"How about Alexandra?" I suggested.

"Are you sure, love? Doesn't Katherine sound much more beautiful?"

"No, Edward, I like Alexandra best."

"Bella, we're not sure it's going to be a girl. How about Patrick for a boy?"

"Well, we're not exactly sure if it's going to be a boy either," I spit back at him. I couldn't believe we waited this long to name the baby, but here we were, with only three weeks to go. I hadn't realized that picking a name would be so difficult, and starting silly little fights with Edward over it was not helping, either. Of course, he didn't really mind. We both knew too well that the hormones had really starting to getting to me lately.

I decided that this was a good time for us both to take a break.

"Edward, can you please be a dear and get me a snickers bar and a gatorade?"

He was all too used to my random requests by now, so before I could even finish my next thought, he was at the fridge digging around for my snickers and gatorade. I had been craving these two things more and more lately, so last time I took a grocery shopping trip with Alice, she made sure to stock me up.

He gave me a quick smile as he set them down on the table next to my mound of baby books, courtesy of Alice again. A kiss followed that, and then he was motioning for me to get up. I did, confused, but he just sat down in my chair and patted his lap, waiting for me. I sat down with him, and he wrapped his arms around me, resting them on my giant middle and caressing his future child.

"Which name do you like better?" he asked my stomach, "Alexandra or Patrick?"

We waited for a second and no response. Of course, he answered the question for baby.

"Yes, I agree. Patrick sounds like a lovely name. So Patrick you are."

"Fine," I told him. "If it's a boy, we can name him Patrick, since you seemed to love that name so much." I reached behind my head and found his face, stroking it gently in a pathetic attempt to make him see things my way. He closed his eyes and thought about something for a minute before opening them again and kissing my hands.

"I see," he said, "so if it's a girl, of course we can name her Alexandra, if that's what you want, sweetheart."

"Yeah, that sounds fair, considering," I replied with a giggle. The book I had open in front of me suddenly closed. I wasn't really sure if I was done looking, so I opened it back up to the first page. I was faced with hundreds of "A" names, and I scanned the page again until I stopped at one name that was suddenly more beautiful than Alexandra had been all morning.

"No, Edward, I think we'll name her Abigail...Abigail Cullen. How does that sound?"

"Like an angel's name," he said sweetly. "It's perfect, Bella. Abigail it is."

Again, we had to take a break for another kiss, but we were interrupted suddenly by the front door slamming and a whoosh of air as Alice raced into the kitchen.

"Oh my god, Bella," she exclaimed as she abruptly stopped in front of us. "I thought I was too late! We have to get you to the hospital now! I saw that you were-"

And there it went. I felt my water break as I was getting up to see Alice. Immediately after that I felt a surge of pain in my lower abdomen. I let out a cry, and Edward was at my side instantly.

"And here come the contractions!" Alice said. "Edward, get her in the car. We're leaving now!"

Before I could rearrange the thoughts spinning through my head, I was in the car and on my way to the hospital. The doctor said three weeks from now! Not today! I wasn't ready for this! I hope Charlie could figure out where I was easily enough. Another shock of pain, this one stronger. Edward stepped on the gas.

I was in the hospital bed all too quickly, and I was glad in a way despite the fact that I was petrified of the hospital. The contractions had become almost unbearable by then. Nurses rushed in and out, I noticed between yelps of pain. Edward was at my side the whole time, trying his best to soothe me. It felt like nothing could help me at that point.

I was wrong. Pushing past the nurses that were coming in was someone all too familiar that I wasn't exactly sure I wanted to see. Jacob! Oh, god, what was he doing here? I haven't seen him in months! Did he even know I was pregnant? How was I going to tell him?...

"Bella! What the hell!? Why didn't you tell me about...about...are you ok?"

He was exasperated, and bewilderment spread all over his face. I wasn't sure if it was because I was in pain, or the fact that I had managed to keep this a secret from him all this time. Either way, I was just really glad my best friend had found me.

"Jake!" I said through heavy breaths. It was getting more difficult to talk. "What are you doing here? How did you know..."

"Charlie called. I guess he figured I'd want to be here. He was really surprised that I didn't know. Why did you keep this from me, Bells?"

"Oh, Jacob. I just couldn't tell you! I thought you would be so hurt. I didn't want to cause you more pain than I already have. I'm so sorry." Anguish and sadness briefly overtook me as I explained this to him. He seemed to be putting a lot of effort forth into thinking it over. He only looked up when I let out my biggest yelp of the day. This was all happening too fast.

"Jacob," Edward suddenly cut in, "it's good to see you, but you've got to leave! Bella's having a baby!"

"Right," he said as if suddenly remembering what I was doing here. "Good luck, Bells!"

"Thanks, Jake," I managed to laugh back at him as he turned to leave. He was my Jacob today. Good, that would make this all a little less painful.

The doctor was standing in front of me now. It's time, I knew instantly. How do you do this anyway? I was extremely nervous at that point. I could almost feel the baby struggling to get out. I had to do this. No backing out now.

"Ok, Mrs. cullen," he said to me. (I still smiled every time someone called me that). "Are you ready? This baby isn't going to wait any longer." He let a little laugh escape at the end of his joke. This was no laughing matter for me. Edward didn't find it funny either. He hated to see me in pain.

"Let's just get this over with, please!" I panted with desperation. The pain kept surging.

"Ok, when I say push, I want you to hold that push until I count to ten. Can you do that for me?"

I just nodded. Edward placed his hands on my shoulders, steadying himself and me for the most beautiful moment of our lives. I was too wrapped up in Edward to realize the doctor had already started counting, so I scrunched up and pushed as hard as I could once I regained focus.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"It's ok, Bella," said Edward. "You're doing great! Keep going!"

"...8, 9, 10. Relax."

"HOLY SHIT!" I yelled. That was probably the hardest thing I've ever done, and I wasn't finished either. I noticed then that I was completely drenched in sweat, and I felt like I had a horrible fever. Yet there was Edward, still holding on with me. He looked disoriented, like he suddenly didn't know what was going on. I'm not sure if he understood that having a baby involved this much pain.

"Ok, again," said the doctor. "Push! 1, 2, 3..."

This pattern didn't stop for what seemed like hours. Push, rest. Push, rest. Push harder. Rest. I felt like giving up until I finally heard the doctor say "There's the head! Almost there!"

I came back to reality again. My baby was coming for me! After all this time, here it was. A burst of strength shot through me at those words, and I pushed harder than I had all afternoon. I let out another loud grunt of pain, and then nothing. The pressure was gone, and I instantly fell backward onto the bed, exhausted.

Then, out of nowhere, a little cry pierced the air, followed by a more pronounced one that wasn't planning on stopping. What a sweet sound. That was my baby crying. I let a huge smile overtake my tired face. My baby was here. I suddenly felt Edward's hands leave me for the first time all day. I was sure he couldn't wait to see his baby. Sure enough, he was back in a few minutes with a tiny bundle in his arms.

I couldn't quite put a name to the look I saw on his face. It was a jumbled combination of awe, confusion, pride, and overwhelming happiness. Needless to say, it was beautiful. A few minutes later, he remembered I was waiting for my baby and he slowly walked to me with the small bundle, fast asleep in his arms.

"Say hello to mommy, Abigail," he said softly to the baby.

"Oh, Edward! It's a girl!" I exclaimed rather weakly as he lowered our baby girl into my arms. I was surprised to see that she was still sleeping. So much noise around us...it would have woken up any other person, but she was so calm.

A tear streaked down my face as I pulled back the blanket to look at her. Pretty little brown locks covered the top of her tiny head, the same color as mine, and her face, it was the same as Edward's, undeniably. Her beauty was unreal. I couldn't imagine anything else so perfect...until she opened her eyes. I looked down and saw two green gems curiously staring back looking me. I started really crying then.

"Edward,look" I whimpered through the tears.

He came over immediately from the door where he was letting the family in. As he leaned over me, he gasped. Without a word, he lifted Abigail back into his arms and pulled her close to his face. If he could cry, he would've right there. I have never seen him so overwhelmed.

"Carlisle," he said as the vampire leader came closer with a curious expression. "She has my eyes."

Carlisle was dumbfounded, more so than he had been when he found out I was pregnant, it looked like. With that, Edward lifted the baby into his arms and called the rest of the family in. All of the Cullens were there, and Jacob was not far behind, followed by Charlie.

"Charlie!" I cried. If I could have sat up, I would have. He came over to me for a hug, but I couldn't muster more than a pat on the shoulder for him.

"Bella, I'm so happy for you," he told me. It must have been hard sucking up the courage to say that. He was not happy for me when I told him I was pregnant. There was no need to think about that now, though. I was too happy.

"Thanks, Charlie," I replied. "Esme, Carlisle, bring Abigail over to Charlie. I'm sure she wants to meet her new grandpa."

This made Charlie smile. "What do you know, Bells? I'm a grandpa!"

They came quickly, stretching the baby out to Charlie's open arms. He was amazed by her beauty I could tell, just like everyone else had been.

"She's something else, Bella. Such a pretty thing. But those eyes, whose are they?"

"They're Edward's, dad." He looked confused, but didn't ask. Thank god, because I wouldn't have been able to make up a story fast enough. Such beauty didn't need an explanation.

Jacob came over after that, leaning over Charlie's shoulder and reaching his hand over to touch Abigail. He seemed quite amazed, too, like he'd never been this close to a baby before. He probably hadn't.

Edward came back to me after that. He was extatic, and leaned in toward my face frantically searching for my lips. He tangled his hands in my knotted hair as he kissed me passionately.

"I'm so happy, Bella. She's absolutely beautiful."

"I know, Edward, I can't believe it. We're parents! What do you think of that?"

"I've been waiting for this all my life, love. I don't know what to think, exactly."

We both laughed at that, and then I noticed Abigail making her way through the mass of people back to me. It felt so right to have her in my arms. My daughter, my beautiful angel, Abigail.

The Cullens began to make their way over to the bed so they could crowd around the three of us. Of course, Alice was there first, ready to take Abigail straight away from me. I was a little hesitant, not wanting to lose her again so soon. She understood, but as she backed away, I saw another set of arms stretching toward us. Rosalie.

"May I?" asked Rosalie. I nodded, amazed, and she took Abigail from my arms without hesitation. Immediately, I could see a change in her face. She had suddenly become so soft looking, so kind and content. She almost looked like, a...mother.

"So," she began. "What is her name?" Her tone was slightly softer than it had been, but Edward and I both sensed the edge that still remained there. Obviously, she was still mad about something that had to do with me. I just didn't have room in my thoughts to try and figure out exactly what it might be, so I let it go. I smiled at Edward then, wordlessly giving him the honor of telling everyone our baby's name. He kissed me quickly and turned back to Rosalie with an extremely proud expression, like speaking the name of his child was a privilage. In a sense, it was.

"Her name is Abigail," he said with a sheepish grin. "Abigail Cullen. The most beautiful little Abigail I could have ever imagined." Another kiss for me.

Rosalie smiled at the name as she continued to hold my daughter. She began to rock her back to sleep when a thought crossed her mind, we could see. She stopped rocking, and Abigail stirred a bit, like she could tell we were talking about her.

"What about a middle name? Doesn't she have one, Edward?"

Of course I noticed she had left me out on of that comment on purpose, further expressing her resentment toward me at the moment. I noticed nothing wrong until I glanced over at Edward's puzzled face. Before I had time to wonder about it more, though, he looked at me and chuckled.

"Bella, sweetheart, it seems we have forgotten about a middle name. We don't have one for poor little Abigail." More laughing. Carlisle and the family joined in too, contributing quiet chuckles of their own. I laughed along, all the while wondering how I could have been so stupid as to forget. The laughter died, and everyone's gaze fell on me, waiting.

I swung my head around the room, looking everyone in the face and feeling a little angry for being put on the spot like this. I turned to Edward again, but he gave no response except for that crooked smile I loved so much. That must have been his cue for me to decide by myself. I felt a little better about it now that I knew he didn't mind at all what the name would be, so I turned back to my family. I searched around them for something that could make a name come to my mind. Nothing. I took another quick look at all of them -so happy for Edward and I...

"Rose," I suddenly said out loud without really meaning to. Well, that was it. I guess I was just thinking about it more than I should. That wasn't supposed to come out. "Abigail Rose Cullen," I finished reluctantly. What a pretty name it was, though.

"Abigail Rose Cullen," Edward repeated after me. A glow lit up his face then; one that I had seen often when we were alone together. He was obviously overjoyed with her name. Did he see any meaning behind it like I did? "It's a beautiful name, Bella." He kissed me again, making sure to also plant one on his now fully-named daughter's forehead as well. I let out a quick sigh, and I noticed that we were both looking at Rosalie now.

All smiles, I saw, except for one, which I was waiting for, yet somehow it managed to surprise me. I looked up at Rosalie to find that her empty glare had turned into complete shock. I sighed again, slightly let down that all of my attempts to be kind to her had officially failed. In the next second, however, a brilliant glow began to radiate from her face as I saw her quickly mumble something under her breath. I was about to call her back to attention, but she quickly resurfaced on her own and ran towards me with open arms.

"Oh, Bella," she exclaimed. A smile broke out across her face, and her eyes gleamed as if they were made from real gold. When was the last time I had seen her this happy, or for that matter, speak to me at all? Before she found out I was pregnant, I think. I wasn't sure what her reaction would be, but I'm glad it was this. I'd take a happy Rosalie any day. It was stunning to see how much more beautiful she was when she smiled.

"Thank you so much! I had no idea you even...that you would think...thank you Bella! I'm so sorry I ever thought anything bad about you! I was so selfish." She pulled back then so that she could look at me more closely, and her face continued to glow before mine as she looked deep into my eyes. Suddenly I felt differently about Rosalie, and through my exhaustion I managed to reach toward her and place a hand on her cheek. She smiled again and grabbed my hand, holding on to the new friendship she had just found with a beautiful grace. I was amazed at how much things between us had changed in just a few moments. Edward was too, I could see. He leaned over and found my ear, whispering "Bella, that was incredible of you."

"Bella," Rosalie said, "just do me one favor, will you?"

She surprised me with these words. She had never asked me for anything, but things were different now.

"Anything, Rosalie."

"Just promise me that I can help take care of her. You know, when you and Edward are...busy?"

We all laughed at that one. I felt Edward's arms around me again. His cold hands slid through my hair, letting some heat loose that had gathered there over the past few hours. Rosalie handed Abigail back to me and I gladly took her in my arms. A few minutes without her was just too long.

I felt at ease again, finally, with my Edward next to me and our daughter in my arms. I felt like life couldn't possibly have any greater purpose than the one I was living right now. I looked up at my family again, all lost in happy conversations, Rosalie included, and couldn't help but think how I would soon be with them. Edward seemed to have understood the meaning behind my thoughtful gaze and snuggled his face near mine.

"Don't worry, love," he whispered, "we'll wait for you. Not much longer now." He bent over my face to kiss me gently. I loved Edward so much, I just couldn't deny him another chance to hold his daughter as he held his arms out toward us. Carefully, I sat up and placed her gingerly into his arms, and that same glow of utter happiness returned to his face along with that crooked grin he knew I loved. I watched him there, rocking Abigail so gently, I wondered why he had been afraid of hurting her before. He was perfect. We were perfect: all three of us together, finally. Forever.