Familiarity Reflected

AN; So, there seems to be a little confusion after the last chapter. I'll see if I can clear this up. Chronologically, Bella is five years old, however please remember that she is also a vampire hybrid. Remember Bella and Edward's discussion about Rennesme's future towards the end of Breaking Dawn? Half vampires reach maturity after seven years and their growth is basically logarithmic except that it actually does reach a gradient of zero. In plain English, this means that the rate by which their growth slows increases as time goes on. When I started this story, I worked out a rough plan of her growth rate and decided that for the last year and a half before she stopped growing, she would grow at the same rate as a human of that age (which is basically nothing anyway). I also decided that she would freeze at age eighteen since this is a nice, even, socially significant number for us to work with. I'll put all the numbers up in an AN at the bottom of the page. There are some ways in which I think Bella would still act her chronological age; namely life experience. I've tried to remain true to that it my writing.

In short, all you really need to understand is this; at this stage Bella has the mind and body of a sixteen year old. She still has very little life experience, but her intelligence and maturity are off the chart. I've tried to reflect this in the following chapter by showing her logic skills to be advanced, but also using cliched methods of expression to indicate that her only previous experience of such things is through books etc and that she still doesn't have full grasp of the meanings behind them. Yup, that's right, I over think things. :P

BPOV

I could hardly think, I could hardly breath. Edward Cullen was kissing me! This was the happiest, most monumentouse day of my life! Edward Cullen! My stomach turned over with joy. I felt so perfect, I -

I froze in horror at my sudden realisation.

Edward was kissing me.

What would happen when Padre found out? I had no doubt that he would and every book I ever read told me that father's didn't like it when their daughter's fell in love. I felt sick. Padre was known for becoming violent when I was threatened in anyway. I thought back to the guard Otello. His life had been spared, as had his position, but perhaps death would have been preferable. Even now, he spent hours a day at the mercy of Jane.... What would Padre do to Edward? All my happy feelings fled in an instant and, with great reluctance, I broke the kiss. In the next instant I fled fearfully to the opposing wall, while Edward stared after me, stunned at my actions.

'Bella what's wrong?' He begged 'I...I thought....I thought this was what you wanted' his eyes were sad, exposed, made vulnerable with rejection.

'It is' I choked.

'Then why?' He gestured to the distance I had put between us.

The answer to that question was simple enough 'Padre. Oh Edward! What will Padre do to you when he -'

Edward smiled sadly and shook his head.

'What?' I asked

'Dearest Bella, he knows. He wants this to happen. He...he planned for it. Ever since you were small and he saw how drawn we were to each other....he's been planning.'

'But why?' It didn't make any sense. 'I mean...I can never leave the castle...'

He inclined his head sadly 'I know Bella'

'You'd have to leave your family...?' again he inclined his head and things began to fit together. Padre wanted Edward to leave his family. He wanted Edward to stay here. He wanted Edward's talent. And he'd used me to get.

I shook my head. 'No. No! No Edward, you can't do this. Not for me, you can't leave your family over me Edward...'

He walked over to me and took each of my hands firmly in his 'Bella...' his voice was cracking 'I would do anything for you.'

'No! You can't! Edward you can't!' My heart was breaking. I couldn't let him do this. Not for me. I wasn't worth it. I was just a strange mutant halfling. A toy to my mother, a pawn to my father. Edward could not allow himself become trapped because of me. I could not allow it.

He stared into my eyes and I almost lost my resolve. Almost. I pushed him away and moved away from him again. I had to avoid his eyes, his breath. If I got too close now, I would falter.

'Please Bella'

'Leave Edward. Please, just go' I felt like I was being ripped in two. The pain in his eyes was unbearable, but I would not let my father trap him.

'Bella' he whispered, eyes pleading with me. I ignored them, placing my hands on his chest and pushed him toward the door. He didn't fight me.

'Go!' I yelled.

'No.'

I tried for the door handle, but it opened without me to reveal my mother framed in its entrance.

'You heard her' she whispered icily, before she pulled Edward away from me and threw him so that he landed sprawled on the stairs. He was too shocked to put up any resistance. As was I.

'Go!' ordered mother.

He looked up at me, pleading again, but I turned my face away. He seemed to lose hope then. His head bowed towards the ground and he got unsteadily to his feet before sprinting down the stairs and away from me. I watched after him sadly. Too stricken with grief to do anything more.

After a time, my mother tried to comfort me. I didn't hear her words, but when she went to put a hand on my shoulder I shrugged her off. She was stunned. I didn't care. I shut the door in her face and leaned against it. Slowly, slowly, I slid to the floor and when I hit the ground I let the tears fall freely.

Please don't kill me! I'm sorry, but just as I had no choice but to traumatize Bella in chapter five, I have no choice but to do this now – its essential to their happy ending. Come now, you don't really want Edward to be forced into the Volturi do you?

Many apologies for the soap opera dramatics and also for splitting them apart again, but its kind of essential to their happy ending.

Now; ages.

When Bella is two months old, she is the equivalent of a human two year old.

When Bella is two, she is the equivalent of a human six year old. (The story says she looks about five, but Bella is a small person so their estimates were slightly off)

When Bella is three, she is the equivalent of a human human eleven year old. (maybe a couple of months older)

When Bella is four, she is the equivalent of a human fourteen year old. (maybe a couple of months older)

When Bella is five, she is the equivalent of a human sixteen year old (maybe a couple of months older)

When she turns six, she will be seventeen (maybe a month older)

And when she turns seven, she will be eighteen. (not a day older)

Does this help?