They had all enjoyed his birthday and even Edward had warmed to the idea eventually. His opinion hadn't changed much about his thoughts of celebrating birth as an immortal though. It didn't really justify a birthday, which was normally celebrated by getting a year older. Mari on the other hand was extremely thankful for his birth, albeit being before her great grandparents were even around.
The following sunlight, while most of the family were at work, Mari caught her moment alone with Carlisle in the kitchen to bring her concerns to his attention as he drank a glass of nectar for his breakfast.
"Carlisle? Um, can I have a word?"
"Of course you can." He said taking a drink.
"I don't know if Esme mentioned it, that I had some concerns?" But were the concerns about Edward or herself, or even both of them?
"No, she didn't. It must have slipped her mind with all the celebrations. How can I help?" he swished his empty glass in the sink full of bubbles, rinsing it and started to wipe it dry with a towel.
"There is something strange going on with mine and Edwards hearing." Mari began. "The gift side of hearing I mean."
"Really? How so?" He looked intrigued, he was extremely knowledgeable about the immortal being, but every so often new things cropped up which baffled him, this seemingly might be one he wasn't familiar with.
"I know it sounds odd but sometimes he has told me he has problems hearing my thoughts and between you and me, I have with him too." She winced hearing her own confession.
"Interesting, how long has this been occurring?" he knitted his eyebrows, as Mari thought quickly.
"Well, since, since the transfusion. His head just seems empty to me? I can hear him physically; like I do with Renesmee, but I just don't hear his thoughts any more, like I used to. I asked Esme the other day if she could hear him and she said she could. I've seen him hear others thoughts, but not mine. It's really starting to worry me a bit."
"Hmm." He looked a bit baffled and thought vaguely about how gifts could actually fail.
"See, I heard you thinking then, about reasons why gifts fail." I confirmed correctly.
"Indeed I was." he nodded perplexed. "Tell you what, leave it with me and I'll do some digging. See if anything comes up." He smiled a comforting smile. Mari heard him say. 'Anything for you and Edward' in his head.
"I heard that too. Anything for Edward and I!?" She confirmed.
"Definitely odd. It doesn't initially seem like you have a problem, but I'm baffled as to why it's only each other you can't hear." He rubbed her arm tenderly trying to ease her worries. "I'll have a look into it. Please try not to worry."
Try not to worry?
Returning to her room upstairs, Mari plonked herself in her chair. She'd worked yesterday so today was her day off. Deep in her thoughts she didn't hear Edward come in.
"Have you..." He made her jump again.
"Oh gees!" She placed her hand to her chest, not liking the feeling of the adrenalin that swept through her body. Now this was really worrying her.
What was wrong with her?
Edward laughed throwing back his head. "It's O.K! It's only me!" He approached Mari cautiously and kneeled at her feet, resting his arms on to her thighs.
"Something's not right Edward." She shook her head mournfully.
He looked confused. "What? What's not right?"
"I'm getting really worried Edward." Mari rested her hands on top of his arms.
"What is it? What's wrong Baby?" His facial expression changing to that of concern. Fighting her tears that threatened to disrupt her vision she continued.
"I hear everyone Edward, I hear all their thoughts. I can even hear that robin in that oak tree seven miles to the south-west!" Edward studied the painful silence, homing in on the exact tree she was describing and confirmed it.
"Yes, so can I Baby." He forced a smile.
"But I didn't hear you come in Edward. I can't hear you. I can't hear your thoughts, and I think you know exactly what I mean. You didn't hear me on the beach. You didn't hear my thoughts when I was arranging the delivery of your Piano. Did you?" He didn't answer. She was right.
"That could just be because of the recovery. Post traumatic stress." He shrugged nonchalantly. She wanted to test her theory with him.
"O.K. I'll do a test. I'll think of something, you tell me what I'm thinking."
"I really don't think that is nes..."
"Humour me Edward." Mari insisted.
"All right." He sighed. "Go ahead." He said smiling, confidant he would hear one thing. She thought deeply with a blank expression.
'Marry me Edward?'
His face remained blank...waiting for her thought to appear into his mind.
"Well?" She said aloud, holding out her hands either side of her. Clearly he hadn't heard her or his expression would be entirely different.
"Well go on then!" He encouraged her. "Think away!" She answered quietly while she squeezed his arms.
"Edward I did. You didn't hear it did you?" Her worried expression transferred to his.
"No..." He was finally getting it. Something was clearly wrong. He'd hoped it would have improved by now.
"It's not just you though is it Edward. I can't hear you either. Let's test me, see if I can hear you."
"Eh?" He was still engrossed with his thoughts.
"You think of something!" She clarified.
"OK." His expression fell blank and he bore his golden eyes into hers. "There. Did you hear it?" Her shoulders dipped, defeated.
"Oh Edward, something is really wrong. I can't hear you and you can't hear me!"
.
"Well? What's wrong with us Carlisle?" Edward asked him later that evening when he called a vampire family meeting.
"I've done many searches regarding faults in gifted hearing. It may be due to a number of factors. I could go down lots of avenues; studies, routines, thought patterns. I could test venom structures which would require samples."
"I'm not keen on putting Mari through that again Carlisle." Edward's voice was stern and protective.
"I'm just saying what I could do. Not what I am going to do." The more mature vampire stamped his dominance.
"So what are you going to do?" Esme now spoke, concerned for both Edward and Mari's welfare.
"Dude, I wish I could block out Rosalie harping on about babies all the time." Emmett's input required a thump, which Rosalie happily administered.
"Ow!" He rubbed his arm "What? I was just saying..." Attention focused on Carlisle again.
"All the searches came back around to one theory." Leaning forward in his seat Carlisle rested both his elbows on his knees, bringing his hands together as if to pray. "It seems your chromosomes have overlapped, causing a rift in your make up."
"What?" Edward look astounded.
"What does that mean?" Mari probed for a simpler explanation. Carlisle continued linking his hands together like a diagram.
"It seems you both now share the same DNA. Your genetic makeup is now strikingly similar."
"Meaning?" Alice offered sat next to puzzled Jasper.
"It means, because Mari used a large amount of her Venom; which is effectively vampire DNA, to revive Edward, it consequently mixed with your venom too." Carlisle stood up to pace the floor.
"Which we already knew it would." Mari said frustrated. "That doesn't explain why we can't hear each other."
"Mari, you now share the same Venom DNA. So effectively you are two of the same being. Clones as it were. This is why you can no longer hear your mate as a separate person. You are both, since that moment, a new and extremely ancient breed of vampire." A stunned silence fell across the entire room.
"Woah!" Emmett gasped after the pause.
"So, we're like twins?" Mari said nervously, making sense of the news.
"Well normally boy/girl twins won't have the same DNA. Only identical same sex parings. You are both a mix of that breed. It seems vampires can share the exact same venom DNA and be of a different sex." Carlisle smiled at his findings. "This is why you cannot hear each other." Everyone glanced at each other shocked.
"There is more." Carlisle continued again.
"More?" Edward huffed, slouching back into the sofa.
"Yes. But it can wait, if you are finding it difficult to keep up."
"No. We need to know everything Carlisle." Mari's voice was harsher now. "I need to know what I've done to Edward." Edward shot a painful glance to Mari beside him, and slid across the sofa to be nearer her side.
"No! You could never do anything to me I cannot deal with. You saved me Mari. Anything that is a consequence of that, I will quite happily overcome."
"I'm sorry..." Mari began to break. Her strength was fading fast. Edward would stand no part of her sorrow, despite feeling it himself. Taking her face in his hands, he made her look into his eyes.
"You have nothing to be sorry for Baby. You hear me? I don't care what we have become. I am alive, you are here and nothing else matters! Nothing!"
"We can carry on this conversation later if..." Carlisle understood this was a big thing for them to take in.
"No! Mari is right. We have to know everything." Edward looked round to his family, his closest beings of over one hundred years. "This concerns us all. Everyone needs to understand what is to come of us both now." Carlisle nodded silently before sitting back down in his chair to continue.
"Sharing the same venom DNA means many things for you both. You will now share the same feelings, pain, happiness, sorrow and hurt. When one feels an emotion, the other will feel it also. This could become extremely vital in battle. If red-eyes gain knowledge of this it could put you both in danger. Anything your mate experiences the other will too. This of course..." and he paused briefly "...includes immortal death."
"Well I'll be damned!" Emmett said everything they were all thinking at that moment. Edward looked to his father.
"So we would die together, regardless of wherever we are."
"Yes, it seems so. I'm sorry I didn't look into this more before we did the transfer. I apologise to you both." Mari shook her head and was quick to reply.
"Carlisle, I would have done it anyway. I love Edward. Nothing would have stopped me." Edward pulled her closer into his arms.
"There is still one more thing." Carlisle's voice was weak and apologetic.
"Oh now this is getting interesting?!" Emmett received a sharp nudge from Rosalie. He clearly wasn't feeling the seriousness of the conversation.
"What?" He said holding his hands up. Everyone except Rosalie ignored him, eager to get the last bit over with.
What else could possibly happen?
Carlisle resumed his summing up. "There are pictures associated with this extreme vampire breed."
"Oh no! I can't stand to hear anymore." Mari buried her face in her hands.
"Would you rather I continue in private? I can't understand it's a lot to take in right now?"
"I think that maybe a good idea, it's..." Esme attempted to disassemble the gathering.
"No!" Edward hissed. "I want to hear it now!" Carlisle asked if he was sure via thought. Edward nodded in reply and squeezed Mari closer by her shoulder.
"We will deal with anything." Carlisle's deathly words caused everyone's mouth to fall open.
"It seems...vampire pairings can create life after all."
"What!?" Alice shouted.
"Dude!" Emmett added in shock, looking wide-eyed to Rosalie.
Mari's head flicked up from staring at her lap with sheer panic etched to her face. "Children?!" she hollered before turning to Edward. Seems vampires could go into shock after all.
A/N: Hey. Sorry for the delay in between chapters. My Beta has been rushed off her feet with personal stuff. I can now reveal this chapter and the next. My gift to you for being so patient.
Big thank-you to my prereader CaptainClaire3 and big huggles to you xx
Last but not least my wonderful Beta DodgerMcClure. Thank you for sticking with me. Glad the shows went well. Lots of love.
Race you to chapter 17 then?! Go!
DeathToBeReborn. xx