This chapter hasn't been beta'd yet either. I will be going back and editing later.

As always, I don't own Twilight. I just appreciate the loan.

Challenge #3 – Word Play

Date Posted: 1/31/2013

Fandom: Twilight

Rating: K+

Genre: Canon

Content Descriptors: Mostly Fluff

Character Pairing: Bella/ Edward/ Nessie/ Jake

words to use: Tomb, summit, cabbage, king

Carlisle's POV

Of all the people with whom I shared faith my favorite had to be my granddaughter Renesmee. She brought a wide eyed faith and wonder that was truly joyful to behold. She spent hours listening to me tell the stories of my faith, always engaging in questions that would send me on months of research.

The only time, though, I could not answer a question was Renesmee's first Easter. I had spent that Christmas telling her all about the Baby Jesus, and the time in between was passed talking of what little was known about his childhood.

Now we were discussing his ministry and his last days. Renesmee's eyes misted over as I described Jesus' lonely last night spent in the Garden of Gethsemane near the summit of the Mount of Olives. All he asked was that even one stay awake to help pass the night of contemplation.

Not one disciple was able to resist the call of sleep, and alone and feeling forsaken Jesus prayed that the cup he was about to taste be passed from him.

Renesmee pointed out if he'd been a member of our family there would have been no problems finding someone to stay awake.

When I got to the point of the story about his resurrection from the tomb Renesmee said something that would have given me apoplexy if I'd been human.

"Grandpa, you said that Jesus was human, and that he died to save everyone. But after three days his Father raised him up and made him a king in Heaven, body and soul. His Father brought him back to life."

Renesmee looked down at her feet and bit her lip as if uncertain how to phrase the next part of her question.

"Go on, I'm listening," I encouraged.

"So is God a vampire then? Did He raise His Son just the way you raised my father?"

I spluttered, taken aback. Thank God my father wasn't in the room. He would have been screaming heretic bloody murder and rushing for his torch and pitchfork.

Unnecessarily, I swallowed the mouthful of venom on which I'd nearly choked. "No, Renesmee. God is an all powerful spirit. He does not have a body, and He is neither human nor vampire. His Son, Jesus, was sent to us as a human so he could learn to be part of the world and save it."

"But why would God let his own son die? That doesn't make any sense. Even Daddy's Mommy begged you to save him."

"God so loved the world he gave his only son," I quoted. "It wasn't easy for Him, but God did it because that was the only way to teach people how to turn away from evil and give every part of themselves."

Renesmee looked up at me, questions still in her eyes. I didn't have any more words to give her. "Why don't we see what Grandma has for breakfast, then you can talk some more to your Mom and Dad about it?"

Renesmee nodded and held her hand out for mine. "Emily just gave her the recipe for her blueberry muffins. But could you please make sure she's got the sugar and salt straight now?"

I grinned. My wife was many things, but her road to becoming a cook had been bumpy. The last time she'd tried to make Renesmee's favorite muffins she'd mixed up the containers of sugar and salt. Since they were only props to us, Esme had dumped everything into designer jars that looked pretty on the counter, but told nothing about their contents. Only by smell and experience could you tell which was which.

Hand in hand, we walked down the stairs from my office to the kitchen. Esme had heard our conversation from upstairs, and was already pulling out the recipe and supplies.

"How about you tell me which is the salt and which is the sugar sweetie? Then you can help me stir."

Our granddaughter giggled. "Sounds good to me. Can you tell me your favorite thing about Easter while we work?"

Esme's grin spread across her face. "When I was a little girl we all put on our best Sunday clothes and had parades and picnics in the park. Everyone went, wanting to find someone special. That's how I met your Grandpa for the first time. I wasn't very happy because even though I was old enough to find someone that year, no one came to walk with me. So I decided to climb up a tree where I could watch everyone else and see what they were doing to get someone. Unfortunately, I got so fascinated I forgot where I was and fell out. I'll never forget the crunching sound my leg made when I landed. It was horrible."

I rubbed my hand across my wife's shoulders as she shuddered at the memory. Unlike many of her other human memories, this one was still clear to her.

"I was working the hospital that day since the regular doctor was out with his family. They brought Grandma in, worried she was never going to be able to walk again."

Eyes crinkling, Esme looked up and pressed a kiss to my cheek. "But you saved me. Like you would always take care of me."

Renesmee snorted. "Yuck, guys. I don't need to see that."

That did it. My wife dissolved into a fit of giggles like the sixteen year old girl she had been those many years ago. She scooped up Renesmee and tickled her. "You scamp. Shouldn't you speak more respectfully to your elders?"

Renesmee just giggled along with Esme. "Shouldn't you guys be acting more mature?"

I mockingly crossed my arms and did my best to look stern. "Young lady, do you want me to bring your parents in on this?"

"No," she snorted. "They're still probably wrapped around each other back at the cottage. That would be even yuckier to see."

Jake's POV

I arrived at the Cullen house to have breakfast with my favorite girl. The scent of blueberry muffins greeted me as I walked through the door. I never bothered to knock anymore, everyone was always yelling for me just to come in all the time nowadays.

Nessie's hands and face were covered with flour, the apron her grandmother had draped around her was spattered with batter. However, Nessie was grinning from ear to ear as she greeted me.

"Morning, Jakey. I made muffins with Grandma! We'll have them in the oven in a minute then you can taste one when they're done. Want some bacon and juice while we wait?"

"Sure, Ness, whatever you're having I answered."

My Nessie hopped down off the stool she'd been standing on. She looked down at herself. "Maybe I'd better wash up first."

"I'll help you, dear," Esme chimed. "Alice just brought some things in yesterday if you want to get changed."

"Hopefully nothing too pink and frilly this time," grumbled Nessie.

She was good natured about Alice playing Nessie Barbie with her, but put her little foot firmly down about pink and lacy ruffles. There were some things beneath a young lady's dignity and not to be borne cheerfully.

"Morning,Carlisle," I said. "Hopefully you've been having a good day."

"I was just explaining Easter to Renesmee," he answered. "But she had an odd question. Maybe you could help redirect her a bit."

"Yeah, sure," I nodded. "I can tell her all about the Easter Bunny. "Just don't get any funny ideas about feeding her cabbage and carrot soup. I've heard horror stories from Charlie about the year Renee tried that. It was apparently disgusting."

Carlisle laughed at that. "I can only imagine. Luckily I never tried any such thing when I was a human."

Nessie came back into the kitchen this time. She was wearing a dress and tights, but it was blue and the embellishment was minimal. Over her shoulders was a soft white embroidered cardigan.

I stared for a few moments, marveling at how grown-up she was getting. It seemed like any time had passed and she was already outgrowing the little kid stage.

Nessie reached a hand up to my cheek, showing me what to her was a disgusting pile of pink ruffly things in her Aunt's room. "My Aunt Alice went shopping. This was the most acceptable of the lot."

"It's very pretty Nessie. Just like you."

I reached down and tousled her bronze curls, knowing that would earn me a glare. Nessie was trying to assert how big she was these days."

"Jake!," she protested. "I just got all the tangles out of that. Don't you go and mess it all up again."

I chuckled. "How about after breakfast we watch a movie? If you guys don't have The Easter Bunny's Coming to Town I can run over to Emily's and get it. Quil left it over there after watching it with Claire."

Carlisle and Esme looked over the counter into the living room at the wall to ceiling DVD shelf standing there. Carlisle said, "We have that one. It's among our small collection."

I snorted. "Small collection my left hind leg. It looks like you guys knocked over a video store."

Esme fought back a laugh. "After you get done rotting my granddaughter's brain with that trash, we can put in Easter Parade. I was just telling Renesmee about Easter parades back in my time."

Grinning, I answered, "Good, I could use a nap."

Nessie swatted me on the back. "Jake! Mind your manners!"

"Yes, sweetie. You just remember yours too."

Nessie stuck her tongue out at me. "I always do."

We settled in to watch the movie. Nessie was fairly entertained, but found the Rankin Bass stop motion to be fairly childish. Her brow wrinkled as she took in the different traditions on display.

"Alright, I'm confused. Grandpa says Easter is about Jesus saving the world. But this says Easter is all about a bunny who hides eggs and brings presents like Santa. Which is it?"

I sighed. This was going to have to be a careful explanation. "It's about both in a way. Other religions make Easter about the return of spring and new things beginning to grow. Bunnies produce a lot of babies, and eggs are what baby birds come from. So bunnies and eggs got mixed up in the traditions somewhere along the way. It's nice, but if you're a person of faith the real reason for the holiday is what your Grandpa was talking about. Sort of like how Christmas is about both Santa and Baby Jesus' birthday."

Nessie looked at me, still uncertain. "Grandpa said Jesus came back to life after three days. I guess that fits more with the new life of spring than what I was thinking."

"What was that, Ness?" I asked.

"That God was a vampire."

Edward and Bella chose that moment to walk in. They met my eyes then moved on to Carlisle and Esme, wondering what in the heck just prompted that statement from their child.

I choked. "Nessie, no, God's not a vampire. Though I can see how you'd get that idea with the whole coming back to life after three days."

Nessie sat awhile and thought. "I guess sometimes we need to take stories about faith for what they are and not worry too much about the logic."

"That's a very good way of putting it, Renesmee," her father said. "Faith isn't about what we can know or see. It's about what we believe."

Nessie nodded. "Let's go check on the muffins, then watch that movie Grandma wanted to watch."

Bella went into the kitchen with us. She helped Nessie pull the muffins out and check them. They were done, so she flipped them out of the pan and onto a platter to cool a bit.

"So, Renesmee," she said. "It seems like you had an interesting morning."

"I did, Mommy. I'll tell you all about it when we get home after breakfast and the movie."