A/N: Defeated Writer's Block! Yay!

It's slowly going to come down to the boiling point, starting with this chapter

Listen to "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol. I think it goes good with this chapter ;)

Please Review!

Nessie POV

By the time Jacob and I got back from our walk Arabell was bouncing off the walls, running in and out of the house with her new set of bubbles in one hand and a cracker in the other. She had already been changed out of her nightgown and was now wearing a bright pink shirt and pink and white polka-dotted leggings, and to top it off, she was wearing a purple tu-tu and her new black and white converse. Hmm… I wonder what Alice would do if she saw Arabell now… I expressed my thoughts towards Jacob. I saw a grin form on his face, though he kept his eyes on Arabell, practically beaming at her. I could see it in his eyes. We both thought Arabell was the cutest little button. At the same time though, she also had some spunk in her. She was very charming and could lure anyone in with the way she smiled and batted her eyelashes at them. She was always asking questions and had a very bright imagination. I was very thankful to have someone as special as her in my life.

"Daddy!" She yelled, running across the hall to be picked up in Jacob's arms.

"Hey, baby bells. How about we get that cake out now?"

"Ywes! Cake!"

I giggled. She looked at me then, and I swear the look in her big grey eyes took my breath away. She looked so much older, maybe a little bit older than she did this morning. I could see how long her legs were and all of the baby fat she had lost already. I drew in a breath. Jacob gave me a look of concern, asking me if I was okay, but I brushed him off and told him I was fine. Didn't he notice, too?

We turned out some of the lights and lit up the one single candle. It wasn't a big cake, because only three of us would actually eat it, but there was enough for me to savor and Jacob to scarf down. I was sure Arabell didn't need anymore sugar intake than she already had, though she was already bent on having the piece with Scooby-Doo's dog tag on it.

When we finished singing her happy birthday, Jacob bent down to her ear.

"Make a wish, Arabell."

She closed her eyes, her lips pressed tight. She was actually thinking hard, because by the time she opened her eyes she blew out that one single candle and had a soft smile forming on her face. I took her picture as she blew it out, and another one as she smiled into the camera.

"What did you wish for?" Jacob asked. I already told her earlier that if she should tell her wish that it wouldn't come true. She remembered.

"I can't tell you that, daddy." She looked away at the candle as the smoke slowly faded away. She then looked up to me, that smile of hers making me feel warm inside, the way Jacob always seemed to do to me.

After we had cake and spent some quality time with Arabell and tucked her in bed, I couldn't put off the one thing that had been screaming in my head all day. I had to tell Jacob.

We sat outside on the porch together later that night, the string of lights that were hanging all around the railing on the porch gave off the faintest light. I could see Jacob clearly enough, but the light was soft and subtle against his face.

"Jake…" I started, my eyes on the waves coming in closer and closer.

He didn't say anything. He just kept his eyes focused on me.

"Haven't…" I struggled. I was too dazed to find the words to explain how I felt.

"What?" He asked. He had the same concerned look on his face that I remembered earlier.

"Haven't you noticed how fast Arabell is growing?" I finally whispered the words.

He slowly got up and sat across from me in the whicker porch chair, now holding one of my hands…the one with the ring.

"Yes…Earlier, when we came home from our walk."

"Jake, her growth rate is picking up! She doesn't even look like she's a year old! More like a two or maybe even a three year old!"

"Ness," He whispered softly, one hand on my cheek.

"I remember when you were born. One day you were crawling, the next, you were walking and talking!" He stopped for a moment, smiling.

"I can see that she is growing faster than her usual rate, but right now…it's nothing compared to how fast you grew. Hey, maybe it will slow down…" He finished there, not sure what else to say.

"Are you confident about that?" I asked.

He let out a sigh. "No…I'm not. But I want to believe it."

I didn't say anything else. I could only hope that her growth rate would slow down rather than pick up.

I woke up early the next morning. I went to sleep early and since the light was shining in through the windows and into my eyes, sleeping any longer was out of the question.

I sat down in one of the blue arm chairs in the living room, closing my eyes and leaning back in the soft, comfy chair. I could smell the ocean breeze in the cool air clearing my head. I looked over to my side, and found one of my mother's favorite books, Wuthering Heights, laying on the end table by the window. She had to get a new copy of the book after the old one she had completely fell apart. I could still see the tattered edges, the folded corners, and the way the lettering started to fade. Though I was always one for variety, I had always liked this book in particular. There were a lot of discussions over this book, particularly with my mother and father.

I ran a finger over the binding, the letters, the pages.

My mother…

I wanted so badly to see her. To hear her voice. I longed to see her so badly, I started to cry…silently.

The phone was right there on the coffee table. All I had to do was dial the number, and hope to hear her voice.

Bella POV

Another long day of fighting newborns, and we were back at what seemed to be more like our headquarters than an actual house. All of the furniture was pushed aside. Random objects were strewn across the floor, and there were imperfections in the walls as if someone had punched the wall and left a hole in it. The glass was on the verge of falling apart. Cracks ran up and down…back and forth…as if it was a puzzle piece being solved, but would soon fall apart. The circuit wire had been cut to close the metal doors, so for now we were all exposed to anyone nearby.

I looked down at the scar on my right arm. It was a bite mark from one of the newborns. An imperfection. I almost had my arm ripped off when Edward came in the nick of time, finishing him off. I remembered the one I got from James, though the memory was slightly blurry…I still remembered the way the venom had burned throughout my body.

I pushed the thought away, quickly taking control over my thoughts again. Edward must have noticed me standing at the window, looking out at the sky…it was getting darker.

I could hear his footsteps getting closer. He placed a hand on my shoulder. He didn't say anything for a while. None of us really said anything anymore. We went out and hunted down the newborns, and by the end of the day all we wanted was some peace and quiet.

His hand went down my arm and stopped at the scar. He raised my hand to look at it, but I slowly put my hand on top of the cresent-shaped scar.

"I'm okay." I replied.

He looked at me…his expression completely drained of any hope. Though we were winning against these newborns…we didn't know when it would stop.

I took his hand and walked with him to the couch. We sat there in silence until my phone started ringing. It was on vibrate, and the sound of the buzzing against the wood was irritating. I quickly got up and looked at the caller ID.

The number told me everything.

Renesmee…

She was calling…for me…

I wanted to hear her…just once. I wanted to know how she was and how big Arabell had gotten…I wanted to know everything.

I was hesitant to answer, but before it could go to voicemail I slowly flipped open the phone.

"Hello?" I whispered.

There was a long silence before I heard a sharp breath over the phone.

"Mom?"

Edward could hear my conversation, and immediately he looked away from the windows and focused on me.

"I'm here…" I choked. "I'm here."

I could hear her crying.

"I miss you…"

It felt as though a surge of electricity ran through my body.

"I miss you too. I love you so much. I wish I could see you."

I wanted to start sobbing, but I couldn't let her hear that…I just couldn't.

"Mom…" She choked out. "I love you so much…I couldn't push away the need to hear your voice…"

"Renesmee…Stay strong…for me…be safe. Give Arabell a kiss for me. I am okay. I love you."

"Mom-"

And with that, I fell to the floor, sobbing as the feeling of helplessness surged through me. Edward rushed to my side, pulling me into his chest. As strong as I was, I felt as though all of that strength was defeated by the feeling that I had now. I was overwhelmed…distressed. Even for a vampire…I felt weak…drained…I just wanted to curl up in a ball for the moment and let the feelings take over me. I may be strong…but right now…all of that strength was gone.