Chapter One: Discovery

The light shone through the curtains—as much light as there was on an overcast day in Washington. I remember missing the bright sunlight when I first moved to Forks from Phoenix, Arizona; Phoenix, with an average rainfall of nine inches per year. Over time, I ended up loving the overcast weather because I loved Edward. Now it's a necessity for me as well.

I got up out of bed in one graceful, fluid movement and went to stand in front of the window. There had been much to get used to with my new life as a vampire over the past year.

The Cullens, my family, call themselves vegetarians because they feed on animals instead of humans like most other vampires do. I could hunt better now: like Edward, I could hunt without one hair out of place and my clothes intact. I often wondered if Edward missed the distraction of disheveled and torn clothes afterward, or if he took more pleasure in seeing me progress as a hunter. For me, it was better so Renesmee could come along with us on our hunting excursions, which of course meant Jacob would come along also.

For the past few weeks, however, Jacob has had to spend more time away from Nessie, much to his displeasure. It seems Sam has been keeping the Pack busy, and Jacob has been working with him. On what, I'm not sure, but then again, I always seem to forget to ask when he is around.

It's been close to a year since the confrontation with the Volturri: the elite ruling class of the vampire world. Renesmee now resembles a 10 year old. She talks aloud more now; mostly because we need to seem as human as possible around other humans. Still, her favorite way to communicate is to touch her soft hands to your cheek and "show" you her thoughts in your own mind.

She doesn't go to school, however. Her rapid physical growth would be noticed too quickly. Instead she is home schooled. She's expressed a desire to be either a doctor, like Carlisle, or a police officer, like Charlie.

Oh, Charlie. I suppose he could dismiss a lot of things, but with Renesmee's growth rate, even with his strict "need to know" rule, he has asked more questions. I hope I've been able to keep enough about the vampire world a secret from him to keep the Volturri happy.

Rene is in blissful innocence as usual. Unlike Charlie, she doesn't live in Forks, so these things don't usually come up; things like the change of the color of my eyes, the fact that I look like a supermodel now, and that I cook, but don't eat, when I'm at Charlie's house. I suppose she will have to know more sometime. I worry about how she'll handle it, but ever since she had the unexpectedly pleasant reaction to my marriage to Edward, I hold hope that she's more open-minded and accepting then I gave her credit for before.

When I called her to tell her I was engaged to be married only a few weeks after graduation from high school, I thought she would have suggested I see a shrink, but she didn't. I thought I would have suggested the same myself, but I was won over by Edward's powers of persuasion. I had promised myself, a long time ago, that I wouldn't be the girl who got married right out of high school. As it turned out, I was the girl who not only got married at age 18, but got pregnant with my first child afterward as well. Looking back on it now, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Edward was someone I couldn't live without. The same was true for Renesmee, or Nessie as other affectionately called her. Despite myself, the nickname had grown on me.

Rene and Phil, her husband, are traveling right now. Normally, they live in Florida. Rene moved to Florida with Phil after I left Arizona for Forks. I guess Phil is on some tour his agent wanted him to go on. Rene told me he's ad campaigning for a product that needed a celebrity athlete sponsor. I didn't even realize he was that famous.

"Bella," Edward's whisper in my ear from behind, and his arms around my waist in the same instant, broke through my thoughts. I sighed softly.

"What shall we do today?" I asked. The night had been as they usually are, eventful.

"It's still early. Renesmee isn't even awake yet." He purred in my ear. I thought of Renesmee, asleep in her room. It had been newly redecorated recently; the crib had been replaced by a bed. She was the biological daughter of Edward and I, when I was still human—a conception no one I knew ever thought possible, though now I know there are others like her.

Her bed was a full size with four posts, from which were hung sheer curtains in her favorite color. There was also a desk off to the side and in front of the window. A table lamp made by Jacob sat on top; he had carved animal shapes into the base. Renesmee loved it; she cared about Jacob. I could hear her steady, heavy breathing from where I stood. She was still asleep.

I turned around to face Edward. He kept his hands on my waist as I placed my hands around his. I buried my face in his chest. I remembered the way his jacket had smelt when I had put it on riding home in his car during one of the first day I knew him. It seemed like forever ago. I hadn't wanted to take it off and give it back to him when we had pulled up in front of Charlie's house. I didn't want to remove my face from his chest now. I was concentrating hard.

"Really?" Edward asked. "You didn't?" He was answering my thoughts. It had worked. It was a little easier now, having practiced, to let down the shield that protected my mind, and let Edward hear my thoughts. It was my favorite way to have conversations with him now. I always had to concentrate hard, but it made the conversations that much more intense.

Edward lifted me off my feet and into his arms. In a few swift movements we were then laying on the bed again, side by side, facing each other.

"Let's try again," he said.

I knew what he meant. He wanted to hear me again. I entwined my fingers with his and closed my eyes. I focused intently on the shield surrounding my mind. I found, before, that thinking of happy memories helped to take down the layer of protection that, by default, covered my mind from Edward's view. I focused on being calm and relaxed. As soon as I was anxious or swept up in any other sudden, strong emotion, the shield would again lock my mind away.

As soon as I was sufficiently relaxed, I let my mind wander again to the smell of his jacket that I'd remembered, to when he told me he would never leave again, to when he proposed, to Esme's island and feathers. I thought of the nights we had spent together this past year, reading, playing the piano (or rather Edward playing and me listening), and endless hours like this. This was something I liked; the time we spent exploring each other's minds—he, of course, speaking aloud.

I opened my eyes. He smiled. He could hear me. Carefully, slowly, so as not to break my focus, he lifted my hand to his lips. He pressed them to my hand in different places.

I thought about when I first woke up a new vampire. He stopped kissing my hand and tensed. Oops; I had let my thoughts slip briefly to the pain I was in as I had made the change from human to vampire.

I looked into his now open eyes; they were concerned. My shield had replaced itself. "You didn't tell me," he said quietly.

"I didn't want you to be upset," I answered, quickly. I smiled lightly. He didn't return it. I pulled him close and kissed him as hard as I could. He was unwilling at first, but then returned it eagerly. Eventually, I pulled myself away from him to look in his eyes again. "Besides," I said, "sometimes you have to pass through fire to get the really good things in life." I was surprised at the truth of my own words. I guess after exchanging thoughts with Edward about Renesmee, my new family, and us all those nights, I'd realized I'd go through fire again to have this, all of this, and all of Edward; his body, soul, and mind.

Edward was kissing me. I returned it and we disappeared beneath the covers.