I love the reviews guys, so keep it up! Sadly, only 2 chapters left so start asking all your questions because I don't think they'll be answered here, but you never know. I understand very little about vampires, venom, & that sort of thing so just go with whatever I say, ok? Great! Here is Edward's last narrative chapter: "Madison"
Our first year of college-rather Bella's first year- was over, and now we had the few weeks left to prepare for the baby's arrival. Its' room, across the hall from ours, was finally furnished, painted, and decorated in a nineteen-teens way. On the wall with the door was the cherry wood crib, and next to that was the matching changing table and dresser with an antique mirror. Above the table was the picture Alice drew for us, and the lamp Rosalie bought showed off the incredible details of the buildings, cars, and people. The bedroom window took up most of the far wall and was the main light source of the room.
Jacob's Treaty deadline had expired, but we agreed to handle that later. I insisted that Bella stay human for a little while longer so everyone could see the baby without us having to worry about Bella's self control. Reluctantly she allowed me to wait until school started again. Her only fears, besides uncontrollable blood lust, were the Volturi and being older. Age didn't matter to me, but the Volturi was a problem I wasn't ready to face.
Children of vampires, in wild theory, should be stronger than normal vampires after their change, and the idea, now a reality, would intrigue the Volturi enough to have it seriously researched. Could we outrun them long enough for our child to grow up and be changed-supposing I allowed that?
I was lying on my side of the bed late on night and listening to one of my favorite '20s jazz bands when she tensed and moaned. I quickly flipped over, hovering above her tight face. I stroked her face to sooth her, and her hand shot up to squeeze mine with all her might. It was time.
Esme's p.o.v
I was reading Withering Heights, trying to find the magic that held Bella to it, but the novel's plot, as interesting as it was, couldn't hold me quite as much. Carlisle was in his office reviewing a patient's case; he was trying to pull together a convincing case to present to the epilepsy doctors in the capitol when the home phone rang. I grabbed it to let my husband continue his work.
"Hello?"
"Bella's having the baby!" screamed Alice from the other line. Jasper picked up their other phone to join in on the conversation.
"We just booked our flight to Juneau. We leave at eight a.m. and should arrive around two. I suppose Edward hasn't called you yet?" he asked calmly.
"No, he hasn't, but he will when he has a chance. I'll go buy the tickets now, but Alice? Jasper? Do you have the key to their house? I don't think their neighbors will let us break in."
"Of course we do! Don't you? We also have your house key, and Rosalie and Emmett's," cried Alice in disbelief and disgust. It was a silly to think that Edward didn't give them a key, but one never knows.
"If you hurry and buy those tickets now you'll arrive an hour earlier than we do!" added Jasper, probably just remembering Alice's newest vision. I assured them I'd order than the minute I hung up and let them call my other two children.
I ran upstairs to Carlisle's office. He had already neatly stacked the case papers on the nearest filing cabinet and looked up at me, smiling, as I ran to him.
"I heard," was all he said before finishing the order online. I wrapped my arms around his neck and laughed at fate's "reality." Years ago I lost my baby to my life, but now I was getting a second chance to raise a child-this time as a grandparent.
Carlisle clicked "confirm order," and by six a.m. we were both onboard the earliest flight to Alaska.
Edward's p.o.v.
Bella, having proved her strength to be three times greater than my own, was now peacefully sleeping in her hospital room, too tired to speak. After over twelve hours of unforgettable terror of losing them both, Madison Joy Cullen was born on June twenty-ninth.
I sat down in the chair next to her bed and called Charlie to tell him the news. The phone rang several times before the police chief picked up.
"Hello?" I could hear the TV in the background. Three or four cheers and roars erupted in the back, turning Charlie's attention to snap back to the game.
"Charlie, it's Edward." I shook my head at my father-in-law's short attention span.
"Edward? Oh, hey! How are you?"
"Bella had the baby; it's a girl!" He was silent for a minute, and his company became concerned. I heard Billy and two others (Old Quil and the older Ulley perhaps) ask what happened. At last Charlie spoke again.
"When? What's her name? Where's Bella? Can I talk to her?" He shot one question our after another without waiting for a reply to any of them.
"It wasn't long ago, her name is Madison, and Bella's here next to me, sleeping." I hung up after promising to have Bella call him that night. I looked over to my dreaming blessing and the gift sleeping on the other side of the bed. I walked over to her, about to pick her up when I heard our nurse outside the door.
She was telling two people that they shouldn't come in because "she needs her rest," but the couple refused to give in. I silently laughed at the overprotective nurse and decided to let my parents in.
"Oh, Edward, she's beautiful!" awed Esme as she reached down to pick the baby up. I ran in front of her and carried my joy across the room. Esme followed close behind me.
"Let Bella hold her first. I'm afraid you won't give her back!" I teased. We all laughed, and she and Carlisle sat down near the window. I turned around to sit back in my chair, but instantly all here of us noticed something unusual about Madison: she smelled exactly like Bella, but weaker!
"How is that possible?" I asked. Any vampire could tell you that everyone had a different smell-just like finger prints- that smelled different to different vampires. Two identical smells was unheard of.
"It's just an idea, but another main component of life is blood, and only Bella had blood to give. Perhaps the slight difference in smell is due to the venom you had to give," Carlisle began, but Bella started to wake before he could finish his theory.
"Well?" she asked, eyes closed and smiling. I lightly kissed her forehead and placed Madison in her mother's arms for the first time. Bella looked down at the tiny, black hair, blue eye baby. She kissed Madison's soft head causing her to involuntarily kick.
"We made it through," sighed Bella as she looked up at me.
"You two almost gave me a heart attack! Not an easy thing to do," I laughed. Carlisle and Esme became concerned, so I explained.
"Bella's heart rate dangerously increased, so they gave her something to calm it, but that dropped Madison's too much." Carlisle's theory jumped back in our heads.
"That confirms it! The venom you gave instead of blood has direct control over her heart."
"Meaning?" cried both Bella and me in alarm.
"Her heart is set at a certain rate, balanced by Bella's blood and Edward's venom. She may be immune to the percent of venom in her. If she bleeds a lot she'd loose a portion of her venom, too." Esme then thought of a startling discovery.
"If she was bit after losing blood the venom wouldn't affect her!" she exclaimed. "It would take twice as much to change her, right?" If you ever change her, she added.
"Twice the venom, twice the speed of change?" asked Bella, instinctively holding our baby closer. We all looked to Carlisle for an answer. He only shrugged and said, "Theoretically."
Venom, to the carrier, was benign and gave us our vampirc speed, strength, grace, and beauty. Would it also give my daughter blood lust or other powers? I pushed the frightening news aside to say those two words again: my daughter!