. "You need to eat, if not for yourself then for my nephew" he placed his hand on my bump. "Wow that's a lot more of you to look at" I laughed at his reply rolling my eyes at him. "I'll get him back for you but you have to promise me that you'll take care of yourself, you can't do what you did last time he disappeared okay...not now you got a little one to look after" I sighed remembering the last time Demetri left...after he attacked me and I'd tried to kill myself.

"Okay" I nodded and he grabbed the cup that I only just noticed Carlisle holding.

"Drink up shorty" I rolled my eyes at the nickname before I drank, my stomach doing flips and not bad ones as the blood went down. "See already looking better, now I'm going to go hunt his ass down, you better keep doing as your told"

"Yes sir" I saluted him and he laughed.

"Good because I'm still waiting for our vampire show down once this kids out of you and you're a fresh little newborn"

"You're still on" I shot back and he nodded before getting up and leaving.

After I drank the whole cup of blood and had something normal to eat Carlisle left me with a nod stating that my pulse was good again and my complexion wasn't as pale and I sighed laying back down feeling the depression wanting to come back but I fought against it since Felix had been right, I couldn't let myself slip into despair not when I had another person counting on me and I had to remain strong for my baby, so that I could live long enough to meet my baby.

Demetri's POV

I hated myself...I hated that I've been away from Sophia and for the stupid fight to begin with which is why I hadn't gone back because I'd never seen her so mad at me, usually I'd just laugh off her tantrums but it had been serious this time and I'd never seen her with such anger in her eyes...she threw her rings at me and they were now looped on my Volturi chest necklace.

I don't know why she'd do this to me...why couldn't she have seen this from my perspective...I was watching my wife slowly starve and wither away in front of me and there was nothing I could do about it, I've never felt so much fear than I have in the last few weeks because none of us even knew if she was going to survive this and if she dies than I'll have nothing left to live for...I'd be nothing but a shell of the man I used to be...I'd be exactly like Marcus and I never wanted to live that way.

I looked up across the park seeing a woman ushering her kids away out of the park as the sun started to set, I was hidden from the last rays of sunlight but it was a fairly overcast day meaning I wasn't going to be at risk of glittering...I don't know why I chose a children's park to stop at but I wanted to see what all the fuss was about...I wanted to know why Sophia was willing to give up her own life over some pointless thing but sitting here for the last hour had given me no insight into why...why she wanted one so badly that she's risking everything...us for.

"You know you're frightening her, right?" my back straightened and I turned seeing Edward had sat next to me on the bench. "She thinks you're a kidnapper" I frowned looking over at the woman and two children that I'd been watching.

"Like I'd want one of the vile creatures" I bit back before I stood and started walking away only for him to follow me.

"You need to go back Demetri" he spoke up and I froze, panic instantly taking hold of my body...my mind racing with macabre thoughts that something had happened and Sophia had...she's fine right?. "She's okay physically but she's shut everyone out, she's not eating and she's getting weaker by the minute...she needs you"

"I can't be there for her, she doesn't want me there" she'd told me to leave and I hadn't wanted to but I couldn't sit there and watch her die.

"Of course she does, she got angry but that doesn't mean that she doesn't want you...believe me I've been in her head" I sighed and started walking again. "Look I've been in your shoes, I was angry at Bella for not giving me the choice, it felt like she had chosen to die and at the time I believed my daughter was a monster but they're not, Renesmee felt complex emotions before she was even born, I heard her thoughts...she registered that she was hurting Bella and tried to limit moving..."

"I don't care, I don't want it"

"But Sophia does and your going to lose her if you don't go back, she's dependent on you Demetri and if anything is going to kill her right now...it's you not being there when she needs you the most"

"Just leave me alone mind reader" I sped away trying to get away from him only to hit a brick wall and go falling back, I got right back up on my feet and my eyes widened seeing Felix as I'd expected it to be Edward and I'd been ready to kill him. "What are you doing here?"

"You've seriously gotta ask me that man?" he glared at me. "Ask yourself that?"

"She called you?" I spat since I couldn't believe she'd call him but he scoffed.

"As if, that would imply that she had actually done something besides stare at walls waiting for you to come back, the doctor called me and told me everything...how could you do this to her again after what she tried to do last time you ignored her and refused to see her"

"It's different, she has the thing-"

"You know it's not that simple, she's starving herself for you!" he yelled at me.

"It's not my fault" I growled out and tried to walk past him but his arm came around and locked around my neck.

"It is your fault, stop doing this to yourself mate...to Sophia, be there for her that's all she wants"

"What about what I want?!" I yelled throwing him over my shoulder but he was back up in a second. "I don't want the abomination!"

"Then your making the biggest mistake of your life" he spat back. "Look past everything that's negative Demetri and tell me, if you were human and had a chance to have a family with her would you?"

"No!" I growled out angrily. "I can't be a father, not if...not if I end up like mine" I turned and started walking away and he fell into step with me not letting me get away.

"It's about time you admitted that" I turned to glare at him. "Your afraid, afraid that you'll be like your father but you won't because you have something that your father didn't..." he trailed off and I paused confused. "A wife who will stand by you-"

"Not if she dies" I snapped back arguing since it wasn't like my own mother left my father, she'd died and he turned cruel over the loss of his wife and I know there was no way that I could love the thing that killed my wife...it's exactly why my father hated me because my mother never really recovered from my birth...she'd died when I was in my first year of life.

"The only thing killing her is you Demetri, the longer your gone the weaker she gets and if she dies the only thing at blame...is you" he spat at me before he left walking away leaving me to be tormented by what he said...how could I be killing her when she was already dying...she wasn't eating...she'd been looking slightly better after beginning to consume the blood...it had been helping her...but now she wasn't drinking it.

I sighed deeply...I was killing her...she'd already tried to take her own life the last time I tried to remove myself from her life and now she was doing it again by letting herself grow weaker, she was allowing the child to drain the life out of her because it meant that it would survive but she wouldn't and I couldn't let her do that.

Sophia's POV

I sighed slowly drinking the blood in the cup feeling weaker still despite drinking the blood that Carlisle was bringing me and I could tell he was worried about my health but I just didn't feel like I had much to live for if Demetri wasn't going to be here, I knew he didn't want this baby but I never thought that I would push him away completely and up until now I'd had hope that when the baby was born that he'd see the beauty our child held just like Edward had done with his daughter but that had been a pipedream and without it I was now lost.

"She's not going to survive this, is she?" I heard Felix's voice and I perked up hearing footsteps coming towards the room.

"Not if she keeps deteriorating like this, she could deliver as early as a few days from now but she's not getting the nutrition she needs even with drinking the blood, her body is fighting but she's just not mentally strong enough" I frowned at Carlisle's words. "Lets hope he comes to his senses" he added instantly deflating the hope I had that Felix would bring him back and I couldn't hide it in time as the tears began to fall.

"Hey it'll be fine...you'll be fine" Felix said coming over and I sobbed harder because it wasn't going to be okay.

"You...you have to save my baby, Demetri won't but you have to...please it's all I have left now"

"Sophia, listen to me okay" he cupped both my cheeks and raised my head to face him. "Don't give up on him just yet, I've known Demetri a very...very long time and he's never loved anything as much as he loves you and I know that deep down he could never hate something that's part you, he's just scared...he'll come around, I promise you" I couldn't agree with him because I just didn't know anymore.

Another 24hrs went past with no sign of Demetri despite both Felix and Edward telling me that they'd tried but I forced myself to not think about him despite the pain and heartbreak I was feeling because I had to focus on my baby and being stressed out was putting us in danger.

I was hooked up to IV drips and drinking even more blood just to keep my strength up and I knew Carlisle was getting worried especially since I didn't know where he was getting all this blood from and knew the supply was running low but it was just a waiting game as my stomach had grown even bigger if that was even possible and he was sure that I could deliver at any time now.

"Felix" I groaned since he had no taken Demetri's spot at my bedside.

"Again?" he asked looking at me from over his book, I nodded my head and he sighed standing up coming towards me and grabbed my arms carefully helping me out of the bed before he pulled me into his arms and walked me into the bathroom before waiting outside the door while I had to use the bathroom.

I stood with a lot of effort to wash my hands and frowned at my appearance, my face looked so hollow and sunken in around my eyes, you could see my cheekbones and my shoulders just looked like skin and bones...I looked horrible and it was a no brainer on why Demetri had left me...who wants to look at someone like this.

"You done?" I heard Felix ask.

"Yeah" I replied turning away from the mirror and walked a step only to feel and hear a sickening crack before I screamed in pain and fell but arms wrapped around me.

"Shit!"

"What happened?!" I looked up at Carlisle as he appeared. "Sophia where does it hurt?"

"M...my knee" I replied since I'd felt it break under the unsupported weight, I always used the bench to help myself stand from the toilet to the sink but when I'd taken a step it was like I was weighted down with an anvil.

"My office, now" Carlisle told Felix who grabbed me and we were in Carlisle's office in the next second with Carlisle doing an x-ray and confirmed that I had shattered my knees. "We're not moving you from now on, it's too dangerous" he told me and I frowned quickly getting to work setting up the IV back in my arm as it had been ripped out when I fell and I was now stuck looking at his office/library/medical room from now on...I just want this over...I want this finished.

"So have you thought about names?" Felix asked me once Carlisle was gone and it was just us again.

"Not really"

"Come on, you can tell me...Felix for a boy right?" he asked and I laughed a little.

"I'll think about it" I told him since I just might had Felix somewhere if it was a boy because he's seriously been the kindest soul I'd ever met from the moment I met him and I thought of him as a brother, a big annoying teddy bear brother. "I've been trying to think of Greek names but..." I trailed off and he nodded understanding. "I like Lucas" I shrugged since that was Italian.

"Too plain" he scoffed. "A child of yours needs something unique...of course not as unique as what Bella named her daughter"

"Hey don't hate on Renesmee, it's beautiful" I argued since I quite liked Bella's choice in names and if I had grown up with a mother I probably would have done something similar and with that thought I remembered Demetri and him telling me his mother's name 'Selene' which means moon in Greek. "Luna"

"Luna?" he asked confused.

"Like the moon, just like Selene-"

"Demetri's mother" he cut me off and I nodded my head feeling a tear roll down my cheek at the thought.

"A middle name maybe" I shrugged since I don't know, I don't really want to do this without Demetri and I wasn't sure if he would even want me to honor his mother like that. "Never mind, it was stupid"

"It's beautiful Sophia" he argued placing his hand on my cheek brushing away the tear and I smiled closing my eyes for a second as I felt myself getting tired. "Soph...hey...you fallin' asleep on me?"

"Mm...I'm tired" I nodded.

"You only woke up 30 minutes ago" he argued and I knew why he was concerned, I usually had better awake periods then that. "Carlisle" he called softly and I felt the breeze of a vampire's arrival. "Something's wrong, her heartbeats so faint"

"Sophia, can you open your eyes for me?" I heard Carlisle ask but my body wasn't responding. "Sophia squeeze my hand for me?" I felt his hand in mine but my fingers weren't responding. "She's crashing!"

"What no!" I heard Felix yell. "Help her!"

"Edward!" I could hear everything become fast paced around me as I was rolled onto my back and my eyelids were forced open with a bright light being shone into them. "Her pupils are blown, there's a bleed somewhere"

"Demetri...you...you have to get back mate...it's Soph..." I heard someone choking up.

"He better hurry, we have to do this now or we'll lose them both" a mask was put over my face and I was immediately flooded with oxygen which made my eyes blink rapidly under my eyes, I tried to fight the exhaustion and managed to open my eyes so that I was just able to see through them and saw Carlisle, Edward and Felix all standing around me before I flinched feeling a needle go into my arm.

"Felix go!" Edward told him and I wanted to protest. "Go!" he exclaimed and I knew something had to be going on for Felix to be ordered out and I'm guessing it was for the inevitable blood.

"Fight this Sophia, you fight this you understand me" I heard Felix say before he was gone.

"Sophia if you can hear us, we have to do this now...do you understand?" I tried to nod my head but whatever I'd been injected with was starting to work and I felt myself fading into darkness.

"SOPHIA!" I heard a new voice and I recognized it.

"De...Demetri" I managed to garble out beneath the mask. "It's okay...just save..."

Demetri's POV

I'd already been on my way back unable to stay away from Sophia any longer when I received Felix's message and I don't think I've ever ran so fast in my entire existence, fear pushing me forward to break through the trees that surrounded the Cullen's hearing the trees snap at the pressure around me before my eyes fell on Felix outside, sitting on the stairs leading to the house holding his breath.

"Where is she?!" I demanded.

"Inside...it's-" I didn't wait to hear what he said and sped inside following the sounds of frantic breaths and a weak heartbeat finding myself in the doctors office with him and the mind reader standing over my wife who had needles in her arm giving her something while a mask was over her nose and mouth.

"SOPHIA!" I marched forward towards her left bedside.

"De...Demetri" she whispered so weak that I felt my non beating heart still even more. "It's okay...just save..." she trailed off and went limp.

"Sophia...Soph...do something, get it out of her!" I yelled at the doctor before I looked back down at Sophia...she looked so weak...so fragile in just a few days from when I last saw her...I had to turn her.

"We have to get the baby out first" Edward argued with me.

"I don't care about it"

"She does!" he exclaimed before they got to work. "Hold your breath!" he told me quickly and I ceased my breathing but it wasn't enough as I heard them start cutting through the flesh on the massive swell of her waist and the smell of her blood filled my senses regardless of not breathing as it poured out of her but I didn't feel compelled to taste it...my focus was on Sophia's face seeing her eyes flittering beneath her eyelids and I grabbed her hand.

"I'm sorry mi amore, I'm sorry just hold on for me okay...I love you, I'm sorry" I leaned my head down close to her ear in hopes she could hear me. "Please" I knew if I could cry tears would be pouring down my face. "I'm sorry" I whispered keeping my ears focused on her heartbeat which was still beating...the moment it changed rhythm I was going to bite her...whether that thing was out or not. "Your my heart Sophia, don't take it with you yet" I begged her right before a new sound reached my ears...the cries of a baby.

"Demetri go!" Carlisle told me and I knew that was the signal, they'd gotten the thing out so I wasted no time cupping the side of my mates head turning it away from me and bit into her neck...her blood flowed down my throat igniting the burn 1000 times worse than I'd ever imagined it would feel...her blood...even more fragrant and euphoric than I'd ever could imagine, my hand shook on her cheek as I gripped it. "Demetri...enough...Demetri" those were the only words I heard from the doctor as I battled myself to stop... "Think about her...about everything you've been through..." a thousand images came forth to my mind...all of them Sophia and I finally pulled my head back letting go of her neck savoring the first and only taste of her...just like it should have been...her turning. "You did it...it's up to her" he told me placing his hand on my shoulder.

I listened to my mates heartbeat which had taken off as the venom...my venom now burned it's way through her body turning her from my fragile, sweet human into a vampire but the noise of a baby crying reached my ears again and I found myself unable to stop from turning towards it seeing the blonde...Rosalie cleaning something with a towel.

I looked at it squirming and screaming in protest to whatever she was doing...Carlisle stood with her checking it over and I frowned at the smiles on their faces which clearly told me that the thing was definitely alive and healthy despite that it just nearly killed my mate to get out.

"Demetri" my head turned with a snap towards Edward. "Go over, look at her" he told me and my eyes widened...it was a her...a girl...what the hell am I supposed to do with it, with a girl...he chuckled. "You get used to it" he nodded at me and I felt my feet moving before I'd even given it too much thought slowly walking towards the blonde who now had it...her wrapped up and was feeding her with a metal bottle and I could smell the blood from inside it.

The blonde looked up hearing my approach and glared towards me as if I was a monster and she pulled the tiny thing towards her shielding it protectively and I glared back at her since it wasn't hers to protect...it was Sophia's!

"Rosalie" I heard Edward's snip at her.

"He abandoned them" she snapped back at him but I wasn't focused on them because in their snaps because the tiny thing had forgotten about it's meal and had turned towards me...fully focusing on me and I was locked eyes with it...blue eyes...my blue eyes...my human eye color...but also with a hint of Sophia's blue as well...our eyes were staring back at me...our eyes surrounded by dark brown hair...Sophia's hair color...she was ours, no doubt about it.

"Rose, give her to him" Carlisle told her and she glared at me but was suddenly placing the tiny thing into my arms and I froze still looking down at her shocked that I saw so much of Sophia in her but also me...she had my eyes and my nose but the rest was Sophia and I felt my lips tug into a tight lipped smile before I walked over to Sophia who was so still that I was worried.

"We gave her morphine, it kept Bella still like this" Edward told me and although that relived me, I didn't like it. "Just focus on her heartbeat, we'll be around if you need us" I looked up seeing them all leave and my eyes widened in a panic since they'd left me with the...baby...my eyes dropped back down and saw that it had fallen asleep, head turned again my chest...just like her mother...I smiled again.

"All this fuss over you" I found myself saying while I looked down at her before back at Sophia with the same smile. "She's just like you Soph..."

"Do you mind?" Alice suddenly said and I looked up seeing she had a change of clothes and other stuff and I looked down taking note of all the blood and...urgh other stuff everywhere and quickly nodded my head. "We'll take care of her" the blonde came back in still glaring at me but I stepped aside and let them bathe and clean Sophia getting rid of all the blood while I stood off to the side just cradling the baby in my arms as she continued to sleep.

An hour later they were done and I had been sitting next to my wife the entire time as our child slept in my arms but she finally woke up not even crying and I immediately looked down when I noticed her breathing change and she once again met my eyes and I almost felt like I was being studied...I remembered what Edward had said when he was trying to convince me to come back, these babies were smart...already capable of advanced thoughts and emotions before birth.

"She was interesting to listen to" I looked up as Edward walked towards me with the metal bottle in his hand. "She was very intune with Sophia, especially when she cried herself to sleep, I would hear your daughters curiosity on why her mother was upset" I frowned at that since it was me...I was the reason Sophia had been upset and the reason her body had shut down. "She actually had an internal bleed that we didn't pick up on, it was a slow leak from her chest cavity...Carlisle is so upset with himself that he missed it" he explained and I frowned looking back at Soph. "Here, see if she's hungry" he held the bottle out towards me and I quickly juggled the kid with one hand grabbing the bottle and lowered it towards her mouth and she took it beginning to guzzle it down making me smile.

"How do you do it?" I found myself asking him. "Your kid...she seems fine, how do you do it?"

"Patience" he told me. "Humans always say they're kids grow up so quickly but with us, a week is months...a month is years, appreciate every moment of it and love the person who gave you the chance more deeply because it truly is amazing" he smiled looking at Sophia. "You got really lucky, don't waste it" he added before he left leaving me alone again and I smiled at Sophia because he was right, she was amazing...she'd survived just like she promised me and I never should have doubted her because she is the strongest person that I've ever met.

"I ain't waiting any longer, where is she?!" I smirked at Felix having heard him come in before he was next to me and looking down at the tiny girl in my arms. "She looks like her mother"

"I don't know, she's got a bit of the devil in her" I smirked referring to the parts that were me and he laughed.

"Look who's being a proud father now" he shot back and I smiled a little since I'd been so wrong...she wasn't like me...she reminded me so much of Sophia that I found myself physically unable to hate her...my daughter. "You could've saved yourself a lot of grief if you'd trusted your mate, she knew what she was doing"

"I know, I'm going to spend eternity making it up to her and our daughter"

"Can I hold her?" he asked and I felt myself tense looking down at her. "Come on mate, I promise I won't break her"

"That doesn't impose confidence" I remarked but I wanted to touch Sophia, I felt I needed to be reassured that she wasn't dead despite her rapid heartbeat since she was too still for my liking and previous observations of turning vampires so I reluctantly handed her to Felix and she looked so small in his arms.

"Hey little one...I'm gonna be your salvation when these two get on your nerves okay, Uncle Felix has your back" I smirked a little at the Uncle Felix but let him go, let the two children have a moment while I scooted closer to Sophia and took her hand squeezing it.

"You did amazing Soph...we have a daughter and she's amazing" I smiled at her serene face. "She's a perfect mix of you and me, more you which is why she's so perfect...because you always have been perfect in my eyes and no matter what happens now...I love you and I'm going to spend the rest of my life making it up to you mi amore" I leant forward and kissed her forehead feeling her body cooling down...slowly coming to match mine and I smiled a little sad smile because I was going to miss the way her skin would flush with a compliment or when she was embarrassed, her blue eyes...but I couldn't wait until we were finally equals and I can really show her just how much I love her.

Sophia's POV

The pain is excruciating...like fire spreading through to every part of my body, I couldn't understand...couldn't make sense of what was happening as my body tried to reject the pain but I was sucked again and again into a blackness that cut out whole seconds or maybe even minutes of the agony making it extremely difficult to keep up with reality.

I tried to separate them...the non-reality was black and it didn't hurt so much, the reality was red and it felt like I was being burned alive, scorching red hot fire was engulfing my body...I was screaming...why wasn't anyone hearing me...I was screaming but yet nobody came to help...the fire was centered in my heart and there was no releasee...the fire blazed hotter and to beg for someone to kill me now before I lived one more second in this pain but I couldn't move my lips.

I was being buried in the flames that were chewing their way out from my heart now, spreading with impossible pain through my shoulders and stomach, scalding their way up my throat, licking at my face.

My mind was unbearably clear sharpened by the fierce pain and I saw the answer almost as soon as I could form the questions...I remembered being sticked with a needle...that had to be the reason I couldn't move, couldn't scream for someone to end my suffering...all I wanted was to die...to never have been born it wasn't worth living through it for one more heartbeat...just let me die, let me die, let me die and for a never-ending space that was all there was just the fiery torture...infinite, with no beginning and no end...one infinite moment of pain.

It could have been seconds or days, weeks or years while I burned but eventually time came to mean something again despite the fire not decreasing one tiny degree, I just began to develop a new capacity for experiencing it a new sensitivity to appreciate...separately, each blistering tongue of flame that licked through my veins...I discovered that I could think around it.

My hearing got clearer and clearer and I could count the frantic, pounding beats of my heart to mark the time, I could count the shallow breaths that gasped through my teeth I could count the low even breaths that came from somewhere close beside me...these moved slowest so I concentrated on them.

They resonated deeper with me, those breaths pulled me through the burning seconds toward the end as I continued to get stronger, my thoughts clearer and my ears clearer to the point that I could begin to hear new noises, I could listen.

There were light footsteps, the whisper of air stirred by an opening door...the footsteps got closer and I felt pressure against the inside of my wrist although I couldn't feel the coolness of the fingers in which I had grown accustomed to as the fire blistered away every memory of cool.

"Still no change?"

"None" I heard a soft voice along with the lightest pressure, breath against my scorched skin.

"There's no scent of the morphine left" I recognized the voice but couldn't respond. "Sophia, can you hear us...can you open your eyes?"

"Can you squeeze my hand?" that voice again...smooth, melodic despite the pain in his voice...important...I registered but I couldn't conform to it's request as I stayed paralyzed. "I love you Sophia" Demetri...it was Demetri...I could remember his voice, his touch...his love...our love...our baby...where was it...I never found out if it was a girl or a boy and they hadn't spoken of it...was our baby okay!...I wanted to scream this out but I faded to blackness again.

My mind reawakened with the same scorching pain...still spreading its way through my body that I'm sure must mean I'm just a pile of charred bones by now, every cell in my body had been razed to ash.

"Alice says very soon" I heard another voice and if I could have breathed out in relief I would have since that had to mean that the burning was coming to an end...I hope...I pray that this is all over soon because I can't take much more. "She's beautiful"

"She always was" I heard Demetri's reply and felt embarrassment...oh great...still self-conscious...I went back to counting breaths...Demetri's breaths to count the time passing, counting the seconds...twenty-one thousand, nine hundred seventeen and a half seconds later...the pain changed.

On the good-news side of things, it started to fade from my fingertips and toes...fading slowly but at least it was doing something new...this had to be it the pain was on its way out...and then the bad news...the fire in my throat wasn't the same as before I wasn't only on fire but I was now parched too...dry as bone...so thirsty...burning fire and burning thirst...also bad news the fire inside my heart got hotter...how was that possible...my heartbeat which was already too fast picked up...the fire drove its rhythm to a new frantic pace.

"Soph?" I heard Demetri's questioning towards me...my name on his lips would have been barely a whisper to my old ears but it was super clear to my new ones. "Carlisle" he called, his voice was low but clear and I knew that Carlisle would hear it, if he were in or near the house.

The fire retreated from my palms, leaving them blissfully pain-free and cool but it retreated to my heart, which blazed hot as the sun and beat at a furious new speed as I heard Carlisle enter the room, Edward at his side...their footsteps were so distinct that I could even tell that Carlisle was on the right and a foot ahead.

"Listen" Demetri told them but all I could hear was the loudest sound in the room which was my frenzied heart, pounding to the rhythm of the fire.

"Ah it's almost over" Carlisle finally spoke the words I'd been waiting for however my relief at his words was overshadowed by the excruciating pain in my heart...my wrists were free though and my ankles...the fire was totally extinguished there.

"Rosalie will keep the baby away" Edward spoke up and I wanted to yell out my protest.

What did he mean, keep my baby away...my fingers twitched in my irritation finally I was breaking through the paralysis and the room went silent besides the jack-hammering of my heart as they all stopped breathing for a second in response then a hand squeezed my fingers.

"Mi amore...Sophia?" Demetri...he was still here waiting for me...I wanted to see him but the fire ripped hotter still through my chest, draining in from my elbows and knees and then my heart took off, beating like helicopter blades the sound almost a single sustained note it felt like it would grind through my ribs.

The fire flared up in the center of my chest, sucking the last remnants of the flames from the rest of my body to fuel the most scorching blaze yet, it having consumed everything that was combustible and my heart galloped toward its last beat.

The fire constricted, concentrating inside that one remaining human organ with a final, unbearable surge...the surge was answered by a deep, hollow-sounding thud before my heart stuttered twice and then thudded quietly again just once more before there was no sound...no breathing...not even mine and for a moment, the absence of pain was all I could comprehend until I opened my eyes and gazed above me in wonder.