There were three strong images that drove this chapter and I'll tell you what they were in the closing note. I hope you all enjoy the longest chapter to date and please…LEAVE ME SOME LOVE!

EPOV

Bella was asleep in my arms, like she had been every night for the past two weeks. It was in these quiet moments, without her to reassure me that all the insecurities that had built up after she chose Jake crept up. But I couldn't voice them to Bella, because it would make her feel bad. As I wallowed, Beth let out a screech and I scooped her up, hoping to get her back to sleep before Bella would wake completely.

Beth had been getting worse the past few days, screaming and throwing tantrums, and not wanting anything to do with anyone but Bella and Leah. As I cradled her to my chest she began hitting me and then yelled, "No daddy!"

Bella woke up and climbed off the bed, taking Beth from me. "Beth, baby, daddy's not here. Please honey, go back to bed, mommy needs some sleep."

Bella looked exhausted and I wished there was something I could do to make it better, but at this point, Leah was the only one who could calm her. Almost on cue, Leah knocked and then came in and took Beth down to get her to sleep. Bella climbed back into bed and curled up, clutching her pillow. I pulled her back against my chest, and heard the quiet sobs coming from her. "I'm a horrible mother."

I rubbed her arm and kissed the edge of her shoulder. "Love, she misses her father, but that's the nature of divorce. None of this is your fault."

Within a few minutes, she had cried herself to sleep and after another hour of watching her sleep, I went downstairs to think for a moment.

My foot hit the floor at the bottom of the last step when I heard her. "Talk to her, Edward. If you hold it in, you'll just get frustrated and eventually you'll shut down. She talked to you about her fears; don't you think she'd want the chance to help you with yours?"

I growled low and went to sit on the porch. I let my mind run through everything I was feeling. I was so focused on what I might say to Bella that I didn't hear her come outside to join me.

"Are you okay?" I looked up into Bella's eyes and she smiled down at me.

"Yeah, I just needed some time to think. What are you doing out here?"

"I woke up and you weren't there, and I got scared for a minute thinking I was back at La Push until I looked around and saw that it was your room." Bella looked down at the wood of the porch and I reached up to take her hand.

"I'm sorry, why don't you sit down, this could take a while."

Bella looked confused but sat down facing my side and squeezed my hand. "Edward, whatever it is, you can tell me."

Taking an unnecessary breath, I turned to face her and looked at our hands between us. "First off, I want you to know that I'm not saying any of this to make you feel bad, I just want you to know where I'm coming from, and what's going on in my head." I looked up and she smiled again, urging me to go on.

"I need to understand why you chose him. I know that he told you that he had imprinted, but you knew how much I loved you, how could his love mean more than mine? Bella, we may not have a fancy term for it, but what I feel for you is just as powerful and consuming as imprinting. I had proposed to you, and you knew what I was willing to sacrifice to make that happen, how could you walk away from that?"

Bella's breath caught and then her eyes were on her lap. "Edward, I'm going to answer you, but please let me finish before you interrupt me, because in the beginning you won't like what I have to say."

I nodded and after another deep breath she began. "In that moment, I knew I was stuck between two good things. I thought that his love for me was as strong as yours and I was so torn that in the end it came down to needing to feel safe. You left me while still loving me, but from everything I had been told about imprinting, they couldn't stand to go a few days without the other. I knew you were stronger, and I get that's a copout, but it was all I had at the time. He offered me a way out of the world of make believe, and at the time, that's what I thought I wanted. I was so tired of trying to keep up with people who were better and stronger than me. I needed to be an equal to the person I chose, whatever it took. And with Jake I could have a family, and grow, and have the years actually mean something as they passed." Bella started to cry and then took a staggered breath and continued. I was listening intently, following her thought process and understanding for the first time just how hard she thought about the decision before she told me good-bye.

"But the reality wasn't like that. You were with me every day. And I hated myself for not being strong enough for you, or being strong enough to forget you so I could give Jake all of my heart. Then when Jake started to get overbearing, I would dream that you would come and save me, and then in the morning I'd wake up crying because I knew that wasn't going to happen. I thought that because my heart was split between the two of you, that I wasn't meant to be happy, so I lived in limbo, trying to love Jake the way I thought he deserved."

Bella stopped abruptly, and I could tell she was debating whether or not to tell me something. But as her eyes fell to her lap again I knew that whatever confession came next would not be something I would like. "There was a moment about six months in when I almost ended it all?" My breath caught and I froze, it had been so bad that she had almost killed herself? These past two weeks, the happiest I've had in ages could have never happened if she had followed through with that morbid thought. As my mind reeled, it was a gentle squeeze of Bella's hand that brought me back.

"Do you want to know what stopped me from doing it? It was you, not Jake, and that made me feel worse for a while. The only joy in all of it was the pack and Beth. They stood by me through it all and whenever possible they shielded us from Jake. And Beth, she gave me a purpose and a reason, and that is as true now as it was then. I thought that I wasn't meant to live in the world of make believe, but what I realized the day he told me the truth was that I was born for it, I just chose the wrong kind. You asked me to marry you, and I turned away from you. When you came back to me, it took a while for me to trust you completely, even though I believed you. It was foolish of me to think that you wouldn't feel the same way. I'm sorry."

I looked at Bella in complete awe of everything she told me. About how her life really was, all her fears, and the comfort she found in me even when she wasn't with me and that she did want me. But most importantly, she understood my fear and she accepted it.

"Bella, I trust that you're here now, but I will have moments when I will get scared that you'll regret coming back, and I just want you to know that's me trying to protect myself, not a lack of faith in you."

Bella nodded. "I understand, now, why did it take two weeks for this to come up?"

I laughed, "Because I'm stubborn." Bella smiled up at me again and her cheeks colored a soft pink.

I went to apologize for leaving while she was sleeping like that again, when I saw her cheeks blush a deeper red and then her teeth began to chatter. I looked down and noticed she was barefoot. "Bella, you're freezing, what are you doing out here without your shoes on?"

"I didn't think you'd be outside when I came down looking for you, and then when I saw you out here all sad and brooding I had to come out and see what was wrong."

I picked her up bridal-style and walked towards the door. "Let's get you inside before you get sick." Bella didn't complain as I carried her back to bed and she pulled me to her after she was safely tucked into the covers.

"Edward?" Bella's tone caught me off guard and I quickly realized she was asleep. "Sorry." Bella continued to whimper and mutter vague apologies to me. I felt bad that her dreams were filled with the need to comfort me, but our talk had made me realize that Bella knew the depth of my feelings, and had known it for a while. Which meant that her coming here, was about choosing the future she thought she had let slip away, not trying to find a way to ease the pain. I knew Bella better than to think she would do something like that, but my mind had a lot of time to think while she slept and we had both made some bad choices in our time together, but now we were going to start fresh.

Bella gasped and her eyes flew open, the suddenness of her action caught me off guard, but when I saw the fear in her eyes I crushed my lips to hers. I used the kiss to try to soothe whatever had scared her and she responded. I felt her mouth open and I very carefully opened mine slightly, allowing my tongue to venture into her mouth, the newest baby step we had taken.

Wanting to be closer to her, I rolled until I was on top of her, and a few seconds later I felt Bella's hand push on my chest, her signal that I was doing something wrong. I rolled onto my back and Bella gasped again trying to take in air. I looked at her, panicked, as she finally started breathing again. "Bella?"

"You just…knocked…the wind out…of me. I'm…fine." Bella tried to sit up, and I helped her, allowing her to put her head between her knees as her breaths came easier.

"I'm so sorry. I wasn't paying attention enough to remember to brace myself, are you sure that I didn't hurt you?"

"I'm sure. But hey, on the plus side, you caught the signal right away." Bella smiled meekly and I leaned over to kiss her chastely before pulling her to me.

"Now, what were you dreaming about that had you so scared?" I brushed the hair out of Bella's face and she looked at my chest.

"It doesn't matter, it was just a dream. I know you would never let it happen anyway, so there's no need to worry about it."

"Bella." I reproached her, because it was exactly when she brushed something off that I began to worry more, and usually with good reason.

"I dreamt that Jake came to take Beth back, but you didn't come because you assumed that Alice's blindness was because of Leah. So when I told him that I wouldn't' let him take her…"

Bella trailed off as the tears started and I knew how she would have finished the sentence, she had dreamt that Jake had killed her so he could have their daughter. One of Bella's greatest fears was Jake taking her child, because unlike the Jacob she once knew, the man he had become was so angry and paranoid that his temper often got the best of him, and it was only a matter of time before Beth would get hurt.

I held Bella closer and hummed for her, trying to stop the tears. "Bella, even if I think its Leah, I will come running anytime your future vanishes. I won't risk losing you again. Besides, Leah would know in enough time to tell us if Jake was coming, so there's no reason to worry."

Bella lifted he head and looked at me from under her lashes. "I love you Edward Cullen."

Then Bella did something unexpected. Placing her hands on my chest, she gently pushed my back onto the bed and then slowly moved to straddle my stomach. Leaning down until her lips were at my ear, she whispered, "Relax, I won't push too far."

Then, moving her lips to mine, Bella kissed me with more passion than ever before. Twining her fingers into my hair, she set my body on fire as she pressed her body against mine. My hands slowly left the sheets as I ghosted them over her arms and back, raising goose bumps along the way. Bella's lips broke from mine as she kissed along my jaw and down my neck. "Edward, you have no idea how good that feels."

As she continued to place open mouth kisses on my neck, my hands moved to her legs, caressing her thighs, eliciting a moan from her. "God, Bella." I began to feel a tightening in my stomach, and unsure of what it meant I stiffened.

Bella climbed off me and kissed my cheek gently. "You okay?" I nodded and she looked down and then kissed me again. "Edward, it's nothing to be embarrassed about."

Not knowing what she meant, I looked down to see the sheet tented and if I had had the ability to blush, I would have been as red as a tomato. I rolled over and buried my face into the pillow. "Shit!"

The touch of Bella's hand on my bicep and the gentle breeze of her breath against my neck sent even more venom to my newly awakened appendage. "Edward, it's natural, and in time I'll be able to help you, but for now I think it's best if you take care of it yourself."

I turned to see the sincere expression as Bella smiled down at me. "This is all new to you, its okay love." She kissed my shoulder as I went off to the bathroom.

BPOV

I woke up the next morning feeling content for the first time in a while. Edward and I had discussed what was bothering him, and our physical relationship was progressing as well. It was so wonderful to finally have everything that I wanted.

The Cullen's were going hunting this morning; they had taken to hunting twice a week since our arrival because Beth and I were so close and they didn't want to take chances. Leah would explore the nearby countryside, and Alice gave me her cell phone, so that I could call Edward if anything happened.

As always, everyone hung out while we ate our breakfast as Rosalie put a bow into Beth's hair. Alice giggled as Rose tried to get it straight while Beth moved out of her grasp. I sighed and turned to her. "Leave it Rose; she's starting early this morning."

Beth's tantrums were getting worse and I was starting to get frazzled. She was screeching at anyone that wasn't Leah or I, and she would fight her naptime like it was a death sentence. I was exhausted, and the Cullen's seemed to be taking it well, but eventually it would get old. Beth wanted her father and Charlie, two people she could never see again for two very different reasons, and as much as I tried to be enough for my little girl, I couldn't, and that killed me.

Beth's squeals shook me from my thoughts as I carried her upstairs to put her down for a nap. She went down easier than normal, so I returned to the living room to see my family off. After they left, I went upstairs to sleep myself, but I was soon awakened by cold hands.

"You're back already?" I looked at Edward and noticed that his eyes were still dark.

"I forgot my phone, I'm heading right back out but I couldn't resist taking a minute to kiss my girl." Edward pulled me from the bed and kissed me earnestly as I leaned into his body. I went to deepen the kiss, Beth let out a wail and we both jumped. I ran to pick her up, while Edward grabbed his phone off the dresser and went back to join his family. As I held Elizabeth, she cried and hit me screaming "No daddy," over and over again.

I immediately felt guilty, because I hadn't realized that she was witness to moments like this before, and the idea that they might be the cause of her outbursts, even if it was only my mind trying to punish me for being happy, which was entirely possible, hurt. My daughter was watching me grow closer to Edward, and all she saw was that her dad was nowhere to be found. I tried calming her but there was no use. I brought her downstairs and put in a movie as I began to fix something for us for lunch.

After another fifteen minutes, Beth screamed again, and I ran in to see the large wolf on the screen that she was pointing to. "Daddy!"

I froze and then scooped her up and tried to calm her. I bounced her in my arms as I sang to her, but she just kept screaming. Her face was bright red and her breath was ragged. As I tried to hold her she struggled against me, and it wasn't until she began to tremble that I truly became frightened. Before I could even wrap my head around what was happening, the pain tore through my arm as my daughter fell from my grip.

EPOV

After running back for my phone, I rejoined my family and began to hunt, so I could get back home to Bella. None of us were afraid of hurting them, but we would never chance it either, so we gluttoned ourselves just to be safe. We had been hunting for a short while and I was about to forgo a final deer in order to return home when Alice's eyes went blank. I immediately began reading her mind for the vision she had seen when I saw Bella in our kitchen for an instant before her future vanished.

I sprinted home ahead of my family, although I could hear them following as quickly as they could. I was in the door in a matter of minutes and was assaulted by the scent that I feared, Bella's blood. It was fresh, having just been spilt. I walked into the living room and saw the pool of blood on the kitchen floor and the trail leading toward the stairs before it stopped.

I was up the stairs and followed the scent to my bathroom. The door was locked, and I could hear Bella's rapid heartbeat through the door. "Bella, I'm here love, let me in."

"Carlisle." She spoke softly, her voice sounded distant, and I was terrified at the possible blood loss.

"Carlisle!" I screamed and he was at my side in a second.

"Bella, I need you to open the door so I can examine you." Carlisle's calm voice called through the door and Bella whimpered.

"I can't." Her voice trailed off again and I broke down the door before Carlisle could ask me to.

As I saw Bella lying in the tub, a belt around her right arm, just below the shoulder, and the towel that was wrapped around her bicep, covered in blood I stiffened. She was so fragile. The blood loss and her faintness left her weak, and she was horribly pale. This was every nightmare come to life.

Carlisle was at her side, taking her blood pressure while I brushed her hair out of her face. "Carlisle, she's cold and look at her color."

"I know Edward." Carlisle turned to Bella and tried to get her attention. "Bella, what happened?"

Her eyes fluttered open and she looked around wildly. "Get Leah…Beth…"

Bella drifted again and I froze before Carlisle jumped in to quiet Bella. "Alice and Jasper went to get Leah, and Rose and Emmett are looking for Beth. Bella who did this to you?"

Bella shook her head and whimpered her daughter's name a few more times.

"Edward, we have to move her to my office so I can look at her arm properly. Her blood loss isn't life threatening, but I have to take care of the wound."

I lifted Bella in my arms and followed Carlisle up to his office. He pulled the exam table out of his closet and unfolded it as I cradled Bella to my chest. "Bella, I'm so sorry. Please baby, I need you to stay with me. I just got you back, I won't lose you now." I looked up at Carlisle and mouthed. "I will change her if I have to." But just as quickly Carlisle reassured me.

I know you would son, but she'll be fine. Her transformation will not be forced; Bella will have a choice in the matter.

I smiled at the encouragement as I laid her on the table. Carlisle opened the towel and Bella's arm was slashed open, and the distinct claw marks were evident. I stiffened, enraged that he had been able to sneak past us all. Jacob Black would pay for this.

Just then Alice came in. "Rose and Em are still looking for Beth, and Jasper is trying to find Leah, but she wasn't where she normally goes." Bella moaned as Carlisle began to work on the blood vessel that had been torn.

Alice walked closer to Bella and crooned in her ear. "Bella, we'll find them. And you're going to be fine, I can see that."

Carlisle continued to work over her as I hummed her lullaby. "You did a great job with this tourniquet Bella, very impressive." Carlisle looked up as he motioned to the saline bag that hung above her. I grabbed another and hung it so when that one was finished we could easily swap them out. "She won't need a transfusion, but I want to keep her sedated for a while until she's a little stronger. She lost about 25% of her blood, it could have easily been much worse."

Carlisle continued working until Bella's arm was bandaged and then he helped me bring her to my room so that she could rest comfortably. As I kissed her forehead I heard Rosalie scream and I ran down, knowing she had been looking for Beth.

As I came outside Emmett was holding a raw steak in his hand trying to taunt something out of the bushes.

"Emmett, what in the fuck are you doing? You're supposed to be looking for Beth."

Rosalie turned to face me. "We found her Edward."

My eyes bulged as I tried to understand her tone. Just then a small wolf with a pink bow in its fur came out of the bushes, struggling to get the steak from Emmett. "This is so cool; I've always wanted a puppy!"

Rose smacked Emmett and muttered, "Dipshit."

I focused on the small wolf as Jasper and Leah came out of the trees at the edge and Leah immediately froze. Just as quickly though she ran into the trees and emerged a moment later in wolf form. She slowly approached Beth and her tiny ears perked up, as she trotted off into the woods with Leah. As they left I finally allowed myself to listen to Beth and she was terrified about what had happened.

I saw myself kiss Bella from the vantage point of the playpen and watched as the vision became red. Images of Bella and Jake flashed before me and continued to watch as I saw Bella with the pack and the life they had lived before coming here. There was little emotion attached to the individual memories, but an overall sense of longing tainted the vision. Next was Charlie, countless images of him playing with her and chatting with Bella. Finally, the vision became a deeper red as images of the past two weeks flashed. The questions weren't formed, but a pronounced feeling of jealousy and anger filled me as I saw Bella try to calm Beth. Once again, I only saw Bella's face as she cried, trying to sing and soothe her daughter before the trembling began and within a moment Bella screamed and everything went black for a moment. Next, Bella was on the floor as Beth ran out the back door, terrified of her and what she had done.

"Leah, tell her that Bella's fine." I called out and heard Leah thank me in her thoughts.

Everyone looked at me strangely and I took a deep breath. "Beth is the one that hurt Bella, she was upset and it caused her to phase."

Carlisle was standing on the porch when he made his presence known. "I thought the wolves had to reach puberty for the gene to be triggered?"

"We also didn't know the effect they would have on Alice until we came face to face with them. All we've ever seen was the teens change, and the youngest were thirteen, so we made the assumption. But Beth has been living in a house filled with vampires, and she's angry and confused about what's happening to her family…it pushed her over the edge."

"She shouldn't have to deal with this, she's only a child." Esme commented as she put a hand on my shoulder.

"I'm going to sit with Bella, let me know when Leah comes back."

I went upstairs and got into bed with Bella, careful to mind her right side, which was on the outside of the bed. "Bella, Beth is okay. Leah has her and is trying to calm her down."

Carlisle came in and examined Bella's arm again before deciding to stop sedating her. "It's time she knows what's happening," he said as he changed her IV bag again.

Time had meant little to me, but I was watching as Bella slowly began to come back to me. When her eyes fluttered open I smiled and she looked up at me in a panic.

"Where's Beth?" She tried to sit up, but I pushed her back onto the bed.

"She's with Leah. Leah's trying to get her to calm down enough to change back."

Bella's eyes tightened and she let out a deep breath. "How long have I been out?"

"Three days."

Bella's eyes widened. "Three days! And she still hasn't been able to phase back? This is all my fault."

I ran my hand over her cheek and kissed her forehead. "You are not to blame for this."

The heat rose in Bella's cheeks and she pulled away from me. "Don't try to take this on yourself. I brought my daughter here. I was the one brought out the change in her. She was supposed to grow up away from all of this, have a normal childhood. Now she knows everything."

It took me a minute to catch up with Bella. "The pack mind."

"Why did Carlisle keep me out for so long?"

"He knew that when you woke up you would want to go and try to help your daughter, but Carlisle needed to get your fluid levels back to normal, so you wouldn't feel weak. Bella, you have to take it easy."

Bella got out of bed and motioned towards the IV. I detached it and put a band-aid on her arm as she went to get dressed. "Edward, my 18 month old daughter just transformed into a werewolf. She knows her father is a liar and a killer, and she's seen everything that has happened. She has to be losing her mind, I have to try to talk to her, let her know that everything will be okay."

As Bella grabbed her clothes, Leah came into the room. "Bella?"

She turned and ran to Leah. "How is she?"

"She's confused, but she's in a better place to handle it right now. Beth wants to see you, but I think it best if you got back into bed."

Bella's face fell. "What's wrong?"

Leah dropped her head. "You know how the change causes a growth spurt…well; Beth's not a baby anymore."

Bella reluctantly sat on the bed and wrapped the blanket around her. "Where is she?"

"Alice took her to use her bathroom; she'll be up any minute."

Bella ran her fingers through her hair nervously as I sat beside her. I hadn't seen Beth since that afternoon in the front yard, so this would be as much a shock to me as it was to Bella, only it would affect her more deeply.

"Momma?" The voice that called from outside the door was much more mature than I would have expected, and as Beth rounded the corner I felt Bella clutch my hand.

BPOV

I waited for the moment she would come to see me, anxious about what the transformation had cost her. When I heard her call to me I took a deep breath and as I saw my daughter, I grabbed hold of Edward's hand.

My little Beth stood in front of me, probably around 5'7", but other than that, she was nearly my twin. Her brown hair was shoulder length and her eyes were the same chocolate they had always been. Her skin was still the sun-tanned looking russet color that stood out against my pale complexion. There was no denying that my daughter was a beauty, but to see her standing in front of me looking like a teenager when three days ago she had been an infant broke my heart.

"Beth?" As the word escaped my mouth she ran to me, wrapping her arms around my neck and crying into my skin.

"Mom, I'm so sorry! I thought I had killed you." Beth cried harder as I joined in.

"Baby, I'm the one that should be sorry, this is all my fault." I let go of Edward and hugged my daughter closer.

"No. Look, I don't understand all of this and about all I'm good at right now is the physical stuff, but from everything I saw, you did what you had to."

I looked down at my daughter. "How did you…what was it…what happened first, the physical change or the mental?"

Beth laughed. "My mind began expanding almost immediately, that's why I was so terrified. I went from trying to string three words together so you would know what I wanted, to having this huge command of language, and reasoning, I was so lost. I was thinking things that I was still trying to understand, and then I caught bits of images from Seth and Quil, who were running patrol at the time. By the time I came back and Emmett was waving the steak at me, I was confused, I didn't know if I would ever be human again." Beth turned to look at Leah.

"Then Aunt Leah came and took me into the woods and began explaining it to me. It took forever because the concepts were just too weird to wrap my head around. So finally, I understood what I had to do, and then it was a matter of doing it. I kept seeing images of dad, and what he did back when you guys were all together, and how he hurt everyone and I would get angry all over again. I'm still not sure I understand it all, and you're going to have to help me with some of that. But finally I thought about you, and how badly I wanted to know that you were okay and I was finally able to shift back, and when I did I looked like this."

I ran my hand through Beth's hair and smiled. "I wanted so much more for you, but I will help you any way I can. First things first, I think we should let Alice or Rose cut your hair so you'll be more comfortable the next time you phase."

Beth pulled back and looked at me confused. "You think I'm going to do that again?"

I shook my head and laughed. "From your terrible two's to a surly teenager, I really do have crappy luck!" Everyone laughed and for the first time I noticed that Edward was still beside me, watching the interaction between the two of us. Beth's eyes followed mine and she frowned.

"Sorry I was a bitch to you." I gasped and scowled at Leah.

"It's not my fault, between a pack with nine males and the two fang boys downstairs who love to curse the whole time they wrestle, she picked up those words real quick."

I pinched the bridge of my nose and Edward finally laughed. "Welcome to my world, 1000 reactions I could possibly live with, and you always chose the one that infuriated the hell out of me." He brushed his hand along my arm and then turned to Beth.

"And as for you, young lady, you were confused so don't apologize. Hopefully now you may be able to find a way to accept me."

"I think I can try to do that." Beth laughed and then Leah came to sit on the bed.

Edward went to bring up the rest of the family, and I braced myself for their reaction.

When Alice and Esme came in, they immediately hugged me and then Beth, followed soon by Rosalie. Carlisle did the same while Emmett and Jasper kept their distance.

"Good to see you're doing better Bells; you always manage to keep things interesting." Emmett guffawed and Edward growled at him.

Jasper stepped a little closer and smiled at Beth. "If you ever feel like your emotions are getting to be too much for you, let me know and I'll help you out." Suddenly, a wave of calm hit as his smile grew, letting Beth know what he meant.

"Thanks Jasper, I'll definitely keep that in mind."

Carlisle checked my bandage again and then turned to Beth as well. "I know this must be difficult, but could you explain how you were able to phase back so fast?"

Beth shrugged and looked around. "In the beginning it was hard, but as my mind began to adjust to its new capabilities I felt a pull towards my mom. She was so calm, I'm guessing because of the medication, but I could sense it, and it helped calm me."

I witnessed the silent conversation between Carlisle and Edward and called them on it. "Alright, what was that all about?"

Edward smirked and turned to me. "It's just odd that you could help her like that. When Carmen and Eleazar come back from Ireland, we want him to come and see if he can figure it out, whatever your gift might be, its sure to be powerful."

"Gift?" Beth questioned.

I took her hand and rubbed it in my own. "Some vampires have special gifts, like Jasper can manipulate emotions, and Edward can read minds, and Alice sees the future. They think that maybe my gift has to do with that, seeing as my mind is already broken."

Everyone laughed as Edward leaned forward to kiss my temple. "I love your broken brain, even if it does drive me crazy."

"Are you girls' hungry? I could make you something for dinner." I nodded, completely famished.

"That sounds great, thank you Esme." Watching my daughter speak in full sentences was still mind blowing. I shook my head and then grabbed my toiletries.

"I'm going to grab a shower, and after that I want to take care of your hair."

"Why are you so adamant that I keep phasing?" Beth's eyes narrowed, apparently set against the idea.

"First, because if you don't use it, you lose it. And I want you to have the choice still available when you are more prepared to make the decision, and second, the pack mind will help you understand everything."

"But dad will know I phased." The disgust in her voice when she said 'dad' hurt me a little, I never wanted Beth to hate her father, no matter what he did to me.

"He'll already know the next time he does. Don't worry about your father; we'll worry about that when the time comes." I could feel Edward still beside me, but I didn't give him away. "Now, how about we get a move on, I'm sure you're as hungry as I am."

I went to the bathroom and showered quickly, before getting dressed and following the sound of laughter to Alice's bathroom. Leah, Alice, Rose and Beth were all crowded in there joking as Alice brushed Beth's hair. "So, what do you want me to do?"

Beth shrugged and I quickly jumped in. "Have fun, but nothing too trendy. If my daughter is going to look 14 years older than she is, I won't have you style her so that she looks another 5 years older on top of it."

Alice squealed and began to fly, cutting and measuring and razoring Beth's hair until a few minutes later she pulled out the blow dryer and quickly styled the do. Beth looked gorgeous and I was nearly in tears again as I realized all the things I would miss.

"Mom, please don't cry again. I'm fine." I grumbled and heard Edward laugh from outside the door.

"Now you see why I hate that word."

I laughed with him as we made our way downstairs. Leah, Beth and I ate while the rest of the family went for a hunt. After dinner I felt tired and looking over at Beth, I could see the exhaustion in her eyes as well.

"You ready to go to bed?" Beth looked at me and frowned.

"I don't have anywhere to sleep."

I grabbed her by the shoulders and hugged her to me. "You're sleeping with me, kid."

I lead her upstairs and we both climbed into bed. We laid there for a few more minutes before Beth spoke. "You really love Edward, don't you mom."

I let out a sigh and turned to face her. "I do. But nothing like how I love you."

She rolled her eyes and then looked back at me. "Mom, I saw how he used to be with you, and how he still is, you guys were engaged before dad did what he did. I just want you to know that I won't be mad if you chose to be…like him."

I reached out and stroked her face. "Beth, even if I chose to have him transform me tomorrow, you are my daughter and you will always come first. I'm not going to send you away. I wasn't going to do it when you were an infant, and I won't do it now."

Beth hugged me. "I love you mom."

"I love you too Elizabeth." As I pulled her close I felt just how much hotter she was, but I just kicked the covers off and used my little girl as my own personal space heater as I drifted off to sleep.