Chapter 10: Settling In

~Bella~

After spending three days with Esme and Carlisle it was nice to be back in our own house. I was still sore, but not as bad since Carlisle brought home some spray medicine for the one incision I'd received. As I sat in one of the big feather chairs feeding our daughter, Edward was playing something new on the piano for us. Sometimes I felt like I was having an out of body experience because all of this had happened so fast. We went straight from being married to a family, like Charlie and Renee, though I didn't worry about us the way Charlie seemed to. If I can recall correctly they both fought over who did more in caring for me. Edward and I didn't have a problem with that because we were both equal partners to an extent. There was one one thing he couldn't do that I could, and to make up for that he tried doing everything.

My daughter's deep breathing drew me out of thought and as I shifted her to my shoulder I pulled my shirt down. So far Renesmee was proving to be an easy baby to care for. She was very alert for a newborn, and was still relatively quiet. The only times she ever really made any noise was when I wasn't fast enough getting to her so she could be fed or we didn't have her bottle of blood ready in time.

While I rubbed my hand over her tiny back, Edward finished his song and came over to us. I moved to the left and he sat down beside us. "What are you going to call that one?"

"Renesmee's Lullaby," my husband replied putting his left arm behind me.

"I wonder if she'll be musical like you are?" As I asked that Renesmee's small body jolted as she began to wiggle around. When her body jolted again I realized what the problem was.

"Hiccups," I said as I leaned forward shifting her to my lap. She was still asleep and Edward and I watched as her tiny frame shook with another hiccup. Our baby didn't seem to mind having them, but it bothered me to see her body shake with them. After another moment Edward reached out sliding one hand under her small frame carefully lifting her away from me to his shoulder. I watched as she snuggled in to him wondering if there was anything better than just being right here.

Our moment was interrupted by the ring of my phone, and as I answered it, Renesmee cried out, "Hey dad," I answered.

"Hey Bells, just calling to see how you and my granddaughter are doing today." Charlie would have put an add in the paper if we would have let him. He was still weary on why we were being so secretive and we decided when he arrived next Friday we would go on and tell him everything. The funny part was Charlie was never one for calling much but since Renesmee's arrival he had called everyday around this time.

"I'm feeling a little better, but your granddaughter's getting frustrated because she has the hiccups." Edward had her over his lap and was rubbing her back, as she tried to lift her head.

"Try laying her on your lap and rubbing her stomach. You used to get the hiccups all the time and it always worked for you." Edward had already heard and tried that, talking softly to her as she watched him. I listened as Charlie told me about the latest news in town, which was Mike and Jessica announcing their engagement. I wasn't all that surprised by it. Neither was Charlie for that matter.

By the time I got off the phone Renesmee had gone back to sleep. Her Grandpa's suggestion had worked, and I was happy to have a solution for the next time. "Well I wonder if they'll try sending us an invitation," I said referring to Mike and Jessica as I leaned back in Edward's embrace pulling a blanket around me. I'd known since the last time we were in Forks that they were engaged but this was official. Angela and Ben were also engaged and we'd already been invited to the wedding in August right around the time of our first Anniversary.

"I think they might out of common courtesy," Edward said as he kissed the side of my head. "Are you hungry?"

My stomach rumbled as I thought of food, and I was almost always ready to eat or drink something after Renesmee nursed.

Once we were on our feet I followed him in the kitchen heading for the refrigerator while he settled our daughter in her bouncy-seat positioned on the kitchen table.

One shelf in our refrigerator had several packets of donated blood, and I was glad that I no longer craved that or needed it. Finally I saw something that looked good and pulled out the casserole dish of lasagna Esme had sent over yesterday. As I shut the door I found Edward already buttering some bread for me next to an empty plate. I dug out a pretty hefty piece of lasagna and after putting it on my plate let my husband put it in the microwave because it was higher up than I was comfortable with reaching.

While everything heated up I sat down at the table gently pulling the bouncy seat closer to me, watching my baby sleep. She seemed to be swallowed up sitting there, but didn't seem to mind. So far we hadn't put her in her crib, and I had a feeling it would be a long time before she used it.

Once my food was in front of me, my attention shifted and I had to be careful not to melt my mouth. At this rate I would never lose any of the baby fat I'd gained carrying her, and once Carlisle gave the go ahead I was going to start walking. "Do you realize how domesticated our lives have become in the past three days?" I asked after drinking down most of the water Edward had put in front of me.

"Do you mind that?" he asked smiling at me as he reached out and moved a strand of my hair away from my face.

I gazed at our baby and smiled back, "Nope."

~Edward~

The house was quiet as my two ladies slept. I'd already cleaned most of the downstairs and was ready to start on the upstairs when Renesmee's heart beat began to pick up and her deep breaths became more shallow. Bella had requested that we let her try out sleeping in her crib, and it hadn't been very long since we laid her down. Renesmee's room was lit by the light of a small lamp and the dim light cast a warm glow around the room. Leaving it the way it was I walked over to the crib as my baby stretched her small arms over her head before opening her blue eyes. "This isn't your usual place to rest is it?" I asked as I reached down and lifted her away from the mattress shifting her so that she was cradled in my left arm. As I carried her out of the room after turning out the lights, she squinted her eyes and I realized the adjustment from dark to light was too much for her.

Once I had her eyes shielded with my hand she opened them again looking around until she found my face. We were in the den and I sat in the recliner with her laying her down on my lap. "What are you thinking?" I knew it would be a while before she could answer me but she was so attentive I often wondered if she could understand us just a little.

After kissing her on the forehead, I carried her to the kitchen and prepared a bottle for her as she rested against my shoulder. Her small head wobbled as she worked on lifting it and I had a feeling in another few weeks or sooner she would be able to hold it up for small bits at a time.

Once the bottle was heated I settled her in the crook of my left arm and offered tilted the bottle rubbing the nipple on her lips. She opened her mouth and I eased it in relaxing as she did once she started to drink. As I sat down with her back in the den I heard foot steps outside and Rosalie's thoughts along with Emmett's. They had more food for Bella, but at least for my sister, the visit was more so she could hold the baby.

'I tried to tell her you two wanted time alone' Emmett thought, but I didn't mind. To be honest I was ready for a little time alone with my wife.

"Hey bro," Emmett greeted as they came inside.

Rosalie was humming something as she passed us by with the food.

"Don't worry," I told him as he glanced down at Renesmee.

When Rose came back I was already on my feet and eased my daughter into her arms. "If you two don't mind I'd like to check on Bella."

The smile on Rosalie's face confirmed what I'd heard in her mind.

Our room was dimly lit with the shades pulled down and Bella was in deep sleep. I slid off my shoes after closing the door and eased the covers back. I kept away from her at first letting the electric blanket warm me before I reached for her. Bella whispered something but remained asleep as I spooned my body against her backside. She had on one of my shirts, which hung down to her knees when she was standing.

"The baby?" she mumbled.

"She's with Rosalie and Emmett."

Bella mumbled something that sounded like 'nice' but even I couldn't figure out what she was truly saying.

While she slept in my arms I kept my hearing focused on our baby. Rosalie was still giving her the bottle wishing that she would have had a baby before she had been turned so that Renesmee would have another half vampire human child to interact with. Her thoughts spurred on some of mine own. I hadn't stopped wondering since our daughters birth about the possibility of other babies like hers. The legends about them existed but again none of what Bella had gone through during the pregnancy and the birth seemed to fit.

"Should we feel guilty about being up here without her?" Bella whispered.

"No, because we aren't going to leave her for very long, and we need a little time for just the two of us. Besides Rosalie is enjoying her time with our baby," I answered as Bella turned over to face me.

"I feel like I haven't slept in days," she said as I caressed her cheek with my left hand.

"You can go back to sleep. Rosalie's feeding her a bottle right now and Renesmee won't need to eat after that for a while."

Even as I said those words, I knew Bella wasn't going to go back to sleep, though she made no move to get up.

We rested like that for a few more minutes before I heard our daughter's soft cry as Rosalie got her into a clean diaper. "I think we are needed," I said.

"Maybe I will try and catch a little more sleep."

Before leaving the bed I kissed Bella gently on the lips. "I love you."

She kissed me again, "I love you."

~Bella~

Later on that evening after I'd gotten enough sleep, and while we were sitting together on the sofa in our den, I realized that it had been a while since my husband went hunting. Renesmee was asleep against his chest and I was content where I was but concerned all the same, "Edward, when are you going to hunt?"

"Emmett asked me the same question before he and Rosalie left," my husband answered leaving it at that.

I eased away from him, turning so I could look at him. Edward's eyes were darker than they should be, which meant he really did need to go out, and I realized that he wouldn't unless I tried to convince him, "Please do this, Edward. I promise I won't move from this spot until you get back, and we can get everything we need for me to have close by," I said leaning back against him as I placed my hand over the one he had against our daughter's back.

"Do you want me to ask Rosalie or Esme to come wait with you?"

As scared as I was of being alone with our baby, I also was determined to overcome that fear, "No, I want a little time alone with her."

Edward nodded and I sat up holding out my arms as he eased our baby from his chest over to me. Renesmee stirred, snuggling closer to my chest, and the worry I had been feeling started going away. I looked from her to my husband who hadn't moved from my side. "Edward, the sooner you leave the sooner you can come back to us. We'll be fine," I said trying to sound more confident than I was feeling at the moment.

My husband reached out tracing his fingers over Renesmee's head before he leaned in, giving her a kiss. He moved up and pressed his lips to my own. With my free hand I reached out pressing on the back of his head to deepen the kiss. The one thing I'd missed was being able to show my husband just how much I loved him, and I hoped that I'd recover much faster than the six weeks Carlisle had given us to behave.

It was Edward who broke the kiss first, though he lingered where he was brushing my lips ever so gently with his, "I should go," he breathed, and his smell filled me with longing. I leaned slightly forward and caught his lips with mine careful to keep our daughter supported in my free arm.

Finally he moved away from us to stand and I shut my eyes catching my breath. When I opened them again he was gone and the curtain by the sliding glass door was the only evidence that he had been there as it moved slightly with the breeze of his passing.

I settled back against the sofa looking down at our tiny girl. She had on a clean outfit, a long pink nightgown that gathered at the bottom. "Well, I guess it's the two of us now. What should we do?" I asked as I reached out and took her tiny left hand in mine. "Grandpa Charlie called again today and says he's excited about coming to see you. Between him and the rest of our family, I think you are going to be very spoiled," I told her brushing the back of her tiny hand with my thumb as she clutched at my finger. As I held my daughter in my arms I wondered just how Edward and I were going to deal with things once we could become active again. I loved our daughter more than anything in this world, but I wasn't going to risk another pregnancy.

"You get to be an only child," I whispered to her as I wiggled my finger which was still being gripped by her tiny hand. I was an only child but often times felt alone. I hoped Renesmee wouldn't feel the same and highly doubted that she would. I could tell she was in deep sleep because her eyes were moving beneath her lids. When she suddenly cried out I felt my whole body tense, but she relaxed again and I wondered what she was dreaming about. Her tiny lips drew together forming an 'O' shape before her bottom lip drooped down. I didn't know if she could dream, but lifted her to my shoulder as I stood up and walked over to the recliner so I could rock her. I felt her stretch as I sat down before she snuggled closer to me and as I began to rock, Renesmee relaxed into my embrace.

As she continued to sleep, I shut my own eyes and began to hum the lullaby my husband had composed for me, one he would hum those long nights when my life seemed so messed up and confused.

~Edward~

My Love had been right to encourage me to go hunting and as I drained my forth deer I began to feel better. Leaving Bella and the baby home even though I wasn't all that far from them had been a struggle for me. My wife was a strong self sufficient woman, but the fact that she'd just had our daughter without any medicine to help for the pain caused me to feel more protective. After disposing of the last deer caucus, I started home, ready to be with them again. As I jogged back, I thought about the kiss we shared and knew we would have to tread carefully for the next few weeks. We would also need to find a way to prevent any further pregnancies now that it was something we could expect.

Upon arriving inside our house, I found my wife and daughter asleep in the recliner. Bella's arms were wrapped protectively around our baby, and Renesmee's tiny hand was wrapped around some of my wife's hair. I thought of the digital camera up in the office but didn't want to wake either of them. Moving silently in front of the chair I leaned in and kissed Bella's lips lightly. She stirred but did not awaken.

Carefully I eased Renesmee's tiny fingers apart before moving Bella's left hand away from her. My wife didn't notice as I lifted our daughter away, but our baby whimpered as I settled her against my shoulder. "Shh," I crooned rubbing my hand in small circles over her back. It was late so I took her upstairs and laid her down on our bed before going back for Bella.

My wife was awake when I arrived and took the hand that I offered. We shared a tender kiss before I guided her to the kitchen helping her sit at the table so I could make her something to eat before we headed upstairs.

"How was your hunt?" she asked as I pulled some home-maid soup from the Refrigerator.

"You were right about me needing to go. I feel much better," I admitted as I put the bowl of soup in the microwave.

While it heated up I put some Ice in a glass and filled it with water setting it in front of Bella on the table.

She reached out and ran her finger along the edge of the glass, "I enjoyed our kiss before you left," she offered.

"I enjoyed it too," I admitted taking the soup along with some bread to the table.

I sat with my wife while keeping my hearing focused on our baby who remained asleep.

"Tomorrow I want to try taking a short walk. I know I can't push myself but I really feel the need to get out and get a little fresh air. Do you know if it's supposed to be rainy?"

"I think it's supposed to be clear, but chilly," I answered as she nodded, taking another bite of her soup.

By the time we made it to our room my wife was nearly asleep on her feet, and our baby was stirring. Assured Bella was alright to fend for herself I carried Renesmee down the hall to her room and did a quick diaper change, something that woke her up.

"I think your momma enjoyed her time alone with you," I said softly as I pulled the long pink night gown over her small legs and tiny feet.

Renesmee's gaze never lingered from my face as I settled her back in my arms and I told her what a gift she was to not only her mother and me, but to the rest of the family as well.

I moved to my side of the bed and sat down after taking off my shoes. I would change later once my two girls were settled in. Bella came out of our bathroom with her hair pulled back in a french braid wearing another one of my long button down tops. "I'm running out of those," I said lightly as she eased in bed leaning back against the pillows stacked behind her.

"You have two closets full," She answered before I turned and put our daughter in her arms.

Once Bella was comfortable I got up and went to the chest of drawers and pulled out a pair of designer pajama bottoms at random. I quickly undressed pulling the bottoms on before returning to bed. Once the covers were over me as well, I moved closer to my girls easing my arm around behind Bella's back gently pulling her closer to me. "Let me know if you get too cold," I whispered as she focused on feeding our baby.

"I think I'm getting used to us together. The electric blanket helps too," she whispered.

We were both quiet after that both focused on watching our daughter as she nursed. There were still many unknowns, but right now nothing mattered except for this moment.

~*~*~

AN: I'm getting good and ahead with this story, having two days off of work helps so you all get more updates. I know I'm focusing on Renesmee alot but I kind of like them getting adjusted as a family. As she gets older there will be more time when they do other things and I've got a lemon coming up in a couple of chapters. I loved all the reviews, so feel free to leave more. More to come soon, likely tomorrow. The work and reality hits and I won't be able to update but I'll try to do it twice a week.

~Ella~